My Online Lover Lives Next Door (GL) - Chapter 12

Even though Lu Yao always said that online relationships were unreliable, deep down, she still hoped that Jian Fanxing’s love story would be different. After all, she was her best friend.

But now… Lu Yao opened her mouth but couldn’t bring herself to say things like, “I told you online relationships don’t work,” or “It’s better this way; online relationships never end well.”

No, that wouldn’t be comforting at all. That would just make things worse.

Lu Yao sighed, sat next to Jian Fanxing, and put her arm around her shoulder, trying to sound relaxed. “Here, borrow my shoulder. Cry if you want.”

Lu Yao didn’t know how long Jian Fanxing cried. She only knew that a large part of her shirt was wet, and her shoulder felt cold.

When Jian Fanxing finally stopped crying from exhaustion, Lu Yao finally got the chance to understand the whole situation.

Jian Fanxing lowered her head, her red and swollen eyes staring at her phone. Her voice, usually full of energy, was now filled with sadness and confusion. “I don’t know what I did wrong. I was just being myself. Before my girlfriend got off work, I sent her a message like I always do, just to check in. Then, I waited for her reply. And when it finally came… it was a breakup message.”

“I wanted to call her and ask what I did wrong. I wanted to know why she was upset. I could change. As long as she told me, I would change. But… she refused to answer my calls. I kept calling and calling and calling, but she never picked up.”

As she spoke, Jian Fanxing’s already dry tears started falling again, streaming down her face.

“So now she’s completely disappeared?” Lu Yao asked.

Jian Fanxing nodded, her heart filled with fear. The person she loved was disappearing from her world.

How could she be so cruel? Didn’t she say she loved her the most?

They had known each other not just for a day or two, but for six whole years. Six years! Did all those feelings amount to nothing more than a simple, heart-wrenching sentence: “Let’s break up”?

Not even a single explanation after six years of love?

Even when sentencing someone to death, shouldn’t they at least be told what crime they committed?

Jian Fanxing racked her brain for ways to find her. But all she knew was her name, her voice, and that she worked overseas. She had no useful information. Even if she wanted to post a missing person notice, she wouldn’t know where to start.

Because… even the name He Qing might be fake.

Jian Fanxing laughed while crying.

She turned to Lu Yao and said, “Yaoyao, you were right. I’m such a fool.”

A complete fool.

She always knew online relationships were unreliable, but she insisted that her girlfriend was different. She even made her her lover.

How lonely was she to fall for the fake warmth of a liar?

Jian Fanxing started doubting everything about herself. She tried to convince herself that she had been scammed, that the scammer had spent time and emotions on her but gained nothing, so she decided to end the lie.

Thinking that way made her heart hurt a little less.

Suddenly, Jian Fanxing wiped her tears, gave Lu Yao a bright smile, waved her hand, and said with enthusiasm, “Yaoyao, let’s go to a bar and meet some handsome guys!”

Getting drunk meant she wouldn’t have to overthink. Lu Yao understood her intentions. She didn’t refuse but looked at Jian Fanxing’s tear-streaked face and said, “Do you want to wash your face and put on some makeup first? If you go to the bar looking like this, forget about meeting handsome guys—you might get kicked out before you even see one.”

Jian Fanxing was determined to drink her sadness away. Without a word, she ran to the bathroom to wash her face and put on makeup. Half an hour later, she walked out of the bathroom, went into her bedroom, and when she came back out, she had completely transformed into a sexy lady.

She was really serious about meeting handsome guys.

Lu Yao was stunned, looking at the transformed Jian Fanxing.

“Yaoyao, let’s go,” Jian Fanxing said with a smile, her slightly upturned lips seeming to say that she was in a good mood.

But Lu Yao knew better. She was Jian Fanxing’s best friend—how could she not see through her forced smile?

Forget it, just let her be.

Meanwhile, He Qing had just stepped out of the shower and was staring at her phone on the coffee table, lost in thought.

Ever since she sent that breakup message, her mind had been filled with images of Jian Fanxing.

Was she crying? Was she alone? Would she do something reckless?

He Qing suddenly regretted being so decisive. She should have done it gradually.

She should have given her time to adjust, to accept the breakup slowly. Not like this—like a hammer smashing straight into her heart.

The more He Qing thought about it, the more frustrated she became. It was all her fault for being too impatient.

No.

