The next day at work, even her colleagues could tell that Zhang Yang was different from her usual self. They teased her, "Are you in love? Why are you glowing?"
Zhang Yang instinctively wanted to deny it, but as soon as she thought of Ke Yu, her mouth couldn't help but curl up into a smile.
The smile spoke for itself, and her colleagues immediately gathered around to gossip, teasing her about how she had been so set on marrying Sheng Shi.
Zhang Yang desperately wanted to show them a picture of her and Ke Yu, to show off and bask in their envy and jealousy once again. But she held back and just promised to have dinner with them next time.
As an accountant at a state-owned enterprise, Zhang Yang had been working there since graduating from university. Her job was easy and the pay wasn't high, with narrow opportunities for advancement. She was content with her current situation, and could see her entire career path from beginning to retirement with just one glance. Falling for Sheng Shi seemed to be a rebellious phase that had come late in her life, and being "in love" with Ke Yu was a feat of bravery in her ordinary life.
Thinking of Ke Yu, she couldn't sit still at her desk. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a leave application form, planning to use all five days of her annual leave this year to spend more time with Ke Yu. In the past, she had always saved her annual leave for various events hosted by Sheng Shi.
After submitting her leave application, Zhang Yang started looking for a place to travel. She knew that she was being a little crazy, but she really wanted to create more happy memories before she woke up from her dream.
The big fan group was still discussing strategies for attacking the opposing fan group. Someone had made a black meme with a row of vomiting emojis underneath.
"How can someone who looks like this have the nerve to throw herself at our brother? It's disgusting."
"It's precisely because she looks like that, that she has to latch onto his popularity, or else she'd have to sell her body to old men."
"Look at you talking. How do you know he hasn't sold his body?"
"Hahaha."
"Fans of this CP have negative visual acuity."
"Fans of this CP are all haters of our brother. They're not just hating on him because he's not good-looking."
Zhang Yang clicked on the picture, rolled her eyes, and switched to a meme-making app, adding her own twists and turns to the conversation.
The male celebrity in the picture is named Yue Chengguang. He once played the younger brother of Sheng Shi, the villainous second male lead, in a crime-solving drama. Unexpectedly, the official female lead was like a background prop, while the popular "fujoshi" brotherhood pairing between the two male leads, named Sheng Guang, became a huge hit and constantly topped the CP rankings on Weibo.
With two hit dramas in three years, Yue Chengguang has established himself as a top-tier celebrity. However, he's also been relentlessly marketed as a package deal with the Sheng Guang pairing, and has even managed to break into the A-list because of it.
The fans of the two male leads are bitter enemies, constantly fighting and digging up dirt on each other. They hate the idea of their pure and noble "brother" being associated with someone who is morally bankrupt, has a terrible character, and looks like a rat.
Zhang Yang, the protagonist of this story, hates Yue Chengguang more than anything else in the world. She enjoys imagining his miserable downfall and finds pleasure in disgusting him and his fans.
As she joins the chorus of online haters, someone in the chat group asks if they have any news about Mina, who has disappeared. Zhang Yang replies that she probably left the internet to avoid being harassed. The others agree and express their disdain for her.
Although the trio thinks that Mina's success was solely due to money, it wasn't entirely the case. Nonetheless, they still think that she hasn't suffered any consequences for the negative impact she has had on her brother's reputation. They fear that she might even become an internet celebrity and bring out her low-quality, phony boyfriend, who appears to lack intelligence and sophistication.
Zhang Yang wrinkles her nose and can't help but comment that he is already good-looking enough, so why not stop at that?
"Zhang Yang sneered, 'You were so enthusiastic and happy when you took a photo with him.'
There was a moment of silence in the group, and after a while, Earpiece spoke up: 'Mina is so rich, he just needs to sell his ass, he doesn't need to come out and show his face.'
Jing Yiyi: 'Hahahaha.'
Zhang Yang suddenly didn't want to talk in the group anymore. She used to appreciate Earpiece's sharp and sarcastic style, always at the forefront of arguments, able to say any dirty words, and be one against a hundred. In the fan group, there must be such a powerful mad dog to let loose and bite the other side's mad dog. But when she heard Earpiece say that about Ke Yu, she suddenly felt fed up.
Feeling unhappy, Zhang Yang switched to several Weibo accounts and took turns tearing apart the opposing fans, venting her emotions.
This mood persisted until she finished work and could go home to see Ke Yu. What couldn't be washed away by such happiness and sweetness?
