WBAI Chapter 16

Xiao Zhou’s recent order instantly propelled Xie An’yu to the rank of a Diamond Employee, a tier above Gold and effectively making him the Top Seller. This surge in order value directly resulted in Xie An’yu’s account being featured on the channel’s homepage, his profile picture now adorned with a diamond-studded badge, and his chat bubble labeled ‘Store’s Crown Jewel’.

Being featured on the homepage significantly increased Xie An’yu’s visibility. However, because he was currently ‘bought out’, those who saw him on the homepage couldn’t place orders with him.

After the platform’s commission, Xie An’yu received over five thousand yuan. Seeing such a large sum in his WeChat account, a strange feeling welled up inside him.

Of course, earning money made him happy, but Xie An’yu couldn’t help but question whether every penny he earned on this platform truly matched the value of the service he provided.

This stemmed from his upbringing and his inherent character. Since childhood, every penny he earned was hard-won, so he instinctively believed that earning money required equivalent labor. Rewards gained too easily felt insubstantial in his hands, leaving him feeling deeply uneasy.

That night, Xie An’yu tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep until the early hours. Finally, he picked up his phone and sent Xiao Zhou a WeChat message: “After the order expires, can we still chat like normal friends?”

He stared blankly at the screen for a moment, then suddenly remembered the nature of this mini-program’s service—it was a platform for paid virtual boyfriends. Xiao Zhou would naturally use this platform because he had that need.

Xie An’yu had almost forgotten that he was, from beginning to end, playing Xiao Zhou’s boyfriend. It was only Xiao Zhou’s distant demeanor that had blurred the true nature of his job.
He had also forgotten that Xiao Zhou, like Lying, was gay.

Xiao Zhou had spent so much money to find a virtual boyfriend, not to make ordinary friends.

Even if Xie An’yu wanted to step outside the platform and become ordinary friends with Xiao Zhou after the thirty days were up, Xiao Zhou might not see the point.

After half a minute of contemplation, Xie An’yu ultimately withdrew the message.

The next morning, Yu Feng saw the ‘Message withdrawn’ notification but didn’t ask about it.

***

After paying rent and buying a phone, Xie An’yu’s newly earned wages had been reduced by more than half. He deposited the remaining funds into his bank card, set aside two hundred yuan, and transferred the rest to Ding Xiaofei via WeChat. He didn’t send much because he hadn’t touched the five thousand yuan Xiao Zhou had given him.

Back on Shuangye Isle, Xie An’yu had borrowed cash from the island residents. Now that he had left, he couldn’t repay them in person, so he asked Ding Xiaofei to handle the transfers.

Xie An’yu photographed all the IOUs and sent them to Ding Xiaofei, clearly specifying who should receive how much. Ding Xiaofei knew exactly what to do.

After transferring the money, Xie An’yu sent Ding Xiaofei a message: 【This is all I have for now. I’ll transfer more when I have money. Thanks for your trouble.】

Ding Xiaofei always replied quickly.

Ding Xiaofei: 【What trouble? Don’t worry about such a small thing】

Ding Xiaofei: 【You’re amazing! You just got there and already earned money】

Ding Xiaofei: 【A while back, a bunch of people went to your second uncle’s house to demand he repay your debts. They all thought you’d run away】

Xie An’yu’s heart sank: 【Did anything bad happen?】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Don’t worry, nothing happened. My dad went to talk them down. He told them you’d gone to work outside and would definitely pay them back later. Everyone knows you’re more reliable than your second uncle, so they stopped making a fuss】

Xie An’yu let out a sigh of relief.

Xie An’yu: 【Thank Uncle Ding for me】

Ding Xiaofei: 【How have you been lately?】

Xie An’yu: 【Pretty good】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Things will definitely get even better】

Xie An’yu: 【Mm, thank you, Xiaofei】

Ding Xiaofei: 【Have you been in the city so long that you’ve become sentimental? If you say thank you again, I won’t help you pay back the money】

Xie An’yu: 【No, I won’t say it again】

Ding Xiaofei: 【[Eye-roll]】

Xie An’yu wanted to buy Guo Tianyang a gift to thank him for helping him solving the problem of renting a place, but he didn’t know what to get.

