Jiang Tang couldn’t help but let out a scream, then covered her mouth, afraid of disturbing Shen Xiunian.
Hearing her voice, Shen Xiunian’s lips curved upward, but he quickly refocused and returned to reading the documents.
Jiang Tang was utterly shocked—her post had actually gone viral! The view count had exceeded a hundred thousand, likes had broken ten thousand, and there were so many comments!
Jiang Tang was overjoyed. She chatted with the System: “Tongtong, Xiaohongshu still loves me!”
System: “The one who loves you is Shen Xiunian.”
Jiang Tang: ?
System: “Tangtang, the first account to follow you was Shen Xiunian. He boosted your post.”
Jiang Tang was stunned: “How much did he spend?”
System: “Thirty thousand.”
Jiang Tang froze, her heart trembling. No wonder the post had exploded all at once.
Boosts on Xiaohongshu started at just a few dozen yuan, but Shen Xiunian had directly spent thirty thousand. With such a huge order, how could it not go viral?
But Shen Xiunian hadn’t said a single word.
Jiang Tang had only shown a hint of unhappiness, and he had immediately boosted her post. After doing so, he hadn’t uttered a word.
It was as if boosting her post and making her happy were things he should do—so natural and effortless.
Jiang Tang’s heart raced wildly. Slumped in her chair, she stared blankly at Shen Xiunian while chatting with the System in her mind: “Tongtong, Shen Xiunian truly lives up to being the Male Lead. He’s really so good.”
“Even though he doesn’t like me, because I’m his girlfriend now, he treats me so well.”
System: “The Male Lead is indeed very good.”
But as for not liking her… that might not be entirely certain.
Jiang Tang was deeply moved.
She clicked into her new followers and found the first account that had followed her.
She discovered that Shen Xiunian’s username was: “TangtangTangtangTang.”
Jiang Tang’s heart softened once again.
She clicked “Follow.”
Staring at the mutual follow between her and Shen Xiunian, her eyelashes fluttered slightly. They were each other’s only followers—it was so obvious.
Didn’t that mean Shen Xiunian would know she had discovered his account?
Jiang Tang proceeded to follow all her new followers.
There were over three hundred new followers.
Shen Xiunian’s account blended in among them, no longer standing out.
She stared at Shen Xiunian’s account for a long while before finally returning and clicking into the comments section.
The comments were filled with fellow players of the game.
Jiang Tang replied to the comments and soon found herself immersed in lively conversations.
Through chatting, she learned that the game would have an offline event in City A sometime soon, though the exact date hadn’t been announced yet.
Jiang Tang immediately decided to attend.
She had a wonderful time chatting with the sisters in the comments.
The System reminded her: “Tangtang, Shen Xiunian has been watching you the whole time.”
Jiang Tang looked up and met Shen Xiunian’s gaze. She smiled sweetly: “Shen Xiunian, have you finished reading the documents?”
Shen Xiunian hummed in acknowledgment.
Jiang Tang showed him her phone: “Shen Xiunian, look, my post went viral!”
Shen Xiunian asked: “Are you happy?”
“I’m super happy!” Jiang Tang’s face lit up with excitement. “This game will have an offline event soon. I’m going to attend.”
Shen Xiunian thought for a moment: “I’ll go with you.”
“Huh?” Jiang Tang was shocked. “But… do you have time? And the date hasn’t been announced yet. It might clash with your schedule.”
“I’m not that busy. As for my schedule, I’ll coordinate it.”
Jiang Tang fell silent. Shen Xiunian, who would believe you’re not busy?
Shen Xiunian said: “Events like these are always crowded. Let me go with you, okay?”
Jiang Tang was utterly defenseless against that “Is that okay?”
She nodded gently. “Okay.”
She then explained, “Actually, everyone playing this game is a girl. They’re all very friendly offline, so even if there are a lot of people, there’s no need to worry.”
