After hesitating for a long while, Wen Fei ultimately did not speak of her separation anxiety. Instead, she simply gave her usual instructions:
“Stay safe. Call me if anything happens.”
Jiang Shixue smiled and winked. “I know! Girlfriend, you’re being so wordy today.”
Wen Fei watched her little girlfriend’s high ponytail sway back and forth with her steps, hearing Jiang Shixue’s voice drifting from a distance: “I might as well stop calling you ‘Baby’ and just call you ‘Mommy’ instead!”
Wen Fei pursed her lips.
With so many pervasive, gloomy perverts surrounding Jiang Shixue, how could she possibly feel at ease?
Was giving a few instructions like that really being “wordy”?
Jiang Shixue was in a great mood today, humming a song as she returned to the dormitory.
Wen Fei had requested a leave of absence for Jiang Shixue today. Right now, the students of the Oil Painting Department were all in class, and there was almost no one in the dormitory building. Having been granted leave, Jiang Shixue was a rare idle soul in the building.
Taking the elevator, she only encountered a few scattered students from other departments whom she didn’t recognize.
As Jiang Shixue hummed, she caught a vague glimpse in the elevator’s reflective mirror; it seemed the others were casting strange looks her way.
Jiang Shixue also quietly sized them up.
Were they… pitying her?
Jiang Shixue shook her head. Though puzzled, once she confirmed they harbored no ill will, she stopped paying them any mind.
Lin Yin, who hadn’t skipped class, wasn’t in the dorm. Jiang Shixue placed the souvenir Wen Fei had brought on Lin Yin’s desk and then began packing her things while humming.
She hummed and hummed, eventually singing out loud.
Since she had resolved to make a clean break from her past, she intended to throw away everything from before.
Things that couldn’t be thrown away—like company permissions, various shares, cards, and Star Coins—were packed together and tucked into a corner of her spatial ring.
While she wouldn’t toss these items, they could no longer appear in her daily life.
Jiang Shixue was a woman of action. She immediately began rummaging through cabinets and drawers, pulling out all her belongings.
She unearthed a lot: her former clothes, jewelry, and many gifts from others.
These were all things Jiang Shixue had loved in the past, but looking at them now, they felt somewhat foreign.
After all, the current Jiang Shixue was no longer the Jiang Shixue of old.
Looking at these items, she felt a wave of sentimentality.
Even though these things had once accompanied her, since she was making a clean break, she couldn’t keep them.
Jiang Shixue decided to throw them all away.
But before tossing them, she took a closer look and suddenly felt that some of the clothes and jewelry were quite beautiful; it would be a waste to just dump them.
She thought for a moment and decided to sell them on the Star Network.
She could use a second-hand trading platform to sell the things she didn’t need to others. This way, she could handle the unwanted items without the heartache of destroying them.
No sooner said than done. Jiang Shixue immediately opened the Star Network and began editing the second-hand item information.
There were many items, and the organization took her several system hours.
She took photos of her clothes, jewelry, and other belongings, wrote down the sizes, materials, and prices, and then posted them to the forum.
The University Alliance Forum’s A-University section had a dedicated flea market area. The new Vacation Star campus was built at the junction of the main star, so there were many permanent residents. Both students and people living nearby browsed this section, so the traffic was quite high.
Once the post was up, responses came quickly.
“OP, is the stuff still available?”
“Where’s the pickup?”
“Can it be cheaper for self-pickup?”
Jiang Shixue replied to them one by one.
Then someone asked: “Can you put the clothes on so I can see the fit?”
Jiang Shixue put on the clothes, took photos, posted them, and replied: “The photos are a bit blurry, they’re for reference only.”
Once the actual photos were posted, the replies under the thread exploded.
“This model is too beautiful! She looks good in everything! I can’t even tell how the clothes actually look!”
“OP, can I try the clothes on in person before buying?”
“Jumping in, OP, is this model for sale?”
“I’m a painter. How much per day to book this model?”
“I’m also a painter. Can I apply for a monthly subscription to have the model for my sketches?”
“I’m different. I’m a poet. When I grow up, homesickness is a tiny light-brain; my wife is inside, and I am outside.”
Among the many replies, one person even wrote: “I’ll take it all. Give me a bundle discount, say 30,000 Star Coins? Can you deliver them to me?”
Jiang Shixue frowned and replied: “Are you sure?”
“Sure. Give me your contact info, I’ll add you and pay the deposit first.”
