Chapter 5: The Online Love Rival Becomes a Charmer (5)

Chapter 5: From Side Character to Heartthrob (5)

"I'm sorry, I want to apologize to you." Tang Qing removed her mask, revealing her entire face to Yang Mingyue.

Yang Mingyue had seen videos of her and had some idea of what she looked like. But when her face appeared before him in person, he felt as if something had lightly tugged at his heart.

It was the same face as in the videos, yet in person, there was an undeniable vibrancy to her, especially in her gaze...

Though she still wore black-framed glasses, the moment Tang Qing lifted her eyes, it was like a fox coyly flicking its tail—playful, delicate, and full of charm.

"It's my fault. I heard what your classmates said about me. Being linked to me must humiliate you now." Tang Qing's voice was filled with remorse, yet the sweetness in it remained, captivating and pleasant.

"I will definitely return the five thousand yuan to you, but right now..." She paused before continuing, "I’m really strapped for cash right now. But since we're at the same school—I'm in Class 01 of the Chinese Department—I won’t run away. You know where to find me."

"Why would I come looking for you? So you can con me again?" Yang Mingyue scoffed, looking down at the deceitful girl before him with the advantage of his height. "How do you plan to pay me back? Still using fake pics and playing damsel in distress?"

"I... didn’t..." As if stung by his words, Tang Qing's voice grew even softer, forcing Yang Mingyue to lean in to hear her. "Sorr—... I truly regret it, and I want to make up for my mistake..."

"I’ll find a way to return the money to you."

Yang Mingyue sneered. "I don’t need your money. Just delete me from your list right now!"

"Consider that 5,000 yuan money down the drain—like a stray dog took it." His words were dripping with scorn. "You make my skin crawl, and I don’t want anything to do with you."

"Please don’t be angry..."

"I’m not angry—I’m disgusted." Yang Mingyue’s tone grew even harsher. "Tang Qing, I was blind to have fallen for your trap. That’s on me. From now on, if you see me on the street, stay away. You turn my stomach."

"I don’t need your apology either. You’ve probably apologized to too many people already."

Seemingly crushed by his cruel words, Tang Qing’s eyes reddened. "Sorr—"

"Shut up. Just delete me from your list already. You’re vile!"

Yang Mingyue turned to leave, but at that moment, Tang Qing took a step forward. Their shoulders collided abruptly, and Tang Qing lost her balance, toppling into him.

The moment their bodies touched, before Yang Mingyue could even react, his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist.

So soft!

So slender!

Were all girls’ waists this fine?

Yang Mingyue froze. His only romantic experience had been his online relationship with Tang Qing—in essence, he was still a hopeless romantic. This was his first time actually touching a woman’s body.

In that instant, he felt how soft a girl could feel. He never would have guessed that beneath Tang Qing’s loose T-shirt hid such a graceful waistline.

Like she’d scalded him, Yang Mingyue shoved her away abruptly. "You did that on purpose!"

Of course! She totally staged that fall!

She was a fraud, used to playing men like this. How many times had she pulled this trick before? Frowning in frustration, Yang Mingyue snapped, "Did you think I’d be another chump in your little black book, fooled into forgiving you just because you brushed against me?"

"No, I just—"

"Stay away from me. Next time you fall, watch where you’re going. Don’t touch me!" The young man stalked away like she carried the plague, his face twisted in disgust.

Tang Qing stood where she was, lingering until Yang vanished, then adjusted her clothes with deliberate calm. She bit her lip, dusting off her jeans with a sigh.

"Tsk, that mutt's got quite the mouth on him."

The timid and ashamed expression on Tang Qing's face vanished instantly. It was hard to imagine that just a minute ago, the owner of this face had looked like an innocent little white rabbit.

"Did you really trip by accident just now?" The system couldn't help but ask curiously. From its perspective, Tang Qing's fall had seemed rather inexplicable.

"What do you think?"

"If I hadn't tripped like that, how would he have realized how slim my waist is?" Yang Mingyue was indeed the *hopeless romantic* she had expected. Despite his harsh words and tough act, Tang Qing could still sense his rapidly accelerating heartbeat...

"Dangle just enough bait, and he'll start wondering just how good the whole meal tastes."

The system updated Yang Mingyue's affection value—sure enough, it had risen from -47 to -40, a jump of 7 points.

"Hmph, you women are truly scheming little foxes."

Tang Qing burst into laughter. "Aren't you the one accompanying Gu Xiaoman as she works her way through men? What makes her so much nobler than me?"

"My master is nothing like you!"

Tang Qing continued, "We're both playing the dating game, so why does Gu Xiaoman get to be the paragon of virtue while I'm labeled as scheming and deceitful?"

The system fumed, knowing it couldn't win the argument, and beat a hasty retreat. "Are you going to approach Yang Mingyue again? Given the change in his affection value, his attitude toward you has softened. Striking while the iron's hot might yield good results."

"He told me to back off, so I'll back off!"

"Then how are you going to raise his affection? Don't forget, you promised to work hard!"

Tang Qing's eyes twinkled mischievously, her mind already made up. "I have my ways."

Under the system's stunned gaze, Tang Qing swiftly modified her Weibo account—"Scammer Girl Gone Straight."

Bio: A college girl who used to scam people online, this is Tang Qing's one and only official account. Starting today, she's starting clean and striving to be a better person.

The change in her username and bio immediately caught the attention of many netizens, drawing in a crowd of spectators.

"Scammers should drop dead!"

"This girl is such an act. You better pay back all the money you took from those guys!"

"Grabbing my popcorn for this. Honestly, this is the first time I've seen a scammer make a repayment account."

Online scams weren't exactly breaking news, but Tang Qing's open updates about her repayment progress were a first.

Netizens found it bizarre—why were they suddenly following a debt-repayment blogger?

"So, where do you plan to start with the ¥270,000 [in Chinese currency]?"

"Nine-to-fivers are seething. Some people work for three years with zero savings, while others flirt for three months and scam ¥270k [in Chinese currency]."

"What's the angle here? Just clout-chasing, right? I don't believe a scammer would actually pay anyone back."

...

As the online debate grew more heated, Tang Qing updated her Weibo again: "I've decided to participate in the Campus Original Singer Competition. The top prize is ¥10k [in Chinese currency]. If you'd like to see me repay my debts sooner, root for me!"

Attached was the competition poster for the Campus Original Singer event. The first round was an anonymous round, where qualified contestants would only submit their recorded audio and lyrics for netizens to vote on.

The top 88 would advance to the second round—a national finals streamed live. As Tang Qing mentioned, the competition offered eight first-place prizes, each worth ¥10k [in Chinese currency].

"I'm a college student, how come I've never heard of this competition?"

"By the way, Tang Qing mentioned the 10,000 yuan is for first prize—pfft, con women are always this confident, thinking they’ll definitely win first place?"

"Definitely a scheme! Probably signed with a company. The repayment thing’s a front—she’s just chasing clout."

...

In all the messy chatter, the outcome was pretty much what Tang Qing had expected. Within just half an hour, her newly verified Weibo account gained 120,000 followers—all just rubberneckers here for the tea.

Without buying followers, 120,000 was enough to bump Tang Qing into minor influencer territory.