Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Ji Mian returned from Building 3 with the USB drive he had found and noticed someone standing in front of the closed classroom door. It was a boy, dressed in an ordinary short-sleeved shirt and long pants, but his slim figure was quite striking.

"Classmate, why aren’t you going in?" Ji Mian approached him and asked.

The boy was startled by the sudden voice from behind, his back instantly arching.

"Did I scare you? Sorry—" Ji Mian’s apology was abruptly cut short as the boy turned around. And he was exceptionally good-looking.

The boy’s features weren’t strikingly outstanding, but they were all well-proportioned. Individually, there was absolutely no flaw to be found.

The lines of his jaw and neck were clear and beautiful, and the contours of his face were softer than most men’s, yet it didn’t make him appear weak. Instead, he exuded a rare scholarly aura.

But the reason Ji Mian was momentarily dazed wasn’t entirely due to the boy’s appearance. More importantly, it was the system prompt that rang in his mind:

"The mission target has appeared. Please maintain your character."

He was Song Yu. Ji Mian realized.

"Please maintain your character," the system reminded again.

In the original plot, Lu Zhou fell in love with Song Yu at first sight.

So, two seconds later, Song Yu watched as the person who had just been talking to him inexplicably blushed, his ears burning hot.

The earring on his left ear flashed in Song Yu’s eyes.

"Classmate?" He blinked, somewhat confused.

"Huh?" Ji Mian seemed to snap back to reality, stuttering as he spoke, "Uh… why aren’t you going in?"

"I didn’t report earlier because of… some reasons." Song Yu’s eyes dimmed slightly, as if he thought of something. "I just got off the plane today and rushed over, but I’m still late for the first class."

"Oh! You’re Song Yu, right?"

"You know me?" Song Yu was slightly surprised.

Ji Mian joked with him, "Not really, but since you weren’t here during roll call, everyone knows you."

Song Yu felt a bit embarrassed for a moment.

"Let’s go in. Our microeconomics teacher is very nice. I’ll go in with you, don’t worry."

Hearing this, Song Yu gave Ji Mian a grateful smile.

The coldness on his face melted into a smile, which directly made the other person’s cheeks burn red.

The feeling of a sudden heartbeat is hard to fake. Ji Mian knew when he first saw the plotline in this world that he couldn’t be as lucky as in the previous two worlds, where he could get by with poor acting skills.

Regardless of other things, the basic act of blushing and heart-pounding had to be mastered.

Ji Mian had consciously practiced, and his acting skills had improved rapidly during the leisurely years in this world. Now, pretending to blush was as easy as breathing.

Song Yu had already turned around, giving himself a two-second mental preparation before pushing the classroom door open and walking in.

Ji Mian followed behind him in a daze, his face still burning as he entered the lecture hall.

He walked straight up the stairs until the voice of the microeconomics teacher, filled with amusement, echoed through the classroom: "Hey—where are you going? The USB drive?"

Ji Mian was halfway up the stairs when he was called back to reality by the voice, and his expression instantly stiffened. This time, it wasn’t an act—he’d genuinely forgotten about the USB drive clutched in his hand…

While communicating with the system, conversing with Song Yu, and maintaining his character, Ji Mian’s multitasking brain had inevitably missed a few details.

Now, standing in a classroom of over a hundred people with a bright red face, even Ji Mian felt a bit mortified.

He quickly turned around and hastily placed the USB drive on the podium.

The microeconomics teacher smiled at him, saying, “Thank you.”

Back at his seat, Ji Mian caught sight of a familiar figure and made his way to the middle-back row, stopping beside He Zhikai. “Scoot over.”

He Zhikai: …

What the hell? Are you all out of your minds?

Under the teacher’s watchful eye, He Zhikai dared not show any other emotions. With a grim expression, he stood up and made room.

The seat next to him was now empty, and one seat further in sat Xie Hang. The curly-haired boy, after hearing He Zhikai’s remark, “He’s not here, he can’t hear you fawning over him,” was thoroughly disgusted and had moved to another seat.

He probably wouldn’t be hanging out with He Zhikai anymore.

Ji Mian sat down in the now vacant seat.

Xie Hang glanced at him and commented, “Your face is really red.”

