［Jiang Xiao］: Xi’er, I bought some Orange-flavored Da Bai Tu Milk Candy at the supermarket today. I remember this is your favorite flavor, so I bought a lot. You once said that whenever you’re feeling down, just eating one of these candies would brighten your mood. I really want to see your smile again when you get the candy.
“Eh?”
Song Qiuyu’s mind blanked for a moment.
So it turned out she had mentioned this on her alt account to Jiang Xiao before—the Orange-flavored Da Bai Tu Milk Candy was something Jiang Xiao specifically bought for Shen Xi.
Recalling the taste of that orange-flavored candy, memories flashed through her mind.
It wasn’t the first time she had done something like this—eating what Jiang Xiao had bought for Shen Xi. Back then, it seemed she felt no guilt at all.
In fact… she even thought it was quite fun!
But things were different now.
Thinking back to how she felt when she received the candy that morning, her body stiffened slightly, her eyes slowly dropping. Unconsciously, she curled up into a ball.
She realized she was just incidental.
It should have been natural—they were only friends, brothers, and roommates. For someone like Jiang Xiao, a pure-hearted virgin who forgets friends when he sees a girl, of course the girlfriend would come first, and everything else would take a backseat!
But why did she feel a bit… lost?
Could it be because in Jiang Xiao’s heart, her place was already overshadowed by Shen Xi?
She glanced at the chat screen and sighed.
At least Jiang Xiao had some conscience.
He remembered that she also liked this kind of candy. If she hadn’t seen the message, she would still be happily immersed in the feeling of being cared for by a friend.
Just then, the sound of a key quietly turning in the dorm door’s lock echoed.
Song Qiuyu was still unaware. Judging from the latter half of the message, in a way, she had helped Jiang Xiao fulfill his wish in advance.
She felt like a little mouse that had fallen headfirst into a trash bin, rummaging through countless piles of garbage and filthy water, and finally found a fishbone to nibble on at the very bottom.
A tender sprout grew from the barren soil deep within her heart.
Accidentally, she had made progress in her atonement.
This made the corners of her mouth lift slightly. She stopped overthinking and prepared to sleep in a good mood.
With a creak, the dorm door opened. Jiang Xiao came back.
“Uh…”
Song Qiuyu’s hands holding the phone suddenly trembled.
“Hmm?”
Jiang Xiao’s footsteps paused.
“Song Qiuyu?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Jiang Xiao, why are you only back now?”
Song Qiuyu hastily switched accounts.
Jiang Xiao walked inside, tilting his head slightly, looking toward Song Qiuyu’s bed behind the curtain, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Then, deliberately, he walked over, lifting her bed curtain with one hand and looked up at her, his gaze clean and curious as he asked, “Are you okay? Did I come back too suddenly and scare you?”
“No, no,” Song Qiuyu quickly shoved the phone into the blanket to hide it.
As she spoke, she nervously twisted her hands and forced herself to lower her gaze, meeting Jiang Xiao’s eyes filled with amusement.
She rarely looked down on Jiang Xiao from above like this, nor had she been looked up to by him from below.
For some reason, it made her feel even more uneasy.
The only logical explanation for this scene must be:
A guilty conscience.
“I was just really focused on playing on my phone, so I got startled. Maybe I’m a bit tired and overly sensitive.”
She covered her forehead, her voice weakening slightly before continuing.
“Is that so? But judging by your reaction…”
Jiang Xiao deliberately raised an eyebrow and said in a calm voice, “You’re not hiding behind the curtain doing something you wouldn’t want anyone to see, are you?”
Hearing this, cold sweat rolled down Song Qiuyu’s cheeks, and she pressed her lips tightly together. His words hovered right on the edge of truth, making her heart race.
She couldn’t deny one thing: the space behind the curtain was both a private safe zone and the most suspicious place!
That was why, in their middle and high school dormitories, no one hung bed curtains.
If someone did hang one, the others would immediately assume they were doing something shameful—like secretly studying behind their roommates’ backs!
“Ah, you caught me. Actually, I was secretly studying hard. You know I’m a terrible student. If I don’t put in more effort, I’ll fail for sure!”
Song Qiuyu scratched the back of her neck, feigning embarrassment.
Jiang Xiao smiled but said nothing.
He probably guessed what was going on but chose not to expose her, pretending to believe her as he walked toward his desk.
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu thought her acting had successfully saved her and pulled the phone out from under the blanket again.
At that moment, a notification popped up on the screen—package delivery update.
She had to admit, JD.com really shipped fast.
She guessed by the time she woke up, the package would already be out for delivery.
She put down the phone, flopped onto the bed, and thought about Jiang Xiao’s face just now.
A little itch tickled her heart as she turned over, facing the wall and closed her eyes.
Just now, at the Opera House, she had been imagining Jiang Xiao’s expression, meowing and teasing him all afternoon.
