Transmigrating Into a Book: After My Online Dating Identity Was Exposed, I Was Ruthlessly Retaliated Against by the Male Lead - Chapter 1

“Ding-dong.”

“Ding-dong.”

“Ding-dong.”

The phone’s ringtone kept sounding, and text messages arrived one after another, while the owner of the phone wore an expression of deep grievance, staring resentfully at the device.

“Love you, love you, I love you most…”

As a pleasant ringtone rang out, the phone’s owner instantly revealed a look of utter despair. Why was he so unlucky?

Lin Qing’an flopped face-first onto the bed, pretending he hadn’t heard the phone ringing.

The music by his ear stopped, but within two or three seconds, it started up again. Lin Qing’an let out an irritated groan and, with no other choice, finally answered the call.

After all, having spent the past month interacting with this “big boss” X, Lin Qing’an had come to understand the man’s personality: he was absolute, authoritative, and accustomed to having his way. If he didn’t answer the phone now, the man would likely get angry.

It wasn’t that Lin Qing’an hadn’t considered simply deleting and blocking the person; it was just that the other party gave too much so much that it made Lin Qing’an’s conscience feel a bit uneasy.

The tips he had previously received in his live broadcast room, after deducting the platform’s cut, amounted to thirty thousand that landed directly in Lin Qing’an’s hands. Not to mention all the money transfers Xie Tingchuan had sent him after they added each other on WeChat. Although every single transfer was marked as a voluntary gift, Lin Qing’an truly couldn’t bring himself to block the guy and walk away completely guilt-free.

Lin Qing’an rolled over, answered the call, turned off the camera, and looking at just his chin reflected on the screen, spoke in a sweet voice, “A-Chuan?”

“Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?”

A cold, crisp voice came from the other end. Lin Qing’an instinctively touched his tingling earlobe; he had to admit that this voice was genuinely, damningly sexy.

“I went to the restroom just now. Is there something you needed, A-Chuan?”

“Why didn’t you broadcast today?”

Taking advantage of the disabled camera so the other person couldn’t see his expression, Lin Qing’an pouted and said, “I’m not going to broadcast ever again in the future.”

As his words fell, the air fell silent for two seconds before the other person spoke again.

“Is the money not enough to spend?”

Choked by that cool voice, Lin Qing’an couldn’t help but snap back, “Isn’t it enough as long as I don’t starve to death?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Qing’an desperately wanted to take them back, but that was impossible.

“No, A-Chuan, what I mean is, I’ve already thought it through. I want to focus on my studies from now on, and I even want to take the graduate school entrance exam for my own university. I need to dedicate more time to my studies, so I won’t be continuing with the live streaming.”

Silence fell inside the room once more. Just as Lin Qing’an hesitated and prepared to break the awkward atmosphere, he heard the other side speak.

“My money, was it all wasted?”

“N-No, it wasn’t like that.” Lin Qing’an let out two awkward laughs. “After all, er…”

Hesitating for a moment, Lin Qing’an spoke again, “How about I return the money to you? Well, I’ve already spent a portion of it, so I might need to pay you back slowly…”

On the other side of the phone screen, Xie Tingchuan frowned slightly, looking at the pitch-black screen. Aside from his own chin and neck, he couldn’t see any part of the other person’s body at all.

Xie Tingchuan pressed his lips tightly together, picked up his water glass, and drank it all in one gulp. The bottom of the glass hit the tabletop with a slight ding.

“Turn on the camera.”

Faint, rustling sounds came through the earpiece. Xie Tingchuan opened his drawer, took out his Bluetooth earphones, and put them on. A moment later, the other person appeared on the screen.

“Little Green Tangerine, the money I gave you is yours. You don’t need to pay it back.”

Hearing this, Lin Qing’an secretly breathed a sigh of relief and raised a hand to tug at the lace choker around his neck. The black lace happened to cover his Adam’s apple just right, which was the exact reason why his male identity had never been suspected.

The demand for him to turn on the camera had come too abruptly just now, causing Lin Qing’an to hurriedly put on the choker, which had twisted into a tight cord at the back of his neck and made his skin feel very uncomfortable.

Lin Qing’an offered a sweet smile, his tone cheerful, “Mr. Xie, thank you.”

A low chuckle came through, followed immediately by the other person’s question—phrased playfully, yet carrying a pressure that inexplicably made Lin Qing’an feel uneasy.

“You changed your address so fast? Are you not even going to call me A-Chuan anymore?”

“…, A-Chuan.”

Lin Qing’an felt rather helpless. Sometimes this “big boss” could be a bit childish.

“If you don’t want to stream, then don’t stream.”

Xie Tingchuan’s gaze locked intently on the person on the screen: the upturned corners of his mouth, his plump pink lips, his slender neck, and that alluring black lace choker. Every single detail hit his heart precisely.

Xie Tingchuan couldn’t possibly refuse someone like this.

“My We Chat you cannot delete it, you cannot block it, and you must reply to my messages.”

Xie Tingchuan watched as the lips that had just been curving upward instantly flattened into a straight line. Was he really that unhappy about it?

“We are in a romantic relationship, and close contact is the best way to deepen our feelings.”

Lin Qing’an fell silent, then casually brought up, “Mr. Xie, as you know, you’re the top benefactor in my live stream room, so naturally we need to maintain a good relationship. Now that I’m not planning to continue streaming…”

“Nothing you say can refute the romantic relationship between us.” Xie Tingchuan’s eyes turned dark and cold. He opened his photo gallery, found a screenshot, and sent it to the other person.

“On July 11th at 7:00 PM, our romantic relationship was officially established. As of today, we have been dating for sixty-nine days.”

Looking at that screenshot, Lin Qing’an found himself completely unable to argue. After all, who could resist a money bombardment? That was a fifty-thousand-yuan transfer! That was ten consecutive five-thousand-yuan transfers!

Ever since his old man had slashed his allowance, Lin Qing’an only had two thousand yuan a month. He called it “living expenses just like any other college student” and told him to experience a bit of hardship, but what could you even buy with two thousand yuan? A single pair of shoes?

Compared to the allowance he used to get, it really wasn’t enough to live on.

So, when faced with the other person taking a few verbal liberties, he figured: If we’re a couple, so be it. Lin Qing’an had accepted transfers until his hands went soft, feeling quite pleased about it all inside.

Yet now, even if Lin Qing’an wanted to act tough and declare that he was single, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

“Then… how about we break up?”

Faced with this probing question, Xie Tingchuan stared at the short black hair on the phone screen and nearly bit down hard enough to crack his back teeth. Break up? Never.

“Have you thought this through? Are you certain you want to break up?”

Lin Qing’an looked at the phone screen. The image shifted slightly for two seconds before settling on the other person’s chin and neck. That up-and-down bobbing Adam’s apple revealed that the man’s mood was far from calm.

“Babe, mistakes have to be punished.”