In Lu Qing's "perspective of time," many memories are hazy and indistinct.
When something isn't significant enough to be anticipated, or if it has been repeated too many times in the past, that memory becomes like a blank sheet of paper, dissolving into nothingness in his mind. Years later, no matter how hard he tries, he can't recall it clearly.
The key events that he does remember, however, are undoubtedly the fragments that can be called the "highlights of life."
His life is pieced together by these fragments, forming a soul that can barely be described as "alive."
In his fragmented childhood, there are certain moments that he still can't forget to this day.
Their only commonality is that they all revolve around "people."
Only by encountering "important people" can his gray and decaying world be shaken—
Only then can his life state change, as he once read in some material.
—"Change."
...
Today.
A new "important person" has entered his sight.
Can the stories and scenes she weaves act like a rare antidote, subtly altering the trajectory of his future life?
Lu Qing doesn't know, and he can't say for sure.
But he understands one thing: every action he takes will inevitably meet with an equal and opposite reaction.
[To change others, perhaps he must also change himself.]
And so—
He opens the box.
He reads, he admires,
The perfect images she spent over twenty hours shooting, editing, printing, and meticulously selecting before stacking them neatly together.
"Miss, do you have a reservation? Staring through the window like this is disturbing our customers..."
At the entrance of a shop, a male server scrutinizes the strange woman who has been loitering outside for at least 20 minutes. Unable to suppress his concern, he finally speaks up.
"Ah... sorry, sorry! Yes, I do!"
Behind a life-sized vase to the left of the shop entrance, Tang Hua feels a pang of embarrassment.
She had been secretly observing the shop owner, completely captivated by his actions, losing all sense of time!
But that's not the point!
The point is... what is he looking at?
That little box... isn't that the super embarrassing "gift" she gave him?
Inside are 206 selfies of her in a succubus cosplay!
Multiple angles, multiple poses, multiple expressions, ultra-high-definition, and an unprecedented level of boldness—this is the ultimate succubus cosplay collection!!
Why is he looking at it before their date?
Couldn't he have looked at it, used it, and put it away at home before coming here?
Now she's all worked up again, her body burning with nervousness.
Tang Hua quietly complains in her heart, but on the surface, she tries to maintain a fearless demeanor, bravely following the server into the shop.
By the way, this trick she's using—"First Come, First Serve (Modified Version)"—
Which involves arriving early, hiding, waiting for her crush to arrive, then reappearing after about 15 minutes with her makeup touched up and her dress straightened, confidently entering the date location—was something she learned from a popular relationship advice account on a social platform.
Though she's just applying it for the first time, Tang Hua is a quick learner.
In just one night, she's already putting it into practice.
"Is that the gentleman's table? I'll take you there."
"Yes!"
Without much thought, she follows the server straight to a corner table by the window.
...
"March Premium Wagyu Cuisine" is a mid-range restaurant specializing in grilled meat, located in a small plaza near the subway exit below Tang Hua's apartment.
The place has an elegant ambiance and a good reputation, with an average per-person cost of around 300 yuan. However, Lu Qing has budgeted 1,000 yuan for this meal.
After all, Tang Hua didn't eat her fill the last two times, and she seemed to hold back a bit... So this time, he's determined to make sure she eats to her heart's content, or else the whole point of the date would be lost.
"Boss! I'm here!"
"Hey."
From a distance, it's clear that today's Tang Hua looks even more alluring than before—
She's wearing a light gray bustier with a corset-style neckline, revealing her shoulders and showcasing an incredible texture.
Over it, she has a black long hoodie, casually draped over her arms, with gold cuffs that give off a knitwear-like feel, adding a touch of otherworldly charm.
Her shorts are ultra-short, revealing the full beauty of her thighs down to just above her knees, complemented by 80D thick black thigh-high socks that perfectly accentuate her dreamy, model-like legs.
Her hair is still a bit messy, swaying with her quick, bouncy steps as she approaches,
Clearly freshly washed before she left the house.
She's wearing a mask, but her eye makeup is more exquisite than ever,
Clearly, she's gone all out with her look, but she doesn't want others to see it before her date.
Tang Hua, like a gust of wind, quickly bypasses the server leading the way and slips right next to Lu Qing—
Clearly, she has no intention of sitting across from him.
