SY - 27

As soon as he finished speaking, the barrage of comments flooded in at an astonishing speed.

[What’s going on today? Is it the end of the world? Why is even Teacher V extending his stream?]

[Holy crap, don’t scare me. This is way too abnormal.]

[When something unusual happens, there must be a reason. Teacher V must be in love.]

[Iron trees blooming, nerds getting girlfriends—this year is possible.]

The barrage was overwhelming, moving so fast that Song Zhi’s eyes blurred. She had to adjust the settings to only display fifty comments.

He Han Yang remained unfazed by all the teasing.

Although Song Zhi occasionally played games, she only played simple ones. Competitive games like the ones they were playing were nearly impossible for someone as clumsy as her.

The hand that clicked on the game icon paused slightly before gradually moving down and opening 4399.

A girl’s dress-up game.

The barrage collectively posted ellipses.

[......]

[......]

[......]

[It’s over. He’s really in love.]

[Waaaah, Teacher V, please go back to cursing people. Give us back that foul-mouthed troll.]

[As everyone knows, only when a straight-laced man falls in love does he develop a girlish heart.]

Song Zhi had played that dress-up game when she was little.

She had always had a unique talent and interest in makeup and dressing up.

The game began with a little girl dressed in simple undergarments, with options for clothing and cosmetics beside her.

He Han Yang yawned, already bored and sleepy before even starting: “Let’s give her a beautiful makeover.”

He clicked on the cosmetics, and a series of intricate images appeared below. The white cursor hesitated, moving left and right.

He muttered to himself, disbelief in his voice: “You can change the color of the eyeballs?”

[HAHAHAHAHAHA, that’s called colored contact lenses, idiot.]

[I suddenly don’t believe Teacher V is in love. If he really were, how would he not know the most basic makeup techniques?]

[Maybe his girlfriend is a natural beauty who doesn’t wear makeup.]

He Han Yang seemed to have opened the door to a new world, his voice tinged with disbelief: “How did the eyelashes get so long all of a sudden?”

“Why do you draw a silver line on the bridge of the nose?”

“Do you seriously have to draw moles?”

...

Song Zhi had never seen anyone play a makeup game and start questioning life—it was killing her. She was about to die laughing.

After exiting the live stream, she called Tang Xiao Yan:

“HAHAHAHAHAHA, He Han Yang is actually kind of cute. I’ve never seen such a straightforward guy.”

But Tang Xiao Yan couldn’t laugh: “Song Zhi, what should I do?”

Her voice was low and disheartened, and Song Zhi immediately became alert, thinking something had happened: “What’s wrong?”

Tang Xiao Yan pouted pitifully, almost crying: “Sniper God must be in love.”

... She had thought it was the end of the world.

Song Zhi consoled her: “It’s just a dress-up game. It’s normal for professional gamers like them to occasionally play other games for entertainment.”

“It might be normal for others, but Sniper God is different. When he streams, he rarely plays games—he either plays movies or loops the same MV repeatedly. Today, we fans begged his manager on Weibo to get him to do a gaming stream. Someone who hates streaming so much actually extended his stream today and played a dress-up game.”

Tang Xiao Yan’s voice was vicious, like a fan who had just discovered their idol was in love: “Which little vixen is it? Her level must be insanely high to seduce our V God. He used to be a clueless, iron-willed straight man who didn’t even know how to show mercy during fun matches. He could make girls cry uncontrollably.”

Hearing this, Song Zhi frowned in confusion.

So why would a boy with this kind of personality still have female fans?

However, since her bestie was upset, Song Zhi still needed to comfort her: “Boys their age are all about short-lived infatuations. Even if they like someone, it won’t last long.”

Tang Xiao Yan was half-convinced: “Really?”

Song Zhi nodded confidently: “No one understands men better than I do.”

True.

Tang Xiao Yan and Song Zhi had known each other for a long time, and Tang Xiao Yan had personally witnessed many men falling for Song Zhi’s delicate flower-like charm.

In matters like this, Song Zhi definitely had more experience than anyone else.

With her reassurance, Tang Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Boarding had already started on her side: “I’ll hang up now and call you after I land.”

Song Zhi nodded: “Be careful on the way.”

“Giggle giggle, I’ll bring you a gift.”

After hanging up, Song Zhi glanced at the date on the screen.

In less than two months, it would be Song Luo’s release date from prison. She couldn’t keep living in hotels and needed to quickly rent a place.

The real estate agent had sent her a message earlier, saying they found a place that met her requirements. However, they had to wait until the owner finished work before showing her the property.

While she was on the phone with Tang Xiao Yan, they replied, telling her to come over now.

They included an address—it wasn’t far, just a ten-minute walk away.

Song Zhi changed her clothes, grabbed her room card, and headed out.

It wasn’t too late yet; the nightlife in Beicheng had just begun.

Song Zhi didn’t have much of a nightlife. Back in school, she occasionally went out clubbing or drinking with classmates.

One time, she returned too late and ran into Jiang Yan Zhou, who had just returned from abroad.

She reeked of alcohol, stumbling around, and thought she was hallucinating when she saw Jiang Yan Zhou.

Just as she took a step forward, she leaned against the wall and threw up.

That was one of the rare times she got drunk. The group was playing Truth or Dare for thrills, but Song Zhi didn’t want to participate in such a stupid and childish game.

It was just an excuse to say or do things they wouldn’t normally dare to do.

She found it boring, so she opted to drink every time.

By the end, she couldn’t drink anymore, made up some excuse, and had the driver pick her up.

Seeing the mess, Jiang Yan Zhou didn’t say a word and carried her inside.

That was also the first time Song Zhi experienced such luxurious treatment—Jiang Yan Zhou personally bathed her.

He even thoughtfully dried her hair.

Unfortunately, Song Zhi was so drunk that she barely remembered anything, only fragments here and there.

The hotel was located downtown, surrounded by tall buildings. Looking up, she could only see a small patch of sky, dark and empty.

She shifted her gaze back to the bustling human world, where couples in love were everywhere.

The roadside greenery swayed in the wind, and a familiar figure stood by the road smoking.

He must have just arrived or had been waiting there for a long time.

Song Zhi hesitated and stopped walking. The man noticed the sound and looked up. The orange glow of the cigarette left his lips as he casually extinguished it and tossed it into a nearby trash can. Then he walked straight toward her.

The night was pitch black, with dazzling lights all around.

No matter when, Jiang Yan Zhou always maintained his meticulous, aloof demeanor—elegant and arrogant.

Even if it were the end of the world, he wouldn’t panic and would remain absolutely rational.

Such a person would never lose control.

This was what Song Zhi hated most about him.

Why was she the only one who had ever shown genuine feelings?

The sound of the wind gradually diminished as Jiang Yan Zhou stopped in front of her. A faint scent of tobacco mixed with a woody fragrance emanated from him, special and addictive when smelled for too long.

Instinctively, Song Zhi took a step back, trying to create distance between them: “Is there something you need, sir?”

She smiled politely, as if asking a stranger.

Jiang Yan Zhou’s eyelashes lowered slightly, his gaze deepening: “Why do you want to break up?”