He Qing abruptly stood up from the sofa and strode toward the door.

She needed to see Star to feel at ease.

Just as He Qing opened her door, the door across from hers opened too. There stood Jian Fanxing, dressed seductively with a bright smile.

“Are you… going out?” He Qing froze, feeling her heart pound twice as hard. She had always seen Jian Fanxing as a sweet and innocent girl, neat and lovely. She had never seen her like this before. Surprise, admiration, and an unfamiliar emotion stirred inside her. It took her a moment to find her voice again.

The devastated Jian Fanxing she had expected was nowhere to be seen. He Qing wasn’t sure how she felt—disappointed, surprised, or relieved. Maybe all of the above.

Jian Fanxing ignored He Qing. Maybe it was because her name was the same as the woman who had just broken her heart. It made her think of that heartless person. She turned her head away, avoiding He Qing’s gaze.

Jian Fanxing ignored He Qing, but Lu Yao couldn’t.

After all, just a few days ago, she had enjoyed a great meal at her place.

So Lu Yao answered, “Yes, Fanxing and I are going to a bar.”

A bar? He Qing frowned, looking at Jian Fanxing’s revealing outfit. The words “not safe” instantly flashed in her mind.

“You can’t go,” He Qing instinctively said in a commanding tone.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. She and Star were nothing more than distant neighbors now. She had no right to say that.

After a brief pause, she quickly added, “It’s not safe.”

‘Big sis, do you like going to bars?’

‘Because they’re not safe.’

He Qing’s words triggered a memory in Jian Fanxing’s mind. She remembered a conversation with her girlfriend. Her girlfriend once told her about a young girl she saw being taken away by a shady-looking man outside a bar. That time, she had warned her to stay away from bars because they weren’t safe.

That gentle warning still echoed in her ears, but now… they were no longer lovers.

He Qing’s words brought back those sweet moments, making her even more painfully aware that her girlfriend had left her.

So, are all people named He Qing this annoying?

Jian Fanxing frowned, her tone cold. “So what if it’s not safe? What does it have to do with you, Miss He? Yaoyao, let’s go.”

With that, Jian Fanxing walked past He Qing without hesitation.

Knowing Jian Fanxing was in a terrible mood, Lu Yao didn’t bother apologizing to He Qing and quickly followed her.

He Qing hesitated for three seconds, then grabbed a jacket and followed after them.

He Qing stood still for three seconds, then casually grabbed a coat and chased after them.

She really couldn’t let Jian Fanxing and Lu Yao go to a bar alone, especially since Jian Fanxing looked like an easy target tonight.

Jian Fanxing and Lu Yao walked quickly. By the time He Qing caught up, they had already gotten into a taxi. He Qing drove after them, following them all the way to the city’s most famous bar street.

She watched them enter a bar called “Today” before going to park her car.

When He Qing finally saw Jian Fanxing again, there were already several empty bottles in front of her.

Her frown deepened, and she shot an unhappy look at Lu Yao.

Damn it. How was she watching over Fanxing? Letting her drink this much?

He Qing had only been inside for less than a minute when she noticed that several men were glancing at Jian Fanxing from time to time.

Instinctively, she started walking toward their table. But before she could reach them, someone else had already approached Jian Fanxing.

She first saw Lu Yao shaking her head at the man, probably rejecting him. But in the next second, Jian Fanxing wobbled to her feet, pushed Lu Yao aside, and followed the man into the dance floor.

Damn it!

He Qing cursed under her breath, her face darkening as she quickened her pace.

Without hesitation, she followed Jian Fanxing into the dance floor, heading straight for her.

The moment she saw the man’s hand on Jian Fanxing’s waist, her eyes narrowed, and anger flashed across her face.

He Qing strode forward and pulled them apart, wrapping an arm around Jian Fanxing.

The man, now robbed of his dance partner, glared at He Qing in anger. “Who the hell are you?”

He Qing ignored him and half-supported, half-dragged Jian Fanxing out of the dance floor.

The man laughed angrily and blocked their way. “I don’t care who you are. Do you know what happens when you steal from me?”

“Steal from you?” He Qing finally spared him a glance—her sharp gaze like a blade, sending chills down his spine.

The invisible pressure made the furious man suddenly regain a bit of his sanity.

“She was mine,” he said.

“No,” He Qing replied coldly. “She’s mine.”