Qiao Liuyue didn't agree right away. She paused for two seconds.
"I need to ask my Neighbor Brother first, see if he's willing."
"Fine!" Dong Jiaoyan nodded firmly.
There was an almost instinctive confidence on her face.
With her looks, that handsome guy must have remembered her from today. If Liuyue asked, how could he possibly refuse to add a stunning beauty as a friend?
So Qiao Liuyue immediately found Zheng Qingyuan on WeChat and told him the whole story from start to finish: "Dong Jiaoyan is very interested in your Neighbor Brother identity and wants to add you as a friend."
She didn't embellish it or leave out any details. She just stated the facts as they were.
The reply came quickly.
Zheng Qingyuan: [!!!]
Zheng Qingyuan: [Are you saying... Jiaojiao wants to add the Neighbor Brother on WeChat? But at lunch today, she was clearly eating with Sui Feng.]
After sending the message, he probably ran the logic through his own head, and the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.
In fact, "Sui Feng" was Zheng Qingyuan himself.
But the person sitting in the restaurant at noon having lunch with Dong Jiaoyan—that plain-looking guy—was his assistant.
In other words, Dong Jiaoyan was currently interacting with the assistant "Sui Feng," but the moment she turned around and saw his face, she wanted to add him on WeChat?
So did she actually like "Sui Feng" as a person, or was she just going by looks?
He could hardly believe the conclusion his reasoning had led him to. It was like being slapped awake from a beautiful dream.
Qiao Liuyue: [So, are you going to give her your WeChat or not?]
The other side was silent for a while. The "typing..." indicator flickered on and off several times.
The message that finally came through carried a resigned helplessness.
Zheng Qingyuan: [I can't. She's already added my WeChat. We chat every day, but whenever we meet in person, my assistant shows up instead.]
Well, that was a real twist.
Qiao Liuyue stared at the line for a few seconds, momentarily at a loss for words.
She gave up thinking and replied with a sticker of a bitter, smiling puppy.
That evening, when Dong Jiaoyan learned from Qiao Liuyue that "Neighbor Brother isn't willing to add your contact," the expression on her face was quite dramatic.
First disbelief, then confusion.
Then it quickly shifted into a kind of irritated "are you kidding me?"
Finally, it settled on a sense of frustration she had never experienced before.
"How is that possible? Liuyue, did you make it clear to him that I'm the girl from noon?"
"Why wouldn't he add me on WeChat? Could it be... he already has a girlfriend?"
She, Dong Jiaoyan, had never been rejected like this before!
She really couldn't believe her charm had failed.
Especially since she had a little scheme in mind: without makeup, she was a six out of ten; with makeup, she could reach a seven. But standing next to Qiao Liuyue, who dressed dowdily, she turned into a nine out of ten.
Qiao Liuyue just shook her head.
"I don't know. He just said it wasn't convenient to add you, without explaining why."
Dong Jiaoyan, seeing herself as a beauty, was experiencing rejection for the first time in her life.
She still pestered Qiao Liuyue, even coming up with what she thought was a very reasonable request: for Qiao Liuyue to call that "Neighbor Brother" right in front of her so she could listen in and demand an explanation.
Qiao Liuyue flatly refused.
"I said he's my Neighbor Brother, but we haven't seen each other for years. We're not really that close..."
"Besides, it's late at night. Calling him about something like this would be really rude. No can do, Jiaojiao."
Dong Jiaoyan thought about it and had to admit she knew Qiao Liuyue well.
She was timid by nature and easily scared.
Asking her to call a "Neighbor Brother" she hadn't contacted in years, just to say "Why won't you add my bestie on WeChat?" — that was something no one would feel comfortable doing, let alone Qiao Liuyue.
So she had to drop the idea.
Since she couldn't get that handsome guy, at least she had to hold on tight to her online boyfriend, "Thanks, Goodbye."
She urged, "My boyfriend just said he's going to the lab to work on a project. Send him a message and ask if he wants to play games."
Qiao Liuyue slowly logged into the secondary account Dong Jiaoyan had given her and found the familiar profile picture.
She opened the chat, thought for a moment, and typed a message.
The World's Cutest Support: [Want to play a game? Same deal, fifty bucks a round.]
Thanks, Goodbye: [Let's play.]
It was nearly an instant reply.
When Dong Jiaoyan caught a glimpse of this message out of the corner of her eye, she jumped up as if she'd been electrocuted.
Fuming, she opened her own chat with "Thanks, Goodbye."
The last message there was his: "Babe, I'm busy with the lab. Talk later."
Dong Jiaoyan glared at the screen, her eyes wide with fury, grinding her teeth so hard it was audible. Her voice had completely changed pitch.
"Player! He clearly told me he was busy! So why, the moment you call him, he shows up right away?"
Qiao Liuyue thought it over and explained, "Maybe... he's short on living expenses lately and needs the money?"
Dong Jiaoyan grumbled, her tone full of grievance.
"How could he be short? I didn't ask for much—just five hundred bucks for bubble tea."
"Brother Suifeng easily gives me a thousand or more every time."
As she spoke, she couldn't help comparing the two.
Qiao Liuyue said fairly, "Sui Feng is a working adult with a steady income. Your boyfriend is still a student with no financial resources. How can you compare the two?"
Dong Jiaoyan felt this made some sense, and her anger subsided a little.
But the resentment was still there. She bit her lip and couldn't help adding, "Even so, he shouldn't be playing games with some rich girl! That's basically cheating!"
Qiao Liuyue stayed silent, blinking behind her glasses.
Soon, the game started.
Qiao Liuyue was playing the marksman Sun Shangxiang this round.
"Thanks, Goodbye" chose the support hero, Liu Shan.
But the start of this round was disastrous.
Just after clearing the first wave of minions, the enemy jungler, Liu Bei, burst out of the bushes, murder in his eyes.
Qiao Liuyue quickly pressed Sun Shangxiang's dash skill and even sent a retreat signal.
But "Thanks, Goodbye"'s Liu Shan, trying to block the enemy jungler's pursuit for her, charged forward without hesitation.
He tanked Liu Bei's bullets head-on. His health bar plummeted, and in the end, he made a glorious sacrifice.
That wasn't all—misfortune struck back-to-back.
Their top-laner, Li Xin, was solo-killed by the enemy's Mi Yue. Their mid-laner, Xiao Qiao, didn't fare any better, taken down by the enemy Angela's full combo without even using Flash.
Within three minutes of the start, their team had already given up three kills.
Their economy was far behind the enemy's.
But Dong Jiaoyan's mind was completely off the game.
She suddenly leaned in, elbowed Qiao Liuyue in the ribs, and whispered excitedly, "Liuyue, quick, send a message."
"What should we do, Liu Shan? Are we going to lose this round?"
"Be more cutesy when you say it. The cuter, the better."
