Shen Fu crouched near a busted ATM on Yumen Road, eating a skewer of cold chuanr. His system radar pulsed with a new deal five blocks down—a shop tossing out last-gen phones.
He was ready to move when a sharp voice cut through the hum of street noise.
"Hey, Hoodie Boy."
He looked up.
A girl, maybe eighteen, leaned against a lamppost. Cargo pants, fitted bomber jacket, big headphones hanging around her neck like jewelry. She had eyes like polished obsidian—sharp, calculating, unreadable.
His first instinct was to ignore her.
Then she tossed something toward him.
A pack of burner SIM cards.
"Figured you'd need new numbers. Wanshou boys flagged your WeChat earlier. Dirty play."
Shen Fu caught the pack mid-air, eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"
"People call me Xiaodie," she said with a grin. "Little Butterfly. I fly under the radar and land on money."
She pointed casually at his phone. "You've got the radar system, yeah? I've seen a few like you around. You move fast, work clean, but you're too loud. That kind of shine? It draws in the wolves."
Shen Fu stiffened. "You following me?"
"Scouting," she replied, shrugging. "I saw you sell five units in under ten minutes at Yu Garden. You stood your ground with Scar-Lip. That was dumb—but also sexy."
He blinked. "…What?"
Xiaodie laughed, walked past him, and sat on a broken bench. She pulled out a refurbished smartwatch from her sling bag and started rewiring it on the spot.
"Look, I don't work for free," she said. "But I know the back alleys better than Google Maps. You want safe spots to sell? Clean supply lines? Access to grey market buyers? You need someone like me."
Shen Fu's system pinged.
Ally Detected: Xiaodie (Street-Level Hacker/Fixer)
Potential Roles: Scout, Supplier, Relationship Bonus (???)
Compatibility: High
Recruit Option Available
Warning: Character has Independent Goals
Recruit Xiaodie?
[YES] / [NO]
He watched her work in silence. She was fast. No system help. Just raw talent.
He tapped YES.
"Alright," he said. "I'll split profits. 70–30. I lead, you support."
She didn't even look up. "60–40. And I pick my side hustle."
"…Fine."
She smirked. "Smart boy."
Over the next 48 hours, business changed.
Xiaodie found him a spot behind a high school where students offloaded used devices for exam money.
She showed him how to mask listings so Wanshou couldn't track them.
She even taught him a trick to "clean" devices with ID-locked OS issues.
[New Function Unlocked: Partner Mode – Xiaodie Active]
+10% Repair Efficiency
+15% Black Market Access
Passive Buff: Street Camouflage (Reduced detection by rival crews)
They moved smoothly, fast.
By day four, they cleared ¥2,400.
But Shen noticed something else.
She was always watching.
Her gaze lingered when he talked. She made sarcastic jokes when girls smiled at him during sales. And when she caught him shirtless after a shower in the hostel bathroom, she didn't look away.
"Damn," she'd muttered with a crooked grin. "Guess the hoodie's hiding a business plan and a six-pack."
He'd rolled his eyes, but his heartbeat skipped all the same.
[Relationship Progress: Xiaodie – 17/100]
Status: Flirty, Curious
Trait Unlocked: "Butterfly Effect" – Small actions trigger big consequences.
One night, they were both camped in an abandoned shop, counting cash and sorting items, when Shen Fu asked:
"Why are you helping me?"
Xiaodie paused, holding a cracked tablet in her lap.
"Because you're different," she said finally. "Most system users burn hot and crash. You… plan. You write things down. You grind."
She looked at him.
"And I think you'll make it. I want in before the rocket takes off."
He nodded slowly.
"You planning to stay long?"
Xiaodie smirked. "That depends. You gonna give me a reason?"
For once, he had no reply.
But trouble wasn't far.
As they packed up, Shen's system blinked red.
[URGENT WARNING: Wanshou Circle Infiltration Detected]
Your Hostel Location Has Been Compromised
Evacuate Immediately
Suggested Action: Relocate | Hide Inventory | Prepare for Conflict
Xiaodie stood quickly. "They're moving faster than I thought. We need a safehouse."
Shen Fu grabbed his bags.
They were in the game now.
And it wasn't going to be clean.