Right after getting dumped, He suddenly learned that his best buddy was the legendary cold-as-ice school beauty. - Chapter 73

“…”

Lu Yibei’s “HP bar” was officially empty.

He stubbornly turned his face away, covering his mouth and nose with his palm.

He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks through his hand.

Ji Qingqian asked calmly:

“How is it?”

Lu Yibei was trying to organize his thoughts, but his mental language system seemed to have short-circuited.

“Hmph~”

Ji Qingqian smirked slightly, satisfied.

Silly Lu Yibei~ Always falling victim to this move.

Just like when they used to play King of Fighters together. His FPS skills were laughably bad, but in fighting games, he was at least passable.

Still, he had never once been her match.

Because King of Fighters used a three-player rotation system, Ji Qingqian often took the first character, intentionally playing a little worse to give Lu Yibei confidence.

When he thought he was catching up, she would seize the opening with a perfect combo…

And the same tactic worked again tonight.

First, she tossed out a corny, cliché pick-up line—so bad it seemed almost laughable.

Then, focusing fully, she struck—critical hit.

Perfect.

Her strategy against Lu Yibei never went out of style. Easy to execute.

“Not saying anything?”

“—O-okay! Fine, very fine!”

Lu Yibei tried to cover his embarrassment, deliberately raising his voice so that his response sounded comical.

Ji Qingqian remained unbothered, indifferent.

Don’t pay attention to what he says—watch what he does.

She pressed her thumb gently against the center of his palm, and it trembled slightly.

Ji Qingqian was immensely satisfied.

The poem she’d written wasn’t original, but the sentiment was genuine.

Luckily, Lu Yibei’s face was an inherited talent—he quickly calmed the flush.

He hastily changed the subject.

“Heroine, do you use WeChat more or QQ?” he asked.

Ji Qingqian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she countered:

“And you? More QQ or WeChat?”

“By usage time, QQ,” Lu Yibei said. “Because I’m in near-constant contact with you there. But by number of friends… it’s WeChat.”

Most of his real-life friends were on WeChat.

QQ was mostly for online friends, book club contacts, editors—matters concerning writing and work.

“Then I can switch to WeChat.”

Ji Qingqian pulled out her phone, biting her lip nervously.

“…Senior, can I add you as a friend?”

Lu Yibei: “…You’re pretending again.”

Ji Qingqian: “I’m just acting like those other female students who asked you for WeChat before.”

“Phone not with me,” Lu Yibei replied. But he handed her his QR code. “Scan it.”

Beep beep.

Lu Yibei’s Android phone, with its “8GB super RAM,” was slightly outdated, but dual-running QQ and WeChat was no problem.

But Wei Tian couldn’t forget Jie, so he delivered a decisive assist.

“My friend made a bet—if I can add you on WeChat, he’ll go pursue the girl he likes,” Lu Yibei said.

Ji Qingqian thought back and forth.

Was this friend just looking for a convenient excuse to pursue that girl? Or was it a genuine bet?

…Complicated.

Almost all of Lu Yibei’s IDs were “YibeiNorth.”

But Ji Qingqian’s WeChat ID wasn’t “Qingqian.”

It was “Chaonan.”

Lu Yibei froze.

“I rarely use QQ or WeChat,” Ji Qingqian said lightly. “Or rather—if you use QQ, I’ll use QQ. If you use WeChat, I’ll use WeChat. Besides my new roommates, my friend list is just family.”

Lu Yibei nodded.

“As for this nickname…”

Ji Qingqian opened her profile and deleted it. “I changed it during repeat school years to motivate myself. Forgot to change it after exams… ended up down south.”

Now was the perfect time to update it.

She glanced at Lu Yibei, then at his phone screen.

She quickly changed her ID to “Four Seasons Qingqian”, saved it, and immediately updated Lu Yibei’s contact note to the usual “Abei.”

Lu Yibei smiled.

“Do I note you as ‘Qingqian’ or ‘Qingqian’?” he asked.

One was a memory for Lu Yibei; the other, her real name.

“Up to you,” Ji Qingqian said casually.

She explained the ID: “The ‘Qing’ with water was my former name. My family consulted a fortune teller who said I had too much water in my five elements, so they changed it to ‘Qing.’ That was middle school.”

Lu Yibei nodded again.

So there was a story behind it.

He thought for a moment, then typed “Qingqian” into the note.

“If life were only as it first appeared,” Lu Yibei sighed.

“Our first meeting probably wasn’t that pleasant,” Ji Qingqian replied.

Back then, he thought she was a guy, and she had considered him a trashy newbie… hardly the fondest memory.

“‘First meeting’ doesn’t mean the first time we met—it means the most beautiful memory in your mind,” Lu Yibei explained.

“Huh?”

“When?” she asked.

“Any time,” he said.

Ji Qingqian lowered her gaze, silent for a moment, then spoke:

“Maybe you can balance out my overly watery fate.”

“Huh?”

“Because you’re earth,” she said. “Water meets earth, earth restrains water. Five elements—earth over water.”

Lu Yibei: “…Heroine, maybe say a little less? I promise I won’t talk nonsense anymore.”

“Hmm? I meant your surname is Lu—‘land’ is earth,” Ji Qingqian said, eyes narrowed. “Are you reading too much into this?”

Lu Yibei: …

Better to stay quiet.

“But this is fine,” Ji Qingqian said, lifting her snowy chin. “It’s related to your work, too—perfect reminder to be less watery.”

Lu Yibei thought of her watery fate…

Ji Qingqian’s expression turned sharp.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“…I’m not.”

A little unhealthy, he hurriedly defended himself.

“Pervert.”

Lu Yibei: …

Damn it.

The world was really unfair to him, Lu Yibei.

If the heroine made a suggestive joke, it was “cute, cute.”

If he tried anything similar, he was “pervert, pervert.”

When would he ever stand up for himself?!

Lu Yibei was still fuming when the heroine leaned back against him with a plop.

Her head rested again on his shoulder.

As she leaned, she tapped away at her phone.

Probably telling her roommates when she’d return—the hour was late.

Lu Yibei sighed. Tonight, the Qingqian heroine was fierce—one strike, 999 damage, critical hit every time. Couldn’t get more thrilling than this.

Just as he was about to suggest heading back to the dorm, his phone vibrated twice with a new message.

[Qingqian: Yibei]

He glanced at the girl resting on his shoulder.

[Qingqian: I don’t want to say goodbye]

Lu Yibei: …?

[Qingqian: Can you take me home?]

Lu Yibei: ??

Ji Qingqian peeked at him, seeing he didn’t type a reply or speak.

Her fingers became a blur, tapping quickly on the screen.

[Qingqian: And you still say it’s April in the human world]
[Qingqian: You don’t like spring]
[Qingqian: Liar]
[Qingqian: April is your lie]