Can't Shake Off My Arch-rival After Falling in Love Online - Chapter 9

Xi Yang originally did not want to let his personal emotions affect his online partner. In the past, whenever he felt down, he would slowly process it himself. But today was different. He could not bring himself to be broad-minded or optimistic.

Just as the holiday began this afternoon, Xi Yang received a call from his father. On the phone, his father expectantly asked him to come home for a celebratory dinner.

Xi Yang originally thought his father was celebrating the fact that he was finally on break and had gained some freedom. However, when he returned home and saw his stepmother’s clearly visible pregnancy bump and a cake with the words “Congratulations to the Mother-to-Be,” Xi Yang’s usually stable mindset completely collapsed.

Xi Yang’s parents had divorced a long time ago. Before the divorce, both his mother and father were workaholics focused on their careers. Aside from providing Xi Yang with unlimited material satisfaction, they gave him no additional emotional care.

After the divorce, Xi Yang’s mother remarried within a few years and started a new family with a new child. His father had also married someone else two years ago. Now, it seemed perfect. His biological mother had a new son, and his biological father was about to welcome his second child. It felt as though everyone had attained a perfect, complete family, leaving only Xi Yang excluded.

When he placed the voice call, no one answered. After a long wait, the system heartlessly cut the connection. Xi Yang smiled helplessly. His online partner was always busy and rarely had time for voice calls. The last time they had stayed on a call together was during the winter break at the beginning of the year.

Xi Yang did not blame his partner for not answering. He quickly lit another cigarette, opened his car door, and got inside.

When Shu Xing received the call from Yu Hui, he practically bounced off the bed. He looked at the voice call interface and quickly ran to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. After drinking to moisten his throat, he intentionally coughed twice to clear his voice.

Unfortunately, the voice call could not wait for his slow preparations. Before Shu Xing could answer, the system automatically hung up. They had not spoken over voice for a long time. The last time was when Shu Xing went home for winter break. It was usually inconvenient at school, so Shu Xing always used the excuse that he was working during the day to reject Yu Hui’s requests to talk. Fortunately, Yu Hui did not usually ask to call at night either. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for Shu Xing to find excuses to refuse after work.

Seeing that Yu Hui did not call back, Shu Xing took a long breath and tried to figure out what kind of voice he should use to chat. In the past, to maintain his fragile white flower persona, he would always intentionally pinch his voice when talking to Yu Hui. Shu Xing could not quite describe that tone, but it was completely different from his natural speaking voice. Having gone so long without a voice call, he was afraid he might slip up and break character.

After several attempts at saying “hello” in different tones, he finally found a suitable voice. Maintaining that pitch, he nervously dialed Yu Hui back.

Yu Hui’s ringtone was a beautiful piece of instrumental music. Soothed by the elegant piano melody, Shu Xing’s nerves calmed down. By the time the call connected, his voice did not tremble. Instead, he gave a sweet “hello.”

Yu Hui seemed to be driving because Shu Xing could hear the roar of an engine. He wondered if Yu Hui, like Xi Yang, enjoyed driving loud sports cars. Was this a common trait among wealthy second-generation heirs? At least Yu Hui was not a poser, so Shu Xing did not feel repulsed by it.

Yu Hui’s voice soon came through, clearer than the engine noise.

“Baby.” Yu Hui’s voice was as deep and gentle as ever, though today it carried a hint of fatigue.

Before the call connected, Shu Xing had put on his headphones, which he had not used in a long time. Now, Yu Hui’s “baby” traveled through the earphones as if the man’s lips were right against Shu Xing’s ear. The gentle sound instantly sent ripples through Shu Xing’s heart.

He gave a soft “mm” and responded, “I am here.”

Yu Hui did not continue speaking. Only the constant roar of the sports car came from the other end. As the minutes ticked by on the call interface, Shu Xing knew Yu Hui was in a bad mood, so he patiently waited for him to speak again.

Yu Hui would likely talk about why he was upset, or perhaps he would gloss over it and talk about other things. But before he spoke, Shu Xing could guess that Yu Hui was adjusting his emotions.

A long time later, Yu Hui presumably reached his destination. Shu Xing heard the sound of a car door closing, the beep of a security keypad, and the soft sound of a house door shutting. There seemed to be an older woman’s voice saying something after the door closed, but the sound was cut off quickly, and Shu Xing did not hear it clearly.

Yu Hui remained silent, so Shu Xing spoke up at the right moment, “Did you just get home?”

Yu Hui quickly replied, “Yes, I just got back. I just came from my father’s place.”

