Online Dating Fiasco with the Campus Heartthrob (DATING)
Ji Su felt as if he’d been burned and immediately flipped the phone face down on the table.
Qiao Jin was drawn by the commotion he made and turned to ask, "What's wrong, Susu? What did that scumbag say?"
"He..." Ji Su was too embarrassed to say it outright and chose to downplay it, "He just said he liked that photo."
"Of course he did! Who wouldn't like that photo?" Qiao Jin's tone was full of pride. "I bet that scumbag is burning with desire right now!"
Ji Su covered his ears and did not want to hear it.
At that moment, his phone on the table vibrated.
G: [Don’t wear that dress again.]
Ji Su pretended not to understand the underlying meaning and deliberately opposed him.
Meng Meng: [Why not?]
Meng Meng: [Didn’t you give me the dress so I could wear it every day?]
G: [It’s too short. Change into something else.]
Ji Su remembered how he had almost exposed his butt earlier, and the heat that had just faded from his face began to rise again.
Scumbag, you deliberately bought such a short dress for Meng Meng to wear, and now you’re complaining it’s too short.
He didn’t realize that the dress didn’t actually look that short.
It was just that his butt was too perky, his legs too long, and he had deliberately posed in a way that made it seem...
As he was lost in thought, a new message came in.
G: [Be good, Meng Meng.]
Ji Su thought for a moment and decided this was a good opportunity.
Meng Meng: [I can stop wearing that dress, but Brother, what’s your relationship to me that you’re telling me what to do?]
G: [What relationship do you want me to have?]
Ji Su: "..."
What a smooth operator, deflecting with such finesse.
Meng Meng: [My feelings haven’t changed, Brother. You know that...]
Meng Meng: [Crying cat emoji.jpg]
After a brief pause, the reply came.
G: [What do you like about me?]
This answer was important, so Ji Su carefully chose his words.
Meng Meng: [I just like you, Brother. Because I like you, I like everything about you.]
G: [You don’t really know what kind of person I am.]
Ji Su couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Of course, he knew what kind of person he was.
You’re a scumbag, a con artist who scams money and seduces women.
Meng Meng: [Then... would you give me a chance to get to know you better?]
G: [How do you want to get to know me better?]
Ji Su really wanted to reply: How about sending a photo of your face first?
Meng Meng: [You could tell me more about yourself~]
Like your name, which school you’re from, and why a promising law student would stoop to being an online scammer?
This time, the other side was silent for several minutes.
G: [Let’s meet.]
Ji Su’s heart skipped a beat as he sensed trouble. "Xiao Qiao, the scumbag wants to meet me. What should I do?"
"What?" Qiao Jin was also shocked. "Is he already rushing to turn this online romance into reality?"
Ji Su furrowed his brows. "I definitely can’t meet him."
"First, find a reason to stall him then try to get him to send a photo of his face as soon as possible," Qiao Jin suggested. "Then send the photo to our senior, and you can bow out gracefully."
Ji Su nodded. "Got it."
Meng Meng: [I can’t meet recently.]
G: [Why?]
Meng Meng: [There’s an important stage performance coming up in my department. I’ve been practicing the piano every day until late.]
Meng Meng: [Can I meet you after I’m done with this?]
G: [No need.]
Ji Su pursed his lips and thought that the other person was upset.
He was trying to figure out how to soothe him when a new message popped up.
G: [When you’re done, I’ll come to you.]
Meng Meng: [Okay!]
Meng Meng: [I’m really looking forward to meeting you, Brother!]
Ji Su didn’t know if the scumbag was trying to be considerate or just being cautious, but he managed to put off the meeting for now.
.........
Monday.
Another full day of classes.
After dinner, Ji Su switched to his WeChat alt account on his way back to the dorm
Sure enough, G had sent him a message half an hour ago.
G: [Make sure to eat well, even if you’re busy.]
G: [WeChat transfer: 520.00]
Ji Su stared at the words in the chat box and was momentarily stunned.
He had just casually mentioned that he was busy recently, and the other person had taken it to heart.
Ji Su remembered the last time he was too busy to reply.
Instead of getting angry, G had repeatedly reminded him to eat well and not overwork himself.
For the first time in his life, he felt cared for by someone, and it was from a stranger he had never met.
"Susu?" Qiao Jin stopped walking. "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing," Ji Su snapped out of it. "Xiao Qiao, can you come with me to the music club?"
Qiao Jin: "What for?"
Ji Su explained, "I told the scumbag I’ve been busy practicing the piano, so I want to record a piano piece at the music club to send to him later."
"Got it," Qiao Jin nodded. "Let’s go now."
The club activity center was still bustling at this hour.
After greeting his music club classmates, Ji Su sat down at the piano.
His long, thick eyelashes lowered as his slender, pale fingers danced across the black and white keys.
Not only was the piano music delightful, but the sight was also incredibly pleasing.
When the piece ended, Ji Su lowered his hands, only to be startled by a burst of enthusiastic applause.
He looked up to find that a small crowd had gathered around him without him noticing.
"That was amazing!" a girl exclaimed. "Ji Su, you’re really good at the piano. Why don’t we see you play more often?"
