Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 5

Qi Ning rarely called her “Jingjing,” always using her full name instead. Whenever she used this nickname, it meant something was up.

Just from hearing that address, Chu Yunjing could instantly sense her mood. “Who bullied you?” Her voice was usually cool and detached, carrying a polite distance, but now there was a touch of unique tenderness.

From the restaurant until now, Qi Ning’s expression had shown no trace of sadness or distress, she had been carefree and self-assured.

But now, hearing Chu Yunjing’s intuitive question and gentle tone, a hint of grievance surfaced on her face.

“It’s nothing.” Qi Ning sniffled, quickly suppressing her pout and returning her voice to normal. “Congratulate me, I’m single again.”

After she said this, the other end of the call fell silent for a long moment before Chu Yunjing finally spoke. “What happened?” Her voice was several degrees colder than before, as if suppressing some emotion.

Qi Ning spilled everything, the incident at the restaurant, splashing the scumbag with hot water, and throwing away the gift.

“Are you okay?” Chu Yunjing paused, then added, “Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Qi Ning shook her head in response, only realizing afterward how silly it was to shake her head at empty air, and quickly straightened up.

There was one question Chu Yunjing had never asked before. Now, seizing the opportunity, she sighed softly and asked, “Why did you accept him in the first place?”

Zou Rui-ming might have come from a wealthy family, but at his core, he was just a shallow “pretty boy.” Qi Ning was beautiful, cheerful, and had countless friends. Over the years, the number of people pursuing her had only grown—company bosses, elite returnees—yet none had ever caught her eye.

When Chu Yunjing first met Zou Rui-ming over dinner, she had already sensed he wasn’t up to par. But seeing how well he treated Qi Ning, she had turned a blind eye.

Who would’ve thought that after all this time, she’d end up with such trash?

“Hmm…” Qi Ning lowered her head, her thumb picking at her fingernail. Her previously calm expression suddenly turned awkward, a little embarrassed as she admitted, “Because… when he confessed, he set off fireworks for me…”

Though people had asked about it before, she had never told anyone the real reason. She hadn’t expected Chu Yunjing to bring it up now, especially since when she had first introduced Zou Rui-ming, the other woman had seemed completely uninterested.

“Hah?” The voice on the other end suddenly rose sharply. Just from that sound, Qi Ning could picture the exasperated eye-roll on Chu Yunjing’s face.

“…Just because of a few fireworks?”

Qi Ning had posted the video of Zou Rui-ming’s confession on her social media, and Chu Yunjing had naturally seen it. But she never imagined her usually sharp-witted best friend could be fooled by something so trivial.

Qi Ning pouted. “…I liked it, okay? Who knew it would hit me like that…”

“Pathetic.” Chu Yunjing’s tone was full of disappointment. Qi Ning didn’t even need to ask to know the look of utter disdain on her face right now. “If you like them so much, I’ll set off ten, a hundred, a thousand fireworks for you next time.”

“Oh…”

“Next time, keep your eyes open when picking a boyfriend.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t just go for looks. Looks are the most useless thing.”

“Oh…”

Qi Ning paused, then asked, “Then what kind should I look for?”

“Financial conditions don’t need to be exceptional, but they absolutely can’t be worse than mine,” Chu Yunjing declared. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to afford the things you like as gifts.”

“I mean self-sufficiency,” Chu Yunjing added.

“He should be a gentleman, articulate and graceful. Make sure to know him well before committing to a relationship, think twice before acting.”

“And also—”

“Yunjing, ” Qi Ning couldn’t help but interrupt, “Is this why you’re still single? Because of standards like these?”

Chu Yunjing: “…”

There were plenty of men who were gentlemanly, articulate, and graceful. The real challenge was the first point being self-sufficient and earning enough not to be poorer than Chu Yunjing.

In this era where success often depends on family backing, which accomplished individual doesn’t have some background to lean on? Yet her friend truly didn’t rely on her family for a single cent.

Chu Yunjing had been planning her entrepreneurial ventures since college. While Qi Ning was still living off her parents’ allowance, Chu Yunjing was already paying her tuition with scholarships. After earning her first pot of gold through a project with a clubmate, she founded a small studio, which gradually grew into the core team of a hundred people today.

When it came to inspirational success stories through hard work, Qi Ning couldn’t think of anyone else around her besides Chu Yunjing.

As the saying goes, lucky in business, unlucky in love. Over the years, Chu Yunjing’s romantic life had remained unsettled. The last and first boyfriend Qi Ning could recall was someone they met in a college club.

She couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like or his name, only that he was tall, slender, fair-skinned, a bashful young man who would blush whenever they teased him.

He pursued Chu Yunjing relentlessly for two years before finally winning her over, treating her so well it made them all envious. Later, for some reason, they broke up. Not long after, he went abroad to study, and that was the end of that chapter.

After a brief silence on the other end, Qi Ning sensed Chu Yunjing was gathering her thoughts for a sharp retort, only to hear her say, “I don’t plan to marry in the future, so it’s unnecessary.”

“Huh?” Qi Ning was stunned. Chu Yunjing had never mentioned this before. She vividly remembered joking in high school about how they’d move in together after getting married and having kids, extending their friendship into future generations.

Frowning, she asked, “You want to be a lifelong single? What about when you’re old?”

“I’ll just check into a retirement home.”

“That sounds so lonely.”

She wasn’t sure if Chu Yunjing had brought this up to distract her, but the image of her friend spending her twilight years alone in a retirement home struck her as both tragic and slightly amusing.

“Find a good one, preferably with round-the-clock service on standby. I’ll move in with you when we’re old!”

She thought she heard Chu Yunjing chuckle softly.

“What about your husband?”

“Pfft! What do I need that old geezer for?” Qi Ning slapped her thigh. “We’ll find another old lady to join us, and the three of us can play cards together!”

“Alright.”

Chu Yunjing played along with her whimsical scenario. As they chatted away, Qi Ning’s mood gradually lifted, only to realize how late it had gotten.

“Are you going to sleep now?”

Standing on the dimly lit balcony, Chu Yunjing almost melted into the night. She shifted her numb legs, unbuttoned her collar to reveal delicate pale collarbones, then turned to walk inside while saying, “You called the moment I got back to the hotel, I haven’t even showered yet.”

Qi Ning checked the call duration, they’d talked for nearly two hours.

“Oh~” Sitting on the sofa, Qi Ning swung her legs playfully, her lips curling as she effortlessly delivered flirtatious banter: “Gonna give me a live show?”

“Tch.” Chu Yunjing scoffed coldly. “Don’t you fear getting styes?”

“Pfft, it’s not like I haven’t seen before, I’m completely immune now!” She continued teasing, “Remember when the dorm’s water got cut off? Just us sisters surviving together… ohhh~” She punctuated this with a deliberately sultry sigh.

“…Shut up.”

“Aww, don’t be like that~”

“……”

“Jingjing, don’t you love me anymore?”

“……”

“Jinggg~” Before she could finish, the line went dead with a “beep”, Chu Yunjing had hung up.

Seconds later, a WeChat notification arrived from Chu Yunjing.

It was a meme of Tong Xiangyu from My Own Swordsman captioned: “If you ever die, it’ll be from terminal horniness.jpg”

Seeing this, Qi Ning burst into uncontrollable laughter, her mood completely transformed from before the call.

Looks like she’d sleep well tonight.

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