The friends continued chatting while Xu Youyuan absentmindedly fiddled with the game access crystal, half-listening to the conversation.
"Life’s dull, boring, monotonous. Nothing excites me anymore. Work drains me, and my free time feels empty—yet I still can’t muster the energy to do anything. Weekends are just binge-eating junk food. It’s disgusting, but I can’t stop. I feel like my whole body is filled with garbage. I want to live healthier, but the thought of organic food, calorie counting, whole grains… it exhausts me to the bone. I just can’t be bothered."
"You need someone to take charge of you."
Who? I don’t even want to try. The idea of going through the adjustment period again makes my head hurt. And honestly—no exaggeration—I haven’t felt real attraction in ages. Not toward anyone. Maybe it’s age, maybe my heart’s just numb. All I think about now is work and money. If you asked me to choose between a girlfriend and overnight riches, I’d pick the money, no question.
The group chimed in agreement: "Overnight wealth is everyone’s dream."
"Seriously, when we were younger, hormones ruled everything. We acted on impulse, treated dating like some mandatory social obligation. And sure, we found people—but then we ended up stuck in relationships that didn’t really fit, just going through the motions."
Gan warned, "That mindset’s dangerous. You’ll end up another midlife breakup statistic."
Jiang Yun shrugged. "There are already too many of those. Look at our circle—almost everyone’s split up except Shi Ye and Gan."
"Finding someone tolerable is hard enough, let alone compatible. Honestly, being single is great—trust me. I game all day if I want, eat whenever I feel like it, no nagging."
"No sex life will age you faster."
"Being single doesn’t mean celibacy. If I’m desperate, I’ll find a virtual wife in-game or hook up in *Dark Box*. Problem solved."
"Ugh, aren’t you worried about STDs? Only reckless youngsters use *Dark Box*." Disapproval rippled through the group as they swapped gossip about the controversial app.
Shi Ye noticed Xu Youyuan’s unusual silence. Normally the life of the party, "Birdie" (Xu Youyuan’s nickname) could keep a crowd laughing all night. But tonight, she’d been distracted since arriving, toying with the black "R" emblem on her game access crystal—clearly *Reshape the Universe*’s hardware.
*This hurdle must be tougher than most.*
Xu Youyuan and Shi Ye, both 34, had been classmates since elementary school—the longest and closest friendship in their group.
Shi Ye had watched fresh-grad Xu Youyuan get headhunted by SQUALL for a sky-high salary. She’d downed oceans of coffee, pulled endless all-nighters, and defied skeptics to turn her brainchild, *Reshape the Universe*, into a global phenomenon that revolutionized gaming.
The media frenzy, the *Fortune* rankings—Shi Ye could still picture her friend’s meteoric rise.
And she’d witnessed the fall just as clearly.
So far, only Shi Ye knew Xu Youyuan had left SQUALL. She’d sworn her to secrecy.
The past year’s events had left Shi Ye baffled—and deeply worried.
For a while, Xu Youyuan had vanished: offline on WeChat, unreachable by video call, even absent in-game for 12 straight days.
Now, seeing her in the flesh was a relief—but something still felt off.
"Talk to me," Shi Ye murmured, leaning into Xu Youyuan so only she could hear. "Don’t bottle things up. And no more disappearing acts."
Xu Youyuan’s eyes widened. "Come on, since when do I keep things to myself?"
"Since always. Your pride won’t let you show weakness."
Xu Youyuan chuckled. "Same old problems. Everyone gets stressed. Now that I’m jobless, I took a real vacation—went to Iceland."
"No photos on social media."
"We’re keeping the resignation quiet, remember? Dad’s still reeling from Mom’s passing. No need to add to that." She nudged Shi Ye. "Relax, I—"
Her words cut off as Jiang Yun announced loudly:
"My next girlfriend? Definitely someone younger."
Mockery erupted: "Old cow craving tender grass? How young is *young*?"
"At least seven or eight years younger. Full of passion—a little dragon in bed, a puppy outside it. Fresh ideas, new moves. Innocent, pure, believes in nothing but love and me."
Groans followed. Even Shi Ye protested: "Have some dignity! Seven or eight years? Using your extra decade of life experience to trick some clueless girl? Don’t tell people we know you."
Jiang Yun, lost in fantasy, doubled down despite the teasing: "What? A freshly dumped, nearly bankrupt woman can’t dream?"
"Dream all you want—just don’t commit crimes."
"Since when is dating younger a crime?"
"Leading someone on, wasting their youth? That’s criminal. What’s there besides a fling? You’d actually build a life with a kid?"
The absurd debate finally lightened the mood. Shi Ye and Jiang Yun bickered until her phone rang.
"Oh? Shi Yue, you’re here?" The room turned as Shi Ye answered.
"Shi Yue’s back?" Gan asked Xu Youyuan.
"How would I know? I’m not close with her sister."
After hanging up, Shi Ye explained: "She returned this summer, joined a domestic firm. With the global economy tanking, coming back was the smart move. Plus, the family worried about her overseas."
"What was Shi Yue studying again?"
Jiang Yun remembered: "Your least favorite subject."
"Which is?"
"Artificial intelligence."
"Seriously?"
Shi Ye glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the courtyard. "Her degree’s technically *Pattern Recognition and Intelligent Systems*—slightly different."
