Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 2

“Bro, is my sister-in-law from our department?”

“What are you looking at, Xi-ge?”

His roommate, He Wennan, poked his head over to sneak a peek. Xi Yang quickly switched off his screen and replied flatly, “Nothing.”

He Wennan wasn’t buying it. “No way! Your smile was practically reaching your ears, and you say it’s nothing? Are you hiding behind our backs looking at a girl’s photo?”

Their other roommate, Cheng Xinyu, arrived late after buying food. Hearing He Wennan’s words, he immediately joined in on the gossip. “What? What? What?”

Having only heard half the conversation, Cheng Xinyu’s speculation went even wilder. “Are you guys looking at Xi-ge’s girlfriend’s photo?”

Xi Yang: “…”

Seeing Xi Yang remain silent, He Wennan turned to Cheng Xinyu and said, “I feel like something’s up with Xi-ge. He was just grinning at his phone!”

Cheng Xinyu stared at Xi Yang with wide, glowing almond eyes. “Ah! Bro, did you find a girlfriend?”

Xi Yang: “…”

He Wennan, starved for gossip, pressed further. “Bro, is my sister-in-law from our department?”

Xi Yang was speechless for a moment. Under the urgent gaze of two pairs of big eyes, he picked up his chopsticks and said, “I haven’t found a girlfriend.”

He Wennan and Cheng Xinyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Based on the principle that no one should secretly escape bachelorhood, they said cheerfully, “Scared us! We thought you really landed one!”

After saying it, they felt it wasn’t quite right. Xi Yang was a famous “rich second generation” at school, generous and easy to get along with. He’d often “drop gold” and treat them to meals for no reason at all. Not only that, but he was also handsome. Standing over 1.8 meters tall, he looked like a model. There were several girls in their department alone chasing him; for someone like him, finding a girlfriend would be effortless.

However, in a four-person dorm, there was Shu Xing, who was undeniably beautiful, and Xi Yang, who was enviably rich. The remaining two, He Wennan and Cheng Xinyu, were just average college guys who felt a bit of internal imbalance. Thus, they had established an early “Gentleman’s Agreement”: no one could secretly find a girlfriend behind the others’ backs.

After dinner, He Wennan and Cheng Xinyu planned to go to the library for their course project. They originally wanted to drag Xi Yang along, but Xi Yang found having two “gossip spirits” around him a hindrance to chatting with his “baby.” He quickly made an excuse about going out for a drive and left.

Once he was in his car and ensured no one was around, Xi Yang turned his phone screen back on.

Since he hadn’t exited WeChat, the screen unlocked directly to that dazzling photo of a bare waist.

This highly sexually charged image was sent by Xi Yang’s online dating partner. The reason Xi Yang hadn’t admitted to having a “girlfriend” earlier was that his partner wasn’t actually a girl, but a guy.

They met in a game. The other person spoke gently, had a good temper, and was supposedly a kind-hearted animal lover.

Because it was an online relationship, Xi Yang didn’t pry too much into the other person’s real life. Usually, the partner would proactively share bits of daily life. Through their chats, Xi Yang accidentally learned that the other person had a father in debt, a sick mother, and a young younger brother. To support the family, his partner hadn’t even finished university before entering the workforce to find a job at a pet hospital.

However, this job was exploitative. The partner never had a day off; during busy holidays, Xi Yang wouldn’t receive a single message all day.

Furthermore, Xi Yang could sense that his boyfriend had a very annoying “idiot colleague.” This idiot colleague seemed to come from a wealthy family and loved to show off his wealth, looking down on his hardworking “poor baby” and often leaving him speechless with sharp, dismissive comments.

Xi Yang didn’t understand why people could be so malicious. His baby was so pure and cute; why did that idiot colleague keep workplace-bullying him?

Xi Yang suspected the colleague was just an arrogant person relying on family money. Consequently, he frequently sent transfers and “red envelopes” to his boyfriend so that his life could be a bit better, ensuring he wouldn’t suffer because of money.

Xi Yang’s senses were still reeling from the impact of the bare skin in the photo. Once he recovered, he noticed two distinct, red, and slightly swollen scratches on the fair skin.

Closing the image, he saw the message saying the partner had been scratched by a cat. Looking at the pitiful cat emoji in the chat box, Xi Yang secretly thought his partner must be a boy as cute as a kitten.

Across the screen, even though Xi Yang felt distressed looking at the injury, he couldn’t do anything practical. He could only send words like “My heart aches for you, baby” to comfort him.

This was one of the downsides of online dating: not being able to be there when the other person needs you.

Thinking of this, Xi Yang felt a pang of sadness. They had been dating online for nearly two years, yet they hadn’t even met. It was only recently that Xi Yang learned they were in the same city.

After sending the comforting words, Xi Yang hesitated before typing a few words on the virtual keyboard:

“Baby, I really want to see you.”

While Shu Xing was changing after work, he noticed the scratches on his abdomen had lost their swelling, though they still hurt when rubbed by his clothes.

By the time he left the pet hospital, the sky was completely dark. Massive, heavy black clouds hung overhead, and the wind carried a trace of summer humidity, a precursor to a heavy rainstorm.

