Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 24.1

After sending this message, Qi Ning felt quite nervous.

She wasn’t sure if her sudden request was too forward, but she was genuinely interested in Yun Yu. After some thought, she reasoned this wasn’t their first conversation, and their second chat had gone so well would adding WeChat really be inappropriate?

She waited anxiously for a long time without any reply from Yun Yu, which made her increasingly worried.

Had she been too hasty with her request?

After more deliberation, she added another message.

70: It’s totally fine if you’re not comfortable with it.

This time, the reply came quickly within two or three minutes.

Yun Yu: Sorry, I was on a call just now.

Yun Yu: Adding WeChat is fine.

Qi Ning, who had been anxiously waiting for a response, couldn’t help but smile. Just as she was about to send her WeChat ID, another message popped up.

Yun Yu: Though, you seem pretty experienced at this.

Qi Ning: “???” She was completely baffled. Experienced? What did that even mean? She sent a long string of question marks in response.

Yun Yu explained: You seem like you’ve added a lot of “Hottest” friends.

Qi Ning felt utterly wronged. At most, she had only used this app three times!???

On the other end, Yun Yu’s reaction was unclear, but the reply came swiftly.

Yun Yu: Just teasing you [smirk]

70: !

Qi Ning’s eyes widened. What was this person’s deal?! She had almost mentally written the word “wronged” on her forehead to prove her innocence!

Seeing only an exclamation mark, Yun Yu assumed she had upset Qi Ning and quickly apologized. Now feeling like she had the upper hand, Qi Ning huffily demanded to know how many friends Yun Yu had added.

Yun Yu had been on the app longer, so Qi Ning knew the number would be higher than hers—but the actual reply still surprised her.

Yun Yu: Just one. We met up.

Qi Ning was taken aback and pressed for details about the meetup, but Yun Yu only responded with a smiley face, clearly unwilling to share.

The more Yun Yu avoided the topic, the more curious Qi Ning became. After asking for the third time, Yun Yu stopped dodging with emojis.

Yun Yu: If you really want to know, I can tell you in person.

“???” It took Qi Ning three full seconds to process what Yun Yu meant.

Was this an invitation to meet up???

Qi Ning wasn’t ready for that. This was only their second conversation—she didn’t even know what Yun Yu looked like or her real name.

She’d have to be crazy to agree to meet now.

70: Well… I’m not completely against meeting, but I feel like we don’t know each other well enough yet. Maybe we should get to know each other better before deciding whether to meet?

Qi Ning typed, deleted, and retyped before finally sending the message after a long pause. She hadn’t expected a single thought to take up a third of the chat window—it looked overly wordy and made her seem way too invested.

Yun Yu probably hadn’t anticipated such a “formal” response either, as the reply that came back was unexpectedly earnest.

Yun Yu: Oh, I was just joking earlier—don’t take it seriously. You’re kind of cute when you’re being serious. Maybe we can just be friends for now. As for whether it develops into something more… we’ll see 🙂

So they weren’t even friends yet…

So far, Qi Ning had a pretty good impression of Yun Yu. Since the other woman had put it that way, she agreed and took the opportunity to ask how many friends Yun Yu was still actively chatting with on [Hottest].

When the other person replied that she was the only one, Qi Ning suddenly changed her mind about moving on.

WeChat could have many friends, but there was only one in [Hottest]. She wanted to be that special one.

Yun Yu was usually busy with work and had irregular online hours, mostly only available in the evenings. In the end, they exchanged the time slots they would be online each night as the conclusion to their second chat.

That night, Qi Ning had a dream.

She dreamed of Yun Yu. Though she couldn’t recall her appearance in the dream, she knew Yun Yu was very good-looking.

In the dream, they met and talked happily. The other person was gentle and polite, and being with her was delightful.

When she woke up, Qi Ning sat on the bed, staring blankly at the sheets, questioning her life.

During her teenage years, she had certainly dreamed of going on dates with people. But before this, the subjects of those dreams had always been boys. This was the first time she had dreamed of dating a girl.

The key point was that she had only chatted with Yun Yu twice. Without even knowing what she looked like, she had still dreamed of her. And though she couldn’t remember Yun Yu’s face clearly, she remembered the teardrop mole at the corner of her eye vividly.

Because… in the dream, she had kissed that mole.

And even praised it, saying, “It’s so pretty.”

After sitting there for a long time, the next alarm snapped her out of her daze, and Qi Ning couldn’t help but cover her face with her hands.

This was really bad.

