The action was unexpected, but Huo Yichi’s words were not.

After speaking, Huo Yichi straightened up, flashing a bright smile. “Friendship first, competition second.”

Pei You shook her head. “Competition first, friendship last.”

“Alright,” Huo Yichi conceded. “No friendship on the battlefield!”

Someone behind them cheered, and everyone laughed.

They turned and followed their teams into the arena through separate entrances.

The passage was long and winding, designed to keep players from knowing their starting point, until they reached the correct entrance.

The “Summer Night” arena was indeed huge. Pei You and her team walked for several minutes before finally reaching their designated entrance.

Weapons, props, and small backpacks were laid out at the entrance. Players could choose their own gear and pack it into their backpacks.

While the arena was popular, it was different from outdoor airsoft. The props were safe, and players didn’t even need to wear protective vests.

Pei You grabbed a backpack, stuffed some props inside, picked up a small pistol, and led the way.

The floor was covered in artificial turf, along with fake rocks, water features, and trees.

Above them was the romantic artificial starry sky, but Pei You had no time to admire it.

Entering the arena meant the game had begun.

Unsure of Huo Yichi’s team’s location, Pei You lightened her steps.

The path ahead was dimly lit, and her feet occasionally bumped into things, making soft noises.

A Lan, walking beside her, whispered, “Youzi, just a pistol?”

“It’s enough to deal with Huo Yichi,” Pei You replied in the same low tone.

Even while chatting, they remained vigilant.

“I really didn’t expect you to come, Youzi,” A Lan said as they entered a thicket, where it was even darker; they could barely see the path.

Pei You smiled. “Because of Huo Yichi?”

“Yeah.”

Pei You: “It’s fine,” she said. “A good ex is like a dead ex. In my eyes, she’s no different from a mummy right now.”

A Lan rubbed her arms. “That’s creepy.”

Pei You was about to say something when one of their male teammates called out, “I hear footsteps.”

The speakers continued to play the sounds of summer night creatures, but Pei You heard nothing else.

“Where?” A Lan asked.

“Shhh,” the guy who had spoken pointed in a direction.

The arena was so large; they had been walking for a while, but it felt like they were going in circles.

Pei You was starting to feel warm, a thin layer of sweat forming on her forehead. But she didn’t have time to wipe it; their position seemed to have been compromised, and they needed to move.

They walked for several more minutes before stopping.

The guy who was leading them lay down on the turf, sounding defeated. “I’m sleepy,” he whispered. “Can I pretend to be a mountain?”

A Lan, who seemed to be close to him, nudged his leg with her foot. “Get up. Lying flat like that, you can at most pretend to be a rock.”

“This artificial starry sky is really nice,” the guy pointed upwards, still lying down. “You guys should lie down and take a look.”

A Lan, persuaded, lay down beside him.

Pei You looked at her two teammates lying on the ground: ???

So unmotivated!

A Lan gasped. “Wow! Youzi, you should come look!”

“Okay,” Pei You couldn’t resist, shifting slightly and lying down on the artificial turf.

It had been a long time since she’d seen a starry sky like this. Even if it was fake, it was beautiful.

The twinkling stars looked so real.

Pei You drifted off, Huo Yichi’s face appearing in her mind.

When they were still together, there had been a similar summer night. They had planned to go to the mountains to see a meteor shower mentioned in the news.

They had waited all night, hoping to see a shooting star.

Unfortunately, the meteors never showed, but they did watch the sunrise together.

The starry sky that night had been beautiful. Huo Yichi had taken many photos, but she still hadn’t sent them to Pei You.

Even though she had promised.

“Youzi,” A Lan’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Pei You snapped back to reality, realizing that everyone else had stood up. “What’s up?”

“Let’s split up,” the guy who had been leading them seemed to have regained his fighting spirit.

“Okay,” Pei You pushed herself up. “I’ll go check the area nearby.”

She stood and headed left. Just as she rounded a fake boulder, she bumped into someone.

It was Huo Yichi, alone.

Pei You froze, about to pull out her pistol, when Huo Yichi preempted her, extinguishing the imminent battle—

She produced an inflated balloon from behind her back.

Pei You was taken aback. “A balloon?”

Huo Yichi held it out to her. “Here.”

Pei You didn’t take it, frowning, even taking a step back. “What is this?”

“I’m alone now, and you’re close to your teammates, so technically, I lost.”

