Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 24.3

As Qi Ning raised her eyes, she met You Man’s beaming gaze, instantly making her feel a prickling embarrassment at the back of her head. Just earlier, she had claimed to be straight, and now here she was, running into her at a lesbian bar. How could it not be awkward?

You Man was too close, close enough for Qi Ning to feel her breath, causing her to instinctively lean back.

Even in a disadvantageous position, Qi Ning maintained her composure. “You, Director You, what a coincidence.”

“Quite the coincidence,” You Man replied, her probing gaze sweeping over Qi Ning’s face.

Another customer entered from outside, and upon seeing their position, his expression turned suggestive, followed by a flirtatious smile directed at them.

Qi Ning: “???”

She discreetly shifted a step away, maintaining a safe distance from You Man.

You Man didn’t seem to mind; she tossed her hair back playfully. “I was a bit surprised to see you earlier. I didn’t expect it to be you.”

Qi Ning felt a twinge of guilt, but then reminded herself that it was after work hours—what was there to feel guilty about? So she became more assertive, starting to ramble, “I just happened to be picking up a friend here.”

Even she didn’t believe that excuse.

You Man raised an eyebrow at her and seamlessly followed up with, “Girlfriend?”

“Female friend.” Qi Ning emphasized those four words, quickly adding, “Director You, if you have nothing else, I’ll be leaving. My friend is still waiting outside.”

You Man didn’t respond directly but suddenly threw a curveball: “So can I pursue you then?”

This statement left Qi Ning stunned, her expression one of sheer terror. The very thing she feared had come to pass.

Back in school, there had been younger girls confessing to her, but that was years ago. Now, her relationship with You Man was not that of seniors and juniors, but a proper work relationship.

If not handled well, her job could be at stake. Although she believed You Man wouldn’t be that petty, it was still better to clarify things.

“Director You, the company doesn’t allow office romances.”

“I don’t mind a secret relationship.”

“…???”

Alright then.

Qi Ning took a deep breath, adopting a sorrowful expression.

“I already have someone I like, and I’ve liked her for many, many years. In this lifetime, I will only marry her…”

You Man was momentarily taken aback by her words, which had too many inconsistencies. How could someone have a crush and then run to a bar right after ending a relationship? Especially when the other person seemed to be addicted to playing the role of a romantic lead; she even suspected Qi Ning once dreamed of being an actress.

In the end, Qi Ning looked at her, her eyes filled with seven parts sorrow and three parts sadness.

“Director You, you understand what I mean, right?”

“I understand.” You Man pondered for a moment before saying, “Although you’re rambling, I get your point.”

“Feelings should be mutual; a forced relationship bears no sweetness.”

Qi Ning sighed in relief, just as she was about to find an excuse to make a hasty exit when she heard You Man say, “Haven’t we added each other on WeChat yet?”

She meant her personal WeChat.

Once they added each other, You Man didn’t waste any time. She waved her phone and blew Qi Ning a kiss.

“Babe, if you can’t sleep tonight, feel free to reach out to me anytime~”

“……” Ugh.

Qi Ning stared at You Man’s departing figure, realizing for the first time that her boss was truly flirtatious.

……

Since the second time chatting with Yun Yu, they had mentioned adding each other on WeChat, but after that, the topic never came up again, and they continued chatting in the “Hot” section.

As they chatted more, Qi Ning grew increasingly familiar with Yun Yu. Initially, she was a bit cautious while teasing, afraid of upsetting her.

Eventually, she even jokingly referred to herself as “Wushan” to tease Yun Yu back.

Yun Yu gave her a wonderfully strange feeling; even through the screen, it felt like they were old friends who had known each other for years. Their conversations had shifted from being stiff to incredibly relaxed.

She enjoyed this kind of relationship.

With the upcoming National Day holiday, her colleagues were discussing where to go for fun, and some had already formed small groups to plan their outings together.

During lunch break, Qi Ning stepped out of her office and saw a few colleagues gathered, seemingly deep in conversation. Upon noticing her, they waved her over.

