Chapter 227: Flashback (Part 2)

After the stream ended, Lin Yu’s heart was still pounding wildly.

As he had wished, he successfully added her on WeChat.

The “ding-dong” notification of a friend request being accepted sounded like heavenly music.

【Netizen Xiao Z】—that was her WeChat name.

Much plainer than he had imagined, even carrying a slightly awkward, newbie-on-the-internet vibe.

Lin Yu had thought it would be something like 【Strawberry Sweetheart Lulu】, some kind of anime-style ID.

But that didn’t matter.

Come to think of it, this was the first time in his more than twenty years of life that he had so smoothly added a stranger girl on WeChat.

All those awkward memories of being rejected before surged up—only to be completely washed away by his current joy.

He was so excited that he didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet, rolling back and forth on the bed like an idiot.

Just then, she sent a message first:

“Sunny-gege, what character do you want Lulu to cosplay? But let’s agree first—nothing weird, okay?”

Lin Yu read that line over and over three times, swallowed, and with trembling fingers typed his reply:

“Can you cosplay your current virtual avatar?”

He felt this request was the safest—and the purest.

What he wanted to see was that “Lulu” who had accompanied him through countless lonely nights.

There was a pause of a few seconds.

Those few seconds felt like an entire century to Lin Yu.

Countless possibilities of rejection flashed through his mind: Was the outfit too expensive? Was the request too troublesome?

“Okay.”

Just two simple words—

yet they nearly made Lin Yu throw his phone.

Victory!

He clenched his fist excitedly and punched the bed.

“Where should we meet?”

“Hive Station, District D, BD, Yijia Convenience Store.”

At the convenience store entrance?

That’s… surprisingly down-to-earth.

Lin Yu silently complained to himself.

She added:

“Sunday, 12 PM to 5 PM. That’s the only time I’m free.”

The originally promised “one full day” cosplay commission quietly shrank to five hours.

But Lin Yu didn’t argue—rather, he didn’t dare to.

For a shut-in like him, whose social circle was practically nonexistent, just being able to spend five hours in close contact with a girl was already a blessing from his ancestors.

And so, full of anticipation, he finally waited until Sunday.

That day, he even dressed up carefully.

He shaved his stubble clean, combed his messy hair again and again in front of the mirror, and finally put on the cleanest hoodie he had.

Not handsome—but at least he looked a bit more like a normal human being.

He arrived at the meeting place half an hour early, eagerly waiting.

But when the clock struck twelve, the figure he imagined didn’t appear at the convenience store entrance.

Feeling anxious, he took out his phone and sent a message.

“I’m here.”

“Wait a bit, I’m doing makeup.”

“Oh, okay.”

Her reply was simple, cooling his earlier excitement slightly.

She seemed… not to take this commission very seriously.

Time passed second by second. Lin Yu paced back and forth at the entrance, his palms sweating.

Finally, at 1 PM, a taxi slowly pulled over.

The door opened.

A girl wearing a white wig and a dark blue sailor uniform stepped out, her face tightly covered by a mask, moving a bit stiffly.

It was her!

Lulu!

Lin Yu’s excitement returned instantly, sweeping away the frustration of the past hour.

In real life, she was even smaller and cuter than her 2D avatar.

His heart started racing again as he raised a slightly stiff hand to greet her.

“Hello! I’m Sunny.”

“Hello.”

Lulu lightly shook his hand.

Her hand was small, her fingertips slightly cold.

Because of the thick mask, Lin Yu couldn’t see her face at all—but her skin was fair, and her voice was just as pleasant as during her streams.

She must be a very cute girl.

He thought happily to himself.

“So, what’s the plan today?”

Her voice came through the mask—slightly muffled, but still carrying that soft, sweet tone.

“Ah… I’m actually not sure haha, it’s my first time doing this. What’s the usual process for these offline commissions?”

Lin Yu scratched his head awkwardly.

“…You didn’t even prepare beforehand?”

Lulu frowned slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in her moist eyes.

“Ah… sorry, sorry.”

Lin Yu quickly apologized.

“Hmm…”

She tilted her head and thought for a moment.

“Amusement park or aquarium—pick one.”

“Ah… aquarium.”

He chose without hesitation.

He didn’t know why she limited it to those two, but they were probably the standard “date locations.”

More importantly, he did a quick calculation in his head: amusement parks had too many extra expenses, while an aquarium only needed one ticket—much more cost-effective.

“Then call a car.”

Lulu said casually, as if it were only natural—without even taking out her phone.

Didn’t take it out.

“…Uh…”

Lin Yu clenched his fist in his pocket, his palm full of sweat.

Not taking the subway?

He instinctively estimated the distance.

From Hive Station to the nearest “Deep Blue Aquarium” was about 10 kilometers.

At this time of day, a taxi would cost at least 50 yuan.

Although he had seen posts online saying that for these commissions, all expenses—transportation, food, drinks—were typically paid by the client.

So it was true.

But… he was already here.

Lin Yu gritted his teeth internally, determined not to lose face on their first meeting—especially in front of the virtual streamer he stayed up late watching every day.

So he reluctantly opened the ride-hailing app. To keep up appearances, he didn’t choose the cheapest option, but selected a slightly more expensive car, spending an extra 20 yuan.

Sitting in the comfortable back seat, shoulder to shoulder with Lulu—

He watched the scenery rush past outside, while his mind churned.

So close.

He could even smell the faint scent of her shampoo.

At this moment…

Should he try holding her hand?

He wanted to.

His hand resting on his knee had already moved two centimeters closer.

