My Virtual Girlfriend

Throughout the afternoon, Chen Yan kept flipping through WeChat.

Indeed, there was a record of him adding Yu Qiao Qiao on WeChat, but... it was still pending verification.

In other words, Yu Qiao Qiao hadn't accepted his friend request.

Chen Yan also occasionally checked the game.

The game's main interface displayed Yu Qiao Qiao's approximate location and specific activities.

That afternoon, Yu Qiao Qiao's chibi pixel character had information like "In class..." "On the road..." "Working..." popping up above her head from time to time.

She seemed very busy, which also proved that the girl was indeed very independent and motivated.

But from start to finish, there wasn't a "Contacting Chen Yan..."

It made Chen Yan feel like a failure right out of the gate, losing his in-game money-making pet as soon as the game launched; he was really one of a kind!

So, Chen Yan waited until evening, growing a bit sleepy, when he finally saw the notification that Yu Qiao Qiao had accepted the friend request.

As soon as the friend request was accepted, Chen Yan received many messages from Yu Qiao Qiao.

From top to bottom, they were,

"Transfer to you: 11.5 Yuan."

"Sorry, really sorry. Truly sorry."

"I got back a bit late, was directly dragged to class by my roommate, and then had to work after class, so I couldn't get back to the dormitory in time, hence I only got my phone after finishing work."

"Have you been waiting anxiously? I'm really sorry."

Seeing the string of apologies from Yu Qiao Qiao, Chen Yan's day-long frustration dissipated like smoke.

He didn't click on Yu Qiao Qiao's transfer but replied thoughtfully,

"So you're saying you only just got your phone?"

Yu Qiao Qiao replied instantly, "Yes. Really sorry."

Chen Yan's eyes lit up, sensing a "highlight."

After pondering a bit, he decided to use this "highlight" to tentatively understand Yu Qiao Qiao's character and the system's definition of "feeding."

So he replied directly, "No problem. Without your phone, you probably couldn't settle the bill and haven't even had dinner yet, right? Let's go out for dinner together. That's settled then. See you at the convenience store entrance."

Having said that, Chen Yan put his phone on silent, pocketed it, and walked straight out of the room....

...

On the other end of the phone.

Yu Qiao Qiao was holding a stainless-steel bowl, her cheeks puffed, eating instant noodles.

When she saw Chen Yan's message, she was flabbergasted for a moment. Her big eyes were filled with confusion.

Possibly having never encountered such a situation before, she struggled to swallow the noodles in her mouth, picked up her phone, and rapidly typed out a reply,

"Ah?"

"I've already eaten."

"Really."

"I'm not lying to you!"

After a while, seeing no reply from Chen Yan, Yu Qiao Qiao, puzzled, scratched her little head and added,

"Actually, I'm eating right now... I won't go out. Thank you."

"Really eating!"

"Instant noodles photo.jpg"

"I really won't go."

"Chen Yan, are you there?"

Yu Qiao Qiao sent several replies in a row without waiting for a message from Chen Yan, her mind in a muddle.

Being from an orphanage, she had very few friends growing up.

Moreover, before university, she was neither stylish nor mature-looking, so nobody chased after her.

This left her entirely unexperienced with boys who planned things without listening to her explanations or caring about her rejections.

This made her, still naive, feel a bit lost for a moment.

What should she do now...

Just ignore him?

That wasn't very nice, was it?

He had just helped her this afternoon.

But go out to find him?

It's unsafe for a girl to go see a stranger late at night, isn't it?

Yu Qiao Qiao bit her lip hesitantly for a while.

Then she put down her instant noodles and, cradling her phone, sneaked out of the dorm to make a voice call to Chen Yan.

"Dudu... Dududu..."

Just a moment, but no answer.

Once more...

"Dudu... Dududu..."

...Still no answer.

Yu Qiao Qiao's pretty eyebrows knotted together.

Had Chen Yan already gone to the store? And then... like herself this morning, left hurriedly and forgotten his phone?

Couldn't be that coincidental, right?

What to do?

Kind-hearted Yu Qiao Qiao became more hesitant...

While Yu Qiao Qiao was hesitating, the dorm door opened, and a roommate stepped out with a washbasin.

Seeing Yu Qiao Qiao holding her phone and standing by the window, she curiously asked, "What's up, Qiao Qiao?"

Yu Qiao Qiao was startled awake, looked at her roommate, and hesitantly shared Chen Yan's story.

After hearing about it, her roommate patted Yu Qiao Qiao's shoulder nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? It's just meeting someone. I'll come with you!"

Yu Qiao Qiao worriedly said, "But the two of us... isn't that unsafe?"

Her roommate replied, "What are you worried about? I'm a black belt in Taekwondo. I could take down those men with a single punch."

Yu Qiao Qiao looked at her roommate, sensing a glint of gossip and eagerness in her eyes...

But with her roommate so enthusiastic, it was hard to reject.

So, spurred on by her roommate, she finally decided to go meet Chen Yan.

Before leaving, Yu Qiao Qiao gave a pitiful glance at the half-eaten instant noodles on her desk.

Feeling it would be enough for two meals once she returned.

Such a pity. That was her favorite flavor of instant noodles, braised beef...

...

Chen Yan's convenience store, not far from Qin Island University, was just across a street after exiting the east gate of the university.

After a five-minute walk, exiting the campus, and crossing the road, the two girls arrived at the convenience store entrance.

Looking around at the entrance, Yu Qiao Qiao didn't see Chen Yan.

She couldn't help but call Chen Yan's voice again, but still got no answer.

Yu Qiao Qiao started to imagine things...

Why couldn't she contact him at all?

Did his phone suddenly die?

Or did he accidentally fall down the stairs and... die?

How could a person just disappear like that?

Meanwhile, her roommate initially looked excited and eager.

But after waiting for a while and the thrill fading, she yawned beside her, asking, "Qiao Qiao, where's the friend you mentioned? I don't see them."

Yu Qiao Qiao opened her mouth to explain, only to hear Chen Yan's voice coming from behind, "Qiao Qiao, over here."

Yu Qiao Qiao and her friend followed the direction of Chen Yan's voice and then saw a barbecue restaurant not far from the convenience store.

The business in the restaurant seemed to be booming, with seating both inside and outside, and at that moment, Chen Yan was sitting at an outdoor square table, waving to them.

Seeing Chen Yan, Yu Qiao Qiao breathed a sigh of relief: it was good he hadn't fallen down the stairs.