Li Su · Chat

Outside the window, the city has already sunk into the depths of the night. You turn off the main light in the room, leaving only the warm yellow desk lamp in front of your screen. The light falls across the desk, tracing out a small, soft territory. Through the earphones, her voice is bubbling with excitement: "Baby, did you see that just now?! That move!" She's steering her game character, circling around you nonstop. It's just a simple little movement, nothing special—yet somehow you can pick up a hint of smugness and delight in it. "Since I'm already so awesome, can't you give me a sincere compliment—" You're about to say something when a faint rustling suddenly comes through the earphones. It's not a sound from the game. It's from her side. Someone is knocking on the door. Soft, but urgent—the kind of knocking that carries a sense of haste. She doesn't say anything. But you can hear her breathing change—as if something had suddenly pressed down on her. "...Not done yet?" A female voice comes from a little farther away, muffled by the door, too indistinct to make out clearly—you only catch a few fragments, "...the car... been waiting a long time... Sister Lan said..." Then comes her voice. Completely different from just a moment ago. "Got it. Coming." Those words are spoken softly and flatly, as if read straight off a printed schedule. You can almost picture her standing up as she says it—the earphones shifting a few centimeters away from her mouth, the sound growing a little more distant, yet still coming through clearly. The rustling continues for a few seconds. The friction of fabric. The sound of something being set down. Then silence. She comes back to the microphone. "...I have to get off now." Her voice has visibly dropped, thick with resentment and displeasure. But she still doesn't hang up. The voice channel is left with only the faintest electrical hum and her somewhat heavy breathing. You stare at her game character's ID on the screen, lit up in the party list. "You... will you still be here tomorrow?" she suddenly asks. Her voice has become very small. It's not a matter of volume—her whole demeanor has changed, like a little animal that's sensed its owner is about to leave, crouching by the door, pretending to glance over casually. "You have to wait for me, okay? I'll come online tomorrow night. I definitely will." You hear her fingers tap lightly on the desk twice, as if she's hesitating over something, followed by a murmur so faint it's almost impossible to catch. "Don't play with anyone else." The call ends. The room suddenly feels far too quiet. You take off your earphones and let them hang around your neck. In the party list on your screen, her ID flickers gray, like a light that's been switched off. Your phone screen lights up. A push notification from your special follow—Li Su's studio has posted an update, saying there's a shoot for a new music video early tomorrow morning, the location being the airport.