Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 25

Qi Ning had been avoiding going online for several days. There were times she wanted to log in, but she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself and might blurt out something reckless in the heat of the moment.

She felt somewhat embarrassed that at her age, she’d developed feelings for a virtual person online.

Accustomed to being cherished by others, she enjoyed the ambiguous relationship with Yun Yu, yet she was caught in a one-sided contradiction.

She wanted Yun Yu to belong only to her, but their relationship hadn’t reached that level yet. Even if Yun Yu ultimately got back together with her ex, Qi Ning had no standing to criticize her.

This left her in a foul mood for days, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the office.

“You’ve been in a bad mood lately?”

Qi Ning was delivering documents to the director’s office when You Man’s concerned voice reached her just as she handed over the files. Her hands paused briefly before she replied, “I’m fine.”

“Just don’t let it affect your work.” You Man smiled lightly. “Just kidding, I know you’re very capable at your job.”

Not in the mood for banter, Qi Ning quickly said, “Director You, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Don’t rush.”

You Man stood up, circled around her desk, and leaned casually against its edge with one hand resting on the surface. The movement brought them closer together.

Her eyebrows arched slightly as she smirked playfully. “As a supervisor, caring about my subordinates’ emotional well-being is part of my job.” She then placed a hand on Qi Ning’s shoulder. “Let me guess—relationship troubles?”

Qi Ning: “…”

“Don’t judge by appearances. I’m actually quite good at counseling. Many of my friends come to me with their relationship issues.” You Man spoke earnestly, as if it were truly the case.

Qi Ning was startled and blurted out without thinking, “You have friends?” Realizing her mistake, she quickly added, “I thought everyone around you was just… a fling.”

But the explanation only made it worse. “Ah, no, what I meant was—”

“Enough, no need to explain.” You Man was practically amused by her, shooting her a reproachful glance before sitting back down in her chair. “You can talk to me if you have any problems. If you don’t want to, I won’t push. I just feel the office has been quite tense lately, and I prefer the atmosphere from before.”

Though, Qi Ning wasn’t entirely wrong—many of her friendships had indeed started as flings.

Qi Ning studied You Man for a long moment. The other woman’s smile seemed flawless. After some thought, she pulled up a chair and sat across from her.

Placing her hands on the table and interlacing her fingers, she looked as if she were discussing work matters.

“A friend of mine…” After some hesitation, Qi Ning opted for the classic opening line.

You Man couldn’t help but snort with laughter, thinking it was another case of “asking for a friend.” But when she met Qi Ning’s death glare, she quickly stifled her amusement and cleared her throat. “Go on.”

Realizing her ruse had been seen through, Qi Ning gave up pretending.

“I want to ask…” She paused. “Is it strange to develop feelings for someone you’ve never met, whose appearance you don’t even know, just from chatting online?”

You Man spread her hands. “That’s not strange at all. Before starting a relationship, you need to spend time with the person first to see if you’re compatible. If you’re not, even if she were a celestial beauty, you wouldn’t develop feelings, right?”

“Online dating just skips the meeting-in-person step. It only means you don’t care about their appearance.”

“I just think… she should be decent-looking…?” Qi Ning, the self-proclaimed imagination genius, said.

“Follow your heart,” You Man shrugged. “If you ask me, just arrange to meet. If it works, great. If not, move on.”

“…That seems so casual.”

Hearing this, You Man looked amused. She tapped the table lightly with her fingers. “Come on, everyone’s busy these days.”

“What’s the point of making friends online? The goal is obviously to find a partner. And why look for a partner? Isn’t it because you’re lonely and want someone to be with? Online dating is the trend now.”

Qi Ning: “…” Was she the only one doing it out of boredom?

After a moment of silence, Qi Ning was convinced. “Alright, I get it.” She planned to think it over more carefully later. “Well, Boss You, I’ll get back to work now.”

Seeing Qi Ning stand up, You Man winked at her, resting her elbows on the table. The movement accentuated her cleavage as she said with a seductive smile, “Forget online dating. Date me instead. I’m amazing in bed~”

Qi Ning shuddered at her antics, rubbing her arms where goosebumps had formed. The office atmosphere lightened somewhat.

“Sorry, Boss You. You’re not my type.”

“What type?”

Qi Ning looked You Man up and down, her gaze moving from the cleavage back to that pretty face. Seeing the other woman wouldn’t let it go without an answer, she hesitated before choosing honesty.

“You’re too… wild.” What she really wanted to say was “too slutty.”

But saying that would probably get her stuck in this office.

You Man snorted unhappily. “You sound just like her.”

“Who?”

“No one, just go!” You Man waved her off dismissively.

Back in her office, Qi Ning immediately checked her computer. The WeChat icon in the bottom right corner was blinking. Clicking it revealed a message from a friend who worked at a real estate company.

The reply was still unsatisfactory.

Helping Chu Yunjing find office space had been giving Qi Ning headaches. None of the leads from her real estate connections had panned out.

The thought of attending Shu Mingyao’s birthday party tonight gave her even more of a headache.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, but choosing a gift was troublesome. She couldn’t afford expensive luxury items—plus Shu Mingyao already had everything. Cheap gifts would be embarrassing. After much deliberation, she figured she might just transfer money directly if nothing else came to mind.

