I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Little Fool Who Sells Trash to Follow Stars

The day after his call with Chi Hui’s manager, Qi Xu went to their studio as agreed. However, upon arrival, he realized he wasn’t the only applicant.

The candidates were arranged to wait outside the meeting room. Qi Xu was the last to arrive and sat at the very back. He looked at the four people ahead of him—two men and two women, dressed very formally. Some were even holding thick resumes and portfolios.

Qi Xu: “…”

He thought it was just a simple chat; has the competition for a celebrity assistant job become this fierce?

Qi Xu looked down at his puffy, bright yellow down jacket and silently unwound the scarf from his neck. Twiddling his empty thumbs, he heard a girl nearby whispering facts about Chi Hui’s preferences. Only then did he realize he had run over here without preparing a single thing.

Qi Xu scratched his cheek and edged closer to eavesdrop, trying to pull a “last-minute cram session” by listening to the others summarize Chi Hui’s info.

“…His first song ‘Blank’ released at 19 hit over a million plays. Entered modeling at 21. At 26, he did a cameo in When Shall We Meet Again and exploded in popularity with just 8 minutes and 26 seconds of screen time, quickly surpassing the leads on trending searches…”

Truly a master of every trade he touches, Qi Xu thought with admiration.

“Likes sports, excels at long-distance running and swimming. Dislikes noisy environments, hates trouble. Can cook, so he’s very picky about food. Especially hates carrots, celery, and onions. Can’t stand foods with strange odors. Height 187cm, weight 85kg, hand length 21.6cm…”

Listening to the details get increasingly specific, Qi Xu glanced at the girl with newfound respect. To compete for a job, she had researched to this extent? Even he, who was doing this to save his life, wasn’t this dedicated.

Thinking he was the only applicant, he had come empty-handed. Now, the comparison made his heart sink. While the interviews hadn’t started, he slipped into a nearby office with a printer and slapped together a makeshift resume. Then, he asked the system to provide a detailed dossier on Chi Hui.

From what age he started talking, to which primary school he attended, to what awards he won in college… it was more detailed than an official biography.

Qi Xu skimmed through the key points. Surprisingly, Chi Hui grew up in an orphanage. He had searched for Chi Hui online before, but the gossip columns never mentioned his family. If not for the system, he likely never would have known.

Qi Xu bit his lip and kept reading. Just as he reached the record stating “Chi Hui once scored a minimum of 21 points on a high school physics exam,” the manager finally arrived.

“Alright, since everyone is here, come on in together.” Xu Changshu looked busy. He flipped through his files and gave the five sitting people a quick scan.

Xu Changshu pushed open the meeting room door and went inside. Qi Xu followed the other four and handed over his resume. Similar to a group interview, they sat in a row facing Xu Changshu.

Qi Xu gripped his knees, sitting upright. He watched the middle-aged man flipping through their papers and then glanced at the door. Chi Hui hadn’t appeared; it seemed only the manager was handling this.

Xu Changshu wiped a bit of cold sweat from his forehead. This wasn’t usually his job, but after being spooked by those boundary-crossing fans lately, he decided to personally pick a temporary assistant for safety. He had wanted Chi Hui to come and look, but Chi Hui found it troublesome and preferred to nap in the lounge.

Xu Changshu sighed and scanned the materials. However, when he reached the last page, his peripheral vision caught a familiar face. He stared at the photo on the resume, his movements jolting to a halt.

After freezing for several seconds, he slowly looked up and met a pair of bright, sparkling eyes.

Qi Xu blinked back at him. From Xu Changshu’s stunned expression, he had clearly been recognized. Recalling how this man had unintentionally helped him earn several Simp Points, Qi Xu gave him a brilliant, beaming smile.

Xu Changshu’s eyelid twitched: “…”

Why is this kid here?!

The other applicants didn’t notice the anomaly and proceeded with their self-introductions. Three of them had previous experience as assistants. Only Qi Xu and the girl sitting next to him lacked experience, but she was a long-time fan since his modeling days and knew his likes and habits intimately.

