4 Farewell

"A back scrub? You actually believe that!" Wen Dong trotted to keep up with Li Manyue.

Li was walking ahead, fast and steady in her twelve-centimeter heels. Wen Dong had once tried them on; she couldn't even stand up before falling, and she had spent a whole month nursing a sprained ankle. Because of this, she held a deep sense of awe for anyone who could wear such "instruments of torture."

However, something else was more important than awe right now.

"Li Manyue!" Wen Dong couldn't keep up, so she stood where she was and shouted, "Are you even listening to me?"

Li Manyue stepped into the elevator and turned around to ask, "Are you coming in or not?"

Wen Dong exhaled a long breath and followed her in anyway. But she couldn't help herself; the mere thought of what Lu Zhiyi had said earlier made her furious.

"A man and a woman, a private suite, clothes off—and you believe they were just scrubbing each other's backs?" Wen Dong demanded. "Besides, does a hotel as big as the Willman not have a bathhouse? Why did they have to do it in there?"

Li Manyue looked at Wen Dong, appearing significantly calmer. She said, "Of course I don't believe it."

Wen Dong: "Then why are you letting him off the hook?"

As the elevator ascended, Wen Dong felt as if her soul had suddenly dropped to the floor, leaving her briefly dizzy before she recovered.

"Who said I was letting him off the hook?" Compared to Wen Dong, Li Manyue was much more composed, the anger she had displayed over the phone completely gone. "Help me put together a PowerPoint later."

"Isn't the priority right now to drag Lu Zhiyi over, beat him up, and toss him into a pig cage? How do you still have the heart to work?"

Li Manyue: "Then you go do it."

Standing at one meter sixty-eight, she easily cleared one meter eighty in her heels. She looked down at Wen Dong, and that one light, airy sentence choked all the words right back into Wen Dong’s throat.

Stunned, Wen Dong asked, "What about your two bodyguards?" Surely professionals were better suited for this than an amateur like her.

"They're watching him, to make sure he doesn't run."

"That's more like it." Wen Dong thought for a moment. "And that woman? I heard from Nan Meng that she's a deputy captain in your guild."

The elevator arrived, and the doors slid open. Li Manyue cast a faint, lingering glance at Wen Dong and walked out. Again, she moved at a pace Wen Dong couldn't match.

Wen Dong decided that today was definitely not a good day to leave the house; she had been either climbing mountains or running a marathon from morning until night.

Finally catching up to Li Manyue, she heard her say, "I told you to log in, and you just left a script running to grind tasks. Now that I’m caught in this scandal, you don’t even know who the rival party is."

Wen Dong felt a twinge of guilt and tried to explain, "I’ve just been so busy lately. You know how it is—after the New Year, the company was swamped, and then there’s every holiday under the sun. I was even working overtime just two days ago to rush out a sanitary pad ad for International Women’s Day. If it weren't for that, you wouldn't even see me today."

Li Manyue scoffed, her mind sharp. "Don't blame your life of being worked like a horse on me."

Seeing that her excuse didn't work, Wen Dong held up three fingers in a vow: "Tonight! I’ll log on tonight, okay?"

Li Manyue raised an eyebrow: "Sure. You’ll be just in time for the live broadcast of Lu Zhiyi’s social ruin."

As the front door was pushed open, Wen Dong was about to speak, but her gaze was caught by the light ahead. She was so stunned that her lips barely brushed together: "You... you... this?"

The 270-degree panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows captured the entire cityscape of Le Cheng. The towering skyscrapers looked like Tetris blocks in a game, perfectly aligned and fitted into the corners as if measured by precise instruments. Outside, the sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the entire city in a warm, rosy glow. The light spilled over the distant river, the surface shimmering with scattered fragments of brilliance, so beautiful it left one speechless.

Li Manyue tapped her cup with a dessert fork, the crisp chime ringing out. "If you're done looking, come over and eat." She then wrapped a handkerchief around her fingers to wipe away a drop of water. "Remember to wash your hands."

Wen Dong hurriedly whipped out her CCD camera to snap photos, exclaiming in awe, "No way, Miss Li, are you abusing your privileges again?"

"It's been a few days, and your mouth is still as sharp as ever." Li Manyue sat at the table and took a sip of black coffee.

Her phone on the table lit up with a notification. She glanced at it, and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Wen Dong walked over after finishing her photos, only to find Li still in the same posture, looking at her phone.

Wen Dong leaned in, curious: "What are you looking at? Your brows are almost twisted into a knot."

Li Manyue’s expression smoothed out instantly, and she offered a smile. "Nothing important."

