Chapter 28: Yu Xi Has No Self-Awareness Regarding His Own Popularity

The night was like pitch-black asphalt, thick and inseparable. In the hallway, the incandescent lights flickered due to unstable circuits, emitting crackling sparks that made one fear they might explode at any moment.

A young Yu Xi stood in the cold, moldy corridor, clutching his small blanket. He watched his parents through the rectangular doorway as they hurriedly stuffed belongings into a suitcase.

“That’s enough, bring fewer clothes! We’re running out of time! If the debt collectors find us, we’re finished!” the man urged.

Qi Qingyun’s hair was a mess, yet she continued searching the cabinet with swift movements, her face a mask of numb composure. “Xiao Xi must have enough clothes.”

“Tch!” The man cast a heavy, loathing glance at little Yu Xi by the door, as if looking at a piece of chewing gum stuck to a heel that he couldn’t shake off no matter how hard he tried.

“Mama…” Yu Xi gripped his blanket tighter, instinctively wanting to get closer to the adult who provided a sense of security.

“Xiao Xi, come here.” Qi Qingyun closed the suitcase and took Yu Xi’s hand. She adjusted his small backpack, her face softening with a touch of tenderness. “We can’t go to sleep early tonight. We have to travel. Can you run a little faster for Mama?”

“Mhm!” Yu Xi nodded vigorously.

Yu Xi was six years old that year. He had already grown accustomed to this life of wandering with his parents, moving between the cramped corners of remote or shadowy towns.

In the alleys of dilapidated residential buildings, the darkness grew heavier. Every corner seemed to hide shadows of lurking monsters. The air was thick with a rancid stench, and unidentified substances on the ground turned into soft, rotting piles when stepped upon…

Little Yu Xi didn’t know where they were going, nor did he know when this long night would end.

But it didn’t matter. Mama’s hand was warm and soft, and she would always hold his tightly.

Yu Xi’s long lashes fluttered as he slowly woke up.

The first thing he saw was a large hand holding his own. Following the arm, he saw Gu Chuanzhou sleeping while leaning against the headboard. Gu Chuanzhou’s brow was furrowed; he was clearly exhausted to have fallen asleep like that, and his sleep looked uncomfortable.

Yu Xi traced Gu Chuanzhou’s features repeatedly by the morning light leaking through the gap in the curtains, feeling a bit dazed, unable to tell if this was reality or a dream.

Why… is Brother Chuanzhou here?

As confusion bubbled up, blurry and fragmented memories surfaced. Yu Xi remembered drinking too much fruit wine last night, feeling so dizzy he couldn’t walk straight and needed support. And then…

His friends had all stared at him, asking him to choose who would take him home.

He couldn’t remember much else, but seeing the current situation, Yu Xi guessed he must have chosen Gu Chuanzhou, who then looked after him all night.

Looking at the man’s profile, Yu Xi felt as if a warm marshmallow had been stuffed into his heart—sweet and toasty.

He stared at Gu Chuanzhou for a while, wanting to get up and wash, but as soon as he tried to loosen his grip on the man’s fingers, Gu Chuanzhou woke up instantly. Instinctively, the man tightened his grip to reassure him.

“Xi Xi…”

Yu Xi blinked and slowly let out a smile. “Brother Chuanzhou.”

Gu Chuanzhou’s dark eyes gradually came into focus. “You’re awake?”

“Mhm. Did you stay with me all night? Go back and rest quickly, or you can sleep here.”

Gu Chuanzhou stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose, quickly hiding his fatigue. “It’s fine. I’ll head back, freshen up, change clothes, and go to the office. How are you? Do you have a headache? Your Aunt Pei came by in the middle of the night to check on you. She said she’d have someone simmer some millet porridge for you. Drink it when you’re ready; it’s good for your stomach.”

Yu Xi acknowledged him.

Gu Chuanzhou didn’t let him see him out. He left on his own without even eating, indicating that matters at the company were urgent, though he still promised to drive Yu Xi back to school in the afternoon.

Yu Xi sat in a daze for a while. Preparing to shower, he found Yu Xiaohe nestled in his blankets. He picked it up and carefully placed it back in the tin box. Memories of Gu Chuanzhou saying goodnight to the stone along with him last night flashed through his mind, and he giggled to himself.

Throughout the rest of the day, he recalled bits and pieces from time to time. Remembering the silly things he did in the restaurant booth made him flush with shame. Especially after seeing the teasing messages from his friends, he regretted his greed and vowed never to drink recklessly again.

Fortunately, once he returned to school, he became busy and quickly forgot the incident.

University had just started. While there weren’t many classes yet, there were plenty of miscellaneous chores. Yu Xi chose the New Media club—not so much out of interest, but because it offered credits and the chance to earn some income through copywriting and video editing. Beyond that, he wanted to find another part-time job with higher pay, but it was difficult to find one that wouldn’t affect his studies.

