Chapter 1, Chapter 1, Luo C?

The subway wasn't as crowded on weekends as it is on weekdays. Jiang Luo, sporting a silver-white wig, followed the flow of people into the carriage.

There were still quite a few empty seats in the carriage, so Jiang Luo found a corner spot to sit down. His wig wasn't exaggerated; at first glance, it even looked like his own hair—very natural, except for the eye-catching hair color.

Of course, his face was equally eye-catching, so much so that many people around him were secretly observing him.

Jiang Luo wasn't unaware of the stares from passersby. With a twenty-minute drive to his destination, he casually started playing on his phone, intending to kill some time by playing games.

After playing for a short while, a message popped up at the top of the screen—

Qi Xueying: Luo Luo, have you set off yet?

Jiang Luo exited the game and replied: I've set off, what's up?

He received a cosplay commission today, and the person who sent the message was the client, who is also his friend.

Qi Xueying: Have you already boarded the subway?

Jiang Luo: Yes

Jiang Luo usually sets off half an hour early on the day he receives a commission. When Qi Xueying asked him where he was, he said he had about ten minutes left.

Jiang Luo guessed that Qi Xueying was busy, and before he could send a message in the chat box, Qi Xueying sent a voice message.

The carriage was a bit noisy. Jiang Luo switched her phone to earpiece mode and held it to her ear: "I'm sorry, Luo Luo, there's been a problem with an art exhibition that my school is in charge of. I have to go take a look right away, so I probably won't be able to go today."

With a "ding", Qi Xueying sent another voice message: "Wait for me, I'll find someone to ask if they can go there for me."

It would be fine if Jiang Luo didn't set off, or he could simply cancel today's commission and reschedule for another time. But he's almost there, and Qi Xueying still has something for him, so it's best not to let him make a wasted trip.

Qi Xueying is one year older than Jiang Luo and studies fine arts. Jiang Luo met her when he was a freshman, but they did not go to the same school.

Jiang Luo replied in text: It's okay, you go ahead and do what you need to do. I came by subway anyway, so it's no trouble to go back, it's just a matter of changing carriages.

Qi Xueying: I still have a cosplay outfit for you, you forgot?

Jiang Luo: I'll give it to you next time.

Qi Xueying: You're almost there, let's not make a wasted trip. Wait a minute, let me make a call.

Jiang Luo: Okay

Gu Shiyue had just finished hiking with his friends and was on his way back. The group was in a minivan, and he was sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting when his phone, which was in his coat pocket, started buzzing.

Gu Shiyue, with his eyes closed, took out his phone, slightly opened his eyelids, and glanced at the screen. He swiped the screen to answer the call, then closed his eyes again.

"Hello?" Qi Xueying asked on the other end of the phone, "Brother, are you home?"

The boy sitting next to Gu Shiyue tilted his head towards him. Gu Shiyue's phone was right next to his ear, and Qi Xueying's voice came through the phone. He didn't hear the other person call him "brother" clearly; he only heard that it was a female voice.

Gu Shiyue closed his eyes and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Not here."

Are you busy?

"What's up?"

"I was looking for a favor from you, but if you're busy, then forget it."

"What's up?"

"Are you free?"

"I'm in the car, almost home. What's up?"

"Could you go see someone for me?" Qi Xueying smiled. "And could you also bring me something?"

Qi Xueying explained the situation to Gu Shiyue, but before she could finish, Gu Shiyue caught the key point: "A commission?" He wasn't into anime and manga, so his understanding was off. "What commission? A lawyer?"

Qi Xueying chuckled: "No, it's a cosplay commission. It means I pay someone to cosplay a character I specify and accompany me to do what I want to do. To clarify: it's a serious matter. Does that make sense?"

Qi Xueying liked these anime and manga things, Gu Shiyue knew that. He glanced out the window and said indifferently, "Just messing around."

Gu Shiyue and Qi Xueying both attend university in the city and live there. Today is the weekend, and Qi Xueying went home. She was also cosplaying today and planned to take a set of photos with Jiang Luo, but before she even left the house, she received a call from her teacher saying that there was a small problem with the school's art exhibition and that she needed to go there as soon as possible. The art exhibition is still in the setup stage, and she is one of the people in charge.

Qi Xueying originally planned to send a delivery person to Gu Shiyue's house to deliver the cosplay outfit, but Gu Shiyue said it wasn't necessary.

“It’s on my way to your house now,” Gu Shiyue said. “I left my things at your house, I’ll go get them.”

"Okay, thank you, Bodhisattva. I'll treat you to a meal another day."

Qi Xueying was in a hurry to go to school to handle the art exhibition, so she didn't have much time to talk to Gu Shiyue. Her brother was a cool and handsome guy who seemed unapproachable, but getting his help wasn't difficult. However, Qi Xueying sought out Gu Shiyue mainly because he and Jiang Luo went to the same university. Gu Shiyue didn't usually live on campus; he had an apartment near the school, which wasn't far from where Qi Xueying and Jiang Luo were meeting.

Furthermore, Qi Xueying wanted Gu Shiyue to take some photos for her, otherwise she would have just found someone to deliver the items to Jiang Luo.

Gu Shiyue hung up the phone, and the boy sitting next to him suddenly leaned over, squinted his eyes and said, "I think I heard a girl's voice."

Gu Shiyue glanced at him expressionlessly: "What do you want to say?"

The man raised an eyebrow: "Girlfriend?"

Upon hearing this, the people in the front seats all turned around and their eyes fell on Gu Shiyue.

Gossip is human nature, especially since Gu Shiyue usually exudes an aloof and unapproachable aura, making him seem unlikely to have a girlfriend. Spending so much time on the phone with a girl is indeed a rare occurrence for him.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xiang Qin chuckled upon hearing this. The others looked on with curiosity, but he didn't even turn his head: "Just keep making things up."

