Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Inside the elegantly understated KTV, the warm yellow lights created a cozy atmosphere. The unknown incense seemed to easily trigger the alcohol in the body, making the head feel groggy.

If it weren’t for the occasional wailing of ghostly songs emanating from the private rooms on both sides of the corridor, Shu Yang would have forgotten what year it was.

Today was his first class reunion since graduating from high school, and it was also his eighteenth birthday.

Originally, Shu Yang hadn’t wanted to tell anyone about this.

But someone had somehow leaked the news of his birthday, and while he received a flood of well wishes, he also received a lot of extra alcohol.

Even though he could hold his liquor, he couldn’t handle the barrage of alcohol.

Shu Yang was at a loss for words. He had to wait for the right moment and sneak out to get some fresh air. He slowly walked to the public restroom, temporarily shielding himself from the warm aroma and noise that filled the corridor.

After washing his face with a handful of water, Shu Yang felt much more sober.

The bathroom mirror was spotless, revealing the figure in front of it crystal clear. A bright-eyed young man raised his face to meet his reflection, his face still stained by wet water droplets, shimmering in the reflected light.

His wispy bangs were damp, a few strands plastered lightly to his forehead. Far from appearing untidy, they accentuated his appearance with a clean, energetic air.

The next moment, the gentle, bright-eyed young man’s lips curled into a smile that seemed utterly inconsistent with his appearance, a half-smile, a hint of scoundrel.

Those who knew him well knew that this was the true Shu Yang.

That’s why his closest friends loved to tease him about his deceptive appearance, shamelessly calling him the Black-Hearted Lamb, or “Heimeie” for short. No matter how many times he protested, threatened, or bribed, no one would change their assessment of him.

It’s easy to imagine how the Shu Group’s young master, hanging out with a bunch of reckless, playful second-generations, could possibly be harmless.

But…

Although Shu Yang hung out with that group, he hadn’t done anything truly bad. Most of the time, he was just a bystander, watching them have fun, at most drinking a bit, but he never got drunk.

But even despite being a loner, he was still accepted into that group and treated like a brother. This speaks volumes about Shu Yang’s emotional intelligence. After all, being able to get along is a skill.

Shu Yang looked in the mirror, making sure he hadn’t done anything out of place. He wiped the water off his face and prepared to leave.

But just as he left the bathroom, he saw a familiar figure in the hallway.

Xu Mengran, their class’s excellent study committee member.

It was obvious that the girl had dressed up carefully for tonight’s party; there were faint traces of makeup on her face. She also chose a dress-like skirt, and her sandals perfectly matched her little black dress.

Shu Yang narrowed his eyes. This girl’s name was definitely the one their homeroom teacher and all the other teachers kept repeating the most in their final year, urging all their classmates to emulate her.

Honestly, Shu Yang hadn’t expected that the once-plain-looking girl could transform into such a remarkable person with a little bit of makeup.

Although he had barely crossed paths with Xu Mengran that year, seeing her in such a narrow hallway, Shu Yang made sure to greet her.

Shu Yang smiled and nodded at her, then walked past her, heading back to the private room.

“Shu… wait a minute! Shu Yang.”

Shu Yang turned around, waiting for her next words.

This girl, whom he had never interacted with much, had a distinct blush on her cheeks, perhaps due to the alcohol. Her eyes were filled with joy, perhaps also from the relief she felt after the college entrance exam.

But her tone was strained.

Seeing her like this, Shu Yang understood something, though he wasn’t sure. He smiled and said, “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I just like…” The girl’s voice trailed off, nearly disappearing in the not-so-quiet corridor.

“Shu Yang! Come back!”

The people in the private room had already noticed Shu Yang’s sneaking away. The students who were about to arrest them saw them in the hallway and howled, interrupting their conversation. Seeing Shu Yang notice them, they closed the door and went back inside.

Xu Mengran’s fingers intertwined tightly, and after this interruption, her gaze firmed.

“Shu Yang, can you do me a favor? I’ve liked Chen Yi for six months, but I’ve never dared to tell him. I don’t have his contact information. Can you help me find him?” This time, she called his name without pausing, but the words she spoke froze Shu Yang’s smile.

Chen Yi was his good friend, a good friend in the same grade but in a different class. I don’t know how she noticed Chen Yi, but the point is…

That 200-pound fat guy Shen has someone interested, but no one confesses to this handsome little guy?

Yes. Since junior high, every one of Shu Yang’s friends has been liked and pursued, but Shu Yang alone has never received a love letter, nor has a girl ever expressed interest in him.

Although Shu Yang hasn’t met a girl he’s attracted to, and he’s not a scumbag who takes pride in winning hearts, this situation is still very strange.

Especially for an eighteen-year-old boy, it’s hurtful. No! He just can’t understand why he’s the only one in this situation.

Originally, he and Fatty Shen had a mutual admiration for each other, but now…

Shu Yang forced a smile and straightened his shirt cuffs. “Xu, may I know what you like about Shen Yi? I’m his brother, and I’ll tell him when the time comes. I have to say something.”

Xu Mengran was very resolute. “Thank you. Just give me his contact information, and I’ll talk to him myself.”

