Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Shi Zeqing’s eyes darkened slightly. He looked at the uneven lines on his own palm, slowly clenched it into a fist, and stood there for an unknown amount of time before turning and walking in the opposite direction of the school.

“Why did Shi Zeqing leave on his own?” Hao Tu asked casually, in a deliberately cheerful tone.

Hui Jiang didn’t catch the implication in his words and explained, “He doesn’t live in the dorms, so he’s not going with us.” He also didn’t notice anything off about Shi Zeqing. Hui Jiang felt that everyone was an adult now; going to university meant being independent anyway.

“I thought you’d go with him,” Hao Tu said, seeing that Hui Jiang didn’t understand his hint, and changed the subject. “Forget it, let’s go eat first.”

“Eat here?” He looked around at the nearby restaurants.

Hao Tu raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, my treat. Coming or not?”

“Of course I’m going,” Hui Jiang said. He figured Hao Tu was being unusually humane for once and wouldn’t refuse. “I followed you all through the National Day holiday working on the design. You should’ve treated me long ago.”

“Fine,” Hao Tu smiled. Then he leaned close to Hui Jiang’s ear and said, “How about hotpot?” That instantly hooked Hui Jiang’s craving.

That suggestion left Hui Jiang completely in agreement, so the two of them wandered into a famous old hotpot restaurant deep in a narrow alley.

Before even entering, the rich smell of hotpot made them swallow unconsciously.

It was too fragrant.

Spicy aroma mixed with numbing heat, and the bubbling sounds of the hotpot filled the air. Next door was a barbecue shop, and the grilled meat smell made Hui Jiang keep glancing over repeatedly.

Walking behind him, Hao Tu couldn’t help laughing. “Hey, you’re about to drool. What, you want barbecue instead?”

“Where am I drooling?” Hui Jiang glared at him. “I just think that place smells good too, but I’m loyal to hotpot—I won’t betray it.”

Hao Tu was speechless. “If you want it, we can come next time.”

“There’s a next time?” Hui Jiang thought that after going back, their relationship would return to how it used to be.

“Why wouldn’t there be a next time?” Hao Tu frowned at him.

Hui Jiang quickly made an excuse. “I mean… you probably won’t treat me next time.”

“Am I that stingy in your eyes?” Hao Tu pinched his face. “If you behave well, I can bring you here every day.” Then he pulled him into the hotpot restaurant.

A waitress immediately came up. “How many people?”

“Two,” Hao Tu gestured.

She led them to a two-person table and left two menus before walking away.

Most restaurants near the university used WeChat ordering. Since Hao Tu was treating, Hui Jiang simply handed over the ordering duty and started scrolling through his phone for the first time in a week.

Hao Tu looked up. “All spicy, or yin-yang pot?”

“Yin-yang pot,” Hui Jiang said. “I eat vegetables—I don’t put them in the spicy side. It’s too intense.”

“I’m planning to order mostly meat,” Hao Tu said while tapping through the menu on his phone.

Hui Jiang stared at the screen full of meat dishes. “At least get some enoki mushrooms. All meat isn’t balanced.”

“I prefer meat,” Hao Tu said, handing him the phone. “If you want vegetables, add them yourself.”

Hui Jiang scrolled a bit. “You really ordered that much…” In the end, he only added two vegetable dishes. “Let’s stop here. We definitely won’t finish more than this.”

“Mm.” Hao Tu took the phone back and placed the order.

At that moment, a male voice came from the table behind them. “Cui Xingwen, sit here.”

Hearing it, Hui Jiang looked up—and saw Cui Xingwen just entering. He happened to pass by them and immediately noticed Hao Tu.

“Hao Tu, what a coincidence,” Cui Xingwen said, stopping instead of going to his own table. He greeted Hao Tu casually.

They had previously parted on bad terms, yet now they could still greet each other so calmly. Hui Jiang sipped his drink and quietly observed them.

“Mm, long time no see,” Hao Tu smiled back, though it was unclear how sincere it was.

Cui Xingwen looked at Hui Jiang. “This is your classmate?”

Hao Tu disliked people staring at Hui Jiang and his tone turned colder. “No. He’s my roommate.”

Hui Jiang nodded. “Hello.”

But Cui Xingwen clearly wasn’t interested in Hui Jiang and turned back to talk with Hao Tu. Only when the waitress later brought the yin-yang pot did he finally leave.

After he left, Hui Jiang sighed. “I feel like he kinda likes you.”

“Are your eyes flooded with water?” Hao Tu knocked his head. “That old fox Cui Xingwen is disgusting. He just wants to get on good terms with me now. He doesn’t even look at himself.”

“Alright, alright,” Hui Jiang said as four large plates of beef and lamb arrived. His attention was immediately stolen. “Let’s not talk about him.” He picked up the strainer and started cooking meat.

The red soup surface was covered in spicy oil and dried chili. It bubbled continuously. The beef went in, quickly coated in numbing spice, and came out in under ten seconds. Hui Jiang flipped it a few times, saw it was cooked, and placed it into their bowls.

Dipped in dry seasoning, one bite released layers of spice, fragrance, and meat sweetness bursting across the palate. He then tried his own garlic sauce and found it even better.

But soon he noticed the guy across from him only ate and never cooked, relying entirely on him.

“Hey, help a bit,” Hui Jiang said, tossing a large portion of lamb into the pot. After a few turns, it absorbed the red broth’s color and aroma.

Hao Tu answered very calmly, “I don’t know how. And I think what you cook tastes especially good.” He even stole a few pieces from Hui Jiang’s bowl.

“Then how do you usually eat hotpot?” Hui Jiang was helpless. “Here, cook the duck intestines for thirty seconds. Just count.”

“I rarely eat hotpot. If I do, I just cook it thoroughly first,” Hao Tu said as he obediently started cooking. “How about next time I take you to Chongqing to eat nine-grid hotpot?”

“Sure,” Hui Jiang said without thinking. “Shi Zeqing mentioned it to me before too, so maybe…”

“Don’t call him,” Hao Tu interrupted him immediately, his gaze turning serious as well, “I only want to go with you… don’t you think a three-person thing is weird?”

“Uh… maybe,” Hui Jiang smiled, tossing the squid into the pot as well.

……

……

A whole meal later, aside from that small interruption in the middle, the two of them ate very happily.

After leaving the hotpot restaurant, Hao Tu even asked if he wanted to pack some barbecue to go.

“I really can’t eat anymore,” Hui Jiang patted his stomach.

Hao Tu teased him, saying he looked like a pregnant woman with a big belly, and in response, the irritated Hui Jiang kicked him several times.

On the way back, Hao Tu specially detoured to a pharmacy and bought a box of stomach digestive tablets.

“What are you looking at? It’s not like I bought them specially for you,” he broke two pills off for Hui Jiang, “You think only you’re full? I’m bloated too.”

Hui Jiang looked at the two triangular digestive tablets in his hand and smiled, “Mm, got it.” He tilted his head back and swallowed them, seeing the brilliant sky above. The sour-sweet taste lingered in his mouth, and then he saw Hao Tu’s eyes… just as beautiful as the night sky.

“Thank you.”

Hao Tu quickly turned his head away, not daring to look at him, “Who knows how many kicks that dog gave me just now.”

“Hey!”

At night, as soon as they returned to the dorm, Hao Tu got busy. The first thing he did was turn on his computer and upload the design drawings to the school judging committee.

In the design competition at H University, only the teams that take first or second place are eligible to enter the city-level competition. So this was only the first battle for Hao Tu and Hui Jiang.

After the seven-day holiday ended, the other two roommates in the dorm immediately noticed changes in Hao Tu.

When Hui Jiang came out after showering, he was blocked on the balcony by Ling Yundong.

“What happened between you and Hao Tu? Why does he feel different again?”

“What do you mean ‘different again’?” Hui Jiang frowned, carrying his dirty clothes to do laundry, “Brother Dong, you’re not a woman, why do you have so many feelings?”

“Your Brother Dong here is a senior member of the journalism club. If I don’t even have this level of observation skills, how am I supposed to survive in this school?” Ling Yundong leaned over behind him, “What did you guys do over the National Day holiday?”

Hui Jiang shoved him aside, disgusted, “Design work, what else? How did I never realize you were this gossipy?” He focused on washing clothes and didn’t have time to banter, but after hearing that, he also slowly started paying attention to Hao Tu.

The next day.

After getting out of bed, Hui Jiang immediately noticed something off. Hao Tu, who should have already left, was still in the dorm. He vaguely guessed that the other was waiting for him, and that fleeting thought startled him—if he wasn’t too self-absorbed, then something was wrong with Hao Tu.

As he finished putting on his shoes and was about to leave, the other actually stood up and followed him.

“You… are you coming to class with me?” Hui Jiang was confused. The design work was already finished—why was Hao Tu still following him?

Hao Tu had a low morning mood, his expression as cold as always, “Mm. We both didn’t eat breakfast anyway.”

“Huh?” What kind of logic was that? Hui Jiang, used to being alone, felt a bit uncomfortable, “You usually leave very early, I thought you—”

Hao Tu turned and stared at him, “Is that not allowed?”

