“How did I fall asleep?”
Gao Sijin rubbed his drowsy eyes and slowly got up from bed.
He remembered attending class at the University of Tokyo in the morning. The content wasn’t very difficult, and he had been so absorbed throughout the entire lecture that he completely forgot what was happening around him. Time flew by, and before he knew it, class was over.
His studies weren’t particularly busy. Compared to back home at least, Todai was a lot easier. University students in the Faculty of Letters averaged only around four hours of classes per day. Most students spent their free time working part-time jobs or doing things they enjoyed.
Compared to the Faculty of Letters, the toughest ones were medicine and science. Gao Sijin’s discipline could be considered the most relaxed in all of Todai.
Gao Sijin stretched and looked in the mirror. He had never expected classes at Todai to be this easy; he was starting to feel a little full of himself.
“Hey, the guy in the mirror looks like a successful man, doesn’t he?”
“Wait, isn’t that Gao Sijin?”
“Why is this man so damn handsome?”
Just thinking about job hunting with a diploma from the University of Tokyo—he’d definitely have a lot of face.
After he made some money, he’d build a big house for his aunt and cousin, and he’d even help his cousin find a match. His cousin was currently suffering from a chronic illness and didn’t want to be a burden to any girl. But no matter what, a person needed a family. After love turned into familial affection, once you had kids, you’d have something to live for.
Having come to Tokyo, Gao Sijin had gradually developed ambitions of his own.
He dialed his cousin on WeChat. The first call didn’t go through, showing a network error.
Gao Sijin didn’t think much of it. After all, it was a domestic chat app, so you generally needed a VPN. So he reconnected the VPN software and tried again.
This time, his cousin picked up.
“Hey, bro. I went to the legendary University of Tokyo today. It’s no big deal.”
“Little brat, don’t go getting cocky,” his cousin said from the other end, using the same tone as ever.
For some reason, this long-overdue call with family made Gao Sijin feel deeply emotional.
“Don’t worry, it’s just the first day. I won’t get conceited. I have no problems with school here, and I can understand Japanese just fine.”
“That sets my mind at ease. You little brat have way more promise than I ever did.”
Back then, his cousin had studied in Japan for eight years at Fukuoka University of Health and Welfare, a little-known university. According to him, most of the overseas students were just slackers who skipped all their elective courses and even their required ones.
“By the way, have you made any friends since arriving in Tokyo?”
“For sure, I’ve got quite a few friends. Maybe next time I can bring back a Yamato Nadeshiko type of girl. Didn’t you say the Yamato Nadeshiko had gone extinct in modern times? I don’t think so. I met one recently, and she seems to like me too.”
“You’re talking in your sleep again, kid. Wake up, Master Gao, time to get up and write.”
“I’m not talking in my sleep. I’ll send you her photo one of these days. She even asked me out on a date. I’m telling you, it’s definitely going somewhere.”
“Don’t mix up novels and reality, you little punk!”
His cousin was sharp-tongued as always, but Gao Sijin knew well that his cousin had always cared a lot about him.
For instance, his cousin had previously gone over many things to watch out for when studying in Japan, one by one. He told Gao Sijin not to just form cliques with people from back home, but to make friends with locals too. He also told him to be wary of people from Country K. His cousin wasn’t a nationalist, but he’d always had a poor impression of K-Country folks and often complained to Gao Sijin about their behavior.
“Oh, and about J-Country girls, you need to be extra careful about one thing: they’re really good at makeup. Before, my landlord introduced me to her daughter. We had coffee at a café, and her makeup was so thick it fell into the coffee. When you’re dating that Yamato Nadeshiko, you must pay attention. Honestly, compared to Chinese girls without makeup, J-Country girls are far behind.”
“So, you’re saying you hope I find a girl from back home? Actually, there happens to be a Chinese girl who likes me. Her surname is Yu.”
“Whatever, do as you like. Just don’t call home to show off now that you’re a normie. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”
His cousin hung up.
Meanwhile, in the next room, the professional Maid Corps cut off the voice changer. Considering that Gao Sijin might want to do a video call later, they even had the virtual avatar ready. Even most of the group chats Gao Sijin had joined on QQ were controlled by state-of-the-art AI and the maids, creating the illusion that he was still communicating normally with the outside world. Multiple layers of screening, plus a maid with a doctorate in psychology overseeing everything, made it nearly impossible for Gao Sijin to discover that he was trapped in a specially constructed online world.
This operation was called the “Truman Plan.”
Oblivious to it all, Gao Sijin was still basking in the long-awaited call with his family, his mood much improved.
Outside the window, the setting sun carried its last rays of golden-orange glow. Gao Sijin walked to the window and watched the bustling city streets with their passing cars and pedestrians. An indescribable warmth filled him. A student studying abroad was not a rootless weed. The outside world might be beautiful, but no matter how gorgeous the scenery, it couldn’t change Gao Sijin’s love for his hometown and his attachment to his family.
