They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"Mmmmm."

Still mimicking the pirate cat's voice, she picked up the keychain, shone it in the sun, and then carefully put it into her pocket.

"I'll definitely keep it safe, meow!"

"Yes, yes, yes, your happiness is the most important thing."

I gave a perfunctory reply, but undeniably, she is a popular idol. Whether it's the way she treats things like treasures or the adorable tone of her voice when she's learning to speak, it makes one marvel at the world's aesthetic standards.

"Then, let's move on to the next project."

[Next chapter preview: "Yes. But it seems that this route only has three of us to choose from."]

"But I always felt that the class monitor seemed to know the other people's routes very well."

"He's an idiot."

"...We usually call this 'more than friends, less than lovers'."

An Yu's face turned deathly pale.

Interlude: Chen Di, the Prankster (Bonus Chapter)

"Squad leader!! You're taking this route too!"

The route is "thrilling and eerie," and to match the atmosphere, most of the passages lead underground.

So, on a dark, dimly lit path, Chen Di happened to run into An Yu and Hu Dan, who were also walking on the same path.

"..."

After greeting Chen Di, An Yu seemed to be searching for something, his expectant gaze constantly glancing furtively behind Chen Di.

"Yes. But it seems that this route only has three of us to choose from."

Chen Di walked over and joined the two of them, smiling as he spoke.

"Well, that's it."

An Yu withdrew his gaze, seemingly somewhat disappointed.

"...Why did the class monitor also choose this route?" Hu Dan asked.

"Well, I've always loved suspense and thriller stories. And I originally thought this path was mainly for boys."

"I thought so too..."

An Yu immediately picked up the conversation, but quickly realized he had revealed something and immediately shook his head.

"No, but most importantly, I'm actually also interested in the thriller and horror genre..."

"There seems to be a red clown over there."

“Aiya!——”

An Yu was so frightened that he jumped onto Hu Dan.

"...I misread it, it's a sign."

"?"

"How could you be wrong about this...?"

An Yu released his grip on Hu Dan's arm and glanced over there cautiously, somewhat timidly.

"...Since we're all on the same path, why don't we act together?"

Hu Dan suggested.

"But I always felt that the class monitor seemed to know the other people's routes very well."

"Haha, it's just a gut feeling."

Chen Di said with a smile, but his thoughts returned to that afternoon.

……

Clubroom.

"So, Wu Yuehua's junior is really you, Qiu Luxi?"

"Yes, it's me." Qiu Luxi took her phone out of her bag. "I've known Wu Yuehua for a long time. She came to the theater as the original author to guide the adaptation, and I wanted to be the screenwriter, so I asked her a lot of questions."

"That classmate 'Chen Di' is actually..."

"Of course it wasn't me," Chen Di said with a wry smile.

"I think so too. His tone of voice from the beginning was quite different from his online persona."

To Chen Di's surprise, Qiu Luxi quickly accepted the explanation.

"So that person really was Ning Ruoyu, right?"

"Judging from your expression, you probably suspected it quite a while ago? He didn't know you were real back then, and thought you were a secondary account that Senior Wu Yuehua created specifically for researching for her next work."

"He's an idiot."

"I always overthink things, and my mind works too fast. That's just how it is sometimes."

Even Chen Di couldn't defend his friend for such a foolish mistake of misunderstanding.

"But since you've already guessed that I'm not the same person as the 'Chen Di' you were chatting with, why are you still..."

"It's just a guess, so I told Ning Ruoyu that I need to talk to you alone to confirm."

"How should I put it, it's such a concise way of thinking."

Chen Di nodded.

The straightforward girl in front of him seemed to be, in some ways, the natural nemesis of Ning Ruoyu's introverted mind.

"So, now that it's confirmed, what should we do?"

Chen Di looked at the girl.

"You seemed to dislike Ning Ruoyu before, what do you think now?"

"I dislike him because I knew he was sent by my grandfather to spy on me."

"I see." Chen Di thought to himself, then paused slightly.

Huh? What?

My family sent someone to spy on me? Is this something I should be listening to?

Ning Ruoyu, this can't be the part-time job you mentioned... What kind of work are you doing?

Chen Di tried her best to keep her expression normal.

"But after spending a long time with him online, I realized he wasn't a bad person."

Qiu Luxi tilted her head, "And I don't feel uncomfortable being with him in real life."

Chen Di thought about it carefully.

