My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 39

Struck in a sore spot, Meng Xingwen became agitated: “Me, jealous of her? Clearly, she’s the one who doesn’t know her place! We got the same scores to get in here—why does she get better treatment than me?”

“You went to the same school?” Ji Rongxue was momentarily taken aback before realizing.

Meng Xingwen’s words suggested he had known Xiao Nianyuan before, which likely meant they were from the same school. Otherwise, how would he know so much about a stranger, down to the exact scores?

For various reasons, aside from the top scorer’s results being made public, the scores of other candidates were kept confidential.

Even if scholarships were awarded to incoming university students, others wouldn’t know the exact scores of those who received them.

High schools, however, would ask students for their scores during admissions to boast about them as recruitment material. In this process, schoolmates could easily find out each other’s scores.

Meng Xingwen continued to rage: “If it weren’t for her, that scholarship should’ve been mine! Just because she’s pretty and a girl, they gave it to her!”

Ji Rongxue finally understood the root of Meng Xingwen’s resentment. His hostility toward Xiao Nianyuan had a reason from the start.

Ji Rongxue didn’t sympathize with him just because of his words. Xiao Nianyuan earning the scholarship was no fluke—aside from matching exam scores, she also had numerous competition awards to her name.

If it came down to pure scores, Xiao Nianyuan still had the edge. By any measure, the scholarship rightfully belonged to her.

Everything Xiao Nianyuan achieved was well-deserved. Meng Xingwen, failing to secure the scholarship, refused to reflect on his own shortcomings and instead blamed her entirely for his loss.

Ji Rongxue had only one word for it: insane.

“You want money, is that it? Fine, I’ll give you money—as long as you’re willing to clear her name.”

At her words, Meng Xingwen flew into a sudden rage, sweeping everything off the table. Coffee splattered across the floor, and the cup shattered with a crisp clink.

“You think I’m after money?” he snarled through gritted teeth. “Do I look that shallow to you?”

Ji Rongxue watched his tantrum with complete indifference. No matter what he said now, she saw him as nothing but a madman.

Meng Xingwen was the one who had tried to frame Xiao Nianyuan, burdening her with such a heavy accusation. The fact that Ji Rongxue hadn’t reported him to their advisor was already lenient, yet here he was, pushing his luck, acting as if Xiao Nianyuan had stolen something from him.

“Enough!” Meng Xingwen cut her off sharply, his voice venomous. “You think you’re any better? Stop pretending to be righteous. You’re more jealous of her than anyone.”

Hearing him accuse her of jealousy again, Ji Rongxue couldn’t help but laugh.

But Meng Xingwen pressed on: “You can fool others, but not me. I know you’re always watching her—everything she does, you’re there observing. You think I’m despicable? You’re just biding your time, jealous that I made a move on her first. You’re just bitter it wasn’t you.”

His words grew increasingly absurd. Ji Rongxue couldn’t take it anymore and turned to leave, but Meng Xingwen blocked her path, barricading the door.

Unwilling to touch him, she kept her distance, eyeing him warily.

Meng Xingwen made no move to harm her but continued, “Don’t play innocent. I have proof of everything I’ve said.”

Ji Rongxue froze.

“I have plenty of photos of you following her in secret,” he added.

Meng Xingwen initially only intended to secretly take photos of Xiao Nianyuan. After snapping a few shots, he was about to leave when he noticed Ji Rongxue secretly watching Xiao Nianyuan from a corner.

This struck him as odd, so he began paying closer attention and discovered that Ji Rongxue often engaged in such sneaky behavior—she only ever followed Xiao Nianyuan.

Sometimes, she would even stare at Xiao Nianyuan so intently that she’d zone out, leading to minor mishaps.

After taking one photo of Xiao Nianyuan, Meng Xingwen stopped focusing on her and instead turned his camera on Ji Rongxue. Her bizarre behavior was worth documenting—who knew when it might come in handy?

