Chapter 11: Seed

Today was Monday.

Yesterday’s events seemed to have passed peacefully.

The junior didn’t message him to ask anything, and there were no heated arguments in the group chat.

Sunlight streamed through the classroom window, illuminating the floating dust particles in every detail.

Yu Qing sat by the window in the back row, spinning his pen absentmindedly between his fingers.

The professor’s steady, emotionless lecture felt like distant background noise.

So sleepy.

Yu Qing yawned.

The elective professor’s explanation was like the best hypnotist, making his mind drowsy.

If the online classes hadn’t filled up, he wouldn’t have lost his mind and come to this offline class.

He barely slept last night.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Fu Yi looking up from across the road, or the moment Zhou Min’s bell was about to ring in her pocket.

Fear and a morbid excitement intertwined within Yu Qing, draining his energy.

He didn’t even dare to sleep.

This old man was ruthlessly strict—caught breaking the rules three times and you’d fail the class.

He was young and naïve when choosing courses, and that damned Senior told him this was the easiest class.

When the class bell rang, Yu Qing slumped onto his desk with relief.

He wanted to sleep right there, but that was impossible.

It was lunch break.

Unless he wanted to starve through the afternoon, he had to get up.

Yu Qing joined the crowd heading to the cafeteria, got a bland plate of potato shreds and rice, and found a corner to eat in silence.

The food tasted like chewing wax.

Around him were the noisy sounds of laughter, clattering utensils, everything muffled and distant, as if separated by a layer.

Back in the dormitory, a familiar scent hit him—instant noodles, sweat, and a faint hint of feet.

Zhang Li was shouting with passion in a game, headphones on.

Zhang Haoxuan lounged on his bed, legs crossed, watching short videos at full volume.

Li Ming stared at his computer screen, brow furrowed, as if locked in battle with some program code.

“Yo, Lao Yu’s back? How was class this morning?”

Zhang Li glanced up from his screen, then quickly dove back into the game.

“Same as always.”

Yu Qing tossed his backpack onto his chair, his voice tired.

“What’s up? You look like you’ve lost your soul. Did you ‘take off’ last night?”

Zhang Haoxuan put down his phone, eyes probing.

“Get lost. I was doing homework until midnight.”

Yu Qing replied irritably, collapsing into his chair and opening his laptop.

He thought this excuse was flawless.

“As if. I’d believe you if I were a ghost.”

Zhang Haoxuan snorted and returned to his world of short videos.

The familiar noise, the usual banter—these three idiots hadn’t changed a bit.

Yu Qing took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs with the chaotic air and drive away the gloom clinging to his heart.

He needed something to distract himself, to pull his thoughts away from Fu Yi, even for a moment.

No classes this afternoon.

Yu Qing opened a favorite game forum and scrolled through posts aimlessly.

Gun skins, version updates, gossip about professional players—these used to keep him entertained for an entire afternoon, but now they felt tasteless.

On a whim, Yu Qing typed his school’s campus forum address into the browser.

The page loaded.

Pinned at the top was a Student Union announcement, below were Second-hand Trading, Club Recruitment, Lost and Found, and… several popular gossip threads.

His mouse wheel slowly scrolled down.

A title suddenly caught his eye:

[[Pic] School Belle’s Beauty Attack Today! Library Side Profile is Unreal!]

The post time was this morning.

Inside were several obviously candid photos—Fu Yi sitting by the window in the Library, sunlight outlining her delicate side profile, long lashes lowered, expression focused on the book in front of her.

She wore a simple white sweater and jeans, yet looked so clean and pure it was almost unreal.

The thread had already stacked up hundreds of replies.

[1L]: First! My wife is the campus ceiling of beauty today too!

[2L]: prprprpr… Senior, kill me!

[15L]: With features like this, God must have been in a great mood creating her.

[28L]: Anyone know what book Senior is reading? I want the same.

[57L]: @28L, don’t even think about it. Do you think reading ‘A Brief History of Time’ will make you as beautiful as Senior? Wake up.

[103L]: Ugh, she’s so beautiful and hardworking. I think I’m in love again…

[155L]: Betting five mao, over half the people in this thread started daydreaming before even opening their books.

[201L]: Seriously, every time I see Fu Yi Senior, I feel like the world is a little more beautiful.

Yu Qing read through them one by one, his heart gripped by an invisible hand.

A bittersweet, swelling emotion rose inside him.

These passionate, straightforward compliments—their open admiration and longing—washed over his senses like a tide.

A subtle sense of immersion began to grow.

Yu Qing could almost picture himself sitting in that sunlit spot, feeling the admiring gazes directed at him.

