Qin Zixin returned home, her spirits dampened. She didn’t bother to remove her shoes, kicking off her soccer cleats, which she had only worn for a day, and sending them flying under the shoe rack by the door.
Her first day back at school had been anything but ordinary. Instead of classes, she found herself facing an exam, and she felt she had performed poorly, especially in math. She had filled up the answer sheets for the last three questions, but she wasn’t sure how many points she had scored. Although she had mentally prepared for a bad performance, Qin Zixin still felt disgruntled.
She turned on the air conditioner in her room, setting it to quickly cool down to 16 degrees. Despite feeling a bit drowsy, the sight of her computer revived her energy.
The weather was humid, and she tended to sweat easily. Her light blue shirt was slightly see-through, adding a touch of allure. She peeled off the shirt, which was damp with sweat, and tossed it into the laundry basket. She didn’t start the washing machine, deciding to wait for Tang Yuyu to return. Washing now would mean two separate loads, a waste of water and energy.
Tang Yuyu was busy at the night market and wouldn’t return until around four in the morning.
After sending a voice message to Tang Yuyu, informing her of her arrival, Qin Zixin placed her phone on the desk to charge and turned on her computer before heading to take a shower.
Dragging her plastic slippers, Qin Zixin moved through the house. Her figure was flawless, like a sculpture of white jade, with a hint of delicacy and allure. Her skin glistened with a light sheen of sweat, enhancing her natural radiance. Her ample chest was adorned with delicate, ripe strawberries, inviting a closer look.
She savored the sensation of her bare skin, as any fabric would normally cause a tingling sensation due to her sensitive skin. As she stretched, her already ethereal features became even more captivating, a blend of innocence and maturity.
In the shower, Qin Zixin quickly rinsed off with just a piece of soap, scrubbing her body without much care. She dried herself with a towel, which she tossed into the laundry basket, her body still damp. The entire process took less than five minutes, faster than most men.
Humming a tune, with her hair still wet, Qin Zixin headed to her bedroom, her steps light and carefree.
Opening her ‘Hunyuan Touch’ QQ, she found the ‘Touch Melody Home’ group lively with chatter.
Mr. Pickles was venting in the group, claiming he had been falsely accused of cheating by his girlfriend and arrested as a result.
At least, that’s how he described it. His username was a reference to a lesser-known anime, where the main character is named Pickles, and the content is quite explicit. Qin Zixin’s resource site was funded by him, and he even rented a server for her. Without his support, Qin Zixin, with her limited resources, wouldn’t have been able to manage it.
Mr. Pickles, whose real name is Wang Tianzhuo, is a wealthy second-generation heir. His father made his fortune in real estate and later ventured into solar energy, benefiting from government subsidies. In recent years, he has amassed a significant fortune. Wang Tianzhuo chose to study computer science in college, one of the few skills he has. If not for his knowledge of computers, he would be a complete playboy.
Regarding his arrest, the story is quite complex. Two months ago, he saw a small-time internet celebrity on Weibo and spent a considerable amount of money to meet her in person. However, her real appearance did not match her online photos, especially her nose, which had a scar from plastic surgery that was not visible in the photos.
Initially, Wang Tianzhuo was eager, but after meeting her, he quickly regained his composure. They had agreed that their relationship was purely transactional, with no strings attached or promises of commitment. Wang Tianzhuo knew he wasn’t a good person, but he also knew the internet celebrity wasn’t either.
They met for the first time, far from knowing each other intimately. Their interaction was meant to be brief, but Wang Tianzhuo found himself extending their time together from a few nights to many nights.
This should have been a pleasant transaction, but the internet celebrity was too greedy. She had a group of similar internet celebrities, some of whom had found wealthy patrons, and others who had gained significant sums through breakup settlements. She was envious and saw Wang Tianzhuo as her key to a comfortable future.
She tried her best to please him, but Wang Tianzhuo wasn’t naive. He realized she was trying to take advantage of him and decided to end their arrangement. Over two months, he had spent nearly twenty thousand dollars on her, which should have been enough for her to profit.
This was simply a transaction, with no room for emotions. However, she became emotionally invested, forgetting that it was just a business deal. Her limited mental capacity couldn’t handle the complexity, and she genuinely believed Wang Tianzhuo was a scoundrel who had used and discarded her.
