Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Strange Chinese language, outdated military weaponry, slightly unusual clothing, and a replica of an antique car, yet possessing superb hacking skills.

The last video he sent was of a brutal military exercise, while this one was of a car race. The environments in the two videos were completely different. The cool desert and the underdeveloped city with towering skyscrapers both indicated that this person was in a very complex location.

“Cole, record the screen and send it to Joyce.” Francis recalled the planets he had previously targeted. He had done his homework, but found that none of them matched the person’s location.

Such a strange individual might appear among interstellar pirates, but as a pirate, he wouldn’t be so idle, nor would he be so indifferent after hacking into his computer.

Besides this speculation, another idea emerged in Francis’ mind.

Beyond the empire’s borders, beyond the limits of their technological exploration, lie a cluster of scattered, small planets. The people living there are mostly eccentric or weary of human society, never actively engaging with the three major factions.

So the appearance of a child who looks so different is quite natural.

In the previous military drill video, he hadn’t seen this person’s face. But in the racing video, he could see the back of their head, clearly no older than twenty.

The person in the video vehemently steered, unable to slow down even through a sharp curve. It was terrifying to watch, fearing they might accidentally crash into a tree, killing everyone involved.

Francis’s brows twitched. He typed a message into the edit box, but before he could send it, the screen went black, unresponsive no matter how he tried to wake it up.

Shu Yang was having a blast at the Wild Dog Club. This kind of life-threatening racing simulation game was truly to his liking.

He seemed to have a natural knack for playing games. No matter what game it was, once he got past the initial adjustment period, he could quickly and effortlessly improve his skills. Consequently, Shu Yang had very high expectations for games and grew bored quickly.

Often, before others had even mastered the game, he was already nearly at the top.

So while strategy games were fine, he’d usually create countless smurfs for casual business or role-playing games, but even that couldn’t satisfy his desire for the gradual growth he desired within the game.

Tao Zi stood aside, his hands folded as he looked at him. “Not bad, Shu Yang. If you have this skill in a real match, I think you’ll be in the top ten.”

Shu Yang’s hands kept moving, staring at the traffic on the screen as he said, “You know me. Even if I’m good at this, I can’t do it on the road.”

Tao Zi tutted, “You’re no different now than on the road.”

This time, Shu Yang answered seriously, “Of course not. Mistakes here are okay. I can always try again. But in real life, one mistake would be game over. I value my life.”

“You’re just a coward,” Tao Zi sighed. “Then practice first. I’ll go check on my car.”

“Okay.” Shu Yang kept his hands on the steering wheel, staring ahead, not noticing the phone screen beside him flickering on and off.

After several rounds, Shu Yang felt a little sluggish. After all, this kind of thing requires total dedication and concentration, and even steering and stepping on the accelerator are physically demanding.

He had to go home and rest.

Tao Zi looked at his small frame and tutted her tongue again. “Okay, do you want me to take you?”

“No, I’ll just take a taxi.” Shu Yang waved his hand and said goodbye to Tao Zi. Honestly, he was about to give up.

Why bother practicing racing? It wasn’t like he was particularly fond of it. It wasn’t like he was just too full to live long. It wasn’t like… He came up with many reasons to give up. Finally, Shu Yang glanced at the large sign behind him that read “Wild Dog Club.”

Forget it, I’ll come back tomorrow. Being a wild and unruly wild dog is better than being ridiculed as a cowardly loser.

Shu Yang searched his pockets and pulled out his two phones.

First, he checked the one that still worked. Shu Zhiyi had sent a message saying he would be returning to China at the end of the month for a dinner and wanted him to come along. It would be a perfect time for father and son to have a meal together.

Having to rush to eat at someone else’s dinner party, Shu Yang blankly marked the message as read and then didn’t see any other messages.

He was a bit of a homebody at heart.

His family circumstances prevented him from freely making friends, but more importantly, he rarely interacted with people he didn’t know well, let alone the painful process of becoming familiar with them, which he preferred to avoid whenever possible.

So, aside from the occasional calls from a few close friends and the rare calls from his friend Shu Zhiyi, his communication devices were mostly text messages from various telecom companies.

Shu Yang tucked his phone back into his trouser pocket and opened another.

Although he was a bit of a homebody, he felt less hesitant online.

Just because he didn’t like interacting with strangers didn’t mean he wasn’t cheerful and lively. He needed to communicate, too.

Besides, under the protective veneer of the internet, he could express himself more directly, without worrying about other things.

Shu Yang pressed a button, but the screen didn’t light up.

How could it have suddenly shut down? It couldn’t have been out of battery, after all. It was fully charged when he left, and he hadn’t used his phone much today.

Thinking this way, he turned his phone back on. As expected, without a second’s hesitation, he was directly in the anonymous chat interface.

What was different was that a few friendly reminders popped up.

