Chapter 45: The Unreachable Cool God (20)
After observing for a while and watching thousands of dramas, Huo Yuan came to a definitive conclusion: [Huo Xian, Hua Jin likes you.]
Huo Xian’s hand trembled, causing the piece of meat he was picking up to fall back into the soup, splashing a little water.
Hua Jin across from him was startled and quickly handed him a napkin.
“…Thank you.” Huo Xian accepted it and thanked him, relieved that Huo Yuan hadn’t blurted this out while he was in the middle of an experiment.
Huo Yuan said again: [Trust me, Huo Xian, my judgment is never wrong. I guarantee it with the 998 romance movies I’ve watched.]
Huo Xian: […]
After silently finishing lunch, Huo Xian asked: [Huo Yuan, would you mind if I used your consciousness body image?]
[Huh?] Huo Yuan was puzzled.
[I don’t need a relationship to distract me right now; my career is my priority. To avoid any future romantic interests, I want a legitimate way to refuse them.] Huo Xian said slowly.
[“Legitimate way” meansā¦?] Huo Yuan asked hesitantly.
Huo Xian calmly replied: [I’m not single.]
In short, he was “creating” a lover.
At the end of July, Huo Xian returned to Haicheng for a visit. After returning, he changed his phone’s wallpaper from the default system image to a photo, a portrait.
Hua Jin and Huo Xian were the youngest two in the research institute, both in the research department. Lacking peers to interact with, they naturally became closer, so Hua Jin quickly noticed Huo Xian’s new wallpaper.
Now, Hua Jin no longer experienced the heart-pounding sensation he felt during their first and second meetingsāa level of anxiety that even worried Huo Yuanābut he still felt shy and nervous whenever he talked to Huo Xian.
“Hey, Huo Shixiong, you changed your wallpaper?” His eyesight was good, and he could clearly see that the photo was of a person.
Rarely, after asking, Hua Jin found that Huo Xian, after a soft “åÆ (en),” had slightly reddened ears. He then put away his phone, but not before subconsciously glancing at the lock screen one last time.
When Hua Jin looked again the next day, he found that Huo Xian’s wallpaper had been changed back to the default system image, as if yesterday’s sighting had been an illusion.
Huo Yuan was also puzzled by Huo Xian’s back-and-forth changes. Of course, the photo used as the wallpaper was one featuring himself. He adjusted his image to look seventeen or eighteen years old, according to Huo Xian’s request (he himself found it rather strange, but Huo Xian was very satisfied).
But the question was, why was Huo Xian using his image as a fake lover?
Huo Xian’s response was: [Your consciousness body image is exceptionally handsome. Anyone standing before you would feel inferior.]
Huo Yuan felt embarrassed by the compliment, but Huo Xian’s words were true.
Following the wallpaper incident, Huo Xian several times “accidentally” let Hua Jin see him looking at photos on his phone with a gentle smile. Once, he even let Hua Jin clearly see Huo Yuan’s face. Although Hua Jin was shy, he was intelligent and had good emotional intelligence. After several “accidental discoveries,” he already knew Huo Xian’s “secret.”
It was false to say he wasn’t disappointed, but thinking of the appearance of the person Huo Xian liked, he didn’t feel any jealousy at all.
Hua Jin experienced heartbreak but wasn’t disheartened. Instead, he poured more enthusiasm into his studies, which relieved Huo Xian. Hua Jin had great potential; the two had common ground and similar thinking styles in their studies. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would have opportunities to collaborate in the future. Being colleagues was fine; anything beyond that was unnecessary.
…
Summer vacation ended in a flash. Bai Haihan was somewhat reluctant to let Huo Xian go. Huo Xian was like a huge sponge, absorbing knowledge at a speed that surpassed anything Bai Haihan had ever seen. In just two months, he had grown to an astonishing level. If Bai Haihan had to describe him, he would use the word “monster.” Perhaps one day, Huo Xian would truly achieve something that would amaze the world.
And this promising Huo Xian student had just started his second year of high school.
However, Huo Xian had decided to take the college entrance examination in his second year of high school, and the school shouldn’t have any major objections to his application.
