My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 31

Lian Qiushui froze, thinking Xiao Nianyuan was angry, and quickly said, “I’m not saying you’re a scammer, it’s just…”

“I know what you mean. Someone did use my photos to impersonate me,” Xiao Nianyuan asked. “What exactly did the post say?”

It took Lian Qiushui a while to process Xiao Nianyuan’s words before she dazedly explained the situation.

There was a post on the forum where someone claimed to have been scammed. Others chimed in, saying they had been scammed too. After comparing notes, they realized it was the same person and posted the scammer’s “photo.” Before long, the post went viral.

The post had been up for several days, which explained why people had been looking at Xiao Nianyuan strangely—especially in recent days, with increasingly hostile glares. They probably assumed she was the one scamming people in the game.

Even if Xiao Nianyuan tried to clarify now, saying the scammer wasn’t her but someone using her photos for online relationships, no one would believe her.

When people had previously asked if she played games, she had told them she didn’t. If they found out she was playing, no matter how well she argued, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.

What puzzled Xiao Nianyuan was: Who could have her photos?

After telling Lian Qiushui, she went to check the post herself.

The photo in the post was taken from a close distance, very clear, as if the photographer knew Xiao Nianyuan personally and dared to get that close.

The only evidence suggesting the photographer didn’t know her was the angle—it wasn’t a selfie, and Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t looking at the camera.

But this alone wasn’t enough to convince others that someone had secretly taken her photo and used it for online relationships.

Whoever took the photo must be from their school—without a student ID, security wouldn’t just let anyone in.

Xiao Nianyuan studied the photo but couldn’t tell when it had been taken. She screenshotted some key details from the post and asked Lian Qiushui to keep an eye on it, letting her know if anything changed.

Lian Qiushui agreed without hesitation. Even if Xiao Nianyuan hadn’t asked, she would have kept watch—anything concerning Xiao Nianyuan was a top priority for her.

Xiao Nianyuan logged off. Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong were still in the game. Earlier, Tan Xialan had said Du Xiaotong had a lead and asked her to come over—though whether that was true or not was unclear.

Dinnertime was approaching. After waiting a while, Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong finally logged out.

When Tan Xialan saw Xiao Nianyuan, she immediately tensed up, visibly uncomfortable—standing awkwardly, sitting for a few seconds, then standing again.

In the past, Xiao Nianyuan might have mistaken this as Tan Xialan having a problem with her. But now she knew Tan Xialan was just concerned and wanted to help clear her name.

Pretending not to notice, Xiao Nianyuan asked, “I’m going to grab food. What do you two want?”

Since they were all roommates, Xiao Nianyuan had never brought them food before. Now that Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong seemed to have something to discuss, this was a good chance for her to step out.

Tan Xialan asked for braised chicken rice, and Du Xiaotong said, “Same for me.”

Xiao Nianyuan nodded. As she left, she texted Ji Rongxue, who also wanted the same meal—she’d be back for lunch.

On her way to get food, Xiao Nianyuan noticed people looking at her. Without a doubt, it was mostly due to curiosity about the incident where someone had used her photos for online romance scams in a game.

The situation hadn’t blown up yet, but once the school got involved, it would escalate.

For now, Xiao Nianyuan couldn’t figure out who might have secretly used her photos. No matter how others stared, she pretended not to notice—she had more important things to focus on.

Carrying her meal back to the dormitory, she brushed past someone on the stairs who slipped a note into her hand. Before she could react, the person had already vanished.

Glancing at the note, Xiao Nianyuan tucked it away and returned to her room.

Ji Rongxue was already there and hurried over to take the food from her.

After eating, Tan Xialan volunteered to throw away the takeout boxes, but Xiao Nianyuan snatched the task from her. “I need to go out and buy a few things anyway,” she said.

Tan Xialan didn’t question it and let her handle the trash.

Once she’d disposed of it, Xiao Nianyuan found a secluded spot to unfold the note.

Only one sentence was written: “You deserve to die.”

The words had been cut out from printed material and pasted together, making it impossible to trace the handwriting.

Even if the culprit had handwritten it, Xiao Nianyuan wouldn’t have recognized it—she barely knew anyone at this school well enough.

The message gave her pause, but she quickly steadied herself.

There was no point getting worked up over an anonymous coward. Still, irritation lingered—she wasn’t a saint, after all. Being cursed at wasn’t something she could brush off entirely.

She carefully stored the note; it might prove useful later.

As she turned back, she spotted Ji Rongxue around the corner and instinctively scratched her cheek, feeling awkward.

Ji Rongxue looked surprised. “I needed to buy something too. You finished already?”

Xiao Nianyuan replied, “No, I remembered we still have some left in the dorm.”

Ji Rongxue didn’t press further. “Be careful on your way back.”

Xiao Nianyuan almost laughed. Over such a short distance, what could possibly happen?

Back in the dorm, Du Xiaotong suddenly spoke up. “You should stop working part-time for a while.”

Xiao Nianyuan turned to her. Du Xiaotong’s expression was serious—clearly, she’d thought this through before speaking.

“Why?” Xiao Nianyuan could guess Du Xiaotong was worried about her being harassed or harmed outside. But she wasn’t afraid. She hadn’t done anything wrong—someone else had stolen her photos to deceive people. If anything, she was the victim here. Why should she hide like a guilty criminal?

Unconsciously, Xiao Nianyuan could be stubborn like this. Once she decided she wasn’t at fault, she refused to back down, never considering that others might act irrationally or impulsively.

Tan Xialan suggested to Du Xiaotong, “Why don’t you stick with her these next few days?”

Du Xiaotong shook her head. “No.”

“Why not?” Tan Xialan asked, puzzled.

Du Xiaotong lowered her voice. “If I’m with her, we won’t lure the culprit out.”

Realizing her earlier advice for Xiao Nianyuan to avoid work would also make it harder to expose the mastermind, she reconsidered. “Fine, keep working—just be extra careful.”

“Got it,” Xiao Nianyuan agreed without hesitation.

Du Xiaotong’s concerns weren’t unfounded. The next day, while on her way to her part-time job, Xiao Nianyuan suddenly had iced milk tea thrown at her.

Stunned, Xiao Nianyuan stared blankly at the milk tea cup rolling on the ground, taking a long moment to process what had just happened.

She slowly raised her eyes to look at the girl who had done it—a somewhat fierce-looking young woman who was glaring at her viciously. When their eyes met, the girl immediately gritted her teeth and spat, “It’s all your fault! Why would you do something so disgusting?”

The commotion drew quite a crowd, with passersby slowing their steps to gather around them, watching Xiao Nianyuan and the girl unfold.

Who wouldn’t want to witness some drama when it’s right in front of them?

Milk tea still clung to Xiao Nianyuan’s clothes and hair, dripping steadily down in sticky strands.

The sickly sweet scent of the milk tea filled the air around them, the greasy sensation making her skin crawl and even breathing feel more difficult.