Chapter 62

Chapter 62

When it came time for the student council election, Ji Mian went up on stage.

Xie Hang's phone buzzed with a few messages from his family group chat, sent by his mother.

"Dad": How are you adjusting to the new environment?

"Dad": How’s your new roommate?

He quickly replied to both messages.

"Xie Hang": I’m adjusting fine, and my roommate’s good too.

He glanced at the stage, where his roommate was confidently giving his self-introduction.

The roommate was nice, maybe a little too nice.

"Dad": Have you found an apartment yet?

"Xie Hang": Not yet, there's been a lot going on with the start of school, so it's not urgent.

"Dad": It’s actually good you haven’t found one yet~

"Dad": Mom still thinks you should stay in the dorm for a while. You’re too much of a loner; since elementary school, you’ve never been one to hang out with classmates, and you never experienced dorm life in middle or high school. Humans are social animals after all. You've just arrived in a new environment and haven't even gotten to know everyone yet. Moving out now might make you feel isolated.

Xie Hang sighed to himself.

He admitted he was a bit solitary, but that didn’t mean he was so antisocial as to be out of place. Besides, he didn't care much about fitting in or not.

"Dad": What if you just stayed for a month? You can move out after you've gotten to know your classmates better.

Knowing that her son's decisions weren't easily changed, his mother had clearly chosen her words carefully, with a hint of negotiation in her tone, and immediately followed up with an emoji.

Xie Hang lowered his eyes in thought. His aloofness had always been his parents’ biggest worry, and they constantly nagged him in high school to make more friends.

He didn't want his parents to worry about him all the time.

Moreover, currently living in the dorm, aside from his roommate being a little too eager, there really wasn't anything that made him uncomfortable.

Another message popped up in the group chat.

"Mom": What’s the harm in staying for a month? A guy like you, staying in the dorm for a month won’t kill you, will it?

Xie Hang ignored the message, brushing off his father’s sarcasm.

He thought for a moment and replied.

"Xie Hang": @Dad Okay.

"Dad": [ok][smile][smile]

After he replied, Ji Mian stepped down from the stage.

The voting ended, and Ji Mian won by seventeen votes over the other candidate.

*

A week went by, and Ji Mian still hadn’t seen Song Yu in class. He still hadn’t arrived at school yet.

On the way to the 8 a.m. class, he asked the system with some concern, "Song Yu isn’t actually going to skip registration, is he?"

"No, although I don't have the specific plot details, the protagonist's life path is largely predetermined. Song Yu just broke up with the male lead after the college entrance exam, so he naturally needs time to recover."

Ji Mian is now in a campus setting where broken relationships are mended and reunited.

The protagonist, Song Yu, and the male lead, He Chang, developed feelings for each other during high school. They confessed their feelings and started dating in their senior year.

Song Yu comes from a scholarly family with rigid household rules. Not only was same-sex dating forbidden, but even early romance in middle and high school was strictly off-limits according to his parents.

He Chang, meanwhile, went through his parents' divorce at a young age. After the divorce, his father, who got custody, was neglectful and only ever disciplined He Chang with drunken beatings and scoldings, never showing any real care.

Because of his upbringing, He Chang was always on the defensive, quick to lash out at anyone.

Yet, despite their vastly different backgrounds and personalities, the two fell in love.

The fallout from their love was devastating.

He Chang was known as a troublemaker at school and had poor grades. Even though he studied hard all senior year to catch up with Song Yu, his college entrance exam scores were still disappointing, barely meeting the cutoff for second-tier universities.

Meanwhile, Song Yu got into University A, one of the country's top schools.

After the college entrance exam, He Chang grew increasingly anxious about the gap between them, and Song Yu's parents found out about their relationship.

They pressured Song Yu relentlessly, but their usually obedient son dug in his heels, refusing to break up with He Chang.

Without Song Yu's knowledge, his parents called He Chang.

Though strict, Song Yu's parents weren't the type to bully. They didn't say anything harsh over the phone, but for a young man already drowning in self-doubt, their gentle warnings were crushing.

After that, He Chang slowly distanced himself from Song Yu and finally broke up with him two weeks before the new semester.

Song Yu, already weighed down by family pressure, was heartbroken when his lover ended things. Still, he tried to save the relationship, but He Chang never replied to any of his messages.

They drifted apart.

