During their school days, Gu Nianliang was a naive and unremarkable young boy, yet he insisted on staying by her side, guarding her, accompanying her, and protecting her. After graduation, she became an aimless unemployed wanderer, while he had transformed into a handsome and stable young man with a promising future. However, whenever she needed him, he unwaveringly continued to stand by her side, accompany her, protect her, and dote on her. She didn't understand what love was before, but now she knows clearly that love is embodied in Gu Nianliang.
Chapter 1
Men were as reliable as a snowball in hell.
At some point, my friend Lacey Harper had whimsically changed her status on WhatsApp to this phrase. Every time her profile blinked, I couldn't help but chuckle at the words. Usually, she was the one doing the dumping, but whoever made her use such harsh words this time must be quite the character.
"Are you asleep?" I sent her a message.
She immediately responded. "No, I'm still negotiating with that little rascal!"
I sighed at the screen, adding fuel to the fire, "Isn't he just a kid? If you dumped him, then so be it. In this vast world, surely you can find your Prince Charming."
She sent an angry emoji and replied, "Get it straight, he dumped me, okay? I have never been humiliated like this. If anyone decides to break up, it will be me who bring it up. I won't let him off easily."
Indeed, as the spoiled princess who has everything handed to her on a silver platter, Lacey wouldn't let this slide. It just wasn't her style.
I stayed silent, picking up the clothes on my bed that I hadn't folded yet, deciding to ignore Lacey acting like she was being a drama queen.
But then, another message flashed across the screen. "Elsa, accompany me tomorrow morning to meet that fellow. It's a done deal. I desperately need some rest now; otherwise, I'll turn into a weary, disheveled hag."
I quickly typed back, "I'm not going. I have a date tomorrow."
She sent a surprised emoji and, after a while, said, "Oh, it can't be that online friend you met last time, can it?"
I smirked, regretting ever telling Lacey, who was once known as "Lacey the Gossip" at our school, about meeting someone online. I must have lost my mind to blurt out, "Lacey, from today, I'm no longer a bachelor."
Last year, I effortlessly managed to locate my boyfriend through WhatsApp's search function, and that's precisely what I conveyed to Lacey.
Since we lived in the same city, chatting felt more intimate.
After a year of late-night talks and shared laughter, I finally summoned the nerve to meet him in person. Though I gently declined his romantic overtures, our bond evolved into something deeper-a friendship where no topic was off-limits.
"Your relationship is progressing like a train on tracks. Introduce him to me someday." Lacey said.
I replied, "Sure, how about tomorrow? I'll bring him along to meet your..."
I was joking, but Lacey agreed, saying it was decided.
She logged off.
I shut down the computer and picked up the phone to call him. Instead, I was greeted by a cold, automated voice saying, "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please try again later..."
The next morning, I called Lacey. I actually didn't want my boyfriend to come together, so I lied that he was sick. Then I could only accompany her to the meeting.
Lacey laughed on the other end, saying, "Wait for me at your place. I'll be there in ten minutes."
When Lacey arrived, I was still curled up in my bedroom, staring blankly at his profile on WhatsApp.
"Hey, you didn't even lock the door, did you?"
I snapped back to reality, looking at Lacey, who wore a curious expression. Before I could react, she pointed her slender finger straight at the computer screen and said, "How do you have his number?"
Brandon Higgins was both his online and real name.
"Elsa, how do you have his number? He's the little rascal who dump me."