Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 5

So a person like Xi Yang actually does online dating too!

The thought of whether or not Shu Xing was actually rich was snuffed out by Xi Yang as quickly as it had appeared.

Shu Xing hadn’t been carrying anything when he left the boutique, so he probably wasn’t there to buy a watch. It was more likely that he thought the watch on the billboard yesterday looked good and made a special trip to the counter today just to try it on.

Xi Yang didn’t know much about Shu Xing. Even though they lived in the same dorm, they rarely had any contact; sometimes two or three days would pass without them exchanging a single word.

However, Xi Yang frequently heard things about Shu Xing from He Wennan and Cheng Xinyu.

Long ago, he had heard them mention that Shu Xing would go off-campus to work part-time jobs during every holiday. As for what kind of part-time work it was, Xi Yang never asked and couldn’t be brought to find out.

But after seeing Shu Xing emerge from that watch boutique today, Xi Yang felt a flicker of curiosity regarding Shu Xing’s usual part-time gig.

He really wondered how long Shu Xing would have to work just to afford that specific watch.

Recalling the watch on the billboard from yesterday, Xi Yang frowned slightly. Was this model really that popular lately? Yesterday, his online partner had also said they liked it and even went to the store to buy it early this morning.

Xi Yang wasn’t particularly interested in this brand of watches, but since it was the style his partner liked, he figured there must be some unique selling point to it.

Speaking of which, his online partner had not replied to his messages for a long time. Was the pet hospital busy again?

The pager for the barbecue restaurant finally called Xi Yang’s table. Cheng Xinyu, who had been waiting impatiently, dragged He Wennan inside while remembering to look back and remind Xi Yang to enter the shop.

When Cheng Xinyu and the others returned, Shu Xing was busy editing the photos he took today. He had just reached the details of the hands when the dorm door suddenly swung open, bringing in a wave of outdoor heat. He turned toward the sound as the warm breeze from the hallway met the cool air of the AC, blowing the stray hairs on his forehead.

Shu Xing quickly exited the photo-editing app, greeting his roommates with a bright smile. However, that smile was reserved strictly for Cheng Xinyu and He Wennan; the moment he saw Xi Yang enter last, the curve of Shu Xing’s smile flattened significantly.

Cheng Xinyu had assumed Shu Xing rejected the lunch invitation because the pet hospital needed him for something. Seeing that Shu Xing had returned even earlier than they had, he asked curiously, “Xing-mei, where did you go earlier? Why are you back so soon? Did you eat lunch?”

Shu Xing had only grabbed some quick snacks for lunch. If he admitted he had abandoned his roommates just for a watch, he would likely be drowned by Cheng Xinyu’s nagging.

“I went to handle some private matters.” Shu Xing looked away guiltily, his gaze happening to collide with Xi Yang’s. Xi Yang was leaning against a locker door, playing with his phone.

Xi Yang looked up at him, his deep eyes narrowing slightly. Shu Xing suddenly felt as if he were being seen right through, making him feel entirely uneasy.

Fortunately, Cheng Xinyu was a considerate person. He didn’t press Shu Xing on what the “private matters” were and quickly changed the subject.

There were no classes in the afternoon. Aside from Shu Xing, no one in the dorm was particularly fond of studying; reviewing books was never part of their plans.

Bored and full from lunch, He Wennan waved his phone and said, “Hey, that popular Xianxia game recently released a mobile version. Apparently, the data syncs with the PC version. Do you guys want to play?”

Cheng Xinyu, a lover of all games, was the first to agree. “Sure, sure! Wait for me to turn on my computer! I even put money into this game when the server first opened! I was forced to quit later because no one around me played it!”

He Wennan knew Xi Yang had been playing this game all along, so he asked, “Bro, you in?”

Xi Yang’s screen was still stuck on the chat interface with his boyfriend. Seeing that the other person still had not replied, he gave a listless “Mm” and said slowly, “I can play.”

The dorm group was one person short of a full squad. He Wennan looked at Shu Xing and imitated Cheng Xinyu’s nickname. “Xing-mei, what about you? Do you play games?”

