Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 4

Shu Xing saw the message from Yu Hui and happily clicked “Confirm Receipt.”

Shu Xing and Yu Hui had been in an online relationship for nearly two years. During this time, Yu Hui had transferred quite a bit of money to him. A large transfer like today’s was not a first. On their first anniversary last year, Yu Hui had transferred 52,000 yuan to Shu Xing right at the stroke of midnight. Initially, Shu Xing felt a bit embarrassed to accept it, but he only felt comfortable taking it after Yu Hui sent the phrase “voluntary gift,” just as he had today.

At the time, Shu Xing did not know how to spend those fifty thousand yuan. He used a few thousand for tuition and put the rest into Yue’bao, earning a decent amount of daily interest. Actually, Yu Hui’s generosity toward Shu Xing extended beyond cash transfers; he often bought expensive skins for Shu Xing’s game account.

When he first met Yu Hui, Shu Xing was just an obscure “nobody” in the game with a collection value barely over ten thousand. He was the type of player who, if he accidentally messed up a dungeon raid, would be insulted as a “broke loser who cannot afford skins.” Since starting the online relationship with Yu Hui, Shu Xing’s account had been boosted by Yu Hui into the top five of the server’s collection rankings within a little over a year. Now, every time Shu Xing logged on, strangers would add him just to ask, “Big boss, can you buy me a Hell Ice skin?”

As for how a “nobody” like Shu Xing managed to hook a top-tier collector like Yu Hui, it all started with him camping out every day waiting for Yu Hui to come online. As soon as Yu Hui logged in, Shu Xing would shamelessly invite him to a party and beg for a carry. Every time they played, Shu Xing’s praise and flattery never ceased. Yu Hui, who appeared to be a simple “homebody” type, was completely defenseless against Shu Xing’s “sugar-coated bullets.” Over time, he developed feelings for Shu Xing, and the two naturally became a couple.

In the beginning, Shu Xing thought Yu Hui was just a white-collar worker with a bit of money, so he restrained himself from taking too much advantage. Later, he gradually learned through their chats that Yu Hui was a second-generation rich kid with a very solid family background. Only then did Shu Xing begin to accept the occasional transfers without any psychological burden.

Operating on the philosophy of “grabbing whatever you can from a virtual relationship,” Shu Xing always provided Yu Hui with the ultimate fantasy of a lover. He knew Yu Hui had a weakness for acting spoiled, cute, and pitiful, so Shu Xing had maintained this persona for nearly two years. It was not that Shu Xing was intentionally toying with Yu Hui. Having been together for almost two years, it would be a lie to say there were no feelings. Shu Xing liked the emotional value Yu Hui provided, and he liked Yu Hui’s generous attitude when “dropping gold coins” even more.

Since he had class the next morning, Shu Xing chatted sweetly with Yu Hui for a while before they reluctantly bid each other goodnight. When Shu Xing put his phone away, he noticed Xi Yang, in the opposite bed, had also turned off his screen at the same time. Having been immersed in the joy of the 100,000 yuan transfer all evening, Shu Xing found that even Xi Yang’s face did not seem so annoying anymore. Perhaps this was the happiness that money brings.

The next day’s class started at 8:30 AM. All four roommates were in the same class. Early in the morning, Cheng Xinyu hooked his arm around Shu Xing’s shoulder while He Wennan grabbed Xi Yang’s arm, forcing the two rivals to head to class together. The class was a “filler” course, largely optional, but with the end of the semester approaching, many students with insufficient credits showed up to boost their scores. This resulted in the usually empty classroom being quite crowded.

The professor for this filler course loved to pick students from the front rows for interaction. Shu Xing never sat in the front for such classes. He Wennan and Cheng Xinyu felt the same. Upon entering, the group collectively headed for the back row. Since only three seats remained in the back, Xi Yang took the initiative to sit in the row ahead.

The class lasted two hours. Shu Xing could not stand the boring lecture and, while his mind was wandering, received a message from his online partner.

Yu Hui: “Babe, I miss you.” Yu Hui: “What are you doing?” Yu Hui: “Is it busy at the pet hospital today?”

Shu Xing had not told Yu Hui that he was only working at the pet hospital part-time. No matter how good his feelings for Yu Hui were now, to Shu Xing, Yu Hui was still an unfamiliar netizen. He did not want to reveal his identity as a university student. When he had accidentally let it slip before, Shu Xing covered it up with the lie that he had “already dropped out.” This way, if they ever broke up due to a fallout, Shu Xing would not have to worry about Yu Hui posting his information on the campus forum.

Having just received 100,000 yuan yesterday, Shu Xing made sure to be warm and affectionate in his text. He lowered his head, thought for a moment, and replied, “I am thinking of you, babe.” He followed up with, “It is a weekday, so it is not busy.”

Yu Hui replied almost instantly, “If you are not busy, do you want me to go with you to buy the watch? It is a perfect chance to finally meet you.”

When Shu Xing saw the latest message, he was so startled he dropped his phone. The loud, crisp thud caused everyone to look his way.

“What are you doing, Xing-mei?” Cheng Xinyu lowered his head to provide cover, whispering, “I was right in the middle of a novel, you scared me to death!”

Fearing Cheng Xinyu might see the chat interface, Shu Xing felt for the power button to ensure the screen was off before picking it up. He replied calmly, “I am watching a horror movie.”

“No wonder! Did a jump scare get you?” Cheng Xinyu looked at him with admiration. “Watching horror movies in class, your mental fortitude is impressive.”

