100,000 Hour Professional Stand-in or Professional Stand-in, With an Chapter 6: 51 to 60, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

Ji Fanyin had no intention of giving in to Ji Xinxin's half-threatening half-pleading request.

She was willing to meet Song Shiyu because she could earn a few million from the meeting, but as for Ji Xinxin…

First of all, Ji Xinxin was definitely not going to pay her.

Secondly, regardless of whether she went or not, Ji Xinxin would still contribute huge chunks of Emotion Points to her anyway.

Shortly after Ji Xinxin returned to the country, Ji Fanyin came to realize just how wild that young lady's imagination was. Her emotions seemed to be constantly on a roller coaster, contributing huge amounts of Emotion Points that could nearly match Song Shiyu's.

Still, Ji Fanyin was rather curious to know if Ji Xinxin was really going to 'keep waiting for her'.

So, she looked through her memory to search for the handicraft shop that Ji Xinxin spoke of. She tapped into a delivery app to hire a runner to purchase something at the handicraft shop on her behalf.

The shop closed at 9 PM, so Ji Fanyin requested for the runner to head there at 8.45 PM. She specifically told the runner to give her a call upon arriving at the shop.

"Hello, I am calling from Flash Delivery Knight."

"I'd like you to buy the most popular felt craft in the shop for me. Make sure to collect the receipt." Ji Fanyin's focus was naturally not on the handicraft products. "I'd like you to look around the shop and check if there's a beautiful woman sitting alone."

The handicraft shop catered to a niche market segment, so there weren't many customers. The boss was operating the shop mainly out of interest.

It was because of its quiet environment that Ji Fanyin often headed there alone.

There were only eight tables provided for the customers in that shop, so it took only a simple sweeping glance to scan the area.

The runner slowly scanned the area as he said, "Most of them seem to be in groups. I don't see any… Ah! There's a young lady sitting alone by the windows. She appears to be waiting for someone."

Oh? She's really waiting for me? Not bad.

Ji Fanyin's eyebrows shot up. "Okay. Buy the items I requested. Give me a call when you get here."

The runner soon arrived at Ji Fanyin's residence. His face visibly stiffened when he saw Ji Fanyin's appearance, "H-hello?"

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His face revealed his horror.

"That woman sitting in the shop is my little sister. She threw a tantrum and left home, so I've been keeping tabs on her to ensure her safety," Ji Fanyin randomly found an excuse to explain things. She transferred the money to the runner and said, "Thanks for making the trip."

The runner nodded in a daze. "O-oh… I think that shop is going to close soon. Will your little sister be fine?"

Ji Fanyin nonchalantly glanced at the incoming call on her phone as she replied, "She'll be fine. She's old enough to know her way around."

It was only after shutting the door that Ji Fanyin calmly picked up Ji Xinxin's call. "Yes?"

"… Big sis, are you really not coming over to meet me?" asked Ji Xinxin. "I've already waited for you for an entire day."

"You've worked hard," replied Ji Fanyin.

She squeezed the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she carried the plush animals she had just received from the runner to her living room.

Oh? They're surprisingly cute. I'll leave them on the table as decoration.

"Since big sis isn't willing to meet me in person, let's talk over the phone instead," said Ji Xinxin. "Are you free now?"

"What if I'm not?"

"… I know your secret, big sis," said Ji Xinxin. "I've already figured out the reason why you've changed so much recently."

Those words successfully piqued the interest of the previously disinterested Ji Fanyin.

"Big sis… you dreamt of that person too, didn't you?"

Ji Fanyin fell silent. "… The God of Fortune?"

"Are you still trying to hide it from me?" asked Ji Xinxin calmly. "I've given the matter some thought over the last few days. I initially thought that you were her, but then it struck me. If I could dream of her, there's no reason why you couldn't do the same. That makes much more sense than her suddenly traveling over to our world and taking your place."

She appeared to be certain of her deduction, judging from her confident tone.

Ji Fanyin was confused.

Who did Ji Xinxin dream of that left such a huge impact on her?

Ji Xinxin chuckled softly and continued on, "Staying quiet won't work, big sis. You know who I'm talking about. That woman who shines brighter than us both. That woman who shares the same name as you. 'Ji Fanyin'."

Ji Fanyin: "…?"

"That'd explain why you have changed so much over the last few months. No wonder the tricks I've used on you no longer work." Ji Xinxin's words were growing faster. "Everything you have done over the past few months, you've learned from her, no? But big sis, you're dreaming if you think that you can take away my men with just this much."

It was at this point that Ji Fanyin nonchalantly hung up the call and set her phone to 'Do Not Disturb' mode.

Ji Xinxin had already provided her with the intelligence she was seeking. There was no need to continue listening to her prattle.

Ji Fanyin lay down on her sofa lazily and began squeezing her newly bought plush toys while giving some thought to the information Ji Xinxin had kindly provided.

She hadn't thoroughly looked through 'Ji Fanyin's' memories before, but the earlier conversation with Ji Xinxin answered quite a few of her doubts.

Such as how Ji Xinxin started heaping mental pressure on 'Ji Fanyin' after recovering from her illness.

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Or how the 'King of the Seas' skills that Ji Xinxin had slowly polished up over a decade looked oddly familiar to her.

While Ji Fanyin was deep in thought, the television in the living room was playing a recently popular xianxia drama. The male lead's master berated the male lead with a pained look, "I don't have a wretched disciple like you! Scram! From this day onward, our master-disciple relationship shall be severed!"

Ji Fanyin eyed the actor playing the male lead's master and empathetically murmured, "+1."

…

Ji Xinxin wasn't angered despite having the call abruptly hung up on her. She thought of it as concrete evidence affirming her deduction.

She was indeed flustered by the abrupt realization she had come to several days ago, but having several days to calm down allowed her to look at the matter more rationally.

It wasn't that difficult for her to confirm who the current Ji Fanyin was.

The 'Ji Fanyin' she had met in the dream would have never been interested in Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, or Li Xiaoxing, let alone approach them. Given her standing and experience, those men couldn't have possibly caught her eye.

The fact that Ji Fanyin chose to associate herself with those men showed two things.

One, the current Ji Fanyin was still her older sister. She had only wisened up due to the knowledge she gained from her dreams.

Two, she had some kind of motive for approaching those men.

"It won't be that easy to snatch my men, big sis." Ji Xinxin gently touched a photo of her and Ji Fanyin on her phone. "I'd have been no match for you if you were the 'Ji Fanyin' in the dreams, but since you're not… how could I possibly lose to you a second time?"

Ji Xinxin knew that she had lost the element of surprise by confronting Ji Fanyin directly, but she thought that she had the upper hand here. She still had a good chance at turning the tables on her older sister.

Big sis might be smarter than me, but she's no more than a newcomer in this field. I might have lost to her when I was younger, but never again.

Ji Xinxin thought determinedly as she slipped her phone into her bag.

I just have to ensure that the men Ji Fanyin approached devote their full attention and affection to me. That's all I need to do.

…

All in all, Ji Fanyin thought that her break hadn't been too bad.

She managed to get ample rest while easily earning a hefty sum of money.

Li Xiaoxing hadn't called her ever since Christmas Day, which suggested that he was starting to become independent. He no longer needed to constantly refer to 'Walkthrough Guide' Ji Fanyin for his every move.

Ji Xinxin also hadn't harassed her ever since then.

Of course, it was likely that Ji Xinxin was pulling something from the shadows, but honestly speaking, Ji Fanyin couldn't care less.

After all, she was an emotionless money-making machine with no scruples. What could the latter possibly do to her?

Sully her reputation?

Ji Fanyin was only interested in the money. Any scorn or love from her family members couldn't hope to faze her in the least.

Tighten her rein on her fishes?

Unless Ji Xinxin was able to make multiple clones of herself, there were bound to be people who would be dissatisfied with whatever limited time and energy she had to offer.

Ruin her current stand-in business?

That was easier said than done.

No matter how rich and well-connected Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, Cen Xiangyang, and Li Xiaoxing were, they didn't have the power to interfere in her business.

Even if Ji Xinxin somehow managed to ruin Ji Fanyin's business as a stand-in, she could simply redirect her time and effort into developing her studio. It was only a matter of time before she raised ten billion anyway.

The day before Ji Xinxin returned to France, Ji Fanyin took out her phone and checked on her reservation app. It was already the last day of her two weeks break, meaning that she would be resuming operations tomorrow.

So far, she didn't have any work lined up. No one had made a reservation yet.

A person who had taken a long break would be inclined to continue lazing around, and Ji Fanyin was no exception to the rule.

It was then that the number of concurrently online users reflected on the app's admin portal suddenly increased from 0 to 1.

This meant that a client had just accessed the app, and Ji Fanyin only had three clients.

Out of curiosity, she chose to wait patiently on the admin portal to see who was going to make a reservation.

But several seconds later, the number of online users dropped back to 0.

I guess I'm taking a break tomorrow.

A second later, the number increased to 1 yet again. The number then continued to alternate between 0 and 1 several times nonstop.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

Yup, it's Bai Zhou.

The way he kept accessing the app but refused to make a reservation felt like a nervous husband pacing outside the labor room, frequently peeking into the labor room but not daring to enter.

Ji Fanyin was able to quickly figure out what was behind his peculiar behavior.

Ji Xinxin has a good grasp over the fishes in her fishery. She also knows that Bai Zhou is the easiest one to handle. All she has to do is to order him to not meet me privately anymore.

Oh well, who cares? He can refresh the app for all he wants.

Ji Fanyin was just about to close the admin portal when she noticed that all fifteen blocks for her schedule tomorrow had changed from white to green. It meant that someone was in the midst of confirming his reservation.

Ji Fanyin quickly checked the number of concurrent online users and saw that the number had increased to 2.

Shortly after, Song Shiyu's reservation request appeared on the admin portal. There was no message appended to it, just a simple 1,500,000 dollar reservation.

She received a message from the bank informing her about the money transfer of 1,500,000 dollars right after.

Ji Fanyin stared at the request with lifted eyebrows before confirming the request.

Song Shiyu came earlier than I thought. It must be because he has plenty of money to burn.

At the same time, Bai Zhou, who was furiously refreshing the app on his phone, blurted out a vulgarity, "Fuck!"

A long break was often followed by a strong desire to procrastinate. Ji Fanyin was currently having a firsthand experience of it herself.

Ji Fanyin learned a painful lesson from this.

She wasn't able to wake up to the alarm she set, causing her to be short on time for her preparation. She had no choice but to sacrifice her breakfast in order not to be late. In the end, all she managed to prepare was two slices of bread she had barely popped into the toaster.

This won't be enough to stave off hunger.

Ji Fanyin arrived at the meeting location feeling a little weary. She glanced at the time and saw that there were only two minutes left till working hours.

It looks like I won't have enough time to grab something from the convenience shop.

Ji Fanyin rubbed her tummy with a frown as she wondered how long those two slices of toast would last her.

If it comes down to it, I'll just have 'Ji Xinxin' tell Song Shiyu that I'm hungry and freeload my breakfast off him.

A car stopped by the roadside and honked.

Ji Fanyin looked over and saw that it was an unfamiliar sedan car. The car lowered its passenger seat window, revealing Song Shiyu's face.

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Yet another new car? Is he worried that Ji Xinxin would find out about it?

It was hard to tell what Song Shiyu was thinking.

Perhaps he was wavering between Ji Xinxin and Ji Fanyin. Maybe he was reluctant to lose his number one follower who used to worship him like a god. Or perhaps, he had a newfound obsession with love triangles.

But regardless of which it was, Ji Fanyin couldn't care less. She couldn't be bothered to analyze his thoughts.

As long as Song Shiyu was able to afford her price and she was willing to earn from him, he would be able to remain as her client.

So, Ji Fanyin lowered the hand on her stomach and flashed her sweet business smile. Then, she began gracefully walking over to his car.

Upon getting into the passenger seat, Ji Fanyin fastened her seatbelt and casually asked, "Where are we heading to today?"

"Where do you want to go?" Song Shiyu answered with a question.

You're the one who asked me out, Ji Fanyin thought.

She placed her hands together and looked at him with a sheepish smile, "Can we grab breakfast first? I came out in a hurry, so I haven't eaten anything yet."

Ji Fanyin would have been perfectly fine with a roadside food stand, but Song Shiyu unhesitatingly drove her to a Western brunch restaurant after accepting her request.

As the word suggested, brunch was the high-class in-between of breakfast and lunch. It was a lofty privilege that lowly corporate slaves couldn't possibly hope to enjoy.

It was now working hours on a working day. Those sitting in the restaurant mainly consisted of university students on break, elegant full-time madames, and an influencer and his army of cameramen.

As soon as Ji Fanyin started browsing through the menu, she understood why Song Shiyu had chosen this restaurant.

Of course, exorbitant prices are the best way to showcase young master Song's class.

"This restaurant is known for its Eggs Benedict. Want to give it a try?" Song Shiyu recommended.

Eggs Benedict was a particularly troublesome dish to prepare. It looked like a hamburger filled with meat and vegetables, but its bread was replaced with a poached egg and rich sauce was drizzled on the upper layer instead of the inside.

Even making a perfect poached egg with flowing liquid gold was a daunting task, but a good Eggs Benedict required all of the components to be prepared simultaneously.

Ji Fanyin had tried making it herself several times at home. It was delicious, but the effort put into it was hardly worthwhile.

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Though it was a different case now that she was in a restaurant.

Looking at the selection of Eggs Benedicts where the prices started from 188 dollars, Ji Fanyin decisively chose the most expensive one. "I'll have the Beef Eggs Benedict and a cup of freshly-squeezed orange juice."

"Same as her, but I'll have a cup of latte instead," Song Shiyu added to the order list without looking at the menu.

The waiter confirmed their orders once more before walking away.

Ji Fanyin leisurely rested her chin on her arm and asked teasingly, "You haven't eaten either?"

"… I left an hour in advance to meet you as soon as possible," replied Song Shiyu with a smile. "I had to drop by the office first, so I haven't eaten either."

