Luo Yinyin, seated in the front row, turned her head and casually glanced at Xu Huai’an.
The strands of hair above Xu Huai’an’s forehead fell slightly over his brows. With his back to the light, his eyes were shadowed, making his features appear even more profound. His lashes were thick and long, his gaze lazy. Luo Yinyin noticed what he was looking at and followed his line of sight to the new transfer student who had arrived last week.
Luo Yinyin was seething.
She had used so many methods to get close to Xu Huai’an, bringing him all sorts of snacks, and ultimately confessing her feelings.
Despite all that, she hadn’t managed to get so much as a single glance from him. Yet this transfer student, who had only been here a few days, had already caught Xu Huai’an’s attention.
Luo Yinyin suspected that he was a mission taker, and that he had used charm-enhancing items like “Heartthrob” on Xu Huai’an.
She nearly snapped her pen in half. Her deskmate shot her a strange look, and Luo Yinyin instinctively suppressed her anger, putting on a flawless smile.
But inside, she was fuming: System, I suspect Xie Wenxing is also a mission taker!
The system’s voice was flat and mechanical: Host, there is no evidence to suggest Xie Wenxing is a mission taker.
Although all mission takers were sent into this world by the main god’s systems to complete character-targeting missions, these missions were inherently competitive.
There was only one mission. If everyone failed, all mission takers would die.
If someone succeeded, only that one person would complete the task, while the others would not only have wasted their time but would also face punishment for mission failure.
Thus, mission takers would stop at nothing, within legal boundaries, to complete their objectives.
It’s impossible. He has to be a mission taker.
Luo Yinyin refused to believe that an indigenous inhabitant of this original world could attract Xu Huai’an’s attention so quickly without having done anything notable.
After all, Xu Huai’an was the most difficult target she had encountered in her hundreds of missions.
She had subtly hinted at wealth, power, and even her physical appeal. Not only had Xu Huai’an remained unmoved, but his favorability toward her had actually dropped drastically.
From an initial 5 points down to 1.
Luo Yinyin had painstakingly worked her way back up to 5 points, a process that had taken over two months.
This went to show just how difficult Xu Huai’an was, completely unreceptive, immune to both soft and hard approaches.
So when Luo Yinyin noticed that Xu Huai’an seemed to be paying attention to Xie Wenxing, the blow was devastating. It was as if a sledgehammer had come crashing down on her head.
Xie Wenxing must be a mission taker.
Luo Yinyin was resolute in her conclusion.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it make her look utterly useless and incompetent?
There was no way she would ever admit to that!
As she was lost in thought, a few seconds slipped by. When she came to, Xu Huai’an had lifted his gaze, his eyes drifting lazily toward her.
Luo Yinyin found herself meeting his eyes without any preparation, the malice in her own gaze laid completely bare.
She felt like a petty schemer caught in the act of plotting something. Like a mosquito struck by an electric swatter, her body jolted violently before she snapped her head back around.
Her neck let out a sharp crack, unfortunately, she had twisted it.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Luo Yinyin’s forehead.
Partly from being startled by Xu Huai’an, partly from the pain in her neck.
With a pitiful look, she raised her hand and said to the teacher, her voice trembling, “Teacher, I twisted my neck…”
The teacher had also heard the loud crack and quickly sent her to the school clinic.
The school had its own clinic, staffed by an experienced and well-regarded physician.
Xie Wenxing hadn’t noticed this little incident at all. He was too nervous, his heart pounding wildly.
Thump, thump, thump, thump. His chest ached slightly from the forceful, rapid beats.
Just wait. After this class ends, I’ll go talk to Xu Huai’an!
Step one in pursuing a boyfriend: take the initiative! Opportunities won’t just sit there waiting for you!!
Xie Wenxing turned his head to look at the clock at the back of the classroom. The closer it got to the end of class, the more rapid his breathing became. He kept rubbing his knees with both hands, trying desperately to calm his nerves.
