Chen Cheng should have been used to being alone.
In her past life, after graduating from university, she rented a small one-bedroom apartment, just about 30 square meters, with a bathroom. She never found the space too small or suffocating. On the contrary, she thought it was cozy and lived there for years.
Back then, she always felt like there wasn't enough time in a day. She had novels to write, watch game live broadcasts, catch up on TV series and anime, and play games. On top of that, she still had time to enjoy a few drinks. Every day was fulfilling, busy in her small rented apartment.
Aside from the constant anxiety of barely making enough money to support herself, she was actually quite satisfied with her free and independent lifestyle.
But now, she was alone again, yet she sat curled up in her computer chair, hugging her knees, feeling completely lost.
She didn't know what to do. Or rather, she couldn't find the motivation to do anything.
It had only been a week, and already, she couldn't handle being alone.
Chen Cheng absentmindedly fiddled with her phone, scrolling through her contacts, hoping to find someone to chat with or play games with. But she couldn't think of a single suitable person.
An Yuan was out shopping with his cousin.
Chen Shuting and Hu Wei were her best friends, but she had only known them for a week. And honestly, there wasn't much fun hanging out with girls.
As for her old high school gaming buddies… well, now that she was a girl, she had basically no connection with them anymore.
"Ugh! This is so frustrating!"
She ruffled her hair into a messy bird's nest.
Ever since she got stuck in this new body, her entire social circle had changed, and now, An Yuan was her only real friend!
"Pan Jie?" Suddenly, she remembered her desk mate.
She had spent a week sitting next to him, and their interactions had been pretty pleasant. Pan Jie was nice to her and seemed to enjoy playing games too.
But what if he rejected her?
What if he never actually saw her as a friend?
What if…
She hesitated for a long time before finally sending him a message:
[Wanna hang out?]
Almost instantly, he replied:
[Sure! Where to?]
[Kuiqiao Internet Café!]
[???]
............
Kuiqiao Street was a well-known commercial and food district.
It was part of the old town, with four-lane roads packed with street vendors selling everything from belts to fresh produce, along with countless food stalls. Eventually, it had been converted into a pedestrian-only zone, but even now, cars and people still mixed together in chaotic fashion. Just walking around required caution, you never knew when a reckless motorbike might come speeding by.
Standing at the Kuiqiao bus stop, Pan Jie had dressed up in his best outfit, a stylish button-up shirt and casual slacks. He had even styled his hair with gel, combing it neatly into a side part, making himself look as mature and refined as possible.
Every so often, he would adjust his sleeves and swallow nervously. His palms were sweating inside his pockets.
"Pan Jie!"
Chen Cheng took a motorcycle ride-hailing service to get there. She hopped off, paid the fare, and darted across the street to meet him.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go online!" Chen Cheng quickly scanned Pan Jie's attire. "Not bad! Why are you dressed so handsomely today?"
"Handsome? Just average, I guess?"
Hearing her call him handsome, Pan Jie nearly burst into a grin, completely missing the teasing tone in her voice.
He quickly followed her, but he didn't dare look at her directly, only sneaking glances from the side. His heartbeat sped up, and his face stayed faintly flushed the entire time.
"What games do you usually play? LoL?"
In this parallel world, League of Legends had just won the S5 Championship and was insanely popular. Most of the boys in their class played it.
"Uh… DNF."
"Oh! Dungeon & Fighter? I used to play that in middle school! Had a level 60 Gunslinger!"
Chen Cheng had played all sorts of games before, so she could easily hold a conversation about anything.
The moment the topic turned to gaming, her usual social awkwardness disappeared. She chatted nonstop with Pan Jie on their way to the café.
Meanwhile, Pan Jie, who was normally quite talkative, suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He could barely get a sentence out, his voice coming out soft and hesitant.
Chen Cheng used to be quiet and reserved, but over the past week, he had discovered that she actually had a cheerful and cute side. But today?
Today, she was downright energetic, and Pan Jie had no idea how to handle it.
"Want some tofu? My treat."
Between two socially awkward people, the less awkward one naturally takes charge. And in this case, that person was Chen Cheng.
Although Pan Jie wasn't actually socially anxious, he always became awkward and uneasy when he was around her.
"No need, no need."
"Then how about milk tea? We can drink it while we're at the internet café."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, Chen Cheng walked straight up to the milk tea counter.
"Hi~ One jasmine green milk tea with coconut jelly, please!"
She turned to Pan Jie. "What about you?"
"Uh… I'll just have a coconut jelly milk tea?"
"Alright."
Chen Cheng awkwardly fished some cash out of her tiny jeans pocket with two fingers, grumbling, "Why are these pockets so damn small? Even taking out money is a hassle..."
She had to keep holding her phone the whole time because her pocket was too small to fit it.
On top of that, her jeans were so tight that she constantly felt the unwanted stares from passersby, making her uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, she wasn't a fan of shorts, and all the long pants she had at home were fitted styles. School uniform pants were so much better, comfortable and with plenty of pockets.
"Here's your milk tea, little sister~" The cashier spoke in a sweet voice. "Do you need me to put the straw in for you?"
"Huh? Oh, thanks."
"I'll wrap it with a napkin so your hands don't get wet."
The cashier carefully wrapped the cup in a napkin and inserted the straw before handing it over. Was this a high-end franchise or something? The service was way too good.
"Here's your coconut jelly milk tea."
Pan Jie took his drink nervously, his face completely red.
She must like me! Why else would she be so nice to me?
While he was internally panicking, his gaze suddenly landed on a flower shop nearby.
"Pan Jie, where are you going?"
Chen Cheng had only taken a couple of steps when she saw him suddenly dash across the street.
"Wait up! I'm just grabbing something!"
She watched him walk into the flower shop, confused. It's not Teacher's Day, Mother's Day, or Father's Day…
It wasn't until she saw him coming back holding two roses that her thoughts took a completely unexpected turn.
Wait… is that… for me?
No way, right?
She stood there in shock, frozen as Pan Jie walked up and stuffed the roses into her arms. Her scalp tingled with disbelief.
Seriously?! She got confessed to twice in one week?!
She could dismiss the first one since it was from a total stranger, but why was her own desk mate confessing to her now?!
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "What are you doing?"
"Uh… it's… a thank-you gift for the milk tea… yeah." Pan Jie's gaze darted around, avoiding eye contact.
Even if she had been completely oblivious to romance due to being single, she still knew what roses meant.
If it was really just a thank-you gift, shouldn't he have bought stinky tofu, an egg burger, or some fried chicken instead?
Her face instantly turned cold.
Suppressing the disgust rising in her chest, she resisted the urge to curse and, without hesitation, threw the roses into the nearest trash can before turning around and walking away.
"Ch-Chen Cheng?"
"Something came up. I'm heading back."
At that moment, Chen Cheng finally understood why people used to say she was cold and distant, like an untouchable iceberg.
I treated you like a friend, and you wanted to fuck me!
An Yuan, my brother, is way more reliable!
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 67: A Close Call[2]
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https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/129811097?collection=1362427
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/129811097?collection=1362427
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed