Pretending To Have A Certain Persona Can Be Tiring - Chapter 6

Ji Ting turned around at the sound of the voice, his expression a mix of bewilderment and surprise.

Song Yang’s throat tightened. As he realized what he had just blurted out, his expression froze. Panic struck him like a bolt of lightning.

Facing Ji Ting’s intense gaze, Song Yang stammered, his lips trembling, “I—I meant don’t forget! Don’t forget that I am still waiting for you, Senior!”

“Waiting for me?”

“I have been waiting for you for an entire class period.”

Ji Ting narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze focusing on the box Song Yang was holding. A moment later, he looked at Song Yang. He saw soft, fine hair falling over his forehead, natural light from the hallway illuminating his fair skin, and long lashes casting soft shadows on his cheeks. His wide, bright eyes were full of excitement, like a lively little deer.

“He is quite cute,” Cheng Ran remarked, his eyes still fixed on Song Yang. “But he is also gay, right? Is he trying to pursue Ji Ting?”

Tao Ziyi pulled Cheng Ran’s face away. “Why do you keep staring at Yangyang?”

Cheng Ran replied, “I am just curious about your friend. Tell him not to get any ideas about Ji Ting. Ji Ting and I are in the same dorm; I know the guy. He is asexual and will never fall in love.”

“Don’t guess randomly. Yangyang is a hardcore straight guy. He has said before he would rather break than bend. Anyway, let’s go.”

He pulled Cheng Ran away impatiently.

“The rare limited edition Xiaodai figurine! The odds of winning this were 0.1 percent. It comes with a special base and a bonus autographed postcard!”

Ji Ting glanced indifferently at the box in Song Yang’s hands, his eyes devoid of emotion.

“What do you want?” he asked coldly.

Song Yang dialed back his smile. “I got this for you. Can you at least react? You are not even excited? Are you really a fan of Xiaodai?”

Ji Ting hesitated, his brows furrowing slightly. “Why are you giving this to me?”

Song Yang had already rehearsed his speech. “It was my fault before. I should not have bad-mouthed you behind your back. My character needs improvement, and I have always had a bad habit of running my mouth. After some serious reflection, I have realized my mistakes. I hope Brother Ting can be the bigger person and not hold a grudge against me.”

After Song Yang recited his apology, a subtle, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of Ji Ting’s mouth. He took a step closer, his voice cold and firm. “Whether I hold a grudge depends on your future performance at work. It is not that easy to appease me just by giving me a gift.”

Song Yang was stunned and raised his voice. “No, Senior, do you even know what this is worth? This is the rare edition. Do you know how hard it was to get? You are calling it just ‘giving you something’?”

Ji Ting looked at him with disdain, then pulled open his backpack and took out the exact same figurine. “This one?”

Song Yang froze, his eyes widening in shock. “What? You already have it!”

Ji Ting glanced at him as if he were a fool, then carefully tucked his own figurine away. Song Yang persisted, “Is there anything you did not manage to get? Tell me what you are missing, and I will get it for you.”

“I got them all.”

“Damn, your hand speed! Have you been single for twenty years?” Song Yang began to doubt his existence, marveling at the power of a 2D-obsessed shut-in.

Ji Ting’s expression remained icy. “Song Yang, I am telling you clearly: these little tricks will not work. I do not buy it. If you really have talent, convince me with your competence and attitude.”

With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and disappeared into the flow of the hallway without looking back. Song Yang watched his standout figure in the crowd and muttered with disdain, “Tch! He has quite the ego. Does he really think he is an emperor?”

That evening, the lecture was on “Professional Introduction.” As freshmen in the Broadcasting Department at C University, they did not have many classes, but outside of general courses, most were practical training. This introduction class had become one of the few courses where they could slack off in the classroom.

“Sis, are you going for barbecue at the school gate after class? The Literature Department people are organizing it.”

Tao Ziyi put down his phone and whispered, “No, I am going to see my husband after class.”

Song Yang set his book up as a screen and whispered, “Why don’t you just invite him along? If you do not go, I do not really want to go either.”