He mentally cheered himself on.
Come on, Xie Wenxing. You can do this!
Finally, class ended. Xie Wenxing abruptly stood up, the harsh screech of his chair against the floor instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
The new transfer student walked straight over to Xu Huai’an’s seat.
Some students who had been holding it in for the entire class had been about to get up and head to the restroom, but upon seeing this, they immediately sat back down.
They pretended to be occupied with other things, but every bit of their attention was fixed on the scene.
Just then, Luo Yinyin walked back in, holding her neck. Some students were crowded by the doorway, peering inside.
Luo Yinyin asked, puzzled, “What are you all looking at?”
Someone immediately shushed her. “Shh! It looks like Xie Wenxing is about to talk to Xu Huai’an!”
Oh?
Luo Yinyin’s eyes widened, and for a moment, her stunning face twisted.
But she quickly composed herself, forcing herself not to break into a smug smile.
Hahahaha. System, this is going to be good. This mission taker is such an idiot. Approaching him in front of everyone? Does he really think Xu Huai’an will go easy on him to save face just because there’s an audience?
Based on her observations of Xu Huai’an over the past days, Luo Yinyin knew he wasn’t the type to show mercy.
His heart was colder and harder than any target she had ever faced.
Right now, Xie Wenxing was completely absorbed in his own world. The only thing he could hear was his own erratic heartbeat.
It was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to take a step toward someone he liked. The first time he had ever done something like this. He had never been so nervous in his life. He suspected that even Xu Huai’an could hear his heart thundering like a storm.
He stood there for a full minute, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, his fingernails digging deep into his palms.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air.
It seemed he had finally mustered up his courage. Xie Wenxing lifted his chin slightly. He didn’t dare look Xu Huai’an in the eyes, so he fixed his gaze on his chin instead, only to find himself drawn to the prominent Adam’s apple.
Out of nowhere, a single word popped into his head.
Sexy.
He stared for over ten seconds. His soft, pale pink lips parted slightly.
The classmates who had been waiting expectantly were on the edge of their seats. On one side was the school heartthrob, widely considered the hardest person to befriend. On the other was the new transfer student who, despite his short time here, gave off a strong vibe of keeping people at a distance.
For some reason, they were all intensely curious about what would happen when these two came face to face.
The classroom had fallen quiet some time ago. Everyone was straining their necks, eager not to miss a thing.
“Xu Huai’an, you…”
Xie Wenxing had only managed a few words when Zhou Yuan, Xu Huai’an’s deskmate and close friend, suddenly reached out and placed a hand on Xie Wenxing’s shoulder. With a casual, almost teasing tone, he said, “You, you, you, what about you? What are you trying to do with my Brother Huai?”
Song Yuan’s eyes widened at the sight of Zhou Yuan’s hand on Xie Wenxing’s shoulder. His eyes went as round as saucers. “Oh no,” he muttered under his breath.
The study committee member, who sat in front of Song Yuan, heard him and asked, “Why? What’s wrong?”
Song Yuan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He covered his eyes, his face twisted with dread. “You’ll see in a second.”
That hand on his shoulder, though its skin was slightly darker, it wasn’t ugly by any means.
But in that moment, it felt to Xie Wenxing as if a sledgehammer had come crashing down on his heart.
His pupils contracted violently. A sudden, overwhelming wave of nausea surged up from within. His chest heaved a few times, and his mouth flew open: “Blergh!!!”
The entire classroom went dead silent.
If it had been quiet before, now it was utterly still.
All eyes turned toward the floor, or more precisely, toward Xu Huai’an’s shoes.
At that moment, the pristine white sneakers were splattered with Xie Wenxing’s vomit. It had been over an hour since breakfast, so the food hadn’t fully digested. Bits of undigested food mixed with stomach acid created a pungent, unpleasant smell.
Everyone was frozen in shock.