When it was Qi Xu’s turn, he combined the two scenarios. “I’ve done similar assistant work before.” (Being ordered around by his sister occasionally counts as experience… right?) “And I’m also a fan of Chi Hui and like him very much.”

Xu Changshu felt a lump in his throat. He looked up, speechless. I can tell. I knew even without you saying it. Otherwise, why would the kid sell trash and skip meals just to see him once? And now he’s even applying for a job.

Qi Xu was still making his competitive pledge: “I know him very well. I believe I am competent for this job.”

The first half wasn’t a lie. If needed, he could use the system to find out what color underwear Chi Hui was wearing today.

Xu Changshu tried to maintain his composure and asked some professional questions. Qi Xu was nervous at first, but he found most questions were about handling emergencies. Although he hadn’t officially joined the family business, the influence of his family made his thinking much clearer than the average person. Even as a novice, he adapted quickly.

In the end, he became one of the top performers.

After the questions, Xu Changshu set aside two resumes with checkmarks. His hand hovered over Qi Xu’s, hesitating. He noticed the resume said Qi Xu was only 20—college age. While he performed well, he was so young and so obsessed with the star. From an elder’s perspective rather than a manager’s, Xu Changshu felt this shouldn’t be encouraged.

However, when he glanced at the bottom corner of the resume under expected salary—”Anything is fine”—the scales tipped again.

Xu Changshu looked at the person sitting directly opposite him, tapping the table worriedly. This kid looks like he really needs money. If he rejected him, would he go back to picking up trash?

Qi Xu was baffled by the stare and grew nervous. His “experience” was mostly made up and he had no idea about salary standards, so he hadn’t realized his “anything” note made the manager think he was desperately poor.

After much agonizing, Xu Changshu kept Qi Xu’s resume. Seeing the other two candidates leave disappointed, Qi Xu pumped a fist in secret.

Once they were the only four left, Xu Changshu clasped his hands over their resumes. “The three of you are all suitable. So, I’d like to ask you to go downstairs and buy a bottle of water for me to give to Chi Hui later,” he said kindly. “Just a reminder, this is also part of the interview.”

Qi Xu blinked, realizing the manager wanted them to choose based on Chi Hui’s preferences. Whoever bought the one Chi Hui chose would get the job.

“…” Like an ancient emperor flipping a concubine’s tablet.

How reckless. But since the rules were fair and transparent, it depended on their attention to detail. It was bizarre yet somewhat logical.

Qi Xu pursed his lips and headed downstairs with the other two. Many drink shops were clustered below the building. Qi Xu fidgeted with his hem, unsure where to go. While he hesitated, the other two acted; one went to a coffee shop, the other to a convenience store.

The weather was bad, with sleet falling. Qi Xu stared at the rain, unable to make a move.

Host, I found it!

It had been ten minutes since Qi Xu asked the system to check Chi Hui’s preferences. System 2 finally came online with the result.

Based on past purchase frequency, the drinks most commonly consumed by this world’s male lead are as follows!

A system window popped up before Qi Xu’s eyes, listing three items. The first two were mineral water brands, the third was coffee.

Qi Xu stared at the top-ranked water and blinked. If it was just mineral water, he could get it from a vending machine. He looked around the lobby and spotted one in the corner.

Since it was working hours, no one was around. Qi Xu hurried over and scanned the machine, easily spotting Chi Hui’s usual brand. He was about to press the button when his hand paused.

He noticed a row of mint water at the bottom. The familiar packaging immediately reminded him of the day he was diagnosed with the hemorrhage. He had accidentally acquired a plastic bottle Chi Hui had drank from—it was this brand of mint water.

For some reason, staring at that row of water, Qi Xu got the feeling: This is the correct answer.

Because he hadn’t paid for the mineral water yet, the button light flashed as a reminder. However, his body moved faster than his brain. Before he knew it, he had selected the mint water.

