As mid-November drew near, coupled with the recent bleak and chilly weather, a distinct coldness permeated the air.
The biting wind, sweeping against Bai Xia as she sat waiting on a bench at the community entrance, compelled her to tighten her loose scarf and tuck her legs in, finding the cold almost unbearable.
Her discomfort wasn’t due to exceptionally harsh weather; in fact, her upper body felt quite warm beneath her windbreaker and coat.
Yet, her bare lower legs were exposed to the icy air, resulting in a persistent chill that seemed to bore directly upwards from her feet.
Bai Xia sighed for the twelfth time, regretting for the thirty-fifth time that she had washed all her clothes, new and old, leaving her without a single warm garment to wear.
Glancing at the skirt that barely covered her thighs, she couldn’t help but sigh once more.
While the safety shorts underneath offered a modicum of warmth, she felt profoundly uncomfortable, both psychologically and physically.
There was no helping it; she had impulsively washed all her washable clothes a couple of days prior, and now, perhaps due to the weather, they still felt slightly damp, making them feel distinctly wrong when worn.
After a long search, she had found only a handful of wearable items, and for her lower body, nothing but skirts.
Fortunately, she had grown accustomed to wearing skirts in the game, so while it felt a bit peculiar in reality, it wasn’t entirely unacceptable, especially since she had added the ‘great artifact’ known as safety shorts.
It was just a little cold, though not to an unbearable degree.
‘…Are they not here yet?’
After letting her mind wander aimlessly for a while, Bai Xia checked the time and then surveyed her surroundings, still discerning no unusual figures.
Just as she prepared to send a message to inquire, her SkyCom (TL Note: A common term for a futuristic communication device, like a smartphone or wrist-mounted communicator) suddenly vibrated.
‘[I’m here.]’
As Bai Xia instinctively lowered her head to check the message, a sleek, silver-white sedan silently glided to a stop nearby.
Through the car window, the man in the back seat instantly spotted the girl without needing any direction.
He narrowed his eyes; though he had seen her photos before, in reality, she truly was…
‘…a bit unscientific.’
Gazing at Bai Xia, who appeared like a middle schooler obediently waiting for her parents after school, Qin Zheng’s emotions became momentarily complex.
However, he quickly shook his head, casting aside this inexplicable thought.
Soon, Bai Xia noticed the sedan as well, rising with a hint of hesitation.
At the same moment, the man opened the car door and waved to her.
Only after receiving a clear affirmation did Bai Xia slowly approach.
Observing her face, which appeared even more youthful in person, Qin Zheng didn’t dally.
He simply shifted his position and gestured to the seat beside him. ‘Get in first.’
Bai Xia offered no reply, merely observing him quietly for a prolonged moment.
Just as the man began to feel bewildered, she slowly uttered, ‘Boss?’
‘What’s wrong? My appearance shouldn’t be much different from in-game, should it? Am I that hard to recognize?’
‘That’s exactly what surprises me.’
As Qin Zheng wore a puzzled expression, Bai Xia finally settled into the seat he had just vacated, then began to curiously examine the car’s interior.
The man was speechless for a moment.
As the car door automatically closed, he reached over to fasten her seatbelt. ‘Could it be because I’m too handsome?’
‘Mhm, quite handsome.’
Bai Xia nodded impassively.
Just as Qin Zheng wondered why she was suddenly so agreeable, he saw the girl’s eyes light up as she ran her hand over the adjacent car window. ‘So, this car is incredibly stylish, it’s self-driving, and it’s so comfortable to ride in—it must be really expensive, right?’
‘…’
So, it was the car she cared about?
The man fell silent for a long moment, opening his mouth but finding no words.
Bai Xia, however, seemed unconcerned, making herself at home by touching various surfaces and then contentedly rubbing against the immensely comfortable back seat.
Finally, Qin Zheng shook his head.
He retrieved a can of a drink from the front passenger seat and placed it before her. ‘If you like it, I can lend it to you to drive sometime.
Have you eaten lunch? If not, I booked a private room before I came.
Let’s get lunch sorted before we look at the house.’
As he spoke, Qin Zheng lightly tapped his wristband, and the intelligent assistant, integrated with the driving system, automatically started the vehicle, which then began to smoothly drive towards Suhua’s new district.
Bai Xia didn’t reply.
Though she accepted the drink, she continued to tilt her head, watching him.
This continued for a moment—
‘Just tell me, Boss, what exactly is your scheme?’
‘Scheme?’
Qin Zheng was momentarily stunned, likely unaccustomed to the erratic leaps in Bai Xia’s thoughts.
After all, to suddenly jump to ‘scheme’ out of nowhere… and wasn’t ‘scheme’ perhaps a bit too strong a word?
Unable to read minds, Bai Xia naturally had no idea of his thoughts.
Seeing the man’s bewildered expression, she narrowed her eyes. ‘Isn’t it? Boss, you’re not planning to sell me off, are you?’
‘What kind of nonsense are you thinking of…?’
Raising his hand, he lightly tapped Bai Xia’s head, a wry smile on his face. ‘Do you think I’m so hard up for cash that I’d need to sell you?
Besides, look at those skinny arms and legs; if I actually sold you, I’d probably be accused of child trafficking.’
‘Legal lolis (TL Note: A Japanese loanword, short for ‘Lolita’, used to describe a young, often cute, girl-like character, sometimes with sexual connotations. Here, ‘legal’ implies she is of age but still appears very young) are a rare resource.’
‘Oh really? And how much do you think you’re worth, Bai Xia?’
