Chapter 16 Chapter 16: “You’ve Really Gotten Handsome, Huh?” – Part 2
After all, that guy—He Xiaohan—used to go to the library every single day during his freshman year. Zheng Wenxuan, on behalf of their slacker crew, once complained to He Xiaohan on their behalf, only to receive the reply: “I go to the library to hang out with girls.”
After hearing that, the self-proclaimed “Slacker King” Zheng Wenxuan didn’t press the matter further. As long as He Xiaohan wasn’t secretly grinding behind their backs—aka “involuntarily competitive”—they could all stay good friends.
But when He Xiaohan ended up winning a scholarship, Zheng Wenxuan was left utterly dumbfounded.
Xu Yecheng wasn’t quite as extreme as Zheng Wenxuan, but he still belonged to the “just-get-by” camp—barely passing, drifting through life without much direction.
Now, he strolled slowly back toward the campus gate—only to realize something critical:
He’d forgotten to buy bubble tea.
Xu Yecheng sighed in resignation and turned around, ambling across the street to the bubble tea shop.
*I’ll go back, rest up properly, and brace myself for tonight’s brutal night shift,* he thought.
At the shop, he ordered two cups of bubble tea and stood by the entrance to wait.
He pulled out his phone—and saw that the café manager had accepted his friend request.
> “Darling, we’ve already filled all our male staff positions~”
The manager’s profile picture was McDull, while Xu Yecheng’s was an anime-style long-haired girl.
> “Uh…” Xu Yecheng froze, suddenly at a loss for words.
> How was he supposed to respond to *that*?
Before he could figure it out, another message popped up:
> “Wait… are you a crossdresser too? If yes, you’re absolutely welcome!”
> (Followed by an Anya-smile meme.)
Xu Yecheng just stared at his screen, completely baffled.
> “Huh?”
> “Don’t be shy! A lot of girls here are too shy to fully commit, so we’re actually short-staffed. And honestly, male staff can deliver great service too—but you’ll need to look convincing and master falsetto voice.”
> “I’ll… think about it…” Xu Yecheng finally typed back after a long pause.
Good grief—why was the world so weird?
Seeing potential interest, the manager quickly added:
> “If you’re a college student, I can even pay you a bit extra! I’ll schedule your shifts around your class timetable.”
> “Okay.”
Hearing that, Xu Yecheng’s heart skipped a beat.
*They’ll pay me **more**?! On top of what’s already decent?!*
He nearly teared up from gratitude.
“Your bubble tea’s ready~” the shop attendant called out. “To-go, right?”
Xu Yecheng nodded. The staff packed the drinks and handed them over.
He took them and walked off—without buying one for himself. He wasn’t really in the mood to drink it right now.
A moment later, the manager messaged again:
> “If you decide to come, just dress up nicely, bring your ID, and come straight to the store entrance. I’ll be the one handing out flyers there~ 💖”
Xu Yecheng blinked in mild shock.
*The girl in the maid outfit handing out flyers at the door… is the **manager**?!*
That’s dedication… or madness.
Either way, it made him feel even more embarrassed.
*Maybe I’ll think it over a bit longer…*
Just as he was mulling it over, a voice called out from behind him:
“Hey! Student! The guy up ahead!!”
He turned around.
A girl was running toward him, holding a cup of bubble tea. She bent over, panting heavily.
“This… is for you…” she gasped.
Xu Yecheng froze, instantly conflicted.
*Was she… giving him bubble tea?*
Oh my god—this was the first time in his life someone had approached him like this!
And honestly, she wasn’t bad-looking either…
But—but—he had to stay cool! If he acted too eager, he might scare her off!
“I… uh, I already have some, thanks…” he said, shaking the two cups in his hand.
The girl finally caught her breath and straightened up.
“No, no—it’s not a gift! The staff mixed up the orders. The taro one inside is actually mine.”
“Huh?”
Xu Yecheng stood there, utterly petrified.
“Um… are you okay?” the girl asked softly, noticing his stunned expression.
He cleared his throat awkwardly and held out both cups. “Ah—yeah, sure…”
She took her own cup, then carefully placed Xu Yecheng’s correct drink back in his hand.
“Thanks so much~”
“N-no problem…”
As he watched her walk away, Xu Yecheng felt like ten thousand stampeding horses were trampling through his heart.
*When did I get this delusional?!*
*Did I really think a girl would just hand me bubble tea out of the blue?!*
He covered his face with a bitter smile, mortified by his own overconfidence and baseless self-assurance.
Even though the girl hadn’t noticed anything strange—and no passersby had witnessed his moment of shame—he still felt utterly humiliated. At least, in his own eyes.
Sighing again, he hurried back to the dorm, head low.
When he returned, there was an extra person inside.
It was Liu Xianlin, another roommate. He had a freshly shaved buzz cut, prominent cheekbones, and a rugged, tough-guy look—but in reality, he was kinda silly and good-natured.
As Xu Yecheng entered, He Xiaohan—who’d been sitting at his computer—immediately flashed a warm smile.
“Thanks,” he said, reaching out to take one of the bubble teas from Xu Yecheng’s hand.
Zheng Wenxuan, who’d been lounging on his bed, sat bolt upright.
“You’re back?” He glanced at Xu Yecheng, then scrambled to the edge of his bunk. “Hand it over, my precious~”
Xu Yecheng didn’t react much. After He Xiaohan took his cup, he silently passed the other to Zheng Wenxuan.
“I love you, muah muah!” Zheng Wenxuan beamed, blowing him an exaggerated heart.
Xu Yecheng just rolled his eyes. Zheng said stuff like that every day, but he still couldn’t get used to it.
Then he noticed Liu Xianlin staring right at him.
Frowning slightly, Xu Yecheng met his gaze—only to see Liu break into a grin.
“Yecheng, man—you’ve seriously gotten way more handsome since I last saw you!”
Xu Yecheng was thrown off by the random compliment.
“What do you mean?”
“You look… a bit fairer,” Liu Xianlin said earnestly, studying Xu Yecheng’s face.
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Zheng Wenxuan chimed in.
Now thoroughly confused, Xu Yecheng ruffled his hair and walked into the bathroom to check the mirror.
When he saw his reflection, a strange feeling crept over him—something he couldn’t quite name.
He examined his face closely. The acne on his cheeks seemed to have faded significantly.
He tilted his head, scrutinizing every angle… and something still felt off.
His eyes drifted to the corner of his right eye.
There—right near his lash line—was a tiny, dark mole.
A *tear mole*.
He blinked in shock.
*Since when did he have this?!*
He reached up and touched it. It was definitely real—part of his skin.
*No wonder I’ve been feeling weird lately…*
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