I’m Face-Blind, But I Devoted Myself To Three Guys - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: “Senior, You Smell Really Good”

Qi Xu didn’t know which of his words had caused the issue, but he had successfully earned himself the “black room” treatment (being blocked/ignored).

Unable to contact the man, he had no choice but to head over to the Graduate Research Building a few times when he didn’t have classes. Unfortunately, fate wasn’t on their side; every time he went, Jiang Yingshen was nowhere to be found.

They met again a week later, during a temporary psychological education lecture organized by the school.

As the semester drew to a close, most courses were ending. These two weeks of fewer classes were supposed to be the last bit of bliss before the “Deadly Finals Week” for college students, so everyone grumbled about these extra psychological lectures.

Except for one person.

Qi Xu had been fretting over his “zero income” for the past few days.

As the bell rang, the classroom gradually quieted down, but it was quickly replaced by a wave of hushed clamor.

Curious, Qi Xu looked up and saw a rather young male teacher walking in.

The man didn’t seem to notice the abnormality in the room. He stepped onto the podium in a few strides, turned on the projector, and began setting up his presentation.

“Holy crap, Xiaojing really missed out by skipping this one…”

Qi Xu blinked, listening to the murmurs of the girls in the front row, not quite understanding.

Su Hang, who had been napping next to him, had just woken up. He quickly grasped the situation, poked Qi Xu, and explained, “This teacher is a total hunk.”

The two had been classmates since middle school, and Su Hang was the only person in this school who knew Qi Xu had prosopagnosia (face blindness). Therefore, whenever a situation arose, Su Hang would proactively act as his “face translator.”

Qi Xu instinctively looked at the young teacher on the podium again, realization dawning on him.

So, the commotion just now was because of the teacher’s looks.

However, Qi Xu didn’t pay it much mind. He turned and lowered his voice, “Su Hang, I want to skip the next psych class…”

He planned to take the opportunity to find Jiang Yingshen. After all, out of the three male leads, Jiang was currently the most accessible.

But before he could finish his sentence, the man on the podium spoke: “I am the lead lecturer for this psychological education course. My name is Jiang Yingshen.”

The moment he spoke, the classroom fell dead silent, allowing his voice to reach Qi Xu’s ears perfectly.

The words Qi Xu was halfway through saying got stuck in his throat. His eyes widened in shock as he fixed his gaze back onto the man standing on the podium.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, as it was keenly caught by the other party. Jiang Yingshen looked over as well.

The two stared at each other from across half the classroom.

“…………”

Su Hang was confused. “You’re skipping the next class? Where are you going?”

“…To the front row.”

Su Hang: “?”

He doubted whether he was even awake. This was the first time he’d heard of “skipping” a class by moving to the front row.

But Qi Xu was a man of his word. During the break, he immediately packed his things and sat in an empty seat in the very first row.

Jiang Yingshen had stepped out to take a call. When he returned, he found a certain someone had migrated from the back to the very front.

Right across from the podium.

When they were far apart, Jiang Yingshen could barely manage to ignore that gaze that was constantly glued to him. Now, with only a two-meter aisle between them, Qi Xu’s eyes were like heat-seeking missiles, landing squarely on him without fail.

Jiang Yingshen: “…”

While a video was playing, he frowned and looked at Qi Xu, wanting to know exactly what the boy was up to.

Misunderstanding the look, Qi Xu gave him a pleasing, playful grin when he saw him looking.

—Hehe.

Jiang Yingshen was wearing glasses today—thin lenses. It was unclear if he had a low prescription or if they were just plain protective glasses.

The two shared a silent gaze for nearly a minute before Jiang Yingshen was the first to look away and continue the lesson.

Qi Xu didn’t realize his stare was bothering the man. He just wanted to look more so he could memorize the body shape, while simultaneously pretending to be a diligent student to earn some “goodwill points.”

The encounter was so sudden that he hadn’t prepared anything. Seeing that class was almost over, Qi Xu rummaged through his backpack, only to find a bag of already-opened snacks.

He licked his dry lips and looked up at the man on the podium.

He had spoken so much; he must be thirsty.

There was a vending machine downstairs.

Lost in thought, Qi Xu already had a plan. The moment the bell rang, he stood up instantly. As he left the classroom, Jiang Yingshen was still unhurriedly packing his things.

He should make it in time.

By the time he returned, slightly panting with the water he’d bought, Jiang Yingshen indeed hadn’t left yet, though a few people were surrounding him.

As Qi Xu stepped into the room, the group happened to disperse, brushing past him.

“I told you, I tried to ask for it for a friend last time and got rejected. Every time this Senior is mentioned on the school confession wall, there are more warnings than confessions.”

Hearing their hushed discussion, Qi Xu blinked.

Jiang Yingshen finished packing his materials. Turning around, he met someone’s eyes. He was a bit surprised; the person who had bolted out like a rabbit the moment the bell rang was now back for some reason.

His eyes dropped to the item in Qi Xu’s hand as he stepped off the podium.

Qi Xu’s eyes curved, smiling in a way that was both obedient and endearing. “Senior, I didn’t get the person wrong this time.”

Somehow, identifying the right person had become a point of pride.

Jiang Yingshen walked past him without responding or pausing.

Seeing that he was being ignored, Qi Xu thought back to what those people had just said and pouted.

Hard to get indeed.

He followed: “What a coincidence, Senior, that you’re teaching our major.”

“Senior, are you thirsty? I bought a bottle of water for you.”

Qi Xu followed him like a little tail, undeterred by the lack of response. The two soon reached the ground floor.

Jiang Yingshen stopped in front of the vending machine.

