Chapter 62

Chapter 62

City X was rainy, with an endless drizzle under a thick, gray sky that hadn’t cleared for days.

The same old lecture halls, dorms, and dining halls.

Fu Xie had left his umbrella behind today.

Maybe he figured the misty rain didn’t matter; he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head for cover.

The distance between the teaching building and the canteen was just wrong—too far to walk comfortably, too close to bother with transportation.

The rain had dampened his clothes slightly, clinging to his skin with a damp, chilly irritation that was hard to shake off.

This mild unease had persisted since Fu Xie started school. He didn’t understand what was happening to him.

He just felt that everything, everything, was completely pointless.

Fu Xie ate mechanically. The food wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t good either.

To others, he looked like your typical bright-eyed college kid.

Free from the pressures of survival, untainted by society’s harsh realities, soaking up that carefree, innocent college life within the ivory tower.

Or at least, that’s how it should have been.

He had chosen his major based on his own interests, and with his striking looks, people cut him slack wherever he went.

By now, he had gotten his own place off-campus, but he still got along well with his roommate Chen Mo, often partnering up for experiments.

If he were stuck in a space with other classmates, he’d inevitably be swarmed with overeager small talk.

The classmates meant no harm, but Fu Xie simply couldn’t handle it.

If he dragged Chen Mo—who froze up when anyone talked to him—along, the two of them would sit in silence, and people would naturally gravitate toward more willing conversationalists.

It could be said that Chen Mo had played a big role in helping Fu Xie adjust smoothly to the new class.

The only thing was, Chen Mo was a step behind in social cues and completely unaware of why Fu Xie insisted on keeping him around.

But at the same time, he was happy to accompany Fu Xie—firstly because Fu Xie never forced him to socialize, and secondly because they were the most familiar with each other in class.

Chen Mo, who had barely spoken a word at first, gradually opened up to Fu Xie, becoming able to express himself fluently and even giving him shit, genuinely considering Fu Xie a friend.

Some professors liked to spoon-feed exam hints during lectures. If Fu Xie spaced out, Chen Mo would jab him awake so he wouldn’t miss the key points.

All in all, Fu Xie had settled into campus life just fine.

Everything was steadily improving.

Back in his rented apartment, Fu Xie had bought back all his old gaming gear he’d once owned at the Xi family villa.

His gaming profiles hadn’t been revoked by Xi Wenlun, so he could continue playing with his cloud saves.

Was this what "living the good life early" meant?

Fu Xie grinded all night, only putting down the controller at the ass-crack of dawn.

The display hung on the achievement unlocked page, the golden trophy blinking relentlessly.

This was the platinum trophy he had longed for when he was with Xi Wenlun, requiring specific time conditions to unlock.

He’d finally unlocked it, but he felt no joy.

Gaming’s dopamine rush helped him avoid dwelling on the past year, and Fu Xie used it to numb himself.

This state had persisted ever since the day he argued with Xi Wenlun.

Fu Xie tried not to think about him, but the obsession lingered like a stubborn shadow, creeping into every corner of his thoughts.

While shopping, he would pass by Xi Group brands—something he had once seen on Xi Wenlun’s desk.

Back then, he hadn’t known the chain’s connection to the Xi family, only that it was a brand he frequently encountered outside.

At the time, Xi Wenlun was in a conference call, off-camera to the board, so Fu Xie took the chance to cling to him without letting go.

Xi Wenlun, helpless against his antics yet unwilling to push him away, simply shoved a new product at him to shut him up.

Fu Xie tore into the packaging excitedly upon recognizing the familiar design.

Hanging off Xi Wenlun’s shoulder, he leaned close and hissed, "Is this also part of the Xi Group?"

Warm breath brushed against Xi Wenlun’s ear, and Fu Xie watched with satisfaction as a faint pink tinge spread from his ear down to his neck.

Pale skin was a curse—blood rushed to the surface too easily.

Xi Wenlun nodded, then shot him a look.