“No,” he quickly shook his head. He didn’t expect that agreeing would lead to the other person following him to classes from then on.

Several times, Hui Jiang wanted to confront him about it, but remembering they were roommates and their relationship was still fine, he held back. If he said it outright, it would sound like he was rejecting Hao Tu, which could easily hurt their friendship.

Fortunately, Hao Tu hadn’t been as sharp-tongued recently. Plus, he was good-looking and generous, so gradually Hui Jiang got used to his presence.

Every Tuesday was the day H University’s clubs held meetings and activities, and that afternoon, all students from every major had no classes.

Before noon, Hui Jiang received a meeting notice requiring them to gather at 1:30 in the lecture hall. Time was tight—they had to eat lunch and rush over without even returning to the dorm. Luckily, Hao Tu wasn’t in his department, otherwise he would definitely cling on like a leech again.

Yes, in less than two weeks, Hui Jiang had already classified the male god of the civil engineering department girls into a “leech.” All thanks to how clingy Hao Tu was—he not only insisted on being together for classes and meals, but even followed him when he went to pick up packages. Hui Jiang had never been this constantly attached to someone before and naturally found it unbearable.

Finally managing to shake off Hao Tu using the department meeting as an excuse, Hui Jiang felt instantly relaxed, even ignoring the resentful look the other gave him when they parted.

Hui Jiang had been in this department since freshman year. Although it didn’t sound as impressive as the discipline inspection department, external relations department, or youth association, he still liked his “retirement-style” department.

The workload was light, members were lazy, and they only had to help maintain order during major school events.

Calling everyone together this time definitely meant another large school event was coming. Since it was the start of the semester, it didn’t matter much to go join the fun. However, a few minutes later, Hui Jiang realized how wrong he was.

After rushing into the lecture hall, he quickly found a seat and checked his phone—luckily he wasn’t late.

Soon after, the department head went on stage and began speaking, “Alright, since everyone is here, I’ll briefly explain next month’s campus arts and culture festival…”

What?!

As soon as he heard that name, Hui Jiang immediately looked up. The arts and culture festival was the kind of large-scale performance event every university held yearly, similar to a Spring Festival Gala. Moreover, participation from all clubs was mandatory.

He clearly remembered last year’s cringe-inducing skit, and how they were forcibly dragged on stage by seniors. Obviously, this humiliating memory wasn’t his alone—just after the department head finished speaking, a girl immediately asked, “We’re not doing skits this year, right?”

A boy suggested, “Skits depend too much on scripts. Even if we perform hard, we still can’t beat the aerial video performance from the photography club next door.”

The department head raised his hands to calm everyone, “Don’t worry, we’re definitely not doing skits this year. I analyzed last year’s rankings, and dance performances have the highest average scores, so we’ve decided to do dancing this year.”

Huh? Hui Jiang didn’t think this idea was great, but seeing that the girls in the department didn’t object, the boys also went along with it.

The department head continued, “This year our department will perform together with the Red Cross club from the Youth Association. We’ll start once they arrive.”

“Junior, did you say Red Cross?” A senior sister suddenly called out.

The department head adjusted his glasses, unsure why she was suddenly excited, “Yes, what’s wrong?”

“You’re sure you didn’t hear wrong? That’s—” The two senior sisters in their third year exchanged a glance, somehow both showing strangely infatuated smiles.

“They’re fine, go back and get to work,” said Miao Tingqiu, the former department head, still quite authoritative, “Call us when the Red Cross people arrive.”

The two third-year senior sisters were just there to join the fun. Hui Jiang thought that since he was already a sophomore, he counted as an old member of the department, so he found an empty corner and sat down to play games. But before his butt even warmed the seat, the department head came over and caught him.

“Hui Jiang, why are you slacking off too?” The department head usually got along well with him, so he spoke more casually.

“Huh? Isn’t it freshmen rehearsing?” Hui Jiang looked completely confused.

“Of course not. We didn’t recruit enough freshmen this year. And for dancing, more people looks better. Even I, the department head, have to go on stage.”

Wha… what?!

Hui Jiang helplessly followed the department head back to the main group. Just then, people from the Red Cross side arrived as well. In an instant, gasps sounded all around. Hui Jiang turned to look in confusion and found it was coming from several girls in their department.

What did they see? Why so shocked?

Curious, he looked toward that group—and immediately understood why the girls were reacting.

Radiant and almost divine, like the moon being shamed into hiding by beauty—this was probably the kind of person those words were meant to describe. In the crowd, he immediately spotted Mu Nanzhi. Compared to him, everyone else looked like ordinary green leaves, and of course, he himself was also just one of those green leaves.

