A Clear-Minded Homebody Girl

While Chi Qingchi was introducing the shops, Lin Yu took a moment to glance at the prices.

In his straight-male worldview, anything related to the "2D world" was automatically stamped with an "expensive" label in his mind.

And sure enough.

Prejudices in people's hearts are like towering mountains.

Only when he saw the prices with his own eyes did he realize how ignorant he'd been before.

Most cosplay outfits were priced between 100 to 200 yuan, with very few exceeding 300.

Those with less fabric were even cheaper.

Makes sense, really.

They're only worn once or twice—for shooting videos, taking photos, or attending a convention.

If they were too pricey, how could the average otaku girl afford them?

And this was a mall—online prices would surely be even better.

Doing the math like this...

2D-loving girls are actually pretty easy to support. Back in school, he'd assumed they were all rich, white, and beautiful, spending money like water.

But in the real world...

When your girlfriend starts demanding bags and jewelry, you realize just how easy college girls were to please.

[Ding!]

[Crisis Alert: A malevolent entity has appeared nearby. Host, remain vigilant and respond carefully!]

Here we go, buddy.

If this "evil entity" didn’t show up, Lin Yu would be missing out on a massive reward.

"Qingchi, where’s the shop your classmate mentioned? On this floor?"

"I’ll go buy the figurine first, then keep you company while you browse."

Lin Yu asked eagerly.

Hearing that they could keep shopping after, Chi Qingchi pointed cheerfully to the left.

"Sure! It’s the fifth shop down that row."

"I know the way—follow me!"

If one had to describe Chi Qingchi right now, it’d be...

Still as a rabbit, then darting like a mad one.

Without checking if Lin Yu could keep up, she bolted ahead.

Lin Yu hurried after her.

But then—

Just as Chi Qingchi reached the store entrance, she suddenly froze in place.

Lin Yu could guess why.

Someone she didn’t want to see must be inside.

"Why not go in?"

Lin Yu asked, feigning ignorance.

Chi Qingchi shuffled to the side. "The vice president of our club... he’s in there."

Lin Yu exaggerated his surprise. "What a coincidence!"

Chi Qingchi pouted. "Not really a coincidence, I think."

Tsk tsk tsk.

An otaku girl with her wits about her.

Just because she’s a shut-in doesn’t mean she’s dumb.

Not so easy to fool.

Lin Yu: "Qingchi, what’s that look? Don’t wanna see him?"

Chi Qingchi: "It’s not that..."

Lin Yu: "He likes you, but you don’t like him?"

Chi Qingchi nodded slightly. "Mmm..."

Lin Yu amped up his theatrics: "You can’t just assume that, Qingchi. Don’t get too full of yourself."

Chi Qingchi sighed. "The vice president has confessed to me like... seven, eight, nine times? Lost count."

Lin Yu: "!!!"

That answer genuinely caught him off guard.

This "evil entity" is that persistent?

If it were Lin Yu, one rejection would’ve shattered his pride.

But getting rejected nearly a dozen times and still sticking around?

Fellow cultivator, you’ve lost the plot!

"My advice? If you don’t like him, give him a clear answer next time."

"Reject him outright. Don’t leave him hanging like there’s still hope."

Lin Yu offered his two cents from a guy’s perspective.

However—

Chi Qingchi replied gloomily:

"I did reject him. Very clearly, very directly."

"But the vice president always finds some new reason to try again. It’s... exhausting."

Ah. Got it.

A textbook 2D simp.

That’s how simps are.

They’ll keep deluding themselves into thinking they still have a chance.

Seizing the moment, Lin Yu grinned.

"Heh, wanna get rid of him? I can help."

Chi Qingchi blinked, processing for a few seconds.

Then she shook her head firmly. "No."

Lin Yu: "??? I haven’t even said how—just straight-up no?"

Chi Qingchi analyzed seriously:

"You’d probably pretend to be my boyfriend, act all lovey-dovey to scare him off."

"Best way to shake off a guy? Show you’re already taken."

"Super common trope in manga and light novels."

"And... kinda outdated."

Lin Yu: "..."

Damn, she’s sharp.

Not only did she predict his plan perfectly, she even roasted it as cliché.

Aren’t otaku girls in anime supposed to be adorably airheaded?

How is she this perceptive?!

Way too sharp—no fun to mess with.

Lin Yu scrambled to recover:

"Who cares if it’s cliché? If it works, it works!"

Chi Qingchi shook her head again, launching into a lecture:

"Still no. It’d put our relationship in a weird place."

"What if after the act, you start clinging to me?"

"What if you start acting like my real boyfriend at school, monopolizing me?"

"What if every time the vice president’s around, you start getting handsy, doing couple-y things?"

"What if you push further and blackmail me with ‘You wouldn’t want our little secret getting out, would you?’"

"What if—"

Lin Yu, face darkening, clapped a hand over her machine-gun mouth.

"Okay, okay, enough ‘what ifs.’ Any more and I’m gonna lose it."

"What if I punch you right now and knock you out? What then?"

At this point, Lin Yu’s "cute, ditzy otaku girl" fantasy was thoroughly shattered.