‘Priceless, of course… No, don’t change the subject!
Boss, what exactly are you here for today?’
Seeing the conversation veer off track, the girl quickly, and unusually earnestly, steered it back just in time.
Bai Xia was no fool; quite the contrary, beneath her seemingly naive exterior lay a mature soul.
As the saying goes, ‘unsolicited generosity hides ulterior motives’ (TL Note: A Chinese proverb, ‘wu shi xian yin qin, fei jian ji dao’, meaning that someone being overly attentive or helpful without reason often has malicious intentions).
While the man beside her was likely neither a villain nor a thief, such sudden enthusiasm surely had a reason, didn’t it?
In this world, there was no inexplicable ill will, nor was there inexplicable goodwill.
Bai Xia acknowledged that, while she was indeed a little cuter now, she certainly wasn’t so adorable that everyone would go out of their way to help her whenever she faced a difficulty.
Reality was no romance novel, and Bai Xia was certainly not the legendary Mary Sue (TL Note: A fictional character, typically female, who is portrayed as unrealistically free of weaknesses or flaws) with an impossibly long, perfect name like Bai Mary Coffin Sue Liyingshang Xia.
Since she wasn’t a universally beloved Mary Sue, Qin Zheng’s attitude was clearly problematic.
Merely introducing a place to stay was one thing, but personally coming to pick her up stirred a degree of suspicion in Bai Xia.
And could it truly be a coincidence that they both ended up in the same city?
Bai Xia felt as though she could don oversized glasses, tie a red bow-tie voice changer, and then point at the man beside her to utter that famous line—one that perhaps only she in this world would truly understand—
‘There is only one truth!’
Seeing her earnest expression, Qin Zheng, on the contrary, smiled.
Leaning back, he asked with interest, ‘What truth?’
‘Boss, you’re not seriously trying to hit on me, are you!?’
Indeed, this was the only possibility Bai Xia could conceive.
After all, when a man suddenly became overly enthusiastic towards a woman—excluding blood relations and disregarding external factors like age differences—it seemed the only logical conclusion was that he was trying to pursue her, wasn’t it?
Qin Zheng paused, unsure whether to marvel at her perceptiveness or her obtuseness.
Finally, he simply leaned his head closer with a smile. ‘What if I am?’
‘…Being a loli-con (TL Note: Short for ‘Lolita complex’, referring to an attraction to young-looking girls) is unacceptable.’
Feeling a strange sensation from his breath, Bai Xia instinctively edged away, then formed a large ‘X’ with her hands across her chest. ‘You’ll be reported to the police and arrested, Boss.’
‘It’s fine, you’re an adult.’
‘…’
‘That actually seems to be true?’
Pondering her identification details, Bai Xia froze for two seconds before making the ‘X’ gesture again. ‘Even if I’m a legal loli, it’s still unacceptable.’
‘Why?’
‘Because leering at a legal loli will get you kicked to death by a horse.’
Qin Zheng’s mouth twitched.
He felt utterly foolish for seriously discussing such things with her, so he could only shake his head. ‘What do you want to eat later?
I’ll have them prepare it now.’
‘Wait, why are we suddenly talking about what I want to eat?
Let me be blunt with you, Boss.
If you’re really trying to hit on me… then I’m sorry, Boss, you’re a good person, but we’re not compatible.
You’ll definitely find someone better than me.’
Dating was completely out of Bai Xia’s consideration.
After all, having changed bodies, Bai Xia was honestly at a loss as to whether she should even look for a man or a woman when it came to romance.
If she sought a woman, she would instantly become a lesbian.
Not that she looked down upon it, but did he think lesbians were everywhere?
While the protagonists in yuri (TL Note: A Japanese genre focusing on lesbian relationships) novels always encountered other yuri girls, that was merely fiction.
Then, if she sought a man… tsk, psychologically, she couldn’t accept it.
Even though Bai Xia had transformed into a girl, her former mindset still largely dominated her.
In such circumstances, she truly couldn’t accept having a boyfriend; the mere thought of ‘doing that’ with a man sent shivers down her spine.
Of course, her immunity in this regard had somewhat increased recently due to watching numerous ‘blockbusters’ (TL Note: A euphemism for adult films).
Even so, imagination was just imagination; in reality, it remained unacceptable.
However, none of this truly mattered to Bai Xia.
She wasn’t particularly concerned with having either a boyfriend or a girlfriend, often feeling content with being alone.
Indeed, her current solitary life was quite comfortable.
Therefore, regarding her boss’s potential ‘covetousness,’ Bai Xia felt it best to give him the ‘good person’ card (TL Note: A common trope in East Asian media, where someone rejects a romantic confession by telling the confessor they are ‘a good person’, implying they are not romantically interested) from the outset.
It might make their relationship a bit awkward, but if something was truly impossible, it should be made clear from the start.
Otherwise, procrastination would only delay the other person and cause herself discomfort.
Yet, in response to Bai Xia’s ‘good person’ card, the man beside her merely nodded calmly. ‘Mhm, I understand.
What do you want to eat later?’
‘Uh… Boss, you’re not angry?’
Bai Xia blinked, somewhat confused.
Could it be that she had misread the situation and been presumptuous?
‘Why would I be angry?’
Qin Zheng smiled.
‘What does my liking you have to do with you? I’ve never forced you to like me back, have I?
So, just do as you wish, Bai Xia.’
‘This logic… something seems off, doesn’t it?’
Bai Xia opened her mouth, momentarily speechless.
In the end, she could only raise her hand—
‘Then I want braised prawns in oil later!’