Finding love online

Someone once told me that love always arrives unexpectedly and can slip away just as easily.

I don’t know if love has ever come to me unexpectedly or if it has slipped away without me noticing. But what I am certain of is that I am very lonely and crave the love of the opposite sex to the point of obsession. I often go online and have a beautiful username, Poppy. This name indeed attracted many men to add me, and I accepted all of them.

The first thing I did every day when I logged in was to reply to the messages from my online friends. After chatting for a while, some naturally suggested meeting up. I always refused because, as an unattractive girl, I feared the harsh light of reality.

People who have seen me often comforted me by saying, “You’re adorably chubby. If you lived in the Tang Dynasty, you would definitely be a beauty.” I would just laugh foolishly to hide my overwhelming desire to punch them.

Being fat isn’t my fault. But whose fault is it, then? I can’t figure it out. Eating an extra bowl of rice solves the pain in my stomach but brings about the burden of obesity. My awkward body shape simply cannot attract men’s attention.

But there was one person whose gaze often lingered on me. His name was Wang Shuai, but he wasn’t handsome. He was my colleague, and our desks faced each other for five years. I looked at him as if he were a wall, completely ignoring him. He looked at me as if I were a chubby flower, with an expression I couldn’t decipher as either admiration or mockery.

Our conversations were very casual, like those between family members or even same-sex friends. Sometimes, I would even ask him to buy sanitary pads for me when I had my period. When I was heartbroken, I would lean on his back, crying and smearing snot all over him, and jokingly blame him for not being handsome enough, saying that if he were, he’d have a harem by now.

He would respond lightly, “Loving just one is enough for me…”

“What are your standards? I can introduce someone to you,” I said energetically, rolling off his back and squatting in front of him with great interest.

“Kind-hearted, not too tall, but chubby…” he said with a smile.

“Get lost…” I thought he was teasing me. How could I be blamed for being fat? I’m naturally close to food, and even if someone put a knife to my throat, I wouldn’t give up my relationship with food. I’m a person with deep feelings.

He left, somewhat dejected, with a hint of unfinished words in his eyes. But I ignored him. His interruption had brought my shattered mood back to my chest. Who cares? I thought. Eat, drink, and be merry. Not having a man doesn’t mean I can’t have children. Oh! Actually, I can’t have children without a man. I laughed at my own silly thought.

Shaking off my sadness, I went online and enthusiastically chatted with my numerous online friends, enjoying their fleeting compliments. In those compliments, I felt like a beauty, walking through a green meadow.

“Cough, cough…” I heard a cough from my computer. I clicked on it and saw the username “In Love with a Chubby Girl,” which immediately piqued my curiosity. I added him and asked, “Hey handsome, you fell in love with a chubby girl and still chat online? Aren’t you afraid your chubby girl will turn into a swan and fly away?”

He sent a smiley face and then said, “Not at all! With her body, flying would be a bit difficult.”

“Hehe! Interesting. Tell me how you came to love a chubby girl. In this day and age, men who like chubby girls are almost extinct.”

“That’s not true! It’s just that you don’t understand men. Deep down, men still like women with curves. They feel more comfortable to touch and are like soft pillows to hug.”

“Really? But I see chubby girls around me struggling to find partners and desperately trying to lose weight, ending up looking haggard and even less likely to get married.”

“That’s because they haven’t met the right person. It’s also because men are often insecure, thinking a chubby girl isn’t presentable. So when men see a girl with a chubby figure, they immediately lose interest in continuing the relationship.”

“You hit the nail on the head. Before love happens, people are strangers. Whether or not strangers can connect mainly depends on whether the other’s appearance is attractive, right?”

“Exactly! You’ve nailed it. That’s a classic philosophical insight.”

“Hehe! Don’t praise me. Save your compliments for your chubby girl! If she gets angry and stomps her foot, it might cause an earthquake.”

“You’re really humorous. Can we be friends?”

“Sure! Message me anytime.” With that, I went invisible. After a long session of typing, my stomach was growling. Hunger left me weak, and I needed to eat. I didn’t want to pass out from hunger.

Just as I started eating, my phone rang. It was Wang Shuai calling. He asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m eating,” I replied.

He chuckled on the other end.

Annoyed, I said, “What are you laughing at? Haven’t you seen a hungry girl before?”

“Hehe! I’ve seen angry girls, but hungry ones are rare.”

“Get lost… Are you trying to disgust me on purpose, calling me this late?”

“No, I have something to tell you. I’m going to Beijing for training tomorrow.”

“Go ahead! Do you want me to see you off or something?”

Wang Shuai said, “I’ll be gone for six months…”

“That’s great! I won’t have to see your face for a while.”

“You hate me that much?”

“Yes! Now go!” I said and hung up. Then I started crying. It even scared me. It was the first time in my life I couldn’t finish my meal because I was crying.

In my bad mood, I went back online and saw the “In Love with a Chubby Girl” user still there. I asked him, “Hey! Are you really in love with a chubby girl?”

“Yes! I’ve always loved her, but she doesn’t understand. She never sees my love for her. I feel like such a failure.”

“Really? So you’re secretly in love? You must be a dinosaur of a person, an antique.”

He sighed, “Now I’m even more certain she doesn’t love me.”

“Why?”

“I told her I was leaving, but she seemed happy, even saying she didn’t want to see me.”

“Ah?”

“Wang Shuai?”

“Yes!”

“Is it really you?”

“Yes!”

“You… love me?”

“I love you…”

I was speechless, my eyes filled with tears.

In the end, Wang Shuai didn’t leave because he was too busy organizing our wedding. Yes, our wedding.

Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “