Middle-aged Love Patch

At 10:36 PM, Shi Yue was still at the office.

Everyone was working overtime. After buying dinner for the team, she had stayed to accompany them and was pulled into several meetings. From noon until now, apart from the half-hour break for food, she hadn’t had a moment to rest.

During the meeting, her phone vibrated. Shi Yue glanced at it, initially assuming it was a spam call and about to hang up—but luckily, she took a second look.

Those two characters on the screen captured her attention for several seconds.

The phone kept vibrating, yet she didn’t answer. Her colleagues all stared at her, clearly noticing the involuntary smile curling at the corners of their boss’s lips.

Was there some happy news? She looked… sweetly delighted.

Everyone prepared to take a short break, expecting the meeting to resume after the boss finished her call. But to their surprise, Shi Yue didn’t answer. She hung up and continued the meeting.

Close to 11:00 PM, Shi Yue finally wrapped up work at the company. An alumni senior had invited her for drinks and had already been waiting half an hour. She hurried to the bar.

With the widespread adoption of autonomous driving systems, the risks of drunk driving had been virtually eliminated, and the profession of designated drivers had faded into history.

After finishing her drinks, Shi Yue hailed a self-driving taxi, set the destination, scanned the code for payment, then reclined the seat and closed her eyes for a quick rest.

Less than two minutes in, she remembered something and immediately pulled out her phone.

It was flooded with notifications from the Darkbox app.

Xu Youyuan knew she would come to Darkbox.

Even if she pretended to be offline now, she’d inevitably log in sooner or later.

Xu Youyuan stretched her wrists, warming up by hitting the wall repeatedly, ensuring she wouldn’t strain herself when the fight began.

She pulled up the account details of Plasma Flower Cream Cake and projected them in mid-air, staring intently. The moment that little brat logged in, she’d know.

The screen above her head kept flashing with new message alerts, glaringly obvious ever since she’d logged in. Xu Youyuan hadn’t planned to check them, but her compulsive tendencies made it impossible to ignore.

Shi Yue hadn’t come online yet—who knew when she would? Xu Youyuan was still angry, but with nothing else to do, she opened the messages.

She could guess they were from Shi Yue. Who else would be this annoying? In Darkbox, Shi Yue was the only one she’d had any real interaction with.

Sure enough, all the messages were from Plasma Flower Cream Cake. But what Xu Youyuan hadn’t expected was that they were all… gifts.

Opening the inbox, a flurry of ornately wrapped gift boxes flew out, nearly smacking her in the head.

The boxes landed and unfolded one by one, revealing the latest, most expensive skins available.

A pair of pink cat ears for 988 yuan.

A high school girl’s uniform for 1,288 yuan.

A cutesy baby bottle for 3,699 yuan.

An angel outfit for 6,666 yuan—and it was literally an angel’s figure! The kind that made your arms and legs look thicker! There was another, slimmer angel skin! She’d seen it last time! Why send this one?!

Hello? What’s wrong with you? Why send me all this stuff only kids would like?!

Xu Youyuan had been cooling off while waiting, but this pile of nonsense felt like a fresh insult. Maybe a little girl would adore pink cat ears and a baby bottle, but for an auntie like her…?

She kicked the gifts back into the inbox and slammed it shut—just as the login chime sounded.

"Your friend, Plasma Flower Cream Cake, has come online."

Xu Youyuan spun around and jabbed the "Date" button. The other side took almost a full minute to accept.

Without even checking what scenario Shi Yue had sent, Xu Youyuan immediately agreed and stormed in.

Shi Yue was still wearing that vampire skin, wings fluttering as she hovered mid-air, her little tail swaying left and right, looking unbearably smug.

The tail’s rhythm matched exactly the bouncing silhouette from Reshape the Universe.

The accumulated fury of the past few days ignited instantly.

“In such a hurry to see me? The moment you—”

Before Shi Yue could finish, Xu Youyuan grabbed her tail, yanked her down from the air, and pinned her wings together like a chicken about to be slaughtered. With all her strength, she shoved Shi Yue onto the ground, raised her arm, and prepared to deliver a spanking.

