Stepping out of the bathroom while towel-drying her hair, Bai Xia spotted a payment notification in her Tianxun inbox. Opening it, the gleaming 20,000 Hua Yuan nearly blinded her.

This was real cash—twenty thousand! How many packs of instant noodles could that buy?

She hadn’t expected Tianzheng to act so fast: promise an offline transfer and deliver it instantly. For a moment, she felt so moved tears almost welled up.

Little did she know the man she’d already idolized had just casually sold those items for a hundred thousand—and that was only a small fraction. How would she have reacted?

Of course, she wouldn’t find out. Not yet.

Still, Bai Xia felt deeply satisfied. Yesterday she’d been so broke she was nearly eating dirt; today her wallet was plump again. She almost wanted to withdraw every bill and roll around on the stack in celebration.

Beneath the payment alert lay a simple message from an unknown contact:

“The money’s been sent. Did you receive it?”

Only Tianzheng would phrase it like that. She quickly added him to her nearly empty contacts list. Staring at her sole entry, she first typed “Tianzheng,” then changed it to “Boss” out of respect.

While waiting for her food delivery, she sent a quick reply—and got an instant response. With little else to do, she struck up a text chat with Tianzheng.

Naturally, the topic circled the game: rumors, gossip, future updates. Though uninterested, Bai Xia listened carefully—*take the money, do the work*, after all.

The chat didn’t last long. Text couldn’t convey complex matters clearly, Tianzheng seemed busy, and her delivery was arriving.

After confirming the login time and meetup spot, Bai Xia ended the chat and went to collect her food.

Though evening hadn’t fully fallen, exhaustion from gaming weighed on her. She watched a few new anime episodes online before collapsing into bed.

She slept deeply—perhaps from sheer fatigue, or because the weight on her heart had finally lifted, if only for now. No chaotic half-remembered dreams. She woke slowly past eight the next morning.

“…Mm?”

November’s chill seeped through the room. Still groggy, Bai Xia burrowed deeper into her blankets, staring blankly at the ceiling. She meant to rise—but drowsiness pulled her under for another half hour.

After nearly an hour of dawdling, she finally dragged herself up to wash.

She hadn’t planned to game today—not from boredom, but real-life errands demanded attention. First, restock the nearly empty apartment. Then buy fresh ingredients to fill the fridge.

Bai Xia wasn’t a kitchen novice; she cooked well. Living alone for years, she’d grown tired of takeout. Cooking during downtime became habit.

Her meals might not rival restaurant chefs’, but home-cooked food always tasted better—labor added its own satisfaction bonus.

She also needed new clothes. The original owner’s wardrobe held few items, mostly flashy little dresses. Bai Xia had long wanted to refresh it.

With a long to-do list, she’d hoped to explore the city if time allowed. Since arriving here, survival worries left no room to truly observe her surroundings.

She’d likely stay in this world forever. Uncomfortable as it felt, acceptance was necessary.

After changing, she hesitated—recent downpours had dropped temperatures sharply—then slipped on a black women’s trench coat. The oversized hood felt loose on her frame but blocked wind and rain perfectly.

Outside, skies were overcast, wind whipping fiercely.

“Should I go back for an umbrella?” she muttered, stepping out of the residential complex. But already at the gate, she couldn’t be bothered.

She opened Tianxun Navigation, boarded a silent self-driving bus heading to the nearest supermarket. Only a few passengers rode; hood pulled up, no one noticed her.

Bai Xia didn’t mind. Watching the route, she gazed out the window.

Though technology had advanced far beyond memory, Suhua bloomed with greenery: sturdy maples lined the roads, unknown flowers still in bloom along sidewalks. Rain-fresh air carried floral sweetness. Silent vehicles and pedestrians wove a near-perfect scene.

Compared to the noisy cities of her past, Suhua felt like an idealized utopia—clean energy erased pollution, life harmonized with nature.

Resting her chin against the glass, Bai Xia observed quietly. Her gaze drifted, distant.

This world was more beautiful than imagined… yet faintly familiar sights stirred memories. Then—inevitably—a trace of loneliness.

An entire world apart. Despite her efforts to adapt, a quiet dissonance remained.

She missed friends scattered across oceans yet always connected. Missed post-work drinking buddies. Missed parents whose few yearly calls held quiet hope for her return…

But she likely could never go back. Not in this lifetime.

“Unpredictable and helpless… I suppose that’s just life,” she murmured.

Her clear voice jolted the drowsy middle-aged man ahead. He glanced back slightly, expression shifting oddly, then muttered under his breath, “Are kids these days really this mature?”

Bai Xia didn’t catch the words but guessed his thought. Flustered by her own emotion, her cheeks warmed.

*Please don’t tell me he thinks I’m chuunibyou…*

Restless, she hurried off the bus the moment it reached her stop.