The hidden intensity in Xi Wenlun’s gaze sent a shiver down Fu Xie’s spine, making him wriggle free.

But Xi Wenlun trapped him between his arms, didn’t budge despite Fu Xie’s thrashing.

Fu Xie’s excitement died as the screen went black.

What was the point of reminiscing now?

Fate was set in stone—unlike minor characters like him, the destinies of protagonists and their main players couldn’t be altered.

Just as, even without Fu Xie staying at Li Junyuan’s company, Lin Yubin still fell for the trash protagonist as per the original plot.

Just as Xi Wenlun, after curing his secret condition, continued pursuing Lin Yubin.

His phone buzzed, and Fu Xie answered on autopilot before realizing he should’ve ignored it.

"Uh, hey, Fu Xie, are you asleep?"

It was Chen Mo’s voice.

"No, what’s up?"

"Sorry, is this too late to call you now? I kept chickening out in my dorm until it got this late—really, I’m sorry."

"It’s fine."

"I wanted to text you, but it seemed too… impersonal? I didn’t know how to explain, so I called instead."

"Anyway, thank you for always having my back since the semester started. Every time I switched classes before, I had a rough time. But now, with you here, it’s way easier."

"You’re welcome."

Fu Xie pondered for a moment. He had merely created a comfortable environment for his social anxiety while just happening to help this roommate out—no big deal.

"So, I... I’ve been bringing you some breakfast every morning, but you didn’t seem to notice. Maybe you didn't like what I brought?"

"Huh? What breakfast?"

Fu Xie honestly didn't remember. Even though they often sat together, he couldn’t recall.

He tried hard to recall and realized that lately, there had been things left in his desk drawer. He had assumed they belonged to students from the previous class and ignored them.

"Ah? You really didn’t notice?" Chen Mo sounded dejected. "It’s my fault for putting them too far inside. No wonder you didn't see them. Next time, I’ll make sure they’re more visible."

"No, no, don’t say it’s your fault."

Fu Xie remembered seeing Chen Mo’s name on the student loan assistance list. He had noticed it while reviewing the loan repayment and withdrawal notices.

"You’re a student on financial aid, right? You really don't have to buy me breakfast—just make sure you eat enough yourself."

There were many things Fu Xie didn't have, but money wasn’t one of them.

Chen Mo insisted passionately: "No! You’ve been so kind to me. I can’t just accept it without doing anything in return!"

They argued back and forth a few more times.

Fu Xie, touched by his determination, sighed.

"Alright, alright. But you have to use my meal card to pay—and get breakfast for yourself too."

"I couldn't possibly!"

"Don’t worry about me. I have a part-time job—I can easily afford your breakfast..."

"Stop arguing. If you don’t use my card, I won’t know what to buy, and the money will just go to waste. Consider it a favor to me."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long moment before finally yielding.

"...Alright."

From then on, Fu Xie had breakfast waiting for him every day without exception.

In his free time, he began observing Chen Mo more closely and noticed how thin and underdressed he was, eating very little.

Fu Xie considered finding a way to give Chen Mo some money, but the moment he brought it up, Chen Mo acted like he'd been deeply insulted.

He didn’t get angry or say anything harsh—just stared at Fu Xie with dark, red-rimmed eyes in silent protest.

Fu Xie understood. He decided to respect that.

Everyone had their own pride and principles. He couldn’t force what he thought was good onto others.

To lighten the mood, Fu Xie lightened the mood with some funny stories.

Chen Mo, still a teenager just graduated from high school, was easily cheered up.

Laughing, he asked, "Where do you learn such interesting things? I thought everyone spent their three years of high school nothing but studying like me."

"You must be one of those rich kids who’ve seen the world! I envy you—but I don’t resent the rich. I hope you’ll share more with me!"

Fu Xie’s faint smile vanished instantly.

He wanted to tell Chen Mo they weren’t so different.

He’d just met someone out of his league—someone from the glitzy upper class. When Fu Xie first stepped into that world, he was like a wide-eyed kid.

It was more like living in a beautiful dream.

