It's over

Under the dumbfounded gaze of the young girl, Su Cheng settled Li Guanqi in place and then stood to the side, not even sparing the girl a glance.

Over ten minutes later, under the girl’s fiery glare that seemed ready to burn him alive, Su Cheng led Li Guanqi off the train.

The girl stood frozen for a long moment before finally stomping her foot in frustration. "Jerk!"

"…………"

Only when she saw the now-empty seat did she snap out of her daze, glaring furiously at Su Cheng’s retreating figure.

She wanted to curse, to smash something!

In the end, she could only shoot one last resentful look at Su Cheng’s back before pulling out her phone in a huff and typing out a furious rant. The lengthy post included phrases like: "OMG, can you even? I’m speechless. Like, seriously, I’m so done. The absolute audacity—"

……………………

The two stepped out of the air-conditioned subway station and were immediately hit by a wave of stifling heat.

Su Cheng narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and glanced around. The streets were bustling with traffic, lined with shops and towering buildings. Luxury cars dotted the road, and pedestrians streamed past in an endless flow.

"Did you have any desserts this week?"

Su Cheng suddenly asked Li Guanqi beside him.

"No," she replied softly, shaking her head. Though she loved sweets, every time she craved them now, she remembered Su Cheng’s strict rules.

Su Cheng pointed at a café’s advertisement. "Want to grab something at the coffee shop? Maybe a cold drink?"

"No need for that."

She shook her head again, her gaze drifting toward the ice cream freezer outside a nearby convenience store. "Just an ice cream will do."

Su Cheng was surprised. At school, no one would be caught dead eating cheap convenience store ice cream. Most would opt for a café’s fancy desserts or drinks—anything but the "unhealthy and tacky" treats from a corner store.

Yet today, Li Guanqi was the exception, actively choosing the humble ice cream.

Though puzzled, Su Cheng didn’t press further. He simply nodded and followed her into the store.

He opened the freezer, and Li Guanqi began browsing.

First, she picked up a popsicle, then spotted a twin-stick ice cream bar. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and showed it to Su Cheng, signaling her choice.

He took it, paid the measly one yuan at the counter, and handed it back to her.

"Mm."

Li Guanqi accepted it and began peeling off the wrapper with delicate fingers. Su Cheng, meanwhile, pretended not to notice or care, his gaze drifting elsewhere.

After all, this ice cream bar was meant to be split—two sticks, shared between two people.

Snap.

The sound of the ice cream breaking apart echoed softly.

Then, suddenly, a cold stick was pressed against Su Cheng’s lips. He turned to see Li Guanqi offering him the other half.

"Thanks."

He took it politely, smiling.

Li Guanqi lowered her head and resumed eating her half.

Side by side, they walked under the warm glow of streetlights and neon signs, seemingly close yet subtly observing each other.

They strolled for a while, finishing their ice cream, until they passed by a pet supply store.

Li Guanqi tilted her head toward the display window, where fluffy, chubby pets of all kinds lounged in cages—cats, dogs, hamsters, and more.

Her eyes wandered over the store’s interior, taking in the pet clothes, toys, snacks, and milk formula. Intrigued, she unconsciously stopped walking.

"Need to buy something?" Su Cheng asked.

"If we get Yaya a little outfit, she’ll stand out more," Li Guanqi suggested, tilting her head slightly.

"Sure," Su Cheng agreed.

With that, they stepped into the pet store.

The shop was lavishly decorated, with pets displayed in every corner for customers to admire.

They headed straight for the pet clothing section, where tiny sweaters, shoes, pants, hats, raincoats, and even miniature toys and accessories filled the shelves.

"Handsome, these sweaters are all hand-knitted! Guaranteed to keep your little furball warm, comfy, and adorable!"

A salesperson greeted them enthusiastically the moment they walked in.

Li Guanqi scanned the colorful selection, her expression torn, before finally picking up a palm-sized black sweater and examining it.

"Putting her in black clothes seems a bit redundant, don’t you think?"

Su Cheng chuckled at her indecisiveness.

"Oh… you’re right."

Li Guanqi nodded sheepishly and put the sweater back.

Clearly, she had instinctively been about to buy her favorite color, forgetting that Yaya was pitch black all over.

Black clothes would be like wearing nothing at all.

"Huh?"

The nearby sales assistant was startled by Li Guanqi's sudden appearance, but her professionalism kept her composed. She smiled and asked, "Excuse me, do you two own dwarf hamsters?"

"It's a bird."

Li Guanqi shook her head slightly in response, then picked up a few black-and-white sweaters to examine closely.

Su Cheng was also carefully browsing nearby, but he soon lost interest—the sweaters were too plain and uninspiring. So, he shifted his attention to the dog section instead.

And there, his eyes immediately lit up.

He discovered straw hats, scarves, and even toy short swords.

At that moment,

he decided to get Da Huang a cool outfit too.

Seriously, who could resist a street-smart martial arts dog?

Without hesitation, he asked the sales assistant to pack them up, also grabbing some pet-friendly snacks and premium canned food for both Da Huang and Yaya.

"One moment, please."

The sales assistant quickly jotted everything down.

"Could you widen this opening by about 5 cm?"

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi held up a palm-sized black sweater and made the request.

"For the wings, right? No problem."

The sales assistant nodded and headed to the back worktable to modify the sweater's sleeves as instructed.

By then, Li Guanqi, having finished her purchase, looked around for Su Cheng—only to find him chatting with a female sales associate up front.

Curious, she ambled over to eavesdrop.

Then—

She froze mid-step.