Xiang Qin was Gu Shiyue's college classmate. The two were inseparable, so how could he not know whether Gu Shiyue had a girlfriend or not?

Someone clicked their tongue: "This is just a reasonable guess, so is my guess reasonable?" He turned to look at Gu Shiyue, "Please let the person involved speak."

The person in question opened a map app and replied, "My sister."

"What? You have a younger sister?"

"cousin."

Qi Xueying's mother is Gu Shiyue's aunt. They are close in age, with Qi Xueying being only one year younger than Gu Shiyue.

Gu Shiyue stopped by Qi Xueying's house to pick up some things and then asked his friend to take him to the address Qi Xueying had given him. It was a dessert shop with a chic decor. There were a few tables by the window, with a few people sitting around. A white-clad boy with silver hair stood out. Gu Shiyue caught a glimpse of that figure even before the car stopped.

The car slowly stopped in front of the store. Someone in the car noticed Jiang Luo sitting by the window. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on his hair, making his silvery-white hair shimmer with a faint silver light. It was hard not to notice him.

"Is that a cosplayer?" the person said, looking out the window. "He's quite handsome."

Everyone followed his gaze, and the boy next to Gu Shiyue glanced over his shoulder at the car window and exclaimed, "Wow, so handsome!"

Jiang Luo caught a glimpse of a car parked outside out of the corner of her eye, and glanced at it casually. Gu Shiyue was sitting in the car, looking out the window, which was open. Jiang Luo met his gaze, and their eyes locked for a second.

Gu Shiyue looked away, picked up his bag, and prepared to get out of the car. His friend, who was driving, asked him, "A-Yue, where's the person you met? Has he arrived yet?"

Based on the physical characteristics provided by Qi Xueying, Gu Shiyue said, "They should have arrived by now."

"OK, I'll wait for you then."

Gu Shiyue opened the door and got out of the car: "No need to wait for me, let's all go our own way. I'll take the subway back in a bit."

"It won't make a difference if we take a short while. We can take you back together. All you're doing is delivering something."

"There's something else." Gu Shiyue closed the door and slightly raised his chin at him. "Let's go."

As they were talking, Xiang Qin got out of the car, intending to go back with Gu Shiyue: "I'm going the same way as him, and I took the subway too, so you won't have to take a detour."

The other person chuckled, "So thoughtful, thank you so much."

Xiang Qin raised an eyebrow: "You're too kind."

"You two shouldn't take the subway," someone said. "Just take a taxi."

It's the weekend, and it's mealtime, so taking a taxi will definitely be congested. It's better to take the subway.

Xiang Qin laughed and said, "Twenty minutes by subway, forty minutes by taxi, which do you think is more convenient?"

"Alright, alright." The man waved his hand. "See you later."

Xiang Qin asked Gu Shiyue, "Approximately how long will it take you?"

"It won't be long." Gu Shiyue walked into the store.

Xiang Qin followed him inside: "Okay, I'll order something and wait for you at the door."

Gu Shiyue hummed in agreement. Xiang Qin went to the counter to order a coffee, and when he turned around, he was surprised to see Gu Shiyue walking straight towards the silver-haired boy. He was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, Gu Shiyue had already stopped in front of the boy's table.

The group of people outside hadn't left yet. In the time it took to turn the car around, they saw Gu Shiyue approach the silver-haired handsome young man. Several people sat in the car, watching Gu Shiyue and Jiang Luo curiously, almost ready to get out and knock on the window.

Jiang Luo arrived half an hour early and had been waiting here for almost half an hour. He rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly at his phone. The van outside had been parked for a long time and hadn't moved. Jiang Luo turned his head to look out the window and suddenly realized that the people in the van were looking at him.

One of the boys even smiled and waved at him.

Jiang Luo was a little confused.

"Luo C?" A deep voice sounded from ahead. Jiang Luo turned around abruptly and looked up at the person who had come.

Across the dining table, Gu Shiyue got a closer look at the other person's face. They were wearing makeup, but not heavily, making their features exceptionally defined. They had red eyes and silver-white hair that was neither too long nor too short, with the ends styled in a slightly upturned, messy yet layered way. Long wisps of hair framing their foreheads, one of which obscured their brow.

This face is more handsome than beautiful.

The other person looked at him and slowly blinked.

Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue looked at each other, almost unable to react.

The boy in front of me was wearing a black windbreaker and had a backpack slung over one shoulder. He was very tall, and his eyes swept over me from top to bottom. He didn't show any emotion, but he exuded a subtle sense of pressure.

The moment Jiang Luo saw the other person, she realized that what Qi Xueying said was true—before the person even arrived, Qi Xueying had said that her brother was easy to recognize; the tallest and most handsome one in the crowd was definitely him.

That's definitely not an exaggeration.

He saw the other person glance out the window, nod at the minivan, and then the vehicle drove off.

Jiang Luo was still in a daze when Gu Shiyue looked at him again to confirm: "Luo C?"

"Luo C" is Jiang Luo's online name. Jiang Luo stood up, smiled, and nodded: "Yes, that's me. Hello."

A note from the author:

----------------------

I'm here! Long time no see!

This is a sweet little short story, not too long. I originally intended to write free side stories in this project, so I've already started two chapters. The original side stories have been moved to the bonus side stories of the corresponding main story. Since I can't delete this project, I'll use it to fill in the new story.

The update frequency remains the same as before: six updates a week, with a break on Thursdays.

(In this chapter, Lolo is cosplaying as Kaworu Nagisa from Evangelion.)