Then the dream ended—like a soap bubble bursting in the summer sun, gone without a trace.

The mist faded, and everything went back to the way it was.

"Sorry, did I make you unhappy?" Chen Mo fidgeted, uneasy at Fu Xie’s abrupt silence.

Fu Xie forced a smile out of habit. "No, I was just thinking about something."

Chen Mo watched him for a beat before replying, "You don’t look happy. You don’t have to fake a smile for my sake."

"Oh—gotta run, my shift’s starting. Later!"

Fu Xie stood in place, waving goodbye to Chen Mo.

He tugged his hat down, shadowing his eyes.

So Chen Mo had picked up on it too. Was it getting worse?

Despite this, Fu Xie continued his studies as usual.

Luckily, college wasn’t as intense as high school, so he had space to breathe.

Just a funk—he still showed up for class, turned in assignments, and kept his grades up.

Only one person was nothing like Fu Xie—his roommate, Chen Mo.

Early in the semester, Chen Mo had been a top student, neck-and-neck with Fu Xie.

Fu Xie knew from their talks that Chen Mo loved his major—even the grind of studying didn’t dull his excitement.

But after break, Chen Mo grew jumpy—light-sensitive, startling at raised voices.

His grades tanked, and he flunked multiple classes.

And this was despite Chen Mo never skipping a single class.

The counselor had pulled him aside but hit a dead end, so they passed the buck to Fu Xie, his closest friend.

Fu Xie was better with people now, but he still sucked at interrogations, so Chen Mo managed to evade his inquiries with vague responses.

Even so, Fu Xie stood at the doorway of the dorm Chen Mo had moved out of, still trying to persuade him.

"If you’re really in trouble, please tell me if there’s anything I can do to help."

Chen Mo braced against the door, guarded, but finally nodded.

Now the dorm was Fu Xie’s alone.

"Thanks, but I’m okay. You should go—it’s getting late."

Fu Xie didn’t push further, half-convinced Chen Mo would figure it out, throwing glances over his shoulder as he walked away.

Until one day, Fu Xie got way too into gaming and only realized it was already dawn when he looked up.

He muttered "shit," checked his phone for the class schedule, and saw only two bullshit classes in the morning. Unsurprisingly, he chose to go back to sleep.

He slept until the afternoon, then got up comfortably, stretched, freshened up, ate, and jumped right back into gaming.

The next day, when Fu Xie went to class, Chen Mo was nowhere to be seen.

Weird - even he slept in for once?

The whole day was packed with classes, all of them major courses with high credit weight, so Fu Xie actually paid attention for once.

By nearly noon, Chen Mo still hadn’t shown up.

The class rep sitting behind Fu Xie tapped his shoulder. "Hey, where’s your dorm-mate? Haven’t seen him in class for two days."

Fu Xie’s heart skipped a beat. "You mean he wasn’t here yesterday either?"

"Yeah, aren’t you dorm-mates? He never misses class. Good thing the prof doesn't do roll call, or he’d be in trouble."

"No," Fu Xie shook his head. "We used to share a dorm, but I moved out. Anyone else in class know?"

The rep looked surprised. "Wait, what? Since your dorm wasn’t in the same building as the rest of the guys, that’s why I figured you'd know."

Fu Xie glanced at the wall clock—class was almost over.

"Then I’ll go check on him."

The rep nodded. "Text me when you find him, alright?"

As soon as the bell rang, Fu Xie tried calling Chen Mo.

Straight to voicemail.

He kept calling while picking up his pace.

By the time he reached the male dormitory, still no answer.

Fu Xie saw Chen Mo’s window shut tight, the heavy door keeping everything out.

He called the dorm supervisor, who came up with a spare key and fumbled with it for a while before finally unlocking it.

"Tsk, this kid, why’s it locked up so tight?"

When the door opened, a strong stench instantly spread out.

Medicine bottles on the table had been knocked over, spilling some of their contents.

Fu Xie’s eyes widened in shock as he called out to the figure lying on the bed in disbelief.

"Chen Mo?"