Hu Xiu took her first-ever leave during work hours because the bathroom ceiling collapsed just before she left home.
Most rental apartments in old residential buildings had shoddy renovations that would fall into disrepair without lasting long.
The plastic ceiling crashed down while Hu Xiu was still asleep. Sitting upright at 5:45, she struggled to distinguish dream from reality, immediately realizing she'd have to stand up Pei Zhen for their morning class.
Disliking both playing the victim and lying, Hu Xiu sent a video of the collapsed ceiling instead. The entire sheet of hard plastic integrated ceiling had smashed to the floor and shattered, with sink, toilet, and shower stall all falling victim. Upon closer look, one could even spot the deceased... rat.
No wonder she'd been feeling like there was a stranger outside her door late at night recently, scaring her sleepless for hours.
Apparently, there really had been small animals moving about in the ceiling. Pei Zhen's message came quickly: "Do you need me to come help?"
"No need, I can handle it completely. This is just an unavoidable ceiling collapse. If it were something simpler," she added, "I'd probably have fixed it already."
This was absolutely true. Her father was obsessed with teaching music, her mother rarely did housework - when light bulbs burned out, cutting boards split, or washing machines needed repair, she'd quietly handle them all. When appliances broke down, she'd even take out the multimeter to troubleshoot. After starting university, the number of such troubles she needed to solve actually decreased.
During graduate school when the university permitted air conditioner installation, she skillfully found a second-hand unit on campus forums, installed it in her dorm, and sold it upon graduation - essentially only paying for electricity when rounding to the nearest whole number.
Compared to classmates who only knew how to study, she possessed more survival instincts and saved considerably on living costs.
Zhao Xiaorou joked that while Hu Xiu appeared to live frugally, she'd definitely be among the last survivors when the apocalypse came. Watching the repair workers clearing the ceiling debris, Hu Xiu sat in the kitchen thinking mournfully that even the most capable lifestyle couldn't withstand such unexpected disasters.
The repair workers left after just taking measurements. Renovation would require waiting a week for scheduling. Hu Xiu sighed - the sink had a hole, the bathroom was shattered, she'd have to stay at Zhao Xiaorou's place. She also needed to pack her valuables since she couldn't leave work during office hours, meaning the landlord would have free access to her home.
Zhao Xiaorou was currently deeply involved with her Boy Toy, making this particularly bad timing. Yet Zhao Xiaorou was remarkably generous on the phone: "We only meet at hotels anyway, feel free to stay. I don't casually bring men home anymore - distance creates beauty."
"Ah?"
"The Boy Toy uses Douyin too, afraid colleagues might steal my content."
Zhao Xiaorou had been receiving plenty of criticism in her Weibo comments recently, all because her romance story collections had exposed many Internet celebrities' private lives. Though not naming names, since they all moved in the same circles, netizens matched the timelines and uncovered that Internet celebrity Q bought knock-offs, crashed parties, and became the mistress of some startup nouveau riche, carefully timing ovulation to secure her position; L worked as an escort in bars earning 2800 per night, and being a Scorpio, her peculiar preference was to drain men completely once in bed; M failed at autologous fat breast augmentation due to being lovesick, now painfully undergoing surgery to remove lumps while fearing her breasts would shrink, planning to get silicone implants later.
These individuals couldn't admit the truths due to face concerns, so they hired trolls to flood Zhao Xiaorou with negative comments.
Back and forth, Zhao Xiaorou actually gained more followers, with comment sections turning into games of identifying the trolls - the page views earned through privacy exposure were absolutely genuine.
"You really aren't afraid of being criticized.""This kind of thing happens all the time. People just insist on identifying with it themselves. How could I possibly hear so much during the time I went out for a drink? It's all fabricated."
"But the comments are so vicious..."
