I stared at Xu Yang in shock for several seconds, and just as our eyes met, I caught the hint of a smile in his deep, dark gaze.

Quickly, I looked away, feeling my ears grow warm as I awkwardly touched my earlobe. With looks like his, it wasn’t only girls who would be drawn to him; even guys could feel something.

But the matter at hand was more pressing.

Lowering my head, I hesitated briefly, then hit “send.”

A moment later, I heard Xu Yang’s phone beep, and I realized he was sitting right in front of me. He looked back at me, and his usually sharp eyes held a hint of sadness. His voice had a slight tremor as he said, “Can we not break up, please?”

I was stunned.

Wait… is X actually Xu Yang?

That couldn’t be right. But before my brain could catch up, I blurted, “No, we need to break up.”

The next second, I watched as Xu Yang lowered his head and typed out what I’d just said. He looked back at me with a gaze that was… complex, with something I couldn’t quite interpret.

I was speechless.

Haha, maybe he was just talking to himself. Haha.

Damn, I was nearly scared to death.

My roommate, alarmed by my reaction, nervously whispered an apology to Xu Yang, saying, “Sorry, Xu. My roommate’s under a lot of study pressure lately, so he’s been a bit scatterbrained.”

I nodded quickly. “Yeah, that’s right.”

Xu Yang, thankfully, didn’t seem bothered. He just kept sending messages, trying to patch things up.

[Sweetie, don’t be mad.]

[Sweetie, maybe the study stress is getting to you. How about I get you something nice to eat?]

[Sweetie, anything you want, I’ll get it. Just please, don’t break up with me~]

The messages kept popping up one after another. Panicking, I tried to clear them, but they just kept coming.

I instantly regretted not setting my phone to silent. This was definitely getting Xu Yang suspicious.

He paused in his messages and glanced at me—or more precisely, at my phone screen.

My phone was always set to maximum brightness, so he could see everything.

After a moment, Xu Yang pressed his lips together and looked at me steadily, with those dark eyes fixed on mine.

I froze.

He was definitely going to think I was some sort of online romance scammer—and on top of that, that I’d ensnared none other than Xu Yang himself. If his fans found out, I’d be toast.

Nervous, I clutched my phone tightly, knowing I’d need to give some sort of explanation. Xu Yang just kept watching me, like he was waiting to hear one.

I swallowed hard and, in a flash of inspiration, tried to explain, “Um… the person online was actually my little sister. My mom worries about her dating too early, so she asked me to check her account. I had no idea she’d text you about breaking up…”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they sounded flimsy. This was way too convenient to be true.

To my surprise, though, Xu Yang didn’t seem skeptical. He just looked at me intensely with some unreadable emotion in his eyes and asked, “Really?”

I dared not deny it. I nodded emphatically. “Absolutely!”

When I finished speaking, I felt like he was looking at me even more oddly.

My stomach churned, nervous that he wouldn’t believe me.

But then he sighed, asking, “So, since you’re her brother, you’ll make sure she doesn’t break up with me, right?”

I fell silent.

This was what they called “hoisting oneself with one’s own petard.”

But seeing Xu Yang’s pleading gaze, I weakly nodded, “Yes… I suppose.”

When I said it, even I felt unsteady, because I was the one who wanted the breakup.

Xu Yang, however, seemed convinced. He even added me on QQ, saying he wanted to know my sister’s preferences.

“Alright…”

I had a feeling I’d entangled myself with someone hard to shake.

I was proven right when, at midnight, I received a message from Xu Yang.

Xu Yang: [Mu Yu, what does your sister like?]

My mind spun. Xu Yang must like her innocent and sweet nature. If he found out she was into abs, he’d surely be put off, and then we could break up. So, with a wicked grin, I replied: [My sister loves abs!]

After sending it, I waited, assuming he’d be scared off.

Instead, the next moment, I received a new message.

X: [Photo]

I opened it with wide eyes. It was Xu Yang, fresh from a shower, water droplets still on his skin, showing his upper body—and his eight-pack abs were unmistakably prominent.

Flushing, I quickly minimized the photo, worried someone might see.

Damn. Who would’ve guessed he was in such good shape?

As I was still processing, another message from X popped up.

X: [Your brother said I could send you an abs pic to earn a “husband” title from you. I sent it—now it’s your turn.]

I stared in shock.

A scam?

When did I ever say that?!

Just as I was about to refute it, a video call from Xu Yang appeared.

Startled, I declined it immediately.

I barely had time to breathe when he sent a question mark and said if I wouldn’t reply, he’d just have me say it in person.

I was doomed.

With a red face, I finally typed the words.

No sooner had I sent them that X responded with an audio clip.

Not wanting anyone else to hear, I quickly put on my headphones, only to be met by Xu Yang’s deep, magnetic voice on the other end, tinged with a hint of laughter.