"No matter how busy you are, you mustn't neglect your own health," said Ji Fanyin concernedly. "Have you forgotten how you caught a fever in the middle of the night last time?"

Song Shiyu lowered his eyes and muttered, "It's still etched in my mind. You were the one who took care of me that day. I haven't thanked you for that yet… The congee was delicious."

Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes contemplatively. "You're being too courteous with me. You just have to take care of yourself and make sure that you don't fall sick again. That's the best way you can repay me."

Do you know how hard it is to take care of a patient in the middle of the night? What if you infect me with your virus?

"Where should we go after breakfast? Is there any place you want to visit?" asked Song Shiyu with a gentle tone.

Ji Fanyin eyed Song Shiyu doubtfully. "Why do you keep asking me where I want to go? What about you?"

Song Shiyu stared at her and replied, "I want to know what you like."

Ji Fanyin caught his drift right away.

Song Shiyu was foolishly hoping to make use of the service hours to learn more about her preferences.

He still hasn't given up despite his confession failing miserably a few days back.

Despite Ji Fanyin's wandering thoughts, she was still able to answer his question smoothly, "Hahaha, what's with that? We have known each other for so many years now. You should know better than anyone what I like! Let me see… I like keeping up with fashion and doing art. I'm pretty fond of theaters too."

Ji Xinxin's 'preferences' were in line with the character she had established for herself—elegance.

The more elegant a hobby was, the more time Ji Xinxin devoted to pursuing it so that she could enhance her profile. It was her way of perfecting her character.

Song Shiyu fell silent for a moment before chuckling softly. "Anything other than those?"

Ji Fanyin racked her mind before adding, "I'm also interested in classical music and ballet. Just a few days ago, I watched Swan Lake performed by our juniors back at our alma mater. It was not bad."

It went without saying that Ji Fanyin didn't attend the performance. She had simply done her homework by checking out Lakeside University's social media page.

This time, Song Shiyu fell silent for an even longer period of time.

It was fortunate that the waiter served two steaming plates of Eggs Benedict from the kitchen at this moment, sparing Ji Fanyin the trouble of clearing the awkward air.

The poached egg layered above the vegetable and beef looked soft and bouncy. At a light poke, the mouth-watering egg yellow flowed out and covered the dish. It looked incredibly appetizing.

Ji Fanyin gracefully sliced a serving and delivered it into her mouth. Her eyes curled in delight.

From the hollandaise sauce to the texture of the poached egg, everything was just right. It looked like the price of the dish wasn't a scam after all.

…

Watching as Ji Fanyin blissfully devoured a quarter of the Eggs Benedict in a single mouthful, Song Shiyu belatedly realized that he no longer confused Ji Fanyin for Ji Xinxin.

It was weird.

He used to fall for the illusion slyly crafted by Ji Fanyin, and it often left him frustrated how easily she was able to make a fool out of him. But now…

It has been like this since we spent Christmas together. Ji Fanyin's gestures and voice are still identical to Ji Xinxin's, but I am somehow able to subconsciously distinguish between the two of them now.

Along with that came the realization of just how little he knew about Ji Fanyin.

What does Ji Fanyin like? What does she hate? What does she do when not meeting with me? What usually goes through her mind? Is there some special reason why she used to like me? What was she thinking when she first accepted my offer to become Ji Xinxin's substitute?

Song Shiyu knew none of the answers to those questions.

He desperately tried to fish the answers out of her, but no matter what he asked, all he heard were Ji Xinxin's responses.

Ji Fanyin was sitting right in front of him, smiling gently at him. Yet, he felt like she was hidden beneath a layer of ice, existing in a domain beyond his reach…

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No, that's not it. The person sitting in front of me is 'Ji Xinxin'.

When this thought flashed across Song Shiyu's mind, he subconsciously clenched his fists tightly. He took a deep breath and tried his best to recall whatever he knew about Ji Fanyin.

He had known these two twin sisters for many years now, so surely he should be able to find something of use here.

"I remember that you used to…" Song Shiyu did manage to dig something up in the end. "… I mean, I heard that your big sister is good at studying. She's able to grasp anything right away. Could the reason you frequent museums be to catch up with her?"

While chewing on her food, Ji Fanyin flashed Song Shiyu an embarrassed smile before slowly nodding her head.

Her smile was as impeccable as always, sweet and pure, but Song Shiyu felt like he could see a hint of contempt in her eyes. It was as if she was mocking him for his desperation in trying to resuscitate something that was already long gone.

"Shall we head to the observatory today?" Song Shiyu remembered that there was a famous observatory in the city.

Ji Fanyin swallowed the final mouthful of her Eggs Benedict before replying with a faint smile, "That sounds great. It's just a pity that we can't bring big sis with us."

Song Shiyu felt a stifle in his chest. "… We can call her next time."

"That won't do." Ji Fanyin shook her head smilingly. "Big sis doesn't like those things anymore."

Song Shiyu's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He found himself at a loss. "What does she like then?"

Ji Fanyin looked at him doubtfully. "When did you start caring so much about big sis? Is the person you like me or my big sis?"

Her words were so light and casual, as if she was just asking a question that had little significance to her.

It made Song Shiyu realize just how worthless her previous feelings for him had become as soon as she stopped liking him. She used to like him so much, but there was nothing left now.

He couldn't accept this huge change.

He was already accustomed to having Ji Fanyin at his beck and call. Even when he insulted her, she would quietly tolerate it without the slightest grudge. It felt like those affectionate eyes she always directed toward him would be the only constant thing in the world.

He couldn't accept how he had already shattered his mental barrier to finally confess to Ji Fanyin, only to be met with her disdain.

"Now that you mentioned it, it has been a while since we have last been to the observatory. Should we head there at night?" Ji Fanyin carried the conversation forward without the slightest awkwardness. "We can watch the stars at night. I'm sure that it'll be beautiful."

Song Shiyu was just about to respond when a young man suddenly entered the brunch restaurant. That young man ignored the waiter's greeting and headed straight toward Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin's table.

With both hands inserted inside his aviator jacket, the young man looked at Song Shiyu with his usual cool face and said, "What a coincidence."

Coincidence? You're obviously here to hinder us. But how did he know that we're here?

… No, this isn't right. The real question is who's he really trying to hinder here?

Song Shiyu sharply glanced at Bai Zhou. He suppressed all of the conflicted feelings inside him and grabbed Ji Fanyin's hand. "Let's go."

At the very least, he was confident that Ji Fanyin wouldn't reject his request during 'service hours'.

"Alright." Ji Fanyin stood up without any complaints.

However, Bai Zhou stepped forward to block Ji Fanyin's path. It was clear that he was here to cause trouble.

Song Shiyu felt an inexplicable rush of fury surging into his head.

At least at this very moment, Ji Fanyin belongs to me and me alone!

Then he jolted in surprise.

Does Bai Zhou harbor the same thoughts as me?

The tension between Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou swiftly escalated. Right before an argument was about to break out, Ji Fanyin suddenly interjected, "Zhouzhou, I'm on a date. You shouldn't cause a scene here."

With her sweet voice, she uttered freezingly cold words to Bai Zhou.

Feeling the full brunt of the impact, Bai Zhou widened his eyes in disbelief. Even if it was just an act, she had used the word 'date'.

Song Shiyu felt his heartbeat hasten for two seconds, but his rationality swiftly dragged him back into the abyss.

He knew that Ji Fanyin was saying those words not because she liked him but that he had paid her for it. If the situation was flipped around and Bai Zhou was the one who had paid the money, he would have been the recipient of those freezingly cold words.

Just the thought of those words being directed at him left him feeling indescribably bitter.

I never knew that it was this unbearable to lose a person's preferential treatment, Song Shiyu thought in remorse.

He couldn't believe that he had thrown it all away back then.

(Rewinding time a day back from Ji Fanyin and Song Shiyu's date.)

Bai Zhou thought that he had taken to heart Ji Xinxin's request for him to never meet Ji Fanyin again. He couldn't stop himself from checking that darned little app from time to time, but he did hold himself back from making a reservation.

Who could have thought that a bastard would reserve Ji Fanyin's entire day in a single breath?

Bai Zhou felt like an indignant shopper on Single's Day. He had already added a heavily discounted big-ticket item into his shopping cart and was considering whether he should confirm it or not when the item suddenly ran out of stock.

Was it Song Shiyu? That disgusting man I met at that banquet? That wheelchair guy in Greece? Or did she further expand her client list, just like how she brought me in as a client?

Bai Zhou watched as the reservation schedule turned from a pending light green into a confirmed olive green within less than a minute.

Goddamnit! Ji Fanyin must be online! There's no way she could have approved it that quickly otherwise! Is she in such dire lack of money?

In a fit of anger, Bai Zhou selected all fifteen hours available for the day after tomorrow, but his finger stalled to a halt before he could confirm his reservation request. Ji Xinxin's words surfaced in his mind, pouring a pail of cold water over his heated mind.

In the end, he threw his phone on his bed out of sheer frustration.

He couldn't break a promise that he had already made.

He stomped to his study table, dragged out the chair noisily, and flipped open his textbook to begin revision.

It was approaching the end of the academic semester, and all of the Year 2 students were going to face an onslaught of examinations. Bai Zhou was no exception to the rule.

Bai Zhou's roommate looked at him curiously and asked, "Didn't you say that you can pass the exams without revising?"

For some reason, Bai Zhou found himself recalling how Ji Xinxin said that Ji Fanyin used to be incredibly good at her studies, but she had given up on herself somewhere along the way.

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He used to believe those words at face value, but right now, he felt that even Ji Fanyin's diffident appearance was feigned!

"Is passing all that matters?" spat Bai Zhou with gritted teeth. "I'm aiming for full marks!"

The roommate was baffled by Bai Zhou's sudden declaration. He clasped his fist with feigned respect and said, "Wow, I never thought that you would have that in you. All the best… Are you sure that you aren't just agitated over something you saw on your phone?"

"Agitated your head!" Bai Zhou flipped a page on his book. "Why can't I be passionate about my studies?"

Only those who were born with a good temper could become Bai Zhou's roommate and still get along with him.

The roommate scratched his head. "Alright alright, whatever floats your boat. Ah right, didn't you ask me about Chen Yunsheng a while back?"

"Who?" asked Bai Zhou. His eyes were still fixed on his textbook.

"Chen Yunsheng. That senior who's a year older than us. You marched up to me the other day looking like you were going to murder someone and asked me a bunch of questions about him. You forgot about it?" The roommate was dumbfounded.

Those words successfully evoked Bai Zhou's memories. He immediately turned his head over and asked, "What's wrong with that fellow?"

"Someone in my chat group said that it's his birthday tomorrow."

Bai Zhou widened his eyes in realization.

Right… How could I have forgotten about Chen Yunsheng?

Another roommate from the upper bunk bed peeked down and joined in the gossip session. "I also heard that a senior confessed to him earlier today, but he rejected her."

"Now that I think about it, Chen Yunsheng is pretty popular, but I don't think he has ever had a girlfriend"

"Don't we have someone like that in our room too?"

"Hahaha! Truer words have never been spoken! Actually, don't you think that the two of them are quite similar to each other?"

Being compared with Chen Yunsheng sent Bai Zhou's anger shooting through the roof. "Shut up!"

The two roommates exchanged glances and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, Chen Yunsheng already has someone he likes. Didn't the basketball team win the championship a while back? I heard he gave his champion medal to that person."

Those words spurred a premonition in Bai Zhou's mind.

Could the person he gave the medal to possibly be…

Their fourth roommate, who coincidentally happened to return at this moment, overheard their conversation and excitedly joined in, "I heard that it was a babe. Such a pity that the competition wasn't held in our school, or else I would have headed over to take a look."

"I know who it is," said the roommate on the upper bunk bed with a gleeful tone. "It was trending on our school forum. Tsk tsk, looks like the two of you don't know how to do your research."

"Amazing, my bro. No wonder people call you the gossip king! Quick, tell us who it is!"

"Heh! Think about it, why would I say that they are similar? Doesn't our Lil' Bai like Senior Ji Xinxin? The woman Chen Yunsheng fancies is Ji Xinxin's twin sister! I saw the photo they posted on the forum, and the two of them look exactly the same!"

"Holy shit, are you serious? You know, the last time we went to the mall to have hot pot―"

With his premonition confirmed, Bai Zhou was no longer in a mood to continue listening to his roommates' gossip. He quickly accessed the forum page to check that old trending post.

By searching for the keywords, 'champion medal', the very first result was a post titled 《Enlighten me, please. What does it mean for a man to give the champion medal he painstakingly won to a woman?》.

Bai Zhou tapped into the post and impatiently scrolled all the way down till a photo appeared. Without enlarging the photo, he could easily recognize the women standing by the railings of the spectator stand.

Ji Fanyin has never smiled at me in such a way before, be it during or outside of service hours.

After an intent stare at Ji Fanyin, he turned his attention to the jarring medal around her neck, followed by Chen Yunsheng's face. His eyes slowly narrowed as he murmured, "Chen Yunsheng… I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

One of the roommates shot him a peculiar look. "Yeah, didn't I just say it? Do you remember the day we had hot pot at the mall? We bumped into him and Senior Ji Xinxin's older sister. She treated us to ice cream."

Bai Zhou: "…"

Bai Zhou gripped his phone tightly as he mentally berated himself for being an utter idiot.

"Speaking of hot pot, I'm getting a craving for it again. Shall we head there again tomorrow? I need to drop by the bookstore and buy some reference books anyway."

"Ah, I also need to buy a set of drawing pencils. Lil' Bai, why don't you come with us? You're close with the manager of that art studio. Hehe, you might just be able to get a discount for me."

Bai Zhou felt incredibly irritated. He shot to his feet and grunted, "I'll take a puff."

"Hey, smoking is banned in the dormitory building…"

…

The following day, Bai Zhou was dragged to the mall by his three roommates early in the morning.

While the three of them were checking out the art studio, he found himself getting frustrated by his endless thoughts of Ji Fanyin, Ji Xinxin, and Chen Yunsheng that he simply couldn't shake off, so he headed out to have a smoke.