“Is it…”

The microeconomics teacher didn’t forget that there was another person who had entered with Ji Mian. In a good mood, she addressed Song Yu gently as she asked him to explain his situation.

Song Yu let out a sigh of relief and quickly explained that he hadn’t been able to report earlier and had just arrived from home today.

“I see,” the microeconomics teacher nodded. “Take a seat. If you don’t have the textbook, share with the student next to you. Let’s start the class now.”

At the back of the classroom, the flush on Ji Mian’s face lingered.

Xie Hang initially thought his roommate’s flushed face was from rushing here. But Ji Mian’s steady breathing suggested he wasn’t overheated.

Moreover, Ji Mian’s gaze was glued to the boy who had just entered, as if he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Xie Hang, puzzled, asked, “Do you know that…”

“Song Yu?” Xie Hang thought for a moment before recalling Song Yu’s name.

“Huh?” Ji Mian pondered, “Just met him today.”

Xie Hang: “…”

Ji Mian suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper, “Don’t you think he’s… stunning?”

His tone held a hidden anticipation, a budding crush that he couldn’t openly express, so he could only hint at it subtly, hoping to get a positive response from Xie Hang.

“…Stunning?” Xie Hang was completely clueless about the romantic undertones. Following Ji Mian’s gaze, he looked at Song Yu’s back in the front row of the classroom.

He had seen Song Yu when he entered the room earlier.

He looked like one of those charismatic TV idols. Handsome, sure. But “stunning”?

It was the first time Xie Hang had heard a guy described as "pretty."

He frowned, thinking Ji Mian's reaction was a little weird.

Why would someone blush just from looking at a guy?

"You—"

Just as he was about to speak, Ji Mian turned to him, leaning in close to whisper, his head tilted down.

Ji Mian's normally pale face was flushed, his eyes misty but shining brightly. They were so close that Xie Hang could even see the fine hairs on Ji Mian's cheeks.

Xie Hang's voice cut off abruptly.

Ji Mian, thinking he hadn't heard, leaned in closer and asked, "Huh?"

Xie Hang paused, then said, "Nothing," and silently looked away.

He reconsidered: Maybe "pretty" was the right word after all.

*

Evening study ended at eight, and Xie Hang, as usual, headed to the track for a night run.

The basketball court, fenced off from the track, was still lit up. Usually, Ji Mian played basketball later than Xie Hang, so they rarely walked back to the dorm together.

Forty minutes later, Xie Hang slowed to a stop and walked a lap to catch his breath. As he passed the basketball court, he glanced inside but didn't spot the familiar figure.

This was unusual. In the two weeks since they'd met, Ji Mian had never missed a night at the court, even if he was just watching from the sidelines.

But he didn't think much of it, finishing the lap and heading back to the dorm.

As he opened the dorm door, he heard Chen Xu's booming voice, cooing to his girlfriend on the phone.

"Whatcha doin’, baby?"

Chen Xu's usually loud voice was unnaturally soft, making Xie Hang's eye twitch.

Jia Wenbo, like Xie Hang, was totally grossed out by Chen Xu's tone.

"I’m in the dorm... just missing you," Chen Xu cooed, chuckling into the phone, sounding way too cheesy.

But it was obvious he was into her. They were probably in the honeymoon phase, with Chen Xu still on his best behavior.

Though, honestly, his real self was way more likable than this act.

Xie Hang couldn’t take it and hurried in, planning to shower while Chen Xu was busy with his cringy call.

Only after passing Chen Xu's bed did he notice Ji Mian was back, though he hadn’t seen him earlier because Chen Xu was in the way.

Ji Mian being back so early surprised Xie Hang.

Back at his bed, Xie Hang peeled off his sweaty shirt and grabbed his clothes and towel.

He was shirtless, his back and waist muscles clearly defined. Xie Han did some core workouts now and then, so his abs were toned but not over the top.

Still, when Chen Xu first saw him shirtless, he couldn’t help but blurt out, "Damn, that body is insane!"

Ji Mian actually had muscles too. He spent his high school days running and jumping around the sports field, but since he never deliberately trained, his physique wasn’t as pronounced as those who had worked out.

