C63

Ater finding the USB drive in Building Three, Ji Mian returned to discover a boy standing at the already-closed classroom door. He wore the most ordinary short-sleeve shirt and long pants, and his slender back was very eye-catching.

“Hey, classmate, why aren’t you going in?” Ji Mian approached and asked.

The boy was startled by the sudden voice behind him, immediately stiffening.

“Did I scare you? Sorry—” Ji Mian’s apology abruptly halted as the boy turned around, revealing an exceptionally handsome face.

The boy’s features weren’t strikingly unique but were incredibly well-defined. Individually, his features were flawless, making it impossible to find any faults.

His jawline and neck were beautifully sculpted, and his cheeks were softer than most males, giving him a rare scholarly air without seeming weak.

However, Ji Mian's momentary daze wasn’t just due to the boy’s looks. More importantly, the system prompt echoed in his mind:

【Task target has appeared. Please maintain character settings.】

This was Song Yu. Ji Mian quickly realized.

【Please maintain character settings.】 The system reminded him again.

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

So, two seconds later, Song Yu watched in confusion as the person who had just been speaking to him suddenly blushed for no reason, even his ears turning red with embarrassment.

The bright red on his ears caught Song Yu's attention, especially the stud in his left ear that caught the light.

“Classmate?” He blinked in confusion.

“Uh?” Ji Mian snapped back to reality, realizing he was stammering, “Um… why aren’t you going in?”

“I didn’t come to report earlier because... of some reasons.” Song Yu seemed to think of something, and the light in his eyes dimmed a bit. “I just got off the plane today and rushed over, only to be late for the first class.”

“Oh! So you’re Song Yu?”

“You know me?” Song Yu looked a bit startled.

Ji Mian jokingly replied, “Not really, but when the attendance was called, you were the only one missing, so everyone knows you.”

Song Yu felt a little embarrassed in that moment.

“Let’s go in; our microeconomics teacher is really nice. I’ll go in with you, don’t be afraid.”

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

The warmth on Song Yu’s cool face made Ji Mian’s cheeks flush.

The feeling of a sudden heartbeat is hard to feign. When Ji Mian arrived in this world and saw the storyline, he knew he couldn’t be as lucky as in the previous two worlds, relying on his poor acting skills to get by.

Setting aside other matters, he had to master the basics of blushing and having his heart race.

Ji Mian had consciously practiced, and his acting skills improved rapidly over the past years in this world. Now, faking a blush came effortlessly.

Song Yu turned around, did two seconds of mental preparation, and pushed open the classroom door.

Ji Mian, feeling a bit dazed, followed him in with a burning face as they entered the lecture hall.

He walked up the stairs until the microeconomics teacher’s cheerful voice called out, “Hey—where are you going? The USB drive?”

Halfway up the stairs, Ji Mian was snapped back to reality by her voice, his expression suddenly awkward. This time it wasn’t acting; he had genuinely forgotten about the USB drive he was holding…

While chatting with the system, engaging with Song Yu, and maintaining his character, his brain couldn’t help but lag with the multitasking.

Now, standing with a flushed face in front of a class of over a hundred people, Ji Mian felt a bit mortified.

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

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

After returning to his seat, Ji Mian spotted a familiar figure and walked straight to the middle back row next to He Zhikai, stopping to say, “Make way.”

He Zhikai: …

What the hell? Are these people all insane?

Under the teacher’s watchful eye, He Zhikai dared not show any other emotions. He reluctantly stood up and made space, his face dark with displeasure.

With the seat beside him now empty, Xie Heng occupied the next one. The curly-haired boy had moved to another spot after being disgusted by He Zhikai’s previous comment: “He’s not here; he can’t hear your flattery.”

It was unlikely they would be sitting together again after this.

Ji Mian took the now-empty seat.

Xie Heng glanced at him and remarked, “Your face is really red.”

“Is it?” Ji Mian replied softly.

The microeconomics teacher hadn’t forgotten that another person had entered the classroom with Ji Mian. In a cheerful mood, she asked Song Yu to explain his situation in a gentle tone.

Song Yu sighed in relief and quickly explained that he hadn’t been able to report earlier and had just rushed over from home today.

