My Online Lover Lives Next Door (GL) - Chapter 21

“Of course, it’s not strange at all.” Lu Yao was excited.

So, did Fanxing actually like Miss He?

Lu Yao immediately scooted closer to Jian Fanxing, her eyes gleaming with gossip. This made Fanxing feel an impulse to deny what she had just said.

“Fanxing, tell me, when did you start liking Miss He?” Lu Yao asked.

Jian Fanxing shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“It felt like, little by little, she replaced the person who used to be in my heart. Yaoyao, do you think I’m being too fickle?” Fanxing bit her lip, shame creeping up inside her.

It had only been a few days since she was dumped, yet she had already forgotten her once-great love and fallen for someone else.

Jian Fanxing felt like a heartless woman, the kind of jerk who wasn’t loyal to her feelings.

“Fickle? Nonono, this is called coming to your senses! A real, tangible girlfriend is always better than some online romance where you only know their voice and name!”

More importantly, if Fanxing had feelings for Miss He, didn’t that make Lu Yao somewhat of a matchmaker? If they ended up together, wouldn’t Miss He owe her a big red envelope as thanks?

But of course, Lu Yao would never admit she was the type to be swayed by money. The main reason was that Miss He was reliable—having her best friend with someone trustworthy put her at ease. The red envelope would just be a nice bonus.

“She… was actually really nice.” Talking about her online partner, Jian Fanxing couldn’t help but defend her.

Except for the sudden breakup, her “sister” had been genuinely good to her before. And because she had given her heart sincerely, Jian Fanxing couldn’t understand what could have happened to make her leave with just a simple, “Let’s break up,” and then disappear completely.

It made everything they shared feel like a dream. When she woke up, nothing remained except her own memories.

“Nice? In what way?” The moment Lu Yao heard her friend talk about that online partner, she got angry. She started counting on her fingers.

“First of all, you two were in a relationship, right? So, was a video call too much to ask? But did she ever video call you? You knew each other for seven years—not seven days! And she never called once! Second, sure, she sent you gifts and took care of you, but what were they? Just deliveries, like red date tea and hand warmers. No matter how expensive those are, they cost, what, a hundred or so at most? So, she wasn’t actually willing to spend money on you. And then there’s the whole relationship itself. You think you’re her girlfriend? More like just one of the many fish in her pond! And her voice—how do you even know it’s real? Voice changers are everywhere now! You want a mature woman’s voice? A cute girl’s voice? You can have anything! For all you know, the person you talked to for years wasn’t even a woman. Maybe it was some fat, bald, middle-aged man—or even an old grandpa! Only someone as naive as you would think she was ‘nice.’”

Lu Yao had held these thoughts in for too long.

Before, her friend had been so deep in that relationship that whenever Lu Yao tried to bring it up, Fanxing would get upset. So she had kept quiet all this time.

Now that she could finally say it all, she felt incredibly relieved—like she had solved a years-long constipation problem.

“So, sister, getting dumped might actually be a good thing. Look, the moment you broke up, your true love appeared! The only awkward part is that Miss He’s full name is also He Qing.”

“Ugh, that scammer sure had good taste in names.”

Was that really the case? A trace of confusion flickered in Jian Fanxing’s eyes.

Even though Yaoyao’s words made sense, she still believed her own feelings weren’t wrong.

But even if they weren’t, so what? She still got dumped. Just like how she once believed they’d be together forever—her feelings were clearly mistaken.

“By the way, Fanxing, now that you know your feelings, when are you going to confess to Miss He?” Lu Yao asked with a teasing smile. “Don’t worry, if you need my help, I’ll do whatever it takes!”

“C-Confess?” Jian Fanxing’s pupils dilated slightly, as if she hadn’t understood the question.

“Yeah, confess. Or are you planning to just admire her from afar without telling her?” Lu Yao frowned. “Fanxing, you’re not seriously thinking of just secretly crushing on her, are you?”

“Sister, I’m not exaggerating, but with someone like Miss He, if you hesitate even one day, another competitor might appear!”

Jian Fanxing knew Lu Yao was right, but she had her own concerns. “I just broke up recently… If I confess to Sister He now, she’ll think I’m fickle.”

“She might… not accept me,” Jian Fanxing whispered so softly that if Lu Yao weren’t sitting so close, she wouldn’t have heard her.

