Online Love, Based on the Real Object - Chapter 7

Qining’s eyes lit up when she saw her, and a bright smile quickly spread across her face as she rose from the stone bench and jogged toward her.

“Yunjing!” She opened her arms and gave Chu Yunjing a big hug. If it weren’t for needing to maintain some decorum in public, she probably would have clung to her like a koala right then and there.

She was more affectionate than usual partly because they hadn’t seen each other in a while, and partly because she’d been feeling down lately, weighed down by personal and work-related troubles. Now that she was face-to-face with someone she trusted completely, she couldn’t help but act a little spoiled.

“Mhm.” Chu Yunjing freed one hand to pat her back lightly, a faint smile appearing on her otherwise calm face, though the exhaustion in her eyes was still unmistakable.

“What do you want for dinner?” she asked, her voice even more pleasant than it had been over the phone, cool and composed, the kind of tone that instantly lifted Qining’s mood just by hearing it.

Rumor had it that a new trendy restaurant had recently opened at Kowloon Plaza, and Qining had been wanting to try it. Since they were nearby, they decided to go.

The restaurant had a stylish, minimalist white decor. As a designer, Qining was particularly sensitive to interior aesthetics, and her first impression was that part of the reason this place had become so popular was because it was perfect for taking photos to post online. As for the food well, that remained to be tasted.

It was Friday night, and the restaurant was packed. Some people were taking pictures, others chatting, filling the space with a lively buzz. They chose a spot on the second-floor open-air balcony. The sky hadn’t fully darkened yet, so the outdoor lights weren’t on, leaving the area dimly lit.

Luckily, the balcony was nearly empty, just one couple dining at a table far from theirs.

It was quiet. Perfect for conversation.

After ordering a few signature dishes, Chu Yunjing flipped through the menu to the drinks section and glanced up. “Want some sparkling wine?”

“Sure,” Qining replied, then quickly added, “Didn’t you drive here?”

“I did,” Chu Yunjing said. “Parked at the west gate.”

“Drinking and driving is wrong,” Qining said sternly. Chu Yunjing responded with a noncommittal smile and went back to studying the leather-bound menu.

Qining rested her chin on her hand, watching her. The waiter turned on the lights, instantly brightening the dim balcony. The overhead chandelier cast its glow on Chu Yunjing’s face, making the beauty mark at the outer corner of her left eye stand out clearly, along with the slight upward curve of her lips, softening her entire demeanor.

The gloom that had lingered for nearly half a month finally began to lift.

Once the food was ordered, Chu Yunjing leisurely pushed a bag across the table toward her.

“Think this’ll cheer you up?”

Qining happily took the bag and peeked inside, it was the robe Chu Yunjing had asked her about earlier.

“You knew I was in a bad mood?” she asked with a grin, her eyes sparkling, looking anything but upset.

To anyone else, the bright smile on her face would have seemed genuine. But Chu Yunjing just smiled knowingly.

“I could tell.”

Qining let out a soft hum and arched a brow in denial. “Nonsense. I’m perfectly fine.”

Chu Yunjing didn’t press the issue, and Qining didn’t want to dwell on it either. With unspoken understanding, they shifted to lighter topics.

The meal stretched on longer than expected, and by the time they left the restaurant, it was just past nine.

Qi Ning looked up at the dark, oppressive clouds in the night sky and turned to Chu Yunjing, asking, “Should I stay at your place tonight?”

Since living alone could get quite boring, Qi Ning sometimes spent the night at Chu Yunjing’s place. They would share some late-night girl talk, and this time was no different.

“Sure,” Chu Yunjing agreed readily. Since Qi Ning hadn’t driven, she obediently followed her into the car.

As Qi Ning sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, Chu Yunjing suddenly undid hers, as if remembering something. She turned to Qi Ning and said, “Wait here for a moment. I need to buy something.” With that, she stepped out of the car.

There was a 24-hour convenience store just ahead. Qi Ning glanced at it, not in any particular hurry since she didn’t have work the next day.

When Chu Yunjing returned, she was carrying a convenience store bag. She placed the items in the back seat before settling back into the driver’s seat.

“What did you buy?” Qi Ning asked casually, still looking at her phone and not paying much attention to what Chu Yunjing had brought.

“Drinks,” she replied honestly.

Before starting the car, Chu Yunjing suddenly pulled a lollipop from her pocket and held it out in her palm, offering it to Qi Ning.

Qi Ning looked at her, tilting her head slightly, then at the lollipop in her hand, clearly meant for her. Without hesitation, she took it.

She quickly unwrapped it, revealing a caramel-colored round candy. She popped it into her mouth, and the rich, creamy flavor melted on her tongue.

It was sweet.

Exactly how sweet? As sweet as the time when Qi Ning was bullied by a mischievous boy as a child and cried, only for Chu Yunjing to beat the boy up and then pull out a White Rabbit candy from her pocket to give to her.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. Soft music played in the car as Chu Yunjing focused on driving, while Qi Ning scrolled through text on her phone.

Earlier that afternoon, she had downloaded the Green River reading app. After browsing for a while, she registered an account but hadn’t decided which novel to read. She checked out the recommended list in the Boys’ Love category, skimmed a few synopses, but none caught her interest, so she set it aside. Now, with time to spare, she revisited the idea.

This time, luck was on her side. She stumbled upon a sci-fi BL novel with an intriguing synopsis and a modest length of just 100,000 words.

She thought she could finish it quickly.

