My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 57

Yin Peilan could offer many conditions, and Xiao Nianyuan was willing to agree to them.

But demanding that Lian Qiushui obey her every command at any time? How was that possible? Even if Lian Qiushui were willing, Xiao Nianyuan would never allow it.

Seeing Xiao Nianyuan upset, Lian Qiushui felt a hint of secret delight. She asked cautiously, “Are you worried about me?”

Xiao Nianyuan snapped, “And you’re laughing? Didn’t I tell you to take better care of yourself?”

“I’m not neglecting myself,” Lian Qiushui quickly reassured, seeing Xiao Nianyuan was genuinely angry. “It’s just that I think the deal is somewhat acceptable. The only thing is, if I agree, I might not be able to spend as much time with you.”

Lian Qiushui wasn’t sure what Yin Peilan would ask of her—whether she’d truly be ordered around constantly. That was her hesitation.

She’d be happy to help Xiao Nianyuan, but only if it didn’t take away their time together. What was the point of doing so much if it meant she couldn’t be with Xiao Nianyuan in the end? She could be selfish too—she wanted to monopolize Xiao Nianyuan’s time.

“Let’s talk about this later. For now, let’s just go—”

“No, I’m not going to the company anymore,” Xiao Nianyuan interrupted, pressing her lips together.

She meant it. She didn’t want Lian Qiushui to compromise herself for her sake.

Lian Qiushui wanted to do something for Xiao Nianyuan, but seeing her unhappy, she sighed and said, “Alright, whatever you say.”

Nothing was more important than Xiao Nianyuan’s happiness. If Xiao Nianyuan had made up her mind, Lian Qiushui wouldn’t push her to do something she disliked.

A clicking sound came from the side. The two turned to see Yin Peilan standing there, arms crossed, shaking her head. “You two really are close, huh?” Xiao Nianyuan ignored her and pulled Lian Qiushui away.

Yin Peilan quickly called out, “Wait! I was just joking earlier.”

Xiao Nianyuan eyed her suspiciously, afraid she’d say something else to make Lian Qiushui agree to those absurd demands.

Yin Peilan raised her hands in surrender. “No need to be at my beck and call. Just let me tag along when you hang out.”

“That’s all? Just hanging out together?” Xiao Nianyuan didn’t immediately believe her. Given Yin Peilan’s earlier boldness, Xiao Nianyuan feared she might change her mind later and secretly pressure Lian Qiushui into agreeing to something else.

“Really. If you don’t believe me, forget it.” Yin Peilan didn’t want to argue further. She admitted her earlier joke had gone too far, but she’d only meant it in jest—she hadn’t expected Xiao Nianyuan to take it so seriously.

Lian Qiushui looked at Xiao Nianyuan, her eyes pleading, hoping she’d agree.

Xiao Nianyuan was both exasperated and anxious. This was her problem—why was Lian Qiushui more worked up about it than she was?

Lian Qiushui whispered, “Come on, she doesn’t mean any harm. Hanging out with her isn’t a big deal. I need friends, and so do you.”

Both of them wanted the other to make more friends. Hearing this, Xiao Nianyuan closed her eyes, sighed, and reluctantly nodded.

Seeing Xiao Nianyuan agree, Yin Peilan asked, “How do I know you won’t just ignore me after going to the company?”

“What do you want?” Xiao Nianyuan had no choice but to ask. The only thing she could offer was a promise.

Yin Peilan thought for a moment and said, “I just received the email. We can choose any day next week to visit the company. For now, you can spend time with me. If you keep your promise, I’ll transfer the invitation to you on the last day.”

Visiting the company might give them a chance to learn about Sky City from the employees. Since they’d been searching for so long, Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t in a hurry and nodded in agreement. “Alright, we’ll show you around during this time.”

As it was almost time to log off, after setting the next online meeting time with Yin Peilan, Xiao Nianyuan logged out.

After Xiao Nianyuan left, Yin Peilan turned to Lian Qiushui. “Do you really enjoy playing with her that much?”

Lian Qiushui answered bluntly, “Yes, I like her the most.”

Yin Peilan pouted. “Then you won’t be my best friend?”

Lian Qiushui chuckled. “You want to be my best friend?”

Yin Peilan said seriously, “If you consider me your best friend, then I’ll consider you mine too.”

Lian Qiushui found this odd. “So you’re saying you’ll only treat someone as your best friend if they do the same first?”

Yin Peilan nodded, seeing nothing wrong with this.

Lian Qiushui sighed. “Then what do you consider them before they treat you as their best friend?”

Yin Peilan was stunned.

Lian Qiushui continued, “Becoming best friends takes time and interaction. How can you know if you can be best friends without spending time together?” She paused, studying Yin Peilan. “How old are you? Why would you think this way?”

Even she, an NPC, understood this—making friends wasn’t like playing house or a transaction.

“But how am I supposed to know if others see me as their best friend?” Yin Peilan retorted stubbornly. “What if I treat them as my best friend, but they don’t feel the same?”

“That’s just how friendships work. If it doesn’t fit, you move on. Overthinking like this will only keep you from making good friends.”

Yin Peilan clearly disagreed.

