I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Gaining Points Without Meeting in Person

Xu Changshu pointed toward the busy silhouette outside the shop before looking back at the man sitting opposite him.

The man, leaning back against the sofa, wore a baseball cap. His eyes were hidden beneath the brim, but his facial features were sharp and well-defined. At this moment, his eyes were tightly shut, his expression weary.

Xu Changshu had been trying to persuade him for a long time, but the man remained unmoved.

Only after hearing a teasing remark did the man slowly open his eyes, casting a nonchalant glance through the glass wall.

Outside the shop, near a trash can, someone was indeed squatting. Clad in a puffy, goose-yellow down jacket, the person looked like a round, fluffy ball from a distance.

He can’t even tell the gender or age, and he calls them a fan.

Chi Hui withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Changshu with silent exasperation.

“Tsk, don’t disbelieve me,” Xu Changshu said, knowing exactly what Chi Hui was thinking. He pulled up a screenshot on his phone, enlarged it, and shoved it forward. “Look, this is a comment from a fan under your account.”

Anonymous Believer: CHI HUI AHHHHHH!!!! WAIT FOR ME!!!!! I’m going to go collect trash and sell plastic bottles right now!!! I will definitely come to see you!!!!!!

Leaning against the back of his chair, Chi Hui squinted slightly, feeling somewhat “deafened” by the excessive exclamation marks in the sentence.

“So, how can you have the heart to cancel this fan meeting? Everyone is looking forward to it.” Xu Changshu winked, playing the emotional card again.

“I’m leaving.” Likely tired of his manager’s nagging, Chi Hui put on his mask and stood up to leave.

“Hey, you…” Xu Changshu felt helpless, making one last desperate attempt: “Don’t let the fans’ bottle-collecting efforts go to waste!”

Without looking back, Chi Hui tossed his empty bottle with precision into Xu Changshu’s arms.

Startled by the catch, Xu Changshu laughed out of frustration, though he felt a slight pang of guilt.

This birthday fan meeting had been mandated by the company. He had been with Chi Hui for nearly four years; though he didn’t know why, Chi Hui seemed never to celebrate his birthday. This time, the company had made grand plans without consulting him beforehand—it was no wonder he was throwing a fit.

Xu Changshu sighed, standing up to follow: “Hey, wait for me! We still have to head back to the company.”

Chi Hui, with his long legs, quickly left him behind. Stepping out of the coffee shop, he glanced over again.

Beside that “yellow ball,” there was now a “dusty grey ball.”

…

“Um,” Qi Xu wrinkled his nose at the unpleasant smell from the trash can. “Grandpa, do you want these bottles?”

As expected, there was no response.

Since a moment ago, he had noticed an elderly man who had suddenly appeared near him. Dressed in ragged clothes and carrying a fertilizer bag, the man squatted just a meter away, watching him silently.

Qi Xu tried to chat with him, but the old man ignored him.

Only when Qi Xu moved some plastic bottles aside to find his handkerchief did the old man shuffle forward a few steps, staring intently at Qi Xu’s hand.

Qi Xu guessed what was happening: he was being viewed as a competitor.

Since he was digging through the trash anyway, Qi Xu used a small twig to fish out his handkerchief and then conveniently moved several empty bottles out of the bin.

That was the moment Xu Changshu walked by.

He had just been joking earlier, but he hadn’t expected this young person to actually be picking up plastic bottles.

“…”

Originally planning to throw the bottle Chi Hui had tossed at him into the nearest bin, Xu Changshu silently retracted his hand. He walked a few extra steps and placed the bottle at Qi Xu’s feet.

Qi Xu, working diligently, noticed a figure in his peripheral vision. He looked up and gave a polite “Thank you.”

His eyes crinkled as he gave a bright, innocent smile.

Xu Changshu froze. Even after seeing countless finely-sculpted faces in the entertainment industry, he was momentarily dazzled by the young man before him.

Moreover, his own daughter was about this age. Before he realized it, he was beaming back with a look of pure paternal affection.

If he weren’t in a hurry to catch up with Chi Hui, Xu Changshu’s professional instincts would have kicked in to give this youngster some career advice.

With looks like that, even without entering showbiz, he could just sit in front of a camera and make a fortune on social media. There was no need to be out here collecting scrap.

Unaware that he had just been pitied, Qi Xu pushed the five or six bottles he had gathered toward the old man.

The old man looked at him hesitantly, rasped a “thank you,” and stuffed the bottles into his bag all at once.