Shu Yang: …

This little episode quickly passed.

Shu Yang returned to the private room to a warm welcome. Looking at the raised glasses, Shu Yang couldn’t help but sigh, “Only a drink can dispel all sorrow.”

However, the dinner didn’t last long. The homeroom teacher, concerned for their safety, called the monitor numerous times, and everyone reluctantly went home.

For most, this was the end of the day, but for Shu Yang, it was definitely the beginning.

The phone screen showed it was exactly 10 p.m. Shu Yang stood at the doorway, watching his former classmates, whom he had spent a year with, get into their cars and go home. He then stopped Xu Mengran, who was about to leave.

“Chen Yi and a few others will be with me soon. If you want…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xu Mengran waved the parked taxi away.

“It’s okay. I’ll wait here.”

Shu Yang picked up his phone and sent a message to the group chat, specifically tagging Shen Yi: “The party’s over. When are you coming over? I have a surprise.”

Shen Yi replied almost immediately: “What surprise? Did you really buy that little villa? The kind we can party all night long?”

The light from the phone screen shone on Shu Yang’s face, highlighting his beautiful features. He smiled, his fingers quickly tapping out a line of words: “Screw you! I’d rather die than let you have s3x in my house. I have a really good news. Come on!”

Xu Mengran stood beside him, gazing at the vibrant neon lights outside. She couldn’t help but be struck by the boy in the white shirt beside her. Shu Yang was universally recognized as the most handsome man in their high school. Not handsome, but good-looking. He often hung out with a group of boys, and outside of that group, he had no close friends. Everyone acknowledged his kindness, but he always seemed a bit distant from the others.

But she didn’t need to get to know him up close to imagine that, as appearance reflects the heart, with such looks and temperament, he must be a gentle and clear-minded person.

She knew in her heart that such a person was only suitable for admiring from afar, not for indulging in a presumptuous crush. Fortunately, she already had someone she liked.

The roar of an engine approached from afar. Xu Mengran didn’t quite understand it, but everyone on the street who knew a little about cars looked in that direction.

But relying on her girlish instinct, she looked at Shu Yang. Sure enough, Shu Yang’s smile widened and became more genuine as he looked in that direction.

A flashy red supercar pulled to the curb, and Shen Yi’s face peeked through the window.

“Taozi and the others asked me to pick you up. Holy sh1t, why is there a girl here? Is this your new girlfriend or…?” Chen Yi said as he discreetly looked Xu Mengran over from head to toe, a trace of grief and indignation welling up inside him.

“Shu Yang, we agreed to grow old together, and you’re holding hands with someone else first!”

“Nonsense! They were waiting for you. Go ahead, I’ll take a cab.” Shu Yang said as they walked, giving Chen Yi a flirtatious look out of Xu Mengran’s sight.

Chen Yi’s expression instantly shifted from grief to disbelief, then to ecstasy. “Really?!”

“Stop drooling,” Shu Yang said as they walked away.

Chen Yi instinctively wiped his lips, realizing he’d been tricked by Shu Yang again. He mentally cursed Shu Yang, “Uncle!” before putting on a serious expression and looking at Xu Mengran standing at the door…

—

He’d only been slightly tipsy at the class reunion, but with a birthday party right after, he was truly drunk.

It was easy to block his classmates’ alcohol, and he could even sneak away. But trying to escape from Tao Zi and the others required a bit of skill. Shu Yang couldn’t escape, and by the time he returned to his new home, it was already three or four in the morning.

But the human body is strange. Shu Yang was clearly drunk, but he was incredibly energetic. It was like he’d passed the sleepy hour, and he hadn’t felt a shred of sleep.

Shu Yang poured himself a glass of water and continued to rail on his phone against Chen Yi, who hadn’t been seen all night, for prioritizing women over friends.

But his headache was real. He sipped his water slowly as he sat on the bedroom bay window, scrolling slowly on his phone.

All the messages he’d just tried to send were preceded by small red exclamation marks; they failed to be sent.

Shu Yang pulled down his phone’s taskbar and realized his Wi-Fi connection had been lost at some point. He flicked the wireless icon back on, waiting for it to reconnect.

He caught a flash of lightning out of the corner of his eye, but when he glanced out the window, the weather hadn’t changed significantly. However, when he returned to his phone, the interface had completely changed.

The taskbar interface had been replaced by a simple website homepage, indicating that he had entered the Trans-Time Anonymous Chat Network and could start matching and chatting, just like those shameful online chat sites.

Shu Yang stared, unable to find the cross. Hitting the back button on his phone didn’t respond. A large, flashing “Start Matching” irritated his eyes.

Shu Yang clicked the button almost instinctively.

After he clicked, the website quickly jumped to another page, a series of sparsely decorated anonymous chat pages.

After complaining about the website design company’s front-end design and programmers, Shu Yang was stunned. His phone simply froze on this page, completely unresponsive.

Even after rebooting, the interface remained the same. Even the factory-set pinhole functioned ineffectively…

The website, however, functioned normally. For example, after trying various methods without success, Shu Yang sent a message to an anonymous online friend he had matched with.

“Hello?”

Sent successfully, but unread.

…