A brief silence fell.
Jiangg Ning felt her breath catch. She froze for a moment, then her gaze shifted from the ring to Chen Yuan.
Their eyes met.
Both of them looked completely bewildered.
The students in the back, being far away, craned their necks to see what was happening up front. Some had already turned their textbooks to page 31, wondering why Jiangg wasn't continuing the lecture.
Outside the window, a sparrow perched on the tip of a holly branch flapped its wings and, along with another sparrow, flew right into the glass.
THUD—
The dull thud snapped Jiangg Ning back to her senses.
She reacted quickly, clearing her throat and turning away as if nothing had happened. She walked briskly back to the lectern.
"Ahem, has everyone read this summary? Then let's continue to elaborate..."
Even though their stunned expressions lasted only for a second, Liu Nan was close enough to catch it.
He nudged Chen Yuan's arm.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know."
Chen Yuan was vague. His shock was just as great as Jiangg Ning's, if not more so.
Right now, his eyes followed Jiangg Ning on the lectern. He wasn't trying to stare, but his gaze kept falling on her hand.
If the matching earrings could be explained away, the rings couldn't possibly be the same model. He had bought his from a niche short-video blogger, with a custom-selected style.
It was cheap, but one-of-a-kind.
Chen Yuan's fingers unconsciously dug into his palm as all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.
He had fantasized countless times about meeting his online girlfriend in person, but this sudden encounter was far too surreal.
'Is this... maybe fate?'
He had never revealed which university he attended, let alone his real name, identity, or age...
He'd only ever casually mentioned a few things during their chats:
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Is that your real age?"
"Stop right there..." Every time the topic came up, Chen Yuan would raise the white flag, unwilling to go any further.
Then Yaoyao would notice and press him, "Are you that shy? Don't tell me you've never been in a relationship. No way, no way..."
'So what if I've never been in a relationship!?'
'Can't a guy have strict parents?'
Of course, the online relationship itself had been very sweet.
But reality and the virtual world were two completely different things. Chen Yuan only knew the virtual girlfriend. The real her, even though she was standing on the lectern right now, just a stone's throw away...
...Chen Yuan couldn't connect the two.
'Maybe she feels the same way?'
Chen Yuan looked at Jiangg Ning. Her expression had already returned to normal as she lectured fluently. Her aura was still intellectual and mature, and she didn't spare him so much as a single glance.
'Seriously?'
'How could a university professor, such a beautiful and elegant woman, be the type to call every night, act cute, use a cutesy voice, and refuse to sleep unless she's coaxed?'
'Such a huge contrast.'
Throughout the two-hour class, Chen Yuan was constantly distracted, his thoughts a complete mess. He barely heard a word she said.
He stared blankly at the phone in his hand. Even when the class ended and Jiangg said, "See you next class," to the students and hurriedly left the classroom, Chen Yuan didn't get up.
'Should I chase after her and ask?'
'That would be too stupid.'
'Jiangg must be just as bewildered right now. Maybe it's better to wait until she's calmed down and processed this before I ask.'
In the classroom, students were getting up and leaving one after another.
Liu Nan slung an arm over Chen Yuan's shoulder and asked with a grin, "Let's skip the cafeteria for lunch. A few of us are going for hot pot."
"Alright."
"I didn't lie to you, did I? Isn't Jiangg gorgeous?"
"She's pretty."
Chen Yuan was half-heartedly chatting with his roommate when a female classmate suddenly knocked on his desk.
"Excuse me..."
Her cheeks were flushed with nervousness and shyness. Behind her stood a few of her roommates who had come to class with her, all wearing cryptic smiles.
"Can I add you on Green Bubble?"
"Sorry, my girlfriend doesn't let me."
Chen Yuan tactfully refused.
Just then, Jiangg Ning appeared at the doorway. She heard what he said.
"Hi, Jiangg!"
"Hello. I forgot my phone..."
Jiangg Ning took quick, small steps, moving extremely fast. She hurried to the lectern, grabbed her phone, and headed for the exit, nodding to the students. Her other hand was clenched tightly in her pocket.
As for what she was hiding...
Chen Yuan knew full well.
He rubbed his nose, lowered his head, and suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
The students walking out of the classroom watched Jiangg Ning's retreating figure with no small amount of admiration.
"Jiangg is so amazing. She's gorgeous, and she's a great lecturer."
"Yeah, I saw her holding the textbook upside down, but it didn't affect her lecture at all."
"Huh?"
...
With no other classes to teach, Jiangg Ning didn't even go back to her office. She headed straight for her car, ready to leave campus.
The moment she got in the car, her calm expression vanished. Her brows furrowed, and she balled her hands into fists, lightly pounding them on the steering wheel.
Recalling what had happened in class, Jiangg Ning's delicate toes curled tightly inside her high heels.
"How could it be such a coincidence..."
She covered her face, her expression unreadable—it was impossible to tell if she was happy or upset. She just kept muttering to herself.
The corners of her mouth twitched up, then down.