“Oh?” This was the first time Yu Hui had mentioned his family to Shu Xing. “You do not live together?”

“No, we do not live together.” Yu Hui seemed to chuckle. “He has his own family.”

Shu Xing was stunned. Yu Hui’s father had his own family? Shu Xing quickly realized that Yu Hui lived in a blended family. Since Yu Hui said he had just come from his father’s house and mentioned being in a bad mood, Shu Xing guessed the two were connected.

He asked softly, “Is your bad mood because you went to your father’s house?”

Shu Xing was not intentionally prying into Yu Hui’s private affairs. He figured if Yu Hui did not want to talk about it, he would not ask further.

But Yu Hui was silent for a while before letting out a heavy sigh. “My stepmother is having a child. She will likely give birth in a few months. From what they said, I should,” Yu Hui paused and then laughed. “I should be getting a younger sister.”

The word “congratulations” that Shu Xing instinctively wanted to say got stuck in his throat. He understood why Yu Hui was upset. His father had remarried and was about to have a child with another woman. Yu Hui likely felt excluded. However, this was Yu Hui’s family matter, and the new sister was a fixed reality. Shu Xing found it hard to find a reason to comfort him.

Not knowing what to say, he hesitated for a moment and then said softly, “Baby, you still have me.”

Yu Hui went silent after hearing this, then suddenly laughed. This laughter suggested his mood had improved significantly. His laugh was light and entered Shu Xing’s ears through the headphones in a seductive way, like something was tickling his ear canal. It made Shu Xing want to laugh too.

Yu Hui’s gentle voice came again, “Thank you, baby. I love you.”

The heavy atmosphere of the call instantly turned lively. Shu Xing turned over in bed and responded with a smile, “I love you too.”

Hearing the sound of running water on the other end, Shu Xing asked, “Are you showering?”

“I am.” Yu Hui’s voice, which had been a bit distant, suddenly moved closer. “What is wrong? Do you want to watch your husband shower?”

“Ah,” Shu Xing was momentarily speechless at Yu Hui’s sudden use of “husband.” Yu Hui could be quite bold sometimes, using flirtatious talk to tease him. Usually, Shu Xing would play along, but right now he was afraid that if Yu Hui got too excited, he might actually try to start a video call. Shu Xing could not handle that.

To avoid this, Shu Xing maintained his persona and said with feigned difficulty, “A video online is not very appropriate.”

Yu Hui put the phone back down at a distance. His voice came through hazily amidst the sound of water. “True, that would be a bit like a naked chat. Then how about we see it in person next time?”

Yu Hui’s words nearly scared Shu Xing to death. Yu Hui knew the address where Shu Xing lived. He was terrified that one day Yu Hui might get excited and run over here to shower in front of him. That would be a complete lack of boundaries; after all, they were just netizens.

Shu Xing skipped the topic with silence. Fortunately, Yu Hui’s boldness was only temporary, and they soon moved on to other subjects. Whenever they got on a call, they usually stayed connected all night. Because Yu Hui had once said he wanted to fall asleep listening to Shu Xing’s breathing, they would not hang up even while sleeping. This was the nature of an online relationship; two people who cannot meet can only pretend they are lying next to each other by staying on a call.

So, as usual, no one hung up early. In the middle of the night, Shu Xing woke from a dream and vaguely heard rustling sounds from Yu Hui’s side. Realizing Yu Hui was still awake, Shu Xing let out a sleepy murmur and asked in a thick voice, “Why are you still awake?”

Yu Hui’s gentle voice moved closer to the receiver. “I cannot sleep.”

Shu Xing guessed he was still thinking about his father and stepmother. He fumbled for his phone by the pillow, rubbed his eyes to wake up, and said, “Then do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?”

In the past, when Yu Hui could not sleep, Shu Xing would tell him stories to coax him to sleep. On the other end, Yu Hui moved slightly and gave a soft “mm” in response. “Okay,” he said softly.

Shu Xing turned over, his hands peeking out from under the thin fleece blanket because he was a bit warm. He began searching for a bedtime story on his phone and accidentally came across “The Princess and the Pea,” the story Xi Yang had mentioned before. Shu Xing had never told Yu Hui about Xi Yang calling him a “Princess and the Pea,” and seeing the story now made him feel inexplicably annoyed.

By his ear, Yu Hui was waiting for the story. He asked expectantly, “Baby, what story are we reading today?”

Shu Xing pursed his lips, pushed the thought of Xi Yang’s poison tongue out of his mind, and said, “Today, we are reading The Princess and the Pea.”

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