Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 15

Looking at the boy enthusiastically waving at him from across the way, Shu Xing could not feel happy at all.

He did not want high school classmates to be involved in his college life, even if the other person had never done anything harmful to him during high school. Shu Xing had done his best to build a high end lifestyle on social media. That kind of fake persona was enough to exist only online. He did not want someone to come up to him and ask how he had been lately, nor did he want anyone asking where he got so much money for luxury goods. Most of all, he did not want his identity as a wealthy person to be exposed in front of Xi Yang, a real second generation heir.

Panic and shame felt like countless hands reaching out from hell, slowly dragging Shu Xing’s emotions down. His slightly trembling hands unconsciously pinched the hem of his shirt. His legs felt as heavy as lead, making him unable to move or escape.

As the two people from across the road approached, Shu Xing swallowed hard. He blinked and forced a dry, strained smile. “Song, Song Tianyi, what are you doing here?”

Song Tianyi did not notice Shu Xing’s unease. He pointed to Xi Yang behind him and said, “Is it not the start of the semester for everyone? I came to find my childhood friend to hang out!” After saying that, he introduced him brightly, “Xi Yang, my childhood friend. Xi Yang, this is Shu Xing, my front row classmate from high school. Why do you not get to know each other?”

Xi Yang, standing to the side, stared at Shu Xing and said with a cool, arrogant air, “We know each other. We are roommates.”

“Really!” Song Tianyi raised an eyebrow and let out a “wow,” exclaiming what a coincidence it was.

Shu Xing smiled awkwardly, praying in his heart that Song Tianyi would not ask him in front of Xi Yang why he always posted wealthy updates on social media.

“Shu Xing, I have not seen you in a long time. Has it been two years?” Song Tianyi reached out to put his arm around Shu Xing’s neck like a brother. Shu Xing could not dodge in time and was pulled firmly into the crook of his arm.

Song Tianyi’s tall frame leaned halfway over him. Shu Xing’s small build barely managed to hold up the weight. At this moment, he felt as bitter as a withered cucumber inside, but on the outside, he had to pretend to be happy to see an old friend.

“Ah, yes, it has been nearly two years. Long time no see.”

Song Tianyi said casually, “I heard the coffee at your school is very good. We are just about to go there. Why do you not come along?”

Shu Xing quickly waved his hand in refusal. “No, I have other things to do. You guys go ahead.”

Song Tianyi grabbed his waving hand. “Oh, why are you still so polite? Come on, Xi Yang is treating anyway. You do not have to spend any money!”

Xi Yang watched the two people walking ahead of him interacting intimately. He narrowed his eyes, said nothing, and followed slowly behind them.

Shu Xing was enthusiastically pressed into a sofa at the cafe by Song Tianyi. As soon as Song Tianyi sat down across from him, his phone naturally scanned the ordering QR code on the table. Xi Yang arrived a bit later than them. Song Tianyi glanced at him and asked, “What took you so long? Why are you walking so slowly?”

“I went to take some medicine.”

Song Tianyi knew Xi Yang was likely having allergies again and teased, “You are such a sickly guy.”

Shu Xing sat across from them. The table was not very large, and their legs would occasionally bump into each other. Consequently, Shu Xing kept his legs tightly together and leaned back into the sofa with restraint. This was the first time he had acted so quiet and constrained in front of Xi Yang, like a kitten that had just been picked up and was cautious of its surroundings, shrinking into a corner of its cage.

Song Tianyi had been eager to try the coffee and desserts at this shop. He was busy ordering and only told Shu Xing to scan the code, telling him not to be polite.

Xi Yang scanned the QR code, looked up at Shu Xing, and then turned his phone around to push it toward him. “Choose for yourself. I do not know what you drink.”

At that moment, Shu Xing did not want to eat or drink anything. He only wanted to escape this familiar person. Looking at the phone pushed toward him, Shu Xing had no choice but to browse the menu briefly. He randomly picked a chocolate latte from the recommendation list and returned the phone to its owner.