“Then I don’t mind rubbing this balloon on my hair.”

Pei You remembered what Huo Yichi had said in the changing room.

But…

“I never said this was the penalty for losing,” Pei You lifted her chin.

Huo Yichi stepped closer, her tone firm. “I’d like it to be.”

“…”

“Since when does the loser get to dictate terms?”

Huo Yichi continued to offer the balloon. “Now you’ve seen it.”

Pei You finally took the balloon, holding it in both hands, unsure of what to do next. Then she saw Huo Yichi lower her head slightly, making it easier for her to reach her hair with the balloon.

Pei You felt a strange nervousness. She swallowed, then said, a little flustered, “Then I won’t hold back.”

“Mm-hmm,” Huo Yichi hummed in agreement, a soft sound that resonated deeply within Pei You.

The balloon wasn’t big; Pei You didn’t know where Huo Yichi had gotten it. Holding her breath, she rubbed it against Huo Yichi’s hair. Then, as if holding a hot potato, she quickly let go.

The balloon floated upwards.

Rather quickly.

Pei You looked up, watching the balloon rise higher and higher. Just as it reached the starry ceiling, there was a “pop.”

The balloon burst.

Pei You arrived home at 10 pm. Her grandmother was already asleep.

The game had ended quickly, because Huo Yichi had forfeited.

Pei You let the bathroom heater run for a while before showering.

For some reason, the image of Huo Yichi handing her the balloon kept replaying in her mind.

Huo Yichi, head bowed as Pei You rubbed the balloon against her hair, had looked like an obedient golden retriever.

Pei You had almost reached out to ruffle her hair.

But she couldn’t understand—why had Huo Yichi suddenly become so submissive?

Pei You couldn’t find an answer, nor could she understand why she was getting entangled with Huo Yichi again. Before, they could easily ignore each other, even at the same event.

Back in bed, Pei You unlocked her phone and saw a message from Cai Xianyu, sent a few minutes ago.

Cai Xianyu: 【By the way, Youzi, that girl is my girlfriend.】

He was referring to the girl who had been with Huo Yichi.

Pei You hadn’t interacted much with her and her memory was vague, only that Huo Yichi’s cousin had seemed… aloof.

【Going to sleep now,】 Pei You replied, pulling the covers over herself.

Cai Xianyu sent another message. 【Youzi, I wanted to ask you something.】

Cai Xianyu: 【Are you seeing anyone?】

Pei You wanted to answer truthfully that she wasn’t, but she hesitated.

Cai Xianyu seemed close to Huo Yichi; could she have put him up to this?

Besides, she and Cai Xianyu weren’t as close as before; she didn’t have to be completely honest, did she?

Thinking this, Pei You replied: 【Almost.】

Everyone’s definition of “almost” was different. Pei You’s “almost” could mean next year, the year after, or even five years from now.

She had little desire for romance, which was why she and Huo Yichi, who didn’t like each other, had gotten together in the first place, leading to their messy breakup.

Thinking about it gave Pei You a headache.

Cai Xianyu immediately replied: 【Got it.】

Cai Xianyu: 【Are you coming to the department gathering on the 21st?】

This question stumped Pei You.

She had been determined not to go, but now she was wavering—she kind of wanted to.

But not alone.

Pei You gave a noncommittal reply. “I’ll see.”

After ending the chat with Cai Xianyu, Pei You thought about the virtual boyfriend video she’d watched.

If there were virtual boyfriends, there must be virtual girlfriends, too. But she wasn’t satisfied with just phone calls and chats.

The idea took root and grew.

She wanted to hire a girlfriend to take to the Sishan Base gathering on the 21st.

No other reason, just to make Huo Yichi jealous.

With this in mind, Pei You started searching. But most of the results were virtual boyfriend services, following the current trend. There were far fewer options for virtual girlfriends.

Finally, she found a local virtual girlfriend service.

Pei You sent them a private message, offering a high price to hire someone for a day.

The customer service replied: 【Sorry, I’m a guy, my voice just sounds feminine…】

Pei You, undeterred, replied: 【No problem.】

After a while, she gave up for the time being, putting her phone aside and turning off the lights.

Perhaps because she’d seen Huo Yichi so frequently lately, Pei You had a dream.

In the dream, Huo Yichi’s dimples were close to her face. One arm was around her waist, the other cupping the back of her head, gently pulling her closer.

Pei You jolted awake.

Staring blankly at the invisible ceiling.