Dating Myself - Chapter 16

With An Mu’s latest post, by the time the evening study session was over, Jian Yihu’s Weibo comments were a complete mess.

The period between 8 and 9 p.m. was a peak time for internet traffic. People had put together a detailed timeline of the events, concluding that Jian Yihu was a liar and her “Most Beautiful Sister” persona was fake, while Qin Yige was a naive fool who had willingly taken the blame.

An Mu’s post had exposed Qin Yige, leaving him with a bruised ego. But thanks to his good looks, many people, despite mocking him, still sympathized with him.

Jian Yihu, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The recent human trafficking case had just put her in the spotlight, and now her public image was crumbling. With a famous influencer with tens of millions of followers involved, the gossip was just too juicy for people to ignore.

Her fans demanded answers, neutral observers asked tough questions, and her haters celebrated. Members of the missing persons community were especially upset. Jian Yihu had given them hope by posting about finding her long-lost sister, and now they felt betrayed.

It wasn’t right for them to insult her, but they couldn’t control their emotions. Many had missing family members and had been given hope by Jian Yihu’s story. They had messaged her for advice, but now they felt they had been used, and their anger was justified.

“Your sister must have terrible luck to have you as a sister! If I were her, I’d tell your parents immediately, and I hope your dad beats you blind!”

“I can’t believe a sister would say her own sister ‘spread her legs for money.’ /doge”

“Oh, so you used finding your sister to gain followers and build a brand, and as soon as you found her, you started insulting her. Are you a Sichuan opera face-changer? Oh, sorry, that can’t be it. You have no face at all. /smirk”

“Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! I won’t copy this anymore. I don’t want to get flagged for spam.”

“I’ve always said she was a fake. No one believed me. Her sister went missing over ten years ago. How old was she back then? Three? How could she have such a deep bond with her? It was all for show from the beginning.”

“How can you talk about your sister’s bad grades when you scored lower than her? Where do you get the nerve? Do you have any shame? You’re a stupid woman!”

“Why did someone like you find your sister? I’m going crazy looking for my son, so why can’t I find him? Please, God, she doesn’t appreciate her sister. I do. Please, let my son come home!”

“Our Hu-bao is kind and beautiful! She’s definitely been framed!”

“I just went back and read the fake Hu-bao’s amazing comments. The important ones are on floors 8, 168, 385, 482, 523, 525, and 526. You’re welcome! [Link to the post]”

“Haha! ‘Fake Hu-bao!’ She posted her mother’s number to get people to complain. We should all team up and tell her mom how she’s slandering her sister!”

“You btch! Eat your own sht and leave our Qin-shen alone!”

“Can you all be civil? Hu-bao hasn’t said anything yet. Is it right to jump to conclusions?”

“The person who suggested teaming up to slander her sister—count me in! I’m waving my little hand.”

“We’re all just evil characters. Come on, Jian Yihu. Prove us wrong! Here’s my face. Slap it!”

“Honestly, shouldn’t she be disciplined for this? @WeichengNo.2ForeignLanguageHighSchool”

“What’s going on? Hu-bao, please explain! Shut them up!”

“If my daughter came home, I’d get on my knees and bow a hundred times in the street. I would treat her like a treasure. If my son dared to bully her, I would break his legs! But a vicious person like you… I would kill you!”

These were the calmer comments. Others were so vile that it was impossible to read them.

The students were excited during the entire evening study session. They had never witnessed a major scandal so close to them. They were active in the comments section, commenting and reposting as soon as class was over. The more the scandal grew, the happier they were.

Of course, some people defended Jian Yihu. Many were boys and a few were her best friends.

An Mu didn’t care about the comments. She left the school at 8:50 and went to class 11.

Jian Yixi was packing up her things with Xie Maomao. When she saw An Mu, she gave a weak smile, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and looked down.

No one knew her better than An Mu. She knew that her sixteen-year-old self, although a bit naive, cared deeply about family. She had put a lot of effort into her relationship with her biological parents and her twin sister. Her adoptive parents had taught her that family was the most important thing. It was normal for her to be upset after learning that her sister had slandered her so maliciously.

Jian Yixi didn’t say anything, but Xie Maomao walked up to An Mu and happily linked arms with her. “What’s wrong? Do you need something, An Mu?”

The three of them walked down the stairs with the crowd. “My phone is broken,” An Mu said. “I was wondering if I could borrow yours for the night. I get a little scared being alone at home without watching videos.”

A phone is a very personal device, and most people wouldn’t lend it out, especially not for an entire night. Xie Maomao hesitantly pulled out her phone.

“I… I have a lot of… stuff… in there…” she said nervously.

She had embarrassing selfies, secret fanfiction, and a lot of valuable screenshots of chats. She would also have to log out of Weibo, WeChat, QQ, and Taobao, where she had private data. She didn’t want to delete any of it, and although she trusted An Mu wouldn’t intentionally snoop, she would be mortified if she saw anything by accident.

Oh, right, this phone has a private folder, but where is it? And how do you use it?

It was too much work to log out of everything. But that wasn’t the main point. “I’m sorry, An Mu, but I can’t lend it to you. I’m supposed to play a game with someone tonight, and she would kill me if I stood her up!”

An Mu wanted Jian Yixi’s phone, not Xie Maomao’s. Even if Xie Maomao had agreed, she would have found an excuse to decline. “It’s okay. I’ll ask someone else.”

