Pretending To Have A Certain Persona Can Be Tiring - Chapter 8

Friday night was the Literature Department’s first regular meeting. He Jia Miao had to assign specific work groups and introduce daily tasks, which meant the department was officially starting its operations.

It was supposed to be an ordinary meeting, but what annoyed Song Yang was that Ji Ting was also there.

Before the meeting began, Ji Ting sat alone in the last row of the classroom, looking like a leader conducting an inspection.

He was wearing a water-blue denim jacket, simple yet highlighting his cold, aloof temperament. He lowered his head, writing something on his tablet. The loose hair on his forehead hung down, partially obscuring his beautiful eyebrows and eyes, revealing only the bridge of a tall, elegant nose.

He must have a steel plate in his back to sit that straight. Song Yang, sitting in the front row, stole a glance and spoke his inner thoughts without hesitation. He is always busy with that tablet, but I never see him winning any national awards. He is just like me; busy all day and achieving nothing.

Tao Ziyi shot him a look. “Why are you so annoying? The senior is sitting quietly in the back. How did he offend you?”

“Didn’t you check the group chat over the weekend? Ji Ting is abusing his status to bully me. He dumped so many forms on me to handle alone, leaving my back aching all afternoon. I unilaterally declare that, from now on, Ji Ting is my mortal enemy. We are irreconcilable.”

Just then, two female students came to the back door, walked over to Ji Ting’s table, and whispered a few words to him before holding out their phones, presumably asking for his WeChat.

Ji Ting only cast a cold glance at them and shook his head slightly without even moving his lips. The girls realized they had no chance and walked out, looking dejected.

“You have to admit, that face of Ji’s is truly bewitching. In ancient times, he would be seen as a monster capable of ruining a country.” Song Yang peeked at the back row with disdain. “He has gained another nickname. Let’s call him the Fox Spirit of Qingqiu.”

Tao Ziyi was speechless. “You give people random nicknames every single day; aren’t you childish? By the way, my husband wants to add you on WeChat. Do you want to add him? If it is okay, I will pass your contact to him.”

“French Fry?” Song Yang turned his head in alert. “Why does he want to add me?”

Tao Ziyi looked naive. “He said because you are my friend, he wants to get to know you.”

“Politely declined. I don’t want an oil-fried snack in my contact list.” Song Yang refused without hesitation. Seeing Tao Ziyi’s foolish naivety, he grew worried. “If you ask me, this guy looks unreliable. They just met and he wants to sleep together? He is definitely a rake. You should be careful that he is not just playing around, looking at the pot while eating from the bowl.”

“How is that possible? I know what kind of person Cheng Ran is.”

“Fine, fine.” Song Yang knew he could not persuade him, so he stopped arguing. When I rule the world, the first thing I will do is expel all lovestruck fools from the planet.

Once most of the department members had arrived, He Jia Miao took the stage to organize the meeting. The topics were boring work arrangements. Song Yang felt sleepy, but seeing everyone around him scribbling notes, he had to pick up his pen and pretend to work.

He Jia Miao: “Alright, the above is the work content for this semester. Is everything clear? Are there any questions?”

The people below shook their heads one after another.

“President, do you have anything to add?”

Ji Ting, in the last row, looked down at the meeting records on his tablet and shook his head slightly.

“Okay, let’s end today’s meeting here. Will the group leaders please…”

Before she could finish, Ji Ting’s deep voice resonated from the back row: “Wait.”

The classroom fell silent. Song Yang turned around, bewildered, and saw Ji Ting leaning against his chair with a stern expression. A moment later, he tilted his chin toward Song Yang’s direction and said:

“The second row, first column by the window. You, answer this: If the department needs to purchase materials for an event, how many days in advance must the organizer contact the office manager?”

Song Yang was still dazed. Suddenly, the gazes from all around shot at him like lasers. His heart skipped a beat, and the air fell into a deathly silence.

“Huh?” The targeted Song Yang widened his eyes, completely confused, and slowly stood up. He felt his throat tighten. He vaguely remembered this was content He Jia Miao had just covered, but his mind was blank, and he did not even know where to start guessing.

An ambush, huh? This bastard fights without honor!

Ji Ting tapped his fingers on the table, patiently waiting for half a minute. This half-minute of silence felt like it was strangling Song Yang, making it hard for him to breathe.

Seeing he could not answer, Ji Ting asked again: “If the department needs the publicity department’s journalist group to photograph an event, how many days in advance must they contact the publicity department manager? And what application materials must be submitted?”

“Ah…” Song Yang felt his teeth trembling. “Three days? Five days? Seven days?”

Meeting Ji Ting’s cold gaze, Song Yang knew he was done for.

Ji Ting tilted his head slightly and then motioned toward Tao Ziyi: “The one next to him, help him answer.”