Xi Yang looked at the selection. After choosing a coffee for himself, he added two chocolate cakes to the order. After paying for everything including Song Tianyi’s share, he silenced his phone and placed it face down on the table.

During the wait for the coffee, Song Tianyi talked incessantly. The conversation constantly drifted back to Shu Xing, making him so nervous that he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. To prevent Song Tianyi from talking too much about him, Shu Xing pretended to be busy. He quickly took out his phone to message his online partner, wearing an expression as if he were communicating about urgent matters.

Shu Xing: “Baby! Baby!”

Shu Xing: “Baby baby baby baby!!!!”

Shu Xing: “Baby!!!!!!!”

Shu Xing: [Crying_kitten.jpg]

Shu Xing: [Screaming_kitten.jpg]

Shu Xing: [Rolling_kitten.jpg]

Shu Xing: “Yu Hui! What are you doing!!”

Shu Xing: “Yu Hui! Yu Hui! Yu Hui!!!!!”

Shu Xing: “I am giving you one minute to reply! Otherwise, I will not be your good baby anymore!”

Shu Xing noticed that Xi Yang across from him also seemed tired of Song Tianyi’s non stop talking, as he picked up his phone to play. That was perfect. Now it would not look impolite for Shu Xing to be on his phone alone.

On the chat interface, Yu Hui replied quickly.

Yu Hui: “Present!”

Yu Hui: [Sitting_dog.jpg]

Yu Hui: “What is wrong? Why the rush?”

Yu Hui: “Baby, baby, kisses. I am here.”

Seeing the string of messages, Shu Xing finally found someone to lean on. Facing his phone, Shu Xing furrowed his brows and put on an act as if he had encountered a major problem, making Song Tianyi feel embarrassed to continue talking.

In reality, Shu Xing was tapping on the virtual keyboard, typing “I miss you” repeatedly in the chat box. After typing it hundreds of times, Shu Xing nervously peeked at Song Tianyi. The man had stopped talking and was now on his phone too. That was great. Now Shu Xing did not have to pretend to be busy anymore.

Since the messages were already edited, Shu Xing casually hit send. He treated it as if he really just missed Yu Hui suddenly. He could not very well call for someone urgently and then just say “nothing happened.”

The staff arrived with the coffee and desserts. Song Tianyi reached across Xi Yang and Shu Xing to take his share. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Xi Yang suddenly smile.

Song Tianyi raised an eyebrow and asked, “Did sister in law message you again?”

Xi Yang finished replying, tucked his smile away, and turned off his screen with a soft “mm.”

Song Tianyi said, “Look at how hooked you are. What did he send?”

Xi Yang said in a relaxed tone, “Nothing much. He just said he missed me.”

Sitting across from them, Shu Xing was struck by the words “missed me.” He felt that the conversation between Xi Yang and his partner was truly nauseating.

Once Song Tianyi and Xi Yang finished talking, they remembered Shu Xing was still there. Song Tianyi’s mouth started up again. “Shu Xing, let me tell you, Xi Yang has an online partner. They have been together for a long time. Do you want to know how they met?”

Shu Xing was just getting ready to hear some gossip when Xi Yang interrupted with a cold voice.

“Eat.” Xi Yang pushed a strawberry mousse in front of Song Tianyi. “Shut your mouth and speak less.”

“Oh.” Song Tianyi shut his mouth sheepishly.

Besides Song Tianyi’s strawberry mousse, there were two chocolate cakes on the table. Xi Yang took one, leaving one that looked like an extra. Xi Yang looked up at Shu Xing. “Drinking coffee alone can get boring. I ordered one for you too.”

Shu Xing was stunned as he took the cake. “Thanks.” This Xi Yang really knew how to put on an act in front of his childhood friend. He had never seen the man be this kind before.

Since Song Tianyi could not talk about Xi Yang’s business, he could only talk to Shu Xing. “By the way, Shu Xing, why have you stopped posting on your Moments lately? You did not block me, did you?”