Mu Nanzhi was very good-looking, approachable, and carried no arrogance at all. No wonder he was so popular with girls. This was also the reason for the difference in “lethality” between him and Hao Tu—the latter had a foul temper, cold face, and always looked down on everyone as if his gaze belonged in the sky. Even if girls liked his looks, they wouldn’t dare get close.

“Who is that? We actually have someone that good-looking in our school!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be rehearsing together anyway. We’ll find out.”

The girls nearby quietly discussed Mu Nanzhi. Hui Jiang saw that the person glanced at him, so he quickly nodded. Mu Nanzhi smiled back at him, then shifted his gaze away. They could be considered acquaintances, but apart from names and majors, they didn’t even have each other on WeChat.

The two department heads talked for a while and then gathered everyone together.

“We’re following the trend this time. The dance will be divided into male and female roles…”

Before he even finished, someone complained from below, “There are more guys than girls. How do we even divide that?”

Indeed, in a situation where girls were so scarce at H University, having two girls in the department was already very lucky.

The department head waved his hand. “What’s the problem? We may lack girls, but we don’t lack boys.” Hui Jiang’s heart sank. As expected, the next words were the most malicious idea imaginable.

“Let some of the boys cross-dress as girls.”

Department head, are you demons?!

The male students immediately protested, but the few girls were extremely excited.

The department head clapped his hands. “Everyone, calm down. Don’t you think this kind of dance will attract attention? Cross-dressing guys—it’s funny and eye-catching.” Then he glanced at Mu Nanzhi standing in the corner. Immediately, most of the boys understood what he meant.

“Ahem, we’ll do this fairly with a lottery draw. Both department heads will be impartial. Absolutely no manipulation. Everyone can rest assured.”

The boys who were originally reluctant suddenly became interested the moment they thought about humiliating the medical school’s campus heartthrob. They naively believed that once he wore women’s clothes, the girls would come back to their senses.

Hui Jiang, however, didn’t think that at all. He was purely worried about himself. No one knew that from childhood to now, his greatest fear was lottery draws, gacha pulls, and raffles.

Because he was the legendary “African-level unlucky” type—so unlucky his parents might not recognize him anymore. In every mobile game, he had to rely on pity systems; one-pull miracles had nothing to do with him.

“Can we change the idea?” he tried, relying on his only connection with the department head to resist this terrible situation.

But of course, he failed. Not only would the department head not agree, even the two senior sisters in the corner who were frantically taking photos of Mu Nanzhi would not agree. For the first time, Hui Jiang felt the value of power—but it was already too late.

Mu Nanzhi noticed his defeated expression and walked over politely.

“What’s wrong?”

“Cross-dressing… I can’t wear women’s clothes in this lifetime,” Hui Jiang joked to cope with his suffering. “Mu Nanzhi, don’t you think this is terrifying?”

“No,” Mu Nanzhi smiled faintly, “It’s a group activity after all. Everyone’s happy is what matters.”

Hui Jiang was almost blinded by that smile, but strangely felt his fragile heart being healed. “As expected of a white-robed angel,” he murmured.

“What did you say?” Mu Nanzhi leaned in.

“Nothing. I just think you’re really a good person,” Hui Jiang said, already losing count of how many times he had praised him.

Mu Nanzhi sat down beside him. “It’s fine. Did you go home during National Day?” It felt like he hadn’t seen him for a while, and he couldn’t help wanting to talk to him.

“Yeah, but it was even more tiring than school…”

“Hey, you two already know each other? What are you chatting about? Draw your lots first,” the department head suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding a bunch of bamboo sticks. “The ones with red marks underneath are the winners. Hui Jiang, you go first.”

“W-wait, don’t rush,” Hui Jiang hesitated for a long time. “Mu Nanzhi, you go first.”

Mu Nanzhi didn’t refuse and casually picked one.

The department head laughed at Hui Jiang. “Are you even a man? So timid? Worst case, just wear a skirt.”

“You’re really saying that so casually,” Hui Jiang stared at the lots, took a deep breath, and randomly pulled one.

“Good,” the department head said, then moved on to the next group.

Hui Jiang pinched the end of the bamboo stick. “Why did the department head just leave without even checking?”

“They only call out the winners during the tally,” Mu Nanzhi said, opening his palm. The bamboo stick in his hand was completely clean—no red mark at all. “Lucky. I didn’t get it.”

His tone was very calm, without even a trace of joy.

“It’s such a flat reaction… I don’t even dare look at mine,” Hui Jiang stared at his own stick, not daring to open it.

Mu Nanzhi comforted him, “Don’t be afraid. Maybe you didn’t get it?”

