Give Me Another Smile

Tang Yu stared blankly at the girl coming up the stairs, not even noticing the bread in her mouth gradually turning soggy.

The cat with white fur scanned back and forth between Tang Yu and its owner with its blue eyes. Then, it jumped onto its owner's shoulder—just as Tang Yu had seen it done multiple times in her previous life—and used its fluffy tail to cover its owner's eyes.

…

When Yin Zhao-an finished washing up and failed to see Tang Yu in the house, she began to panic. After searching all the rooms and still failing to find Tang Yu, she rushed out of the house and found Tang Yu staring blankly at a beautiful and aloof girl. Immediately, a sense of crisis surged in her, so she quickly stood before Tang Yu, blocking her view of the girl as she said, "Let's go get some seafood."

Tang Yu chuckled a little when she saw Yin Zhao-an's flustered look. Then, she nodded and said, "Okay, let's go."

…

Chen Ci watched with a meaningful gaze as Yin Zhao-an possessively dragged Tang Yu into the house, her hand stroking the cat on her shoulder as she said, "They seem pretty happy."

The white cat glanced at the closed door for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, it opened its mouth and spoke in a human voice, "I would expect nothing less. If Yin Zhao-an still fails to secure this opportunity, she deserves to be alone forever."

"Then…when are we going back?" Chen Ci asked.

In response, the white cat licked Chen Ci's face and swayed its tail around before saying, "Don't worry. Yu Xiao has given us several years of vacation time. We still have plenty of time to see how their relationship develops."

"Mhm." Chen Ci smiled faintly and entered the house next door.

…

Yin Zhao-an and Tang Yu spent their summer vacation living in their new home. Yu Wanrou would occasionally call Tang Yu to ask about her situation with Yin Zhao-an as well as remind them to be safe and so on.

While Tang Yu had smoothly settled into their new home, Yin Zhao-an, on the other hand, was in a state of frantic indecision.

Yin Zhao-an found that Tang Yu seemed to really like the girl next door, and although Tang Yu had repeatedly explained that she just wanted to go over and make friends, Yin Zhao-an couldn't relax. So, she would always go with Tang Yu under the pretext of forming a friendly relationship with their neighbor.

Today was one such day, and Tang Yu and Chen Ci were currently exchanging cooking tips in the kitchen while Yin Zhao-an, not wanting to disturb them, sat in the living room as she scrutinized the woman lying on the sofa across from her.

This was the first time Yin Zhao-an had met this woman. Unlike Chen Ci's gentle and aloof appearance, the woman had a sharp gaze and presence.

Mo Shu noticed Yin Zhao-an scrutinizing her, so she sat up from the sofa, smiling as she introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Chen Ci's friend, and my name is Mo Shu."

Yin Zhao-an was still a student. This was her first time seeing a woman radiating such a mature aura, so she couldn't help but grow a little nervous as she interacted with the other party. "My name is Yin Zhao-an."

While playing with her nails, Mo Shu looked toward a girl in the kitchen and asked with a playful smile, "Is that girl your friend?"

"Yes, what's the matter?" Yin Zhao-an subconsciously frowned. She disliked the way Mo Shu looked at Tang Yu.

"Nothing. It's just that I'm quite fond of girls of this type. I can tell that she'll become very tender in bed."

Bang!

Tang Yu poked her head out of the kitchen, looking suspiciously at the living room, "What's going on?"

Despite having just slammed her fist on the coffee table out of anger, Yin Zhao-an still smiled gently when facing Tang Yu, saying, "It's nothing. I accidentally spilled the glass."

"Oh..." Tang Yu grew suspicious at Yin Zhao-an's answer, so she tried to look for an answer from Mo Shu. But her confusion only grew when she saw the sly smile on Mo Shu's face. Ultimately, she gave up trying to get an answer and silently returned to the kitchen to help Chen Ci.

Meanwhile, Yin Zhao-an gritted her teeth and warned the arrogant woman before her, "You better not have any ideas about her. Otherwise, I won't spare you, even if it costs my life."

Mo Shu secretly rejoiced in her heart but still wore a debauched and unrestrained expression as she said, "I'm not a scumbag. If I end up with her, I'll treat her well and never disappoint her."

"Don't even think about it! She's already with me!" Yin Zhao-an said in a lowered voice that fully conveyed her anger.

Mo Shu pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth, exclaiming, "Oh my, but aren't you friends?"

"None of your business!"

Mo Shu pouted. This child has a really bad temper. As expected, my Little Ke is much more well-behaved.

…

Tang Yu and Chen Ci came out of the kitchen with plates of food in their hands.

Mo Shu smiled when she saw her wife. Regardless of the world they were in, her Little Ke would always be gentle and virtuous. Although her Little Ke's personality was a little cold in this world, she would still turn into a spring when beneath her.

However, in Yin Zhao-an's eyes, it looked like Mo Shu had yet to give up on Tang Yu. After giving the mature woman a glare, Yin Zhao-an got up from her seat and walked over to Tang Yu. Then, she embraced Tang Yu's waist and kissed her without warning.

Tang Yu nearly dropped the plates in her hands because of the unexpected assault. Fortunately, Mo Shu reacted in time, and with a flick of a finger, the plates froze in mid-air. Then, without Yin Zhao-an and Tang Yu noticing, she took the plates and set them on the dining table.

Chen Ci was puzzled by this turn of events, but when she saw Yin Zhao-an kiss Tang Yu so forcefully that the latter could barely resist, she blushed and quietly moved to Mo Shu's side, asking in a whisper, "What's wrong with Yin Zhao-an?"

Wrapping an arm around Chen Ci's shoulder, Mo Shu lightly kissed Chen Ci's head before answering, "I provoked her a little, and now she's jealous of me."

