With a creak, the old security door was gently pushed open.

Wearing high heels, Zhao Yaqian walked in, her legs feeling weak. After changing into slippers, she stepped into the living room and saw He Liting sitting on the couch, applying a face mask while scrolling through her phone.

Quickly tidying her messy hair, Zhao Yaqian smiled, "Ting Ting, you’re still up?"

"Tomorrow’s the company's debut live stream, and I’ll be appearing, so I have to prep properly."

"Oh, right. Good luck with that," Zhao Yaqian nodded and started heading towards her room.

Suddenly, He Liting spoke up, "You two didn’t… you know… in the car, right?"

"Ah!" Zhao Yaqian’s face turned beet red. "No, we didn’t! We only just started dating; it’s not that fast!"

Plus, she was still waiting for her first time to be in a romantic setting, not… in a car.

"Well, I’m going to go change." She rushed to her room and leaned against the door, her heart pounding uncontrollably. It was a new feeling, one she’d never experienced before, and it left her whole body tense and shaky.

After taking a few deep breaths, Zhao Yaqian slipped out of her floral dress.

Her thighs, she noticed, were marked red from being gripped. "Good grief, Brother Song really held on tight."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "You done changing, Yaqian?"

"Not yet!" she called back hurriedly, quickly pulling off her dirty underwear and dressing up.

“All set, Ting Ting!”

Moments later, He Liting opened the door slightly, her face a little flushed after removing her mask. "Yaqian, I just saw Tang Song pull you into the back of the car from the balcony. So, what did you two get up to?"

"Uh…" Zhao Yaqian hesitated. "Can I… really talk about that?"

He Liting sat beside her, hugging her arm. "We’re besties! I just want to give you some advice, you know, see where you two are at."

Biting her lip, Zhao Yaqian leaned in and began to whisper. In the small bedroom, He Liting’s excited gasps could be heard now and then.

---

Saturday, May 13, 2023, cloudy, 16~28°C.

Tang Song opened his eyes, finding it already 7:30 a.m. After leaving his beautician friend last night, he’d driven around to calm down before heading back to Yanjing Tiancheng. It was quite late by the time he got back.

Rubbing his face, he instinctively wanted to smile but then remembered something, stopping himself with a grimace.

Today was Songmei Fashion's debut live stream, and also the day he would be using the **Badge - Lucky Me**. The effects of the **Heartthrob Aura** could also be influenced by the luck buff.

He checked his phone; the company group chat was already buzzing, everyone excited for the live stream at 9 a.m. Their chosen slot was from 9 to 12, a prime time when big-name streamers hadn’t started yet, so they’d get a decent traffic boost with less competition. Plus, their target audience was working women with spending power, many of whom would sleep in till around 9 a.m. and start watching streams in bed. Hungry? Order delivery, or ask their boyfriends or husbands to cook.

After reading the messages, Tang Song opened Douyin to check the promotional video Songmei Fashion had posted last night. Thanks to some ad spends, it had already gained over 2,000 likes and more than 200 comments in the past 12 hours—a promising result for an ad.

“Looks like it's ready to go,” he murmured, noting that there was only an hour and a half left before the stream started.

Opening his system interface, he went to his inventory and selected **Badge - Lucky Me** to activate.

“Ding! Badge equipped, valid for 24 hours.”

“Ding! You have gained the Luck Buff.”

The system interface then returned to the main screen, where the chest of the 3D model in the **Fiery Sunshine** outfit glowed with a golden light. Looking closer, he could make out the details, like an unfurling clover leaf.

After admiring it for a bit, Tang Song stood up, opened the curtains, and smiled. Newest update provided by Nov3lFɪre.ɴet

“Dingdong—” his phone chimed with a new message.

However, there was no critical hit triggered. Tang Song shook his head, a bit disappointed, but quickly adjusted his mindset. The critical rate of these effects was only 1%, even with a luck boost, so it was never going to be a sure thing. Thankfully, he’d have another chance tomorrow.

After changing into a light workout outfit, Tang Song took the elevator straight to the first floor and jogged around the community for 20 minutes, then started walking towards a nearby breakfast shop along the sidewalk.

Located in the city center, Yanjing Tiancheng was surrounded by bustling eateries. Tang Song, who usually cooked for himself, wasn’t very familiar with these places and was having trouble deciding where to eat. Then, it struck him: he was currently blessed with the Luck Buff, so any choice he made should be a good one.

Smiling, he closed his eyes, spun around, and randomly pointed in a direction. Opening his eyes, he saw the sign: “Hongfu Breakfast.” Not a bad name!

Settling on that, he walked briskly over, but just as he neared the entrance, a girl rushed out, and they collided.

“Ow!” she exclaimed softly before stepping back, glancing up apologetically. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Tang Song looked at her in surprise.

Of all people—it was Little Xue!

This time, however, she was dressed more casually, with no makeup, wearing a loose athletic T-shirt, black leggings, and white sneakers, giving her a refreshingly pure look.

"No worries," he replied with a smile, hesitating inwardly. Should he ask for her WeChat? They kept bumping into each other, and today, his luck was boosted. It had to be a good sign.

But he’d never initiated a conversation with a girl he didn’t know, and wasn’t sure how to start. As he hesitated, Little Xue turned and hurried away, clearly in a rush as she began jogging towards the opposite building.

In the breakfast shop, Tang Song ordered tofu pudding, steamed buns, and a tea egg. As he ate, he checked the map to find out the name of her apartment complex—Yanjing Huating. It was developed by the same company as his residence, Yanjing Tiancheng, and was also a luxury complex with both high-rise and garden-style units, although a bit older, built nearly ten years ago.

---

Inside Yanjing Huating, Apartment 204, Building 4.

Back in her bedroom, Lin Muxue lay on her bed with a distressed expression, reopening the Douyin app. Just during breakfast, she’d stumbled upon a video that shocked her.

“Do you wonder how our high school classmates are doing now? Six years after graduation, I’m turning my old classmates into blind boxes.”

“Wherever you are, I want to see the current you.”

“Today, I’m meeting him! Gao Zhiqiang, the top student of our school back then.”

The video was posted by her high school classmate, Chen Siyue. Since graduation, she’d cut off contact with most of her old classmates. Recently, though, Chen Siyue had reached out, asking her about her life. At that time, Lin Muxue didn’t know about this “classmate blind box” idea and just gave her Douyin ID without a second thought. Financially successful, career-driven, and independent, she had a condo, car, and a regular rotation of luxury items—an image that left Chen Siyue impressed, lavishing her with compliments.

Lin Muxue had basked in the flattery and thought no more about it. But now, it turned out Chen Siyue was an influencer with over 500,000 followers. Looking through the video’s comments, Lin Muxue saw plenty from old classmates, many of whom even mentioned her.

Although Chen Siyue had only just begun this series, Lin Muxue had a hunch it wouldn’t be long before her old friend came to visit her in Yan City. After all, she’d been a slacker in high school, and now, with her “successful” life, she was prime content material for the series.

If it were all true, she’d welcome the spotlight, thrilled to impress her former classmates. But the problem was…

At this thought, Lin Muxue’s heart skipped a beat. With her current façade, her classmate would undoubtedly want to see her luxury car, condo, and high-end job. All her fabrications would come to light.

The best solution was, of course, to turn down the interview. But knowing Chen Siyue’s tenacity, even if she declined, she’d probably show up in Yan City anyway, forcing her to host her. And if the truth came out, her old classmates would know everything.

Burying her head under the covers, Lin Muxue let out a deep sigh.

All she wanted was a small moment to show off in front of her classmates. Who’d have thought it would cause such a huge headache?

What a mess!