Shu Xing nodded helplessly, thinking to himself that the message he just saw was scarier than any horror movie. Yu Hui had requested a meeting two days in a row. He had managed to dodge yesterday’s message, but today’s was hard to ignore.

Shu Xing sent a sweet sticker of a cat acting spoiled and replied, “Babe, I already bought the watch before work!”

Yu Hui: “Ah, that fast? I missed another chance to meet you.”

Seeing the message, Shu Xing figured the other party had temporarily given up on meeting. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the next message made his scalp tingle with embarrassment.

Yu Hui: “Babe, does the watch look good in person? I really want to see how it looks on you!”

Shu Xing: “…”

Babe, the watch you want to see is still lying in the display case.

Shu Xing was so embarrassed he did not know how to respond, so he pretended to be busy with work and stopped replying altogether. Closing his phone, Shu Xing suddenly felt that this filler class was not so boring after all.

After enduring the two hours, Shu Xing ignored Cheng Xinyu’s suggestion to go out for lunch and immediately hailed a taxi to the shopping mall where the watch boutique was located. The salesperson initially did not pay much attention to the student entering the shop. It was not until Shu Xing stood before the new light-blue watch with an “about to pay” expression that the salesperson finally approached.

“Dear, are you interested in our new arrival?”

The salesperson wanted to make small talk, but Shu Xing cut straight to the point, “Yes, this one. I will take it.”

The salesperson blinked, taking out the payment terminal and confirming cautiously, “Dear, we do not have this specific model in stock right now. If you want it, you might have to wait a bit. Is that acceptable?”

“No stock?” Shu Xing felt his vision go dark. If there was no stock, how was he supposed to take a picture for Yu Hui!

The salesperson continued calling him “dear,” but Shu Xing was not listening. He stared at the watch in the display for a while, then let out a long sigh. He lifted his watery eyes and gave the salesperson a beautiful smile, “Big brother, can I try it on?”

When Shu Xing smiled, small dimples appeared on his cheeks. His expressive eyes blinked a few times, leaving the salesperson dazed. The salesperson stammered, “Of course, absolutely.”

Shu Xing knew these luxury brands had lounges for customers. As the salesperson took out the watch, Shu Xing smiled faintly, “Can you take me to the lounge to sit for a while?”

Lounges were usually reserved for VIP clients. The salesperson hesitated, but seeing Shu Xing’s sincere “ready to pay” look, he eventually led him to the lounge upstairs. Once in the lounge, Shu Xing did not disappoint and made the payment.

The balance was instantly deducted by 93,000 yuan. Shu Xing felt a pang in his heart, and his mood dampened. What saddened him most was missing out on the Yue’bao interest for that 100,000 yuan. He had originally planned to let it sit for a few days before buying the watch. Now, those few yuan in interest had vanished into thin air.

After processing the payment, the salesperson immediately upgraded Shu Xing to a VIP. He could not help but peek at the beautiful boy on the sofa, thinking to himself that university students these days were truly wealthy. Being in sales, he was good at reading people and noticed Shu Xing’s change in mood.

Thinking he had been negligent, the salesperson quickly said, “Dear, please rest here for a bit. I will go prepare some fruit and tea for you.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Once the salesperson left, Shu Xing lay on the sofa for a long time before coming to terms with the fact that he had just spent 93,000 yuan. Shu Xing tilted his head to look at the sample watch on the coffee table. Under the lights, the circle of diamonds around the dial sparkled. The light-blue face really was to his liking. Now that the money was spent and he was in the lounge, he had to get some photos worth 93,000 yuan.

The lounge was a private space, and the salesperson would usually knock and wait for permission before entering. After checking to ensure there were no cameras, Shu Xing leaned against the sofa and found the perfect angle to lie down. The hem of his shirt was slightly lifted, and his waist and abdominal skin were “accidentally” displayed with perfection.

The hand wearing the watch rested naturally on his stomach. Shu Xing turned slightly, intentionally accentuating the curve of his waist. After taking photos of his abdomen, he moved to his collarbones. Shu Xing had a small face and a slightly pointed chin. He was naturally thin, so a few casual poses on the sofa easily revealed his collarbones.

Thinking the front view was not seductive enough, Shu Xing flipped over onto his stomach. The hand wearing the watch propped up his chin, and his oversized white T-shirt revealed some skin on his chest. Shu Xing moved the phone closer, framing the shot to only include his chin and chest. As for the lounge background, he adjusted the layout so it looked like he was in his own home.

After taking several photos, the last one, the one where he was lying face down, was his favorite. He sat up, finished the job, and took off the watch just as the salesperson knocked on the door.

With the mindset that he had lost his interest but would not lose out on snacks, Shu Xing finished all the fruit and tea the salesperson brought before leaving the boutique satisfied.

In the dining area upstairs, Cheng Xinyu had heard about a new barbecue joint and insisted everyone try it. Since it was peak dining time, they had to wait in line. The three of them stood by the glass railing, bored, chatting with their queue number in hand.

Cheng Xinyu was discussing what to order with He Wennan. Xi Yang was not very interested in barbecue. He leaned against the railing, watching the people come and go below. When Xi Yang saw Shu Xing emerge from the luxury watch boutique directly across from the first floor, with the salesperson warmly seeing him out, Xi Yang rested his chin on his hand and stared at Shu Xing’s retreating back with a puzzled expression.

It was not until Shu Xing’s figure disappeared through the mall’s main entrance that Xi Yang snapped out of it.

Is Shu Xing actually rich?

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