From the first class in the morning, Chen Yusheng had been sending messages to Su Bai.
Silly memes, funny videos, the latest gaming news...
Yet Su Bai hadn't replied to a single one. Who knew what he was busy with?
Then it suddenly dawned on Chen Yusheng—she'd bombarded the private chat with messages. Did that make her seem weird?
She stopped immediately.
But she still wanted to talk to Su Bai.
It felt so relaxing and stress-relieving.
Weird, considering he was just her client for paid gaming sessions. She'd never felt like this with other clients before.
By lunchtime, Su Bai still hadn't responded.
Su Bai's roommates were at the same table, so Chen Yusheng could've just asked them what he was up to.
But she was socially awkward.
Yep, plain old social anxiety—not the "deliberately aloof" act some girls assumed she was putting on.
After agonizing for a while, a lightbulb went off in her head.
Hey, if she couldn't figure it out herself and didn't dare ask his roommates, why not consult the almighty AI?
As a computer science prodigy, Chen Yusheng was well-versed in AI models. Many everyday dilemmas could be solved with their detailed insights.
So she pulled up a trending AI Q&A site and typed:
[I'm a paid gaming companion who's developed feelings for a client. He hasn't replied all morning—what are possible reasons?]
After about ten seconds, the screen populated with answers:
[Lack of contact for several hours may stem from various causes. Below are common possibilities and suggestions:]
[1. External factors: Temporary busyness; technical issues; ...]
[...]
Chen Yusheng's eyes widened as she read intently.
One particular point made her chest tighten.
[Mismatched expectations: He may view you strictly as a gaming partner, unaware of your feelings, hence not maintaining frequent contact.]
Oof.
So that was it.
To Su Bai, their chats might not mean much—it was just Chen Yusheng who enjoyed them.
At the end of the day, this was a business transaction.
Su Bai had said it himself: he only wanted emotional value (i.e., gaming companionship) from her—nothing more.
Normally, she'd appreciate such clear boundaries with clients. Keep things professional, no messy ambiguity.
So why did this sting so much?
She genuinely wanted to be friends with Su Bai. She wanted that messy ambiguity!
Despite their vastly different circumstances, their souls felt close.
How did Su Bai really see her? Just yesterday at the café and later in their dorms, they'd chatted so happily... Ugh!
Lost in this spiral, Chen Yusheng radiated gloomy frustration.
Her roommate Liu Yuanyuan gave her a curious glance but assumed she was just engrossed in a novel. The aloof freshman did read fiction sometimes—getting invested in stories was normal. CEO angst, domineering princes falling in love... Liu Yuanyuan dabbled too.
Wang Haoran said nothing, focused on grinding in-game.
Only Chu Mingzhe noticed Chen Yusheng's unusual demeanor and launched into elaborate speculation.
As the trio from Room 510 walked back after lunch, the silent Chu Mingzhe suddenly declared:
"Guys, doesn't Chen Yusheng seem off today?"
"Didn't notice. How so?" Wang Haoran paused his mobile game to plug in his phone.
"Not sure, but based on my years studying romance psychology, Chen Yusheng is likely being ignored by someone she cares about."
Wang Haoran: "..."
Xue Tao gasped: "Wait, Shanghai high schools teach romance psychology now?"
Chu Mingzhe shook his head. "Nope! Self-taught in my free time."
Wang Haoran, from a province infamous for cutthroat college entrance exams, was shocked. "You Shanghai elites had free time in high school? Enough to study extracurricular subjects?"
"Damn it, that's not the point!" Chu Mingzhe waved impatiently, face twisted in agony. "The question is—who is that person?"
"Her boyfriend, probably. They had a fight," Xue Tao guessed.
"No!!!" Chu Mingzhe covered his face. "Impossible... A goddess like Chen Yusheng would never date!"
"Greek goddesses dated and had kids. What's the big deal?" Xue Tao smirked. "I've always said—stop idolizing the 'goddess dorm.' Chen Yusheng's human. Is it so strange she'd want romance?"
"Local man spitting facts!" Wang Haoran agreed. For once, Xue Tao's mouth produced something sensible.
But Chu Mingzhe couldn't accept this.
Clutching The Complete Guide to Romance Psychology (English Edition), he retreated behind his bed curtain to study in secret.
"The kid's lost it," Xue Tao sighed. "Always reaching beyond his grasp. Meanwhile, I stick to realistic targets—like driving Yuanyuan out this weekend. Maybe I'll finally hold her hand?"
Watching Chu Mingzhe's meltdown eased Xue Tao's irritation over his blown-up sushi budget.
...
At the upscale IKC Plaza sushi restaurant.
Su Bai feasted.
High-end sashimi truly was superior—that delicate sweetness simply couldn't be replicated with cheap ingredients.
Nutritious too, perfect for athletes... if cost weren't an issue. But Su Bai never worried about costs.
While Zhou Jialu was in the restroom, Su Bai checked his phone and saw Chen Yusheng's morning message barrage.
Yikes.
His morning had been packed—no time for phones... Okay, he had checked intermittently, but her texts probably got buried.
Human nature.
Though he'd vibed with Chen Yusheng yesterday, Su Bai wasn't the type to obsess over a girl after one good chat.
He was naturally detached.
Everything followed the whims of fate.
[CrispyWhiteGoose: [Goose_ScratchingHead]]
[CrispyWhiteGoose: Busy morning, missed these]
Chen Yusheng replied instantly:
[RainStop: Busy with what?]
[RainStop withdrew a message]
[CrispyWhiteGoose: Bought a car]
[RainStop: [ShockedCat]]
[RainStop: Must've been expensive?]
[CrispyWhiteGoose: Not too bad. 800K+.]
[RainStop: Called it!]
[CrispyWhiteGoose: I'll check your earlier stuff when free]
【Chen Yusheng: No rush, it's nothing urgent...】
【Chen Yusheng: Are you gaming today?】
【Su Bai: Yeah, probably in the afternoon or evening. I’ll give you a heads-up when I’m ready.】
【Chen Yusheng: Sounds good.】
“Hey, junior, who’re you chatting with so enthusiastically?” Zhou Jialu asked as she returned from the restroom, noticing Su Bai typing away on his phone.
“A roommate.”
“Seems like you’re getting along well in the dorm. Not an easy feat, I must say.”
“Why’s that? Dorm dynamics aren’t exactly international diplomacy. Nothing too complicated.”
“Hard to tell. Especially for someone like you—with your advantages, envy’s bound to follow.”
“Let them envy. They can stew in it while I live my life. Plenty of room for everyone.”
“What if someone secretly screws you over?”
Zhou Jialu’s eyes flickered, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.
Su Bai shrugged. “Then I’ll pay them back. I’m not exactly the forgiving type.”
“True. You’ve got the means, after all.”
She nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on him with growing admiration. Even his attitude struck a chord with her.
Ah, how can I make this junior blush?
But Su Bai, oblivious to her musings, set his phone aside as they finished their meal and asked matter-of-factly:
“Senior, do you know much about the rental market around here?”
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
