After Falling in Love with a 2D Character as a Socially Anxious Person - Chapter 6

An Jing’s heart hadn’t even returned to its proper place as he stared blankly at Yan Qili’s profile.

 

How was he so fast?

 

Wait, the “Living Yama” actually took the initiative to help him?

 

Yan Qili tilted his head. Seeing An Jing staring at him with wide eyes and a dazed expression, he knitted his brows:

 

“Scared stupid?”

 

The arm An Jing was clutching moved, and An Jing blinked, letting go as if waking from a dream. “Th-thank you.”

 

With the force of that sudden brake, if Yan Qili hadn’t blocked him, his face would have definitely slammed into the seat and left a dent.

 

Yan Qili withdrew his hand and sat back in his spot, giving a lukewarm “Mm.”

 

Although he didn’t like An Jing, they were currently tied together. If something happened to the other, it wouldn’t benefit him either. Thus, it wasn’t a sudden burst of kindness or fear that An Jing would get hurt; the move was simply a practical necessity.

 

After confirming that neither of them had fallen, the driver said “Sorry” and started the car again.

 

The rest of the trip was smooth, and they soon reached their destination.

 

The two had come to the largest integrated shopping mall in Nancheng. It was a one-stop-shop where a single building could solve all needs for “clothing, food, shelter, transportation, and entertainment.”

 

Whether it was the large furniture they needed or small items like toothpaste, towels, and clothes… everything could be bought here.

 

So many people.

 

An Jing’s breathing grew a bit short, and he suppressed the urge to turn around and go home immediately.

 

Closing his eyes to hypnotize himself into thinking these people were all just walking cabbages, An Jing forced himself to focus and asked:

 

“Should we buy the bed first?”

 

He had already mentally listed a shopping list, planning to go from large items to small ones to finish the task as quickly as possible.

 

Yan Qili raised his eyes to scan the highly designed mall, his gaze landing on a giant advertising screen above.

 

An Jing, turning to ask for Yan Qili’s opinion, followed his gaze.

 

The big screen was playing a promotional ad for a makeup brand. The fast-paced clip had high color saturation, with flashing lights that were dizzying.

 

An Jing spoke in a low voice: “That’s a big screen. It needs electricity to work.”

 

Yan Qili was already attracting attention; many young men and women around were looking over at them. An Jing’s palms were sweating slightly, and he didn’t dare speak too loudly.

 

People were coming and going, and the flow of traffic never stopped. Because An Jing was standing a bit away and speaking quietly, his words were muffled by his mask. Even with his excellent hearing, Yan Qili couldn’t quite hear what he said.

 

Yan Qili took a step toward An Jing. “What did you say?”

 

Compared to Yan Qili, whom he now knew somewhat, An Jing was actually more afraid of strangers. He was afraid they would see how handsome Yan Qili was and come over to chat or ask for his contact information.

 

Having signed the agreement and confirmed that Yan Qili wouldn’t threaten his safety, An Jing’s mindset toward him had shifted slightly—this was the paper person “cub” he had created with his own hands.

 

After the initial panic and fear, when An Jing explained this world to the blank-slate Yan Qili, he unconsciously applied the filter of an “old father looking at his kid.” The kid he created had truly come to life from the book.

 

Even though he wasn’t old, and Yan Qili was not a kid to be trifled with—and was incredibly good at fighting—these were all settings he had chosen himself. After Yan Qili’s proactive help in the car, An Jing was convinced that his “kid” wasn’t bad at heart.

 

Therefore, An Jing didn’t resist Yan Qili leaning in; in the middle of the crowd, he even proactively huddled closer to him. Compared to everyone else, he felt a sense of security being next to Yan Qili.

 

“It needs electricity,” An Jing said. “Electricity is a very important energy source in this world, along with oil, coal…”

 

Although An Jing wrote fiction, he was actually a science student. He had a good memory and briefly explained the major energy sources to Yan Qili. He didn’t go deep, only telling him that modern human life couldn’t function without these energy drivers.

 

Yan Qili looked down at the person who, even standing straight, was half a head shorter than him. From his angle, he could just see An Jing’s crow-feather eyelashes sweeping up and down as he blinked. An Jing’s eyes were indeed more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen.

