Chapter 11: The Deleted Admirer

“Damn it, that bastard actually deleted me!”

Su Mian, who had been sprawled on his bed moments before, bolted upright in shock.

The commotion was quite loud, startling Lu Yang, who was still fiddling with his pink dumbbells, and nearly causing him to drop them.

“Mianzi,” Lu Yang exclaimed, “What’s gotten into you, shouting so loudly all of a sudden!”

“And who’s this ‘bastard’ you’re talking about? Is getting deleted by them really worth getting this worked up about?”

Qin Xuan pushed up his glasses. Although he didn’t say anything, his raised eyebrow clearly indicated his displeasure at the moment.

‘Of course, Su Mian couldn’t possibly admit that he had pretended to be a girl to flirt with Xiao Moyuan, only to fail and get deleted.’ He quickly apologized, “My apologies, Brother Lu, Brother Qin.”

“It’s nothing serious,” Su Mian mumbled. “I just got tricked by some scoundrel.”

Lu Yang put down his dumbbells and asked curiously, “Was it a real-life friend or someone online? Did they scam you out of money, or something else? Do you want me to report them?”

‘Neither. I was emotionally swindled, QAQ.’

‘Of course, these words were only ever uttered in his mind.’

‘He truly hadn’t expected Xiao Moyuan to actually delete him.’

‘For the past half-month, he had clung to him daily, calling him ‘Brother’ constantly. He had even sent ‘benefit’ photos from time to time; surely, even ice would have melted a little by now.’

‘Su Mian felt deeply wronged. In reality, this man looked down on him, and online, he was treated like a clown, easily discarded whenever the other party pleased.’

‘How could there be someone so cold, so utterly detestable in this world?’

“It’s fine, Boss Lu,” Su Mian mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant. “It’s really not a big deal.”

Lu Yang looked at Su Mian, who wore a wronged and pitiful expression. Seeing that he was unwilling to elaborate, Lu Yang didn’t press for details.

He patted Su Mian’s shoulder. “Mianzi,” he said, “I know things haven’t been going well for you emotionally lately. Tonight, your Brother Lu is treating. Let’s call Qin Xuan and go get some skewers.”

Su Mian said, “How about I treat instead? I have quite a few personal quirks, and I’ve caused you guys a lot of trouble.”

“Hey, what are you talking about? You haven’t caused any trouble at all.” As he spoke, Lu Yang reached out to pat Su Mian’s shoulder.

Su Mian instinctively dodged.

Lu Yang chuckled. “I forgot again,” he said. “You don’t like people casually touching you.”

Qin Xuan rose to his feet. “Let’s split the bill,” he suggested. “I don’t like owing anyone favors; it makes interactions feel more natural.”

Su Mian nodded, having no objections.

They had been living together for over half a month now. Boss Lu was a warm-hearted individual, though at times quite absent-minded.

However, he couldn’t quite fathom Qin Xuan’s personality. On weekdays, Qin Xuan spent almost all his time in the dorm reading, and their interactions were a bit fewer. Yet, you couldn’t really call him dull.

After all, the idea of him pretending to be a girl and having an online romance with Xiao Moyuan had actually been inspired by Qin Xuan’s suggestion.

All in all, Su Mian was quite satisfied with both of his roommates.

Of course, there was still an empty bed in their dorm room, as they were originally supposed to have another roommate.

However, the dorm supervisor auntie had mentioned that the last guy had experienced a family emergency and had therefore taken a temporary leave of absence. It was uncertain if they would get to meet him this semester.

***

Around seven or eight in the evening, the three of them left the dorm. There happened to be a barbecue stall not far from N University’s South Gate.

“Mianzi, you’re the youngest, and I’m not picky, so just order whatever you like,” Lu Yang said, pulling several cans of beer from the fridge. “You two can probably handle a drink, right?”

Qin Xuan thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll only have one bottle,” he stated.

Lu Yang was taken aback. “Your alcohol tolerance is that low?” he asked.