Seeing she wasn’t getting through, Lian Qiushui waved her hand. “Think it over yourself. We promised to show you around, and we’ll keep our word. But whether we become friends—that’s not something we can guarantee.”

“She’s offline now, so I’m leaving.”

Yin Peilan called after her, “You won’t play with me when she’s not here?”

Lian Qiushui replied earnestly, “You can tell I really like her. If she found out I was having fun with you while she was away, she’d be upset.”

With that, Lian Qiushui left. Yin Peilan scratched her head, feeling something was off. Was it because she’d never met anyone who cared so much about their friends before?

Unable to figure it out, Yin Peilan gave up. After all, Xiao Nianyuan had promised to show her around. If they broke their word, she wouldn’t give them the visitation rights.

After logging off, Xiao Nianyuan researched the game company.

The game was jointly developed by multiple companies, and to show their commitment, they had rented an entire office floor.

All employees involved in the development could gather there to collaborate, making game development smoother while allowing players to observe the process—though “observing” mostly meant seeing how late the office lights stayed on each night.

This floor had been rented when the project was launched, but no one knew its exact location until the game’s stable operation when the address was finally revealed.

The game’s icon looked familiar to Xiao Nianyuan. Now that she examined it closely, she was certain she’d seen this exquisitely designed icon somewhere before—even before the game’s development began.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall where.

“What are you doing?” Ji Rongxue passed by Xiao Nianyuan’s bed and found her sitting there in a daze, not even having drawn the curtains, staring blankly at her phone.

“Not feeling well?”

Xiao Nianyuan snapped out of it. “It’s nothing, just something I saw that’s puzzling me.”

She handed her phone to Ji Rongxue. “This company’s logo looks familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen it before.”

Ji Rongxue recognized it as the company behind the game they played and smiled. “If you can’t remember, don’t force it. You’ll recall it when the time comes.”

Xiao Nianyuan had no choice but to put her phone away.

In the following days, she and Lian Qiushui kept their promise and accompanied Yin Peilan.

Yin Peilan was a simple girl—when she asked them to take her around, she genuinely meant just having fun, never making unreasonable demands. At most, she’d ask where to find good food or interesting places.

Lian Qiushui took charge of recommending food and scenic spots, as Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t familiar with the best locations in the game. The places she had visited before were all ones Lian Qiushui had shown her. Yin Peilan didn’t mind who led the way as long as she had fun.

After two days of this, Yin Peilan grew increasingly attached to them. At first, she had worried they might abandon her, but she soon relaxed completely, rushing ahead whenever she spotted something fun and only looking for Xiao Nianyuan and Lian Qiushui after she’d had her fill.

Xiao Nianyuan and Lian Qiushui maintained a comfortable distance, only stepping in when Yin Peilan needed them.

Yin Peilan liked this arrangement. Watching the two of them, she often wanted to ask if they could be friends, but each time, the words died on her lips.

She never forgot how they had met, and she knew Xiao Nianyuan and Lian Qiushui were only accompanying her for the tour pass. Once they got it, they would likely leave.

The thought made the beautiful lanterns before her suddenly lose their charm. She turned and stared at Lian Qiushui and Xiao Nianyuan standing a short distance away.

Noticing her gaze, Lian Qiushui murmured to Xiao Nianyuan, “I’ll check on her,” and walked over. “What’s wrong?”

“Why are you standing so far away?” Yin Peilan snapped.

Lian Qiushui was taken aback. They had always kept this distance, and Yin Peilan had never complained before. In fact, they could tell she was happy with it. She didn’t understand why Yin Peilan was suddenly upset.

Xiao Nianyuan pressed her lips together, suspecting Yin Peilan was having second thoughts and looking for an excuse to pick a fight.

Under their puzzled stares, Yin Peilan realized she had lost control of her emotions, but she couldn’t help demanding, “Are you keeping your distance so you can ditch me when I’m not looking?”

“We come when you need us,” Lian Qiushui explained patiently. “If you think we’re too far, we can stay closer.”

“What’s the point of coming closer now? You’ll just drift away again!” Yin Peilan refused to back down. “Do I have to remind you every single time?”

Just as Lian Qiushui was about to argue, Xiao Nianyuan gently tugged her fingers and said calmly to Yin Peilan, “We promised to accompany you, but we’re not your servants. We don’t have to put up with you talking to us like this.”

Yin Peilan flushed red, hesitating for a long moment before murmuring, “I’m just afraid you might go back on your word.”

“If you’d like, we can keep playing with you even after the deal is over.” Xiao Nianyuan saw right through her—it wasn’t about distrust, but reluctance to part.

“Anytime?” Yin Peilan’s eyes lit up.

“Of course not.” Lian Qiushui quickly cut in, stealing a glance at Xiao Nianyuan to confirm she didn’t object before continuing, “We need our private time too, but you’re welcome to join us whenever else.”

She silently resolved to protect her alone time with Xiao Nianyuan—that was a line she would never cross.

“How do I know you’re not lying to me…” Yin Peilan muttered, only to suddenly hear Xiao Nianyuan ask Lian Qiushui, “Are there other ways to get visiting rights?”