An Unexpected Encounter at the Dorm Door

Having composed herself and rubbed her throbbing shoulder against the stairwell wall, Zhou Yi began her search for tonight’s target.

“207…209…212, this is it!” Her gaze fixed on the room number, her heart involuntarily quickened its pace.

Just as she was about to knock, a terrifying question suddenly surfaced in her mind, causing her raised hand to freeze in mid-air.

‘Wait, how was she supposed to strike up a conversation with a girl?’

‘To be fair, even though she was now a delicate, long-haired maiden, her core remained that of a staunch straight man who hadn’t stepped foot in a girls’ dormitory for twenty years and would blush at the mere mention of ‘sanitary pad’!’

‘The most intimate interaction she’d ever had with a girl was that fleeting, barely-there, not-even-flirtatious… acquaintance with Xu Yao.’

The thought of Xu Yao sent a fine, sharp pang through her chest.

She sighed, then shook her head.

‘Indeed, it wasn’t so easy to let go after all.’

“Wait, what am I doing getting sentimental here?!” She suddenly snapped back to reality, wishing she could slap herself. “What time is it now to be thinking about her?! Has my brain turned to mush?”

‘If it weren’t for her, would she be in this predicament right now, reduced to ‘courting death’ in a girls’ dormitory?!’

She lowered the hand she had raised, then glanced at the ceiling.

‘Having finally infiltrated enemy territory, she needed a proper opening.’

‘It wouldn’t do to just boldly knock on a girl’s door and bluntly declare, “Hello, I’m here to expose your true ‘green tea’ nature,” would it? She’d likely be branded a lunatic and kicked out immediately.’

She scratched her head, frantically searching her mind for any usable pretexts: ‘Borrowing notes? Pretending to be a delivery person? Fixing a light bulb?’

“No, this won’t do! Xiao Qi! Emergency! I need your help! Give me some tips! Anything will do!”

[Ding! Player detected to be suffering from severe social anxiety! Thoughtful Xiao Qi has swiftly loaded the ‘Social Phobia First Aid Kit’ for you!]

1. Pretend to be a new transfer student who has mistaken the dorm room (Additional effect: Temporarily gain the ‘Adorable Directionally Challenged Girl’ tag).

2. Activate universal cosmetics sales pitch (Additional effect: May trigger a group-buying frenzy).

3. Collapse directly at the door, feigning injury (Additional effect: High probability of gaining a ‘Medical Bay VIP Day Pass’).

“…” Zhou Yi fell silent, gazing at the options, each more absurd than the last and accompanied by bizarre additional effects.

“Forget it, forget it, I choose option 4: self-reliance!” She decided to proceed with her own plan.

[Ding-dong~ Player detected attempting to execute an unauthorized plan! Warning: Deviating from system options will significantly increase mission risk! Out-of-Character probability has soared to 78%!]

“So what?” she retorted. “She no longer expected this broken system to offer any sensible solutions.”

Her mind whirred, and she immediately adjusted her original plan. “Xiao Qi, quickly generate a professional ‘Campus Loan Risk Survey’ QR code for me, one that looks like it’s officially issued by the school!”

[Wuwah~ Player, you’re making things difficult for Xiao Qi! Risk notification has been sent, and if you insist on proceeding, all subsequent plot fluctuations and consequences will be borne solely by the player~]

“Stop babbling,” Zhou Yi bluntly cut off the system’s warning. “Just do as I say; if anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”

Despite her words, she felt a distinct lack of confidence arriving empty-handed. After a moment of contemplation, she added, “Xiao Qi, get me a present as well, something impressive!”

[Command received. Although not approved, a ‘Classical Literature Salon’ limited edition souvenir gift box x1 has been generated based on the current environment and target’s [Lin Yating] artistic preferences.]

Gazing at the exquisite gift box in her hand, brimming with elegance and artistic flair, Zhou Yi nodded in approval. ‘This would certainly do. While this broken system was usually unreliable, it proved surprisingly dependable in critical moments!’

She regulated her breathing, trying to appear as calm as possible. ‘She needed to be natural, to be relaxed.’

After quickly reviewing the plan’s details in her mind, she gently tapped on Lin Yating’s dorm room door.

“Coming~” The door opened, and a delicate, charming face, graced with a gentle smile, peeked out.

Zhou Yi’s heart gave a sudden lurch.

‘Holy crap! What a coincidence?! It was actually Lin ‘Green Tea’ herself who opened the door! What a small world… no, this is heaven’s aid!’

The moment their eyes met, Zhou Yi felt her heart leap into her throat.

She quickly forced what she hoped was a friendly smile and handed over the rather elegant-looking gift box she held.

“Hello, classmate, I apologize for the interruption. I’m currently working with my professor on a research project about… uh… college students’ emotional consumption habits. We need to find some students to fill out questionnaires as samples. Could you please help us?”

She swiftly raised her phone, displaying the QR code she had just had the system generate, her heart pounding nervously.

To her surprise, when Lin Yating saw her, she excitedly exclaimed, “Oh my! Senior Zhou Yi?! My goodness, it really is you!”

Zhou Yi froze in place, still holding the QR code aloft. ‘Huh??? What was this all about??’

‘They had just met, and her disguise was already seen through? When had she become so recognizable?’

“Senior, why did you bring a gift? You’re too polite! Come in, come in quickly!”

Lin ‘Green Tea’ seemed a little overly enthusiastic, pulling Zhou Yi inside with a firm grasp, leaving Zhou Yi unsure how to react.

“Wait…” Zhou Yi barely managed to steady herself. “You know me?”

“Of course, I do!” Lin Yating pulled out her phone and waved it. “I’m a loyal fan of your public account, ‘Yi Zhou’s Emotional Insights’! Your article last week, ‘How to Tell if Your Ambiguous Partner is ‘Fishing’ for Options,’ was absolutely brilliant!”

‘Damn it, this ‘tea art’ was truly impressive, practically drenching her in ‘tea-ness’, but she still had to keep up appearances.’

“That… uh… ‘fishing’ article…” She swallowed with difficulty. “What did you think of it?”

“So incredibly real!” Lin Yating blinked her eyes earnestly. “It was as if you’d experienced it yourself!”

Zhou Yi: “…”