Xiao Ai's Fiancée: Why'd you suddenly stop talking?

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: Is Xiao Ai home?

Ai: ...

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: Don't you think I'm pretty?

Ai: That picture you found is from the internet, isn't it? How could a girl that beautiful possibly exist in real life?

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: I'm happy you think I'm pretty, but it makes me so sad that you don't believe me. What a confusing mix of feelings...

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: This really is a picture of me!

Ai: If that's really you, I'd rather crack open a rib and make you some soup with it.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: That would hurt, wouldn't it? Part of me is a little excited by the thought, but I don't want you to get hurt. If I could choose, I'd rather have you stay by my side forever, just like the heroine and hero in your books, and live happily ever after together.

Ai: Stories are stories. In real life, there's a lot to think about: battles with your in-laws, cold wars after marriage, the seven-year itch. We live in a world that isn't very romantic.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: This world really isn't romantic. To be precise, it's a total dump!

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: But you're the reason this world feels romantic.

For some reason, Gao Sijin had the feeling that the person chatting with him wasn't a beautiful, refined young woman, but a sleazy middle-aged man scratching his hairy legs.

Maybe he was overseas running a video-chat scam, amusing himself by messing with a nobody of an author.

These days, you can't trust anything. Even if “she” sent a voice message later, it could've been altered with a voice changer.

Back when Gao Sijin played League of Legends, he used to duo with a “girl.”

She was insanely good at playing Yuumi, and her username was Master’s Meow☆-chan. Her voice always sounded so sweet and coquettish that it made you go weak at the knees. For a while, Gao Sijin thought “she” was a little girl.

Then one day, it seemed “she” forgot to update her voice changer.

The voice sounded like someone straight out of a story about Zhang Fei or Li Kui. The worst part was that “she” kept acting coy anyway. It nearly became a lifelong trauma for Gao Sijin.

Anyway, there's one rule to the internet: take it seriously, and you lose!

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: Why'd you suddenly stop responding again?

Ai: I suddenly remembered something from my childhood.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: You didn't believe me before, and that made me a little sad. But you believe me now, right?

She sent another picture.

The beautiful girl in traditional clothes from the previous photo was standing now, holding a piece of paper in both hands. Written on it in elegant handwriting were the words: “I will always support Bishop Myriel!”

Seeing the picture, Gao Sijin almost believed her without thinking.

But on second thought, maybe it was part of a set of pictures from the internet.

The message on the paper could've been added with photo-editing software.

Either way, a gorgeous girl suddenly adding him as a friend and claiming to be his fiancée was downright surreal, no matter how he looked at it.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: I know you still doubt who I really am, but don't worry. I'm a real girl, and I've saved my purity for you all this time. I'm sure we'll meet before long. Until that day comes, look forward to it, Gao-kun.

Ai: Oh.

Gao Sijin looked utterly indifferent.

But then, a moment later, something finally clicked.

“Wait. How does she know my last name?”

That night, Gao Sijin tossed and turned in bed, unable to figure it out. He lay awake for a long time.

Tomorrow was the weekend, so he didn't have to go to work. But his supervisor had set him up on a blind date, which meant tomorrow wasn't exactly a day off.

Gao Sijin could only keep his eyes shut and urge himself to fall asleep, all while thinking about the girl who claimed to be his fiancée.

His consciousness gradually grew heavy. Suddenly, Gao Sijin felt that everything around him had become utterly unfamiliar.

Most of the stories he wrote were about yandere girls. Those girls who went mad with love hit all of Gao Sijin's favorite buttons.

If a strange girl could easily guess the hero's last name, then in Gao Sijin's novels, she was probably a stalker. Maybe she'd even planted a listening device or a GPS tracker on her target, so she could keep tabs on the man she loved, anytime and anywhere.

So, could the girl who claimed to be Xiao Ai's fiancée be a yandere?

Did yandere girls really exist in this world?

In a daze, Gao Sijin seemed to hear a clear, bell-like laugh. But little by little, that lovely laughter turned frantic and sent a chill down his spine...

—Ring, ring, ring!

When he opened his eyes again, it was already light outside.

He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was seven in the morning.

He got washed and dressed in no time.

It was winter, so even for a blind date, he had to bundle up. The temperatures in Bincheng, up in the northeast, were no joke. Sure, it was nothing compared to Spring City or Ice City, but he still had to show the heavy snowfall some respect.

Gao Sijin ate sliced bread, drank some hot milk, and switched on his desktop computer.

His subscription numbers were still a miserable sight, but whatever. He was used to it by now.

If he ever became a hit, Gao Sijin would probably find it strange. Being a flop was like his character setting—it had stuck to him for good.

Just before heading out, Gao Sijin took another look at the photo the online friend had sent him yesterday. She really was beautiful—so beautiful that an ordinary guy like him felt unworthy even to look at her.

“Sigh.”

With a quiet sigh, Gao Sijin figured he probably wouldn't get to date a girl that beautiful in his whole life.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: Are you up?

Ai: I'm up.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: Want to chat for a while? I heard that you play some online games when you're not writing. I could play with you.

Ai: Sorry, I'm busy today.

Xiao Ai's Fiancée: What are you doing?

Ai: Working out.

After closing QQ, he opened WeChat on his phone.

As a working adult, his WeChat had a completely different vibe from his QQ account.

First, there was his profile picture: a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio. Gao Sijin had barely seen any of his movies, though. All he knew was that DiCaprio played Gatsby in the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

His username was just as far from the truth.

Work Makes Me Happy: Hello, Director Zhang. Could you remind me where the blind date is? Do you have the exact address?

Tomorrow Will Be Better: Xiao Gao, hang on. I'll send you the location right away.

A few minutes later, Director Zhang sent him the location. Gao Sijin glanced at it. It was Bincheng's famous French restaurant.

Gao Sijin swallowed. It wasn't that he had a little money in his pocket—he didn't have any money at all. Every month, most of his paycheck went straight to paying off his Huabei balance.

Usually, when he went out to eat with a blind date, he'd pick a restaurant where a meal cost between 200 and 400 yuan. But that French restaurant probably had a minimum spend in the thousands.

He was starting to have second thoughts. Just as he was wondering what excuse he could use to stand her up, Director Zhang sent another message.

Tomorrow Will Be Better: Xiao Gao, you're not getting any younger. You have to seize this chance. The woman is excellent, and she's as beautiful as a movie star.

Work Makes Me Happy: Aight, sure.