“Ah, I’m a full-grown man from the Northeast. Why am I suddenly getting all sentimental about love and family?”
Gao Sijin opened his laptop and casually browsed some web pages, then walked out of his room and greeted lazily.
“Good afternoon, Qingxue.”
He had expected only Yu Qingxue to be on the living room sofa, but the moment he stepped out, Gao Sijin was stunned.
The living room held not just Yu Qingxue, but another guest as well. That guest was dressed in a red shrine maiden outfit, looking exactly like Hakurei Reimu from the Touhou series. Or rather, it was like Reimu had stepped right out of the screen. It was uncanny!
“Reimu!”
Hakurei Reimu stood up and gave Gao Sijin a gentle smile. Then she took off the wig and colored contacts.
So she wasn’t Hakurei Reimu at all. The hime-cut-haired girl was like an ancient princess, with pure, beautiful dark red eyes.
“Rio?”
“It’s me, Gao-kun. You finally woke up.”
Tsukiyuki Rio giggled, watching the dumbfounded Gao Sijin. Like a mischievous little devil who had caught him off guard.
“Hold on a sec, I must have opened the door wrong.”
Gao Sijin pretended to calmly retreat back into his room, but his heart was thumping wildly. Seeing her exquisite face, he couldn’t even get a single word out properly. Tsukiyuki Rio was just too beautiful, so beautiful that it made Gao Sijin feel a little inferior. He quickly took off his pajamas and threw open the wardrobe to find a handsome suit.
In front of the one he loved, he had to appear as perfect as possible.
“How did Rio end up here? Damn it, why is she so cute, so elegant…”
From the moment he’d met Tsukiyuki Rio, Gao Sijin didn’t know if he could ever love anyone else in this lifetime. His cousin said J-Country girls were good at makeup, so even if Rio’s beauty was all makeup, he’d accept it.
Would a black suit be too serious? Would a blue one be too businesslike? Would a brown one make him look too old?
He was a guy, but after closing the door, he was fussing over his appearance like a girl on her first date.
She was wearing a cosplay outfit. Should he wear one too? Who would he cosplay? Lelouch?
Just as Gao Sijin was agonizing, a knock came at the door.
“Hey, Gao-kun.”
“Wait, Rio, I’m changing!”
Gao Sijin piled clothes onto the bed until it became a small mountain, unable to find the right outfit.
“Come out soon, Gao-kun.”
“Just a moment.”
In the end, Gao Sijin chose a simple white shirt and black trousers. This outfit wasn’t stunning, but it wouldn’t go wrong either. Thinking about it carefully, he wasn’t a handsome guy anyway. Why was he spending so much effort on his appearance?
To make a girl devoted to you, the best way was to conquer her with talent.
“Ahem, I suddenly went back to my room just now because I remembered something urgent. Hello, Rio.”
“We meet again, Gao-kun.”
Tsukiyuki Rio’s smile was sweet, like flowing spring water that flowed into Gao Sijin’s heart.
Yu Qingxue, standing to the side, crossed her arms and looked at him with contempt.
“Hmph, when you meet me, you wear pajamas and slippers, but when you meet Rio, you go all out. All you men are such pigs.”
Gao Sijin immediately shot Qingxue a look, signaling her not to expose him so easily. He had his pride, after all.
“So what brings you here, Rio?”
“Senior Qingxue and I are in the same faculty. During class today, I thought she was an interesting person, so I chatted with her. And we happened to talk about you, Gao-kun. As we were talking, Senior Qingxue suddenly mentioned that the author of that novel was living with her,” Tsukiyuki Rio explained what had happened on campus that day.
“How could you tell Rio that!”
“Are you afraid she might misunderstand, Sijin?”
Yu Qingxue was being way too sly.
She knew perfectly well that he liked Tsukiyuki Rio, yet she still said that they were living together. She was just stirring up trouble.
Tsukiyuki Rio didn’t seem to mind much and just stood there giggling.
Actually, Gao Sijin wished she would get jealous; that would mean she had feelings for him.
“Rio, right now Qingxue and I are just landlord and tenant. We play games together, watch movies, and that’s it. We’re just pure friends of the opposite sex.”
“Really?”
Tsukiyuki Rio tilted her head and eyed Gao Sijin suspiciously.
“Absolutely true.”
“Why are you so eager to clarify, Gao-kun?” Tsukiyuki Rio asked with a sly grin. “Are you really afraid I might misunderstand?”
“Well, not exactly, it’s just…”
“You’re so adorable.”
In just a few words, Gao Sijin felt that Tsukiyuki Rio had him completely wrapped around her finger, and his face burned with embarrassment.
Yu Qingxue patted them both on the shoulder.
“How about the three of us go out for some good food today?”
“Sure, I’m in. What about you, Gao-kun?”
“I’ll come too.”
He hadn’t finished writing yet.
But this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Gao Sijin wasn’t willing to miss it.
