Chapter 31

Sitting in the taxi, Lin Linya pulled out his phone to check the time for the third time already. He had initially wanted to get there as soon as possible to pick up Sound Slowly, but he’d forgotten that 5 to 6 PM was peak rush hour in Sea City.

If he had known, he would’ve just taken the subway.

He looked up. Although it was 5 PM in the summer and the sky was still light, over ten minutes had passed since their agreed meeting time, and the traffic ahead showed no signs of moving.

He made a voice call to Sound Slowly. Sound Slowly expressed understanding and told him not to rush.

By the time he reached the vicinity of the airport, it was almost 6 PM. He dashed over the moment he got out of the car, anxiously searching for a familiar figure. Suddenly, someone called out to him, “Yaya?”

He turned around. A handsome young man was smiling at him.

This was Lin Linya’s first time meeting an online friend in person. He ran over to him, only then realizing that Ji Wensheng was taller than him. The young man wore a short-sleeved button-up shirt, its hem tucked into black suit trousers. He wore a mechanical watch and pulled a black business suitcase.

His back was straight. He had a very comfortable look, even more handsome than his ID photo.

The most eye-catching thing was the bouquet in his right hand—fresh daisies, accented with pure white baby’s breath. Crystal-clear water droplets still clung to the petals, and the whole thing was wrapped in soft, goose-yellow floral paper.

“To be able to buy flowers at the airport, Sea City truly is a very romantic city,” Ji Wensheng handed him the bouquet. “This is for you. I was just fretting earlier—arriving empty-handed for a first meeting didn’t seem right.”

Ji Wensheng had been sitting on a bench earlier, glancing at his watch from time to time. The boy next to him was also waiting for someone. Seeing Ji Wensheng was waiting too, they exchanged a few words. The boy was waiting for his girlfriend, whose flight hadn’t landed yet.

The boy, younger than him, had a face full of anticipation and nervousness. He watched a girl in a floral dress run toward him, and the two of them embraced.

When the boy pulled out a bouquet he’d hidden behind the bench, the girl’s eyes lit up with unconcealable surprise and delight.

Ji Wensheng had been working for several years, long removed from this kind of pure, campus-era romance. Acting on impulse, he pulled his suitcase into a flower shop. He browsed around, pulled out his phone to check the meanings of many different flowers, and finally settled on this small bunch of daisies.

The shop owner was a young person who nimbly helped him wrap the bouquet, handing it over with a smile. “Whether it’s for a loved one, a friend, or a family member, I wish you both a wonderful day.”

It was as if he also knew that in places of long-awaited reunions or first encounters, bouquets were given a special significance.

“Thank you.” Even though the flowers were a bit overpriced, Ji Wensheng still fell in love with this extra-hot-in-the-summer city.

Lin Linya froze for a second. Before he could fully grasp the implication, his hands had already subconsciously reached out to accept the bouquet. He could only say thank you. “It’s very pretty.”

The two stood at the station entrance waiting for their ride. Passersby occasionally cast glances their way. The two young men standing together formed a sight pleasing to the eye.

Under Lin Linya’s strong insistence, Ji Wensheng finally compromised and let him treat for dinner.

Lin Linya had booked a set meal on his phone, planning to take Ji Wensheng to try some local Sea City specialties.

As they sat in the taxi, he secretly glanced at Ji Wensheng. Ji Wensheng had turned his head to look out the window at the city under the gradually setting sun. The dusky light cast a soft, filtered glow over half of his face.

Lin Linya lowered his head to message Chen Chun. 【Hypothetically speaking, if a man gave you a bouquet, what does it mean?】

【Chun: It means I’m already dead.】

Lin Linya, “…”

He looked up. Coincidentally, Ji Wensheng turned his head to look at him at the same time. Their gazes collided. Ji Wensheng’s look was so calm and gentle that it didn’t make Lin Linya feel awkward or at a loss at all.

“This place is beautiful. A very livable city,” Ji Wensheng offered his praise generously.

Lin Linya curved his eyes. “I think so too. Just that summer is a bit hot, and the temperature difference between day and night is pretty big. If you go out at night, you need a jacket.”

Ji Wensheng frowned in mock distress. “A miscalculation. I only checked the daytime temperatures before coming, I didn’t bring a jacket. I’ll buy one after dinner too.”

“Could I trouble you to help me pick one out then? I’m afraid the one I choose might be too old-fashioned.”

Lin Linya naturally agreed readily.

After dinner, the two walked around the nearby mall. On a Friday night, there were many couples and friends out together, mostly in groups of two or three, mostly young people.

When it came to picking clothes, Lin Linya leaned toward comfortable and well-fitting styles. Just considering that he had to appear on camera, he chose a relatively refined-looking black short-sleeved shirt.

The shirt felt smooth and silky to the touch. The buttons were also pure black. Its highlight was the sleeves, which folded back once, with a silver button on each side.

The sales assistant selected a pair of pants to make a set. While Lin Linya went to try on the clothes, Ji Wensheng, waiting outside, browsed around and suddenly stopped in front of a glass cabinet.

He called the sales assistant over. “Hello, could I take a look at this?”

When Lin Linya came out after changing, several couples helping their boyfriends pick clothes in the store were stunned. Black shirt, black pants—it contrasted his complexion like melted cream. Paired with his delicate features, he looked like a little prince made of porcelain.

The sales assistant hadn’t expected that someone could match this picky-looking shirt so perfectly. They were practically raving until their mouth went dry.

One girl kept staring at him.

She also lived nearby and felt Lin Linya looked a lot like the little streamer she followed. She nudged her boyfriend beside her with her elbow. “Look, doesn’t he look like Yaya?”