As soon as she got home, she was greeted with a warm kiss, a steaming hot dinner, and sickeningly sweet care. Left and right, "baby", "are you tired", "I miss you so much", Zhang Yang blushed and felt incredibly happy and sweet.
During dinner, Zhang Yang exclaimed, "I've taken a year off from work, let's go on a trip tomorrow. We don't have time to apply for visas, but we can go to some visa-free countries. Is there anywhere you want to go? Oh, you have a passport, right?"
Ke Yu shook his head, "No."
"Then we can go somewhere in China. Do you have any places you want to go?"
"As long as you want to go, I want to go."
"Let's go to Sanya then," Zhang Yang said with longing. "I hardly ever travel after graduation. Only if my brother has a concert in a city will I go. I've always wanted to go to Sanya. Give me your ID card and I'll book the plane tickets." Last-minute plane tickets and hotels are definitely very expensive, but Zhang Yang didn't care about money at this moment.
"ID card? I don't have one either," Ke Yu said calmly, as if discussing whether the dish was good or not.
Zhang Yang was stunned, but then realized that Ke Yu was a person created artificially, so naturally he didn't have a legal identity. His whole existence was illegal.
Ke Yu asked curiously, "Does everyone have a passport and ID card? Why don't I have one?"
"Oh, not everyone has them," Zhang Yang said somewhat disappointed.
Ke Yu touched Zhang Yang's face, "Are you upset?"
"No," Zhang Yang smiled, "it's okay. We can just play around the city and the surrounding areas. There are also many fun things to do."
"Okay."
After finishing their meal, Zhang Yang and Ke Yu sat on the couch to discuss where to go. "We should go to the amusement park, the ancient town, this popular library that I've always wanted to visit, and also this museum with many interesting things to see. I also want to make a list of food to try, one by one. How about that?" Zhang Yang scrolled through her phone.
Ke Yu smiled and said, "Okay."
"If only I had a car... It's okay, taking a taxi is also very convenient." Zhang Yang never took a taxi unless necessary, but she didn't want Ke Yu to squeeze on public transportation with her. She couldn't offer much to Ke Yu, but she wanted to do her best.
Ke Yu still agreed.
"Which one should we go to first tomorrow? The weather looks good for outdoor activities, but it could also be sunny. What do you think?"
Ke Yu replied with adoration, "Whatever you want."
Zhang Yang shook her head, "Don't you have any opinions?" She had been the only one talking the whole time. Whatever she said, Ke Yu would agree.
Ke Yu still smiled and said, "I'll follow your lead."
Zhang Yang sighed helplessly, "Let's go to the museum first. I'll plan out tomorrow's itinerary."
"Okay."
Zhang Yang stretched lazily and yawned, "Let's rest early."
Ke Yu asked, "Should we have sex tonight?"
Zhang Yang's whole body stiffened, "Wh-what?"
Ke Yu looked at her with clean eyes, "Should we have sex?"
Zhang Yang climbed out of Ke Yu's arms, nervously fidgeting with her hands. She didn't know how to answer and didn't dare look at Ke Yu's eyes.
Ke Yu continued to look at her with questioning eyes.
Zhang Yang took a deep breath, "N-no."
"Okay." Ke Yu looked at his watch, "Should I go to bed now?"
"… You go ahead."
After Ke Yu entered the room, Zhang Yang stood there in a daze for a while. She didn't want to try it, but her lack of trust in this kind of "romantic relationship" made her hesitant.
Zhang Yang rubbed her hot face vigorously, her mind a mess.
The next day, Zhang Yang officially began her vacation with Ke Yu. They did almost everything she had imagined doing with a boyfriend, went to amusement parks in matching outfits, visited museums while holding hands, drank coffee and played puzzles face-to-face in trendy libraries, checked in at famous restaurants for food, and left behind photos and videos at every step.
Ke Yu was like a large magnet, attracting not metal, but gazes. Those simple disguises couldn't hide the impact his superior appearance had on passersby, even if you ignored his resemblance to a bygone era, he was still the stunning and eye-catching figure in the crowd.
And Zhang Yang also received those enviable and jealous looks that made her relish in victory, strutting around like a winner, with Ke Yu as the colorful feathers on her body.
Of course, these days of vacation were not all smooth sailing. The longer Zhang Yang spent with Ke Yu, the more issues were exposed. Ke Yu really was like what Mina said, sometimes he acted like an idiot, and if you scratched away his superficial facade, you would find a child dressed in adult clothes. Despite having the intelligence and learning ability of an adult, he lacked the knowledge and experience of an adult, and their communication could only stay at the most basic level, even after Mina had trained him for a while.