Qiu Luxi, who usually sleeps on the club's sofa, and Ning Ruoyu, who yawns constantly and flips through books listlessly, exude a relaxed and carefree vibe reminiscent of a summer afternoon.

Do you want to be friends with him?

Chen Di asked.

"Friends?...I don't understand."

Qiu Luxi blinked.

"But it would be great if we could chat like we do online in our daily lives."

She said so.

"We can play together, listen to music together, play with cats together, and talk about strange topics without getting annoyed."

"Then we're probably friends, right?"

"Does that count as a friend?" Qiu Luxi frowned. "I thought friends would be a more formal relationship."

"For example?"

"For example, we would watch fireworks together and ask each other if the fireworks were round or flat from the side; when we were sad, we would stay by each other's side and help each other when we didn't know what to do; when we couldn't get out of the dark, we would take each other's hands."

“These are some classic scenes, but we usually call this ‘more than friends, less than lovers.’” Chen Di thought for a moment and added, “If all of the above has been done, it should actually be considered close to being complete, just waiting for a confession to confirm your feelings.”

"Is that so? I thought the TV series and books portrayed it as a close friendship... Oh, I see. Looks like I'll have to revise my script."

"Thank you, Chen Di."

Qiu Luxi politely thanked Chen Di.

"It's okay. You'll understand these things gradually."

"...Take it slow. I might not be able to do it. My family might stop me at any time."

"Perhaps parents are always worried?"

“I’m not a child of that family. I was adopted when I was very young, so I have to try to live like one of their children.”

"Because I became an idol by chance, I have more options for doing things I want to do. I don't know when I will be restricted."

Chen Di was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected the girl to reveal such a secret so bluntly, and it seemed she hadn't even considered that it should be kept hidden.

"They can't really control me under the cameras, but it probably won't last long. They sent people to monitor me as soon as school started. I think they're looking for an opportunity to put me back in jail."

Qiu Luxi said this.

"Ah, but actually I don't hate them. After all, given my background, the couple in my family still raised me, they just didn't talk to me much. My grandfather, who had the most say in the family, was stern, but when I was little, he would bring me all sorts of toys and snacks, so I didn't have a hard life. Well, at least that's how it was in terms of living conditions."

"For someone like me, this is already a very, very good thing. To hate them would be too ungrateful."

If Ning Ruoyu were present at this moment, she would probably be surprised, as the situation differed from what Uncle Gold Tooth had described. The reason she came to Linwai was because, during an interview before the Lunar New Year, she mentioned wanting to study at the school of a senior she admired.

Although the identity and name of the senior student were not explicitly stated, the school mentioned was still noted by the media.

This story of idol worship made Qiu Luxi's family, who had originally planned to send her to study abroad, feel somewhat embarrassed. However, ultimately, due to the attention she received, they chose to enroll Qiu Luxi in Linwai School.

She's clearly a cat-like girl, yet she lives like a caged bird.

Chen Di quietly observed the girl. Behind her nonchalant and languid demeanor lay a struggle and revelry akin to the final countdown to a party.

Want to experience a lot of things?

"Yeah. Before I was taken back, I wanted to use my own salary to buy cat food for 'Miss'; I wanted to finish writing my first script; I wanted to learn how to ride the subway smoothly... Ah, it would be great if I could make friends and go out with them."

"Does 'friend' refer to Ning Ruoyu?"

"I don't know. Before I enrolled in school, I found my grandfather's memo. It seems that Ning Ruoyu was sent by the family to monitor me. He might even be planning to use an excuse to take me home. So he should have been an enemy."

Qiu Luxi answered sincerely.

"But the more time you spend with someone, the less you can dislike them. Isn't that strange?"

"...No surprise. I really like him."

Chen Di said with a smile.

"I understand now, this means you're friends!" Qiu Luxi suddenly realized.

"...That would be great if he thought so too. But since we're on the topic, how about we join forces?"

"Join forces?"

"Didn't you want to experience life? Life is about having the right to do something different in the most ordinary of days, even if there aren't many dramatic events. I personally think that's probably why the ordinary is so appealing."

"And while I like him, I'm always being led by the nose by him, and sometimes I want to do something unexpected—"

Do friends do this too?

"It's more accurate to say that because we're friends, it's perfectly natural for us to tease and play pranks on each other."

Chen Di revealed a playful smile.

"For example, when chatting online, you should take the initiative to admit that you are the senior student."

"That guy is very cautious. We need to dispel his doubts first and lower his guard before we can sneak up on him."

……

"Um, can I just swipe my ticket and not go inside?"