Chapter 27

Chapter 27

September arrived quickly, and with it, the start of school.

Everything had been smooth sailing for Qi Jing until he was handed a key—for an apartment in the school district.

"As for staying in the dorm..."

He wanted to refuse, but the other person simply said calmly at the dining table, "What if you don’t sleep well there?"

Qi Jing didn’t consider himself that delicate, but he agreed nonetheless.

The two had an unspoken understanding not to mention the hotel incident—one young and naive, the other with ulterior motives.

Neither took another step forward, though for different reasons.

Later, Qi Jing cautiously asked 996, "Do kept men really earn this much?"

The money he had now was already several times his tuition.

"Totally normal, Xiao Jing," 996 said philosophically. "My advice is to take what you can get. Once we handle the protagonist situation, I’ll take you to Hong Kong."

Qi Jing pursed his lips, thinking it made sense. After all, Bo Chengyan had indeed said he didn’t like him.

Too young.

At that thought, he went to check his height.

He was now 179 cm.

Qi Jing’s spirits lifted immediately—he’d grown another two centimeters. If university went smoothly, he might even reach 180 cm.

The boy, filled with anticipation, then stepped onto the scale, nervously watching the numbers.

The red digital display flickered before stopping at 59 kilograms.

"Too light."

A deep voice came from behind him. Before Qi Jing could turn, an arm wrapped around his waist, lifting him off the scale.

"Dorm life is fine, but if you get too thin, you’re coming back."

The boy looked up, frowning slightly.

Bo Chengyan lowered his gaze and calmly reminded him, "Auntie will miss you."

Only then did Qi Jing realize, and he said earnestly, "Then I’ll come back every weekend."

"Hmm."

"Good boy."

The paleontology department dorm was in the south district. Though not a century-old building, it was indeed quite old.

Qi Jing had spent three hours unpacking and forgot to eat. Just then, his phone rang.

The boy sat on his chair and answered.

"Have you eaten?"

Qi Jing felt oddly guilty but, thinking himself grown-up, lied, "I already ate."

He’d just go to the cafeteria later.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then came the reply, "What a pity. Auntie made your lunch, but I suppose we’ll have to throw it away."

Qi Jing protested urgently, "No, no!"

"Come to the south gate."

The south gate was the closest side entrance to the dorm. As soon as Qi Jing stepped out, he spotted the car, swiped his card, and hurried out.

The security guard murmured in admiration, remarking that it must be a university administrator’s car.

So impressive.

The boy in a white T-shirt yanked open the car door and slid in.

"......"

"......"

The back seat of the Maybach was spacious, with a foldable table set up, holding a lunchbox.

There were sweet and sour ribs, sautéed green beans, pan-fried tofu... a small box of honeydew melon, and a bowl of multigrain rice.

Bo Chengyan looked like he’d just returned from work, still in his suit, the collar of his shirt slightly loosened.

"Already eaten?"

Qi Jing sat down, unable to meet his gaze, and finally admitted, "Well... no."

"I didn’t want to trouble you."

A subtle tension spread between them.

"You’re welcome to trouble me."

The boy stiffened slightly.

Bo Chengyan explained, "Indeed, you shouldn’t easily trouble strangers; you should offer something in return. But Xiao Jing, am I a stranger?"

Qi Jing quickly looked away, grabbing a rib with his chopsticks, his ears turning red.

He muttered, "No."

He’s the sugar daddy, he thought.

Just then, 996 appeared out of nowhere and curled up on Qi Jing’s lap.

"I couldn’t find that headliner. Did he get the wrong person?"

The blue slime was quite dejected, but when it turned its head and saw the delicious food, it involuntarily opened its mouth.

Only to be immediately covered by Qi Jing.

About half an hour later, Qi Jing was finally allowed to leave, holding a box of freshly cut fruit in his fair hand.

"Bye."

The boy stood outside, the sun particularly scorching, and instinctively raised a hand to shield himself.

The Maybach eventually drove away.

Qi Jing jogged back to the dorm and found that most of his roommates had already arrived. Perhaps thanks to his high school social skills, he quickly exchanged contact information with others and gradually got to know them better.

It wasn’t until their evening chat that he finally asked, "Sorry, but do any of you know Ruan Hang from the School of Big Data?"

Roommate A studied economics, Roommate B was in biology, and Roommate C was in big data—the same major as Ruan Hang, according to 996’s information.

"Ruan Hang? Didn’t you see the bulletin board in front of Qiuhua? There’s an event proposal featured—that’s Ruan Hang."

Roommate C, typing away on his laptop, turned his head curiously and added, "How do you know my senior? He’s a fourth-year now, I think. I’ve only heard he’s really impressive, but I don’t know him personally."

"What do you need him for?"

The guy squinted slightly.

