Chapter 133 Comic Con

Chapter 133: Comic Con

A hint of playful mockery flickered in Zhan Jiayu's eyes, as if he were settling in to enjoy a show.

"What 'competition'? Don't talk nonsense. We each do our own thing."

Yan Zhoubai, with a swift chopstick movement, scooped the remaining half of a runny egg into his mouth.

"I'm from Cangru Monastery—how could I possibly go to Great Compassion Temple?"

He'd only go if there were absolutely no other choice. Otherwise, causing trouble on someone else's turf would surely get him kicked out.

"I think it's fine. At least it's not a church."

"Zhan Jiayu!" Yan Zhoubai roared.

He was always making fun of him.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Finish eating, and I'll give you a ride to school." Zhan Jiayu knew when to quit.

...

Morning classes started at ten. Yan Zhoubai wasn't in a rush to get to school from home, so he headed back to his dorm first and then leisurely walked to class when it was time. The dorm was empty when he returned; his roommates must have had early classes and already left.

The morning lecture was on the history of philosophy. Though a bit dry, Yan Zhoubai found it quite engaging. Many people avoided majoring in philosophy, believing it would be hard to find a job after graduation, but Yan Zhoubai felt the subject suited him well.

When class ended at noon, Yan Zhoubai was about to head to the cafeteria when he spotted a familiar figure at the classroom door: his roommate he didn't get along with, Zhang Lin.

Unsure why Zhang Lin was there, and given their mutual dislike, Yan Zhoubai lowered the hand he had instinctively raised to greet him, preparing to ignore him and walk away.

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With that, Zhang Lin pulled Yan Zhoubai away from the throng of students leaving class.

After descending two floors and exiting the teaching building, the crowd finally thinned out.

"Let go! We're not close—what do you want?"

Yan Zhoubai had been dragged all the way from the third floor because he genuinely couldn't break free. Zhang Lin's grip on his wrist didn't feel particularly tight, yet no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't shake it off.

He didn't want to struggle too violently and create a scene, especially since it was noon and everyone was rushing to the cafeteria. If they drew a crowd, Yan Zhoubai felt he'd be too embarrassed.

Once the hallway cleared out, Yan Zhoubai began struggling fiercely again. This time, however, before he could exert much effort, Zhang Lin released his grip on his own, causing Yan Zhoubai to lurch forward.

Yan Zhoubai glared at Zhang Lin, his round almond eyes widening further, his glistening gaze filled with anger.

He instinctively reached to rub his arm—after all, Zhang Lin had dragged him such a long way with considerable force. But when he raised his hand, he realized his arm didn't hurt at all; there was no sensation whatsoever.

Zhang Lin stood to the side, watching, his thick eyebrows furrowed, looking extremely impatient.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and with a darker complexion, Zhang Lin's intimidating presence made Yan Zhoubai feel genuinely uncomfortable just standing there under his gaze.

"I told you, someone wants to see you."

Zhang Lin repeated himself, his tone clearly annoyed, as if he'd been forced to come find him.

"Who?"

Yan Zhoubai hitched up the strap of his backpack, which had slipped down his left shoulder.

Zhang Lin gave Yan Zhoubai a look as if he were an idiot, sneered, and said, "Who else would send me to find you? Bu Qiran—no, Yan Qiran."

Bu Qiran? Yan Zhoubai was stunned. Why would Bu Qiran want to see him? And even if he did, why go through Zhang Lin?

"Are you coming or not? I don't want to manhandle you, but if you won't cooperate, I have no problem dragging you there."

Yan Zhoubai was fair-skinned with delicate features, making him stand out in a crowd. Even when confused, his expression only made him seem cute.

Zhang Lin admitted that, even though he disliked Yan Zhoubai, he couldn't deny his good looks. But that only irritated him more.

*This fake young master, who had usurped Bu Qiran's identity, lived such a privileged life—his appearance alone showed he'd been raised in luxury. Bu Qiran might have grown up fine now, but as a child, he'd been like a street urchin, nothing like this delicate, pampered boy.*

"Why are you being so aggressive? I didn't say I wouldn't go. You didn't even say where—where am I supposed to go?"

Seeing Zhang Lin's expression, Yan Zhoubai's annoyance spiked. *What was this guy's problem?*

"...To the cafeteria. Feixia Yuan, fourth floor."

Zhang Lin seemed suddenly startled, pausing briefly before answering.

Yan Zhoubai shot him a look, turned away, and started walking on his own.

*He really didn't understand what Zhang Lin's issue was. If they were going to the cafeteria, why couldn't he have just said so earlier instead of making it so dramatic?*

Feixia Yuan was the name of one of the cafeterias on Wutong University's new campus. The university had three cafeterias in total, and Feixia Yuan was the largest and had the best environment.

The fourth floor of Feixia Yuan was more upscale, sometimes even hosting private functions. So, even during meal times, while the other floors were packed, the fourth floor remained relatively spacious.

"Where's Bu Qiran?"

