My Boyfriend is the Heartthrob, and I'm Just a Passerby. - Chapter 16

“What are you thinking about?”

Yan Mei’s voice came from beside him.

Ye Jishu lifted his gaze and glanced at him but didn’t respond. Instead, he lowered his head and continued eating the breakfast in his hand.

Yan Mei had brought him cookies and mint tea. The car was parked downstairs for now, waiting for him to finish eating before they left, probably considering the bumpy ride ahead.

The person next to him was still waiting for a response. At the same time, Yan Mei reached out with both hands, holding Ye Jishu’s other hand and gently placing it on his knee, rubbing it softly.

“…”

Eating with one hand was really inconvenient.

However, if he took his hand away to say, “Let me eat,” Yan Mei would probably show a disappointed expression.

Ye Jishu thought quietly to himself.

Yan Mei seemed to enjoy staring at him while he ate.

Although Ye Jishu didn’t understand the meaning behind it, he had grown used to it.

The two of them had been in this kind of relationship for a while, and Yan Mei, more than expected, liked to keep an eye on everything Ye Jishu did. Whenever they walked side by side, Yan Mei would notice the slightest change in his expression and immediately ask why, even if it was just a small movement.

It was as if Yan Mei constantly ensured that Ye Jishu was still with him, right by his side, every second and every moment.

But even though such usual gazes had become familiar, they felt intensely focused and suffocating at this moment, as if a tiny bug had crawled under his skin. The usual calmness of always being watched was gone, replaced with a feeling of tightness that made him recall what had happened earlier on the balcony.

Just a moment ago, Ye Jishu glanced through the car window at the corresponding floor of his dorm building.

Even from such a distance, because the curtain wasn’t fully drawn, he could still see the cactus he had placed on his computer desk.

The dormitory building for the Mathematics department was quite short. It was in desperate need of repairs, leaking rain for a long time, and students often complained about it. They said they could almost touch the ceiling if they raised their hands, and if they looked up, they would see mold growing due to the constant dampness. This made the mood oppressive, almost like being trapped with an urge to scream.

It was still in that state, one of the few old buildings on campus.

This, at least indirectly, confirmed that the fourth floor was indeed not very high, much closer to the ground compared to typical buildings.

At that moment, Ye Jishu had already been standing on the balcony.

According to logic…

Yan Mei shouldn’t have missed noticing him.

Yet—

He had still asked that question.

[Are you awake?]

The message from the text message flashed in his mind.

At this thought, a strange sensation immediately filled Ye Jishu’s heart. Since yesterday, the discomfort he had suppressed began to rise again, slowly creeping up from his calves. In the enclosed car, he could clearly hear the breath of another person beside him.

It was an instinctive feeling, something subconscious.

He shifted uncomfortably, turning his body slightly.

Ye Jishu’s face was turned toward the car door, avoiding the other person’s gaze. His heart, which had been beating faster than usual, gradually began to calm down.

From their intertwined hands, the warmth of a pulse silently passed through, making it abundantly clear that he was not alone at this moment.

That warmth was the temperature of living flesh.

Not a corpse.

And certainly not something lifeless.

Ye Jishu could even smell a faint, almost imperceptible scent of soap from the other person. The scent was clear and slightly bitter, reminiscent of orange blossom branches. Just from this scent, he could immediately pinpoint the unique presence of this person.

It was [Yan Mei.]

It was definitely not a stranger.

Surrounded by this fragrance, his previously tense body gradually relaxed. Only then did Ye Jishu realize that the unnatural attitude and emotions he had felt earlier toward Yan Mei should have been called nervousness and unease.

[As expected…]

It is much better now than before.

The game affected him, making him feel as if there was an unseen presence in the real world like Protagonist A not being discovered.

Looking back now, he remembered that he had been wearing last night’s clothes, all wrinkled. Yan Mei probably thought he hadn’t gotten ready yet, which was why he had asked if he had gotten up. After all, Yan Mei’s personality has always been like that, which is probably why he was so popular.