Tao Ziyi stood up, shrinking his neck, and said tremblingly: “Senior… I forgot.”

Ji Ting’s face darkened, clearly angry. “The department head spent an hour speaking on stage; how much did you actually listen to?”

His mere presence exerted an inexplicable pressure, and his casual articulation carried a chilling weight. Song Yang and Tao Ziyi dared not speak, nor did they dare to meet Ji Ting’s eyes.

“Song Yang.” Ji Ting called him, making Song Yang shudder as if struck by electricity. “The department head asked you all to study the work manual last week. Did you read it?”

“I…” Song Yang choked, sweat forming on his forehead. “I felt that these trivial regulations could be looked up in the manual when needed.”

“…” Ji Ting looked away and tapped his fingertips twice on the table. “Who else has not read it?”

“Ahem.” He Jia Miao chimed in from the podium. “Raise your hands if you did not.”

A few people below timidly raised their hands. Ji Ting asked: “The guy in the black shirt, why didn’t you listen to the department head?”

The male student in black said: “Uh… I… I have the same thought as Song Yang…”

“Have you ever thought that if a task has a time limit of only three days, and you are unclear about it, you keep dragging it out? By the time you look it up in the manual, the time has long passed. One person’s mistake causes the whole group to bear the responsibility. Is that appropriate?”

“It is not appropriate!” the student in black shouted immediately.

“These regulations are only a few pages long; is it that hard to remember?”

The student in black continued to echo: “It is not hard!”

Song Yang muttered to himself: Are you blind? Twenty pages? You call that a few pages?!

Seeming to notice his distraction, Ji Ting frowned: “Song Yang, is it hard to remember?”

Song Yang froze: “N-no, it is not.”

Ji Ting lifted his eyelids slightly and looked at everyone present, his expression as cold as frost. “I am not targeting you. Every student union session has been like this. During the re-examination, I said that this is not a place for you to be lazy. If you are not willing to put in the effort, you can pack your things and leave. Do not occupy a position and do nothing. Department Head, conduct surprise checks on the meeting content and work manual at the end of every meeting.”

He Jia Miao nodded: “Okay.”

“I will listen in on your department meetings at irregular intervals in the future. I hope everyone takes this seriously.”

With that, he packed up his tablet, pulled on his jacket, and stood up, walking out of the classroom with long, firm strides.

The tension in the room suddenly dissipated. Everyone let out a long sigh, except for Song Yang, whose fists clenched by his sides. He raged inwardly: King of Pretension, sooner or later I will expose the fact that you keep pictures of 2D girls on your phone.

“My god, my soul was scared away,” Tao Ziyi whispered in Song Yang’s ear. “Yangyang, I finally realize that out of the whole department, the senior only remembers your name, which is why he always targets you.”

“Only remembers my name?” Song Yang fumed. “That old man is holding a grudge!”

He Jia Miao walked down from the podium: “I was breaking into a sweat for you just now. Song Yang, you deserve this. He was being merciful by not making you copy the manual five times. Who told you to be so brazen in front of him before? It is hard for him not to hold a grudge.”

Song Yang could not refute this, but he felt frustrated. He could only silently plant the seeds of hatred in his heart: Accursed bewitching monster, we shall see!

When Song Yang and Tao Ziyi left the classroom, they saw Ji Ting again in the hallway. He was standing against the wall, looking down at his phone. Seeing them out of the corner of his eye, he looked up and met their gaze.

Why hasn’t the King of Pretension left yet? Is he thinking of new words to scold us?

Song Yang swallowed his saliva and grabbed Tao Ziyi’s sleeve, preparing to escape, but Tao Ziyi spoke first: “S-Senior, hello!”

Ji Ting did not answer but instead asked: “Are you dating Cheng Ran?”

“Huh?” The sudden question caught Tao Ziyi off guard. Surprised at why Ji Ting cared about such gossip, he hesitated for a moment. “Y-yes, Senior. Why?”

Ji Ting spoke calmly: “He is not a good person. Both of you should stay away from him.”

He walked away without looking back, leaving Song Yang and Tao Ziyi confused.

Song Yang was puzzled: “Both of us?”

Tao Ziyi looked at him: “Uh, I don’t get it either… So, was the senior waiting for us just to tell us that?”

Song Yang said: “Although I hate the King of Pretension, I agree with what he said. Cheng Ran does not look like decent company. The King of Pretension is his roommate and must know him better. You should break up with him soon.”

Tao Ziyi shrugged indifferently and replied lightly: “Fine, fine, I know.”

After returning home, Song Yang humiliated himself by opening the work manual and obediently memorizing it. He complained and cursed while memorizing, but as the saying goes, one must bow their head under the low eaves. Even though Song Yang wanted to fight back, he could only be angry for a moment.