Qi Jing didn’t pick up on the subtle undertone of that look but earnestly held up a bag he’d prepared. "My clothes got dirty once, and he lent me his. I need to return it."

"Oh, got it. Then just stop by our department in a few days. The project meeting on the bulletin board should be happening soon."

"Okay, thanks!"

996, perched on his desk, was utterly baffled. "You could’ve just asked me. I could’ve given you his location."

The boy tugged his desk curtain shut and shook his head, mentally replying, "No, you can help me, but I can’t bypass real-life interactions."

"Like with the cave incident—I could’ve called the police first and then had you help locate the place. If I’d done that, we wouldn’t have wasted emergency services later."

Qi Jing was good at learning from experience. After all, he lived in this world as an independent person and couldn’t rely too much on 996.

Especially since it didn’t seem all that reliable.

996: "..."

The system was held upside down, spilling out a few scattered snacks—it had already devoured all the honeydew at lunch.

Just then, a roommate called from outside, "Xiao Jing? You coming to freshen up?"

Qi Jing responded and headed out.

Meanwhile.

Bo Chengyan received no calls or messages.

He simply stared at the red dot on his phone.

"What kind of wristband is that? Never seen it before," a roommate asked curiously.

Qi Jing paused, then answered casually, "Just a health monitor."

"Oh, got it. But I don’t recognize the brand..."

Roommate C didn’t press further, though it looked oddly familiar. He just remarked offhandedly, "Pretty healthy, huh."

Maybe he was mistaken.

That wristband looked suspiciously like the ones in BDSM films where dominants gift submissives...

The guy suddenly felt guilty and lightly smacked his own lips twice. The absurdity of the action left Qi Jing staring blankly.

"Uh, itchy mouth."

Wow, that just made it stranger.

Roommate C cringed inwardly.

*

Lin Se had been profoundly bored lately. With the kid away at college, Bo Chengyan no longer stopped by so often to ask about teenage problems.

No one was around anymore.

Haha.

Smart people avoid romance, but wise men love observing others’ drama.

Of course, he’d heard about Qi Jing’s high school graduation present—shares in the conglomerate. Honestly, unexpected yet fitting.

With nothing better to do, he went upstairs. Bo Chengyan was indeed working, as composed as usual. He glanced up. "Need something?"

Lin Se sat across from him, hands tucked in his pockets, and asked with a smirk, "Has he called you?"

"..."

"People say kids in college rarely miss home. The outside world is more exciting."

"Don’t you have anything better to do?"

Lin Se dropped the small talk, resting his chin in his hand as he asked seriously, "I just remembered something. Didn’t you ask me once, saying you could hear Xiao Jing’s thoughts?"

...

Big Data Research Center.

Qi Jing looked up at the entrance, confirming this was the right place. His back still ached slightly.

He frowned.

The dorm bed was cramped. And uncomfortably hard.

There were still mosquitoes in the dorm, and he’d gotten at least ten bites all over his body, three clearly visible on his exposed arms alone.

To make matters worse, he hadn’t slept well.

Roommate A was a snorer, Roommate B never aired out the room—leaving it with a foul smell—and Roommate C loved pulling all-nighters gaming.

Qi Jing looked completely wiped out.

Yet, he still didn’t move to the nearby school-district apartment. Maybe he wanted to prove something, or maybe it was just a belated rebellious streak.

996 perched on his shoulder and reported, "Alright, it’s on the second floor, a straight shot five meters ahead."

Qi Jing carried his things and made his way there, walking smoothly to the second floor without a hitch. Along the way, he asked a few people for directions before finally reaching the conference room door.

But the room was empty—no one was inside.

The young man stood there, frozen for a moment.

"You looking for me?" Qi Jing felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. Ruan Hang was slightly taller, his expression cool and reserved.

They held each other’s gaze for a few seconds.

"Ah, yes. I don’t know if you remember—"

"I remember."

Ruan Hang raised a brow slightly. Who wouldn’t remember someone so drop-dead gorgeous? Within minutes of entering the building, a flood of candid photos of him had already circulated in group chats.

"Over here."

The young man motioned for him to follow.

About ten minutes later.

Qi Jing produced two shopping bags—one containing the borrowed shirt and the other a new one of the same size.

"Thank you for lending me your clothes that day."

Ruan Hang frowned. "Just this?"

Qi Jing was winging it. He just thought he should at least break the ice first, leaving the matter of identifying the "main lead" for later.

After all, that plot point was too reckless—a one-night stand turning out to be the protagonist?

That would be way too sketchy.

Bo Chengyan was the CEO of Lingyue.

But the other one...

From a professional standpoint, it wasn’t fair to Ruan Hang.

He didn’t want it to be like this.

"And also... I’m sorry."

Qi Jing thought for a moment, speaking earnestly before bowing slightly.

