After Falling in Love with a 2D Character as a Socially Anxious Person - Chapter 5

Nancheng has a highly developed entertainment industry, frequently hosting large events like music festivals, concerts, and fan meetings. With the booming growth of ACG (Anime, Comic, and Games) culture in recent years, anime and gaming conventions have also gradually entered the public eye.

 

If music festivals and concerts are the joy of idol chasers, then this Saturday’s event is a carnival for ACG lovers.

 

An Jing is a textbook homebody. Aside from writing, his biggest hobbies are “raising” fictional characters and shipping couples. These fictional characters come from manga, personified real-world objects, or novels.

 

That’s right. Even though he is bad at romance himself, it doesn’t stop him from being an expert at shipping every couple imaginable. Compared to real life, the 2D world makes him feel relaxed and happy.

 

An Jing first noticed “Wu Yu Zi” because the artist drew many fan comics based on his works. Many netizens, loving a bit of drama, had tagged him in the comments section.

 

Wu Yu Zi’s drawing style is delicate and the characters are exquisite. Even the “spicier” content is handled with subtle beauty. While the speed of the “car” in the drawings is so fast the tires are smoking, an outsider wouldn’t even realize the author was being naughty without looking closely.

 

With just one look, An Jing was hooked.

 

It was amazing.

 

An Jing, who usually firmly refused to squeeze into crowds, wavered the moment he saw his favorite artist would be there.

 

He really wanted to go!

 

A signed work from Wu Yu Zi was a huge temptation for him. If he missed this time, he didn’t know when the next chance would be.

 

He wanted to go, but his heart was conflicted. He had just checked his class group chat, and quite a few people had already decided to join the fun this Saturday.

 

Compared to total strangers, An Jing is more afraid of running into people he half-knows while out in public.

 

It was a real worry.

 

For this event, the organizers hadn’t just invited many artists and writers for signings; they had also invited many famous cosplayers. During the three-day carnival, it would definitely be crowded, and no matter how strangely you dressed, no one would be surprised.

 

An Jing unconsciously peeked at Yan Qili.

 

Surely no one was more suited to cosplay a general than Yan Qili. From his appearance to his aura, Yan Qili’s looks perfectly matched An Jing’s taste. Every movement felt like he was dancing perfectly on An Jing’s aesthetic preferences.

 

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have created such a male lead to practice his romance writing. It was because he liked this style.

 

As an author, if you want readers to truly love your protagonist, you have to love them yourself first.

 

Yan Qili is a man of his word and prioritizes logic; his principles are harder than the sword in his hand. But after meeting the person who could pull at his heartstrings, his logic and his desires would constantly fight, until finally, he could only watch himself sink into love while being perfectly sober.

 

As soon as he fell in love, he would have a weakness.

 

From his initial cold calculation to his later sincerity—where it didn’t matter even if the protagonist “shou” trampled his heart into the mud—he wouldn’t realize he was falling in love, yet his behavior would already show a shift beyond the control of logic…

 

An Jing hadn’t even thought of a name for the protagonist shou yet, but just thinking about Yan Qili’s character arc made his “fatherly” creator eyes light up—

 

The chemistry was so good!!

 

Once he wrote it out, who would dare say his romance lines were few and far between, or that readers had to use a magnifying glass to find the “sugar”? Wouldn’t it be sweet enough to kill the readers?

 

Too bad…

 

An Jing secretly withdrew his gaze and sighed, resting his chin on his hand.

 

A dangerous and exciting character setting like Yan Qili’s was only fun in a novel. When the fictional character actually appeared beside him, An Jing felt like the man who claimed to love dragons but was terrified when a real one showed up.

 

Now, forget about crying over a beautiful romance. He was only liable to be scared to tears by the ruthless Yan Qili.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

While An Jing was spacing out, Yan Qili spoke suddenly.

 

An Jing’s hand holding his chopsticks shook. He turned his head and met Yan Qili’s probing eyes.

 

Yan Qili noticed the shift in An Jing’s mood immediately.

 

The person who had been slumped and gloomy suddenly had eyes that lit up; his whole being became lively, and he kept peeking at Yan Qili over and over.

 

He was being secretive with these small actions, like a timid rabbit at the mouth of a burrow, constantly testing to see if a hunter had spotted him. Little did he know, the hunter had already seen every single move the little rabbit made.

 

Yan Qili looked at the object in An Jing’s hand. He didn’t know what that small iron block was that made sounds, but he could tell it was very important to An Jing.

