Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

Luo Xiaomeng's previous remark was a joke.

They're all classmates, so it's pointless to become overly respectful just because you suddenly discover a classmate is your idol. She knew this all too well.

But

That last sentence, "I can sign as many copies as you want,"

But it inadvertently touched a corner deep within her heart.

There was no other reason than that it was a feeling of being flattered.

No matter how calm Luo Xiaomeng is, she is still in front of a cartoonist she has admired for several years.

And... he didn't know that his comics gave her more than just happiness, but also so much more.

One day, I wonder if you'll ever find out...

Under Yu Zhe's questioning gaze, Luo Xiaomeng, who had always been very outgoing, slowly lowered her head.

Already short, Yu Zhe couldn't see her expression at all, only hearing her soft murmur: "No need... many autographs, this one is enough, I'm very happy..."

"Really? That's good."

............................

Not long after, Yu Zhe left the "Comic Club". He originally thought that Luo Xiaomeng would continue to stay in her secret base, but he didn't expect that this girl would jog after him.

"Um... Yu Zhe, what do you think of this club? Are you interested? I... I'm sorry, I'm about to take the college entrance exam and I'm still saying things like this. I guess I should just forget about it..."

Yu Zhe glanced back discreetly and caught a glimpse of the light deep in her eyes—a light of expectation, and a longing for someone to share her loneliness with.

In fact, Yu Zhe could empathize with these emotions quite well. He just didn't expect that Luo Xiaomeng, who always seemed so optimistic and good at reading the atmosphere, also had a kind of vulnerability deep down.

Did she display a kind of "coquettish" emotion after learning her identity?

Kind of cute.

Seeing that Yu Zhe, who was walking ahead, ignored her, Luo Xiaomeng felt a little disappointed and followed behind him like a child who hadn't gotten the toy she wanted.

But after a short while, she heard a sound coming from ahead.

"Okay, let's participate and see."

A glint of surprise flashed in Luo Xiaomeng's eyes: "Really?! You'd like to read comics with me?"

"Hmm... it's not impossible, but the club activities I want aren't just about a lazy life of reading comics every day. You shouldn't mind if I add some club activities sometimes, right, Xiaomeng?"

"No problem at all! This way we're companions! Can we even be considered friends?!"

The more she thought about it, the happier she became. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, but everyone was just a friend.

I don't know why, but I'm so happy this time, so happy that I even forgot about failing the exam earlier.

What was the reason? She didn't want to delve into it at all.

As for the topic of friends, Luo Xiaomeng is still waiting for Yu Zhe's response.

Under the setting sun.

Luo Xiaomeng always remembered the silver hair that shone softly in the setting sun, and the gentle smile that seemed to stretch far into the distance.

"What are you talking about? Of course I already knew that you genuinely wanted to make friends."

"If that's the case, then aren't we already friends?"

"Xiao Meng, you seem quite clever, but sometimes... hehe, you can be a bit silly, which is really cute."

11. Gotcha!

After that, Yu Zhe was almost at his apartment when Luo Xiaomeng followed behind like a little hamster.

"You've already walked past my house, haven't you? Why are you still following me? Do you want to come over for dinner?"

Luo Xiaomeng was quite direct, and she ran to Yu Zhe's side in a few steps and said, "No, actually I haven't finished speaking yet, and this is the most important point."

"what?"

I want to thank you.

"Don't thank me yet, I never agreed to let you come to my house for a free meal."

"I didn't mean to come to your house for a free meal!" Luo Xiaomeng turned her head slightly to the side, protesting against Yu Zhe's joke. "Hmph, I just wanted to thank you for the comics you drew; they helped me a lot."

"What...what are you going to do with my comics...how can I possibly help you?"

Noticing Yu Zhe's feigned disdain, Luo Xiaomeng's face flushed red: "You... what are you saying! Yu Zhe, don't joke around! I mean the story you depicted in the comic fulfilled one of my wishes."

Hearing her say this, and seeing her serious expression, Yu Zhe knew that jokes should be kept to a minimum, so he decided to just listen.

"What is your wish?"

Luo Xiaomeng slowed her pace and looked up at the sky: "Hmm... I don't think I've ever told anyone this before, but after I found out that you are the author of Rain Star, I suddenly had an urge to tell you this feeling."

Yu Zhe also slowed down to match her pace: "Just say it. If you have to worry about so much, you'll suffocate long ago."

Squinting slightly, Luo Xiaomeng seemed to be recalling the past: "It's a little embarrassing to say, but although I've always said I hate this childish outfit my parents put together for me, I might actually be like a child inside. Cough cough, I mean just a tiny bit, you know. I'm definitely not a child!"

