The Art of Dating and Virtual Pursuit

Ah, it’s already Friday? How time flies.

Luo Xuan had just roused herself, her blood sugar low, her mind still clouded with sleep.

She tried to recall the joyful week she had spent with Bai Jingjing.

It began on Sunday, when she brought Bai Jingjing home. Bai Jingjing had expressed a desire to be a better girlfriend, prompting Luo Xuan to suggest they practice dating.

The following days were spent experiencing various dates, with the exception of Tuesday. That particular day was lost because a certain ‘little brain tiger’ battle (TL Note: A playful euphemism for an intense intimate encounter.) on Monday night left her unable to rise the next morning.

Thus, upon careful consideration, this week’s ‘happy life’ had essentially involved taking Bai Jingjing on delightful dates.

Emmm… no, not dates. Rather, it was ‘on-the-job training’ to ensure her best friend had a better experience.

Pure devotion!

“Tomorrow afternoon, we’ll head out around the appointed time. But more importantly, Bai Jingjing,” Luo Xuan asked with genuine concern, “have you learned how to date?”

The young woman’s expression was utterly serious, as if she were genuinely, deeply concerned about whether Jingjing could truly excel as a girlfriend.

It absolutely had to be genuine; otherwise, all of Luo Xuan’s actions these past few days would simply be using her best friend as an excuse to secretly indulge herself.

Don’t ask; if you do, the answer is pure devotion.

“Hmm… I think, I should be able to now,” Bai Jingjing considered carefully. “The essence of dating, she mused, lay in the feeling of being together. What they did held less importance than the way everything became imbued with extraordinary meaning. Even changing an outfit felt as though it were specifically chosen for the other person’s gaze. This simple, subtle sentiment bestowed a special significance upon all their interactions.”

Luo Xuan paused, slightly stunned.

Damn, she actually figured it out.

No, that wasn’t right. Bai Jingjing’s insight was a good thing; Luo Xuan should be happy for her best friend.

“You’re absolutely right; my efforts these past few days were not in vain…”

Just as Luo Xuan prepared to offer a few words of praise, Bai Jingjing suddenly spoke again:

“So, Sister Luo, do hot pants or short skirts look better?”

Ah… what?

Two images materialized in Luo Xuan’s mind: The first was Bai Jingjing on Monday, clad in white hot pants, seated in the passenger seat. The bright early summer sunlight streamed in, illuminating the gently swaying mounds above and the smooth, snowy expanse of her thighs below.

The second image was from Tuesday: Bai Jingjing, standing gracefully in a JK uniform (TL Note: A Japanese school uniform style, typically featuring a pleated skirt.), her coffee-colored short skirt swaying slightly in the open space before the hospital entrance. The gentle morning breeze caressed her pristine, flawless legs, lifting the light hem of her skirt just enough to spark endless imagination.

No, no, what was she thinking? This was merely helping her best friend with training!

After a prolonged internal struggle, Luo Xuan finally replied, “Both are beautiful, but each has its own unique charm. To put it simply, hot pants are better when seated and in close proximity, offering a more striking visual impact. For standing postures at a medium distance, a short skirt would be more appropriate.”

She cautiously observed Bai Jingjing’s reaction. The young woman nodded her small head gently, deep in thought.

Luo Xuan, now fully immersed, felt the ‘bullets of her focused light machine gun’ begin to spin (TL Note: A vivid metaphor for her thoughts and words flowing rapidly and intensely.). She grew more animated with each word:

“This considers the ‘static’ aspect. On the other hand, if you’re in motion, there’s also a distinction. When walking slowly, a short skirt looks much better, its light sway absolutely wonderful. But if you’re walking quickly, then hot pants are definitely more appealing, with your thighs flashing white as they move… Ugh.”

Damn, she’d gotten carried away, a little too high on her own words.

Luo Xuan quickly hit the brakes, concluding simply, “In short, both are good.”

All good, all perfect, absolutely flawless.

