I Fell In Love With My Rival (GL) - Chapter 5
Su Chunyin exited the WeChat interface and sent a message to the chat companion she had just been talking to: [Are you sure you’re a high school student?]
The reply came instantly:
[Absolutely! She used to work part-time at our restaurant. Really capable for such a young girl.]
Su Chunyin hesitated before typing:
[You hire underage workers?]
A long pause.
[…]
Of course, they weren’t actually hiring child labor. According to the person, their family ran a restaurant, and Qiu Ye—the girl he had just recommended, whose WeChat username matched—often came by to do part-time work. Over time, they became somewhat acquainted.
Su Chunyin switched back to WeChat and tentatively sent a message: [Hello.]
Sure enough, the reply came almost instantly: [Hello.] Nothing more.
“Well, at least she seems more reliable than the other chat companions,” Su Chunyin thought.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. Despite how normal the other party seemed, she suddenly didn’t know how to begin.
There was so much she wanted to get off her chest, but it all felt too personal. And with someone she had just met, it wasn’t as easy to open up as she’d imagined.
Perhaps noticing her hesitation, Qiu Ye took the initiative:
[If you ever feel like talking, I’m here to listen.]
Since Qiu Ye broke the ice, Su Chunyin found her topic:
[Aren’t you a high school student? How can you stay online all the time?]
[I can’t.]
“…”
Su Chunyin wanted to ask, “If you can’t be online all the time, then what’s the point of saying I can talk to you whenever?” Wasn’t that misleading?
As if she’d guessed what Su Chunyin was thinking, Qiu Ye followed up a few seconds later:
[I’ll reply whenever I see your message—I’ll try my best.]
Su Chunyin thought about responding but ultimately held back. Despite the good service attitude, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Qiu Ye was a little… distant.
During that time, Freckles had sent her several messages—photos of the beautiful scenery at No. 1 High School, as well as her own little emotional rants. The last message had come just thirty seconds ago:
[Can I come visit you often at No. 1 High from now on?]
Freckles was attending school in the neighboring city, so Su Chunyin didn’t take the “often” too seriously. She casually replied:
“Sure.”
After receiving Su Chunyin’s approval, Freckles was overjoyed, bombarding her with a series of cute stickers.
Putting down her phone, Su Chunyin went to take a shower. She lay in the bath, bubbles of rose sea salt foam covering her skin. She absentmindedly rubbed her arm, revealing soft, pale skin beneath the froth—more delicate and radiant than the roses floating around her.
After her bath, Su Chunyin quickly dried her hair, sat on the bed, habitually picked up her phone, and tapped on a familiar profile picture—only then realizing that the person she hoped to contact wouldn’t respond anymore.
She was about to exit and go find the chat companion again, but her finger froze on Lu Fang’s avatar.
Finally, she realized why something had felt so off earlier when Freckles mentioned her online boyfriend participating in a math olympiad training. Lu Fang had just left for math olympiad training too, hadn’t he?
________________________________________
The next morning, Su Chunyin walked into the classroom with huge dark circles under her eyes and went straight to Li Zihan’s desk.
“How many students from our school went to that math olympiad training?” she asked directly.
Though Li Zihan hadn’t been too friendly with her lately, they weren’t enemies, so she was startled but answered, “Where were you last night?”
Su Chunyin ignored the question. “How many people exactly?”
Li Zihan pursed her lips in annoyance. “Is that how you ask for a favor?” Still, she told her, “Only two students were selected to go to A City for the training.”
“Who are they?” Su Chunyin gripped Li Zihan’s hands tightly, so hard it almost hurt.
Li Zihan rolled her eyes. “Who else could it be? Fu Erqiu and Lu Fang from Class One. They’re the best at math in the whole school. Who else could it be?”
“Fu Erqiu and Lu Fang…” Su Chunyin murmured. Freckles had sworn her online boyfriend really went to the math olympiad training, even sending photos he’d taken at the training center. Could it really be… Lu Fang?
As this realization hit her, Li Zihan coughed and added, “But actually, although Fu Erqiu was selected, she didn’t attend the training.”
“She didn’t? Why?” Su Chunyin asked immediately.
Li Zihan shook her head like an old soul. “Training in A City is great, but expensive. The school only covers transportation—the student has to pay for meals and lodging. You know how pricey A City is.”
So, Fu Erqiu didn’t go because she couldn’t afford it?
Su Chunyin felt conflicted. All her life, people had said she lacked intelligence, or emotional intelligence, or manners—but no one had ever said she lacked money.
Recently, she’d encountered several people who did: the girl she met at the event setup, Qiu Ye, and now Fu Erqiu. This made the third person who couldn’t afford something.