She emphasized this point and continued, "Actually, my parents are very strict with me... I have never been involved in anything like dating, but I have always longed for the love between princes and princesses in fairy tales and envied those pure feelings. Your comic... I forget which day it was, but the story on that snowy day... touched me deeply, as if the world in the comic was closely related to me."

"When I close the comic book, I sometimes wonder... will I ever have the same happiness as the female protagonist?"

It turned out to be the case.

Yu Zhe roughly understood that Luo Xiaomeng's emotional void stemmed from her family's overprotection, which prevented her from expressing her true feelings.

Since that's the case, Yu Zhe followed up on her topic and said, "Then why don't you try to have a relationship? In this virtual world..."

It's all an illusion after all, and it's not true happiness.

“That won’t do,” Luo Xiaomeng replied decisively. “I understand very well that true love requires meeting someone you truly like before the story can unfold. But unfortunately… I haven’t met anyone I like yet. Or rather, I feel that you have to be responsible for yourself when you’re in a relationship. How can you just start a relationship whenever you want?”

What a good child.

Yu Zhe thought to himself, "Although Luo Xiaomeng looks like that, she is much stronger inside than she appears."

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that then.” Yu Zhe shrugged. “You’ll just have to wait for someone you like. But whether your dream can come true or not, I can’t say for sure. After all, reality is different from comics; it’s not that idealistic.”

Then, seeing that the apartment was not far away, he decided to end the conversation: "Anyway, I think... don't always immerse yourself in those virtual fantasies. Look more at real life and the people around you, and maybe the problem will be solved naturally. Want to come and have dinner together? We're already here."

"No, thank you." Luo Xiaomeng glanced at the time on her phone. "My parents have been urging me to come home several times already. Okay... thank you for telling me so much, Yuzhe. You've really gone to a lot of trouble today."

"No big deal, no big deal." Yu Zhe smiled mischievously. "So you still remember you failed your exam?"

"Oh, I just forgot, let's not talk about that!"

........................ ..

After Luo Xiaomeng returned home in the opposite direction.

Yu Zhe arrived at the apartment door, looked up at the sky, and saw that it was already dark.

It's almost eight o'clock. I originally planned to stay at the anime club for a little while and then come back, but I ended up talking for so long.

Zixiao must be getting really anxious, since I received a message from her around 6 PM telling me to come back soon.

Yu Zhe opened the apartment door, and returning to this place gave him a strange sense of peace.

After closing the door and looking around, Yu Zhe spotted Zi Xiao at first glance.

The table was laden with food.

She was sitting in a chair next to the dining table, still wearing her school uniform, with her right hand supporting her head and her arm resting on the edge of the table.

It looks like she fell asleep while waiting for me...

Yu Zhe walked quietly to her side.

The environment is very quiet now, and you can hear Zixiao's even breathing.

She probably wanted to rest for a while, but accidentally fell asleep.

Yu Zhe looked down and found that her phone was still lit up, showing the interface for sending messages to Yu Zhe.

The message that was sent by the previous poster was the same one that Yu Zhe received.

However, in the editing bar, there was a message that had been typed but not sent: "Brother, aren't you back yet? Don't stay out all night, I'm worried about you, and also..."

The message that followed was clearly not unfinished, but rather deleted by her; only the message "Brother, please be careful" remained.

And the typing cursor is positioned before this last sentence.

Su Yuzhe seemed to have seen Zixiao's dilemma a dozen minutes earlier.

She was indeed struggling with whether or not to send the message, because as she looked at the darkening sky, she really wanted her brother to come back.

But I've already posted one, so if I post another one, won't it annoy my brother?

Thinking this, she decided to delete everything before that and just send a message saying "Be careful."

But even for this one sentence, she found it hard to press the send button, because Zixiao was very afraid of causing trouble for Yuzhe.

Amidst this struggle and exhaustion from a day of studying, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Yu Zhe first helped her lock her phone screen, then leaned close to her ear with a touch of tenderness and said, "I'm back."

Unexpectedly, the moment she finished speaking, Zixiao grabbed Yuzhe's arm with both arms, her eyes wide and blinking rapidly: "Brother caught you."

"Hehe, got caught."

Yu Zhe gently patted her head, feeling a wonderful sensation.

"Let's eat. The food will get cold soon. Oh well, it's already cold. I'll go heat it up."

Zixiao didn't intend to ask Yuzhe what he had done at all, and simply replied happily, "Hmm!"

It's enough that you're here with me now.

.............................. ..

Actually, Qin Ruoke was also finished eating at this time. It wasn't because she was particularly busy today, but because she was quite happy after returning home, and she even ate dinner a little later than usual.

What's making you happy?

Of course it's the exam! Although the results haven't come out yet, she feels that she performed exceptionally well this time, which is a good sign, meaning that she is in excellent condition before the college entrance examination.

She combed her pink hair, her smile full of anticipation.

Let's use this momentum to conquer the college entrance exam!