Mobile Phone · Steamed Buns · Stationery · Schoolgirl.

A forty-minute class was easy for Ye Shuang to pass by idly scrolling through his phone. During that time, a patrolling teacher glanced in but left upon seeing another teacher at the podium.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Ye Shuang stretched and got up to leave the classroom.

"I wonder how Bai Yuyou is doing." Thirsty, he headed straight for the vending machine on the first floor.

After scanning the QR code to pay, Ye Shuang pressed the button for a cola.

"Huh?"

Three or four seconds passed, but aside from the screen displaying "Dispensing in progress," the machine seemed frozen.

"Don’t waste your time. That machine’s broken." A voice came from behind. Ye Shuang turned and saw a familiar face.

Mobile Phone · Steamed Buns · Stationery · Schoolgirl.

Quite the list of nicknames.

Seeing An Shiyu behind him didn’t surprise Ye Shuang—he’d already spotted her in Class B earlier. Though they’d crossed paths a few times, he pretended not to notice her.

"You’re not a teacher at Yinshan Academy, are you?" An Shiyu’s opening words caught him off guard.

"Why do you say that?" Ye Shuang asked. "If I weren’t a teacher, why would I be subbing for your class?"

"Simple. My memory is excellent—I never forget a face," An Shiyu replied.

"That kind of talk… reeks of arrogance." Ye Shuang studied her, and soon, her information surfaced in his mind—

[Character: An Shiyu

Hyperthymesia patient. You could kiss her and she’d remember it for life.]

After a few seconds, Ye Shuang chuckled. "But I’m a new hire."

"Yinshan Academy only recruited one teacher this year, and she’s a woman. Besides, a quick check with HR would confirm it." An Shiyu remained expressionless. "Mister, you wouldn’t want anyone finding out you’re impersonating a teacher, would you?"

Ye Shuang gave her a long look but didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he cut to the chase.

"What do you want from me?"

"Pay me hush money." An Shiyu held out her palm.

"Is this a robbery?" Ye Shuang found it absurd that this pretty girl was extorting him—it almost felt like some bizarre roleplay.

"Think of it as cooperation." An Shiyu suddenly smiled. "I can help you maintain your cover."

Ye Shuang didn’t refuse. He instinctively reached for a cigarette in his pocket but found it empty. "Name your price, if it’s reasonable."

"Fifty."

"…That’s it?" Ye Shuang gave her a strange look.

"How much money can someone with a cheap phone even have?" An Shiyu sounded almost disdainful.

"Then why extort me?!"

"For fun."

Ye Shuang couldn’t fathom what went through the minds of young girls these days. Was this really just for amusement?

"If you won’t pay, then accompany me somewhere," An Shiyu said.

"Where?"

"An internet café."

"Uh… isn’t it class time right now?"

"Just skip class." An Shiyu stuffed her hands into her pockets. "What’s the big deal? The next few periods are large lectures—the teacher’s half-blind and won’t take attendance."

Ye Shuang: "…"

Whatever. He couldn’t be bothered to argue. After agreeing, he watched as the girl expertly led him to the fence behind the cafeteria and pointed. "Squeeze through here."

Ye Shuang complied, though his back ached from the tight fit. The next moment, An Shiyu vaulted over the fence with agile ease—though her landing was so abrupt, she nearly sat on his face.

"Perfect ten." She dusted off her pleated skirt and the nonexistent dirt on her leggings, then stretched.

Noticing Ye Shuang’s gaze, she lifted her skirt slightly. "Want a look?"

Ye Shuang twitched his lips. "No. And if you can climb the fence, why make me crawl through?!"

"Could your old bones even handle climbing?" An Shiyu shot back, her eyes brimming with pity for the elderly.

"I’m not even thirty yet!"

"Even so, take care of your back." She spoke with mock solemnity.

Ye Shuang seriously considered sewing her mouth shut.

He led An Shiyu to the parking lot, stopping at a sleek black motorcycle.

"Get on."

An Shiyu eyed the bike and remarked, "This thing…"

"Would be a pain to steal."

Ye Shuang wordlessly pressed the key fob, and the bike’s lights flashed to life. Swinging a leg over, he handed her a helmet. "Hop on."

"You ride a bike worth tens of thousands but use a cheap phone?" An Shiyu seemed genuinely curious.

"Just don’t worry about it."

Once she was seated, Ye Shuang took off without another word, soon arriving at a nearby internet café.

"So slow," An Shiyu said the moment they dismounted.

"Safety first, ever heard of it?" Ye Shuang removed his helmet, exasperated.

Inside, the receptionist greeted them. "Need terminals?"

"Yeah, two."

"ID cards. How much credit? Top up 100, get 100 free."

"Thirty for both." Ye Shuang didn’t plan to stay long. He glanced at An Shiyu, who was scanning the place like a first-timer, completely uninterested in their conversation.

"ID," Ye Shuang nudged her when she made no move to produce hers.

"You need ID to go online?"

"Obviously. Is this your first time?" Ye Shuang frowned.

An Shiyu turned to the receptionist. "What if I don’t have my ID?"

"Facial recognition with your digital ID works too."

"Got it."

Once they were seated side by side, Ye Shuang expected her to dive into gaming like a typical addict. Instead, An Shiyu shattered his assumptions.

After booting up the terminal, she didn’t launch a single game—instead, she studied the expressions of everyone around them.

"What are you doing?"

"Mister, why do people come to internet cafés?" An Shiyu suddenly asked.

"Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?"

"I came here because I don’t know."

Ye Shuang glanced at the other patrons and shrugged.

"For the high-end setups."

"You could build a better PC at home."

"Not for some people. For them, friends are the ultimate hardware." He pointed at a group playing games together, then at a lone figure sleeping in the corner.

"And for others, this place is a refuge. These setups… aren’t something you can just replicate at home."