Watching the old man walk away, Qi Xu straightened the trash can and pulled up the system pop-up window.

Xie Chengyan’s column had indeed returned to “3.”

However, in the next second, as if unwilling to be left behind by the other two, a trembling “0.5” appeared behind Chi Hui’s name.

“?”

But before he could confirm if he was seeing things, the “0.5” dropped back down.

Qi Xu blinked. “Eh?”

Determined that he hadn’t miscounted, Qi Xu clutched his retrieved handkerchief and fell into deep thought.

He still hadn’t done anything. He had just been squatting by the trash can, and the only things he had touched and then given away were those bottles for the old man.

So, one of those bottles was used by Chi Hui?

The three voices in his head had gone offline at some point. Without waiting to confirm with the system, Qi Xu immediately chased after the old man.

Worried about “damaging” the system patches in his brain, he didn’t dare run too fast. Unfortunately, the old man’s hearing was poor. Qi Xu shouted several times from behind to no avail, eventually having to break into a light jog to grab the fertilizer bag trailing behind the man.

Thinking someone was trying to rob him, the old man turned around defensively.

“Grand… Grandpa, the bottles from just now,” Qi Xu panted. Noticing the old man’s tightly pressed lips, he quickly changed his tune: “How about you sell all your bottles to me?”

The old man looked at him, then back at his bag.

“…”

…

The wind today carried a freezing bite, making pedestrians shiver.

Qi Xu stood at the intersection holding half a bag of plastic bottles, exhaling a puff of white mist. Looking at the points that had climbed back up, he felt a wave of relief.

Being a “simping follower” is great. It’s too good.

I can gain points without even seeing the person.

Passersby saw a person standing in the cold wind smiling foolishly, ears red from the chill, looking overjoyed over his “achievements” for the day.

The “forced” passerby, Chi Hui: “…”

Xu Changshu stole a glance at the rearview mirror, only to lock eyes with the man in the back. He guiltily looked away.

He wouldn’t dare admit that he had intentionally taken a detour to bring Chi Hui past this spot.

“Don’t let the fans’ bottles be picked up for nothing…” Xu Changshu didn’t forget his mission. Even though he knew it was unlikely a fan would actually pick bottles to see an idol, he used it as a “tragic” excuse.

“Shut up,” Chi Hui clicked his tongue, leaning back and closing his eyes.

Fearing he might actually anger him, Xu Changshu shut his mouth and accelerated away.

…

Qi Xu, by the roadside, had no idea that one of his future targets had just passed him by. He dusted off his hands and was about to call for a ride when a very familiar silver Porsche Cayenne pulled up in front of him.

The window rolled down. The driver scanned Qi Xu from top to bottom, his gaze moving from the brown stains on his jacket to the fertilizer bag in his hand. He frowned. “Did Ning Zhao trick you out of your money again?”

“Brother?” Qi Xu was surprised.

“Is your allowance so low that you need to scavenge for scrap?” Ning Yu got out of the car and took the bag. He was shocked to find it actually contained waste.

Seeing his brother about to toss it, Qi Xu immediately stopped him. “This is… a volunteer activity organized by a school club.”

Ning Yu was speechless, but he kept the “trash.” He reached out to wipe a smudge off Qi Xu’s face and jerked his chin toward the car. “Get in.”

“What are you doing here?” Qi Xu climbed into the back seat.

“Meeting a client nearby.” Ning Yu started the car and asked, “Ning Zhao said you went to the hospital today?”

Qi Xu’s smile stiffened. He hadn’t expected his sister to “snitch” so quickly.

To avoid exposure, he insisted he was just passing by to see a friend. Unfortunately, his dusty, disheveled appearance wasn’t very convincing.

Ning Yu’s brow furrowed as he warned sternly, “If you’re in trouble or being bullied, tell us immediately. In this city, there’s nothing the Ning family can’t solve.”

Qi Xu had been putting on a good front, but his brother’s words caused the suppressed negative emotions from the day to surge back. His nose felt a bit prickly.

However, telling the truth would only make his family worry, and they would likely keep him under constant surveillance. He wouldn’t be able to go anywhere, let alone finish the mission.

Qi Xu blinked rapidly, forcing back the tears. He feigned calm. “I told you, I’m fine. I had a checkup at our family hospital just a week ago. I’m healthy. Don’t be so dramatic—I’m not made of porcelain, I’m not that fragile.”

Fortunately, Ning Yu was focused on driving and didn’t notice the momentary lapse.

