Middle-aged Love Patch

Shi Ye noticed her hesitant tone and suspected she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

“A terrible experience? Huh?”

“Doing it with a kid, having to guide and teach her every step of the way—what kind of good experience could that be? A complete mess.” Xu Youyuan waved her hand dismissively, as if to say, “Don’t even bring it up.”

Shi Ye thought about it and conceded the point. Though her younger sister had always been diligent and brilliant academically, even bordering on genius in her field, when it came to *that* kind of thing… well, she’d never heard her mention any adult accomplishments. People couldn’t be perfect in every way; there were bound to be areas they just didn’t get. God was fair, after all.

Seeing that Shi Ye seemed convinced, Xu Youyuan relaxed slightly.

“So, did you unlock any achievements?” Shi Ye was still curious.

“Not yet…” Xu Youyuan replied. “The scenario she designed is pretty complex. We’ve only cleared the first part so far. The system gave it a difficulty score of 5.2. If we maintain this level of completion, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Jiang Yun called to ask when they were coming back—lingering in the bathroom for so long was hardly pleasant.

“Alright, let’s go,” Xu Youyuan said. “I’ve told you everything, more or less. Come with me to the garage to get the car so they don’t keep nagging.”

In the elevator, Xu Youyuan emphasized again: “This stays between you, me, and that little brat. No one else can know—not Ah Gan, not Jiang Yun, *no one*. Got it?”

“What, you’re scared people will find out even after you’ve done it?” Shi Ye teased. “Besides, you’re single now, and my sister’s a legit rising star in the industry. What’s there to complain about?”

The scene in the bamboo forest flashed through Xu Youyuan’s mind.

They’d switched to the fifth scenario, and it still wasn’t over. The vampire seemed to have endless energy.

The vampire pressed against her, and Xu Youyuan told her to stop. *Beg me*, she said. Xu Youyuan clenched her teeth and refused.

“Cut the crap,” Xu Youyuan snapped, her cheeks burning inexplicably. “She’s *eleven years* younger than me—almost a whole zodiac cycle! I even changed her diapers when she was a kid! How could we ever be together?”

*I like you just like this.*

The vampire moved faster, and the electric current from the two small bite marks on Xu Youyuan’s neck pulsed downward in waves. She couldn’t take it anymore, sobbing and begging for mercy.

Shi Ye shrugged. “I’ve already accepted it and moved on. It’s your business, so you decide. Honestly, dating someone younger isn’t so bad.” She nudged Xu Youyuan with her elbow. “We’d be childhood friends *and* in-laws.”

The elevator doors opened. Xu Youyuan pressed her icy hands to her burning cheeks and glared. “You’re taking this awfully well.”

As they reached the car, Shi Ye suddenly realized something. “Hey, how did you find out Shi Yue was that ‘Cake’ person? Did she confess?”

Xu Youyuan shook her head irritably. “No, no.”

Once inside the car, Shi Ye gasped. “You met up in person?!”

Xu Youyuan gripped the steering wheel, took a deep breath, and admitted, “I must’ve lost my mind…”

After an intensely satisfying round of sex, Xu Youyuan felt utterly revitalized.

Her long-clogged pores opened up, her complexion glowed, her acne vanished, and she practically floated with each step—more effective than any luxury skincare treatment.

She never expected to find such a perfectly compatible fuck buddy in *Dark Box*. What made it even more surreal and amusing was that they’d *literally* gnawed at each other’s necks to clear the level. While stripping, they’d taken turns steering through the hurricane’s turbulence, kissing like a world champion’s Rubik’s Cube. It was absurdly impressive.

Her time with Plasma Flower Cream Cake had been brief, but it left a unique aftertaste.

Some might say sexual compatibility didn’t count as real compatibility, but finding someone who matched even *one* beat in the vast sea of humanity was rare—let alone in something as crucial as sex.

People had long moved past the era of treating sex as taboo. Enjoying life in every way was everyone’s right and pursuit.