Luckily, his classmates were very enthusiastic. On the day the class group was established, his phone was flooded with friend requests. During the first class meeting after military training, many students came to chat with him.

Using these connections, he selected a suitable place to interview and successfully landed a job at a cat café. To thank the classmates who helped him, he bought some small snacks. They crowded around him, happily dividing the treats.

“What time do you usually go there? I’ll come by and support you.”

“Which part of the work are you responsible for? At the cat café, besides the kittens providing service, can the human staff provide service too? I can pay more!”

“I heard that place is very cute, the drinks are good, and the servers wear cat ears and small aprons… Boss? Hehe.”

Being surrounded by chattering classmates was a common occurrence. At first, Yu Xi was so flattered he couldn’t get a word in, but he had grown used to it. Though still a bit overwhelmed, he could stay calm and answer them one by one.

“Yes, it’s the second storefront on the Right Street. I start officially tomorrow; you’re welcome to come.”

“I’m responsible for greeting customers, taking orders, and serving food. I serve the customers, but I can’t provide ‘service’ like the kittens, even if you pay…”

“There are cat ears and aprons. The boss gave me several styles to rotate through every day.”

Regardless of the question, he would listen seriously and answer truthfully. It was precisely this obedient and earnest demeanor that made people want to tease him or fluster him with bold, direct compliments.

Aside from his excellent performance in professional courses, the mere fact that he found a part-time job caused a stir among his peers.

“Our Yu Xi really isn’t ordinary. You handle classes and the club so well and still find time for a job. You’re so hardworking.”

“Exactly. I couldn’t do it. Just writing an experimental report gives me a headache!”

“Yu Xi is practically the pride of our class. People from other classes in our major are so jealous. Hehe, luckily Yu Xi is ours!”

“Forget other classes; people from the neighboring school are asking about Xiao Xi, okay?”

After a few more comments, Yu Xi’s face was beet-red as if he had a high fever. His head felt dizzy, and he was at a loss for words. His classmates loved this reaction and, by silent agreement, praised him even louder.

Eventually, the teasing went a bit too far for Yu Xi to handle, and he began looking for an escape.

“Um… I have something to take care of with a friend, so I’ll head out first. Let’s chat again next time.” Yu Xi waved goodbye and slipped out the back door with his crossbody bag.

It wasn’t just an excuse; he really did have plans. He was going to find Meng Shen.

It had always been Meng Shen running over to eat with him. Since Yu Xi happened to have time today with classes ending early, he could go to the neighboring college in advance. Mostly, he wanted to see how Meng Shen was doing at school. Although Meng Shen always said things were fine, Yu Xi worried that with Meng Shen’s personality, he might be isolated or bullied by his roommates or classmates. So, he didn’t say anything beforehand, wanting to scout things out secretly.

Fortunately, he had exchanged schedules with Meng Shen before, so he knew the classroom and time. The only difficult part was being unfamiliar with the neighboring campus; it took him quite a while to find his way.

One student who gave him directions stared at him for a long time before asking, “You’re from PKU, right?”

Yu Xi didn’t understand how the person could tell and nodded. “Yes.”

The student became excited. “Ah, I know you! You’re that famous freshman from PKU. Your military training videos and photos have spread all over our side. What a coincidence! I didn’t expect you’d come here. Are you looking for someone? Can we exchange contact info? Don’t worry, I won’t harass you; I just want to see a handsome person’s social feed…”

The student talked a lot but wasn’t overly intrusive. After adding him as a friend and explaining the route once more, the student politely took their leave.

It was an interesting little episode. Yu Xi was happy to have made a new friend, thinking it was just a coincidence that he ran into someone who recognized him. High visibility online was only temporary; many netizens were just joining in the fun and would disperse once their curiosity was satisfied. As for his classmates’ words, Yu Xi felt they were just trying to cheer him up. After all, his life on campus was very peaceful, and it wasn’t like strangers approached him constantly.

Thus, a completely un-self-aware Yu Xi appeared at the back door of a certain classroom. He thought he was being quiet, but he caused a massive stir.

Young students who had been drowsy during the lecture suddenly perked up upon seeing the figure at the back. They either peeked back secretly or typed furiously on their phones under their desks.

“Woah… it really is him!”

“He’s even prettier than the photos. Unreal.”

“Why is he here? Is he looking for someone? He looks so cute peeking around.”

“You don’t know? Someone in our class knows him. People often snap photos of them eating in the PKU cafeteria or walking on the track. Some guess they might be dating…”

“Huh? No way… how could that guy be so lucky…”

Meng Shen, sitting by the wall, heard the rustling whispers but remained unmoved, focusing only on the teacher and the book. It wasn’t until he heard a certain name that he was instantly activated. He snapped his head up, searching outside the classroom.

Like a dream, the bright, beautiful youth met his eyes and was currently waving at him with a beaming smile.

“Xiao—” Meng Shen nearly stood up right then to call Yu Xi’s name, but under Yu Xi’s urgent gestures, he forced himself to stay in his seat.

