After Falling in Love with a 2D Character as a Socially Anxious Person - Chapter 17

An Jing had lost contact with his relatives long ago, so he wasn’t sure if he actually had a distant nephew his own age. The only thing he was certain of was that he had never had his secret identity revealed in real life.

It was true that he didn’t like going out, but he wasn’t resting at home due to illness. And he certainly had never shared a meal with Jiayang Shan.

However, Jiayang Shan did look a bit familiar.

As the disadvantaged Jiayang Shan shouted for security, An Jing snapped out of his initial panic and suddenly remembered why the man looked familiar—the man who previously claimed to know a cosplayer and added several girls as friends was also Jiayang Shan.

The socially anxious writer had only caught a fleeting glimpse in the crowd. He hadn’t remembered Jiayang Shan’s face, but he remembered his voice. Plus, the tactics were identical…

An Jing, who had been panicking, suddenly felt calm. He had worried that Yan Qili had caused a misunderstanding because he didn’t know the rules of this world. Now it seemed Yan Qili had caught Jiayang Shan lying to people on the spot. Yan Qili was just acting against an injustice.

While getting physical wasn’t right, Jiayang Shan was in the wrong for spreading rumors first. Thinking of this, An Jing grabbed Yan Qili’s arm to pull him back… pull?

He didn’t budge.

How embarrassing.

“…” An Jing looked up at Yan Qili, who stood there as steady as a mountain without even a wobble, and happened to meet the latter’s slightly confused gaze.

An Jing: “…” I’m sorry. I overestimated my own strength. QAQ

Yan Qili truly didn’t understand An Jing’s intent. What did he want by suddenly touching his arm? If he wanted to touch it, he could, and Yan Qili could be generous enough not to mind. But why was he puffing out his cheeks and looking at him with such a wronged expression?

That’s right—even though An Jing was wearing a mask, the movement of his puffed cheeks didn’t escape Yan Qili’s eyes.

Realizing once again the significant gap in size and strength between himself and Yan Qili, An Jing’s toes curled in embarrassment. He gave up the idea of trying to move Yan Qili.

Ignoring the surrounding stares as much as possible, An Jing stepped forward and looked only at Jiayang Shan: “You say you know Yannian—do you have any proof?”

Without waiting for Jiayang Shan to speak, An Jing brought up what he had seen earlier and concluded concisely: “Since you use such lies to trick people, you should know you’ll be exposed sooner or later.”

Yan Qili raised an eyebrow as he watched An Jing standing in front of him. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t surprised. In his eyes, An Jing was very timid and cowardly. Just a little scare with Bu Po could make his eyes red, looking like he wanted to cry but was too stubborn to do so.

They say a cornered rabbit will bite. An Jing wouldn’t. Yet, this timid and socially anxious person was standing in front of him in front of everyone. Yan Qili looked at An Jing’s thin shoulders and confirmed it. He was indeed shielding him.

Looking further down, Yan Qili saw An Jing’s hands hanging at his sides. The person who seemed calm and steady had his hands clenched into tight fists, his neatly trimmed nails digging into his palms. Looking closely, one could see those hands were trembling slightly.

The owner of these hands was shaking with nerves and fear.

Overestimating himself.

He didn’t know where that courage came from. Yan Qili made this cold internal judgment, yet he stood firmly behind An Jing, looking over the top of An Jing’s head at Jiayang Shan with a freezing gaze.

Exposed by An Jing’s few words, Jiayang Shan’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t expect to be caught so quickly. Before every lie, Jiayang Shan would double-check. He made sure he was far from the last place he had approached someone so he wouldn’t run into them again. The venue was crowded with a high turnover of people; he had never failed using this method before.

As soon as An Jing finished speaking, the onlookers’ gazes toward Jiayang Shan immediately changed:

“So, he’s a liar?”

“No wonder he got hit, he deserves it!”

“The reputation of our community is ruined by people like this.”

“Specifically targeting young girls—was he trying to scam them for money or something else?”

“Who knows, but he doesn’t look like a good person anyway.”

Public opinion shifted completely. Anyone with a bit of sense stood with An Jing and Yan Qili, condemning Jiayang Shan. The two girls who were almost tricked saw Jiayang Shan’s guilty, speechless face and knew An Jing was right.

“How could you do this?” one of them looked very angry. “Tricking people is one thing, but you even cursed Teacher Yannian by saying he’s sick!”

Her companion was also furious: “What did Teacher Yannian ever do to you? Can’t you wish for something good? Truly, rumors are started with one mouth, but those refuting them run their legs off.”

“…” An Jing hadn’t expected that part. Why would anyone believe a story about him resting at home due to illness?

Since Jiayang Shan lied first and the situation hadn’t escalated too far, the enthusiasts nearby watched Jiayang Shan until he deleted the contact information of the girls he had tricked today before letting him go. For no other reason than being helpful!

Under everyone’s condemning gazes, Jiayang Shan glared at An Jing and left dejectedly. While squeezing through the crowd, his feet were stepped on several times by “helpful” citizens. Jiayang Shan winced in pain but didn’t dare say a word.

The crowd dispersed before security arrived. The two girls who were almost tricked walked over shyly to thank An Jing and Yan Qili.

