Shu Yu: "?"
Shu Yu stared at this username, lost in thought.
Who in their right mind has the username "ATM"?
Like an actual cash machine? It feels like a scam.
Not very trustworthy.
Shu Yu was about to delete the contact when the other person sent a message first.
ATM: Hello.
Shu Yu pressed her lips together.
LittleFishSwimming: Hello.
ATM: Still awake this late?
LittleFishSwimming: You're not asleep either.
ATM: Still running experiments. What about you?
Shu Yu listened for sounds downstairs—there was no sound at all.
Shu Yu propped her cheek on her hand and replied.
LittleFishSwimming: Waiting for my brother to come home.
Si Yiheng paused for a moment, as if he could see Shu Yu looking at the door again and again, disappointed each time.
So, when he wasn't around, Shu Yu missed him like this too.
ATM: You could go to sleep early. When you wake up tomorrow morning, maybe you'll see your brother.
Shu Yu didn't know how to tell this ATM that it wasn't like wishing on a star would summon Si Yiheng.
Si Yiheng was very busy.
LittleFishSwimming: Mm, I'm going to sleep now.
ATM: Good night.
LittleFishSwimming: Good night, cat nodding emoji
The next day, Shu Yu woke up in the morning, dozed for another five minutes, and was about to doze off for five more.
She heard Si Yiheng's voice: "Little sister, time to get up."
Shu Yu: "!!!"
It really worked! Like a wish come true!
Si Yiheng carried Shu Yu's books for her.
Shu Yu peeked at Si Yiheng. "Aren't you busy today?"
Si Yiheng ruffled Shu Yu's hair. "Not busy. Let's go to school."
Shu Yu was in a good mood all day.
While Shu Yu was in class, Si Yiheng was in the car reviewing documents.
Suddenly he received a message from Shu Yu.
LittleFishSwimming: You were right. I saw my brother this morning.
ATM: ^^
Shu Yu: "?"
That's so familiar.
But the class bell rang, and Shu Yu didn't have the chance to think more about it.
Her school gave students a lot of freedom, but not so much freedom that playing with your phone in class wouldn't get you scolded by the teacher.
That evening, Shu Yu was doing homework.
ATM: What are you doing?
LittleFishSwimming: Doing homework.
ATM: Mm.
LittleFishSwimming: Are you in university?
ATM: Mm.
LittleFishSwimming: You must be pretty free then. My brother is very busy.
ATM: ...Not that free either.
LittleFishSwimming: But you reply to messages instantly.
ATM: I'm busy, but I'll try my best to reply to you.
Shu Yu: "!!!"
Something felt extremely, one-hundred-percent off. Who messages a stranger they just met and puts them that high on their priority list?
Unless they're trying to scam her for money?
LittleFishSwimming: Do you want money?
ATM: No ^^
LittleFishSwimming: Then why do you seem to like me so much already? That's really weird.
Si Yiheng thought for a long time, then replied.
ATM: Maybe it's because some people have an initial affinity of one hundred percent when they enter someone's life.
Shu Yu: (ⓛωⓛ)
This is a romance scam, right?
Shu Yu stopped replying and went back to her homework.
Who has one hundred percent initial affinity for someone they met online?
Two days later, Shu Yu came back to make another wish.
LittleFishSwimming: Do you think my brother can drive me to school tomorrow?
ATM: Should be possible.
The next day, Shu Yu saw Si Yiheng indeed.
Shu Yu was silent. Was her online friend some kind of turtle in a wishing pool?
That night, Shu Yu tested again.
LittleFishSwimming: Think I can make top three in this exam?
ATM: Of course ^^
LittleFishSwimming: ?
This one shouldn't be possible, right?
From then on, every day when Shu Yu came home, she would find a well-organized set of study notes from ATM.
Shu Yu became busy again, without time to say she missed Si Yiheng. But oddly enough, Si Yiheng seemed to be showing up more often.
Out of seven days, Si Yiheng drove her to school four times.
When the grades came out, Shu Yu not only made top three—she made first.
Shu Yu: "..."
Ye Ning stared at Shu Yu. "Baby Yu, you were secretly studying!"
Shu Yu pulled out her phone and showed Ye Ning the chat history. Sure, it was also the result of hard work, but this online friend was seriously strange.
Ye Ning: "!!!"
Ye Ning: "Is your online friend a turtle in a wishing pool or what?"
Asking for neither money nor love, just fulfilling wishes.
Shu Yu propped her cheek on her hand. "I think he's strange too."
"I suspect..."
Ye Ning: "I suspect too..."
They said in unison: "He's a friend of Si Yiheng's."
How else could you explain that every time she said she wanted to see Si Yiheng, Si Yiheng would show up?
Ye Ning's eyes wandered. "Do you think Si Yiheng knows?"
Shu Yu thought back to what Si Yiheng had said before—that she wasn't allowed to date early, and even if she were to date, she had to tell him first.
Shu Yu pressed her lips together. What should she do? She was afraid to tell Si Yiheng now.
Si Yiheng would be really angry if he found out she was in an online romance.
Shu Yu secretly sent a message to ATM.
LittleFishSwimming: Do you know my brother?
On the other end, Si Yiheng received this message, fell silent for a moment, then replied.
ATM: Yes.
LittleFishSwimming: Then you can't tell Si Yiheng that we met on this dating app!
ATM: Why not?
LittleFishSwimming: My brother won't let me date early. Sad kitten hanging head.jpg
Si Yiheng's eyes darkened. So, his little sister could lie too. She would break the promises she'd made to him.
She would keep secrets from him.
And yet, at this moment, Si Yiheng felt something like relief.
Good thing it was him she was talking to.
LittleFishSwimming: You're not agreeing? Cat staring at you.jpg
ATM: Agreed.
ATM: I won't let you date early.
Shu Yu blinked her long lashes, then obediently replied.
LittleFishSwimming: Mm hm, just no early dating. Even if we're going to date, it has to be after graduation.
ATM: Mm, good girl.
Shu Yu: (ⓛωⓛ)
That strange feeling in Shu Yu's heart grew stronger. Good girl?
That's such a familiar way to be called.
She liked being called that, because she really was well-behaved, and she was everyone's little treasure.
But before, it was always her family who called her that.
Hearing ATM say it made her feel so weird.
Not family, yet still able to be so tolerant and protective of her.
LittleFishSwimming: Oh.
