“You can play ball now?”
“For sure. Would I scam you? Meeting after class?”
During the break, Qiu Ye formed a small circle with several classmates, standing in the hallway to chat.
“Qiu Ye looks a bit fierce, doesn’t he?”
“I still think Lin Mingxin is more handsome!”
“But Qiu Ye is more masculine. He’s so cool when he plays ball!”
A few girls sitting at the back desks huddled together during the break, chirping away about the handsome guys in class.
Meanwhile, the topic of conversation among the group in the hallway had already shifted from playing ball to critiquing the figures of the girls in their class.
“Gu Wanwan has to be the biggest! I’d estimate she’s at least a D-cup!”
“You think your eyes are that accurate?”
“I’ve watched countless videos, alright!”
“Crude! Send me some later.”
Bai Yao rested his chin on one hand, watching Qiu Ye chat in the hallway.
No matter the topic, Qiu Ye could always chime in without letting the conversation die down.
Because of this, he had a good relationship with most of the class.
‘Why am I paying so much attention to Qiu Ye?’
‘Oh, I just want to find the girl Qiu Ye likes. I’m just curious.’
‘What kind of girl would Qiu Ye like? Someone pretty with a big chest? This guy is a foodie, so she should probably be a good cook who can make a great meal, right?’
He could never stay still in the Dormitory.
He often dragged Bai Yao out for climbing mountains, shopping, and having dinner with friends every other day, so the girl would also need to have an outgoing, cheerful personality.
‘Does she need to be gentle? Even though Qiu Ye is quite assertive, he actually has a side to him that acts like a spoiled little wife.’
In any case, no matter the criteria, Bai Yao didn’t come close to fitting the bill.
‘So, no matter how outrageous the Task is, Qiu Ye won’t get the wrong idea. At most, he’ll just get angry and give me a scolding…’
Bai Yao let out a melancholy sigh.
Although he wasn’t as thirsty as the System claimed, with his head full of thoughts about finding a man, making money wasn’t a shameful thing…
If Qiu Ye found a girlfriend, he would definitely have to change his Task Target.
But other men?
He feared that even putting an arm around his shoulder would trigger his Social Distance Warning Line, making him so resistant that he wouldn’t be able to complete the Task.
Bai Yao suddenly looked up and saw a girl walking toward Qiu Ye.
He didn’t recognize her; she was from another class. Was she the girl Qiu Ye liked?
He stared straight out at the hallway, but unfortunately, the distance was a bit too far this time, and he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Suddenly, his back was lightly poked.
Bai Yao’s attention was pulled back, and he turned around.
It was the girls who had been chatting about handsome guys earlier, looking at him with beaming smiles.
He already had a cold expression, and upon seeing the girls, his face subconsciously tensed up with nervousness, his tone becoming flat and distant.
“What?”
“Gu Wanwan gave this to you.”
The girl handed over a piece of paper, likely torn from a notebook, folded into a neat square.
“????”
Gu Wanwan?
Bai Yao looked toward Gu Wanwan in confusion and found that she was also secretly looking at him.
He took the paper and unfolded it, finding a hand-drawn 2D illustration.
The boy in the drawing had a slender build, a short ponytail, and a cold expression.
To highlight that coldness, he even held a prop that looked like a surgical scalpel.
‘Well, it’s drawn pretty well.’
‘Is this my 2D Persona? Gu Wanwan’s hobby of drawing personas for her classmates is quite interesting.’
“What is it?”
The girls behind him leaned in, trying to peek.
“Is it a love letter?”
“No.”
Bai Yao casually handed the drawing back to them, then resumed resting his chin on one hand to observe Qiu Ye in the hallway.
Speaking of which, his popularity seemed to be quite good lately?
Occasionally, girls would even talk to him.
However, to him, any girl was like a fairy from the heavens—unreachable and completely unable to stir any extra thoughts in his mind.
The bell rang for class.
Qiu Ye returned to sit beside Bai Yao.
As soon as he sat down, he invited the girls at the back desk to team up for a game.
“Log in, log in! I’ll carry you all!”
“Bai Yao, are you joining?”
“I don’t play mobile games.”
‘Qiu Ye didn’t use to play them either. Did he start playing just for the girl he likes?’
Bai Yao muttered to himself as he slumped over his desk, scrolling through an updated historical webnovel.
‘The author went crazy and added an extra update today!’
“Qiu…”
Bai Yao looked up, wanting to tell Qiu Ye the surprise, but seeing how enthusiastically Qiu Ye was playing the game with the girls, he swallowed his words.
For some reason, he felt like his relationship with Qiu Ye was a tiny bit colder today.
Bai Yao wasn’t sure if he was being too sensitive and overthinking things, or if it was actually happening…
“What was that note just now?”
Qiu Ye suddenly asked.
“Huh?”
‘I was definitely being too sensitive!’
Bai Yao’s mood instantly relaxed as he replied, “A 2D Persona Gu Wanwan drew for me. It looks pretty good.”
“Is that so?”
“You should have her draw one for you when you have time.”
‘But wasn’t Qiu Ye chatting in the hallway? He actually noticed me receiving a note.’
Qiu Ye didn’t even look up as he continued his game, asking, “What do you think of Gu Wanwan?”
“Ah? I don’t know.”
Bai Yao couldn’t answer at all.
If he hadn’t turned his head to look, he wouldn’t even remember if Gu Wanwan had long or short hair; he hadn’t paid any attention to her.
Seeing Qiu Ye focus on the game again, he looked up at the podium with a hint of disappointment.
The teacher was lecturing volubly, but only the students in the first few rows were likely paying attention.
Those in the back were basically all playing on their phones.
Sometimes he felt a bit sorry for the teacher.
If he were on the podium, he would definitely be so embarrassed his toes would curl… and so, he would pretend to listen seriously for a while.
Bai Yao sat up straight, feigning attention, while his mind was still occupied with the Task.
Kissing was a bit too much.
Even if the System increased the bribe to 500 dollars to tempt him, he wouldn’t consider it at all.
However, a notification for a failed Task had yet to appear.
He didn’t know how to get a new Task either…
Bai Yao stole a glance at Qiu Ye.
Looking at that focused profile while he played the game, Bai Yao pursed his lips and looked back down at his textbook.
‘He really is handsome. The kind of handsome even a man would admit to! How could he possibly be worried about romance!’
**[MISS BAI YAO! BE BRAVE IN THE PURSUIT OF LOVE! DO NOT HESITATE AND MISS YOUR CHANCE AT DESTINY!]**
**[KISSING MIGHT INDEED BE TOO HARD FOR YOU! BUT WHAT ABOUT A KISS ON THE CHEEK TO EXPRESS YOUR LOVE?]**
**[REWARD INCREASED: 500 DOLLARS]**
*Hiss—* the System increased the price and even lowered the requirements!
He was suddenly a bit tempted…
Bai Yao couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Qiu Ye’s face.
‘What if I waited until Qiu Ye was asleep and gave him a secret kiss?’
‘Wait, no! Why do I feel more and more like a sexual predator!’
Bai Yao’s face flushed red as he shook the strange thoughts out of his head.
Qiu Ye, however, shot him a suspicious look.
Seeing him lower his head as if he had a guilty conscience, just like he did yesterday, not daring to make eye contact.
‘Is he trying to tease me and then run away again? Making my heart race for half the day and then refusing to take responsibility or state his position, wanting to act like nothing happened… Bai Yao’s sense of humor is far too twisted!’
Alarm bells rang in his heart.
Qiu Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, considering how he should ruthlessly counter this “Mesugaki.”