 

From the moment he woke up, the object basically never left An Jing’s hand. He took it everywhere, even when eating.

 

The only things important enough for Yan Qili to carry at all times were two things: the jade pendant left by his mother, and his sword, Bu Po.

 

Yan Qili was curious, but his face didn’t show it.

 

Caught staring, An Jing’s face heated up. “N-nothing.”

 

It’s just a look. If you’re going to look like that, aren’t people allowed to look?

 

 

After eating, An Jing hesitated for a long time before slowly shuffling over to Yan Qili’s side. “I agreed to let you stay here. Can you agree to one thing for me too?”

 

Yan Qili was noncommittal. “What is it?”

 

An Jing pointed at the sword Bu Po by his side. “In the future, you can’t just draw your sword against me because we have a disagreement.”

 

Yan Qili glanced at An Jing’s thin, white wrist and let out a scoff. “Against you, I have no use for it.”

 

“…”

 

We’ve known each other for less than a day, where are your manners?

 

Most importantly, An Jing knew better than anyone how terrifying Yan Qili’s skills were. Beating up fifty versions of himself with bare hands would be like a light warm-up for him.

 

Unable to argue, An Jing choked for a moment. “Using your hands is also not allowed.”

 

He didn’t want to live in fear every day. He added, “How about this: let’s make a ‘three-rule’ agreement.”

 

Yan Qili folded his arms and looked at him, lifting his chin as if to say—speak.

 

An Jing: “While we live together, you must not threaten my physical safety in any form. In exchange, I will help you adapt to this world as quickly as possible and find a way to resolve your identity issues. Neither of us can bring outsiders home without permission…”

 

An Jing hadn’t spoken such a long paragraph in a long time. Since he couldn’t change the fact that they were living together, he hoped they could get along harmoniously. He wouldn’t harm Yan Qili, and he hoped Yan Qili wouldn’t pull a sword on him at every turn.

 

Yan Qili had no objection to an agreement that benefited both parties, only adding one point:

 

“Regarding my origin, you must keep it a secret from the outside world.”

 

His origin was strange. If others knew, it would inevitably cause trouble.

 

An Jing nodded readily. “Of course.”

 

Yan Qili had come out of a book. If this leaked out, it wouldn’t be good for either of them. Even if Yan Qili hadn’t mentioned it, An Jing would have kept it a secret.

 

Since talk is cheap, An Jing went to the study, drafted an agreement, and printed it out. He made two copies, and they both signed and left thumbprints.

 

To prevent anyone else from understanding the agreement if they saw it, An Jing had carefully chosen his words so that no one but the two involved could make sense of it.

 

Yan Qili had never encountered Simplified Chinese characters before, but he could miraculously understand them. After confirming there were no issues, he signed his name.

 

The Living Yama’s word was his bond. Once he had the agreement, An Jing finally felt completely at ease.

 

After locking his “personal safety insurance” in a safe, An Jing wasn’t as nervous around Yan Qili. He consulted him: “Then, if people ask, should I say you’re my brother?”

 

Yan Qili glanced at him. “That works.”

 

…

 

Having reached a consensus, a much happier An Jing changed his clothes, planning to take Yan Qili out to buy some things. He also wanted to take the “fictional character” out to see the world.

 

“You can’t bring this.” Before leaving, An Jing pointed at the heavy sword in Yan Qili’s hand.

 

Yan Qili frowned. “Why?”

 

Seeing him frown, An Jing was still a bit scared. He timidly explained the laws and regulations: “It’s a restricted weapon. It will be confiscated.”

 

Yan Qili: “?”

 

Who would dare?

 

Seeing the displeasure on Yan Qili’s face, An Jing hurried to explain, “It’s not targeting you; no one is allowed to carry one.”

 

“With your current lack of identity, it would be very troublesome if you were caught carrying a dangerous item.”

 

“Don’t worry, this world is very safe. Even if something really happens, you won’t need Bu Po.”

 

Yan Qili: … Tsk, troublesome.

 

At the entrance, after finally convincing Yan Qili to leave Bu Po at home, An Jing pulled out a black mask and put it on.

 

Yan Qili stared at his face. “What is that?”

 

“A mask.” An Jing’s exposed eyes blinked twice. “Do you want one?”

 

It blocked the wind and his face—an essential for someone with social anxiety going out.

 

Seeing Yan Qili shake his head, An Jing silently pulled back the hand that was about to grab one for him. Fine then.

 

An Jing didn’t have a driver’s license, so he relied entirely on public transportation. By the time they reached the neighborhood gate, the car he called had just arrived.

