Youth Returns, What an Absurd Lack of Budget (Bonus Update)

So the timeline wasn’t set in 2014 after all!

Standing up to greet him was a girl.

She had voluminous black permed hair with thick blunt bangs.

A large pink hair clip didn’t hold much hair—it was purely decorative.

Her loose white short-sleeved T-shirt deliberately left one shoulder exposed.

A bold black strap added a unique touch of charm.

Beneath her frayed denim peplum skirt, she wore zebra-striped stockings paired with sneakers.

It was none other than Huang Feirong, looking even more youthful!

Such a nostalgic outfit.

Total throwback to the non-mainstream era!

"Brother Yu! What’s with the daze?"

"Over here, over here!"

Huang Feirong waved her hand enthusiastically, beckoning him.

Lin Yu maneuvered past people searching for computers in the internet café and headed toward the very last row.

Meanwhile, he pondered to himself.

In this dream world, what role was he playing in Huang Feirong’s life?

A college classmate?

An online friend?

Or maybe… her boyfriend?

In Aunt Qimeng’s dream world, he had once appeared as a college crush.

Given how insanely good he was at gaming,

Huang Feirong’s subconscious must have assigned him a new identity here!

When he reached Huang Feirong, Lin Yu gave her another once-over.

Honestly,

after getting used to the so-called "fashionable outfits" of later years,

seeing this revival of "cutting-edge trends" was oddly refreshing.

Even more pleasing to the eye was the fact that,

despite her non-mainstream hairstyle and clothing,

Huang Feirong’s face was clean and fresh, free of heavy makeup.

The Feirong-jie of her youth was far more lively than her twenty-six-year-old self.

Seems like… she hadn’t yet become the queen of dirty jokes?

"Brother Yu, why’d you take so long? I’ve been waiting forever!"

"At least you’re earlier than that bitch from the business department… hehe!"

Huang Feirong immediately slung an arm over Lin Yu’s shoulder.

The height difference forced her to stretch a little to do so.

Lin Yu discreetly assessed the situation.

This didn’t seem like a college couple’s dynamic.

Normal couples would link arms or snuggle up affectionately, right?

Huang Feirong’s gesture felt more like… bros hanging out!

And the "bitch from the business department" she mentioned was probably the [Old Rival at the Internet Café] he needed to defeat.

"Why’d you pick such a hidden spot? I was here for a while and couldn’t find you."

Lin Yu casually remarked.

Unexpectedly—

"Bzzz…"

A faint, familiar buzzing echoed in his mind.

Holy crap?

Already triggering a reaction?

"What’s up with you today?"

"Brother Yu, aren’t these two seats our usual spot?"

"Why are you saying such weird stuff?"

Huang Feirong leaned down, tilting her face up to scrutinize Lin Yu from below.

Lin Yu: "!!!"

So that was the issue?

Huang Feirong’s subconscious in this dream world was way too sensitive!

Just one offhand comment contradicting her subconscious nearly caused the entire dream world to collapse!

Yikes…

He’d have to watch his words from now on.

With Huang Feirong staring him down, Lin Yu couldn’t think of a good explanation.

He simply pressed a hand to her head and pushed her back into her seat.

"Since when do you talk so much? How could your Brother Yu forget our lucky spot?"

Hearing his domineering tone, Huang Feirong grinned again:

"Ok, ok! Brother Yu is awesome as always! New Brother Yu, eternal life!"

Good.

So in her subconscious, Lin Yu was the tough, assertive "Brother Yu."

Lin Yu sat at the computer Huang Feirong had booted up for him, wondering what kind of opponent would show up later.

Huang Feirong handed him a pair of headphones and a chilled bottle of Qoo juice:

"Brother Yu, you’ll be facing that bitch later."

"Rest up now—we need you to bring glory to ‘Feirong’s Dance Crew in the Sky’!"

"Got your drinks and tunes ready for you."

Lin Yu: "…"

Feirong’s Dance Crew in the Sky…

Might as well aim for the moon.

No wonder the dream world’s options were all games.

She must’ve played nonstop in college!

Just the name alone revealed who founded the crew.

He hadn’t had this drink in years.

Glancing at the minimized "QianQian Jukebox" on the desktop,

he realized Huang Feirong had even queued up music for him before he arrived.

Given the era, the non-mainstream hotspot, and the playlist curated by the future queen of dirty jokes…

Songs like "I’m Just a Legend," "Love While You Cheat," "Flying to Someone Else’s "…

flashed through Lin Yu’s mind.

Probably one of those.

If not, something in the same vein.

But when he put on the headphones, the childish chorus that greeted him left him frozen for a solid thirty seconds!

"Greet another dawn’s light~ bringing fresh new air~"

"Scents may change, but warmth stays the same~ tea fragrance fills the air of friendship~"

"My door is always open~ my arms are wide to welcome you~"

"After one embrace, we’ll share a bond~ you’ll fall in love with here~"

"…"

Huang Feirong excitedly chimed in:

"Amazing, right? It just dropped yesterday!"

"Brother Yu, guess how many singers are in this track. Hehe!"

Lin Yu was momentarily speechless: "…"

Yesterday, huh?

If only it really were yesterday.

Back when this song first came out, it exploded in popularity.

During middle school breaks, the school speakers would blast it on repeat.

Almost every student and teacher could sing along.

That year, the stars who collaborated on this track were all at the peak of their careers.

That year, his parents were still by his side, and he, too, was once a rising star.

Noticing his silence, Huang Feirong pressed:

"Can’t name even one?"

Lin Yu maximized the player and restarted the song.

Then,

he rattled off every featured artist like a pro, leaving Huang Feirong utterly stunned.

Before the song could finish,

a group of girls arrived at the opposite row.

Leading them was a red-haired girl whose face was unclear but whose imposing physique spoke volumes:

"So you’re Lin Yu?"

Lin Yu: "???"

Huang Feirong: "!!!"

It wasn’t that Lin Yu couldn’t see their faces clearly.

It was that these girls…

literally had no facial models?!

Their features were completely obscured by pixelated blobs.

Despite their dramatic entrance, they radiated pure "NPC" energy.

For NPCs with zero facial rendering,

in a real game,

they’d just be walking quest markers with "!" or "?" floating overhead.

Lin Yu wouldn’t even bother clearing their quests!

So freaking generic!

Was the queen of dirty jokes’ dream world really this low-budget?

…

(Bonus chapter delivered! Next bonus at just 381 more "Power of Love" supports. Given the recent content strikes, while you’re hyped for updates, take a few seconds to watch an ad and show some love—more chapters guaranteed!)