Chapter 1: The Online Dating Scammer
“Baby, did you wear the little dress I sent you?”
“No… it’s too short…”
“Baby, when will you be willing to video chat with me?”
“Right now… I still can’t.”
Inside a double dormitory at Huajiang University, Ruan Zhimian hid behind the bed curtains of the left bunk. His beautiful small face gradually lowered, and his thick, curled eyelashes trembled. His snowy-white fingers moved the phone away, trying to distance himself from the Alpha’s teasing, burning voice.
After only responding with two sentences, he was red from the tips of his ears down to his neck.
He lowered his head, burying himself in his pink rabbit quilt. His soft, muffled tone sounded incredibly obedient.
“Gege, tonight… I’ll take a photo of one for you. Don’t be angry. Go get some rest.”
On the other side of the ocean, the handsome Alpha—who had just stayed up all night for a project—stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window. His cold, dark phoenix eyes were downcast as his well-defined fingers pressed against his collar, slowly loosening his tie. He did not let him off easily. “Not enough. Coax me some more.”
Little lying cat.
On the other end of the line, the breathing was light. After waiting for half a minute, a tiny voice finally spoke to him.
“Gege… Mianmian likes you the most.”
Finally, the call ended. Ruan Zhimian let out a long sigh. He rubbed his ears and buried himself in the quilt for a good while before gloomily poking his head out. His small face was flushed as he spoke in a nasally voice.
“Qiuqiu, how much longer do I have to scam Shi He in this online relationship?”
“I want to break up.”
A week ago, Ruan Zhimian passed away due to the worsening of his bone cancer.
When he woke up again, he had transmigrated into an ABO manga of the same name. He became the online-scammer Beta first love of the protagonist, Shi He—a character who was supposed to exit the stage early—and he was gifted with a system.
In the manga, Ruan Zhimian only existed in the background summary. He didn’t even have a simple character portrait; he didn’t even qualify for the title of “cannon fodder,” being a true N-tier character.
It was one thing to share the same name, but even his birth date and appearance were identical.
According to the system’s summary, Ruan Zhimian was the only son of the Ruan family in Huajiang. He had been weak and sickly since childhood. When he was born, he was tested as a Beta, meaning he would not differentiate into an Alpha or Omega, nor would he possess his own mental manifestation.
The original body came from a dual-Alpha family, and both parents were outstanding individuals. Because his fiancé, Han He’an, was an Alpha who only liked Omegas, the original body developed an obsession with secondary differentiation.
As he grew up, the original body’s personality became twisted. Ten days ago, during a party, the original body made a bet with his group of fox-and-dog friends regarding Shi He: give him one month, and he would take Shi He down in minutes.
In the manga’s prologue, it was written that Ruan Zhimian fabricated an identity and deliberately approached Shi He to deceive his feelings. After stealing Shi family business secrets, he dumped Shi He and married Shi He’s rival, Han He’an.
It was precisely because of this that Shi He locked his heart away and devoted himself entirely to his career. It wasn’t until ten years later, when he met the gentle and kind protagonist Sh受 (protagonist-receive), that he gradually opened his heart.
As for the Ruan Zhimian who had abandoned him years ago, he passed away from illness just one year after getting married.
Ruan Zhimian didn’t know how to lie at all. Because of his illness, he had spent most of his time in nursing homes. He had very little interaction with peers, possessed an introverted personality, and was extremely prone to shyness. Chatting with Shi He left him in a frantic mess; several times, he had almost let the cat out of the bag.
When he first pestered Shi He to add him, he had been typing with tears pitter-pattering down.
Perhaps because Shi He was truly easy to fool, he didn’t even react to the fake name Ruan Mianmian that Ruan Zhimian had made up in a moment of desperation.
A round white ball floated in the air, rolling until it reached Ruan Zhimian’s hand.
[Mianmian, in another week, once Shi He returns, we can exit the stage after finishing the plot.]
[Once you’re offline, I’ll help you go live somewhere else. I guarantee Shi He won’t find you.]
Ruan Zhimian rubbed Qiuqiu and nodded obediently, putting on a thin jacket. “Okay.”
From the moment he transmigrated, he was Ruan Zhimian.
Ruan Zhimian’s health was poor; he was allergic to many things and often went to the hospital for various minor issues. Yet, he had been bold enough to take an unverified research drug, which supposedly promoted a Beta’s secondary differentiation.
