In the blink of an eye, Friday rolled around again.
The national comic derivative project had been steadily progressing with time and had now reached the prototyping stage. In the meantime, their team had taken on several smaller projects, keeping everyone swamped with tasks every day.
Wen Xin had pulled a few overtime shifts that week, which meant her gaming time had dwindled sharply. Some of her usual guild teammates kept whining in the chat, begging to know when she’d be free to tackle the new event with them.
Wen Xin glanced at her calendar and replied vaguely: 【This weekend, maybe. I’ve just been way too busy lately.】
A guildmate named Shui Yue jumped in right away: 【Fine, we’ll wait for you TAT.】
Shui Yue: 【Yu An, you have no idea. Yesterday when you weren’t there, the guild leader dragged us into a random team. We had the firepower, sure, but our backup defense was a total joke. We cleared the front but lost the back—ended up with two fewer team realms at settlement than when we started!】
Shui Yue: 【What a waste! Waaah, you squandered my time and life force. Guild leader, come out and apologize!】
The others piled on in agreement: 【Yeah, apologize! Apologize!】
The demand got tons of support. Everyone spammed the chat with dozens of messages before finally letting up, badgering the guild leader into poking her head out sheepishly.
Feng Xiaoxiao: 【Okay, okay, apology accepted QAQ.】
Feng Xiaoxiao: 【I told you all, I’m not good at this event’s mechanics. You guys hyped me up anyway—this was totally forcing a duck onto a perch!】
Feng Xiaoxiao: 【Yu An, I can’t wrangle this crew anymore. I’m tapping out. Take them this weekend, okay?】
She capped it off with a kneeling begging emoticon.
Bullying the guild leader was practically a guild tradition. They’d all been gaming together for years and were thick as thieves, so this teasing dynamic was second nature to everyone. Wen Xin chuckled helplessly but ultimately agreed.
She didn’t have much else planned for the weekend anyway.
Ever since she’d promised Shi Qianyu that day, Wen Xin had been waiting for her to reach out. But with the design department buried in work and Shi Qianyu away on a business trip, they hadn’t crossed paths much at all.
On the plus side, the time apart gave Wen Xin space to steady her nerves and mull things over.
Like that kiss.
Why had Shi Qianyu kissed her that night? Sure, they’d slept together before—but back then, they were strangers who figured they’d never meet again, free to indulge in hugs and kisses for a one-night stand. No strings, no explanations needed; mutual consent was enough to ignite the spark.
But things were different now. With the boss-subordinate dynamic and the certainty of future run-ins, acting recklessly wasn’t so simple anymore.
It required a motive.
Which brought her right back to the question: Why had Shi Qianyu kissed her?
Wen Xin couldn’t figure it out. She couldn’t read Shi Qianyu’s mind any more than she could untangle her own. Could it really have been just the excess booze and flirtatious vibe that night?
She often lost herself in thought over these matters for ages.
At some point, Shui Yue had opened a private window to nudge her about Shi Yu. The guild rarely got a newbie with such slick controls—they couldn’t let her slip away: 【An’an, what about your CP?】
Wen Xin blanked for a second, not getting it: 【Huh?】
Shui Yue: 【Shi Yu! I mean Shi Yu!】
Shui Yue: 【Didn’t you two just lock in that intimate relationship a while back? I thought you were just swapping gear at first, but it’s been ages and you still haven’t dropped it.】
She sent a cheeky giggling emoticon: 【What’s the deal? You two got something going on~~】
Total misunderstanding. Nothing like that.
Wen Xin hurried to clear it up, explaining the whole story. Shi Yu had gone offline abruptly that day and hadn’t logged back in since. If it hadn’t happened once before, Wen Xin might have thought she’d quit for good.
She’d meant to wait a bit longer—breaking it off unilaterally felt rude. But with the rumors flying now, dragging it out would only stir more trouble.
So she set herself a deadline: If Shi Yu didn’t show by the end of the week, she’d cut ties on her own.
Shui Yue seemed a little disappointed on the other end: 【Aw, so you’re not a thing after all. I thought that old tree of yours was finally blooming TAT.】
Shui Yue: 【When are you gonna snag a girlfriend?】
It was that unspoken pull between lesbians. During one team-up, Wen Xin had learned Shui Yue was into girls too. She was shy about her orientation IRL, but online with a close net buddy? No problem—screens kept things safely distant, no real-life meetups looming.
Wen Xin: 【…No clue. Haven’t you been single too?】
Shui Yue: 【I want one! I just can’t find any. You know our company—every last one’s straight as arrows. No dice there, and forget about outsiders. Us homebody gals don’t exactly have a huge social circle.】
Shui Yue: 【Pretty please, heavens, send me a big sis! Dream visitation works too. Pale skin, drop-dead gorgeous, sweet personality—bonus if there’s a gap moe. Prim and proper in public, but at home she smothers me with affection!】
She was off in fantasy land: 【Where’s the best spot, you think? Sofa? So thrilling—such a tiny space, we’d be crammed together, no room to squirm or bolt, just tilting my head back while she kisses me senseless…】
She rambled on without a peep back.
