Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After the competition, Shu Yang, though not particularly happy, still went out to celebrate with everyone.

By the time he returned home to rest, two days had already passed.

After partying with the random crowd, he then went on to celebrate with Taozi, Shen Yi, and the others, celebrating Taozi’s second place finish. He felt completely drained.

Toward evening, Shu Yang lay in bed with a splitting headache. He had drunk quite a bit over the past two days, and while he wasn’t drunk, he still felt a bit under the influence.

But Fatty Shen was in a worse state. By the time he returned, he could barely open his eyes or move his legs. It took Taozi and Shu Yang to carry him to the bed in the guest room.

Taozi also told him about Shen Yi.

In Shen Yi’s family, his stepmother had grown increasingly ambitious with each passing year. Now, dissatisfied with Shen’s father’s favoritism, she wanted to earn a larger share of the family fortune for her son.

This was also why Chen Yi, instead of staying at home, chose to come to Shu Yang’s.

Originally, they’d agreed to leave in a week, but since they were good friends, it had already been two weeks, and Shu Yang hadn’t said anything. Tao Zi, fearing he might overthink things, had helped explain.

Shu Yang wondered, did he really look that unsympathetic?

What he didn’t know was that even in the eyes of Shen Yi and Tao Zi, he felt a bit distant. It wasn’t that their relationship was bad, but rather that Shen Yi and Tao Zi felt that even though Shu Yang’s personality was similar to theirs, they still didn’t see him as ordinary.

In Fatty Shen’s words, he looked like someone from another world, completely different from any of them.

Shu Yang hadn’t heard these words, and they were afraid he might overthink them.

Shu Yang stared at the ceiling. Since the game, Francis had disappeared again.

Thinking back, Francis had been the one to initiate the two calls. It had been ages since he’d proactively messaged him.

He wasn’t one for passive conversation, and with that in mind, Shu Yang pulled out his phone and tapped on the voice recording.

“Francis, are we really separated by such a vast distance in time and space?”

Hazy, Shu Yang seemed to realize he’d clicked on a reply, a voice message that lasted only a second. “Hmm.”

—

When he woke up again, Shu Yang saw Fatty Shen, sprawled over his bed, staring at him. His fleshy face was barely ten centimeters from his!

“What are you doing!” Shu Yang tilted his head back, putting some distance between him and Fatty Shen. “So early in the morning, what if you scared your dad to death?”

“Your dad just called you,” Fatty Shen said with a sly smile.

Shu Yang frantically reached for his phone, but couldn’t find it. The next second, Chen Yi slowly raised the object in his hand. “It’s been ringing for ten minutes, waking me up next door, and you’re still awake.

So, I answered it for you.”

“Chen—Fatty!” Shu Yang instantly woke up. “What did you talk about?!”

“Hehehe.” Chen Yi just laughed. “You’re being rude.”

Shu Yang rubbed his eyes, threw back the covers, and sat up. His clothes from yesterday were wrinkled to the bone. He reached out to Chen Yi. “Give me your phone.”

“So nervous, little Yangyang!” Chen Yi plopped down next to Shu Yang. “Last time, you said you’d treat me to dinner if I found a boyfriend. Did you swallow that?”

Shu Yang looked bewildered.

“That was just a phone call—oh no, a video call—reminding you to eat…” Chen Yi’s expression was ambiguous.

He hadn’t wanted to answer it, but seeing how deep Shu Yang was sleeping, the alcohol hadn’t woken him. He picked up the phone, his hand slipped, and the call automatically connected.

So he came face to face with the tall, handsome man, their eyes locked.

The man’s expression was grim, and he coldly asked him where Shu Yang was. He was taken aback by his aura.

“He said he was my boyfriend?” Shu Yang grabbed the phone, and seeing the call time had only been a brief twenty seconds, he felt relieved.

“If he’s not your boyfriend, why would he be so concerned about you?” Chen Yi scratched his head. Lately, whenever Shu Yang was around, he was either checking his phone or looking at it. If they weren’t in a relationship, what would two grown men have to talk about?

“No,” Shu Yang replied vaguely. In reality, it probably never would be. What was the point of being together when two people couldn’t even see each other?

“Stop pretending. Taozi’s been asking several times. She’s been asking for your Da Ge’s contact information. She hasn’t said anything, but she’s still concerned about you. Taozi told her to ask you herself, but she’s been hesitant. Taozi asked me to help her ask, and I know what’s going on.”

Shu Yang wasn’t expecting Chen Yi to say this. That Qiao Jianxue…

Forget it, there probably won’t be any contact in the future.

“Okay, okay. I’m going to wash up. You can go now.” Shu Yang pushed Fatty Shen out.

“I really have to leave.” Fatty Shen smiled and stopped. No matter how hard Shu Yang pushed, he couldn’t move him. “I’m moving out today. I said I’d stay a week, and I’ve been bothering you for half a month.”