Zhou Yuan quickly withdrew his hand, looking a bit sheepish. Xie Wenxing stared at Xu Huai’an’s shoes, his mouth opening as if to say something, but another wave of nausea made him dry heave again.
Whispers rippled through the classroom.
“Holy crap, this is not the direction I expected at all!”
“This transfer student’s got some nerve. I thought he was trying to get close to Xu Huai’an, but instead, he just threw up all over him!”
“Xu Huai’an must be furious. If someone threw up on me for no reason, I’d want to beat the crap out of them!”
“If I remember correctly, those shoes are a limited edition collaboration with some famous basketball player. Globally limited. They’re selling for hundreds of thousands now, right?”
“Forget the money, it’s about the exclusivity! Xie Wenxing is done for. Xu Huai’an has never been humiliated like this before.”
They were all dying of curiosity, how would Xu Huai’an react? Would he lash out with sharp, cutting words? Or would he grab him and throw a punch?
Even though they had never seen Xu Huai’an get physical, if they put themselves in his shoes, they’d be furious. Acting on impulse and throwing a punch wasn’t out of the question!
Under the intense, almost tangible gazes of his classmates, Xie Wenxing was oblivious to them all. His heart was pounding faster than ever before, to the point of making his chest feel tight and suffocating.
Xu Huai’an’s long eyelashes drooped slightly. Seated, with Xie Wenxing standing, the downward tilt of his eyes only deepened the air of world-weariness that always seemed to surround him.
He looked quietly at his shoes for a few seconds, then shifted his gaze to Xie Wenxing.
It’s over. This is it. Now Xu Huai’an is definitely going to hate me. Wuwuwuwu! I liked him so much, how did I mess up this badly?! I was so close. If I had just tried a little harder, held it in a little more…
Xie Wenxing felt as though a thunderbolt had struck him, his whole world crumbling. His tongue felt tied in knots. “I-I-I’m so-sorry.”
The three words took him nearly a minute to spit out.
He didn’t dare look at Xu Huai’an’s face. With his head bowed low, the thought of being met with disgust in Xu Huai’an’s eyes made tears well up quickly. His lips were pressed tight between his teeth.
He stood there like a condemned prisoner, head hanging, waiting for Xu Huai’an to pass the sentence.
The silence stretched on for nearly a minute. Xie Wenxing gritted his teeth.
No. I have to make him understand I didn’t mean it. I can’t let him hate me.
Beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Xie Wenxing clenched his jaw, unwilling to let Xu Huai’an misunderstand him and end up hating him. From somewhere, a surge of strength welled up inside him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. How much were these shoes? Let me, let me pay you back. Ah, I—I absolutely don’t mean to belittle you. I just feel terrible for getting your shoes dirty…”
Xu Huai’an listened quietly to Xie Wenxing’s explanation, his eyes veiled and unreadable like mist.
Yet his usual aloof expression, strangely enough, gave Xie Wenxing a sense of reassurance, giving him the courage to continue.
Meanwhile, Luo Yinyin was gleefully ranting to her system.
Hahahaha, this mission taker is so stupid. What an idiot.
I thought he had some special trick up his sleeve, doing this in front of the whole class. Who would’ve thought, could he be any more foolish?
Her mental tirade grew increasingly vicious, using the most scathing, venomous words to tear Xie Wenxing down. It was as if doing so could somehow lessen her own humiliation at being rejected by Xu Huai’an.
Xu Huai’an had been quietly listening to the cotton-candy soft voice inside Xie Wenxing’s heart, sniffling out words of affection and apology.
Every emotion there, the fondness, the anxiety, the lingering fear, all of it was stirred up by him, Xu Huai’an, with no ulterior motive whatsoever.
It felt like a taste of sweet rain to his parched throat.
Then, at that moment, Luo Yinyin’s inner voice buzzed like an annoying fly. Mixed with the thoughts of other classmates, they became a swarm of flies drowning out Xie Wenxing’s.
