5:40 PM.
Lu Qing left campus and walked towards his apartment, feeling uneasy.
Not because of anything else, but because the incredibly cute girl following behind him seemed to have latched onto him, drawing considerable attention from passing students nearby.
"I'm Bai Xing, from the Broadcasting and Hosting Department, specializing in anime and film voice acting. Although I'm a freshman, one year below you, our elective courses basically overlap."
She introduced herself seriously, her sweet and clear voice seemingly meticulously crafted, as if even the frequency had been carefully designed.
Is this what a professionally trained student is like? Could she be a part-time voice actress?
Lu Qing wondered to himself.
"So, why do you keep following me?"
"I'm not, I'm just going home too. Seems like we take the same route, is that not allowed?"
Bai Xing blinked her eyes, running a few steps innocently to walk beside him.
Lu Qing glanced at her from the corner of his eye, feeling quite pressured.
To be honest, Bai Xing's appearance was highly distinctive—black and pink outfit, dyed hair, Japanese-style makeup, cute nail art...
She carried a soft, fluffy shoulder bag, exuding girlish charm. Especially after removing her mask, her underground idol-level beauty caused nearly everyone around to turn their heads, with a head-turning rate approaching 100%.
It was easy to imagine that if his good friend Wen Le were here, he would definitely exclaim—"Isn't this exactly the ultimate cute anime wife I've been dreaming of!"
Unfortunately, this delicate porcelain doll-like girl was now seemingly possessed, following him relentlessly.
"Stop it, I've already said I prefer being alone. Even with the compensation you offered, it holds no attraction for me."
Lu Qing maintained a stern face, quickening his pace.
"Hey! Why are you so stubborn? Are you saying I'm not cute enough?"
Bai Xing acted as if she'd received a huge blow, pitifully reaching out her small hand to grab his sleeve.
"?"
Obviously, this gesture was quite dangerous.
To onlookers, they appeared like a quarreling couple, with the girl seeking forgiveness after being wronged, while the boy coldly ignored her with disdain.
More ridiculous was that Bai Xing naturally possessed an angelic, pure face and was extremely skilled at acting.
She sniffled, her tearful expression melting the hearts of everyone around. Even Lu Qing, being directly involved, couldn't be so emotionally dense as to roughly shake her off and leave.
"Holy crap, am I seeing things? That super cute girl over there seems to be getting scolded by her boyfriend."
"Yeah! She's gorgeous, beautiful face and long legs, even wearing black stockings! How could anyone bear to bully such a high-quality girl?"
"Which department is she from... why haven't we heard about her before? Just with that face and that aura, she'd be noticed just walking across campus, right?"
"If only I could take her home..."
"Bro, wake up."
The surrounding discussions had given their verdict.
Clearly, Bai Xing's qualities completely overshadowed ordinary college girls. Any guy with decent aesthetic sense would find it impossible not to be moved.
"Let go quickly, people will think there's something between us if they see."
Lu Qing, already feeling the crisis, had no choice but to stop and speak up.
"I won't! If you don't agree to my request, I'll sit on the ground crying, saying you have another girl outside, that you abandoned me after we spent the night together, and make you die of embarrassment."
Bai Xing raised her small face, using pitiful eyes to say not-so-pitiful words.
"?? Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"Not at all, I'm just upset, not understanding why you're dissatisfied with me."
She pressed her small lips together, appearing genuinely hurt.
Logically, with her looks, she should have been the center of attention all her life, treated like a precious jewel. Just a casual word from her would have hordes of fanboys rushing to curry favor, leaving her without any worries.
Such a person must be surrounded by flattery and praise, already tired of compliments and worship.
Now, the young girl had been blatantly "ignored" by Lu Qing, even after she actively offered dating compensation...
This was a fatal blow worse than failing an exam.
"Hmph, he subscribed to my channel but acts completely uninterested in me, doesn't even follow me! This won't do. Before he notices anything unusual, I must make him fall for me, make him completely dependent on me! Then finally tell him that I am Hoshizuki Rina - I am Rinae's real identity! I'll make him completely fall at my feet, I must conquer him!"
Bai Xing shouted in her heart, firmly raising her internal flag, while maintaining a pitiful exterior appearance, as if she had been severely bullied.
"Lu Qing, don't avoid the question. Answer me, am I not cute? I want to hear you say it yourself."
"...That's not it."
Forced to respond, he told the truth.
"Then why won't you date me? What about me dissatisfies you? Tell me, I can change, I can become whatever you like."
The girl performed her submissive act so perfectly that several nearby male students couldn't bear to watch anymore, some already cracking their knuckles, ready to teach her "boyfriend" a lesson.
"No, why do you have to choose me? Aren't there other groups that could accommodate a goddess like you?"
Lu Qing felt extremely troubled and quickened his pace again, "Also, how do you know my name? Who told you?"
"Of course I remembered it during roll call, you were sitting right next to me, I just had to observe a bit," Bai Xing rolled her eyes and continued following him.
"Huh..."
In fact, there hadn't been any roll call in today's Market Research class.
The teacher had simply announced the assignment content after stepping onto the podium, so such a lie naturally couldn't fool Lu Qing.
But he didn't care about these details anymore, only vaguely feeling that this girl approaching him was likely premeditated...
"Fine, anyway, stop sticking so close to me first. If you want me to agree to take you, you need to maintain a five-meter distance from me."
Since he couldn't outmaneuver her in mind games anyway, and refusing would only disadvantage himself, he chose to compromise and use diversionary tactics to shake her off later.
"Hmm, so you agree? You've accepted me as your attachment, right?"
She put away her wife-like expression and curved her lips triumphantly.
"I didn't..."
"Eh? What did you say? You agreed? That's wonderful! I knew you wouldn't leave me alone!"
Bai Xing locked down his intended words and pleaded, "But five meters seems a bit far, it's hard to hear clearly when talking, and inconvenient to walk together. How about three meters? Or... one meter? Is that okay?"
Pushing her luck seemed to be her specialty, and she didn't even need to act cute. Her plain tone combined with her pure face was enough to capture any man's heart.
Lu Qing's defenses gradually crumbled, and with no choice left, he decided to end the conversation and hurry along. He thought to himself: As long as I don't look at you, your charm won't have any effect on me.
However...
Until they reached the subway entrance, until he bought his ticket—
"Why are you still following me??"
"I'm taking the subway home too."
"Huh?"
"I also rent a place outside, don't live in the dorms," she said matter-of-factly.
"Okay, fine."
Lu Qing naively believed her story, thinking he could finally shake her off after a few stations.
However, this naive thought only lasted until they got off...
"Why are you getting off at this station too?"
"My rental place is nearby."
...
"Wait, we've walked so far from the station, why are you still following me?"
"I'm going this way too."
...
"Hold on, why do you have a keycard for Tianhe Platinum Apartments??"
"Hehe..."
"What the hell, y-you're entering the same building as me!"
"Because I live in Building C, Unit 1902."
...
...