Finally, she snapped out of it and prodded Wen Xin’s avatar.
Shui Yue: 【An’an? Calling Yu An, calling Yu An—what’s up, you lag out?】
Wen Xin: “…”
Talk about fate playing tricks. Shui Yue’s spiel had her picturing Shi Qianyu for the umpteenth time.
~~~
Saturday arrived in a flash.
Wen Xin had no plans that day and treated herself to a lazy lie-in after shutting off her alarm. But the nap stretched on unusually long—when she finally stirred, it was already afternoon.
Her empty stomach growled in protest. Still groggy, Wen Xin checked the time and dragged herself up to freshen up.
The game’s limited-time event didn’t kick off till evening, leaving her plenty of free time. She peeked in the fridge, threw together a simple lunch, and scarfed it down. Then she settled in to sketch quietly for a bit.
No biggie if it turned out crappy—she had time to spare. The midday sun beamed cheerfully through the window, bathing the paper and her in warm light. Everything felt serene and peaceful.
Until her phone buzzed on the desk.
An unknown local number. Wen Xin jumped, hesitating a good while before picking up and tentatively saying hello.
Shi Qianyu’s distinctive voice came through promptly: “Hello, is this Wen Xin?”
“It’s me.” Her tone was unmistakable. Wen Xin’s nerves jangled as she replied, “Good afternoon, Director Shi.”
“Is there something you need?” This was their first call, and Wen Xin felt stiff. The background noise suggested traffic roars and vendor shouts.
Assuming Shi Qianyu was still away on business—and probably calling about work—Wen Xin jumped in: “Did something go wrong with the designs I submitted?”
She panicked a little, scrambling up to boot her computer: “I’m at home right now. I can revise them immediately.”
Shi Qianyu burst out laughing on the other end: “Who said I’m calling about work?”
She sounded a mix of exasperated and pouty, complaining playfully: “Sister, is work the only thing in your heart?”
That “sister” gave Wen Xin a start. She paused a few beats, realizing Shi Qianyu must be somewhere without acquaintances—safe to be bold.
A bit embarrassed, Wen Xin answered: “No, it’s not.”
“Have you forgotten what you promised me before?” Shi Qianyu kept up the teasing lilt, laced with genuine amusement. “Weren’t you supposed to treat me to a movie? Not backing out, are you?”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Wen Xin shot back on instinct. “I remember.”
“But aren’t you still on that business trip?”
“I’m back now,” Shi Qianyu said. “I remembered you owe me a movie, so I called to cash in.”
“Got time right now?” she asked.
Wen Xin checked the clock—it was already evening: “…R-right now?”
“Yep, right now.” Shi Qianyu chuckled. “So, do you?”
Sensing Wen Xin’s hesitation, she paused, then turned understanding: “No time is fine. I’ll wait. Sure, I’m pumped for tonight’s flick, but hey, Sister’s a busy woman.”
“Better that way. Don’t worry about me.”
Her words were so pitiful and pleading that Wen Xin could even picture Shi Qianyu’s expression. Shi Qianyu was a master at this tactic of yielding to gain the upper hand, always managing to charm Wen Xin.
Wen Xin felt a twinge of guilt. True, there were still plans for later, but she had promised Shi Qianyu, and she couldn’t very well go back on her word now. “Alright then.”
“Where are you?” she asked softly. “I’ll come find you right now.”
No sooner had she spoken than Shi Qianyu replied in a gentle voice, “No need to look. You’ll see me as soon as you head downstairs.”
Wen Xin: “?”
“??!”
A dozen minutes later, Wen Xin rushed downstairs in a whirlwind—this was probably the fastest she’d ever gotten ready in her life.
The neighborhood in the evening was clearly much livelier than during the day. The sun hung low, ready to dip below the horizon, casting a dazzling orange glow. A gentle breeze swept through, carrying the fresh scent of flowers, grass, and trees.
Plenty of residents were out for strolls, or clustered together chatting and laughing. The place was bustling, but even so, Wen Xin spotted Shi Qianyu’s figure in the crowd at first glance.
She was sitting in a small pavilion, feeding a cat while chatting idly with its owner. The kitten, likely accustomed to being brought down for playtime, showed no shyness at all. After contentedly devouring the treat from Shi Qianyu’s hand, it stretched lazily and scampered onto her lap, meowing to be picked up.
Shi Qianyu scooped up the cat. As she casually lifted her gaze ahead, her eyes met Wen Xin’s from across the way.
“Director Shi.” Even from a distance, Wen Xin instinctively called out a greeting.
Shi Qianyu nodded back and greeted her softly. The kitten was perfectly behaved in her arms, never minding the petting no matter how thorough. So Shi Qianyu lifted one of its front paws and waved it gently in Wen Xin’s direction.
“Wen Xin, good evening~”
Her smile brimmed with warmth, her soft hair and the hem of her pristine white outfit fluttering lightly in the breeze.
She looked every bit like a noble and beautiful cat herself.
