FIMA Ch140: Change

Whether it was due to Gu Siyuan’s miraculous ability to find a loophole, or the absolute nonsense he spouted with a deadpan face about “naturally loving to smile,” a wave of snickers rippled through the banquet hall, growing from a low murmur to a loud hum.

The counselor let out a sigh of utter helplessness: “You young people really know how to mess around. Seeing as we’re celebrating the New Year, I won’t give you any more trouble. Sit down…”

Gu Siyuan’s demeanor remained completely composed. Hearing this, he simply sat down and casually tossed a remark to Xie Fengqing: “Resolved.”

“Oh…” Xie Fengqing dragged his gaze away from the bottle of coconut juice—the one he had drunk from, and which Gu Siyuan had just drunk from as well—and gave a blank response.

He was clearly still in a state of extreme shock, completely unable to fathom what Gu Siyuan was trying to pull.

Gu Siyuan didn’t mind his lack of a reaction. After sitting down, he picked up his phone and continued browsing.

Xie Fengqing raised his head and stared at the person beside him: “…”

That’s… that’s it?

Not another word. He didn’t claim credit, nor did he act smug.

Xie Fengqing pursed his lips, hesitating over and over again before finally feigning coldness and asking, “Why… why did you do that just now?”

Gu Siyuan looked up from his phone. The faint glow of the screen accentuated the deep, handsome lines of his side profile as he looked at Xie Fengqing: “Are you talking to me?”

Xie Fengqing raised his chin like a proud swan and gave a soft hmph: “Who else would I be talking to?”

Gu Siyuan nodded and said casually, “If you’re talking about what just happened, weren’t you reluctant to stand up? We were both talking anyway, so there’s no issue with me standing up instead.”

It was just answering a question from the counselor in public. Gu Siyuan truly didn’t care about such things. There was virtually nothing in this world that could make him feel embarrassed, so taking the initiative to bear the brunt of it didn’t matter to him. It was a trivial matter, forgotten the moment it passed.

“…”

Looking at his incredibly righteous and unfazed appearance, Xie Fengqing, for some unknown reason, felt a trace of annoyance well up in his heart.

How can this guy constantly be so annoying and frustrating?

Seeing him puff up with anger again like a blowfish, Gu Siyuan simply offered a word of comfort: “Alright, stop fussing. As long as the problem is resolved, it’s fine.”

Although his face was cold, his voice was deep and magnetic, carrying an imperceptible trace of pampering indulgence.

This guy… what is going on with him?

Xie Fengqing’s heart skipped a beat, and a rosy flush crept up the backs of his ears. However, his mouth remained as stubborn as ever as he mumbled, “Then how could you just… drink the coconut juice I already drank from?”

Gu Siyuan cast a sidelong glance at the person beside him.

Then, he reached out, grabbed the glass of beer next to his own bowl, and set it down in front of Xie Fengqing with a light clink. His voice was flat: “Then I’ll let you drink the beer I drank from. Courtesy demands reciprocity. No more making a fuss.”

“…” Xie Fengqing’s eyes widened.

In an instant, all the messy, flustered thoughts in his head vanished.

Is this shameless bastard getting more and more unhinged? Or is he trying to take advantage of me?

By this time, Gu Siyuan had already turned back around, his entire focus sinking back into that small phone screen. One had to wonder if there were houses of gold or peerless beauties hidden inside it.

Hmph…

Suddenly, Xie Fengqing’s eyes slowly drifted from the beer glass back to the bottle of coconut juice in front of Gu Siyuan. The faint blush on the backs of his ears slowly spread to his cheeks.

Although they had come out for a meal, it was obvious that eating was secondary; the main point was playing around and drinking.

Many of the boys and girls in their class were heavy drinkers. The moment the counselor left, everyone started mixing white liquor (baijiu) with beer, drinking themselves into a stupor.

During this process, quite a few people, won over by Gu Siyuan’s god-tier handling of the counselor earlier, came over with their glasses or straight-up beer bottles to toast him. Although Gu Siyuan didn’t have much interest in drinking, his alcohol tolerance had always been excellent. Since his classmates were toasting him without malice, he indifferently downed his drinks in one go. This straightforward approach won him a chorus of cheers from the crowd.

Xie Fengqing, sitting next to him, was the exact opposite.

