Chapter 13 Daisy

Chapter 13 Daisy

Lin Jichuan's worldview had clearly taken a massive hit.

He sat on the bed in a daze, staring at the phone after the call ended, taking a long time to snap out of it.

Lin Xishan gave his dumb kid brother a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, casually tucking that million-dollar black card back into his pocket. "Alright, grown-up stuff—kids shouldn't meddle. I've got a shift this afternoon, so I'm out."

Leaving Lin Jichuan alone in the dorm to question his whole existence, Lin Xishan changed his clothes and headed out feeling refreshed.

At 2:30 in the afternoon, Lin Xishan was sitting right on time behind the circulation desk on the second floor of the school library.

On a weekend afternoon, the library wasn't crowded—just the soft rustle of pages turning. Lin Xishan efficiently sorted a stack of recently returned books while running through his plan in his head.

In truth, with Lin Xishan's skills, even if his family cut off his card, he had a hundred ways to make way more money than the pitiful wages from his library "work-study" gig.

Whether it was picking up high-end translation gigs off campus or tutoring rich-kid high schoolers, any of those paid over ten times the library's twelve-bucks-an-hour rate.

But he'd still jumped at this job without hesitation—the most in-demand but lowest-paying gig on campus.

The reason was simple: here, he could rub shoulders with people he'd never get to talk to in class.

In this top-tier institution funded by the Lin Corporation, the big-name professors—the ones with deep ties to top companies—were almost always in the library.

To pass the old Lin patriarch's test, scraping together two million through dead-end gigs was a pipe dream. He had to work the system.

Connections were the real currency.

Around 4 p.m., a spry little old man approached the circulation desk.

"Xiao Lin, any word on those foreign-language econ and management journals I asked you to keep an eye on last time?"

The visitor was Professor Chen Yuan from the School of Economics. He wasn't just a big deal in academia—he also ran several multi-million-yuan school-corporate incubation projects.

"Professor Chen, you're here." Lin Xishan immediately stood up, pulling a file folder from the drawer behind him and handing it over. "I've got everything ready for you. Also, I went through the book you borrowed last time and ran a quick localized calculation on a few of the key data models mentioned in it—it's in there. See if it helps."

Professor Chen paused, took the folder, and opened it up, pulling out a few pages covered in clean formulas and data work.

After just a few glances, the old professor's eyes lit up.

"Did you build this model yourself?" Professor Chen looked up in surprise, sizing up Lin Xishan. "The approach is clever and practical. It's rare these days to see an undergrad apply theory this cleanly."

"Just something I messed around with—don't laugh at me." Lin Xishan smiled modestly, perfectly playing the part of a "smart but broke overachiever."

Professor Chen tucked the pages into his bag like they were gold, looking at Lin Xishan with a more thoughtful gaze. "Xiao Lin, I remember you're a low-income special admit, right? Besides classes, you're just here doing work-study?"

"Yes, Professor."

Professor Chen thought for a moment, then said: "Here's the thing—I just picked up a project with a VC firm, and I need someone to help with data analysis and market research. It's a lot of work, but it pays 8,000 yuan a month, and if the project goes well, there's a year-end bonus."

The old professor looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of wanting to mentor him: "I can see you're quick-witted and diligent. How about doing some grunt work in my group? Beats stamping books and shelving books here every day."

A faint smile flickered at the corner of Lin Xishan's mouth, quickly masked as nervous excitement.

He'd been grinding at the library for nearly half a semester, all for this exact moment.

"Of course I am!" Lin Xishan said with sincere eyes. "Thanks, Professor Chen, for this chance. I won't let you down."

"Good. Come by my office next Monday." Professor Chen nodded approvingly, took his books, and turned to leave.

Watching the old professor walk away, Lin Xishan let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair.

Done.

With Professor Chen's project as a springboard, he could directly access more of the school's resources. Scraping together two million in two years—if not a cakewalk, at least it was now within reach.

Before leaving work that evening, the senior student running the library shift came over to hand things off.

While checking the checkout records, she asked casually, "Oh, Xishan, sign-ups for next semester's work-study positions start tomorrow. Want me to just put your name down and submit it?"

Lin Xishan was packing his bag and paused at the question.

He glanced at the circulation desk where he'd spent nearly half a semester, then neatly stacked the last few books.

"No need, thanks." Lin Xishan slung his bag over his shoulder, smiling easily.

"Wait, you're quitting?" The senior looked at him in surprise. "Then how are you gonna cover your living expenses next semester?"

"It's fine." Lin Xishan's mind flashed to the black card in his pocket—PIN set to his birthday—and the project Professor Chen had just promised.

