Complaints aside, after venting, one must continue to play their role.
If he hadn’t persevered, he wouldn’t have grown to a height of one meter eighty-three… or even one meter eighty during his first year of high school.
Fingers danced lightly, silver coins spun, and a strikingly beautiful figure suddenly appeared in the empty dorm room.
Gazing at the girl in the mirror, dressed in an oversized T-shirt, her delicate collarbone subtly visible, the playful girl tilted her head, her clear and melodious voice flowing like a babbling brook.
“Jiang Senior, do you like me?”
“Jiang Senior, don’t you want to like the gardenia?”
“Jiang Senior, I really like you…”
“Ji Ge, Lao Yao, Daji, are you there? Open the door!”
Just then, a sudden knock echoed, “Damn!” Ji Yuenian was startled, his body jolting, and he quickly returned to his original form.
“Is anyone there? Open the door!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Ji Yuenian replied, quickly putting away the silver coins in his hand before heading to the door.
Luo Yikang entered, holding a box of shoes, a broad smile on his face.
His narrow phoenix eyes squinted slightly, a beauty mark adorning the corner of his eye.
He casually placed the shoe box on the table and turned to Ji Yuenian.
“Ji Ge, guess what I just saw on the playground? You’ll never believe it!!”
“Future federal cattle and horses, or a line of sows falling into a ditch?”
Seeing Luo Yikang’s cheerful demeanor, Ji Yuenian thought to himself that this guy must have entered another spring of his life, probably flirting with some little sister again.
“Wrong on all counts.” Luo Yikang took out his phone and waved it in front of Ji Yuenian.
“A stunning ancient-style beauty wearing a fox mask, she was so beautiful, I even took a photo.”
“Oh?”
Ji Yuenian glanced down.
This glance was enough; the ancient-style girl’s outfit he had encountered before, that familiar height, and the fox mask covering most of her face.
Hiss!
Meanwhile, Luo Yikang gazed at the photo, grinning foolishly, muttering, “I’m going to pursue her,” “So beautiful,” “I absolutely have to win her over,” “When did our school get such a gem of a girl?” “Look at that waist, it’s perfect!”
“You little rascal…”
Ji Yuenian patted his shoulder, all his words condensing into a single “Good luck.”
As a source of amusement, he certainly enjoyed watching the sea king’s downfall.
“Thanks for the encouragement.”
“I’m going to find out more about this beauty.”
After saying that, Luo Yikang grabbed his coat and dashed out of the dormitory, leaving Ji Yuenian with a swift silhouette.
“This guy…”
Ji Yuenian took a sip of his sweet red water and shook his head.
“I really think Hu Li has the charm of a Han demon.”
* * *
That night, at the number one secret base, a rented small room.
After the live stream ended, Ji Yuenian was in “Bao Yue’s little nest” with his two managers, venting about life.
Bao Yue: “I’m so exhausted lately, playing a character every day feels like I’m becoming a double agent. I swear I’m going to develop a split personality one day.”
Miao Miao Xia: “Better treat that split personality early. I know a big sister who has a mental illness and hasn’t been cured yet.”
Chi Long Bao Bao Ai Xi Zao: “I’m planning to date a female classmate soon. What do you think?”
Bao Yue: “Dating? You mean falling in love, right? That’s simple-treat her to a meal, then watch a movie, and while watching, share a passionate kiss.”
Miao Miao Xia: “Bao Yue is right. Although I’ve never dated, I’ve read that humans definitely need to kiss when they’re in a relationship, a big loving kiss. Miao Miao is excited JPG.”
At that moment, in the Wanyidaer community.
In a clean, tidy, and spotless room, all in monotonous white.
A kiss?
Jiang Chi unconsciously touched his lips, and suddenly, that playful and cute face floated into his mind—soft, warm, with a faint scent of gardenia.
He felt a strange sensation in his heart, like a cat scratching at him, tickling him.
Was that what a loving kiss felt like?
Better than the taste of gardenia-flavored pudding.
Jiang Chi glanced at the unfinished pudding beside him, thinking this.
Chi Long Bao Bao Ai Xi Zao: “I don’t know if I like her, nor do I know if dating her is the right choice; I just want to try it once.”
Miao Miao Xia: “Dating without liking? I always thought you had to like someone to date them.”
Bao Yue: “Chi Bao, is this your first love?”
Chi Long Bao Bao Ai Xi Zao: “Yes.”
Bao Yue: “Then let me teach you a method. Use your imagination. Imagine if the girl you want to date had never existed in this world, how would you feel?”
Never existed in this world.
Ji Qingchan did not exist in this world.
No passionate calls, no girl chattering in his ear, no pair of round, adoring black eyes, no… that warm touch better than gardenia-flavored pudding.
Jiang Chi’s gaze lowered slightly, feeling a bit swollen in his heart.
He didn’t know what was wrong with him; he just felt uncomfortable, as if a piece of his heart had been dug out, leaving him uneasy.
Chi Long Bao Bao Ai Xi Zao: “I don’t really like her, but if one day she really disappeared from my world, I would be very sad.”
Bao Yue: “Then that’s it! Being able to say such things means you have some feelings for her!”
Bao Yue: “Recognizing your own feelings is the first step to dating, of course, except for sea kings. I have a sea king roommate who has fallen for my other roommate’s masked girl in ancient attire. I’m just waiting to see the fun.”
The three chatted for a while longer before logging off.
Jiang Chi activated a speed booster for himself, then his fingers danced across the keyboard, typing a string of letters before logging into another secret account.
He pulled up a frequently visited website from his favorites, “mysterious,” which meant mysterious.
This was not the dark web; it was merely an illegal network that was not allowed to log in openly, filled with a mix of people and advertisements, where all sorts of strange characters could be found.
On the left, someone was selling strength pills; on the right, someone claimed to practice qigong, and in the middle, there was an online hookup service.
Its only advantage was its vastness; it had a wide range of content channels, covering everything openly and even involving some things behind the scenes, nearly nonexistent information echo chambers.
Jiang Chi’s ID was “Healing,” meaning he hoped to cure his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Initially, he logged onto this site to find alternative methods to treat his condition beyond modern science.
Now, he clicked on an ID that showed mutual follows, named “Super Cool Cat,” with an avatar from a very old animated series—a red mecha cat.
Jiang Chi’s expression was calm as he prepared to return something he had unintentionally taken from the other party.
Healing: “Video editing is good. When do we start?”
Super Cool Cat: “OK, watch me start the midnight chicken!”