Chapter 2
Lu Ze had classes the next day, so he woke up early. After having breakfast with his roommates, they all headed to the classroom together.
The original host’s physical appearance was excellent—handsome, tall, and flawless. He turned quite a few heads on their way. If it weren’t for his frequent absences from school, he would have likely attracted a considerable number of admirers.
The bell for class rang, and the old professor slowly walked in from outside. While listening to the lecture, Lu Ze also learned about this world from System 777’s introduction.
Although this body belonged to a rich heir, he had an outstanding older brother. Because of this, the original host’s parents were quite indulgent with him, letting him do as he pleased as long as he didn’t cause any major trouble.
This was naturally a good thing for Lu Ze, as it allowed him to do his own thing without any constraints.
Having experienced hundreds of worlds, he was accustomed to taking control of everything from the very beginning and being fully prepared.
By the end of the class, it was almost ten o’clock.
It was still too early for lunch, and if they went back to the dorm, they’d just have to come out again later. Yang Cheng thought for a moment and suggested, “I think today is the club recruitment day. It’s over at the stadium. Why don’t we go check it out?”
Lu Ze was about to refuse when 777 said: 【Host, Lin Zhiyan is also at the stadium.】
Lu Ze changed his tune and said, “Alright.”
Today was the first day of club recruitment. The recruitment booths of various clubs surrounded the sports field. There was a decent crowd, mostly freshmen who had just enrolled, walking around and stopping here and there, looking quite interested.
Lu Ze’s group of four boys stood out in the crowd, and from time to time, upperclassmen would actively greet them. Seeing this, Yang Cheng and the others scattered to the clubs they were interested in. Lu Ze had no interest in joining any clubs. His gaze swept around and paused on the booth with the largest crowd.
Lin Zhiyan was wearing a loose, long-sleeved sweatshirt, his head lowered as he organized the materials on the table, pretending not to hear the whispers of the girls around him.
Occasionally, a bolder girl would muster up the courage to approach him. “Senior, can you tell us about this club?”
Lin Zhiyan’s eyelashes lowered slightly. He silently handed her a promotional flyer and said, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask the senior sister next to me.”
The girl seemed a bit discouraged but persisted, “Then… Senior, may I have your contact information?”
Lin Zhiyan said, “The flyer has our vice president’s contact information.”
The girl’s face fell, and she walked back to her friends dejectedly, muttering under her breath, “He’s so hard to pursue. He doesn’t give you a chance at all.”
This scene seemed to be on a constant loop. The senior sister beside him couldn’t help but sigh.
Lin Zhiyan didn’t care what they thought. He had been dragged here by the senior sister to help out, and the agreement was that he just needed to stand here.
Waves of people came and went. Lin Zhiyan silently acted as a flyer-distributing machine, never saying an extra word.
Until a clear voice sounded by his ear, “Senior?”
Lin Zhiyan found the voice somewhat familiar. He looked up, his expression faltering slightly. “…It’s you?”
Lu Ze smiled. “I didn’t expect such a coincidence, running into Senior here.”
Lin Zhiyan nodded and, after a moment of silence, replied, “What a coincidence.”
A hint of a smile flashed in Lu Ze’s eyes.
He looked down at the club’s promotional flyer and then looked up to ask, “The drama club… is Senior a member too?”
Lin Zhiyan hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes.”
Even though I was tricked, coerced, and pestered into joining, I did join in the end.
Lu Ze looked at him with a smile. “I see on the flyer that the club puts on two major plays each semester. Does Senior participate?”
Lin Zhiyan shook his head. “I don’t participate in club activities.”
He had originally planned to quit the club, but he couldn’t withstand the senior sister’s persistent pleading. In the end, he decided he could skip the activities as long as he made an appearance when the club needed him.
He looked up at Lu Ze, his eyelashes long and thick, and said softly, “Are you interested in this?”
He thought for a moment and slowly added, “I remember the club benefits are pretty good. All the expenses for gatherings are reimbursed. And…” He paused. “The plays the club puts on are quite interesting too.”
He looked at him earnestly. “If you’re interested, you can try it out. If you don’t like it, you can quit in your sophomore year.”
He was half a head shorter than him and had to slightly raise his eyes to speak to him. The gaze he revealed was calm and clear, his serious posture carrying an inexplicable sense of obedience.
Lu Ze’s hand, hanging by his side, couldn’t help but twitch. Instead of answering, he asked, “Senior has been in the club for a year. Have you performed in any productions?”
Lin Zhiyan’s expression froze. The senior sister, who had been watching with sparkling eyes, quickly interjected, “Yes, yes! In last year’s annual major production, Zhiyan played a very important role that was present throughout the entire play!”
Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Present throughout the entire play… Was it the male lead?”
Lin Zhiyan pursed his lips, averted his eyes, and mumbled, “No.”
Lu Ze looked surprised. He sized him up and down, his tone carrying a subtle hint of amusement. “Then Senior was… cross-dressing?”
Lin Zhiyan’s eyes widened abruptly, and the senior sister beside them burst out laughing with a “pfft.”
“No, no.” The senior sister laughed without any regard for her image. “I wouldn’t dare ask Zhiyan to cross-dress for me.”
It was hard enough to trick him into joining. What if I really made him unhappy and he left?
She cleared her throat twice, the smile still lingering on her face. “Let me find it for you. I have the recording of that performance on my phone.”
Lin Zhiyan quickly said, “Senior Sister!”
“Don’t worry, Zhiyan.” The senior sister smiled sweetly. “It’s on the club’s official account, and even the school’s official website posted it. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
Lin Zhiyan pursed his lips and said nothing. That may be so, but having someone watch his performance right in front of him felt awkward no matter how he thought about it.
