Chapter 33

As expected, Shi Qianyu didn’t come on the second night.

Over the past few days, with her always by her side, Wen Xin had gradually grown accustomed to having someone around. Now, the sudden quiet in the room left her feeling a little unadjusted for a moment.

It felt like she had returned to her old life—cooking and eating alone, tidying up the room by herself, then washing up and doing her skincare routine before slipping into bed and logging into the game.

The game was currently replaying an old event, and Wen Xin had already collected the giveaway costume items long ago. She had no real desire to participate.

In contrast, Shui Yue was incredibly enthusiastic. The guild had gained quite a few new members recently, and one girl in particular happened to be just her type—someone whose worldview aligned perfectly with hers.

Shui Yue was utterly smitten with her. Whenever she had free time, she wanted to team up and play with her, even dragging her along for the simplest dungeons.

But not today.

After finishing her daily quests, Wen Xin casually said goodbye to a few online friends and was about to queue for a dungeon when she noticed Shui Yue hadn’t teamed up yet.

Wen Xin tentatively sent her an invite, and surprisingly, Shui Yue accepted right away.

Wen Xin selected the instance with the highest experience rewards. While her character auto-fought the mobs, she chatted idly with Shui Yue: 【How come you’re not running it with Jiang Qing today?】

Jiang Qing was the newbie girl Shui Yue was so obsessed with. Shui Yue sent a crying emoji: 【She’s busy with work today and doesn’t have time to play with me.】

Shui Yue: 【An’an, can you understand my pain? It’s been almost twenty hours since I last saw her TAT】

Shui Yue: 【I miss her so much. I think about her every minute of every day!】

Wen Xin was surprised: 【That serious?】

Shui Yue: 【Yeah! I only realized after meeting her why I’ve stuck with this crappy game all these years without quitting!】

Wen Xin: 【Why?】

Shui Yue: 【To meet her!!!】

Wen Xin: 【……】

In just a few short days, Shui Yue’s infatuation with Jiang Qing had deepened even further.

Unlike Wen Xin, Shui Yue’s personality was a bit more outgoing, and her real-life situation was happier too—at least she had family and friends.

Wen Xin had never imagined Shui Yue would get so immersed in the internet. It seemed Jiang Qing’s appearance had had a huge impact on her, to the point where Shui Yue was losing her appetite and forgetting to eat.

Shui Yue was clearly dissatisfied with her reaction: 【What’s with that? Others might not get it, but you should understand how I feel, right?】

Shui Yue (I see through everything.jpg): 【You were exactly like this with Shi Yu before!】

Wen Xin: ???

Wen Xin had no idea: 【Was I?】

Shui Yue: 【You were, you just didn’t notice it yourself.】

She began reminiscing, recounting it bit by bit to Wen Xin: 【Like when you first met her—your vibe was off right away. You were glued to her, running dungeons together all the time.】

Shui Yue: 【You’re our vice guild leader! Instead of leading us to glory, you were giving a newbie all the special treatment, and you kept mentioning her name privately—Shi Yu this, Shi Yu that.】

Shui Yue: 【You don’t know how shocked I was when you said you two weren’t a couple a while back. I thought you were lying to me.】

There are many things in this world where those involved are blind, but the onlookers see clearly.

Wen Xin had never realized how close she and Shi Yu appeared to others. Just as Shui Yue said, they hadn’t known each other long, but they got along like old friends. Shi Yu was gentle, thoughtful, attentive—a truly outstanding person whom one couldn’t help but want to get closer to.

But if Wen Xin searched her heart, she had only ever seen Shi Yu as a friend. She had never held any special feelings for her.

Shui Yue was still chattering away, asking: 【So how come I haven’t seen you two running dungeons together lately? Has she not been online for a while?】

Wen Xin replied right away: 【No, we’ve run into each other a few times recently.】

For instance, right after she had proactively severed their in-game relationship.

Wen Xin couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward recalling that day. She’d just canceled the bond when Shi Yu coincidentally came online. Afraid of any misunderstanding, Wen Xin had explained at length.

Fortunately, Shi Yu hadn’t shown any displeasure. She even apologized proactively, saying she’d been too busy lately and truly hadn’t had time for the game.

After that, the two of them ran a dungeon together as usual. An hour later, Shi Yu logged off early, ending the session.

The subsequent encounters had followed the same pattern.

At the time, Wen Xin had sensed something was off, but she hadn’t figured it out until Shui Yue brought it up today.

It seemed she… wasn’t as dependent on Shi Yu anymore. And she wasn’t as addicted to the internet either.

—Not since becoming lovers with Shi Qianyu.

Wen Xin’s previous life had been too monotonous, with most of her free time devoted to the online world. But now, her life was growing richer. With Shi Qianyu’s company, she no longer felt lonely, and she had more ways to pass the time than just gaming. Her world was gradually filling up.

Perhaps that Lover Contract hadn’t just changed their relationship—it had also transformed the dull, solitary life Wen Xin had endured for over twenty years.

Unknowingly, she suddenly missed Shi Qianyu a little.

Shui Yue was still rambling about other things. Wen Xin responded half-heartedly, clearly distracted.

Half an hour later, after the dungeon cleared, she logged off before Shui Yue.

Shi Qianyu had a dinner engagement that night and had left early without waiting to get off work. Wen Xin had noted how elegantly dressed and stunning she looked, guessing it must be an important one.