The boyfriend knew she liked watching live streams and had been looking down, playing on his phone. He didn’t even lift his head, his tone quite impatient. “Have you gone crazy? What are the odds of that? And I’ve told you before, those internet celebrities you follow, their beauty filters on camera are terrifying. They look like completely different people in real life. How could you even recognize them?”

The girl’s expression changed instantly. She already disliked the way this boyfriend spoke usually, but she couldn’t tolerate him insulting her favorite streamer like this.

“You watch borderline thirst traps on SoundWave every day and I’ve tolerated that. Why should my watching a game streamer be talked about like this?”

Lin Linya stood in front of the mirror and vaguely heard the sounds of a couple arguing. He was just turning his head curiously when he suddenly heard Ji Wensheng call him. He hurriedly turned back. “What is it?”

Ji Wensheng held a brooch in his hand. “I think this would suit you very well. Want to try it on?”

The silver brooch was very delicate, shaped like a curved wheat stalk, inlaid with a deep blue rhinestone. He held it up near Lin Linya’s collar to gauge the effect. “Do you like it?”

Lin Linya couldn’t help but look at his hand. On that pale wrist he knew so well was a string of Buddhist prayer beads. The brooch, only the size of a coin, was pinched between his fingers, looking exceptionally valuable.

He leaned very close. The two of them, heads together, looked intimate, like a close same-sex couple, making a girl standing nearby who wanted to approach them hesitate.

The ingeniously designed brooch elevated the texture of the shirt to another level. Lin Linya was very satisfied. “This looks so good! You have great taste!”

“You just look good.”

Ji Wensheng was born homosexual. And by pure coincidence, Lin Linya was exactly his type—pure, innocent, with a soft and pretty appearance. Now, being gazed at by those cat-like eyes that always seemed to look at everything so intently, his heart skipped a beat.

After Lin Linya changed back into his own clothes, he helped Ji Wensheng pick out a jacket in his size. Ji Wensheng handed the shirt and the brooch to the sales assistant together. “Thank you for your help.”

Seeing that he was about to pay, Lin Linya anxiously tugged at his clothes. “I’ll pay for it myself!”

He frantically leaned past Ji Wensheng’s shoulder to look at the counter, only to find that the man had already scanned the QR code. The items were already packed into a box. He could only say, “I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Watching him get all worked up, Ji Wensheng inexplicably thought of a cat that would circle around someone’s pant legs and paw at them, trying to get attention. He couldn’t help but laugh. “You treated me to dinner just now. Consider this a return gift between friends.”

Lin Linya was stunned for a moment, then mumbled, “Since when is a return gift like this?”

His treat only cost a few hundred yuan, but that brooch just now had to be five figures.

Ji Wensheng pulled his suitcase with one hand and carried the shopping bag with the other. Lin Linya was still holding the bouquet of daisies. The two of them, one tall, one slightly shorter, walked out the door. Others simply couldn’t look away.

A girl holding a milk tea suddenly approached stealthily. She stared fixedly at Lin Linya and, lowering her voice, tried a code phrase with him. “520?”

Lin Linya subconsciously responded, “4399.”

The girl immediately broke into a broad grin. “I knew it was you. My boyfriend said I was mistaken. Oh my god, I’m so excited. Baby, are you here for the offline fan meeting? I’m your fan, I won an entry ticket in the lottery.”

5204399 was Lin Linya’s streaming account number. Hearing this, his eyes instantly widened. “Wow, then you’re such a Luck Emperor. Only a thousand tickets and millions participated in the repost lottery, and you still won.”

He tugged on the sleeve of the person beside him, his tone proud. “My fan here is actually a Luck Emperor.”

After all, his own luck was the type where he’d draw the most terrible hand every time in Fight the Landlord.

The girl had just been arguing with her boyfriend, so her eyes were still a little red. She was amused by him and burst out giggling. “Yaya, can we take a photo together? I’ve been following you for a long time.”

Lin Linya’s gesture was so natural, even the girl was surprised by his openly affectionate attitude. “Is this your boyfriend?”

Since Lin Linya had never publicly discussed his relationship status in front of the camera, she feared he might worry and hastily added, “You two look so good together. Don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell anyone!”

Before Lin Linya could speak, Ji Wensheng already explained gently, “We are friends for now. My Wolf Fang ID is Sound Slowly.”

“Ah!” The girl forcibly swallowed the words “Ex-Husband Bro” that were about to slip out. She looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I misunderstood. Then… could the three of us take a photo together?”

Ji Wensheng had never shown his face. Now that he’d spoken, the girl did recognize his voice. She hadn’t expected that, instead of having a stark contrast between voice and looks, he was precisely the refined and handsome figure fans had imagined.

As they posed, the girl stood in the middle holding the phone. Lin Linya bent down close to the lens, making double peace signs. At the very moment the frame froze, Ji Wensheng beside him was subtly turning his head to look at the young man on his right.

She initially thought it was an accident and apologetically asked Ji Wensheng if they needed to retake it. The handsome man just shook his head at her.

After the two left, the girl re-entered the store. Her boyfriend put down his phone and approached to apologize. “Baby, I’m sorry. I said the wrong thing earlier.”

The girl glared at him and showed off the photo she had just taken. “I have a photo with my favorite streamer. Jealous?”

The boyfriend glanced at it and laughed out loud. “Looks like a family of three.”

In disbelief, the girl snatched the phone back and looked again. She realized it was actually true. She was only 1.56 meters tall, while the other two were both tall and handsome. Plus, there was the way Ji Wensheng had looked at Lin Linya.

“…”

Her tone was firm. “That’s just because my streamer has great CP chemistry with any man.”

How could her favorite streamer be tied down to one tree? She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. “You simply don’t get it!”