"Liu Xin'an! Pretending not to see me, huh!"
"What's all the shouting about, my place is still not tidied up, how can I stream live!"
When it came to his childhood friends, Liu Xin'an never hesitated to speak his mind.
His retort made the tall and beautiful girl on the other end of the phone so angry she could hardly stand it.
The two of them had grown up together since they were little. Liu Xin'an had always enjoyed games but, lacking playmates, he had to drag Li Chenglu, who was the same age as him but had zero interest in games, to join him.
Forced participation was naturally not enjoyable, but Chenglu still found a way to have fun.
That was to watch Liu Xin'an play games.
She was somewhat clumsy and not good at games, so instead of being criticized by Liu Xin'an for holding him back, she gradually got used to watching him play.
Now, she had become the faithful manager of Liu Xin'an's live stream room.
As the manager, she felt it was necessary to urge her (self-considered) streamer not to slack off in his duties.
This was also the consensus among the fan group.
"If you haven't tidied up, just don't turn on the camera, isn't that enough? Do you really think you belong in the 'face-value' section?"
Liu Xin'an actually wanted to blurt out a sarcastic remark but, thinking that the girl on the phone might be recording the conversation, he decisively reined in his arrogance.
"Tonight, then. If I'm free tonight, I'll stream."
"Free? What could you possibly be busy with over there? You're just wandering around the neighborhood because you're bored today, aren't you?"
This precisely targeted mockery made Liu Xin'an's teeth itch with irritation, but indeed not streaming for three days was a dereliction of duty as a streamer.
"Tomorrow, I'll definitely stream tomorrow."
"Alright, what game are you planning to stream? There's nothing good lately."
"Hmm... I'll just pick some farming game, I'll check out Steam in these two days."
Streaming games couldn't be limited to only the games he liked. As a streamer, he had to consider the live-streaming effect.
He could easily stream his favorite Fire Emblem series, but old-style strategy games were definitely not going to attract viewers, which was taboo in streaming.
But farming games were different, he could freely craft stories and backgrounds for game characters, and as long as it was fun, most viewers would be willing to go along with it.
"Okay, then I'll post the announcement now?"
"No rush, no rush. We can talk about it tonight, there's still time."
"...Isn't it almost seven o'clock over there now?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Then go look outside, is it still light out?"
Liu Xin'an turned his head to look at the completely dark sky, and after a few seconds of silence, he briskly hung up the phone.
It was indeed already evening.
Time flies so fast, Liu Xin'an thought as he got up.
Tonight, he decided to try a very famous Korean dish—fried chicken.
For fitness enthusiasts, this thing is actually quite terrifying, and even if you eat it, you'd have to remove the skin.
But Liu Xin'an was not a complete fitness fanatic; his exercise was more for health, and consuming high-calorie food in moderation was certainly... well, at most it would be good for the mood but not so beneficial for the body.
Liu Xin'an ordered takeout with a clear conscience and then turned on the TV.
It was still the same entertainment news he was completely unfamiliar with. The more Liu Xin'an watched, the more he furrowed his brow, finally deciding to turn off the TV and return to his bedroom.
Watching the night view from the balcony the day before had been rather pleasing, and today he chose to lie on the balcony for a while again.
He wanted to enjoy the good weather while it lasted because in a month or so it would be deep winter, and he wouldn't even think about going out then.
He had just sat down on the balcony chair for less than a second when a familiar voice sounded next door again.
"Liu Xin'an?"
This voice... Yeah, it was the girl from last night... pfft, it was Bae Juhyun.
Liu Xin'an looked at the wall that separated his place from next door with some surprise. "What a coincidence, are you also basking in the moonlight?"
"...Pfft, basking in the moonlight."
His comment seemed to hit her funny bone, and her clear, melodious laughter involuntarily lifted his spirits.
"What else? Surely you're not sunbathing?"
"I've only been out here for a few minutes."
"Even more of a coincidence then, I just planned to come out and sit for a while."
Bae Juhyun didn't know how to continue the conversation, but letting him carry the conversation wasn't ideal either, so after a few seconds of thought, the girl cautiously spoke up, "Isn't it cold?"
The temperature was not exactly warm, certainly cooler than the day before.
She was wrapped in a blanket, curled up on the lounge chair, showing only her face.
"Not really."
"To me, it's really cold weather."
"Then why are you out here freezing? You should get back inside quickly."
Liu Xin'an remarked naturally, but his words left Bae Juhyun unsure how to respond.
Actually... After she got home at six, she had just sat foolishly on the balcony.
After attributing the reason she was able to sleep soundly to Liu Xin'an, she greedily decided that tonight, before going to sleep, she wanted to chat with this man who knew nothing about her.
But after waiting in vain for quite some time, the neighbor's place remained utterly quiet, causing Bae Juhyun to feel strangely disappointed.
