The next day, Ning Guiqu was in an excellent mood.
Although he kissed Lu Yuan at the fountain plaza last night, after returning to the dorm, he always worried whether they were photographed. He should have had a poor sleep, but when Lu Yuan hugged him to sleep last night, he was transported to heaven!
After the stolen kiss, Ning Guiqu could no longer think about the matters of his transmigration. He only wanted to satisfy his oral fixation!
So, he slept exceptionally well last night!
Due to his good rest and high spirits, his mind now had the energy to think about random things.
Shouldn’t Lu Yuan add Song Huai back now? He was the original owner, after all! As long as he didn’t want to stab anyone, who could influence him? Moreover, it was possible that his delusions before hitting his head were just that—delusions. He might be ill, unrelated to transmigration.
Song Huai was an innocent victim, Ning Guiqu thought, his mood dampening.
“Let’s go to lunch later. We’ll start counseling first.” Lu Yuan suddenly announced as they packed up after class.
Ning Guiqu continued stuffing books into his bag and asked, “You’ve only studied for an afternoon and evening. Can you guide me?”
Lu Yuan calmly replied, “Even if I can’t guide successfully, I can be your trash bin. Let you vent your emotions. I won’t laugh at you.”
Ning Guiqu felt touched.
“You’re not a trash bin!” Ning Guiqu muttered softly.
Lu Yuan chuckled. He took out a bottle of milk and bread from his bag and placed them on Ning Guiqu’s desk. “Have a snack first. We’ll start when everyone’s gone.”
Ning Guiqu nibbled on the bread.
As their classmates gradually left, Ning Guiqu hesitated, bread in mouth. “Isn’t this too fast? My mind’s blank. I’m not ready.”
Lu Yuan calmly took out draft paper and a pen. “What preparation do you need? Tell me about your recent concerns, Classmate Ningning.”
Ning Guiqu raised his free hand. “Teacher Lu! Only my parents call me Ningning. Use something else.”
Lu Yuan: “…..”
As Lu Yuan was about to suggest another name, Ning Guiqu continued mischievously, “You can’t call me Ququ! Or Guigui! Definitely not ‘turtle1乌龟 (wū guī) – tortoise / cuckold, the 龟 gui has the same tone as Ning Guiqu’s 归 gui.‘! And of course, not Ning Guiqu, that’s too formal!”
Ning Guiqu began to show an evil smile again.
Lu Yuan lightly tapped the desk, pretending to be dissatisfied. “Classmate Rabbit, please respect your counselor.”
Ning Guiqu took another bite of bread and compromised, “Okay, Teacher Penguin.”
Lu Yuan finally asked gently, “Student Rabbit, what’s been troubling you lately?”
Ning Guiqu stopped eating his bread and lay on the desk, looking quite innocent. “I’ve had many troubles lately. Which one do you want to know about?”
Ning Guiqu did not play by the rules at all.
Lu Yuan wasn’t surprised and asked directly, “What are you thinking now that you know you’ve injured your brain rather than transmigrated?”
Ning Guiqu raised his hand again, but Lu Yuan swiftly lowered it. Lu Yuan warned, “Answer the question properly. It’s not your turn to speak.”
Ning Guiqu: “……”
Surely real counselors don’t act like Lu Yuan?
Ning Guiqu lowered his hand and answered honestly, “I’m wondering if I’ll return to normal once the blood clots heal. I’m also thinking how embarrassing it was to get caught up in a revenge plot. And I’m wondering if the transmigration content I imagined before hitting my head was also just a delusion. If so, even if my memories return when the clot clears, I still have mental issues. I’m wondering if my parents have mental problems, too, since these things tend to run in families. Oh, with my condition, will I need to be hospitalized once the clot clears?”
As he spoke, Ning Guiqu sighed deeply. Lu Yuan’s questions had clearly triggered his melancholy.
Lu Yuan wrote down Ning Guiqu’s ramblings. After finishing, he asked, “Student Rabbit, are you afraid of having mental problems?”
Ning Guiqu lay on the desk, blinking his eyes pitifully, and hummed.
“Wouldn’t everyone be afraid?”
