Chapter 11 — Ha Ha, You're All I Want

White Pearl shrieked in a state of wild delirium, staring at Dong-tang as though he had lost his mind, her voice trembling violently.

What on earth are you saying?

She is not your girlfriend! She is a liar! I am your true online lover!

She has been deceiving you all along!

The surrounding atmosphere plunged into an abrupt, suffocating silence. My heart sank into an abyss of utter despair. [The whole world is celebrating, our precious baby has finally made things crystal clear with the male lead!] [Damn cannon-fodder side character, go die already.] [Tsk tsk tsk, I must say, those colleagues who didn't come to work today are going to regret it to their graves, today's drama is so satisfying.] [What a pity, I actually quite liked the little side character Xia.] [Me too, I remember her name now, Ha-xia.] [Ah, our dear Ha-xia, in your next life, please be the female lead, don't live such a miserable life anymore. Having to raise yourself up since childhood has been so exhausting.] [Ha-xia, sleep well.] [Ha-xia, sleep well.] If this was how it was all going to end, I... I could not accept it... The hand holding mine suddenly tightened its grip. It was Dong-tang.

I do not care.

White Pearl opened her eyes wide in disbelief, staring at Dong-tang as if he were an absolute lunatic, her voice quivering: What did you say?

I said, I do not care.

I do not care whether she deceived me or not; I only care whether she likes me.

I only care if Ha-xia likes me.

The final sentence sounded as though it were deliberately spoken for the benefit of unseen listeners, the pronunciation of my name heavily and deliberately emphasized. The floating chat comments flooded the screen once more. [Holy shit! Breaking the game with a move like this? Are you guys shocked yet!] [Older boyfriend energy is top-tier, long live pure love!] [Older boyfriend energy is top-tier, long live pure love!] [Older boyfriend energy is top-tier, long live pure love!] [Older boyfriend energy is top-tier, long live pure love!]

Xia-xia, let us go.

Inside the office. I kept my head lowered, tears still streaming uncontrollably down my face.

I am sorry... Sob sob sob, Dong-tang, I, I did not mean to deceive you...

It was Pearl who used my photographs to trick you in the beginning. On the day we were supposed to meet, I was, I was tricked by her. She told me to go and break things off with you, sob sob sob... I truly did not intend to deceive you.

Dong-tang let out a soft sigh, gently patting me on the back.

But that day, you did not actually break up with me, did you?

I was stunned by my own crying. That was not right; it was the floating comments that said if I rejected him, I would die, sob sob sob. How was I supposed to explain this to him? Even if I told the truth, no one would ever believe it. I began to cry even harder. Dong-tang had no idea which word he had said wrong or what mistake he had made. He instantly grew flustered and clumsy.

I do not blame you for deceiving me, Xia-xia.

I fell in love with you the very first moment I saw your photograph.

My life had always been smooth sailing until then, but right when my leg suffered that accident, for a moment, I honestly could not find a way through the darkness.

During those bleak days, it was simply the photograph of you holding a bunch of sunflowers that made me feel life might still hold some meaning.

My relationship with her was never really a genuine romance. We rarely exchanged messages, and the only time we ever traded a simple morning or night greeting was when money was transferred.

At the time, I thought to myself, this young girl who smiled so brightly turned out to be so fond of money. It was not that money is inherently bad, but rather, I felt grateful that I had plenty of money, enough to at least buy myself countless morning and night greetings.

I sobbed intermittently, looking up at him through tear-blurred eyes.

You... the person you have always liked is me?

That is right.

Even after meeting the real me, you still like me?

Even more so.

Then when I deceived you at the beginning, were you not hurt?

I figured it out long ago.

Huh? Since when?

He pretended to ponder for a moment: Probably the very first time you called me darling.