But he didn’t dare.

What if she slapped him and coldly said, “Commission over,” then walked away?

But… hadn’t people online said this kind of commission was like “renting a girlfriend”?

As long as it wasn’t excessive, a little physical contact should be allowed, right?

After all, he was the paying client.

But… what if?

What if she was conservative?

What if this one move destroyed the gentle “Sunny-gege” image he had built in her stream?

Conflict.

Extreme conflict.

In the end, even when they arrived at the aquarium, Lin Yu still didn’t have the courage.

“Even without physical contact, just being able to complete this safely and spend time with her is already good enough.”

He comforted himself.

“Welcome. Adult tickets are 100 yuan each.”

At the entrance, the ticket machine spoke.

Lin Yu panicked slightly and looked at Lulu.

She was looking down at her phone, typing quickly, with no intention of paying.

Alright… he was already here.

He took a deep breath and paid.

As the payment sound rang, his heart bled.

Regret started creeping in.

Was he crazy to click that lottery?

158 for the membership, 70 for the ride, 200 for tickets…

Over 400 yuan gone before even entering.

How much would this trip cost?

Would he even afford instant noodles next month?

Fortunately, once inside, Lulu became noticeably more talkative.

“Wow, Sunny-gege, look! This jellyfish is so pretty—it’s glowing!”

“Sunny-gege, take a picture for me! I want fish in the background!”

“No, not that angle! Squat down a bit—it makes my legs look longer!”

She was like a cheerful bird, lively and sweet.

But this sweetness required constant spending.

“I want to watch the sea lion show, but there are no good seats. Let’s buy VIP tickets, okay?”

—WeChat Pay: 200 yuan.

“That dolphin is so cute, I want to feed it!”

—WeChat Pay: 40 yuan.

“I’m a bit thirsty… I want sparkling water.”

—WeChat Pay: 35 yuan.

By the end, Lin Yu was numb to the payment notifications.

Her voice seemed to have magic.

Every time she spoke, looked at him pitifully, and called “Sunny-gege”…

He could only pay.

As a lifelong single man, he simply couldn’t resist.

But Lulu seemed quite satisfied.

“Ah… today was nice. These fish are so cute.”

After finishing the last exhibit, she stretched.

Lin Yu glanced at the time.

4:30 PM.

Thank god!

This expensive commission was finally ending.

He never thought he’d be praying for his “dream date” to end sooner.

What he thought was first love… turned out to be a money sink.

Just as he was about to complain internally—

Lulu suddenly stopped and turned around.

“I want a drink. Do you want one?”

She pointed to a milk tea shop.

“I’m fine, not thirsty. You go ahead.”

“Okay.”

She went alone.

A few minutes later—

“Here.”

She came back holding two cups of iced milk tea.

She handed one to him.

“Huh?”

Lin Yu was stunned.

“Take it.”

“I bought it for you. Don’t worry, I won’t charge you.”

“That… I can’t…”

His face heated up.

“Alright, stop pretending to be rich.”

She smiled knowingly.

“You don’t actually have much money, do you?”

“Ah?!”

He froze, blushing.

“Don’t be nervous.”

She sighed softly.

“I noticed every time you paid.”

“You’re also someone struggling alone in Xinhai City, right?”

“I’ve been there too.”

That feeling of watching your balance drop… worrying about rent…

“I understand.”

“I’ll split the cost with you later. Don’t refuse.”

“No need!”

He waved his hands quickly.

“It’s just… just a day’s food money…”

Before he could finish—

She suddenly stepped closer.

Very close.

“So, isn’t it better to be honest?”

“…Okay.”

He felt ashamed.

Not just for being exposed—but for his earlier thoughts.

She wasn’t just cute… she was kind.

“Drink it. The ice is melting.”

Lin Yu secretly glanced at her.

She lowered her mask slightly, sipping through a straw.

Her soft lips moved gently.

So cute.

“Hey, what are you staring at?”

“Drink yours.”

“Oh!”

He quickly drank.

“So? Good?”

“Very good! The best I’ve ever had!”

“Really?”

Then—

Without warning—

She leaned in and drank from his straw.

BOOM.

Indirect kiss.

His brain exploded.

He froze completely.

“Hmm… yours does taste better.”

“Ah… yeah…”

His soul left his body.

Beep beep—

Her phone alarm rang.

“Time’s up.”

“…Yeah.”

5 PM.

Too fast.

He didn’t want it to end.

Suddenly—

She held his hand.

Warm. Soft.

His body trembled.

“Before we say goodbye…”

She looked at him.

“I’m your only favorite, right? Sunny-gege?”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

He answered instantly.

In his heart, he even swore to unfollow all other streamers.

“Good.”

She smiled.

“Then I’ll go now. Keep supporting me.”

She waved and walked toward the subway.

Lin Yu stood there, watching her leave.

Like a dream.

After she disappeared, he looked at his hand—and smiled foolishly.

For days after, he felt like he was in love.

His gloom disappeared.

He even started job hunting again.

Why?

He didn’t know.

He just felt… warm inside.

Like something had filled the emptiness.

Meanwhile, Lulu’s career took off.

Her stream grew rapidly.

From single digits to thousands.

She held more lotteries.

But now—

The price was 1998 yuan.

For Lin Yu, that was impossible.

Still, he encouraged himself:

“One day… I’ll afford it.”

“Next time… I’ll see her again.”

But—

Months later—

One night—

He opened the app.

And saw a video with a black border.

Title:

【Lulu… I’m graduating…】