"Come on, tell me…." Ruby urged Jay as she began to devour her food.
"Okay... okay... let's take it slow, where should I start?"
I was like you when I just graduated from college. My parents pressured me to find a partner and asked me to get married immediately.
But as you know, how could I think about getting married so soon when I'd just finished college?
I had just entered a new world, so I politely refused.
From there, I became busy with various jobs, including sales, a tour guide, a teacher, and even a theater actor.
I did all of this with a cheerful heart and without much burden, but seeing my actions like that, I was disappointed.
My parents were, of course, not happy; they felt I was wasting my time with a casual job.
So, they immediately asked me to find a partner and have a serious relationship, eventually getting married.
Indeed, during this process, I had several relationships with several women, but that was because I didn't have any thoughts yet. serious about the relationship.
We just ended up having a casual relationship without any long-term goals, until one day I stopped getting advice or requests to find a partner from my parents.
Because they had to go somewhere very far away," Jay concluded his story on a slightly sad note.
Hearing this and seeing Jay's reaction, Ruby suddenly felt something was off.
Based on what her friend had said, she then asked cautiously, "What do you mean by saying your parents went somewhere very far away? Did they go out of town or did they move overseas?" Still not understanding what Jay meant.
"No, they didn't go out of town, nor did they go overseas, they just went to a different world," Jay replied again, smiling this time.
"Ahhh…you're not kidding, are you?" Ruby finally asked again, worried.
"No... why should I joke about something as important as this? Yes, they left me for another world a few years ago, but don't worry, I've accepted that reality, so just relax," Jay replied again in a relaxed and comforting tone.
However, Ruby's relaxed and comforting demeanor seemed different.
This only seemed to indicate a melancholic story about the man before her.
She hadn't expected her best friend, whom she had known online for several years, to have such a past.
And thinking about the slightly different behavior from a few years ago, Ruby seemed to realize that this was likely the reason behind Jay's behavior at that time.
"Sorry, Jay, I didn't know... but I'm sure they're watching you happily right now," Ruby comforted Jay.
"Yes, I know about that too. So don't worry too much," Jay replied again.
In the end, neither of them brought up the issue of being forced into marriage by their parents.
What happened was that the two of them talked about various things, and without realizing it, their conversation became something that brought them closer together.
"Thanks for today, Jay. I felt quite happy with our first meeting.
And without me realizing it, you have quite an interesting side," Ruby said with a sweet expression, as they stood in front of Ruby's apartment.
"I really didn't expect it either. Ruby, you're much more charming than we seem when we talk, and I feel lucky to be such a close friend," Jay replied happily.
"Hahaha…thank goodness then. And are you free tomorrow morning?" Ruby laughed happily and then asked Jay again.
"No, do you need my help?" Jay asked curiously.
"If you're free tomorrow morning, I'd like to take you for a morning run around the lake and accompany me to see the surrounding area. Think of it as a quick tour," Ruby explained.
"Oh… a morning run… okay, I can do it. Let's agree on a time." The two then made another appointment the next day.
######
At 6 a.m. in the morning, Jay wakes up to find that he has received new intelligence.
[While running with Ruby around the lake in the morning, you'll find a 24-karat gold ring weighing 10 grams lying on the ground.]
[On the edge of the lake near the water treatment plant]
[There's a con artist wanted by the police who's hiding as a snack vendor around the lake. There's a reward for information about the con artist. The con artist has a large mole on his right cheek.]
[There's a night market being held in the lake area tonight, and you'll find many surprises in the haunted house inside.]
Three pieces of information immediately appeared before Jay's eyes. After reading them, Jay realized that the information displayed seemed to be related to the lake he and Ruby would be visiting today.
Realizing this, Jay seemed to have a similar guess as to how the intelligence information might be updated.
"There seems to be a pattern in the intelligence information I receive. It seems that all the information provided the next day is related to the places and people I encountered that day.
For example, yesterday, besides spending time around my house, I also spent time with Ruby near her apartment.
And afterward, Ruby invited me to go for a morning run around the lake, and this time the information provided by the system was all lake-related.
So, does this suggest that the scope of the intelligence depends on what I do and what I encounter?" Jay concluded.
However, he quickly put all of that aside and focused on changing clothes and finding his long-stored running shoes.
"Yes, these are still quite good, but the size seems a little tight. I think I need new shoes…" Jay looked at his old shoes, which were a fairly well-known model with a check mark.
However, these running shoes had been purchased several years ago and had rarely been worn since.
Even so, they were still fairly good quality and wearable, but due to his recent growth spurt, his shoes had grown in size.
"Let's welcome this day with a fresh start..." Jay then started running towards Ruby's apartment.
It took him about 10 minutes to arrive, and what greeted him was a beautiful and sexy Ruby.
It was truly a happy morning for Jay.