"..."
Inhaling the scent of her shower gel and feeling the softness of her body against his, Lu Qing subtly shifts further into the seat.
"Good afternoon," he greets her.
"Hehe, hi~"
"Boss, why were you looking at... that?"
Tang Hua, her face slightly flushed, points at the silver box on the table, clearly curious.
"Ah, I didn't get enough of it at home, so I thought I'd take another look here. If it bothers you, I'll put it away."
Lu Qing calmly closes the lid, his expression giving nothing away.
"!"
This response sends Tang Hua's overactive imagination into overdrive—
[Wait, what did he just say?]
[He didn't get enough of looking at me at home, so he brought it out here to look at me more...?]
[Does that mean he actually likes cosplay? Or more specifically, my cosplay?]
[Yes, he must really like my cosplay, which is why he's using every spare moment to look at these photos... even in public.]
[So, if he likes my succubus cosplay...]
[And I can become a succubus...]
[Then, by extension—doesn't that mean... he likes me when I'm in my succubus persona?]
"All I need to do is act like a succubus around him..."
...
Before she knows it, Tang Hua has pieced everything together.
At the same time, she feels incredibly satisfied with the result of last night's coin toss, where she flipped it ten times before finally landing on "heads."
[Persistence really does pay off! The heavens haven't deceived me!]
"Hehe, Boss, do you really like looking at my photos that much?"
Seeing that he's already put the box away, Tang Hua can't help but feel a little itch in her heart, hesitating as she says, "If you like them, you can just tell me. It's not like I can't... take some more for you right now."
"...Are you hearing yourself?"
Lu Qing lets out a soft hiss, keeping his expression as neutral as possible,
But inside, he's feeling the ripples.
Clearly, sitting next to Tang Hua and hearing her flirtatious invitation, any normal person would find it hard to remain unaffected.
He's no saint, and in the face of such deliberate temptation, the most he can do is keep his composure.
So, he needs to steady the situation first, or else they might not even get to the main topic before she derails everything.
"You really don't treat me like an outsider, do you?"
Lu Qing says calmly.
"Of course not. If you want, we can totally set something up. I've been wanting a dedicated photographer to help me with my shoots... It's so tiring having to set up everything by myself every time."
Tang Hua's advances continue unabated.
"..."
It's clear that today, she's acting a bit differently than usual.
Lu Qing's heart stirs, sensing the subtle implications in her words.
He knows that in the cosplay community, many photographers use photo shoots as an excuse to get close to cosplayers, all in the hopes of getting what they want.
Sometimes, these transactions are done under the guise of free shoots and free editing, a mutual but unspoken agreement. It's a shady but common practice within the circle, though outsiders are usually none the wiser.
In real life, many people who don’t enjoy photography or even have no interest in the world of cosplay are willing to spend a fortune on equipment just to get a chance to interact with cosplayers. They force themselves into the circle, buying their way in, just to dip their toes into this murky water. Over time, through expanding their network, they slowly evolve into what insiders jokingly call “pervy photographers.”
For someone like Tang Hua, a cosplayer who prefers to stay at home and enjoy her own little world, these people are nothing but an anomaly.
She is someone to be admired from afar, untouchable, and certainly not someone to be trifled with.
She doesn’t need to interact with male photographers, nor does she need anyone to help her edit her photos. After all, she’s a top-tier artist herself. If an artist only knew how to draw but didn’t understand photo editing, her peers would laugh her out of the room.
So, when Tang Hua extended her invitation to Lu Qing, it sounded to him no different than, “Boss, I want you to be my exclusive photographer and take some private photos for me.”
——「The map of Yan is neither too long nor too short.」
Lu Qing didn’t dare to respond directly. Instead, under the envious gaze of the waiter (whose phone was practically turning purple with envy), he handed the menu to Tang Hua and asked if she wanted to add any more dishes, attempting to change the subject.
Tang Hua fell for it easily. The moment he tried to divert her attention, she was successfully distracted.
“I’m fine with anything, hehehe…”
At this moment, she was already captivated by the small detail of Lu Qing’s seemingly calm demeanor, while his arm holding the menu was trembling ever so slightly.
Even someone as oblivious as her could tell that the boss was holding something back.
