My Online Lover Lives Next Door (GL) - Chapter 2

“Xiangxie Riverside? Ms. He, that’s an old neighborhood. There’s no investment value.”

“Who said I bought it for investment?”

“Then why did you buy it?”

Lu Feng walked out of He Qing’s office, mumbling to himself in confusion.

Of course, it was to chase after her girlfriend. He Qing smiled, picturing Jian Fanxing’s reaction when she saw him. She would… probably be very happy, right?

…

So noisy!

Jian Fanxing was suddenly woken up by loud noises. She frowned in annoyance, got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked to the door.

The apartment across from hers had its door wide open. People were moving things in and out nonstop.

Are they… moving in?

Jian Fanxing’s eyes landed on the furniture being carried inside. It was modern-style and looked expensive. One of the workers was carrying a chair she had seen online before— a luxury brand, priced at 99,900 yuan.

Using such expensive furniture but choosing to live in this old and rundown neighborhood instead of a high-end one?

What a weirdo! Jian Fanxing quickly judged her new neighbor, shook her head in confusion, and closed the door.

She didn’t have a habit of going back to sleep after waking up, so she headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

While brushing her teeth, still half-asleep, she felt like she had forgotten something important.

Thinking hard, it suddenly hit her! She quickly threw down her toothbrush, ignoring the foam in her mouth, and ran back to her bedroom.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table, unlocked it, and opened WeChat. As expected, her sister’s good morning message was already waiting for her.

Jian Fanxing smiled foolishly, feeling sweet inside, and replied, “Good morning, sister.”

“Have you had breakfast?”

As usual, the reply came quickly.

“I’m eating now. Why are you up so early today, little Star?”

“The little lazy bug didn’t sleep in today?”

The teasing tone made Jian Fanxing’s cheeks turn red. She quickly typed, “I’m not a lazy bug! It’s just that you always wake up too early.”

Her girlfriend always stayed up until midnight but still got up at seven every morning. It was incredibly disciplined, but it also made Jian Fanxing feel sorry for her.

Jian Fanxing: “Sister, you should sleep more. At least… like the experts say, get a full eight hours. If I were with you, I’d make sure you did.”

At the He residence, He Qing was having breakfast when she saw Jian Fanxing’s message. She pictured the little girl pouting angrily and chuckled. Her sincere concern warmed He Qing’s heart. She replied, “Then… I’ll wait for you to take care of me, my little housekeeper.”

Seeing the new nickname He Qing gave her, Jian Fanxing huffed and muttered to herself, “I’ll take care of you, I’ll take care of you, I’ll take care of you…”

“By the way, you still haven’t told me why you woke up so early today.”

The WeChat notification interrupted Jian Fanxing’s thoughts.

She replied, “My neighbor is moving in.”

Moving in? Did the noise wake her up?

He Qing remembered that Lu Feng had mentioned today’s schedule included moving house. She switched to her chat with him and sent a message: “Keep it down while moving. Don’t disturb the neighbors.”

After sending the message, He Qing switched back to chatting with Jian Fanxing and typed three words: “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Jian Fanxing widened her eyes in confusion. “Sister, why are you apologizing? You’re not the one making noise.”

Across the hall, Lu Feng, who was directing the moving workers, was stunned when he received the message from his boss. Since when did his boss become so considerate? Thinking about the noise disturbing the neighbors?

But as an employee, Lu Feng didn’t question his boss’s thoughts. He simply replied, “Understood, Ms. He.”

After all, this wasn’t even the strangest thing his boss had done recently.

He Qing heard the WeChat notification but ignored it. She stared at her chat with Jian Fanxing, looking serious. She had made a mistake.

No matter how complex her work was, she never made mistakes. Yet, she had unknowingly created a flaw in her own story while chatting with Jian Fanxing.

Little Star… wouldn’t think too much about it, right?

She definitely wouldn’t guess that her new neighbor was actually her.

After all, she had told Jian Fanxing that she was abroad.

Thinking of this, He Qing let out a sigh of relief and quickly sent another message: “Sorry, a little kid grabbed my phone and typed randomly.”

Only kids made such silly mistakes.

“Little Star, I finished breakfast. I’m heading to work now. Don’t forget to eat.”

“Okay, sister, go ahead.”

Putting away her phone, Jian Fanxing returned to the bathroom, picked up her abandoned toothbrush, and continued brushing while thinking. Her sister had just said a little kid grabbed her phone— it must be her sibling’s child. Quite mischievous.

After washing up, Jian Fanxing obediently made herself breakfast. Once she finished eating, she took her Samoyed out for a walk.

This was her daily routine— walking the dog while getting some exercise.

At the He residence, He Qing also got into her car and left.

But instead of heading straight to the company, she drove toward Xiangxie Riverside.

Lu Feng had just informed her that all the furniture had been moved in, and the housekeeper was cleaning up. He asked her to check if anything needed adjustments.