"That's because you haven't seen the private messages." Zhao Xiaorou clipped her video with a cigarette in her mouth. "My current persona includes an element of letting people watch the show. Everyone wants to see sharp social commentary, Internet celebrity gossip, the rise and fall of romantic relationships, and the spectacle of successful plastic surgeries or failed repairs from me. I show them what they want to see—that's all. They can judge the truth for themselves. After all, if I say it's real, they accuse me of faking it; if I say it's fake, they claim I'm whitewashing the truth—
It doesn't matter how many bowls of rice noodles are in your stomach; they just want to see you cut open. If I internalized all these slanders and accusations, it would mean I've been coerced, just like how Wang Guangming thought I had no brains back then, and I actually started believing I was stupid."
"Then what about the products you promote—do you actually find them useful?" Hu Xiu had been curious about this for a long time.
"When you're translating and encounter awkward situations or harsh wording, don't you also try your best to soften them?
You once said that translation is all about social etiquette, emphasizing the art of gentle persuasion. That really inspired me. At its core, product promotion is just sales—it's just a different approach.
It used to be about attracting customers at department store counters to make sales; now it's about delivering ad copy in front of a camera.
I still value my reputation highly and am very cautious about product selection. Even though I might not be the sharpest when it comes to studying, I do have a knack for selling."
Zhao Xiaorou's Fairy Shop on Taobao still generates tens of thousands in monthly revenue, selling Sinara albums that count toward sales charts, as well as merchandise from celebrity concerts and fan meetings.
She regularly purchases albums and photobooks from major groups. For smaller K-pop groups whose fans have leftover albums from fan sign events that won't sell, she contacts them to buy and restock them. There's no particular reason—she just feels it's a pity for albums to end up pasted on walls or collecting dust.
The shop also carries cosmetics shipped from Korea, including AmorePacific skincare and makeup products, and bestsellers from Olive Young—all driven by her personal interests.
Li Ai called Zhao Xiaorou a money-making machine that never rests, and it's true.
But more often, it seems like she's maintaining the passion from her fan-girl days—there always has to be something that keeps her energized all the time.
After her shower, Hu Xiu breathed in the scent of shampoo from her hair—so comfortable. A luxurious mansion paired with premium shampoo; Internet celebrities living in this golden era really lead such pleasant lives.
Zhao Xiaorou, curled up with her legs tucked, grew increasingly agitated while reviewing footage. She jumped up and headed to the wine cabinet: "Damn it, the new editor I hired recently is terrible. They can't even do transition effects—I end up doing it all myself. Useless!"
Hu Xiu immediately retracted her thought about pleasant lives. After taking a sip of wine, Zhao Xiaorou's expression lightened: "Let me tell you, that Boy Toy is really something. He's quite mature for seventeen or eighteen, and very sharp.
When we went out, I tried to pay since he's so young, but he refused. He said the guy should treat—major bonus points.
Besides making TikTok videos, he draws webcomics and illustrations for income, and he's into photography too. Probably comes from a well-off family."
"He's already different from how we were at seventeen or eighteen."
"Tell me about it. Kids in Shanghai develop financial literacy more deeply than academic skills."
"You and him...""He's asleep now. He made the first move, even showed me his ID card - he'll be eighteen in one month.
I can only say young kids mature too early these days. I'm ten years older than him. But... young boys do have good stamina, though they lack a certain flavor."
"Flavor?"
"They haven't experienced much in life. I can't find anything beyond the physical aspect, it's somewhat... unsatisfying.
Let me give you an example - a boy like Diao Zhiyu would never be this boring.
Whether he's a virgin or has had girlfriends before, he always has this quality that makes you feel there's something deeper hidden beneath the surface. Understand what I mean?"
It wasn't like her heart hadn't pounded loudly in her ears before, nor had she failed to feel how young and powerful that body was through his clothes several times. Hu Xiu shook her head violently: "I've never thought about it..."
"It's about time, I think you're not far from that step. Strange, you've known each other for three or four months already, yet you haven't slept together. Doesn't that pace seem a bit inconsistent with big city norms?"
"We're just friends!" Hu Xiu threw herself fiercely under the covers: "I'm going to sleep!"