This reaction was oddly similar to how she felt during those nights when she lost herself in a frenzy over twenty times a month.
Such an amusing reaction made Tang Hua chuckle inwardly, and she felt the urge to tease him a little more.
After all, for a girl, 「a guy’s nervousness and awkwardness are a form of validation.」
Especially in Tang Hua’s uniquely skewed perspective, Lu Qing’s state could be directly translated as——he’s interested in my body.
Hmm.
【He’s just too shy to say it.】
【He’s been wanting something for a while now.】
【After all, I’m beautiful.】
【He must think so too.】
——「Absolute confidence in her figure.」
……
“Got it. Then let’s go with the dishes I ordered earlier. If it’s not enough, we can always order more.”
Lu Qing quickly closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter.
He figured that a thousand yuan’s worth of meat should be enough for her.
Although a high-quality plate of chuck eye roll costs 128+ and the portion isn’t as generous as a home-cooked meal, the quality of the meat makes up for it. It’s rich in calories and leaves you feeling satisfied.
What Tang Hua lacks is this kind of high-quality protein. If she keeps eating cheap takeout with processed meat, there’s no way she’ll be able to maintain a healthy body.
Lu Qing wanted to take extra care of her, especially since she lived so far away. If he neglected her even slightly, she might retreat into herself and disappear.
“Alright, you two.”
The waiter began reciting the dishes:
“You’ve ordered a plate of Angus grain-fed beef brisket, a serving of Australian Wagyu M6 ribeye, a plate of thinly sliced chuck eye roll, a Korean-style fruit-glazed pork rib, a plate of SPAM luncheon meat, a seafood platter, a large serving of tempura shrimp… We’ll start serving the dishes now.”
The waiter listed off a total of twelve or thirteen dishes, leaving Tang Hua wide-eyed and slightly open-mouthed. She looked over in surprise and asked,
“Boss, h-how come you ordered so much? Is… is Bai Xing coming to join us later?”
Her previously good mood took a sudden dip, becoming less cheerful.
Tang Hua instinctively wondered if this spread of dishes was meant to include the other girl’s portion.
Otherwise, if the boss couldn’t eat much himself and left it all to her, wouldn’t that be a dream come true?
“This doesn’t seem like the right amount for two people. Even if Bai Xing came, we’d probably just barely finish it all.”
Last time, she had already noticed that Bai Xing had a “bird-like appetite,” only taking a bite or two of anything before declaring herself full.
Unlike Tang Hua, who never wasted any food, not even cold fries. She made sure to devour everything, turning it all into energy for maximum efficiency.
As she was lost in her thoughts, Lu Qing shook his head and said,
“No, it’s just the two of us today.”
“Huh?! Then…”
“Didn’t I say I was only taking you out for meat this time? Last time, it seemed like you didn’t eat enough, so I thought I’d order a bit more. If we can’t finish it, we can always take it home. Besides, you rarely take the initiative to invite me out for a meal, so I naturally wanted to make it special. Don’t think I’ve forgotten my promise to you.”
Lu Qing’s matter-of-fact expression, paired with his calm tone, instantly made Tang Hua’s heart leap with joy.
She suddenly felt like her status in the boss’s eyes had risen!
That’s right,
The boss wasn’t just talking big—he really meant what he said!
Especially this time, when she had tentatively extended the invitation, he had agreed without a second thought.
This made Tang Hua start to wonder:
——Was the boss doing this on purpose, just to make her happy?
He didn’t even bring Bai Xing along this time! In the past, his attitude wouldn’t have been like this, right?
Bai Xing was as fragile as glass. If she found out about this, she’d definitely try to insert herself into the situation…
But she wasn’t here!
So, did that mean today’s outing was a once-in-a-decade, super-exclusive two-person event?
The kind where no one else knew what was happening, a secret and thrilling rendezvous?
【Sure, eating and drinking is nice, but what I really crave is… that kind of thing, you know…】
Hmm… How should I convey this to the boss?
【How do I tell him that I want to invite him back to my place for a while before he leaves?】
“If I say it directly, will he agree?”
Tang Hua’s eyes grew hazy, her legs pressed tightly together, and with a dazed, almost intoxicated expression, she pondered this under Lu Qing’s watchful gaze.
……
……