Back in my rented apartment, I changed out of my Rem cosplay outfit, removed my makeup and colored contacts, and slipped into a light summer dress from the room. I carefully folded the maid dress and tucked it back into my backpack.

Comfortable? Sure. But one big issue… it was brand new.

No matter how finely crafted new clothes are, they all share one flaw: wearing them straight out of the package leaves an odd, indescribable feeling. Though "Uncle Wang" mentioned it had sat in a warehouse for half a year due to the price tag, the tight packaging kept that stubborn "new clothes" scent. Against my skin, the fabric felt just a little less smooth than it should.

A gentle wash would fix it.

Come to think of it… I’ve been wearing nothing but new socks and new clothes lately. Being a busy big shot has its quirks.

“Excuse me, boss—where exactly is that internet cafe you mentioned?”

After helping Grandma clean and disinfect the dessert buckets, I sat on my neatly made bed and messaged “Zhang Haosen” from Hua Li Mao.

“Flying Fish Internet Cafe on Minsheng Road. Exit Minsheng Didi Intersection Station, walk a hundred meters—you can’t miss it.” His reply came quickly. “Nationwide chain. Totally safe.”

Hmm… Safety wasn’t what I was worried about.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

An ordinary girl might picture internet cafes as grimy dens full of burly guys in slippers and tank tops, smoking cheap cigarettes amid sweat and smoke. But as someone who’d frequented them back when I was a guy? I knew better.

That “dirty, chaotic” image is ancient history. With stricter regulations and urban standards—especially in a top-tier city like Xiangcao—even minor offenses like smoking get the whole place fined. Honestly, internet cafes feel safer than that Ferris wheel spot Wang Lei took me to. Cameras are everywhere.

“Besides the message details… any other requests?” I typed. “Like preferences for personality or outfit?”

“Nope. Wear what you normally wear. Be yourself. Just don’t show disdain for my gaming—even if you feel it inside. Show it? Bad review.”

Ugh.

I shook my head.

This was the classic “just do whatever” client—seemingly easy, actually the trickiest.

I’d rather paint you a “five-colored black.”

“Understood.”

I accepted Zhang Haosen’s order.

Minsheng Road sat near Chang’an Avenue in Central District—close to campus. Subway straight there, under twenty minutes. Leave by 2:30 PM, reach No. 6 Hospital Station on time.

Current time: 12:48 PM. After a one-hour nap, I could still take Grandma shopping for a new outfit.

“Xiao Xue, want noodles?” Grandma called from the kitchen, range hood humming softly.

“Okay!” I peeked out. “With meat!”

“Coming right up!”

Grandma’s noodles never disappointed.

Smiling at the memory, I settled back on the bed and began digging into “Zhang Haosen,” just like I had with Wang Lei. No QQ added this time, so I searched Tieba and forums for “Zhang Haosen Xiangcao City” and “Zhang Haosen Xiangcao.”

Skipped a 2027 post about a middle school drama—wrong age.

Finally found it:

*Selling fully-geared Sword Spirit account, meet-up possible* – Xiangcao Second Minzu Middle School

Reply: “Tradeable? I’m Zhang Haosen, Class 7 Grade 10. Add QQ.”

OP: “Yes. QQ?”

User “Yu Qin Gu Zhong LXN”: “DM sent.”

Date: September 2025. Perfect match.

His profile read: *User has hidden activity.*

Clever. But no problem.

Advanced Search pulled up 178 pages of his history—DNF, LoL, CF, PUBG, accelerator debates… My eyes glazed over after eight minutes.

Then I found it. A tiny Tieba (700 followers):

*My Girlfriend Is Gone.*

Six words. Heartbreaking content.

“We met in DNF. Together four years. Her mom messaged me—she passed from chronic leukemia.”

Over 300 replies, mostly his:

“Her last moments: hospital Wi-Fi on, DNF screen glowing.”

“I logged into her account. All gear stripped. Just starter clothes. Standing beside Selia.”

“She never mentioned her illness.”

“Mom said she partied with me from her hospital bed. Bad signal. Lagged. Wanted to apologize but feared I’d call her fussy.”

