Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 11

“You couldn’t possibly be looking for me, right?”

Because Shu Xing’s looks were of the exquisite and beautiful variety, combined with his habit of speaking with a half-smile, even his most provocative or rude remarks were usually taken as a joke.

The girl holding the dog did not realize Shu Xing was being sharp. She simply smiled, assuming Shu Xing’s friend had come to find him, said, “I will let you get to your work,” and ran to the front desk to pay.

Xi Yang, however, understood the hidden barbs in Shu Xing’s words. He could not be bothered to argue with him at the moment; if his online partner finished work and saw him bickering with Shu Xing, it would be quite ungentlemanly.

Since the “Princess and the Pea” incident, Shu Xing had not spoken to Xi Yang for a long time. He had not expected to run into the man even during summer break.

He strolled over to stand in front of Xi Yang, his bright tea-colored eyes scanning the man from head to toe. “What are you doing here?” he asked with an unfriendly tone.

Xi Yang did not have a pet with him. Shu Xing guessed, “Looking for someone?”

Seeing that Xi Yang ignored him, Shu Xing curled his lips and intentionally tried to annoy him. “You couldn’t possibly be looking for me, right?”

Xi Yang: “…”

Xi Yang’s gaze drifted over Shu Xing’s head toward the pet hospital’s front desk. There was only one girl there handling the checkout and reception.

Not seeing the person he expected, Xi Yang’s excited heart sank a little. “I am not looking for you,” he said coolly.

Then he turned his gaze back to Shu Xing. This person seemed to have been working part-time here for a long while; surely he must know his online partner?

“Shu Xing,” Xi Yang called out his name, his temper surprisingly steady.

Shu Xing was speechless at Xi Yang’s rapid change in attitude. “What!”

Xi Yang hesitated for a moment, making a roundabout inquiry. “Do you have someone here named Xing?”

Hearing the “Xing” sound, Shu Xing immediately thought he knew who Xi Yang was looking for. He interrupted, “Are you looking for Xiao Xing?”

Xi Yang paused. Did his online partner’s real name also sound like “Xing Shu”?

If that was the case, it seemed Xi Yang had found the right shop after all.

He answered with certainty, “Yes, I am looking for Xiao Xing.”

Shu Xing felt a scent of gossip in the air. Xing Ni was a pretty girl with a decent personality; he had indeed heard her mention finding an online boyfriend who was a bit older than her.

He nodded knowingly and looked toward the front desk, revealing the news with a touch of regret. “Then you are late. Xiao Xing has already resigned.”

“Resigned?” Xi Yang’s eyebrows furrowed quickly. Why had his online partner not mentioned such an important thing to him?

Had something unpleasant happened at work? Or was he being bullied by that “idiot colleague” again?

Xi Yang’s expression darkened. He glanced at Shu Xing again, wondering if the colleague his partner mentioned was actually Shu Xing.

But that did not seem right. Shu Xing did not have that much money to flaunt. His partner had said the idiot colleague was a rich second generation who loved to “low-key brag” by leaving newly bought luxury goods on the desk.

“Why did she resign? Did something happen at work?”

Shu Xing shrugged. “I am not sure. I suppose she felt the work pressure was too high and she could not handle it.”

Xi Yang was puzzled. “Is the work pressure usually that high here?”

“It is alright. It gets annoying when we are busy.” Shu Xing did not want to chat with Xi Yang; he just wanted some gossip. Seeing how much Xi Yang cared about Xing Ni, he concluded that the online boyfriend Xing Ni spoke of must be Xi Yang.

“Hey, what is your relationship with Xiao Xing? You are not that online boyfriend she mentioned, are you?”

Xi Yang’s eyes widened in shock. “She told you? Are you two that close?”

“Yes.”

Shu Xing liked Xing Ni as a person and decided to say a few good words for her. “Xiao Xing is a good person. She is pretty, has a gentle personality, and is very serious and hardworking.”

Xi Yang agreed with Shu Xing’s assessment. “Mm, I think so too.”

Shu Xing added, “Right? So you should treat the girl well.”

“Mm.” Xi Yang thought he was hallucinating. “Wait? What did you say?”

Shu Xing felt like Xi Yang was an elderly man with bad hearing. He repeated impatiently, “I said, I am telling you to treat the girl well.”

“Girl?” Xi Yang looked at Shu Xing in disbelief, the shock in his eyes almost overflowing.

“Oh, boy,” Shu Xing saw the strange expression on Xi Yang’s face. “You did not think Xing Ni was a guy, did you? Have you two not voice-chatted before?”

“We have.” Xi Yang instantly fell into a mental brainstorm. For a moment, he wondered if the person he was dating was a girl using a voice changer.

If he had not been on a voice call while sleeping with his partner last night, Xi Yang might really have begun to doubt his life. Xi Yang had encountered people using voice changers before; you could tell if the voice was off immediately. He was certain his baby was using his real voice.

Therefore, the other person absolutely could not be a girl.

Xi Yang said firmly, “We are not talking about the same person.”

But if Xi Yang’s online partner was not the “Xiao Xing” Shu Xing mentioned, then who could it be? Was the person who answered the phone that day just a guy with a voice similar to his partner?

Xi Yang felt his mood experiencing a series of highs and lows. His heart, which had been pounding with excitement, suddenly dropped. His blood felt like it was flowing backward, and his hands were icy cold, cold sweat dripping from his palms.

