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"Yes. And one of them should absolutely act calm outside but be a little desperate inside." Bai Li thought of Yan Cijin again and had to look away from the screen for a second because she could already feel the corner of her lips lifting. She did not even need to think hard to know which type her wife would fit in most stories. Yan Cijin was soft, yes, but she was not weak. She was the kind of person who could smile sweetly while making Bai Li completely helpless with a few words. Bai Li found one more thread where people were sharing "comfort GL" recommendations, meaning the softer stories with lots of domestic sweetness, marriage life, cooking together, taking care of each other after a bad day, and kisses that felt like home. That made Bai Li read more carefully. She saw comments like, "I love stories where they already live together and just act cute all day." Another said, "Domestic GL is the best. I do not need grand drama. I need a wife who brings me tea and a girlfriend who steals my snacks." Bai Li actually chuckled at that, a quiet small sound in her empty room. It was ridiculous, but not in a bad way. It was nice to see people talking about women loving women so openly, so casually, and so happily. Even through the screen, she could feel the warmth of those comments. She liked that. It was far better than the miserable little greed she had just dealt with in the hallway.

As Bai Li kept scrolling, her phone stayed light in her hand, and the more she read, the more she found herself relaxing. The posts were full of bright talk. Some people were making fan art edits, some were discussing old Thai GL scenes, and others were posting "wife energy" comments under every single beautiful woman they saw. There were long discussions about whether a couple should be "mutual pining" or "already married and teasing each other all day." Bai Li found that last one especially funny because it sounded a little too much like her own life. She read a comment that said, "The best GL couples are the ones that feel like they could live together forever and still keep flirting." Bai Li smiled a little to herself. Another user wrote, "Honestly, I think women in GL stories are so much better when they are allowed to be messy, clingy, proud, jealous, and soft all at once. That makes them feel real." Bai Li thought that was pretty true too. People were never only one thing. Even a strong person could be clingy in private. Even a gentle person could be stubborn. Even someone who looked calm all the time could be a little naughty when the right person was near. Bai Li had lived long enough to know that most real affection came from the small, silly, private things. The public side was one thing, but the way a woman looked at her wife when no one else was around mattered more than all the fanciness in the world.

She kept reading until she hit a comment thread about "wife shopping" where fans joked about wanting to pick a girlfriend from their favorite GL stories. One person wrote, "I want a tall girlfriend who can protect me and also blush when I tease her." Another replied, "No, I want a girlfriend who acts strict but becomes a big baby after midnight." Bai Li actually laughed this time. That one was too accurate. She rubbed her forehead, still amused, and leaned back in her chair for a second before scrolling more. Another post compared GL novels where one character was an alpha and the other was an omega, and people were discussing the scent bond, the possessiveness, the care, and the kind of tension that came from trust and physical closeness. Bai Li read a few of those comments with interest. A lot of people were talking about the appeal of strong women loving each other without needing to follow the old boring rules people liked to force on them. Bai Li liked that. She liked the confidence in those posts. She liked how people talked about softness without treating it like weakness. She liked how they could be silly and serious in the same breath. For a while, she forgot all about the stairwell, the building manager, and the greedy fools below. The whole internet felt much lighter than her hallway had been. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Then, just as Bai Li was getting comfortable with that soft stream of nonsense and sweetness, her phone suddenly started buzzing with notifications again. Not from Weibo. From the building group chat.

The first message was from one of the men she had just beaten so badly that he probably still had a ringing ear. He was typing with the shamelessness of someone who had learned absolutely nothing.

"Everyone be careful of Bai Li. She attacked us for no reason just now. She is dangerous."

Bai Li blinked at that and looked at the screen for a moment. Dangerous. That word coming from his mouth almost made her laugh again. Another message followed immediately.

"We only went to talk to her properly, and she hit people first."

Then another one.

"She tried to kill us. Do not go near her floor."

A third person, one of the same men who had earlier been shouting about teaching her manners, added in:

"Bai Li is not normal. She is crazy. She attacked innocent residents."

Bai Li stared at that line for a second, then let out a short breath through her nose. Innocent residents. The hypocrisy was almost beautiful in its own stupid way. The same group that had brought tools to break her stair door, the same group that had shouted about taking her supplies, the same group that had practically marched to her door like thieves with a moral speech prepared in advance, were now pretending they had been innocent all along.

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To be continued.