Because she heard Su Cheng ask the sales associate, "Can humans eat this cat food?"

"Oh, this is Boston Cat Food, one of the best-selling brands domestically. It’s pricey but tasty and nutritious—great for pets, not for humans."

The sales associate explained, pulling two boxes off the shelf, one black and one blue.

"Never mind, then. Just wrap up what I bought earlier—I’ll pay for everything together." Su Cheng nodded.

"Got it!"

The sales associate beamed, swiftly packing the scarves, straw hats, and toy swords into a plastic bag.

Li Guanqi glanced at the dog outfits, her eyes flickering with understanding.

Clearly, these were for Da Huang.

She stood quietly to the side until Su Cheng, done with his transaction, turned to look for her—only to find her right beside him.

"Did you pick something out?"

"Yeah, they’re adjusting it now," Li Guanqi replied.

Su Cheng peered toward the back and saw a sales assistant emerging with a red sweater.

"How much for everything?"

He pulled out his phone to scan the payment, but Li Guanqi caught his wrist. "The card’s with me."

Su Cheng hesitated, about to refuse, but she handed him her card before he could speak.

Her insistence and the look in her eyes made it clear—she wanted to pay but was mindful of his pride. She didn’t outright say she’d cover it, just handed him the card instead.

After all, in today’s society, a man letting a woman pay would be judged as one of three things:

1. A broke man.

2. A jerk.

3. A freeloader.

With a resigned sigh, Su Cheng handed the card to the cashier.

After the purchase, they left the pet store.

Su Cheng, laden with bags, grumbled, "You really didn’t have to do that. I could’ve handled it myself..."

As he spoke, he tried returning Li Guanqi’s card.

But before he could finish, she took some of the bags from him—yet left the card in his hand.

"I’ve had my eye on something lately, but it’s out of stock for me. You, however, can get it."

"Eh?"

That caught him off guard. "What is it?"

Something Li Guanqi couldn’t buy… but he could?

That was surprising.

He was just an ordinary guy who shopped online or at street stalls. High-end boutiques were practically foreign territory—he never even stepped foot in them.

"Hold onto the card for now. We’ve got more shopping to do. I’ll explain later—I’ll need your help then."

Li Guanqi suddenly turned cryptic, dodging the question.

Su Cheng itched to shake the answer out of her, but with both hands full, he could only sigh and tuck the card away, reluctantly agreeing.

………

Soon, they arrived at a nearby custom shoemaker’s shop, where Li Guanqi ordered a pair of school-style shoes modified to her eccentric specifications. After paying the deposit, they left the mall.

Next, they headed toward the largest electronics market in the area—where the custom item they commissioned left Su Cheng utterly stunned.

"What, programmable wireless modules, various micro electronic components, capacitors, resistors, rechargeable batteries, and so on?"

"Are you planning to make this yourself? Seriously?!"

The two stepped outside, and Su Cheng stared blankly at Li Guanqi beside him. Though he didn’t fully understand, he knew these things were incredibly complex—requiring not just programming code but also assembling various components.

This kind of work…

How could a girl possibly pull it off?!

"Well… I’ve been reading up on this stuff for the past few days," Li Guanqi said casually, leaving Su Cheng utterly dumbfounded.

Reading about it makes you capable?

Even if you somehow understood it, you can’t just jump straight into hands-on work, come on!

However, Li Guanqi seemed to sense his thoughts and suddenly spoke with seriousness: "Actually, it’s quite simple. You use a programmable wireless module like the ‘ESP8266,’ connect the motor to it, and then use Arduino IDE (a programming tool) to write the code controlling the vibration motor’s frequency and mode. While coding, you connect the wireless module to the school’s Wi-Fi hotspot."

She paused briefly before continuing with the same earnest tone: "For external control, you use a Controller. Upload the code to the wireless module, link all the components, and voilà—you can wirelessly control the vibration motor as intended, achieving remote operation."

"Simple my ass!"

Su Cheng’s jaw practically hit the floor. Every word of that technical explanation made sense individually, but strung together, it was complete gibberish.

No, scratch that—he didn’t understand a single term!

"Relax, I’m not the one doing it. The driver uncle happens to have experience in this, so he’ll handle it for us," Li Guanqi finally softened her tone to explain.

Only then did Su Cheng snap back to reality and press further: "Then where did all that knowledge you just spouted come from?"

"Hmm, I just memorized the procedures, project details, and required components that the uncle explained to me," Li Guanqi replied calmly.

"Oh… I see…"

Su Cheng let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought plain little Guanqi was anything but plain—some kind of once-in-a-generation genius in electronics and programming.

"Don’t you play games? How about buying this?"

Li Guanqi stopped in front of an electronics store, pointing at the latest graphics card displayed in the glass showcase.

Su Cheng followed her gaze and saw the newest GPU on the shelf. But he already had one.

Someone had gifted it to him for his birthday.

"Someone gave me one as a birthday present last time. It’s just collecting dust at home now," Su Cheng shook his head and explained.

"Alright then."

Li Guanqi nodded in acknowledgment.

And just like that, Su Cheng missed his chance to become the envy of every man alive.

Had he walked out cradling that graphics card, countless men would’ve seethed with jealousy.

On the subway.

The two sat side by side.

"We’ve got everything we need for this mission now."

"I think we should give it a proper codename!"

Su Cheng, however, shook his head.

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

"How about ‘The End, Let’s Celebrate’?"

"What’s the meaning behind that?"

"In novels, when you see that phrase, it means after all the hardships, struggles, and trials, everything finally works out—happy ending, time to throw confetti."