"How's your ceiling repair going?"
"Fine, thank you for your concern, Dr. Pei."
"If it's really inconvenient to stay there, you can live at my place. The sofa in my office is comfortable enough to sleep on. Girls can easily get sick if they don't sleep well."
"It's alright, I'm staying at a friend's place. I've said before, no need to worry about me. I hope Dr. Pei sees me as an excellent colleague and outstanding interpreter, and I won't neglect my work."
A breathy laugh came through the phone: "This is different..."
After hanging up, she wasn't surprised to see Diao Zhiyu's sidelong glance, secretly displeased.
The moment their eyes met, Hu Xiu's ears immediately turned bright red. REGARD's air conditioning was quite strong - both Li Ai and Diao Zhiyu wore only single layers in the coffee shop. During his free time, Diao Zhiyu came to learn spatial design from Li Ai, often wearing just a shirt and black sweater -
After spending so much time together, their clothing styles had started to resemble each other. Li Ai had the broad back of a mature man, his black sweater exuding an adult male aura; Diao Zhiyu's silhouette showed well-proportioned bone structure, with clearly defined joints and tight muscle lines that indeed made Hu Xiu unable to resist stealing more glances.
Diao Zhiyu caught her gaze: "What, you pervert."
At THRILLER, you were clearly the one who made the first move. Thinking about those intense physical contacts, Hu Xiu avoided Diao Zhiyu's eyes and didn't respond, focusing instead on word-by-word translation checking for the paper in front of her.
"Chinese English: Its Features and Countermeasures" and "Theory and Practice of Non-literary Translation" were nearly worn out from her constant use when Diao Zhiyu suddenly appeared behind her: "You're in a bad mood."
Hu Xiu got goosebumps all over - of course it wasn't a bad mood, but every time she saw him she couldn't help thinking about indecent things, which seriously affected normal interaction.
As she tried to calm her breathing to respond, Diao Zhiyu had already sat opposite her and opened a game. Hearing the "timi" sound, Hu Xiu smiled and stood up behind him. His uncoordinated hand movements and chaotic attacks made her unable to bear it and close her eyes.
To play Honor of Kings this badly - he'd probably be relegated to spectator mode if he joined any team.
"Don't stand behind me."
"My fault?"
"I can't play games with people watching, I'll lose."Hu Xiu was amused and opened Honor of Kings: "That just proves you're too noob. Want to play a round with me?"
If playing side-by-side counted as teaming up, Hu Xiu would have turned and left immediately with anyone but Diao Zhiyu—she'd be cursing over voice chat levels of annoyed. Yet playing Honor of Kings with Diao Zhiyu felt like using cheats, gradually getting into the groove and leaving Hu Xiu torn—
Playing with him meant instant rank drops; this season was practically ruined. Enduring forty minutes for one match, Hu Xiu appeared calm on the surface but inwardly regretted it deeply—why did she have to play Honor of Kings?
If not for this hour and a half, Diao Zhiyu might have remained her unattainable object of admiration for three more years. But after this one game, whether it was Qin Xiaoyi or Diao Zhiyu, they all fell from their pedestals. She didn't even want to be Madame Feng Youjin anymore!
"Didn't expect you to be this good."
"You're just too noob..."
"Nonsense, I'm just off my game today."
"It's fine to admit you're not great at playing—after all, you're so young, barely any rings in your tree."
"Really, just an off day." Diao Zhiyu blinked, clearly fabricating: "Dare to play LOL?"
Hu Xiu stifled a laugh—back in college, to earn living expenses, she'd sneak her keyboard to internet cafes for tournaments, winning first place to fund train tickets for trips; stuck in Qingpu's remote outskirts worrying about wages, she relied on selling in-game gear to order takeout.
Meanwhile, Diao Zhiyu kept boasting: "In college dorms gaming together, I was the first to get a pentakill—no big deal."
"Oh..." This sparked an idea in Hu Xiu: "Did you bring your laptop?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"My ceiling collapsed and smashed my computer—it's being repaired. I still need to edit a hospital paper for translation. Can I borrow yours tonight?"
