Around 7:20 AM, the school canteen buzzed with fresh-faced freshmen.

Until recently, I’d always eaten alone and walked to class by myself. Today was the first time I stood at a steamed bun window with my classmate Chen Xiaorui—

“One pork bun, one vegetable bun, and a cup of soy milk.”

The canteen auntie nodded and turned toward the steamer. “One pork, one veg, soy milk.”

“Xiaoxue, I heard soy milk has lots of estrogen—supposedly great for chest development, right?”

“Huh?”

I feigned ignorance. “Really? I wouldn’t know…”

*Soy estrogen is phytoestrogen, for goodness’ sake… Even ignoring human impact, the amount’s tiny. Unless you eat soybeans like rice and chug soy milk like water daily, nothing changes.*

*At least, my chest has zero to do with this. I just bought it ’cause I was thirsty after running—needed a natural drink.*

“Wow… No wonder your chest’s so nice, Xiaoxue! I want the same!”

My reaction only made Chen Xiaorui more excited. Bouncing on her toes, she chirped to the auntie, “Auntie, same for me!”

“Got it—one pork, one veg, soy milk. Pay together or separate?”

“Together!”

The card reader beeped 8 yuan.

Before Chen Xiaorui could reach for her wallet, I swiped my meal card first—

*Beep!*

“Huh?” She blinked in surprise. “Hey! I was treating you!”

“I heard from Jiang Yuqing you fought with your boyfriend again yesterday.”

Taking the breakfast the auntie handed over, I smiled. “So let me treat you today. Someday when I have a boyfriend and we fight, you can treat me back. We’ll comfort each other.”

“Wow!”

Tears welled in her eyes. In the next second, she swept me into a tight hug. “Xiaoxue, you’re the best! Let’s be besties!”

“Sure.”

Feeling the faint scent of the girl pressed against me, I kept smiling. “Only two girls in our class. We’ll stick together for warmth.”

“Yes! Stick together for warmth! To hell with men, hmph!”

The little scene passed quickly. We sat at a canteen table, munching our buns.

“Xiaoxue, my boyfriend… all he does is play *Dungeon & Fighter*. Guild raids, dungeon runs—never texts back, never answers calls. Drives me crazy!”

Just as I’d expected, over breakfast Chen Xiaorui opened up freely about him.

“We knew each other in high school. Back then, he’d only hit internet cafes on weekends with his buddies—but he’d still answer my calls.”

“University made him worse.”

She took a huge bite of pork bun, talking through it. “All he does is raid, raid, raid. Yesterday I stood under his dorm for half an hour calling—zero answers.”

In my memory, Chen Xiaorui was a cheerful girl.

Slightly taller than me (~165 cm), a little plump but nowhere near online “tank” levels. Cute face, lively personality, carefree—easy to get along with.

But she had flaws. Like marathon phone calls with her boyfriend until midnight or 1 AM. Her bunkmate Song Huijie often complained… though Song herself scrolled short videos without headphones, blasting dorms with “Hehehe… don’t laugh” or “Love is like blue skies and white clouds.” Sleep-loving Chen Xiaorui got annoyed. Small fights every three days, big ones every five.

A rift formed within months.

If I grew closer to Chen Xiaorui, Song Huijie would likely distance herself. Unavoidable.

“I don’t get game obsession. Jiang Yuqing plays too, but she drops it instantly for class stuff. My boyfriend? Never.”

“Right? I was furious yesterday.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I nodded quickly across the table. “A boyfriend who ignores his girlfriend’s calls doesn’t measure up.”

*I just needed to agree—without overdoing it or seeming dismissive.*

*I recalled a past-life news story: a girl’s friend got dumped, they drank and trashed the ex… next day, the friend reconciled and posted: “Some people, boyfriend-less themselves, still badmouth others’ boyfriends.”*

*Not happening to me.*

“By the way, Xiaoxue… why no boyfriend?” Chen Xiaorui shifted topics, calmer now. “When you were absent, the counselor mentioned your family situation’s tough. I thought… having someone to support you might help?”

“That’s why I’m here with you now.”

With a male soul, confessing barely made me blush. “Xiaorui… be my boyfriend?”

Her face flushed instantly. “You’re awful! I’m not a lesbian!”

*Ding!*

Just then, my phone chimed—a Hua Li Mao app notification.

*Tsk…*

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… probably just a text.”

I finished my last bun, sipped soy milk, and casually tapped the app—

【New rental request received】

【Oct 24, 2030: 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM (7 hrs). Est. income: 350 yuan. Review renter profile. Accept/reject within 1 hr.】

【Note: Renter selected “Rejection Compensation.” Time falls within your availability. Unjustified rejection may deduct credit points.】

I scrolled down calmly.

Renter: Wang Lei (VIP 1)

Profile: Male, 22, Leo, 180cm, 65kg, non-smoker, occasional drinker, college student, Guiyuan Province, Xiangcao City

Message: *7 hours. Covers dinner, transport, all date costs. Your call.*

*…A domineering CEO trope? Wait—is this Wang Lei, Liang Zhiming the otaku’s buddy?*

“China Mobile trying to trap me into another scam plan again.”

I closed the app, pocketed my phone, and stood. “Let’s go—we’re almost late.”

“Okay!”

Chen Xiaorui stood too, finished her soy milk, and we tossed trash into bins by the exit.

After seven or eight minutes’ walk, I pushed the classroom door open—and boys swarmed around me with a *whoosh*.

“Hehe! We were just talking about our class flower… oops, school flower! Wondering when she’d return!”

“Speak of the devil!”

“Ah…” I offered a slightly flustered smile. “Sorry to worry everyone.”

*You were totally coached by the counselor. Definitely.*

I scanned their stiff smiles.

These days, everyone’s socially awkward. Most guys won’t remember dorm neighbors’ names after four years—let alone greet a near-stranger with “Welcome back” months into semester.

Zero doubt: counselor’s orders.

“No worries! We’re classmates. Feel down? Come to me—I’m mental health rep!”

“Or me! Class monitor—I studied psychology!”

“Alright, alright, ease up. Disperse.”

“Yeah, Xiaoxue’s fine. Stop hovering—morning reading time!”

Chen Xiaorui snapped out of her daze and shooed them off. “Scram! Morning reading!”

We sat at our desks. With student union inspection still distant, Chen propped open *C Programming Basics*, hid her phone behind it, and scrolled.

I mimicked her: dimmed my screen, reopened Hua Li Mao, accepted Wang Lei’s request, and typed:

*Could you share contact info beforehand? QQ preferred. I’d like to learn a bit about you, sir.*

No reply after half a minute.

With “delicate” fingers, I opened the app store, downloaded Tieba, and registered *Ji Xiaoxue*.

Then followed forums I recalled—potential common ground with the “boss”: *Harem Anime*, *Nuclear War Shelter*, *Stress Relief & Blame-Taking*, *League of Legends*, *Honor of Kings*, *One Piece*, *Ultraman*, *Naruto*…

Finally, via a special channel, installed two pink apps and one green app. Phone tucked back in pocket.