In Need of a Bag Carrier

‘When did Nan Zhi reach out to her?’

Shen Yi sat up abruptly, holding his phone but not rushing to reply.

Fu Nanzhi had mentioned inviting Cheng Jun to dinner a long time ago, but things kept piling up and it never happened.

Shen Yi had assumed Fu Nanzhi had forgotten about it, so he was surprised when she brought it up again tonight.

‘Seems like they’ve either been in touch or met already.’

Shen Yi pieced things together—even knowing about their dinner last week meant they must have talked.

Though he wasn’t sure what they discussed, Fu Nanzhi’s attitude didn’t seem any different.

It felt like just another ordinary thing.

"Strange. Really strange..."

Shen Yi leaned against the headboard, muttering to himself.

But the oddness didn’t stop there. Cheng Jun’s reaction was even more puzzling.

In Shen Yi’s mind, Cheng Jun shouldn’t have agreed to this invitation. After all, last time, her resistance was obvious, and without some major change, she wouldn’t shift her stance so quickly.

Just like these past few days—she hadn’t contacted him at all, keeping her door shut as if avoiding him.

"Will she tell Nan Zhi my secret?"

Shen Yi’s gaze seemed to pierce through the wall, as if trying to read Cheng Jun’s thoughts right now.

He scrolled down to the bottom of the chat and tapped on Cheng Jun’s profile.

Her social media was set to "last three days visible."

"At least she didn’t delete me."

Shen Yi exhaled in relief, but his fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure how to start.

Texting felt distant—some things just weren’t meant to be asked over a screen.

With a sigh, he got out of bed and pulled on a T-shirt.

Stepping into the empty hallway, he stopped in front of Cheng Jun’s door. Without hesitation, he knocked.

After over a dozen raps, there was no response.

"Not home?"

"Or is she ignoring me?"

Shen Yi stared at the peephole for a moment before giving up and turning back.

Back in bed, with no answers from Cheng Jun, he decided to probe Fu Nanzhi instead.

"If you two are having a girls' night, why drag me along?"

"To third-wheel?"

Fu Nanzhi’s reply came almost instantly:

"What? Can’t I ask you to be our bodyguard?"

"Zhu Yun treated you last time. I’m just returning the favor."

Her response—half answer, half retort—left Shen Yi speechless.

It sounded perfectly normal, like there was nothing unusual about it.

Pushing further would seem suspicious, so he replied:

"Fine. Send me the address. I’ll be there on time."

Fu Nanzhi shot back immediately:

"Dress nice, okay? Don’t embarrass me. (Ξ???Ξ)?"

Shen Yi smirked and typed:

"Got it."

How fancy could he get? He never put much effort into his outfits—just grabbed whatever was clean, maybe checked the colors didn’t clash too badly. That was it.

By nature, Shen Yi could survive a whole summer with just a few sets of clothes. It was only after Fu Nanzhi bought him more that his wardrobe expanded.

"Alright, I’m going to sleep. Goodnight."

"(づ￣3￣)づ╭?～"

Fu Nanzhi sent a flying kiss emoji.

Shen Yi quickly replied with a sleeping moon.

Tossing his phone aside, he sprawled out on the bed, limbs stretched wide.

The situation was unclear, but he was mentally prepared for everything to come to light.

It might catch him off guard, but this was inevitable—just a matter of time.

Clenching his fist, he muttered:

"Bring it on. No point being scared."

The next morning, Shen Yi woke up early.

He opened the window—sunny after the rain, puddles still dotting the ground, but nothing stopping him from his run.

Lacing up his shoes, he set off, craving the rhythm of his routine.

After days without running, his body itched for movement. The moment he stepped outside, he picked up speed, the cool wind slapping his face, so invigorating he almost shouted.

Today’s run was longer than usual. By the time the sun broke through the clouds, he finally headed home.

Glancing at the clock—past 10 AM—he decided to combine breakfast and lunch.

With meals out of the way, Shen Yi turned to business.

Booting up the simulator, he began his daily money-making grind.

Skipping the text-based scenarios, he dove straight into the interactive ones.

Who he matched with didn’t matter—they were all just tools.

Shen Yi poured zero emotion into it. He was a cold, calculating machine.

After spending some points to unlock key traits, he tailored his approach to the target’s profile.

With his stats boosted, virtual assets stacked, and three retries, failure was rare.

Today’s match was slightly tougher, but not by much.

Hours later, just before exhausting his attempts, he secured the win—landing a controlled C+ rating.

Watching the 180,000 cash reward hit his account, satisfaction settled heavily in his chest.

Earning over 100,000 daily? That kind of speed was unimaginable in his past life.

Best part? It was effortless. By 2 PM, his "workday" was done—like finishing a movie or an immersive game.

"Interactive sims are the real deal. Text-based? Trash."

Shen Yi dismissed the holographic screen with a sigh.

Including the pending 180,000, his cash reserves had crossed 500,000.

And he hadn’t even matched that many times. If he kept this up daily, the monthly total would be staggering.

Not billionaire-level, but for an average guy? More than enough.

"Still, interactive sims only give basic cash."

"Attributes, skills, rare talents—those only come from text-based."

Fair, he thought. Rewards should match the difficulty. Money couldn’t compare to those upgrades.

With only one attempt per day, Shen Yi checked his phone post-sim.

No messages from Fu Nanzhi—just a lunchtime photo of a salad.

Scrolling down, Shu Yunyi’s last text was a morning running video, treating his inbox like a fitness log.

Shen Yi had replied with his own clip.

With neither reaching out, he savored the rare, quiet day alone.

Time flew to the next afternoon.

Morning run, meal, then another sim session to grow his funds.

Around 3 PM, right after wrapping up, Fu Nanzhi’s message popped up.

Upon opening it, he saw a location pin—a large shopping mall.

Shen Yi replied with a question mark:

"Weren’t we just having dinner? Why so early?"

Fu Nanzhi sent a photo along with her response:

"Hurry up, hubby."

"No rush for dinner. We’re shopping right now, waiting for you to come help carry the bags."

Shen Yi opened the picture. It showed a slender figure from behind—long hair cascading down, a slim waist, and a pale white tailored skirt that ended just past the knees, accentuating a pair of long, straight legs.

He didn’t need a closer look to recognize Cheng Jun. That height, those legs—there was no mistaking her for anyone else.

Judging by the angle, it seemed like Fu Nanzhi had sneakily taken the shot.

Shen Yi shook his head, unsure what game she was playing, but typed back anyway:

"On my way."