It wasn't even 9 A.M. yet.

Feeling lethargic, he let out a yawn.

In the midst of his smoke, he received a call from Ji Xinxin. Doing a quick mental calculation, it was about time for Ji Xinxin's plane to land in Paris.

It's earlier than usual. Her call usually comes in an hour late after the estimated landing time.

The thought swiftly took root in his mind. He found himself unable to cast it away anymore.

Bai Zhou pressed his lips tightly before slowly picking up the call. "Big sis, you've arrived in Paris?"

"Yeap, I just got off the plane. I'm on my way to collect my luggage," replied Ji Xinxin with her usual cheery tone. "How unexpected. I thought that you would still be asleep at this hour. Are you intending to head out today?"

It could have just been an innocent, casual question, but Bai Zhou couldn't help but feel that she was trying to sound him out. It left him feeling slightly repulsed.

"I'm out with my roommates. We're buying some supplies and having hot pot later," he replied.

"Alright, have fun~," said Ji Xinxin with a chuckle. "I have a piece of good news here, but I can only tell you once it's confirmed. Look forward to it, alright?"

Bai Zhou stifled his cigarette as he subconsciously answered, "Are you going to fulfill your promise to become my girlfriend?"

Those words blurted out caused a heavy silence to loom over the call.

No matter how fast Bai Zhou's reflexes were, he couldn't possibly take back the words that he had already spoken.

Shit, how could I have forgotten that the one who promised to give me an answer on my 21st birthday was Ji Fanyin?

… Fuck!

"Zhouzhou, what did you just say? I'm sorry, but I don't really understand…" asked Ji Xinxin with a confused voice.

Bai Zhou clawed his hair in exasperation as he paced around the trash can. He was going to stuff Ji Xinxin a random excuse like he hadn't fully woken up yet or that he had a dream, but he suddenly spotted Ji Fanyin's silhouette in his peripheral vision.

She was standing by the roadside, near a dessert store. Her clothes were clearly that of Ji Xinxin's style. However, she was clutching her stomach with a slight frown.

As someone who often suffered gastric attacks, Bai Zhou was able to understand her gesture right away. He subconsciously lowered his phone from his ear to check the current time.

8.57 A.M.. She's about to start work.

Bai Zhou stared at Ji Fanyin from afar.

"Zhouzhou?" Ji Xinxin called out to him.

Bai Zhou didn't hear her. It took several seconds before he finally snapped out of his trance. "Hm? … Ah, it's nothing. I was up last night revising for my exams. My thoughts are all jumbled up. Big sis, you don't have to pay it any mind."

A car stopped by the roadside and honked.

When you're just trying to make great content at /37k7u89t.

Bai Zhou watched as Ji Fanyin raised her head and waved toward the driver before elegantly making her way over.

I dare bet with my head that the person sitting on the driver's seat is the man who reserved Ji Fanyin for the entire day.

He began walking instinctively toward the car, but his footsteps soon screeched to a halt when he recalled that he was still on a call with Ji Xinxin.

I might still be able to catch up with them if I give chase right now.

Bai Zhou quickly bade Ji Xinxin farewell. "My roommates are out. Take care, big sis. I'll be hanging up first."

He hung up without even waiting for Ji Xinxin's response. Without any hesitation, he began sprinting toward his motorcycle. He wouldn't be so dumb as to try to follow a car barefoot, but he should be able to easily follow them on his motorcycle given the heavy city traffic.

As he leaped onto his motorcycle and put on his helmet, his mind was filled with vulgarities that shouldn't be written out.

He wanted to curse at that twat who was getting so agitated over this for no reason: Why the hell are you getting involved in Ji Fanyin's business?

He wanted to curse at the fool who had blurted nonsense to Ji Xinxin earlier: You know that Ji Fanyin is a liar, so why are you taking her words so seriously?

He wanted to curse at the woman who was so money-minded that she could work fifteen hours a day: Shit! Do you owe loan sharks billions or something?

He wanted to curse at the pervert on the driver's seat: Reserving from morning till twelve midnight? Bloody hell, even an idiot can see through those dirty intentions you have in mind!

Even the traffic lights weren't spared from his cursing: You lousy waste of time! You're making me lose sight of that stupid car!

After an intense chase, Bai Zhou followed the car into an underground parking lot. He chose to watch from afar as the car finally came to a halt.

The driver seat's door opened, and Song Shiyu came out from within.

(Resuming the confrontation among Bai Zhou, Song Shiyu, and Ji Fanyin in the brunch restaurant)

…

In the brunch restaurant that he had to search two whole floors for, Bai Zhou took in a deep breath to calm his own anger before replying, "Date, you said? What about…"

Halfway through his words, he paused for a split instant before continuing on with a hushed tone, "What about the time we have spent together?"

Song Shiyu grabbed Bai Zhou's shoulders in displeasure. "Is this the time for that? Can't you see the crowd here?"

Bai Zhou slapped off Song Shiyu's hands and glared at him furiously. "Song Shiyu, are you an idiot? Can't you tell that she's having gastric pain?"

Song Shiyu quickly turned to look at Ji Fanyin with a frown. "Are you feeling unwell?"

The latter blinked her eyes in confusion before shaking her head innocently. "No, I'm feeling perfectly fine."

Bai Zhou was infuriated to hear her response.

Why are you going to such an extent?! Is it money? Or is it Song Shiyu?

He wanted to grab her shoulders and angrily question her, but those words were choked in his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to voice them aloud.

It was also at this instant that he finally understood why he felt so anxious, angry, and hurt.

Ji Fanyin had simply treated him too well.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

Even if it was all an act, the care and concern she had showered on him were irreproachable.

Deep down, he was aware that the real reason why he had fallen for Ji Xinxin in the first place was due to the patience, warmth, and care she had shown him. No one had ever treated him in such a manner… until Ji Fanyin came along.

There was a moment of silence before he slowly straightened his back. He let out a contemptuous laugh and sneered, "I see. I hope you two have fun on your date."

Ji Fanyin didn't even spare Bai Zhou an additional glance when she left the brunch restaurant.

Bai Zhou sat down at the table the two of them occupied earlier. With a wintry look on his face, he whipped out his phone and accessed the reservation app. He unhesitatingly selected all of the fifteen hours available tomorrow and submitted the reservation request before proceeding to transfer the reservation fee over.

He repeated those steps for the day after tomorrow, reserving all fifteen hours available and paying the reservation fee.

And he did it another twelve more times afterward.

What a dumb app. It only allows reservations to be made a maximum of two weeks in advance.

Ji Fanyin's phone vibrated despite being on 'Do-Not-Disturb' mode.

She had set her phone such that both her clients and the little reservation app were able to reach her when her phone was on 'Do-Not-Disturb' mode.

The vibration showed that she had received a new reservation request on her app.

She glanced into her bag, but she didn't take out her phone to take a look.

However, her phone continued vibrating for quite a while. She was receiving a whole chain of notifications. It even caught Song Shiyu's attention.

He turned his head over to look at Ji Fanyin, but he surprisingly chose not to ask anything at all.

Ji Fanyin casually turned around and looked behind them before remarking, "It doesn't look like he's following us."

Though his soul seems to be with us right now.

… It can't be that Bai Zhou is impulse shopping on the reservation app right now, is he?How many times did my phone vibrate earlier?

Ji Fanyin tried to do the calculations. The earlier vibration seemed to last for a long time.

"I really don't know how he managed to find us," said Song Shiyu contemplatively. "Does he know your address? He isn't be stalking you, is he?"

Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Ji Fanyin thought that she needed to tread carefully around those words. There was no way she would reveal her address to her clients that easily.

Song Shiyu had a rough idea where her neighborhood was, but he didn't know the exact address. Bai Zhou shouldn't know her address yet. As for Li Xiaoxing… he had already dug up everything from the very start.

"How could he not know where the Ji Residence is?" That was how Ji Fanyin chose to answer the question.

"…" Song Shiyu pressed the lift button. "It could be dangerous if he knows where you live. There's no saying that he might attempt to pull something."

Ji Fanyin nodded in response. "I'll be careful."

Why else do you think I'm hiding my address from you all?

As she looked at Song Shiyu, a wicked idea suddenly surfaced in her mind. She asked, "You'll come right away at a call if I were to really meet with danger, right?"

Song Shiyu turned over and looked at her with eyes so intense that it looked almost as if he was a sinner repenting to a cross.

"That's right," he murmured a promise. "So make sure to look for me first if you ever meet with trouble."

A few more people came over to wait for the lift alongside them.

Ji Fanyin glanced at the strangers around them before tiptoeing toward Song Shiyu and waving him over with a secretive look on her face. Song Shiyu obediently moved his ear over to listen to whatever she was going to say.

"You'll definitely be my first choice," Ji Fanyin whispered quickly. "Because 'Ji Xinxin' likes Song Shiyu."

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

Those were the exact words that Song Shiyu told her in the bar that day.

Those words made her cringe badly back then, so she solemnly vowed to find an opportunity in the future to stuff those disgusting words back at him.

As she had expected, Song Shiyu's expression stiffened up right away.

"Ah, the lift is here." Ji Fanyin pointed to the lift and began making her way over. "Shiyu?"

"… Mm." Song Shiyu stiffly made his way into the lift.

Ji Fanyin pressed the 'B2' lift button while joyfully humming the melody of 'Loser'.

It's Ji Xinxin who likes Song Shiyu, so don't get 'Ji Fanyin' involved here, alright?

…

Yuan Yao was a little-known streamer from a small streaming website. She earned her keep by posting videos of her visits to cosmetics stores.

Today, she brought her equipment out to a fairly expensive Western brunch restaurant to review it for her viewers. She had talked to the staff beforehand and promised them not to disturb or film the other customers. After swiftly setting up her equipment, she started her stream.

She had already ordered her food in advance, but she still took the trouble to introduce the restaurant's specialty to her viewers. After that, she showed them the full menu and the prices.

"… That's pretty much it for the introduction. We'll be waiting for the food to come now. I feel like a rich young madame eating a 188 dollar brunch set." Yuan Yao rubbed her hands together expectantly. "Let's pray that my 188 dollar brunch set is worth the price. My hard-earned money can't go to waste!"

While waiting for her Egg Benedicts to be served, Yuan Yao began chatting about her daily life with her fans.

In the midst of her chat, she noticed a couple walking into the restaurant and taking a seat two tables away from her. She couldn't resist gossiping with her fans, "Ooh, I spotted a handsome guy and a gorgeous babe. They look just like models. What a pity that I can't film others here, or else we could have eye-candied them together."

The chat replied to her with "Good things should be shared!" "Lemme see, lemme see!".

There was no way Yuan Yao could just bring random strangers into her stream—she at least had that much tact. It was one thing for strangers to accidentally appear on her stream on the street, but turning her camera over to film others in a restaurant was way too conspicuous.

Besides, there are two of them there and only one of me here. What if they beat me up?

Humans were naturally drawn to pretty things. Yuan Yao began digging into her Eggs Benedict while providing her fans with real-time reactions, but her eyes wouldn't stop drifting over to look at the couple.

That guy is good-looking, but that woman is drop-dead gorgeous! How could those stinky men hold a candle to sweet-scented ladies?

Yuan Yao made sure to take her time eating so that she could get a few more looks in. When the couple finished their meal and began taking their leave, she sighed in disappointment.

What happened next was beyond her imagination.

"Oh? Another hottie entered the restaurant. He looked a little young… Holy shit, is that what they mean by love triangle? What an intense atmosphere! Are they going to come to blows?" Yuan Yao whispered with a hushed voice.

The chat: We don't ask you to show us their faces, but you should at least let us listen to the fresh gossip!

We are /3Tfs4P4, find us on google.

Yuan Yao secretly adjusted her mic toward the couple plus one. She took a casual glance around and saw that many of the customers were looking over as well. The desire for gossip was innate in all humans.

The couple plus one were two tables away, and they weren't speaking loudly either. Yuan Yao couldn't tell how much the mic was able to take in, but she did manage to catch everything loud and clear.

How exciting!

Be it the "You shouldn't cause a scene here" or "What about the time we have spent together?", Yuan Yao could easily imagine a ten thousand words dog-blooded novel.

Between the old flame and the new lover, which one does her heart truly belong to?

Yuan Yao pricked up her ears, not wanting to miss out on a single word. This dramatic scene was eventually concluded with the couple's departure.

Messages like "What happened afterward?", "Did they start fighting?", and "Damn! I just brought my earpiece over, and the fight is already over?" could be seen flashing across the live stream.

Yuan Yao whispered into the mic with a secretive look on her face, "The other hottie hasn't left yet. He sat down at the couple's table. Oof, he looks like he's going to murder someone. He's fiddling with his phone right now… Haha, even the waiter doesn't dare collect the plates… Ey? He gulped down the beverage that the gorgeous babe was drinking earlier… Ah?"

The chat: Looks like your 188 dollars was well-spent.

Yuan Yao: "… I can't deny that."

Yuan Yao later edited the love triangle video and uploaded it online. It unexpectedly went viral, becoming one of the recommended videos of the website that very night. Lots of curious netizens enjoyed the gossip fodder and shared it around.

The fighting trio never appeared on camera, but the streamer mentioned that they were two hotties and a babe. That further stoked curiosity about the entire fiasco.

While the video was swiftly making its way around the net, Ji Fanyin was with Song Shiyu at the observatory, looking at the stars.

It was such an abrupt test that Ji Fanyin wasn't able to do her homework beforehand. She could only try her best to rake up whatever knowledge she knew about astronomy from disaster films so that she wouldn't appear ignorant.

It was fortunate that Song Shiyu wasn't particularly focused on the stars either. He looked at the winter sky via the telescope and sighed in wonderment, "Beautiful. It's no wonder you're fond of the stars."

Ji Fanyin, who was looking through the telescope adjusted to the North Star, also thought that the night sky was beautiful, though it was really just a layman's level of appreciation.

