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"Damn it, are they a bunch of idiots?” As soon as they left the restaurant, Fan Tao couldn’t help but curse.

Luo Jin and the other girl also looked cold.

Fan Tao called a cab on her phone, and Ji Mian followed behind, remaining silent.

“Han Ji is such a moron!”

“I thought he’d at least invite his roommates or classmates… I wouldn’t have agreed to come otherwise,” Luo Jin chimed in.

“Damn it, he’s always bragging about how much he does in the group chat. Did we not do any work? Didn’t we help build those code frameworks? Didn’t we contribute to the group project?” Fan Tao complained while waiting for the cab.

Ji Mian couldn’t help but chuckle at her frustration.

When Luo Jin turned around, she noticed the faint smile at the corner of his lips, and her cheeks flushed.

Part of it was gratitude, and part of it was the lingering fondness she had developed over time.

But she also knew well: they were not from the same world.

Having a crush on someone unattainable would only lead to heartache.

【Stop smiling in front of girls; your face attracts trouble.】

Ji Mian quickly wiped the smile off his face. “The course presentation is next week; we’ll be done soon.”

Fan Tao replied, “Yeah, let’s end this soon; I can’t take it anymore! Every time I see him post in the group, I want to throw up!”

“Oh, by the way, thanks, Heart Committee Master!” she flashed a heart sign at Ji Mian.

Ji Mian was momentarily puzzled: what does “Heart Committee Master” mean?

Fan Tao had a wide circle of friends, and sometimes she would throw out odd phrases that were quite cute.

Fan Tao was very emotional; just a second ago, she was making hearts at Ji Mian, and now her expression deflated as she said, “Waaah…”

Now she dared to curse, but earlier in the restaurant, with those burly guys across from them, she was genuinely scared.

Just then, the cab arrived.

Luo Jin was the last to get in, a bit worried about Ji Mian. “Are you going to be okay with them?”

“I’m a guy; what could possibly happen?” Ji Mian said. “I’ll text you when I get back to school.”

Luo Jin nodded. “Okay.”

After watching the car drive away, Ji Mian let out a slow sigh of relief.

He pulled out his phone and saw several unread message notifications.

He paused for a moment and quickly opened the chat with Xie Heng.

【Xie Heng】: Where are you?

【Xie Heng】: The Hunan restaurant in Dongfu, right?

【Xie Heng】: I’m coming to find you.

He glanced at the time; the last message was sent eight minutes ago.

There were classes during the day on Friday, and since Han Ji didn’t choose a place too far, Dongfu was only about four or five kilometers from A University, and it took less than ten minutes by car.

He wouldn’t have already left, would he?

Ji Mian quickly replied:

【Lu Zhou】: You don’t need to come! Fan Tao and the others have gone back; it’s fine now.

“Lu Zhou.”

Just as Ji Mian finished typing and was about to send the message, Han Ji's voice rang out behind him.

He approached, carrying a strong smell of alcohol, and called out again, “Lu Zhou.”

Ji Mian turned around and casually asked, “What’s up?”

Han Ji didn’t seem to care about Ji Mian's indifferent attitude: “It’s my birthday, and you just sent everyone back without a second thought.”

Ji Mian initially intended to head back to give Han Ji some face, but hearing his nonchalant tone ignited his anger.

He rarely got mad, but this time he exploded: “Are you out of your mind? They came over to celebrate your birthday out of goodwill, not to drink with a bunch of thugs!”

Han Ji was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Ji Mian’s furious face and actually laughed: “Come on, it’s just a bit of drinking. Is it really worth getting this angry over?”

“Just a bit? Han Ji, have you lost your mind, or do you have too much nonsense in your head?”

Han Ji shrugged, acting indifferent. “I didn’t really plan for so many people to come, but you’re too hard to invite. I just couldn’t get anyone else to come without bringing a few people I know.”

Ji Mian frowned slightly, feeling something was off: “What do you mean?”

“I can see it; we’re kindred spirits,” Han Ji suddenly leaned in, ambiguously reaching up to touch the earring on Ji Mian's left ear.

“You like men too, right?”

The sensation of his earlobe being touched made Ji Mian feel sick, and he quickly turned his face away, taking two steps back.

“…” He was utterly stunned.

Now he finally understood the sense of unease he had felt coming from Han Ji all along.

On the basketball court, the way Han Ji looked at him when he lost wasn't just about competition. And just now in the restaurant, those people didn’t have a problem with their eyes…

Ji Mian had no idea how Han Ji described him to those “friends,” but it definitely wasn’t with any respect; otherwise, they wouldn’t have looked at him like he was some kind of commodity.

The naked desire for conquest in Han Ji's eyes was unsettling. “I want to pursue you, Lu Zhou.”

“I’m going to be sick.” Ji Mian raised his hand to shield his eyes.

Han Ji's lips twitched, then he continued, “You should know that in this circle, it’s not easy to find someone whose looks and body match yours. I’m not bad, right?”

Ji Mian replied, “I’m not joking; I really feel like throwing up.”

“…”

“Or do you have someone you like?” Han Ji said with a confident smile, “In A University, among our circle, there aren’t many who are better than me.”