“Today, big sister’s going to teach you what it means to respect your elders—no, wait! What it means to pay for your misdeeds!”

Xu Youyuan looked like a child-eating monster from urban legends, her rage demanding justice.

Venturing into the depths of the Grand Canyon wasn’t just a game for her—it was a crucial step toward washing away disgrace and shedding the weight on her back. She’d been so close! And then Shi Yue had to barge in and ruin it all! Was this little prank really worth it?!

Channeling days of pent-up anger, Xu Youyuan swung her arm down with full force—only for the vampire to arch her back and wiggle her hips, cooing:

“Big sister, be gentle~”

Xu Youyuan: “…”

The sheer, overwhelming shamelessness stung her eyes. If she actually hit that, how much flirtatious juice would splatter out?! She couldn’t do it…

Staggering back a step, Xu Youyuan felt yesterday’s dinner rising in her throat. She retreated ten paces, staring at the now-floating vampire with grudging admiration.

“Does your sister know you act like this in games?”

Shi Yue smoothed her tail and regained her composure. “I wondered why you were in such a rush to find me. So it was to beat me up. Go on, let’s hear what crime I’ve committed this time.”

“Playing dumb, huh? Never mind the earlier disruptions during mining—do you even know what the Fermos Grand Canyon means to me?” Xu Youyuan listed Shi Yue’s offenses one by one, but the more she spoke, the deeper Shi Yue’s frown grew.

Shi Yue asked, “When you log into Reshape the Universe, do you use a widely known main account?”

Xu Youyuan stayed silent.

“Or a traceable alt that someone could follow?”

Still no answer. Xu Youyuan just narrowed her eyes.

“I’m guessing neither, right?”

Xu Youyuan admitted, “I did create a new account.”

“Then tell me—in the vastness of the universe, how could I possibly find you?”

Xu Youyuan had to concede the point. This was exactly what had been bothering her. Logically, Shi Yue shouldn’t have been able to locate her.

“Besides, I’ve been at the office all week, working overtime every day. No time to log in. Right now, I just left the company and am on my way home. If you don’t believe me, I can give you my colleagues’ contact info. Ask them yourself.”

Shi Yue was proactive, sending several SNS account links directly to Xu Youyuan’s inbox—completely unbothered, as if she had nothing to hide.

Xu Youyuan didn’t open the email. It was pointless. Confronting Shi Yue like this was already childish. If not for that last-second sabotage, she wouldn’t have been this furious, nearly losing all rationality.

Shi Yue said, "Someone like you, who's wholly dedicated to game development, is still a bit naive compared to people in other industries. I don’t know who’s been teasing you all this time, but they’ve actually done you a huge favor."

"Oh? How so?"

"It’s been a while since you logged into Remaking the Universe, hasn’t it? At least long enough to miss the changes in Fermos Canyon. That place isn’t for beginners grinding dungeons—you were after the update package, weren’t you? After the vehicle incident, the update package was moved. It’s no longer at the bottom of the canyon." Shi Yue’s vampire-like face darkened slightly, sending a chill straight to the bone. "No one knows where it’s been relocated."

Xu Youyuan couldn’t help but be surprised. The location of the update package was one of SQUALL’s best-kept secrets, yet Shi Yue knew about it.

Xu Youyuan stayed silent, unsure what expression she was wearing—whether it betrayed her shock or the crushing disappointment she felt.

"Not only that, but the forced death mechanic in the canyon has been altered too. You won’t die, but your account will be wiped. If you’d actually gone down there today, Fat Liu and his crew would’ve traced your new account and figured out what you were after. It’s obvious the forced death change was a trap set just for you. If you’d been caught, not only would your account be gone, but SQUALL would’ve tightened security even more—both in-game and in real life. You’d never get another chance to dig up even a scrap of evidence, let alone make a comeback."

Compared to SQUALL’s trap, Xu Youyuan was far more intrigued by something else: "These are all classified internal secrets. How do you know about them?"

"How I know isn’t important, is it?"

Xu Youyuan chuckled dryly. "After all that, I suppose I should be thanking you?"