Shu Xing was about to ask which game they were talking about, but the thought of Xi Yang being involved killed any desire to join. He felt that Xi Yang looked like the type of “pressure monster” who would give “instructions” the moment a teammate made a mistake.

He shook his head, making the excuse that he needed to study and review, politely declining He Wennan’s invitation.

With everyone in the dorm, it was not convenient for Shu Xing to work his magic in the editing software. He made another excuse about going to the library to study, then grabbed his laptop and textbooks, slipping out of the room in a convincing manner.

There were not many people in the library that afternoon. Shu Xing picked a remote spot with a wall at his back so he would not have to worry about passing students glancing at his phone screen.

Once he was sure no one was around, Shu Xing comfortably took out his phone to continue the editing process.

“Tsk,” Shu Xing opened the editing app and pouted in annoyance. He had almost finished a photo earlier but had not saved it. The app had crashed, and now he had to start all over again!

While it did not really matter whether the photos he sent to Yu Hui were edited or not, Shu Xing felt this set of photos looked quite good. He had planned to finish editing them so he could show them off on social media!

“Sigh, what bad luck. I guess I have to redo them now.”

By the time Shu Xing finished editing, most of the students had left. In his area, only a few young couples remained in the front row, whispering as if they were tutoring each other.

As the time on the screen ticked away, Shu Xing finally felt bold enough to click on the chat interface with Yu Hui.

During the several hours Shu Xing had ignored him, Yu Hui had not sent any other messages. It seemed the other person realized he was “busy” and had not wanted to disturb him.

Shu Xing replied enthusiastically: “Sorry baby, things suddenly got busy earlier. I didn’t have time to message you.”

After replying, Shu Xing immediately sent three of the finely edited photos.

Fearing Yu Hui might notice something about the background, he added a specific explanation: “I got off work early today and just got home. I took a few quick shots; don’t judge me, baby!”

Shu Xing expected Yu Hui to be captivated by his alluring poses. On the contrary, Yu Hui did not reply for a long time.

Not receiving instant emotional validation made Shu Xing feel a bit bored. He switched to a social media platform, drafting a post to show off his wealth.

Shu Xing’s social media posts were generally for his high school classmates to see. Thanks to Yu Hui, Shu Xing’s posts over the last two years were filled with luxury goods and top-tier game sets.

In truth, Shu Xing used to despise doing such things. However, when he first started high school, his father’s business failed and went bankrupt. Their standard of living plummeted. The sudden drop in social status led to frequent ridicule and contempt from his classmates at the private high school.

The competitive nature among students never disappears. Shu Xing wanted what others had, but unfortunately, with the family in debt, luxury goods were out of his reach.

Luckily, Yu Hui had been sending Shu Xing money over the past two years. Shu Xing would save the money and, at the right time, buy luxury items to photograph for his wealth-flaunting posts.

After owning them, photographing them, and making those who once mocked him feel envious through the screen, he would turn around and sell the items on second-hand platforms. This allowed him to keep saving money and earn interest in his account.

Shu Xing selected the three edited photos, arranged them, and added a seemingly casual, low-profile caption. “I heard these are new and out of stock, so I decided to get them! Aqua blue really suits me, hee-hee!”

Shu Xing’s social media was not just for high school friends; his frequent posts had gained him a fair number of organic followers, making him a minor internet celebrity. Within minutes of posting, he received many likes and comments.

Some comments praised his poses for being glamorous, but most expressed envy at his wealth. Some even tried to guess which rich young master of the city he was based on his IP address.

After seeing the profile pictures of a few high school classmates in the likes list, Shu Xing exited the app feeling satisfied. With his vanity fulfilled, he refreshedly packed his things to head back to the dorm, not caring at all why Yu Hui still had not replied.

Except for his days off, Shu Xing usually ate at the school cafeteria with his roommates. When he returned to the room, Cheng Xinyu and the others were still playing the game. As soon as he pushed the door open, he heard Cheng Xinyu complaining about He Wennan’s “appetizer-level” gameplay.