Shu Xing’s brow tightened. He had indeed rarely posted on his Moments since graduating high school. Both his main and side accounts were set to be visible for only three days. However, he had been continuously updating his wealthy lifestyle posts on the social platform that was popular during their high school days. Since Song Tianyi was asking this, he must not have seen Shu Xing’s other social media profile.

Thinking about it calmly, Shu Xing realized he had never actually followed Song Tianyi on that specific platform. It was normal for the man not to know. This meant Shu Xing’s persona was not in danger of being exposed.

The heart that had been nervous for so long finally settled. Shu Xing let out a sigh of relief and explained with a smile, “No, I just do not have the habit of posting on Moments.”

Song Tianyi replied with a look of regret, “Alright then.” He then added, “But it is fine. I only just found out you are studying here. My school is right next door. I can come and find you to hang out often in the future!”

Shu Xing nodded politely. “Sure, whenever it is convenient for you.”

Xi Yang sat across from them listening quietly. He rested his chin on one hand, idly playing with his spoon. He listened to the conversation between Shu Xing and Song Tianyi. His sharp dark eyes moved between the two, finally landing on Shu Xing.

He does not like posting on Moments, yet he loves taking photos so much?

“Oh! One more thing!” Song Tianyi seemed to remember something and leaned forward to speak to Shu Xing. “Old Feng, our high school homeroom teacher, is about to have his fiftieth birthday. The classmates want to celebrate for him. It is a good chance for everyone to get together. Shall we go together?”

Shu Xing had seen the discussion about this in the old class group chat before. He simply did not want to have any offline interactions with those people. Besides, he had nothing he could show off in person to those wealthy old classmates. Going would just be looking for trouble.

Shu Xing curled his lips into a helpless yet beautiful smile. “I will be busy with group assignments and other tasks for the new semester. I think I will pass.”

Song Tianyi knew Shu Xing did not have many close friends in high school. This birthday celebration for the teacher was a spontaneous event by the classmates. Seeing that Shu Xing was not interested, he did not force him. “Alright, then I will have to go by myself.”

After finishing the coffee, Shu Xing made an excuse that he was busy and left quickly.

Watching Shu Xing leave, Xi Yang combined the afternoon of conversation with Shu Xing’s unnatural expressions. He guessed that Shu Xing’s high school life was not something the boy looked back on with fondness. As for the reason, Xi Yang had not reached a conclusion yet. Xi Yang was not one to pry into others’ privacy, but today was the first time he had seen Shu Xing look so restless and uneasy. He could not help but be curious about what had happened during Shu Xing’s high school years.

“Tianyi.”

“What is it?”

Xi Yang withdrew his gaze from Shu Xing’s back and spoke casually, “Was Shu Xing unhappy in high school?”

Song Tianyi said instinctively, “How did you know?”

Xi Yang raised an eyebrow, signaling for him to elaborate.

Although Song Tianyi talked a lot, he was not the type to expose others’ scars behind their backs. He simply gave a brief summary. “Shu Xing’s family went bankrupt just as he started high school. His father owed a lot of debt. You know my high school. It was full of wealthy people who loved social hierarchies. As for the rest, you understand.”

Shu Xing also has a father in debt.

Xi Yang thought of his online partner’s background and could not help but feel a sliver of sympathy for Shu Xing.

“Hey, Xi Yang.” Song Tianyi poked Xi Yang’s waist with his elbow and suddenly said, “Do you not think Shu Xing’s name is quite similar to sister in law’s game ID?”

Xi Yang asked, “What?”

Song Tianyi said, “Shu Xing, Shu Xing, Shu Xing. Xing Shu, Xing Shu, Xing Shu. If you read Shu Xing’s name backwards, is it not Xing Shu? That is quite a coincidence!”

Even though his opinion of Shu Xing was gradually changing, Xi Yang still could not accept Shu Xing being tied to his baby because of such a ridiculous pun. Xi Yang closed his eyes slightly as a vein near his temple throbbed.

Song Tianyi clearly did not realize the danger nearby. “Imagine if you and sister-in-law meet and you find out he is Shu Xing. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Xi Yang glared at Song Tianyi and snapped coldly, “Get lost. Shut your mouth.”

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