Diao Zhiyu pulled out a silver Dell laptop with a Lakers sticker, its i7 processor indeed ideal for gaming.
Hu Xiu thanked him while thinking, what a waste on such a noob. Diao Zhiyu nervously added while giving the password: "Don't snoop through files, especially those labeled 'movies'... don't open them."
Of course, boys' computers always have a movie folder. Suppressing a laugh, Hu Xiu said seriously: "Don't worry, I'm just editing the paper—won't touch anything else. If you don't trust me, you can check the properties later."
While Zhao Xiaorou was out, Hu Xiu recorded audio first, repeating phrases dozens of times into her phone recorder until her throat felt dry and it sounded bad—delete; voice too high-pitched, artificial; not sweet enough, try again... Two clips took two hours, and the final satisfactory ones totaled just three seconds combined.
Now for the crucial part: Hu Xiu right-clicked LOL's properties, found its installation path, downloaded a decrypted patch, directly accessed "D:weGameApps League of Legends".GAME?DATAfinal," replaced files inside "final," refreshed, and clicked to reveal all audio and icon files.
She listened through each one, replacing "first blood" and "pentakill" with her recordings, double-checked everything was correct, and launched the game.Double-clicking on League of Legends, the music that made her blood rush arrived—Hu Xiu, finally rebellious as a freshman, spent days and nights gaming. While her dormmates were busy buying pretty clothes at Xinjiekou or stocking up on eyebrow pencils from Jumei, she was holed up in the dorm, playing ranked matches until day turned to night, even learning to swear for the first time.
She’d heard teammates talk about replacing audio files before, but she’d dismissed it as a cheesy dating trick she’d never use. And now… she was actually using it.
The "First Blood" announcement was recorded by Hu Xiu herself. Hearing her own voice sent shivers down her spine. Next was the "Pentakill." It had been too long since she last played, and with nerves kicking in, her hands felt clumsy—surprisingly, it was harder to pull off than she expected.
After several rounds of dying and respawning, she finally scored the Pentakill. Just then, Zhao Xiaorou walked in. Hu Xiu snapped her laptop shut. "Back so early?"
"Who were you just saying 'I like you' to?"
"You misheard. I was gaming. Just playing a rare round of LOL." Her mind racing, blood and brains seemingly in chaos, Hu Xiu hugged her laptop and dashed into the bedroom.
In Diao Zhiyu’s League of Legends, the Pentakill audio had been replaced by her own "I like you."
Leaning against the door, laptop in arms, Hu Xiu’s heart still pounded. Damn, which buddy’s girlfriend came up with this confession method? No wonder he swore he’d marry no one else—for gamers, this was downright romantic!
The next second, Hu Xiu smiled wistfully. With Diao Zhiyu’s skill level, he’d probably never hear that confession in his lifetime.
When returning the laptop to Diao Zhiyu, she wasn’t surprised to see him tense. "You… didn’t go through my folders, did you?"
"No…" Of course, Hu Xiu had peeked. Folders labeled as "movies" conspicuously listed files like ABP-690, TEK-072, SOE-922—all with .avi extensions. She’d accidentally discovered Diao Zhiyu had a thing for mature women. To cover her tracks, she even modified the file access dates in the properties.
Seeing Diao Zhiyu’s uneasy expression, Hu Xiu felt a bit awkward herself. She hinted casually, "If you enjoy playing LOL, you should try to play more in your free time."
"Does my current work schedule allow it?" Diao Zhiyu opened the laptop, his brows gradually relaxing as he felt reassured.
Hu Xiu persisted, "Compared to Honor of Kings, LOL has its own charm. If you’re going to game, I’d recommend playing more LOL."
Finally catching her odd tone, Diao Zhiyu asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Committing to the act, Hu Xiu shrugged. "Diao Zhiyu, you’re just bad at gaming—whether it’s mobile or PC. You need more practice!"
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