Ye Lan hadn’t admitted that she worked here.

What do you call that again?

A surprise!

Ye Lan figured she could keep it from her for now, then tell her about the surprise later. Maybe that would make her even happier?

After all, she was a Night Watcher, so she spent a lot of time here.

Aside from studying the basics every Night Watcher needed to know, she had almost nothing to do in her spare time.

And since the medical center was nearby, Ye Lan could drop by and hang out with her whenever she wanted.

However you looked at it, it was great.

“Mm~”

Thinking of that, Ye Lan hummed a happy little tune as she headed for the room number the other girl had given her.

“I wonder what she’s like. Is she a guy or a girl? What does she look like? Will she be startled when she sees what I really look like? I can’t wait.”

Ye Lan started talking to herself, her pace quickening.

At last, she stopped in front of a room, feeling especially nervous.

“How should I say hello? Should I be cheerful or play it cool? Ugh… I’m so nervous.”

After fidgeting outside the door for a few minutes, Ye Lan finally worked up the courage to knock.

“Come in.”

It was a lovely voice. It sounded like a girl.

Puzzled, Ye Lan walked in.

The moment she stepped inside, she froze.

“Huh? Senior Bai Tu, what are you doing here?”

Bai Tu looked at the black-haired, petite girl who’d just walked in and froze for a moment too.

“Ye Lan? How did you know I was here?”

Now both of them were confused.

Bai Tu had wanted to meet Bai Yu’s friend. She hadn’t expected the person to show up to be Ye Lan, who’d only recently joined the Night Watchers.

Ye Lan had come to meet her gaming friend in person. She hadn’t expected to run into Bai Tu, someone she already knew.

It was quite the coincidence.

Then Ye Lan looked at the petite girl sitting on the hospital bed, smiling and looking a little like Bai Tu. The more she looked, the more puzzled she became.

“Um, actually, I’m here to meet a friend from a game in person…”

At that, Bai Tu looked over at Bai Yu on the hospital bed.

Bai Yu’s little mouth fell open too, as if she’d been startled by her cute online friend.

“Um… your ID is Lanxing, right?”

“Mhm, mhm.” Ye Lan nodded like a chick pecking at rice and looked at Bai Yu, who’d said her online name.

“You’re…?”

“Just like you guessed, I’m your gaming friend.”

“Huh?” Ye Lan sounded confused.

Bai Yu smiled. “You’re surprised, right? I’m about as surprised as you are. I didn’t expect my gaming friend to be such a cute girl.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to be a girl either…”

Ye Lan had more or less guessed how Bai Yu was related to Bai Tu.

Since they looked so much alike, Bai Tu must be the older sister Bai Yu had mentioned, right?

Cold on the outside, warm on the inside?

Those words really suited her.

Bai Yu smiled at Ye Lan. “Don’t just stand there. Come over and sit down.”

“Oh.”

Ye Lan set the fruit she’d bought on the table and sat down obediently beside Bai Tu.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Bai Yu. Just call me by my name.”

“I’m Ye Lan. It’s nice to meet you.” Ye Lan replied right away, though she still seemed a little awkward.

Bai Yu noticed and joked, “Am I that intimidating? Why are you so nervous? We had such a nice time chatting while we played.”

“Um, it’s not that. It’s just different online…”

A chatterbox online, but timid face-to-face—that was probably Ye Lan in a nutshell.

Seeing how awkward Ye Lan was, Bai Yu tried to get the conversation going. “It’s kind of strange, isn’t it? You’re so cute, and your voice is so lovely. Why pretend to be a boy online?”

Ye Lan tilted her head, at a loss for words.

No, she really had been a boy before. She hadn’t been pretending. But even if she told the truth now, no one would probably believe her.

So Ye Lan shot back, “You’re one to talk. Your voice is lovely too, but you hid it so well that I had no idea you were a girl until now.”

“I can’t argue with that. Looks like we’ve both been fooled, huh~”

Ye Lan grinned too, looking rather adorable.

Bai Tu watched them from the side and suddenly felt like a third wheel.

So her little sister’s online friend was the rookie Night Watcher she’d picked up off the road?

Calling that a coincidence was an understatement.

Still, Bai Tu was happy.

Ye Lan wasn’t a bad person, and she could be Bai Yu’s friend.

Bai Tu had patrol duty every day, so she couldn’t spend much time with Bai Yu. And because of her health, Bai Yu didn’t have many friends. Now Ye Lan was here at last—how could Bai Tu not be happy?

As far as Bai Tu was concerned, she’d do anything as long as Bai Yu was happy.

At the thought, Bai Tu’s lips curled into a faint smile. Then she stood up.

“If it’s you, Ye Lan, then I’m not worried. You two can keep chatting. I’m going back to work.”

After saying goodbye to them both, Bai Tu turned and left, feeling much lighter, in both body and spirit.

After Bai Tu left, Bai Yu’s expression turned a little strange.

“The thing that surprised me most is that you know my sister, Ye Lan. Can you tell me how you met?”

Ye Lan nodded. “Sure. It happened on a really special day.”

Her first day as a Night Watcher ought to be pretty special, right?

“That day, I was running along the road. I kept running, then tripped and passed out. Your sister noticed me, and Senior Bai Tu brought me here for treatment. That’s how we met.”

Bai Yu nodded thoughtfully. She could already picture Ye Lan tripping over nothing as she ran, looking adorable.

“Then why do you call my sister ‘Senior’?”

“Because we’re coworkers. Your sister and I do the same job. Though I’m probably still in the trainee stage. Maybe I have to grow up a little before I can really start working, so I have plenty of free time for now.” At least, that was how Ye Lan understood it.

“I see.”

“Bai Yu, do you know what your sister does for work?”

“Um… I think she does something like police work. I don’t really know the details.”

Ye Lan blinked, already guessing what was going on.

Looks like Bai Yu didn’t know what the Night Watchers did.

Luckily, Ye Lan hadn’t let anything important slip.

So she started steering the conversation in a different direction.

“By the way, Bai Yu, is there anything you want to do?”

“Lots of things. So many I can’t even count them. But I can’t do any of them right now. All I can do is let the ideas pile up in my head, more and more…” Bai Yu’s voice trailed off, and she seemed a little down.

Ye Lan noticed the change in her mood and asked with concern, “Bai Yu, are you okay?”

Bai Yu paused, then put on her gentle smile again.

“Sorry you had to see me like that. Please don’t mind it.”

For some reason, Ye Lan felt that Bai Yu’s gentle smile didn’t make her feel any warmer. Instead, it made her feel… a little sorry for her.