Shu Xing had promised to buy a small cake for Cheng Xinwen. The bakery was across the street, and seeing that it might rain, he quickened his pace.

The pet hospital didn’t provide dinner. While buying a strawberry cake for Cheng Xinwen, Shu Xing also bought a lime mousse cake for himself.

Before he could even step out of the bakery, a flash of light streaked across the sky, followed immediately by the roar of thunder and pea-sized raindrops.

When your luck is down, not only do you get scratched by a cat, but you also get caught in a downpour without an umbrella.

Luckily it is a thunderstorm; it should stop after a while.

Shu Xing was thin-skinned and felt embarrassed standing inside the shop to dodge the rain. There was a glass canopy outside, so he pushed the door open to wait there instead.

Xi Yang had originally looked up several famous pet hospitals in the city, hoping to run into his never-before-seen boyfriend by chance. However, since parking wasn’t allowed in the city center and there were no vacant lots nearby, he still hadn’t found a spot by the time the storm hit.

While searching for a space, Xi Yang drove slowly. Before finding one, he spotted his roommate, Shu Xing, standing like an idiot at the entrance of a bakery.

The car Xi Yang was driving today was his usual one, which Shu Xing had seen many times. Consequently, when Shu Xing saw the car, he deliberately averted his gaze, pretending not to see it.

Xi Yang had initially thought about being merciful and giving the guy a lift. Seeing the other person look away, he was almost amused by his own “Bodhisattva-like” helpfulness. The traffic light turned green, and Xi Yang retracted his gaze, flooring the gas pedal past the bakery.

The heavy rain showed no sign of stopping. After driving several blocks, Xi Yang frowned and eventually chose to make a U-turn at the next intersection.

Shu Xing watched the silver sports car return to the intersection, tilting his head in confusion. What is this guy doing? Revving his engine in the rain?

Just as he was complaining internally, the silver car made an illegal stop right in front of the bakery. The passenger window rolled down halfway, and Xi Yang leaned over from the driver’s seat to shout something.

The sound was drowned out by the rain, but Shu Xing guessed Xi Yang was telling him to get in.

Shu Xing’s current location was quite far from the subway station. Instead of waiting for a rain that might never end, it was better to take this chance to hitch a ride back to school.

It wasn’t that he wanted to try a limited-edition sports car; it was mainly that Xi Yang had given him an opening. No matter how much he disliked the guy normally, it would be rude to refuse his kindness now, right?

Oh, it really isn’t because I want to sit in a limited-edition sports car!

The corners of Shu Xing’s mouth twitched, and he dashed through the rain into the car with a hint of excitement.

Before jumping in, Shu Xing had tried his best to cover himself with his hands. But his palms weren’t umbrellas; at most, they protected a few tufts of hair on his forehead. The rest of him was like a drowned cat, with wet clothes and pants clinging soggily to his skin.

Since it was summer, the air conditioning in the car was on. As the cool breeze hit Shu Xing’s wet skin, a shiver swept through his body, making him tremble involuntarily.

Xi Yang quickly started the car. He glanced at Shu Xing and pulled a few tissues from a hidden pocket under the center console, his tone colder than the AC: “Wipe yourself off.”

Shu Xing was stunned by the gesture. A wave of classmate-warmth rose in his heart, but before he could express his thanks, Xi Yang’s next sentence extinguished it.

“Don’t get my car wet. Leather seats; maintenance is expensive.”

Shu Xing: “…”

Shu Xing saw Xi Yang tap the screen a few times, and the AC vents immediately stopped the flow of cold air. He glanced at Xi Yang and eventually couldn’t help but say “Thanks.”

Simply thanking him for being willing to drive him back in a storm and for thoughtfully turning off the freezing AC.

On the way back, Xi Yang didn’t say another word to Shu Xing. Shu Xing already didn’t get along with him, but since he was currently receiving a favor, he wanted to chat to lighten the mood. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, he realized he couldn’t bring himself to engage in friendly small talk with Xi Yang.

Xi Yang was focused on the road, while Shu Xing’s eyes secretly began to inspect the car’s interior.

As expected of a limited-edition sports car, there were several rows of buttons on the center console alone. Could Xi Yang even tell what all those strange icons were for?

After looking around, a faint trace of envy grew in Shu Xing. He touched the leather of the seat beneath him, imagining how happy he would be if he owned such a cool car.

Subsequently, the thought of “Who exactly stole my multi-billion-dollar happy life?” burned even more fiercely in his heart!

Envy and jealousy consumed the last of Shu Xing’s spirit. He looked gloomily out the window, focusing on the shop names and billboards along the road to calm his “poverty-stricken” resentment.

The space inside the sports car was narrow. With the AC off, it became slightly stuffy, allowing the sweet scent of the cakes in Shu Xing’s hand to quickly fill the cabin.

Shu Xing liked this sweet fruity smell of strawberry mixed with lime.

Xi Yang seemed to smell it too. He sniffed and suddenly asked, “What’s that smell on you?”

Shu Xing gestured to the two cakes in his hand. “Here.”

Xi Yang frowned in disagreement. His nose twitched, and he pressed his thumb against his philtrum, trying to suppress a sneeze from an allergy. He then said gloomily, “Why is there a smell of dog?”

Shu Xing: “…”

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