Thursday, Room 503, Teaching Building.

The dismissal bell rang. As Ning Guiqu was packing up his books, the class monitor made his way through rows of desks to approach him.

“Guiqu, we’re having a mixer with the Foreign Languages Department next door. Want to join?” The class monitor called out to Ning Guiqu with casual familiarity.

Ning Guiqu finished packing his books and looked up, flashing a perfectly measured smile. He declined gently, “I’ll pass. I prefer resting in my dorm than going to mixers.”

The class monitor persisted, “Come on! If you don’t go, we’re just a bunch of losers. The girls from Foreign Languages won’t show up.”

Ning Guiqu was quite refined in appearance. The Foreign Languages Department’s willingness to have a mixer with their Computer Science Department was largely due to Ning Guiqu and, of course, Lu Yuan.

Ning Guiqu brought up Lu Yuan, “What about Lu Yuan? Surely the girls would prefer him to attend?”

The class monitor glanced at the man sitting next to Ning Guiqu and lowered his voice, “The student union rep asked him. He’s not going. Lu Yuan, will you come?”

A cold voice came from beside Ning Guiqu, “No.”

The class monitor gave Ning Guiqu an “as expected” look. “You’re our only hope. Please, Guiqu?”

After the class monitor’s repeated pleas, Ning Guiqu agreed.

Once the class monitor left, the man next to Ning Guiqu stood up and said coolly, “You could have refused if you didn’t want to go.”

Ning Guiqu looked up to see a handsome face with distinct features.

Lu Yuan.

Ning Guiqu’s eyes curved slightly, his voice gentle, “The class monitor just wanted more people at the mixer. It’s not a big deal to go.”

Lu Yuan said nothing more and left first.

Ning Guiqu waited until most people around him had gone, then took out his phone. He skillfully opened WeChat, found his pinned contact, and his slender fingers swiftly tapped on the screen.

[Stupid class monitor. If Lu Yuan’s not going, fine. But why beg me when I don’t want to go?]
[You think you’re a loser but I’m not? Apart from my face, I’m a total loser too! So annoying]
[I feel like blowing up the school! Let’s see you have your mixer then!]

After sending these three messages, Ning Guiqu felt considerably better.

The contact on the other end of WeChat wasn’t someone else, but his own alternate account. This was Ning Guiqu’s way of venting. Half a month ago, he had been a fresh university graduate who had found a job, only to quit shortly after.

The reason for quitting was simple: harassment from his boss. But after quitting, he couldn’t find any 9-to-5 jobs, only 996 ones.

Ning Guiqu reluctantly decided to prepare for graduate school entrance exams. The night he made this decision, he happened to read a campus BL novel. Coincidentally, his name was identical to a minor villain who appeared later in the story.

Ning Guiqu instantly lost interest, but sticking to his principle of finishing what he started reading, he forced himself to continue. The minor villain only appeared after the main couple had graduated from university. He first went to work at the protagonist gong’s company, then deliberately flirted with him to make his lover suspicious, severely damaging their relationship and causing the protagonist shou to break up with the protagonist gong.

However, the protagonist gong was deeply devoted and refused to break up. After some explanations, they reconciled. The protagonist gong then fired the minor villain and even blacklisted him in the industry, ensuring no one would dare hire him.

Unable to attain his love, the minor villain ultimately stabbed the protagonist. He ended up in prison.

Ning Guiqu finished reading, feeling utterly frustrated. Why would the villain take a job at the protagonist’s company with its 9-to-5 schedule and weekends off? Didn’t he know how hard it was to find a normal job these days?

Ning Guiqu fell asleep, seething. The next day, he found himself transported into the novel as this minor villain. At this point, the villain was still a freshman, and none of the villainous plots had unfolded yet. Though he attended the same university as the main couple, they weren’t in the same major. So far, he had no interaction with them.

Ning Guiqu decided to make the best of the situation and repeat university. Of course, he would absolutely avoid entangling with the main couple!

Remarkably, this minor villain not only shared his name but also his appearance. Who else could have been transported into this role if not him?

In the book, the villain initially appeared as a considerate and gentle person. He was very skilled at deception. Otherwise, the main couple wouldn’t have fallen for his tricks. Even now, two of Ning Guiqu’s three roommates found him gentle.

The other roommate was aloof and didn’t pay much attention to him. But his name sounded familiar.

