Chapter 4: Cyber-Boyfriend

When she woke up again after taking the painkillers from the nurse, it was already four in the afternoon. Jing Yue hadn't turned up today, and the visiting hours of the ward were already over for the daytime. It wouldn't be until five-thirty in the evening until the hospital ward would open up to allow visitors again.

She heard a buzz from her phone and realized there was a notification from HeyApp. Someone by the alias 'A Marvel' had sent her a message. Since the application depended on what the contacts were saved as in her smartphone to show a display name, she assumed that she must have stored the person's number in that manner. Hence, Tang Ying Xue must have perceived that person to be a marvel!

"How are you doing today?"

The person hadn't uploaded an image in the 'display picture' selection, and so she warily replied, "Good, what about you?"

A swift response arrived. "Got caught up with work for the day. I'm a bit upset. Do you want to talk?"

She thought, why not. She scrolled upwards to view the conversation history that she had with the unknown person in the social messaging application. It appeared that they did possess a special relationship. Albeit having not met each other, Tang Ying Xue had been very trusting of this person.

On the twentieth of May that year, the person had even messaged that he had missed her. That seemed such an eye-opener and perked her up to discover more about her former self before her amnesia. Being naturally curious, she decided to give the person on the other side, her affirmative that she was open to talking.

She wasn't surprised to find the person she was talking to was a man, and he seemed rather down, demonstrated by the coldness and desolation of his voice.

"Hey."

"Hey," she responded. "What's up?"

"Have you ever been in a situation where the person you liked did not like you back and forgot about you, Snow?"

Snow? Was that Ying Xue's alias?

"I don't know if I have ever been in that situation."

"What would you advise, then? We have been talking to each other for over a few months. You've never hesitated to provide me with your excellent advice."

She shrugged to herself. "You sound young. You shouldn't give up all the fish in the sea for one failed catch." The minute the words left her mouth, she realized she had made a blunder. What if the person suspected she wasn't herself, because she had mentioned her assumption based on his voice over the phone?

Fortunately, the person failed to capture her error, and then he continued, "Since you say that I shouldn't give up all the fish in the sea, would you be willing to be my fish?"

She stammered. "Er.... I mean...."

"Forget I said that. Snow, thank you for accompanying me to talk on the phone. Other than you, I don't know who I can speak to in this way. I'm tired of having to put on a pretence in front of everybody."

She was overwhelmed by sympathy for this person whom she had no idea how he looked like, and then his next words hit her unexpectedly like a stone falling out of nowhere.

"I have an upcoming corporate event next month to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Do you mind being my date?"

She gulped. This man appeared not to know how her appearance was like at all. Yet he wished to invite her to be his date? She was bewildered by his abrupt request, and she didn't know how to react. She gained her composure slowly and accumulated her courage to query him further.

"But why me of all people?" she asked straightforwardly. "You don't even know how I look alike." His reply came casually, "Because you are my girlfriend."

She almost fell off the hospital bed. It was even more arduous to accept that two people were a couple, even without knowing each other's appearance. She hastily corrected him, "You mean, cyber-girlfriend."

"Once we meet, we will no longer be in that position," the man said. "Are you up for it?"

"So when should we meet, then?" she replied boldly. Since being a heroine in her past lifetime, she had seen all kinds of people, and she was overwhelmed by her eagerness to discover what kind of person this 'Marvel' was in Ying Xue's mind, and who she liked, be it this person or Jing Yue. And so, she was determined to identify for herself what Ying Xue's cup of tea was like, regardless of the result.

"If you want, we can meet earlier," the male voice said. Xin Ran shuddered at the thought. From today until the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were about twenty days. If she waited until the Mid-Autumn Festival, she could at least buy some time for herself to be ready for this planned meeting.

"Fine. Mid-Autumn Festival it is, then."

He ended the call with a seductive tone. "So, my dear, I will be waiting for you at Topsoul Link. I'll share with you the location later. Don't forget the dress code is semi-formal. I'll be waiting."

She trembled at the flattery of his voice. It only reminded her of Jing Yue, and it just occurred to her that perhaps, the reason that Ying Xue liked this person and possibly Jing Yue, was because they both possessed a very masculine and particularly inviting tone in their voice. And at the same time, she also realized that this man appeared just as aloof as Jing Yue, only that he was much more lonely than the successful Jing Yue, who also appeared to be emotionless at times.

She put down the smartphone and adjusted the incline of her bed lower so that she could lay back, slowly losing herself to her random thoughts of Ying Xue's desires towards romance. She had just shut her eyes to relax for a few minutes when she was distracted by a sudden knock on her door.

Her nurse announced Jing Yue's arrival, and she sat up instantaneously, enthusiastic to what this heart-stealer of a man had up his sleeve today. And then, she reminded herself she had just spoken to another man minutes ago. Only who, did Ying Xue possess feelings for, and which was her weakness?