“I understand,” the microeconomics teacher nodded. “Find a seat and share a textbook with a classmate if you don’t have one. We’ll start class now.”

In the back row, Ji Mian’s cheeks remained warm.

At first, Xie Heng thought his roommate was just flushed from running, but noticing Ji Mian's calm breathing, it didn’t seem like he was overheated.

Moreover, Ji Mian’s gaze remained fixed on the newly arrived boy, as if he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Xie Heng felt puzzled and asked, “Do you know that guy…”

“Song Yu?” Xie Heng thought for a moment before recalling the name.

“Yeah?” Ji Mian considered for a moment, “Just met.”

Xie Heng: …

Ji Mian lowered his voice suddenly and said quietly, “Don’t you think he’s… really handsome?”

His tone held a hint of hidden anticipation, a budding infatuation he didn’t want to openly admit, so he expressed it subtly to his friend, hoping for confirmation from Xie Heng.

“...Handsome?” Xie Heng, completely missing the point, followed Ji Mian’s gaze and saw Song Yu’s back in the front row.

He had also noticed Song Yu when he entered earlier.

Song Yu looked like one of those idol types from TV with great charisma; he certainly was good-looking.

But “handsome”?

This was the first time Xie Heng heard a boy being described as handsome.

He frowned slightly, sensing that Ji Mian’s reaction was a bit strange.

Why would he blush at the sight of a guy?

“You—”

He was about to say something when Ji Mian turned his face toward him, lowering his head to speak quietly.

The other boy's fair skin was flushed, and his eyes glistened with a bright sheen, almost as if a layer of mist covered them. They were astonishingly bright. Since they were so close, Xie Heng could even see the fine hairs on Ji Mian's cheeks clearly.

Xie Heng’s words fell silent.

Ji Mian thought he hadn’t heard properly and leaned in closer to listen, “Huh?”

Xie Heng paused, muttered, “It’s nothing,” and averted his gaze.

He corrected his earlier thought: Maybe “handsome” was indeed a fitting description.

---

The evening study session ended at eight o'clock, and Xie Heng went for his usual night run on the track.

The basketball court, separated from the track by iron fencing, still glowed brightly. Usually, Ji Mian would arrive later than Xie Heng for basketball, so they didn’t return to the dorm together.

Forty minutes later, Xie Heng slowed down, jogging a lap to catch his breath. As he approached the side of the track near the basketball court, he casually glanced inside but didn’t see the familiar figure.

This situation was unusual; in the two weeks since he met Ji Mian, he had never missed a night at the court, even if it was just to watch for a while.

However, he didn’t dwell on it and finished his remaining lap before heading back to the dorm.

_

Pushing open the dormitory door, before even stepping inside, Xie Heng could hear Chen Xu’s booming voice as he chatted with his girlfriend over the phone.

“What are you doing, babe?”

Chen Xu’s normally loud voice was deliberately lowered, and Xie Heng couldn't help but twitch his eyelids.

Not just him—Jia Wenbo was also taken aback by Chen Xu’s syrupy tone during the call.

“I’m in the dorm… nothing much, just missing you.” Chen Xu said in a sticky-sweet manner, chuckling at something on the other end of the line. It was incredibly cheesy.

But it was clear he really liked the girl. They were likely in the infatuation stage of their relationship, and Chen Xu's true nature was still somewhat concealed.

Yet, to be fair, his real self was much more likable than the persona he was putting on now.

Xie Heng could hardly bear this, so he quickly walked in, intending to shower while Chen Xu was busy with his lovey-dovey phone call.

As he passed by Chen Xu’s bed, he noticed Ji Mian was also back, though he hadn’t seen him earlier because Chen Xu had blocked his view at the door.

It was unusual for Ji Mian to skip hanging out outside today, which surprised Xie Heng.

Returning to his own bed, Xie Heng peeled off his sweat-soaked shirt, grabbing a change of clothes and a towel.

With his upper body bare, the definition of his back muscles was clear. Xie Heng occasionally did strength exercises focused on his core, giving him a nice, toned abdomen that wasn’t overly exaggerated.

In a male dormitory, being shirtless was normal. Xie Heng was more reserved, typically only going without a shirt when he showered, but most of the time, he dressed properly.

Even so, when Chen Xu first saw him take off his shirt, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn!”

