chat
Holding her phone, Qu Shiyao sank into the sofa like a lazy cat, her wet hair casually draped over the edge of the sofa.
The phone screen lit up in the dimly lit living room, reflecting her nonchalant face.
Sun Mei: [Shiyao, may I ask you a question?]
Qu Shiyao let out a long yawn, her fingertips lazily tapping the screen: [Big Sister Qu: Honey~ You don't have to ask if I'm being presumptuous~ (cat covering mouth.jpg)]
On the other end of the screen, Sun Mei stared at the words and the cheeky emoji, her face stiffened, and her prepared opening remarks instantly froze.
My finger hovered over the screen, not falling for a long time.
Qu Shiyao watched with great interest as the "typing" notification next to Sun Mei's profile picture flashed several times before a new message finally appeared:
Sun Mei: Shiyao, you're joking again. By the way, does that guy who came with you today have a girlfriend? (Curious wink.jpg)
[Huh?] The system exclaimed in surprise, then looked puzzled: [Could Sun Mei have taken a fancy to that fish? No way!]
Qu Shiyao ignored the system's words. She raised an eyebrow and a playful smile appeared on her lips.
[Sister Qu: Not yet, dear~ (puppy carrying a rose.jpg)]
After sending the message, she casually tossed her phone onto the sofa, shuffled over to the refrigerator in her slippers, and opened the cabinet door.
A blast of cold air hit her face. She grabbed a can of ice-cold beer, pulled the tab, and gulped it down.
The cool liquid slid down her throat, making her shiver, and she let out a satisfied sigh: "Awesome!"
Seeing its host's carefree attitude, the system couldn't help but ask: "Host, aren't you worried at all? What if Sun Mei really goes to steal fish?"
It was a bit conflicted. Logically speaking, the host was clearly not averse to Yi Yu and even seemed somewhat interested. Why was it acting like a hands-off manager now?
Qu Shiyao walked back to the sofa, swaying her beer can, and casually picked up the open copy of "The Art of War" from the coffee table, lazily flipping through a page:
"Tongzi, you need to understand, you can't take away someone you truly like. The one who can be taken away either doesn't like you enough, or it's just a momentary lustful impulse..."
"That's true..." the system muttered, recalling Yi Yu's sunny and persistent face.
Next, the database unlocked with level 2 access is accessed—allowing access to some recent plot points from the original work.
There's very little storyline about Yi Yu; he's basically just a friendly neighbor.
In reality, this fish is always hovering in front of its host, its presence is too strong!
Looks like I really need to level up to level three as soon as possible, get the full story, and see what's going on with this kid.
"Buzz—" The cell phone on the sofa vibrated.
Qu Shiyao put down her book and picked up her phone.
Two messages from Sun Mei appeared on the screen:
[Sun Mei: Mr. Yi... what are his requirements for a partner? (holding her face expectantly.jpg)]
[Sun Mei: I didn't mean anything by it! I was just curious and asking for a friend! (blushing shyly.jpg)]
Qu Shiyao stared at the two lines of text and the emoji, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the cold beer can.
Only one floor lamp was on in the living room, its dim light casting flickering shadows on her face.
The system held its breath, thinking that the host was about to unleash a barrage of sarcastic remarks.
However, Qu Shiyao's lips slowly curved upwards into an extremely cunning arc.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard: [Sister Qu: The request... how can I speak for him? But...]
[Sister Qu: Based on what I know of him, he must have pretty high standards, right? He probably likes a woman like me who's incredibly charming, highly capable, independent, clear-headed, and a little mysterious! (Abstract Mary Sue with a rose in her mouth.jpg) (Queen tossing her head.gif)]
The message has been sent.
System: [...] Three black lines seemed to appear on the entire system.
On the other side of the screen, Sun Mei stared at the abstract emoji with its chaotic facial features and the meme-like head-shaking gesture, falling into a long silence.
The light from the phone screen reflected on her speechless, choked-up face.
Two full minutes passed before a reply appeared: 【Sun Mei: ...Hehe, Shiyao, what you said makes sense.】
Clearly, Sun Mei hasn't given up yet.
[Sun Mei: By the way, Shiyao, do you have Mr. Yi's contact information? (Shy little figure rubbing hands.jpg)]
She tried to forcefully steer the topic, which had veered off course, back onto the right track.
Qu Shiyao tilted her head back and finished the last sip of beer, then casually tossed the empty can into the corner trash can.
She stood up, stretched, and scratched her half-dry hair.
Sister Qu: Yes!
[Sister Qu: But, you know, it's only meaningful to ask for contact information if you take the initiative, right? I don't provide any information here~ (Little fox wagging its tail.jpg)]
After sending the message, she stopped looking at her phone and slowly strolled back to her bedroom in her slippers.
The system still didn't understand: [Host, if you're not afraid she'll kidnap someone, why won't you even give her her number? Giving her won't hurt you!]
Qu Shiyao lifted the thin blanket and lay down, letting out a comfortable sigh before lazily replying in her mind:
"Tongzi, you're naive. If I just casually gave her Yi Yu's contact information, wouldn't that kid feel uneasy about it? That's called respect, you know? Besides..."
"If I give out the number, can you guess what kind of ulterior motives Sun Mei might say to Yi Yu? We can't relinquish control."
System: [...] Okay, it admits that the host does have some ability when it comes to scheming and manipulating people.
-----------------
In the apartment next door, Yi Yu sat cross-legged on the carpet of his small apartment, the warm yellow light of the desk lamp illuminating his focused profile.