“We are leaving campus to go to Times Square.”

Song Yang asked casually, “What are you doing so late? Renting a room?”

“Shh, keep your voice down! Do you want everyone to hear?”

Song Yang’s eyes widened instantly. He looked around and leaned in, lowering his voice. “Seriously? No way, you are not allowed to go!”

Tao Ziyi checked his reflection in a small mirror and smoothed his hair. “Why are you worried? I am an adult.”

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Song Yang felt a surge of anger. “Is your brain made of walnuts? You have only known that guy for a few days! He is probably just playing with you. What if he has some weird disease? You will be the one suffering in the end. I have heard enough stories about people getting scammed out of money and their bodies! Please, you guys need to be more disciplined; do not just think about doing it all the time.”

“What could I possibly lose? If anything, I feel like he is the one losing out, since he is so talented and handsome…”

“You mean that oily guy? Give it a rest. I really want to use acupuncture to drain the moisture out of your brain. Did the oil from that guy glaze over your eyes or leak into your skull? Are you really so desperate to jump into a deep fryer with him?”

Tao Ziyi clicked his mirror shut and massaged his temples. “My God, your mouth is sharp. Can you stop scolding me? I know you are doing it for my own good, but do not worry, what could possibly happen?”

Song Yang slammed his book down, his tone firm. “Fine, I cannot control you. Do not blame me for not warning you if you actually get scammed by that guy.”

Tao Ziyi looked at Song Yang’s serious profile and immediately changed the subject. “Hey, Yangyang, did you see what Senior Jia Miao said in the group chat?”

“I am not looking.” Song Yang turned his head away, still angry.

“She said Senior Ji Ting is going to be in charge of our department. He is going to be our direct leader from now on.”

“What?” Song Yang’s heart trembled. “Having Ji Ting rule over us? How is that any different from a death sentence?”

“Didn’t you apologize to him earlier today? It did not work?”

Song Yang became angry just thinking about it. “Do not even mention it. That ungrateful jerk—I gave him a gift, and he looked at me like I owed him eight million bucks. His tail is practically wagging in the sky.”

Tao Ziyi chuckled. “I told you, Senior Ji Ting is not someone you can easily deal with.”

“Why couldn’t it be Senior Yin Wei? Isn’t she much better than that pretentious guy who walks around with a sour face all day?”

“I heard Senior Yin is in charge of the Organization Department and the External Relations Department.”

“Is it too late to transfer to the Organization Department?” Song Yang asked.

Tao Ziyi said, “Do you really hate Senior Ji Ting that much?”

“It is not that I hate him that much…” Song Yang rubbed his chin, thinking for a few seconds. “Maybe our vibes do not match, or our personalities clash. We just do not get along.”

He picked up his phone and checked the WeChat group, noticing that He Jia Miao had added Ji Ting to the chat. The members were all flooding the screen with greetings to the senior.

“Even Emperor Qin Shi Huang did not have this kind of grand welcome. A bunch of suck-ups,” Song Yang muttered to himself.

Department Head He Jia Miao: “Friends, remember to add the President on WeChat to make work coordination easier in the future.”

Song Yang found Ji Ting in the member list and clicked on his “Blue Ocean” profile picture, silently mocking: Even an old aunt has a trendier profile picture than you.

He pressed “Add to Contacts,” pondering what note he should write for the ice block. After composing his thoughts, he smirked and sent the friend request without hesitation.

Ji Ting sat by the window in the art studio, a drawing board and a bust sculpture in front of him. His pencil scratched against the sketch paper as he patiently laid out the lines. His strokes were clean, decisive, and fluid; the portrait in the sketch was vivid and true to life.

Outside the window, the cold moonlight slanted across his long lashes and flowed down his high-bridged nose, casting a veil over his profile.

“I cannot finish today. Let’s leave it for tomorrow,” a man’s voice echoed in the studio.

Another voice asked, “How far are you on the progress?”