To avoid trouble, Ning Guiqu continued playing the role of a gentle, understanding person. While he acted kind, his heart was twisted! He had never truly been a gentle person! So, Ning Guiqu used the original character’s alternate WeChat account to store his warped thoughts!

After sending three messages, his mind returned to normal.

Ning Guiqu went to the library. Coincidentally, the villain also studied Computer Science. Ning Guiqu had majored in Computer Science before transmigrating into the book. He chose it after high school simply because he thought it was cool.

However, after graduating, all the jobs he found had flexible working hours, except for the one where his boss harassed him, which had normal eight-hour days. Ning Guiqu only realized after quitting that the perverted boss had actually reduced his workload!

So, now that Ning Guiqu was repeating university, he planned ahead. He wouldn’t prepare for graduate school or submit to 996¹9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days per week work schedules! He could change majors to one that would lead to a job with normal working hours and weekends off!

Ning Guiqu borrowed several Chinese books from the library. After reading for a while, his WeChat pinged again.

[Guiqu, we’re at the Mao Buli Restaurant. You can come over now]

Ning Guiqu gripped his phone tightly.

Damn it!

Ning Guiqu quickly opened his alternate account and typed: [Stupid class monitor! Stupid class monitor! Stupid class monitor!]

[Mao Buli²猫 (māo) – cat, 不理 (bù lǐ) – to refuse to acknowledge / to pay no attention to / to take no notice of / to ignore Restaurant! Even cats ignore it, and they want me to go! Stupid Mao Buli Restaurant! Just blow it up!]

After sending these two messages, Ning Guiqu’s mood returned to normal. He replied to the class monitor: [Okay, I’m on my way]

Ning Guiqu went to the Mao Buli Restaurant the class monitor mentioned. Since attendance was voluntary, classmates who were already in relationships didn’t come. The table was filled with single male losers, including himself.

Apart from the guys, there were indeed girls from the Foreign Languages Department.

As soon as Ning Guiqu arrived, the class monitor stood up excitedly and said, “I told you Guiqu would come! Guiqu, you’re late. Drink up as punishment!”

Ning Guiqu displayed a proper smile and walked over. Naturally, he also overheard the whispers from the Foreign Languages Department girls.

“It’s really Ning Guiqu! I saw him during military training. He’s so handsome.”

“Yes, and his roommate, Lu Yuan. I think Lu Yuan is even more handsome, but he didn’t come.”

“Don’t be so ungrateful. Having Ning Guiqu here is already great! Our Foreign Languages Department doesn’t have a single handsome guy!”

Ning Guiqu pretended not to hear, sat next to the class monitor, and maintained his gentle, understanding image. However, he kept checking his phone from time to time.

[Can I leave? My face is stiff from smiling!]
[Girls, can’t you be more sensible? Don’t you know I’m a loser? Liking a loser comes at a terrible cost!]
[So what if I’m handsome? Does being handsome mean I’m not a loser? If this alternate account is exposed, let’s see who dares to like me!]

The mixer ended with Ning Guiqu constantly venting to his alternate account. As it concluded, Ning Guiqu was eager to leave, but a pretty girl called out to him softly, “Would you like to walk me back?”

Ning Guiqu’s face went blank.

The pretty girl was surrounded by other girls, and the class monitor, noticing this, nudged Ning Guiqu’s shoulder and whispered, “She’s the beauty of the Foreign Languages Department. You lucky dog! She probably came just for you.”

Ning Guiqu’s face remained blank.

The pretty girl, hiding her embarrassment, repeated, “Classmate Ning Guiqu?”

Ning Guiqu grunted, “Let’s go.”

Ning Guiqu left the restaurant alone with the pretty girl. After walking for a while, Ning Guiqu suddenly stopped and looked around. The pretty girl was confused and even thought Ning Guiqu’s cautious glances seemed somewhat furtive.

But still, he was so handsome!

Seeing that no one had followed them and there was no one ahead, Ning Guiqu said to the pretty girl, “I’m gay.”

The pretty girl hadn’t processed it yet, still in a daze.

What?

No, the pretty girl finally reacted, her eyes widening, “You’re… what?”

Ning Guiqu looked around again, then lowered his head and repeated to the pretty girl, “I’m gay. I like men. Please keep this a secret for me.”

The pretty girl was shocked and on the verge of tears but still pretended to be unfazed, “Why are you telling me this?”