“My luck is really bad,” Hui Jiang said miserably. “I should’ve asked you to draw for me just now.”

Mu Nanzhi looked at him for a moment, then at the bamboo stick in his own hand.

“Let’s swap,” he said, raising his hand and offering a clean white stick with a slender, jade-like hand.

“You…” Hui Jiang’s first thought was that the other was secretly a cross-dresser. His second thought was that Mu Nanzhi must be stupid. But he quickly shook off these unrealistic ideas. “Are you serious? Mine… has a high chance of being a winner.”

Mu Nanzhi smiled calmly. “I don’t mind. Want to swap?”

Swap?

This was like the devil tempting a mortal. Hui Jiang’s heartbeat quickened, and he uncontrollably reached out. He couldn’t refuse. In the end, his fingers touched the bamboo stick in Mu Nanzhi’s hand. He suddenly snapped back to clarity and looked up. “You really agree? This…”

Mu Nanzhi nodded. “Mm, take it.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Hui Jiang said excitedly, exchanging bamboo lots with him, “Mu Nanzhi, you’re an absolutely super good person.”

The other party gave a faint smile, neither denying nor confirming it, and instead opened the lot Hui Jiang had drawn. On the clean white bamboo stick, there really was a red mark.

Just as expected.

Hui Jiang’s expression immediately dimmed, a little guilty and a little at a loss, “Mu Nanzhi, you…”

“It’s fine,” he smiled indifferently, “I agreed to exchange with you myself, there’s nothing to feel guilty about.”

“But…”

“It’s really okay,” his voice was still as gentle as ever, his brows and eyes like a painting, calming Hui Jiang down unconsciously.

Mu Nanzhi is really a good person. He must properly repay him in the future…

【System upgrade complete. You have unlocked the system’s virtual entity. From today onward, your system has a physical form. Currently, only you can see it.】

Suddenly, a mechanical voice flashed through his mind, disrupting all of Hui Jiang’s thoughts.

Then he saw a particle-like phantom appear in front of him. The particles assembled and gradually formed a small figure.

The small figure was only about the size of an adult man’s palm. The system’s avatar was a silver-haired boy, with delicate features and a small body that looked like an online cartoon character. Hui Jiang froze completely. At that moment, the small figure opened its eyes—golden irises, shimmering with a faint glow.

‘System?’

【Host, hello.】 The system’s voice had also become that of a little boy. It rubbed its eyes and yawned. 【While I was gone these past few days, did the host properly earn gentleman points?】

Well, although its appearance and voice had changed, the system was still the same as always—only thinking about gentleman points.

‘No,’ Hui Jiang answered honestly.

【Well, I figured as much.】 The silver-haired little figure floated onto his shoulder and pointed at Mu Nanzhi on the other side. 【So from now on, host must work hard to earn gentleman points!】

‘Yes, yes,’ Hui Jiang replied. Afraid of being noticed by others, he did not dare keep looking at the system. Even so, Mu Nanzhi still noticed his distraction.

“Hui Jiang? What’s wrong?”

Hui Jiang quickly shook his head, “Nothing… I’m just a bit sleepy. I usually take a nap at noon. I’ll sleep for a bit, don’t mind me.” After saying that, he pretended to be very tired and lay down on the table.

【The host really isn’t good at this. Acting so flustered, the other party has definitely noticed something is wrong… By the way, I’ve already read your memories from the past few days. The cross-dressing performance is a great opportunity!】

‘What? Absolutely not! That’s cross-dressing in front of the entire school!’ Hui Jiang felt despair just imagining it.

【But that lot originally belonged to you. Is it really okay to let someone else take your place? Carrying a favor like that… you won’t know when you can ever repay it.】

That’s true… Even if Mu Nanzhi kept saying it didn’t matter, how could he possibly act like nothing happened?

‘That’s true, but…’

【Take it back. That way you won’t feel guilty, and you can also earn a lot of gentleman points. Think about it—how many people will see your performance at the venue, that’s how many rewards you’ll get.】

As it spoke, the system itself became excited. 【So not only must you cross-dress, you must become the center of the entire stage and draw everyone’s attention to yourself!】

‘Huh?’ If souls could leave the body, Hui Jiang would have already done so. ‘Enough, stop adding so many requirements! I’m a guy—how could I possibly dance better than girls? And this is way too embarrassing!’

【Host, do your best! Only by not fearing shame can you become the true “gentleman king.”】 The silver-haired little figure flew over and patted his face. 【I believe you can definitely do it.】

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Sometimes I have immature thoughts (:з」∠) System x Hui Jiang. (No! The system is still a child, this is basically heresy!)