Chapter 29: I kind of like it

When they arrived at the meeting spot, Lin Xiyue and Xia Jinnian finally met up.

“Your online friend… still wants to see me?”

Xia Jinnian looked confused. It made sense for her to see Lin Xiyue, but why would she want to see herself too? They didn’t know each other at all.

“Ahahaha… well… she’s a bit special. She’s actually a fan of both of us, so she wanted to meet you.”

“Oh~ then I guess I should dress up a little? I didn’t prepare anything!”

Instead, Xia Jinnian got nervous. She had never met a fan in person before.
Lin Xiyue couldn’t help but laugh at her.

“It’s fine, just treat it like meeting a normal friend~ No need to be nervous!”

After calming her down, the two headed to the café.

It was a nice-looking place. Lin Xiyue didn’t actually like coffee, but maybe Miss Bai thought it was more classy. Whatever—she let her do as she liked.

They entered and looked around for Bai Lulu.

“Xiaoxi-daren, over here—!”

In a corner by the window, a petite girl in a white dress waved at them.

Lin Xiyue tugged Xia Jinnian along and sat down, sizing the girl up.

Why call Bai Lulu a “half-loli girl”?
Because she truly was somewhere between a loli and a normal teen girl.

She had a cute, doll-like face, but her height was only slightly shorter than average—barely enough to count as “loli.”

Sitting there, she looked like a flower bud about to bloom—fresh, pure, dressed in white.
The skirt fluttered lightly, the collar decorated with tiny flowers, giving off an innocent yet faintly elegant vibe.

Even though Lin Xiyue had seen her cosplay photos before, she still froze for a moment.
The real thing was more natural and graceful than the photos.

People always accused her of using heavy filters online, but reality had no filters—and she still looked that good.

“I’ll introduce you. This is Bai Lulu—the online friend I told you about.”

“And this is Xia Jinnian—you should know her.”

Lin Xiyue acted as the middleman. Bai Lulu nodded excitedly.

“Yes yes yes, of course I know! Hello, Miss Xia~”

She reached out her hand, and Xia Jinnian quickly shook it, afraid of seeming arrogant.

“Pfft—why do you look more like the star meeting a fan?”

Lin Xiyue teased, watching the slightly strange interaction.

After greetings, Bai Lulu’s eyes stayed locked on Lin Xiyue, staring openly.
Lin Xiyue felt uneasy.

“Um… is something wrong with me?”

“No, just… Xiaoxi-daren really deserves that ‘Best Rookie in YanzhiNet History’ title. Your face is way too nice to look at~”

Bai Lulu didn’t even try to hide her stare, though she toned it down when questioned.

“It’s okay, I didn’t expect you to be this cute either. You pretended to be a big-sister type online.”

Thinking about it made Lin Xiyue laugh. Before seeing her photos, Bai Lulu had always acted like a wise, mature big sister.

Now she understood—people emphasize what they lack.

“I think you’re cuter though. Especially when we chatted online, Xiaoxi-daren was so—”

Bai Lulu hadn’t finished before Lin Xiyue practically leapt up and clapped a hand over her mouth.

Only now did she remember that her conversations with this online friend…
were definitely not PG-13.

Two girls who loved yuri?
Of course their chats were full of teasing, clingy sweetness, and some lines that would make anyone blush in person…

“Hehe? Xiaoxi-daren, shy now? Come on, call me ‘Sister Lulu’ again~”

“No way! You little scam-loli! You pretended to be a grown woman online!”

Lin Xiyue pinched her soft, slightly chubby cheeks, squishing them into different shapes.

Xia Jinnian sat there, completely lost—she had no idea what code these two were speaking.

But the noise they made drew attention from nearby tables.

“Huh? Those two girls look familiar.”

“Yeah… I think I saw them in a video before? But I can’t remember…”

Their voices weren’t loud, but Lin Xiyue heard them.
Her body stiffened, and she immediately sat back down.

She had forgotten something important—
Now that she was an idol, a public figure, she really shouldn’t be wandering around carelessly.
If she attracted attention, things could get messy.

Thankfully she had just debuted, and people weren’t that familiar with her yet.
Otherwise she would already be surrounded by fans asking for autographs.

With that thought, she calmed down and didn’t fool around anymore.
She sipped her coffee and chatted lightly with Bai Lulu.
Xia Jinnian just listened quietly.

She originally thought she’d have lots of shared topics with Bai Lulu, but it turned out… awkward.

What these two usually talked about were niche fanworks…
or topics utterly unsuitable for public cafés.

And Bai Lulu’s plan to get Lin Xiyue and Xia Jinnian to “feed her some sugar” was clearly a failure—
because their relationship was nothing like what she imagined.

So the meetup started in a blur, and ended the same way.

Before leaving, Xia Jinnian stepped out first while Bai Lulu pulled Lin Xiyue aside.

“Xiaoxi-daren, based on my years of CP-shipping experience… you two seem a little strange.
Like… a one-sided crush?
That kind of real-not-real vibe… I kinda…”

“Kinda what?”

Lin Xiyue’s heart jumped. She noticed that much? That ridiculous?

“Nothing nothing. Go on—Miss Xia is waiting for you~”

Bai Lulu smiled softly and pushed Lin Xiyue toward the door.

She waved goodbye.

Watching their backs walking away, her lips curved upward.

“I kind of like it~”