He didn’t hear a word of the rest of the lecture. The moment the bell rang, Meng Shen stood up and headed for the back door.

“For you. I bought a soda on the way here; it’s still cold.” Yu Xi handed over the soda Meng Shen drank most often. Seeing the other staring at him blankly without speaking, he laughed. “What is it? It’s like you don’t recognize me.”

Meng Shen hesitated, still not quite believing it. “Xiao Xi, why are you here…”

“I didn’t have classes for the last two periods today, so I thought I’d come find you. I’ve never eaten at your school before.” As Yu Xi spoke, he noticed Meng Shen’s odd expression and couldn’t help but overthink. His high spirits dipped. “Is it too sudden? Sorry… I didn’t think it through. I should have asked for your opinion first.”

“No.” Meng Shen denied his thought with a firm tone. “I’m surprised, and very happy.”

“That’s good.” Yu Xi knew Meng Shen wouldn’t lie to him, so he relaxed. “Let’s go—”

“Wait!” A buzz-cut male student popped up, blocking them with a book. “Student Meng Shen, you left in such a hurry you forgot your notebook on the desk.”

Meng Shen’s gaze shifted to the student, his eyes cold. He didn’t say a word.

Seeing Meng Shen like this, Yu Xi proactively reached out to take the book, smiling politely. “Thank you.”

“N-no problem,” the buzz-cut boy stuttered. “Um…”

“I’m hungry.” Meng Shen’s voice drowned out the second half of the boy’s sentence.

Yu Xi’s attention quickly returned. “Then let’s go quickly.”

Once they had walked some distance together, Yu Xi lowered his voice: “A-Shen, why didn’t you acknowledge your classmate just now?”

The question wasn’t meant as a scolding; Yu Xi was worried if there was friction between Meng Shen and his classmates.

Meng Shen: “I don’t know him.”

“…Is that so? Then remember to say ‘thank you’ next time.” Yu Xi guided him gently. Seeing Meng Shen nod, he didn’t press the matter further.

And Meng Shen indeed listened to him. If the same thing happened the next day, he would say it—but nothing more. A person who hadn’t spoken a single word or even made eye contact since the start of the semester suddenly returning a “forgotten” item—Meng Shen didn’t believe it was out of the goodness of their heart.

He knew exactly what that guy was plotting. Ostensibly returning a notebook, yet his eyes were wandering elsewhere. And how many other gazes were pinned to Yu Xi?

Knowing full well the attention coming from all sides, Meng Shen hid the gloom in his eyes and subtly turned his body, using his tall frame to block most of the annoying stares.

“A-Shen, I watched your stream last night. You’re really amazing! Even though I don’t understand the game you play, the viewers were all praising you.” Yu Xi spoke as he shared a meatball from his plate. “Do you stream from your dorm now? I noticed your desk seemed quite small.”

Meng Shen’s chopsticks paused. “Last night?”

Yu Xi smiled. “I only watched for a little while. I’m not very good with that platform yet, and I haven’t registered an account. If you don’t want me to watch, I won’t do it secretly anymore.”

Meng Shen’s frozen limbs moved again. “You can watch. It’s okay.”

Seeing he wasn’t against it, Yu Xi continued chatting. “If you hadn’t sent me your profile link, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that the streamer was you.”

Yu Xi rarely watched streams, let alone gaming ones. He only knew through the comments that Meng Shen was likely a “skill-based” streamer. The game screen took up the main part, with only a small box in the bottom right showing the camera feed. The camera was aimed at the keyboard and mouse to prove the authenticity of his skills; nothing else was shown. He spoke very little; in a two-hour stream, the audience might only hear Meng Shen speak a couple of sentences: “Good evening,” “Thank you for the gift,” “Ending the stream.”

The comments jokingly called Meng Shen a player more like an NPC than an actual NPC—his daily lines were unvarying, and only a tiny probability of triggering a special “plot” would yield an extra “Easter egg.”

“They call you ‘Brother Silence’.” Yu Xi recalled the high-frequency term in the chat and couldn’t help but laugh.

“…” Looking at the youth’s radiant smile, Meng Shen’s ears turned red.

“But everyone likes you so much, they keep sending gifts. It shows that everyone sees your good qualities.” Yu Xi was genuinely happy. “Actually, I found a new part-time job too. Once I’ve earned some money, I’ll subscribe to your fan club and become a loyal fan.”

“No need…” The redness on Meng Shen’s ears was spreading to his neck, but because he was wearing a hoodie, these changes were hidden. He asked in a low voice what job Yu Xi had found.

Yu Xi said, “It’s a cat café! You can come to the shop to find me later; I’ll treat you to a drink.”

Regarding the part-time job, once it was confirmed, Yu Xi had openly told his friends who were concerned about his situation, sending out invitations as well.

However, he didn’t expect that on his first day, just as he had put on his cat ears and tied his small apron, the shop would be packed with familiar faces.