Seeing the man’s fingertip hover over the button for a sold-out item, Qi Xu pursed his lips, feeling a bit secretively happy. “Drink this.”

The bottle in his hand happened to be the last mineral water.

Jiang Yingshen glanced at the other items in the machine, eventually giving up on the sugary drinks, but he didn’t take what was in Qi Xu’s hand either.

Qi Xu only wilted for a brief second before continuing to follow his “lifeline.”

“Senior, was the cake from last time not good?”

“Why did you block me?”

There was a hint of grievance in his tone that Qi Xu himself hadn’t even noticed.

Jiang Yingshen finally stopped.

Unfortunately, Qi Xu, who was following closely behind, couldn’t react in time and crashed right into him.

Jiang Yingshen’s back was just as hard as his cold attitude.

“Ouch.” Qi Xu covered his stinging nose, and his eyes uncontrollably welled up with moisture.

Jiang Yingshen turned around. Staring at Qi Xu’s reddened eyes and rapidly dampening lashes, he sighed. “Have you ever checked in with the psychiatric department?”

Qi Xu blinked a couple of times, clearing the mist from his vision. Once the pain subsided, he felt even more wronged.

He felt like he had just been insulted.

“I’m not mentally ill,” Qi Xu defended himself with righteous indignation.

Jiang Yingshen hadn’t expected his words to be misunderstood. He was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but turn his head and let out a light chuckle.

After the slight laugh, he asked again, “Then, are your auditory hallucinations still occurring?”

Qi Xu finally saw an expression on the man’s face other than a cold mask. He stared at those lips, which had barely curved up a few pixels, dazed for a moment. After a while, he unnaturally looked away and answered softly, “No… they’re gone.”

Jiang Yingshen noticed his awkwardness but didn’t press further. “Good. Since it’s not a mental illness and the hallucinations are gone, what other problems do you need solved?”

Qi Xu finally realized the man was trying to “diagnose” him on the spot to cut off any need for private contact.

But facing the question, Qi Xu couldn’t find a better excuse for a moment.

Jiang Yingshen felt that enough had been said. He didn’t wait any longer and turned to head toward the library.

Watching his back, Qi Xu wiped his damp eyelashes. Suddenly, he remembered a suggestion someone had made in the group chat. After a few seconds of hesitation, he stepped forward to follow again.

Jiang Yingshen had already entered the library. Seeing the “little tail” he thought he’d ditched following him again, he felt a bit of a headache coming on.

“Don’t follow me.”

“Then please take this water,” Qi Xu handed it over, making a small request in a low voice.

Jiang Yingshen glanced at it but didn’t take it.

He knew this bottle of water would be the beginning of more entanglement and didn’t plan on giving him the chance.

Ignored once again, Qi Xu bit his lip. He simply turned around and started walking backward in front of Jiang Yingshen. As he backed up, he stared intently at the man’s face with wide eyes, strictly implementing the “senior’s” advice.

He didn’t say a word, but those round, moist eyes looked as if they were trying to burn a hole in the man’s face.

Jiang Yingshen: “…”

Looking at the man who remained unmoved, Qi Xu began to doubt the feasibility of the plan provided by that person.

In his moment of distraction, Qi Xu’s shoulder was hit hard, and he was shoved to the side by the force.

It happened so fast he didn’t even have time to cry out. Just as he was about to fall, another force on his arm yanked him back.

Naturally, Qi Xu fell into a solid, warm embrace.

“Ah, sorry, sorry! Are you okay?” The person moving the display rack realized they had hit someone and immediately turned to apologize.

But Qi Xu, currently leaning in Jiang Yingshen’s arms, remained silent in the face of the staff member’s inquiry.

Jiang Yingshen found it odd, thinking the person in his arms might be injured somewhere. He looked down, only to find that the boy was tightly gripping his wrist, his fingertips even sneakily brushing toward the back of his hand.

“…” Jiang Yingshen explained for him, “He should be fine.”

Once the worker left, Qi Xu still had no intention of letting go. Frowning, Jiang Yingshen pulled the boy out of his arms.

Staring at his now-empty hands, a flash of regret crossed Qi Xu’s eyes.

So close.

Just a little more and he could have naturally held Jiang Yingshen’s hand.

However, thanks to this godsent opportunity, he had 52 seconds of physical contact with the male lead. At least he wouldn’t go home empty-handed today.

Jiang Yingshen stared at the person in front of him, for the first time unsure of what expression to make.

Amidst the silent exchange, Qi Xu rubbed his fingertips together. His nostrils flared slightly, and suddenly, as if possessed, he blurted out:

“Senior, you smell really good.”

Though it was just the scent of laundry detergent, warmed by the other’s body heat, it gave off a comforting, light fragrance.

This remark escaped his lips before he could think. Before Qi Xu could realize how inappropriate it was, the “really good-smelling” Senior himself wore an expression that was hard to describe.

“Are you… gay?”

Qi Xu blinked. Society was much more accepting of homosexuality now, but he had truly never paid attention to his own sexual orientation.

After thinking for a few seconds, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“…” Jiang Yingshen’s lips thinned into a straight line, deciding to cut off his hopes. “I don’t like men.”

But Qi Xu didn’t catch the subtext. He was just curious: “Oh. Then do you like girls, Senior?”

“…”

“What kind of girls do you like?” Qi Xu didn’t miss a single chance to scout the other’s preferences. “Do you have a girl you like?”

Seeing the questions pile up, Jiang Yingshen’s eyelid twitched as he interrupted: “I don’t.”

Qi Xu froze for several seconds before reacting. He became even more curious: “You don’t like girls either?”

“Senior, do you not like humans?”

“Do you like cats?”

“Senior…”

The Senior had a headache, and his pace noticeably quickened.