Chapter 37: The Aloof God Cannot Be Approached (12)
[Huo Yuan.] Huo Xian didn’t immediately answer He Wenqu, but called out to Huo Yuan.
Although Huo Yuan didn’t know why Huo Xian suddenly called him, he immediately went online: [I’m here.]
Huo Xian asked him: [Do you think I should agree to him?]
[Huh?] Huo Yuan was a little puzzled and hesitantly replied: [Don’t agree… probably.]
Huo Xian: [Why?]
[He said he’s inviting a few close friends. You and him aren’t exactly ‘close friends,’ are you?] Huo Yuan judged the closeness of their relationship based on the dramas he’d recently watched. In fact, the protagonist of this world was inherently aloof, rarely had friends in parallel worlds, and in this world, the original owner had no friends other than He Wenqu in his previous life. Now with Huo Xian’s arrival, even He Wenqu is excluded.
[You make a valid point.] Huo Xian agreed, but before Huo Yuan could rejoice, he added: [But at He Wenqu’s birthday dinner, a very important person will appear: Bai Haihan, the original owner’s and You Zi’an’s teacher.]
Bai Haihan is a famous physicist in China. It’s no exaggeration to say he’s the top physicist in China’s history in the past century. Although he’s now old and hasn’t appeared in public for many years, the scientific physics community revered him as a god. For such a prominent figure to not be at the research institute in Beijing, but to come to Haicheng and even eat at a common restaurant, can only be considered a coincidence. The details are not to be revealed for now.
In short, if he could get guidance from Bai Haihan, it would be a stroke of incredible luck.
Unfortunately, the original owner messed everything up because of He Wenqu, who disrupted his life, and thus lost this teacher.
[Then… should you still go?] Huo Yuan was a little conflicted.
“Huo Xian?” He Wenqu, who hadn’t received a response for a long time, couldn’t help but call out.
Huo Xian said indifferently: “Sorry.”
Hearing these two words, He Wenqu’s face immediately fell, but he was unwilling to give up: “Why?”
“We’re not that close.” Huo Xian ruthlessly stabbed a knife into his heart, and politely added: “Happy birthday in advance.” He nodded slightly and pushed his bike away.
He Wenqu couldn’t describe his current mood. His hands and feet were ice-cold, his blood seemed cold too, and his whole body was so cold that he almost shivered. He couldn’t speak, only standing there watching Huo Xian’s increasingly distant figure until he disappeared.
Huo Xian, who had taken the “cold and ruthless” to the extreme, didn’t bother to care whether He Wenqu was disappointed or sad after being rejected. He Wenqu, after making the original owner fall for him, turned around and found “true love” in You Zi’an, pursuing him relentlessly without hesitation.
Even though He Wenqu hadn’t shown his “scumbag” side yet, it didn’t stop Huo Xian from being indifferent to him.
[Huo Xian, are you rejecting He Wenqu to give up on Bai Haihan?] Huo Yuan asked.
Huo Xian curled his lips: [Bai Haihan is a professor whom even the original owner’s father wanted to apprentice under. Becoming his student would have brought a considerable boost in luck.]
If Huo Yuan were to appear in human form at this moment, he would probably have bug eyes.
Huo Xian didn’t want to make things difficult for him and explained: [The location of He Wenqu’s birthday banquet and Bai Haihan’s appearance at the restaurant are the same. However, these two things can be separated. I can go to the restaurant to eat, but not to attend He Wenqu’s birthday banquet.]
Huo Yuan thought carefully for a while, and suddenly understood: [You can just go to eat, and then ‘accidentally’ meet He Wenqu!]
[So clever.] Huo Xian praised.
Huo Yuan was silent for a while before saying softly: [… Huo Xian, your tone of praise is exactly like Liang Yong praising Dou Dou.]
“Liang Yong” and “Dou Dou” were characters from a TV drama Huo Yuan had watched these past two days; they were a father-daughter pair. Liang Yong taught Dou Dou to write numbers and praised her in various ways after she finished.
