Chapter 31: You Are Just a Difficult Person

Watching the girl dash away like a gust of wind, drawing the stares of numerous passersby on the pedestrian street, a massive "what the hell" echoed in Qin Zhe’s mind.

Facing the collective gaze of the crowd, even someone as thick-skinned as Qin Zhe felt momentarily flustered. When he had first transmigrated here, Gu Ming had mentioned that the original owner had recently confessed to a girl and been rejected. Qin Zhe never expected to run into her today, let alone encounter her airheaded friend, who had shoved the girl straight into his arms without a second thought!

At this moment, it wasn't just Qin Zhe who was stunned; the girl, named Tang Xiaoyou, was also blushing furiously. She hurriedly backed away, looking down in confusion and embarrassment.

"I... I'm sorry, Nie Wenru, she..."

"Let’s get out of here first."

Qin Zhe shook his head with a wry smile and led her away from the phone store. This girl clearly wasn't the articulate type, and heaven only knew how long it would take for her to stumble through an explanation. It was better to leave than to be treated like a scene from a tragic melodrama by the onlookers.

Tang Xiaoyou was clearly a shy and delicate soul. As Qin Zhe led her along, she struggled only slightly at first, before silently giving up her "resistance." Qin Zhe found this amusing.

*Girl! You can’t be like this! Being so easily led—what would you do if you ran into a bad person? And your friend is so unreliable to boot!*

Then again, the original owner really knew how to pick them, choosing such a gentle, soft-spoken beauty. In all honesty, compared to someone like Liu Qingzhi or Yao Jing, she was much better suited to be a romantic partner. After all, looks were one thing, but personality was everything! Being with those two department heads, who were excessively strong and absurdly powerful, would be a nightmare to "tame."

Because the pedestrian street was crowded, Qin Zhe and the girl were quickly swallowed by the sea of people, out of the public eye.

"So... would you like to grab a bite to eat?" Qin Zhe asked, breaking the silence while letting go of her arm. Since she wasn't resisting, it didn't mean she was willing; he couldn't keep holding onto her.

"Eat?" The girl blinked, hesitated, and then nodded, looking down and retreating into her shell again as if she didn't know what to say.

Faced with this reaction, Qin Zhe was speechless, his gaze sweeping over the name tag on her chest. Tang Xiaoyou—it was a nice name. Pretending to be casual, he stopped at a beverage stall on the side of the road and tried to break the silence again.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No... no thank you..." The girl shook her head, very polite.

Qin Zhe sighed, resigned, and turned to the stall owner. "Two milk teas, please."

"Coming right up, just a moment!" The owner replied enthusiastically, eyeing the two of them with curiosity. "Is this your first date?"

"..." Qin Zhe was rendered speechless, but he didn't deny it. It was rare to have a passerby provide an assist; why not take advantage of it?

At this, Tang Xiaoyou couldn't help herself. "Sir, please don't misunderstand, we aren't a couple." Softly explaining herself, she opened her bag. "How much for the two teas? I'll pay..."

"No need, I've got it," Qin Zhe said, pulling out some currency to hand to the shopkeeper. Now that he had money in his pocket, he certainly wasn't going to be stingy while out with a girl.

After paying, Qin Zhe seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation. "It’s been a while since we last saw each other. How have you been lately?"

"Not too well," Tang Xiaoyou replied, shaking her head. She finally opened up a little, her expression complex. "I'm sorry, Nie Wenru has always been that kind of wild spirit, please don't blame her. She didn't pay attention when she ran into me at the store, so that’s why..."

"It's a small matter," Qin Zhe said with a smile, shrugging. "From a certain perspective, I'm the one who benefited, aren't I?"

Faced with this slightly mischievous remark, Tang Xiaoyou blushed, looked up at him, and teased, "You... aren't you angry with me?"

"Angry about what?" Qin Zhe countered. Seeing the owner had finished the drinks, he took them and handed one to her. "Don't overthink it. At the very least, we're friends; there's nothing wrong with sharing a meal. Surely you're not worried about people gossiping if they see us?"

Tang Xiaoyou didn't respond, only fluttering her large, watery eyes, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. Dealing with an acquaintance of the original owner, Qin Zhe appeared carefree on the surface while staying hyper-vigilant internally.

Seeing her expression, Qin Zhe seized the moment to offer a mysterious smile. "Do you think I've changed a lot?"

"You do seem a bit more... sunny, perhaps," Tang Xiaoyou admitted subconsciously. She began to relax, offering a small smile. "If it were the old you, you definitely would have run away if you bumped into me. Your personality was fine in every other way, but you were just so awkward."

*With your reserved personality, you have the nerve to call me awkward?* Qin Zhe thought to himself, though he realized she was talking about the original owner. He drew his own conclusions about the original owner's temperament. In theory, the original owner’s personality should be ninety percent similar to his own; after all, he lived with Gu Ming, and any drastic change would surely seem suspicious. Based on Tang Xiaoyou’s words, the original owner clearly hadn't been good at interacting with the opposite sex.

Having made his assessment, Qin Zhe continued walking along the street and probed further. "That crazy woman Nie Wenru said you ran into some trouble and were in a bad mood. Can you tell me what’s going on?"

"It's nothing, just some family issues," Tang Xiaoyou replied softly, offering no further details as she looked over and offered a faint smile. "Compared to that, you seem to have been involved in quite a few things at the academy lately. I was at the martial arts arena that day and saw you face off against Zhou Wentong. I almost thought that you were because..."

She stopped halfway, then changed her tone. "Anyway, I was sweating for you at the time. I never expected you to be so strong—you defeated him so easily."

...

Chatting and laughing, the two soon found a restaurant and sat down for a meal. With such beautiful company, the food tasted all the better. Qin Zhe enjoyed the meal well enough. Once she opened up, Tang Xiaoyou proved to be quite talkative, and they found plenty of topics to discuss. However, she rarely mentioned her own affairs; aside from the recent stir Qin Zhe had caused at the academy, the conversation remained focused on trivial matters.

Since Tang Xiaoyou didn't want to talk about her private life, Qin Zhe certainly wouldn't pry. If he hadn't run into her on the street and had Nie Wenru shove her into his path without a word, he wouldn't even have initiated contact—he wasn't about to go looking for extra trouble.

After the meal, they returned to the academy and went their separate ways. Qin Zhe headed straight back to the dorm. Finding Gu Ming out, he threw himself onto his bed and fell asleep instantly. Going out to buy a phone, running into Tang Xiaoyou, and playing host had drained his mental energy, and he needed to recharge to handle the exchange students from Eagle Nation the next day.