Chapter 2 — My Online Boyfriend is a Skin-Peeling Demon

My heart skipped a beat, and I hurriedly asked, "What is this skin-peeling paste?"

Ha Tinh explained, "The skin-peeling paste is concocted from the water used to soak corpses. When applied to the face, it slowly melts away the flesh and connective tissues. If you apply it for seven consecutive days, it can peel off an entire layer of human skin perfectly."

Just as I was reeling in terror, Diep Phi and the others returned, each wearing a face mask and chatting excitedly. I grew desperate. "You all cannot use those masks! Take them off, right now!"

Diep Phi turned to look at me, frowning. "Lac Uong, what is wrong with you? Is there something wrong with these masks?"

I grabbed Diep Phi by the wrist in a panic. "These aren't masks; they’re skin-peeling paste. If you keep them on, they will peel your entire face off!"

Giang Nhien picked up the packaging, turning it over in her hands. "This packaging is definitely unusual, but isn't that a bit of an exaggeration on your part?"

Just then, Tran Mach Mach suddenly let out a shriek of amazement. "Oh my god, oh my god! I was wondering why I’d never seen these masks before. It turns out this is an exclusive line supplied only to European royalty, custom-made for a handful of aristocrats. They aren't sold in stores, and even if regular people had the money, they couldn't buy them!"

Acting as if she had discovered a new continent, Tran Mach Mach shouted into her phone. Diep Phi and Giang Nhien crowded around to get a better look.

"Oh my, no wonder the packaging is so minimalist and compact. I’m actually using the same products as royalty!"

"It’s no wonder the cream feels so smooth, and it clings to the skin even more delicately than anything I’ve used before. This is all thanks to the prestige of San San; otherwise, I would never have touched products meant for the elite in my entire life."

Kieu San San lifted her chin, looking incredibly smug. "Brother Trach went to the trouble of having these custom-ordered through his noble friends. You won't find these on the open market, and their effectiveness is not something that those cheap, mass-produced masks can even compare to."

Kieu San San cast a sideways glance at me. "Some people are just so provincial, never having been exposed to the lifestyle of the upper class. As soon as they see high-end, custom-made goods, their minds immediately turn to dark and wicked thoughts. How pitifully narrow-minded."

The other roommates looked at me awkwardly and fell silent. Seeing that no one would listen to my warning, I realized that good advice cannot save a soul determined to die. I had done my duty, and if they chose to seek their own destruction, I would no longer interfere.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by Tran Mach Mach's shrill scream. She was gripping the vanity mirror, her fingers frantically tracing her cheeks, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh my god! My skin has never been this smooth and radiant in my entire life. It’s like being remade by the gods!"

Giang Nhien and Diep Phi, still groggy, heard her cry and crowded around the mirror, scrutinizing their own faces. "Oh my, my blemishes are all gone! Even my pores have vanished! This custom mask is truly miraculous."

"It’s no wonder it’s meant for royalty. The effect is simply magical. I barely recognize myself anymore."

The three of them gathered before the mirror, gasping in constant wonder. Mieu Mieu leaned in to look, her voice filled with envy. "I never expected this mask to be so effective. I regret not using it last night."

After just one night, their skin was glowing and luminous, like a newly peeled egg, even more supple and hydrated than a baby’s. Kieu San San crossed her arms, looking triumphant. "I’ve secured a wealthy boyfriend like Brother Trach; as long as you follow me, you won't be short of benefits."

Upon hearing this, the others’ eyes lit up. They immediately swarmed around her, treating her like the most important person in the world. Kieu San San glanced at me mockingly. "Some people just can't stand to see others living well. They conjure up ghosts and monsters just to spread lies."

The roommates exchanged knowing, snide looks at me and started to giggle. I looked at their faces; the skin was indeed smooth and firm, but to me, it looked profoundly wrong. It didn't look like the glow of healthy skin; it looked like the top layer of skin had been dissolved to reveal the raw, tender layer underneath. Even the natural texture of the skin had vanished, leaving their faces looking entirely devoid of vitality. Recalling the skin-peeling paste Ha Tinh had mentioned, a wave of chill washed over me.

After breakfast, the group didn't even bother going to class; they followed Kieu San San out instead. I pulled Mieu Mieu toward our lecture, but she carefully pushed my hand away, hesitating as she spoke. "Uong Uong, you go to class yourself. I have some business to take care of."

They were nowhere to be found all day. That night, I opened my phone and saw Kieu San San’s latest status update. In the photo, she was wearing the same dress, exquisitely made up, and clinging to a handsome young man. Diep Phi, Giang Nhien, Tran Mach Mach, and Mieu Mieu were each holding a large gold bracelet, smiling like blooming flowers as they huddled around the couple. The caption read: "My husband took our whole dorm out to eat at a 5-star restaurant. Ps: A welcome gift of a 30g gold bracelet for each of them."

Kieu San San was already a minor internet celebrity, and the comments section exploded. "Talented man and beautiful woman, you make such a perfect pair! Wishing you happiness forever."

