Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 33

Chu Yunjing stood there in silence for half a minute before raising a hand.

She placed it firmly on Qi Ning’s forehead.

“You don’t have a fever…” she muttered under her breath.

Qi Ning: “…”

She swatted Chu Yunjing’s hand away and shot her a glare. “Psh!”

“I just suddenly thought—to avoid getting harassed by creepy guys over the next five days, we should pretend to be a couple! That way, no weirdos will bother us.”

This plan would serve two purposes: it would make persistent suitors back down, and it would get her dear Jingjing used to the idea of a same-sex couple in advance. That way, it would be easier to introduce Yun Yu to her later. Two birds with one stone!

She had expected Chu Yunjing to roll her eyes and reject the idea with utter disdain. To her surprise, the other woman actually agreed… she actually agreed.

Of course, Qi Ning couldn’t possibly have imagined that Chu Yunjing was thinking the exact same thing for her own reasons.

They found their room according to the number on the key card, and Qi Ning swiped them in. The suite was quite spacious; from the doorway, they could see a massive floor-to-ceiling window leading to the balcony.

Walking through the entrance hallway into the living room, the bathroom was on the left and the bedroom was on the right. Qi Ning took a quick tour and felt quite satisfied. Looking down from the window, the sun outside looked harsh enough to peel a layer of skin off anyone brave enough to face it. Despite that, the beach was still packed. All she could see were dense patches of black hair; it looked like a pot of boiling dumplings.

This sight immediately deterred Qi Ning, who had just been talking about going down to the beach. Chu Yunjing turned to her. “Still going down?”

Qi Ning shook her head frantically. She had no intention of letting the fair skin she had spent all winter nurturing turn into a “burnt ghost” in a single day.

Having stayed up late the night before and woken up early that morning, Qi Ning was already feeling sleepy. She let out a massive yawn and prepared to head to the bedroom for a nap.

“Move over a bit.” Just as Qi Ning had lain down and nestled comfortably into the quilt, Chu Yunjing followed her in.

Qi Ning had assumed she wasn’t going to sleep, so she had sprawled out right in the center of the bed, hogging the whole thing. Hearing her friend, she poked her head out from under the covers. “Are you going to sleep too?”

She looked up with wide eyes, looking quite adorable. They each took a side of the bed. Qi Ning stayed near the edge; realizing she hadn’t told Yun Yu she had arrived safely, she fished out her phone to send a message.

The moment she sent it, she heard a click-clack.

Chu Yunjing’s phone had gone off.

“???” What a coincidence.

She turned to look at the other side of the bed. Chu Yunjing had been lying flat, but upon hearing the notification, she rolled onto her side to grab her phone, staying in that position. Qi Ning couldn’t see what she was doing anymore.

Before Qi Ning could investigate further, her own phone vibrated. Yun Yu had replied.

70: I’ve arrived at my destination! I’m so sleepy [Yawn]

Yun Yu: Stayed up late again last night?

70: …It’s not that I want to stay up, it’s that insomnia is stalking me.

70: I’m so tired, I want Big Sister to hold me while I sleep. [Meme: Hugging]

Yun Yu: Okay, I’ll hold you.

Qi Ning pursed her lips, feeling a bit dejected. The hardest part of an online romance was that when you craved companionship, the person wasn’t physically there.

Qi Ning glanced at the back of Chu Yunjing’s head. Almost instinctively, she put down her phone and pressed closer.

“Hmm?” Chu Yunjing turned her head slightly, feeling the contour of a face pressing against her back. “What is it?”

“Jingjing, do you think…” Qi Ning’s voice was tiny and muffled. “Do you think an online relationship can actually work out?”

“…” Chu Yunjing remained silent.

In that silence, Qi Ning expected Chu Yunjing to find her question ridiculous or to mock her for it. But she didn’t.

“I don’t know,” she simply replied in a low voice.

They slept in the same bed, yet each was preoccupied with her own secret heart.

It was after 4:00 PM when Qi Ning woke up first.

The air-conditioned room was quiet. The room wasn’t as bright as before; the stinging sun had hidden behind dark clouds, preparing to clock out for the day. Chu Yunjing was still asleep, her breathing even and undisturbed. Qi Ning turned to look at her, taking in her beautiful features.

The first thing she saw was that mole.

Still half-asleep, the sight of the mole overlapped with a scene from her dreams. She thought she was still dreaming—and that the person in front of her was her Yun Yu.

“What are you doing?!” Chu Yunjing woke up almost instantly as a cool hand pressed against her cheek. Opening her eyes to see Qi Ning’s face mere inches away gave her a start. In the quiet room, her voice sounded quite loud.

It successfully jolted Qi Ning awake. Realizing the current situation, Qi Ning felt a wave of embarrassment. She was cupping Chu Yunjing’s face, their faces so close they were almost touching. Her target had clearly been that mole—her lips were practically grazing the corner of her friend’s eye.

In a flash of desperate inspiration, Qi Ning puffed out her cheeks and blew a puff of air into Chu Yunjing’s eye.

Chu Yunjing: “???”

“I saw an eyelash on your face!” Qi Ning said, sounding incredibly righteous.

Holy crap, that was close! I almost caused a disaster. If she had actually kissed her, Chu Yunjing probably would have kicked her off the bed.

“Oh.” Chu Yunjing regained her composure quickly. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, neither saying a word. After a moment, seeing that Qi Ning wasn’t moving, Chu Yunjing finally spoke: “Can you get off me now?”