Wen Dong didn't quite believe her. "Really?" After all, when she had been in a car accident years ago, Li Manyue had looked in the mirror and said the exact same two words.

In Li Manyue’s eyes, nothing was a big deal unless it involved disfigurement or bankruptcy. She had once famously declared, "Even if I die, I’ll die looking beautiful in a coffin made of banknotes."

Given the smile she wore now, Wen Dong was almost certain it wasn't for any other reason than the fact that frowning causes wrinkles.

Li Manyue fed Wen Dong a spoonful of ice cream, changing the subject: "Eat more."

The hotel’s afternoon tea spread was vast, covering the table and making Wen Dong’s eyes light up. She couldn't resist food, and she immediately forgot what she had been about to ask.

Halfway through, she turned to grab a napkin and spotted a long bill, snapping her back to reality from her sweet world.

"Li Manyue, I am not splitting this bill with you!"

Li Manyue ate in a slow, measured way, as elegant as an aristocrat stepping out of an oil painting. At these words, she lifted her eyes and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, you plan on eating for free?"

Wen Dong pulled at the bill until her arms were almost stretched flat. She tilted her head to look at Li Manyue. "Are you planning on making me spend my entire month's living expenses right here?"

Li Manyue’s expression didn't change: "Eat first. If you can't pay, I’ll have the manager keep you here to wash dishes."

"I really thank you for that!" Wen Dong said through gritted teeth, her eyes curved in a smile. She grabbed a coconut cake with her bare hand and stuffed it into her mouth, looking fierce even as her cheeks puffed out.

Li Manyue laughed: "Don't be so formal with me."

In the end, Wen Dong didn't pay a cent for the tea, but she was pressed into three hours of PowerPoint work by Li Manyue. At first, Wen Dong was on the verge of tears, wailing that Li Manyue had no humanity, complaining that it was International Women’s Day and she was still being forced to work.

But when she touched the computer and saw the material folder, her wailing stopped. The tears in her eyes turned into a thirst for gossip. "Actually, I've always been curious about how you and Zhiyi started."

The folder wasn't just anything; it was full of chat logs, transfer records—every single piece of evidence of Lu Zhiyi’s cheating and flirting.

Li Manyue tilted her chin. "Is this more useful than your crappy camera?"

Wen Dong chuckled, flattering her: "Indeed, indeed. Our Miss Li really has foresight."

"I’ll have someone send up the hotel security footage in a bit. You take some screenshots, paste them in, and edit a video for me."

Wen Dong looked serious. "Leave it to me, don't worry!" She patted her chest, guaranteeing: "I’m a professional at this."

Wen Dong didn't know Lu Zhiyi’s real name. All she knew was that in the game, the man with the immortal-like bearing and flowing white robes—the one who went by the ID 'Lu Zhiyi'—could slay the evil dragons of the Abyss with his sword and cut down the vermin of the martial arts world. He had high cultivation, a good temper, and was handsome to boot. He was always working thanklessly in various dungeons to help others, earning him many little fan-girls in the world of the game.

Not only that, he was a regular at the top of the 'Renowned Swords of the World' leaderboard, known server-wide as the third-ranked player.

And who were the top two? Naturally, Li Manyue.

Li Manyue had once asked Wen Dong if she wanted to log into her top-ranked account to play. Wen Dong logged in for five minutes, and her eyes were so dazzled by the special effects on the character that they hurt for two hours. She had asked Li Manyue, "If this game adds two more big wings, what’s the difference between this and those 'One Hit for 9999' browser games?"

Li Manyue told her to get lost.

So, Wen Dong never logged in again. She hadn't played long, and everything she knew about Lu Zhiyi came from Li Manyue.

They met in the game, grew to know each other, and gradually became a couple, crossing the boundary from digital to reality. Six months into their online romance, Lu Zhiyi flew three thousand kilometers on a plane to see her. That meeting solidified their relationship, but afterward, they were separated by distance, keeping in touch daily through the game.

Li Manyue wasn't the clingy type, and she had her own work; sometimes she wouldn't reply for days when she was busy. Lu Zhiyi couldn't handle that, and they had quarreled a few times, but every time Li Manyue coaxed him a little, he’d be fine again.

This time, Lu Zhiyi had come to celebrate her birthday, but Li Manyue had a last-minute meeting and stood him up. Unexpectedly, he turned around and sought out Wan Yun, who was also in Le Cheng.

As it happened, this Wan Yun was one of Li Manyue’s gaming "sisters." The two were in the same guild and were inseparable in dungeons. This caused quite a stir, blowing up on the forums with several threads dedicated to the drama.