[This world is normal.]

[It’s just that because Yan Mei looks at him so often, he starts to feel a strange illusion when Yan Mei reacts indifferently.]

After coming to this conclusion, Ye Jishu stopped worrying and lowered his head, continuing to eat the food in his hand.

He told himself, ‘Don’t play narrative games all night long from now on.’ Otherwise, the immersion would be too intense.

However…

A moment later.

“You’re very strange.”

Yan Mei’s voice came from behind.

The car was closed, and the windows were not open.

The words collided with him and then fell into his ears, sounding slightly distorted.

“Not strange.” Ye Jishu explained, “I stayed up all night playing games, so my mind wasn’t very clear. It’s fine now.”

He had already told himself not to stay up late.

It was exactly because of that that he had come up with such absurd connections.

Yan Mei was the most handsome person Ye Jishu had ever seen.

That maddening, all-encompassing beauty was enough to draw anyone’s obsessive gaze, to the point of being willing to die for it. Even though it might seem abnormal at first, as soon as one saw Yan Mei in person, all doubts would instantly dissipate.

Behind him, Yan Mei’s voice continued to ask.

“…Did anyone contact you last night?”

“Yes. An employee, but it was about Chen Heming.”

Ye Jishu paused, thinking of something, and then asked, “Did he say he wanted to meet you? Did you meet him?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Ye Jishu didn’t continue.

But then, Yan Mei’s tone suddenly became more urgent, almost forceful, “Why are you paying attention to him?”

“I didn’t pay attention to him,” Ye Jishu said, surprised.

The employee, named Lin Lin, was easy to get along with and didn’t deliberately make things difficult. So, it was likely just an inquiry, nothing out of the ordinary. Why would he pay attention? — Of course, if he did see Yan Mei and became interested as he said, then that would be a new development.

But that was something to talk about later.

In any case, Ye Jishu had no curiosity or reason to pay attention, unless the plot required it. Yan Mei and the other person had a romantic entanglement, and Ye Jishu needed to be involved in some three-way drama, helping to mediate or make a connection. He didn’t think there would be any intersection between them otherwise.

However, Yan Mei’s expression suddenly changed, and his voice lowered.

“Really?… But you’ve never asked about other people’s matters, not even mine. Do you… like him?”

Like him?

How did he jump to that conclusion?

If he had to speak of like… using the game’s system as a metaphor, the like system would only open once the other person met Yan Mei.

“There’s nothing like that.”

Yan Mei didn’t respond to this answer.

Even when Ye Jishu raised his eyes, all he could see was Yan Mei’s blurred outline in the reflection of the car window, unable to precisely capture his emotions.

The conversation should have ended, he thought uncertainly.

It felt like they had been delayed here long enough. If they were going to the aquarium, it was better to go before most people entered.

Get it over with.

It would be a hassle if too many people showed up.

Especially with Yan Mei around.

There would definitely be many people staring at him, and that feeling of being gazed at by everyone… would be really uncomfortable.

So, Ye Jishu didn’t speak anymore, but lowered his head to finish the biscuits quickly.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of biscuits breaking between them filled the air.

With that sound, it felt like the buzzing of cicadas was ringing in his ears, and the oppressive heat seemed to emerge like an illusion.

Suddenly, several students riding bikes passed by, their bike bells ringing.

Shadows of moving figures reflected on the car window. Ye Jishu was drawn to the sound and lifted his head to look.

The car window reflected Yan Mei’s expressionless face.

“How can I make sure that other people won’t attract your attention, Jishu?”

…?

Ye Jishu froze, turning his head to look at the person beside him.

He opened his mouth, about to speak.

But his vision suddenly blurred, and the person in front of him had already revealed the usual smile, as if everything that had just happened had been a mere illusion.

“What’s wrong, Jishu? Do you want some water?”

With a face like that, even the simplest of expressions could easily make people dizzy.