Xie Maomao was afraid An Mu would think she was cheap. “What about tomorrow night? I can lend it to you then.”

“It’s fine. I’m going to take it to the repair shop tonight. It should be ready by tomorrow after school.”

“Then I’ll go with you tomorrow. If it’s not fixed, I’ll lend you mine.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it!”

The stairs were too narrow for three people, so Xie Maomao held on to An Mu’s arm while Jian Yixi walked behind them with her head down. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, An Mu suddenly turned to Jian Yixi and asked, “Can I borrow your phone?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Jian Yixi was surprised. She patted her pockets and remembered it was in her school bag. She quickly took off her bag, unzipped it, and handed An Mu her phone.

Jian Yixi had just bought the phone the day before school started. She hadn’t used it much. She had only downloaded QQ, and she hadn’t even taken many pictures. She wasn’t worried about privacy.

Despite this, she had just exposed her sister on Weibo and was clearly a person of interest. Yet she had no hesitation in giving up her phone. She was too naive.

An Mu had expected Jian Yixi to at least ask a few questions, but it was too easy. An Mu had spent two days trying to influence her, and it seemed like she hadn’t learned anything. Why can’t I teach her the simple truth that you should always be on guard?

Did she forget that someone took a picture of her? Did she forget how her own sister slandered her on the forum?

How can she not see how cruel people can be? This is a basic lesson! Why can’t she get it?!

Why am I so angry? An Mu hadn’t gotten angry in years, but her sixteen-year-old self was infuriatingly stupid.

An Mu took the phone and gave her former self a fake smile. “Thanks.”

Jian Yixi just nodded absentmindedly.

Fine, An Mu thought. This is the first time she’s had to face this kind of evil. I’ll forgive her for being so naive.

The Jian family had a driver, Uncle Zhou, who used to pick up Jian Yihu and now picked up Jian Yixi as well. Jian Yixi just had to walk to the front gate, while An Mu and Xie Maomao had to go to the bike racks.

“See you tomorrow, Jian Yixi,” An Mu said.

“Bye!” Xie Maomao waved at her.

Jian Yixi walked two steps toward the gate, hesitated, and then turned back to catch up with them. “An Mu, can I ask you something?”

An Mu stopped and turned around. “Go ahead.”

Xie Maomao nervously tugged on An Mu’s arm, guessing what she was about to ask.

Jian Yixi looked down at the cement path. Her face was hidden in the shadow of the streetlights, but her hair was moving in the night breeze, and her lips were tightly pressed together. “What you said in the cafeteria yesterday… was it true?”

“What did I say?”

“You said you hate my sister.”

“It’s true,” An Mu said.

Jian Yixi looked up, her eyes wide, her long lashes trembling in the wind. “Then why did you help me?”

“Your sister is your sister, and you are you.”

“Then… what’s your problem with her? Why are you targeting her?”

Most students had already left, and the school was quiet. Only the senior classrooms were still lit.

An Mu untied her hair and let it fly freely in the wind. Her amber eyes reflected the yellow light of the streetlights. “Do you also think I’m targeting her?” She scoffed. “If you want to think that, fine. I don’t care.”

Yes, I am targeting her. And it’s not just her. I’m targeting your entire family.

An Mu turned to leave, but Jian Yixi quickly followed. “I… that’s not what I meant. My words were wrong. Don’t be mad. I actually… I really believe you!”

If you really believed me, you wouldn’t be asking.

“I’m just a little confused. So much has happened all at once. I just want to understand. I don’t mean anything by it.”

An Mu stopped and looked at her with a blank expression. “If you’re that confused, you should go home and think about it.”

An Mu unlocked her bike. Xie Maomao stuck out her tongue and pulled Jian Yixi aside. “Didn’t I tell you not to ask? Just go home and ask your sister, and then think about it yourself. I think your sister is definitely a problem.”

An Mu got on her bike and left without a word, riding a few meters away. Her short skirt fluttered in the wind. She held it down with one hand and rode with the other, her hair flying behind her. The sound of her bike bell was crisp, and she soon disappeared around the corner.

Jian Yixi rode home with Xie Maomao, who hugged her and comforted her. “It’s okay. You’re family. Just talk it out. Don’t feel too bad. If you can’t solve it, tell your parents. They’ll figure it out.”

Jian Yixi nodded, got into Uncle Zhou’s car, and went home.

After eating a late-night snack, she went to her room to do her homework. She opened her desk drawer to get her scratch paper and noticed that the notebook, which was usually on top, was now at the bottom. Maybe I just misplaced it, she thought.

In the next room, Jian Yihu woke up with a groggy feeling and checked her phone. It was late, so her sister must be home. She went to the bathroom, washed her face, and put on some simple makeup, making herself look pale and tired but still beautiful.

She went to Jian Yixi’s room. “You’re back, Xixi? Mom forgot her key card and can’t get into the complex. I’m not feeling well. Can you go give it to her?”

Jian Yixi’s mind was still a mess. She had just calmed down from doing her homework when she saw Jian Yihu, and her mind was in turmoil again. “Oh, okay. I’ll go now.”

Jian Yihu handed her the key card and glanced at the pocket of her pajamas. “Hurry up. Mom’s waiting.”

Jian Yixi went downstairs. As she walked out the door, Jian Yihu rushed to her sister’s desk and started rummaging through it. Where’s my phone?! Where is it?!