"Are you feeling cold?" Song Shiyu asked as he reached out to touch Ji Fanyin's hand, hoping to feel her hand's temperature.

Ji Fanyin was still focused on watching the stars a moment ago when she instinctively retracted her hand and looked at Song Shiyu. For just an instant there, she broke out of her working mode.

"What's wrong?" Song Shiyu looked perplexed.

We are /3Tfs4P4, find us on google.

Ji Fanyin replied with a composed smile, "Nothing much."

She wasn't fond of being touched by others, which was why she didn't like taking public transport. The feeling of repulsion was further exacerbated when it came to Song Shiyu.

I might just be allergic to scums.

There weren't many people in the observatory due to it being a working day. Ji Fanyin was still feeling a little gleeful at having monopolized this popular telescope for so long, but the earlier event had ruined the mood. Thus, she said, "It really is a little cold here. Let's go."

However, Song Shiyu began staring at Ji Fanyin's face intently instead of walking away, as if he was trying to find something from her.

Ji Fanyin gave it some thought before offering her hand to him. "Do you want to hold my hand?"

She had a sudden recollection.

Ji Fanyin' was very fond of Song Shiyu. She desired his warmth and intimacy. Even an unintentional brushing of hands while passing over a cup could make her heart go wild.

She would have liked more than anything to hold hands with him, but Song Shiyu, despite seeing her as Ji Xinxin's substitute, refused to come into physical contact with her.

She was also too meek to voice her thoughts aloud.

Of course, even if Song Shiyu had learned about her humble desire for warmth and intimacy back then, he would have just snorted at her. He wouldn't cherish what came so easily.

It was ironic how the tables had turned. Song Shiyu was now the one who was greedy for warmth and intimacy. He had become the humble one in this relationship.

I wonder if Song Shiyu has noticed that this is karma yet.

Ji Fanyin smiled at the man who was looking at her with a hesitant frown, her hand still waiting in mid-air.

Let's see if you're thick-skinned enough to try it.

She had already thought of a countermeasure if he attempted to grab her hand. She would pull it back and brush him off with a joking 'But I don't want to hold your hand now. Heehee.'.

Several seconds ticked by. Song Shiyu raised his hand, only to swiftly pull it back. There was an awful look on his face. He stiffly turned his head away before hurriedly walking past Ji Fanyin, as if he was trying to flee the scene.

Ji Fanyin slipped her hand into her pocket and smiled at Song Shiyu from behind.

Not bad. It looks like you've finally managed to find your sense of shame. You finally know just how ugly you were.

But what's the point of realizing it now?

So many years have already passed. The person you have driven past the edge is no longer here.

Ji Fanyin began following Song Shiyu with leisurely footsteps.

Her boots produced a 'tak tak tak' rhythm against the tiles. It sounded like a bell being rung by a monk on the path to redemption.

When the two of them reached the doorway of the observatory, Song Shiyu suddenly halted his footsteps. Without turning to look at Ji Fanyin, he muttered softly, "I'm sorry."

Ji Fanyin looked at his tightly-clenched fists and asked, "What are you sorry for?"

"I just wanted to apologize to your older sister. I… didn't treat her well," said Song Shiyu with difficulty.

'Didn't treat her well'. That's putting it quite mildly.

Ji Fanyin answered him calmly, "Alright, I'll relay your words to big sis."

"… Do you think that she will forgive me?"

Ji Fanyin spent a few seconds earnestly contemplating that question before she answered, "I don't know. She'll have to hear your apology first."

Just that she's already dead. She can't hear anything now.

Either Ji Fanyin's remark had rendered him speechless or his overwhelming guilt had left him ashamed of himself, but Song Shiyu chose not to dwell on this topic.

He quietly drove Ji Fanyin back home even though it was only 10 P.M..

When Ji Fanyin noticed that they were heading toward her neighborhood instead of the Ji Residence, she kindly reminded him, "My house is not in this direction."

Song Shiyu ignored her and continued driving toward her neighborhood. When the car finally came to a halt, he leaned over and released her seatbelt for her.

"Goodnight," he said.

"Take care on your way back. Goodnight."

While saying those words, Ji Fanyin noticed a familiar male bracelet around Song Shiyu's wrist.

Where have I seen this before?

Ah.

It was the bracelet that she had given to him several months ago for work, only for him to smash it. She had chanced upon it while she was at his home, so she took it away with her for garbage disposal.

She was able to sell it for 200 dollars on an e-commerce website despite it being bent out of shape.

Does this mean that someone else gave him a similar bracelet? No… he bought it himself?

Regardless of whether Song Shiyu was wearing it as a statement or for some other reason, she decided to just feign ignorance. She turned her eyes away with an ambiguous smile and alighted from the car.

"Ji Fanyin," Song Shiyu called out to her from behind. He leaned out of the window and looked at her with a hesitant look on his face, afraid that he might face yet another rejection. "Can I… ask you out? I don't need you to be… anyone's substitute. You just have to be yourself."

Ji Fanyin turned around and smiled at him.

Sometimes, a silent smile can be the loudest rejection.

Sorry, but the person you're calling doesn't wish to bother with you. Don't bother trying again.

Song Shiyu was still fairly good at catching hints. He grasped the meaning behind her smile within a few seconds and wisely chose to seal his lips.

Ji Fanyin waved her hand at him and bade him farewell, "Byebye."

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

Song Shiyu looked like he still had things to say, but he chose not to waste anyone's time here. He quietly drove his car away.

Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch.

Not bad, I managed to get off work forty minutes in advance.

Ji Fanyin took a detour to the neighborhood's 24-hour convenience shop to grab some food. While waiting for the staff to wrap up her tea egg, she took out her phone to check on the notifications she had missed.

The thirteen reservation requests Bai Zhou had made filled her screen. Her bank account balance had increased by nearly 20,000,000 dollars.

Ji Fanyin thought about it and decided to only approve the reservation request Bai Zhou made for tomorrow. She rejected the other twelve requests and refunded him accordingly.

Her clients had been making reservations on and off, so an occasional full-day request wasn't that big of a deal to her. However, if she allowed Bai Zhou to do as he pleased, it wouldn't be long before she died of exhaustion.

She paid for her food via WeChat.

On her way back home, she sipped on her warm milk while thinking about how she could change the SOPs for her stand-in business.

First and foremost, I should deter such mass reservations from a single client. I won't be able to take it if I have to work 15 hours a day for an entire fortnight.

It's not like I have to push myself to that extent anymore.

Ji Fanyin roughly drafted up a proposal in her mind. When she got home, she tapped into her WeChat to look up the programmer who had made her reservation app.

While doing so, she noticed that Chen Yunsheng had sent her quite a few messages.

He said that it was his birthday, before proceeding to report his schedule for the day. He even posted pictures of what he ate for dinner.

He concluded his report with: 【Big sis, are you still at work? When will you be free? There's no need to reply to my messages if you're exhausted. Have a good rest. Goodnight】

Those words looked perfectly normal, but somehow, Ji Fanyin could sense Chen Yunsheng's inexplicable anticipation bursting through them. She glanced at the time and saw that there were twenty minutes left before the end of the day.

She began typing out a response to Chen Yunsheng, writing 'I've been busy the whole day', but after a moment of hesitation, she erased her words and went with a call instead.

While waiting for the call to be picked up, she settled down on her sofa and flipped open her laptop. She looked up the programmer's contact and sent him a nudge.

It isn't even midnight yet. Someone who abides by the 996 philosophy can't possibly be asleep.

Just as she had expected, the programmer swiftly responded with a 【?】.

She placed her phone on the table first and began typing out her request to the programmer.

She was on her second sentence when Chen Yunsheng finally picked up the call. His voice was a little muffled, like he was speaking under his blanket. "Who is it?"

Ji Fanyin answered with a smile, "Happy birthday."

There was a sharp inhalation of breath from the other side. It took Chen Yunsheng a second to snap out of his groggy state. "Big sis!"

Theft is never good, try looking at /37k7u89t.

Ji Fanyin quickly finished typing out her request and sent it over to the programmer. Now that her hands were free, she settled down on a stool and began taking off her earrings. As she did so, she glanced at her phone screen and noticed that it was completely dark.

"It's a video call," she told him with a chuckle.

Chen Yunsheng exclaimed with an "Ah!". There was slight chaos from the other side of the call, followed by a 'Pah!' sound. A dim yellow night light was switched on.

A young man with messy hair appeared on the phone screen. He adjusted the angle of the phone with a serious look, causing the video to shake around. When the video finally stabilized, he revealed a radiant smile and said, "I thought that I wouldn't hear from you today."

Ji Fanyin took a look at him and said, "Wrap yourself tightly in your blanket. Don't catch a cold."

Chen Yunsheng obediently pulled his blanket over and wrapped himself in it. "Were you working till now?"

"Yeah, I just saw your message. Luckily I made it before midnight," said Ji Fanyin. With her earrings in hand, she grabbed her phone and stood up. "I wasn't able to prepare anything for your birthday. How about a red packet?"

Chen Yunsheng shook his head and answered exuberantly, "I've already received the best present from you!"

Ji Fanyin noticed a clump of bed hair by the corner of his head. It swayed around with his vigorous head movement, but it simply refused to drop down, as if it had thoughts of its own. It was weirdly amusing.

She walked into one of the empty bedrooms and showed Chen Yunsheng the rows of accessory boxes she had on her dressing table. "Is it a lot?"

"Not at all! There's plenty of room for more!" answered Chen Yunsheng right away.

Ji Fanyin chuckled once again.

Even words intended to please felt very different coming from an innocent youth as compared to a relationship veteran.

Ji Fanyin brought the camera close up to one of the accessory boxes and asked, "What do you think is in there?"

Chen Yunsheng responded carefully, "The box looks flat… Is it bracelets?"

"Nope."

"Necklace?"

Ji Fanyin tilted her phone downward and back up to emulate a nodding action. "You're getting close."

Chen Yunsheng spent another few more seconds in thoughts, trying to gather whatever little knowledge he knew about female accessories. "Princess necklace?" (It's referring to the type of necklaces that rests nicely on the collar bone.)

Ji Fanyin's lips curled up in interest. Deciding not to tease the young man anymore, she pried open the lid to show it to him.

Sitting in the box was a golden medal with a basketball inscribed on it.

The medal's design wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing, but the feelings behind it were sincere. Thus, she chose to carefully stow it away.

There was a loud thud on the other side of the phone, as if something had been knocked over.

The screen spun around before finally halting on Chen Yunsheng, who was covering his face.

"Don't get so agitated," said Ji Fanyin as she closed the accessory box. "I'm just showing you that I've been keeping it well."

Chen Yunsheng turned his phone away from him, not wanting to show his furiously blushing face. He murmured weakly in protest, "… This is unfair."

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly before repeating her blessing, "Happy birthday."

She found joy in teasing the youth, somewhat similar to how she would poke fun at Song Shiyu from time to time. It was just that the former was innocent fun whereas the former was fueled by her inner wicked streak.

Well, both are quite entertaining anyway.

The clock soon struck midnight, and the youth's birthday came to an end. Ji Fanyin bade him farewell and hung up the video call. She returned to her laptop and noticed that she had already left the programmer hanging for ten minutes or so.

He asked: 【To summarize what you just said, you want to build a competitive bidding system on top of your current system, right?】

Ji Fanyin answered concisely: 【That's right】

The programmer replied with charismatic decisiveness: 【Got it. I'll draft out a journey map for you. Let's use the prices from our previous deal】

Ji Fanyin generously offered him a premium to rush out the function as soon as possible.

The amount she was paying wasn't much compared to the potential benefits she could earn from the bidding system.

The programmer was extremely efficient in his work. Within twenty minutes, the customer journey map was already sitting in Ji Fanyin's email.

The design of the reservation app was quite simple, modeled after movie ticketing apps. As long as a person was willing to pay for a certain seat, the ticket would go to him.

However, Bai Zhou's unusual purchasing habits earlier in the day alerted her to potential problems, so she decided to impose some restrictions.

Same as before, the user would first select a series of time slots to begin the reservation process. What was different was the additional option to select whether they would like to pay for the basic fee or increase it up to tenfold.

If another user hoped to occupy the same time slot, he had the option to pay a higher price so as to receive priority, making it somewhat like an auction. Of course, the original user also had the option to further raise his bid so as to not allow his reserved slot to be taken away.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

Other than that, she also reduced the time slots that could be reserved, from fifteen hours a day to ten hours a day, ranging from 11 A.M. to 9 P.M..

She didn't want to burn herself out from overworking, not to mention that she was slowly moving her priority toward the studio she had established with Zhang Ning.

Until my part-time job officially becomes a full-time job, I'll just have to do it this way.

An increase in prices was bound to lead to a decrease in demand, but she needed to adopt a business model that was feasible for her circumstances.

Ji Fanyin looked at the newly updated app and gave the matter some thought.

Hmm, my largest one-off income was still from the business trip I had with Bai Zhou to Greece. Is it possible that my salary might end up going up as my rich clients attempt to outbid each other?

"Why did you reject my reservation?"

Bai Zhou shoved this question onto Ji Fanyin the moment they met each other the following morning.

"What reservation?" asked Ji Fanyin innocently. "Did you forget to eat breakfast again? I prepared a sandwich for you."

"You even locked your schedule!" exclaimed Bai Zhou. He snatched the sandwich from Ji Fanyin's hand and glanced at it. "Did you agree to travel with someone else, just like how we went to Greece back then? I don't eat sandwiches bought from convenience shops!"

Ji Fanyin reached forth in an attempt to take her sandwich back. "I made extra this morning. Give it back to me if you don't want it."

Bai Zhou subconsciously twisted his body around to ward off Ji Fanyin's approaching hand. "I won't give it back to you even if I'm not going to eat it."

"Don't eat it then."

A quick look at /37k7u89t will leave you more fulfilled.

"Why should I listen to you?" Bai Zhou impatiently tore open the packaging and took a huge chomp off the sandwich. The next moment, he widened his eyes in surprise. He quickly glanced down to examine the ingredients in the sandwich.

