Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 3

Seriously, is it even possible to have a proper conversation with Xi Yang? The man is incapable of saying anything decent. Ivory does not come out of a dog’s mouth, as they say, but honestly, who is the real dog here?

Shu Xing noticed Xi Yang covering his nose again. Frowning with slight irritation, he really wanted to retort, “You are the one who smells like a dog,” but remembering he was currently in Xi Yang’s car, he simply pursed his lips. He told himself not to stoop to Xi Yang’s level.

The sports car came to a stop at a red light near a shopping center. On the building’s large LED display, an advertisement for a luxury brand’s new watch was playing.

Shu Xing stared at the watch. The dial was a beautiful aqua blue, which was his favorite color. Although he could not afford it, he could not help but raise his hand against the screen, gesturing as if he were trying it on. It was so beautiful. The aqua blue seemed like a perfect match for his fair skin.

Realizing that watches from this brand cost a fortune, Shu Xing muttered regretfully, “Sigh, I want it so much.”

His murmur was caught by Xi Yang, who was bored while waiting for the light to change.

“What? You like that?” Xi Yang spoke up out of nowhere, his tone bordering on disdain. “That watch is 93,000 yuan. The price to performance ratio is terrible. Usually, only people who want to show off buy that brand.”

The light turned green. The car behind them honked impatiently. Amidst the loud blaring of the horn, Shu Xing vaguely heard Xi Yang implying that he was the type of person who liked to show off.

What did he mean by that? What did he mean by “liked to show off”? It was not like he asked Xi Yang to pay for it, so why was he giving a review?

Shu Xing turned and shot a glare at Xi Yang. The gratitude he had felt earlier for the ride back to school vanished instantly. The tiny bit of goodwill he had managed to accumulate was reset to zero.

When the car reached the men’s dormitory, it had barely come to a halt before Shu Xing scrambled out, as if he could not stand staying inside a second longer. He threw out a quick “Thanks” and bolted upstairs.

The heavy rain had dwindled to a drizzle, but Shu Xing still got a bit wet running into the building. When he burst into the room soaking wet, his two roommates, who had just returned from the library, were startled.

“Whoa, Xing-mei! Did you run back in the rain? Luckily we could borrow umbrellas from the library, or we would be in the same boat,” Cheng Xinyu said. Seeing that Shu Xing had not forgotten to bring him the small cake despite the rain, he was moved to tears. “Brother, you are the best! I really love you!”

Cheng Xinyu lunged forward for an emotional hug, but his arm accidentally brushed against the wound on Shu Xing’s abdomen, nearly sending Shu Xing to the afterlife then and there.

He Wennan noticed the sudden expression of agony on Shu Xing’s pretty face and quickly pulled them apart, asking with concern, “What is wrong? Where does it hurt?”

The pain was so sharp that Shu Xing nearly lost control of his tears. Forcing them back, he lifted his damp shirt to show his roommates the cat scratches, not forgetting to complain miserably, “I had the worst luck today. I was ambushed by a cat!”

He Wennan winced just looking at the two long gashes. His brows furrowed deep. “Did you disinfect it? Do you need a rabies shot?”

Cheng Xinyu leaned in to inspect the wound, hissing through his teeth. “Are the cats at the pet hospital that fierce? That looks like it hurts a lot.”

“I disinfected it and got a vaccine shot before leaving work. It was a house cat, though, so I probably would have been fine without it.” Shu Xing pulled his shirt down. At that moment, the dampness of his clothes was more uncomfortable than the wound itself. “Enough about that, I am going to take a shower first.”

While showering, Shu Xing heard another round of commotion outside. He guessed Xi Yang was back. Thinking about Xi Yang saying he smelled like a dog, Shu Xing scrunched up his nose and sniffed himself. He was currently covered in the fragrant scent of body wash. There was not a trace of the “dog smell” Xi Yang had mentioned.

I think Xi Yang is the real dog, a dog with a broken nose!

Shu Xing cursed him inwardly before happily rinsing off the suds. While he tried to avoid the scratches on his belly, the soapy water still stung a bit, though it was not as bad as before. After coming out of the shower, Shu Xing finally felt dry and relaxed. He had not eaten dinner yet, so he sat down with Cheng Xinyu to share the small cakes.

Finally having a moment of peace, Shu Xing scooped cake with one hand while using the other to check the unread messages from his online boyfriend. The first few messages were expressions of concern about his injury, followed by several “I miss you” messages. Shu Xing scrolled through them. Amidst the flurry of emojis and sweet words, one message stood out.

“Baby, I really want to meet you.”

“Cough!” Shu Xing nearly choked on the cream.

Across from him, Cheng Xinyu looked up at the sound of the coughing. “What is up?”

Shu Xing met Cheng Xinyu’s gaze and pretended to be calm. “Nothing, just watching a video.”

Cheng Xinyu laughed. “Lately, short videos have been getting weirder. The other day I saw one where a cat was tutoring a kid on his homework!” Then, Cheng Xinyu asked curiously, “What are you watching?”

Shu Xing glanced at him and said casually, “A murder and dismemberment case.”