The new semester officially began. The first two weeks consisted of two serious benchmark exams. For students in the parallel class, it was purely a waste of time, but for students who wanted to enter the experimental class or even the rocket class, this was an important exam that would set them apart from other students.
Two weeks later, the lists for the rocket class and the two experimental classes were officially released. Huo Xian’s name topped the list, even though he missed two subjects due to participating in the physics competition semi-finals.
Yu Zi’an, with the system’s help, also showed significant improvement. However, he also participated in the physics competition, and the missing two subjects lowered his average score, so he entered the rocket class in fifth place.
Then came He Wenqu. He had also received a lot of tutoring during the summer vacation and made rapid progress in his studies. Although he entered the rocket class with a barely-passing score, he did make it.
However, Huo Xian didn’t feel much about being in the same class with the two of them. New semester, still beautiful and alone?
He Wenqu, however, always kept it in mind. Even though a whole semester and summer vacationāa full half yearāhad passed since Huo Xian had directly rejected him, he still thought about the day Huo Xian had “stabbed” him. He comforted himself that it was because first love made it difficult to let go, but the comfort didn’t work. His brain told him not to think about it, not to think about it, but his subconscious couldn’t be overcome.
His attitude affected Yu Zi’an. Or rather, his mood had been restless since he saw the complex emotions in He Wenqu’s eyes when he looked at Huo Xian.
Initially, he thought that after He Wenqu’s birthday, the words he had said to Huo Xian would make He Wenqu aware of his feelings, or that He Wenqu would be disheartened by Huo Xian’s coldness and no longer think of him. However, He Wenqu only chuckled off his near-confession, and he couldn’t tell whether He Wenqu was genuinely oblivious or deliberately avoiding him. But when he heard He Wenqu’s confession to Huo Xian with his own ears, he knew that he still couldn’t let go of Huo Xian. Even more so, he had studied tirelessly for two months to get into the rocket class. Now, He Wenqu had achieved his wish.
So what was the meaning of his second chance?
[Ding dong.] While Huo Xian was taking a break after finishing a problem, Huo Yuan silently came online, [Huo Xian, Yu Zi’an is crying.]
[Huh?] Huo Xian was surprised.
He subconsciously turned his head to look. Yes, in his new class, his deskmate was still Yu Zi’an, so he saw Yu Zi’an’s tears falling on his workbook at a glance.
Huo Xian: ā¦
Yu Zi’an: ā¦
Huo Xian silently said: “…There’s no wind or sand in the classroom.”
Yu Zi’an: ā¦
He was both ashamed and angry. He threw his pen down and stood up, regretting it immediately. The reason was that it was self-study time, and the head teacher was still on the podium. The sound of him throwing the pen was quite loud, so forty pairs of eyes in the class turned to him.
Yu Zi’an froze. The head teacher pushed his glasses up and was about to ask when Huo Xian raised his hand and said: “Teacher, Yu Zi’an has a terrible stomach ache.”
Huo Yuan whispered: [Forced stomach ache, huh?]
Huo Xian replied: [It has to be.]
Indeed, even if Yu Zi’an didn’t have a stomach ache, he would have to pretend to have one. He couldn’t just throw a pen around and disrupt the self-study class order, so he could only grit his teeth and say, “Teacher, I would like to ask for a short leave to go to the infirmary.”
Yu Zi’an’s complexion was indeed poor, and his eyes were red, so he really did look unwell. The head teacher believed him and asked Huo Xian to take him to the infirmary.
Huo Xian: ā¦
Huo Yuan laughed and asked: [Huo Xian, isn’t this you shooting yourself in the foot?]
Huo Xian: […]
Huo Xian said slowly: [My mother’s birthday is in two days, and I plan to make her a sumptuous noodle dish again.]
Huo Yuan immediately asked with great anticipation: [Can I share your taste?]
Huo Xian slowly curled the corner of his lips. If those who admired him saw it, they would surely be moved to the point of nosebleeds. In fact, with his enchanting face, he said cruel words: [No.]
[Huo Xianā¦] QA********
Ever since the only time he had shared Huo Xian’s taste, Huo Yuan had become interested in and longed for food. To be precise, he was looking forward to Huo Xian’s noodles, but Huo Xian was exceptionally busy and hadn’t cooked since then.
