My Online Crush Turns Out to Be My Roommate
They led me to a secluded corner of the school sports field.
I scanned my surroundings, already plotting possible escape routes. There was no way I could take on five or six guys alone.
A boy with bleached blond hair stepped in front of me. I recognized him Jin Hao’s best friend, Ji Shen.
He looked me up and down.
“So, you’re Ye Wenxu? Jin Hao’s roommate?”
Damn, did Jin Hao really send people to block me? Was he taking things this far?
I forced myself to stay calm and nodded. In a standoff like this, whoever loses their cool first loses the game.
Ji Shen pressed on, “You’re Jin Hao’s online boyfriend?”
I nodded again, deciding that if things got ugly, I’d bolt the first chance I got.
But when I confirmed it, their attitude did a complete 180.
Ji Shen’s face turned desperate as he pleaded, “Please, can you talk to Brother Hao? We’re begging you”
I blinked in confusion. “What’s going on?”
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard.
“He makes us drink with him every night, ranting about your relationship. We’re all at our breaking point”
The guys around us looked equally miserable.
No wonder they picked a secluded spot they were embarrassed, too.
I steadied myself. “What happened to him?”
“Ever since you disappeared, he’s been drowning his sorrows in booze every day. It’s driving us crazy” Ji Shen wailed.
He went on, “It’s bad enough he drinks, but when he gets drunk, he goes around looking for his wife”
“If we can’t keep up, he yells at us and tells us to go sit at the kids’ table”
Another guy chimed in, “Brother Ye, please stop fighting with him”
I cut them off, reminding them, “We broke up.”
They all looked stunned. “No way.... Brother Hao likes you so much how could you break up?”
“I’ve always been his arch-nemesis. You all know that. Even if I was his online boyfriend, it’s normal for him to break up with me if he can’t accept reality.”
After all, he’d run away from the café without saying a word.
Ji Shen sighed, “With how obsessed he is, give him a day to cool off and he’ll come crawling back.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if he really was Jin Hao’s best friend.
He slung an arm around my shoulders and whispered, “Honestly, Jin Hao really likes you. He even....”
Before he could finish, a cold, low voice cut him off.
“Ji Shen.”
Ji Shen jumped away from me as if shocked.
I turned to see Jin Hao, eyes dark as ink, glaring at Ji Shen with a chill in his gaze.
“Don’t scare my wife.”
But the moment our eyes met, his gaze softened.
“Babe! Hug....”
Jin Hao was clearly drunk, reeking of alcohol, cheeks flushed, barely able to walk straight.
Just as he was about to hug me, I stepped back.
He looked wounded. “Are you serious with that half-step back? Even a small move like that hurts so much.”
I didn’t know he got even clingier when drunk.
Jin Hao gazed at me with watery eyes, face full of grievance.
He hugged me, burying his head in my shoulder, mumbling, “Babe, don’t leave me”
“If I see you, I have to hug you.... And kiss you.”
He didn’t care if I agreed or not he just planted a kiss on my cheek.
The guys around us all looked away, embarrassed.
See? Nothing good comes from drinking.
“Wenxu.”
Someone pulled me out of Jin Hao’s arms.
“Who are you? Mind your own business” Ji Shen and the others moved to intervene.
I quickly stopped them, “It’s fine, I know him.”
Gu Kaiming’s face was cold, his expression complicated.
“Senior Gu, didn’t you already leave?” I asked.
He replied quietly, “I saw someone take you away and thought you might be in trouble.”
Jin Hao stepped forward, pried Gu Kaiming’s hand off mine, his face full of hostility.
His voice was aggrieved. “Is it him? The guy from your Moments?”
Was that jealousy I heard?
“Babe... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away. I just couldn’t handle it at the time.”
“Please don’t leave me.”
He clung to my arm, impossible to shake off.
Gu Kaiming’s face darkened. He grabbed my hand, “Come with me.”
“Hey, hey, where do you think you’re taking him?” Ji Shen tried to block him.
“My wife isn’t going anywhere with you” Jin Hao declared, drunk and stubborn.
I gently refused Gu Kaiming, explaining I was fine and asking him to head back.
He looked at me, wanting to say more, but finally just lowered his gaze and left.
I asked Ji Shen and the others to help me get Jin Hao back to the dorm.
Meng Yu and Lin Chen, sensing the tension, made themselves scarce to give us space.
Jin Hao watched me like a hawk, terrified I’d vanish if he blinked.
I went to the balcony to collect laundry he followed.
I went to the bathroom he squatted outside the door.
I brushed my teeth he leaned against the doorframe.
He insisted on staying within one meter of me at all times.
Finally, I lost it and glared at him.
“You want to follow me into the shower, too?”
His eyes were hazy. “Can I?”
“Get lost.”
I slammed the door. When I finished, he was still there, in the exact same spot.
I climbed into bed he climbed in, too.
I patted his shoulder. “Your bed’s over there.”
He shook his head. “Don’t want to.”
He lay down beside me, taking up most of the tiny bed with his broad frame.
He closed his eyes, completely at ease.
I adjusted my position, lying beside him, and muttered, “Jin Hao, do you really like me?”
I traced his face with my finger, making him squirm.
He cracked one eye open, then pulled me into his arms.
“Don’t leave.”
His voice was low and hoarse above my head.
“I was wrong. I really was.... Babe”
“I really, really like you.”
“I even came out to my family for you, just so they’d accept you one day.”
“My dad didn’t take it well, so he cut off my card.”
“But it’s fine, I can earn my own money. As long as you’re with me.”
“This past year, we’ve shared everything, helped each other.”
“You taught me so much things I never understood before.”
“You respect me, understand me, guide me.”
“You’re like my soulmate, inseparable from me.”
“That day, I just panicked. I didn’t know what to say.”
“I wasn’t avoiding you on purpose. I just needed time.”
“When you said you wanted to break up, it hurt so much I couldn’t breathe.”
“I tried to get you back, but you were gone. You didn’t answer my calls or texts.”
“I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do.”
“I like you just you, not because of who you are.”
“Even if you used to be the person I hated most, I’d still end up loving you.”
His voice faded as he drifted off to sleep.
I stared at the white wall, lost in thought, eyes misting over.
His steady breathing above me was like a lullaby, and I slipped into sleep beside him.
That night, I dreamed again.
Jin Hao was still the King of the Underworld, but this time, things were different.
He let me out of prison, apologizing over and over.
After some thought, I decided to forgive him.
He took care of me, coaxing me gently to sleep.
I slept soundly until noon.
Extra:
After we made up, Jin Hao and I moved out of the dorm and rented a one-bedroom apartment together.
One day, on a whim, I logged into my old alternate account.
I hadn’t checked it since our breakup.
It was flooded with messages from “Hao Baby,” over 99+ unread.
“Babe.... Don’t break up with me”
“Babe, I like you. Even if you’re my arch-nemesis, I don’t care.”
“Babe, please talk to me.”
“Hey! Babe. I was drunk I didn’t kiss the wrong person.”
“See? I could never kiss the wrong person”
“Why won’t you answer my calls?”
“Where did you go?”
“Babe, Please reply.”
I shook my head, helpless and amused.
Turns out, love really can heal itself.
I glanced at Jin Hao, who was helping me do my nails.
A mischievous thought struck.
I started reading his old messages out loud, mimicking his usual tone.
One by one, I recited them, publicly “punishing” him.
He blushed and tackled me onto the couch.
“Babe, Stop! You’re embarrassing me”
He took the chance to steal a kiss.
I pinched his cheek in protest.
“Jin Hao! You’re such a rascal.”
One day, I was cooking dinner.
From the living room, Jin Hao shouted,
“Babe.... Gu Kaiming messaged you again”
“When is he going to give up? You’re mine.”
Two years later, Jin Hao took me to meet his parents.
I was a bundle of nerves.
He squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry. If my dad hits anyone, it’ll be me, not you.”
I smacked his hand, rolling my eyes at his antics.
He winced, but didn’t let go.
Thankfully, Jin Hao had spent a long time preparing his parents, and they’d started to accept me.
When we met, they handed me a huge red envelope.
They said it contained all the living expenses Jin Hao missed out on during college.
Wow, it was a lot!
I thought, what’s one more rich person in the world?
Jin Hao patted my head, doting. “What’s mine is yours”
I let go of his hand and ran off, laughing.
Yes! I’m officially rich now!
Comments
Post a Comment