"Ah..." Ji Su pursed his lips, feeling a bit shy from the praise. "Playing the piano is just a hobby. I’m not as good as the professional students."
"Ji Su, you’re too modest," a male student chimed in. "No, it’s more like Lin Yan has been hiding you too well and not letting us interact with you more!"
Ji Su smiled habitually. "No, Senior Lin Yan just takes good care of me."
Before anyone else could say more, Qiao Jin stepped in. "Sorry, everyone. Ji Su and I have something to do, so we’ll be leaving now!"
Ji Su took the opportunity to stand up and followed Qiao Jin out of the music club.
Once outside, Qiao Jin couldn’t help but say, "Susu, your clubmates are way too enthusiastic."
Ji Su replied, "They’re all really nice."
"They sure are supportive," Qiao Jin paused, then added, "But you really do play beautifully. That scumbag is so lucky to have stumbled upon you!"
Ji Su smiled without comment. "Let’s head back to the dorm."
Back in the dorm, Ji Su tidied up his desk and then opened his computer to start drawing.
It was past nine when he finally checked his WeChat alt account.
Meng Meng: [Brother, I’m back in the dorm after practicing the piano!]
The reply came almost instantly.
G: [Did you have dinner?]
Meng Meng: [Yes, yes, don’t worry, Brother!]
Ji Su found the piano recording Qiao Jin had helped him with and sent it to G.
Meng Meng: [The piece I practiced tonight happens to be one you like, so I recorded it for you~]
The recording was two minutes and twenty-six seconds long. About three minutes later, the reply came.
G: [How did you know I like this piece?]
Meng Meng: [We talked about it before. Don’t you remember?]
G: [Do you remember everything I say?]
Meng Meng: [Yes, Brother. I remember everything you say in my heart.]
After sending that, Ji Su multitasked as he glanced at the design on his computer screen.
It was a while before a new message came in.
G: [Are you free during Labor Day?]
Meng Meng: [Why, Brother?]
G: [The singer you like is holding a concert in City A.]
Ji Su remembered the frenzy when tickets went on sale and sighed.
Meng Meng: [I know, but I didn’t manage to get a ticket...]
Meng Meng: [Crying cat emoji.jpg]
G: [I can get tickets.]
G: [Want to go together?]
For a moment, Ji Su was almost tempted.
The singer he liked rarely performed after getting married, and this was a rare chance to see him live in City A.
He really wanted to go.
But he couldn’t meet the scumbag, let alone go to a concert with him.
Meng Meng: [But I’ve already made other plans...]
Meng Meng: [Crying cat emoji.jpg]
G: [It’s okay. There will be other chances.]
Meng Meng kept declining, but the other person didn’t get upset at all. Instead, he comforted her.
Ji Su’s fingers hovered over the phone screen and a pang of guilt and reluctance suddenly well up in his heart.
No matter how many people the scumbag had scammed, in this case, he was the one playing the deceiver.
But everyone has to face the consequences of their actions, and the girls the scumbag had tricked were even more pitiful.
Ji Su gritted his teeth and decided to end this charade tonight.
Meng Meng: [Brother, can you send me a selfie?]
G: [Want to see my abs again?]
Meng Meng: [No! I want to see your face!]
Meng Meng: [Brother, you’re so bad!]
G: [You send one first.]
Ji Su: "?"
Send what? A leg photo or a selfie?
Ji Su looked up. "Xiao Qiao, the scumbag won’t send me his selfie unless I send one first."
"Right, the scumbag still doesn’t know what you look like!" Qiao Jin clapped his hands. "He’s been spending money on you and buying you clothes without even seeing your face. Who can say this isn’t true love?"
Ji Su: "This isn’t the time for that..."
Qiao Jin pushed his chair back and stood up. "Let me think, let me think."
Ji Su preemptively stated, "I’m not going to cross-dress."
"Then... maybe use a selfie from one of our female classmates?" Qiao Jin had a sudden idea. "The scumbag doesn’t know anyone at our school anyway."
"No," Ji Su disagreed. "I can’t use another girl’s photo for an online romance. It’s not fair to her image."
"My bad, forget I said that," Qiao Jin paced around the room. "Let me think... Ah, got it!"
Ji Su looked at him expectantly. "What?"
"Try flirting with him first," Qiao Jin pitched his voice, so his tone dripped with sweetness. "Brother~ I really, really miss you~ I want to see you~"
Ji Su: "..."
Normally, he used this kind of tone when chatting with G, but now he could imagine how cringeworthy those words sounded...
"Meng Meng’s flirting will make the scumbag’s soul float away," Qiao Jin summarized. "He’s already so deep into this. How could he not fulfill such a small request?"
Ji Su sighed softly. "Alright, I’ll try."
After all, it was just typing. The other person didn’t know he was a guy...
Qiao Jin added, "Oh, and don’t just ask for a face photo. Try to get him to strip completely."
Ji Su: "Huh?"
"Guys are different from girls. They have thick skin," Qiao Jin explained seriously. "Unless it’s a full nude, those kinds of photos have real impact if they leak!"
Ji Su: "..."
So how exactly was he supposed to phrase this message?
Brother, show me your...nude?