Welcome to the Misogyny Game

Time passed quietly. Liu Chaoque didn't know if the person was joking or not, but if that person really came, what would it matter if he left?

A sense of tension and unease settled over her, making her chew the hamburger even slower, which made this imported food, which wasn't meant to be savored slowly, somewhat difficult to swallow.

She wanted to eat, but if she didn't, she felt a bit greasy. While she was struggling with this dilemma, she caught a glimpse of the glass door being pushed open out of the corner of her eye.

The girl holding the hamburger wrapper looked up towards the door, where she met a pair of deep, obsidian-like eyes.

He looked around, waved to her, and said with a smile, "I'm here."

Liu Chaoque looked at the mess on the table, and belatedly blushed. He smiled awkwardly and tried to cover his face with his hand, but it was a bit like burying his head in the sand.

The soft sofa sank into an arc, and the two people's arms were very close together. The silk shirts, which should have been slightly cool, were now warm enough to make one blush.

Biancheng turned to ask her if she had eaten enough. Seeing Liu Chaoque shake her head, he magically produced a cup of fruit tea.

"I saw it when I came over. I didn't ask the staff to put in much ice." Liu Chaoque's face finally returned to normal temperature. His slightly sweaty hands touched the cool glass, and he felt completely revitalized.

She opened the straw packaging and began to struggle with the cup seal. The straw, which she could usually poke in a few strokes, just wouldn't go in.

"We're too close!" Liu Chaoque was exasperated.

"If you poke it any further, the straw will break." Biancheng held out his hand: "Let me try."

Liu Chaoque smiled awkwardly, handed it over, and with a snap, the straw went in.

"Here you go..." Liu Chaoque chuckled as he took the water, then began to drink it seriously.

He propped his head up with his hand and looked at him with a smile.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Wen Xia was practically screaming inside, but she remained calm and elegant as she picked up her hamburger, took a bite, and her eyes shone with satisfaction.

I'm hooked.

Nan Chu glanced at Liu Chaoque, then at the man, covered her mouth, and teased, "This gentleman seems to know my Smile quite well? What's your relationship?"

"A life-or-death friendship." The man looked at Liu Chaoque with a faint smile: "That's how I feel, but I wonder what Miss Smile thinks."

"It's a life-or-death friendship," Liu Chaoque admitted. The strange atmosphere was eased considerably after someone intervened.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce him to you.” Liu Chaoque put down his fruit tea, which was only two-thirds full. “He’s the photographer friend I was talking about, Biancheng.”

"Biancheng, this is my classmate. We're currently working on our final assignment in a group." Then she introduced each of them by name, thus introducing them to each other.

"So you're the international photographer Smile was talking about! Seeing is believing, you're handsome and talented!" Nan Chu gave a thumbs up.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. I just take some photos and have won a few national awards." National awards? In her world, she only remembered that national awards represented a lot of academic credits and scholarships, and of course, they also served as icing on the cake for one's resume.

A national photography award is a recognition of a person's photographic ability at the national level, which means they must be very accomplished.

She didn't really know much about it, and there wasn't enough time to search for it now. Several people present recognized him and asked if he was the master photographer who was particularly good at taking landscape photos, the one whose representative works included tides, birds, and sunsets.

Biancheng was pleasantly surprised and even asked him how he knew about this.

The child proudly stated that he was a die-hard fan of his, and he would pay attention to his new photos as soon as they came out.

Okay, here's your seat. She shouldn't be sitting here; she should be at the children's table.

"You are indeed very strong!" Liu Chaoque, who had been cramming for knowledge, finally chimed in. Looking at his photos on the list, he couldn't help but exclaim, "They are so beautiful. Nature is truly amazing. Your photos have captured their beauty, allowing people all over the world to appreciate the beauty of mountains and rivers. Moreover, I feel that these photos have something more than just beauty."

"What?" Biancheng asked.

“Yes, the soul.” Liu Chaoque nodded in self-affirmation: “I see a vibrant life force in your photograph.”

"Oh, which photo do you like the most?" Biancheng asked her.

Liu Chaoque sighed helplessly, "How can I choose? I'm like an apprentice picking the biggest and best apple in an apple orchard. I thought this photo was the best, but after looking through them again, I feel that another photo is better. But if I had to choose, I personally prefer this one."

She pointed to a photo and showed it to the man: "A sea of ​​flowers at the foot of the mountain."

"But it's also because I like taking pictures of flowers that I'm easily attracted to photos like these."

"Is this the background image for your WeChat and Xiaoe chat?" Biancheng clicked on Liu Chaoque's profile picture.

Liu Chaoque's eyes widened, not because her child's painting was used as a model by a master teacher, but because the background image was the same landscape picture she had taken outside her school in Hangzhou in real life. She clearly remembered that she had chosen the system's default bubble image in the game.

Could it be that the WeChat system diagram has been changed?

How is this done?

Moreover, she has been using this account and bubble background image all along, so why would she switch to her real-life phone background image just because the Border Town app is opened?

With trembling hands, she clicked into her own space. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck her brain, making her dizzy.

Everything has changed. My profile picture has been changed back to a cat photo, and even the background has been changed.

She then opened the train ticket purchase app and, with trembling hands, began to type in the name of the Taicheng train station on her phone.

She had to go back and see! For a moment, Liu Chaoque wanted to confirm her thoughts, but when she saw Biancheng's worried and strange expression, she suddenly calmed down.

Yes, the border town is still there, and these classmates haven't disappeared either.

"Smile, what's wrong?"

Yes, she still smiles...

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just a little shocked that you were looking at my background image." Liu Chaoque immediately regained her composure. Regardless of whether this was Truman's world or whether she hadn't returned to reality and the phone had simply traveled through time, she had to keep the person in front of her calm and not let them notice.

"Hey, it's precisely because I'm a photographer that I'm quite particular about other people's background images," Bian Cheng laughed. "Occupational hazard can be quite troublesome sometimes. Luckily, I don't have OCD, otherwise I would have to point out a lot of composition problems to others, and I might even be chasing after them to revise their photos."

"That's absolutely terrifying." Liu Chaoque feigned a frightened expression: "You don't mean you want me to alter the photo, do you?"

"No way," Biancheng denied outright. "Not at all. On the contrary, I think your photo is quite nice. Although the resolution is a bit low and the photo is a little blurry, it looks very vibrant."

"I think so too. You know, what I like most is a single flower on a branch. I don't like taking pictures of many flowers because they feel too crowded. A large area of ​​green with a touch of red in the middle creates a very artistic effect."

"A touch of red amidst a sea of ​​green, take a look at this one." He pulled up a photo from his phone's album, a picture of dandelions blooming everywhere along a forest path.

There was only one flower, and in the hazy light, it seemed as if a gust of wind could carry away its seeds.

"Ah, beautiful," Liu Chaoque exclaimed. "I love this photo."

"Then I'll take you to take pictures together in the future," Biancheng said with a smile.

Biancheng came to this place simply to find Liu Chaoque. Ever since they parted ways at the hospital that day, the girl had been out of contact, and no one would reply to his messages, which made him very worried.

Has something happened to her again? Or is it simply because she doesn't want to be friends with him?

Fortunately, his persistent telegraphic harassment was quite effective; he could get a reply of one out of ten messages on Saturdays and Sundays, and a reply of a question mark every other day after thirty messages on weekdays.

He tried his luck today to see if she would reply, and unexpectedly, he got something. The destination wasn't far, so he rode his bike over. Luckily, she hadn't left and hadn't left an empty address. He was delighted and even a little touched.

"Border town? Border town?"

"what?"

"I told you he was spacing out, but you didn't believe me." Liu Chaoque winked at a boy and said with a grin, "You lost, so you have to be responsible for editing my part of the video."

"Ah, idol, you're really spacing out." Liu Xiangru said somewhat disappointedly, "Aren't geniuses usually thinking about all sorts of things?"

"The brain is always working, how can it not crash?" Liu Chaoque retorted, "And no matter how legendary Biancheng is, he is still a person. Your thinking is unacceptable."

Liu Xiangru nodded: "That's true, hehe, now I have something to do just like my idol."

“But when other people daydream, they’re letting their minds relax and not letting the heavy workload crush their brain cells. Your daydreaming is just boredom.” Zhang Zhuyan’s words were indeed sharp, and Liu Xiangru immediately looked listless.

Liu Chaoque leaned close to Biancheng's ear and asked, "We'll be going back to school to organize the filming footage later. You must have other things to do, right? Why don't you leave first?"

"Smile, do you really want to get rid of me?" Biancheng looked hurt. "It's not easy to see you, and I don't know when we'll meet again. This is only half an hour, and you want to send me away? Did I do something to upset you? Can I change?"

The accusations made Liu Chaoque seem like a scumbag woman who deceived the young man's feelings and then casually broke up with him and left.

The commotion was so loud it was almost attracting the attention of other people eating there. She felt all sorts of curious or disapproving looks directed at her, making her feel like she was being pricked by needles.

"Alright, alright." Liu Chaoque had no choice but to appease him: "But our upcoming itinerary is indeed boring. If we ask you to stay, it might feel like overtime. You probably don't like working overtime during your holiday, especially without pay."

Well, after Liu Chaoque said that, the restless heart of the border town seemed to cool down a bit.

Liu Chaoque pressed on: "If you're going to say that I'm just watching, but when it comes to professional matters, aren't you itching to get involved? And then end up as the subject of your guidance, the kind that you don't get paid for."

"Uh..." Biancheng's heart was almost cold, only a quarter of it remained.

And that one-quarter of the time quickly went out after she finished saying the next sentence.

Liu Chaoque leaned closer to him and whispered, "Even if I need guidance, I still prefer private coaching. I don't think I'll be free next Sunday. I wonder if you'll be available?"

Biancheng's eyes widened instantly, but a look of suspicion crossed his face: "You're not just using this as an excuse to keep me from going with you, are you?"

Now it's Liu Chaoque who's hurt: "When have I ever broken a promise? I promised you, and I will definitely keep my word."

"If you don't believe me, then go ahead and follow along. If you have to work overtime, it's your own fault." Liu Chaoque turned her head away, focused on sipping her fruit tea, and ignored him.

"Okay~ smile, I'm sorry." Biancheng shook her arm. "Then it's settled, pinky promise."

"Okay, pinky promise."

After Biancheng left, the group didn't have any other thoughts. Before meeting Biancheng, they had hoped to consult the master photographer from Smile. But after meeting him, they didn't dare to even think about it anymore. Their small photographic works were really not worthy of the title.