Chapter 82 082. Anime Expo Plans
At a long table in the campus cafeteria, An Han sat with his head drooping, scrolling idly through his phone as he continued searching for a qipao that might suit him. He wore an indifferent expression—but the restless jittering of his leg betrayed his inner anxiety. Every now and then, he’d glance up at Su Peng, half-expecting the guy to suddenly drop some earth-shattering confession on him.
After all, being princess-carried like that… who knew what ideas might have sprouted in Su Peng’s head?
Unable to take the suspense any longer, An Han finally broke the silence. “What exactly do you need from me?”
Su Peng offered a sheepish, concerned smile. “Want to grab a bite first?”
“No thanks. Just get to the point.”
Su Peng scratched the back of his head, hesitating before blurting out with a nervous chuckle, “So… my family set up a blind date for me…”
“I am *not* pretending to be your girlfriend!” An Han snapped instantly.
“Huh?” Su Peng blinked, then quickly waved his hands. “No, no—it’s not like that! I’ve never been on a blind date before, and I’m kind of nervous. I just wanted to bring a friend along.”
“…”
An Han gripped his pant leg, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
But—wait! This was actually *great*!
He immediately realized this was the perfect chance to steer Su Peng away from him. He’d been racking his brain trying to set Su Peng up with a real girlfriend, and now even Su Peng’s *family* was helping him out!
His eyes lit up. All embarrassment forgotten, he sprang to his feet, gave Su Peng a hearty pat on the shoulder, and nodded sagely like a wise elder. “How could I possibly refuse to help my apprentice with such an important matter as his lifelong happiness?”
If only it were Wu Dongming asking for help—Wu Dongming would’ve been doomed to a life of solitude.
“Oh, by the way—when’s the date?”
“This weekend.”
“Then forget it. I’ve got plans that weekend,” An Han said with exaggerated regret.
He’d just discovered there was a major anime expo happening locally that weekend. Though the ticket was pricey, wearing women’s clothes there would hardly raise eyebrows—even if people realized he was biologically male. After all, the expo would be full of outlandish costumes; a guy in a qipao would practically be *understated*.
Su Peng let out a quiet sigh, resting his chin in one hand, looking gloomy. “I’ve already asked other people—they’re either busy or say the place is too far.”
“I really *am* busy!” An Han protested, then added curiously, “Wait, you’re barely twenty—why’s your family rushing you into blind dates already?”
“What can I do? They’re in a hurry,” Su Peng groaned, rubbing his temples.
Honestly, if only An Han were a girl… he’d seriously consider bringing him along just to get his parents off his back.
“When you go on a blind date,” An Han launched into mentor mode, reciting the few scraps of “pickup advice” he knew, “you’ve gotta take the initiative! Especially with arranged meetings—you’re not bad-looking, your family’s well-off, and if you’re just a bit more proactive, you’ll definitely win her over!”
“Even though your master can’t accompany you, you’ve got to step up for yourself!”
Su Peng shook his head. “But I don’t even like her.”
“Huh…?”
Weren’t you desperate for a girlfriend? Now that someone’s actually willing to meet you, you’re saying you don’t like her?
“It’s just to appease my family,” Su Peng explained wearily. “Dating’s one thing, but if this blind date ‘succeeds,’ they’ll start pressuring me to get *married* next.”
“Aren’t college students allowed to marry? Doesn’t getting a marriage certificate even earn you academic credits?”
“I’m barely twenty—why would I get married now?”
An Han was practically tearing his hair out trying to help this guy. He lectured Su Peng relentlessly, all for the sake of the man who had a 90-point favorability rating toward him—hoping that if Su Peng found a girlfriend (or better yet, got married), he’d pose even less of a threat.
But Su Peng wasn’t listening at all. In fact, a system notification suddenly popped up in An Han’s vision:
【Su Peng’s favorability toward you: -3】
…An unexpected blessing?!
So he’d been going about it all wrong! Su Peng *hated* being nagged!
Instantly energized, An Han doubled down: “Marriage is inevitable anyway, so you might as—”
Su Peng, utterly exasperated, stood up and walked away before An Han could finish.
“Hey, wait for me!”
...
Back in the dorm, An Han was still beaming with joy.
He’d finally found Su Peng’s weakness!
Three points per lecture—after three times, that’s nine points gone. Do it four or five times, and Su Peng’s favorability would drop below 80!
Then he’d never have to worry about Su Peng having ulterior motives again!
Gleefully plopping down in front of his computer, he glanced over at Long Xing.
Long Xing had been unusually well-behaved lately. Even though they shared the same dorm, he hadn’t said or done anything remotely inappropriate toward An Han. That had lowered An Han’s guard—but the favorability score was still hanging there like a ticking time bomb.
“Hey,” Long Xing suddenly turned around. “There’s a big anime expo on the island this weekend. Anyone planning to go?”
“Anime expo?” An Han froze, a bad feeling creeping in. He forced a smile and shook his head. “Nah, I’m not into that otaku stuff.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, there was only *one* major expo happening this weekend, right?
Long Xing simply shrugged and turned his gaze to Chen Junjie.
“I’ll go! Why not?” Chen Junjie leaned over to look at Long Xing’s screen. “How much are tickets? I’ll buy mine with you.”
“What’s so great about an anime expo?” An Han loudly grumbled, trying to sound dismissive. “If you wanna see girls, just look up photo sets online.”
But Chen Junjie completely ignored him, already deep in planning with Long Xing about their expo trip.
An Han’s heart sank. He’d *just* bought his ticket! This was supposed to be his perfect chance!
He strained his ears, trying to catch their exact entry time.
But the venue was huge—if they happened to arrive at the same time, the odds of actually running into each other were still pretty low, right?
“Our school’s anime club is going too,” Chen Junjie mumbled. “Should we team up with them?”
“Sure.”
Dejected, An Han slumped onto the table, still muttering resentfully, “It’s so far away, and the tickets are expensive—I really don’t get what you guys see in it.”
Chen Junjie turned around. “How do *you* know it’s far and expensive?”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to cross-dress as a cosplayer at the expo?” he teased, as usual.
Did you *read the script* or something?!
Most people reacted to An Han’s transformation by becoming either awkward or overly protective—but Chen Junjie remained utterly unchanged: sharp-tongued, annoying, and utterly shameless.
In the old days, An Han would’ve fired back instantly. But now, with his body weaker than before, he couldn’t help feeling a bit insecure.
If it came to a fight, he definitely wouldn’t stand a chance against Chen Junjie.
“I can’t have seen the expo ad online?!” An Han shot back defiantly—then immediately shrank into his shell like a startled quail, refusing to engage further.
Suddenly, his grand plan to wear a qipao at the anime expo felt a lot more dangerous…
——————
I’ve been writing slowly lately—posting whatever I finish. Unfortunately, I accidentally used up one of my saved drafts...
Author's Notes
Sorry about the * sign, I'll just remove it at the end. It's to mark which ones I want to italicize or bold.
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