Lu Yuan said, “The worst-case scenario is that you have a mental illness. So now you need to consider, why are you afraid of having mental issues? How specifically would it affect you?”
Ning Guiqu thought for a moment before answering, “Going crazy and affecting my memories, turning me into someone else.”
Lu Yuan countered, “Are you crazy now? Have you become someone else?”
Ning Guiqu frowned.
“Maybe I don’t have mental problems now, but I will once the clot heals.”
Lu Yuan continued questioning, “What do you think will happen when you heal?”
Ning Guiqu: “I’ll recover my past memories.”
“Is the past you still you?”
Ning Guiqu nodded, saying matter-of-factly, “Yes, I am the original owner.”
Lu Yuan concluded, “So even if your blood clot clears, you’ll still be you. You won’t become someone else.”
Ning Guiqu blinked, realizing it did seem that way. He tilted his head and asked, “What about going crazy? What if I start shouting about destroying the protagonist?”
Lu Yuan lowered his gaze and calmly said, “Are you shouting now? You still think you’ve transmigrated.”
Ning Guiqu sat up, realizing he wasn’t shouting at all. Lu Yuan’s words seemed to have gotten through to him. Even if he really had a mental illness, he wasn’t going crazy, and he was still himself.
But—
Ning Guiqu questioned, “But it’s still an illness, isn’t it?”
Lu Yuan replied seriously, “Just focus on treating it actively. Everyone’s situation is different. You are you. Others are others.”
Ning Guiqu tilted his head.
Lu Yuan, observing Ning Guiqu’s state, showed him the notes he had written earlier about Ning Guiqu’s thoughts.
[Will I return to normal when the blood clot clears?]
[If the transmigration before hitting my head was a delusion, I’ll still have mental issues even after the blood clot clears.]
[Do my parents have mental problems?]
[Will I need to be hospitalized when the blood clot clears?]
“Ning Guiqu, these were your initial thoughts. Look at your first concern. Actually, when the blood clot heals, you’ll either return to normal, or you’ll remain as you are now. Or perhaps you’ll be in a different story. But you’ll still be you; that won’t change. It’s your personality that has shaped the current Ning Guiqu.”
Ning Guiqu stared at Lu Yuan’s notes for a while before nodding, “As expected of Teacher Penguin, you make a lot of sense.”
Lu Yuan: “…”
Ignoring that comment, Lu Yuan patiently continued, “Good. Now, let’s look at the second point. Question for Student Rabbit: why are you worried about whether you’ll return to normal when the blood clot clears?”
Student Rabbit cooperatively raised his hand, then rested his face on it, saying, “I’m worried that if I develop mental issues, I won’t be myself anymore. But according to what you said earlier, that won’t happen.”
Lu Yuan patted Ning Guiqu’s head encouragingly, “Then what about the third concern?”
Ning Guiqu could now answer independently. He used Lu Yuan’s pen to cross out that part, “I guess I don’t need to worry about my parents. They’re old enough to take care of themselves.”
After resolving that concern, Ning Guiqu started addressing the last one on his own, “Hospitalization… if I remain as I am now, there’s no need for that, right?”
Lu Yuan: “If you’re still yourself, even if you still believe you’ve transmigrated, it’s just a cognitive issue. If there are no signs of madness or antisocial behavior, you don’t need hospitalization, nor should you think you have a mental illness.”
Ning Guiqu turned his head, staring unblinkingly at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan’s eyes were full of gentle laughter, “Student Rabbit, what are you thinking?”
Ning Guiqu replied lazily, “I’m thinking that although you’re very unprofessional, I’m not depressed at all now. I was indeed overthinking some strange things.”
Lu Yuan smiled, “You don’t have to say I’m unprofessional.”
Ning Guiqu’s eyes curved into a smile. Taking advantage of the empty classroom, he directly hugged Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan froze.
Because Ning Guiqu throwing himself into his arms was so rare. Suddenly being hugged, even Lu Yuan, who was used to being a hooligan, was a little reluctant to let go.
“Thank you! I now understand what I was most afraid of. Not being myself. But everything proves that I’m still me. Teacher Penguin, you’ll definitely become an excellent counselor in the future!”