This wouldn’t do.
She couldn’t stand it anymore. What would happen when she officially dressed as a catgirl and filming began?
She had the responsibility to practice with Jiang Xiao, so she couldn’t mess up herself first!
With that determination, Song Qiuyu let herself relax and soon drifted off into sleep.
The person under the bed watched the neighboring bed fall asleep so quickly, his expression somewhat surprised.
It seemed she hadn’t seen the messages he sent—or at least, those messages hadn’t affected her much.
Between these two possibilities, he leaned toward the latter.
He just didn’t know when Song Qiuyu started secretly reading his messages—could it have been all three years?
Jiang Xiao clenched his fists, got up, and headed for the stairs.
Of course, he wasn’t going to sneak into Song Qiuyu’s bed or spy on her phone—he just needed to get some clothes to change and go take a shower.
But when he opened the wardrobe, the first things he saw were the pants and underwear that Song Qiuyu once helped him wash with her own hands.
He pondered quietly, silent.
The next day.
The winter sun still gently sent comfortable warmth to the earth.
“Hmm…”
Song Qiuyu, however, had not slept well—not because of weird dreams, but because in her dreams, she was diligently following the script, doing everything she could to seduce Jiang Xiao.
Yet neither Jiang Xiao nor Little Jiang Xiao showed any reaction to her seduction—always cold, indifferent, and disheartened.
It was as if only Shen Xi standing before them could stir any response.
Repeatedly!!
By the time filming officially started, she had been NG’d over and over.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed.
As the saying goes, what you think about by day, you dream about by night. It was probably because of her obsession with the Second Bucket of Gold and how much she cared about Jiang Xiao that she had such dreams.
Fortunately, despite the restless night, a hearty breakfast fixed her energy problem.
Not only that, she also snagged some discounted cheap foundation at the supermarket.
The JD.com package was delivered to Cainiao Post around 9 a.m.—incredibly fast.
So, she sent Jiang Xiao a message with the pickup code and headed straight for Cainiao Post.
Before she reached the spot,
beep — her phone received a new text:
“Hello, sorry, I accidentally took the wrong package and opened it. Do you have time now? I want to return your package to you.”
“?”
Song Qiuyu froze. Seriously? You could take the wrong package?
She was dumbfounded.
That package contained the Tifa Cosplay Costume and the Large Fake Breasts.
She could only pray the other person didn’t recognize her.
Hmm…
But their short videos had gotten a bit popular. The chance that the person knew her wasn’t low.
Maybe she should tell them to just leave the items somewhere and leave, then she’d pick them up later?
Confidently, she sent an address and rushed ahead to the spot, crossing her arms and hiding nearby.
After a while, a rather familiar figure came into view.
Wasn’t that the JK girl?!
Though the girl wasn’t wearing JK today but casual clothes, not knowing her name, Song Qiuyu could only refer to her by first impressions.
They hadn’t seen each other for a while, but she still clearly remembered what that girl had done.
Especially since she was someone you didn’t want to mess with, Jiang Xiao absolutely needed to stay far away from her.
“This should be the place.”
The JK girl said, placing the cardboard box she was carrying on the ground.
Exactly where Song Qiuyu and the person who took her package had agreed to meet.
Huh?
Could it be…?
Song Qiuyu widened her eyes and saw the girl pick up her phone, clearly taking a photo of the box, then editing a message.
Ding
Another two messages popped up on Song Qiuyu’s phone:
“Your package has arrived. Recently, stolen deliveries have happened a lot. Don’t you want me to watch your stuff for you? Maybe someone is stealing deliveries?”
With a photo attached.
Song Qiuyu was silent for a moment, then decisively refused the girl’s offer.
She hadn’t expected the girl to have such a warm and responsible side when dealing with these matters.
When the girl’s figure completely disappeared from view, Song Qiuyu came out of hiding and went to her package.
“Phew…”
She crouched and opened the box, quickly checked that nothing was missing, then hugged the box, ready to leave.
“Is this yours?”
The JK girl’s surprised voice suddenly sounded from behind.
Song Qiuyu stiffened slightly.
“Finally showing your true colors, wanting to cross-dress and sneak onto your roommate’s bed?”
The JK girl’s voice was full of disgust and disdain.
Hearing that, Song Qiuyu felt even more embarrassed. Honestly, she would have preferred if the girl was a worse person who would just dump the package and leave.
But judging from the outcome, the girl most likely just stepped away to watch her package from afar.
“Did I hit the mark? Cat got your tongue?”
The JK girl chuckled.
She looked down at Song Qiuyu’s not fully lifted package with a contemptuous glare, clicking her tongue twice as she continued, voice sharp and arrogant:
“You actually want to cosplay Tifa? Not bad taste. But no matter how much you dress up, you’re still a guy—you’ll never become a real girl!”