It happened the next morning.
After a surprisingly restful night's sleep, Li Wei woke to the gentle hum of sunlight spilling through half-closed blinds. The campus outside was already awake—faint chatter from the courtyard, a few bikes rattling past, and the familiar echo of someone calling for their late roommate.
But Li Wei lay still for a while, his phone balanced on his chest, eyes tracing the slow crawl of the hour hand on the clock. A small notification blinked on his screen:
[Delivery Status: Completed.]
He smiled faintly.
'Perfect. Right on time.'
He sat up, running a hand through his hair, still a bit disheveled from sleep. The plan wasn't anything grand—just a small parcel, a quiet reminder. Something sweet, thoughtful, and easy to remember him by.
'Maybe I'm being too optimistic,' he mused, tapping on his phone screen idly. 'But pestering that girl with something she likes sounds way better than being forgotten.'
The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin—one that, unfortunately, didn't go unnoticed.
"...Oi," came a lazy voice from across the dorm. "Why's he smiling like that first thing in the morning? He's either lost it or fallen in love again."
Li Wei's grin widened without turning around. "You'd die if I said it was both."
"See?" another roommate whispered dramatically. "He's talking like a lunatic already. I told you that breakup fried his brain."
"Cut it out," Wang Rui groaned, sitting up from his bunk and rubbing his eyes. "Li Wei, are you hungry? Let's go out and grab something. My treat this time."
Li Wei turned his head, feigning surprise. "Oh? Wang Rui actually offering to pay? Should I record this for proof?"
"Shut up," Wang Rui laughed, throwing his pillow across the room. "We just thought you could use a distraction, man. Seriously. It's on us."
Li Wei chuckled softly. "Sure. But consider it a refund for all those midnight snacks you leeched off me last semester."
The dorm burst into laughter. Pillows were thrown, half-hearted punches were exchanged, and for the first time in days, the room felt alive again.
Somewhere in the midst of that noise, Li Wei's mind drifted—not to the breakup, not to his friends, but to a certain girl with soft brown eyes and a quiet, knowing smile.
Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory, a completely different scene was unfolding.
Mei Lin was perched on the edge of her bed, legs folded neatly beneath her, hair still slightly damp from her morning shower. The faint citrus scent of her shampoo lingered in the air as she scrolled lazily through her messages.
A knock came at the door.
"Mei-Mei! You've got a package!" her dormmate called cheerfully.
"Eh? For me?"
"Who else here gets fan mail?"
The door swung open, revealing a pastel-colored box wrapped with care—a soft ribbon tied with precision, a tag written in neat handwriting.
Mei Lin was at her dorm when one of her roommates brought her a packet, claiming it was a package bearing her name.
She learned about a set of pricey-looking milk cakes and candies that appeared to be very costly. It also included the name of the man from the previous night's bar party that she was already on the verge of forgetting.
Mei Lin blinked, taking the box into her hands. Her name was indeed written on it. She set it down on the desk and carefully untied the ribbon.
Inside were several beautifully arranged milk cakes and sweets—the kind of boutique confections you'd only find in high-end patisseries. The soft aroma of cream and sugar filled the air, delicate and almost nostalgic.
Her gaze drifted to the small note tucked inside:
To Mei Lin—Hope you enjoy something sweet this time instead of just the drinks.
— Li Wei
Her lips parted slightly. The name stirred recognition.
'Li Wei… the guy from the bar?'
The memory came back in flashes—his calm demeanor, that teasing grin, the way he'd covered the entire bill without hesitation. She'd brushed him off mentally afterward, assuming he was just another smooth talker. But this…
'Just send something cheap, idiot,' she thought with a sigh, though her smile betrayed her annoyance. Still—he'd somehow managed to send her favorite sweets. She'd never told anyone about her fondness for them. That alone made her pause.
Before she could hide her reaction, her best friend Qin Rou stepped in, towel slung over her shoulders.
"Well, well, look who's smiling like she just got a love letter," Qin Rou teased, eyeing the box.
"So, Mei-Mei, who's it from? Should I call Xiao Yu? You know she's always up for a bit of gossip."
Mei Lin gave a small, resigned laugh. "Don't you dare. It's just… someone from last night. That guy who showed up out of nowhere and paid for everything."
Qin Rou raised her eyebrows. "That one? The quiet one who looked like he walked out of a university brochure?"
"That's the one," Mei Lin admitted, unable to hide her grin.
"Oh, damn. He paid for everything? And now he's sending you pastries? Girl, that's not flirting—that's investment." Mei Lin rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress her amusement.