Although Xie An’yu and Ding Xiaofei had a very close relationship, perhaps because he was used to being on his own since childhood, he rarely took the initiative to discuss personal matters with others. For instance, now, regarding what gift to get Guo Tianyang, he didn’t immediately ask Ding Xiaofei.

If he asked Ding Xiaofei for help choosing a gift for Guo Tianyang, Ding Xiaofei would inevitably ask why he needed to give Guo Tianyang a gift. Then Xie An’yu would have to explain the entire story of moving out of his aunt’s house from beginning to end.

Before this, Xie An’yu hadn’t even told Ding Xiaofei that he had moved out of his aunt’s house and had rented a place with Guo Tianyang’s help.

This didn’t mean Ding Xiaofei was unimportant to him; Xie An’yu simply had a low desire to share and preferred to process both good and bad news alone.

If he were asking someone else for help, he wouldn’t need to explain so much.

With this thought, Xie An’yu clicked on Xiao Zhou’s profile.

Xiao Dao: 【Can I ask you something?】

Yu Feng rarely logged into his personal account during work hours, but recently, having someone new to chat with, he had developed the habit of checking it occasionally. However, he didn’t see Xiao Dao’s message until an hour later. By then, Xie An’yu was already at work, and the time difference meant they didn’t connect until that evening.

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【What is it?】

Xiao Dao: 【I want to buy a gift for my friend, but I don’t know what to get. What do you think would be good?】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【How old? Male or female?】

Xiao Dao: 【Eighteen or nineteen, male】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Any hobbies?】

Xiao Dao: 【I don’t know either】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Is he a slacker[mfn]學渣 (xuézhā): (neologism, slang) one whose academic grade is poor (due to slackness); underachiever. Antonym to 學霸 (xuébà), (neologism, slang) studyholic; brainiac; top student; straight-A student; high achiever; overachiever.[/mfn] or a straight-A student[mfn]學霸 (xuébà): (neologism, slang) studyholic; brainiac; top student; straight-A student; high achiever; overachiever. Antonym to 學渣 (xuézhā): (neologism, slang) one whose academic grade is poor (due to slackness); underachiever.[/mfn]?】

Xiao Dao: 【Mm?】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Slackers like different gifts than straight-A students】

Xiao Dao: 【Straight-A student】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【What’s your budget?】

Xiao Dao: 【Two hundred】

He asked a little sheepishly: 【Is that too little?】

As a gift budget for a guy this age, it was indeed a bit low. Guys in their late teens and early twenties were usually interested in sneakers, games, or digital gadgets—none of which were cheap, with even the cheapest ones costing several hundred.

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【That’s plenty. It’s enough】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【If he has nice handwriting, get him a fountain pen. If not, an electric toothbrush under 200 yuan would be practical】

Xie An’yu thought both suggestions were quite good. He remembered Guo Tianyang’s beautiful handwriting—in the past, he had always been in charge of writing the blackboard announcements for their class.

Xiao Dao: 【His handwriting is really nice. I’ll get him a fountain pen】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Mm, that works】

Xiao Dao: 【[Image.gif]】

Every time Student Xiao Dao sent a cute emoji, Yu Feng felt a strange sense of incongruity. It always seemed like this person was being forced to perform, which was kind of funny.

Xiao Dao: 【I’ll go to the mall in a couple of days to check them out】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Just buy it online. No need to make a trip to the mall】

Xiao Dao: 【I don’t know how to shop online】

Yu Feng suddenly remembered Student Xiao Dao taking a photo of his new smartphone with an old flip phone. He wondered, is this kid really 18, or 81?

Although he’d seen Xiao Dao’s profile picture and had a general impression of his appearance, he still couldn’t quite imagine what kind of person Xiao Dao truly was.

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Don’t know how to? Then learn. Didn’t you buy a new phone? Download Taobao, register an account】

Xiao Dao: 【Mm, okay】

Since Student Xiao Dao had never shopped online before, and the quality of goods online varied wildly, Yu Feng worried the kid might get scammed. So, he first searched for fountain pens under 200 yuan with decent reviews on the shopping app. After finding a few promising options, he took screenshots and sent them to Xiao Dao.

