Before Xiao An could react, the other party suddenly smiled at him.
The smile was polite and gentle, and Xiao An instantly forgot about the familiar face that looked like her.
Ignoring the middle-aged man lying on the ground, the woman carried her bag and stepped into the apartment building in high heels.
Xiao An was feeling a little hungry at that moment, so he decided to give up squatting like a pervert and followed behind the woman, watching as she walked toward the pile of express packages in the corner of the lobby.
The woman crouched down to search, and Xiao An habitually glanced at his box of cookies—only to see the woman reach out and take it into her arms.
Xiao An instantly stopped in his tracks, feeling a little nervous.
The woman confirmed the package information, stood up with the express box in hand, and met his eyes again.
Xiao An nodded slightly and walked toward the elevator as if nothing had happened, feeling an inexplicable sense of unreality.
So this was the friend Wall had talked about. As expected, beautiful people had beautiful friends.
For the past three weeks, Xiao An and Wall had only communicated online. Now, meeting one of Wall’s friends in real life, he suddenly felt much closer to him.
It was rush hour, so there were many people waiting for the elevator, and the wait dragged on. The woman held the box of cookies in one hand and answered a phone call with the other.
“Where are you?” she asked. “I got your package. Who sent it to you?”
Xiao An looked at a potted green plant by the floor and subtly pricked up his ears.
“Is it a boy? I thought it was a little girl.” The woman’s tone while on the phone was completely different from the sharp and domineering demeanor she had when dealing with the middle-aged man earlier—now, she actually sounded a bit spoiled. “Forget it, bring me some food on your way here.”
Whatever was said on the other end made the woman sound displeased.
“Why are you so unlovable? I’m exhausted today. When you get here, you’re on back-massage duty.” She added, “My elevator is here. Don’t forget the food.”
She hung up, and Xiao An stepped into the elevator with her.
“Which floor?” she asked.
“Nineteen,” Xiao An answered, feeling a little restrained.
“Oh, then I live just above you.” The woman pressed “19” and “20.”
She was clearly older than him, and Xiao An couldn’t help but feel like he was talking to an elder. His curiosity about her relationship with Wall grew.
Judging by their phone conversation, they were close—like a couple—but something was missing…
Xiao An accidentally had a weird thought and scratched his hair.
When they reached the 19th floor, the woman politely bid him goodbye, and Xiao An stepped out.
—
He Yuan didn’t arrive at He Xin’s single apartment until 8 PM, lugging a ton of stuff.
The way He Xin and he treated each other, they were obviously siblings—neither of them saw the other as an outsider. The house was a mess, with clothes strewn over the couch, both washed and unwashed. There wasn’t even a place to sit.
“Brother, don’t be polite, make yourself at home,” He Xin said as she pushed over something that looked like a takeout box lid.
She was already sitting on the floor, her legs crossed, as she unpacked everything He Yuan had brought, piling them onto the coffee table one by one.
There were grilled skewers, stir-fried snails, crayfish, and fried cold noodles—all of He Xin’s favorite street snacks.
She grabbed a crayfish and sucked on it, lipstick smudging slightly. When she saw He Yuan still standing, she finally reacted: “How much? I’ll transfer it to you.”
“No need,” He Yuan said, glancing around at her garbage pile. “Where’s my package?”
“On the dining table.” He Xin, still wearing plastic gloves, scratched her slightly itchy calf with her elbow.
He Yuan was used to her antics and walked straight to the dining table, where he found the box of cookies Xiao An had sent him.
The package felt quite heavy in his hands—probably packed full.
Looking at the sender’s name, “An An,” He Yuan pursed his lips slightly. This was the first time an online friend had sent him something.
“What’s in there? Open it, let me see.” He Xin leaned back lazily.
“No.” He Yuan refused without hesitation.
This was something specially sent to him by someone else—no way was he sharing it.
“Suspicious,” He Xin muttered, suddenly recalling something. “You haven’t live-streamed in a while, right?”
