"Got it, thanks for the advice, Kenneth." Lawrence Winters put down his chopsticks and made a gesture of gratitude towards his phone. "Anything else, Kenneth? My instant noodles are getting cold!"
Kenneth Osborne wisely knew not to compete with Lawrence Winters’ food.
He said gently, "No more. Finish your meal and get some sleep early. In a couple of days, once my project is done, I’ll take you out for some fun."
"No need, my uncle Nick Zeller has already shown me all the sights in Capital City. I’m more familiar with it than you are." Lawrence remembered being taken around the city by Nick, learning the "feng shui wisdom" of the ancestors, and felt exhausted.
It truly was like measuring every feng shui spot in Capital City, with no room for laziness.
Kenneth understood and said, "Then once I get the final payment for my project, I’ll take you traveling abroad."
"Sure, sure!" Lawrence nodded vigorously. "Anywhere but Southeast Asia is fine."
"...You’ve been to Southeast Asia?"
"Of course. Many people who believe in feng shui live there. Although my uncle doesn’t have clients there, he has an old master there who once helped him out. My uncle visits him every year and takes me along for lessons."
Kenneth laughed, "Alright, then we’ll go to another country."
He reminded her of a few things before putting down the phone.
After the call, Kenneth felt energized again, ready to pull another all-nighter.
Back at the dorm, he opened his computer and continued optimizing his algorithm, rewriting his program.
Meanwhile, Joyce Shaw was deep in conversation with his online girlfriend.
[JoyceComfortably]: Little Mandarinfish, your friend’s actions have nothing to do with you, don’t blame yourself too much.
[JoyceComfortably]: With all her chaotic moves, she ended up falling into the lake herself, purely her own doing.
[LittleMandarinfish]: It’s not just about that. It’s more because... I’ve known her for three and a half years, and I always thought we were really close, yet I had no idea she would do something .
[LittleMandarinfish]: It’s like you think you know someone, but then you realize you didn’t know her at all.
[LittleMandarinfish]: Not only did I not understand her, but everything she showed was what she wanted me to see. Do you know what this means? It means she could manipulate all my perceptions of her!
[LittleMandarinfish]: It’s truly scary. If an outsider did this, I wouldn’t care so much. But it’s someone close, a classmate, a friend, and then this happens...
Joyce comforted her for a long time, but the girl remained moody.
He suggested she go to sleep, but she refused, saying she wanted to play games to clear her mind.
Joyce didn’t want her staying up late and didn’t want her to stay unhappy.
Hesitating a bit, he typed out a line.
[JoyceComfortably]: Don’t be upset, let’s video chat, maybe seeing me will make you feel better.
[LittleMandarinfish]: !!!
Chatting on the other end was the infamous NetGal.
She’s been in more than a dozen online relationships but never met any in person, nor sent photos, nor video chatted.
She simply enjoyed the feel of online relationships.
In the past, if any online partner asked for a video call, she’d instantly break up, block, and change her number—as if she’d stolen a girl’s heart and feelings like a scoundrel.
But this time, perhaps because she was at a confusing point in her life, feeling particularly down, she hesitated and surprisingly agreed.
Joyce, on his end, was also very nervous when NetGal agreed.
He knew who his online girlfriend was because, as a computer whiz, he had traced her IP and learned she was a fellow student at his university, which was why he continued chatting with her.
But he also knew this NetGal was famous for never meeting her online partners in person, blocking them if they met in person.
Was she planning to block and break up with him?
Joyce was anxious, several times going to turn on his webcam, finding his palms sweaty, a bit scared to open it.
It was NetGal’s side that sent the video first.
The computer screen displayed a small oval face with slightly tired almond-shaped eyes. She leaned her head on her hand while sitting in front of the webcam.
Even though he knew what she looked like, seeing that face, Joyce still blushed and became overwhelmed.
He frantically turned to Kenneth who was sitting with his back to him and said, "Go write your code at the dining table over there, don’t let my online girlfriend see you!"
Kenneth raised his head but didn’t turn around, resigned, "...Even if she sees, she’ll only see my back. Is it that serious?"
"Don’t you know you won the most huggable back award among the school’s girls last year!" Joyce jumped up from his seat, dragging Kenneth away from the camera’s view.
Kenneth had no choice but to sit on the sofa by the door, typing on his laptop.
It was a graduate dorm with two people per room, very spacious.
Joyce made sure his webcam couldn’t catch even Kenneth’s pant leg, then nervously turned on the webcam.
"Hi..." He forced a smile, a little anxious as he waved at the camera.
"Ah—!" A sharp scream came through the mic, and then the video went black.
She had cut the video from her side.
Joyce stood frozen, as if a pot of cold water poured down on him in the middle of winter, chilling him to the bone.
Kenneth also heard NetGal’s scream and looked up at Joyce.
Joyce turned back cluelessly, looking at Kenneth by the door and said, "...I can’t be that ugly, right? Why did she act like she saw a ghost when she saw me..."
In reality, he was quite handsome with a height of 1.78 meters, fair skin, a high nose bridge, and bright, spirited eyes.
Kenneth smiled, "Have some confidence, you’re not only not ugly, you’re very handsome. Remember all those love letters you shredded last month?"
"But what’s the use if others think I’m handsome..." Joyce dejectedly touched his chin, "If the person you like doesn’t see it, that’s the biggest blow."
Kenneth was slightly taken aback, then nodded solemnly, feeling the truth in those words, "...Indeed."
Second update at 1 PM, third update at 7 PM.
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