Middle-aged Love Patch

Xu Youyuan told Shi Yue to go to bed first since she still had work the next day.

"You just graduated and returned to the country last year, right? I never asked where you're working now."

Shi Yue replied, "An internet company."

"What's its name?"

"It's a small startup—you wouldn’t know it even if I told you."

"Don’t look down on small companies. They train you better," Xu Youyuan said. "You’re just starting out—don’t push yourself too hard. Health is the foundation of everything. If you don’t sleep now and end up yawning in front of your boss tomorrow, they’ll think you lack self-discipline. When it comes time to compete for management positions, you might lose out over these small details..."

"If you keep talking, I really will fall asleep." The vampire rolled her eyes rather elegantly. "Becoming an executive isn’t my dream anyway."

"Then what is?"

"Eating, lazing around, and waiting for death."

"That counts as a dream?" Xu Youyuan shook her head. "What on earth goes through you young people’s minds?"

Much later, when Xu Youyuan recalled this conversation, she found it almost prophetic—in a way, this really might have been Shi Yue’s true wish.

Shi Yue said she was still wide awake and could finish one more themed quest before sleeping.

"What kind of theme is good for the middle of the night…" Xu Youyuan muttered to herself while scanning the bulletin board.

Shi Yue quickly suggested, "Definitely a love-themed—"

Xu Youyuan spun around with a menacing grin. "Obviously horror."

Shi Yue lost all enthusiasm. "I’m sleepy. Logging off. Goodnight."

"Get back here…" Xu Youyuan grabbed her. "Your intentions are way too obvious."

Shi Yue seized the opportunity, closing the distance between them in an instant. "My intentions have always been obvious. Didn’t you figure that out ages ago?"

The vampire’s pupils were mesmerizing—within them, one could see all the stars of the reconstructed universe.

The intoxicating fragrance that had once enchanted Xu Youyuan began to spread again. She finally understood: Shi Yue hadn’t lied back then. This vampire avatar’s buff wasn’t just about the little fangs emitting mischievous electric currents—there were other effects too.

For instance, this sweet, blood-tinged scent might very well be an aphrodisiac.

The first time Xu Youyuan smelled it, she found it irresistible, almost intoxicating.

Now, encountering it again, she was quickly drawn in—her heart fluttered, heat surged through her, and her mind grew hazy. Sweat dampened her palms.

Shi Yue watched with satisfaction as the face so strikingly similar to Xu Youyuan’s flushed red.

The Xu Youyuan she usually saw was either deep in thought or irritated—nothing like the woman from her memory, the one who had been tangled up in sticky, feverish intimacy.

That version of her had been a heart-stealer, offering no aftercare whatsoever…

Lost in the allure of Xu Youyuan’s expression, Shi Yue’s heart softened like a cloud—until her ear was abruptly yanked hard.

Shi Yue: "Ow?!"

Pinching her own nose to block out the suggestive scent while twisting Shi Yue’s ear, Xu Youyuan smirked coldly.

"Change your avatar before I rip this ear off. No wonder things got out of hand last time—you were hiding a secret weapon."

Shi Yue broke free and retreated to a safe distance, tears welling up in her eyes as she pouted. "You’re the one who told me not to change it! And we’re using sensory chips—how could you be so rough?"

Xu Youyuan wasn’t moved. "If it didn’t hurt, I wouldn’t have twisted it. Who told you to scheme against me with your avatar?"

"Scheming? The buff’s description is right there in the shop for anyone to see!"

"Who has time to read that?"

"You didn’t check, so it’s my fault? Besides, weren’t you the one who benefited? Those glowing five-star reviews—every word was written by you, not forced out of you."

Xu Youyuan’s eyes sharpened. She launched a flying kick straight at Shi Yue’s head, but the vampire’s wings snapped open, lifting her into the air just in time.

"Violence over a little teasing?" Shi Yue hovered midair, amused by Xu Youyuan’s frustrated glare.