He asked Shu Xing, still unwilling to give up, “Are there any other guys here? I mean, someone who would answer the phone.”

“Yes,” Shu Xing answered casually. “Me.”

Xi Yang: “…”

Forget it. He must have found the wrong place. Truthfully, Xi Yang could no longer remember exactly what the guy on the phone sounded like. Thinking about it now, he must have just been too excited and misheard.

After all, his online partner could not possibly be Shu Xing!

Shu Xing noticed a flicker of disdain in Xi Yang’s eyes as he looked at him. He frowned, looking ready to kick the guest out. “Is there anything else?”

Xi Yang said gloomily, “Nothing. I am leaving.”

“Doctor Pei! Doctor Pei!”

The glass door was suddenly pushed open. A woman ran in with a panicked expression and tears in her eyes. The woman was wearing sky-high heels and did not stop in time, nearly crashing into Xi Yang as he prepared to leave.

Shu Xing recognized her as the owner of a nearby beauty salon who often brought her cat over to chat. Seeing how anxious she was, he quickly went to meet her. “What is wrong, Sister Xiao Xiao? Doctor Pei is busy performing surgery in the operation room.”

“Xiao Shu, Xiao Shu!” The woman grabbed Shu Xing’s wrist and spoke urgently. “My Mimi ran onto the billboard rack on the second floor and got stuck. I cannot reach her. Please, help me!”

Every floor in the commercial street was quite high. The billboard racks on the second floor were usually suspended high up. Shu Xing often saw Sister Xiao Xiao’s cat walking along them when he got off work. However, if a cat got stuck there and could not get out, it might fall due to violent struggling.

Shu Xing glanced toward the operation room upstairs, then turned to the girl at the front desk. “Tell Doctor Pei when he comes out that I went to help Sister Xiao Xiao catch her cat.”

Seeing that Shu Xing agreed to save the kitten, the woman quickly pulled him toward the second-floor billboard rack.

“Xiao Shu, Mimi is right there.”

Sister Xiao Xiao pointed to where the kitten was stuck, in a trench connecting the billboards. The trench was not wide, about enough for a person to stand. The complex billboard racks were attached to the trench walls, making it difficult to go down. Furthermore, since it was the second floor, a slip of the foot would be very dangerous.

The cat’s painful cries rang out intermittently. Shu Xing felt sorry for it. He carefully observed the layout of the racks in the trench, found a suitable foothold, and prepared to climb down to rescue the kitten.

“Wait.”

Shu Xing did not know why Xi Yang was hanging around, but as he turned his head, he saw the man looking at him with a serious expression.

“Climbing down this trench and getting back up will not be easy,” Xi Yang suggested. “I am taller than you. I will go down instead.”

“What! You are making a height attack even now!” Shu Xing glanced at him. Actually, Xi Yang was right; the trench was easy to enter but hard to exit.

However, a cat in a dangerous situation might have a stress reaction when facing a stranger. In that case, not only would it be hard to save the cat, but Xi Yang might also get hurt.

Shu Xing thought for a moment and said, “I should go. The cat is familiar with me. Approaching it as a stranger might cause a stress reaction.”

Xi Yang’s deep eyes flickered. He looked at Shu Xing for a long time before saying, “Then be careful.”

Shu Xing nodded. It was rare to hear Xi Yang say something so human.

The trench wall was made of cement and the edges were rough. As Shu Xing climbed down, his palm accidentally brushed against the edge, leaving several red marks. He frowned, rubbed his hands in pain, and followed the cat’s cries, stepping across the rack bars little by little.

The cat’s head was stuck between two steel bars of the billboard rack. Shu Xing softly called the cat’s name, crouched down, and carefully stroked its head. After calming the cat, Shu Xing held its head and tried to find the right angle to get it out of the gap.

“Be a good girl, Mimi. Do not be afraid.”

The cat’s head was stuck quite tightly; getting it out required some force. Once the cat’s emotions stabilized, Shu Xing held its head and slowly lifted it. His gentle, comforting voice mixed with the cat’s pained cries, causing passersby below to look up and see what was happening.

Finally, with a sudden release of tension in his hands, the cat’s head was freed.

“Ah! Is she out?” Sister Xiao Xiao was overjoyed on the balcony. “Xiao Shu, take your time. Be careful!”

“Sister Xiao Xiao, the cat is rescued.”

Shu Xing held the cat in his arms, turned around with a beaming smile, and showed it to her. Xi Yang, standing beside Sister Xiao Xiao, naturally saw Shu Xing’s beautiful smile as he turned.

It seemed that light favored beautiful people. The sunset glow shone through the billboard racks behind Shu Xing, blurring his silhouette in the warm light. Even his smiling face became a bit hazy at that moment.

Suddenly, a thought popped into Xi Yang’s mind. Is my online partner as beautiful, kind, and helpful as Shu Xing?

Shu Xing’s shout from below pulled Xi Yang’s thoughts back. Shu Xing stood on his tiptoes and handed the cat to Sister Xiao Xiao. He grabbed the edges of the trench with both hands. Because he had just done a good deed that made him feel great, his face was wearing a smile like a spring breeze.

He looked up, his eyes filled with mirth. His bright eyes were like two beautiful amber stones: pure and flawless. It was a sight that could steal one’s soul.

“Hey! Xi Yang! What are you standing there for! Hurry up and pull me up!”

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