The phone screen was lit up, showing the chat interface with my best friend Zhao Henxi.
[Returning to Stardom: Holy crap?! Is this for real?! (Dog peeking out in shock.jpg)]
[Striving Back to Stardom: Does the Goddess Prefer the Puppy Type?! (Programmer frantically scratching his head.jpg)]
Zhao Henxi's barrage of messages was filled with a deep sense of existential skepticism.
His prized "puppy-boy strategy" was declared bankrupt after being relayed by Yi Yu.
Yi Yu didn't reply to him immediately; instead, she slid her fingers across the notebook in her hand.
It contains records of various scenes and conversations related to my chance encounter with Sister Shiyao (?).
Line by line, page by page.
Under the light, a gentle smile unconsciously curved his lips as his fingertips lightly traced Qu Shiyao's name.
My phone vibrated again.
[Striving Back to Stardom: ... (Tactical scratching head.jpg) (Awkwardly lighting a cigarette.jpg)]
Zhao Henxi tried to ease the tense atmosphere by using emojis.
[Fish falling into the sea: ... (gazing silently.jpg)]
Yi Yu's silent gaze sent chills down Zhao Henxi's spine even more than a direct question.
You can feel the resentment in the brother's voice even through the screen.
Zhao Henxi let out a wail and buried his face in the pillow. His mother's booming voice came from the living room: "Henxi! What are you yelling about in the middle of the night! If you keep making noise, believe me, you'll be sleeping on the street tonight!"
He quickly grabbed his phone, desperately trying to change the subject: [Back to Stardom: Fish, how did your date go today? Did the goddess enjoy the meal?]
Sure enough, the moment Qu Shiyao was mentioned, Yi Yu's attention was instantly diverted.
[Fish Falling into the Sea: So happy! Sister Shiyao has a particularly good appetite today...]
Seeing the detailed descriptions that Yi Yu instantly flooded the screen, seemingly brimming with pink bubbles, Zhao Henxi breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
That was close! Being a love strategist isn't something everyone can do well.
Yi Yu finished her "report" to Zhao Henxi with satisfaction and was about to put down her phone when a new friend request suddenly popped up in the notification bar.
Nickname: Sun Mei.
Application Note: 【I'm Qu Shiyao's colleague, can we be friends? :)】
Yi Yu's fingers paused.
Sun Mei? Shi Yao's colleague?
According to his observation, among the colleagues he saw at the bar entrance today, apart from Sister Jin, the others seemed to have only a so-so relationship with Sister Shiyao.
And how did she get her own WeChat account? Did Sister Shiyao give it to her?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his heart tightened inexplicably.
Without hesitation, he opened his chat window with Qu Shiyao: [Fish Falling into the Sea: Sister Shiyao, someone named Sun Mei just added me as a friend, saying she's your colleague?]
In the bedroom, Qu Shiyao, who had just finished checking the novel's backend data, saw this message and raised an eyebrow slightly.
System: [Huh? She's pretty quick! Where did she get it?]
“A smart person will always find a way to get information,” Qu Shiyao said calmly, as if she had expected this.
She tapped her fingertip lightly: [Sister Qu: It's her, my colleague.]
[Sister Qu: But how did she add you on WeChat? That's strange. (Confused cat emoji)]
[Sister Qu: She's just an ordinary colleague, but she's a bit too calculating. You can handle it yourself, don't worry about it too much. (Patting a dog's head.jpg)]
Seeing that it wasn't the contact information provided by Sister Shiyao, Yi Yu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled back into her stomach.
It's good that it wasn't given by Sister Shiyao!
He immediately switched back to the friend request page, rejected the request, and replied directly in the request box:
[Is there something you need from me?]
After the message was sent, there was a long silence on the other end.
Sun Mei: Nothing special~ I just wanted to add you as a friend and get to know you... to make friends!
Yi Yu frowned. This vague "making friends"...
His fingers flew across the keyboard: "[Sorry, I don't add people outside my friends on my personal WeChat. (Polite smile.jpg)]"
The refusal was tactful, but clear enough.
This time, the silence on the other side lasted even longer.
Just when Yi Yu thought the other party had given up, another message popped up:
[Sun Mei: Oh, I see... Actually, I just asked Shi Yao for your contact information, but she seemed... hesitant to give it to me? She didn't seem too keen on giving it to me?] These words, though seemingly casual, carried a hint of provocation.
Yi Yu's brows furrowed instantly.
Is he talking about Sister Shiyao? His eyes turned cold, and he stopped replying, immediately adding her to his blacklist! The world instantly became quiet.
After doing all this, he immediately switched back to his chat with Qu Shiyao.
Although he knew that Sister Shiyao definitely knew who Sun Mei was, he still couldn't help but want to remind her and say a few more words.
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Sister Shiyao, your colleague Sun Mei just said bad things about you to me! Be careful of her at work! (Rabbit hands on hips, angry.jpg) (Rabbit hands over knife.jpg)]
Qu Shiyao looked at the two puffed-up rabbit emojis and smiled.
[Sister Qu: Received, thank you, Little Fish. (pats rabbit head.jpg)]
The conversation ended, and the apartment returned to silence late at night.
In the living room, the copy of "The Art of War" that Qu Shiyao had casually tossed on the coffee table lay open.
The night breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window that wasn't completely closed, causing the pages of the book to turn gently with a soft "rustling" sound.
Finally, the wind stopped.
The book quietly returned to the page that Qu Shiyao had just turned.
At the title, a line of dark text is clearly visible:
Sixth Strategy: Feint to the East, Attack in the West
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