After-Effects and New Beginnings

Xia Chu had a truly wonderful night.

Even if the night wasn’t overtly sensual (TL Note: “Sese,” a colloquial term implying intimate or sensual acts), she slept exceptionally well; as the saying goes, the most restorative sleep often follows physical exertion. Thanks to the joyous ‘exercise’ of the afternoon, her slumber that evening was particularly profound.

Not everyone, however, was granted such a peaceful night.

Upon her return home, He Manyu erupted in a furious rage, for the first sight that greeted her was a woman standing beside her eldest son. A torrent of vitriol soon sent the woman scurrying away.

Her eldest son, utterly bewildered, inquired, “What’s wrong, Mom? Why are you so furious today?”

“What’s wrong, you ask? I tell you to work diligently at the company, yet you spend all day exchanging glances with some secretary,” He Manyu fumed, the image she had just witnessed igniting her temper. “And you even let her parade around here in super short shorts!”

“Mom, those weren’t super short shorts,” her eldest son clarified, despite his confusion over her sudden aversion to such attire. “It was a super short skirt.”

He Manyu paused, realizing the dim light had prevented her from seeing clearly.

“Mom, weren’t you going to… today?”

“Don’t even bring it up! It only makes me angrier. That unfilial daughter—some little vixen (TL Note: A derogatory term for a seductive woman, often implying deceit or manipulation) from who-knows-where has utterly enchanted her,” He Manyu exclaimed, then a sudden thought struck her. “Wait, where *did* that little vixen come from?”

Her eldest son listened, utterly lost. “Mom, what are you talking about? I don’t quite follow.”

“Xia Chu has a girl by her side,” He Manyu stated bluntly. “Find out where she’s from, and whose family she belongs to.”

****

Beyond the deeply distressed He Manyu, there were others for whom sleep remained elusive.

Take Luo Xuan, for instance, who lay in bed, phone in hand, her eyes refusing to close.

It wasn’t for any particular reason, other than the fact that she had messaged Bai Jingjing and Xia Chu that morning, and by evening, neither of them had bothered to reply.

Luo Xuan found it almost inconceivable. Her best friend, a quintessential homebody who might not answer calls but invariably saw QQ messages, had managed to stay offline for an entire day.

‘What on earth was she doing?’

After much contemplation, she finally drifted off to sleep.

Zzzz

****

Sunday dawned, another perfectly ordinary morning.

Xia Chu awoke later than usual, and upon opening her eyes, felt little inclination to rise, preferring to linger languidly in bed.

She had discovered that intimate matters (TL Note: “Sese,” a colloquial term implying sensual or intimate physical acts) were much like savoring a bottle of rich, aged wine—initially, one felt capable, their body well able to withstand it, and their state only improved. Yet, once they finally rested, they realized the after-effects were quite potent.

Even a full night’s sleep hadn’t been enough; she needed time to slowly recover.

Bai Jingjing, on the other hand, rose as usual, as if yesterday’s ‘exercise’ had left her utterly unaffected.

‘She’s already slept, hasn’t she rested enough?’ Xia Chu mused internally.

Not long after getting up, Bai Jingjing received a call from the courier; her Alienware laptop had indeed arrived. The rent money Xia Chu had given her had come through last week, and having earned such a substantial sum for the first time, Bai Jingjing had decided to treat herself.

Opening the laptop, she connected to Xia Chu’s home network and promptly began downloading games.

Days prior, she had thoroughly scoured Xia Chu’s QQ Zone, leaving no stone unturned—one might say she had seen everything… and indeed, she had seen everything, though that wasn’t the main point. The crucial detail was that she now knew precisely which games Xia Chu frequently played.

Of Xia Chu’s extensive game library, Bai Jingjing had played some, while others she had only briefly dabbled in.

Clicking ‘download,’ she watched as the game’s progress bar swiftly advanced. Bai Jingjing raised her small hand, slender, pale, soft, and seemingly boneless.

‘It’s definitely smaller than before, and cuter too, but will my touch and skill decline?’ she pondered.

‘Yet, upon closer reflection, if my touch for drawing hasn’t diminished, then my gaming abilities should remain much the same,’ she concluded.