He Wennan’s ears were red as he argued with Cheng Xinyu. “What do you mean my healing was the problem? Whose fault is it that you died so fast?”

Cheng Xinyu had finally made a “Dragon King’s return” in the game. Seeing that He Wennan was a beginner who was both unskilled and refused to follow orders, he started to get heated. “No, bro, look for yourself. Who did you give your healing skill to? Xi-ge had full health, so why were you linked to him?”

He Wennan realized he had linked to the wrong person. He quietly switched the skill to Cheng Xinyu’s character and said, “There, is that better?”

Cheng Xinyu was already at low health. The moment He Wennan’s character applied the healing skill, he was slapped to death by the BOSS.

“Great, I’m dead.”

“See, see? I gave you the heal and you still died.” He Wennan shrugged, acting as if it was not his fault.

Cheng Xinyu glared at He Wennan sitting behind him. He gritted his teeth and complained in frustration. “If Xi-ge hadn’t rented an account to carry us, the two of us couldn’t clear this dungeon in ten thousand years.”

Shu Xing put his things away and leaned in to look at He Wennan’s phone screen. He discovered they were playing the exact same game where he and Yu Hui had met.

He gave a soft sigh. “So you guys are playing this?”

He Wennan was already frustrated from Cheng Xinyu’s criticism. Hearing this, he looked at Shu Xing like he was a savior. “Xing-mei, have you played this game before?”

Shu Xing nodded. “Mm.”

“That’s great!” He Wennan quickly stuffed the phone into Shu Xing’s arms. “I chose the healer. Help me play! You know how to play a healer, right?”

Shu Xing’s best role in this game was actually the Poison Master. However, when playing dungeons with Yu Hui, he would often choose a healer as a support to act weak. Back when he first met Yu Hui, he was afraid Yu Hui would think he was bad at the game, so he had specially researched how a healer should play in a dungeon. Thus, he was quite comfortable with the role.

Shu Xing picked up the phone and checked the dungeon progress. It was already halfway through; it would be over after two more BOSSes.

Fearing that any mistake would lead to being flamed by experts like Xi Yang and Cheng Xinyu, he made an excuse in advance. “I haven’t played in a long time, so my mechanics might not be great.”

He Wennan now viewed him as his only hope, saying like a believer, “Xing-mei, you’ll definitely be strong!”

Shu Xing gave a soft “Mm” and focused on the screen. Xi Yang’s movement and skill usage were excellent, so Shu Xing did not have to worry about him. Most of his skills were used on the resurrected Cheng Xinyu.

Cheng Xinyu was saved from low health by Shu Xing several times. By the end of the round, Cheng Xinyu had showered him with many “Daddy, great heals.”

After finishing the dungeon, they entered the settlement screen. Shu Xing noticed the ID of Xi Yang’s character: “Sad Pig Intestine.”

Ugh, what a tacky name.

Looking at the character profile, there were no Love Bonds or Master-Apprentice relationships. The collection value was barely 100,000.

However, Xi Yang’s gameplay did not seem like a beginner’s. Why did he not use his own account instead of renting one online?

He Wennan must have seen Shu Xing scrolling through Xi Yang’s character info, as he helped explain. “Xi-ge said his own account’s level is too high to match with low-level players like us, so he rented an account to carry us.”

“I see,” Shu Xing thought.

Wait, that’s not right. Do not most dungeons in this game have no level restrictions?

Could it be that this guy has a Love Bond tied to his main account with someone online and is too embarrassed to let Cheng Xinyu and the others know, so he made up this lame excuse?

Thinking back to the green light on Xi Yang’s phone last night and his sour expression, he was probably spamming someone with messages and not getting a reply.

Shu Xing had never heard of any girl in an ambiguous stage around Xi Yang.

Judging by everything, there was only one possibility left.

Shu Xing looked up at Xi Yang, who happened to turn around at that exact moment.

Their eyes met. Shu Xing’s eyes flickered, and for once, he gave the other person a shallow smile.

Well, well. So, a person like Xi Yang actually does online dating too!

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