Cheng Xinyu choked on his words and went silent.

Shu Xing’s screen remained on that abrupt message. This was not the first time his online boyfriend had asked to meet. The last time was when the guy found out they were in the same city. In a fit of passion, he had asked for a date. At the time, Shu Xing had brushed it off by saying he was too busy with work at the pet hospital.

Originally, this online relationship was just for emotional support. Chatting via text and voice was enough for him. Shu Xing had never intended to bring this relationship into reality. Fortunately, the “I miss you” messages that followed had successfully pushed the request up the screen. Shu Xing decided to act as if he had not seen it. He sent a message saying, “Just finished being busy,” followed by, “I miss you too, baby.”

Before going to bed, Shu Xing worked on his major’s assignments and reviewed some new material from this semester. Finals were approaching, and he needed to work hard to rank among the top in his year to secure a scholarship.

Another reason Shu Xing found Xi Yang annoying was that the guy always seemed so idle. He rarely saw Xi Yang studying. It seemed like all his free time was spent either out of school or playing games. When exams came, he would just cram at the last minute like everyone else, yet somehow, he always managed to scrape a passing grade and avoid being held back.

That is it. Then what is my late night studying and daily reviewing? Just me being diligent?

Frustrated, Shu Xing shut his book, turned off the lights, and climbed into bed. The other three roommates had already finished washing up and were tucked into their beds scrolling through their phones. After climbing up, Shu Xing accidentally glanced over at Xi Yang’s bed a few meters away. The green light from the phone screen illuminated Xi Yang’s cold, sour face.

Whoa, is this guy a simp too?

Seeing this, Shu Xing’s mood improved significantly. He opened his phone, ready to complain to his boyfriend about how Xi Yang had mocked him for “showing off” today. Shu Xing happily sent a “Baby” over.

Across the room, the phone of the green lit Xi Yang was not on silent. A notification sound suddenly rang out. For a split second, Shu Xing almost thought his “Baby” had been sent to him. If it were not for the fact that they were not even friends on the app, Shu Xing might have actually checked to see if he had messaged the wrong person.

Xi Yang probably felt the sound was too loud as well. Shu Xing saw his thumb press the side button, presumably switching it to silent. Shu Xing’s office shifted back to his screen. A reply from his boyfriend appeared at the bottom.

Yu Hui: “What is wrong?”

Shu Xing gave a brief description of the beautiful watch he had seen and then moved on to the part where Xi Yang said he liked to show off. He added a bit of flair to the story to make himself sound more aggrieved.

Shu Xing: “Baby, that watch was so aqua blue. Even though I did not see the real thing, it looked gorgeous just in the ad.”

Shu Xing: “But baby, you know what? That guy I always tell you about, he actually mocked me today!”

Shu Xing: “Baby, he called me vain. But I just really liked the watch, why is he like that!”

Shu Xing: [Crying_kitten.jpg]

After about a minute, Yu Hui replied. He sent an image of the watch from the official website and asked Shu Xing if this was the one. Shu Xing immediately replied, “That is it!”

As expected, Yu Hui joined in on bashing Xi Yang.

Yu Hui: “Is this guy sick? Does he even know how to talk?”

Yu Hui: “Does he not know my baby’s time is the most precious thing?”

Yu Hui: “Liking a watch makes you vain?”

Yu Hui: [Incoming Transfer: 100,000 RMB]

Yu Hui: “Baby, ignore what he says. Go buy it tomorrow!!!”

Yu Hui: “Aqua blue will definitely look best on you, baby! Love_you.jpg”

Yu Hui: [Big_grinning_dog.jpg]

Seeing the massive transfer from Yu Hui on his screen, Shu Xing sat bolt upright in bed.

Shu Xing: “!!!!!!”

The men’s dorm did not have bed curtains. Shu Xing practically bounced up, causing the wooden bed to creak loudly. Cheng Xinyu’s bed was connected to the same side as Shu Xing’s, so he felt the movement most clearly.

Cheng Xinyu looked up, bewildered. “Xing-mei, what are you doing?”

Shu Xing’s eyes were still glued to that 100,000 RMB transfer. It was the only thing he could see. His eyes were practically sparkling, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. He was so excited he wanted to roll around on the spot. But fearing his roommates would find out he had become a gold digger, Shu Xing controlled his emotions and said calmly, “Nothing. I just realized I have not exercised in a while, so I am doing some sit ups.”

Hearing this, He Wennan was also surprised. He leaned his head against the edge of his bed and watched Shu Xing, advising, “Better not. The bed might collapse.”

Shu Xing was a good listener. He laid back down straight. “Fine, I will not do them then.”

Enduring his laughter, he turned over to face the wall, using his body to hide the chat interface. Looking at the dazzling 100,000 RMB on the transfer screen, Shu Xing felt a bit embarrassed to actually accept it. He sent a shocked cat emoji, pretending to push back.

Shu Xing: “Baby, you are so nice!”

Shu Xing: “But this is too much money, it is not really appropriate for me to take.”

Yu Hui: “Baby, why is it inappropriate?”

Yu Hui: “It is a voluntary gift. Please accept it, baby!”

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