Chapter 21

There’s a poem that goes, “Ten years of studying by the window, unnoticed by all; one success makes the whole world know your name.” He Yuxuan couldn’t claim his own decade of hard study had led to any great scholarly achievement, but he finally got to experience the taste of fame.

It was naturally nothing compared to when he debuted in his past life, becoming nationally known almost overnight. But having been an ordinary student for quite a while, the experience felt very different for He Yuxuan, especially after what had happened right after he first transmigrated.

What started as just a forum explosion spread by word of mouth. Through various channels, almost the entire Jinghai University soon knew there was a top-tier handsome guy among the freshmen.

And a talented one at that.

Photos of him weren’t widely circulated, just a few sneakily taken shots at the party, along with a selfie He Yuxuan had posted on his Moments that somehow got shared outside.

The one hanging on the Confession Wall was a picture of him with his hair windblown, standing next to Zhang Xiangdong.

Of course, the Wall’s admin had very thoughtfully censored the unrelated person to spare him any collateral damage.

Even with photos like that, once posted, the comments below instantly became incredibly long.

“OMG, isn’t this that hot cello guy! Even though his candid life photo is so wild, he’s still so insanely handsome!”

“I was sitting in the back row that night and only got a rough view, but my face was already thoroughly impressed by the handsomeness. I didn’t expect his actual face to have no pores or imperfections at all!”

“I ran into him on the road before. Back then I thought, how could such a handsome guy have no fame at all? Now it seems, gold will always shine!”

“Anonymous girl, don’t even bother thinking about it. He’s got an official CP, the number one on the Campus Belle leaderboard, Bo Yuanyuan. Those two are a match.”

“The Economics and Management Department is seriously something else. The richest guy, the best student, AND the hottest guy are all in Econ Management…”

This was all still just on the internet, unknown to He Yuxuan, who was completely out of the loop. He never imagined a small forum could have such an impact.

Until his actual life underwent an earth-shattering change.

As a handsome guy, occasionally being hit on for his WeChat or getting second glances on the street was normal.

But when classmates he barely knew in class suddenly had hearts in their eyes and whispered after lecture, “Your playing was so good! Super handsome…”

He Yuxuan just assumed they’d coincidentally gone to the live show and politely thanked them. “Thanks~”

But when people gave up their seats for him in the library… He Yuxuan, who had been about to leave, perfectly content after seeing no empty seats, was stunned.

The number of people waiting after class to thrust love letters into his hands also suddenly multiplied…

If none of that was a big deal, then what about the day He Yuxuan woke up to a sudden WeChat friend request, someone claiming to be a producer for a dating reality show, wanting to invite him to participate?

???

It was then He Yuxuan realized he seemed to have gained some fame at school. Later, his roommate Jiang Lu told him.

The Freshman Campus Hunk leaderboard on the forum had been updated. The guy from the School of Media who previously held the spot had been replaced by him, using even his messy selfies as the photo.

He Yuxuan was so scared he deleted his Moments history overnight, but it was already too late.

Just because of one club party, he’d become famous. Wasn’t this too exaggerated?!

But when departments offered to pay him to perform at their events… He Yuxuan was absolutely thrilled by those kinds of opportunities! He accepted every single one, since all the various departments at Jinghai University were quite wealthy.

He had another source of income now!

It was just… the current situation also caused him a bit of trouble. Having been an ordinary student for so long, he’d long grown accustomed to a life without prying eyes, more free and casual.

And the crowds flocking to him didn’t really know him at all.

Because of this, He Yuxuan instead cherished his original friends even more. The number one spot naturally belonged to Chu Ci. He’d message him whenever he had a free moment, even if it was just trivial stuff like “eaten yet” or “sleep yet”.

But it was still nice.

And Chu Ci said he’d soon get through his busiest period and then could come back to stay in the dorm. That made He Yuxuan quite excited.

He also looked forward to Young Master Chu drawing some of the attention away. If you wanted to talk about a true Man of the Hour, it had to be the vastly wealthy Eldest Young Master Chu.

As a friend, he was also happy to spend more time together.

Being cornered by yet another girl outside the Student Activity Center, He Yuxuan was almost getting used to it.