He waved at the senior and strode off into the evening: "I've found another path."

He hadn't gotten far toward the dorms when his phone buzzed.

Lin Xishan pulled it out and saw a message from Pei Zhi.

"Pei Zhi: I've got a show tonight. You coming?"

A location pin followed—a live music venue in the north part of town.

Lin Xishan stared at the message, the corner of his mouth curling up without him meaning to.

He typed back: "When the Patron himself invites, how could I say no? What time does it start?"

Pei Zhi replied right away: "8 PM."

Then another message: "Don't be late."

Lin Xishan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This guy—every message sounded like a command, but if you looked closely, there was a stubborn hint of anticipation buried underneath.

"Got it. Want me to bring you some flowers?"

"Pei Zhi: No need."

"Pei Zhi: ...Suit yourself."

Lin Xishan chuckled and tucked his phone away, planning to head back to school to change, then hit up a flower shop.

Since it was his first time seeing Pei Zhi perform, he couldn't exactly show up empty-handed.

At 7:30 in the evening, Lin Xishan appeared at the entrance of the "Dark Surge" Livehouse in the north of the city.

He'd changed into a thin black jacket, hair unstyled, though the girl at the door still did a double take when she checked his ticket.

"You here to see Abyss?" The girl handed him a stamped ticket, her eyes sparkling. "You're really handsome."

Lin Xishan smiled. "Thanks. I'm a friend of Pei Zhi."

The girl's eyes got even wider: "You know Pei Zhi? Oh my God, he rarely brings friends to his shows!"

Rarely brings friends, huh?

Lin Xishan filed that away and pushed the door open to walk inside.

The venue wasn't big, with a capacity of maybe four or five hundred. The stage was already set up, blue lights being adjusted, speakers letting out a low hum.

Audience members trickled in, mostly young people, and some even held Pei Zhi's banners.

No wonder the guy had over two hundred thousand followers.

Lin Xishan marveled. He found a spot in the corner, holding a bouquet.

Not roses. Not lilies.

Daisies.

Small, white petals with yellow centers, simply wrapped in kraft paper—plain enough to look almost cheap.

But Lin Xishan thought these flowers suited Pei Zhi.

At exactly eight, the lights dimmed.

A blue spotlight on stage lit up, and the music blasted.

When Pei Zhi walked out from behind the side curtain, Lin Xishan's breath hitched.

He wore a black leather motorcycle jacket, messy black hair hanging over his forehead, heavy smoky eye makeup, and that faint scar at the corner of his mouth was visible under the lights.

He was a completely different person from the one who'd been curled up in bed in that shabby rental that night.

He gripped the standing mic, his gaze sweeping over the audience like a sharp blade.

The intro of the song began—it was "The Abyss," the one Lin Xishan had heard on his feed.

But live, it felt completely different.

Pei Zhi's voice wasn't coming from a phone speaker; it came at him from every direction, making Lin Xishan's chest vibrate.

His voice sounded like it was being ripped from his throat, driving the audience to headbang, jump, and scream to the beat.

Lin Xishan stood in the corner, watching the radiant figure on stage, and suddenly felt like he was in a daze.

Was this really the same Pei Zhi who, in that shabby rental, said he "only deserved to live in a place like that"?

There were other people in the band on stage, but Lin Xishan could only see Pei Zhi.

After a few songs, sweat covered Pei Zhi's forehead, strands of black hair stuck to his skin, his eye makeup smudged by sweat, leaving a dark streak running from the corner of his eye.

Not gonna lie, he still looked damn handsome like that.

The show wrapped at nine-thirty.

Pei Zhi returned for an encore as the audience chanted, sang one last song, and then walked off the stage without looking back.

Lin Xishan stood in the backstage corridor, holding the daisies, waiting for him.

The corridor was narrow, dimly lit, with posters for various bands and shows plastered on the walls. A few staff members passed by, glancing at him curiously, but didn't say anything.

About ten minutes later, Pei Zhi emerged from the dressing room.

He'd already wiped off most of his makeup, the heavy smoky eye shadow gone, revealing his naturally fair skin. The dark smudges at the corners of his eyes weren't completely cleaned off, making him look a bit like a small animal that had been picked on.

Lin Xishan felt a tug at his heart—he kind of wanted to wipe it clean for him.

Pei Zhi saw Lin Xishan, stopped in his tracks, and then his gaze landed on the daisies.

"These are for you." Lin Xishan held the flowers out.

Pei Zhi didn't reach for them.

He stared at the bouquet for a few seconds, then looked up and met Lin Xishan's eyes.

"I told you, you didn't have to."

"I know." Lin Xishan smiled. "But I wanted to."