Xu Huai’an frowned. “Quiet. It’s too noisy.”
Everyone around them froze. None of them had been speaking, only Xie Wenxing had been apologizing.
“Ha! I told you Xu Huai’an hates Xie Wenxing’s guts.”
“Why though? Xie Wenxing didn’t mean it. He looks like he’s about to cry.”
Xie Wenxing’s repeated apologies came to an abrupt halt. He thought Xu Huai’an was disgusted by him. Sniffling, his cheeks and the tip of his nose flushed red. The color spreading from the delicate corners of his eyes was like a bottle of red ink overturned on a sheet of pure white paper.
“I’m sorry!”
He bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle. Without lifting his head, he turned and walked away. Song Yuan quickly pushed his chair back and chased after him.
The students watched as Xu Huai’an’s expression visibly chilled.
Chen Yun, the class monitor and also a mission taker, had been biding her time, unlike Luo Yinyin. She hadn’t made any rash moves, waiting for the right moment.
Now, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise her favorability with Xu Huai’an had finally arrived!
She frowned delicately, clearly displeased. “Xie Wenxing is so rude. How could anyone act like that…”
Chen Yun trailed off, leaving the rest of her meaning implied.
“I wonder what kind of upbringing his family gave him,” she murmured.
Turning to Xu Huai’an, her watery eyes feigned concern. “Xu Huai’an, why don’t you go back to the dorm first and—”
Xu Huai’an’s brow furrowed again. He lifted his eyelids, and a wave of deep, weary detachment spread across his features. “You’re annoying.”
Chen Yun met his gaze directly, and for a fleeting moment, she felt as though something terrifying had given her a casual glance.
If she had a tail, it would have bristled on end.
The feeling passed in an instant.
Humiliated in front of everyone, Chen Yun’s face shifted between pale and flushed. The weight of the stares around her made her feel as though she had lost all dignity.
Forcing a stiff smile, she tried to save face. “I know you’re upset. I won’t take it to heart.”
Afraid that Xu Huai’an might say something even more cutting, she quickly turned and retreated to her seat.
This episode ended with Xu Huai’an leaving the classroom as well.
The other students assumed Xie Wenxing would stay away for a while, but when the bell rang, surprise, he was back.
The damp strands of hair plastered to his forehead showed that he had just been to wash his face and calm himself down.
Noticing that Xu Huai’an wasn’t in his seat, Xie Wenxing felt even more dejected. He slumped onto his desk, gloomy and downcast.
Song Yuan watched him with concern. He lifted his hand but quickly put it down again, not sure how to comfort his friend.
After a long silence, Xie Wenxing turned his head and asked in a nasal voice, “Yuanyuan, do you think Xu Huai’an definitely hates me now?”
Song Yuan hesitated for a moment. “Well… he doesn’t really strike me as the petty type.”
He touched his nose, a habit he had when lying.
Xie Wenxing sniffled, then turned back and buried his face in his arms again.
Not only them, anyone who had witnessed the scene was certain of one thing: judging by the icy look on Xu Huai’an’s face when he left, he must despise Xie Wenxing. But then again, it was Xie Wenxing’s fault, so it was only natural for Xu Huai’an to be upset.
Those shoes were filthy now. Given Xu Huai’an’s personality, he would definitely throw them away. Maybe after class, someone could stake out the trash can?
After all, they were a globally limited collaboration, a good wash, and they’d be as good as new!
Meanwhile, Xu Huai’an had returned to his dorm. He placed the sneakers under the faucet and rinsed them clean.
As he passed the trash can, he paused for half a second, his thoughts drifting back to Xie Wenxing.
In the end, he tucked the shoes away in a corner of his closet.
If that little rabbit found out I threw them away, he’d definitely cry.
Lately, Xu Huai’an had enjoyed teasing the little rabbit. But when it came to actually making him cry, all the fun suddenly disappeared.