Fortunately, her wait was not in vain.
He showed up, and compared to last night, he showed up even earlier today.
Perhaps... they could talk a little longer?
"No, I don't want to."
Her soft reply almost made Liu Xin'an laugh.
"Are you just looking for trouble for yourself?"
"...I just enjoy stargazing."
That was undoubtedly a lie. How could she possibly love stargazing.
Of course, Liu Xin'an didn't question her claim. If she loved stargazing, then lingering on the balcony made sense.
"Stargazing, huh... That's quite a noble hobby."
"Do you like watching the stars, too?"
"Not really, I was just bored, so I wanted to check out the night view,"
If he had to say, Liu Xin'an actually preferred watching the bustling streets.
He enjoyed speculating about other people's thoughts and creating interesting stories.
From up high, he could take in the city's streetscape in its entirety.
That feeling made him quite pleased, certainly more entertaining than watching the celebrities on TV whom he didn't recognize.
"Bored?"
"Yeah, as soon as I turn on the TV, it's those celebrities I don't know... Speaking of which, do you have a favorite star?"
Having opened the floodgates, Liu Xin'an started to ramble on all sorts of topics.
Bae Juhyun, upon hearing this subject, didn't quite know how to respond.
She pursed her lips and thought for a long time before answering softly, "I don't have a particular favorite star."
"Really? It seems like celebrities are quite common around here."
"They are very common, if you live here longer, you'll meet a lot of artists." Like herself.
Not wanting to delve too much into the topic of artists, Bae Juhyun decided to change the subject.
"You said you're a freelancer, what exactly do you do?"
Since he had misunderstood her job yesterday, it was only natural for her to ask back today, right?
Liu Xin'an wasn't one to deliberately conceal his work; on the contrary, he was actually quite proud of it.
Nowadays, many people dive into the video blogging industry, dreaming of overnight fame.
But only a few actually make a profit from it, let alone turning it into their main business.
Unfortunately for them, he was one of those few.
"Me? Hmm... Do you know what a video blogger is?"
Despite her age, Bae Juhyun wasn't unfamiliar with the latest trends.
"YouTube?"
"Similar, it's a website from our country. I'm a somewhat famous uploader there."
"Oh..."
Bae Juhyun was aware that Huaxia was large, but she didn't have a strong sense of just how vast it really was.
Liu Xin'an claimed to be somewhat famous, and she naturally incorporated that into her perspective.
Somewhat famous...
Maybe just tens of thousands of followers kind of famous?
Being a public figure herself, she felt it was necessary to encourage this "junior."
"Good luck, I hope your channel gets better and better."
"I'll take your auspicious words."
Liu Xin'an responded, and suddenly his phone vibrated.
He remembered he was on the balcony and wouldn't hear the delivery guy knocking at the door, so he quickly stood up and walked out of the balcony.
His receding footsteps were also heard by the neighbor, Bae Juhyun.
She opened her plump little mouth as if wanting to say something, but not knowing how to start, she could only silently listen to the footsteps fading away.
Was that it for tonight's conversation?
Lost in her thoughts, the approaching sound of footsteps made her perk up again.
Then, Liu Xin'an's voice rang out once more.
"Ah, sorry, my takeout arrived, I went to get the delivery."
"Hmm... I see."
Bae Juhyun suddenly remembered that since she'd come back, she hadn't eaten anything.
She had bought a rice ball during the break in dance class, but that felt like ages ago.
Reminded by Liu Xin'an's mention, she too felt a bit hungry.
Liu Xin'an, being a Huaxia person, knew the common ways to show friendliness through greetings.
"Want to share some? This place's fried chicken looks really good."
Liu Xin'an's invitation was casual, a typical courtesy if Bae Juhyun was a Huaxia person, she would know.
But... she wasn't.
She couldn't quite tell if he was just making polite conversation or extending a genuine invitation.
Based on her impression of him, she naturally took it as the latter.
Share a meal?
That wouldn't be right, would it...
After pondering for a while, and after Liu Xin'an had eaten a chicken wing, Bae Juhyun declined, "No thanks, I'm not too fond of fried chicken..."
"Hmm? Isn't this stuff quite popular here?"
"It's a matter of personal taste, I'm not too keen on it."
"I see, what do you usually prefer to eat?"
Liu Xin'an merely continued the conversation casually.
But Bae Juhyun took each reply very seriously.
"Just regular Korean dishes and such."
"Oh, I know, my mother is also Korean; she's cooked for me before."
"Like seaweed soup?"
"Yeah, I've had it; my mom makes it for my birthday."
Liu Xin'an mumbled as he was biting into a chicken leg.
Bae Juhyun fell silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered the resolution she had made before going to bed last night.
She took out her phone, checked the time, and cleared her throat.
"Liu Xin'an."
"Yeah?"
"How old are you?"