Bai Jingjing remained silent for several seconds, then suddenly understood something: “Sitting down and close by, that must be in the car, right, Sister Luo? You were looking at my legs, weren’t you?”

“Uh…”

Damn, she could even ‘arrest’ her for that?

“Oh, that’s all in the past, it’s just a general idea,” Luo Xuan quickly said. “The important thing is that you’ve grasped the concept.”

She promptly put a stop to Bai Jingjing’s ‘temporal policing’ (TL Note: A humorous term for scrutinizing past actions or intentions with an overly critical eye.) behavior.

“Mm-hmm,” Bai Jingjing nodded obediently. “Then, the next question is about the dating location… Where does Sister Xia like to go?”

A date required a dating location, meaning a place the other person wished to visit.

“That, I don’t know. Probably no one does. Her thoughts are hidden very deep,” Luo Xuan scratched her head. “And it’s hard to say if she even has a preferred place, because as you know, she barely leaves the house.”

“Mm-hmm…”

Indeed, it was a bit tricky. Given Xia Chu’s introverted personality, trying to inquire about such things would be difficult.

She would have to find a way to approach it through details.

After finishing lunch, Bai Jingjing settled into the quiet small room, occasionally sketching a few lines while scrolling through Xia Chu’s QQ Zone.

She usually checked it now and then, trying to understand this introverted older sister. That’s how she’d managed to ‘catch’ her in the act that morning when Xia Chu posted about noodles.

However, there wasn’t much substantive information in the QQ Zone; it revealed almost no real-life details. Most of her friends were from games, so her posts were primarily game-related.

She scrolled through the entire feed, from 2022 all the way back to 2018. While she found no mention of places Xia Chu enjoyed visiting in real life, she did uncover a considerable amount about the games and maps she liked to play.

Bai Jingjing put down her paintbrush and her phone.

Mmm-hmm. Since real-world locations were currently unknowable, she decided to start with virtual ones.

However, her current computer was barely adequate for those games. Fortunately, two hundred thousand yuan had been deposited a few days ago, so she had enough money to buy a gaming laptop.

Bai Jingjing quickly placed an order on JD.com. Logistics in the provincial capital were convenient, with stock available in local warehouses, though delivery would still take several days.

At least until Sunday morning.

The young woman considered for a moment, then added a note to the order.

[If it can arrive by Sunday, deliver it to Ayaka Residential Area. If it’s a bit later, deliver it to Pearl Residential Area.]

Order placed, payment made, done.

That week, on her last night at Luo Xuan’s house, Bai Jingjing still slept soundly, drifting off almost immediately.

Luo Xuan lay beside her, inhaling the sweet coconut milk scent that permeated the air, her heart torn.

Tomorrow would bring a brief separation. In the conventional sense, shouldn’t there be some interaction, a mutual send-off of sorts?

Although Bai Jingjing was already asleep, her utterly defenseless posture meant Luo Xuan needed only reach her hand beneath the covers to ‘covertly cross Yinping and seize Shu Han’ (TL Note: A historical idiom, here used metaphorically for a sneak attack or intimate advance.).

At that moment, whether it was the ‘mounds’ (TL Note: A playful euphemism for breasts.), the ‘snow-white thighs,’ or the ‘little brain tiger,’ all would be hers to command.

Or, to be even more aggressive, she could simply lean in, flip over, and press down, thereby ‘dominating the north and swallowing the world like a whale’ (TL Note: Another historical idiom, used metaphorically for taking complete control in an intimate context.).

Swallow whatever she pleased!

Yet, the moment Luo Xuan extended her hand, the words of ‘Lemon,’ that lewd loli (TL Note: A slang term referring to a young girl with a precocious or mischievous sexual awareness.), from a few days prior, flashed through her mind.

Now, with Bai Jingjing sleeping peacefully, Luo Xuan no longer had the excuse of ‘helping her best friend with training and exercise.’

Luo Xuan squeezed her eyes shut, burrowing into the covers with an indignant huff, and went to sleep.

Don’t ask. Pure devotion!