I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: “Before You Started, Did You Ask the Flour for Its Opinion?”

The familiar voice made Qi Xu freeze for a moment. He stared at the face hidden in the shadows of the hoodie’s cap and subconsciously spoke: “Chi Hui?”

Chi Hui looked at him, too, his eyes holding a hint of hesitation.

Aside from a slight touch of surprise, Qi Xu’s expression didn’t show much excitement or fanaticism. He was as calm as if he had run into a friend on the street, rather than his favorite idol.

“Did you just see anyone come by?” Chi Hui asked tentatively.

Qi Xu blinked. He had been so immersed in “air-petting” the cat that he hadn’t even noticed when Chi Hui walked up behind him, let alone any other passersby.

He shook his head honestly.

Chi Hui stared into Qi Xu’s eyes with a deep gaze, seemingly judging the truth of his words.

Qi Xu looked back, puzzled.

After a moment, Chi Hui retracted his gaze, readjusted the mask hanging off one ear, and turned to walk away.

Seeing him about to leave, Qi Xu didn’t want to miss the opportunity and immediately reached out.

His sleeve was grabbed. Chi Hui let out a displeased “Tsk” and turned back to look at the person who had laid hands on him.

Every encounter with a male lead was always so random that it gave him no time to prepare. Qi Xu rolled his eyes, thinking about what he could give.

It had to be valuable and show “sincerity”…

Qi Xu’s eyes swept over his backpack on the ground. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up: “Do you want to try my cookies?”

“…” Looking at the person who always liked to make unreasonable requests, Chi Hui’s pressed lips tightened further. “No. I’m on a diet.”

Qi Xu blinked and held up one finger: “Then, just try one small piece.” As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled the packaged cookies from his bag.

Chi Hui tried to pull his sleeve away, but Qi Xu gripped it so tightly that he couldn’t break free.

These hands were like their owner: white and slender, but surprisingly strong.

This reminded Chi Hui of the day of the fan meeting. When this person failed to get his contact information, he insisted on a handshake.

Back then, he had also gripped Chi Hui’s hand tightly, refusing to let go for over a minute.

Wanting to keep things low-key and resolve this peacefully, Chi Hui stopped pulling away.

However, when he saw the box of cookies that were clearly overbaked, he couldn’t help but take a step back.

Seeing this, Qi Xu pushed the box forward a bit more.

Chi Hui lowered his eyes, his gaze passing over Qi Xu’s expectant face. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, he reached out and picked one at random.

There was one benefit to these cookies: at least he could rule out the possibility of them being drugged.

After all, no one would be stupid enough to put poison in something that looked so utterly unappetizing.

Chi Hui pulled down his mask and took a bite under Qi Xu’s hopeful gaze.

The moment his taste buds—after a several-beat delay—received the bitterness hidden beneath the sweetness, Chi Hui’s chewing motion came to a dead stop.

Damn it. Being poisoned would have been better.

He looked at Qi Xu, then at the pastry in his hand, and finally couldn’t help but roast him: “Your money sure is easy to earn.”

“Paying to suffer” was probably a phrase tailor-made for him.

Not just for these cookies, but also for forcing himself to buy a ticket to the fan meeting.

Qi Xu didn’t understand. He tilted his head: “Huh?”

Chi Hui remarked sincerely: “The owner of the shop that sold this is a genius for staying in business.” They must have experience in scams to dare put this out for sale.

So he thought they were bought.

Qi Xu realized the misunderstanding and explained: “I didn’t buy them. I made them myself.”

Seeing the other’s unpleasant expression, Qi Xu asked hesitantly: “Are they not good?”

“…”

Chi Hui looked at him with an indescribable expression, wondering how he could even ask that last question.

Forget about whether it tasted good or not; whether it was even edible was currently in question.

Usually accustomed to being sharp-tongued, insults were already at the tip of his tongue, but considering the other was a fan, Chi Hui tried to be as tactful as possible:

“Before you started, did you ask the flour for its opinion?”

“…” Qi Xu felt this guy could rival his sister in a verbal battle. He pouted. “Then I’ll do better next time before giving you a taste.”

He said “next time” so naturally, as if he were certain they would meet again. This made Chi Hui spare him a few more glances.

Having reluctantly fulfilled his wish, Chi Hui didn’t plan to stay any longer, but just as he was about to leave, he was pulled again.

“Can I have your contact information?”

Qi Xu stared straight at him. His sister said asking public figures for contact info in public was a bad idea—so what if he asked in private?

Chi Hui was truly losing his temper from being worn down. He tugged at his sleeve, but it still didn’t move.

So, he took out his phone right in front of Qi Xu.