Seeing Ji Rongxue’s face pale, Meng Xingwen’s smirk deepened. “Now I’ve got proof. What do you say? Still want to claim you’re her friend? If you really are, you shouldn’t mind me posting these photos of you stalking her online, right?”

Ji Rongxue swayed slightly, and a nearby waitress, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn’t hold back any longer. She rushed over to steady her and confronted Meng Xingwen. “What are you doing? Even if you’re arguing, you shouldn’t make someone faint!”

She hadn’t overheard their conversation and assumed they were a couple having a fight. Worried things might escalate, she had kept an eye on them—only to see Ji Rongxue nearly collapse. That was when she had to step in.

Meng Xingwen shot the waitress a glare before turning and leaving.

Ji Rongxue’s head spun as the waitress helped her sit down, frowning as she poured her a cup of hot water.

After drinking it, Ji Rongxue slowly regained her composure, though her face remained pale. She hadn’t expected Meng Xingwen to uncover her secret.

Even Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong only thought she was particularly fond of Xiao Nianyuan—they had never suspected anything more.

By the time Ji Rongxue left, the sky outside had darkened. Unconcerned about whether it might rain, she stepped out of the café.

“Still refusing to cooperate with me?” Meng Xingwen’s voice sounded from the side.

Ji Rongxue turned to see him standing nearby—likely waiting there just to taunt her when she emerged.

Pressing her lips together, Ji Rongxue said, “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Meng Xingwen dismissed. “You don’t want to hurt her—I’m the one who does.”

Ji Rongxue couldn’t stand his tone. “I’m not like you,” she said firmly.

Meng Xingwen studied her for a moment before asking, “If she found out what you’ve been doing, what would she think of you? Would she still want to be your friend, or would she try to stay as far away from you as possible?”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

Dazed, Ji Rongxue made her way back to campus. Just as she reached the gates, she heard Xiao Nianyuan call her name and looked up in confusion.

Xiao Nianyuan hurried over, frowning at Ji Rongxue’s pallid complexion. “Where have you been? Why wasn’t your phone working?”

“My phone?” Ji Rongxue averted her eyes. “It ran out of battery.”

Her phone had actually been fully charged—she just hadn’t wanted Xiao Nianyuan or the others to reach her, so she had removed the SIM card containing their contact information.

She had used another card to contact Meng Xingwen—one she rarely used anymore because, after blocking him, strange calls kept coming through.

Her lie was painfully obvious, but seeing her state, Xiao Nianyuan held back further questions and simply guided her back to their dorm.

The moment they stepped inside, their two roommates rushed over anxiously. After confirming Ji Rongxue wasn’t injured, they relaxed slightly.

Ji Rongxue weakly sat down, supporting her forehead with her right hand. The moment Du Xiaotong crouched beside her, she noticed Ji Rongxue’s eyes were moist with tears.

After observing her for a while, Du Xiaotong suddenly asked Xiao Nianyuan, “Could you go to the infirmary to get some medicine?”

“Medicine?” Tan Xialan volunteered, “I’ll go get it.”

Du Xiaotong replied, “No need. Let Xiao Nianyuan go.”

Tan Xialan was puzzled, “Why?”

Du Xiaotong simply dismissed her with, “She’s more reliable. You’re not.”

Tan Xialan wanted to say more, but a single glance from Du Xiaotong silenced her.

Xiao Nianyuan didn’t ask further. After getting the name of the medicine, she headed to the infirmary.

Once Xiao Nianyuan left the dorm, Du Xiaotong asked in a low voice, “What did you do? Now that Xiao Nianyuan isn’t here, can you tell us?”

Ji Rongxue finally spoke, “I went to see him.”

Tan Xialan gasped, “You know who it is?”

They had only narrowed down the possibilities but didn’t know the exact person.

“Who is it?” Du Xiaotong pressed.

Ji Rongxue shook her head, unwilling to say.

“Xiao Nianyuan isn’t here. Why won’t you tell us?” Tan Xialan urged anxiously. “Did he threaten you not to say anything?”