In that short time, the senior sister had already pulled up the video and handed it to Lu Ze.
However, Lu Ze didn’t take it. Instead, he looked back at Lin Zhiyan and asked with a smile, “Senior, is it okay if I watch?”
Lin Zhiyan shifted his gaze, feeling his lips were a bit dry for some reason. His throat moved. He picked up the water bottle on the table and said calmly, “Watch if you want to.”
Lu Ze said nothing more, took the phone, and didn’t forget to thank the senior sister.
The image on the screen must have been recorded with a professional camera. The characters’ makeup, costumes, and subtle movements were all very clear, and even the set design was lifelike.
Lu Ze’s gaze swept past the main character performing brilliantly in the center and stopped on a… tree in the corner of the background.
A moment later, he let out a low chuckle.
Lin Zhiyan gripped the water bottle and took another sip.
“How is it, how is it?” the senior sister asked with a grin.
Lu Ze glanced at Lin Zhiyan. The words swirled on his tongue for a moment before he said, “Senior is very cute.”
Lin Zhiyan’s grip on the bottle tightened again, making a barely audible “crack.”
“Right, right!” The senior sister’s gaze swept between the two of them, as if she had discovered something, and her smile deepened. “So, little junior, are you considering joining our club?”
Lu Ze handed the phone back and said, “There’s no need for me to join the club, but if Senior Sister needs help with anything in the future, feel free to ask me.”
Although the senior sister was inevitably disappointed, she quickly adjusted her mood and said, “In that case, let’s add each other as friends. Do you want to scan my code or should I scan yours? Or Zhiyan, you can just share his contact with me.”
Lin Zhiyan’s hand, which was organizing the files, paused. Seeing this, Lu Ze smiled and said, “I’ll scan Senior Sister’s code.”
“Okay, okay.” The senior sister didn’t overthink it, opened her phone, and after a quick operation, the two successfully became friends.
Lin Zhiyan stood to the side without speaking until the phone was handed to him. Only then did he look up and blink.
“Is it convenient, Senior?” Lu Ze looked at him with a smile.
Watching from the side, the senior sister finally realized something and covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Lin Zhiyan pursed his lips, slowly took out his phone, and after a moment, looked up and said, “Done.”
Lu Ze put his phone away, showing great tact. “Then I won’t disturb you and Senior Sister any longer.”
The senior sister waved at him enthusiastically. “You’re welcome to come and hang out at our drama club anytime!”
It wasn’t until the figure disappeared from sight that the senior sister turned to look at Lin Zhiyan, grinning suggestively. “What’s going on, Junior Brother?”
Lin Zhiyan glanced at her. “What’s what going on?”
The senior sister poked his shoulder with a pen, her voice full of gossip. “When did you two meet?”
Lin Zhiyan lowered his eyes and said casually, “Just yesterday.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his phone suddenly chimed with a notification. Lin Zhiyan opened it to see a message from the person he had just added as a friend:
【Lu Ze, first-year, Business Administration. Hello, Senior.】
Lin Zhiyan’s gaze lingered on the name for two seconds before his index finger touched the power button.
Lu Ze.
***
On the other side, System 777’s voice was buzzing in his ear: 【Host, you’re amazing! You got his contact information so quickly!】
Lu Ze smiled. His previous system had been taciturn and rarely spoke. The new system was quite chatty, like a child, but not annoying.
He was also generous with his praise: 【777 is great too. It’s all thanks to your reminder.】
In the system space, the virtual ball of light spun in circles, rubbing its round head with two hands, seemingly a little embarrassed: 【This is what I should do as a system!】
Lu Ze walked back leisurely, listening to 777’s incessant voice in his mind: 【Host, you’re so skilled. Have you been in many relationships before?】
Lu Ze chuckled lightly. 【No. If you really think about it, this world should be my first love.】
【Huh? Host, you’ve been through so many worlds before. Haven’t you ever met someone you liked?】
Lu Ze said: 【Do you know which department I was in before?】
The system said loudly: 【I know! It was the Face-Slapping Department!】 I made sure to read up on the Host’s file beforehand!
Lu Ze said: 【Face-slapping worlds are quick in, quick out. Once the mission is complete, I leave the world. If I were to get into a relationship, what would happen to the other person after I left?】
Lu Ze was highly capable and efficient at completing missions. Sometimes, he could leave a world in just one or two years, which was really not suitable for dating. Plus, he had high standards, which was why he was still single.
The system said “oh” and then added: 【Host is a very responsible person!】
It thought for a moment, then started spinning excitedly again: 【But Host, don’t worry, our department is very user-friendly! The Host will live out a stable life in this body until its natural end. You can date with confidence, there are no requirements for forced departure!】
Lu Ze said, as if coaxing a child: 【That’s so nice.】
【It is! Because the most convenient way to complete missions in our department is to fall in love with the mission target. This led to some mission-takers in previous worlds being unwilling to part with their lovers, which caused quite a stir. Later, the main god space discussed it and made changes, which resulted in the current regulations!】
Lu Ze said: 【777 knows so much.】
777 covered its face and wiggled its bottom: 【I-I also seriously consulted with my seniors before starting the mission. I’m just glad I can help the Host!】
Lu Ze praised it a few more times. 777, out of curiosity, asked again: 【Host is so nice to the mission target. Do you like him?】
【I do. How could I not?】 Lu Ze walked along a path shaded by trees, a relaxed smile on his face. 【Don’t you think he’s especially cute?】