Once the PowerPoint was finished, Wen Dong flipped through it quickly and turned to the client, who was leisurely applying a facial mask: "Take a look and see if there’s anything else to add."

Li Manyue waved a hand, about to tell her to keep going, when she suddenly paused. "Wait, the money for his account upgrade was paid by me."

"Add that in."

Wen Dong’s fingers flew across the keyboard. "Do you have the transfer or payment records?"

"Yes, check the bill from June of last year." She spoke through the mask, her voice muffled and devoid of emotion.

"Holy crap!" Wen Dong gasped, jumping off the sofa. "You spent three hundred and sixty thousand to buy his account?"

Li Manyue turned to look at her. "Did you think being third on the leaderboard was cheap?"

Wen Dong accused: "And yet you were so stingy when buying me afternoon tea!"

Li Manyue shot her a sidelong glance and pointed at her. "Watch your mouth. I asked if you wanted me to buy you the second-ranked account back then, and you were the one who said you only wanted to eat at McDonald's."

"..."

Wen Dong was silent for two seconds, her expression complex. "How much did the second-ranked account cost?"

"A few more than that," Li Manyue said, not really thinking about it. "I don't remember."

Wen Dong truly wanted to travel back in time and slap herself—why had she been thinking about McDonald's!

In the end, Wen Dong wrote nearly forty pages for that PowerPoint. The wording was sharp and highly targeted, practically calling Lu Zhiyi sub-human.

After Li Manyue forwarded the PowerPoint and video to Nan Meng, she turned off her phone.

Wen Dong asked, "Aren't you going to post it yourself?" After all, such a good show of tearing down a scumbag was rare.

Li Manyue raised an eyebrow. "He’s not worth it."

The two walked out of the hotel together. Outside, the sky had already darkened, and the neon lights made the city look brilliant and bustling. Li Manyue’s face, fresh from her treatment, looked cold and lonely under the lights, her lips pale, making her seem somewhat fragile.

But in the next second, what she said made Wen Dong’s heart tremble: "Do you know why I didn't tear his mask off completely?"

She said, "I want him to cough up every single cent he swindled from me."

Seeing that Wen Dong didn't speak, she patted her shoulder. "Thank you for your hard work today. I’ll have the driver take you—"

The tall bodyguard opened the car door. Suddenly, Wen Dong grabbed Li Manyue’s hand, terrified: "If we ever break up as friends in the future, you won't hire someone to make a PowerPoint to settle old scores, will you?"

Li Manyue was slightly stunned, then smiled—a smile that was purely wicked.

"Of course, Dongbao." She gripped her hand, her tone soft yet chilling. "What kind of relationship do we have? You’ve been eating and drinking on my dime all these years; I’d at least have to see you one last time in court."

Wen Dong gritted her teeth: "You wicked capitalist!"

Li Manyue smiled as she sent her into the car, waving goodbye: "So you’d better think carefully before you decide to end our friendship."

As a result of that remark, Wen Dong didn't sleep well all night. She dreamed that Li Manyue was breaking up with her because she had written a forty-page PowerPoint to smear Lu Zhiyi. In her dream, they hugged each other, laughing at her for being single, and after laughing, told her to wait to pay up.

Wen Dong felt as if the sky had collapsed.

The moment she woke up, she reached for her phone. Before even checking her messages, she called Li Manyue to confirm if their friendship still existed. Even after getting an affirmative answer, she couldn't believe it, repeatedly asking if she was in a dream within a dream and if she had truly woken up.

Li Manyue, annoyed, told her to slap herself twice and hung up.

Just as Wen Dong’s hand was raised, her phone rang again. Thinking it was Li Manyue, she answered instantly.

"Dongbao, someone contacted me last night. Let me know when you're free today so I can have them come over to look at the apartment."

It was her former roommate, Yu You. She had moved out last month to live with her boyfriend. The sublet ad had been up for half a month without a single bite. Wen Dong had almost forgotten about it. This call was a reminder that she finally wouldn't have to pay the rent alone, and she felt much more awake.

She glanced at the bedside clock; it was only seven-thirty.

"Dongbao?" Yu You called out again on the other end.

Wen Dong scrambled out of bed. "Anytime is fine. It’s Saturday, I'm off, and I’ll be home all day."

"Great, I’ll send them the address then."

Half an hour later, just as she was about to wash her hair, the doorbell rang.

The moment she opened the door, she wondered once more if she was still in a dream.

Zhang Xingxu stood outside in all-black clothing, carrying the chill of a March morning. His eyes were calm, seemingly even colder than they had been yesterday.

Wen Dong stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly took a half-step forward and, as if possessed, blurted out: "Would you mind slapping me twice?"