“Her last wish: *After uni, find someone new. Forget me.*”

“But how… could I ever forget?”

“I revived her countless times in-game… but never once in real life.”

“Four years. A full four years…”

My eyes grew a little misty—

*Ring.*

Chen Xiaorui calling.

“Hello?” I cleared my throat. “Xiaorui? What’s up?”

“Xiao Xue! Where are you?! Are you selling tofu pudding?!” Her voice buzzed with excitement.

“Huh? What?”

“Check the class group! Your photos are everywhere! Selling liangfen and douhua in a Rem cosplay? And doing ‘girlfriend rental’ on Hua Li Mao?!”

“Yeah… How do you know?”

“How could I *not*?! Every group’s flooded! Get on QQ—I’m sending screenshots!”

I hung up, switched to QQ, opened the class group—

[Classmate] Click to See Mei Yangyang Bathe: Is this Xiao Xue?

[Classmate] Click to See Mei Yangyang Bathe: [Forwarded Message]

[Classmate] Screwdriver: Rem… I’m done.

[Psych Committee] Marisa’s Iron Butt: Wait… Girlfriend rental?

[Life Committee] Tan Yong: …

[Classmate] Bald Programmer: Yong-ge, hat incoming.

[Youth Sec] Li Zhengyang: Checked—it’s a legal platform, like game companionship. Many work part-time. Don’t judge. Xiao Xue’s family struggles; two jobs isn’t easy.

[Monitor] Li Ruilong: 50 yuan/hour “ideal GF”? Three hours = one skin. I’ll sponsor her.

[Counselor] Teacher Gao: Zhengyang’s right. Hua Li Mao is legal. No bias. As long as studies and ethics aren’t compromised, the school permits it.

[Classmate] I Sat on Eren, You?: Someone else does LoL companionship—30 yuan/hour for Platinum!

[Life Committee] Tan Yong: Yeah… If only I had money.

[Study Committee] USS Quincy Cruiser: (Shocked Dog Mom.jpg)

I opened the forwarded message.

[Blank Never Loses]: Spotted something fun.

[Blank Never Loses]: [Image] [Image] [Image] [Image]

[Blank Never Loses]: [Download Video]

[Blank Never Loses]: Rumor: McDonald’s near North Third Lane, Dadong Road. Insider says she’s gorgeous, killer legs, sweet voice—and *so* dedicated. Mimicked Rem’s tone and mannerisms the whole time. Total pro.

[Don’t Bring Blind to Raids]: White thigh-highs… I’m truly done.

[Blank Never Loses]: Also—friend confirmed she’s a Platinum member on Hua Li Mao app. Girlfriend rental platform. 50 yuan = one hour as *your* girlfriend.

[Flowers Bloom in Prosperity]: Fake hype?

[Blank Never Loses]: Doesn’t feel staged. Netizen on-site said her Rem impression was spot-on. She genuinely loves the character. And she’s from the countryside—probably doesn’t even know what “hype” means.

[I Am Luo Dayou]: When you say “girlfriend,” do you mean the kind that… does *everything*?

[Blank Never Loses]: No way! At most, it’s just holding hands. It’s mainly emotional support—so you can show her off and save face. If it were *that* kind of platform, the government would’ve shut it down ages ago.

[Blank Never Defeated]: Also, this girl once jumped into a river because of family issues—it was in the news. If you think it’s just a publicity stunt, go check the reports yourself. Her family… sigh, it’s complicated. She’s really pitiful.

Seeing this, my phone rang again.

It was a call from Hua Li Mao’s customer service.

“Hello?”

“Hello, this is customer service from Hua Li Mao. My employee ID is 4397. May I speak with Miss Bi Xin Xue?”

I shifted the phone to my other ear. “Mm.”

“Due to your recent popularity, the system has raised your maximum rental fee to 100 yuan per hour. For the next seven days, your profile will be featured in the central spotlight of Hua Li Mao’s homepage recommendations, and our app ads will prominently introduce your services to potential clients.”

The rep’s voice on the other end was exceptionally sweet:

“This will bring a significant influx of traffic and potential clients. Please be well-prepared.”