“The thread the nanny uses to sew Aiqing’s toys is sturdier than you.”

“Aiqing” was the Italian Greyhound his sister, Ning Zhao, raised. Qi Xu’s sadness was instantly replaced by a flat expression. “…”

Ning Yu glanced in the mirror. Seeing his brother’s “defeated” look, a smile tugged at his lips. “Ms. Ning is returning to the country the day after tomorrow. She asked if you wanted anything.”

Qi Xu, who had been fiddling with his fingers, looked up. “Is Mom coming back that early this time?”

“The partnership talks went smoothly,” Ning Yu replied.

“Then ask Mom to bring me a ‘Sheep Beast’ from Pufftopia.”

Ning Yu recalled the room full of figurines Qi Xu collected. “Didn’t you already complete that collection?”

“Sister broke the Sheep Beast,” Qi Xu reported.

Ning Yu laughed. “Then you should take the chance to blackmail her. Make her cough up the New Year’s money she tricked out of you before.”

The banter dispersed the gloom in his heart. Qi Xu laughed along. “Right, I’ll make her pay me back when I get home.”

On the other side of the city, the “targeted” Ning Zhao let out a loud sneeze.

…

After getting out of the car, Qi Xu found a nearby trash can to run an experiment. After some effort, he identified the bottle worth “0.5 points.”

“How can anyone like drinking this?” Qi Xu couldn’t help but marvel.

To him, this mint water tasted no different from toothpaste water—cold, bitter, and leaving a strange, sweet aftertaste. It was a miracle it hadn’t been discontinued after all these years.

Muttering to himself, he arrived home. Worried the nanny might throw the items away as trash, he found two boxes in the storage room and tucked them away.

Only after organizing everything did he finally have time to clean himself up. When he came out of the shower, the nanny was tidying his room.

As the sky darkened, it signaled the end of this absurd weekend. With an 8:00 AM class tomorrow, Qi Xu climbed into bed early.

His ID card sat on the nightstand, likely taken out of his dirty clothes by the nanny.

Exhausted from the day’s events, sleepiness soon took over. Qi Xu stared at the slightly empty nightstand and slowly closed his eyes.

Ten seconds later, he snapped them open again—

“Huh?”

“Where’s my wallet?”

…

“This wallet,” an elderly woman called out toward the bathroom while holding a few pieces of clothing, “I put it on the table for you. Remember to put it away.”

As she spoke, the bathroom door opened. Jiang Yingshen walked out, drying his damp hair. Seeing her moving around again, he frowned. “Leave it, I’ll clean it up. The doctor told you to rest in bed.”

“I told you I’m fine. I didn’t fall hard. That Zhang boy made such a fuss and called you back,” the old woman grumbled about the day’s events. “A wasted trip to the hospital, a waste of time and money…”

Knowing her temper, Jiang Yingshen didn’t argue. He prepared her blood pressure medicine on the table, his gaze sweeping over the wallet nearby.

He picked it up.

He had received the call from the neighbor in the elevator, saying the old lady had fallen while cleaning. He had rushed home and forgotten about the task his teacher had given him, simply stuffing the item into his pocket.

It was a bifold wallet with slightly worn edges, looking like it had been used for a long time. On the bottom right of the inner leaf, the words “Hao Hao” were engraved. Inside, besides several bank cards, there was a student ID. As Teacher Li had said, it belonged to a sophomore in the Finance Department.

A drop of water from his hair fell onto the photo on the ID card.

The face in the ID photo looked even more youthful than the one he had seen today. The almond-shaped eyes were unexpectedly vibrant; even without an expression, they seemed to overflow with a smile. Jiang Yingshen stared at those eyes, momentarily dazed.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing him standing still in silence, the old woman asked.

Jiang Yingshen snapped back to reality and shook his head. “Nothing.” He wiped away the water and placed the wallet back on the table.

Thinking the wallet belonged to him, she didn’t pay it much mind and wandered into the kitchen. “It’s late. Go back to school tomorrow morning. I’ll cook some noodles for you.”

Jiang Yingshen looked at the clock on the wall; it was already past 11:00 PM. “Okay.”

After a quick dry of his hair, his eyes fell back on the table. After a few seconds of hesitation, he took out his phone and sent a message to a junior fellow student who was interning at the hospital the next day.

Jiang Yingshen: Tomorrow, help me find the contact info for a patient named “Qi Xu” from the consultation records.

The person on the other end was a night owl and replied quickly: OK.