If… if I could take her place…

The thought surfaced, only to be forcibly pushed down.

But a hidden desire had already been ignited.

Yu Qing kept scrolling.

Another post title made his finger freeze on the mouse.

[[Sighted] Cool Beauty! Mysterious High-Value Girl on the Subway—Is She From Our School? Please Identify!]

Post time: The Sunday before last.

When he saw the photo on the post cover, Yu Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

His breath caught, fingers trembling slightly with a cold that was hard to notice, he clicked into the thread.

The main post featured a blurry photo, as if secretly taken in a crowded subway car.

The “girl” in the photo wore a light gray turtleneck, a black A-line skirt, a gray-black wool coat, and a black mask.

Most of her face was covered, but her exposed eyes were bright and clear, carrying a distant, unapproachable air.

She tilted her head slightly, gazing out the window, her neck elegant, posture straight.

It was him—on his way back from going out in disguise two Saturdays ago!

Below, the poster described excitedly:

“[Saw her on the X Line yesterday afternoon! Amazing aura! Even with a mask, you can tell she’s a beauty! Really tall, great figure! Feels familiar but can’t remember who! Is she from our school? Anyone know?]”

After a week of fermenting, this post’s popularity had exploded, with even more comments than the Library post.

[3L]: Damn! Those eyes! That vibe! Definitely a beauty!

[10L]: Even with so much covered, the atmosphere is overwhelming! Feels like the cool, aloof type!

[22L]: Even a blurry shot can’t hide her beauty! More info, please!

[35L]: Is it Fu Yi? Fu Yi Senior seems warmer. This girl feels colder.

[48L]: @35L, agreed! She feels like a different style! Cold and cool!

[66L]: I need all info on this girl in five minutes!

[89L]: That height, those proportions—is she a model? Does our school have someone like this?

[112L]: Feels even more alluring than Goddess Fu Yi! I love this cold vibe!

[150L]: Quietly saying, I think this girl hits my XP even more… Iceberg beauties…

[188L]: @150L, same! Fu Yi feels like an angel, but this one is a fallen spirit, with a touch of frost!

Yu Qing’s eyes darted through the comments, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, beating like a drum in his ears.

Fear.

A powerful fear crashed over him like icy water, chilling his heart.

What if someone recognized it as Fu Yi?

What if Fu Yi herself saw it?

Would she sense something was wrong?

This post was like a ticking time bomb, ready to blow him apart at any moment.

But at the same time, another emotion, utterly different, crept up his spine like a vine.

A wave of satisfaction.

A dark, furtive, acknowledged satisfaction.

Those praises—“cool beauty,” “cold and fierce,” “even more alluring than Fu Yi,” “hits my XP more”—these words hammered the core of Yu Qing’s soul, that part desperate to be seen and loved.

They weren’t praising Fu Yi.

They didn’t even know who “she” was.

They were praising the persona he had created—the “cool beauty” he controlled, shadowed with his own traits.

This pure admiration, directed at “her,” thrilled him even more than the adoration toward Fu Yi.

It was a secret victory that belonged to him alone.

Yu Qing could even recall that day on the subway, the sensation of being enveloped by gazes.

Back then, it felt like tension and panic.

Now, remembering it, he sensed a shuddering sweetness.

Even if it was only because of Fu Yi’s natural beauty, a part of it belonged to Yu Qing too, right?

Yu Qing lied to himself, the desire for attention and affection swelling to its peak.

He even wondered—if everyone liked him as Fu Yi so much, then… even if he replaced Fu Yi, would anyone object?

As for what would happen to Yu Qing himself? Was that boring life really so important?

“What are you looking at, Lao Yu? You look like you’re lovestruck.”

Zhang Haoxuan’s voice exploded by his ear.

Yu Qing jolted, slamming his laptop shut on reflex.

“N-nothing!”

His voice was tight, cheeks burning uncontrollably.

“Tsk, definitely up to no good. Just don’t go ‘deer’ over a bro’s photo.”

Zhang Haoxuan gave him a suspicious look, but didn’t push further, flopping back onto his bed.

Yu Qing’s heart was still racing, sweat dampening his palms.

He took a few deep breaths, trying to steady his wild breathing.

The dorm was still noisy.

Chen Hao was locked in a heated game, keys clacking loudly.

Li Ming’s brow was still furrowed, Zhang Haoxuan’s video blaring on.

Everything was normal.

But Yu Qing couldn’t calm down.

The passionate words on the forum dripped into the shadowy wet soil of his heart like nectar, falling atop a deeply buried seed, waiting for the moment to break through the surface.