 

Yan Qili keenly felt that since getting out of the car, An Jing’s nerves had been highly strained. He was very uneasy, as if he were afraid of something.

 

Yan Qili scanned the surroundings. Aside from the increased number of gazes sizing them up, he didn’t detect any immediate danger. He didn’t like beating around the bush and asked directly: “What are you afraid of?”

 

The tense An Jing swallowed his saliva. “Have you heard of social anxiety?”

 

They were going to live together for who-knows-how-long, so An Jing didn’t intend to hide this from Yan Qili. He couldn’t hide it anyway.

 

Yan Qili: “?” What is that?

 

“It… it’s just…” An Jing didn’t know how to explain “Social Anxiety Disorder” to someone who grew up in a military camp. He chose the simplest way: “You can understand it as: I don’t like crowded places, and I’m not good at communicating with people.”

 

Symptoms of social anxiety vary for everyone. For An Jing, the most direct manifestation was a refusal to appear in crowds, a fear of being watched by others, and a worry about becoming the center of attention.

 

Like autism or depression, because it isn’t a physical pain, social anxiety is often not taken seriously. People always say the sufferer is being dramatic or making a big deal out of nothing. In reality, An Jing had told others he had social anxiety before, but everyone dismissed it, thinking he was just looking for attention. Some even used it to tease him.

 

Gradually, An Jing liked talking to people even less.

 

After finishing, An Jing slowly lowered his head. He didn’t know if Yan Qili could understand this pathological psychology. It didn’t matter if he didn’t, and it didn’t matter if he thought he was weird. Anyway… he was used to it.

 

After speaking, An Jing stared at the ground without looking at Yan Qili. Even though he was used to it, it didn’t mean he wanted to see expressions of “doubt,” “novelty,” or “ridicule” on someone’s face.

 

Yan Qili remained silent, but An Jing could feel the other person looking at him. He was so nervous he wanted to bite his finger again. The sense of failure rising in his heart made him regret being honest with Yan Qili.

 

Yan Qili already thought he was delicate, weak, and a hassle. Now, he would probably add another bad impression of “complaining about nothing…”

 

Yan Qili watched An Jing. The fluffy head was lowered, and he could only see the crown of his hair. He could feel An Jing’s current trepidation. Like a snail carefully poking out its tentacles to test the waters, the moment it received negative feedback from the outside world, it would immediately shrink back into its shell in a panic.

 

Why is Yan Qili staying silent? Does he not believe me or…

 

Just as An Jing’s heart was sinking further and further, Yan Qili’s deep voice suddenly rang in his ear:

 

“Does talking to me also make you feel uncomfortable?”

 

An Jing looked up instantly.

 

There was no disgust on Yan Qili’s face, nor was there any indifference. He was truly just asking a simple question. From Yan Qili’s dark blue eyes, An Jing saw a seriousness he had never seen in others’ eyes when he had confessed this in the past.

 

An Jing was stunned. He didn’t expect to actually get validation from Yan Qili. Even though it was just a simple question, the bridge of his nose felt a bit tingly. The sudden brake from earlier must have had a delay; it was only hitting his nose now.

 

“No.” Realizing he was losing his composure, An Jing lowered his head and spoke in a muffled voice. “Talking to you… doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”

 

Not wanting to lose face in front of Yan Qili, An Jing dropped a “Let’s go” and took the lead into the mall.

 

An Jing’s steps were a bit messy. The little person in his heart was lying on the ground, crying and shouting: Paper people are indeed the best!! I’m going to spend money for my kid, right now!!

 

Yan Qili stepped forward to follow.

 

An Jing, whose mind was full of “spending money on his kid,” didn’t notice that along the way, many people were eager to come forward and chat, but they were all shut down by a cold glare from Yan Qili beside him.

 

The “Living Yama” had a powerful aura. The people around him shrunk their necks and didn’t dare step forward. I just wanted a contact number, why is this person’s gaze so terrifying! If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was trying to steal your wife.

 

 

Since they decided to settle things quickly, the two took the escalator and went straight to the third-floor home furnishing store.

 

As soon as they entered, Yan Qili’s looks attracted many shop assistants. Two assistants glanced at each other and walked up with big smiles:

 

“Hello, welcome! Are you looking for some furniture? Do you need a recommendation?”