The sandwich was specially prepared for Bai Zhou, so it went without saying that Ji Fanyin had chosen everything according to his preferences, be it the bread, filling, or sauce.

She placed her hands behind her back and asked him with a chuckle, "How is it? Delicious, right?"

Bai Zhou continued glaring at her as he quickly gobbled up the sandwich. Then, he clapped off the bread crumbs on his hands and said, "We won't be heading out today."

"Are your finals over?" asked Ji Fanyin as she got into a pair of slippers.

She wasn't too concerned with Bai Zhou's bad mood. It would be impossible for someone like him not to get mad after yesterday's incident.

"Not yet." Bai Zhou yawned as he began booting up two computers. "I've already done my revision. You don't need to worry about me."

It was ridiculous that a university student was living alone in such a huge apartment. It was also hard to comprehend why he needed to have two computers and a laptop on top of that.

He's a fiery-tempered thug when he goes out, and a fiery-tempered shut-in when he holes himself up at home. He probably squanders most of his time at home gaming.

Ji Fanyin only had a thought in mind when she saw how smoothly Bai Zhou started up his two computers in preparation for idling his whole day away: The current generation of university students sure lives decadently.

While Bai Zhou was adjusting his seat, his phone suddenly started vibrating a couple of times. It eventually culminated into a phone call.

As his phone was placed right in front of Ji Fanyin, she subconsciously glanced at it and saw the caller's name. It wasn't a familiar name, but judging by the intimate nickname, it appeared to be one of his same-aged friends.

"Pass it over," said Bai Zhou.

Ji Fanyin eyed the literal arm's length distance between Bai Zhou and his phone, but she still patiently delivered it into his hand with a smile.

Bai Zhou had a relaxed expression when he first picked it up, but seconds later, his face turned cold. "Send it to me."

After saying those four words, he hung up the phone, rose from his seat, and walked out of the room.

"Feel free to watch whatever you want on the computer. I'll be right back."

Ji Fanyin leisurely checked out what was on the computer before entertaining herself with a simple round of spider solitaire.

Bai Zhou was away for quite a while, returning only around half an hour later. In the meantime, Ji Fanyin made her way over to the refrigerator, took out a couple of fruits, and prepared a beautiful fruit platter. She stationed the fruit platter in between the two computers.

Bai Zhou's refrigerator was oddly full as if he had just gone on a shopping spree. It didn't take long for Ji Fanyin to figure out what was going on.

He probably thought that he had secured the next two weeks of my reservation, so he prepared the ingredients in advance.

A quick look at /37k7u89t will leave you more fulfilled.

Bai Zhou's complexion looked awful. With his phone still in hand, he looked at Ji Fanyin for a moment before explaining, "Someone uploaded the incident in the restaurant yesterday on the internet."

Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes innocently, "Incident? What happened yesterday?"

Every single one of her 'Ji Xinxins' was customized and tailored to her client's needs. Bai Zhou's version shouldn't have known about the events that had happened in Song Shiyu's version. How could a professional like her possibly mix up different versions of 'Ji Xinxin'?

Besides… whether something had been uploaded to the internet or not wasn't that much of a deal to her.

Whenever her name appeared in a forum in her previous world, the threads would easily stack up to form a skyscraper. She was a veteran who had survived the battlefield many times.

That mild exchange they had yesterday was no big deal to her. It wouldn't hurt her in the least.

If our conversation yesterday got leaked… is the culprit the lady who was doing a mukbang stream? She shouldn't have been able to catch us in her video given her camera's angle, so there shouldn't be any problem here.

Bai Zhou: "…"

He took a deep breath to suppress his anger before continuing on, "Take a look yourself."

He placed his phone in front of Ji Fanyin, which showed a video recently uploaded by a beauty and food streamer. Ji Fanyin picked up the phone and played the video.

There were no faces in the video and the background was rather noisy, though the streamer's voice was recorded rather clearly. Even with the volume set to max, one could only vaguely hear the conversation among the three of them.

Of course, there was no lack of talents amongst netizens. There were already warm-hearted individuals who had transcribed their conversation and posted it in the comment section.

Ji Fanyin scrolled down to browse through the diverse comments. She thought that they were pretty interesting.

The video had gone viral on the internet. Since Bai Zhou's friends were able to recognize his voice, there might be people out there who could recognize all three of their voices…

… though one shouldn't forget that Ji Fanyin was working back then. She wasn't speaking with her usual voice but imitating Ji Xinxin's speech.

Even if those who were familiar with the two of them were to stumble upon the video, they would only think that the woman in it was Ji Xinxin.

This makes things quite interesting. For one, what would the other fishes in Ji Xinxin's fishery think upon seeing the video?

Or if Ji Xinxin were to see the video herself, what would she deduce from it?

If not for the TPO, Ji Fanyin would have rubbed her hands together to express her anticipation.

"I'm going to report the video uploader and make her remove the video," said Bai Zhou with a frown. "This is a violation of my privacy!"

"The video has already been shared so many times. It won't be easy to remove it now," said Ji Fanyin as she patted the seat next to her. "There's no need to go through that much trouble. News comes and goes quickly on the internet. The video will lose steam soon enough."

How could a video that only contained a couple of voices possibly remain popular for long?

The deep furrow on Bai Zhou's forehead still showed no signs of loosening. "But others might recognize us through it!"

"Are you worried?" asked Ji Fanyin.

Bai Zhou pulled out the chair and sat down. "I'm not worried about that buffoon Song Shiyu or myself. I'm worried about you!"

"I wouldn't be worried if I was the woman in the video," replied Ji Fanyin as she began booting up the game. "Don't you think that she knows what she's doing?"

Bai Zhou fell silent. He let out a disdainful snort before reaching out to grab his mouse.

Ji Xinxin's gaming skills were, to put it mildly, unflattering. Even Ji Fanyin and her flawless acting had stumbled once due to it. She honestly didn't think that Ji Xinxin would be such a terrible gamer.

She had never felt more like a damsel in distress than during the gaming sessions with Bai Zhou.

She logged into one of Bai Zhou's alternate accounts and received an invitation request from his main account right away.

In her peripheral vision, she keenly noticed that someone else had requested to join Bai Zhou's squad, but he ignored the request and went ahead to queue for Duo mode.

With a hand on the keyboard and a hand on the mouse, Ji Fanyin swiftly entered what she called 'Newbie Gamer Ji Xinxin' mode.

It was no easy feat for Bai Zhou to advance in the game with a huge baggage tying him down, though Ji Fanyin noticed that his skills had improved considerably.

Seems like humans do grow in the face of adversity.

While Ji Fanyin was crouching in the bushes, Bai Zhou entered a nearby building to scavenge for resources.

Around two minutes later, Ji Fanyin suddenly heard a voice coming from Bai Zhou's computer. It was filled with surprise and delight. "Zhouzhou?"

Those words were relayed through all chat, which meant that everyone in the vicinity would be able to hear it, friend or foe. There was only one other person in the world who would address Bai Zhou with that pet name.

What's with this coincidence? Did we really get queued into the same match as Ji Xinxin?

Ji Fanyin was bemused yet entertained by this unexpected development. She began scanning her vicinity from the safety of the bushes, and she soon spotted three avatars standing by a nearby window.

One was Ji Xinxin and one was Bai Zhou.

Who's the third person?

With a quick glance at Bai Zhou, Ji Fanyin was able to quickly figure out what was going on.

Is that third person the man whom Ji Xinxin boldly brought along with her during her gaming sessions with Bai Zhou? Is this what he has been feeling troubled over?

Ji Fanyin equipped the 98K she had picked up and took aim at one of the two foreign avatars, which could have either belonged to Ji Xinxin or her male companion. Without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

Ji Xinxin's shocked exclamation echoed from Bai Zhou's computer, "Someone is sniping us! I'll help my teammate first."

The avatar Ji Fanyin shot down wasn't Ji Xinxin's.

So, she turned her scope toward the other avatar that most definitely belonged to Ji Xinxin.

When you're just trying to make great content at /37k7u89t.

Ji Xinxin was truly horrible at the game. Despite knowing that there was a sniper on them, she made no attempt to take cover when helping her teammate up.

After stabilizing her aim, Ji Fanyin pulled the trigger and eliminated Ji Xinxin with a headshot.

Consider this a gift from 'Ji Fanyin'.

She wouldn't actually kill Ji Xinxin in real life, but there was no harm getting back at her in the game.

Everything had happened too quickly. The two snipes occurred within seconds of each other, and both were deadly headshots.

Bai Zhou only understood what was going on when the second gunshot sounded. "Wait a―"

A system notification announcing that Bai Zhou's alternate account had killed two people popped up.

After claiming those two heads, Ji Fanyin took off her headphones and looked at Bai Zhou with innocent eyes. "Wow, I was really accurate with those two shots."

…

Bai Zhou knew that Ji Fanyin was feigning ignorance. He stared at her for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the game.

He felt a tinge of glee when she had eliminated Kitty, but as for Ji Xinxin…

Maybe Ji Xinxin isn't as important as Ji Fanyin is to me anymore.

Bai Zhou was shocked by the conclusion that inexplicably arose in his mind.

He soon received a text message from Ji Xinxin on his phone: 【Who's playing with you on your alternate account? Why did he shoot me too?】

Bai Zhou glanced at his phone and quickly typed out a reply with a frown: 【She didn't do it on purpose】

It was only after he sent out the message that he noticed a seemingly subtle yet glaringly conspicuous difference in their usage of terms.

Ji Xinxin had used the noun 'he' whereas he had responded with a 'she'.

He tossed his mouse aside in frustration.

… Ji Xinxin is going to guess it.

Just as he had expected, the next message Ji Xinxin sent in was: 【Zhouzhou, didn't you promise me that you wouldn't meet with my big sis anymore?】

Ji Xinxin stared at her phone intently.

There was no response from Bai Zhou, just like how he had ignored her request to join his squad earlier. He was like a little kid throwing a tantrum, thinking that the problem would magically disappear by ignoring it.

This was the kind of person Bai Zhou was.

Obstinate and immature.

Ji Xinxin had to spend quite a bit of effort to win him over back then. She knew that she should use a gentle attitude to placate him before casting out her doubts. That was the safest way to deal with him.

A day had passed since their last phone call, but she felt like a fishbone was stuck in her throat every time she thought about it.

'Are you going to fulfill your promise to become my girlfriend?'

She clearly remembered what he had said back then. Having a good memory was important for a King of the Seas, especially if one was treading on a thin rope like her.

Her character could quickly crumble if she mixed up what she had said to different people. There was no way she would forget it if she had mentioned a key phrase like 'girlfriend'.

She was absolutely certain that she had never said anything along that line to Bai Zhou. If so, what could those words he had blurted out mean?

Not to mention, Bai Zhou has been meeting Ji Fanyin in private all this while…

Ji Xinxin was extremely tempted to press the 'Call' button, but she decided against it.

Ji Fanyin is beside Bai Zhou right now. She'll be able to overhear our conversation if I call him now. That'll be disadvantageous to me.

"What's wrong?" the French man sitting beside her asked concernedly. "I was just unlucky to get sniped. Shall we play another round with your younger brother?"

Ji Xinxin turned her head over and smiled at the man. "He's playing with another friend. Give me a while, I'll get a cup of water."

She grabbed her empty cup and her phone and left the room. In the quiet kitchen, she sent another message to Bai Zhou: 【Do you still remember the promise you made with me? You can't treat my big sis as my substitute just because I'm not around】

This time, Bai Zhou answered her message: 【It's not because you aren't around】

Ji Xinxin stared at those six words intently.

What does Bai Zhou mean by this? It's not because I'm not around?

Is he talking about the reason why he's still meeting with Ji Fanyin?

What other reasons could he have if it's not because he feels lonely and needs a substitute?

Ji Xinxin closed her eyes and took a while to calm her bursting emotions. Then, she opened her eyes and started crafting a reply: 【You still haven't explained what happened last time. When did I agree to become your girlfriend?】

Bai Zhou's reply came in quickly: 【Who is Kitty?】

The shorter the sentence, the bigger the problem.

The moment that concise question appeared before her eyes, Ji Xinxin felt a lurch in her. She knew that there was a possibility that Bai Zhou might find out about it, but she was confident in her means. She thought that she had done a good job hiding it from him.

More importantly, she didn't think that Bai Zhou would confront her over this.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

It was almost as if he was prepared to sever their relationship.

Ji Xinxin grabbed her cup and took a big gulp. The icy water made her shudder.

Calm down, this isn't a checkmate yet. I can still salvage the situation. Bai Zhou is just angry. As long as I placate his anger, I'll be able to slowly win him back…

Ji Xinxin was just about to answer Bai Zhou's question when another female roommate passing by the kitchen suddenly called out to her, "Babe!"

Ji Xinxin jolted in fright. She turned to the female roommate and asked, "Yes?"

"You…" Despite having called her, the female roommate hesitated in getting to the main topic. "Didn't you return to China a while ago? Did you meet with your boyfriend?"

JI Xinxin was surprised to hear that. "I don't have a boyfriend."

The innocent roommate heaved a sigh of relief. "That means that you aren't dating other people, right? That's a relief! I knew that you can't be the one in the video, but Lil' Yu simply wouldn't believe it."

This female roommate and her boyfriend were currently staying under the same roof as Ji Xinxin. She was studying the same course as Ji Xinxin and respected her greatly.

Lil' Yu was none other than her boyfriend.

"What video?" Ji Xinxin's intuition began ringing warning bells in her head.

"It's this." That female roommate quickly searched up a video and showed it to Ji Xinxin. "It recently appeared in my feed. The woman in the video has a voice identical to yours!"

She turned up the volume of the video as she spoke.

It was a two-minute-long video. As the key to the video lay in the background voices, the person who edited the video made sure to add subtitles.

Ji Xinxin's eyes had already turned livid from the moment she heard the words 'What a coincidence'.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

That's Bai Zhou's voice.

And the following 'Let's go' is Song Shiyu's voice.

