Shuyu jolted awake instantly. She tried to recall the message, only to find it was already too late.
She was on the verge of losing her mind—screaming, pacing back and forth, and thrashing around under her blanket in pure panic.
Tears filled her eyes. “Egg, can’t you use some kind of magic power to help me take it back?”
“In theory… yes,” Iron Egg replied.
Shuyu immediately perked up, but Iron Egg quickly doused her hopes.
“But your boyfriend has already seen it. He even sent you a reply. There’s no taking it back now.”
Shuyu buried herself deep under the covers, refusing to face reality. She wanted nothing more than to vanish into thin air right then and there.
Haha, is this the real-life version of Earth Online? I’m dropping this game—it’s terrible. I quit.
Over on the other side, Si Yiheng had been woken by the notification. When he saw the image Shuyu had sent, he paused for a moment.
The picture showed a man in a tailored suit kneeling on the floor, while the red stiletto heel of a woman’s shoe pressed against his chest. The man’s gaze was intense and hungry, his fingers glistening with something thick and sticky, as he leaned in to lick it off.
It was far from an innocent image.
Si Yiheng couldn’t quite figure out what she meant by sending it.
Was this her way of telling him this was how he should please her?
Or was she hinting that a boyfriend ought to be this attentive—dressed impeccably, yet behaving in such a wanton manner?
ATM: ???
Hearing the ping of incoming messages, Shuyu wished she could just pretend to be dead.
Si Yiheng sent a red envelope.
Shuyu continued playing dead.
ATM: Transferred 100,000 yuan
Slowly, Shuyu lifted a finger. Her beautiful face flushed bright red, the fine down on her cheeks making her look like a ripe, blushing peach.
Money. 100,000 yuan. Her mission progress would jump up a little more.
But this was so embarrassing! Did Si Yiheng think she was some kind of pervert now?
ATM: Transferred 100,000 yuan
Shuyu clutched her phone so tightly she almost cried. Was this his way of paying her for emotional distress?
ATM: Transferred 100,000 yuan
Finally, she pressed the screen and quickly accepted all four transfers.
Three hundred thousand and one yuan landed in her account.
Si Yiheng’s lips curled up almost unconsciously. So she is responding now. Still as fond of money as ever.
ATM: Aren’t you going to explain?
Shuyu squeezed her eyes shut tight. Ahhh, how on earth am I supposed to explain this?
Knowing she couldn’t avoid it forever, she opened her eyes again and began typing.
Little Fish Swimming: You know I’m an artist, right?
ATM: Yes.
His simple, flat “yes” made Shuyu bristle. It sounded as if he didn’t believe her explanation at all.
Little Fish Swimming: Yiheng!
ATM: Yes.
Shuyu slumped back, defeated. She hid her phone under the pillow again, even less willing to face reality. “What on earth does he mean by just saying ‘yes’? Can’t he just say whether he believes me or not?”
“Baby, why don’t you just ask him directly?” Iron Egg urged.
Shuyu immediately shrank back. “Maybe… maybe not.”
“You can’t leave it like this! If he doesn’t believe you and thinks you’re into this kind of role-play, he’ll get the wrong idea!”
Shuyu felt her soul slowly crumbling. Role-play?
“I really can’t picture Si Yiheng doing anything like that.”
“That’s only because you’ve never actually seen his face,” Iron Egg pointed out lazily.
“…True enough.”
The last time they had accidentally run into each other at the mall, Shuyu had been too nervous to even lift her head. She’d grabbed her bag of chips and fled the scene.
“Ask him what he means by ‘yes’! Go on!” Iron Egg was dying of curiosity too.
Gathering all her courage, Shuyu typed again.
Little Fish Swimming: What do you mean by ‘yes’?
For some reason, the image of a tiny, skittish kitten puffing itself up in anger popped into Si Yiheng’s mind.
He chuckled softly and replied.
ATM: Your fundamentals are solid. The anatomy is excellent, the composition is striking, and your style is very distinctive. All in all, you’re very talented.
Shuyu read every word slowly. Her large, almond-shaped eyes grew rounder, sparkling as if filled with stars.
“He has such good taste!” she thought happily.
Iron Egg felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Here we have one praising nonstop, and the other preening like a proud peacock. My little host is so easy to please—just a few compliments and she lights right up.
