Chapter 33: “kill”

3:00 PM sharp, in a corner of Tianbei University’s main sports field, quite a crowd had already gathered. These were all students from Wednesday’s Taiji Class Two.

Among them stood two figures—one tall, one short—who stood out distinctly in the group.

This was because their appearances were simply too striking compared to everyone else.

Especially the tall youth, who was something of a campus celebrity. Although his reputation wasn’t exactly spotless… it was nearly impossible for him to avoid drawing attention.

“You… I really shouldn’t have come with you…”

Lin Xinyuan, dressed in a thick black coat and cotton pants, hood pulled up to cover himself as much as possible, still hoped to keep a low profile.

But it was obvious this was all in vain, because right beside him was Qin Nanfeng—the very definition of a spotlight.

“Hmm… really?” Qin Nanfeng stroked his chin with a puzzled look, then shifted to a troubled expression. “Sorry, man… I’m just too handsome. Can’t help it. Cut me some slack, will you?”

Lin Xinyuan was overwhelmed with silent frustration, no longer wanting to respond. Though he knew Huang Mao was joking, the guy’s shamelessness was just too much.

None of that really mattered, though. What was more pressing was the number of eyes covertly watching them.

Though everyone tried to be discreet, perhaps because Lin Xinyuan was extremely sensitive to such attention, he quickly noticed.

He felt uncomfortable—hated the feeling of being stared at.

Even if most eyes were on Qin Nanfeng, Lin Xinyuan was inevitably scrutinized as well.

No matter how tightly Lin Xinyuan wrapped himself up, hiding the unusual shape of his chest, his face could not be completely concealed.

Wearing a mask wasn’t an option either; that would only attract more attention. So at this moment, Lin Xinyuan looked withdrawn and cautious, head lowered as much as possible.

His posture stood in stark contrast to the relaxed, confident aura radiating from the handsome youth beside him.

Yet obviously, this only offered Lin Xinyuan psychological comfort. Human curiosity is boundless—the more you try to cover something, the stronger the curiosity grows.

Lin Xinyuan’s strange appearance and outfit sparked plenty of whispers among Taiji Class Two students.

“Hey, did you see that? It’s Qin Nanfeng!” a girl sneaked a glance, whispering excitedly to her best friend.

“Do I need to say? I spotted him the moment we got here! So handsome… I wish I could stand next to him!” Her friend looked dreamy-eyed, tinged with envy.

Hearing her friend’s jealous words, the first girl frowned in confusion. “But don’t you have a boyfriend already? How can you want someone else’s boyfriend while still holding onto yours? Besides, that’s not even a girl next to him, right?”

She squinted at the two not far away. “Although that face is pretty, the clothes look kind of masculine… maybe it’s a guy?”

“Tch, forget that androgynous thing. Plus, he wouldn’t even buy me a Chanel Necklace worth six grand. Just so-so looks…” The friend frowned in disgust. “What do you mean ‘eat from your own bowl’? If I find someone better, wouldn’t I pursue someone better?”

Then she scrutinized the small figure beside the youth, sneering, “As for that not-quite-male-or-female thing beside him, I don’t care if it’s a guy or a girl—I’m still confident.”

The girl beside her looked a bit resentful but had to admit… though she wouldn’t say it aloud, her friend’s looks were quite exceptional—a genuine beauty.

By comparison, her own appearance was a fair bit plain, at best just delicate and pleasant.

Still, even then, her friend’s appearance was slightly less attractive than the androgynous one next to the school’s top romantic, despite the friend’s heavy makeup.

She didn’t care about Qin Nanfeng or whether Lin Xinyuan was male or female. She only wanted to egg her friend on to flirt with the school’s notorious Casanova.

Then she planned to secretly tip him off and snatch him back…

Heh heh heh… go for it…

Many thought just like this…

She was already preparing herself…

“Yes, yes! Girl, you’ve got a solid base, you’re the Department Belle, and top of the School Beauty Rankings is practically in your hands!” The girl smiled slightly, starting to flatter. “Why waste yourself on one tree? You’ve got to think about the future. If you’re going to settle down, it should be with the best…”

She paused, glanced toward the tall, upright figure not far off, though her mind pictured someone else.

A sly glint flashed in her eyes but vanished quickly. She pursed her lips toward that direction. “That Qin Nanfeng, from the Qin Family! If you marry into that, you’d become a wealthy madam! I could benefit from your fortune, too…”

Her best friend squinted in delight, clearly enchanted by the praise.

She naturally understood what the Qin Family represented—the famous Qinjiang Group of Tianbei City, one of the top companies nationwide!

At this moment, her mind was already daydreaming about that scenario…

Her dissatisfaction toward her own boyfriend only grew stronger; what little hesitation she had melted away into restless desire…

She looked at Qin Nanfeng with burning eyes.

Meanwhile, the first girl, observing her friend watching Qin Nanfeng, secretly watched her too, clearly pleased by the reaction.

Little did her best friend know, this choice would cost her dearly—both husband and battle lost.

There were many like these two girls around—men and women alike—with varied thoughts, but neither Lin Xinyuan nor Qin Nanfeng had any way to know what was being said or thought.

Qin Nanfeng was clearly used to scenes like this, but Lin Xinyuan suffered.

Though he couldn’t hear the gossip, some of the stares were truly disgusting.

Qin Nanfeng noticed Lin Xinyuan’s pale face, twisted with anxiety, disgust, and fear… and immediately understood his situation.

He didn’t know what was wrong with the guy… but whenever surrounded by people, he became like this. Perhaps that was why he hated going out.

No wonder he spent all day holed up in the dorm.

Regarding this psychological issue, everyone in the dorm had advised Lin Xinyuan to seek help, but whether seeing a psychiatrist or school counselor, it had little effect.

Mental illness is hard to cure, but even harder if the patient refuses to speak or confide…

Qin Nanfeng couldn’t do much about it. It wasn’t his business—he was never one to meddle.

But unexpectedly…

Looking at Lin Xinyuan’s pale face, the young man hesitated for a moment before reaching out and patting the fragile shoulder.

“Why isn’t the teacher here yet… why haven’t we started class…”

Lin Xinyuan felt a dizzy haze, heart fluttering…

Just as he silently thought this, he suddenly sensed the movement beside him and was about to ask, when a sharp whistle pierced through the crowd’s atmosphere.

“Line up!”

A loud voice rang out. A middle-aged man dressed stylishly, holding a thermos, shouted—their Taiji class’s physical education teacher!

Upon hearing the whistle and call, Lin Xinyuan finally relaxed, putting aside his intention to question Qin Nanfeng, and chose to join the line.

After all, this teacher, nicknamed “Li Baldy” by many, was known for his poor temper…

The two followed the crowd to line up.

Since the line was arranged by height, they had to separate and return to their respective positions from the previous PE class…