My Virtual Girlfriend

Chen Yan was shocked, but the girls in the room had no idea of the true reason for his surprise.

They assumed he was... overwhelmed by the affection shown to him.

So, they exchanged glances and saw the laughter in each other's eyes.

Even Yang Nuan Nuan, who had been skeptical about Chen Yan's behavior all evening, couldn't help but show a warm smile.

Chen Yan's reaction made her feel that she might have really overthought it:

His demeanor was exactly that of a boy surprised by a sudden gift from someone he liked.

With that in mind, some of the irrational and over-the-top actions might just be because he was too eager to gain Qiao Qiao's approval...

Of course, everyone else was relieved, but Yu Qiao Qiao certainly was not.

She saw Chen Yan standing there, dumbfounded, and felt a mess of emotions inside.

She asked in a soft voice, "Do you... not like the gift I gave you?"

Yu Qiao Qiao's voice snapped Chen Yan out of it.

Chen Yan quickly shook his head, "No, not at all."

"I just..."

"How should I say it..."

Chen Yan scratched his head, feeling for the first time that things did not go as he had expected.

"Umm... it was a bit unexpected."

After all, who would have thought that a boss would drop loot without the need to grind for it?

Seeing his silly expression, Yang Nuan Nuan and the others giggled even more.

They really thought Chen Yan liked Qiao Qiao.

After Chen Yan expressed his thoughts, seeing Yu Qiao Qiao's cautious demeanor, something soft inside his heart seemed to be touched.

He walked over, took the initiative to accept the gift, and said sincerely, "Thank you, Qiao Qiao."

With Chen Yan actively taking the gift, two pink clouds climbed onto Yu Qiao Qiao's cheeks, and she said shyly, "Don't overthink it. It's... it's... a reciprocal gift."

Chen Yan quickly responded with an "oh," "Don't worry. I won't overthink it."

The others in the room... facepalmed.

With Chen Yan's response, the room fell silent for a moment.

Everyone was quiet, watching the pair.

Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao, two inexperienced lovebirds, were so nervous that they didn't know what to say next. So they just stood and sat there, uncertain of what to do.

After a while, Yu Qiao Qiao cautiously looked up and suggested, "How about you open the gift to see if you like it?"

Chen Yan quickly agreed with a couple of "ohs" and asked, "Unwrap it right here?"

Yu Qiao Qiao was baffled.

She didn't know either.

Her big eyes met Chen Yan's, "Then... should you open it when you get home?"

Chen Yan was just as perplexed.

He had never received a gift from a girl before.

Looking into Yu Qiao Qiao's big eyes, he blinked, "So, I'll open it at home?"

Yu Qiao Qiao: ...

Chen Yan: ...

The silence seemed to deepen.

Finally, Zhao Ying couldn't stand it any longer, she jumped up and said, "If you're not going to open it, let me do it!"

The others quickly held back this silly person.

This interruption broke the tension, and the room erupted into chaos, with everyone scrambling around.

And Chen Yan... finally snapped out of his daze.

His face reddened slightly, he coughed twice, and hid the gift behind his back, "Alright, alright. I'll open it when I get back."

The issue was resolved smoothly, and the scene gradually quieted down. Everyone went back to having fun in the restaurant as if nothing had happened.

But for some reason, despite being the same seven people, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange and ambiguous, actually less harmonious than at the start.

Especially the two parties concerned—Chen Yan kept zoning out, and Yu Qiao Qiao kept her head down in silence, making the mood even harder to describe.

Back at the dormitory, the sisters saw that the main characters were distracted and didn't feel like playing anymore. So they simply ended the gathering early and left the restaurant.

This time Chen Yan didn't just walk away; he escorted them back to Qin Island University because... it was on his way.

They parted at the east gate, Chen Yan went home, and the girls, with their takeaway desserts, headed toward the dormitory.

Without Chen Yan around, the girls relaxed quite a bit, and the conversation flowed more freely.

"By the way, Sister Nuan Nuan, how much do you think Chen Yan spent on tonight's dinner?" one of them asked.

Yang Nuan Nuan, thinking about the pile of dishes ordered and the attentive service by the waiters, hesitated for a moment and vaguely said, "I feel like it was not cheap... probably."

One of the young girls, holding her phone, said, "I shared pictures of our food on the social circle. The comments blew up."

"They're wondering if I rented out the place. We ordered so much food."

"Some even said, just for the food, it must be at least three to four thousand yuan."

Hearing this, the other two girls gulped with surprise.

"That much?"

"Oh my gosh. I've eaten a whole month's living expenses!?"

Even Zhao Ying, who usually didn't care, shifted her gaze, clearly not expecting it to cost so much.

Yu Qiao Qiao, who had been silent, suddenly looked up, astonished, "How much?"

Yang Nuan Nuan glared at the girl with the phone and then said to Yu Qiao Qiao, "Qiao Qiao. It's just an estimate,"

Yu Qiao Qiao pursed her lips tightly, "But... it must have been very expensive. It's not right to spend so much of someone else's money."

Yang Nuan Nuan looked at the others and reassured, "Don't worry. We'll treat him back another day."

"You don't have to worry about it. We'll arrange it since we ate the most."

Yu Qiao Qiao stubbornly shook her head, "That won't do. Chen Yan treated us because of me."

Yang Nuan Nuan looked at the others and said, "Then you're in on this too. We will all treat Chen Yan together."

Yu Qiao Qiao finally nodded slightly, starting to calculate the contents of her small savings.

Three thousand yuan...

So much money.

She could only afford it if she got a scholarship...

Watching Yu Qiao Qiao's reaction, Yang Nuan Nuan sighed softly.

She looked at the bright moon in the sky and the naive chatter of her sisters around her, but deep down she had a deeper concern: Was tonight's meal really only three or four thousand yuan?

Why did it feel like it wasn't enough?

Back at the dormitory, the girls wanted to rush off to freshen up, but Yang Nuan Nuan gestured to them to wait.

Yu Qiao Qiao had wanted to go with Zhao Ying, but following Yang Nuan Nuan's subtly suggestive gaze, Zhao Ying declined, claiming she was too tired and needed to rest, leaving Yu Qiao Qiao to wash up alone.

Once she left, Yang Nuan Nuan peeked down the hallway, locked the door, and said, "Sisters, there's something I need to talk about."

"I feel like something was off about tonight."

Saying this, Yang Nuan Nuan began to recount her observations from the evening.

Like how there seemed to always be waiters outside the restaurant, turning away potential customers.

Like how overly enthusiastic the waiters were towards them.

Like how Chen Yan kept secretly communicating with the waiters.

And like how they never saw Chen Yan settle the bill, among other things.

This all suggested that tonight's dinner was anything but simple.

Hearing Yang Nuan Nuan's words, the girls exchanged looks, their faces showing their shock.

Zhao Ying's brow also furrowed.

After a pause, she looked up, her face serious, and said, "So, you're suggesting... Chen Yan is involved with some sort of dark forces, and used the dinner as a cover to meet with people?"

Yang Nuan Nuan: ??

The three sisters collectively tilted their heads: ???