My Online Date is My Roommate - Chapter 6

On his end, Jiang Mingbo let out a cold laugh, cracking his knuckles as he thought: Fei Wenxu, you just wait. I’m going to drag you down to hell!

He ignored the group chat and dug up an old secondary WeChat account. He had created it back in high school to hunt for college entrance exam materials. It had zero friends on its list perfect for his little masquerade.

He opened the app and found a cute photo for the profile picture. Next, he had to think of a name. What kind of names do girls use these days?

He logged out and peeked at the class group chat to see the few girls in his major:

• “Cold Tofu for My Impatience”
• “None of Your Business”
• “A Little Mouse (Coding Version)”
• “Shift Minus F”

There was even one so abstract she used a lotus flower profile picture and the name “Enlightened.” After checking twice to make sure she wasn’t someone’s aunt who had accidentally joined the group, Jiang Mingbo realized he didn’t understand the opposite sex’s “vibe” at all.

Comparing these names to the cute photo he’d found, he worried his choice was too cute. With the way girls’ styles were so eccentric now, would Fei Wenxu immediately realize this was a “trap” account?

After hesitating, he gritted his teeth and decided: Cute it is. If he tried to be abstract like the other girls, someone with Fei’s personality might just block and delete him in one swift move.

He eventually settled on a name that sounded like a “coincidental” match for Fei Wenxu: “Little Fishy.”

That night, a new friend request from “Little Fishy” appeared in Fei Wenxu’s WeChat notifications.

Fei Wenxu, fresh out of the shower, stared at his screen. He was seriously reconsidering changing his friend request settings. The request was from a girl, but the message field was blank.

He glanced at his game interface daily quests were done. His guild mates were messaging him. He closed his computer, picked up his phone to reply to the guild, and casually hit “Accept” on the request.

Jiang Mingbo had expected to be rejected at least twice. Seeing the instant approval, he sneered. Damn hypocrite. Acting all high and mighty, yet he accepts a random girl that easily?

He went to the secondary account’s “Moments” and began posturing. He picked a few of the photos he’d taken today the ones only Fei Wenxu would see. This pond was built for exactly one fish.

Then, he decided to go in for the kill.

Little Fishy: [Hello. I wanted to ask you something.]

Fei Wenxu watched the message pop up, his heart undisturbed.

Fish: [Go ahead.]

Seeing the name “Little Fishy,” Fei felt a pang of weirdness.

Little Fishy: [Do you know what Jiang Mingbo’s hobbies are? When is his birthday?]

Fish: [?]

Little Fishy: [I want to pursue him, but I’m too shy to ask him directly. I want to create a bit of “mysterious fate,” you know?]

Little Fishy: [So I’m starting with the people around him. Sorry to bother you!]

The girl was extremely polite, showing no signs of foul play. Curious, Fei Wenxu clicked on her “Moments.” Sure enough, he saw the photos of the girl Jiang Mingbo had posted in the group chat earlier.

The girl in the photos had a lovely face and a radiant smile; she was genuinely stunning. Fei could tell these weren’t stock photos from the internet. He just found it ironic: if she wanted to chase Jiang Mingbo, why add him?

Then he looked at her obvious nickname. It was laughable. He thought he was dealing with someone interesting, but it was just another person using the “asking about a friend” excuse to get close to him.

Fei Wenxu’s arrogance was somewhat justified. Given his wealthy background and exceptional looks, people usually assumed he was the “nice” one. He’d lost count of how many people had tried to get close to him by pretending to like his friends. The trick was clumsy and old, and he usually didn’t even bother to call it out.

But this time, Fei Wenxu was intrigued. He couldn’t say why, maybe it was just that, looking at the photos, she happened to be exactly his type.

When a reply didn’t come for a long time, Jiang Mingbo grew nervous. Did he buy it or not? He squinted at his own photos again. Did he see a flaw?

Impossible. If his own siblings didn’t notice, how could an outsider be that sharp?

Just as he was convinced Fei would never reply, a message popped up: [Sorry, I don’t know.]

Little Fishy: [I thought since you’re roommates, you’d know him better?]

Fei Wenxu sneered. He was now certain she was after him and using Jiang Mingbo as a shield. That hypocrite Jiang is going to be disappointed again, he thought.