[Software has been updated to the latest version. New features added: 1. …]

Shu Yang casually flipped through the pages and saw that the chat page had become much more user-friendly after the update. There were many more features, but he didn’t really care. After all, besides chatting with this big pigeon, he didn’t use anything else like video intercom or sending and receiving red envelopes.

He closed the update notification and saw a message from his online chat big pigeon, sent two hours ago.

[Not bad.]

Why is it good again?

Shu Yang was puzzled. He scrolled up the chat history, and his face froze.

The two-second voice message reminded him that this pigeon was saying something good. He slowly typed it out.

[As long as you’re happy 🙂 A mysterious smile.

[I’m very happy.]

[Hehehehe…]

Shu Yang looked at the chat box with instant replies and the “Type Now” sign above it, thinking that this feature was pretty good; at least he could see if the other person was there.

But the other person was still typing, and no messages came back. At first, Shu Yang thought the other person was typing a long string of messages. But when he got home and still hadn’t sent any messages, and there was no movement, he finally replied.

[Big Pigeon, what were you trying to say? It’s been so long, and you still don’t know what to call you, Big Pigeon? My last name is Shu, you can call me Xiao Shu, you’re welcome.]

He couldn’t resist a little teasing. Shu Yang looked at his message and fell into deep thought. Actually, this pigeon, despite his dramatic nature, was quite competent as a netizen.

He never bothered to ask about his household registration, nor did he immediately demand photos or meet-ups. Furthermore, he considerately ignored Shu Yang’s every attempt at a fight.

Shu Yang was moved to tears.

[Francis Berkeley Turles.] Since Shu Yang had been speaking Chinese, Francis naturally told him his name, which was translated into Chinese.

Shu Yang was stunned by the long message coming from the other end. What’s this? Foreigners? Terrified, he quickly searched online for how to respond to foreigners.

[Hi~bro~Your Chinese is really diao~]

After he sent this message, the other end remained silent for a long time, so Shu Yang awkwardly sent another one.

[You’re such a foreigner? I can’t tell. I was just kidding you.]

[I’m not a foreigner. I’m from the Imperial Empire. Don’t you know who I am? Shu Yang wondered if he could possibly know if the random online friend he’d matched with was real or not, but he still had to give him a superficial nod.

[I know, you’re the star of Empire! I’ve admired you since I was little!]

Shu Yang opened the newly updated emoji pack and casually sent one out.

A fat orange cat sat on the floor, its eyes glaring through its phone at the person in front of it, with the caption, “Hey, everyone here is a loser.”

…

Without waiting for a reply, Shu Yang lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

In fact, just chatting like this every day made him feel much better.

Relationships that didn’t require much effort to maintain, strangers who listened without spilling secrets, and people who were compatible and could chat and gossip when he needed company.

Shu Yang glanced at the phone he’d placed next to his face, but something made him feel regretful.

The price of such a beautiful relationship was non-existence.

Two people who connect through a screen might live in different cities, with their own lives and social circles, preoccupied with their own affairs. Only in their free time do they remember their online friends and chat, revealing a different side of themselves than in reality, completely letting go.

This process is largely imaginary. If they were to actually meet in person, this elusive, fragile feeling of intimacy would likely vanish completely.

Shu Yang closed his eyes. Why would he dwell on these thoughts? He wasn’t the least bit curious about this big pigeon, okay?

“Shu Yang!!!!”

Shu Yang had just relaxed, wanting to rest for a moment, when he heard Chen Yi opening the door and the sound of ghostly howls.

“Shu Yang, you must help me!!!”

Shu Yang opened his eyes, just as Chen Yi kicked open Shu Yang’s bedroom door.

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Shu Yang closed his eyes again. “Wipe your footprints clean before you talk to me.”

But before he could give Chen Yi time, he rushed over and shook his shoulders frantically, shaking off the sentimentality and melancholy he had just managed to summon.

“Don’t sleep yet! I’ll wipe it off later! Meng Ran wants to break up with me! Save the child!!! Shu!!” Fatty Shen, known as Fatty, was now demonstrating with his voice what it meant to be fat and confident.

“Why?” Shu Yang opened one eye, still lying in bed, and tilted his head to look at him.

Chen Yi lay on the edge of the bed, pressing a dent into the soft mattress. His chubby face buried in his arms, his voice a pale, indignant tone. “Her family had a problem, and I paid her money to cover it. She said she wasn’t from the same world as me! How could we be? We were under the same blue sky, breathing the same smog.”

“You really aren’t from the same world. Come back, brother, back to our side.”

“I’m not messing with you. You’re full of ideas. Help me think of something!” Chen Yi slapped Shu Yang. Although his tone had been a bit exaggerated earlier, his expression was now much more serious and earnest, suggesting he meant business.

Shu Yang opened his eyes and watched Chen Yi analyze the situation for him. “Xu Mengran worked part-time while in school. I’m not sure about her family’s situation, but she worked part-time in high school without worrying about her studies, so she must have had some need for it. And you paid for it right after something happened… She probably thought your perspectives were different.”