Lu Yuan sighed, “Rather than being an exceptional psychologist, I’d prefer to work in my own field.”
Ning Guiqu nuzzled his head against Lu Yuan’s shoulder. “Whatever you want,” he mumbled.
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle.
In the end, Lu Yuan’s stomach growled, and Ning Guiqu reluctantly released him.
“You’re hungry.”
Lu Yuan felt slightly embarrassed and pretended not to hear Ning Guiqu’s comment.
Ning Guiqu carried his backpack and continued, “Your stomach growling really doesn’t match your image.”
Lu Yuan pinched Ning Guiqu’s cheek and threatened, “Say another word, and I’ll shut you up.”
Ning Guiqu’s face turned red, and he deliberately let out an “Oh.”
However, Lu Yuan failed to notice Ning Guiqu’s ulterior motive. After all, Ning Guiqu had always been rather stupid.
As they walked, Ning Guiqu brought up Song Hui again.
“Why don’t you add Song Hui back? I’m the original owner, and even if I really transmigrated into this book, I know the future plot. He’s just a minor character to me now.”
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, “I really shouldn’t have misunderstood that you liked him.”
Describing Song Hui as a minor character wasn’t exactly a compliment, and Song Hui was his friend, but hearing it from Ning Guiqu’s mouth made Lu Yuan feel refreshed.
Ning Guiqu didn’t understand Lu Yuan’s happiness because he (NGQ) had always been this uncultured.
Moreover, Ning Guiqu became visibly clingier. In the afternoon, he followed Lu Yuan wherever he went. When Lu Yuan said he was going to play basketball in the evening, Ning Guiqu insisted on tagging along. Even at bedtime, he had to sleep while hugging Lu Yuan.
Although a clingy boyfriend was unusual, when paired with those eyes that held a hint of admiration for him, it seemed normal. Lu Yuan thought that their conversation at noon must have earned him more of Ning Guiqu’s trust, so he didn’t laugh at him.
While Lu Yuan didn’t think there was anything to laugh about, Ning Guiqu always felt that if people knew about such things, they would definitely make fun of him. It was like Ning Guiqu’s own alt account; he believed that if it were exposed, he would certainly be disliked.
But now, Lu Yuan quite enjoyed having a clingy boyfriend. Ning Guiqu was a creature meant to be clingy. Being tsundere didn’t suit Ning Guiqu at all.
“Let’s not go home tomorrow. I don’t think it’s necessary. Why don’t we watch a movie instead?” Ning Guiqu suggested enthusiastically.
Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered. A date? It seemed they hadn’t gone on a proper date since getting together.
“What should we watch?” he asked.
Ning Guiqu immediately climbed out of bed and started searching for movies. After browsing for a while without finding anything appealing, he searched again and finally settled on a romantic film with mediocre ratings. After all, it was about the atmosphere!
After making his choice, Ning Guiqu was about to whisper in Lu Yuan’s ear when he glanced at their roommate, Shi Wen, who had returned and was looking at him.
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
Shi Wen’s voice sounded weary. “Why do you two sleep together every night? Is Lu Yuan or you watching horror movies or reading scary novels daily?”
Ning Guiqu: “…….”
Xiao Shi seemed to be on the verge of discovering something!
Ning Guiqu reluctantly replied, “Yes, that’s right.”
Shi Wen: “……..”
“Xiao Qu, I’ll believe you one more time,” Shi Wen said before returning to his phone.
Ning Guiqu lay on the bed, feeling as if he’d just escaped a disaster. He turned his head to see Lu Yuan stifling his laughter. How annoying!
“I’ve already chosen the movie. Tomorrow, I’ll be an ill-mannered boyfriend at the cinema!” Ning Guiqu declared fiercely.
Lu Yuan teased, “How ill-mannered can you be? Are you going to kiss me?”
Ning Guiqu felt underestimated by Lu Yuan!
“Just wait and see!”
Ning Guiqu chose a cliché romantic campus movie. He didn’t pay much attention to the content when he selected it, and he simply brought Lu Yuan along.
However, when the movie started playing, Ning Guiqu, who had intended to act inappropriately, found his attention captured by the film. The female supporting character in the movie resembled the original owner—no, resembled him!
