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Join the ServerAlthough this was somewhat unfair to Shi Zhiyu,
Tang Shu felt she had no choice.
Someone as proud and outstanding as him would surely meet a person better suited for him someday.
What a sin. What a sin.
Just as she was scrolling through her phone, it vibrated.
A WeChat message arrived.
Her finger paused on the screen.
But she didn’t open WeChat.
Instead, she continued reading her novel and chatting with Shi Manman.
That night, Tang Shu was curled up beneath her soft blanket.
She opened her chat with Shi Zhiyu.
At the top lay two messages he had sent earlier.
Fish: 【Today is another day of loving you.】
【Good morning~】
The glow of the screen illuminated her cheeks.
The corners of Tang Shu’s lips unconsciously lifted.
She had to admit—
The gradual flirting she’d been doing over the past half month had produced spectacular results.
Who could have imagined that the aloof, taciturn, and stingy-with-words Crown Prince of the Shi family—
The man who used to reply with nothing but a cold “Mm”—
Would become this clingy and proactive?
He now sent her good morning and good night messages every day without fail.
He actively shared details about his daily life.
He patiently listened to all her rambling.
He even flirted back.
And then there were the benefits.
The body photos.
The temptation.
Benefits fully maxed out.
Tang Shu couldn’t help silently praising herself.
She had somehow transformed the distant and icy Shi Zhiyu into someone gentle and affectionate.
Yet while feeling proud, she also felt strangely dazed.
Who exactly was completing whose mission?
Originally, she had planned to slowly lure him in and leave gracefully when the timing was right.
But after spending so much time together—
It felt like she was the one constantly being flirted with.
His gentleness.
His patience.
His favoritism.
Every one of them struck directly at her softest spots.
Even more unexpectedly—
This fake relationship and deliberately cultivated ambiguity had become her greatest source of inspiration.
The popularity of her serialized comic had skyrocketed.
Praise flooded her comments.
New illustration commissions arrived nonstop.
She was making money hand over fist.
Calling Shi Zhiyu her personal God of Wealth wasn’t even an exaggeration.
At that thought, the smile in her eyes deepened.
She opened his contact settings and changed his nickname from “Fish” to—
“God of Wealth.”
Holding her phone, she solemnly bowed toward the nickname on the screen.
Then she whispered quietly,
“Lord Shi, God of Wealth, please bless me with more fortune and prosperity. Let everything go smoothly this year and help me make piles of money.”
As long as she earned enough money for her parents to pay off their debts,
They could move to Jiang City earlier than planned.
Then she wouldn’t have to travel back and forth during every summer and winter vacation.
She could stay near her family permanently.
After finishing her little prayer, her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Shu Shu Has Candy: 【Brother, I love you too. Good morning~】
Shu Shu Has Candy: 【What are you doing right now, Brother?】
Shu Shu Has Candy: 【In class or at work?】
The reply came almost instantly.
God of Wealth: 【In class. Going to the company this afternoon.】
Shu Shu Has Candy: 【Brother is slacking off again~】
She attached a cute little cat-slacking-off sticker.
God of Wealth: 【Because the message came from you. I wanted to reply immediately.】
Tang Shu’s fingers froze.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Damn.
This guy is getting more and more unpredictable.
At the beginning, she had been the one doing all the flirting.
Now the situation had completely reversed.
Was he trying to compete with her over who could flirt better?
Tang Shu refused to admit defeat.
No problem.
She had an entire photo album filled with romantic pickup lines.
She wasn’t afraid of competition!
Opening her collection, she selected one.
Shu Shu Has Candy: 【The two of us should keep our distance from now on.】
But just after sending the message, she heard Shi Manman shouting from below.
“Shu Shu! Hurry down!”
“I bought huge, super sweet strawberries!”
Without a second thought, Tang Shu tossed her phone onto the bed and threw off her blanket.
Excitedly, she rushed downstairs to eat strawberries.
Completely forgetting that she had only sent half of the sentence she intended to send.
At the same time, inside a classroom at M University in the United States.