She became so upset that her surgically enhanced nose almost twisted out of shape. She had already imagined herself as Wang Tianzhuo’s girlfriend, even though he had no such intentions. Fortunately, it was 2013, and the trend of writing ‘small essays’ to shame men wasn’t prevalent yet, so she couldn’t use that method to publicly humiliate him.
She cried and made a scene, using all sorts of tactics, but Wang Tianzhuo remained unaffected. However, he underestimated the consequences of his actions.
He agreed to her proposal for a final encounter at a hotel. Just as he was about to begin, the police knocked on the door. He was so startled that he forgot to put on his pants.
The internet celebrity had reported him to the police, claiming that there was a cheating incident at a specific room in a hotel. Wang Tianzhuo frantically tried to explain to the police that they were former lovers, but she insisted she was a legitimate service provider, pulling out neatly folded copies of her bank transaction records and ID from her bag as if she had rehearsed it.
Wang Tianzhuo was so angry that he couldn’t speak. This woman was ruthless, willing to admit to being a service provider to frame him. The police on the scene were bewildered, as they had never encountered such a situation. However, with the economic evidence, it was clear that their relationship was not straightforward.
The rest of the story is self-explanatory. In a society that leans towards protecting the vulnerable, and with the global #MeToo movement gaining traction, Wang Tianzhuo had no chance of defending himself. He and the woman were both taken into custody, and Wang Tianzhuo spent the entire afternoon there before being released. He shared his experience with the group, but it only elicited laughter and mockery.
Wang Tianzhuo didn’t expect much from the group. He shared his story to warn others and prevent them from falling into the same trap. Qin Zixin found the whole situation hilarious, laughing until her stomach ached, and joined the others in sending emojis.
Wang Tianzhuo logged onto QQ, immediately tagging Qin Zixin.
‘Mr. Pickles: Old man, why are you just now getting online? @Hunyuan Touch’
‘Hunyuan Touch: Busy with the kindergarten entrance exam, duh’
Qin Zixin didn’t mind, as usual, she kept talking nonsense.
‘Mr. Pickles: Which kindergarten? Surprised monkey emoji’
‘Mr. Pickles: Is it Copper Smelting?’
‘Mr. Pickles: The police will be at your doorstep soon’
Wang Tianzhuo sent multiple messages, and the group’s atmosphere became lively again. Qin Zixin leaned forward, resting her chin on the desk, watching them exchange emojis. The screen’s soft glow highlighted her enchanting features, making her look mesmerizing.
Qin Zixin’s expression was one of excitement, her fingers dancing across the keyboard.
‘Hunyuan Touch: Don’t be silly, it’s better to send me money.’
‘Hunyuan Touch: I don’t even have two thousand yuan to my name’
This time, she was telling the truth. After buying a second-hand monitor, she had only 1,143.5 yuan left. But the group members took her words as a joke, continuing to mock her.
Looking at the group members who were making fun of her, Qin Zixin felt a headache coming on. They were after entertainment, regardless of who provided it, even if it meant making her the butt of the joke.
[If only they would send all their money to me! Directly as a gift, give me the money, and then disappear.]
Qin Zixin’s mind wandered with unrealistic fantasies of getting rich.
[That’s called a pyramid scheme. No, some are like that. I just saw the news about a fool who worked for hours a day and fell in love with a woman online. She took advantage of him, swindling him out of tens of thousands of yuan, and then revealed she was a lesbian. After months, he hadn’t even held her hand once.]
[Tens of thousands and no hand-holding? That’s like having a cow that only produces milk without eating grass. Did they break up?]
[In the end, he jumped into the river. Before he died, he transferred all his assets to the woman. Can you believe it?]
Qin Zixin was stunned, never imagining that such incredible things could happen in the world.
[What kind of cow is this? It doesn’t eat grass but produces milk?]
Qin Zixin added Mr. Pickles’ messages about his arrest to the group’s highlights, but her mind was still processing the news story. She envisioned the man in the story with her own features from a past life, and she shivered.
She often thought of herself as a man, and her upbringing in a single-parent household kept her grounded, allowing her to see situations from a male perspective.
Qin Zixin closed the ‘Touch Melody Home’ chat window.
After staring at the screen for too long, she intertwined her hands, raised them, and stretched backwards, her supple waist bending into an exaggerated arch, relieving some of her tension.
When she sat up again, Qin Zixin’s eyes sparkled with mischief, her mind already plotting something new.
****