It's possible for the two of them to encounter each other since they live in the same city, but why would Bai Zhou greet Song Shiyu? Even if the two of them were to bump into each other, they wouldn't be bothered to spare a glance at each other, let alone engage in a conversation.

Furthermore, my roommate mentioned 'woman' earlier, which shows that there's a third party present.

Ji Xinxin continued watching the video with an unchanging smile on her lips.

But when she heard a sweet voice identical to hers stabbing daggers into Bai Zhou's heart, she found herself unable to maintain her smile any longer. If not for the fact that she was certain she hadn't said those words, she would have thought that the woman in the video was her!

"Don't you think that it really sounds like you?" the female roommate asked excitedly. "I was shocked when I first heard it!"

"I'm feeling pretty shocked too." Ji Xinxin was stunned for a moment before asking with a smile, "Does this audio recording have a video to it?"

"Nay, there's only the audio recording. Based on what I heard, the streamer who recorded this conversation chanced upon this drama at a restaurant near your home. Don't you think that it's a huge coincidence?"

"… It really is," replied Ji Xinxin as she returned the phone to the female roommate. She pointed to the stairs and said, "Liam is still waiting for me. I'll head up first."

The female roommate didn't sense anything wrong with Ji Xinxin. She waved her hand innocently and said, "Alright! I'll call you down when I'm done preparing dinner."

Ji Xinxin trudged the stairs with her cup in hand as she quickly revised all of the clues she had gathered thus far.

She was certain that Ji Fanyin was her older sister because the 'Ji Fanyin' in her dreams wouldn't stoop down to becoming a mere substitute.

There's no way that 'Ji Fanyin' would do something so demeaning. It's not as if she could gain anything out of it!

… There aren't enough clues for me to work with.

After careful contemplation, Ji Xinxin decided not to contact Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, or Ji Fanyin to ask about it.

She suddenly recalled that during the period of time she returned to China, Cen Xiangyang had requested to meet her, saying that he had an extremely important secret to tell her. She eventually chose not to meet him, and Cen Xiangyang didn't bother contacting her afterward.

Thinking that this might be somewhat related to everything else, Ji Xinxin decided to call up Cen Xiangyang.

To be frank, she wasn't fond of interacting with Cen Xiangyang. Trying to maintain her image of a 'weak and innocent lamb' before him was quite mentally exhausting, and it often left her feeling rather uncomfortable.

However, if she wanted to acquire any information from him, she had no choice but to take the initiative to contact him.

She spent a while mentally preparing herself before hitting the 'Call' button.

"Xinxin?" Cen Xiangyang's surroundings were as noisy as always. "You're looking for me?"

"I just saw the news about your new movie on the internet, so I wanted to call to check on how our great director is faring." Ji Xinxin began chatting about mundane stuff. "Why don't I drop by your set if an opportunity arises in the future?"

Cen Xiangyang chuckled softly and said, "You said the same thing the last time too. You still owe me a visit."

"I wanted to drop by, but I ended up getting bogged down with work!" Ji Xinxin protested coyly. "You know how short my Christmas break is. My family just had to arrange lots of things for me to do, and I can't neglect my school work either. Haa, I didn't think that I'd be this busy either. Good news though, I applied for a program that would allow me to return to China next semester. I've already got it all sorted out, so I should have plenty of free time then!"

"Oh?" Cen Xiangyang asked with a laugh. "I'll be expecting gifts when you visit then."

"Of course! I'll make sure to bring lots of food as an apology for breaking my promise!"

Ji Xinxin chatted with Cen Xiangyang for a while before suddenly letting out a yawn. She used it as an opportunity to change the topic and casually asked, "Now that I think about it, didn't you say that you have a secret to tell me the last time I came back? What is it?"

"Secret?" Cen Xiangyang muttered mysteriously. "I thought you weren't interested in it."

"Don't keep me in suspense," Ji Xinxin gently urged him to divulge the secret. "Does it have anything to do with me?"

"Before I let you in on the secret, you have to answer a question of mine first."

"Alright, go ahead."

"The last time you returned to the country, you met Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and Li Xiaoxing, but not me, right?"

Cen Xiangyang spoke with a slow and leisurely pace, but Ji Xinxin felt as if she was watched by a pair of sinister eyes through the phone, rendering her completely immobile.

She gulped down her saliva before meekly responding, "Are you still angry with me? I promise you. I'll make sure to meet you first the next time I return to the country, alright?"

Instead of answering her question, Cen Xiangyang continued with his casual voice, "Are you aware that those men who have been chasing after you are on the verge of being taken away by your big sis?"

"My big sis?" Ji Xinxin tried her best to make herself sound as confused as possible. "How is my big sis involved in this?"

"Your big sis is making money off you," Cen Xiangyang replied with a trace of mirth in his voice. "Let's see. Professional stand-in, 100,000 dollars per hour."

The final missing puzzle piece finally fell in place, completing the picture in Ji Xinxin's head.

Ji Xinxin clutched her phone tightly. "What… do you mean by that?"

…

Ji Xinxin could hardly remember how she ended the call. For a long time after that, she sat in a daze with her hand wrapped tightly around her phone.

She found her own fingers automatically tapping into her WeChat, scrolling all the way down till she was faced with the profile picture she would make sure to tap into once every three days.

The frighteningly familiar profile picture suddenly looked frighteningly foreign.

With trembling fingers, she tapped on the 'Call' button.

Every passing second felt like torture to her.

When her call was finally answered, she finally let out the breath she had been holding and meekly called out, "Big sis?"

The woman on the other end of the call answered impassively, "What?"

"… Are you really my big sis?" asked Ji Xinxin softly.

Her voice was suppressed to the lowest level as if she was afraid of jolting awake the terrifying monster known as the truth.

"Ah." The woman on the other end of the call laughed. "You've finally gotten it."

"…" Ji Xinxin was quiet for a few seconds before she asked quietly, "Where's my big sis?"

If the person she was talking to right now was the other 'Ji Fanyin', where could the Ji Fanyin whom she had envied, feared, suppressed, and crushed over the years be?

"Is that any of your concern?" asked Ji Fanyin.

"Tell me!" Ji Xinxin roared. "I am her younger sister. I have the right to know how she's faring!"

Her outburst couldn't faze the woman on the other end of the call.

The other 'Ji Fanyin' answered with a hint of contempt in her voice, "You're awfully concerned about your older sister despite being the one who forced her off the edge."

"Forced her… off the edge?" Ji Xinxin didn't notice that her voice had started quivering.

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly in response.

Ji Xinxin could hear the derision dripping from her laughter.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

"You don't get it! A person who has everything like you will never understand why I did that!" Ji Xinxin screamed. "Do you think that you're any different from me? You're no nobler than I am!"

"You're right. I don't think of myself as a noble person either," answered Ji Fanyin calmly. "But at least I haven't fallen to the level of crushing my older sister's brilliance and forcing her to her death."

Ji Xinxin trembled under her blanket, but Ji Fanyin wasn't done yet.

"Ji Xinxin, you have a hand in 'Ji Fanyin's' death."

With a loud 'ka!', the phone was hung up.

Ji Fanyin found herself achieving a state of inner peace after having crushed someone's spirit.

For the first time, Ji Xinxin had torn off her mask and erupted. Was it out of love? Hatred? A sliver of warped kinship amongst jealousy and fear?

In any case, Ji Fanyin couldn't care less. She didn't have the right to forgive anyone in 'Ji Fanyin's' place anyway.

At this very moment, she was standing at the bottom floor of Bai Zhou's apartment, waiting for her cab to arrive. Bai Zhou had offered to send her home, saying that it was getting late, but she declined the offer.

Thinking about it, Ji Xinxin's call did come at the perfect timing. She wouldn't have been able to receive it if the other party had called ten minutes earlier.

Ji Xinxin was still confused about my identity the last time we talked. What could have happened for her to suddenly stumble upon the truth?

I guess the earlier in-game incident might be one of the causes, but even if she knows that I have met with Bai Zhou… Ah, there's that video in the brunch restaurant too. But even if she saw that and guessed that I'm in the midst of raiding her fishery, a normal person still wouldn't have concluded that I'm a transmigrator.

She must have received another important piece of news during this period of time.

Also, in her parting message, she said that I was no nobler than her. If those words were referring to my job…

… that would make perfect sense too.

Here comes the question. I've made sure to keep my job confidential, such that only a selected handful of people knows about it. I'm not the one who leaked it, and it isn't Bai Zhou either. That leaves Song Shiyu, Li Xiaoxing, and…

Cen Xiangyang.

Having found the suspect who divulged her information, Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes contemplatively. She subscribed to the adage 'know a person not through his words but his actions'.

Cen Xiangyang must have his reasons for informing Ji Xinxin about her stand-in job. From this, it was possible to make deductions on his goals.

Ji Fanyin suddenly felt vibrations from the phone in her pocket. She reluctantly fished her phone out of her pocket and took a look.

Bai Zhou had sent her a message asking if she had gotten on a cab yet.

She raised her head to look at the highest level of the apartment, but shortly after, she slipped her hands back into her warm and cozy pockets, choosing not to respond to his message.

Soon, a white sedan car slowed to a halt in front of her.

Ji Fanyin pulled the door open and entered the car. She switched on the heater for the back seats before exhaling deeply in relief. Then, she took out her phone and tapped into her WeChat.

Is there anything I need to do with regards to Ji Xinxin right now?

… Probably not.

Ji Fanyin knew what fishes Ji Xinxin was rearing in her fishery. There were only two people whom Ji Xinxin could count on right now.

One was Cen Xiangyang, who was patiently waiting for Ji Xinxin to approach him for help so that he could get something out of her. The other was Li Xiaoxing, who was already under Ji Fanyin's control.

Will Ji Xinxin choose the safer route and go for the powerful and affluent Li Xiaoxing, or will she choose to go with wild card Cen Xiangyang?

Ji Fanyin loosened her scarf a little before chuckling softly to herself.

Actually, it doesn't matter at all.

Regardless of Ji Xinxin's choice, the true trump card here is Li Xiaoxing.

If she chooses Cen Xiangyang, I'll use Li Xiaoxing to strike her down. If she chooses Li Xiaoxing, I'll still use Li Xiaoxing to strike her down.

It was already midnight by the time she reached home, so she decided to drop by the convenience shop to buy herself some oden.

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

The night-shift employee looked at her and asked, "996?"

"Fifteen hours a day," replied Ji Fanyin.

The night-shift employee shot her a look of pity.

"But once my company's system finishes upgrading," Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before continuing on, "my working hours will be reduced to at most 10 hours a day."

The night-shift employee felt even more sympathy for her.

She smiled at the employee before leaving the store with a cup of oden and warm milk.

996 is a reference to Jack Ma's remark that young people should seek to work from 9 A.M. to 9P.M., 6 days a week. It's a common phrase used amongst netizens, at least when it comes to overworking.

It was a short distance from the convenience store to Ji Fanyin's house, but she took her time walking back while enjoying her oden. After she finished her food, she tossed the empty cup into the nearest trash bin.

It was around then that she spotted a car stopped in front of her apartment building. Its interior lights were on, indicating that someone was inside.

Are they here for me?

Ji Fanyin eyed the car with raised eyebrows. She casually reached into her pocket and took out her warm milk. She twisted its cap and took a huge gulp of it.

Drinking warm milk in this frosty environment feels amazing.

She decided to ignore the car and head straight into her apartment building.

However, as she walked by, two individuals rushed out of the car, and one of them hollered, "Stop!"

Ji Fanyin turned around and assessed the two individuals for two seconds. She was able to recognize them much faster this time around.

It's Father Ji and Mother Ji.

It looks like I've underestimated Ji Xinxin. I never thought that she would dish out this set of lousy cards first. I can't even put my trump card, Li Xiaoxing, to use here.

Oh well, it's no biggie. I just need to dish out a few face slaps and send them packing.

"You have business with me?" Ji Fanyin asked nonchalantly with her warm milk in hand. "Who told you I was living here?"

Security in minor residential areas like the one she was living in was practically just for show. It wasn't that surprising that they would allow outsiders like Father Ji and Mother Ji in.

Theft is never good, try looking at /37k7u89t.

The real issue here was how the two of them managed to get hold of her address.

Furthermore, it was nearly 1 A.M. by now. The two of them wouldn't camp here till this ungodly hour if they weren't up to something.

"It was your delivery address," replied Mother Ji with a slight frown. "We only found out about it recently. We happened to pass by the area today, so we came over to see how you're doing."

With a hand in her pocket and the other grabbing a milk bottle, Ji Fanyin tilted her head and replied, "As you can see, my limbs are intact. What else do you want?"

Father Ji and Mother Ji were known to be a foolish duo. To be more exact, they were just… ordinary people.

They got greedy over the littlest things. They fooled others and got fooled by others. Mistakes that other humans would commit, they were fallible to them too.

Even though Ji Fanyin had hardly looked through 'her' memories, she knew that those two had believed at least 70 to 80% of Ji Xinxin's lies. By the time Ji Xinxin was recovering from her illness, she already knew how important it was to secure her parents' support and authority.

She told 'Ji Fanyin' that sisters should share everything, including their accomplishments, only to turn around and 'share' those accomplishments ahead of 'Ji Fanyin', leading everyone to think that she was the talented one of the two sisters.

Similar to the fable of 'The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountain', she started her deed from the seemingly smallest things.

Ji Xinxin didn't just abruptly rise to prominence in her social circles. These were all the fruits of the relationships she had carefully managed over the course of many years.

When Father Ji's business started declining in recent years, she tapped into her connection of fishes to help him out. This further elevated her standing in the Ji Family.

It eventually came to a point where no one remembered the amazing talent 'Ji Fanyin' displayed in her younger years. Even if they did have an impression of it, their evaluation of her was probably something like 'That child wasn't fond of speaking when she was younger, but she seemed pretty smart back then. Ahh, but those who are smart as children don't necessarily remain smart as adults…' or 'Probably just another Fang Zhongyong, I reckon'.

