Chapter 4: My Fate is Determined by Me, Not by Heaven
The System, which had just lost all hope, finally felt a spark of anticipation reignite.
It seemed that even though the earlier plot points had gone a bit awry, the changing room scenario was happening as scheduled.
The System’s “linguistic arts” engine kicked into gear as it racked its brains to compose the mission prompt.
【Mission Update: Redemption in the Changing Room.
Mission Reward: 20 Mission Points.
Mission Content: You and F1 are locked in the changing room together. F1 must be terrified right now. Host, please snuggle up to F1 and weather this storm together.
Mission Hint: Sometimes, showing weakness is a form of protection. If you are as scared as he is, he won’t feel so nervous.】
Shi Huaibai: “…”
He thought to himself: How can a grown man like F1 be so useless? Last time he was afraid of a cat, and this time he’s afraid of being alone in a locked room.
Shi Huaibai had no interest in hugging a grown man to comfort him. To be honest, he considered even artificial respiration to be gender discriminatory.
Hugging F1 and saying “there, there, don’t be scared”—Shi Huaibai simply couldn’t do it.
Jiang Xinian watched as Shi Huaibai seemed to hesitate for a long time. Finally, the boy made up his mind, tilting his head to look at him with those wet, glistening eyes. His sleepy phoenix eyes were as clear as autumn pools, seemingly misty with lake light and water vapor.
Shi Huaibai stood a bit unsteadily, making one involuntarily think of a fresh sprig of cedar trembling in the mist.
“If you are very scared, you can hold my hand.”
After thinking about it, Shi Huaibai felt that was too gay, so he added a supplementary clause: “You can only grab the wrist.”
Jiang Xinian’s expression turned cold again: As expected. He’s exhausted every little trick to cling to me. What role is he playing this time? The tragic little cabbage?
However, he didn’t object to some people’s petty scheming. After all, Shi Huaibai’s appearance was indeed pure and cute. The boy’s decision to cling to him was also quite “smart”—after all, who doesn’t want a patron?
The System was cheering inside Shi Huaibai’s brain: 【Host, say something to him! Your body can only hold out for another five minutes.】
Shi Huaibai was puzzled: “What five minutes?”
Bobo checked its stopwatch: 【In five minutes, your claustrophobia is going to explode.】
Shi Huaibai was dumbfounded: 【What phobia? Why does this body have claustrophobia?】
The System thought: In the future, when Shi Huaibai completes the mission of conquering the Campus F4, I will definitely set up a separate table at their five-person wedding, sit on top of their heads, and eat. Moments like this always require my linguistic arts.
【Dear Host, you must know that a true protagonist dares to face a bleak life, dares to look upon dripping blood, and remains strong in will even if physically frail. Even when deep in fear, he can protect his teammates. Claustrophobia is a test for you!】
As soon as the words fell, a burning flame seemed to ignite in Shi Huaibai’s chest. Voices echoed one after another in his head: He understood. This is his mission!!!
The System’s linguistic arts pressed the advantage: 【A Long Aotian has three things in life he must protect: the power he obtains, his brothers, and the girls he pursues! Now that F1 is so scared, shouldn’t we comfort him? Shouldn’t we help a brother get through this difficulty?】
That’s right, just like that! Hold hands with F1, pour out your hearts, and comfort each other!
Shi Huaibai felt this made sense. “Then how should I comfort him?”
The System was excited: 【Comfort him just like the common plots in novels.】
For example… the poor little white flower discovers the pain behind F1’s refined smile: “Every time you smile, you seem so lonely.”
F1’s soul would tremble. For the first time, someone saw through his disguise of speaking human words to humans and ghost words to ghosts. For the first time, someone discovered the dark corner of his heart. Not only was the other person not afraid of him, but they asked with heartache: “You must be very lonely, right?”
Finally, the claustrophobia attacks, and he collapses into F1’s arms. It’s unimaginable how captivated F1 would be.
A poor little white flower, clearly in so much pain from claustrophobia, yet still using a fervent heart to save others before saving himself.
He is so scared, so in pain… yet he can keenly feel the loneliness of others.
What a kind little angel!!!
Shi Huaibai: “I understand!”
System: 【I believe in you!】
So, enduring the physiological pain of claustrophobia and clutching his splitting head, Shi Huaibai walked up to Jiang Xinian and solemnly placed his hand on the other man’s shoulder.
The black fear brought by the claustrophobia continued to flow through his mind. Shi Huaibai endured it until the corners of his eyes turned red, looking just like a soft, snow-white rabbit.
For a moment, Jiang Xinian felt a twinge of compassion, staring blankly at the tears in the corners of Shi Huaibai’s eyes.
He had to admit, perhaps Shi Huaibai was indeed pitiful. Leaving his home to come to LB Academy, not only did he receive no respect, but he also suffered one undeserved calamity after another.
It looked like this wasn’t the first time he had been locked in a place like this.
“I’ll call Chen Xin now and have him come open the door.”
Unexpectedly, Shi Huaibai interrupted Jiang Xinian: “You are also very scared, aren’t you?”
The System’s eyes lit up: Yes, yes, that’s it! The plot of the Mary Sue Noble Academy never fails!
It began to look forward to how the Host would use emotional and moving language to touch F1’s heart.
Jiang Xinian was also slightly moved for a moment. From childhood to adulthood, he had been lonely. He looked like he could get along with everyone, but in reality, he only disguised himself as a gentle figure who could coexist harmoniously with anyone. No one had ever truly set foot in the corners of his heart.
He was a withdrawn, disgusting monster.
Do monsters… also fear loneliness?