He had terrible alcohol tolerance; even a sip would make his face flush red, so he usually stuck to fruit juice or coconut milk. Having been classmates for two or three years, everyone knew his nature and had no intention of forcing him. Thus, his side of the table remained quiet and deserted. Even his joined-at-the-hip best friend, Qiu Yu, had gone off to brag and chat with others.

However, this restaurant was located right in N City’s university town, extremely close to several colleges. Being New Year’s Eve, their class wasn’t the only one dining here. The banquet halls next door were filled with students from various universities, making it inevitable for acquaintances to wander over and mingle.

Because of the inter-university Great Wilderness tournaments over the past two years, Xie Fengqing was quite famous across several schools. Naturally, some people came over wanting to toast him.

“I don’t drink,” Xie Fengqing remained aloof. With those few words, he coldly rejected everyone.

But in this meat-and-liquor atmosphere, fueled by youthful arrogance, emotions were easily magnified.

A boy from an unknown university had invited him several times, only to be met with Xie Fengqing’s blunt refusal every time. He instantly grew red in the face and started shouting: “There’s no need for that, right? We’re all around the same age. Since we ran into each other, you won’t even give me this little bit of face?”

When Gu Siyuan pushed open the banquet hall doors returning from the restroom, he immediately noticed several people surrounding Xie Fengqing. They were clearly drunk, their faces flushed, reeking of alcohol, and their speech was a bit slurred.

Although Xie Fengqing frowned in displeasure, he didn’t explicitly tell them to get lost, merely explaining coldly: “Apologies, I never drink.”

However, the blond youth leading the group was clearly hell-bent on causing trouble: “Never drink? Copying women by drinking juice? You look like a sissy, and you act like a sissy too, huh?”

Hearing this, Xie Fengqing’s expression darkened instantly, a chilling frost coloring his gaze.

The people who had come over with the blond immediately realized the atmosphere had turned sour. They hurriedly pulled at him, advising, “If Great God Xie doesn’t drink, then forget it! Didn’t we already clink glasses with his juice? Come on, let’s go back!”

“Don’t pull me! Hmph, we’re all men here. Does drinking juice even count as drinking? What kind of act is he putting on?…” The blond flailed his arms, spouting arrogant nonsense.

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes and started walking toward the table.

While he had a high tolerance himself, he absolutely despised people who forced others to drink. In his original life, after becoming a boss, he had even instituted a company policy strictly forbidding superiors from forcing subordinates to drink, especially female colleagues.

Just then, a frivolous, laughing male voice sounded from behind him: “Siyuan, we really have affinity. Your class picked the exact same restaurant for dinner?”

Gu Siyuan didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Therefore, he didn’t bother, completely ignoring the person and continuing to walk inward.

Seeing Gu Siyuan act so coldly, Qi Yue’s eyes shifted, and his smile grew even wider as he chased after him: “Siyuan, why are you ignoring me…”

He had just walked out of a chaotic room and instantly spotted the familiar, tall, and aloof silhouette standing at the entrance of the banquet hall diagonally across from him. Even in such a noisy and bustling environment, this person seemed to naturally exude an aura that kept people thousands of miles away.

Recalling how this person had rejected him a few days ago at N University, Qi Yue suddenly felt an even greater itch in his heart. The more challenging something was, the more interested he became. He was just that much of a glutton for punishment.

“I came over with good intentions to toast you, and you’re the only one drinking juice. What, are you stomping our faces into the dirt? Is my face really that worthless?” The blond ignored his friends’ protests and continued his drunken tirade at Xie Fengqing.

Xie Fengqing looked up, only to see that bitch Qi Yue smilingly following by Gu Siyuan’s side. An inexplicable fire was already burning in his chest with nowhere to vent. Hearing someone actually daring to spout such arrogant garbage in front of him, he let out a cold laugh and said disdainfully:

“Right, your face is worthless! Didn’t you already know that? What are you barking in front of me for? Why haven’t you rolled out of here yet? Do you really think I, Xie Fengqing, run a ‘Face Shop’ where I have to sell some to anyone who walks in?”

These words were entirely devoid of courtesy. The moment they left his mouth, the surrounding area fell silent.

Gu Siyuan naturally heard it clearly as well and raised an eyebrow.

The mission target might be awkward and prone to anger, but listening to him curse people out is actually quite satisfying.