Yan Zhoubai scanned the room but didn't see Bu Qiran.

"He's not here yet. Why else would I have gone to find you? Just wait a bit."

With that, Zhang Lin walked ahead of Yan Zhoubai and found a table to sit at.

Yan Zhoubai was surprised. Zhang Lin's tone had actually softened, sounding almost civil. He'd assumed the guy was just naturally unpleasant and incapable of civil conversation, especially since Zhang Lin was usually cold toward their other roommate too.

Yan Zhoubai followed Zhang Lin to the table and sat down, staring at him.

"What are you looking at?! There's nothing on my face!"

Yan Zhoubai hadn't expected Zhang Lin to get all flustered and angry just from being looked at for a moment. *What kind of friends did Bu Qiran have? This one was seriously hard to get along with.*

*Then again, birds of a feather flock together. Bu Qiran was no saint himself—no wonder they were friends.*

*Zhang Lin had no idea what this fake young master, who'd stolen someone else's place, was thinking. Why was he staring at his face? What was there to see?*

*Was there something on his face? Was it because he was dark-skinned? Or did he think he was unattractive? Zhang Lin thought he had perfectly fine features. Besides, who said you had to be fair and soft like some girl to be considered good-looking?*

*Still staring? Stop it! Even if this fake young master was fair-skinned, with smooth skin, big eyes, and red lips—even if his dark eyes seemed to well up with tears when he was angry—it didn't change the fact that he'd stolen someone's rightful place and life. No matter how good he looked, Zhang Lin would never see him as a good person.*

"Fine, I'll stop looking. When is Bu Qiran coming? I'm starving. If he doesn't show up soon, I'm not waiting."

Yan Zhoubai was quick to comply—if he wasn't supposed to look, then he wouldn't. He hadn't wanted to stare anyway. But what was Bu Qiran being so mysterious about?

*If he had something to say, why not just text him? Or call? Why insist on meeting so suddenly? And even if they were meeting, why have Zhang Lin come get him?*

Now that Yan Zhoubai had stopped looking, Zhang Lin felt strangely put out. Hearing Yan Zhoubai say he was hungry, he spoke up: "What do you want to eat? I'll go order."

Before Yan Zhoubai could respond, he heard Zhang Lin's phone ring.

"Qiran's here, I'll go pick him up."

With that, Zhang Lin stood up and walked out.

Yan Zhoubai: …*Why is it so hard to just have a meal?*

"Little Bai!"

Within two minutes, Yan Zhoubai heard someone calling him. He turned around and, sure enough, it was Bu Qiran.

It had been a while since Yan Zhoubai last saw Bu Qiran. When he saw him last time at the Yan family home, he had seemed much more mature, and his style of dressing had become more formal. But the person in front of him now seemed to have completely reverted to his former self.

Bu Qiran had shown up wearing his usual eccentric outfits again.

But this was a university—no matter how strangely you dressed, nobody would pay much attention as long as you were wearing clothes. Still, Bu Qiran's light golden long hair stood out in the crowd and turned quite a few heads.

"What exactly did you want to talk about? So mysterious. Hurry up and spill it—if it's not something important, I'm out of here. I'm starving," Yan Zhoubai asked.

"If you're hungry, go order something. It's on me—anything you want."

Bu Qiran sat down beside Yan Zhoubai, looking in a good mood. It was rare for the two of them to talk without immediately butting heads.

Yan Zhoubai muttered as he got up to order: "Playing big spender? Even though the fourth floor of Feixia Yuan is expensive, it's still nothing compared to restaurants outside."

Yan Zhoubai went to order what he wanted, grabbed a drink, and walked back sipping it.

"Whatever you have to say, say it quickly."

Ah, the grape bubble tea from the fourth floor is really good.

"There's going to be a huge comic con in Jing City soon. Are you interested in going with me?" Bu Qiran asked excitedly.

He had recently enrolled at Peking University. Indeed, he was more suited to places with large crowds and all kinds of people. Right from the start of the semester, he fit right in—he was a natural at socializing.

Before the semester began, when he was at the Yan family home, there were too few people around, and everyone was busy. Only Yan Zhoubai was as idle as he was, so he couldn't help but want to stir up trouble.

Now, at school, there were plenty of things to distract him, satisfy his desire for mischief, and channel his energy. That's why he seemed much more normal around Yan Zhoubai compared to before.

"Comic con?"

Yan Zhoubai finally tore his attention away from his grape bubble tea for Bu Qiran.

"Yeah, it's huge—a joint event with international organizers. I'll forward you the event info."

Yan Zhoubai had never been to a comic con before, and he was quite interested. Although he wasn't exactly a die-hard anime fan, there were still some IPs he liked.

But going with Bu Qiran… that required some thought. He wasn't exactly thrilled about going with him.

"Why do you want to go with me?"

Yan Zhoubai asked while opening his phone to check the event info Bu Qiran had sent him.

"Because I'm cosplaying, and I need a handler."

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Author's note: [Let me take a look]