“I went to a party last weekend,” He Yuan replied.
“Perfect timing, let’s promote our new products.” He Xin quickly peeled off her gloves, sprang up, and fished out a row of slim lip gloss tubes from the mess.
“I’ll try it tomorrow.” He Yuan was forced to take them. The packaging was completely transparent, making the glosses look quite pretty.
“No way, your application technique is terrible.” He Xin thought for a moment before waving him over. “Come on, just do a live now. I’ll help you apply it this time.”
Moving fast, He Xin cleaned up a corner and adjusted the camera angle within ten minutes.
“Say nice things, or I’ll tell Dad about your online friends.” She warned.
He Yuan sat down. After being held in place and having his lips painted with the trendy colors from their family’s brand, he reluctantly started the live stream under He Xin’s watchful eyes.
The moment he went live, the chat exploded.
[Wall’s live streams are always full of surprises… WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!]
[Damn, my Wall finally learned how to apply lip gloss. I’m crying QAQ]
[Someone else definitely applied this. Wall is obviously not at home—the background is different.]
He Yuan now had a soft bean paste shade on his lips. The brush had only been applied to the inner part of his lips, creating a subtle gradient effect.
This lip gloss had a mirrored finish. If he had applied it all over, it would’ve definitely looked like he had just eaten without wiping his mouth.
“Today, I’m trying out Geou’s new lip gloss.” Under He Xin’s death glare, He Yuan added, “It looks good and is worth buying.”
[The recommendation is straight to the point, but it doesn’t matter—your lips are convincing enough.]
[Was Wall kidnapped? Why is he actually praising something today? Hahaha.]
[Aaaah, this texture reminds me of jelly-filled bubblegum. It looks so sweet!]
“There are ten shades in total.” He Yuan opened the first one and took a sniff, immediately frowning at the odd sweet and salty scent. “It smells like…”
He Xin grabbed a huge whiteboard, scrawled something, and held it up with an ominous look.
“Like plum candy,” He Yuan read off it.
He swiped the gloss onto his wrist for a swatch and habitually blurted out, “It’s just a basic stocking color—looks the same as bare lips.”
He Xin glared and banged on the whiteboard.
“So, it’s good for daily wear.” He Yuan smoothly corrected himself. “Very wearable, perfect for family gatherings.”
[Hahahaha, I can’t believe these lies.]
[Is there a brand rep off-camera? Why is Wall actually working hard today?]
[Don’t be scared, Wall. Blink twice if you’re being held hostage.]
[I caved and bought the whole set. This shade really is just a sheer gloss (collapse.jpg).]
…
By the time the stream ended, He Yuan was exhausted. He slumped into a corner of He Xin’s sofa, sipping the milk tea she had ordered. The small box of cookies from Xixizi rested securely between his legs—he wasn’t taking any chances with He Xin around.
“Milk tea color! It’s called milk tea color!” He Xin held up the lip gloss next to the milk tea and yelled, “Stocking, your head!”
Ignoring her, He Yuan pulled out his phone and sent a message to Xixizi to confirm he had received the package.
An An: Good, good~ It should be delicious. [Little Yellow Bird blushes.jpg]
Wall: Thanks.
An An: Are you still at your friend’s place?
An An: Just saw you live streaming. [Little Yellow Bird hangs its head.jpg]
He Yuan glanced at the time—it was almost 10 PM. He needed to leave soon, or the dorm curfew would get him marked as late.
Wall: Heading back now.
An An: [Little Yellow Bird nods honestly.jpg]
An An: That lipstick color looked really nice.
He Yuan stared at the screen. For some reason, An An seemed hesitant, not as lively as usual.
What’s going on? Did he want to buy it after seeing it?
If Xixizi wanted it, he could just squeeze a set out of He Xin and send it over.
An An: [Little Yellow Bird shakes its head.jpg]
An An: Did your friend help you apply it?”
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