Xia Chu slowly emerged from bed only as noon approached. She hadn’t felt anything particular while *doing* it yesterday, but after a night’s sleep, she realized the after-effects were quite potent.

Still, it wasn’t too bad; she had merely spent the better part of the morning lying in bed, idly playing on her phone.

Having been offline all day yesterday, both from games and QQ, she only discovered upon logging in that her best friend Luo Xuan had sent messages, inquiring about how their day together had gone.

Luo Xuan was acting like a conscientious shop owner, diligently following up for a post-purchase review of their ‘experience.’

As Xia Chu was checking her messages, Luo Xuan happened to send another new one—

[Eylla: What happened yesterday? Why were neither of you online?]

Xia Chu paused for a moment, then instinctively replied:

[So much happened yesterday…]

If one were to count from Friday night, after Bai Jingjing had fallen asleep, Xia Chu had indulged a little, only to exhaust herself completely, even making her ‘little tiger’ (TL Note: A playful, often self-referential term, here implying a sensitive part of the body, expressing exhaustion from intimate activity) cry from fatigue. Then, the very next morning, she encountered a profoundly vexing situation, causing her mood to plummet to the point of collapse.

Subsequently, Bai Jingjing had heroically saved the day, and even healed her in a very special way.

In short, a great many things had transpired.

[Eylla: ?]

[Chuxia: It’s nothing, let’s just eat first.]

“My laptop arrived,” Bai Jingjing shared the good news with her at the lunch table. “We can play games together this afternoon.”

Xia Chu paused, remembering that Bai Jingjing had indeed mentioned a surprise for today last night.

‘It truly is a surprise,’ she thought.

Yet, her surprise stemmed from a different question: “Bai Jingjing, you… play games too?”

Xia Chu had always assumed that a true ‘little fairy’ like Bai Jingjing would surely lead a very fulfilling life in reality, far removed from gaming.

“Yes, I don’t play often, but I can play anything,” Bai Jingjing said softly. “I’ve already downloaded them all.”

“Great,” Xia Chu’s eating speed accelerated slightly. “We’ll play together in a bit!”

She was genuinely excited. Ever since becoming a homebody, games had occupied most of her life outside of work hours. Now, with a girlfriend like Bai Jingjing, who could not only take care of her daily needs but also accompany her in gaming…

‘Oh, and right, they could do even happier things tonight,’ she mused.

‘How did that saying go? One needs both… physical connection, and to fully immerse oneself in life.’

After eating, Xia Chu happily found her gaming group and informed her usual teammates that she would be introducing a new member today.

She planned to first let them know the new teammate was a beautiful, sweet-voiced ‘big sister’ (TL Note: “Dajiejie,” a respectful and endearing term for an older female, often used for attractive women), and then, as a grand reveal, state that this was her girlfriend, with whom she was already cohabiting.

‘They’ll surely be green with envy,’ she thought with a grin.

Having just finished lunch, her teammates weren’t online yet, so Xia Chu decided to play a few rounds with Bai Jingjing first, hoping to demonstrate her prowess.

Then, after several instances of ‘landing and getting boxed’ (TL Note: A gaming term meaning to be defeated immediately after landing in a battle royale game, turning into a loot box), Xia Chu quietly clicked the ‘X’ to close the game.

“Um, today, I don’t know why, my hands feel a bit weak,” she said, her pretty face flushed faintly. “Let’s not play competitive games.”

‘How strange,’ she thought. ‘Why are my hands so soft and unsteady? My mouse barely slid onto an enemy’s head, and then I trembled as soon as I fired.’

At the same time, she quickly messaged the teammates she had just contacted, explaining that something unexpected had come up today and she would introduce them another time.

She received a string of question marks in reply.

“Mm, I understand,” Bai Jingjing said, showing her comprehension. “That’s quite normal.”

‘After her “training” with Sister Luo Xuan, Luo Xuan also felt weak all over, unable to exert herself,’ Bai Jingjing recalled internally.

“So, what should we play now?” Xia Chu asked, a hint of indecision in her voice.

Bai Jingjing pondered her ‘big sister’s’ game library for a moment, then proactively suggested, “How about… Genshin?”