However, as the most laid-back one among the four in the dorm, he rarely went shirtless in the dorm.

Before heading to the bathroom, Xie Hang glanced sideways across the room.

The view from behind was almost the same as when Xie Hang had entered, with both hands propping up his face, and the shoulders hadn’t moved for several minutes.

What was he doing?

Xie Hang stared at Ji Mian’s back for about half a minute and finally concluded: he was doing nothing, just zoning out at the wall.

Xie Hang had always thought that his roommate’s head was only filled with nosiness and athleticism, but it seemed there was something else that required him to process through daydreaming.

Incredible.

On the other side, Chen Xu hung up the phone, holding a dark phone screen with a creepy smile.

"Haha, hehe..."

Hearing this laughter, Ji Mian stopped staring at the wall and turned to look at Chen Xu, saying quietly, "Are you okay, my friend... I can practically see your tonsils from here."

"What do you know?" Chen Xu covered his chest, "It took me a year to pursue my girlfriend. She’s the most popular girl in our grade, and a lot of guys were after her. It was only recently that she finally agreed to be with me."

Ji Mian caught the point in his words, "Are you good at pursuing people?"

"Mhm." Chen Xu lifted his chin proudly, "I fought my way through the crowd, okay?"

His tone was confident, but deep down, he was clueless.

When his girlfriend agreed to him, Chen Xu himself was bewildered, and after thinking for half a month, he still couldn’t figure out what she saw in him.

Listening, Ji Mian thought of Chen Xu’s over-the-top demeanor earlier and felt it was a bit sketchy.

Seeing the conversation heading towards romance, Xie Hang, who had no interest in such topics, quickly ducked into the bathroom to shower.

Leaving the other three in the dorm.

Once Chen Xu started talking, he couldn’t stop, going on and on about his various experiences from meeting his girlfriend to confessing his love, with plenty of embellishments.

Ji Mian and Jia Wenbo were hearing it for the first time and found it pretty entertaining. Jia Wenbo thought it was fresh, while Ji Mian was curious about the details of Chen Xu’s pursuit.

In his previous lives, he had always been the secret admirer type, never needing to learn how to pursue someone.

But this world was different; he not only had to pursue Song Yu but also do it in a big way.

Yet, Ji Mian was totally clueless about how to pursue someone.

However, after Chen Xu rambled on for nearly twenty minutes, the part about how he won her over was skimmed over.

As he spoke, he pulled up a photo of his girlfriend to show Jia Wenbo, who was closest.

Chen Xu’s eyes and brows were brimming with sweet joy, "Pretty, right?"

Jia Wenbo nodded.

The girl on the screen was indeed beautiful, dressed exquisitely, with a hint of non-irritating arrogance in her features.

Jia Wenbo was quite sensitive in matters of the heart, and the moment he saw the photo, he felt the girl was quite a match for Chen Xu.

I can't quite put my finger on why, but there's just a good vibe between us.

"Hey, Brother Xu (a respectful term for an older male)." Ji Mian first addressed Chen Xu with a respectful title, dragging his chair over to sit closer.

Chen Xu: "Hmm?"

Ji Mian asked humbly, "How did you win someone over?"

Chen Xu was caught off guard, "What, are you planning to pursue someone?"

Ji Mian dodged the question with a couple of vague remarks.

"When it comes to pursuing someone, you can't be too cliché. You need to play to their tastes while also being innovative." Chen Xu squinted, acting like he was sharing some deep wisdom. "Of course, having a good-looking face can make things much easier."

Ji Mian was confused, feeling like Chen Xu had said something, but it didn’t really mean much.

At that moment, the bathroom door behind them opened with a click, and Xie Hang stepped out wearing just a pair of shorts, casually drying his hair with a towel.

Ji Mian glanced at him, then turned back to Chen Xu for advice.

"Who do you want to pursue? I can help you figure it out," Chen Xu said.

"It’s not something I can talk about—it might not be good for them."

"If you don't want to say, that's fine. With Brother Xu teaching you, you’ll be good with any girl!"

Ji Mian hesitated, then said, "It’s still not quite the same..."

"What do you mean, not the same?"

Ji Mian: "The gender’s different."

Thud—

Xie Hang stumbled, tripping over his own feet.