Before she could start her opening line, He Yuxuan wasn’t about to preemptively reject her, so he politely stood his ground, waiting for her to speak.

“Yuxuan, why didn’t you accept my friend request?” Wei Jiameng looked up at him, a hint of hurt in her eyes.

Huh? This script was different.

He Yuxuan swallowed back the “Sorry, I’m not really looking to date right now” line.

He looked at the girl before him. She had an oval face, quite pure and pretty. However, He Yuxuan had a mild case of face blindness and didn’t have a deep impression of this rather unremarkable face—the kind he’d forget the moment he turned around.

But as he studied her, a sense of familiarity finally surfaced.

And Wei Jiameng, under his gaze, actually started to blush slightly.

She hadn’t expected He Yuxuan to become so handsome one day. When she learned the hot guy blowing up the forum was the same loser who’d chased her before, she couldn’t believe it. She’d even wondered if he’d gotten plastic surgery, but recovery couldn’t possibly be that fast!

Looking at him now, she realized the basic facial features were roughly the same, just that every part had become exquisitely refined, making him seem like a different person entirely. His aura was completely changed.

Now facing He Yuxuan, she felt somewhat timid.

She even thought to herself, if He Yuxuan had been like this earlier, she would have agreed to date him long ago.

“Don’t you remember me? We met at the badminton court…” Wei Jiameng said, feeling a bit embarrassed by his thoughtful expression.

If He Yuxuan becoming a handsome guy wasn’t enough for her to swallow her pride and chase after him, then learning he was getting close to Bo Yuanyuan was the deciding factor that made Wei Jiameng throw face-saving out the window.

People in her department were now saying the Campus Belle had feelings for the Campus Hunk. If she ended up being the one with He Yuxuan, wouldn’t that mean she’d one-upped Bo Yuanyuan?

So what if Bo Yuanyuan was prettier and had better grades than her? In the end, the guy she liked was still snatched away by Wei Jiameng.

Even though everyone thought she wasn’t as pretty as Bo Yuanyuan, Wei Jiameng believed beauty was subjective. Initially, He Yuxuan had chased her with burning passion, proving he liked her type.

“I remember now… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pestered you before.” He Yuxuan apologized, his expression complex.

As memories surfaced in his mind, he naturally knew the truth about the Original Owner harassing this girl wasn’t quite what the public believed. The Original Owner had indeed pestered Wei Jiameng persistently, but at the time, Wei Jiameng hadn’t revealed she had a boyfriend from outside the school.

If he’d known earlier it would lead to him being beaten to death, the Original Owner probably wouldn’t have bothered Wei Jiameng anymore.

But regardless, He Yuxuan apologized first. The Original Owner developing feelings first was a fact.

However, he felt one apology was enough. After all, he’d spent a month in a hospital bed because of it. Thinking about that month, where even moving was difficult, He Yuxuan unconsciously furrowed his brow, not keen on continuing to be entangled in these matters.

“It was my fault. I was scared by my ex-boyfriend’s threats and didn’t dare tell you. Actually… I wasn’t completely without feelings either.” Wei Jiameng’s eyes reddened, her voice soft. “Could you please just accept my friend request first? My ex-boyfriend committed a crime and is in prison. We’re completely done now.”

He Yuxuan didn’t understand her reasoning.

However inexperienced he was at dating, he could tell from the Original Owner’s old chat logs with her that she hadn’t seemed to like him.

As for himself, he felt even less connection.

“Sorry, I think we should keep our distance.” He Yuxuan stepped back, ready to leave.

“Can’t you really give me another chance?” Wei Jiameng grabbed his arm, unwilling to let go.

Suddenly, another graceful figure stepped down the stairs, speaking up, “Excuse me, I’m his girlfriend.”

It was Bo Yuanyuan.

They had just met at the club meeting, only He Yuxuan had finished his tasks early and planned to head back to the dorm.

In this situation, He Yuxuan didn’t refute her. As a guy, it wasn’t easy to get entangled with a girl further.

This love triangle, involving all good-looking people, was quite eye-catching in this not-so-deserted spot.