Ning Guiqu smiled, “I’ve had too much to drink, and I’ve kept this secret bottled up for too long. I just wanted to tell someone. If it bothers you, pretend you never heard it.”

The pretty girl was instantly placated. Looking at Ning Guiqu’s gentle demeanor, she thought she understood. He must have guessed her feelings and was deliberately saying this to reject her. But she didn’t even confess yet!

The pretty girl put on a brave face, “It doesn’t bother me. Ning Guiqu, can we add each other as friends and be like sisters?”

Ning Guiqu: “……”

Ning Guiqu still added her as a friend.

After adding her, Ning Guiqu accompanied the pretty girl to the school gate. She then said, “Our dorms aren’t in the same direction. You can head back now, no need to walk me further.”

Ning Guiqu raised an eyebrow.

Could he be so lucky?

Ning Guiqu still pretended to be concerned, “It’s so dark. Will you be okay?”

The pretty girl rolled her eyes, “I’ll be fine. We’re like sisters now, right? There’s no need for you to walk me back. Bye, Ning Guiqu.”

Ning Guiqu: “…”

Ning Guiqu parted ways with the pretty girl at the school gate. As he was about to head back, he opened WeChat again. He sent a message to a contact labeled “Thigh”:

[I’m at the school gate. Is there anything you’d like me to bring back for you?]

The reply came lightning fast: [No]

It was a quick rejection.

Ning Guiqu sighed. As he walked, he scrolled through his chat history with “Thigh.”

It was all one-sided considerate inquiries from him, met with cold rejections from “Thigh”. Offers to bring food, borrow books, hang laundry, even bring toilet paper – all rejected. In short, every offer was turned down!

Could he ever successfully hug this thigh³means to curry favor with someone who is powerful or influential. ?

Ning Guiqu then checked “Thigh’s” Moments. It was set to display only the last six months, but there was nothing there. As expected, aloof people don’t even bother to post on social media.

This “Thigh” was none other than Ning Guiqu’s cold roommate, Lu Yuan.

After transmigrating into the book, Ning Guiqu realized he currently had no connection to the main couple, and his roommates and classmates weren’t even named in the novel. If they were mentioned at all, it was simply as “schoolmates.”

So, as long as he avoided interacting with the main couple in the future, he’d be fine.

Given this, since his arrival, Ning Guiqu had been worrying about his post-graduation job. For him, university was just a means to find good employment.

He didn’t want to work 996 anymore! So Ning Guiqu considered changing majors. But one night, while reviewing the novel’s plot, he finally remembered why his aloof roommate Lu Yuan’s name sounded so familiar. Lu Yuan was actually mentioned in the novel!

Though he was just a background character.

But even as a background character, he was impressive. He was first mentioned as being on par with the male protagonist as one of the most handsome students at Linhai University.

The second mention was in a workplace context, where the male protagonist talked about wanting to collaborate with his college schoolmate Lu Yuan’s company.

That meant, after graduation, Lu Yuan had his own company.

Being a background character, there wasn’t much information. Ning Guiqu didn’t know if Lu Yuan founded the company or inherited it. But that didn’t matter – what mattered was that Lu Yuan had a company. Since they were both Computer Science majors, Lu Yuan’s company was likely in the Internet sector. So, if he could just latch onto Lu Yuan, he could use that connection to work at Lu Yuan’s company after graduation.

Then, negotiating work hours would be easier.

But Ning Guiqu wasn’t skilled at ingratiating himself. More than half a month after his arrival, his relationship with Lu Yuan remained lukewarm. A whole day of WeChat messages made him feel like a bootlicker.

So Ning Guiqu started reading Chinese literature books, preparing for a potential major change.

If he couldn’t latch onto his Thigh, he would change majors. Major changes happened in the second semester of freshman year. If he couldn’t win Lu Yuan over throughout the first semester, then it wasn’t going to happen. He would have to focus on changing majors.

But changing majors was difficult.

Ning Guiqu still wanted to try getting close to his Thigh. Lu Yuan’s current indifference only meant he hadn’t found the right approach yet.

As Ning Guiqu thought about this, he grew frustrated and sent another message to his alternate account: [Stupid Lu Yuan, can’t you just give me your leg without a reason?]

TL Notes

• 1
  9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 6 days per week
• 2
  猫 (māo) – cat, 不理 (bù lǐ) – to refuse to acknowledge / to pay no attention to / to take no notice of / to ignore
• 3
  means to curry favor with someone who is powerful or influential.