The girl followed him up the stairs, apparently unaware that he was her new neighbor. Jiang You didn't initiate conversation, worried he might startle her. He'd heard that nights could be dangerous in foreign countries. If he scared her into some kind of stress reaction, that would be a minor issue; if he got himself hurt in the process, that would be a major one.
"So... neighbor?" she asked, her words clipped.
Jiang You felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Moving here with her parents must be tough. But every family has its own struggles, and he understood that.
"Yes, I'm your neighbor... Oh, can you understand me? Do you understand?" he asked, suddenly realizing she might not be fluent.
"Understand, yes. No problem. Speaking... difficult," the girl managed to explain haltingly. Her listening comprehension was fine; it was her spoken Chinese that was weak.
"Just being able to understand is impressive enough."
Though he didn't know her nationality, Jiang You knew Chinese was notoriously difficult. For someone who had just transferred schools to understand it so well, she must have put in a tremendous amount of effort.
"It must be tough coming to a foreign country," he said kindly. "Tell your parents that if you run into any trouble, you can just knock on my door. I'll help with anything within my ability."
Chinese people tend to have a strong sense of hospitality; failing to treat guests well is seen as losing face. In this respect, Jiang You was rather traditional, which explained his enthusiastic offer.
"Mother... very busy. So, usually... just me... alone here."
This girl is too trusting, Jiang You thought. Telling a stranger she's home alone—isn't she worried about being attacked?
"Maybe... trouble you later. Return gift... will have."
"Don't worry about it," Jiang You replied. "It's common for neighbors to help each other out."
I won't be able to help her many times anyway. Just need to build up some affection.
"Maybe someday, I'll be the one needing your help."
After being thanked profusely by her, Jiang You finally made it back home. Spending the day with B.B (whom Jiang You saw as Xiao Ying) was more exhausting than an all-night gaming session. He was drained not just physically but mentally as well. Right now, Jiang You didn't even have the strength to move a muscle.
The white-haired girl entered the apartment next to Jiang You's. It was almost completely empty, as clean as an unfurnished shell. But she didn't care. Furniture wasn't important. The first priority was to establish a connection with Jiang You.
"Pretending to stutter is so exhausting!"
The thought of keeping up this act for another week or two made Illya's spirits sink. Still, the first step had gone perfectly. Jiang You hadn't seen through her true identity at all. The makeup, colored contacts, and new hairstyle had really worked. She'd have to thank that B.B person later.
Her thoughts drifted back to before she left, when Ruby and Sapphire, who were in on the plan, had helped her strategize.
"Have you ever heard of the 'nurturing' genre?" Ruby had suggested.
"Nurturing genre?"
Illya didn't understand what that meant. Jiang You and I have both stopped growing, haven't we? She touched her flat chest, a wave of frustration washing over her.
"Nurturing doesn't have to be about physical growth," Ruby explained. "Think about it: a high school student travels thousands of miles to a new country, but she can't speak the language. She'll need someone to help, right? You can ask Jiang You to teach you Chinese. During your lessons, some physical contact is inevitable. Just don't overdo it—keep it subtle. And in your free time, help him with chores like laundry, calling it 'payment' for his help."
"Imagine this: day by day, your presence fills every corner of his life. He gets used to having you around. Everything will fall into place naturally!"
Ruby grew excited just describing the plan.
"That... might actually work!"
This time, Sapphire didn't object. The plan sounded surprisingly solid. Constant companionship is the most profound confession of love. Eventually, Jiang You would feel uneasy even thinking about leaving Illya.
"I understand."
Illya was ready. She was heading to the "Real" World.
Just as Jiang You was dozing off on the sofa, a knock echoed at his door. He peered through the peephole but saw no one.
"Is this place haunted?"
Jiang You muttered as he flung the door open. This would give him an immediate, wide field of view and prevent an ambush from a blind spot.
Thud!
"Ouch!"
The door slammed into something and bounced back slightly. Jiang You immediately looked down and saw a white-haired girl pinned between the door and the wall.
He quickly let go, freeing her. The tip of her nose was bright red, clearly from the pain.
"Sorry, I honestly didn't see you."
The peephole's height range had been just above the girl's head, completely obscuring her from view. Jiang You couldn't help but think she looked even younger than B.B. While B.B was an adult who looked like a high schooler, she still exuded a captivating charm. This white-haired girl, however, looked like an elementary schooler trying to pass as a high schooler.
"It's... okay. My... fault."
The white-haired girl didn't blame him. "Furniture... not ready. Want... to stay."
Of course there's no furniture; it was all moved out. Jiang You was surprised she didn't even know that basic fact. But then he considered that in American movies, people often move into houses with furniture left by the previous owners. He shrugged it off. Maybe it's just a cultural difference?
What's with this "lone man and woman sharing a room" plot?
Jiang You felt like none of this was real. First, an incredibly proactive heiress from Reality had taken a liking to him. Now, a foreign, white-haired, blue-eyed girl wanted to stay the night. Baldy Zhang had been right—his romantic luck was finally kicking in.
Just pray it doesn't turn into a romantic calamity.
In Jiang You's eyes, Miss Tong had a definite crazy streak. Her triad clone bodyguards might just show up with submachine guns and mow him down. As for this foreign girl, he didn't even know her name or what country she was from. His knowledge of her was zero.
If possible, Jiang You would have preferred to refuse. But she was just a girl, and he'd already promised to help her in any way he could. If she wasn't afraid of what he might do, what did he have to fear? Worst case, he'd just lock his bedroom door!
"No problem," Jiang You nodded. "I have a guest room. You can stay there tonight."
"By the way, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Jiang You. And you are?"
It was time to ask. He couldn't just not know her name, right?
"Christina von Goethe," Illya replied, having already prepared the fake name.
"Von?"
Jiang You was familiar with this—Illya's name also contained "von." It meant her ancestors were nobles.
"German?"
"That's right, Mr. Jiang. Very clever."
Jiang You knew she was just being polite, but he responded with a smile anyway. So Germans really do have the same white-haired bloodline as the Einzberns. How strange.