“Why are you leaving so suddenly? It’s not like you can’t get used to living here…”

“My old man gave me a death order to go back. Alas, a father’s love is like a mountain, weighing down my spine.” Chen Yi said, shaking his head.

“Is everything alright?” Shu Yang knew Shen Yi’s family well enough; it was incredibly complicated, and Shen’s father had a bad temper, always finding fault with Shen Yi.

“What could possibly be wrong with me? They’d have problems if I went back. Okay, I won’t have breakfast with you today. I’m leaving now. Chairman Shen called me yesterday, but I didn’t hear him. He’s going to be furious if he doesn’t see me again.” Shen Yi patted Shu Yang’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself while Dad’s away.”

“Fvck you,” Shu Yang scolded with a laugh.

Shen Yi left in such a hurry that Shu Yang didn’t even bother to wash up before seeing him out.

After Shen Yi left, Shu Yang belatedly remembered that it was almost the end of the month, and Mr. Shu Zhiyi had invited him to a dinner party.

He shuffled towards the sofa in the living room, his phone resting on the table.

Sad.

Shu Yang stared at the phone. No one could have imagined he’d be chatting with a marshal from a future interstellar age. It was truly surreal. As for whether it was scientific or not, he only knew that modern society wasn’t that scientific anyway.

Thinking back on the past half month, it felt like an eternity, yet also like the blink of an eye.

The school days were still vivid in his mind. After leaving school, they were like being released from their cages, without any restraints at all.

Shu Yang took a sip of water to moisten his still hoarse throat.

Then he heard his backup phone buzz.

Chen Yi: [Your Da Ge told you to call him when you wake up. I’m keeping an eye on you.]

…

Shu Yang fiddled with his phone, hesitant for a moment.

He now knew this Da Ge was a real marshal. He’d been too careless before, and hadn’t thought much of it. But after two days of madness and coming back to his senses, he suddenly realized that this Da Ge wasn’t from the same world as him. Was it still appropriate for them to be chatting like this?

He was in a very bad state right now. What if they really developed feelings for each other? Just like other people’s boyfriends and girlfriends were all cuddling and hanging out together, he was just going to have to spend his days clutching his phone?

This was even more hopeless than a long-distance or international relationship. What was he trying to achieve?

Thinking of this, Shu Yang not only didn’t call Francis back, but also put the phone aside.

He estimated the date and called Shu Zhiyi’s assistant.

There was no other way. Director Shu Zhiyi was incredibly busy. Even if he called directly, he’d probably be hung up in three seconds. It would be better to call the assistant directly; it would save time and still get the result he wanted.

“Hello? This is Shu Yang. Um, when is that dinner my dad mentioned?”

Despite Shu Yang constantly addressing Shu Zhiyi by name, he had a father in his heart. Otherwise, why would he feel uncomfortable living alone in his mansion and insist on moving out?

To be honest, he still wanted to meet Shu Zhiyi and have a few words. Even though Shu Zhiyi only knew the official business, he was his father after all, wasn’t he? The bl00d bond between the two of them was unbreakable.

“Seven o’clock the day after tomorrow? Okay, I’ll be waiting for you then. Okay, I understand.”

He hadn’t expected the date to be so close. After asking for more details, Shu Yang hung up. With his personality, he couldn’t even get close to Shu Zhiyi, let alone his assistant.

{Baby} Even though this assistant had given him countless “little gifts of fatherly love” over the years, he hadn’t been able to say more than a few words to him.

With no one home and no other activities to do today, Shu Yang didn’t bother to go out. He just slumped on the sofa, staring blankly at his ceiling.

In fact, while he was having fun, the college entrance examination results had already come out, but he hadn’t seen them yet. He had a good idea of ​​his academic level.

With this in mind, Shu Yang opened his class chat and scrolled through it. He saw their homeroom teacher chatting animatedly with several classmates, discussing various schools and majors.

Shu Yang read a few sentences, but he wasn’t interested in these things, as he was a complete slacker.

He still remembered his first semester, when his homeroom teacher asked him, “If you can’t even concentrate on your studies, will you have the perseverance to overcome life’s difficulties in the future?”

What had he replied then? “Difficulties that can be solved with money aren’t really difficulties. And those that can’t be solved with money, will Shu Zhiyi’s assistant help him solve them?”

Shu Yang smiled. He didn’t know what he was thinking at the time, but he still remembered that this statement had infuriated his teacher. He hadn’t been friendly with him since then. It wasn’t until Shu Zhiyi invested in the school that his homeroom teacher started to pay attention to his studies again.

Perhaps it was due to pressure from some higher-ups.

Shu Yang tapped his phone and exited the chat. It was really unpleasant for him to interrupt in this atmosphere.

But the results… Shu Zhiyi should already know.

University…

Shu Yang sighed heavily. He decided to go to a local school. He hated unfamiliar environments.