My Boyfriend Used My Photos to Start an Online Relationship CH1

Le Chapitre 1: The Poser

"Brother Lu, how's the recovery going?"

The person lying on the bed was his good bro—Lu Wenzhou. During the summer break two months ago, Lu Wenzhou had been in a severe car accident. He was in a coma for a full half-month and had been recuperating abroad ever since.

Lu Wenzhou replied, "About the same."

"Auntie really took great care of you." Song Yirong looked his bro up and down, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "How the hell did you get even more handsome after lying in bed for a month?"

"You’ve thinned out a lot, though. Bro, did all your muscles wither away?"

Lu Wenzhou lowered his gaze and said nonchalantly, "Come here."

Song Yirong was lost. "For what?"

"I'll give you a punch so you can see if my muscles are gone or not," Lu Wenzhou said.

"..."

His brother's mouth was just as sharp as ever. It seemed his mental state was fine; the accident hadn't affected him much.

Song Yirong coughed and changed the subject. "Bro, my family’s branch office just launched a new social app. Why don’t you give it a spin? Test it out and see how it is."

He and Lu Wenzhou were both sophomores at Jingluo University, coming from wealthy backgrounds. However, Lu Wenzhou’s grades were outstanding; he had mastered the curriculum long ago. For some reason, though, he hadn't skipped a grade to graduate early.

Lu Wenzhou rejected him without a second thought. "Pass. Not interested."

His brother's answer was utterly heartless.

Song Yirong persisted: "Don’t be like that, Bro! You’re just idling around anyway, why not find some fun? Auntie said you sleep all day; don't let yourself rot away."

"No," Lu Wenzhou said. "Go find Plane."

'Plane' was their other bro, Zhao Jingyan. He got the nickname after shattering a twenty-year school record in the 100-meter dash during a high school sports meet.

"Already asked him." Song Yirong shrugged, feeling baffled. "He also said he wasn't interested... What’s up with you two? Are you both frigid at twenty?"

Lu Wenzhou lay lazily on the bed, saying nothing.

After a while, a nurse entered and led him next door for an examination.

By the time he returned, Song Yirong shook his phone—asking for forgiveness rather than permission. "Bro, I already downloaded the app. Want to take a look?"

The social app Song Yirong's family produced was called "Youqu". You slide through photos, clicking 'Like' or 'Not Interested'; if both parties like each other, they match and can chat.

Song Yirong had already tested it. There were tons of pretty girls on there of all types. Even if his bro had picky taste, there’d surely be someone he’d like.

If he couldn't find a girlfriend in real life, why not look online?

Maybe his brother was a 'Natural-Born Online Dating Saint!'

Half an hour later, Song Yirong was completely numb as he watched Lu Wenzhou click "Not Interested" for the Nth time.

"You don't even like one this pretty? Bro, exactly what kind of fairy are you looking for??"

Lu Wenzhou lacked interest, casually sliding down again.

Song Yirong anticipated the outcome, lowering his head to watch him destroy another flower. However, before he could see the girl's photo clearly, Lu Wenzhou suddenly tucked the phone away.

"Song Yirong," Lu Wenzhou called out nonchalantly.

Song Yirong: "?"

"Go pour me a glass of water."

* * *

A restaurant near Jingda (Jingluo University).

Four college students were eating and chatting.

"You're really splurging, brother. This place isn't cheap, right?" Chen Su asked.

Zhou Mingyu smiled. "It's alright."

Chen Su was Zhou Mingyu’s roommate. They had just finished playing ball when Zhou Mingyu asked if he could bring his girlfriend along for dinner; Chen Su agreed.

Chen Su had been curious about the girlfriend his roommate constantly bragged about for a long time.

As it happened, they ran into the girlfriend's roommate on the way.

And so, the two dorms sat down to eat together.

Chen Su had seen the girlfriend on Zhou Mingyu’s WeChat Moments; she looked beautiful in photos.

Seeing her in person now, the impact was even more stunning.

She looked just like those BJD dolls his younger sister played with.

No wonder Zhou Mingyu loved showing off his relationship so much. If he had a girlfriend this beautiful, he’d want to announce it to the whole world, too.

It was just that her personality was a bit cold; she didn't like to talk.

Since they met, Chen Su had only heard her give a brief self-introduction.

Her name sounded nice: Sang Ci.

"Xiao Ci," Chen Su called out teasingly.

Hearing someone call her, Sang Ci lifted her eyelids. Her round, dark, bright eyes flickered over without a trace of emotion.

"Yeah?"

"Are you an I-person?" Chen Su asked. "You don't seem to like talking much."

Sang Ci’s voice was faint. "Mhm."

"..."

