Hearing his male classmate’s question, the boy’s best friend—who was the same age—turned and casually glanced towards Yan Yu standing at the entrance of the girls’ dormitory in the distance. A look of sudden understanding flashed across his face before he retracted his gaze, turned back to his friend, and replied.
“Probably waiting for her boyfriend, I’d guess.”
At his best friend’s answer, the young man who had asked the question immediately made a face. “Couldn’t you have said something nicer?”
His best friend frowned slightly. “What’s so bad about what I said?”
“You… Ugh, never mind. Forget it.”
Choosing not to argue further, and knowing his friend was likely right, the male student quickly discarded any unrealistic thoughts he’d been harboring. He then fell into step beside his friend as they continued on their way towards their dorm.
But just as they were strolling leisurely along, a woman in an elegant, ancient-style cyan dress appeared within their field of vision, her figure strikingly beautiful.
In an instant, this woman, whose beauty was utterly breathtaking, captivated them completely. They stood frozen on the spot, staring dumbfounded.
It was only after she had passed them by, and a good moment later, that they slowly began to regain their senses.
The male student was the first to snap out of it. He turned to his best friend beside him and said, “Ah Qi, that woman just now… she was incredibly beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone that stunning in my entire life.”
“Same here, it’s my first time seeing someone so beautiful too,” admitted Ah Qi, his gaze still somewhat dazed. “But… for some reason, I feel like she looked familiar?”
Hearing this, the male student couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Familiar? Ah Qi, that’s impossible. We’ve known each other for years, and I’ve never seen you chat up a girl. How could you possibly know a woman that beautiful?”
“You’re right,” Ah Qi conceded, scratching his head. “I’ve hardly ever interacted with the opposite sex growing up. I really shouldn’t know her… but I just can’t shake this feeling that I’ve seen her before.”
“Are you saying you’ve met her in your dreams or something?” the male student retorted, his tone laced with skepticism.
“No, not in my dreams,” Ah Qi murmured, thinking hard. Then his eyes lit up. “Online! Yes, that’s it! I’ve seen her online before!”
Hearing this, the male student—let’s call him Ah Yuan—paused for a second before a thought seemed to strike him. “No wonder you found her familiar, Ah Qi! So you’ve seen her online. In that case, can you tell me her name or her livestream channel ID? I’d love to check out her stream sometime and show some support.”
Upon hearing Ah Yuan’s words, a look of alarm spread across Ah Qi’s face. “Oh heavens, shut up! Stop talking! If you value your life, just be quiet!”
Suddenly having his mouth covered by his best friend, Ah Yuan was initially confused by the extreme reaction. But hearing the serious warning in Ah Qi’s tone, he quickly stilled. He looked up at Ah Qi, his eyes wide with a questioning stare, waiting for an explanation.
Seeing that Ah Yuan had finally calmed down and was staring intently at him, Ah Qi first spared a hurried glance behind them. Confirming the beautiful woman was not returning, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and removed his hand from Ah Yuan’s mouth.
“Phew, that was close. You almost got us killed, Ah Yuan.”
“Got you killed? How? And why did you cover my mouth?” Ah Yuan asked, bewildered.
Hearing this, Ah Qi decided not to beat around the bush. “Bro, do you have any idea who that woman who just passed us is?”
“Isn’t she a streamer?”
“A streamer? Don’t be ridiculous! That woman is the Daoyan Empress.”
“The Daoyan Empress? No way! How could that beautiful woman possibly be the Daoyan Empress?” Ah Yuan exclaimed, unable to believe it.
Frustrated by Ah Yuan’s slowness on the uptake, Ah Qi insisted, “If you don’t believe me, take out your phone right now and search for videos about the Daoyan Empress.”
Following this suggestion, Ah Yuan quickly pulled out his phone, opened a video app, and typed in the search. Soon, he found relevant videos and saw the image of the Daoyan Empress herself.
Comparing it to the memory of the beautiful woman who had just walked past them, Ah Yuan finally realized Ah Qi was telling the truth. That woman really was the Daoyan Empress.
“No wonder you covered my mouth to stop me,” Ah Yuan said, his face pale as he looked up at Ah Qi. Recalling his own earlier words, a chill of fear ran down his spine.
Seeing that Ah Yuan finally understood the gravity of the situation, and noticing his legs were trembling slightly, Ah Qi couldn’t help but tease him a little. “Scared now, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m scared!” Ah Yuan replied anxiously. “Do you think… do you think the Daoyan Empress will come after me for this?”
Hearing the fear in his friend’s voice, Ah Qi patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. “Relax. If the Daoyan Empress really wanted to cause trouble for you, do you think you’d still be standing here talking to me?”
Ah Yuan thought about it for a second, then shook his head. “No, if she wanted me gone, I definitely wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Exactly. So what are you still worried about? Let’s get out of here quickly and not disturb the Daoyan Empress’s business.”
“Right, you’re right. Let’s go.”
Without another word, Ah Yuan and Ah Qi promptly hurried away, breaking into a light jog as they made their way back to their dorm.
——-
Completely unaware of the little incident she had caused between the two boys, Yan Qi—who had transformed into the Daoyan Empress—walked up to her older sister, who was still waiting.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Yan Yu,” she said, greeting her sister.