“How avant-garde. Is she here yet? Let us old aunties get a good look and broaden our horizons.”
Xu Youyuan subtly glanced toward the door, while Shi Ye squinted with a smile and waved. “Over here.”
Shi Yue pushed open the café door and walked to their table, greeting everyone with a sweet smile. “Long time no see, everyone.”
Tall and long-legged, Shi Yue’s waist nearly reached the height of her sister’s chest. Her medium-length hair curled slightly at the ends, and her light makeup accentuated her big eyes and rosy lips—her smile was especially sweet.
She wore a bright green jacket, the zipper slightly open to reveal the edge of a white T-shirt underneath, paired with ordinary jeans, though the rips at the knees were more exaggerated than most. On her feet were deep blue Adidas Superstars with white stripes. It was exactly the kind of effortless, comfort-first style young people loved, radiating youthful energy. A backpack strap hung over her right shoulder, and in her left hand, she carried a thick, brick-like book with the municipal library’s logo on it. From her seated position, Xu Youyuan didn’t look at Shi Yue’s face but instead caught the bold title on the book’s cover: *The Evolution of Full-Dive VR Gaming and Immersive Entertainment*.
Jiang Yun gasped. “Wait—you’re little Shi Yue? You’ve grown so much!”
The friends stared in disbelief. In their memories, Shi Yue was an elementary schooler, eleven years younger than Shi Ye—a tiny thing.
Back then, she had always trailed behind her sister, a small figure with a simple ponytail and an oversized backpack carrying her special kid-sized laptop. She had a weakness for ice cream cones—offer one, and she’d follow without fail. Her singing voice was lovely, and during holidays, their parents would always coax her into performing. But as she got older, she became reluctant to sing. After starting middle school, they saw her less often, and once she went abroad for university, their paths hardly crossed anymore.
Now, in the blink of an eye, the little girl had transformed into a poised young woman. If they passed her on the street, they’d never recognize her.
Shi Yue smiled at Jiang Yun. “How’ve you been?” Her tone was casual, like she was greeting an old friend.
Shi Ye frowned slightly. “What’s with you? Call her *jie*.”
Shi Yue kept smiling but didn’t address Jiang Yun as “sister.” Instead, she slung her backpack down, unzipped it, and took a seat between Shi Ye and Xu Youyuan. “I wanted to meet up as soon as I got back, but I just started a new job, and it’s been brutal—felt like my brain was getting kicked in. Barely got a free moment. Shi Ye didn’t even want me to come.”
Shi Ye shot her a puzzled look, musing aloud, “What would you even talk about with us old folks? We’re not exactly in the same life stage.”
Shi Yue didn’t argue. Instead, she pulled out carefully wrapped gifts from her backpack and handed them out one by one. “Didn’t have much time to prepare, so don’t mind if it’s not perfect.”
The group of “old aunties” lit up, tearing into the presents immediately, marveling at how long it had been since they’d received gifts—almost forgetting the thrill of ripping open wrapping paper.
“This is for you.” After distributing the others, Shi Yue finally held out a small square box wrapped in navy-blue paper to Xu Youyuan.
Xu Youyuan didn’t take it right away, and Shi Yue didn’t lower her hand. They locked eyes, the air between them growing awkward.
“Thanks.”
After a five-second standoff, Xu Youyuan finally accepted the gift.
Shi Yue’s smile softened. “Hope you like it.”
Xu Youyuan didn’t respond, nor did she open it on the spot like the others. Instead, she casually tucked it into her bag.
Jiang Yun got a body-fat-monitoring smartwatch, Gan received a pair of navigation-enabled smart contact lenses, and the others received popular imported tech gadgets.
The group bombarded Shi Yue with questions—about her studies, her job—and she patiently answered each one. For once, the gathering of “old aunties” felt infused with a fresh energy.
Xu Youyuan didn’t join the chatter. She excused herself to the restroom.
Once she was gone, Shi Ye turned to her sister. “What did you give Youyuan-jie?”
“Hm?”
“What was it? Huh?” Shi Ye’s expression turned uncharacteristically stern.
Shi Yue: “……”
---
Xu Youyuan pushed herself up from the heated toilet seat, frustration simmering. Maybe it was because her period was late—again—over a week now with no sign of arrival. *What’s the damn holdup?*
Stepping out of the stall, a dull ache lingered in her waist and legs. She cursed under her breath, equal parts embarrassed and irritated.
At the mirror, she studied her reflection.
Same face, but the skin looked… unfamiliar.
She’d spent a fortune on skincare, yet even with high-end foundation, the faint sagging was undeniable. Her period might be AWOL, but her acne was punctual—a stubborn one throbbed on her chin, and another seemed ready to erupt on her forehead. She prodded it lightly. *Ow.*
She debated whether to rejoin the gathering or linger here a little longer. She regretted not bringing her neural link; at least she could’ve passed time in a game.
Then, without warning, Shi Ye appeared behind her, not heading for a stall—just staring.
“What?” Xu Youyuan snapped, shoving her hands under the faucet. The motion sensor responded instantly, releasing a smooth stream of warm water—perfect pressure, not a drop splashing onto her clothes.
Shi Ye asked a question Xu Youyuan hadn’t expected.
“Did something happen between you and my sister?”
