Hearing the noise, Qi Zhennan scrambled to his feet. Before he could utter a word, Lan An’s foot connected squarely with his abdomen. The force was so immense that Qi Zhennan was sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the sliding glass door of the balcony with a resounding thud.
Fortunately, the domestic-made glass was sturdy and didn’t shatter. Instead, the impact left Qi Zhennan dazed, sprawled on the floor for a long time unable to rise, painful groans escaping his throat.
“Brother Zhennan!” Zhang Dong and Qi Ran were horrified. Neither had expected Lan An to resort to direct violence. They rushed over to help him up.
Qi Zhi was also startled. “You…”
“He won’t die,” Lan An said dismissively. He knew exactly how much force to use and that Qi Zhennan was fine. He immediately turned his attention to Qi Zhi’s neck. “Are you alright?”
“I’m… I’m fine.”
Qi Zhennan hadn’t actually applied pressure; he had only made the gesture of strangling him. Qi Zhi was mostly just shaken.
He had known Qi Zhennan since high school and had been with him for a year. Before the truth of his birth was revealed, Qi Zhennan had always been bright and sunny in front of him. His personality was gentle, and he had never spoken a harsh word. Even when Qi Zhi was being unreasonable, Qi Zhennan wouldn’t get angry; at most, he would just stay quiet and ignore him for half a day.
But ever since it was discovered that Qi Zhi wasn’t the true young master of the Qi family, Qi Zhennan had become a different person. It wasn’t just that he stopped loving him; he occasionally helped Qi Ran by snapping at him. However, grabbing him by the throat and roaring in anger this was truly a first.
Lan An stood up, took Qi Zhi’s phone, and saved his own number into it. “Call me if anything happens. I live on the sixth floor, Room 603.”
“…”
Qi Zhi was stunned. “You… you live on the sixth floor?”
So, Lan An hadn’t just leaped straight out of the book, but his consciousness had left the novel to possess a body in this world? No wonder he had a real-world phone and money.
But that raised another question. If Lan An had “soul-transmigrated” into this body, what happened to the original consciousness of the person?
Qi Zhi tested the waters: “How come I’ve never seen you before?”
With a face and eyes like Lan An’s, someone should have taken a photo and posted it online looking for his info on the very first day of school. How could he have remained anonymous?
Lan An gave a soft, mocking huff. If it weren’t for Qi Zhi, he wouldn’t have demanded a transfer back to the country the moment he woke up, let alone specifically moved into the same dormitory building.
Qi Zhi realized this as well. Knowing it wasn’t the right time to ask more, he pointed toward his bed. “I want to rest for a bit, but I can’t climb up.”
This time, Lan An didn’t criticize him for being high-maintenance. He slid his hands under Qi Zhi’s arms, lifted him high into the air as if he were a child, and gently placed him on the top bunk. “I’ll find a caregiver for you someone to help you with the bunk and take you to your classes.”
“Okay,” Qi Zhi agreed. He truly couldn’t manage on his own. In the past, the Qi family would have arranged this for him, but they wouldn’t now, and Qi Zhi didn’t dare ask them anymore.
Finally helped up by the other two, Qi Zhennan’s dazed head cleared. Rubbing his lower back, he glared viciously at Lan An. “Where the hell did a piece of trash like you come from? Since when is my business with Qi Zhi any of your concern?”
Lan An wasn’t angry. He turned around, hands in his pockets, and looked Qi Zhennan up and down. Slowly, he began to speak:
“Qi Zhennan. Twenty-one years old. Height: 183cm. Weight: 140lbs. Born on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. A sophomore in the Business Management department at Haicheng University the department heartthrob, as well as the basketball team captain and Student Council President. Resides at No. 203, Fulong Gardens.”
“Not an only child. Your mother is a stay-at-home wife, and your father built his fortune through a supermarket chain. He’s been quite successful recently, nearly reaching the same status as the Qi family.”
“Favorite sport: Basketball.”
“Favorite thing: Being flattered by those around you.”
“Biggest dislike: Friends who are more talented than you.”
“Your nature isn’t entirely evil; you still adhere to a basic moral baseline. You don’t like pets, but you wouldn’t hurt an animal. You look down on those at the bottom of society, but you don’t verbally humiliate them.”
“The worst thing you’ve ever done was seducing your friend’s ‘goddess’ not because you liked her, but because you didn’t want to see a friend who was better than you win the beauty’s heart.”
“President Qi, am I wrong about any of that?”
“…”
“…”
The silence in the room was deafening.