In the heavy silence, Zhu Qing’s hands clutched empty air, wishing she could pull back her brazen declaration.
Right then, Fuguang let out a soft, low chuckle. Her laugh was clear and crisp, sounding like ice cubes clinking gently against the rim of a glass.
Zhu Qing’s heart rate soared under that trembling, crisp sound. She harbored a ridiculous urge to cancel this meeting altogether, hoping to meet the woman in a more natural and confident way instead. If she hadn’t been dressed in this costume today, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so timid in front of her, turning into someone unlike herself…
Yet she knew this was merely a delusion of reversing cause and effect. The client had come specifically for the character, and if she had been her usual self, no connection would have ever formed between them in the first place.
“Alright then. We’ll talk about it tonight,” Fang Qinghui suddenly replied.
Zhu Qing froze. Tonight? What tonight? What ‘alright’? In sheer shock, she whipped her head over to look at Fuguang, her lips twitching slightly.
The other woman didn’t turn her head, merely holding the steering wheel with her slender hands as she kept her focus squarely on the road.
After a long period of quiet and confusion, she realized they had already arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.
Having learned her lesson and determined to uphold her professional standards, Zhu Qing opened the door and stepped out the second the car came to a stop. Fortunately, she had ridden in this specific model before; otherwise, having to ask how to open the door would have been an even bigger embarrassment.
Once out of the car, she immediately opened the door for Fuguang, extending a hand to offer her support as she stepped out.
Fuguang couldn’t help smiling, yet she still rested her hand gently in Zhu Qing’s palm to step out of the vehicle.
Feeling the cool temperature transmitted through the thin fabric of her glove, Zhu Qing felt an unexpected sense of comfort. As she gradually grew accustomed to her racing heart, she regained a bit of her composure and poise.
Though in her heart, she was still silently cursing the character design team. Couldn’t this character’s outfit just have bare hands? What was the point of designing gloves out of nowhere?
Throughout the meal, she finally managed to regain her ease, following Fuguang to the window side table reserved well in advance.
Immersing herself in the character, she kept a gentle, affectionate gaze on Fuguang. Fortunately, she was naturally adept at spinning conversations out of thin air, using the game’s lore as a springboard to find topics or casually critiquing the ingredients alongside her.
Everything was going smoothly.
That was until her eyes flicked to the side, her pupils expanding in an instant. As if struck by a bolt from the blue, all her movements froze completely, and the broccoli she had just speared rolled back onto her plate.
She had spotted an acquaintance.
And this acquaintance happened to be an elder relative of hers—the only elder sister capable of reining in her wild lifestyle: Zhu Nange.
Not to mention she was currently wearing what her elder would consider a bizarre costume, and she hadn’t taken a single phone call or replied to a single message from this elder relative in at least a month.
This was a disaster scenario with compounding levels of doom. How was this any different from being caught red-handed by your parents transforming into an Armored Hero in your bedroom while screaming the Ultraman theme song at the top of your lungs?!
The woman in question was wearing a casual suit with her hands tucked in her pockets, walking into the restaurant alone under the waiter’s guidance, looking to be in a wonderful mood.
Zhu Qing immediately jerked her head toward the window, pulling her body back unnaturally to avoid making her tall figure too conspicuous, frantically chanting in her mind: You can’t see me, you can’t see me.
Noticing her strange behavior, Fuguang knitted her brows slightly. “Feeling unwell?”
Zhu Nange’s voice suddenly echoed from a distance: “Oh?”
Zhu Qing’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was secretly baring her teeth and mulling over how to chase the woman away, she saw her walk straight past her, resting a hand casually on the back of Fuguang’s chair with a familiar tone: “Miss Fang, long time no see! I invited you out for dinner last week and got turned down—you claimed you already had plans. Turns out it was actually true! I almost thought you were scamming me.”
“Mhm. I had an appointment with this lady first. Next time, I’ll be sure to schedule time in advance to make it up to you,” Fuguang replied with a gentle smile, seemingly accustomed to her teasing. “Though you look like you’re in much better spirits lately. Is the project going smoothly?”
“It’s been smooth all along. If that brat at home would just come back, I’d look even better.” Zhu Nange was in high spirits, speaking as she raised her eyes to look at the person across the table—only to violently shudder the moment she clearly registered the girl’s features.
The two sisters ended up locking eyes just like that, one looking wretched while the other looked utterly dumbfounded.
Even beneath the heavy makeup and the bizarre wig, Zhu Nange recognized Zhu Qing at a single glance. Meanwhile, after making eye contact, the younger sister pretended her eye was bothering her, frantically squeezing her right eye shut before raising a hand to cover her face.
Zhu Nange sucked in a sharp breath on the spot. What is wrong with kids nowadays? Why is she dressed like this?! Wait, no, it’s the twenty-first century now; this is normal. Wait, no! So Fang Qinghui refused to eat with me because she was having dinner with HER?! But why is she dressed like this for dinner? Is THIS what Fang Qinghui is into?!
Years of traditional education and conservative parental mindsets waged a ferocious battle inside her head, while wild speculations about their relationship triggered a century-spanning war in her mind. She felt the blood rush straight to her head, her temples throbbing violently, unable to utter a single word for half a second.
“Are neither of you feeling well?” Oblivious to the situation, Fuguang had no idea what kind of mental storm these two had just experienced. She merely tilted her head slightly. “Should I call a waiter over for you?”
Zhu Nange awkwardly gathered her thoughts, forcibly bringing an end to the internal battle in her mind.
After much agonizing, she decided that in such an extreme environment, it was best not to add fuel to their already precarious sisterly relationship. However, she had no intention of letting her off the hook easily either.
With a mischievous smile, Zhu Nange leaned her body forward. “I’ve never heard that Miss Fang had a partner. Care to introduce this one?”
“Mm, she’s rather shy, so I won’t introduce her,” Fang Qinghui smiled softly. “Though we are indeed on a date.”
Both Zhu Qing and Zhu Nange felt as though they had been struck by lightning at the exact same time, their breathing halting completely.
Zhu Nange felt an unbearable tightness in her chest. Her expression turned stiff, her smile strained as she tried her best to keep her tone calm: “Is… that so?”
Controlling her strength with great effort, she patted Fang Qinghui’s shoulder gently. “How did you two meet?”
Fang Qinghui: “An online game.”
Zhu Nange froze completely, a breath lodged right in her throat. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to lecture her younger sister against online romance or warn Fang Qinghui to stay away from this brat.
She couldn’t help glaring at Zhu Qing a few times, catching sight of the younger girl’s flickering gaze as she secretly pressed her hands together in prayer, bowing repeatedly like a pestle pounding garlic.
Zhu Nange only felt that Zhu Qing looked exceptionally punchable today. Finally, her assistant stepped forward carefully to remind her of the time, allowing Zhu Nange to grind out through her teeth: “Then I won’t disturb you two further. Let’s catch up at the next cocktail party.”
Stepping behind Fang Qinghui, she flipped a sharp middle finger right at Zhu Qing, silently mouthing over and over: You are SO dead.
Yet Zhu Qing didn’t have the mental capacity to decipher her cousin’s lip movements. Long after she left, Zhu Qing was still drenched in a cold sweat, her mind spinning in confusion—she couldn’t believe Miss Fang was actually the type to be so blunt and direct!
“Miss Fang,” in the midst of the prolonged silence, Zhu Qing uttered the form of address Zhu Nange had used earlier, voicing the doubt burning in her chest: “Why did you say that just now?”
“Huh? I saw in online tutorials that everyone refers to rental commissions as dates, don’t they?”
Seeing nothing but straightforward clarity in her eyes, the heavy stone in Zhu Qing’s chest finally landed, though the secret anticipation in her heart vanished along with it. Raising her brows, she asked a question that didn’t fit her character setup at all: “Is this Miss Fang’s first time booking a character rental?”
Fang Qinghui rested her cheek lightly in her hand. “Yes. I won’t tease you anymore. I really don’t know much about your subculture. I originally asked my assistant to book Fang Kegui, but something must have gone wrong along the way, so you ended up coming instead.”
Zhu Qing’s movements froze abruptly, immediately recalling her initial guess about the intent behind this commission—a method for open-minded parents to send pocket money to Fang Kegui. She also recalled the brief moment of hesitation when the other woman had rolled down the car window earlier.
Suppressing the unaccountable wave of disappointment in her heart, she let out a silent sigh before putting on her signature bold, dazzling smile: “Well, there’s nothing we can do about that now, my lady. After all, I’ve already eaten the meal, so you’ll just have to schedule another day with Fang Kegui.”
“No need. She definitely charged you a finder’s fee, so the purpose has been achieved either way.” Fang Qinghui poked at a rounded piece of broccoli on her plate, then knitted her brows slightly before eating it.
“Are you her elder sister?” It was framed as a question, but her tone was flat; she already knew the answer.
“Mm.”
Zhu Qing wasn’t surprised, but she caught a faint whiff of something unusual in their relationship. Fang Kegui was quite a chatterbox, yet Zhu Qing had never heard her mention having an elder sister before. Fearing she might step on some landmine regarding a rocky sisterly relationship, she didn’t pursue the topic further, wanting to divert the conversation elsewhere instead.
Just then, Fang Qinghui spoke up first: “Are you two roommates?”
Handing over the sliced steak, she let out a soft “Mm,” before seizing the opportunity to introduce herself: “I’m her roommate, Zhu Qing. Qing as in ‘a clear sea and a peaceful river’.”
Truth be told, she felt a bit strange introducing herself by her real name while dressed in a 2D anime skin, but at this exact moment, she desperately wanted Fang Qinghui to know who she truly was.
Fang Qinghui paused slightly, then handed over a business card. “My apologies for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Fang Qinghui.”
Fang Qinghui.
