BAI ZE just got out of the dungeon he finished raiding when he received a message from Shen Ji Yun.

YUN: [Are you doing something right now?]

Before he could type an answer, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey, Xiao Bai, thank you for the carry!"

Bai Ze turned around, looking at the girl with a pair of cat ears on top of her head and a pair of expressive cat-like eyes. At first glance, one would think that she was a bit plain. But once they saw those eyes, it would be hard to look away.

"Miss Catnip, I told you not to call me 'Xiao Bai'. It's like I'm your pet cat or something," he said with a helpless tone.

Then, he really did imagine being the pet cat of the other, causing his cheeks to heat up a little. He shook his head. It seemed that his imagination was getting the best of him these days.

He looked again at the girl. Since that day the other went with them at Tropical Land, he had been in contact with her. Of course, only in-game. It's not that deep. Although they both know the real name of each other, that's the extent of it. They never asked each other more information about themselves. Heck, Bai Ze wasn't even sure if Xia Li was really a girl.

Because, you know, there were men out there who were women at heart. Some would probably choose the female gender if they played this game. He didn't think of the possibility that Xia Li was just one of those guys who used a female avatar so they could mooch off other players. After all, if she was, she would have used 100% beautification. So, the only choices were either she was a real girl or she was a guy with a girl's heart.

But Bai Ze didn't seem to care about that. He simply enjoyed the company of the other.

After that spending time together at Tropical Land, they accidentally met once again while both were looking for a party to raid the same dungeon. They ended up raiding it together. Since then, they occasionally met up to do dungeon raiding.

Today, they went to another dungeon which had a higher level of difficulty. Especially for Xia Li who was only playing the game as some sort of hobby. Her level and skills were not really that high in comparison to Bai Ze. That's why she said that he 'carried' her during the raid.

"You're a lion anyway. So, what's the difference?" Xia Li said with a grin.

Bai Ze resisted the urge to say, 'so, you think I'm your pet?'. Because that could lead to a very awkward conversation. Which he honestly didn't want to have. So, the only choice was to ignore that comment.

Xia Li didn't notice the other's reaction and continued, "Besides, calling you White Marsh is a bit, you know, like we're middle schoolers playing hero or something. And doesn't 'bai' means 'white' in our language? So, it's almost the same thing. Plus, you're name is Bai Ze, so"

Bai Ze just felt the corner of his lips twitching. It's like the other was saying that he had 8th grade syndrome by picking such a game handle. Seriously, he sometimes wondered if Xia Li was purposely saying these things to annoy him or if she's just too straightforward for her own good.

"Anyway, please tell Noctis and the amazing young master Jin congrats for entering the finals of the Rookie Carnival," she added, suddenly changing the subject.

If Bai Ze hadn't been used to Xia Li's style of fast-changing conversation, he would probably be dizzy by her sudden change in topic. But he still smiled, especially since the other even said Luo Jin's whole game name handle.

"Okay, I'll tell them," he said. "Didn't you mention before that your brother will also participate in the Rookie Carnival? Did he also pass the preliminary?"

"Yeah, he also passed. He's that golden dragon, the one calling himself Dragnar," Xia Li said. "Although he's currently leading in the betting pool, please, tell Noctis that I bet on him to win the whole tournament."

Bai Ze was first surprised to know that Xia Li's brother was such a powerful rookie. But he was even more surprised that she was actually supporting his cousin instead of her own brother.

As Luo Yan's cousin, of course, he was happy that someone believed in his ability and decided to give him their support. But thinking of how it's Xia Li, he felt a bit sour in his heart. Especially since the other had been mentioning his cousin from time to time whenever they're together. He couldn't help but think that she might be interested in Luo Yan in that way.

He reasoned that he was probably just worried since Shen Ji Yun also liked Luo Yan. And that he didn't want his best friend to have a rival showdown with someone he had a good opinion of.

It's probably better to clear that now. So, he asked, "Are you a fan of Noctis or do you actually, I mean, do you like him in that way?"

Xia Li seemed surprised by his question based on the wide-eyed reaction she just had. Then, she suddenly laughed out loud and shook her head.

"No, no, of course not. Does it look that way? To tell you the truth, I'm actually shipping Noctis and your team's captain, YUN," she said in a secretive manner, as if afraid that others could hear what she just said. "Don't tell it to anyone, okay?"

Now that was truly unexpected. So, she's not a simple fan but a CP fan? Bai Ze was actually relieved hearing that. Wait- why would he feel relieve? He shook his head. He probably already had an answer to that question. He was just not ready to admit it. Which was weird. Considering how envious he was of Shen Ji Yun for being in love.

Man, he's probably still a big kid at heart.

"Okay, I swear I won't tell," he only said.

Xia Li grinned. "Then, I'll go ahead first. Thanks again for today."

After Xia Li left, Bai Ze only remembered that Shen Ji Yun sent him a message. He opened his Message Tab and replied;

White Marsh: [Sorry for the late reply. I'm free right now. Why?]