Fish: [We aren’t that close. You should add someone named Tan Rui. He’s close with Jiang.]

Jiang Mingbo cursed at his screen. Damn, this guy is a pro. He’s hard to fool! How was he supposed to respond to that?

Little Fishy: [I was going to, but I heard that guy talks too much. I’m afraid he’d accidentally tell Jiang Mingbo, and that would be embarrassing.]

Sorry, Tan Rui. You’re taking the hit for this one.

Jiang sent the message and waited anxiously. Surely that’s a believable excuse?

Fish: [But you’re still asking the wrong person. I don’t know anything about Jiang Mingbo.]

Little Fishy: [Then could you please help me find out?]

Fei Wenxu frowned. Jiang Mingbo? Find out about him? That vain, hypocritical guy…

Fish: [Sorry, can’t help you.]

First battle: Defeat. Jiang Mingbo almost threw his phone. Keep acting cool, Fei Wenxu. I don’t believe you won’t take the bait eventually.

Playing the long game, Jiang maintained her “classy” persona.

Little Fishy: [Alright then. Sorry for the trouble. I’ll ask someone else.]

He logged out immediately, deciding to play hard to get. For the rest of the holiday, he posted two photos a day with various captions everything from late-night “emo” thoughts to looking forward to the future. He was crafting the perfect “devoted yet interesting” girl.

When school resumed, Jiang Mingbo went back to being the cheerful, active guy he always was. But every time he crossed paths with Fei Wenxu in the dorm, he remembered those cold rejections. He hid his annoyance and pressed on with the plan.

Just wait. I’m going to see just how “strong” you really are.

Finally, Friday arrived. His old high school friend Wu Shuang ditched him again for a date. Jiang Mingbo went to a cinema far from campus by himself. After the movie, he switched to the secondary account and posted a “heartbroken” update words full of strength and resilience after a breakup. He checked the background of the photo to make sure it was generic enough, then switched back to his main account.

When he got back to the dorm around 8:00 PM, Tan Rui couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The moment Jiang opened the door, Tan pounced. “Bo-er! Where have you been hiding from the brothers?”

Jiang Mingbo dropped his bag, his voice sounding a bit low. “Watching a movie.”

“Alone?”

“Two of us.”

Tan Rui gasped. “Holy crap! You guys are already at the ‘movie date’ stage? Bo-er, you’re moving at lightning speed!!”

He was so loud that Fei Wenxu was forced to hear everything. Fei’s brow furrowed. He suddenly remembered “Little Fishy.” She hadn’t messaged him in nearly a week, which was different from the usual “clingy” types. Was he wrong? Was she actually interested in Jiang Mingbo?

Jiang Mingbo lowered his head and let out a long, hollow sigh. “Sigh… don’t mention it. It’s probably over.”

“What?!” Tan Rui bellowed, incredulous. “Say that again? You’re giving up? That girl is so pretty! Are you out of your mind? You guys broke it off?”

Jiang Mingbo shrugged. “Just felt like our personalities didn’t match. She’s not right for me…”

Tan Rui was still in shock. “Damn… Bo-er, I need to get to know you all over again. You can dump a beauty like that? For real?”

Jiang Mingbo didn’t want to admit it, but he had to play the part. The thrill of having his vanity satisfied was intoxicating. He suppressed his joy and shook his head. “It really wasn’t a good fit.”

Fei Wenxu slowly took off his headphones. The image of the girl from the photo flashed in his mind. On a whim, he opened his contacts and searched for “Little Fishy.”

He checked her Moments and found she was someone who shared everything. There were updates almost every day, with photos that never repeated it looked as though they were posted specifically for someone to see. He looked up at Jiang Mingbo’s profile. Was it for him?

The latest update was from two hours ago. It was a quick snap of what looked like a cinema, with a simple caption:

“This girl deserves better!”

Fei Wenxu looked back at Jiang Mingbo. This guy… really rejected her?

Truthfully, Fei hadn’t believed Jiang at first. Jiang was vain; vain people usually lie to save face. But he actually did have the girl’s contact info, and he had stumbled upon the “other side” of the story by accident. Fei locked his phone, feeling a strange, inexplicable sensation.