“…Dude,” Ji Mian looked at him, exasperated. “You really overestimate yourself. You can’t even compare to a single hair on his head.”

“Really? Who do you like? That buzz-cut guy from your dorm?” Han Ji asked, furrowing his brows.

It took Ji Mian two seconds to realize he was referring to Xie Heng.

“If it’s him, I advise you to give up early. That guy doesn’t seem like the type who would like men.”

Ji Mian was about to respond when his gaze inadvertently flicked to a spot behind Han Ji, his eyes lighting up and his earlier impatience dissipating completely.

Han Ji’s gaze was fixed on Ji Mian's flushed face from anger and his suddenly bright eyes, making his throat feel drier.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this angry before.”

“You’ve never seen a lot of things,” Ji Mian retorted.

A deep, slightly cold male voice suddenly cut in from behind.

Han Ji froze for a moment as a powerful figure strode past him, not even glancing at him, and walked straight towards Ji Mian.

Ji Mian smiled at the newcomer and said, “I told you not to come; did you see the message?”

Xie Heng nodded, “I saw it, but I was already in the car when I got your message.”

It was a relief that he came, Ji Mian thought.

Otherwise, he would have to deal with that idiot behind him for who knows how long.

Ji Mian also thought: It’s really nice to be tall. Xie Heng’s presence alone made him feel safe.

In terms of physical strength and fitness, he wasn’t any weaker than Han Ji, but facing more than one person made him hesitant to confront Han Ji directly.

But now that Xie Heng was here, he felt a surge of confidence.

“You…”

Han Ji looked at them, wanting to say something.

However, Xie Heng didn’t give him a chance to speak. Ignoring his presence, he turned to Ji Mian and asked, “Ready to go back?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Their conversation continued as if Han Ji didn’t exist at all, making him feel like a transparent person.

Han Ji: …

Ji Mian just walked away with Xie Heng.

Once they were out of Han Ji’s sight, Ji Mian couldn’t stop his chatter, pouring out everything from the moment they entered the restaurant until they sent Fan Tao and the others off.

He didn’t mention anything about what Han Ji had said; despite being the most ridiculous part, he was afraid it would make Xie Heng’s reaction worse, given his homophobia.

To Ji Mian’s surprise, even though he intentionally avoided the topic, Xie Heng brought it up himself: “What he said was a bit strange.”

Xie Heng paused for two seconds and continued, “He said something like, ‘Give up early,’ and ‘That guy doesn’t seem like he’d like men.’”

“…”

“And he said he’d never seen you angry before.” Xie Heng frowned, looking at him, “That sounded weird.” Weird and disgusting.

Ji Mian wasn’t sure how to respond, while Xie Heng's gaze remained fixed on him, waiting for his answer.

“Alright.” Ji Mian sighed and tried to condense everything that had happened into one sentence: “He wants to pursue me and thinks the person I like is you.”

Xie Heng abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Ji Mian also halted, glancing over to see Xie Heng’s reaction.

But after a long pause, Xie Heng didn’t say anything.

He quickly explained, “Um, don’t panic. I just…”

“Yeah. I know.” Xie Heng cut him off, “You chatted for a while; why didn’t you bring this up?”

“I thought it might make you uncomfortable.”

Xie Heng remained silent for a moment before saying, “I told you before, I won’t feel that way about you.”

“Really?” Ji Mian immediately let go of his worries, “Let me tell you, that guy is so shameless.”

He perfectly imitated Han Ji’s earlier boast about how there were hardly any guys in the A University circle who were better than him.

He imitated it very well. Xie Heng cooperatively curled the corners of his lips, but there was little amusement in his eyes.

Was it because he couldn’t stand a man confessing to another man? Ji Mian’s mimicry of that guy made him inexplicably angry.

“He just touched my ear stud! I feel like throwing up…” Ji Mian rubbed his ear.

This time, Xie Heng couldn’t maintain the smile he had feigned.

He lowered his gaze to Ji Mian’s slightly flushed left ear and said in a flat tone, “Did he touch you?”

“Yeah! That morning, he even touched my hair!” Ji Mian enumerated everything like a primary school student reporting to a parent, not noticing that the expression of the person beside him was growing colder.

Xie Heng listened silently.

“Before the report next week, I still have to communicate with him. It’s disgusting,” Ji Mian said as he silently hugged himself.

“Just quit,” Xie Heng suddenly said. “Come to my place.”

“Huh?” Ji Mian turned his gaze in confusion.

Xie Heng thought he had concerns and added, “I’ve already finished the system and the PPT. You just need to come over; you don’t need to worry about anything else. As for the teacher, I’m in his project group; I just need to tell him.”

Ji Mian was taken aback for a moment.

Now, every time he thought of Han Ju, he felt like a piece of fatty meat. He really didn’t want to stay in the group anymore.

He had done all the work he was supposed to do and didn’t owe the group anything. It felt a bit awkward to directly benefit from Xie Heng’s achievements.

“... Really?” Ji Mian looked at him eagerly.

“Really.”

Ji Mian stared at him for a few seconds and then said, “Heng Ge, hug me.”

Xie Heng was still angry, but hearing this, he couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll give you a hug.”

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