He Qing glanced at the time. At this hour, Jian Fanxing was probably walking her dog in the neighborhood. Would they run into each other…?

…

At the entrance of the neighborhood, Lu Feng picked up his boss. Leading her toward the house he had bought under her instructions, he analyzed the situation.

“Ms. He, I’m not looking down on this old neighborhood, but compared to your current home, this place can’t even compete. Whether it’s the environment, security, or the apartments themselves— are you sure you can live here?”

Walking ahead, He Qing glanced around. As Lu Feng said, this place was nothing like her current residence. But so what?

This neighborhood might not be great, but Jian Fanxing was here. Her current home was luxurious— the best in A City— but it was filled with endless scheming and fake smiles. What else was there?

She withdrew her gaze and looked at Lu Feng with a cool expression. “We’re all human. If they can live here, why can’t I?”

“Besides, don’t you think this place has more warmth?” Her eyes landed on elderly men playing chess under a tree, old ladies chatting, and children running around. One word came to mind— life.

Maybe it was because she knew Jian Fanxing lived here, but He Qing found herself liking this place.

Lu Feng followed her gaze. Hmm… he only saw a lot of people.

So, having a lot of people meant warmth? Well, their company had a lot of people too.

He still didn’t get it.

“Did something happen to the boss? I haven’t heard of Ms. He suddenly having a secret child or anything…” Lu Feng muttered.

Hearing this, He Qing’s forehead twitched, and she quickened her pace.

“Which building, which unit, which floor?”

She was in such a hurry to go upstairs that she didn’t notice Jian Fanxing crouched nearby, fixing her dog’s leash. The moment Jian Fanxing heard He Qing’s voice, she froze and looked up.

That voice… sounded just like her sister’s!

She stared at He Qing’s back, full of confusion.

But how could her sister be here? She never mentioned coming back!

She must have misheard, or maybe it was just someone with a similar voice.

Thinking of this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Jian Fanxing’s bright eyes.

For a moment, she really wished that familiar voice belonged to her sister.

She missed her sister.

Jian Fanxing never held back her feelings for He Qing, so she quickly took out her phone and sent a WeChat message.

“Sister, sister…”

He Qing had just reached downstairs when she heard the WeChat notification. She stopped, glanced at the message from Jian Fanxing, and smiled faintly.

“What’s wrong? Little Star, do you miss me?!”

Jian Fanxing happily sent a sticker—a little cartoon figure nodding its head furiously.

“Sister, you know what? I was just walking my dog in the neighborhood, and I heard a woman’s voice. It sounded so much like yours! I almost thought it was you.”

“Sister, do you think I’m silly? You clearly told me you were still abroad.” Jian Fanxing sighed as she typed.

Her sister would probably think she was silly—after all, even she felt her own thoughts were ridiculous.

He Qing’s eyes stayed on the WeChat screen, staring at Jian Fanxing’s words. She hesitated. Should she tell Jian Fanxing that she had actually been in A City all along?

Meeting Jian Fanxing had been an accident—five years ago, when she was twenty-five.

Since she was eighteen, she had been learning to manage the He Corporation under her father’s guidance. Things had been fine at first, but when she turned twenty-three, several major shareholders suddenly withdrew their investments, pushing the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Her father was devastated and fell seriously ill. With no other choice, she took over the He Corporation from her father and fought with all her strength to save it. After two years of exhausting work, she finally pulled the company back from the edge of collapse and managed to catch a breath.

But as if fate refused to let her have a moment of peace, while the company survived, her mother, who had been caring for her sick father day and night, passed away before he did.

During those days, He Qing was completely shattered, drained of all energy. Her best friend, worried about her condition, jokingly offered to introduce her to a handsome guy as a distraction. But by mistake, her friend gave her the wrong contact number—one digit off. That mistake led He Qing to add Jian Fanxing on WeChat instead.

When she opened Jian Fanxing’s profile, He Qing was puzzled. Why did her friend promise a handsome guy but give her a girl’s contact? But when she saw Jian Fanxing’s photos—smiling so brightly in the sunlight, full of life—at that moment, He Qing felt like she had been saved.

The darkness she had been trapped in was suddenly torn apart, and she found herself drawn to this cheerful girl.

She wanted to get to know her. So, she went with the mistake.

But after experiencing the ruthless business world, He Qing was cautious. Even though she knew Jian Fanxing couldn’t possibly know her true identity, she still created a false one.

So, everything she told Jian Fanxing—except her name and gender—was a lie.

Meanwhile, she had thoroughly investigated Jian Fanxing from the very beginning.

“Sigh…” He Qing let out a deep sigh. A feeling called regret slowly filled her heart.

“President He, what’s wrong?” Lu Feng, who had followed her, asked curiously when he saw the troubled look on her face.

“Lu Feng, do you think that if a lie is told with good intentions, or if someone lies because they have no choice… will they be forgiven?”