The room-temperature mint water felt chilly in this weather. Gripping the cool bottle, he looked at the system info again. This water definitely wasn’t in Chi Hui’s “regularly consumed” category.

Logic told him this was likely a mistake. Not to mention whether it tasted good, the probability of someone choosing cold mint water in freezing weather was slim.

Qi Xu’s eyelashes trembled. He decided to buy it again. Just as he reached for the mineral water, someone called out to him.

“Hello, are you done? Want to go up together?”

Qi Xu turned to see the petite girl with a mole under her eye—the “old fan” girl. She peeked at what Qi Xu bought. Seeing it was mint water, she let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.

Qi Xu looked at her purchase: Mineral water. And exactly the brand he was about to buy. As expected of an old fan, she really knew him. She had clearly prepared hard for this job.

Qi Xu’s eyes flickered. His hand stayed in the air for two seconds before he lowered it. Forget it, let’s leave it to luck.

“Sure,” Qi Xu smiled at her.

While waiting for the elevator, the third candidate returned with coffee. They handed their items to Xu Changshu. When the manager took Qi Xu’s bottle, he gave him a long, deep look.

…

After that, they were told to go home and wait for news. Leaving the building, Qi Xu saw the sleet had turned to snow. This was the first snow of the year.

The first snow felt cold on the skin, but the distinct, crystal-clear flakes were beautiful. He retracted his hand from calling a cab. It was still early; he decided to walk a bit.

“You’re awake?”

Xu Changshu pushed open the lounge door to see someone leaning back on the sofa, looking groggy. Chi Hui opened one eyelid but didn’t answer, rubbing his temples.

Xu Changshu walked past the scattered papers and put the items on the coffee table. “I’ve picked out potential assistants. See which one looks right to you?” Though he knew Chi Hui likely wouldn’t care, he still followed the procedure.

Chi Hui glanced at the two bottles and the coffee, then his eyes landed on the thin stack of resumes. Seeing he was in a decent mood, Xu Changshu pushed the three resumes forward.

Chi Hui didn’t reach for them. He sat up and gave them a casual glance. Xu Changshu counted to three in his head.

One, two, three—

“Whatever,” Chi Hui grabbed a bottle of water and leaned back. “You decide.”

Xu Changshu grinned. His predictions were always spot on. He looked at the water in Chi Hui’s hand and wasn’t surprised. From the moment he saw Qi Xu come back with the mint water, he had guessed the outcome.

What surprised him was that Chi Hui rarely showed a preference for mint water. At most, if there was a choice, he would consider it first. Even Xu Changshu had only noticed this preference in his third year knowing Chi Hui. How did Qi Xu know?

After a moment of thought, Xu Changshu rubbed his stubble and stopped overthinking. “Fine, you said ‘whatever,’ so I won’t waste any more effort.” He took out his phone to have someone draft a contract for Qi Xu.

Chi Hui didn’t realize he had personally made the choice. He set the water aside. “This assistant is a little fanboy of yours. He shouldn’t cause trouble like the last one,” Xu Changshu reminded him.

The last assistant had been fired after over a year. It turned out he had been leaking Chi Hui’s location to paparazzi and stealing his personal items to sell to sasaeng fans.

Chi Hui frowned at the word “fanboy” and looked up.

Xu Changshu explained under his gaze, “You’ve met him. Don’t know if you remember—the kid who picked up bottles to go to your fan meeting. Don’t know where he heard we were hiring, but he came to apply.”

Before Xu Changshu finished, a bright, beautiful face appeared in Chi Hui’s mind. Along with a certain, utterly terrible cookie.

“…”

The face in his mind had curving eyes, looking over radiantly. Chi Hui pinched the bridge of his nose. “…Pick someone else.”

“Huh?” Chi Hui usually didn’t care about staffing. This sudden demand for a change caught the manager off guard.