'Ji Fanyin' was simply too sensitive and thought too much into things. That was why she lost to Ji Xinxin. This was a common problem amongst prodigies.

Even a random passer-by grabbed off the street could easily name talented actors, singers, and artists who eventually fell into depression and committed suicide.

"Yinyin, won't you come home with us?" asked Mother Ji. She glanced at her husband before continuing on, "The apartment houses are small and stifling. You'll feel much more comfortable at home, and there'll be maids to help you clean up too. Come home with us, alright?"

"I refuse," replied Ji Fanyin. She tilted her head quizzically and asked, "I don't think that either of you have paid me any heed when I left. For the two of you to be suddenly calling me back, you must have finally discovered a use for me."

"You aren't young anymore. It's time for you to get married," grumbled Father Ji with a darkened face. He was perfectly playing the role of the bad cop. "I've already chosen the ideal husband for you. Stop hanging out with whatever rotten company you're associating yourself with and return home!"

"Why don't you ask Ji Xinxin instead? She looks much more interested in marriage," asked Ji Fanyin curiously.

"Do you think that the two of you are the same?" roared Father Ji. "You have always bullied your younger sister even when the two of you were still children. You stole her stuff and made her fall ill. She always pleaded with us not to tell you, but you refused to learn your lesson. You owe it to her!"

Ji Fanyin calmly listened to his words as she took a sip of milk.

I see.

There were no such memories in 'Ji Fanyin's' mind. Ji Xinxin had been feeding lies to Father Ji and Mother Ji before coaxing them to keep them a secret. This way, she could secretly worsen their impression of 'Ji Fanyin'.

Those who were terrible at words and observing the atmosphere tended to be vulnerable against such petty tricks.

In a story written by a politician and author in Southern Song, Fang Zhongyong was an incredibly smart child dubbed to be a 'child prodigy' in his town. However, his father refused to allow him to go to school, saying that he was already smart and didn't learn, so he ended up growing up to become an average person.

Ji Fanyin let out a sigh and said, "I have no interest in playing this marriage game with you."

"Yinyin, it's time for you to start growing up. Can't you learn from your younger sister?" Mother Ji stepped forward and played the role of the good cop. With a worried frown, she said, "Your father has been wanting to look for you over the past few months, but your younger sister has been pleading on your behalf, saying that you know how to take care of yourself. That's why we have been refraining ourselves from interfering in your business."

"You seem to have gotten your lines wrong. It should be 'We have been wanting to drag you back home so that you can marry the man we've chosen for you'," Ji Fanyin corrected her.

"You've always been like this." Mother Ji sighed sorrowfully. "You have changed ever since Xinxin fell ill. You didn't want to stay by her side when she was lying in a coma in the hospital. Do you remember how weak she was when she was first discharged from the hospital? You really shouldn't have tried to steal her credit back then. I know that you might be jealous of…"

Ji Fanyin was able to sieve out an important piece of news from Mother Ji's babbling.

Ji Xinxin was in a coma back when she was in the hospital? How was she able to visit Li Xiaoxing and build up his confidence then?

She continued sipping on her milk as she started looking through the sealed memories of 'Ji Fanyin's' childhood. These were the memories that even 'Ji Fanyin' herself had buried in the depths of her mind.

Then, she discovered something that could have only happened in the lousiest of cliché melodramas.

That dumb Li Xiaoxing had recognized the wrong person as his benefactor. The two of them were truly an interesting pair; one boldly claimed credit for something she didn't do and the other one foolishly took her word for it.

"… You might not understand why we're saying all of this, but we're doing this for your own good!"

Mother Ji was still carrying on her tearful speech, just that not a single word got through to its recipient. Ji Fanyin was a believer in actions, not words.

"I recently earned a bit of money from my part-time work. Should I transfer some of it to you?" Ji Fanyin casually waved her hand at the couple. "While the two of you could hardly be said to be good parents, I have to acknowledge that you have never disadvantaged 'me' materially before."

'Ji Fanyin' did receive a steady stream of living allowance, and she was given a fairly inexpensive car too. It was nowhere in comparison to the privileges Ji Xinxin received, but it was still a fair bit.

She was perfectly fine with squandering her money as long as it had once entered her bank account. The 'Temptation of Home' app had recorded down the numbers, and spending the money afterward wouldn't undo the progress she had already made.

"I don't care whether you're willing or not, but you're coming back with us today!" Father Ji rolled up his sleeves. "I don't believe that I can't deal with an unfilial daughter like you!"

Ji Fanyin quietly took two steps back. She whipped out her phone and showed them the screen. It was the phone number of the local police station, accessible with just a single tap.

Father Ji's face grew even more livid. "Do you think that the police would bother with this kind of household matter?"

"Unscrupulous parents forcing their working daughter to marry a complete stranger… Don't you think that it would invite gossip once it gets on the internet?" Ji Fanyin wasn't intimidated by him in the least. "Besides, such a matter would probably cause quite a stir in your social circle once the police get involved. Weren't you hoping for Ji Xinxin to marry into the Bai Family or the Li Family? They might just think twice about becoming in-laws with you."

Father Ji glared at Ji Fanyin. "You're threatening me?"

Ji Fanyin smiled at him and replied, "You're the one who is threatening me."

She pointed toward the ceiling of the nearest apartment building, where a CCTV camera was installed.

Father Ji had an aggrieved look on his face. With a cold harrumph, he turned around and took his leave.

Mother Ji quickly chased after him. Before getting into the car, she didn't forget to direct a grudging look at Ji Fanyin.

Ji Fanyin shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly before getting into the lift.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

It's about time for me to move houses. I should switch to one that's larger, more expensive, and upholds a high level of resident confidentiality. At the very least, the caretaker should be similar to the one at Bai Zhou's apartment.

It was a little ironic how Father Ji and Mother Ji came here to cause a ruckus, only to achieve nothing and instead deliver new intelligence to her. It was just that this piece of intelligence was useless to her at this current stage.

Li Xiaoxing got the wrong person?

That's none of my business. Even if I'm going to divulge the truth to him, now is not the time for it yet. I haven't even gotten a chance to play my trump card yet.

Ah, I could let Ji Xinxin in on it though. It would surely send her into a state of panic.

It was at that very moment that her phone rang.

What a coincidence. I must have unintentionally cued him with my earlier thoughts. Did he sneeze as well?

Ji Fanyin walked out of the lift and picked up his call.

"Hello, Mr. Li." She looked at her watch before carrying on, "It's 1 A.M. right now."

"I know," replied Li Xiaoxing with his usual deep voice. "I need an hour."

The new update to her reservation app wasn't up yet, so she decided to charge this phone call based on her old fee structure.

"What happened?" asked Ji Fanyin as she unlocked her apartment door. "Was there a huge change in her attitude?"

"… Yes," answered Li Xiaoxing concisely.

Ji Fanyin nodded with an "Oh".

It looks like Ji Xinxin understands the importance of engaging in a multi-pronged approach to deal with problems. She contacted Father and Mother Ji and talked to Li Xiaoxing about it. My guess is that she has also reached a common understanding with Cen Xiangyang too.

But what about it?

She still doesn't know that Li Xiaoxing is one of my clients or that the lies she has uttered to him have already been exposed to me.

The pitiful one in the relationship appears to be Li Xiaoxing now, but it could very well become Ji Xinxin at the end.

It's almost like a toxic dating sim game, though I must say, it's quite entertaining too.

If this is really a dating sim, I guess I would be the player controlling 'Control Freak' Li Xiaoxing to win over 'King of the Seas' Ji Xinxin.

The notion amused Ji Fanyin so much that she let out a chuckle.

"… What are you laughing at?"

"Isn't this good news?" asked Ji Fanyin. "It's about time for your relationship to change. Things have been too static between the two of you thus far. If I'm not wrong, she could be undergoing some sort of turmoil and is feeling uneasy at the moment. That's why she hopes to find support in you."

"So, I don't have to do anything?" asked Li Xiaoxing.

"You can choose to enjoy the situation," said Ji Fanyin. "Relishing her dependence and goodwill is an option you can pick. However, you can also further stoke her unease by choosing not to accept her feelings. It'll prompt her to focus her attention on you."

Li Xiaoxing fell silent.

A moment later, he spoke with a placid tone, "The latter, how do I go about it?"

Ji Fanyin thought that Li Xiaoxing's personality was rather warped too.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

Maybe it was his innate nature. Maybe his inability to control his legs drove his desire to control everything else around him. Maybe it was both.

In any case, she thought that Li Xiaoxing didn't pale to Ji Xinxin in terms of psychopathic tendencies.

Ji Fnayin spent half an hour breaking down Ji Xinxin's trains of thought for him and explaining how he could deal with various situations. In order to make sure that he got the gist of it, she even conducted a surprise pop quiz, "So, what's the most important thing of all?"

"… I mustn't make any promise to her." Li Xiaoxing was a good student.

"That's right." Ji Fanyin nodded in satisfaction.

She was just about to conclude the class when Li Xiaoxing suddenly added, "Just like how she treated me in the past."

Ji Fanyin picked up her electric toothbrush and examined the face reflected in the mirror. As long as she controlled her expressions well, she could blur the differences between her and Ji Xinxin.

Similarly, she could also portray herself as 'Ji Fanyin'.

Ji Fanyin stared at her own eyes in the mirror as she asked, "Mr Li, do you intend to marry Ji Xinxin after you conquer her?"

"Of course," replied Li Xiaoxing calmly. "I love her."

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. "It's about time. Goodnight, Mr Li. There'll be some adjustments to my fee structure soon. I'll relay the details to Secretary Fan."

"Got it." Li Xiaoxing wasn't bothered by the fluctuations in prices at all. He hung up right after that.

Ji Fanyin was just about to put down her phone and begin brushing her teeth when she received a message from her programmer. She tapped in and took a look.

The programmer said: 【It's done. You can check if there's anything else you would like to change】

Ji Fanyin accessed the testing platform and tried out the functionalities. She didn't find any problems with it, so she paid the fee without any hesitation.

Theft is never good, try looking at /37k7u89t.

The other party replied with a simple 【I've received your money】 before falling silent.

She checked the time on her phone and saw that it was nearly 2 o'clock. It would seem that programmers didn't lead easy lives.

She quickly washed up and updated the reservation app before lying on her bed. Before going off to sleep, she decided to give herself a day off and lock her schedule for today.

…

It was only the first day since the reservation app's update, but the situation turned out to be more complicated than Ji Fanyin had expected.

For example, there were some people who had no qualms with bidding the highest price right from the get go—Bai Zhou.

However, he had learned to rein himself in a little. He didn't book her for the entire day this time around. He cunningly reserved her lunch and dinner hours, from 11 AM to 2 PM and 6 PM to 9 PM, a total of six hours.

It left an awkward empty four hours slot in the middle.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

That darned brat sure knows how to exploit loopholes. I should think about how I can make good use of the four hours in the middle.

A lazy person might have just chosen to give those four hours to him for free, but Ji Fanyin would never allow something as good as 'Buy 6 get 4 free' occur. She quickly headed into her cinema app and checked if there were any new movies.

I'd rather spend my time singing at a karaoke bar than to give it to him for free! Ah, I can check out new apartments too.

…

The following day, Ji Fanyin went to Bai Zhou's house to have lunch with him.

As time approached 2 PM, Bai Zhou's eyes began drifting toward Ji Fanyin with greater frequency. Ji Fanyin placed a bowl filled with strawberries into Bai Zhou's hands and asked, "Why do you keep looking at me?"

"I'm thinking about what to do next. Should we play games?" muttered Bai Zhou.

"Sure." Ji Fanyin accepted his offer without the slightest hesitation.

Bai Zhou's eyes lit up. He stuffed the bowl of strawberries back into Ji Fanyin's hand and exclaimed, "You can eat it. I'll switch on the computers!"

Ji Fanyin started munching on the strawberries.

Bai Zhou was barely able to make a few steps before a familiar dream shattering alarm rang and erased the smile from his face.

Bai Zhou turned around to look at Ji Fanyin. "Didn't you promise to game with me?"

Ji Fanyin swallowed a strawberry before casually answering his question, "I wasn't the one who made that promise with you. I'll return in a few hours' time."

She grabbed her phone and rose to her feet. She draped her coat over her arm and started making her way out of the apartment.

"You're clearly free for the next few hours!" Bai Zhou grabbed his phone and vehemently pointed at the screen. "Don't try to dupe me!"

"And you clearly have money in your bank account. Why would anyone work if they aren't receiving a salary?" refuted Ji Fanyin rationally. "I'm off work now. I don't think you have the right to dictate what I do in my personal time."

Bai Zhou was rendered speechless for a moment before he asked, "What are you going to do then?"

Ji Fanyin put on her shoes and casually answered, "Catch a movie."

"Ah? Who are you going with―" Before Bai Zhou could finish his question, Ji Fanyin had already walked out and closed the door behind her.

Bai Zhou: "…"

He walked over to the windows and gazed downward. At the same time, he took out his phone and began scrolling through Ji Fanyin's movie review Weibo account.

He had taken a glance at it during the plane ride to Greece. Even though Ji Fanyin had removed him from her list of following later on, he was still able to remember her Weibo account name. Recently, he even got into the habit of refreshing her posts a hundred times every day.

The only problem was that Ji Fanyin used this Weibo account exclusively for movie reviews, so everything she posted on it was movie-related. There was nothing personal at all.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

Bai Zhou would have been able to somewhat understand it if all she wrote was just her own reflections on the movie, but her reviews contained professional jargon that the layman would struggle to comprehend. Nevertheless, it didn't hinder him from refreshing her account every single day.

Ji Fanyin didn't mention what movie she was catching today on her Weibo.

"Tsk. A person can always catch a movie alone," grumbled Bai Zhou. Resting his arm on the windowsill, he continuously refreshed her Weibo account as if to vent his frustration.

In his peripheral vision, he spotted Ji Fanyin's silhouette appearing on the bottom floor of his apartment building. He immediately turned his attention over.