He had indeed threatened her, but not to keep silent—rather, to expose that she had been following Xiao Nianyuan.

Ji Rongxue refused to say anything, only shaking her head. “I need to calm down.”

Ji Rongxue’s state was clearly off, but no matter how much Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong pressed, she remained silent.

When Xiao Nianyuan returned with the medicine, the dorm was still quiet, as if nothing had happened in her absence.

The medicine was something Ji Rongxue often took. After taking it, she went to bed to rest.

Xiao Nianyuan suddenly remembered something. After saying goodbye to Tan Xialan and the others, she left the dorm and found a place to call Zhongli Rong.

Zhongli Rong answered quickly, sounding hopeful as she asked, “Has the matter been resolved?”

“No,” Xiao Nianyuan replied. “My roommate seems to have found out who it is. She came back looking terrible after going out.”

Zhongli Rong was surprised. “Your roommates know too?”

“They do, but they’re keeping it from me. They don’t want me to know, so I’ve been pretending not to notice.”

Zhongli Rong asked uncertainly, “Are you calling me because you want my help?”

Her voice carried a hint of excitement—she was still eager to assist.

“I do need your help.”

Zhongli Rong quickly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you find out who it is.”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t need you to investigate.” Xiao Nianyuan spoke softly. “I can’t make it to my part-time job these two days. I was hoping you could cover for me.”

“Part-time job?” After hearing what Xiao Nianyuan did, Zhongli Rong asked in confusion, “Why not ask someone else who works there to cover for you?”

“They’re all busy.” Xiao Nianyuan sighed. The other part-timers were even busier than her lately and had even messaged asking if she could cover their shifts.

Since they couldn’t spare time for their own shifts, they couldn’t help with hers either.

“Alright, but will the library agree to let me cover for you?”

“It’s simple. You’ll pick it up quickly.”

With Zhongli Rong’s agreement, Xiao Nianyuan went to inform the supervisor in charge of their part-time work.

The supervisor didn’t mind. College students learned fast—even if they hadn’t done it before, a few quick instructions would suffice.

Xiao Nianyuan had more important matters to attend to, matters that only she could handle.

Before going to bed, Xiao Nianyuan made sure to log in and tell Lian Qiushui that she might not have time to come online for the next few days.

Without hesitation, Lian Qiushui immediately hugged her. Xiao Nianyuan patted her back reassuringly and said, “I’ll log back in once I’m done with my work.”

But Lian Qiushui replied, “I know you’ll come back. I just need to recharge you first.”

Xiao Nianyuan was puzzled.

Lian Qiushui hinted delicately, “Don’t you need this kind of contact to replenish your energy?”

It suddenly dawned on Xiao Nianyuan what she meant. Lately, she had been so busy she barely had time to breathe, but when she was with Lian Qiushui, she didn’t have to worry about being seen as strange—so she had naturally indulged in the closeness she craved.

The two had been practically inseparable these past few days, so much so that Xiao Nianyuan had almost forgotten about her own peculiar condition. Now that Lian Qiushui brought it up, Xiao Nianyuan’s cheeks flushed slightly.

“You don’t have to say it out loud.”

Lian Qiushui nodded obediently. “Alright, alright, I won’t mention it again.”

She then nuzzled against Xiao Nianyuan’s neck and asked, “How long will this last you?”

In the past, Xiao Nianyuan had endured years without anyone getting close to her. Though Lian Qiushui had been keeping her well-nourished lately, she still maintained her self-control. Even without this embrace, she could have managed.

But looking into Lian Qiushui’s eyes, Xiao Nianyuan found herself inexplicably saying, “Two days.”

Two days—the same amount of time before she would log back in.

Lian Qiushui was surprised. “You don’t need more?”

She had already braced herself for a long separation from Xiao Nianyuan. That hug just now wasn’t just for Xiao Nianyuan’s sake—it was for her own, too.

After spending so much time with Xiao Nianyuan, Lian Qiushui felt like she had caught her strange affliction.

Even a single day without Xiao Nianyuan left her feeling restless.