With whom?

The thought slipped into Wen Xin’s mind unbidden.

They were just lovers, their bond a touch more intimate than with others, but that was it. Wen Xin knew nothing of Shi Qianyu’s social circle, family background, or life experiences.

People always overthink when idle. Bored, Wen Xin scrolled through her phone, opening an app, closing it, trying another, closing that too. She wanted to find something to do, but nothing held her interest. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Shi Qianyu.

Then, by chance, she opened WeChat and checked Moments, spotting Shi Qianyu’s name right away.

Shi Qianyu had posted a status: a photo with a simple caption—”A pleasant evening.”

Wen Xin tapped the photo for a closer look. It was food, and judging by the number of plates on the table, there were probably four or five people dining with her. No restaurant sign was visible, but the quality of the dishes and tableware alone screamed high-end.

This was the life that truly suited Shi Qianyu—not squeezing into a tiny rental apartment with her, or sharing a cramped sofa for dinner.

Wen Xin quietly exited the photo and gave it a like. That nagging question resurfaced in her mind.

—Why had Shi Qianyu chosen to become her lover? What was she after?

Time to sleep. It was late enough already.

Wen Xin shook her head. This puzzle had troubled her for a long time without answers. No point dwelling on it. She set her phone aside, closed her eyes, and tried to let sleep come.

But not even half a second later, the phone she’d just put down lit up with a notification.

Who would message her so late?

It was Shi Qianyu.

Stunned for a moment, Wen Xin quickly unlocked her phone and opened the chat.

Shi Qianyu had clearly noticed the like: 【Still up so late?】

Wen Xin glanced down and typed: 【Not yet.】

Shi Qianyu: 【Can’t sleep, Sister? What’s on your mind?】

Out at dinner and still so unserious.

Wen Xin pressed her lips together, not wanting Shi Qianyu to know what she’d just been thinking. She replied vaguely: 【Nothing. About to sleep.】

She was shy and soft-spoken in real life, yet her messages came off oddly aloof—like she was sparing every word.

Shi Qianyu seemed dissatisfied with her tone: 【Sister, you’re so heartless.】

Wen Xin, inexplicably scolded: 【Huh?】

Shi Qianyu: 【Here I was, specially messaging you goodnight.】

Shi Qianyu: 【Has Sister eaten? Hungry? Want some late-night snacks?】

Shi Qianyu: 【The moon’s beautiful tonight. Did you see it?】

She rambled on, her messages jumping from one topic to the next.

Wen Xin sensed something off about her state, especially thinking of the dinner. She quickly concluded: 【Director Shi, are you drunk?】

Unsure if anyone was around, she addressed her as usual with the formal title.

Shi Qianyu sent a displeased emoji and corrected her: 【It’s A-Yu.】

Wen Xin grew worried: 【A-Yu, are you drunk?】

【On your way home? Where are you?】

Shi Qianyu: 【Not yet. At a hotel.】

Wen Xin: 【Alone?】

Shi Qianyu: 【With friends, but dinner’s over. They’re leaving, and so am I.】

Wen Xin wasn’t reassured: 【How are you getting home?】

Shi Qianyu: 【I didn’t drive today. Let’s just take a cab.】

This wouldn’t do at all.

Wen Xin had never seen Shi Qianyu drunk before. Even on the night they first met at the bar and tumbled into a one-night stand, Shi Qianyu had only been half-drunk at most. Wen Xin couldn’t picture what state she must be in now, and the thought of her heading home alone filled Wen Xin with dread—what if something dangerous happened?

Whatever drowsiness she’d felt vanished in an instant. Without a second thought, Wen Xin rolled out of bed and dialed the number.

“Hello?” She rarely spoke to anyone over the phone, and it made her cheeks burn with embarrassment—especially when she had to use that most intimate nickname. “A-Yu?”

“Mm, it’s me.” Shi Qianyu’s voice floated over from the other end, bright and smiling.

“Which hotel are you at?” Wen Xin asked. “I’ll come pick you up.”

“No need,” Shi Qianyu replied.

“Yes, there is.” The cool detachment from their WeChat exchange was gone; speaking aloud brought back that soft, introverted side of Wen Xin. “You’ve had too much to drink. I’m worried it won’t be safe for you to go back alone…”

“I’ll come get you. Just send me your location, okay?”

She even mimicked Shi Qianyu’s usual gentle tone, coaxing her like one might soothe a child.

There was a long pause on the other end before Shi Qianyu finally said, “All right then.”

Wen Xin let out a breath of relief.

But then Shi Qianyu added, “However…”

Wen Xin’s heart leaped back into her throat. “However?”

“However, you have to let me call the cab for you,” Shi Qianyu insisted. “You’re already going out of your way to pick me up—the fare should be on me, no question.”

“…Fine,” Wen Xin agreed. There was no sense quibbling over something so minor; getting Shi Qianyu home safely was what mattered. She nodded to herself and said, “I’ll head downstairs right now, then.”

“Yay!” Shi Qianyu let out a little cheer on her end. “I’ll wait for you.”

Her voice dropped even softer. “Waiting for Sister to pick me up and take me home.”

It was so light and tender, infused with laughter, drifting through the receiver like a whisper right against Wen Xin’s ear.

Her heart inexplicably started to race.