“Is it okay if you deliver it in person?”
Jiang Shixue thought about it. If they wanted to check the quality during the handover, it would be more convenient if the seller was there. It wasn’t an unreasonable request, so she agreed directly:
“Sure.”
Since Jiang Shixue returned to school, Wen Fei felt she was being slightly neglected.
Last night, she had worked very hard on the “pre-sleep soothing exercises,” yet her little girlfriend had still crawled into her own quilt alone, even refusing Wen Fei’s offer to sit by the bed and tell a story.
Several system hours had passed today, and her light-brain hadn’t received a single message from her girlfriend.
Had she done something wrong?
Wen Fei couldn’t figure it out.
But her separation anxiety was becoming increasingly difficult to bear.
To alleviate this anxiety, Wen Fei began a shopping spree for Jiang Shixue.
Clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, snacks…
Anything Jiang Shixue might use, Wen Fei bought a copy.
She would buy everything Jiang Shixue liked and give it to her when she came home.
After placing the orders, Wen Fei felt much better.
But when she opened her chat interface with Jiang Shixue, she felt a sense of loss again.
Jiang Shixue still hadn’t messaged her.
The sky gradually darkened, and a light rain pitter-pattered, stopping and starting intermittently.
Wen Fei opened a window. The wind brought the scent of rain and a hint of damp earth.
Staring at the chat logs, she unconsciously drifted off; the records were still stuck on their time at the haunted house, when Jiang Shixue told her she was scared.
Suddenly, a notification popped up.
It was an AI-recommended post.
The University Alliance Forum was a forum in name, but in essence, it was a social media app. In addition to precise searches, it also supported intelligent recommendations.
Wen Fei clicked it and saw a second-hand trading post.
She had no interest and intended to exit, but then the images in the post loaded.
The girl in the photos had skin as fair as snow. Her pale gold ponytail curled at the tips, resting on her shoulders. She looked beautiful and radiant in every style of clothing.
The face wasn’t shown in the photos, but Wen Fei recognized it was Jiang Shixue at a glance.
Wen Fei scrolled up. The forum showed the communication between Jiang Shixue and the buyers.
“Give me your contact info, I’ll add you and pay the deposit first.”
“Is it okay if you deliver it in person?”
Wen Fei watched Jiang Shixue’s reply: “Sure.” Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of her light-brain as a surging emotion tumbled in her chest.
She scrolled back to her chat with Jiang Shixue—it was empty.
She had time to add a buyer, but no time to message her girlfriend?
Wen Fei even began to feel angry. She almost wanted to call Jiang Shixue via video immediately to see what she was doing.
If she didn’t lose her temper, did she really think her girlfriend was dead?!
Her fingertips gripping the light-brain turned white, and Wen Fei’s eyes grew dark and dangerous.
However, after hesitating for a long time, Wen Fei eventually suppressed the tumbling emotions in her heart—
Don’t make decisions while angry; decisions made at such times are often irrational.
After taking several long, deep breaths to calm down slightly, Wen Fei realized it had been a long time since she had felt such intense anger.
She was usually very rational. It was normal to be unhappy because Jiang Shixue was being targeted by people with filthy minds, but she shouldn’t have such a large reaction.
Why?
A strange emotion surged in her heart.
Indescribable, inexplicable.
It was like being scratched by a kitten’s claws, only to be patted gently by its pink paw pads immediately after.
Belatedly, Wen Fei realized that perhaps it was because she didn’t just want to protect Jiang Shixue.
On the contrary, the deeper her bond with Jiang Shixue became, the more she felt they were a match made in heaven.
Jiang Shixue was so beautiful, so young, and attracted so much desire, while she just happened to have enough power to protect her.
Not only that, Jiang Shixue was sensitive and insecure, while she was able to open herself up completely to her, giving her a sufficient sense of security.
Whether in terms of material conditions, personality, or any other aspect, she was absolutely worthy of Jiang Shixue.
A match, a great match, a perfect match.
Furthermore, no one could possibly be a better fit for Jiang Shixue than her.
Wen Fei laughed softly, her sharp features hidden in the dimness of the continuous misty rain as she stood against the light.
The breeze brushed past, the light and shadows shifted, and the upturned line of her lips cast a flickering shadow across her jaw.
Jiang Shixue, her girlfriend.
Clumsy and mischievous in matters of love, yet she loved her so much.
How could she possibly resist the urge to possess Jiang Shixue, making that clumsy love something she alone could enjoy?