"Sang-sang is just more on the quiet side," her roommate, Zhen Cheng, explained. "She's like that with everyone."

Zhou Mingyu added: "True. She’s even like this when she's with me... a little Muffled Gourd."

Though his words sounded like a complaint, his voice was filled with doting affection.

Chen Su: "I see. Then she probably doesn't go out much?"

Zhen Cheng: "Yeah, Sang-sang is a bit of a homebody."

"No wonder school has been in session for a month and I haven't seen this big beauty around campus."

Chen Su suddenly thought of something and laughed. "That School Beauty poll—who was the one in first place... Ji Jiayao? I’ve seen her in person; she’s not even close to being as good-looking as Brother Zhou’s girlfriend."

Chen Su and Zhen Cheng were in the same club. Both were naturally social E-people, so they were fairly well-acquainted.

Hearing this, Zhen Cheng blinked, her expression looking a bit complicated. "You better shut up. Ji Jiayao is also in our dorm."

Chen Su: "...??"

Chen Su frantically 'retracted' his statement in his mind.

He squeezed out a dry sentence: "Is that so?... Your dorm really has a lot of beauties."

While they spoke, Zhou Mingyu had already peeled several shrimp.

Seeing him about to place them on her plate, Sang Ci quickly pulled the plate away. "Thanks, but no need."

The guy had just finished playing ball. Although he had changed his clothes, he hadn't showered, and he still smelled of sweat.

Zhou Mingyu: "Don't like shrimp? How about some crab? I'll get it for you."

Sang Ci pursed her lips, quietly staring at the huge spread of food, and said no.

"Sang-sang likes spicy food," Zhen Cheng teased. "These shrimp, crabs, raw marinated dishes... she probably doesn't care for them."

"Eating spicy food is bad for the skin; you'll break out easily," Zhou Mingyu said considerately. "But Cici, if you want to eat it, feel free to order whatever."

Sang Ci remained silent for a long while before saying "no" again.

Her attitude was cold, but Zhou Mingyu didn't mind.

Sang Ci had been like this since high school.

She was beautiful, but she always kept to herself, head down while studying. She was like a desolate, beautiful island, drifting outside the crowd yet making it impossible for people to stop paying attention to her.

Many boys in school had confessed to Sang Ci, and Zhou Mingyu was no exception.

He had written her two love letters.

Though he never got a response, he at least managed to show his face enough that Sang Ci had some impression of him.

So, during the summer break after graduation, when Zhou Mingyu presented his third love letter, he finally got his wish and bagged her.

"Xiao Ci, want to go see the basketball game next week? Come watch me play," Zhou Mingyu asked.

Sang Ci didn't like going out or socializing. Zhou Mingyu usually had to invite her many times before she would agree.

Zhou Mingyu: "I’ll find you a good seat in the front row. I promise it won't be crowded, and you’ll have a clear view. Will you go?"

The eyes of the other two at the table also fell on Sang Ci.

Zhen Cheng raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected this little couple to interact like this. One cold, one hot. One indifferent, the other chasing and coaxing.

Quite interesting.

However, based on the various gifts Sang Ci had brought back to the dorm before, it was clear—Sang Ci’s boyfriend was a generous rich second generation who was completely submissive and doting toward his girlfriend.

Feeling the gazes on her, Sang Ci paused her movement of drinking water. After thinking for a few seconds, she said, "Okay."

The corners of Zhou Mingyu’s lips hooked up as his smile widened. "Thanks for the support, baby."

His voice was low and magnetic.

Sitting next to him, Chen Su got a whole body's worth of goosebumps.

Seriously, bro? Using that 'cutesy' voice??

Sang Ci had no reaction, looking as if she were used to it, holding her glass to drink.

In the first month of university, everyone had many fresh experiences to share. Before long, the conversation drifted elsewhere. Except for Sang Ci, who didn't talk much, the other three chatted enthusiastically.

The phone in Zhou Mingyu’s pocket vibrated. He pulled it out and scanned it. He saw a notification from half an hour ago.

【Congratulations! You and "." have successfully matched! Come online and chat with them now~】

The message was from "Youqu," a social app focused on high-quality dating.

Zhou Mingyu casually clicked into "."’s profile.

"." had a plain black default avatar. The bio was just a period, and there was only one photo on the profile—a back view that didn't show a face.

The person looked quite tall. But what was the use of that? Zero useful information provided—acting all mysterious.

Ten to one, this was just a poser. Zhou Mingyu was about to exit the profile when he caught the IP location out of the corner of his eye.

...In the US?

Then they might actually have money—or maybe they just used a VPN.

Following the match notification, Zhou Mingyu lowered his head and typed.