Wei Jiameng saw Bo Yuanyuan, and a flicker of jealousy and resentment flashed through her heart.

The two of them had really hooked up. She just knew it. Why else would He Yuxuan suddenly stop paying her any attention? He’d set his sights on someone prettier.

“Sorry…” Wei Jiameng, not wanting to stay and become a laughingstock, left in tears.

Leaving He Yuxuan full of question marks.

“Thank you,” he said, his face scrunched up as he watched Wei Jiameng leave, not knowing what kind of act she was putting on. But he thanked Bo Yuanyuan first.

“Don’t mention it, piece of cake. We’re partners, after all.”

“Seems like you’re pretty popular now! Even rejecting girls is such a hassle,” Bo Yuanyuan teased him.

He Yuxuan thought it wasn’t exactly that. He didn’t know what Wei Jiameng was thinking, but whatever. If it weren’t for Bo Yuanyuan today, he’d still be stuck dealing with her.

So, He Yuxuan thought, combining their partnership camaraderie with his guilt for having previously turned down her dinner invitation, he offered on his own initiative: “Thanks for today, anyway. Are you free? Let me treat you to dinner.”

He was a tiny bit more well-off now; one dinner wasn’t a problem anymore.

Bo Yuanyuan hadn’t expected this to finally be the opportunity for them to sit down and eat together, but she had no reason to refuse. “I’m free.”

She did have a bit of a crush on this partner. It wasn’t just his looks and talent; what moved her most was his personality and character.

Bo Yuanyuan had never met a guy who looked like him yet consistently refused everyone else, only staying close to his male friends.

A rare, genuinely good guy nowadays.

So even though she wasn’t particularly pursuing a specific outcome, it wouldn’t be bad if things developed naturally.

After asking for the girl’s preference, they ultimately decided on a Japanese restaurant.

It wasn’t cheap for students, about three hundred per person. He Yuxuan actually found it quite pricey, since he was just a broke student. But if he couldn’t even afford this much, he’d be too embarrassed to treat a girl to dinner.

“Let’s order whatever you like,” He Yuxuan handed the menu to Bo Yuanyuan. His gentlemanly behavior made her heart flutter even more.

“Okay!” So Bo Yuanyuan didn’t stand on ceremony, ordering what she really wanted to eat, and then they chatted while waiting for the food.

During their conversation, Bo Yuanyuan learned about He Yuxuan’s romantic status and his friends.

Given that there was no romance to speak of, it was particularly easy to understand.

“You actually know Chu Ci!” This genuinely surprised Bo Yuanyuan.

Chu Ci was from a completely different world than them. Even though she was from a different department, she was well aware of his reputation.

“He’s my roommate.” And his best friend.

But He Yuxuan didn’t voice the latter part. Firstly, what was between him and Chu Ci didn’t need to be shared with others. Secondly, with the difference in their status, although He Yuxuan didn’t care about that when making friends, he couldn’t go around using the other’s name to show off, either.

“I see… Is he as unapproachable and arrogant as the rumors say?” Bo Yuanyuan asked curiously.

Someone that rich probably looked down on people like them quite a bit, she figured.

“No, he’s a pretty good guy,” He Yuxuan shook his head, not saying much more, but insisted Chu Ci was a good person.

“Seems rumors can’t be trusted,” Bo Yuanyuan naturally believed the words coming from He Yuxuan’s mouth more.

As they were discussing Chu Ci, coincidentally, a call from him came in.

He Yuxuan was quite happy and answered, finding it a magical coincidence.

“Who is it?” Bo Yuanyuan asked quietly, curious.

Chu Ci was sensitive to everything concerning He Yuxuan and naturally detected it instantly. Seeing all the gossip on the forum, a storm was now brewing.

He Yuxuan heard the sound of the call being hung up.

What happened? He didn’t quite get it. Why did he suddenly hang up?

“What’s wrong?” Bo Yuanyuan asked.

“Nothing, just a friend. He probably got busy all of a sudden,” He Yuxuan didn’t understand but thought maybe Chu Ci suddenly had something urgent, so he didn’t call back.

He could just ask properly later.

He Yuxuan never imagined he and Chu Ci could have a rift. He was too easy-going for that.