When Tang Yu was close to running out of breath, she pushed Yin Zhao-an away, revealing her blushing face and moist lips. Then, she softly said, "Don't do this; there are others here."

In response, Yin Zhao-an clenched her teeth and said fiercely, "I'm doing this precisely for that old woman to see!"

"You little brat!" Mo Shu rolled up her sleeves, prepared for a fight. However, Chen Ci quickly stopped her, saying:

"There, there, don't be angry; it's just a misunderstanding."

Tang Yu also took Yin Zhao-an's hand and softly said, "Stop fighting and let's eat."

Meanwhile, Chen Ci stroked Mo Shu's hair and said, "Yes, let's eat."

Out of consideration for Tang Yu, Yin Zhao-an no longer argued with the "old woman" but still looked at the other party with a threatening expression.

Mo Shu was so angry that she regretted ever giving Yin Zhao-an a second chance. If this was how the girl was going to repay her kindness, she should have let the girl wallow in pain for the rest of her life!

Chen Ci could tell what Mo Shu was thinking, so to appease Mo Shu, she whispered to her in a voice that only they could hear, "Everything's fine so long as Tang Yu is doing well now. It's good that Yin Zhao-an has a strong possessive desire, so don't get angry with a child."

Mo Shu never meant to get angry for real. When she saw Chen Ci speaking softly to her, she couldn't help but pinch her chin and give her a peck on the lips. "Okay, I'm not angry anymore."

Mo Shu's physical interaction with Chen Ci made it clear that they were more than just friends. Yin Zhao-an would be a fool if she still couldn't tell what their relationship was. However, it was precisely because she could tell this that she got even angrier. After all, this old woman was still fantasizing about her beloved Tang-Tang even when she already had a partner!

What a scumbag!

However, Yin Zhao-an's hostility towards Mo Shu slowly diminished over time. This was because she could see that Mo Shu was sincere toward Chen Ci. Even when neither of them spoke, Yin Zhao-an could feel the attraction they had for each other. Nobody would ever mistake them for anything other than a couple, and this realization calmed Yin Zhao-an's restless heart.

It couldn't be helped. So long as Tang Yu was involved, Yin Zhao-an could rarely stay calm.

…

The group spent their summer occasionally having fun together. Yin Zhao-an had already expected to receive her admission notice from the Communication University of China because of her test results. When she eventually received the notice, she only opened it to check her major before putting it away.

Sophomores resumed classes as usual, but military training for freshmen was scheduled to start a few days later than usual. As a result, when Tang Yu was attending classes, Yin Zhao-an was left at home with nothing to do, so she played Art of Freedom to pass the time.

In order to increase her character's combat power, Yin Zhao-an created a guild. This was because members of a guild could gain additional resources and experience points through the guild's level advancement and completion of guild quests. When Zhao Yu learned of this, he eagerly asked to join the guild and became a vice guild leader.

When new players decided to join a guild, most of them would look to join the guilds of the server's top 10 players, as being in the same guild as these top players meant having someone reliable to rely on in cross-server or team battles. Simply put, they would have more chances to slack off without fear of failure. They would also stand to gain better rewards from these battles. And if they happened to "secure" some kills in the process, even better.

Even though Yin Zhao-an did not actively recruit members, new players kept joining her guild. Some of the veteran players who were neglected or pushed out of other guilds also joined. Soon, the guild had hundreds of members, and one of the guild's active members even took the initiative to recruit more members in the world channel.

[World Channel]

Blu Blu: New guild [Chang'An Dwelling] is recruiting~ No matter what profession you are, whether you are a new or veteran player, whether you are single or not, as long as you join [Chang'An Dwelling], we will carry you through the dungeons, your EXP will skyrocket, and many girls will flirt with you. Plus, you'll get a super-duper Golden Gift Pack for free~ Come and join us! (米ω(米

Zhao Yu happened to be in the game when the advertisement was made, so he naturally saw it and couldn't help but message the person behind it.

[Guild Channel]

Creator: @Blu Blu, when did we agree to give Golden Gift Packs? Don't make false advertisements. [Hammer]

Blu Blu: [Cute] Ah~ It's not false advertising. Didn't the Divination Elder say that he would give out celebratory gift packs to guild members on National Day?

Creator: ?! Divination Elder?

Bambi: Yes, yes, the Divination Elder talked about it a few days ago. [Cute]

Zhao Yu slammed his mouse and yelled at Gao Rang, who was cooking noodles in the kitchen, "Big Bro! Are you wasting money again?!"

Gao Rang came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles, an innocent expression on his face as he asked, "What?"

"I'm talking about the game's celebratory gift pack! There are hundreds of people in our guild! How much money are you going to have to spend?!" Zhao Yu pointed at the computer, his face red with anger.

Gao Rang put down the noodles, sat down next to Zhao Yu, and squinted at the game interface. Then, seemingly remembering something, he responded, "Oh. I was trying to promote Yin Zhao-an's guild. There were only a few members at the time."

…

Yin Zhao-an, sitting in front of the computer, suddenly sneezed and instinctively raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose. She stared blankly outside the window, but the weather outside was as warm as usual. Thinking that it might be because the air conditioning was too low, she decisively reached for the air conditioner's remote and adjusted the temperature setting.

…

Zhao Yu still looked unhappy. He felt frustrated by Gao Rang's extremely extravagant behavior.

Gao Rang was someone who knew how to read people's expressions. He knew he had done something wrong when he saw Zhao Yu's expression. He pinched Zhao Yu's nose and promised, "Okay, okay. I'll discuss anything related to money with you in the future. If you don't allow it, I won't do it. How about that?"

"Really?" Zhao Yu asked skeptically.

Gao Rang smiled. "Of course, my little money-grubber~"