In high school, the male lead rejected the confession of the female supporting character, coldly saying, “I don’t like you. Stay away from me.”
Ning Guiqu instantly glanced at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan’s forehead creased with black lines. “Don’t relate to it. That’s not me.”
Is that so? It really seemed like Lu Yuan.
After being rejected, the female supporting character wrote in her diary at home: [Why won’t you look at me? This kind of man is truly tasteless.]
Ning Guiqu’s eyes widened suddenly.
Yes, very tasteless! Perfect for implementing his Xiao Qu revenge plan!
“Wake up, Ning Guiqu. That’s a girl. You’re a boy! Don’t relate too much!” Lu Yuan worried beside him.
“Besides, weren’t you supposed to be doing ill-mannered things?”
Ning Guiqu reached out a hand and precisely covered Lu Yuan’s mouth.
He wanted to watch the movie!!
The movie now showed the male lead tutoring the female lead and helping her deal with some troublemakers. Ning Guiqu gasped. Where was the female supporting character? She was lurking in the shadows, spying, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Ning Guiqu also ground his teeth. How infuriating!!!
Amidst the unspoken chemistry between the male and female leads, the female supporting character maliciously unplugged the female lead’s internet cable during computer class and tried to trip her as she walked by. But the result? The male lead caught her!
Ning Guiqu found it hard to breathe.
What would Lu Yuan do to him?
“Ning Guiqu, stop relating! You’re not the female supporting character, you’re just a minor character,” Lu Yuan’s voice came from beside him.
Ning Guiqu ignored Lu Yuan and continued to immerse himself in the movie.
“I told you to stay away from her. Don’t you understand human language?” the male lead spoke coldly.
Ning Guiqu’s heart shattered along with those words. How ruthless.
[“I like you to stay away from me.”]
Lu Yuan’s initial rejection surfaced in Ning Guiqu’s mind again, even more vividly this time. He had been secretly observing Lu Yuan every day and finally gathered the courage to ask what kind of person Lu Yuan liked. The result was an even colder rejection from Lu Yuan.
Ning Guiqu’s heart suddenly ached.
In the movie, the female supporting character was saying, “You only told me to stay away from you, not from her.”
The male lead replied mercilessly, “Don’t play word games with me. I could never like you. If I catch you bullying her again, I won’t just be having a chat with you.”
Ning Guiqu’s eyes widened.
Lu Yuan… hadn’t been like that.
Because Lu Yuan didn’t have anyone he liked. He was just a background character. In the hazy recollection, Ning Guiqu seemed to remember something extraordinary. In his second year of high school, he suddenly realized he was living in a book, a campus romance novel. He wasn’t the protagonist, but a minor villain who only appeared later in the story, caught between the main characters.
Sailing smoothly through to university graduation, he unexpectedly fell in love with the protagonist gong of the book, Song Hui. Unable to attain that love, he ended up stabbing Song Hui and went to prison. He had become such a cannon fodder! However, since he had awakened to this reality, Ning Guiqu refused to be a minor villain. He would love whoever he wanted and live his own life. Surprisingly, Ning Guiqu discovered that Lu Yuan from their class was actually friends with the protagonist gong!
Ning Guiqu felt there was a traitor in their class!
Traitor!!
“Ning Guiqu!” Just before losing consciousness, Ning Guiqu heard a very worried voice. He slightly lifted his eyelids, and upon seeing the familiar face, he used his last bit of strength to curse, “Traitor!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ning Guiqu peacefully closed his eyes.
Lu Yuan quickly carried Ning Guiqu out of the cinema and hailed a taxi to the hospital.
“He got very excited while watching the movie. I didn’t expect him to faint. Before he passed out, he said ‘traitor.’ How is Ning Guiqu now?”
The doctor patted Lu Yuan’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, the blood clot in Xiao Ning’s brain has cleared. We’ve done a thorough check-up, and there are no other issues. We’ll assess his mental state when he wakes up.”
Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
It was good that he was alright.
TL Notes
- 1乌龟 (wū guī) – tortoise / cuckold, the 龟 gui has the same tone as Ning Guiqu’s 归 gui.
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