"You say you're a writer? Have you published anything?"

"I'm a web novelist. To get published, my work needs to be very successful."

"So, you're saying your work isn't successful? How much do you earn per month?"

"If I hit my full quota, about six thousand."

"Only six thousand? That's not even half the price of my handbag. How do you expect to live in Jianghai City with that kind of income?"

At the Lakeside Café in Jianghai City, Shen Lang was on a blind date with a woman introduced by his mother's mahjong friend.

When they got to discussing Shen Lang's salary, the atmosphere became awkward, making the already socially anxious Shen Lang feel even more on edge.

After a brief moment of tense silence, the woman got up, slung her brown handbag over her shoulder, and forced a smile.

"Alright, I have something to do later, so I'll be going now. Let's keep in touch."

In her eyes, this guy looked decent and was fairly tall. But his plain outfit, unshaven stubble, and messy hair gave off a sloppy impression. His demeanor was lethargic, his eyes behind thick glasses were dull, as if he were a shut-in who stayed home playing video games all day.

And most importantly, he didn't have much money!

The electric scooter parked at the café's entrance was an eyesore compared to the cars around it.

"Take care."

Shen Lang felt no disappointment, and was even somewhat relieved that he could finally be alone.

At 24 years old, Shen Lang had a passion for web novels, and started working as a web novelist specializing in martial arts and action after graduating. This job, much like a tech geek's, required him to stay home all day typing away.

Years of this reclusive lifestyle made Shen Lang, who was already somewhat introverted, even more shy and reserved. Other than going downstairs to eat, he rarely left his home.

Living in isolation for years, Shen Lang's social skills had deteriorated. Whenever he interacted with women, he would become extremely nervous, often saying things that were completely out of sync with the situation. This was why, at 24, he had never had a normal relationship.

Just then, his phone rang in his pocket.

"Hello, is this Mr. Shen? Can you come and sign the contract later? I need to pick up my daughter from school."

"Yes, yes, I'll be right there."

Unable to bear his parents' daily nagging about finding a partner, Shen Lang found a single-person apartment on a rental website, planning to escape the constant pressure from his parents.

Draining his coffee, Shen Lang got up to pay.

Given the woman's materialistic attitude, Shen Lang didn't expect her to offer to go Dutch or pay.

"Hello, that's 150 yuan. You can scan here to pay."

The cashier was a pretty girl with crescent-shaped eyes when she smiled, looking very cute.

"Oh, okay."

Shen Lang shyly avoided the cashier's gaze.

Most socially anxious and introverted people are like this; they're not used to making eye contact with the opposite sex, especially not with pretty girls.

"Thank you for visiting, please come again."

After scanning the QR code and making the payment, Shen Lang felt a bit dazed. It seemed as if some text and a blurry heart icon flashed above the girl's head.

He blinked and looked again, but the text and heart icon were gone.

"It's time to start exercising," Shen Lang thought, blaming his sedentary lifestyle for the hallucination.

After paying, he rode his electric scooter straight to Fulong District in the suburbs.

Fulong District was far from the city center, but the rent was cheap and the area was quiet. Shen Lang, who rarely left his home, appreciated this and quickly paid the deposit on the rental website.

As soon as he entered the elevator, his phone chimed with a WeChat notification.

"Safe and Sound (Mom): @OneNightSleepsTillDawn, son, how did the blind date go today?"

"OneNightSleepsTillDawn: It flopped, what do you think? Also, the date cost me 150 yuan, can you reimburse me?"

"Safe and Sound (Mom): Son, do you want me to tell you a story?"

"OneNightSleepsTillDawn: What story?"

"Once upon a time, the Supreme Elder spent 49 days refining an elixir. This elixir had intelligence and descended to the mortal world, transforming into a ginseng fruit by the Ginseng Fruit Tree. When Tang Monk and his disciples arrived, Sun Wukong ate many ginseng fruits but then struck this elixir-turned-ginseng fruit dead. Can you guess why?"

"OneNightSleepsTillDawn: Why?"

"Safe and Sound (Mom): Because it was Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), and what's the use of keeping Danshen alive? Don't you think so, son? 😁😁😁"

"OneNightSleepsTillDawn: ?"

Looking at his mom's string of smiley face emojis, Shen Lang nervously swallowed and quickly exited the WeChat group to go offline.

For his safety, he decided not to visit his parents for meals that weekend.

The elevator reached the 22nd floor, and Shen Lang stepped out to his rented apartment.

"Click, click, click..."

The door was open, and the sound of high heels striking the floor came from inside the room, clear and crisp.

"Is it Mr. Shen?"

Hearing the elevator, the high heels' sound got closer, and Shen Lang's heart started racing. He really didn't know how to deal with women.

Moments later, a woman wearing a brown-patterned blouse appeared before him. She had an exquisite and fair oval face, long black hair draped over one shoulder, and wore a beige pencil skirt with matching stockings. Her legs were well-proportioned and slender, exuding the unique charm of a mature woman and a housewife's aura.

She held a rental contract in her hand, and on a small table in the room lay a large bunch of shiny keys.

Shen Lang instinctively glanced at the number of keys, which easily exceeded a dozen properties.

Beautiful, well-shaped, landlady — this charming housewife was something Shen Lang had only seen in his fellow web novelists' works.

"Are you Shen Lang?"

The woman gave Shen Lang an unexpected look and teased, "From your voice, I thought you were in your thirties, but you're so young."

Caught off guard by the compliment from the beautiful lady, Shen Lang nervously chuckled and quickly responded, "Ah, I didn't expect it either."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Lang regretted it, feeling so embarrassed he could've dug himself a hole with his toes. What kind of stupid thing was that to say? He didn't know how old he was?

Sure enough, after Shen Lang spoke, the lady looked at him with a particularly surprised expression.

Shen Lang felt so nervous he wanted to die.

After racking his brain for a moment, Shen Lang hastily complimented, "What I mean is, you look really young too, like a young girl."