Once in university, no longer bound by the label of 'early romance,' Song Yu had even more admirers than in high school.

He Chang never really moved on from Song Yu. He wanted to win him back but felt unworthy, so he kept asking a friend at University A about him.

When he learned about his ex-boyfriend's many suitors, He Chang was crushed and finally understood how deeply he loved Song Yu.

He decided to retake the college entrance exam, a path he'd once looked down on.

Though he couldn't change his background, he could work to close the gap between him and Song Yu.

After a year of retaking the exam, He Chang was admitted to University A, and the two resolved their past misunderstandings, reconciling and reuniting.

Ji Mian, now in Lu Zhou's body, plays a supporting role in the main couple's journey to reconciliation.

The original host was naturally attracted to the same sex and fell in love with Song Yu at first sight during their freshman year, launching a fervent pursuit.

Lu Zhou's family background was comparable to Song Yu's, and his outgoing personality complemented Song Yu's reserved nature.

Of course, Song Yu never developed any feelings beyond friendship for him.

Among all of Song Yu's suitors, the original host had a relatively significant role, as both his looks and family background seemed more compatible with Song Yu than He Chang's.

Upon hearing about Lu Zhou from a friend, He Chang also felt a sense of crisis.

When Ji Mian entered the classroom, his mind was still preoccupied with Song Yu.

The main couple got back together at the start of their sophomore year, and his mission in this world would end a year after they reunited.

They were in a Microeconomics class, taught by a responsible and gentle female teacher in her thirties. By 7:50, she was already in the classroom, turning on the microphone and projector at the podium to get ready.

"Oops..." she muttered, "I forgot the USB drive."

Though she was talking to herself, her cute mutter was picked up by the mic and heard by the whole class, which got a few chuckles from the students.

The teacher looked up and said sorry to the class, "For now, just look at the textbook. I’ll run back to the office to grab the USB drive."

Ji Mian had just walked in and, hearing this, turned around. "I’ll grab it for you, teacher."

"Huh?" The teacher was surprised.

Ji Mian was already heading out. "Where’s your office?"

After a moment of surprise, the teacher smiled warmly, "It’s in Building 3, Room 402. My desk is the first one by the door, and the USB’s in the top drawer."

"It’s a bit of a walk, thanks for helping out."

Ji Mian nodded, said "Okay," and headed out.

"Ugh, suck-up..."

From the middle and back rows, a snide comment got lost in the chatter.

He Zhikai watched the scene and muttered a curse.

The curly-haired guy next to him frowned when he heard this, "You don’t even know him, why say that?"

"I don’t think he’s the type to kiss up for extra credit. Didn’t he stick up for Song Yu last time? And Song Yu’s not even his friend..."

"Isn’t he just trying to brown-nose the teacher?" He Zhikai rolled his eyes, mocking him, "What’s your deal defending him? He’s not here to hear you flatter him."

"..."

Seeing the curly-haired boy fall silent, He Zhikai got even more riled up, "I can’t stand these suck-ups—"

"Move."

A deep male voice came from above, flat in tone, without honorifics, like a cold command.

He Zhikai looked up to see a tall boy with a buzz cut standing next to him, his expression blank.

The boy’s features were sharp and cold, and even the buzz cut, which is a test of one’s looks, was pulled off effortlessly by him.

He Zhikai recognized him immediately—the guy who sat with the suck-up on the first day of school. His striking appearance and demeanor made him hard to forget.

After recognizing him, he was momentarily stunned.

Why are these guys always hanging around my row?

Xie Heng half-lowered his eyes, tilted his chin to signal him to move aside, not even bothering to speak, his demeanor extremely arrogant.

What the hell? He Zhikai was instantly filled with anger, opening his mouth to retort but finding no reason to.

After all, the other guy hadn’t even said anything provocative.

Xie Hang, nearly 1.9 meters tall, stood beside him like a small mountain, his presence undeniably imposing. He Zhikai gritted his teeth and made way for him.

As Xie Hang passed by, he glanced at He Zhikai, whether on purpose or by chance.

The look from above was chillingly dismissive.

He Zhikai was very sensitive to how others looked at him and was instantly provoked.

Just as he was about to react, Xie Hang walked past him with his bag, his towering height and muscular frame instantly commanding attention.

It shut He Zhikai up on the spot.