“Not this person,” Chi Hui repeated for emphasis. It wasn’t for any other reason than that, based on their few encounters, Chi Hui suspected this kid’s clinginess was no better than a sasaeng fan’s.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Changshu asked, curious.

“The little fool who sells trash to follow stars. Do you think someone that stupid and extreme is suitable to have around?”

Xu Changshu remained calm. He had considered it, but after a few brief observations, he felt the kid was quite simple. At least his eyes were clean, without any calculation. He was a good judge of character. “I think the kid is quite well-behaved, and he handles things well.”

Chi Hui rested his arm on the back of the sofa, staring at his manager in silence, not understanding when he had become so sentimental. Xu Changshu felt the sting of the stare and sighed with a smile.

“Fine, fine. If you don’t like him, I’ll change him. I just saw that the kid seems to really need money.”

Chi Hui: “…” How could he not need money? He spent a high price on front-row seats when he didn’t even have enough. A total sucker with no money and no brains.

Five minutes later, the efficient Xu Changshu was contacting a replacement. Chi Hui stood by the window, staring at the pedestrians below. The snow was getting heavier.

Amidst the black, white, and grey, a bright yellow figure happily burst into view. He stood before a shared electric scooter, looking like he was trying to unlock it.

Chi Hui took another sip of the mint water. The spicy fragrance rolled down his throat, leaving a lingering sweetness. His moistened lip line tightened.

After a long while, watching the figure finally ride off wobbling on the scooter, he compromised.

“…Forget it. It’s only for a month or so anyway.”

…

Snowflakes landed on his lashes. Qi Xu blinked rapidly to clear his vision. He carefully controlled the handlebars, afraid of accidentally riding into the greenery. He rarely rode these; he’d only done it once or twice with Su Hang, and his skills were rusty.

He had just wandered around, found a pair of gloves he liked, and bought them. Preparing to leave, he noticed the shared scooters. To put the gloves to use, the whimsical Qi Xu scanned one, deciding to ride to the next intersection before calling a cab.

He didn’t expect the snow to cause traffic jams across several sections. The road to his home had been backed up for nearly an hour. With no choice, he kept riding his little scooter toward home.

The scooter moved slowly; the owner wasn’t in a hurry. Thus, by the time Chi Hui took a detour back to his apartment, Qi Xu was still on the road. To block the wind and snow, he wrapped his scarf tightly around his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

However, the downside of wrapping up too tightly soon arrived. A gust of wind blew, flipping the scarf up over his eyes and blocking his vision completely. In a panic, Qi Xu veered the handlebars and crashed straight into an Aston Martin parked on the side of the road.

“…” Qi Xu pulled the scarf down to his chin, exhaling a puff of cold air. He stared at the dent in the front of the car and fell into silence.

Oops. Looks like I’m in trouble.

Qi Xu parked the scooter and walked around to look through the windshield, searching for a contact number. He circled the car but found nothing. He stood by the car, feeling lost. This road was a bit remote; few cars came by, and he couldn’t see a soul.

After a while, he took out his phone to call his brother, only to see a missed call from half an hour ago. He had been riding and didn’t notice. Just as he wondered whose number it was, the same number called again.

Qi Xu pressed answer and put the phone to his ear. He didn’t speak. The other side seemed surprised by the quick answer and stayed silent for a moment.

“Qi Xu.” A familiar voice entered his ear through the static.

Qi Xu blinked. “Senior?” He recognized the voice.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Jiang Yingshen replied.

“I was riding and didn’t hear the ring. Did you need something, Senior?” Qi Xu was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected Jiang Yingshen to contact him voluntarily.

“I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply,” Jiang Yingshen’s tone was flat. “Didn’t you ask when I was coming to get my clothes? I’m free today.”

Only then did Qi Xu remember the message he sent a few days ago. The replacement shirt he bought online had arrived long ago, but he hadn’t been able to reach Jiang Yingshen. If not for the reminder, he would have almost forgotten about the whole shirt incident.

Seeing Qi Xu remain silent, Jiang Yingshen thought of what he said about riding: “Are you outside?”