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【Did you register an account? Do you know how to use it?】

Xiao Dao: 【Still working on it】

Xiao Dao: 【Did you find these?】

Xiao Zhou Sails Away: 【You can use them as a reference. The prices and reviews are pretty good】

Yu Feng lay on the lounge chair on his balcony, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a drag, his gaze drifting blankly over the skyscrapers outside the window.

He suddenly wondered if Zhou Yi might be right—had he really been enchanted?

The money he spent on Xiao Dao was willingly spent, but spending over twenty minutes helping someone pick out a fountain pen for no apparent reason felt truly bizarre—it genuinely felt like he was in an online relationship.

The phone beside him vibrated. Yu Feng took a drag from his cigarette, glanced at the screen, and saw a voice message from Student Xiao Dao.

The message was very short, only one second long. When Yu Feng played it, he heard a brief, low ‘Thank you’.

Yu Feng put down his phone and took a deep drag from his cigarette.

He had to admit, the feeling of being relied upon and receiving positive feedback was quite satisfying.

Perhaps it was because of the other person’s pleasant voice, which might have amplified Yu Feng’s feeling.

Xiao Dao sent two more voice messages. Yu Feng listened while smoking, but paused halfway through the second message, cigarette still between his teeth.

The other person asked him: “Am I not acting much like a boyfriend?”

***

Just as Xie An’yu finished sending the voice message, Zhai Jing happened to open the door and walked in. Xie An’yu quickly shoved his phone into his pocket.

Zhai Jing changed his shoes and walked into the living room, and said, “Why aren’t you holed up in the bedroom today? What are you doing out here?” He glanced at Xie An’yu’s hand pressed against his pants pocket. “What were you doing just now? You looked so flustered.”

Xie An’yu stiffened his neck and said, “Nothing.”

Zhai Jing chuckled. “Your ears are all red. Watching something, huh?”

Xie An’yu didn’t react immediately, his mind blank for a moment before he finally replied, “No, I wasn’t.”

[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 16″]
鎮館之寶 (zhèn zhī bǎo guǎn): highlights of a museum collection; key highlights of the collections; treasure of the store. It originally referred to the most valuable core items in a store, and later extended to the iconic products that symbolize the brand’s cultural heritage in modern business.

輕而易舉 (qīng ér yì jǔ): (of doing something) easy; without much effort; with no difficulty; be as easy as rolling off a log; be as easy as ABC; with little/slight effort; without the slightest difficulty.

輾轉反側 (zhǎn zhuǎn fǎn cè): to toss and turn in bed as one has something on one’s mind; to toss and turn restlessly (in the bed); have a sleepless night; toss about (in bed); From the Classic of Poetry, poem 1 (《詩經·周南·關雎》): 求之不得，寤寐思服。 悠哉悠哉，輾轉反側。, He sought her and found her not, and waking and sleeping he thought about her. Long he thought; oh! long and anxiously; on his side, on his back, he turned, and back again.

自始至終 (zì shǐ zhì zhōng): (idiomatic) from beginning to end, always; from start to finish (idiom); throughout; all along; the whole time; the consistency of the whole process from beginning to end.

獨來獨往 (dú lái dú wǎng): to be a loner; to be alone and avoid the company of others; coming and going alone (idiom); a lone operator; keeping to oneself; unsociable; maverick; have no contact with anyone; to be alone and not associate with others; it is a metaphor for being different from others in everything.

無足輕重 (wú zú qīng zhòng): of little importance or consequence; insignificant; of little account; without it, it is not lighter, and with it, it is not heavier. It means it doesn’t matter.

良莠不齊 (liáng yǒu bù qí): good and bad things mixed together; good and bad people intermingled; the good and the bad are intermingled; uneven in quality; a mixed bag; a mixture of wheat and chaff; a mixed lot.

高樓大廈 (gāo lóu dà shà): high-rise buildings; tall and towering buildings; high-rise buildings and large mansions. This idiom is often used to describe the spectacular scene of urban buildings.
[/dropdown]

Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.