Socially Anxious, But Dating My Mixed-Race Neighbor Online

[Main story complete, bonus chapters updating]

[Cozy, everyday-life romantic short story]

*Timid yet brave, socially anxious veterinarian x nurturing, take-charge engineer

*Size difference | Mixed-race top | Top is five years older | Both are virgins, 1v1, happy ending

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The new neighbor is a gorgeous mixed-race guy.

He looks well over 190 centimeters tall, with deep-set features and the perfect proportions of a sculpture.

Tao Nuo took one look and knew he was done for.

But in reality, he couldn't even hold the man's gaze for more than three seconds.

His only way of showing affection was to hang homemade cookies on the man's doorknob, with a cartoon note featuring their dogs.

He was obviously, hopelessly timid.

That is, until he found the man's account on a poetry lovers' platform.

Online was Tao Nuo's safe zone. With a screen between them, he dared to speak his mind and boldly profess his love.

He would say, "The starry sky you posted today makes me want to elope with you to the Milky Way."

And late at night, he would press him for an answer: "I watch the skies at dawn and the clouds at dusk... Guess what I have in mind for the next line?"

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Fei Yuanzhou is an R&D engineer for a multinational medical device company. He lives with a retired German Shepherd, and their life together is filled with order and discipline. That is, until he moved into a new home recently...

First, an exuberant husky jumped into his arms. Then the noise from next door started giving him a headache. After that, he discovered that the little neighbor who was the "culprit" was quite fascinating:

He blushed and stammered whenever they spoke;

A stray brush of fingertips startled him like a rabbit;

Even when apologizing, he would simply leave a gift at the door with a note in adorable handwriting.

Clumsy, innocent, and so careful. It was... impossible to stay mad at him.

Then one day, Fei Yuanzhou noticed that the online friend who had been flirting with him was dropping all kinds of clues about his identity...

The smile in Fei Yuanzhou's eyes deepened.

This was... getting more and more interesting.

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One late night, Fei Yuanzhou received a message from his online friend:

[The power's out at home. It's so dark and scary. If we were together, could we do something else to make the time pass faster?]

Fei Yuanzhou put down his phone and went straight to knock on the door across the hall.

Seeing the panicked man before him, Fei Yuanzhou gave him no time to react. He advanced step by step through the darkness.

"Explain what you meant by 'do something else'... Specifically, what did you have in mind, hmm?"

After his identity was exposed, Tao Nuo was so mortified he wanted to die. He swore he would never log into that account again.

But right in front of him, Fei Yuanzhou opened their private messages and leisurely read aloud all the bold things Tao Nuo had said.

"Elope to the Milky Way?" After finishing, Fei Yuanzhou effortlessly scooped him up.

Tao Nuo's view shot upward, and the next moment, he landed on a soft bed.

Fei Yuanzhou's imposing figure completely enveloped him. "Baby, the Milky Way is so far away. I don't think... you'll even make it out of the bedroom."

Another age-gap romance in the same vein, coming soon: My Online Boyfriend Is a Champion Boxer. If you're interested, please add it to your favorites.

*19-year-old genius racing driver x 26-year-old Chinese-Russian professional boxer

*Size difference: 176 x 196 | Older top dotes on younger partner | Online romance, identity exposed | Both are virgins, 1v1, happy ending

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Li Li (Miles Li) is an F2 driver fighting for a spot on the F1 grid.

He became a rain-race legend, but in the post-race interview, his terse answers and cold expression earned him a media thrashing. They called him arrogant and a diva, saying he couldn't even smile after a win and showed no respect for the fans.

But in reality, the genius driver who wears a pink helmet and drives a pink car, with absolute control over speed on the track, is extremely socially anxious in private.

His manager slapped a tablet down in front of him. "F1 teams need drivers who can at least communicate normally. If you keep this up, even getting your super license won't get you hired."

Li Li shrank into his chair. "...I'll try."

His manager sighed. "Use the summer break to work on desensitizing yourself on sports forums. Start with texting, and work your way up to video calls. You can manage that, right?"

With no other choice, Li Li obediently signed up for the forum under the name [Bunny Doesn't Talk].

After a while, his manager noticed that Li Li was grinning suspiciously at his phone. One glimpse at the chat, which was full of "Baby," "Sweetie," "Daddy," and "Darling," made his vision go black. "I told you to work on your social anxiety, not find a partner."

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Jin Zheng (Klim Jin) is a Chinese-Russian professional boxer. In the ring, he's ruthless and merciless, able to shatter an opponent's jaw with a single punch.

He had just won his fifth WBA super middleweight title defense when a petite young man tying his shoes in the rehabilitation room nearly collided with his chin.

Jin Zheng reflexively blocked him, and the other guy's eyes immediately went red.

"I'm not going to hit you." Jin Zheng let go, then caught him by the back of his collar and pointed at the pink bunny charm on the floor. "You dropped this."

"Th-thank you."

"Anything else?"

"I-I'm fine."

"..."

Later, in the racing section of a sports forum, Jin Zheng found a Chinese user called [Bunny Doesn't Talk] claiming that he'd met champion boxer Klim in the rehabilitation room and been frightened by his deadly aura.

[K]: As far as I know, Klim only seems deadly in the boxing ring.

[Bunny Doesn't Talk]: Are you a boxer too?

[K]: I'm... a boxing coach.

After that, Li Li saw Klim in the rehab room every day, then came home at night to complain about him to his online friend K.

"He's so huge. He blocks a third of the light in the room."

"He stretched me today and nearly dislocated me."

"His hands are way too big. His fist could probably smash my skull."

K listened patiently every time and comforted him.

K's tenderness and attentive care made Li Li more and more dependent on him, until the day he learned that K was Klim himself.

Terrified, Li Li immediately deleted his account, blocked him, and ran for the hills.

Later, Jin Zheng cornered him in the rehabilitation room and hoisted him over his shoulder. "Why are you running? Didn't we agree to date, baby?"

.

Theme: Love doesn't make you become someone else. It gives you the courage to be your true self.