On the way to the restaurant, Sophia wore a puzzled expression. She didn't understand why she'd said those things. She should have just apologized and walked away—it's not like scattering someone's papers was a big deal, and he hadn't seemed angry. Why on earth had she been so guilt-ridden that she offered to buy him a meal?
But what was said was said, and she had no choice but to follow through.
4
"I don't know why I treated him to a meal and even asked for his WeChat on the spot," Sophia lay on her best friend's bed with a sheet mask on, chatting about her recent encounter with Shane. "Whenever I talk to him, I keep saying these overly friendly things involuntarily. But in my head, I'm thinking about wrapping the conversation up as soon as possible... It's so weird."
Her friend, patting toner onto her face beside her, repeated curiously: "So you're saying the first time you met him, you inexplicably bought him a meal that lasted over an hour, and then proactively asked for his contact info?"
"Yeah."
"That's wild. You're not the type to initiate conversations with strangers."
"I know, I don't know what came over me."
"Maybe it was love at first sight?"
"Come on, no way."
"Why not? Falling in love makes you lose control and do crazy things." Her friend said, "Even though you kept thinking about escaping during the meal, you couldn't stop asking question after question. Doesn't that tell you something?" She gave Sophia a meaningful look.
Sophia narrowed her eyes, staring at the ceiling, feeling more confused by her own behavior.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Shane was gazing at Sophia's WeChat profile picture, genuinely grateful for the first time for his unexpected superpower. If he hadn't kept modifying her dialog box, he'd never have had the chance to get closer to her.
Thinking this, Shane typed a casual greeting in their WeChat chat: "What are you up to?"
He stared at the screen, hesitated a moment, then pressed send. An unfamiliar nervousness crept over him.
He could change people's dialog boxes, but he couldn't edit messages in social apps. So he had no way of knowing how she'd respond.
Maybe she wouldn't reply at all. Maybe she'd block him. Shane braced for the worst.
But Sophia responded quickly: "Watching a movie at home."
"What movie?"
"Hidden Figures."
"The Oscar-nominated one?"
"Yeah, didn't expect Sheldon to be in it."
...
To Shane's surprise, Sophia didn't ignore him. She didn't give perfunctory replies, either. They chatted like friends about movies they liked, discussed a trending celebrity, and eventually even got into zodiac signs and work.
Watching the messages pop up one after another, Shane felt like he had a real shot.
5
Shane's instincts were spot-on. Within a few weeks, he and Sophia were together.
They'd made it official on WeChat, so there was no need to worry that her "yes" was the result of him tampering with her dialog box.
That day, Shane had a bit to drink, got bold, and asked if they could be together. Sophia's end went silent for a long time before she sent back a single word: "Okay."
Shane stared at the black text on the white screen, his stomach churning so violently he nearly threw up all the wine. He felt dizzy, but he knew it wasn't the alcohol.
Much later, whenever Shane thought back to that moment, he still found it incredible. He asked Sophia why she'd agreed so quickly.
Sophia scratched her head and said, "Honestly, I've always been bothered by what happened the day we met. I inexplicably invited you out, kept asking you strange questions during the meal like I was desperate to keep the conversation going, and then—completely out of character—asked for your contact info. I was so puzzled. I wondered if this was what people call love at first sight. That's why I replied to your messages, and even..."
"Even agreed to try dating me?"
"Mmm..." Sophia looked at him with soft eyes. "At the time, I really wasn't sure if I liked you. But I was afraid I might be the type who realizes things too late. If I said no, I worried I'd wake up later, realize what I'd missed, and regret it forever."
"I see..." A hint of melancholy crept into Shane's voice.
"But looking at it now, I should count myself lucky for saying yes." Sophia kissed him on the cheek, as if to comfort him.
Hearing this, Shane's melancholy evaporated completely.
By now, Shane and Sophia had been together for over four months, and they'd decided to move in together. They rented a larger place, and Shane's life changed dramatically.
A second toothbrush appeared by his. Skincare bottles lined the sink. The apartment smelled of women's perfume. On the shoe rack, high heels sat above his leather shoes.
Household items had to be bought in pairs. Rent went up by nearly half. Shane had to work harder, grinding out more content to grow his self-media following.
It was harder than before, but every time he saw Sophia, the late nights hunched over his keyboard felt worthwhile.
He could still see people's dialog boxes, but he no longer had the time or inclination for pranks. And he certainly wouldn't dare tamper with Sophia's dialog box in their daily life, terrified of revealing his secret and ruining everything.
Life was moving in the direction Shane had always dreamed of. But life, of course, had its twists.
6
That day, Shane went out to conduct an interview and came home late.
Remembering Sophia's complaint that he'd put on a little weight, he decided to take the stairs. On the landing between the fourth and fifth floors, he noticed his shoelace had come undone, so he crouched to tie it. Just as he finished and was about to stand, he heard footsteps from the fourth-floor hallway. Shane glanced over instinctively and saw a bearded man hurrying down the stairs.
Shane didn't think much of it. He went inside, washed up as usual, and went to bed.
The next morning, he was woken by police sirens. Irritated, he opened his eyes and asked Sophia what had happened. She'd already gone downstairs to check and told him there'd been a murder—one floor down, a woman living alone had been stabbed to death by a burglar.
"Huh?" Shane jolted awake. "When did it happen?"
"Probably late last night. Why?"
"Have the police found the killer?"
"Not yet, I don't think." The words had barely left her mouth when the doorbell rang.
She checked the peephole and looked back at him, confused. "It's the police."
"Ah?" Shane threw on some clothes and went to open the door.
The two officers outside gave brief introductions and cut straight to the point: "Regarding the homicide downstairs, we checked the building's surveillance footage. Aside from a heavily bundled suspect, the only other person on camera last night was Mr. Shane. We'll need you to come with us to the station."
Though phrased as a request, the officer's tone made it clear there was no room for refusal. Shane could only nod, wash up in a hurry, tell Sophia not to worry, and leave with them.
7
Shane naturally connected the hurried bearded man from last night with the murder. He described the suspect's appearance to the police, speculating that the man had fled in such a panic he hadn't had time to disguise himself. With this lead, plus the evidence at the scene, Shane was quickly cleared of suspicion.
When Shane walked out of the police station, he saw Sophia standing at the entrance, anxiously peering inside. When she spotted him, she exhaled with obvious relief and hurried over to embrace him.
"Are you okay?" Sophia asked, tense but relieved.
"I'm fine." He stepped back and ruffled her hair.
The police officer who'd walked out with them cleared his throat. "If we need Mr. Shane's help in the future, we appreciate your cooperation."
"Does he still need to do something?" Sophia asked anxiously.
"Well... if the suspect is caught, you may be called as a witness at trial."
Sophia looked at him in surprise. "You saw... the killer?"
Shane nodded helplessly, then turned to the police. "If you need my help, I'll do whatever I can."
Having delivered his manly pledge, Shane headed home with Sophia.
On the way, Sophia asked worriedly, "What if they actually need you to testify?"
"Then I'll testify." Shane shrugged. "What, you don't want me to?"
"I'm just worried... I don't want you getting tangled up in a murder case."
"Don't worry. What's the worst that could happen?" Shane reassured her.
Sophia sighed.
8