I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Message Sent, But Rejected By The Recipient…

“Senior Jiang Yingshen, I’ve remembered you. Please accept this.”

The awkwardness of returning so soon caused Qi Xu to turn what was supposed to be a friendly gesture into something that sounded almost like a declaration of war.

Senior Jiang, who hadn’t expected him to come back for a stunt like this: “…”

The refusal was just about to slip out of his mouth when his peripheral vision caught someone’s stubbornly pursed lips. The moist lips were pressed so tight they turned pale; it looked as if he wouldn’t leave until the gift was accepted.

The words at the tip of his tongue took a helpless turn: “…Then, thank you.”

Qi Xu had thought he would have to pester him for a while. Hearing this, he immediately and joyfully offered the small cake with both hands.

Jiang Yingshen assumed that accepting the gift would mean the guest would leave. However, a minute later, a certain someone was still standing right there.

“?” Jiang Yingshen looked at the person beside him, a brow slightly arched. “Is there something else?”

Qi Xu clutched his hands in front of him and mentioned in a tiny voice: “A return gift.”

“What?” It wasn’t that Jiang Yingshen didn’t hear him; on the contrary, he heard him very clearly, but he would have preferred to have misheard.

Does anyone really give a gift to thank someone, only to turn around and ask for a return gift?

Unfortunately, Qi Xu really intended to have his cake and take it too: “I gave Senior a gift. Shouldn’t Senior give me something back?”

Jiang Yingshen was so speechless he almost laughed: “Then take your thing back.”

Qi Xu shook his head firmly: “No.”

Watching their interaction, even Chen Shaoyu nearby couldn’t hold back a laugh.

But Qi Xu felt his reason for asking for a return gift was perfectly valid.

His thank-you gift to Jiang Yingshen had been rejected, so he was now giving it as a “regular” gift.

It’s normal for gift-giving to be mutual.

It’s. Per. Fectly. Nor. Mal.

Right?

“It doesn’t need to be expensive, just something small.” Qi Xu continued with his thick skin, gesturing with his hands.

Jiang Yingshen leaned back in his chair, staring at the person in front of him for several long moments.

To earn more points, Qi Xu went all out, staring back blankly. Afraid of losing his momentum, he didn’t even blink.

The two stared at each other for a long time—one sitting, one standing. Finally, in this silent standoff, the one with the thinner skin compromised first: “So, what do you want?”

Realizing it was working, Qi Xu immediately began scouting for a return gift. His gaze swept across the desk, and finally, he pointed at a sign-pen that only had half its ink left: “That.”

Jiang Yingshen looked where he was pointing. He was silent for a few seconds before confirming that the boy really wanted a half-used pen.

Not knowing what on earth this person was up to, Jiang Yingshen said nothing. He simply capped the pen and handed it over.

Qi Xu took the pen and immediately stuffed it into his pocket, acting as if he was afraid the man would change his mind halfway.

However, as his hand brushed his phone in his pocket, a sudden thought popped up.

This time, Jiang Yingshen was watching him closely, so he didn’t miss the flash of guilt in the boy’s eyes.

He had seen this expression not too long ago.

The last time it appeared, Qi Xu had asked to do the assessment for a third time.

Sure enough, in the next second, a certain someone started pushing his luck even further: “Um… I also want to add Senior’s WeChat.”

A vein throbbed in Jiang Yingshen’s temple: “…”

Qi Xu pretended not to see the speechlessness on the other’s face. For the long-term development of his “simping” career, he felt it was necessary to get a contact method.

However, his behavior of “taking, eating, and snatching” naturally met with a refusal.

“It’s because,” Qi Xu’s brain worked at high speeds, “I didn’t finish asking all my questions yesterday. I want to learn more about the situation from Senior.”

Jiang Yingshen: “You can send me a text message.”

“But texts get buried under spam ads,” Qi Xu blinked, simply pulling up his QR code and shoving it in front of him. “Senior, scan me.”

The intense and persistent gaze was like a piece of sticky dog-skin plaster, firmly attached to his face. Jiang Yingshen suppressed the urge to sigh and helplessly took out his phone.

Only when the friend request notification appeared on the app did Qi Xu curl his lips in satisfaction: “Thank you, Senior.”

He put his phone away and scanned Jiang Yingshen’s hand as if by accident, ultimately restraining the urge to touch it.

Being too aggressive might scare the person away, which would be a net loss.

But his gaze, which he thought was well-hidden, fell entirely into Jiang Yingshen’s view.

“…” Not knowing what he was plotting now, Dr. Jiang unconsciously curled his fingers.

…

After Qi Xu left, the quiet research office suddenly became restless.

The colleagues who had been watching the show for a long time all turned to look at Jiang Yingshen. Someone couldn’t hold back their curiosity: “Hey, what’s up with that kid?”

You couldn’t blame them for gossiping; this was one of the few interesting things to spice up their dull research routine.

As the recognized handsome guy of their faculty, Jiang Yingshen had never lacked pursuers—both male and female. However, the top student seemed to only have room for academics and work. Countless pursuers had been scared off by his cold face. It had been a long time since anyone had chased him all the way to the research office to show such affection.

This time, it wasn’t just a junior, but a strikingly beautiful one. More importantly, this was the first pursuer to successfully add Jiang Yingshen as a friend.

Just now, they had pretended to focus on their work, but in reality, every ear was pricked, witnessing the entire process of a certain someone playing the rogue.

