Chapter 33 Part 2

Last time, when she had just arrived, Tang Mi had invited her to a meal. It was precisely because she had come back to get Tang Mi's card that she had run into Qin Chuan and Chi Yun breaking up.

Of course, it was hard to say if there was any connection between the two events.

Tang Mi was just like her name suggested, always smiling sweetly and looking completely harmless.

And because of this, she was very popular in the company and didn't put on airs with people of a lower rank.

Returning here again, Bo He felt that there was a lesson to be learned in every detail.

She told herself to be cautious, but not overly suspicious.

Qin Chuan was a bit absent-minded.

He glanced at his computer screen from time to time.

QQ was open there, and it would flash whenever a new message arrived.

Especially since he had set a certain someone to be visible even when they were invisible, with message notifications.

But the entire day passed, and it remained as quiet as ever.

No matter how busy she was, surely she had enough time to send a single message.

The grain-sized penguin grinned at him, as if gloating over his misfortune.

Just outside, on the other side of the wall, she was engrossed in her work.

Qin Chuan could urge her to reply online, but he couldn't cross that door and ask her for clarification in person.

The little penguin didn't finally start flashing until quitting time.

In less than five seconds, Qin Chuan noticed and clicked on it.

The heart that had been held in suspense instantly deflated like a popped balloon, because the other person had only replied with a single word.

Mm.

Having lived this long, when had Boss Qin ever been treated so perfunctorily?

Even his own father, with whom he got along the least, had to acknowledge his abilities and would, however impatiently, make time to listen to his work-related ideas.

Not to mention all those people who wanted something from him, who would greet him with smiles for all sorts of reasons, just to chat with him for a bit longer.

At this moment, Qin Chuan stared at his own hundred-plus-word, sincere and heartfelt mini-essay, and below it, the single word "Mm." Any temper he had just vanished.

...

When she received the voice call, Bo He had already left the company and was sitting in a fast-food restaurant.

In order to finish that document, she had voluntarily worked a little overtime today. Adding the subway ride home, she probably wouldn't get home until eight or nine, too late to cook for herself, so she could only eat out.

All around was the clamor of people coming and going, filled with a mundane hustle and bustle. At every table sat groups of two or three, either colleagues or friends.

Only Bo He was all alone, staring blankly at her phone.

She still remembered one time, on a similar night of working overtime, two factions in the game had gotten into a fierce fight. One of them was the faction that "Chuan Chuan" was a permanent member of.

When "Eight Whiskers" told her about this, "Chuan Chuan" had already been killed over and over again in the game. The opposing side's combat power was more than a level higher than his, and they took pleasure in slaughtering low-level players, especially earnest alternate characters like "Chuan Chuan."

Back then, "Chuan Chuan" didn't have a main account and was just a teenage girl.

After she heard about it, she didn't even bother to eat, immediately rushing home to log into the game and annihilate the opponent who had killed her disciple ten or twenty times over.

Just yesterday, before "Eight Whiskers" told her the truth, she had just asked "Chuan Chuan" for her birthday and was wondering how to give her a meaningful birthday celebration to make up for the lack of family affection in her life.

In a modern city where gender symbols are becoming increasingly blurred, this phenomenon is even more common in games.

Female players playing male characters and male players playing female characters has long been a common sight.

The prettier and more coquettish the young lady in the game, the more likely she is a slobbish man in real life. The dashing, bearded swordsman in the game might open his mouth and let out a delicate female voice.

Bo He herself liked playing male characters; it was less hassle. But she never expected that "Chuan Chuan" was the same.

The little girl in her imagination—a bit withdrawn but very sensible, whose conscientiousness made you feel for her—turned out to be a grown man.

The internet is an extension of reality; the two can't be completely separated. Bo He never engaged in online relationships, but she couldn't help but invest too much affectionate pity into "Chuan Chuan," so much so that when the truth was revealed, she found it somewhat hard to accept.

To put it bluntly, she had taken it too seriously.

Bo He looked at her phone screen and gave a faint, bitter smile.

The next second, a voice call invitation from him popped up.

Bo He froze for a moment.

Answer, or not?

She stared at the words on the screen for five seconds.

The person on the other end was persistent, as if determined to wait until she gave in.

A family of three walked toward her.

The daughter was tired of walking and fussed for her mother to carry her.

The mother, carrying a bag, patted her on the head and told her to walk on her own.

In the end, it was the father who picked up the daughter.

The three of them walked past Bo He, their happy laughter still ringing in her ears.

Perhaps influenced by them, Bo He felt an urgent need for someone to talk to, whether to dispel her loneliness or to make herself look less pathetic.

Before her brain could make a final decision, her finger had already pressed the call button, acting ahead of her consciousness.

"Hello, is this Peppermint Tea?"

A young, low-to-mid-range male voice.

It was quite pleasant, but it seemed a bit familiar.

With all the noise around her, she couldn't hear it very clearly.

There was also static on the other end, a buzzing sound.

For a moment, Bo He felt awkward.

She composed herself and replied, "It's me."

The other side was silent for three seconds.

Then came the words: "I'm sorry."

Bo He, ever considerate, tried to smooth things over: "I should be the one apologizing. I'm outside right now, and it's a bit noisy."

The feeling of familiarity was only for an instant; she would never connect the young man on the other end of the call with any man she knew in real life.

"It's okay. I just wanted to say to you, I'm sorry."

"Just like I wrote in the messages I sent you, at first, I really did think you were a guy and wanted to learn game mechanics from you. But later, I sincerely came to see you as my master and senior in the game."

"I always wanted to confess to you but couldn't find the right opportunity. I didn't expect Eight Whiskers to be the one to say it first."

"Can you give me a chance to start over?"

Qin Chuan didn't even dare to speak close to the phone.

He cupped his hand over his mouth, so the sound would surely not be as clear as it was in real life.

Qin Chuan knew that if he let her know right now that he was her direct supervisor, the President Qin who had loudly berated her at the hotel room door, then—

After work tomorrow, there would definitely be one less person in the president's office.

After he said those words, there was no response from the other side for a long time.

Through the phone, Qin Chuan could hear all sorts of background noises: children shouting, adults scolding, customers ordering food.

The only thing he couldn't hear was her presence.

Not until he heard her say "Okay" did Qin Chuan suddenly realize his heart had been violently thrown into mid-air, only to be gently placed back down, landing safely.

The ups and downs he experienced in that moment were as thrilling and heart-stopping as an Aeroflot flight landing in a severe blizzard.