Xu Youyuan pointed at her. "Mention those reviews again, and I’ll come to your house tonight and beat you up."

"Go ahead. I’ll scatter flowers from the gate all the way to my doorstep—once you arrive, don’t even think about leaving. Huh, that rhymed."

Xu Youyuan fell silent for a second before logging off.

Shi Yue: "…Way too easy to tease."

After waiting half an hour with no response, Shi Yue exited the app and checked everywhere online—no trace of Xu Youyuan.

Had she really gotten angry and gone to bed?

Xu Youyuan was indeed furious, but she wasn’t sleeping. She had simply left the dating scenario, returned to her own virtual space, and switched to invisible mode. Now, she was scrolling through the avatar shop, inspecting every option.

So what if it’s just an avatar? Just a buff? There’s no way I can’t find one that lets me beat her up!

She filtered the buff attributes by "strength." The hottest item was Disney’s new superhero, Vinergy—a muscular Black heroine who could punch through planets.

Xu Youyuan had developed the habit of checking prices the moment something caught her eye. Vinergy’s avatar cost 19,999 RMB.

The number made her dizzy. Better skip the latest releases and browse the classics.

The Hulk and Captain America were both 9,888 RMB, Axe King 8,888 RMB, The Rock 6,999 RMB, Zhang Fei 5,999 RMB…

After an enthusiastic search, the prices cooled her down. She sorted by lowest to highest.

Then she found the perfect avatar—and nearly spat blood.

This one had only one strength-based buff: Smack the target with a rake.

As long as the victim was within 200 meters, the rake would land right on their face. Currently in free trial mode, it was the most economical choice—exactly the effect she wanted.

That little troublemaker wouldn’t behave unless properly disciplined.

But… this free avatar was hideous.

Hesitantly, Xu Youyuan clicked "Try On." The moment the avatar loaded, she didn’t even have the heart to spin around and check the full look—she just sat down, holding her forehead.

Horrifying. She couldn’t even bear to look at the monstrous reflection in the mirror…

Yet everything else started at 388 RMB, a price that made her wince.

Fine. Ugly is ugly, but it gets the job done. One good rake to the face, and I’ll feel better! It’s not like I overly care about appearances anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Youyuan selected "Start Trial."

——

Shi Yue waited half an hour, but Xu Youyuan still hadn’t come back online. She was starting to feel guilty.

Usually, even when angry, Xu Youyuan would react. This time, it wasn’t even a deliberate provocation—just an offhand remark, yet it had made her log off instantly.

Shi Yue exited the app temporarily and sent her a sticker: a teary-eyed pig peeking out from behind a phone screen, captioned:

Sorry, sis.

She waited, but the message remained unread.

The diligent AI dog mopping the floor passed by her and got stuck on her slipper for a moment. Slowly raising its head to glance at her, Shi Yue detected a hint of sympathy in that look.

What now?

She’d been mischievous plenty of times before, and every time she got a reaction, which meant Xu Youyuan wasn’t truly angry. But this time… Logically speaking, the five-star review bit was already an inside joke between them, and it wasn’t the first time she’d teased her about it. So why did it hit so hard this time?

Shi Yue reflected on her actions and pondered the next day—what excuse could she use to "accidentally" bump into Xu Youyuan?

She hadn’t removed the access crystal for Dark Box yet, so game notifications continued to stream into her mind.

Just as she was scrolling through her phone, debating which lucky contact to bother, she got an alert: Xu Youyuan had logged in.

Huh?

Excited, Shi Yue hurried back into the game. When she reappeared on the plaza outside the aquarium, she heard murmurs of surprise all around as everyone turned to look in one direction.

A sinister wind howled, shaking the earth.

The gust nearly lifted Shi Yue’s wings straight up as she, along with the crowd, stared at the distant horizon where yellow sand swirled violently. A massive black shadow slowly rose into the sky.

When everyone finally got a clear look at what it was, they instinctively took a step back.

"What the hell is that?!"

"...Someone actually uses that avatar?"

It was a pig.

