Middle-aged Love Patch

**Document Translation:**

Ash gray was the hottest hair color among young girls lately, a trend sparked by a popular idol from a domestic girl group. It had swept from the country overseas, becoming an instant craze, and girls everywhere were obsessed with the shade.

Logically speaking, someone like Xu Youyuan, a woman past the age of chasing trends—who hadn’t been infatuated with any idols since graduating college—shouldn’t have been aware of what was in vogue among the youth. But the color was simply too ubiquitous. Back when she still had subordinates at her company, several of them had sported the same shade. Curious, Xu Youyuan had humbly asked about it and learned the reasoning behind the trend.

Shi Yue’s hair was also ash gray, though she had mixed in a touch of moonlight white—subtle, distinctive, and perfectly harmonious. She had casually twisted her long hair into a bun on top of her head, dressed in a simple hoodie and shorts. A pair of slender, pale legs flashed past Xu Youyuan’s vision, making her instinctively narrow her eyes.

Xu Youyuan couldn’t quite remember how old this kid was anymore, only recalling how scrawny she’d been back when she used to lug her textbooks over to Xu Youyuan’s house for tutoring.

“You’re back after graduating?” Running into her after so many years felt oddly refreshing. “I heard from your sister you were planning to stay in the country?”

“Yeah.” Shi Yue answered simply, stepping over to the opposite seat and dropping her backpack onto the chair before sitting down. “You here alone?”

Before Xu Youyuan could reply, Shi Yue shook her head. “No way, dressed up this carefully? Definitely not alone. Here for a blind date? Feels like people from your generation are really into that.”

Maintaining the composure befitting an elder, Xu Youyuan didn’t immediately shoo her away. “What do you mean, ‘my generation’? Meeting friends?”

Shi Yue said, “Nope, just me. My office is nearby, and I got hungry.”

Xu Youyuan checked her watch—five minutes left until the scheduled time. Her date could show up any second now, and this meddlesome kid not only showed no signs of leaving but was enthusiastically striking up a conversation. She chatted about the "Reshaped Universe" vehicle project, Xu Youyuan’s recent life, and her future plans, speaking in a tone that was oddly mature for someone her age.

Xu Youyuan half-heartedly humored her, unwilling to engage too deeply with her childhood friend’s little sister. She cut straight to the point: “Didn’t you say you were here to eat?”

“Right, just got out of a morning meeting and my brain’s fried. What do you feel like having?” Shi Yue smoothly pulled up the ordering screen and scanned the menu. “Their sweet and sour ribs and sea cucumber noodles are specialties… Maybe some greens and a soup too? We probably shouldn’t order too much for just the two of us.”

What was this? Had she already assumed they’d be eating together? Xu Youyuan kept her smile perfectly intact, equal parts impressed and exasperated. She spoke with gentle firmness:

“Alright, yes, I *am* here for a date. Be good and don’t cause trouble, okay? I’ll treat you to a meal another time.”

Shi Yue closed the menu, her bright eyes gleaming. “So you *are* on a blind date? Then I’m definitely not leaving.”

Xu Youyuan maintained her plastic smile. “Oh? And why’s that?”

“Blind dates are with total strangers. How can you decide on a relationship after just one meeting? If you run into some weirdo, I can protect you.” Shi Yue spoke with absolute seriousness. “And if they’re normal, I can help you evaluate them. An extra pair of eyes never hurts.”

*Little brat, mind your own business, would you?*

If she weren’t her best friend’s sister, Xu Youyuan would’ve kicked her out ages ago.

“At my age, I’ve met all kinds of people,” Xu Youyuan chuckled. “Besides, it’s not a stranger—just an old colleague, someone I’ve known for a while.”

“Oh? An old colleague?” Shi Yue’s curiosity piqued. “You dressed up so carefully today, even brought a gift.” She glanced at the elegantly wrapped indigo-blue box resting beside Xu Youyuan’s seat. “Seems like it’s more than just casual interest. What kind of person could make our amazing sister here fall for them?”

Not only nosy but gossipy too.

The thought of *Vampire* made Xu Youyuan’s lips twitch upward. “We’re all just ordinary people. Call it… fate, I guess.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Xu Youyuan regretted it. *“Call it fate”* made her sound like she’d been born in the goddamn 20th century.

“Fate? From being old colleagues?”

“And there’s… some mutual understanding.”

“The kind where you just *get* each other?”

Gossiping was one thing, but this relentless interrogation?