That physique was seriously impressive!

Ji Mian also had some muscle; he had been active in high school, running and jumping on the playground. However, he had never trained deliberately, so his build wasn’t as pronounced as that of someone who worked out.

As the most carefree one among the four in the dorm, Ji Mian rarely went shirtless in the room.

Before heading to the bathroom, Xie Heng glanced at Ji Mian across the room.

Ji Mian’s posture was just like when Xie Heng had entered, hands cradling his face, and he hadn’t moved his shoulders for several minutes.

What’s he doing?

Xie Heng stared at Ji Mian’s back for about half a minute and finally confirmed: he was doing nothing but staring blankly at the wall.

Xie Heng had always thought his roommate’s brain was filled with random trivia and athletic skills; he hadn’t expected him to actually need to think through something while staring into space.

Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, Chen Xu hung up the phone, holding his black screen phone with a lovesick expression, grinning like a weirdo.

“Haha, heh heh…”

Hearing that laugh, Ji Mian turned his head from the wall and looked at Chen Xu, saying in a low voice, “Are you okay, my friend… I can see your tonsils from here.”

“What do you know?” Chen Xu covered his chest dramatically. “I spent a year pursuing my girlfriend. She’s the beauty of our grade, and there are so many guys who like her. It wasn’t until recently that she finally agreed to go out with me.”

Ji Mian picked up on the point in his words, “So you’re good at pursuing people?”

“Of course!” Chen Xu puffed out his chest, “I managed to stand out from the crowd. That’s all about skills, you know?”

His words were confident, but internally, he felt a bit insecure.

When his girlfriend had agreed to be with him, Chen Xu had been completely stunned, spending half a month pondering what she had seen in him.

Listening to him, Ji Mian thought of how cheesy Chen Xu had been earlier and felt a bit skeptical.

As the conversation began leaning towards romance, Xie Heng, uninterested in such topics, swiftly headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Leaving the remaining three in the dorm.

Once Chen Xu started talking, he couldn’t stop, sharing everything from how he met his girlfriend to their confession, peppered with plenty of embellished details.

It was the first time Ji Mian and Jia Wenbo had heard such stories, and they were all ears. Jia Wenbo found it fresh and exciting, while Ji Mian was curious about the details of Chen Xu’s pursuit.

In his previous lives, Ji Mian had always played the role of the secret admirer and never had to learn how to chase someone.

But this world was different; he not only had to pursue Song Yu but do so with great flair.

And Ji Mian had no idea how to go about it.

However, after nearly twenty minutes of talking, Chen Xu had barely touched on the actual process of how he had won her over.

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and showed a picture of his girlfriend to Jia Wenbo.

With a bright smile illuminating his features, Chen Xu said, “Isn’t she pretty?”

Jia Wenbo nodded in agreement.

The girl in the photo was indeed beautiful, elegantly dressed, with a hint of charming arrogance in her eyes.

Jia Wenbo was quite sensitive regarding emotions and felt that this girl was well-matched with Chen Xu.

He couldn’t pinpoint why, but their energies seemed to align perfectly.

“Um, Xu Ge.” Ji Mian hesitated for a moment before dragging a chair closer.

Chen Xu looked up, “Hmm?”

Ji Mian adopted a tone of eager inquiry, “How do you pursue someone?”

Chen Xu was taken aback, “What, you’re looking to chase someone?”

Ji Mian dodged the question with some vague responses.

“Pursuing someone can’t be too cliché; you need to cater to their interests while also being innovative,” Chen Xu said seriously, narrowing his eyes. “Of course, having a good face helps a lot too.”

Ji Mian was left bewildered, feeling like Chen Xu had said something but at the same time, nothing at all.

Just then, the bathroom door opened with a soft click, and Xie Heng emerged wearing a pair of shorts, casually drying his hair with a towel.

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

“Who are you looking to chase? I’ll help you strategize,” Chen Xu offered eagerly.

“Not really convenient to talk about; it might affect them badly.”

“If you won’t say, then just leave it to me! With me around, you can pursue any girl successfully!”

Ji Mian thought for a moment and replied, “But it’s not quite the same…”

“What’s not the same?”

Ji Mian said, “The gender is different.”

Clang—

Xie Heng tripped over himself.

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