Su Yuqiu finally felt completely at ease.
Only now could she confirm that the person standing before her was truly Yezi herself—no doubt about it!
It wasn’t that she distrusted others, but ever since she’d first laid eyes on the real-life Yezi, Su Yuqiu couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something a bit “off” about her, like the image didn’t quite match the hype.
The online Yezi was goofy, entertaining, and occasionally dropped some real gems of wisdom.
The real-life Yezi was cool, reserved… and, uh, seemed to drop those gems now and then too?
People really were different online and off.
But this level of contrast was just too extreme!
In any case, that kind of discrepancy naturally bred suspicion: Was this really the same person? Was the woman in front of her actually Yezi?
No question about it now.
Su Yuqiu was certain: If this wasn’t Yezi, then no one was.
Everything in the world could be faked, but the one trait that couldn’t be imitated or forged…
…was her gentleness.
“You suddenly don’t want to go see Wangcai anymore.”
It was such a lame excuse, but when Su Yuqiu savored those words, they rang like sweet music to her ears.
Her big, watery cherry-colored loli eyes suddenly brimmed with a crystal-clear warmth, lost in a symphony of endless relief.
Not even the Anime Expo Hall’s blaring “Just Because You’re Too Beautiful” background music could distract Little Qiu anymore.
To this day,
five years ago, those ancient messages from the ID “A Piece of White Leaf” were still safely preserved as images in her long-sealed, always-pinned favorites folder on her local drive.
“There aren’t that many hurdles you can’t get over. If you can’t take it, just have a good cry. If you’re tired, stop and rest, sleep it off. Tomorrow, the sun will still rise, and you’ll still eat your breakfast, right? Oh crap… speaking of which, I think I’m out of money for tomorrow’s meal again?”
“What? No, this isn’t empty talk—it’s from experience. Yeah, yeah, I get it, I don’t know what you’ve been through, and you haven’t told me the details anyway.”
“Fine, since you put it that way, here’s something practical. You’re all stressed out and can’t eat? How about I recommend an anime? I’ve been loving it lately—super easy to binge with food! Huh? You don’t even know what anime is? It’s not those kiddie cartoons; it’s for everyone, all ages.”
“I just sent the rec your way—check it out. It’s comedy, so laugh if you like it. And those pessimistic posts you’re sharing? They’re exhausting just to read.”
“Oh, and if you like, you could make a group chat. More people means more fun, and chatting’s good for your health! Just kidding.”
“Whew… why are the halls so far apart? Little Qiu, you okay?”
“Ahh… Yezi, you really need to watch your words… are you trying to say… huff, that my legs are short so I’m tired?”
“No, I meant you’ve been spacing out since earlier. Did you get tired from walking?”
“Isn’t that still calling my legs short!”
No worries—lolis had tons of potential too.
Look at Guang Yu. Everyone else was wiped out, but she still had energy to spread her arms wide and pedal those stubby little legs everywhere!
Two total shut-ins who barely left home except for school stood in front of the Arcade Hall experience area like total losers.
During this time, the two of them—plus one deity—each had a drink in hand, mostly thanks to Guang Yu’s nudging.
Su Yuqiu didn’t directly answer Ye Zhibai’s earlier question. She’d already composed herself, burying her gratitude deep in her heart for now. Today was all about fully immersing in a perfect Comic-Con memory!
While lining up at the Arcade Hall entrance to buy Game Coins, Little Qiu suddenly turned her head.
She brought up something she’d been curious about since earlier.
“Hey… is there some kind of theme for today’s cosplayers? So many Maid Outfits! Whoa… these cosplayers are pros—these maids really have that maid vibe! Yezi, quick, look at that whole row of maids lining up. Did they rehearse that?”
“Maids…?”
You mention maids… and that really piques my interest.
But why did hearing that word suddenly give me a bad feeling?
Ye Zhibai stiffly followed Little Qiu’s admiring gaze toward the line of maids.
“!”
“Yezi?”
“N-no… it’s nothing. Maid Outfits… yeah, they’re pretty nice. Very professional.”
“Right? Just like those combat maids from anime— so cool! I’ve seen them multiple times since we got here. How about we sneak a group photo later? Rare chance! Ah… but from far away, quietly. I wouldn’t dare go up and ask.”
“Yeah…”
A group photo?
Heh heh, Little Qiu.
You’d never guess—those maids were actual professional combat maids on duty!
Th-that… that’s not our Ye Family’s own Maid Corps?!
You guys like Comic-Cons too?!
Well, thinking about it, yeah.
The direction those maids were lined up in was right toward where Ye Zhibai stood.
The spot you’re standing… with me in between… bah!
This hall’s BGM has some variety!
I bet you see them so often not because there are tons of maids, but because they’re following us!
The maids were lined up neatly, but the instant Ye Zhibai turned, they scattered into disarray. Even from afar, you could see them awkwardly laughing and pretending to be regular Comic-Con visitors.
Guang Yu, super sharp: “Ye Zhibai, your sister sent people to watch you again!”
“Like you’re so smart. I’m not blind—if you must call it something, call it protection.”
No wonder Yun’er was the smart one.