Something felt off. Without shifting her gaze, Xu Youyuan unlocked her phone and rapid-fire typed a message—blind, without even looking—then sent it to *Vampire*.

*Vampire* was her most recent contact. Her ability to type flawlessly without looking had been honed during endless, mind-numbing meetings in the past. This phone had weathered countless conferences with her, and Xu Youyuan could tap out a hundred error-free characters in a blink.

While superficially entertaining Shi Yue, her fingers fired off the message:

**“Where are you?”**

A second after sending it, a creaking door sound effect—a text notification—chimed from Shi Yue’s pocket.

Under Xu Youyuan’s scorching glare, Shi Yue pulled out her phone, unlocked it, glanced at the screen for two seconds, typed a reply, and sent it.

Xu Youyuan’s phone vibrated.

She didn’t even bother opening the response. Her smoldering eyes hadn’t left Shi Yue’s face since the notification.

*No fucking way.*

Slamming her phone onto the table, Xu Youyuan stared daggers at Shi Yue. “Having fun messing with me?”

Shi Yue opened her mouth to speak, but Xu Youyuan shot to her feet so abruptly that the table jerked sideways with a loud *clang!* The glass of lemon water toppled, spilling everywhere.

“Xu Youyuan.” Shi Yue called after her retreating figure, but it was too late.

Bag in hand, Xu Youyuan stormed out of the restaurant without a backward glance, fury burning from her chest to the crown of her head. Her high heels hammered against the floor hard enough to snap.

What kind of trashy, soap opera-level bullshit was this?! She’d slept with a kid *eleven years her junior*!

No—the age gap wasn’t even the main issue! The problem was that this *kid* was her best friend’s *little sister*! A brat she’d watched grow up!

She should’ve known. Anyone who called themselves *"Plasma Flower Cream Cake"* was clearly not a mature adult.

Xu Youyuan sprinted to the restaurant entrance, only to freeze at the sight of the bustling street. She couldn’t leave yet—she’d driven here, and the parking garage elevator was *inside* the restaurant.

*Damn it!*

Hailing a cab from here would cost a fortune. Logic dictated she had no choice but to turn back.

Her earlier outburst had consequences—rising too fast, she’d slammed her thigh into the table’s edge. A sharp pain flared. Glancing down, she saw scraped skin and a trickle of blood.

*What a cursed day.*

Gritting her teeth, Xu Youyuan turned around and marched back inside.

Shi Yue stood at the restaurant entrance, holding the gift Xu Youyuan had spent the entire night crafting and wrapping by hand. "You forgot this," she said.

Xu Youyuan ignored her, walking past and taking the elevator down to the parking lot.

Once inside her car, the interior only amplified the memories—those wild, illicit moments of fleeing through the storm with Shi Yue, the plasma-ribboned cream cake, the reckless drive bathed in stolen intimacy…

A suffocating shame, almost incestuous in its weight, pressed down on her until she could barely breathe. She wanted to self-destruct on the spot.

Cranking the music to full volume, she let the deafening roar scour her filthy thoughts clean. Or at least drown them out, if only temporarily—anything to stop the relentless replay of details in her mind.

Gunning the engine, she tore onto the highway leading to the 12th-tier skyway, the highest elevated road in the city. Manual driving had its perks; right now, it was pure catharsis.

The 12th-tier skyway was a 120-meter-high tunnel with eight randomly generated scenic backdrops. Nobody took this route unless traffic below was apocalyptic. Speed limits here ranged from 150 to 200 kph, with no lane changes allowed—a pressure valve for the overstressed modern urbanite.

Xu Youyuan had once joked with Shi Ye: *Who’s so repressed they’d need to sky-race? If you’re mad, stay ground-level. Up here, one rage-blackout and you’ll hypoxia-crash into a lightpost.*

Yet here she was, proving herself wrong.

Just thinking about Shi Yue made her head swim. Yeah, definitely oxygen-deprived.

After a forced cooldown, she took the next exit toward the lower tiers.

*Whatever you do,* she told herself, *don’t gamble with your life.*

By the time she finished recounting this, they’d nearly reached the dinner venue.

Shi Ye asked, "What did the message from Xiao Yue say later?"

Xu Youyuan scoffed. "That little brat’s got a mouth full of nonsense. I’d asked where she was, and when I got home, she replied: *‘Here. Chatting with a pretty jiejie.’*"

Even Shi Ye, her own sister, was stunned. "The hell?"

Xu Youyuan grimaced. "Do kids these days even know how to speak properly?"

Shi Ye sighed. "Were we this shameless at their age? No way."