[Huo Xian, I haven’t used any points since that time I shared your taste. I’m still 400 points away from -6000. Sharing your taste only costs 150 points. Can you let me share it again?] Huo Yuan said pitifully.
Huo Xian didn’t respond.
[Huo Xianļ½ļ½Please, let me share it again, okay?] Huo Yuan softened his tone and acted cute, imitating characters from some dramas.
Huo Xian: His heart almost melted.
Before Huo Xian could answer, Yu Zi’an, who had been left aside, finally spoke, asking with a suppressed coldness: “What do you mean?”
Only then did Huo Xian remember that there was another person there. Hearing the voice, he turned to him, tilting his head slightly, somewhat puzzled.
Yu Zi’an unconsciously clenched his fist, his whole body tense, the veins in his neck prominent.
“Are you giving me charity?” Yu Zi’an asked in a low voice.
“Charity?” Huo Xian repeated the word, utterly bewildered.
“Wenquā¦” Yu Zi’an squeezed the two words from between his teeth, and was about to continue when Huo Xian raised his hand to interrupt him.
Huo Xian’s expression was cold, and his gaze toward Yu Zi’an remained as icy as ever. He said calmly: “You’re a love-brained idiot, but I’m not.”
With these words, Yu Zi’an felt a surge of blood rush to his head. He blurted out, “What’s wrong with Wenqu?”
“Are you here to play matchmaker for me and him?” Huo Xian’s voice suddenly became several degrees colder. Without waiting for Yu Zi’an to answer, he continued: “Yu Zi’an, I don’t care what you think of He Wenqu, but I advise you not to impose your ideas on everyone. You see him through rose-tinted glasses; you consider him a treasure, but to me, he’s just a roadside weed. He can be good, whatever, but it has nothing to do with me.”
Yu Zi’an’s lips moved, unable to retort for a moment.
Huo Xian continued: “Also, I’m a high school student. Currently, all I care about is my studies. I advise you to curb your love-brain and focus on your studies.” Speaking, he looked ahead and said calmly: “The infirmary is up ahead. You should be able to go by yourself. I’ll go back to the classroom.”
He didn’t give Yu Zi’an a chance to respond before turning and leaving.
[Sigh!] Huo Yuan suddenly sighed.
Huo Xian’s icy face instantly cracked. He asked with amusement: [Why are you sighing?]
[When reading novels, seeing the protagonist sacrificing everything for love, I feel that this kind of feeling is really profound. In realityā¦ It’s not good to not study hard during the time when you should be studying hard; it’s a waste of past efforts. Love-brain is really not good, sigh!] Huo Yuan also learned to be sarcastic.
Huo Xian almost choked on his laughter, but managed to hold it back, echoing: [Indeed, students should focus on their studies.]
Huo Yuan immediately flattered him: [Huo Xian, you’re still the best. No matter how alluring or clingy He Wenqu is, you always remain unwavering in your determination to study. You are the role model for all middle school students.]
Huo Xian almost suffocated from laughter. To prevent a real injury, he said before Huo Yuan could continue his flattery: [Alright, alright, I’ll allow you to share my taste again in two days.] If he was praised any further, his soul would ascend to heaven.
[Oh, Huo Xian, you’re the best! I love you, mwahļ½] Huo Yuan cheered happily in his mind, spinning around joyfully.
Huo Xian thought, when will a tangible mwah come?
…
In the infirmary, Yu Zi’an lay on the narrow bed, his eyes unfocused, staring at a point in the void.
His obsession with He Wenqu had extended from his past life to this one, making it incredibly difficult to let go.
“If you only look at the person standing at the top, then I will become the person you look up toā¦” After a long time, he closed his eyes and said silently but firmly.
The system hesitated. It wanted to tell the host: Don’t dream, the son of destiny is at the peak of his luck now; even with a system to cheat, the host can’t catch up.
However, as long as the host has the motivation to study, the host’s motivation to study and the enhanced personal luck are the energy source of the system.
But to be honest, it was still greedy for the son of destiny’s luck.
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