Away from home, Zhang Yang felt like she was carrying a giant baby who needed her to take care of everything. After doing it too many times, she did feel a little uncomfortable, but when she looked at Ke Yu's face and his eager attitude, she let it go.
She thought she had really fallen for Ke Yu. She didn't deny that there were elements of transferred feelings and vanity in her liking, but liking was liking, how could she not like a handsome guy who was so gentle and obedient to her?
However, as soon as the thought of "liking" surfaced in her mind, it was quickly extinguished by sadness. This liking was destined to be stillborn. Ke Yu was just a synthetic person borrowed by her, all this sweetness and happiness were like flowers in a mirror, moon on the water, once said it was gone.
What's there to be afraid of, it'll come when it comes.
On the last day of the trip, they were in an ancient town. Because it was far from the city center, Zhang Yang booked a suite in an antique inn. While she was struggling with her anxious thoughts, she received a call from Mina.
Looking at the caller ID, Zhang Yang's heart sank. She had a premonition that this phone call would not bring good news, and she didn't want to answer it, but she couldn't avoid it.
"Hello, Mina."
"Sister Feiyang, what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Have you been enjoying yourself lately?" Mina's tone was suggestive, with a hint of flirtation.
"It's been good." Zhang Yang's tone was deliberately flat. "Ke Yu is doing well."
"Haha, as I thought. At first, he was really like a robot, but thanks to my training, he's doing well now."
"..."
"Sister Feiyang, I'm sorry, but I have to take him back in a few days."
Zhang Yang's breathing faltered, and even though she was prepared, her brain went blank for a moment. She wanted to ask why, but it sounded like a question of blame, and she lacked the position to do so. But she still asked, "Why?"
"Oh, it's not that I don't want to lend him to you, it's my parents. They found out about that thing that happened a while ago, and my dad scolded me very harshly. He froze my card and wouldn't let me go out. Fortunately, Ke Yu has been with you during this time, or I would have been sent back already. They won't let me play with custom-made products anymore and want me to return him immediately."
Zhang Yang felt too uncomfortable to speak, feeling as if the sky had fallen.
"Can I come to pick him up on Sunday? What time will you be home on Sunday?"
Zhang Yang bit her lip. "Mina, how much is Ke Yu's rent?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone, and that silence made Zhang Yang's face burn.
Mina sighed softly. "Sister Feiyang, it's very expensive."
"Tell me how much."
"Twenty thousand yuan per day. New customers have to rent for at least a month and there are no discounts."
Six hundred thousand... it's a huge number that Zhang Yang could never even dream of. It's probably the sum of her inheritance from her parents and her savings over the years.
'Sister Feiyang, don't take custom-made products too seriously. Really, they...how should I put it, they're not real people. You may think everything about them is great after spending a short amount of time with them, but you'll get tired of them once you spend more time with them. Just think of it as going on a date with a handsome guy and don't take it too seriously.'
'Yeah, I know,' Zhang Yang's eyes were getting sour, and she tried to control her tone so that Mina wouldn't notice anything.
Is Ke Yu not a real person? He clearly has a heartbeat, body temperature, and emotions like a human. How is he not a real person?
Even if he's not a real person, she still likes him and wants him to stay by her side. Whether he's a giant baby or a robot, as long as she has his company, she's happy.
But this dream is really going to end.
Ke Yu is even more sought after than those excellent guys in real life because being with him really costs a lot of money, a lot of money. If it weren't for Mina and that absurd online event, how could she have had Ke Yu, even if it was only for a short week?
Zhang Yang didn't know what to do with her sadness. She really couldn't bear it. After Ke Yu returned to that place, would he be rented out to someone else again? Would they never see each other again? She wouldn't even be able to look at the boy she likes?
Zhang Yang returned to her room in a daze. Ke Yu was watching TV, and when he saw her come in, he smiled at her with his usual gentleness and held out his hand.
Zhang Yang rubbed his red eye circles, and asked in a low voice, "Ke Yu, do you like me?"
Ke Yu said without hesitation: "I like you, I love you, you are the best girl in the world."
Knowing that it was the result of Mina's "teaching", Zhang Yang was still happy. She smiled and said, "I like you too."
Ke Yu's smile deepened.
"Let's make love."
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