Huo Xian laughed, saying seriously: [But I really think you’re very smart.]
[…Thank you.] Huo Yuan shyly thanked him and added: [You’re also very smart.]
=v=
Sunday, City Library.
“Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?” A gentle, slightly nervous female voice sounded nearby.
The reading area of the city library was very spacious, with a full wall of floor-to-ceiling glass windows letting in sunlight, making it feel particularly warm on a cold winter day.
The seats in the reading area were four-person tables. Even though Huo Xian deliberately chose the most secluded one, he still couldn’t avoid the occasional inquiries.
Without raising his head, he said: “Yes.”
The two girls next to the table looked at each other, exchanging glances – it was a rare encounter with such a handsome boy; wouldn’t it be a pity not to strike up a conversation?
“But we’ve been here for an hour, and we haven’t seen anyone else come. Has your friend not arrived yet?” The girl with a ponytail asked with a smile.
Huo Xian’s typing paused. He moved his gaze away from the screen and scanned the rows of empty tables in front of him, his gaze falling on the two girls. They were two girls of sixteen or seventeen, full of youthful energy.
The two girls, seeing his face clearly, were slightly stunned, then blushed in unison, feeling shy. However, the next second, what he said made them freeze.
Huo Xian said: “When I answered ‘yes,’ it was simply to avoid sharing the table with others and wasting my breath explaining.”
But clearly, it didn’t work.
[It’s because you’re too handsome, Huo Xian. Every girl who sees you wants to stop and take a second look.] Huo Yuan paused after saying this, then felt a little puzzled: [Why are they all girls… eh, Huo Xian, there’s a boy hiding behind the bookshelf secretly watching you!]
Boys and girls didn’t interest Huo Xian much.
After the two girls left awkwardly, he checked the time; it was almost dinner time. He quickly packed up, putting his laptop and draft paper into his bag, then picked up the pile of books on the table. He returned some to the bookshelf and borrowed others.
In front of a bookshelf, Huo Xian made eye contact with someone through the bookshelf. It was a pair of round almond-shaped eyes, with black pupils and clear gaze. The boy was startled when their eyes met, then quickly avoided his gaze, hurriedly returning the book to the bookshelf and hurrying away. Huo Xian saw his flushed ears through the gap.
[Huo Xian, he’s the boy who was hiding behind the bookshelf and secretly watching you. His heart is beating very fast right now.] Huo Yuan actively reported.
Huo Xian curled his lips, but didn’t respond.
Lunch was at an old restaurant in Haicheng, serving local dishes with a culinary heritage spanning generations. Bai Haihan was from Haicheng. He was out on some private matters, and he had made an appointment with two or three old friends to get together and eat some delicious food from his memory.
The reason why the original owner and You Zi’an were noticed by Bai Haihan was because they were discussing physics knowledge in the corridor, and Bai Haihan, who happened to be leaving a private room, overheard them. China needed talent, but many parents lacked awareness of cultivating their children’s interests from a young age. Therefore, Bai Haihan was interested in the two and approached them to chat. Upon discovering that they were indeed very talented in physics, he was delighted and had the intention to teach them.
But now, Huo Xian didn’t accept He Wenqu’s invitation to the private room, and naturally, there was no subsequent “argument” with You Zi’an. How should he attract Bai Haihan’s attention?
Huo Yuan finally couldn’t hold back and asked his question.
Huo Xian was very calm. He said: [If I can meet him today and gain his favor, it’s a good thing, and a shortcut. If we don’t meet or talk, there will always be opportunities in the future. There’s no need to rush.]
[But didn’t you come here today to find him?] Huo Yuan was confused.
[Fifty-fifty.] Huo Xian said, [I had to go out today anyway. Bai Lao’s appeal is great, but if we don’t meet, there’s no need to force it. Moreover, Bai Lao is also busy. Even if I become his student, he won’t have much time to teach me.]