As the target of the insult, the blond’s emotions instantly hit the breaking point. His face flushed completely red as he pointed at Xie Fengqing and roared, “You pretty-boy gigolo! People call you a ‘Great God’ and you actually take it seriously. Don’t f*cking reject face when it’s given to you…”

Xie Fengqing’s expression remained unchanged. He crossed his arms and sneered: “Heh, giving me face? With a mug like yours, I truly wouldn’t dare accept it. After all, someone that ugly should be ashamed to even leave the house.”

“Pfft…”

Hearing this sharp-tongued remark, the surrounding crowd lost all desire to break up the fight and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“You… you…”

The blond was so furious he couldn’t speak. Clenching his fists, he charged straight at Xie Fengqing.

Xie Fengqing’s expression shifted slightly, and he took a few steps back.

Crap, I insulted him too hard… This blond guy is huge, and I don’t know how to fight.

Just at that moment, a long, straight, and powerful leg shot out from an unknown direction, blocking the blond’s path perfectly.

The blond tripped over it. Instantly, carried by his own momentum, he pitched forward violently and slammed chest-first onto the table with a loud crash, knocking over several plates of food in a clattering mess.

His companions rushed to help him up while desperately trying to stifle their laughter.

“F*ck!” The blond struggled to stand up, immediately turning his head to rage: “Who?! Who was it?!”

Gu Siyuan slowly retracted his leg without making a sound, simply staring at him with a chilling gaze.

The blond instantly understood. He glared fiercely: “Hah, another pretty-boy gigolo, huh?”

Xie Fengqing turned to look at Gu Siyuan, then glanced at Qi Yue following behind him, and twitched his mouth.

In the next second, he took a step forward, shoved Qi Yue hard to the side with his upper body, and blatantly hid himself right behind Gu Siyuan’s back.

Qi Yue staggered a few steps: “…”

Didn’t they break up? Didn’t they say they were going their separate ways? What is this?!

The onlookers were equally amazed.

Didn’t Scumbag Gu cheat? Why is he playing the hero saving the beauty now? And Great God Xie, why is he actually…

Gu Siyuan ignored the crowd’s reactions. He arched a sword-like eyebrow and cast a glance at the guy behind him.

You weren’t a coward at all when you were cursing him out, but now you know how to hide?

Meeting his gaze, Xie Fengqing stretched his slender neck and gave a soft, incredibly arrogant hmph.

So what if I borrow you to hide for a bit?

Gu Siyuan didn’t bother bickering with him.

He turned around and delivered a heavy kick to a solid wood chair nearby. The chair slid forward and smashed directly into the blond’s knees. The sudden, intense pain made the blond let out a miserable scream, collapsing back into the chair before he could even stand steady.

Gu Siyuan took large strides to the table. With one hand, he picked up a large blue-and-white porcelain basin of soup and splashed its contents to the side. With his other hand, he grabbed a bottle of high-proof white liquor (baijiu) and poured it into the basin until it was nearly half full.

Then—crack!—he popped open two bottles of beer against the edge of the table, poured them into the basin to the brim, and shoved it back-handed right in front of the blond.

His entire sequence of movements was fluid, smooth, and utterly badass.

He planted his brown leather boot on the blond’s chair. His gaze was dark, his voice freezing cold: “This classmate here loves to drink, right? Come on. If you don’t finish this basin today, don’t even think about leaving!”

“F*ck!”

“That’s going to kill someone!”

“Mixing baijiu with beer?!”

The surrounding crowd erupted into frantic whispers. Even those used to heavy drinking couldn’t help but shrink back at this aggressive drinking posture.

The blond snapped back to his senses, his face draining of color: “Get lost! Who wants to talk to you? If you want to drink it, drink it yourself. I’m not drinking.”

“Not drinking?” Gu Siyuan reached out, grabbed the guy by the collar, and slammed his face down onto the table. “How can you not drink? I came all the way over here specifically to toast you. You won’t even give me this little bit of face?”

“Who the hell do you think you are?! Thinking I need to give you face!” The blond struggled frantically against the table, but the hand gripping his collar felt like forged steel, rendering him completely immobile.

“Hmph!” Gu Siyuan’s expression remained indifferent.

Seeing the guy being thoroughly manhandled, Xie Fengqing stopped acting cowardly. He stepped out from behind Gu Siyuan with his head held high, sneered at the blond, and said, “Yeah, who the hell do you think you are, daring to run wild here? Daring to demand face from your grandfather?”