"You're impossible."
Qin Rou plopped down beside her.
"So, what's the plan? You gonna thank him or pretend it never happened?"
"I'll… thank him," Mei Lin said after a pause, tracing the edge of the note with her finger. "But I'm not sure what he's after."
Qin Rou smirked knowingly. "Maybe he's not after anything. Maybe he's just… interesting."
Mei Lin didn't answer. Her gaze lingered on the sweets, her thoughts oddly warm. 'Interesting,' she repeated silently. And for the first time, she didn't hate the word.
Li Wei, who was laughing and joking around with his friends, had no idea that his little stunt from last night had already stirred up a small storm in Mei Lin's dorm.
The poor girl was now the center of teasing, questions, and playful interrogation from her roommates—all thanks to the "cheeky guy" who had swooped in out of nowhere and left quite an impression.
But for Li Wei, life was back to normal. With no classes scheduled for the afternoon, he strolled back to his dorm, stretching lazily as the cool breeze brushed past his face.
His roommates had scattered—some to the library, some to their part-time jobs—leaving the dorm unusually quiet.
Dropping onto his bed, Li Wei grabbed his phone and unlocked it, scrolling idly through the app store.
"Let's see… what should I waste my time on today?" he muttered.
After a few seconds of flicking through trending apps, something caught his eye—Q-Live, the massively popular streaming platform that had been popping up on every feed lately.
Curious, he tapped on it.
The description was simple enough: a live-broadcasting app where beautiful girls from all over the country showcased their talents—dancing, singing, comedy, even playing musical instruments—to attract fans and earn money through gifts and donations.
Some of them had millions of followers; a few had even crossed into the world of celebrity, landing brand deals, ads, and acting roles.
Still, he couldn't deny the appeal. There was something fascinating about how this one little app had turned into a ladder—a shortcut—for ordinary people to climb into the spotlight. A few taps and the world could be watching you.
As the download bar filled, Li Wei leaned back against his pillow, eyes half-closed. The neon buzz of the previous night still lingered faintly in his mind, along with that one particular smile—Mei Lin's.
"Hmm… I wonder if she's the type who'd stream on here." He murmured to himself, the corner of his lips curling into a faint grin.
While the application loaded, Li Wei leaned back in his chair, letting the bright interface flood his screen. Dozens of thumbnails appeared—girls dancing, laughing, singing, or simply chatting to their audiences. Each frame seemed to shimmer with filters, lights, and carefully tuned poses.
He scrolled lazily, half out of curiosity and half from boredom. "So, this is what Senior was talking about…" he muttered under his breath.
Apparently, his dorm senior had been using this app for months and swore it was "a treasure chest full of talent." Of course, that talent was mostly measured in looks. The senior had even given him advice on how to survive here—look at the top ratings first, since most people who spent their cash here did so for one reason only: beauty.
The higher the rating, the prettier the girl.
And just as the senior said, the screen soon filled with icons of "Top 10" streamers, each with their audience count blazing in the corner. Li Wei tapped one of them almost absently, more out of habit than interest.
A soft melody played. The image cleared, and a young woman appeared on his screen. She wasn't exaggeratedly dressed like some others—no heavy makeup, no wild lighting. Just a calm, poised figure under the warm glow of her room lamp, humming softly into a silver microphone.
Her voice was delicate, like silk brushing over glass.
And then—
◈ Ding!
A translucent blue screen popped up before Li Wei's eyes.
[System Scan Completed]
Target Detected: Su Yanyu
Screen Name: LunaSong
Favorability: 0/100
Occupation: Online Singer
Current Mood: Relaxed
Personal Preference: Gifts of Food, Compliments, and Audience Engagement
Li Wei blinked.
He quickly clicked on another stream out of curiosity. A cheerful girl was dancing, laughing at her chat—but no system screen appeared. Another try. No reaction again.
That sealed it.
'So, the system reacts only to certain people?' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly as he returned to the LunaSong stream.
The girl on screen—Su Yanyu—looked to be around his age, maybe slightly older. Her long, black hair framed a soft face untouched by filters, her natural beauty standing out even through the camera.
"Good evening, everyone. It's been a long day, hasn't it?" she said with a light laugh, her tone warm and familiar, instantly pulling in her viewers.
Li Wei leaned in, tapping the screen to adjust the volume. His lips curled into a faint grin.
'She's definitely not just some regular streamer,' he thought. 'And if the system tagged her… there must be something more to it.'