Qi Xu watched him unlock the phone and open the contact list, his lips curling up in delight.

Chi Hui caught his gleeful expression out of the corner of his eye and let out a cold snort. He then held the phone up to him and jerked his chin at the screen.

Qi Xu’s eyes sparkled with light. However, when he saw the screen clearly, his smile instantly froze.

The screen did indeed show a phone number, but it belonged to an “Uncle.”

The Police Uncle (110).

His metaphorical perked-up tail drooped dejectedly. Qi Xu lowered his head and reluctantly let go: “Um… it’s okay if you don’t give it.”

This time Chi Hui walked away very quickly, as if afraid of being pestered further, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

After he left, Qi Xu pulled up the system window. Finding that he had just earned 4 points, his disappointment over the rejection vanished instantly.

He crouched by the bushes and called “Blackie” a few more times, but the black cat didn’t reappear; it had likely been spooked earlier.

After waiting for a few minutes to no avail, Qi Xu simply left the box of cookies and the remaining ham sausage on the spot.

Since he had nothing to do in the afternoon, Qi Xu continued along the path, intending to walk a full circle before leaving the residential complex.

He hadn’t gone far when he noticed a dark shadow hidden among the lush thickets ahead.

At first, Qi Xu thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but as he drew closer, he was certain it was a person.

The person was fully geared up with a hat and mask, holding a camera, and was perched in black clothing among the dense branches. If Qi Xu hadn’t been bored and looking around, it would have been very difficult to spot a person crouching in the tree.

Curiosity drove him forward to investigate. The person in the tree was so focused they didn’t notice the figure approaching from behind.

It was only when he stood directly behind the person that Qi Xu realized the man was on a phone call.

“I almost got caught, fuck, it’s too dangerous. I got the shots, but it’s gonna cost more.” The man lowered his voice, swearing as he bargained with the person on the other end.

Qi Xu thought the man was doing some sort of job and felt that eavesdropping might be rude. Just as he was about to leave quietly, he heard the man say: “Fuck, that’s Chi Hui. If you’re not willing, I’ll just sell it to someone else.”

Whatever the person on the other end said, the negotiation wasn’t going well. The man in the tree struck the trunk hard, causing a shower of leaves.

As the man brushed leaves off himself, someone tapped his shoulder. A voice suddenly spoke in his ear: “How about selling it to me?”

The man nearly fell out of the tree, his heart jumping into his throat.

He turned his head slowly and saw a smiling, exceptionally beautiful face. But he had no time to admire it, staring at the sudden newcomer with eyes full of wariness.

Qi Xu realized he might have scared the man and scratched his cheek. “Aren’t you selling photos of Chi Hui? How about selling them to me?”

Although he didn’t know if buying them would be useful, he had seen in the “Simp Group” that collecting “stolen” photos of your crush was a thing.

Since they were candid shots anyway, it shouldn’t matter if someone else took them or he took them himself, right?

The man sized him up and asked suspiciously, “Are you a sasaeng (obsessive fan) of Chi Hui too?”

The man’s terminology hit a blind spot for Qi Xu. He had only heard the word “sasaeng” in the context of family scandals, but the man’s use of “too” made him realize that the person on the other end of the phone was one of these fans.

Pretending to be one seemed like a better way to make a deal.

Qi Xu nodded.

The man asked, “Then how much do you plan to pay?”

This was another blind spot for Qi Xu: “How much do you want?”

“I have several photos from four different time periods. At least this much.” The man held up five fingers.

Qi Xu silently calculated his allowance for the month and found it acceptable: “Okay, then fifty thousand (50,000).”

“Cough! Cough-cough-cough!!” The man hadn’t expected his quote to suddenly gain an extra zero. Nearly dizzy from the unexpected windfall, he immediately agreed: “Deal!”

In the end, the two completed the transaction in the bushes. Before leaving, the man “kindly” pulled Qi Xu into a group chat called “Chi-Life Observation Station.”

However, these photos weren’t as useful as Qi Xu imagined. Fifty thousand only bought him 4 days of life points.

He felt it wasn’t as cost-effective as the single bite of cookie Chi Hui took, so he pushed the group chat to the back of his mind.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a certain someone who had just gone out to buy something and was being stalked was making an irritated phone call: “Someone’s been following me since I left the complex. It doesn’t seem to be the same person as last time. Let’s just call the police.”

Xu Changshu also had a headache. Lately, they had been on edge due to several sasaeng fans. Previously, some had even managed to sneak in and tamper with Chi Hui’s food.

Knowing they couldn’t let this continue, he rubbed his temples. “Fine, I got it. I’ll handle it. You should probably change residences soon.”