It went something like this.
Senior Sister had been swept away by a time-space turbulence.
Don't ask how or why; she just was.
Fang Xuan had been on the balcony taking in the laundry when he looked back and saw that the person on the sofa was gone. Only a beer can remained, rolling across the coffee table, still half-full.
He stood in the middle of the living room, clutching the hoodie he’d just taken down, and stared blankly for a long time.
Then, he took a deep breath and began to deduce the destination of that time-space turbulence.
With the way Senior Sister was, she couldn't even tell the difference between a microwave and an oven in this world.
If she ended up in another world, she probably wouldn't even be able to feed herself; she’d likely end up scavenging for scraps.
It took him a day to find her location and another day to open a passage.
But when he finally stepped onto the ground of this new world, he discovered he had been given a new identity.
Moreover... this was actually a female-dominant world...
In this life, he was Ning Xian’s childhood friend—the kind who had grown up right alongside her.
In his mind, it was like watching a very long movie, spanning from kindergarten all the way to university graduation, with Senior Sister in every single frame.
No, she wasn't Senior Sister here; she was just Ning Xian.
In this world, she wasn't his Senior Sister, but just an ordinary office worker.
She worked overtime... fretted over the rent, and in the middle of the night, she would secretly... reward herself.
And his plan was quite simple.
Ahem... he was just going to keep at it...
He’d keep at it until Senior Sister remembered who he was and followed him home like a good girl.
A perfect plan, wouldn't you say?
...
At a street corner...
Ning Xian stood there, looking dazed.
How could she have fainted just while taking out the trash?
Rubbing her temples, she walked back to her small rental apartment.
The heavy rain outside was still falling, the noise of it drumming against the awning quite loud.
She changed into her slippers, tossed her takeout box into the trash, then curled up on the sofa and opened her phone.
A colleague had sent a string of messages saying that the guy in the HR department was so dainty and beautiful. She wanted Ning Xian to beg Fang Xuan for his contact information.
The colleague also said Ning Xian was too cowardly. If she liked Fang Xuan, she should just confess. They had been childhood friends for so long, yet they were still just friends. Was she really waiting for Fang Xuan to speak first?
Men were naturally thin-skinned; she should just go for it and chase him boldly.
As Ning Xian read the messages, the tips of her ears suddenly turned red.
She ignored the request for the contact info and turned off her phone.
She currently had nothing—no car, no house—and Little Xuan was so good-looking. What right did she have to speak up?
Let alone the thought of wanting to marry him...
...
Fang Xuan was a year younger than her. Since childhood, he had been the 'perfect child' parents always compared others to—good grades, handsome, and with a great personality.
She had spent over a decade following him around, from kindergarten to graduation, yet she hadn't even properly held his hand.
Her phone vibrated again; it was a message from the work group.
There were still many files that hadn't been handled correctly; she’d have to work overtime again tonight.
She sighed and buried her face in a cushion.
Little Xuan had just graduated and was at the same company as her, yet his monthly salary was already higher than hers.
Meanwhile, she had been drifting along for so long without achieving anything of note.
When she first found out that Fang Xuan was coming to work at the same company, she couldn't even describe how happy she was... and yet, here they were.
She didn't even have the courage to talk to him, terrified she’d say something wrong and make him think she was stupid.
Ugh, the more she thought about it, the more miserable she felt.
She wasn't in a good mood today.
She looked up, glanced at the heavy rain outside the window, and then at her empty room.
Maybe she’d secretly... reward herself tonight...
Just once...
...
She climbed off the sofa, walked to the fridge, and opened it. There were plenty of vegetables.
She planned to cook first, but her phone rang again.
This time, it was a message from her superior.
The message said that Fang Xuan had to attend a social function tonight and that the boss had arranged a hotel for him. He wouldn't be coming back, so Ning Xian shouldn't come around making a scene.
Ning Xian stared at that message for a long time.
Not coming back?
A hotel?!!!
Her adorable Little Xuan was definitely being tricked by those disgusting middle-aged women! How could this be happening!
She quickly opened her chat with Fang Xuan and started typing.
【Are they forcing you... sob sob~】
Their last chat record was from three days ago. She had sent a nodding cat emoji, and he had replied with a simple "Mhm."
Scrolling further up, she had asked if he wanted late-night snacks, and he said no.
Further still, she had asked if he wanted to see a movie over the weekend, and he said he had plans.
The chat history was short—short enough to finish in a single screen.
It was short enough to make her feel that, in his heart, she really was just the girl next door, and any extra word from her was a nuisance.
So, the moment she hit send, she regretted it.
She stared at the screen, waited for a while, but there was no reply.
She waited a bit longer, still nothing.
She placed her phone face-down on the table and turned to chop vegetables.
Her hands were shaking as the knife came down. The shredded potatoes she cut were uneven—some thick, some thin. Looking at those crooked potato shreds, she felt even more like crying.
...
Meanwhile, Fang Xuan, who had just arrived, was already standing at the door of Ning Xian’s shabby little rental.
He saw a message pop up on his screen... it was from Senior Sister.
He tapped it open.
【Are they forcing you... sob sob~】
Looking at those words, he couldn't help but chuckle. He had never seen such a funny version of Senior Sister.
He started typing back: 【Yeah... they're forcing me, sob sob~】
After sending it, he pocketed his phone, preparing to enter.
Ning Xian’s phone vibrated.
She grabbed it immediately. When she saw Fang Xuan’s reply, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
They really were forcing him, sob sob...
She ran toward the door in her slippers.
Just as she reached the door, she remembered something, dashed back to grab an umbrella, and then yanked the door open.
Bang!
The door slammed hard into something and bounced back.
Ning Xian froze. She looked down...
Fang Xuan was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious...
“Little Xuan... why are you here!”
Ning Xian knelt down, frantically trying to support him.
Her tears fell instantly as she sobbed and called his name.
“Little Xuan... Little Xuan, wake up... I didn't mean to... sob sob...”
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