Huo Yuan felt that human minds are really hard to understand.
In fact, what Huo Xian said wasn’t false. Bai Haihan was the head of the National Research Institute, a person who was specially protected. He usually didn’t go out unless necessary, and when he did, he was accompanied by many bodyguards. In short, even if a high school student like him gained Bai Haihan’s favor, it wouldn’t be as good as learning from his own father.
However, even so, Huo Xian still made some preparations – continuing the work he hadn’t finished at the library.
He wasn’t entirely putting on an act, but was actually studying.
He had originally planned to sign up for the Physics Olympiad this year. After all, his parents were both university teachers, and the couple had cultivated the original owner’s extracurricular interests since childhood. Therefore, although he was only in his first year of high school, the high school physics curriculum was no longer difficult for him. The reason he didn’t sign up this year was because the original owner didn’t want to be in the spotlight in high school, so Huo Xian also missed this year’s competition.
But it didn’t prevent him from continuing to study physics and expand his knowledge.
By the way, the original owner had a military dream and was very interested in weapons research since childhood. Unfortunately, a person who disrupted his life completely led him down a wrong path. Now that the original owner was gone, he didn’t mind helping him fulfill a dream. Perhaps Huo Yuan could get more mission points in the end.
[Eh.] Just as Huo Xian was thinking about Huo Yuan, Huo Yuan spoke up.
Huo Xian continued writing, asking in his mind: [What’s wrong?]
Huo Yuan said: [The boy who was secretly watching you at the library went into the restaurant with Bai Haihan… that boy saw you, and his eyes lit up.]
Upon hearing this, Huo Xian paused. He wanted to remind Huo Yuan not to use such a gossipy tone, but thinking that Huo Yuan had nothing to do except watch TV dramas, he let him be and asked: [Don’t you recognize him?]
Huo Yuan asked back in confusion: [Should I know him?] After a few seconds of silence, he went online again, embarrassed: [Sorry, I didn’t recognize him as Hua Jin before.]
As a task employee, he, like Huo Xian, could see the timeline from the original owner’s perspective. It wasn’t difficult for him to learn about people outside the timeline, but it would cost points.
However, Hua Jin wasn’t someone outside the timeline, but someone the original owner had briefly interacted with in his memory. He hadn’t recognized him… because people really look alike!
[If I walk into a crowd right now, can you recognize me?] Huo Xian twirled his pen, mischievously asking.
[Of course!] Huo Yuan immediately replied. Before Huo Xian could question him, he added: [I recognize your soul’s ‘field.’ Not just in a normal crowd, even in a crowd of hundreds of millions, I can recognize you at a glance.]
Huo Xian: [……]
He should perhaps be grateful that there was a soul “field” that allowed Huo Yuan to distinguish him.
That’s good, though. His appearance wasn’t fixed in the task world; it was pointless for Huo Yuan to remember it. Being able to recognize his soul was also fine.
Thinking this, he wrote faster.
Huo Yuan waited until he finished one question before reminding him: [Huo Xian, Bai Haihan and Hua Jin have been looking at you for five minutes.]
[Mm.] Huo Xian responded, tapping his pen on the next question. The waiter also brought his ordered food. He looked up and said: “Please get me three takeout boxes, thank you.”
He ordered four dishes, one soup, and one main course of cold noodles. Even with his current appetite, he couldn’t finish so much, and the Huo family’s style was simple and thrifty. He could take some home for a late-night snack.
His gaze fell back on the question. He spun the pen between his fingers, then tapped the pen cap twice on the question stem. Just as Bai Haihan and Hua Jin thought he had an idea and would continue writing, he put on the pen cap and began to pack up.
“Young man.” Halfway through packing up, Huo Xian heard an old but strong and kind voice.
Huo Yuan’s spirits lifted: [Huo Xian, you’ve successfully attracted Bai Haihan’s attention!]
Huo Xian: [……] Why did that sound so awkward?
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