Li Zihan kept muttering, “Money, money… filthy lucre, yet oh so tempting.”
Su Chunyin focused on her again. “You’re sure Lu Fang is the only one who went?”
Li Zihan frowned. “It’s right there on the bulletin board. Why would I lie?”
Su Chunyin closed her eyes and turned to leave. “Got it.”
Behind her, Li Zihan shouted, “Hey! No ‘thank you’?!”
________________________________________
A flood of thoughts rushed through Su Chunyin’s mind. Everything Freckles had told her matched Lu Fang: top grades, popular… Why hadn’t she realized it yesterday? Every detail pointed to him!
During class, Su Chunyin couldn’t concentrate. She quietly messaged Freckles under her desk. The more they chatted, the more disturbed she became—Freckles’ descriptions of her “perfect online boyfriend” fit Lu Fang too well.
In the end, she couldn’t resist asking:
[You and Lu… I mean, you and that guy—when did you start dating?]
Freckles replied shyly:
[We made it official on Valentine’s Day. He released three thousand fireflies for me in the Forest of Fireflies, then confessed surrounded by glowing lights.]
A romantic scene, no doubt. If the guy wasn’t Lu Fang, Su Chunyin might have even clapped. But since it was Lu Fang, she couldn’t help but feel bitter.
[Online relationships are pretty ephemeral. Don’t take it too seriously.] she typed.
The response was swift and emotional:
[We’re not just fooling around! We already made plans—to go to the same university, to live in the same city!]
Su Chunyin didn’t know whether to laugh at their naivety or envy Freckles for getting Lu Fang to make such childish promises.
Driven by a strange urge, she messaged again:
[It’s great to have future plans, but are you sure your relationship is strong enough to last through college and careers?]
There was no reply for a while. Su Chunyin put away her phone and, for once, focused seriously on class.
During break, Song Rao leaned over with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Chunyin, I just heard the hottest gossip!”
Su Chunyin wasn’t in the mood, still upset over Lu Fang, so she ignored her. But Song Rao was the kind who couldn’t keep a secret.
“Last weekend—just before Lu Fang went to A City—someone saw a girl confessing to him in the grove. Guess what—” She wiggled her finger. “He didn’t reject her.”
Boom. Something exploded in Su Chunyin’s mind.
“What did you say?” she asked, stunned.
Song Rao patted her on the shoulder, trying to look sympathetic but clearly enjoying the drama. “Lu Fang finally gave away his first love. Don’t be too sad—there are plenty of guys out there. Don’t tie yourself to
one tree. Move on! You both have bright futures!”
But Su Chunyin wasn’t heartbroken the way Song Rao thought. What really struck her was the timeline. Freckles said she and Lu Fang became official on Valentine’s Day, but Song Rao said someone confessed to
Lu Fang just last weekend, and he didn’t say no.
Could it be that… Lu Fang was two-timing?
The thought took root and refused to leave. Distraught, Su Chunyin returned to her seat and opened her chat with Freckles. During the break, Freckles had sent another message:
[I used to be sure about us, but lately… I’m not so certain.]
Attached were several chat screenshots.
[The one with the blurred name—that’s my boyfriend.]
Su Chunyin opened the screenshots and immediately fumed. On one side was a girl with a pink fox avatar, playing the “delicate green tea” act—constantly whining and clinging to Freckles’ boyfriend, asking him to help her fight monsters or fetch herbs in-game, always flirting subtly.
Worse yet, Freckles’ boyfriend never set boundaries. He didn’t say anything inappropriate… but he also never rejected her.
Su Chunyin reminded herself that Freckles was a sweet, innocent girl. She had to stay calm…
Yeah, no. That wasn’t happening.
She angrily hammered out a message:
[Is that pink fox bimbo seriously so desperate for a man she’s lost her mind? What’s she doing flirting with someone else’s boyfriend? And your boyfriend—]
[Message deleted and re-edited.]
[That pink fox bimbo must be love-starved and brain-fried! Why’s she saying that garbage to someone else’s boyfriend? And your boyfriend—from the inside out, top to bottom, cell to bone—is one word:
TRASH!!!!!!]
Five exclamation marks. Her rage was unmistakable.
She couldn’t believe Lu Fang would treat a relationship like this.
Freckles, seemingly stunned, took a while before replying weakly:
[Is it really that bad? I mean… they didn’t actually say anything serious.]
If facial expressions could transmit through screens, Freckles would have seen five different shades of Su Chunyin’s cold smile.
[Congrats, girl. Your boyfriend’s about to have a girlfriend.]
Just as she was about to hit send, Su Chunyin remembered Song Rao’s gossip: Lu Fang already did. Unfortunately.