She had almost forgotten that she had initially been drawn to Yun Yu’s profile picture because of the teardrop mole. As for whether Yun Yu actually had one, she didn’t know—it might just be a stock photo.

She had to clarify this point!

If she had been fantasizing all this time only to find out it was a stock photo, Qi Ning, as someone who cared deeply about looks, would probably say goodbye without hesitation.

Yes, she was that shallow.

All day at work, Qi Ning was restless and distracted, almost forgetting that she had promised to treat You Man to dinner that evening.

They chose a private restaurant. You Man sat across from her, and while waiting for their food after ordering, they chatted briefly.

Qi Ning was so distracted that even You Man noticed. “You seem preoccupied. Is it something to do with romance?”

Qi Ning had been rinsing the dishes when she heard this, and her hand trembled slightly. The cup in her hand clinked against the bowl with a crisp sound. She replied calmly, “Not at all, President You, you’re joking.”

It was just an online friend—what romance was there to talk about?!

“I hope not.” You Man smiled, her tone somewhat serious yet also teasing. “Otherwise, I’d be heartbroken.”

“What???” Qi Ning stopped what she was doing, snapping out of her thoughts about the mole. Without thinking, she blurted out, “You’re not actually into women, are you?!”

You Man rested her chin on one hand, not bothering to hide it, and replied with a bright smile, “I am.” She paused, then shifted the topic. “Does that bother you?”

Now calmer, Qi Ning poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip. Whether You Man was straight or not had nothing to do with her.

“No.”

“Then…” You Man paused, her eyes flickering as they settled on Qi Ning, her smile deepening. “After dinner, do you want to grab a drink? Let’s go to Lily Bar, the one I mentioned last time.”

Worried that Qi Ning might refuse outright, she quickly added, “Actually, there are quite a few curious newcomers there too…” She gave Qi Ning a once-over and continued in a less certain tone, “Straight women.”

Qi Ning had indeed been about to refuse, but hearing this made her hesitate. She asked uncertainly, “Really?”

Is there really a “straight girl” more idle than her downloading a same-sex dating app?

In the end, Qi Ning didn’t accept the invitation, but she had already developed a curiosity about that lesbian bar.

After reading so many yuri novels, she had never actually stepped into that scene in real life. In her imagination, a lesbian bar should be just like the ones described in fiction—filled with either slender, long-legged domineering beauties or sweet, adorable moe girls.

After dinner, when she parted ways with You Man, the action-oriented Qi Ning immediately took out her phone and opened her contacts, her finger sliding until it landed on Chu Yunjing’s name.

Just as she was about to call her, she hesitated.

Then she spotted Chen Churan’s name. Raising an eyebrow, she dialed her number instead.

“Churan,” Qi Ning got straight to the point as soon as the call connected, “Do you know Lily Bar?”

Although Chen Churan was single, Qi Ning had never actually seen her date any girls. However, she occasionally noticed her posting photos of pretty women or anime characters on social media, enthusiastically calling them “waifu” every time. Qi Ning figured she was the perfect person to discuss this topic with.

Sure enough, Chen Churan’s voice grew louder on the other end.

“Lily? That lesbian bar?!”

“Yeah, that one.”

“I know about it, but I’ve never been!” Chen Churan quickly replied. “You wanna go?”

Qi Ning coughed awkwardly. Of course, she couldn’t admit she wanted to visit a lesbian bar just because she’d read about them in novels, so she started deflecting blame.

“Remember that client I told you about last time? The one who’s gay and ridiculously picky? My colleague suggested I check out a gay bar for inspiration.”

Sorry, Mr. Zhou!

“Ohhhh!!! I’ve always wanted to go, but I was afraid of looking weird going alone. We can go together!” Chen Churan sounded thrilled.

The fish wiggled a bit before biting the hook without any resistance.

Since Chen Churan had nothing else to do, Qi Ning checked the time—only 7 p.m., just as the city’s nightlife was beginning.

No time like the present. They agreed to meet up and visit Lily Bar that very night.

The bar was five kilometers away, and Chen Churan needed time to get ready, so Qi Ning waited at a nearby café for her to arrive so they could go together.

While waiting, she opened [Zui Re]. Yun Yu should be online by now.

Earlier that day, unable to resist, she had already messaged Yun Yu to ask if the avatar was really her. Now, as soon as she logged in, she saw Yun Yu’s reply.

The other person had responded with a simple “Yes,” followed by a question asking why.

Qi Ning’s lingering anxiety finally dissipated. She admitted honestly that the only reason she had reached out in the first place was because she had been “struck by beauty.”

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