If that intentional 'coincidental' meeting with Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin the other day was the trigger that made him conscious of his feelings for Ji Fanyin, the following day, when he chose not to stop her from sniping down Ji Xinxin's avatar, that was the moment he realized that he wanted to court her.

Ever since then, he had been thinking about what he should do.

Ji Fanyin was a liar through and through, but her impeccable portrayal of Ji Xinxin peeled off the latter's rose-tinted filter, allowing him to more rationally analyze his relationship with Ji Xinxin.

Is the person whom I'm in love with Ji Xinxin, who refuses to put me in the first place, or Ji Fanyin, who openly deceived me but never tried to hide the ugly truth from me?

Ji Fanyin had already reached the main road by this moment. Bai Zhou had watched her leave his apartment many times before, so he was no stranger to this scene.

As soon as her working hours were over, the differences between Ji Fanyin and Ji Xinxin were immediately made apparent. Despite the numerous floors that stood in between them, he was still able to recognize Ji Fanyin through her silhouette.

He leaned on the windowsill, watching patiently for Ji Fanyin's cab to arrive and drive her away.

Soon, a car stopped in front of Ji Fanyin.

Bai Zhou looked at the car, and his face immediately darkened.

Is it even possible to hail a cab without a green license plate through a ride-hailing app nowadays? On top of that, who would first greet the driver first through the passenger seat window before getting onto the passenger seat?

It was not that it was entirely impossible, but Bai Zhou didn't believe in the other possibilities. He had seen Ji Fanyin getting into her cab multiple times from this position, such that he was even aware of her habit of lightly stomping her leg before getting into the car.

That car is definitely not a cab that Ji Fanyin hailed!

Bai Zhou quickly accessed Ji Fanyin's reservation app and saw that her time slots between 2 PM to 6 PM were still empty.

No one has reserved those slots, which means that she isn't meeting with her clients. Is it her friend?

A name immediately popped up in Bai Zhou's mind. He only knew of one person whom Ji Fanyin had acknowledged as her friend.

Chen Yunsheng.

"Isn't your house quite far away from here?" asked Zhang Ning curiously as she stepped on the accelerator. "Did you move?"

"Not yet. I'm planning on checking out a few places first," replied Ji Fanyin as she fastened her seatbelt. "My parents camped at my place yesterday night, insisting on dragging me back so that they could marry me off."

"There are still people doing that in this era? You don't look like the kind who would allow others to dictate your marriage," remarked Zhang Ning. "To be honest, I thought your parents only had one daughter before I met you."

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. She rested her arm on the car window and used it to prop up her forehead. "Of course not. I have no plans of marrying anyone yet, let alone get caught up in an arranged marriage."

"True. You could easily score any guy you want anyway," teased Zhang Ning. "Even if you aren't willing to commit, there are still plenty of hunks who are lining up to self-recommend themselves to you."

Ji Fanyin knew that Zhang Ning was talking about the incident where the young actor tried to approach her a while back and responded with a helpless smile. She changed the topic and asked, "I haven't been to the set for a while now. Is everything going well?"

"Everything is going perfectly fine." Zhang Ning raised a big thumbs up. "You know, I'm confident that we'll be able to raise all the funds we need with this single movie."

"We're looking to invest in six movies this year, remember? There's a lot more to go before we achieve our goal," reminded Ji Fanyin.

"If only you would just act in even one of them, babe." Zhang Ning heaved a deep sigh. "You were so professional when you whipped those younger actors into shape. I've no doubt that you'll definitely make it on the silver screen. I mean, look at your face! It's such a pity that you chose to restrict yourself backstage."

"Darling, that'll be too tiring. I'm content with sitting behind the cash register and waiting for money to roll in," replied Ji Fanyin.

Darling, babe, honey… That was how the two of them usually addressed each other.

"I guess there's no choice then…" Zhang Ning shook her head. "We can only drag He Shen over to our set at a discounted price."

"He should be doing it for free," replied Ji Fanyin coolly. "He has a share in our studio too. Why should we pay him for acting in our movie? That's just a waste of money."

"… Honey, you're much more miserly than I thought," said Zhang Ning.

Support us at /3Tfs4P4.

Ji Fanyin's lips inched upward as she replied, "That's my persona."

I'm an emotionless money-making machine, after all. If I had even a sliver of sympathy in me, I wouldn't have been able to earn a dime off those fishes.

The movie was only two hours long. Even factoring in the drive and waiting time, Ji Fanyin should be able to make it back within two hours.

In truth, Zhang Ning had a business dinner whereas Ji Fanyin needed to return to Bai Zhou's place afterward. The two of them had squeezed out time to catch this movie together.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm the one holding up our studio. He Shen just dumps money in while you only keep an eye on the production quality. I'm the one who has to do all of the socializing and the dirty work. But of course, I'm probably the only one who can deal with those conniving rascals!" Zhang Ning proudly tousled her long hair.

"He Shen isn't helping out not because he doesn't want to but he can't," Ji Fanyin remarked.

"Oh?" Zhang Ning looked at Ji Fanyin.

"I coincidentally met him on the street." Ji Fanyin lowered her head and spoke in a softer tone. "He doesn't seem very comfortable at socializing. He's probably the type who worries a week ahead if he knows that he has a party to attend."

Zhang Ning was stunned for two seconds before bursting into laughter. "Aren't you way too fast at noticing that? You didn't ask him about it in person, did you?"

"Do I look like a demon to you?" asked Ji Fanyin. She withdrew her hands from her coat and placed them on Zhang Ning's cheeks, which had heated up from all of the laughing. "… Really. Is it that funny to you?"

"It is!" Zhang Ning wiped off her tears of laughter. "You don't know how proud he was when he thought that he had perfectly hidden his social awkwardness from the rest of the world. Even I have to admit that he's pretty good at it. I don't think that anyone has really seen through him thus far."

"… I guess it's 'cause we're from the same industry. It's easier for me to tell when someone is putting on an act," replied Ji Fanyin.

Zhang Ning was still laughing her head off. She had to hold Ji Fanyin's shoulder just to keep balance. It took her a while before she finally calmed down and straightened her back. "Alright, I need to head to work now."

"Good girl." Ji Fanyin patted her head as a compliment. "I also have some matters to attend to."

"Shall I drive you?" Zhang Ning shot her a seductive wink.

Ji Fanyin shook her head. "Nah, I'll just catch a cab. All the best for your business dinner."

…

Ji Fanyin's sense of time was spot-on. Her cab was due to arrive at Bai Zhou's just minutes before 6 PM. Making use of her free time before work commenced, she took out her phone and checked her notifications. She noticed that Chen Yunsheng had sent her a message.

Chen Yunsheng had previously mentioned that he wouldn't get clingy to the point where he would annoy her, and he really did as he had promised. He refrained from bombarding Ji Fanyin with messages every single day, choosing instead to only share interesting news or happenings with her. He had never pressured Ji Fanyin to respond to him either.

From time to time, Ji Fanyin would find herself chuckling at the adorable videos he sent.

To be honest, his messages are pretty stress-relieving.

But this time, his message contained the words 'Bai Zhou', so she decided to tap in to take a look.

What did Bai Zhou do this time?

Chen Yunsheng had asked a question: 【Big sis, are you close with Bai Zhou?】

Ji Fanyin tried to jog her memory.

The first time she met Chen Yunsheng was at a bus stop. Bai Zhou arrived halfway through their conversation, but he was wearing a helmet that covered his face.

The second time the three of them met was when they had ice cream at a shopping mall. Since it was outside her working hours, she didn't pay Bai Zhou any heed.

Under normal circumstances, Chen Yunsheng wouldn't have associated her together with Bai Zhou. The abrupt question from him could only mean that the two of them had just met each other, and Bai Zhou had given her name away.

Having finished her analysis, Ji Fanyin began typing out a reply to Chen Yunsheng: 【We're acquainted but not close】

Chen Yunsheng: 【He just dropped by my dorm room. He was surprised when he saw me, and he asked me a few weird questions】

Ji Fanyin read the message several times with a contemplative look on her face.

Bai Zhou was surprised? That means that he didn't expect Chen Yunsheng to be in his dorm room… Did he think that I was watching a movie together with Chen Yunsheng?

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

Why did that brat go to another person's dorm room?

No, to be more exact, what was Bai Zhou's goal? He couldn't even remember Chen Yunsheng's name despite the several meetings they had, so what was with the sudden interest in him?

Was this over Ji Xinxin? That's unlikely.

Ji Xinxin wouldn't have made a move. She knows that she wouldn't be able to get through to Bai Zhou, at least within these few days.

If so… that could only mean one thing.

Ji Fanyin began typing on her phone: 【What did he ask you?】

【He showed me a schedule and asked me if I know what it is】【He also asked if I have as much money as he does】

Chen Yunsheng's bewilderment could be felt even through his messages.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She replied to Chen Yunsheng: 【Is that all?】

【Yeah, that's all. But it reminded me of the first time I met you. Was he the one with you? Was Bai Zhou that hot-tempered man on the motorcycle?】

Those words left Ji Fanyin hesitating for two seconds. Numerous thoughts surfaced in her mind, but they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

She responded to Chen Yunsheng with a 【That's right】 before waiting patiently at the chat window for his response.

How would that young man with a tinge of innocence reply to this? Would he question why two acquaintances who weren't close would meet each other privately, or would he ask if I'm two-timing here?

Ji Fanyin felt like she was watching a mystery thriller in action. She was dying with curiosity to know how the plot would develop from here. Her casual attitude made her appear like a mere bystander here.

White messages soon popped out in the chat window.

Chen Yunsheng had a habit. He would only send one message at a time when he was in control of himself, but whenever his emotions got the better of him, be it positive or negative, he would start sending multiple messages at once.

【If big sis is meeting Bai Zhou privately but only considers him as an acquaintance, how close are the two of us then?】

【Am I at least a little closer to you than Bai Zhou is?】

【Does that mean that I can ask you out too?】

Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows in surprise.

She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stared at the three consecutive messages Chen Yunsheng had sent for a moment before she started chuckling to herself. The smile lingered on her lips for quite a while before she finally responded to him: 【I've never said that you can't ask me out】

Ji Fanyin was typing a total of two messages. While she was on her second message, the chat window reflected that 'The other party is in the midst of typing…'

We are /3Tfs4P4, find us on google.

She belatedly finished up the second message and sent it over: 【But I might not necessarily agree to it】

A split second later, the other party sent an incomplete 【Rea】, but it was hurriedly retracted the next instant.

His hand must have slipped, Ji Fanyin thought amusedly.

Her cab was already arriving at her destination by then, so she switched her phone to 'Do Not Disturb' mode and slipped it into her bag. Then, she looked out of the window and assessed the neighborhood.

It was an upscale residential district, so the security was quite impressive, though the same could be said about the housing prices too. It didn't seem like a bad idea to move here since the conditions were pretty good.

The only problem is that…

Ji Fanyin turned her eyes toward the young man leaning on his motorcycle not too far away.

… I might end up frequently bumping into Bai Zhou. That would be a terrible inconvenience to me.

Ji Fanyin had the driver halt the car, and she sat quietly in the cab for a moment to look at Bai Zhou.

She had to admit that he was quite a good fit with his motorcycle. It enhanced his 'hot-tempered delinquent' vibe.

This was not the first time she was seeing him leaning against his motorcycle, taking a puff. There would always be a vexed expression on his face whenever he smoked, as if he would hop onto his motorcycle the next moment and go on a rampage.

When she finally opened the door and alighted from the car, it was six minutes to 6 o'clock.

Bai Zhou initially didn't notice the car, but he heard the opening of the car doors, which prompted him to turn his gaze over. His face was momentarily colored in surprise before his gaze turned aggressive. "What's with that look on your face?"

"What look?" Ji Fanyin adjusted her hair as she asked lazily.

"It's as if you're looking at a kid!" roared Bai Zhou. "Where's the person who took you to the cinema? Shouldn't he at least be gentlemanly enough to escort you to another man's house?"

By then, the cab behind her had already driven off.

"I hope that you can stop harassing my friend." Ji Fanyin slipped her hands into her pockets before properly facing the infuriated Bai Zhou. "You're infringing on my personal life. The next time something like that happens once more, I'll have to consider removing you from my client list."

Even though Fish No.2 promises huge returns, I should still prioritize my own safety over money.

Ji Fanyin hadn't forgotten that these fishes were capable of becoming piranhas.

Even though Song Shiyu was the mastermind behind 'Ji Fanyin's' kidnapping in the now divergent future, Bai Zhou had also dropped by from time to time to have his fun after learning about it.

"Removing?" Bai Zhou's body immediately straightened up from his motorcycle. "You want to break up?"

Ji Fanyin looked at him with raised eyebrows before giggling softly. With a hint of amusement in her tone, she asked, "Bai Zhou, do you think that we're dating?"

"… Fuck! I didn't mean 'break up'. I'm asking you if you're intending to terminate our business relationship!" Bai Zhou corrected his terminology with gritted teeth. "Ji Fanyin, you should get it clear in your head who's the client here!"

To that, Ji Fanyin casually replied, "You're the client, but I reserve the right not to take your business."

Bai Zhou was rendered speechless for a moment before he scoffed in disdain, "That Chen fellow must have complained to you, huh? What do you think he'll think of you if I inform him about the dealings between us? How would you explain it to him?"

Ji Fanyin tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Explain what?"

Bai Zhou was stunned.

"Explain why I'm doing this job? There's no need for that," replied Ji Fanyin impassively. "If he can't accept my occupation, there's no need for us to remain friends. It's as simple as that. Bai Zhou, do I look like someone who lacks friends?"

Bai Zhou: "…"

He pressed his lips together, seemingly hesitating whether he should squeeze out the word 'Yes'. However, he knew how childish he would look if he insisted on winning this argument just for the sake of it.

Ji Fanyin glanced at the time and saw that it was approaching six, but there was no need for her to start work early. So, with her hands inserted in her pockets, she casually stabbed a dagger into Bai Zhou's heart. "I should also inform you that I have no lack of clients."