Ruan Hang narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Did you drug me?" The other man went straight for the jugular.

"No."

Qi Jing’s face turned beet red. He shook his head frantically, tripping over his words. "If it weren’t for my clothes... you wouldn’t have had to come upstairs."

That excuse was flimsy, and Ruan Hang had already figured it out.

The one who drugged him was likely Xiao Cui and his accomplice, who had deliberately ruined this young man’s clothes—their real target being the silver fox.

A hookup? Or something shadier?

Either way, it was dirty business.

But he had been the unlucky one.

Ruan Hang later shook them down for compensation from the restaurant manager to barely take the edge off, at least covering the cost of that ridiculously overpriced duck.

But...

How was this kid connected to the young man in front of him?

Was he here to apologize?

"You did screw me over."

996 was shocked. What’s this protagonist’s deal?

Qi Jing lowered his head, picking at his fingers. Just as he was about to speak, the other man asked again:

"That man... are you two together?"

Ruan Hang studied his reaction closely—first surprise, then unease, before finally answering, "Not exactly..."

The response was ambiguous.

"Is he your sugar daddy?"

Straight to the point.

Qi Jing’s face paled. He sat there, thin and wordless, giving no reaction.

But no reaction was a reaction in itself.

Ruan Hang tapped his fingers, as if recalling something amusing. "Tell you what—you owe me a shopping trip, and I’ll forgive you."

The shopping destination was a gay bar.

Inside, strobe lights pulsed wildly, nearly blinding. The performers on stage wore skimpy outfits, exposing large patches of skin.

Gyrating.

Qi Jing, in his loose white T-shirt, might as well have had a spotlight on him, though he didn’t realize it himself. He was clearly out of his depth.

996 ran diagnostics but found no signs of the protagonist breaking character. Weirder still.

"Why did he bring you here?"

996 wasn’t thrilled about Qi Jing going with him, but the young man had insisted that they might identify the protagonist this way, so it caved.

Ruan Hang brought him to the bar, ordered drinks, and asked:

"Do you like him?"

Qi Jing bit his lip, hesitating for too long.

"That’s a yes then." The person across answered for him.

The young man looked up in a fluster.

But the young man just said gently, "It’s nothing. At least your benefactor is plenty handsome and rich."

Qi Jing’s heart pounded, not noticing his wristband’s rising readings.

"With someone like that, you need to keep a close eye on him. Don’t let opportunists cling to him..."

The place was deafening. Qi Jing couldn’t tell what the other intended to do, feeling utterly lost.

Until Ruan Hang raised his hand and passed over a glass of red cocktail, saying, "Here, drink this, and we’ll call it even."

Qi Jing looked up, his pupils crystal clear.

The thumping bass got his blood pumping.

"To put it bluntly, I’m just an ordinary person. Things like being drugged shouldn’t have happened to me—it was because of your high society drama that I got caught up in this for no reason."

Qi Jing went rigid instantly. "I’m sorry..."

996 had never seen so much alcohol before and couldn’t resist floating over to the bartender, sampling some.

His body jolted as if he’d been shocked.

"Let me ask again—you like your benefactor, right?"

Qi Jing had never been put on the spot like this. In this world, his upbringing had always been gentle, with people around him patient and full of care.

But now, this was the real world...

"I’ll drink it."

Amid the vibrating music, Qi Jing picked up the glass and chugged it, urgently, his breathing hard.

His vision went fuzzy.

"Is this your first time drinking?"

Ruan Hang arched an eyebrow, but he took Qi Jing’s wrist, checking the readout on it.

The youth raised a brow, not the least bit surprised.

"Here’s the thing—this has a dash of something extra. Also, it’s deer blood wine."

Qi Jing’s clear eyes welled up.

Ruan Hang spoke gently, "Consider this you making us square. Understand?"

"Look, but I didn’t harm you. Didn’t you already like him anyway?"

"This won’t hurt your body. Don’t worry."

Qi Jing was moving in slow motion, not expecting this implication.

His skin burning up, and he was numb to the wristband vibrating.

He just felt so dizzy.

In his peripheral vision, a streak of blue seemed to appear...

"996."

Ruan Hang frowned. "Huh? Already drunk? What are you saying?"

Someone shouted in his ear.

"Xiao Ruan? Not bartending today? Hitting the big time? Who’s this?"

"A friend. But I need to leave first."

"Alright, watch him for me. Don’t let strangers near him..."

Before leaving, Ruan Hang paused, then took his old shirt and left the newly bought one behind.

The youth gave him a once-over and said to his colleague, "Later, someone with the surname Bo will probably come for him. Just hand him over."

The colleague didn’t glance up. "Got it!"

"Leaving."

Information scanned minutes ago:

"Name: Ruan Hang."

"Age: 22."

"Personality: Holds grudges."