"Oh my god, 30g gold bracelets as a welcome gift? Which elite family does this boyfriend come from? He’s so generous!"

"Goddess, do you have any vacancies in your dorm room?"

Amidst the endless praise and jealousy, one sharp-eyed person asked: "Doesn't your dorm have six people? Why is one of your best friends missing?"

Within seconds, Kieu San San replied: "Sigh! Don't mention it. I treated her like a best friend, but she was busy coveting my husband." A photo of a shrug followed.

Once this was posted, the entire comments section erupted. "Oh my god, how disgusting. To covet a best friend's boyfriend—what kind of high-class toxic social climber is she?"

"No wonder she wasn't there! It turns out she was caught trying to steal someone’s man and had no face left to show up. Haha!"

"Guard your man, guard your home, guard your best friend—the timeless truth!"

"You must hold onto such an excellent husband tightly! Having a roommate like that is truly the worst luck ever."

Kieu San San replied: "Sometimes, the person who doesn't want you to succeed is the one closest to you. I feel so helpless."

She went back and forth with the netizens, her words dripping with toxicity, perfectly inciting the crowd's emotions. The post spread rapidly, and there was no shortage of our schoolmates in the comments section. Soon, someone exposed that the missing roommate was me, and my personal information was leaked. In a short time, I was harassed by constant phone calls and abusive, terrorizing messages. Some people even Photoshopped a memorial portrait of me and sent private messages with virtual funeral wreaths. Within one night, my entire life was turned upside down. Slander and lies were thrown around; they claimed I had failed to beg to be a kept woman and, out of shame and anger, had tried to snatch my best friend’s boyfriend. Suddenly, the entire internet had turned its sights on me. At that exact moment, Ha Tinh sent a message.

"I saw that post."

"Have you noticed? The birthmark on Kieu San San’s neck—it has moved onto that man."

My heart jumped, and I hurriedly zoomed in on the photo to examine it carefully. Kieu San San had a distinct, irregularly shaped red birthmark on her neck. When I had video-called Ha Tinh recently, that birthmark was still there. But in this photo, her neck was smooth and white as snow; the mark had truly vanished. In contrast, a faint, identical birthmark had appeared on Brother Trach's neck. Just as I was zooming in to compare the two, the door clicked open. The noisy, rowdy group returned. Kieu San San shot me a glance, her eyes landing precisely on my glowing screen. Seeing the zoomed-in profile of Brother Trach, she lunged forward and snatched my phone.

"Very well, Lac Uong. Even at this point, you still haven't given up, still coveting my husband. Do you have no shame?"

She rushed at me, hand raised to slap my face. "Today I’m going to teach you a proper lesson, so you know what the consequences are for eyeing someone else’s husband."

Seeing her hand descending, I grabbed her wrist and slapped her back across the face. "Am I eyeing your man? You fool, you’re already on the verge of death and you don't even know it."

"Always with your mouth full of men—can you not live without one?"

Kieu San San was stunned. She clearly hadn't expected me to retaliate, and she stomped her feet, clutching her face in fury. "Lac Uong, you're crazy! How dare you hit me? I’m going to tell my husband immediately and see how he deals with you."

She shrieked, her meticulously made-up face twisting in distortion.

"Whether your husband deals with me or not, I don't know. But I do know that he is going to peel your skin off."

Kieu San San glared at me, tears streaming down her face, her eyeliner smudging into black streaks. "Lac Uong, what nonsense are you spewing?"

Seeing Kieu San San suffer, her lackeys immediately swarmed forward. Diep Phi: "Lac Uong, don't go too far. You were the one secretly watching her boyfriend, and now you dare to hit someone? You are truly lawless!"

Giang Nhien: "If you can't have him, you slander him? Do you have no shame? No wonder you're being cyberbullied."

Tran Mach Mach reacted as if she had heard something truly evil. "That's right, Lac Uong. Even if you're jealous of San San, you shouldn't curse her. This talk of 'peeling skin' is just too vicious."

I laughed, fueled by rage. These blind idiots.

"The birthmark on Kieu San San’s neck has moved to him! Don't you see it?"

"Brother Trach is a skin-peeling demon, and she has already been skinned."

They stared, dumbfounded, before breaking into raucous laughter, as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Diep Phi: "Is this what you’re talking about? That’s the high-end concealer Brother Trach gave San San."

Giang Nhien: "That’s what you call fate! They’re such a couple that even their birthmarks grew to look identical."

Tran Mach Mach: "I've lived this long and this is the first time I've seen matching birthmarks. This is a match made in heaven."

Diep Phi took a cotton pad and gently wiped Kieu San San’s neck. "Look clearly, San San’s birthmark is perfectly fine. Stop with this talk of ghosts and monsters."

I looked at the birthmark now visible on Kieu San San’s neck, and my heart plummeted. The birthmark was indeed still there, revealed clearly on the surface of her skin after the makeup was wiped away. However, its color had faded significantly. It was as if it originally had ten parts of intensity; now, only five remained, while the other five had completely transferred onto Brother Trach. The birthmarks of the two were not matching; they were the result of a peeling and imprint from the same source.