“…” Qi Ning looked down. It would have been better if she hadn’t—she had no idea she was so “bold” when half-asleep. One of her legs was draped over Chu Yunjing; she was practically straddling her.

Seeing Chu Yunjing’s calm and open expression, Qi Ning felt a bit ashamed and made to get off. But then a thought struck her: wouldn’t backing down make her look guilty? It wasn’t like they hadn’t messed around like this before.

As they sat in a stalemate, a meme suddenly flashed through Qi Ning’s mind. On a whim, she suddenly threw the quilt aside, letting the cool air rush over them. She sat fully upright, straddling Chu Yunjing’s thighs.

“Hey, pretty boy~ Today, I’m going to take you by force!”

“…” Chu Yunjing looked at her as if she were an idiot, not even twitching an eyebrow. Two seconds later, a mocking smile played on her lips—she certainly didn’t look like the one in the weaker position.

Before Qi Ning could process that look, she felt the world spin. Within seconds, their positions had swapped. Now it was her turn to be pinned down by Chu Yunjing.

Chu Yunjing looked down at her from above, hooked a finger under Qi Ning’s chin, her eyes full of disdain. “You want to take me by force? You’re asking for a spanking.”

At that moment, Chu Yunjing’s expression and posture were exactly like a haughty queen granting an audience. It was breathtaking. Watching her, Qi Ning’s little heart actually began to thud uncontrollably.

Seeing Qi Ning dazed, Chu Yunjing tilted her chin up further. “Hmm?”

“…” Qi Ning snapped out of it instantly, struggling to sit up. “You’re the one who needs a spanking! Get off me, you’re heavy!”

Oh god, she thought. Once you go down the ‘Yuri’ rabbit hole, you see everything through a lesbian lens. That move from Chu Yunjing just now was dangerously charming, but they were just best friends! If Chu Yunjing knew what she was thinking, she’d be scared to death!

Qi Ning composed herself and adjusted her mindset. Her Yun Yu was waiting for her; she couldn’t think about these messy things!

When they stepped out of the hotel, it was 5:00 PM. Qi Ning’s stomach had been growling since she woke up. She had researched Guiyue Bay before coming; since they were by the sea, the obvious choice was seafood. There were many stalls near the hotel, but they had poor ratings and were expensive.

With the virtue of frugality in mind, the two headed for the local seafood market. They say the seafood there is caught and sold fresh, a world away from the frozen stuff in malls.

The advantage of having a car for a road trip was evident, but the closer they got to the market, the narrower and more potholed the sandy roads became. Because of the holiday, the area was jammed with cars. Some inconsiderate drivers simply parked on the roadside to haggle with vendors, making the traffic even worse than on the highway.

Qi Ning sat in the passenger seat, looking at the sea of cars with anxiety; it looked like it would take at least fifteen minutes to clear the road.

“Let’s just eat somewhere nearby.” The road to the market was lined with seafood stalls. One place looked like it had fresh stock and a large empty parking lot.

Chu Yunjing had no objections; besides, if the person next to her stayed hungry much longer, she was going to explode. She turned the wheel and pulled up outside the restaurant.

Qi Ning was still thinking about the fresh catch at the market, but she ordered a few dishes anyway. Luckily, the seafood looked fresh enough—though it was quite pricey. The perk of these stalls was the outdoor seating. Since the sun had set and a cool breeze was blowing, they chose a table outside.

“Is that a shared bike?” Qi Ning asked after watching a third yellow bike zip past. In this traffic, two wheels were much more convenient than four; they could weave through alleys without getting stuck.

Chu Yunjing shook her head. She hadn’t seen shared bikes like these in Chonghai City; they looked like electric bikes.

“I think I saw a row of those yellow bikes outside our hotel. We should ride those out next time! It’s low-carbon and saves gas!”

“…” Chu Yunjing looked at her. “But you can’t ride.”

Qi Ning could ride a regular bicycle, but she had never tried a motorcycle or an electric bike. Two years ago, her family had bought a cool motorcycle for Qi Cheng. Qi Ning, attracted by its sleek lines, had insisted on trying it. The result was a nasty fall. Since then, she had abandoned all thought of learning to ride anything motorized.

“I can’t ride, but you can carry me!” Qi Ning’s eyes lit up. “I saw those yellow bikes have a back seat! Two of us on one bike—it saves money too!”

Heh. Chu Yunjing gave a cool laugh but didn’t take the bait, taking a sip of her tea instead.

“We’re supposed to be playing a couple for these five days, can’t you get into character a little? Sweetheart~” Seeing that logic wasn’t working, Qi Ning shook her arm and used the high-pitched, cutesy voice that she knew gave Chu Yunjing goosebumps. I’ll annoy her to death, hmph!

Chu Yunjing hissed and pulled her arm back, her eyes full of mock disgust. “If you want me to get into character, should I have finished ‘taking you by force’ earlier?”

“…” Qi Ning never expected the day would come when she and Chu Yunjing would make lesbian jokes together. Having read her fair share of Yuri novels, Qi Ning had some theoretical knowledge.

She arched an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “Do you even know how to do that?”

“Do you?” Chu Yunjing countered.

“Of course, I do!” Qi Ning tilted her head back proudly. She believed that compared to this “steel-straight” woman, her theoretical knowledge was far superior.

“Alright then,” Chu Yunjing said. “Let’s hear it.”

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