Xie Linchuan had recently noticed that his online girlfriend was acting a bit strange.
He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but something felt off.
A voice on the other end of the phone chuckled. "Old Xie, I've never even been in a relationship before. You tell me all this, and I can't make any sense of it either."
Xie Linchuan curled the corner of his mouth.
Of course he knew his good buddy had never had a girlfriend, but the guy had been sharp since they were kids, so he'd been hoping for a second opinion.
"Oh, and I've met this really weird girl recently."
"What do you mean?"
"She offered me fifty bucks per round to play games with her."
"She's trying to get with you."
"Tsk!" Xie Linchuan raised an eyebrow dismissively. "I've got a girlfriend. I stay loyal."
The male voice on the other end of the line laughed along with him.
"It's just an online relationship, and you're taking it this seriously? Can you guarantee your online girlfriend doesn't have other guys on the line besides you?"
"Little Fatty!" Xie Linchuan snapped, calling the other guy by his childhood nickname.
"Shut up! Old Xie! Don't call me that!" The reaction on the other end was even fiercer.
"Alright, alright, I won't say it if you don't want me to. But you can't badmouth Jiaojiao."
"...Jiaojiao?" The voice on the other end hesitated for a moment.
"What's wrong? My girlfriend's ID is 'Your Jiaojiao.' Do you know her?"
"...I don't think so." The male voice on the other end sounded a little distant.
No sooner had he hung up with his buddy than his girlfriend's WeChat message came through.
Your Jiaojiao: [Baby? Who were you talking to on the phone just now? I couldn't get through.]
Thanks, Goodbye: [My buddy.]
Your Jiaojiao: [Really?]
Thanks, Goodbye: [What reason would I have to lie? Of course it's true.]
There was a three-second silence on the other end.
No new message was sent.
Xie Linchuan knew he'd been busy lately and had neglected his girlfriend.
Luckily, now he had some free time again.
Thanks, Goodbye: [Jiaojiao, want to rank up? I'll carry you.]
Your Jiaojiao: [Can't today. Our club has an event, so I'll probably be back at the dorm pretty late.]
Thanks, Goodbye: [Alright, then let's just chat for a bit? I'll send you a voice call.]
Your Jiaojiao: [I have to leave in three minutes. How about tomorrow?]
Xie Linchuan rubbed his forehead.
But he didn't think much of it.
Thanks, Goodbye: [Okay. Be careful on the road.]
Your Jiaojiao: [Mm-hmm.]
...
One "mm" is a reply; two "mm-hmms" means brushing someone off.
Dong Jiaoyan didn't know what was wrong with herself.
She still couldn't forget the Neighbor Brother's face. Ah, he was the most handsome guy she had ever met in real life!
But he had gone broke.
She sulked for all of three seconds, but as soon as she remembered that today's club mixer would include senior students from other schools, her face lit up again.
If she couldn't have one Neighbor Brother, couldn't she find a suitable senior guy instead?
She stood in front of the full-length mirror in her dorm and gave herself a satisfied once-over.
Her chestnut-colored hair hung down her back, the ends slightly curled. A pair of big, pretty eyes sparkled.
She wore a pure white off-shoulder dress with a trailing hem, revealing her delicate collarbone. Around her neck hung a silver, fine-chain six-pointed star choker necklace, paired with a pair of beige knee-high boots.
She looked polished and chic.
Before heading out, she opened her handbag again and meticulously touched up her lipstick in front of the mirror.
Only then did she nod with satisfaction.
As she was about to pull open the dorm door, she brushed past a girl coming in.
At first, she didn't think much of it, assuming it was one of her other two roommates. But after taking two steps, she felt like something was off.
Her steps suddenly stopped.
She turned her head and slowly looked back at the woman who was walking toward Qiao Liuyue's desk.
Unable to hold back her confusion, she asked, "Who are you?"
The woman before her had starry apricot eyes, long, jet-black hair that fell to her waist, a smooth and gleaming forehead, a straight nose bridge, and thin lips with a faint, natural cherry-pink hue.
It was a healthy, effortless complexion.
She had a dab of light orange blush on the tip of her nose and her cheekbones, giving off a vibe of lazy elegance.
She was also dressed in white.
But she wore a casual white tank top with cream-colored denim jeans, paired with a pair of brown leather boots.
On top of her soft hair sat a matching brown beret, and around her waist she had tied a yellow-and-brown striped silk scarf.
She looked exactly like a model template out of a fashion magazine.
Hearing Dong Jiaoyan's question.
The woman tilted her head slightly, revealing a smile that was both familiar yet unfamiliar.
"Jiaojiao, you're my best friend. How can you not even recognize me?"
The expression on Dong Jiaoyan's face was a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Doubts, surprise, scrutiny, suspicion, then disbelief and chagrin!
Chagrin over what?
Naturally, she was annoyed that the other girl had managed to slip out of her control without a sound. That she had transformed from an unnoticeable ugly duckling into an elegant beauty.
Dong Jiaoyan said, "Liuyue."
Her throat felt a bit dry. She swallowed hard, forcing a friendly expression onto her face.
Trying to keep her tone gentle, she added, "Didn't you go help out your Neighbor Brother? How come you come back looking like a completely different person?"
After she finished speaking, her eyes swept up and down the other girl.
She wanted to find something critical to pick on about her, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find anything.
So she could only speak carelessly:
"This outfit of yours is new, right? It looks like a knockoff of a big brand. Which personal shopper did you use? Must have cost you a pretty penny."
"And this hat, Liuyue, your head is big, and wearing this hat just makes it even more obvious."
"Better not wear this outfit next time."
She tried her best to make her words sound as sincere as possible, as if she were giving heartfelt advice from the perspective of a good friend.
Who would have thought that Qiao Liuyue just shrugged indifferently.
"But my Neighbor Brother said this outfit looks good on me."
Dong Jiaoyan felt that tiny flicker of interest in the Neighbor Brother stir again. Clenching her teeth, she guessed:
"He wouldn't be trying to pursue you, would he?"
Qiao Liuyue smiled and didn't respond.
But to Dong Jiaoyan, this seemed like a tacit admission.
And so her voice carried a hint of jealousy she hadn't even noticed herself.
She raised her volume a bit.
"Liuyue, I'm your good friend. I always side with what's right, not with who's close to me."
"You can't be gaming with your in-game game partner on one hand, and on the other hand, having an ambiguous, tangled relationship with your Neighbor Brother offline. That's not right."
Dong Jiaoyan spoke with great self-righteousness.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Liuyue slowly nodded, as if deep in thought.
Just as Dong Jiaoyan felt she had seized the moral high ground and finally put her best friend in her place again—
Qiao Liuyue tilted her head slightly.
Her tone was light and cheerful, yet familiar.
"Jiaojiao, I know."
"But... wasn't this what you taught me?"
...
Dong Jiaoyan had once said: "That's my online dating boyfriend."
Qiao Liuyue: "That's just my gaming partner."
Dong Jiaoyan had once said: "We haven't even met in person yet. Who knows, maybe we'll drift apart while we're still talking, so it doesn't really count."
Qiao Liuyue: "We haven't even met in person yet. Who knows, maybe we'll drift apart while we're still gaming, so it doesn't really count."
Dong Jiaoyan had once said: "I think when it comes to developing real-life relationships, it's more reliable to find people you've met offline, don't you think?"
Qiao Liuyue: "I think when it comes to developing real-life relationships, it's more reliable to find people you've met offline, don't you think?"
...
Memories and reality overlapped, and the boomerang came back to strike Dong Jiaoyan.
She froze, speechless and silent.