 

Yan Qili looked at the flat road and the cars driving on it, his expression shifting slightly. Catching a glimpse of his look, An Jing—who had promised to help him adapt to modern society—took his duty seriously:

 

“This is a car. Like a horse carriage, it’s a tool for transportation, but it’s much faster.”

 

The small white car slowed to a stop in front of them. An Jing opened the back door and instinctively started to get in, but remembered Yan Qili at the last second. He pulled his foot back and gestured for him to get in first.

 

Yan Qili didn’t move, his expression calm. “You first.”

 

Seeing Yan Qili’s caution, the corner of An Jing’s mouth dipped slightly under his mask. I told you I won’t hurt you, and you still don’t trust me.

 

An Jing climbed in first, and two seconds later, Yan Qili bent down and sat in as well.

 

The back seat was relatively spacious and could usually fit three adults, but the long-limbed Yan Qili took up more than half the space the moment he sat down. His long legs could only be tucked awkwardly against the seat in front. There was almost no room to move.

 

An Jing felt the once-spacious back seat suddenly become cramped. Yan Qili’s presence was too strong; their thighs were almost touching. An Jing instinctively moved to the side, his shoulder pressing against the door.

 

The driver asked as usual, “Customer with mobile number ending in 2763?”

 

An Jing gave a soft “Mmh.”

 

After waiting a few seconds and seeing the driver hadn’t started the car, An Jing blinked in confusion. Then, through the rearview mirror, he met the driver’s gaze—the man looked even more confused than he did.

 

“…” The driver reminded him, “Please close the door.”

 

An Jing then realized that Yan Qili hadn’t closed the door after getting in; he was just sitting there like a great Buddha.

 

“Pull it.” With Yan Qili in the middle, An Jing couldn’t reach it, so he had to ask him to close it. “Don’t use too much force.” If he slammed the door too hard, the driver wouldn’t be happy.

 

Fortunately, “closing a car door” wasn’t difficult even for someone who had never been in a car, so the driver didn’t notice anything strange.

 

Once the door was closed, the driver tapped on his phone. The navigation screen rotated and a mechanical female voice announced:

 

“Picked up customer with mobile number ending in 2763. Destination: Ginza A… estimated time: eight minutes… Please remind passengers to fasten their seatbelts. Preparing to depart.”

 

Yan Qili silently observed the driver’s every move. He was slightly surprised when he saw the phone on the stand. He hadn’t expected this person to have a small iron box just like An Jing’s.

 

Outside the window, the trees on the sidewalk gradually receded. Inside, An Jing wanted to introduce the surrounding buildings and objects to Yan Qili, but he was afraid the driver would find it strange if he heard, so none of the three spoke for a while.

 

The driver they met this time wasn’t the chatty type who insisted on making small talk, which made An Jing a little happy.

 

Yan Qili was also staring out the window, silently observing this world that was entirely new to him.

 

The car was quiet. The driver peeked at the two of them. They hadn’t said a word since getting in—did they even know each other? Even though they got into the car together, they looked less familiar than people sharing a ride.

 

The driver peeked at Yan Qili through the rearview mirror again. With this height, looks, and hair… was he some celebrity he didn’t recognize?

 

In just those few seconds of distraction, the traffic light turned red. Realizing this, the driver slammed on the brakes: “Oh crap—”

 

Neither of the two in the back seat were wearing seatbelts. An Jing was startled by the sudden braking. He let out a short gasp as his body was thrown forward by inertia.

 

Seeing that his face was about to hit the front seat, An Jing instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected pain didn’t come.

 

His body wasn’t thrown forward; instead, he was pressed back into the soft seat cushion.

 

The driver cursed. Even with his seatbelt on, he almost hit the steering wheel. He said with lingering fear:

 

“That almost cost me two hundred bucks.”

 

After that, the driver remembered the passengers in the back: “I’m so sorry, did I scare you?”

 

An Jing stared blankly at Yan Qili and didn’t speak immediately.

 

He was indeed scared, but he wasn’t hurt.

 

Because at the critical moment, Yan Qili had reached out his arm in front of him, protecting him.

 

He had instinctively grabbed Yan Qili’s arm.

 

Yan Qili reacted quickly during the sudden brake; his right hand quickly propped against the back of the passenger seat. His posture was very steady, and the left hand protecting An Jing was even steadier.

 

Even through the fleece hoodie, An Jing could feel the well-proportioned muscles and the surging power hidden in that arm.