This girl was dangerously meticulous.

No playing near crumbling walls with her!

But it did prove one thing—

Her earlier claims were credible.

Someone this sharp definitely gave the "evil entity" a hard no.

---

While the two outside were deep in discussion, the trio inside was also brainstorming.

Vice President Zhao Yuhao stood with two others—a guy and a girl.

The same two who’d tipped him off at KFC earlier.

The guy was Zhou Yang, Zhao Yuhao’s self-proclaimed "good friend."

The girl was Zhou Yang’s girlfriend, Hao Qian.

This gossip-loving couple had nothing better to do, so they’d come for front-row seats to the drama.

When Chi Qingchi appeared at the entrance, the trio spotted her immediately.

Zhou Yang, in full spectator mode, whispered:

"Bro, wasn’t that your ‘girlfriend’s’ twin sister at the door?"

"She looked over here—why didn’t she come in?"

Normally, Zhao Yuhao was the type to posture as the know-it-all in class—the guy who’d dominate any conversation with unsolicited wisdom.

People like him rarely had close friends.

Most relationships stayed surface-level.

Take his "good friend" Zhou Yang, for example.

Mention of the word "girlfriend" made Zhao Yuhao uneasy, but he kept up appearances.

Adjusting his black-framed glasses with a middle finger, he said coolly:

"Honestly, we’ve hit a rough patch lately."

"Couples fight sometimes. It’s normal."

"Hao Qian, you might not understand this, but I’ve mentioned it to Zhou Yang before..."

"Qingchi doesn’t really want our relationship to be public, so it’s kind of a semi-open secret."

"Just now, she probably saw you guys and felt a little embarrassed."

Hao Qian, hearing her name, nodded in agreement.

"Ohhh, so that’s how it is. I really didn’t know... Who’s the guy next to Qingchi?"

Zhao Yuhao’s smile instantly froze on his face.

"Welcome!"

The cheerful voice of the female shop assistant interrupted the trio’s conversation.

Lin Yu and Chi Qingchi walked into the store side by side.

Zhao Yuhao immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Qingchi, you’re here?"

"I came because I knew you’d be visiting this shop."

"Don’t be mad—I was in the wrong before."

Chi Qingchi blinked. "Mad?"

Lin Yu stifled a laugh. "..."

What kind of dramatic soap opera was this? Starting with an apology right off the bat?

No wonder the poor girl looked so confused.

Outside, Qingchi’s whole "light novel romance tactics" routine had actually fooled Lin Yu.

But when it came to real-life execution, her brain just couldn’t keep up.

It was obvious.

This baseless apology wasn’t meant for Chi Qingchi.

It was for the two companions behind him—and even Lin Yu.

Lin Yu considered introducing himself properly first.

But the moment they entered the store, it was like stepping into the Demon Lord’s domain.

The flow of conversation was instantly under his control.

"If you’re not mad, that’s good. I knew you wouldn’t hold a grudge over something so small."

"Qingchi, let me introduce you—this is Zhou Yang, the good friend I’ve told you about."

"And this is Zhou Yang’s girlfriend, Hao Qian."

As he spoke, he smoothly positioned himself next to Chi Qingchi, turning to face his two companions.

Lin Yu was amused.

This guy was good!

Knew exactly how to insert himself.

After introducing his friends, the Demon Lord adjusted his glasses with a pretentious flick of his middle finger.

Finally, he deigned to look at Lin Yu properly.

"Qingchi, aren’t you going to introduce your friend?"

Tsk tsk tsk.

The Demon Lord—his vibe was just too spot-on!

Like he’d die if he ever wore a pair of glasses that actually fit.

Honestly, before meeting him, Lin Yu had underestimated the guy.

This smooth little opening act was clearly designed to create the illusion that he and Chi Qingchi had some kind of special relationship.

A cunning breed of simp—no wonder Qingchi couldn’t shake him off despite rejecting him multiple times.

"Oh, Xiao Lin, this is the vice president I told you about—Zhao Yuhao."

"And this is Lin Yu, my good friend and classmate of both me and my sister."

Chi Qingchi introduced them without mentioning that they were roommates.

Not because she didn’t want to.

But because she was afraid Zhao Yuhao would use Lin Yu as a lead to track down where she lived.

After hearing the introduction, Zhao Yuhao scrutinized Lin Yu, racking his brain.

Was there really such a handsome guy in Qingchi’s class?

He’d assumed Lin Yu was someone she’d met elsewhere—not a classmate.

Zhao Yuhao had visited Qingchi’s lectures plenty of times, scanning the room for potential rivals.

If there’d been a clean-cut, good-looking guy like this, he definitely would’ve noticed.

[Ding!]

[Crisis Alert: Foreign Demon detected. Hostile intent confirmed. Host must act immediately to protect sect allies!]

Lin Yu had zero recollection of Zhao Yuhao.

In his past life, his interactions with the twin sisters had been minimal.

Naturally, he didn’t know any of the admirers buzzing around them.

But since the system demanded action, he couldn’t just ignore the guy’s veiled provocation.

Act?

Then act he would.