 

Under the impact of Yan Qili’s perfect features, the female assistants were exceptionally enthusiastic and poured them two glasses of water. Although the handsome man’s companion only showed his eyes, a shop shouldn’t be picky about customers, so they had to treat both equally.

 

An Jing was so nervous he almost couldn’t hold the cup steadily. “Th-thank, thank you.”

 

Every time this happened, he just wanted to hide. But this time, his scalp didn’t tingle, because a tall human wall suddenly appeared in front of him—Yan Qili, who was standing beside him, had stepped in front of him.

 

He blocked the space between An Jing and the assistants.

 

Holding the water cup, An Jing blinked. Eh?

 

Yan Qili blocked An Jing so thoroughly that even when the assistants craned their necks, they couldn’t see him. Finally, they gave up on the idea of treating both equally. For the rest of the time, although they said “you two gentlemen,” their eyes were only on Yan Qili.

 

Yan Qili sucked away everyone’s attention. Even though his expression was cold, the assistants’ enthusiasm didn’t fade:

 

“Sir, what style do you like? We’ve had a lot of new arrivals lately…”

 

An Jing, who had been unintentionally left aside: !!!

 

Is there such a good thing?! Yan Qili is like a human signal jammer!

 

With no one watching, An Jing’s spirit gradually relaxed. Staring at the back of Yan Qili’s head, a very bold thought suddenly popped into his mind—if he brought Yan Qili along for Saturday’s event, would it be much better?

 

Before An Jing’s little plan could take shape, Yan Qili interrupted the assistant’s non-stop sales pitch: “Take us to see the beds.”

 

Two grown men, browsing a home store together, buying a bed.

 

Once the information was processed in their heads, the gazes of all the assistants first looked at Yan Qili, and then simultaneously swept toward An Jing. In unison: Oho!!

 

Suddenly being stared at by so many pairs of burning eyes, An Jing, who had just relaxed, felt his back go cold instantly. “???”

 

What happened? Did the signal jammer Yan Qili fail so quickly?

 

As a reflex, An Jing shrank behind Yan Qili again. I want to run away.

 

The assistants clearly misunderstood An Jing’s actions, thinking he was just embarrassed. Their round eyes moved between An Jing and Yan Qili, and they showed knowing smiles. With the development of society, everyone’s thinking had gradually become more open and inclusive; they no longer turned pale at the mention of homosexuality.

 

“Alright, alright.” One of them reacted and led them toward the bedding display area. “This way, please. What kind of bed do the two of you need?”

 

The person whose eyes were glued to Yan Qili looked at An Jing and restrained her gaze. The handsome guy is taken; it’s impolite to keep staring.

 

From the assistant’s reaction, An Jing realized a beat late that they had misunderstood his relationship with Yan Qili.

 

An Jing was surprised; An Jing was shocked. There wasn’t a single intimate gesture between him and Yan Qili. Isn’t this “shipping” a bit too forced? Can’t two brothers just buy a bed together? You’re in business, open up your perspective a bit!

 

The assistant didn’t say it out loud, and having missed the best time to explain, An Jing hesitated for a long while. In the end, he didn’t have the courage to speak up and could only slowly follow behind them.

 

There were various styles and sizes of beds in the store. Since An Jing and the other hadn’t specified a budget, the assistant started by introducing the best and most expensive ones out of habit.

 

The assistant introduced enthusiastically: “This is a new model. If you buy it now, it comes with this mattress. You two can lie down and try it; it’s very comfortable and protects the spine well. It has great resilience, no matter…”

 

At this point, the assistant paused and hinted subtly that the mattress used patented technology. No matter how much you “tossed and turned” at night, it wouldn’t make any squeaking noises.

 

An Jing: “…”

 

An Jing hated that he spent so much time surfing the internet, which allowed him to understand the assistant’s meaning instantly. He lowered his chin and let his gaze wander, pretending he didn’t understand anything.

 

However, the tips of his two ears, which were exposed and instantly turned red, betrayed his true thoughts.

 

The straight man Yan Qili, who truly didn’t understand, looked at his red ear tips and asked with zero social grace:

 

“Your ears are red. Are you feeling uncomfortable again?”

 

Following Yan Qili’s gaze, the assistant looked at An Jing.

 

An Jing: …

 

Thank you. I wasn’t uncomfortable before, but I am now.