With the Maid Corps dressed as maids at Comic-Con, they blended in perfectly as natural camouflage.
No more looking. Ye Zhibai had a hunch: If the Maid Corps was here, Yun’er herself might show up too.
Little Zhibai had learned her lesson. She immediately put a whole centimeter of distance between her and Little Qiu, proving her innocence to fend off any nighttime raids from Yun’er.
Before long, they got their sixty bucks’ worth: three hundred Game Coins.
A whole half-basket!
Little Qiu’s tiny frame holding the big basket made it look even bigger.
Hey, Comic-Con land was pricey, but arcade games were a steal.
Five coins a buck!
Ye Zhibai wasn’t clueless about arcades. She’d never been to one, but she knew the basics.
Just pop in coins and play. Simple.
However…
When Ye Zhibai stood in front of an old arcade cabinet called Three Kingdoms Rampage, tossed in a coin, and got no response, she was stumped.
She patted the machine’s metal dome.
Clang clang clang.
Still nothing.
“Tch… machine’s busted, no reaction. Little Qiu, you saw—I haven’t even started. If the owner tries to pin it on me, back me up. I can’t afford to pay.”
“Yezi…? I don’t think the machine’s broken.”
“How could it not be? It ate my coin.”
“What if… it needs more than one coin to start?”
“!”
The classic tome—”Ye Zhibai Understands Arcades.”
Ye Zhibai looked closely: Sure enough, there was a label on the machine.
“Ten coins to start. Character death resets. Insert coins again.”
You’re not cheap, huh?!
Store owner, if that’s the case, why not set it to ten bucks for ten coins, one coin start? Making us toss in ten at once makes us both look generous, right?!
Maybe that’s exactly it.
The coin slot was up top. Little Qiu stretched on tiptoes but couldn’t reach.
“I’ll get it.”
“Ugh… too mean. Why put the slot so high? Not user-friendly at all.”
“Maybe to keep minors from playing arcades.”
“?”
With Little Qiu holding the big coin basket, Ye Zhibai took out ten coins one by one and fed them in.
The screen lit up, going to character select. Pick characters to start the levels.
Ye Zhibai casually picked Guan Yu with the Green Dragon Crescent Blade for Little Qiu—didn’t matter, she wasn’t playing anyway. She’d just watch.
Little Qiu picked hers too.
But the game didn’t start.
Ye Zhibai was about to smack the metal dome again, but Little Qiu pointed out the issue.
“P1 selected, P2 selected, P3… oh no, Yezi, this is a three-player mode. Needs three people to start!”
“Three players…? Then forget it, switch machines?”
“We could, but lemme check… yep, coins are one-way. What a waste.”
“……”
No way they were switching!
Ten coins, two bucks! Can’t just feed them to this useless metal box. Not playing would be a total loss.
There were more machines like this.
Ye Zhibai glanced at another one two meters away, where three people had just started up. From the direction they’d come, it looked like a pickup team, not friends.
Awesome, awesome… As expected, 2D culture and hardcore otakus aren’t quite the same. These social butterflies could team up to play games without even exchanging a word when they met!
This was still too tall an order for Ye Zhibai and Su Yuqiu.
On top of that, Ye Zhibai noticed a little habit of Little Qiu’s.
Little Qiu was sitting smack in the middle of the bench.
The petite girl was trying her best to occupy two seats.
She kept unconsciously fiddling with the frame of her headphones, her expression tinged with a vague bewilderment and anxiety.
She was probably worried that a stranger might sit down next to her. If they insisted on playing arcade games together, it would be awkward to refuse. To ward off anyone approaching, she sat like that, pretending the spot beside her was already taken—as if she were holding it for someone.
In a way, this cool-as-ice petite girl Little Qiu might look unflappable on the outside, but her level of social anxiety was even worse than Ye Zhibai’s own.
Sigh, fine, fine—no picking on the socially anxious. It wasn’t easy for her to come out and have fun like this.
Ye Zhibai decided to activate her “backup hidden asset.”
“Guang Yu.”
“Got it, got it! We’ve been waiting forever. There’s no way I’d miss out on gaming. Just sit back and watch!”
Her rapport with Little Fox had grown by leaps and bounds—no need for explicit instructions anymore.
Guang Yu caught on immediately. With her big tail swishing behind her, she darted off in a flash.
Ye Zhibai deliberately pulled out her phone and glanced at it. In truth, she hadn’t even unlocked the screen.
Then she turned to the tense and fidgety Su Yuqiu.
“Little Qiu, hang on a sec. I think my distant cousin is around here too. I’ll call her over. Relax, she’s just a kid—no need for much chit-chat.”
“That’s great…! Ah, sorry… I’m just too much of a hermit. Sorry for making you call someone over. I really should get out more, build up some courage.”
“Don’t sweat it. Totally get it. It’ll come with time.”
At that moment, Ye Zhibai felt toweringly impressive!
How to put it?
When a mild case of social anxiety bumped into a severe one…
The mild case suddenly felt like the most outgoing, bravest person on earth!
That was exactly how Ye Zhibai felt right now.
Her sense of accomplishment? Absolutely maxed out!