Or rather, a pig demon—one everyone recognized, the kind that went on a pilgrimage.

Most people just called it "Second Brother."

The enormous pig demon hovered mid-air, scaring off all the serene creatures gliding above the aquarium. In its grasp was a gleaming nine-toothed rake, raised high.

Utterly bewildered, Shi Yue: "…………Is that you?"

The colossal rake, as massive as a mountain, came crashing down on Shi Yue. With a deafening boom, dust and debris exploded, the ground caved in, and three tanks inside the aquarium shattered.

Struck dead-on, Shi Yue’s vision went black—she was out.

When she regained consciousness, she was back in her Dark Box room. A pair of black-and-white puppies wobbled over to her, licking her hand.

Sitting on the plush carpet surrounded by scattered notebooks, Shi Yue took in the sparse furnishings—just a wide desk and two chairs. Above her, starlight mingled with drifting clouds, and behind her loomed an ancient tree stretching endlessly into the cosmos. Recalling what had just happened, she pieced it together and burst into laughter, gasping for breath.

Checking the channel preview, she saw the aquarium in ruins, every player now ganging up on Second Brother, treating him like a sudden raid boss. The pig had been hogtied and hauled off in a police van.

Shi Yue clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely stand.

Alright, time to log off and sleep. Tomorrow morning, she’d find some fun on her way to work.

The next day, Shi Yue woke up, took a refreshing shower, and headed out.

Outside her neighborhood was a breakfast stall she frequented. Today, she ordered her usual pancake wrap—extra sausage and a double egg.

As the vendor spread the batter, he glanced at Shi Yue, grinning in her car. "What’s got you so happy, kid? Extra sausage and a double egg?"

"The best news ever," Shi Yue said, then reconsidered. "Got any fried dough sticks? Throw in two of those!"

"...Youth these days. Eating enough breakfast for two."

Breakfast in hand, Shi Yue happily turned on autopilot, munching on fried dough as she opened the Dark Box app and headed for the "Detention Center."

Last night, Xu Youyuan had actually used force in a public zone. That rake strike was precise—only Shi Yue had died—but disrupting game order and killing indiscriminately meant Xu Youyuan’s credit score would tank, and she’d be forcibly dragged into the Detention Center for reflection.

There ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍were two ways out: either pay 60,000 in-game coins (equivalent to 600 RMB), whether by herself or a friend, or… the much worse option—no payment meant 12 hours locked up, and not just idle time. She’d have to do manual labor, sifting through surveys. No sleeping or AFKing to cheat the system.

For Xu Youyuan to steel herself and actually wear the Second Brother avatar—she really was ruthless.

What drove her to such extremes? Poverty, of course.

Stingy Xu Youyuan would never fork over 60,000 coins. Right now, she was definitely still in there, grinding through labor. If she wanted to unlock all achievements together, she’d need to power through those 12 hours ASAP.

Judging by Xu Youyuan’s usual online hours, she wasn’t much of a sleeper either. She’d definitely be logged in now.

While detained, all functions were locked—no dating, no trading, not even changing avatars.

So right now, Xu Youyuan was undoubtedly still a shivering little piggy trapped in a cage.

The vampire (Shi Yue’s avatar) swayed down the dim hallway of the Detention Center, her heart-shaped tail wagging, when an earth-shaking snore erupted.

Shi Yue froze, shoulders hunching instinctively.

HONK—SNORT! HONK—SNORT SNORT SNORT!

This wasn’t normal snoring—it was a full-on war cry.

Terrified, Shi Yue crept to the cell door and peered through the buzzing iron bars. There lay Second Brother, flat on her back, the source of the apocalyptic noise.

Fellow inmates, dark circles under their eyes, clung to the bars, begging Shi Yue: "You this pig’s friend?! Get her out of here! Who even buys this avatar?! Unbelievable! We can’t wake her up!"

Shi Yue: "Okay, okay, I’m on it."

Inmate: "Hurry up! And you’re recording this?!"