She was curious about Plasma Flower Cream Cake’s real appearance, and the other party didn’t seem opposed to meeting offline.

*Dark Box*’s sensory chips were undeniably thrilling, but Xu Youyuan wanted to experience this person in reality—to *see* them with her own eyes.

Young folks these days were all about loving with their “spirit bodies.” Forget their flawed, ugly “birth bodies”—even two carefully crafted spirit bodies might not click. No one cared about real-world physical encounters.

But Xu Youyuan, being of an older generation, needed to see the birth body to feel at ease.

Besides, she suspected that aside from the vampire avatar’s shameless buff enhancing sensory stimulation, the app’s chips *themselves* heightened sensitivity. Otherwise, how could she have gone at it all night with the vampire? After logging off, she’d been dizzy, and even in the shower, she’d felt phantom throbbing.

She refused to believe Plasma Flower Cream Cake’s skills were *that* good. Xu Youyuan wasn’t some inexperienced girl—she’d seen it all.

She wanted an offline comparison to measure just how thick *Dark Box*’s “filter” really was.

She didn’t share these thoughts with Shi Ye, of course. In her retelling, the younger woman had been inexperienced, the encounter “a complete mess.”

As the car ascended from parking level B16, Xu Youyuan told Shi Ye she’d arranged to meet Plasma Flower Cream Cake at a famous restaurant she rarely visited—on a Saturday.

Before the meeting, she’d prepared a handmade gift, hoping the other would like it.

She’d even withdrawn 10,000 yuan from her meager savings for the date. The other person might be older or wealthier now, but her upbringing wouldn’t allow her to let them pay for everything.

At midnight on Friday, Cang Lu called. Xu Youyuan was still at her computer, working on the gift for tomorrow’s date. When the video connected, Cang Lu’s side was pitch-black.

“Still awake? Working this hard for our project?”

Xu Youyuan didn’t look at the screen, debating between two colors. “Yeah, what’s up? Here to supervise?”

“Actually, I am.”

The doorbell rang immediately after.

Xu Youyuan blinked. “Huh?” She kicked off, her secondhand electric chair gliding smoothly to the door, its retro ’90s disco lights flashing.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just got back from India. Figured I’d drop by since I was in the area.” Cang Lu handed over her suitcase. “Brought you a little something. Open it and see if you like it.”

Xu Youyuan unzipped the suitcase—it was packed full. “Which one’s my gift?”

“All of it.” Cang Lu sank onto the sofa, stretching to ease her sore shoulders.

“Sis Lu, such generosity. How could I ever repay you?”

"Anything but offering myself to you," Cang Lu glanced at her computer. "I thought you were actually working hard on the proposal. What’s this drawing?"

"Trust me, Lu-jie, this is the most important part of making a dating game." Xu Youyuan didn’t stand on ceremony, placing the suitcase aside and patting it. "Thanks."

"What’s there to thank? For the next two years, you’re selling yourself to me to work on this game properly. Give me your bank account. I’ve been calculating your salary since last month—next week’s payday, I’ll send you 30,000 first. After the game’s public beta, we’ll adjust it. That way, I can justify it to the shareholders too."

The monthly salary of 30,000 was less than a tenth of what she used to earn at SQUALL, but for her current situation, it was a lifesaver—at least she wouldn’t have to worry about food and rent. Shi Ye had also transferred her 100,000 earlier, telling her to use it first. Xu Youyuan hadn’t wanted to accept it; she knew Shi Ye didn’t earn much and it wasn’t easy for her.

But Shi Ye had been adamant: "You helped me and Ah Gan before, and those big contracts during Lu’s company crisis—you were the one who pulled strings. Back then, we never treated you like an outsider. Why are you acting distant now?"

"Fine." Xu Youyuan wasn’t one for false modesty and sent her bank details to Cang Lu’s email.

"I’m sleeping over tonight," Cang Lu said, already pulling off her clothes. "Get me some pajamas."