More than that… she was curious whether Shu Mingyao’s young lover would attend.

It had been too dark that night to tell if the person was male or female. Later she thought a woman seemed unlikely—Shu Mingyao had been married and was completely straight. She wouldn’t keep a woman, would she? Probably just had too much to drink that night and saw wrong.

Shu Mingyao had set the party for 6:30 pm. Qi Ning got off work at 5. Going home and coming back out would be a hassle, so after checking, she headed straight to Shu Mingyao’s place.

Chonghai City boasts a massive river-crossing bridge, flanked by towering residential buildings collectively known as Riverside Gardens aptly named for their scenic views of the river.

Property prices in Riverside Gardens have soared over time, consistently ranking as the most expensive area in Chonghai.

And Shu Mingyao lives here, on one of its floors. The apartment isn’t something she bought herself; it’s part of her family’s assets.

Just how wealthy is the Shu family? Well, the developer behind Riverside Gardens is none other than Shu Mingyao’s grandfather.

Every time Qi Ning steps into this neighborhood, she feels surrounded by the scent of money, wondering when she’ll ever save enough to afford even a studio here.

When she arrived downstairs, Qi Ning called Shu Mingyao to let her know she was there. The reply came that Shu was outside picking something up and would be back soon, but someone was home—just ring the doorbell and head up.

Qi Ning did just that. She expected to see a familiar face inside—perhaps a friend who had arrived early like her—but instead, she was met with someone entirely new.

A girl, quite tall—probably around 175 cm—with fair skin, looking to be in her early twenties.

Shu Mingyao must have already briefed her, because upon seeing Qi Ning, she politely greeted her and ushered her in.

While changing shoes, Qi Ning noticed the girl wasn’t wearing disposable guest slippers but rather indoor ones. She was surprised—since when did Shu Mingyao have someone else living here?

The girl handed Qi Ning a glass of iced lemon tea, and the air was filled with the aroma of cooking.

Shu Mingyao never cooked.

After the initial exchange at the door, the girl fell silent, creating an oddly quiet atmosphere. Qi Ning observed that while she spoke little, her manners were impeccable.

Taking a sip of the lemon tea, Qi Ning decided to break the ice. “Are you cooking?”

“Yes,” she replied, seeming reserved—nothing like the seasoned socialites Shu Mingyao usually surrounded herself with. Qi Ning was curious where Shu had found such a well-mannered girl.

“Did you make this lemon tea? It’s really good. You’ll have to teach me sometime.” Qi Ning meant it as small talk, but the girl earnestly began explaining the steps.

“It’s quite simple. First, you…”

Still, the conversation helped ease the tension, and Qi Ning smoothly steered the discussion toward other topics.

Shu Mingyao owned several businesses, including a café where this girl worked.

Their relationship seemed strictly professional, with the girl referring to Shu as “Boss Shu,” her tone devoid of any personal closeness.

Beep—

The sound of the door unlocking interrupted them, and both turned toward the entrance. Moments later, Shu Mingyao walked in carrying a box.

“What were you two talking about?” Shu set the box on the coffee table—Qi Ning peeked inside to see balloons, a pump, and streamers.

“Just casual chat,” Qi Ning replied. And it really had been just that.

“Great, so no introductions needed?”

“…” Only then did Qi Ning realize they hadn’t even exchanged names despite talking for so long. “Actually, Shu-jie, you should probably introduce us.”

Shu Mingyao pointed at the girl. “This is Ji Zhijing.” Then, to Qi Ning, “You can call her Xiao Ji.”

So her name is Ji Zhijing.

Qi Ning gave her a light handshake. Ji Zhijing, being the quiet type, didn’t say much in the living room. With guests being attended to, she simply buried herself in the kitchen to continue working.

The house wasn’t decorated yet. The delivery was too late, forcing Shu Mingyao to pick up the packages herself. Overwhelmed with the workload, she was fortunate that Qi Ning arrived early and offered to help.

Shu Mingyao was hanging streamers on the wall while Qi Ning inflated balloons with a pump. The living room was a bit quiet, so Qi Ning casually struck up a conversation.

“Shu-jie, does Xiao Ji live with you?”

“Did she tell you that?”

“No, I guessed from the slippers she was wearing.”

Shu Mingyao chuckled and said she was still as sharp as ever.

“A while ago, I went home, and my dad said I’d lost weight and insisted on hiring a nanny for me. I thought having an extra auntie around would be inconvenient, so since Zhijing can cook, I just took her in.”

Took her in?? The phrasing was a bit odd, but Qi Ning was too busy wrestling with the balloons to dwell on it.

Shu Mingyao couldn’t reach high enough to hang the streamers, so she went into the kitchen to find help, leaving Qi Ning alone outside.

After waiting for a while with no sign of Shu Mingyao returning, Qi Ning couldn’t find the scissors. She called out a couple of times, but no one seemed to hear, so she went to the kitchen to ask.

Just as she reached the kitchen door, she stopped in her tracks at the sight inside.

Shu Mingyao was holding Ji Zhijing, whispering something, and the two looked very intimate.

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