But not accept her? What a joke. When Miss He was around Fanxing, her eyes practically glued to her. How could she bear to reject her?

Still, Fanxing had a point—falling for someone new so soon after a breakup might make her look bad.

But Lu Yao couldn’t stand seeing her friend sulk over something like this.

“How about… I help you test Miss He’s feelings first?” Lu Yao suggested.

The knocking at the door had already stopped, and the sound of the door across the hall slamming shut reached their ears.

It was loud—like someone was angry.

Lu Yao: “I think Miss He heard everything we said just now.”

Jian Fanxing nodded in agreement, a hint of worry appearing between her brows.

Lu Yao: “So she probably thinks we didn’t want to let her in.”

Jian Fanxing nodded again. That was definitely what Sister He was thinking.

Lu Yao: “So… shouldn’t you go apologize?”

“Apologize? Me?” Jian Fanxing pointed at herself, blinking.

Lu Yao: “Of course! You were the one who didn’t open the door for her.”

Jian Fanxing: “…”

Looking conflicted, Jian Fanxing hesitated, her mind spinning between whether to go or not.

Lu Yao reminded her, “Sister, the longer you wait, the deeper Miss He’s misunderstanding will get.”

“If this keeps up, she might stop visiting you altogether. Worse, she might even move away!”

Hearing the possibility of He Qing moving, Jian Fanxing immediately jumped up.

Noticing Lu Yao staring at her, Jian Fanxing blushed and quickly came up with an excuse. “I’ve been sitting too long. My waist feels stiff, so I just need to stretch a bit.”

Saying that, she stomped her feet twice on the spot, then slowly inched toward the door.

Lu Yao watched with an amused expression, as if she were watching a performance.

In the end, Jian Fanxing reached the door, turned the handle, and slipped out like a startled rabbit.

Lu Yao couldn’t help but chuckle at her quick escape.

Jian Fanxing stepped out and saw the tightly shut door across from her. The confident stride she had before immediately turned hesitant.

Was she really going to knock?

If she knocked, what would she say? That she was just talking about relationships with Yaoyao? Or should she make up an excuse?

And if she apologized, would just saying “sorry” be enough?

Maybe she should invite Sister He for a meal?

Lost in thought, Jian Fanxing was startled when He Qing’s door suddenly opened.

He Qing had heard the door open and the sound of footsteps, but after just two steps, the footsteps stopped. She had guessed it was Little Star.

But after nearly ten minutes, the footsteps hadn’t moved again.

What was she doing? He Qing lost patience and got up to open the door herself.

Now that she had finally seen the person she wanted to see, she suddenly didn’t know what to say.

“Haha, Sister He, you’re home! I thought you weren’t.” After a long silence, Jian Fanxing awkwardly forced a smile.

“You thought I wasn’t home?” He Qing chuckled. “Fanxing, did you even knock?”

Jian Fanxing: “…”

She lowered her head and replied hesitantly, “No… I didn’t knock.”

“But I knocked just now,” He Qing said with a faint smile, looking at Jian Fanxing, who was staring at her toes.

“But Fanxing, you probably didn’t want to see me, so you didn’t open the door.” He Qing’s tone carried obvious disappointment.

Jian Fanxing had no time to feel embarrassed anymore. She quickly looked up and denied it without thinking, “No!”

“Sister He, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just… didn’t hear the knocking. I didn’t ignore you, and I definitely didn’t… not want to see you.”

“So, Fanxing actually wants to see me?” He Qing was amused by Jian Fanxing’s anxious reaction. She couldn’t help but tease her. Leaning in, she lowered her voice slightly, drawing out her words in a deliberately seductive tone.

Jian Fanxing’s face instantly turned bright red.

He Qing’s warm breath brushed against her ear as she spoke.

Ears were already a sensitive spot, and now Jian Fanxing felt like not only her face but even her ears were burning.

Flustered, she instinctively stepped back. But somehow, even though it was just a simple movement, she managed to trip over her own feet, stumbling backward.

“Little Star, be careful!”

A moment ago, He Qing had been happily teasing the girl in front of her, but when she saw Jian Fanxing suddenly losing her balance, panic quickly flashed across her face.

Without thinking, He Qing reached out and caught her just in time, holding onto her waist as worried words spilled from her lips.