To her surprise, she couldn’t get past the first three chapters. It wasn’t that the writing was bad on the contrary, it was immersive. But as she imagined two towering men holding hands, embracing, and acting shy,  she couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.

She quickly exited the story and resumed her search. This time, she found a modern school ABO BL novel.

“We’re here.” Before she could click to explore further, Chu Yunjing’s voice broke the silence in the car.

“Oh, okay.” Qi Ning hurriedly locked her phone and looked up, only to see pitch darkness outside, with only the car’s headlights illuminating a tree ahead.

“Huh?” This clearly wasn’t the parking lot of Chu Yunjing’s apartment.

Without giving her time to think, Chu Yunjing unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, and opened the back door to retrieve the bag. Qi Ning didn’t dwell on it, following her out, it wasn’t like she’d be sold off or anything.

Walking side by side, they left the parking area and soon reached the entrance of a park, lit by two street lamps that guided their way through the night.

“This is a newly built park near the neighborhood. It’s usually crowded after meals, but it’s a bit late now, so there aren’t many people around.” Chu Yunjing explained the reason for the park’s emptiness as they walked.

Qi Ning vaguely remembered this park, it was quite close to their residential area, just a ten-minute walk back home.

What she didn’t understand was why Chu Yunjing had brought her here.

The newly constructed park lacked liveliness, and even the elderly who came for evening exercises had already left. They sat on a stone bench facing an empty basketball court. A little further ahead was a sandpit, where some forgotten beach toys lay scattered, left behind by a child.

The basketball court lights were on, but their glow only illuminated the areas beneath the hoops. Where they sat remained unlit, dimly lit only by the faint spill of light from the court.

The atmosphere was quiet, filled with the scent of dew mingling with fresh grass and the ceaseless chirping of crickets from the bushes.

Chu Yunjing placed the bag beside her and pulled out a silver aluminum can. Only then did Qi Ning realize it was a beer.

With a soft pop, Chu Yunjing pulled the tab open and removed it completely.

“Here.” She handed the opened can to Qi Ning before cracking open another for herself.

Qi Ning held the beer, feeling the chill of the aluminum against her palm. She took a large gulp, the cold liquid rushing down her throat and into her stomach.

The mood here was even quieter than in the restaurant, more fitting for the kind of conversation meant only for the two of them.

Suddenly, she remembered a time in the past when she had been upset over something she couldn’t recall now. Back then, Chu Yunjing had also taken her to a small park near their homes. Just like now, they had sat in the dark while Qi Ning cursed someone’s name, and Chu Yunjing simply stayed by her side, offering silent companionship. In the end, the usually unexpressive girl had given her a gentle hug.

The only difference was that back then, as students, they had been drinking sodas now, it was beer.

“Qi Ning.” After a long silence, Chu Yunjing finally spoke.

“If you’re sad, just cry.”

The words were exactly the same as back then.

Just hearing them made Qi Ning’s eyes burn, tears threatening to spill.

“I’m not sad,” she muttered, even as she instinctively wiped at the corners of her eyes, afraid the tears would escape.

A hand settled lightly on her shoulder. Chu Yunjing’s voice, carried by the night breeze, sounded softer than usual.

“I know you better than anyone else in this world.” That same hand gently rested on her head, a wordless comfort that shattered the last of Qi Ning’s stubborn resistance.

With that, Qi Ning could hold back no longer. The emotions she had bottled up inside came pouring out, turning into fat, rolling tears.

“That bastard Zou Ruiming.” she cursed between sobs. “What the hell does that homewrecker have that I don’t? How dare he cheat on me with that kind of trash!”

“He had the nerve to say I wasn’t gentle enough as if he even deserved my gentleness! And complaining I don’t act cute? If you had any damn skill, you’d make me fall for you! Then I’d be cooing at you every damn day.”

The more Qi Ning thought about it, the angrier she became. Her dislike for Zou Ruiming was something that couldn’t be changed, but she never imagined their relationship would end in such an ugly way. The man who had confessed his love to her under fireworks had ultimately turned out to be a complete scumbag.

What upset her more than catching her boyfriend cheating was the fact that the other woman was someone even worse than her, a real eyesore. This dealt a heavy blow to her confidence as a woman. She had spent a long time trying to figure out why she had lost to such a woman.

If Zou Ruiming had cheated with someone like Chu Yunqing, fair-skinned, beautiful, and wealthy she might have accepted it. But that wasn’t the case. That woman was clearly a pretentious, manipulative bitch! Qi Ning couldn’t think of a single way she was inferior to someone like that!

“Mmm, he’s blind.” Chu Yunqing wasn’t used to comforting people. In all her experience, Qi Ning was the only one who had ever received her awkward attempts at consolation.

“Wahhh!.” Qi Ning threw herself into Chu Yunqing’s arms, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist and rubbing her face messily against her chest, thoroughly ruining Chu Yunqing’s expensive top.

“Jingjing, tell me, what part of me isn’t better than that homewrecker? Other than having big boobs, she’s not even pretty. Do men really just like big breasts?”

At that moment, Chu Yunqing could feel Qi Ning’s ample chest pressed against her waist, and the dampness spreading across her own chest. She instinctively glanced down at her own impressive cleavage.

Against her better judgment, she calmly said, “Big breasts, no brains, easier to fool.”

Chu Yunqing hugged her back, gently patting Qi Ning’s head as she softly murmured, “There, there. Don’t be sad anymore.”

No one else’s comfort could compare to a late-night embrace from Chu Yunqing.

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