Pulling up the QR code, Bai Yao held out his phone to show Lin Mingxin.
While waiting for Lin Mingxin to add him, he tried to mimic the other boy’s posture.
He leaned his lower back against the railing, crossed his legs, slightly hunched his shoulders, and stuffed one hand into his pocket…
‘No! So stupid! It’s just a cheap imitation!’
Bai Yao didn’t feel cool at all; instead, he felt like a delusional idiot deliberately trying to act tough.
He quickly stood up straight, pretending as if nothing had happened.
“Added you.”
“Yeah.”
Bai Yao looked down to confirm the friend request and added a note for Lin Mingxin.
“I sent you my phone number, too.”
“Okay.”
This should count as completing the task, right? After all, the system only required Bai Yao to obtain Lin Mingxin’s contact information.
But what counted as over-achieving?
Bai Yao recalled the task rewards from the morning class…
A regular completion only netted him a reward of 100 yuan, but if he over-achieved, he could get unexpected benefits.
Improving his skin condition had directly boosted his attractiveness by a whole level!
While Lin Mingxin played with his phone, his attention remained on Bai Yao.
He had seen everything, especially the way Bai Yao had specifically tried to mimic his posture, the slightly panicked movements, and the “nothing happened” expression…
Perhaps it was because he was used to Bai Yao’s usual “keep away” demeanor, but this contrast was actually somewhat cute.
‘This guy, Bai Yao, is probably a closet eccentric…’
Lin Mingxin thought critically to himself.
[Task completed. Cash reward: 100 yuan]
[Task over-achieved! You have gained the attention of your Secret Crush. At 31 years old, your charm remains undiminished!]
Syncing with the voice in his head, a bank text notification popped up at the top of his phone.
Bai Yao froze.
He looked up and happened to lock eyes with Lin Mingxin.
Both of them stared at each other, their eyes filled with a certain blankness.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m going to the bathroom.”
The small bathroom was packed with toiletries.
Various clothes hung from hooks on the wall, and a water-retaining strip separated the shower area from the toilet.
Bai Yao reflexively locked the door before frowning in disbelief.
‘Attention…’
‘So it really was just being “noticed”?’
It was like following a content creator or a novel; one would just take a few extra glances whenever they remembered, checking for updates or interesting posts.
‘But I’m only 18 years old! And as a man, I don’t need a compliment like “undiminished charm”! Give me something substantial! Even an extra 100 yuan would be better…’
‘Stingy system!’
Bai Yao pulled down his waistband and prepared to aim.
He looked down at the little brother that had accompanied him for 18 years, still unable to fathom how it would “leave home” in the future.
It was incomprehensible.
Setting aside the possibility of a Parallel World for a moment…
Was it going to be destroyed in a car accident?
Because he had been told he looked like a girl since he was a child, Bai Yao had gone from resisting to becoming used to it.
He had even felt the urge to cross-dress before, but he truly had no intention of becoming a girl… surely he wouldn’t go and get surgery?
He had heard of things like intersex conditions… but everything seemed to function normally?
After finishing, he turned to the small mirror hanging on the tile wall.
Looking from the side, he could vaguely see a slight rise in his chest.
This was why he preferred to show his legs but never went shirtless in front of his roommates…
“I’m overthinking it, right?”
Bai Yao muttered, yet he couldn’t resist raising both hands to give a light press.
“Hiss—”
The sensation was entirely new—a very distinct pain! Beneath the skin, he could vaguely feel small, hard nodes.
What was going on?!
Stung by the stimulation, two small points appeared on his thin, summer T-shirt.
Fortunately, they weren’t too noticeable under the large graphic print.
Knock knock knock!
“Did you fall into the toilet? Hurry up!”
Wang Zuhao’s dissatisfied shouting came from outside.
This guy had been lounging in bed earlier, refusing to get up, yet he just had to come and compete for the bathroom the moment someone else used it!
Bai Yao cursed him in his heart and opened the door.
Wang Zuhao’s large frame immediately shoved into the bathroom, squeezing Bai Yao into the corner.
He couldn’t wait to rip down his waistband and use the toilet.
With a quick glance, a preoccupied Bai Yao walked out.
Come to think of it, he was already 18 years old, yet he didn’t even have much body hair…
In the past, he thought being clean was nice, but now he couldn’t help but worry.
He suddenly paused just outside the bathroom, sucked in a breath, and looked back at Wang Zuhao.
Wang Zuhao looked up and saw Bai Yao’s shocked, wide-eyed stare.
He straightened his back and sneered, “Bigger than yours, right? Jealous?”
“…”
[Once, two choices were placed before you: one was an online crush who moved to your city specifically for you; the other was a college classmate who actively pursued you. You chose the former and regretted it deeply.]
[Now, you have met the latter again. 13 years later, does he still like you? Will you choose the person who loves you?]
‘No, is the system bugged again? Did it eat some bad mushrooms or catch a virus!’
[Test the other party’s attitude. Cash reward: 100 yuan]
With a cold, expressionless face, Bai Yao returned to his desk.
He was in no hurry to complete this task for the cash reward…
Although Wang Zuhao had never said it outright, Bai Yao could clearly feel that the guy disliked him.
He spent all day being sarcastic about how “girly” Bai Yao looked and deliberately excluded him.
It was like the logic of a primary schooler—isolating the “weirdo” they didn’t like.
He was used to it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hold a grudge.
Besides, Wang Zuhao snored! He was also loud and noisy.
At least 70% of the responsibility for Bai Yao’s dark circles lay with him!
Bai Yao sighed and opened RimWorld, pouring his heart and soul into his Rat-people.
“I definitely overthought it.”
As for the future… he couldn’t imagine a scenario where Wang Zuhao would actually like him, let alone pursue him! Therefore, the “woman” the system mentioned absolutely wasn’t him!
How disgusting! The mere thought made him shiver!
Bai Yao shuddered, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.
With a look of pure disgust, he decided to push this task to the back of his mind and set it aside for now.
‘Test his attitude? My foot! I don’t even want to speak to him! Am I supposed to just ask him “do you like me”?’
He’d be lucky not to get punched!
It was just 100 yuan! Bai Yao wasn’t about to sell his soul for that!
Just as he finished his internal rant, Wang Zuhao finished in the bathroom and returned to the dorm.
He stood behind Bai Yao with his arms crossed, watching him play on the computer.
“…”
Bai Yao’s eyelid twitched.
He almost thought the guy had heard him cursing in his head.
This caused his mouse movements to falter as he used the dark reflection of the monitor to spy on the Wang Zuhao behind him.
He had to admit, having a 6-foot-4 man standing behind him like a small mountain with a stern face was quite psychologically taxing.
The guy was built like a tank; his arms were probably thicker than Bai Yao’s legs! He could probably pick him up like a little chick with one hand.
“What crappy game is this? Just watching some little people run around…”
Bai Yao didn’t bother to reply.
He continued controlling his Rat-people to harvest organs from prisoners.
He already had a strategy for dealing with this: the more you acknowledged people like him, the more energized they became.
Wang Zuhao teased casually, “You don’t secretly use skincare products, do you? Are you that vain?”
“Hmm?”
‘Wait, even Wang Zuhao noticed my skin got better!’
Chen Zhilong needed to be reminded, and Lin Mingxin hadn’t noticed at all.
Although it was clearly an insult, Bai Yao felt rather smug.
He fought to suppress the upward curve of his lips, pretending not to care.
It was like someone who placed first in class but refused to say anything until someone asked.
“None of your business.”