“Yeah,” Qi Xu rubbed his frozen face. “But I’m almost home.”

It was only a ten-minute ride from here. If he hadn’t hit someone’s car, he might have been outside his complex by now.

“Are you coming to get the clothes today, Senior?” Qi Xu asked.

“Yes, I was just about to go.”

“Ah… don’t hurry. I might not be able to get back right away.” Qi Xu scratched his cheek.

Jiang Yingshen sensed a problem: “What happened?” Didn’t he just say he was almost home?

“I accidentally hit someone’s car. I have to handle it before I can go back.”

After he answered, the phone went silent for a while. Then, after the rustle of fabric, Qi Xu heard a car door close.

“Send me your location,” Jiang Yingshen said.

Qi Xu blinked, wondering if he had misunderstood. But the next second, Jiang Yingshen confirmed his guess: “I’ll come find you.”

Qi Xu froze for a few more seconds before dizzily sending the location.

“I’ll be there soon,” Jiang Yingshen said. It was very close to him—only a seven or eight-minute walk.

Qi Xu held his phone, blinking repeatedly. He wasn’t used to this shift in Jiang Yingshen’s attitude. Recalling the mysterious things his sister had said to him a few days ago, he gripped the phone.

Did my sister do something bad to threaten him?

While questioning his sister’s character, a strange noise suddenly came from somewhere behind him. It sounded like something heavy falling and hitting the ground. Qi Xu looked at the ground, which had accumulated a thin layer of snow, worried a pedestrian had fallen.

Just then, low groans of pain came from the direction of the noise—stifled and suppressed. Qi Xu looked toward the source and confirmed the sound was coming from an alley not far behind him.

Without hesitating, he carefully crossed the roadside greenery and walked toward the alley. The wind at the alley entrance was fiercer than elsewhere. Qi Xu pulled his scarf back up, covering his ears and cheeks.

Entering the alley, he found several turns. He followed the sound. The closer he got, the clearer the pained gasps became. But after listening carefully, he noticed it wasn’t just one person’s voice.

Did several people fall at once?

Thinking this, his pace quickened. However, when he finally found the source and peeked around a corner, he was stunned.

A tall man was confronting three burly men. Two more people were lying on the ground near them. All of them were injured, and spots of blood stained the silver-white ground.

Qi Xu’s mouth hung open. He instinctively took a step back. But his appearance had already drawn attention.

“Who’s there?” A man holding an iron bar looked at Qi Xu fiercely.

Qi Xu hadn’t expected his attempt at being helpful to land him in the middle of a gang fight. Compared to those muscular thugs, Qi Xu’s frame offered zero threat.

Knowing his own limits, Qi Xu took another step back. “Sorry, I think I took a wrong turn…”

As he spoke, the man who had been facing away from him paused and turned his head. Qi Xu locked eyes with him briefly.

The next second, Qi Xu’s eyes widened. He shouted instinctively:

“Watch out!”

At the same time, the man reacted to the warning. With a thud, the sound of flesh hitting bone rang out as he blocked a punch aimed at his face. The man seemed trained; his movements were sharp and ruthless. Within seconds, he had the attacker pinned down.

Qi Xu swallowed hard. But the other two weren’t deterred; they charged together.

Seeing the black iron bar, Qi Xu shouted again: “Left!”

Both attackers had weapons. Though he managed to dodge the bar, the man’s arm was grazed by the other’s knife.

“Tch.” The man frowned in displeasure, flicking the blood from his hand.

Qi Xu watched with terror, belatedly remembering to call the police. But just as he pulled out his phone, his arm was gripped.

The man pulled him. “Run.”

The voice was strangely raspy, so much so that Qi Xu couldn’t identify it immediately. He followed by reflex. Hearing footsteps chasing behind, he looked back to see the fallen men scrambling to their feet.

Qi Xu looked at the man leading him away, his head full of question marks.

So… Why am I running with him?!!!