Cheng Ran packed his art supplies into a bag. “I have only just started. Let me tell you, I saw a handsome freshman today. He looks like a trainee from one of those Korean idol survival shows.”

“C University has a freshman like that?”

“I will show you a photo.”

“Damn, he really is handsome. Though his style is a bit rustic; he does not really know how to dress.”

Cheng Ran sneered, “So what if he does not know how to dress? Once he is stripped naked in bed, are they not all the same?”

“You are such a pervert. Where did you get this photo?”

“It is not hard for me to get a photo of whoever I want.” Cheng Ran curled his lips and put his phone away nonchalantly.

“Nice, Brother Ran. What is his name?”

“Song Yang. Freshman. Broadcasting student.”

Hearing the familiar name, Ji Ting’s pen paused, and his lashes fluttered.

A moment later, the scratching sound returned to the sketch paper, and he continued drawing as if nothing had happened.

“Brother Ran, how many days do you need to take him down? These new freshmen are the easiest to trick; they are easy to get.”

“He looks pretty dumb. I can handle him within three days. But do not rush—I am currently seeing someone else. I will wait until we break up before moving on to the next one, so I do not get called out for two-timing, right?”

“Haha.”

The two men gradually walked away, and finally, the studio door slammed shut, leaving Ji Ting alone.

Ji Ting’s hand had been smudged with lead, so he stopped drawing and wiped it carefully with paper. Just then, his phone, which was sitting to the side, lit up. He picked it up and saw over twenty WeChat friend request notifications from the department members.

He clicked “Accept” one by one. However, his fingertip suddenly paused on one of them.

Ji Ting frowned, staring at the screen in a daze for a long moment.

New Friend: Song Yang – From Group Chat “C University Student Union Art Department” Greeting Message: The Heavyweight Champion of Pretension, Ji Ting (Single for 20 Years Edition)

Ji Ting: “?”

Song Yang was dozing off on the subway when his phone vibrated. He lifted it groggily. A WeChat message popped up.

“You have added t. You can now start chatting.” “t: Do you have a problem with me?”

“Who is this?”

Song Yang glanced at the unfamiliar display name, yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and brought the screen closer. As his eyes focused on the greeting message he had sent, the sleepiness vanished instantly.

“Oh, shit!” He bolted upright from his seat, electrified, drawing the attention of the entire carriage.

Shit, it is Ji Ting! I thought I wrote that as a note! Did I look at it wrong? Idiot, idiot!

He felt a surge of anxiety, biting his thumb hard while trying to figure out how to salvage the situation.

A moment later, the phone vibrated again. Song Yang was so startled he almost dropped it.

“t: Used to curse behind my back, now you are cursing to my face?”

Song Yang swallowed hard.

Ji Ting was now officially in charge of the Literature Department, which meant he would be working under him from now on. If he really offended that big Buddha, would he even be able to survive in the school in the future?

He panicked, quickly and fearfully changing Ji Ting’s nickname to “His Majesty the Emperor of the Student Union.” He returned to the chat and typed tremblingly:

“song: How would I dare to curse you, Brother Ting? I saw you were tired after a long day and was just trying to crack a joke to cheer you up.”

Song Yang felt his limbs go weak; he wanted to bash his head against the wall.

After several minutes, Ji Ting replied.

“His Majesty the Emperor of the Student Union: Is it funny?”

“song: Does the Senior not like it? I will not say things like that again. I will punish myself with three glasses tonight to show my apology.”

“His Majesty the Emperor of the Student Union: Come to the Student Union office tomorrow morning. Let’s talk.”

Song Yang’s heart stopped.

“song: Tomorrow? I have back-to-back classes tomorrow. And the day after too.” “song: There is no need to waste your precious time. I will definitely reflect and correct myself. Goodnight, Senior! Get some sleep!” “song: [Heart] [Heart] [Heart]” “song: [Rose] [Rose] [Rose]”

He screamed internally: It is over. My already shaky relationship with the ‘King of Pretension’ has just gone from bad to worse. That guy definitely holds a grudge now.

Song Yang, you really are a fool. You brought this upon yourself!