Xu Qiduo turned around and saw the very person the stable manager had claimed had already left, He Jin.
Watching the young man walk slowly toward him, Xu Qiduo stood frozen in momentary confusion.
Counting it up, this was actually only his third time meeting He Jin.
The first time was in the school cafeteria, where he had tripped and fallen to the floor.
The second time was just moments ago up in the stable viewing gallery, where he had been seated while He Jin stood working to serve them.
And this third time, right now.
In the glow of the setting sun, He Jin stood silhouetted against the light. Because of his preconceived notion that He Jin was the protagonist shou, he had subconsciously expected him to possess a relatively delicate and fragile disposition.
Yet at this moment, an uncanny aura emanated from the young man.
He Jin was certainly not short, standing at a height that easily rose above the crowd average.
The backlighting obscured his expression, but the golden-orange rays of the sunset draped a luminous halo around the youth.
As he closed the distance, Xu Qiduo found himself face-to-face with He Jin at close range.
Without a doubt, the protagonist shou possessed a flawlessly handsome face.
Yet the youth standing before him now refused to align with the slightly chubby, righteous, and enthusiastic handsome student he remembered meeting in the cafeteria.
He Jin still wore those same refined features, but an inexplicable sense of wrongness hovered about him.
Something, something felt entirely different.
Finding it bizarre, Xu Qiduo subconsciously reached out to pinch the cheek of the person standing right in front of him.
Soft cheeks, delicate skin.
The youth did not pull away or resist his strange action in the slightest, simply staring at him without blinking once.
A shiver ran down Xu Qiduo’s spine under He Jin’s intense gaze. He hastily withdrew his hand and backed down.
“Wait.”
Wait! Wait a minute! A terrifying thought had just struck him.
“Wait for what?” He Jin asked in return.
In truth, he had no idea what he was waiting for; he simply wanted to stop being stared at like that.
Blurting out the first topic that came to mind, he asked, “Why haven’t you left yet? The people inside said you left ages ago.”
“The public bus outside only comes once every hour and a half.”
The stables were located in the far-out suburbs. While the roads were wide and clear, the location was exceptionally remote, and the wealthy young heirs who came to play here all traveled in private chauffeured cars. Naturally, nobody ever paid attention to the bus schedule out here.
“Oh, well, do you want a ride back in my car? It is on the way anyway.” Once the words left his mouth, he had no choice but to follow through.
He Jin curved his lips into a faint smile. “Would that be any trouble?”
“No trouble at all! Of course not.” Xu Qiduo hurried to pull open the passenger door, gesturing for He Jin to get inside.
Once the car was underway, Xu Qiduo hesitated before finally asking, “Why, why are you working a job like that?”
“A friend recommended it, the pay is good. Though I suppose I won’t be able to keep doing it now.” Settling into his seat, He Jin reined in much of his previous intensity.
Yet Xu Qiduo still felt something was amiss. How could the protagonist of a novel give off such a vibe? The supporting characters, villains, and cannon fodder could be as eccentric as they liked, but shouldn’t the protagonist of a story, if not completely perfect, at least embody truth, goodness, and beauty?
Xu Qiduo stole a glance at He Jin, quickly looking away the moment the youth turned his head in response. Hurriedly, he blurted out, “Wang Shuo’s personality is just like that, but he isn’t a bad person at heart. He is just a bit willful.”
Xu Qiduo attempted to force out some praise for Wang Shuo against his better judgment, but rack his brain as he might, he could not summon a single flattering adjective. Abandoning the attempt, he pivoted topics. “So, um, do you still need a job?”
“I do. A family member of mine is hospitalized, and the medical expenses are quite heavy.”
He knew very little about He Jin’s background. That useless system had never mentioned a single thing to him.
Meeting those striking, almond-shaped eyes, Xu Qiduo hesitated for a moment before offering tentatively, “Then, shall I help you find something?”
“That would be wonderful, thank you for the trouble.”
Good grief! What was this bizarre sensation of being led entirely by the nose?
Besides, you are the protagonist shou! Not the protagonist gong! That black-bellied aura is starting to leak out, you know!
“Right, what is your current relationship with Wang Shuo?”
Xu Qiduo had not expected He Jin to be so nosy. Furthermore, the evaluating gaze fixed upon him felt almost tangible.
“Uh,” it was the dynamic of a desperate fawned-over hanger-on and his oblivious target, was that really so difficult to discern? Xu Qiduo muttered a silent complaint internally, though his spoken reply remained deadpan: “Well, I like him, and he doesn’t like me back.”
Beside him, He Jin let out a soft chuckle before continuing, “You liking him is probably a mistake. His judgment and his brains are both somewhat lacking, he is not suited for you.”
“It’s, it’s fine, I guess.” Even though he secretly felt the exact same way.
With a slight smile, He Jin dropped the subject and said no more.
Throughout the rest of the drive, the atmosphere grew increasingly bizarre to Xu Qiduo’s senses.
This strange tension only dissipated after they returned to N University, when He Jin requested his contact information and finally stepped out of the vehicle.
Not until He Jin’s figure vanished entirely into the campus grounds did Xu Qiduo dare to drive away.
He attempted to contact that unreliable system, but it was completely unresponsive, completely dead to the world.
Next, he tried calling Zhou Mengxing, but no matter how many times he dialed, the other party refused to pick up.
With no other options left, Xu Qiduo had no choice but to head toward the freshman dormitories. Since he had no idea which building Zhou Mengxing lived in, he had to swallow his pride upon arrival and ask practically everyone he met.
After cornering nine different junior students for directions, he finally managed to locate the correct dorm building.
His repeated knocks on the dormitory door went entirely unanswered, prompting Xu Qiduo to place another call to Zhou Mengxing’s phone.
[Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable.] Only the automated female voice met his ears.
Just as Xu Qiduo debated whether to try calling one more time, the door in front of him suddenly clicked open.
The dim dormitory interior was unlit, and a single silhouette stood outlined against the shadows by the light behind him.
Well, look at that. Why did all his buddies lately share such an intense fondness for standing backward against the light?
Xu Qiduo raised his phone higher, tapping the screen to illuminate his face.
The face that never failed to evoke a sigh of admiration whenever he saw it was currently staring down at him completely devoid of expression.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xu Qiduo immediately plastered a bright smile across his face and coaxed, “Hey there, Little Xing, did I catch you right after a nap?”
Zhou Mengxing offered no reply, simply gazing down at him from under lowered lids with chilling indifference.
Pressing forward with his forced ignorance, Xu Qiduo tried again. “Ready to head out? If we go back now, we can make it just in time for dinner.”
Still ignoring him, Zhou Mengxing turned back into the dorm for a brief second before emerging with his things.
He had known it. Zhou Mengxing was reasonable after all.
Figuring they at least shared the camaraderie of a past supermarket trip…
Xu Qiduo chattered away in an attempt to spark conversation the entire walk back. Yet Zhou Mengxing had reverted entirely to his original demeanor, no, he was acting even colder than before.
At least the previous version of Zhou Mengxing would occasionally offer a one-word answer. Now? The guy completely iced him out.
Not a single response whenever Xu Qiduo tried to talk to him.
Wait a second, why on earth was every single NPC in this world acting so utterly bizarre today?