【Xiao Ci: Hello】

【Xiao Ci: You're in America? What are you doing there?】

He didn't get a reply for a while. Zhou Mingyu was about to give up, but then a thought occurred to him.

If "Period Bro" really was in the US, it was already 1:00 AM there; he might be asleep.

Zhou Mingyu lifted his phone and took a photo of his girlfriend, who was currently eating her rice slowly, grain by grain.

"No way, Brother Zhou. Snapping photos anytime, anywhere?" Chen Su asked.

"Got a problem?" Zhou Mingyu smirked lazily. "My girlfriend is cute. I’m just taking a few pictures."

"Fine," Chen Su said. "I shouldn't have even asked. Looking at your Moments, I should’ve known."

"What's wrong with his Moments?" Zhen Cheng asked.

Chen Su: "Nothing much, it’s just that out of ten posts, nine of them are photos of Sang Ci. He loves showing-off his relationship there."

Zhen Cheng got interested and asked Sang Ci if she could add Zhou Mingyu on WeChat.

Sang Ci said, "Sure."

After successfully adding him, Zhen Cheng clicked into Zhou Mingyu’s Moments.

Watching Zhen Cheng scroll through the screen, Chen Su said, "See? Aren't there a lot?"

Zhen Cheng nodded like a little chick pecking at rice.

Not only were there many, but they were also shot beautifully. They say you only record someone's every move if you love them.

These two were definitely sweet!

While Zhou Mingyu was replying to someone else, a new message suddenly popped up from "." on Youqu.

【.: Mhm】

"..."

So cold?

Definitely a poser.

Zhou Mingyu had set his gender to female on his profile and put up several photos of Sang Ci. She was pure and beautiful; any man with normal aesthetics couldn't possibly dislike her.

But Zhou Mingyu was also afraid of being caught, so he didn't chat with anyone whose IP was in Jing City, nor did he consider nearby provinces.

Being abroad was best.

They have money but can't pester you.

But this "." replied so coldly. Either he was a broke loser pretending to be "cool and aloof," whom he looked down on, or he was a real Young Master whom he couldn't reel in. Zhou Mingyu liked quick money, so he flicked his finger and deleted the chat window with ".".

There was no point in chatting with a B-wang (Pretence King) like this.

* * *

After the nurse helped him pull the needle, Lu Wenzhou picked up his phone to continue replying.

【.: Sick. Hospitalized here.】

No new message popped up in the chat box for a long time.

Lu Wenzhou held his phone, clicked into "Xiao Ci"’s profile, and looked through those few photos repeatedly.

"Xiao Ci" should be a student; she looked very young. Although she didn't have much expression in most of the photos—some even looking a bit dazed, staring blankly at the camera—she was unexpectedly cute.

Like a kitten.

Lu Wenzhou’s finger brushed against the screen unconsciously a few times. He waited for her reply with great patience.

An hour later, the nurse saw that the light in his room was still on and came in for rounds.

The nurse originally thought Lu Wenzhou had forgotten to turn off the light before sleeping, but she didn't expect him to still be awake.

Doesn't this gentleman usually sleep before 10:00 PM...?

The nurse felt puzzled and gave a subtle reminder: "Mr. Lu, it's late. You should rest."

Lu Wenzhou gave a faint "Mhm."

Before closing his eyes, he took a casual photo of the hospital room.

【.: Going to sleep. Goodnight.】


Chapter Notes:
  • Natural-Born Online Dating Saint (先天网恋圣体): A playful internet slang variation of "Saintly Body" tropes from cultivation novels. It means someone who is "destined" or "perfectly built" for a specific task—in this case, online dating.
  • Jingda: Short for Jingluo University. 'Jing' from Jingluo and 'Da' from "Daxue" (大学) which means University.
  • I-person / E-person: References to the MBTI (Introvert/Extrovert) personality types, which are extremely popular in modern Chinese social culture.
  • BJD Doll: Ball-Jointed Dolls. They are known for being incredibly beautiful, delicate, and often looking somewhat "unreal" or "lifelike," which emphasizes Sang Ci's high-tier visuals.
  • Muffled Gourd (闷葫芦): A common Chinese idiom for someone who is very quiet or doesn't say what's on their mind.
  • B-wang (逼王): A slang term for the "King of Posturing" or someone who is incredibly good at acting cool/aloof (often used both mockingly and admiringly).

Previous Chapter    TOC    Next Chapter

(Poppi: Hello! I'm back with a new project! As we said on this announcement, we'll be picking up a lot of new series this week! We're still organizing all the chapters for each project so we don't have an update schedule yet, please expect irregular updates in the meantime. I'll post the first 3 chapters today though! Thanks for reading!)

Comments

Popular Posts