“Thank you so much,” a girl said. “Can we add you as friends? I’d like to buy you some milk tea.”

The girls’ eyes were full of anticipation. They spoke to An Jing, but their gazes involuntarily drifted toward Yan Qili, revealing their true intentions. They really wanted Yan Qili’s contact information, but they were a bit afraid to ask directly since he had just started a fight without a word.

He was handsome, but he was too fierce. With his brows lowered and his face cold, he looked as if he had just come back from killing two people. His aura made people shrink back in awe. Yet, he was truly handsome. Even the cosplayers with exquisite makeup who perfectly recreated fictional characters weren’t as handsome as the man in front of them.

In the face of such beauty, their hesitation lasted only a second. They decided to take a detour to save the country. If they missed out on such a top-tier handsome guy, they would regret it even on their deathbeds at eighty. Even if the big handsome guy looked cold and brutal, it didn’t matter. They bet he wouldn’t be so fierce toward his sweetheart.

An Jing’s palms were almost sweating. The confrontation just now seemed to have used up all his courage for the year. Staring at their sparkling eyes, the breath supporting him deflated, and he wanted to run again.

An Jing’s lips moved under his mask, but before he could squeeze out a sound, a hand reached out from behind him and rested on his shoulder.

“No need.” Yan Qili spoke to refuse for An Jing while pulling him backward. Without even trying, An Jing’s back hit Yan Qili’s chest.

It was a sharp contrast to when An Jing tried to pull him earlier. An Jing, being easily hauled around by Yan Qili: “…” How embarrassing ×2.

But it had to be said—standing next to Yan Qili made him feel much safer. Since Yan Qili had answered, he didn’t have to speak.

Yan Qili’s blunt refusal made the two girls a bit embarrassed, but they didn’t give up: “Is the older brother also a fan of Teacher Yannian? Do you want to join the local Nancheng fan group?”

Fan? An Jing turned his head to look at Yan Qili. The man’s cold profile made him doubt his own hearing. Yan Qili is a fan of his? Where did this rumor come from?

The girls, trying everything to get closer to Yan Qili, firmly believed he was a Yannian fan—if he didn’t like Teacher Yannian, why would he get angry over Jiayang Shan’s rumors? Therefore, he must be a true fan. A fellow enthusiast! Their common topic had arrived!

Seeing their certain expressions, An Jing’s clear eyes blinked.

“You’re thinking too much.” Yan Qili expressionlessly raised his hand, pinched An Jing’s chin, and straightened his head. Yan Qili looked very cold while doing this. He didn’t even look at An Jing.

Forced to look forward and unable to keep staring at Yan Qili, An Jing puffed his cheeks. He knew the “Living Yama” couldn’t be his fan. A “true fan”… a “hater” was more realistic.

The girls watched their interaction. They saw An Jing—who had been logical and argued with the liar just minutes ago—now standing silently by Yan Qili’s side with his head down.

The two girls looked at each other, and the same phrase popped into their minds: Like a little bird leaning on a person.

This phrase didn’t really fit the 176cm tall An Jing, but with Yan Qili as a reference, it suddenly felt very appropriate. Looking at their touching shoulders, the girls felt a flash of realization. Asking for contact information was truly intrusive of them.

After the back-and-forth delay, the signing had already begun. While walking toward the signing area, An Jing asked Yan Qili: “Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

Yan Qili: “You called me?”

An Jing: “…?”

Yan Qili took out his phone. Seeing the missed calls and unread messages, he frowned: “I didn’t hear it.”

“Didn’t hear it?” An Jing didn’t quite believe him. “Not even once?” He had called Yan Qili at least ten times. With Yan Qili’s hearing, even if it was noisy, it was normal to miss it once or twice, but all of them?

Hearing An Jing’s words, Yan Qili spared him a glance, his tone chilly: “What are you doubting?”

An Jing instantly withdrew his suspicion and timidly said it was nothing, he was just asking.

Seeing this, Yan Qili gave a noble huff: “Coward.”

The “cowardly” An Jing pouted—fine, considering Yan Qili helped refute the rumors for him. An Jing was so skilled at comforting himself it was almost heartbreaking.

There were many booths in the venue, with dizzying amounts of merchandise. Many booth owners were very creative, with banners more hilarious than the last. Having comforted himself, An Jing’s attention was quickly drawn to the various booths.

That poster is nice, but there are so many people. That magnet is cute, but there are so many people…

After walking for a bit, Yan Qili suddenly spoke: “Coward.”

Hmm? An Jing hesitated: “Are you calling me?”

Yan Qili raised an eyebrow: “Who else?”

An Jing: “…” Who’s a coward?

Yan Qili ignored An Jing’s non-threatening glare: “Call me one more time.”

Looking at Yan Qili’s slightly furrowed brow, An Jing was confused: “Now?”

Yan Qili was brief: “Now.”

Without asking why, An Jing gave an “Oh” and obediently dialed Yan Qili’s number. Yan Qili’s phone screen lit up. He didn’t answer but waited quietly for a few seconds. Before An Jing could realize what was going on, Yan Qili’s brow relaxed slightly, and he held the phone out to him:

“There’s no sound.”

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