"Why not go home?" Xu Youyuan didn’t look up as she imported the final sketch into the 3D printer—the only valuable thing she’d brought with her. Xiao An hadn’t needed it, so she’d taken it. The printer scanned to 100%, the workstation lights on the desk flickered on, and six mechanical arms began printing and painting. After confirming everything was on track, Xu Youyuan pulled a freshly washed set of pajamas from the wardrobe and tossed them to Cang Lu.

"Got into some trouble recently. Someone’s been camping outside my place—I don’t wanna go back." Cang Lu hugged the clothes and headed to the bathroom. "The hell? No bathtub either?"

Cang Lu stayed the night and left early the next morning, scanning the surroundings warily before stepping out like she was avoiding a stalker.

Xu Youyuan leaned against the doorway, yawning. "It’s the suburbs, but there aren’t wolves here. What are you so afraid of?"

"You have no idea how relentless kids are these days. Every one of them’s a damn detective."

"Huh?"

Before getting into her car, Cang Lu warned her: "If you want to experience life, fine, but stick to someone your own age. Whatever you do, don’t mess with young people nowadays."

"How so?"

"They’re impulsive and immature, running on nothing but emotions, ready to throw themselves at any older woman they meet." Cang Lu shuddered just thinking about it. "They’ll swear undying love before they’ve even learned to write ‘dragon’ properly. Reject them eight hundred times, and it still doesn’t register. They’ll cry their eyes out over their own ‘tragic’ love story. Tell them you’re a lifelong single, and they’ll say they’ll wait for you forever. Like talking to a brick wall."

"So you’ve got a little demon haunting you."

"Exactly. Worse than actual underworld ghosts." Cang Lu pointed at her sternly. "For the sake of your mental and physical health, don’t get involved with these kids."

Xu Youyuan laughed. "No way. Not my thing."

After Cang Lu left, Xu Youyuan returned inside and wrapped the gift. She hadn’t slept much, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot, but the thought of meeting the "vampire" in person kept her energized.

When arranging their meeting, both of them had instinctively understood each other’s preferences—no calls, no video chats. The mystery remained intact, with only phone numbers exchanged and texts exchanged. Everything would be revealed when they finally met.

She arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early, a habit of hers.

This wasn’t a place she frequented—far from her old work and social circles—which was important.

She wore a custom-made dress from her past, diamond earrings, and a delicate gemstone necklace resting in the dip of her deep V-neckline—understated but impossible to overlook. The usually barefaced Xu Youyuan had put on makeup for the occasion, letting her shoulder-length hair down and styling it into temporary curls. Paired with elegant heels and a BV clutch, she looked neither like she was trying too hard to appear young nor like she’d given up—just entirely herself.

Well, except for the fact that her outfit didn’t match her current bank balance.

The restaurant was quiet, almost empty. She browsed the menu, waiting for the "plasma-flower cream cake" to appear.

It was a broad-spectrum restaurant; no matter what cuisine the "cake" preferred, they’d find something palatable here. Still, Xu Youyuan enjoyed flipping through the fifty-page menu, guessing what her date might truly like. Would their tastes align?

Her fingers glided over the ordering tablet as she imagined the personality of the woman she was about to meet, crafting a meal for her. The thought brought a faint, sweet flutter to her chest—

"Youyuan-jie, what a coincidence."

A head suddenly popped over her shoulder, startling her.

Who was this kid? Xu Youyuan stared at the unfamiliar-yet-familiar girl who’d materialized out of nowhere.

"Forgotten me already?" The girl sat across from her, smiling. "Shi Yue. We used to play together when we were little."

"Oh?" Recognition dawned. Her childhood best friend’s little sister—the baby of the Shi family. "Yue-yue? Didn’t recognize you—you’ve grown so much."

Her smile remained graceful, but inwardly she groaned. Of all times to run into a half-remembered acquaintance.