Gu Siyuan glanced at him.

Tsk, getting cocky again, are we?

“Cough cough…” Xie Fengqing coughed awkwardly and turned his face away.

The blond was a classmate of Qi Yue’s.

Seeing this scene, Qi Yue said lazily, “Hey, hey, Siyuan, alright now. Give me some face and let him go.”

“F*ck off, what face do you have?” Gu Siyuan and Xie Fengqing said almost in unison.

Xie Fengqing no longer felt awkward.

“…” Qi Yue.

These two are doing this on purpose, right?! They’re deliberately targeting me!

Gu Siyuan held the blond down with one hand, shoved the basin toward his mouth with the other, and said coldly, “You’re in luck today. The honor of my very first time force-feeding someone alcohol goes to you.”

The blond clamped his mouth shut and shook his head frantically.

The commotion had grown quite large. Soon, both their class monitor and the blond’s class monitor were called over. A group of people tried to pull Gu Siyuan away, but unexpectedly, his strength was terrifying. Even with several people pulling together, they couldn’t pry his hand open.

Finally, they could only plead nicely: “Hey… hey… classmate, don’t be impulsive.”

“We all just came out to have fun, there’s no need to take it this far. Let it go.”

“If he downs that whole basin, we’ll have to call an ambulance! Stop messing around!”

“Let him go, if you keep this up, the counselors are going to come over.”

Hearing the last sentence, Gu Siyuan finally slowly released his grip. He stared coldly at the blond: “There won’t be a next time.”

The blond coughed violently, nodding repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word of defiance.

The onlookers were thoroughly intimidated by Gu Siyuan’s display. He usually seemed quiet and slightly cowardly; who would have thought he’d be this terrifying when angry?

And all for Xie Fengqing? Are those two really planning to get back together?

After this incident, Gu Siyuan lost all interest in continuing to eat and drink. He stood up and headed straight out of the banquet hall, preparing to return to campus, wash up, and sleep.

Perhaps the room was too hot, or perhaps the slight amount of alcohol he had consumed earlier was kicking in, but Gu Siyuan unzipped his down jacket as he walked outside.

The moment he stepped out the restaurant doors, the freezing winter wind hit his face, giving his head an unusually sharp, refreshing feeling.

Xie Fengqing, his small, fair chin buried in his turtleneck sweater, stood in the shadow of the restaurant’s signboard, watching Gu Siyuan’s retreating back on the sidewalk. His eyes were filled with confusion and annoyance.

Since the day Gu Siyuan cheated with Qi Yue, he had clearly decided to cut all ties with him. But ever since that day, Gu Siyuan had been acting incredibly strange, not to mention repeatedly bailing him out of trouble today.

Clearly, this guy was the one who wronged him first by doing something so scummy. But now, Xie Fengqing constantly felt as if he owed Gu Siyuan something.

Why does this guy get to make me so frustrated?!

After hesitating for a long time, Xie Fengqing stepped down the stairs and stealthily followed him.

He didn’t mean anything by it. He just remembered that when this guy was sitting next to him earlier, he had accepted every toast and drank quite a bit. He was just worried the guy might end up passing out drunk on the street.

It’s the dead of winter. Passing out at night could freeze a person to death… or they might even get taken advantage of…

Xie Fengqing followed him, ducking and hiding along the way. He trailed him for another block until Gu Siyuan was about to enter N University’s North Gate. He finally let out a soft sigh of relief. Tonight’s knight-in-shining-armor mission was just about complete.

However, the moment he turned the corner, he jumped in shock.

Leaning against the corner of the wall was a tall, slender figure, staring directly at him. Under the moonlight and streetlamps, those long legs leaning against the wall looked even longer than the telephone pole next to them.

Xie Fengqing fell silent for a moment. Suddenly struck by an idea, he plastered on a fake smile: “Oh hey, if it isn’t classmate Gu Siyuan. Why are you standing here instead of going into the school…”

Gu Siyuan lifted his eyelids slightly, his voice flat: “Because, I wanted to ask classmate Xie Fengqing: why did you secretly follow me the whole way?”

“…” Xie Fengqing.

Did your teachers never teach you that Chinese people prefer to speak with tact?!

Support me on Ko-fi