This bottle of medicine was the reason the original body had passed away so early.
Ruan Zhimian turned around, tugged with his fingertips, and selected the garment with the most fabric, stuffing all the other little dresses into another empty wardrobe.
Fortunately, he didn’t have a roommate; otherwise, he wouldn’t know where to put these dresses.
Just one look made his temperature rise. In the future, he would pack them all up and return them to Shi He.
Near the door, Ruan Zhimian selected a dusty-pink baseball cap and put it on. Letting Qiuqiu hover around him, he donned a light-gray thin hoodie jacket. “Qiuqiu, do you think it looks awkward?”
For some reason, the original body looked exactly like he did before he got sick.
He had almost forgotten what his healthy self looked like. During that half-year when his health rapidly deteriorated, Ruan Zhimian had never picked up a mirror to look at his own face.
[It looks good, it looks good! Mianmian is the most beautiful.]
He slung on his backpack and entered the dormitory elevator. The original body was a second-year student at Huajiang University’s School of Finance. Unlike other students, he got in entirely because his parents donated money.
This newly built dormitory building was donated by the Ruan family.
Ruan Zhimian grew up in a nursing home and didn’t have much of a campus life. He liked campus life very much; the feeling of being able to step firmly on the ground, no longer bound by disease, was wonderful.
“Ruan Zhimian.”
Just as he walked down the stairs, his dusty-pink little head turned. A pair of soft, beautiful dark eyes looked toward the other person.
[Mianmian, it’s your fiancé, Han He’an.]
For some reason, from the very first meeting, Han He’an gave him an uncomfortable feeling.
Ruan Zhimian subconsciously took a step back. His thick, crow-feather eyelashes trembled slightly, and his pink lips pursed tightly. He watched as Han He’an walked up to him and tilted his head.
“Mianmian, where are you going?”
“To class.”
Han He’an was wearing a black suit. He frowned imperceptibly, hiding the disgust in his eyes. He took an exquisite small box from his pocket, appearing exceptionally gentle. “Mianmian, the bracelet you wanted last week—I just got it. I came to give it to you.”
If the Han family hadn’t sent someone to urge him, he wouldn’t have come to see Ruan Zhimian.
Whatever. He was just a fool with nothing but a pretty face. Before the Han family drained him of all his utility value, he would coax him through the engagement.
Under the shade of the campus walkway, Han He’an grabbed Ruan Zhimian’s wrist. His palm pressed slightly against the snowy-white cuff, not touching a bit of skin.
He only liked Omegas and looked down on Betas like Ruan Zhimian. He casually threw the box into a roadside trash can, preparing to put the bracelet on Ruan Zhimian.
Unexpectedly, Ruan Zhimian retracted his hand. He didn’t cling to him and act spoiled like usual; instead, he was much more polite. “He’an-gege, thank you.”
Ruan Zhimian put the bracelet in his pocket and lowered his head to look at the time on his wrist. “I’m going to be late. I’m going to class first.”
He carried his backpack and turned onto another small path. With a run, he disappeared from Han He’an’s sight.
Han He’an’s expression turned cold. He sneered. Not having seen him for a week, he suddenly felt that today’s Ruan Zhimian wasn’t quite as annoying.
A while ago, Ruan Zhimian was still begging him to get married early; now he was starting to act reserved.
How could he ever marry a Beta?
Han He’an took a call from his lover and left Huajiang University.
Fortunately, Ruan Jiarong and Chen Ji only had one son, Ruan Zhimian. In the future, the Ruan family’s billions in assets would only be inherited by Ruan Zhimian.
…
Behind a large tree, someone holding a camera skillfully connected it to their phone and sent the scene from just now. He picked up his phone and called out enthusiastically, “Shi-ge, I’ve sent it to you. Check it. If there’s no problem, I’ll delete the original file.”
On the other side of the phone, the Alpha sat in the darkness. His deep, cold phoenix eyes looked at the newly arrived photo in his inbox, landing on Ruan Zhimian’s beautiful profile.
Following the crisp sound of a payment notification…
His voice was cold as he leaned halfway against his chair. His fingertip brushed over a lighter; the flame flared up and then died out as he stared at the wall newly covered in photos.
“Transferred.”
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