After her emotions gradually stabilized,
Jiangg Ning took a few deep breaths, started changing out of her high heels, and dialed a phone number.
"Hello, Yaoyao, are you awake?" she asked urgently as soon as the call connected.
"Mmm... what's wrong, Sis?"
"Something's happened!"
"What is it? Did Uzi come out of retirement again? Or did Knight decide to blitz Poland for a second time..."
"Jiangg Yao! What is all this nonsense? Talk to me seriously. This has to do with you."
「Meanwhile.」
In a high-end residential complex a few kilometers from Lanjing University.
A sleepy-eyed girl wrapped in her duvet quickly held the phone away from her ear, a pained look on her face.
The shouting had jolted her awake. She hurriedly asked.
"Don't tell me Mom found the toys hidden in my drawer!?" You could hear the panic in her voice.
"It's not that! I met your online boyfriend today!!"
"Oh, that's it... huh," the voice on the other end paused for a few seconds, followed by a sharp shriek. "WHAT!???"
...
「Twenty minutes later.」
Jiangg Ning rushed home, briskly took off her trench coat and threw it on the sofa, then walked straight into the adjacent bedroom without even knocking.
To one's utter astonishment, a girl who looked identical to her, down to a single strand of hair, was sitting on the bed.
"Sis!" The girl, wearing pajamas, bounced over with a look of delight.
Jiangg Ning pulled over a chair, sat down, and took a few big gulps of water from a glass.
Meanwhile, the other girl was peppering her with questions.
"What does he look like? Is he handsome? How tall is he? Where did you see him?"
"I can't believe it... I just can't believe it!" The expression on Jiangg Ning's delicate face was frozen. "I went to class today, and a student in the front row... the ring! This exact ring! It was definitely him."
She held up her hand for Jiangg Yao to see.
"And then? And then?" Her sister was dying of impatience.
"He definitely recognized it. Seriously... why did I wear this ring to class? How could something be so coincidental?"
Jiangg Ning put a hand to her forehead, clearly unable to accept this reality.
"That's it?"
"What else could I do!"
"You only answered one of my questions!"
"Mmm... he is pretty handsome. I didn't notice his height. The key thing is, he's actually eighteen, and he's my student! This is not good. Jiangg Yao, you need to explain things to him right now."
She held out the phone, but Jiangg Yao took a wary step back.
"What am I supposed to explain?"
"The online relationship. He's gotten the wrong idea."
"Ha..." The expression on Jiangg Yao's face shifted dramatically. First surprise, then a look of pure mockery.
Jiangg Yao crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, *my* boyfriend? Are you saying this has nothing to do with you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Weren't you the one calling him and acting cute every day these past few weeks? Weren't you the one glued to your phone, chatting with him all day? Weren't you the one sharing your daily life with him and sending him leg pics?"
With each of Jiangg Yao's three rapid-fire questions, Jiangg Ning's gaze flickered away.
But she quickly recovered and retorted, "You're the one who took pictures of my legs and sent them to him!"
"That's because your legs are skinnier! If my legs were skinnier than yours, I would've sent my own."
"But you were the one who confessed and started the online relationship."
"Huh? Didn't this all start because you were playing badly, got flamed by someone, but then you heard his nice voice on the mic and invited him to duo queue?"
Without any warning, Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao started arguing, going head-to-head, neither willing to back down.
Chen Yuan could never have imagined that the girlfriend he'd been dating online for nearly half a year was actually two different people taking turns playing the part.
The whole thing was rather bizarre!
But for Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao, it wasn't that strange. They were identical twins, inseparable since childhood, with no secrets between them. Their bond was far closer than even the closest of best friends.
An online relationship wasn't something you could take too seriously in the first place.
Of course, there's no denying that many people meet online and go on to get married and grow old together.
But most guys and girls still just see online dating as a way to find emotional fulfillment.
Neither Jiangg Ning nor Jiangg Yao had ever been in a real-life relationship. They longed for one, so when they met a guy they rather liked, it was only natural for them to try online dating to experience the joy of a relationship.
They were twenty-six years old! Trying out an online relationship wasn't a crime, was it?
It was true that the story began with the older sister, Jiangg Ning, getting flamed by Chen Yuan while gaming. But the two of them shared the account, and sometimes when she was busy preparing for class, Jiangg Yao would reply to the chats.
As it turned out, she got way too into it, fell for him, and took the initiative to confess!
But Jiangg Yao felt she couldn't be blamed. After all, her sister hadn't objected and had even started sneaking into the guest room at night to talk to Chen Yuan on the phone.
Every time she'd peeked under the covers, her sister's face was bright red!
If what they did was wrong, then they should both share the blame!
In the bedroom, Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao were at odds, bickering away. Aside from blaming each other, they hadn't come up with any useful solutions.
Their online boyfriend had appeared in real life so abruptly, catching them completely off guard.
「Until that afternoon.」
The two of them were sulking, sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, ignoring each other.
DING. The phone on the coffee table chimed.
A message had arrived.
Chen:
You there?
...
The sisters looked at each other, then in the next instant, they both shot up and lunged for the phone.