That was right: Zhang Zhaomu's QQ nickname was "Jasmine Meow."
It wasn't that he was deliberately acting cute. On one previous occasion, struck by a mischievous impulse, he had specifically changed his account to a female one and added a foul-mouthed teammate with lousy skills on QQ to mess with him.
After discovering that his account was female, the guy had actually abandoned every scrap of his Zaun spirit. He never again mentioned things like making the loser of a solo match call the winner Daddy, and shamelessly begged for selfies instead.
Zhang Zhaomu had toyed with him thoroughly, then cruelly revealed the truth just as the guy was getting excited. Before he could lose his composure, Zhang Zhaomu had simply blocked him and called it a day.
Afterward, he had forgotten to change his nickname back. He didn't use QQ much anyway, so he hadn't paid it any mind.
Bing Chan: "Waiting a little longer is fine, but I probably won't have time to finish today's update. I'll really have to take the day off."
Zhang Zhaomu hadn't reached the latest chapter yet, so he didn't particularly care whether Bing Chan updated that day.
Jasmine Meow: "If you post that as your reason for taking a day off, probably not many people will believe it. Besides, why don't you write during the day, Great Bing Chan?"
Bing Chan: "I have other things to do during the day. Just keeping up daily updates already takes almost every scrap of free time I can squeeze out."
Jasmine Meow: "You're actually not a full-time writer, Great Bing Chan? With how well this book is doing, you'd have a very good chance of climbing near the top of the rankings if you updated a little more each day, right?"
Bing Chan: "For certain reasons, I really can't do this full-time..."
Bing Chan: "Enough about that. I'm so mad right now! I only went to the convenience store downstairs for a bottle of water, and I actually forgot to bring my keys! Now all I can do is squat in the stairwell!"
Jasmine Meow: "You could consider leaving a spare key outside the door next time."
Bing Chan: "Leaving a key outside always feels a little unsafe. If someone found out where it was and sneaked in at night, that would be dangerous."
Jasmine Meow: "We live in a society governed by law now, and hardly anyone uses cash anymore. People breaking into homes to steal things is pretty rare. Of course, if you're a girl living alone, you really do need to be more careful about that."
Bing Chan: "I'm a man!"
Zhang Zhaomu froze for a moment. Why such a strong reaction? Of course he knew Bing Chan was a man.
Could someone who wrote that sort of harem novel, with some rather explicit scenes at that, possibly be a woman?
Unable to suppress a chuckle, he replied, "Why are you emphasizing that? Of course I know you're a man, so you really don't need to worry so much."
Only after a while did Bing Chan reply: "I don't live alone. I have a daughter at home, too. Better to be cautious."
Zhang Zhaomu: "Fair point. You really do need to be careful, then."
Perhaps because being locked out was simply too boring, Bing Chan was surprisingly eager to chat. Zhang Zhaomu chatted with him on and off for over half an hour.
Of course, they mostly discussed the book's contents. Bing Chan also shared some amusing incidents from writing it and complained quite a bit about his writing habits.
For example, he hadn't really made much of an outline and often came up with things as he wrote, so he only knew the plot of the latest chapter a few hours before his readers did, and so on.
Checking the time, Zhang Zhaomu sent a message: "The locksmith still hasn't arrived?"
Bing Chan: "I just called to hurry him along. He said he forgot to charge his electric scooter, so it might take another forty minutes or more."
Jasmine Meow: "...Maybe try another locksmith."
Bing Chan: "That's exactly what I did. I just found another locksmith's number, but when I called, it was still him..."
Jasmine Meow: "Nothing you can do, then (facepalm/). Maybe the locksmiths all have their own territories. Just wait it out. You were planning to take today off anyway."
Bing Chan: "I can live with waiting a little longer. The main thing is... I suddenly really need the bathroom."
Jasmine Meow: "Just find somewhere to take care of it."
Bing Chan: "Number two (crying/)."
The corner of Zhang Zhaomu's mouth twitched.
This dude really was pretty unlucky.
He replied, "That's definitely a bit awkward. Why don't you search for a public restroom nearby, or ask a neighbor to use their bathroom?"
Bing Chan: "The public restroom is a bit far away. As for asking a neighbor... I feel like I'd be bothering them too much. It's a little embarrassing."
Jasmine Meow: "Nature calls. I'm sure they'll understand. Besides, I know what it feels like when you can barely hold it in. When someone's bursting, there's nothing they won't do, let alone knock on a neighbor's door to borrow their bathroom."
"Except math problems, of course. Even if I filled my pants, I still couldn't do those."
Bing Chan: "Stop making me laugh... I really can't hold it much longer."
A mischievous urge immediately welled up in Zhang Zhaomu. Just as he was racking his brains for a few more jokes to send over, he suddenly heard a knock at the door.
He paused. It was late at night, and he hadn't ordered any takeout.
"Who is it?" Zhang Zhaomu called as he walked to the door.
"Sorry-" A clear, bright voice came from outside. "Class rep, it's me."
"Duan Chan'er?" Somewhat surprised, Zhang Zhaomu pulled the door open.
It was indeed Duan Chan'er. She was wearing a nightdress, its cotton fabric resting softly against her body, tracing an overly slender waist, the rounded curve of her hips, and the faintly visible contours of her chest.
The hem, which barely reached mid-thigh, swayed gently with her nervousness. Her long, straight legs looked strikingly white in what should have been the dim stairwell.
Noticing Zhang Zhaomu's confusion, Duan Chan'er explained quietly, her face flushed, "I went to the convenience store downstairs to buy something, but I forgot to take my keys."
Zhang Zhaomu: "..."
Why did that sound a little familiar?
"Oh... Should I call a locksmith for you?" he replied instinctively.
"N-no need. I already called." Duan Chan'er's fingers had turned a little white where they pinched the hem of her dress. Her legs were pressed tightly together, rubbing slightly against each other. "It's just... the locksmith won't be here for a long time, and then..."
"And then?" Zhang Zhaomu felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
"And now I kind of need to go..." By now, Duan Chan'er's face was blood-red. She lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer. "So, could I... could I use... your bathroom?"
"Of course." Zhang Zhaomu stepped aside. "We're neighbors and classmates. What's the big deal?"
"Thank you." Duan Chan'er entered the room with cautious little steps.
"The bathroom's over here." Zhang Zhaomu pointed it out.
"S-sorry for the trouble!" Duan Chan'er quickened her steps, walked awkwardly inside, and shut the door with a snap.
"Watch closely. This man's name is Handsome-"
Then the noisy sound of short videos came from the bathroom, the volume turned up very high.
It was just a little trick to cover up the sounds. Zhang Zhaomu had used it himself, so naturally, he thought nothing of it. He sat back down and picked up his phone, then suddenly jolted.
"Wait... This isn't right. This is really not right!"
"I was just talking to Bing Chan about asking a neighbor to use their bathroom, and then Duan Chan'er knocked on my door. And her situation is exactly the same as Bing Chan's. No matter how you look at it, isn't that way too much of a coincidence?"