That was why he wore a thousand faces in front of a thousand people. Because he couldn’t bear a life where he wasn’t surrounded by stars like the moon.
He was indeed… afraid of loneliness.
Golden light practically shot out of the System’s eyes; its excitement was unparalleled. It couldn’t wait to see the beautiful scene that would happen next.
Shi Huaibai lived up to expectations. His eyes were clear, the deep affection within them unparalleled: “It doesn’t matter if it’s painful. It’s okay to cry. Think about…”
Under the infinitely solemn and expectant gazes of the System and Jiang Xinian, Shi Huaibai finally began to use his words to elevate the theme.
He said: “Think about your friends!!!”
【Ber?】 System: 【Wait…】
Not that sentence, not that sentence!
Jiang Xinian couldn’t process it for a moment. The sudden shift in atmosphere caused a crack to appear in his usually calm mask.
Shi Huaibai persisted: “Think about your family, your friends!”
“Think about the bonds between you!!!”
Shi Huaibai was practically impassioned: “You must be strong!”
The System silently turned around and drew circles on the ground with its finger, feeling extremely autistic. It had miscalculated again. In the Noble Academy world line, everyone thinks about love, about redemption!
But Shi Huaibai is a Long Aotian. Shi Huaibai shouted about friendship and bonds and charged forward.
Then he asked Bobo: “How was that? I successfully stimulated F1’s fighting spirit, right? This sub-mission is complete, right?”
System: 【Fight… fighting… we’re finished.】
Now, the claustrophobia belonging to this body intensified. Shi Huaibai’s throat tasted sweet with a physiological reaction, and waves of nausea rushed to his head.
Jiang Xinian, who was completely dumbfounded with the cigar still in his mouth, felt his pupils shrink.
With a loud thud, Shi Huaibai, who had been standing peacefully in front of him, flopped to the ground. His eyes were a bit dazed, his pupils quickly turning into a murky brown, and a single tear fell from the corner of his eye.
This was the first time Jiang Xinian had seriously looked at Shi Huaibai crying.
His shoulders shrank and trembled, looking like a newly born puppy that hadn’t yet clearly seen this world it could never escape, only to be sold to an unknown “master.”
The beauty’s neck was extremely thin, his Adam’s apple trembling slightly. The veins and the vivid color were all captured in Jiang Xinian’s eyes—beautiful beyond measure.
He looked absolutely pitiable.
Jiang Xinian was not a “good person” in the true sense; he was a “philanthropist” in the universal sense.
Good people do good deeds without asking for rewards. Philanthropists are different; philanthropists hope for praise and to exchange their deeds for higher status.
As the President of LB Academy, he knew too well what kind of silk-pants* rich kids were in the academy. These arrogant second-generation wealthy kids always took pleasure in mocking the poor special admission students. Shi Huaibai wasn’t the first, and naturally wouldn’t be the last. (Note: Silk-pants = hedonistic rich useless kids)
If the matter was brought before his eyes, for the sake of his image of absolute justice, he would step in to help these “bullied special students.” The special students also always thought he was a rare great philanthropist in the Noble Academy.
However, in reality, he was too lazy to care and didn’t have the time to manage these bullies. Unless it was brought out into the open, he wouldn’t meddle.
But Shi Huaibai… was too pretty.
Locked in a changing room, yet he didn’t scream or shout like a ghost, unlike those other barbaric commoners.
He didn’t even dare to cry loudly. How could one say he wasn’t cute?
Jiang Xinian, this bastard who was gold on the outside but rotting cotton on the inside, stared blankly for a while. Then, he reached out and extinguished the cigar between his index and middle fingers, seeming to want to see an even more pitiful side of Shi Huaibai. “What to do now, poor little dog?”
He seemed to understand. All those messy words Shi Huaibai just said in front of him—loneliness, redemption, friends, bonds…
It was just that Shi Huaibai was also clumsily afraid.
The cold sweat rolling down while trembling, the tear-stained face.
Shi Huaibai was scared as if he had just been fished out of the water.
Jiang Xinian frowned: Being scared like this just from being locked up is abnormal.
Could it be… claustrophobia?
He grabbed Shi Huaibai’s neck, lifting the other person up to examine him closely. Seeing those wet eyes, Jiang Xinian swore: This was the first time he had the thought of helping someone without expecting anything in return.
He dialed the phone: “Hello, Chen Xin? You have the key to the changing room, right? Come here. Immediately. Now.”
He was anxious…
He was afraid Shi Huaibai would actually die.
Perhaps after today, he could allow Shi Huaibai to stay by his side, treating it as if he were raising a beautiful puppy worthy of affection.
Before the call hung up, Shi Huaibai suddenly reached out a hand and said firmly to Jiang Xinian: “My fate is determined by me, not by Heaven! I will not succumb to this tiny phobia!!!”
As a Long Aotian, even if he is afraid, he must march forward bravely.
Claustrophobia is just a test given to him by God!
He wanted to prove himself!
Under Jiang Xinian’s stunned gaze, Shi Huaibai suddenly charged, shouting something about friendship and bonds again, and jumped…
From the 16th floor.
16th floor…
Jumped…
Down!!!
And the System went completely insane, letting out the screech of a rubber chicken: 【AHHHHHHHHH…..】
Author’s Note: Young Master Jiang: If you like a Beagle, you can’t just like that the Beagle is pretty, you can’t just like its big soft ears. You have to love that the Beagle has a foul mouth, and that the Beagle sheds.
You are angered to death by the Beagle, holding it as you jump from the 16th floor, and the Beagle says: “This is Bungee Jumping!”
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