Zhu Qing thought the name matched its owner perfectly—three elegant yet firm characters. She recited the name silently in her heart, the corners of her lips curling up inadvertently.
“You don’t need to be so overly stressed about the commission. You seem a bit tense,” Fang Qinghui noted.
Zhu Qing adjusted her posture slightly to ease the stiffness in her body. “I’m not nervous—I just didn’t sleep well yesterday. By the way, you actually play this game, right? Do you like this character?”
“I play it in my spare time. Mm, I quite like her,” Fang Qinghui replied casually as she ate her steak.
Maintaining her unbothered expression, Zhu Qing looked at her. “I love this character too. And there’s a saying that when a person likes a specific character, it’s usually because they share a similar core spirit.”
In reality, she was talking complete nonsense. Her behavior had been wild and arrogant since childhood; she had always possessed a personality that made living people want to punch her and ghosts throw up their hands in despair. She was an entirely different species compared to this calm, dignified, and polite character.
No, they weren’t even from the same world to begin with.
Fang Qinghui didn’t offer a verbal reply, merely giving a gentle nod with a light smile in her eyes.
The afternoon itinerary went much smoother. Zhu Qing quickly mastered the art of managing her emotions and expressions in front of Fang Qinghui.
The schedule Fang Qinghui arranged was quite simple: strolling around shopping malls, picking up a few boxes of official game merchandise, and selecting a couple of silk scarves at a designer counter. All Zhu Qing had to do was follow behind her to carry her bags, acting as a dutiful attendant.
Furthermore, she could tell that most of the places Fang Qinghui chose were shopping districts popular with the local anime subculture. Setting her face aside, her outfit didn’t draw much unwanted attention there—likely chosen to make her feel more at ease.
After dinner, the day wrapped up with a cliché superhero movie. When Zhu Qing asked her why she chose this film, Fang Qinghui scratched her cheek lightly. “My assistant booked it. But I reserved the theater until closing, so if you don’t want to watch this, we can swap it for another.”
In the end, neither of them changed it. Zhu Qing forced her way through the absurd plot despite her groggy head. When she turned to check on Fang Qinghui, she found that the woman had already fallen asleep.
At that moment, all her sleepiness evaporated. She simply asked the theater staff for a blanket, quietly waiting for the movie to finish, for the theater lights to turn back on, and for those eyes hidden beneath dense eyelashes to open again.
She even secretly wished the woman would sleep a little longer, hoping time would freeze forever, waiting all the way until eleven o’clock.
Fang Qinghui suddenly snapped awake, blinking her eyes shrouded in a soft mist of sleepiness as she looked at her in confusion. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Oh, because in the game, the evening greeting only becomes available after eleven.”
Fang Qinghui’s expression turned to confusion at first, but then she burst into a smile, her eyes glimmering with a watery light. The mist diffused across the cold pool, as though half the glacier within had thawed away. It was the first time Zhu Qing had seen that coldness lingering in her deep gaze briefly yield to genuine warmth.
“So then, what’s your evening greeting?” Fang Qinghui wiped away the moisture at the corners of her eyes.
Zhu Qing offered a proud grin before solemnly reciting a chuunibyou evening login line from the game. Staring straight into Fang Qinghui’s amused eyes, she suddenly pulled out a bouquet of sunflowers from behind her back.
Sunflowers were the character’s designated favorite flower according to game lore—a safe choice that carried no awkward double meanings.
“Did you order food delivery on the sly while I was sleeping? Impressive that you could get these so late at night,” Fang Qinghui took the flowers gently.
Zhu Qing smiled without a word, her heart brimming with sheer delight. The only reason she could buy them this late was that she had paid a heavy premium.
Next, Fang Qinghui pulled out a long, velvet box tucked in the middle of the bouquet. Inside lay a delicate gold chain adorned with tiny diamonds and pearls.
The subtle shimmer of the necklace caught her eye, but she suddenly fell silent. Her brows dipped slightly in a fleeting moment, making Zhu Qing instantly flustered and lost.
Fortunately, she smiled again a moment later, though it was a loose, polite sort of smile. She turned her body slightly to the side, leaving Zhu Qing with only a view of her profile, unable to read her true expression.
“Alright, kiddo. Has your dorm locked up by now?” That clear, soothing voice rang out once more.
Zhu Qing offered a single, firm word laden with anticipation: “Mm.”
Without a second thought, Zhu Qing followed Fang Qinghui out as she carried the flowers. In the heavy darkness of the night, her thoughts scattered, and logic retreated far beyond the shadows.
Only surging emotions remained climbing inside her chest. By the time her brain snapped out of its blank state, she had already arrived at a high-rise flat near the commercial district.
Her mind was a jumbled mess; she only remembered the other woman pulling out a few oversized garments for her, then gently telling her to wash up and remove her makeup before heading straight into the master bedroom’s bathroom.
All she could hear was the pitter-patter of running water. The solid wood door let no light or draft through, yet she could almost see the misty steam rising all around her, clouding her breath and blurring her thoughts.