As expected, “even the firmest heart fears a persistent man.” Even Jiang Yingshen had compromised; maybe there really was a chance.

The gossip fire was lit, and everyone was waiting for an explanation.

But the person in question just took a new pen from his drawer and, without looking back, coldly uttered two words: “A patient.”

…

Back at the dormitory:

Qi Xu immediately pulled up the system window.

The value in Jiang Yingshen’s column had changed to “6.”

Having thick-skinned his way into adding six days to his life span, Qi Xu lightly licked his lips, his eyes sparkling with cleverness.

He felt he had mastered the core essence of being a “simping follower”—

Sycophant whenever you can; if you can’t, do it anyway.

However, as a sycophant, Qi Xu was still a beginner. He urgently needed to fill the gaps in his knowledge.

With a “let’s try and see” attitude, he searched for some related books, and surprisingly, they actually existed.

The Self-Cultivation of a Simp

Simping to a New Realm: From Entry to Mastery

The Art of Simping: How to Achieve a Spiritual Leap Amidst “Read but Unreplied”

…

Add to cart, add to cart, add to cart.

Perhaps because his “simping eagerness” was captured by big data, the webpage also pushed a “Simp Alliance” to him.

“…” There was actually a group.

The sea of simping is boundless; only love serves as a boat. The Simp Alliance looks forward to the joining of infatuated souls.

Qi Xu only hesitated for two seconds before clicking the link. The application to join was approved almost instantly.

Her tears are my water for 3 years: Yo, a newcomer! Welcome.

He says I’m annoying] Welcome, welcome.

The group chat seemed quite active. Qi Xu pursed his lips, thinking he might be able to learn something from these “seniors.”

QxQ: Hello, I have a target. How should I start “simping” properly?

Blame me?: Start with something simple. Get his contact info, and send daily “good morning” and “good night” greetings. Show care for his well-being.

Turn back to the shore: Use sweet words—Baby, Brother, Darling. If you’re in the same place, frequent his area to build a “presence.”

Qi Xu imagined the scene: one second he sends “Baby” to Jiang Yingshen, and the next second he’d be on the blacklist.

QxQ: He’s very cold, doesn’t really talk to people, and has potential to be a bit venomous.

Chen Shaoyu, who had finally finished a research paper and was planning to relax, was drawn to the pop-up group messages as soon as he opened his phone.

“Oh, a newcomer.” He browsed the chat history while eating the small cake he had brazenly asked for.

When he saw the message sent by the newcomer, he couldn’t help but look up at the person sitting next to him.

Cold, doesn’t talk to people, potentially venomous.

It all matches, doesn’t it?

Jiang Yingshen sensed his gaze and glanced at him: “What?”

Chen Shaoyu withdrew his gaze and spread his hands with a cheeky grin: “Nothing, you keep going, boss.”

Then, he excitedly tapped the chat box, ready to pass on some of the “new experience” he had learned today.

Don’t do a PhD or you’ll die: Let me ask a bold question: How do you look?

Qi Xu blinked at the sentence.

His face blindness didn’t discriminate—it included himself. However, based on the reactions and praise from people around him, he should belong to the “good-looking” category.

QxQ: Should be quite good.

Don’t do a PhD or you’ll die: Then it’s easy! You don’t have to do much. Just stare at him with those big, watery eyes, looking all aggrieved, and make your requests. No matter how much cold air he releases, don’t waver. He usually finds things troublesome and compromises easily.

Qi Xu scratched his cheek, not quite convinced: QxQ: Really?

Chen Shaoyu glanced at Jiang Yingshen again: Don’t do a PhD or you’ll die: Totally real. Witnessed it with my own eyes. There’s a successful practical case.

After all, that kid today did exactly that, and the effect was remarkable. Even an iceberg like Jiang Yingshen couldn’t handle it.

Before Qi Xu could process this, the group chat refreshed with 99+ new messages, all sharing their experiences.

Qi Xu picked through them and finally opened the dialog box for Jiang Yingshen.

Start with the simplest chat first.

To his surprise, Jiang Yingshen’s profile picture didn’t quite match his personality—it was a photo of a small animal.

In the center of a dark frame was a blurry black shadow. Qi Xu enlarged it for a long time before vaguely identifying it as the silhouette of a cat’s back.

However, after he finished studying this somewhat abstract avatar, he realized he had accidentally “Nudged” (Poked) the other party.

Twice.

“Eh?!” Qi Xu hadn’t even thought of an opening. He scrambled to find the “recall” button.

The result was that, in his haste, he “Nudged” him again.

“…”

Staring at the three neat “Nudge” prompts, Qi Xu was silent for a long time before biting the bullet and typing a greeting: Senior, hello. cat-waving.jpg

Five minutes passed. There was no reaction from the other side. He didn’t know if the man didn’t have time to look at his phone or if he was being “Read and Ignored.”

Qi Xu hesitated for a while and sent a few more messages.

QxQ: Senior, was the small cake I gave you today tasty?

QxQ: If you like it, I’ll buy it for Senior again next time.

QxQ: Or if there’s anything else you want to eat.

This information still sank like a stone into the sea. Qi Xu racked his brains and squeezed out another piece of fluff to send.

Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.

Qi Xu stared at that red exclamation mark, his mouth hanging open, a look of bewilderment on his face: “Ah.”

I was blacklisted.

The simplest chat… failed before it even began.