Little Fish Swimming: [Peeking Kitten]
Little Fish Swimming: Really?
Si Yiheng tapped the image of the peeking kitten and saved it. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, softening his usually stern, cold features.
The change gave him an air of polished yet dangerous charm—like a gentleman with a hidden wild side.
So… lively and adorable.
ATM: Really. Only…
Seeing that “only,” Shuyu perked up like a curious cat spotting a fish, carefully stretching a paw out from its hiding place.
Little Fish Swimming: Only what?
ATM: What’s that substance on his hand?
Shuyu froze. “!!!”
Her brain went blank again as she stared at the sticky-looking liquid in the painting, completely lost for words.
“Whoa, Yuyu! Your boyfriend is such a closet tease! He’s actually asking you this kind of question!” Iron Egg exclaimed.
ATM: Is he planning to eat it?
Shuyu: “…”
Little Fish Swimming: It’s milk.
ATM: Oh, I see.
ATM: So the character is drinking milk.
A soft pink blush spread across Shuyu’s porcelain cheeks, her eyes glistening with moisture. She looked so lovely when flustered.
Little Fish Swimming: Yes.
Si Yiheng decided not to tease her any further.
ATM: It looks like delicious milk.
Shuyu: “…”
Little Fish Swimming: I can’t take the picture back. This was a commission I was paid for. Could you please not share it with anyone else? [Peeking Kitten]
ATM: I promise.
ATM: I’ve deleted it. I didn’t save it.
To prove it, he recorded a short video showing both his gallery and their chat history, with no trace of the image left.
Shuyu trusted his character. If he said he deleted it, he did—after all, what use would such a picture be to him anyway?
But since she’d accidentally sent the client’s work to someone else, she couldn’t just send the same image to Golden Corn now.
To make up for her mistake, Shuyu decided to redraw the entire piece from scratch. She even added a few cute chibi versions of the character as a free bonus.
It took her a whole week of constant work to finish the new illustration. Once done, she sent it over.
Little Fish Swimming: I’m so sorry—I accidentally sent the previous version to the wrong person. Here’s the new one. If you’re not happy with it, you don’t have to pay. This was entirely my mistake.
Golden Corn: Honey, you are a genius! This is even better than the first one! The atmosphere is even more incredible!
Golden Corn: Of course I accept it! Thank you so much for the extra chibi drawings!
Golden Corn often shared commissioned art online anyway, so she didn’t mind if anyone had seen the earlier version. She immediately posted the new artwork, tagged Shuyu, and sang her praises.
She also gushed about her in her art circles, telling everyone she had found a true master artist.
As soon as Shuyu’s profile was officially approved on the commission platform, clients started lining up thanks to Golden Corn’s recommendation.
Shuyu accepted two new orders, set their deadlines, and then spent a whole day just sleeping to recover her energy.
Once she was rested, she ordered mountains of takeout for herself.
Shen Qinghan had been observing for another week. The only time he saw Shuyu leave her apartment was to collect her food deliveries.
It struck him as odd—she seemed determined to stay indoors as much as possible.
Finally, the doorbell rang again, and he watched the delivery man arrive once more.
Shen Qinghan waited by his own door, and the moment Shuyu opened hers, he swung his door open smoothly and struck a confident, handsome pose in the hallway.
Shuyu peeked out to grab her food. She had no idea anyone lived across the hall, nor did she expect to run into a neighbor the very second she stepped out.
Her heart skipped a beat in fright. She didn’t even get a good look at the man’s face before grabbing her bag and slamming her door shut with a loud thud.
Shen Qinghan stood there, stunned. “…”
He looked himself over. Am I really that unattractive? That can’t be right.
Or did Shuyu already dislike him that much?
The instant she saw him, she’d slammed the door without hesitation.
Then again, he had misjudged her and thought poorly of her before. It was only natural she would feel the same way about him.
Shen Qinghan went back inside feeling a little down.
Picking up his phone, he opened his chat with Si Yiheng. Should I tell him Shuyu is living right above him?
If they met in person, maybe their relationship would grow stronger.
If he helped bring them together, would that make up for his earlier mistakes? Would Shuyu start liking him a little more?
Acting on impulse, he typed his message.
Shen Qinghan: Yiheng, would you like to know where Shuyu lives?