Ye Jishu’s breath stopped for a moment.

“…Finished.”

It took him a little while to regain his senses.

In the next moment, Yan Mei naturally bent down and fastened his seatbelt, which he hadn’t put on yet.

“Then let’s go.”

…

Their university campus was vast, with four campuses in total. Students took campus buses to commute, and there was even an artificial lake, a small forest, and a planting area for the agricultural department. It was said that the space was so large because it had been built on a cemetery.

But no matter the rumors…

At least one thing was clear—

The campus was far from anywhere.

Ye Jishu fell asleep halfway through the journey.

The engine turned off.

The sound of the car screeching to a stop finally woke him up.

He had just told his roommate that he wasn’t going to sleep…

Although his spirits were somewhat better, still…

Ye Jishu looked at Yan Mei, who seemed unfazed. He smiled at him again, relaxing his heart.

At least today, he would be cautious, paying extra attention to analyzing Yan Mei’s mood.

[On the second date, make sure everything is flawless.]

[Today, neither Lin Lin nor Chen Heming would be mentioned.]

After that, Ye Jishu turned his head to look at the aquarium outside.

Maybe because it was a weekday, there weren’t as many people as he had imagined, which made him feel a bit excited about the upcoming visit.

Kacha.

Suddenly, a sound came to his ears.

Ye Jishu looked towards the source of the sound.

In the next moment, his gaze met his phone’s camera lens.

Yan Mei moved his phone slightly.

And they made eye contact.

…

If you’re going to take a photo, then take it.

Ye Jishu didn’t actually mind being photographed by him.

But Yan Mei didn’t put his phone away as usual. Instead, after taking the photo, he just stared at him…

Was he… waiting for something?

He deliberately left the phone’s camera sound on, knowing that most people would feel curious and ask what was being photographed. Then, by getting the question “What are you taking pictures of?” he would receive a confirmation from him saying “It’s fine,” right? This way, he would get a sense of interaction and indulgence.

Thinking back now, it seems that earlier, Yan Mei had complained that even he hadn’t been asked anything directly. Was that the reason?

Had he been thinking about that incident all along?

Why? What has gone wrong in communication?

Although these thoughts flashed through Ye Jishu’s mind, only a few seconds had passed in the real world.

Under Yan Mei’s expectant and slightly urging gaze, Ye Jishu couldn’t help but blurt out, “I don’t care about Lin Lin, I don’t care about Chen Heming… or that senior from the film club. You’re not like them. They’re just other people.”

“….”

“….”

Crap. What happened?

He had just decided not to mention these two people. He had figured everything out and was supposed to follow the script. Why did he bring it up again?

Ye Jishu’s fingers curled slightly, feeling a bit nervous, and he tried to salvage the situation.

Why did he suddenly say that?

“This–”

However, Yan Mei interrupted him at this moment, saying, “I don’t care. I don’t care that you put others before me. You already explained it before. I truly don’t mind. I know they’re not worth mentioning. It’s not something that should confuse you. I don’t mind. You don’t have to say it again. I know—”

“Of course, I know. You like me the most,” Yan Mei whispered.

This was completely different from what Ye Jishu had imagined.

But listening to it, it didn’t seem like he was angry.

Ye Jishu involuntarily looked up, wanting to see Yan Mei’s expression at this moment.

Then, he stopped.

Yan Mei was staring directly at him.

His pupils only reflected Ye Jishu’s figure.

Though his face seemed to suppress a smile, the unprecedented joy in his eyes spilt out like a reservoir being filled, flowing through his body, into the space, soaking into his skin, every inch of his being.

—This was “happiness.”

The two gazes met in mid-air.

But strangely, Ye Jishu felt a slight tightening in his chest.

“As long as you say it, I will never doubt you.” Yan Mei smiled softly, still looking at him. “So, no matter what happens later, who you meet, what you say, or what you want to do, you must never lie to me, Jishu…”