Qin Xuan took out a tissue and wiped the table. “I simply dislike having my mind dulled by alcohol,” he said calmly. “I prefer to always remain rational and clear-headed.”

“Scholars truly are different,” Lu Yang remarked, turning to Su Mian. “Mianzi, if you can’t drink, then I’ll just take mine.”

“I haven’t really drunk before, but I want to have some this time.” Su Mian hadn’t really touched alcohol, but he had heard that a little drink was good when one was troubled.

And right now, he was particularly vexed because of Xiao Moyuan.

Hearing this, Lu Yang first took out three bottles of beer from the fridge. “Let’s each have one bottle to start then,” he declared. “Come on, let’s have a toast!”

The three of them clinked their bottles.

Su Mian felt that the beer didn’t taste particularly good; it was slightly bitter, but still acceptable.

The barbecue dishes gradually arrived at their table. Drinking ice-cold beer and eating barbecue on a hot summer night had a unique flavor of its own.

The group chatted for a while, discussing their daily lives. Soon, the conversation shifted to Su Mian.

Lu Yang had just finished a lamb skewer. He put down his chopsticks and asked, “Mianzi, what’s your situation now?”

Su Mian asked, puzzled, “What situation?”

“You know, you and Campus Belle Shen…” Lu Yang clarified.

Su Mian felt wronged. He took a sip of beer and slowly began, “Zhixia’s thoughts are all on Xiao Moyuan now. She barely even pays attention to me anymore.”

Lu Yang asked again, “What about Xiao Moyuan? Weren’t you looking for an online dating partner for him?”

Su Mian felt even more wronged. Another glass of beer went down. “Couldn’t find anyone,” he sighed. “It’s off.”

Lu Yang scratched his head. “Sigh, what a mess,” he said. “How about you listen to your Brother Lu’s advice? Don’t get hung up on Campus Belle Shen; try getting to know some new girls.”

“There are still plenty of great girls in school.”

‘Get to know other girls?’

Hearing this, Su Mian felt a pang of unwillingness. He and Shen Zhixia had so many years of history between them.

To think it had come to this point, all because of a recently met Xiao Moyuan.

Moreover, Shen Zhixia was currently his best option.

His social circle wasn’t vast, and among girls, his deepest bond was only with Shen Zhixia. Only she currently met his requirement for stably differentiating his gender.

‘If he were to start fresh with a new girl, cultivating feelings for a sweet romance, who knew how long that would take?’

‘But if Shen Zhixia truly got together with Xiao Moyuan, even if he was unwilling, he would have no choice but to pick another girl.’

Just as Su Mian entertained the thought of getting to know new girls, Qin Xuan, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “The girls in school are all focused on Xiao Moyuan too,” he stated.

“Given Mianzi’s external conditions, it would be best for him to look outside the school.”

Su Mian: “……”

These words were no less disheartening than Xiao Moyuan’s attacks.

Su Mian grew vexed again. He picked up his beer bottle, found it empty, then grabbed a few more and began to drink his sorrows away alone.

Unconsciously, the alcohol slowly began to take effect, and his face became flushed.

He grew more and more annoyed the more he thought about it!

It was all Xiao Moyuan’s fault. If not for Xiao Moyuan, none of these problems would have arisen.

The other party had not only stolen his childhood sweetheart but had also deceived his emotions for half a month.

If he gave up now, wouldn’t his half-month of ‘dog-licking’ efforts — all the carefully chosen photos he sent, and the pile of cosmetics and women’s clothing he bought — all be in vain?

No, he absolutely had to win over Xiao Moyuan; otherwise, the resentment in his heart would never be released.

He picked up his phone and shamelessly sent a friend request.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Wuwuwu, Brother, why did you delete me QAQ!]

After more than ten minutes, the other party rejected his friend request.

[Yuan: Three days without a reply defaults to a breakup. What’s more, we weren’t even dating. Why should I keep you?]

For a moment, Su Mian felt that the other party made a lot of sense.

Could it really be his problem?