Shen Xiunian took off his glasses and lightly rubbed the space between his eyebrows, speaking as if it were nothing. “Safety is one thing, but the main reason I want to go with you is that I want to understand the things you love.”
Jiang Tang’s heart softened. She stared blankly at Shen Xiunian and whispered, “Shen Xiunian, why are you so good? You don’t have to do this…”
Shen Xiunian didn’t have to treat her this way.
Shen Xiunian looked at Jiang Tang, moved to the point of being at a loss, and shook his head with a light laugh. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“Tangtang, we’re in a relationship. You’re my girlfriend. Understanding your passions and your life is what I should do. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed.”
Jiang Tang was so easily moved, so easily overwhelmed, precisely because he hadn’t done enough. If he did more, she would get used to it.
Jiang Tang was still deeply touched. Her eyes reddened, and she softly hummed in agreement.
“I understand,” she said, her voice slightly choked.
She sniffled and quickly adjusted her emotions. Holding up her phone to show him, she said, “I’ll let you know when the time is announced. I also need to hurry up and finish the freebies.”
Shen Xiunian replied, “If you need help, just tell me.”
“Okay,” Jiang Tang agreed.
Shen Xiunian scrolled through her comment section. Through her chats with others, he gained a preliminary understanding of the game.
He then began researching what “shoulder-tap freebies” and “exchange freebies” were.
He wasn’t very familiar with these things, but learning about them wasn’t difficult.
Jiang Tang’s phone rang.
She opened her roommate group chat—her three roommates were about to return.
Song Xu had been at the library today, Wen Nian had gone to an exhibition, and Zhou Nuo had gone home.
Now, all three were on their way back and would soon arrive at the dormitory building.
Zhou Nuo sent a message in the group: “I brought some dishes my mom made.”
Jiang Tang enthusiastically replied, “Yay! Auntie’s cooking is the best.”
Song Xu and Wen Nian started sending drooling emojis.
Jiang Tang looked up and said to Shen Xiunian, “Shen Xiunian, my roommates are about to come back. We should get ready to hang up.”
Shen Xiunian hummed softly in acknowledgment.
Jiang Tang asked him, “Are you still leaving the lab at nine tomorrow?”
“Probably around eleven tomorrow,” he said. He needed to catch up on his progress and try to free up half a day to accompany Jiang Tang to the offline event.
Jiang Tang exclaimed, “That’s so late!”
“I have a full schedule of classes tomorrow, so I’ll probably sleep early at night.”
Shen Xiunian said, “You don’t have to wait for me.”
Jiang Tang agreed.
She waved at Shen Xiunian. “Shen Xiunian, goodnight.”
Shen Xiunian looked at her. In the comment section, she kept sending kisses and “mwahs.” Would she say it to him?
He felt a bit expectant and whispered, “Goodnight.”
Jiang Tang ended the video call.
Shen Xiunian stared at the darkened tablet screen and raised an eyebrow.
No kisses, no “mwahs.”
Tsk.
Jiang Tang opened the dormitory door to welcome her three good roommates.
Song Xu, Zhou Nuo, and Wen Nian returned together. Zhou Nuo took out a thermal container filled with dishes her mother had made.
They looked absolutely delicious, and the girls polished them off completely.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Tang felt a little homesick for her mother.
Before her book transmigration, Jiang Tang had grown up with her mother. When she was sixteen, her mother passed away due to illness, leaving her all alone.
She made doll clothes, and she supported herself by selling them, managing to live quite comfortably.
She balanced school with earning money, often staying up late, and then she died suddenly.
After Jiang Tang’s death, she was bound by the System and brought here.
Thank goodness, her best friend had written her into a story that fulfilled her dream—her mother was alive and healthy here.
At the time, she cried uncontrollably and, in a daze, confirmed a romantic relationship with Shen Xiunian.
After parting ways with Shen Xiunian, she took leave and rushed home by high-speed rail.
Oh my, there was her healthy, living mother.
Jiang Tang held her mother for a very, very long time.
She was willing to live on in this world—she loved her mother.