Shi Zhiyu sat lazily with one hand supporting his chin while listening attentively to the lecture.
His fingers hovered habitually above his phone screen, waiting for her next message.
Then he saw it.
【The two of us should keep our distance from now on.】
His fingers instantly stiffened.
The pen in his hand crashed heavily onto the desk with a loud clack.
The relaxed laziness vanished immediately.
He sat upright.
Both hands gripped the phone tightly.
The warmth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by panic.
Distance?
Keep our distance?
Those seven words completely threw his emotions into chaos.
【?】
【Why?】
【You don’t like me anymore?】
【Shu Shu?】
He sent four messages in a row.
The other side remained completely silent.
Not a single reply came back.
From the seat ahead, Song Yan caught a glimpse of Shi Zhiyu’s panicked expression.
He shook his head helplessly.
His friend was truly beyond saving.
Completely trapped in his overseas online romance.
The slightest disturbance from the other side—
And he instantly lost all composure.
Shi Zhiyu could no longer focus on the lecture.
The unease in his heart spread uncontrollably.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand to excuse himself and strode out of the classroom.
The cool evening breeze in the hallway brushed against him.
But it couldn’t disperse the panic in his chest.
He immediately called Tang Shu through WeChat.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Yet all he heard was the cold automated message informing him that the call was unanswered.
He had forgotten about the time difference.
He had forgotten Tang Shu’s schedule.
At that moment, it was already past ten at night in Jiang City.
Her phone automatically switched to Do Not Disturb Mode every night at ten.
All messages and calls would be silently blocked.
After several failed attempts, Shi Zhiyu’s brows remained tightly furrowed.
His eyes were filled with gloomy anxiety.
Finally, he called home.
Late at night, the world was quiet.
Qiao Yaxin was sleeping soundly when the constant vibration of her phone forcibly dragged her out of her dreams.
Groggily, she reached for it.
Her voice was hoarse with sleep.
“Hello? Who is it?”
“Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night?”
A tense, strained voice came from the other end.
“Mom.”
“Give me Shu Shu’s phone number.”
The moment she heard the name “Shu Shu,” Qiao Yaxin’s sleepiness vanished.
“Shu Shu?”
“What do you need her number for?”
“Don’t tell me she blocked you?”
“No.”
Shi Zhiyu swallowed.
His voice was heavy with suppressed anxiety.
“She sent me a random message out of nowhere and suddenly stopped replying.”
“She isn’t answering my calls either.”
“I want to call and check on her.”
Qiao Yaxin immediately pieced together what had happened.
Well, well.
Looks like Shu Shu has finally started setting up her exit strategy.
She’s preparing to dump my son little by little.
Apparently her foolish son really had no charm at all.
After all this time, he still hadn’t managed to make Shu Shu genuinely fall for him.
Suppressing her amusement, she patiently comforted him.
“Stop overthinking.”
“Don’t scare yourself.”
“She’s in the school dormitory right now.”
“Most likely one of her roommates called her away, and she left her phone on the bed without noticing your messages.”
Shi Zhiyu glanced at the clock.
10:21 PM.
The tightness in his chest eased slightly.
He suddenly remembered something Tang Shu had told him before.
Her phone automatically entered Do Not Disturb mode at ten every night.
The panic in his heart faded considerably.
Even so, he still wasn’t reassured.
Stubbornly, he said,
“Then send me her number.”
“I’ll wait for her.”
Qiao Yaxin seized the opportunity to lecture her hopeless son.
“You need to put more effort into that girl.”
“When it’s time to be generous, be generous.”
“When it’s time to shower her with money, don’t be stingy.”
“You’re overseas all year long.”
“Long-distance relationships already make girls feel insecure and exhausted.”
“Send more messages.”
“Keep her updated.”
“Buy her gifts.”
“And don’t ever let her feel wronged.”
“I understand,” Shi Zhiyu replied quietly.
After hanging up, he remained standing alone in the cool foreign night.
His finger repeatedly refreshed their chat window.
Waiting.
And waiting.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Looking For My Child's Father! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
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