Chapter One: Cyber Godfather

On the last night of his sophomore summer break, Yan Xuan, as was his habit, opened a chat window with a certain “girlfriend” before going to bed.

Fang Lian: Daddy, I’m off to college tomorrow.

Yan Xuan: That’s wonderful! My sweet girl is finally a college student!

Fang Lian: Daddy, our college tuition is so expensive...

Yan Xuan transferred 10,000 to Fang Lian.

Yan Xuan: Is that enough?

Fang Lian: More than enough, love you! Daddy! (Sticker: a kitten forming a heart with its paws)

Soon after, Yan Xuan received a 520 red envelope and a stunning photo.

In the picture, the girl held her phone up to obscure her face, wearing a pristine white T-shirt, simple in design. The shirt was knotted at the waist, accentuating her full, rounded chest and revealing a flat, toned midriff with well-defined abs—evidence of years spent maintaining her figure. She wore a white badminton skirt, its hem some twenty centimeters above the knee, exposing smooth, powerful thighs. White sneakers and matching socks added to the air of youthful vitality.

Yet Yan Xuan felt nothing, for in his eyes, this was just another AI-generated image, and the person he conversed with was no human at all.

Early last year, a mysterious app called “Cyber Girlfriend” appeared on Yan Xuan’s phone. Driven by curiosity, he checked it out, only to find a lackluster set of features, with less than twenty percent accessible to him. Even chat partners, like characters in a gacha game, had to be drawn at random, their personalities preset.

So far, Yan Xuan had access to only one.

[Name: Fang Lian]
[Quality: Common (white) (Legendary orange drop rate 0.1%. No guarantees, better luck next time!)]
[Affection: 27 (A greasy, middle-aged loser who tries to keep her with his wallet—gross!!!)]
[Age: 18 (All characters in this product are of age—enjoy with peace of mind.)]
[Stats: Height 175cm, Weight 118lbs, Measurements 92-59-88 (Supermodel figure, guaranteed!)]
[Relationship: As her sugar daddy, you’ve kept her online for a full year. To her, you’re an excellent ATM who never asks to meet (Poor Tom, played by a woman he’ll never see.)]
[Backstory: Fang Lian was born into a pitiable single-parent family. Her mother, a service worker, instilled in her warped values. From childhood, Fang Lian has yearned for a life of luxury—designer bags, high-end cosmetics, luxury cars—material indulgence is her sole pursuit. To achieve it, she’ll do whatever it takes, including deceiving and exploiting others.]

A cyber girlfriend whose sole trait was greed?

Yan Xuan couldn’t relate to the developers’ twisted humor. The only thing that kept him playing was the game’s miraculous cash-out mechanic.

Virtual currency recharged at a rate of 1:1000, but transfers from the cyber girlfriend were at a 1:1 rate, wired directly to his bank account. So, after his exchange with Fang Lian, Yan Xuan actually netted 510.

The only catch: he couldn’t deliberately prompt her to send money. When he’d tried, the system instantly suspended his account for three days.

Thanks to this feature, Yan Xuan’s bank balance had grown impressive in just a year.

Fang Lian: Daddy, I’m planning to join the badminton club in college. Do you like my look?

Yan Xuan: You look great. I just wonder which lucky boy on campus will benefit.

Fang Lian: Don’t worry, Daddy. My heart belongs only to you. I won’t date anyone at college. (Sticker: tsundere kitten.)

Yan Xuan grinned.

If Fang Lian were real and sent him that line, he’d probably be too disgusted to eat.

He opened her photo again, suddenly noticing the bold characters “Nanjing University” stretched across her T-shirt. Yan Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Was this the shirt issued to freshmen this year?

If this was AI-generated, the AI was scarily powerful. But if it wasn’t, could it be that the girl he’d chatted with for a whole year wasn’t just a digital construct?

A cold sweat broke out on Yan Xuan’s forehead. He immediately called a fellow student council member.

“Senior, do you still need help welcoming new students? I’d like to volunteer!”

At nine the next morning, Yan Xuan stood at the university’s south gate, greeting freshmen.

Around eleven, another busload of new students arrived. The first girl off the bus instantly drew every gaze.

Compared to the awkward freshness of the other first-years, her presence was a category above.

Her long, softly curled, pink-white hair was tied in a ponytail; her oval face was striking, features exquisitely defined, highlighted by just the right touch of makeup. Her brows arched gracefully like crescent moons, brown shadow and a hint of upward eyeliner deepening her already lively eyes. Silver Chanel earrings adorned her ears, her cheeks glowed with blush, and her lips bore a natural, alluring shade of milk tea.

She wore a loose, airy gray shirt over a cream camisole and denim shorts, a silver chain belt with the Chanel double-C logo accentuating her slim waist. Yet even more eye-catching than the logo was her slender waist and long, flawless legs.

She seemed to revel in the attention, head held high like a proud white swan.

Yet only Yan Xuan, watching from nearby, knew the filth hidden beneath those snowy wings.

“Hello, seniors. I’m Fang Lian. Here’s my admission letter.”

At the registration table, Fang Lian smiled politely, her every gesture exuding impeccable manners.

“Please fill this out,” Yan Xuan said, handing her a form. “You seem to have a lot of luggage. Would you like me to help carry it to your dorm?”

“No—”

Fang Lian began to refuse, but looked up and met Yan Xuan’s gaze.

At six feet tall, Yan Xuan was already striking. Today, freshly shaven and neatly groomed, he looked even more clean-cut and handsome.

Faced with such a senior, Fang Lian’s attitude changed in an instant. In a sweet, unaffected voice, she replied, “Sure, thank you, senior.”

Yan Xuan paused his duties and accompanied Fang Lian to her dorm.

They chatted easily along the way, Yan Xuan always quick with a joke that had Fang Lian laughing out loud. When the dorm was nearly in sight, Fang Lian took out her phone.

“Let’s add each other on WeChat, senior. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime to thank you.”

Whether by design or accident, her motion to retrieve her phone caused her shirt to slip, revealing her right shoulder.

Yan Xuan neither nodded nor shook his head, but remarked meaningfully, “You’re very polite, clearly well brought-up.”

Fang Lian gave a shy smile. “My mom does keep a close eye on me.”

“Is that so?”

Yan Xuan’s inner sneer deepened. This woman was no amateur; if he hadn’t read her profile in the app, he might have been utterly fooled.

“With such strict upbringing, I suppose your parents wouldn’t let you date at college?”

“Um...” To Fang Lian, his question was a blatant hint. She tapped her chin playfully, cheeks puffed in feigned cuteness. “I’m not sure, but if the boy was outstanding enough, maybe my mom and dad would agree?”

The subtext was clear—if you don’t bring more to the table than just a good-looking face, forget it.

“Your parents would agree?”

Yan Xuan suddenly stepped forward, his face so close to Fang Lian’s that his breath washed over her skin.

Fang Lian instinctively tried to step back, but Yan Xuan gripped her arm tightly.

“And what about your daddy—would he approve?”

In that instant, Fang Lian’s smile froze, as if doused in frigid water. She was instantly chilled to the bone.

Her reaction pleased Yan Xuan. He released her and took half a step back, his smile gentle and harmless.

“My good girl, didn’t you promise not to get a boyfriend at college?”