Shi Yue didn’t take the bait. "No, the one you should really thank is that ‘hee-hee-hee-hee’ person."

"That ‘hee-hee-hee-hee’ is definitely you."

"If you’d rather believe it’s me, then go ahead. I don’t mind."

Xu Youyuan didn’t want to waste time bickering. "Let’s get to the point. Aside from the canyon, there’s nowhere else in the game universe with enough space to store the historical update package."

"The new version drops next week, unlocking three new star systems. Care to guess if any of them have a better hiding spot than Fermos Canyon?" Shi Yue mused. "And let’s think—would Fat Liu really leave the update package in the game world, waiting for you to find it? If I were him, I’d move the evidence somewhere else."

Xu Youyuan shook her head. "He wouldn’t."

"Oh?"

"Current tech doesn’t allow it. The update package can only exist within the game universe. Unless they’ve developed new bridge-transfer tech, it’s impossible."

"What’s the original bridge-transfer principle?"

Xu Youyuan saw right through her and smirked, staying silent.

Shi Yue sighed. "Fine, can’t trick it out of you. Since you’re sure the update package is still in the game universe, our dating quest in Hidden Box can continue."

"What kind of logic is that? How are those two things connected?"

"Have you tried logging into your old main account recently? Does it still work?"

"I can log in, but I haven’t fully accessed it."

"From what I know, every single one of your accounts—main, alts, public, private—has been locked down."

Xu Youyuan frowned, temporarily logging out of Hidden Box and returning to Remaking the Universe to test her main account.

She could land on a planet, but once there, she couldn’t perform any actions. A glance at her inventory showed zero items. She didn’t even need to open it—it was completely empty.

She tried logging into all her old accounts, and without exception, none were functional. All her top-tier gear had been stripped away. Shi Yue was right.

Back in Hidden Box, Xu Youyuan sat on a bench, staring at the glittering river. Only then did she realize Shi Yue had chosen a riverside setting for their "date"—one that faintly resembled the river from her hometown memories.

She didn’t need to say anything. Her expression said it all.

Shi Yue sat beside her, both of them watching the gentle ripples stirred by the wind.

"What you’re looking for is still in Remaking the Universe. With a high-tier account, there might still be hope of finding it. But given your current finances, building one from scratch would be tough. Unless you’re willing to grind for years—one or two won’t cut it. Maybe five, if you’re persistent."

"What’s your point?"

"You’ve ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍heard of Caps, right?"

"Everyone in the gaming industry has. It’s an account trading platform. Don’t even think about it—top-tier Remaking the Universe accounts are astronomically expensive. I can’t afford one."

"You can’t buy one, but you can trade for one."

"So this whole roundabout speech was just to say that. You’re suggesting we complete Hidden Box’s dating quests together for the achievements? You think a max-achievement Hidden Box account could trade for a top-tier Remaking the Universe account?" Xu Youyuan laughed. "You’re seriously undervaluing Remaking the Universe."

"I didn’t say one account." Shi Yue leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "One might not be enough, but a pair of max-achievement couple accounts would do it. I’ve checked the market."

Xu Youyuan slowly turned to look at her.

The vampire’s elegant silver-white robes shimmered, her pupils a deep blue. Her crimson lips parted slightly, tiny fangs pressing adorably against them.

Xu Youyuan said, "This has nothing to do with you. There’s no need for you to get involved."

Shi Yue replied, "Once all the achievements are unlocked, Hidden Box holds no more appeal for me. I could give the account to anyone—might as well do you a favor. Consider it… repayment for all the tutoring you gave me when we were kids. Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage. We’re both adults. No need to force anything."

That tone—so oddly mature.

Being reminded they were "both adults" by someone eleven years her junior was surreal.

Shi Yue added, "For me, it’s just about unlocking achievements. For you, it’s different. Think it over."

Xu Youyuan logged off without giving a definitive answer, only warning Shi Yue not to cause more trouble in-game—or she’d personally beat her up.

Shi Yue, ever the provocateur, cheerfully stuck out her backside again. "Do it now, then."

Xu Youyuan: "…"

And with that, she vanished without a trace.