Chapter 58 058. Partial Failure
The freshmen’s military training had begun.
Usually held in September, this year it had been postponed until after the National Day holiday—probably to avoid the scorching September sun.
When the class bell rang, An Han and his dormmates headed to the cafeteria together. But as they approached, they found the food windows swarmed by hordes of enthusiastic freshmen. The normally spacious cafeteria was now packed shoulder-to-shoulder—crowded with at least twice as many students as usual. It was absolute chaos.
But An Han wasn’t the least bit worried. He and Chen Junjie exchanged a knowing glance, then instinctively flanked Long Xing from behind. Long Xing, who had just been joking around with them moments ago, immediately straightened his posture, set his jaw, and strode boldly toward the serving counter.
With his buzz cut, tight black T-shirt hugging his muscular torso, and a faint glimpse of an old, slightly crude tattoo peeking out from under his rolled-up sleeve, Long Xing looked every bit like a hardened criminal—especially with his stern expression and towering 180+ cm frame.
An Han and Chen Junjie followed close behind like loyal henchmen, amplifying the intimidating aura.
The freshmen near the counter scattered in a panic. Logically, they knew a wanted fugitive wouldn’t just waltz into a campus cafeteria—but Long Xing simply looked too dangerous to challenge.
The trio reached the front of the line without a single obstacle.
Long Xing instantly broke into a smile as he faced the lunch lady: “Auntie, some sweet-and-sour pork, stir-fried water spinach, and a fried egg, please.”
Even his smile was a little frightening—but the auntie was a veteran. She just rolled her eyes and grumbled, “You again? Every single time it’s you.”
Long Xing’s grin faltered slightly, and he shot a glare back at An Han.
After all, it had been An Han’s idea from the start—but it undeniably worked.
Once they’d collected their meals, they found a quiet corner to sit.
An Han, however, was still preoccupied with his real mission: finding a way to make Long Xing despise him. He glanced around furtively, hadn’t even touched his own food yet, and instead reached over with his chopsticks to pluck a piece of pork from Long Xing’s bowl.
*Is he mad yet?*
He popped the stolen morsel into his mouth with smug delight—food from someone else’s plate always tasted better.
He squinted, watching Long Xing closely across the table. But Long Xing didn’t react at all—just kept eating his lunch calmly.
So An Han reached over again.
*Now? Are you mad NOW?!*
Long Xing’s bowl only had seven or eight pieces of sweet-and-sour pork to begin with. After losing two, he still didn’t get angry—only looked up, slightly puzzled: “You like this dish?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Then go ahead and eat it.”
There was even a hint of fondness in his eyes—and that sent a chill down An Han’s spine.
“...”
Chen Junjie couldn’t take it anymore: “Why do you two sound so damn gay?”
And with that, he too eagerly snatched a piece of Long Xing’s pork.
An Han let out a lifeless sigh. No more reckless provocations. He resigned himself to eating his own meal quietly.
This was way too hard.
Why was Long Xing’s favorability so stubbornly high? The guy’s temper was ridiculously good!
If it were An Han himself, he’d be annoyed if a friend kept stealing from his only meat dish—once was fine, but twice? No way.
Chen Junjie glanced at An Han, then nudged Long Xing with his elbow and whispered, “Lately, An Han’s acting like a girl—his changes are insane. Did he seriously get plastic surgery over the holiday?”
“He doesn’t have that kind of money.”
“And isn’t he shorter now, too?”
“Maybe he just lost weight?”
Chen Junjie pulled out his phone and scrolled for a while before finding a group photo from last year—taken during a weekend trip with the four dormmates.
He pointed to An Han in the picture, noticeably shorter than the other three: “See? Back then, he didn’t look so… girly.”
Long Xing followed the finger to the photo, then lifted his eyes to the real An Han across the table.
The difference really was absurd.
“What are you two whispering about?” An Han suddenly cut in.
Long Xing shook his head without hesitation. “Nothing.”
*You were totally talking about me!*
An Han muttered inwardly but played dumb, standing up with exaggerated nonchalance. “I’m done eating. Why are you guys so slow?”
“Long Ge, toss me the key—I’m heading back.”
He extended his hand, took the dorm key, and carried his tray toward the return station.
All around him, freshmen in military uniforms milled about. An Han remembered his own freshman training—how their TA would lounge under a sun umbrella, casually sipping cola and eating watermelon while watching them suffer under the blazing sun. Just thinking about it still made him furious.
*What kind of inhumane thing is that?!*
Well, in a couple of days, when he had no classes, he’d do the exact same thing!
After handing his tray to the staff, An Han glanced back at Long Xing and Chen Junjie, still murmuring in their corner. A flicker of unease crept into his chest.
Of course his friends would notice such drastic changes—it was unavoidable. But he had no plausible explanation to offer.
All he could do was evade.
At least they’d never guess the truth: a “system.”
The October sun was noticeably gentler than September’s glare, making An Han’s jacket feel comfortable as he strolled toward the dorm building. He’d already started browsing online for fake cockroaches.
Realistic toy cockroaches weren’t expensive—a box of fifty cost less than 20 yuan. And from the product photos, they looked startlingly real at first glance. Given Su Peng’s extreme phobia, one glimpse would probably send him into a panic.
*First, scare Su Peng half to death… then dramatically reveal myself as the prankster.*
*Or—better yet—slip one into his mouth while he’s napping, just to bring back that traumatic memory of a cockroach crawling into his mouth.*
*His favorability will plummet!*
Su Peng didn’t have Long Xing’s saintly patience—and cockroaches were his ultimate fear!
Even if he wasn’t terrified, finding fake bugs deliberately placed in his bed or wardrobe would make anyone furious!
An Han grinned wickedly, imagining Su Peng’s enraged face: *Sorry, buddy—but your favorability’s already past 90! You leave me no choice!*
…Though he should probably prepare to get punched. Maybe he’d bring Long Xing along for protection.
Everything was falling into place. He placed the order—SF Express, next-day delivery. It would arrive by noon tomorrow.
For the first time since receiving the system, An Han felt genuinely confident. Everything was under control!
*After pulling this off, I’ll treat myself to a nice meal.*
He reached the dorm entrance, fumbled for his key—but then turned abruptly and pushed open the door to the neighboring dorm instead.
Su Peng sat near the door. Hearing the noise, he turned immediately. “An Han? What’s up?”
“Just dropping by.”
An Han peeked around. No one else was in the room. “Where’s Dong Ming and the others?”
“Probably still eating at the canteen.”
Noticing Su Peng was eating takeout, An Han immediately leaned in, eyes sparkling: “Let me try a bite of your meat!”
Before Su Peng could react, An Han reached out to grab a piece with his fingers.
Long Xing didn’t mind sharing—but Su Peng? Surely he’d be annoyed.
Sure enough, Su Peng swatted his hand away. An Han’s heart leapt—*Perfect! Now I can escalate!*
But then Su Peng said, “Open your mouth.”
“Huh?”
Su Peng picked up a piece of spare rib with his chopsticks—and popped it right into An Han’s mouth. Smiling warmly, he asked, “Tasty?”
“Yeah, not bad. Gimme another.”
“Here you go.”
Wait a second—
This wasn’t provoking anger at all!
As An Han obediently accepted the second piece Su Peng fed him, it suddenly hit him:
*This is basically flirting!*
Flirt with your boyfriends bro, it will surely drop favorability