“Boss, do you have plans for National Day? Want to join us for some rafting?” one enthusiastic colleague invited her.

It turned out they were discussing where to go for fun.

Qi Ning almost agreed, but then remembered she had already made plans with Chu Yunjing to go to Guiyue Bay a month ago, nearly forgetting.

“I’ve already made plans for National Day. Have fun!”

Her colleagues expressed their regrets, and just as Qi Ning was about to leave, she suddenly recalled that one of the members was a poor swimmer. She threw a curious glance at Xiao Zhang and asked, “Aren’t you a poor swimmer? Can you handle rafting?”

Previously, during a team-building trip to the beach, Xiao Zhang had clung to a swimming ring and didn’t dare go into the water. Despite their coaxing, she only dared to play in the shallow end, which left a strong impression on Qi Ning. She seriously doubted if Xiao Zhang was just trying to tag along.

Unexpectedly, the usually carefree Xiao Zhang became shy at her question, and the smiles of those around her turned knowing.

This piqued Qi Ning’s curiosity even more, so she pulled a chair over and sat down, eagerly watching Xiao Zhang, teasing her, “Why are you blushing?”

Qi Ning often chatted with her subordinates in the office, not always about work. She was quite curious about gossip, especially the “down-to-earth” kind.

Xiao Zhang remained silent, while the others laughed. Under Qi Ning’s persistent questioning, another colleague finally spoke up.

“Oh, Xiao Zhang is meeting her online dating partner! She’s afraid it’ll be awkward, so she’s bringing us along.”

“What’s so awkward about meeting?” Qi Ning thought it was just a casual meal. After chatting online for so long, there shouldn’t be anything awkward about meeting up.

“You wouldn’t understand,” the colleague laughed mischievously. “Meeting someone from online dating has its risks. What if they’re using fake photos, and the real person looks nothing like them?”

Qi Ning was skeptical. “No way…”

“Really. A bloody lesson!” another male colleague slapped his thigh, recalling his past relationship that had slipped away, he lamented, “Nowadays, women are so skilled at photo editing! I once went to an offline meet-up for a gaming guild, and when I met my in-game partner for the first time, good grief! The girl in the photos had beautiful features and fair skin, a top beauty in our area. But when we met, she looked like a completely different person! She told me she was 1.7 meters tall, but when we met, she was only 1.55! She barely reached my chest! I think even our cleaning lady was prettier than her when she was young!”

Qi Ning couldn’t help but laugh, eagerly asking, “And then?!”

“……” The male colleague took a deep breath, gazing at the ceiling in disbelief. “After I got back, I applied for a divorce. I didn’t even want the gear I had given her back. Now I hear she’s with our guild leader.”

Laughter erupted among the group.

Xiao Zhang was quite pretty, and her online partner had sent decent photos. They had even video chatted, but nowadays, videos often had beauty filters—who knew what they would look like in person?

As a young girl meeting someone for the first time, she felt a bit anxious. Luckily, her boyfriend was considerate and didn’t suggest meeting alone but rather said to bring friends along. A group of onlookers and protectors would just join in the fun.

Qi Ning found this amusing and entertaining.

She had never had the experience of meeting an online friend in person and didn’t think it was a scary thing. After all, she never sent fake photos to deceive anyone; her pictures were just normal with a filter added.

She knew that videos and real-life appearances could differ, but hearing about online dating resulting in such stark contrasts still felt frightening. She hadn’t expected people to play such tricks nowadays.

She decided to share this amusing story with Yun Yu.

That evening, Qi Ning logged on at her usual time, and Yun Yu was already online.

70: Yun Yu, Yun Yu~ It’s Wushan! Calling Yun Yu! ovo

Qi Ning noticed she was getting more adept at using these cute emoticons.

If it weren’t for the software lacking the function to add stickers, she could have sent hundreds of panda head stickers without repeating any.

However, it was probably a good thing there was no sticker function; otherwise, her cute image might have turned her into a sticker ambassador.

Soon, Yun Yu replied.

Yun Yu: Got it, Little Wushan.

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