At night, the teaching building was pitch black. Ji Ting was the last to leave the art studio. For the upcoming provincial art competition next month, he had poured too much energy into it lately.

The hallway lights were already off. He carried his schoolbag on one shoulder and turned on his phone’s flashlight. The phone suddenly vibrated with a new WeChat message.

When he saw the name, his breath hitched, and his fingers reacted before his brain, immediately tapping into the chat.

Ji Shan: Brother, transfer two thousand to me.

The dim light from the screen illuminated his face, making the gloom between his brows clear. His fingers stiffly typed a reply:

t: Where are you?

Ji Shan: Can you transfer the money first? I don’t have money to eat.

t: Then come home.

Ji Shan: How can I go back after tearing up our relationship? Brother, you are the only family I recognize now. If you don’t take care of me, I will really starve to death outside.

Ji Ting’s eyes darkened. He took a deep breath and called Ji Shan directly.

After about a minute, the other side slowly answered. There was a chaotic noise in the receiver; Ji Ting could vaguely hear strong drumbeats, followed by a girl’s impatient voice: “Why are you calling? Why is it so hard to ask you for some money?”

Ji Ting suppressed his anger, his voice low: “Are you at a bar?”

The tone on the other side grew more irritable: “I don’t have money to stay in a hotel, so I have to go clubbing with them! If you give me money, I have a place to stay; otherwise, wait to collect my corpse tomorrow!”

“Then I will wait to collect your corpse.” His words were calm, his voice only trembling slightly at the end.

Ji Shan grew anxious and suddenly raised her volume: “Ji Ting, why are you so cold-blooded! The two old folks give you so much allowance every month, what is the harm in sharing some with me? Are you my real brother?”

“That is the question I should ask you. Do you treat me as a brother? I told you not to mess around outside, not to associate with those fox friends, and to return to school to study hard. Have you listened once? You are fifteen, not young anymore. Look at yourself; do you look like a human now? Last month, Mom was hospitalized because of you. You are a cold-hearted white-eyed wolf. It is what you deserve if you starve to death outside.”

“You are fucking crazy! Go die! Go die!”

The sharp curses mixed with the noisy music were piercing. Ji Ting felt pain in his eardrums. Without waiting for Ji Shan to finish, he hung up decisively.

He felt dizzy and rubbed his temples, lingering for a moment before continuing downstairs.

However, within a few minutes, Ji Shan sent a picture. It was a slender arm covered in terrifying bloody marks, fresh blood oozing out like a stream, covering the skin. Under the brilliant lights, it looked even more horrifying. Her other hand held a piece of a glass bottle—the wound she had just cut.

Ji Shan: Don’t force me. There is nothing I won’t do.

Ji Ting’s heart trembled, and his whole body stiffened at the corner. The gray light from the stairwell cast down, making his face look pale.

He had always considered himself a stubborn person, unyielding and strong. Whether in painting or work, he pursued perfection within his ability. People like him would not easily bow their heads to anyone, except for this only and once most-loved younger sister, Ji Shan.

He did not know when Ji Shan had become like this. In his memory, Ji Shan was very obedient and loved to cling to her brother. When Ji Ting went to middle school in another city, the little girl cried heart-wrenchingly all night, and the next day, she ran after the car her brother was riding in.

It seemed that everything changed when Ji Shan learned to wear heavy makeup, drink, and go to bars. She was no longer that sensible child; she talked back to her parents every day, often ran away from home, and even threatened her brother in this extreme way. This state had lasted for two years, and the family had tried every method to bring her back on track.

His parents were old, and his mother had heart disease and could not be upset again. He did not have the energy to spend on her slowly.

Ji Ting’s breathing became faster and faster, his teeth clenching. A moment later, he opened the transfer and sent her five thousand yuan, warning himself that this was the last time he would be soft-hearted.

The other side accepted it quickly. Ji Ting then typed:

t: Don’t call me brother in the future. I won’t give you another cent.

He then deleted the contact without hesitation. Perhaps people only turn back when they are in desperate situations. Ji Ting understood this, but the remaining family affection made him indulge her again and again. If he did not make a clean break, it would only lead to a vicious cycle.

Whatever choice Ji Shan made next was her business. She was already fifteen and should be sensible and responsible for her own life. Ji Ting felt that he had done his best for her.

As for what would happen in the future, Ji Ting felt powerless; that was already beyond his control.

He returned to his phone’s home screen. The wallpaper was a picture of Xiaodai that he had drawn himself.

Ji Ting did not really hang out in the V-Tuber circle, nor was he so obsessed with 2D culture. Xiaodai was the only virtual streamer he liked. Her voice was very similar to Ji Shan’s—more mature than Ji Shan’s, and she spoke gently. Ji Ting always felt that if Ji Shan had not turned bad, had studied well, and grown up normally, she would definitely look like Xiaodai.

Xiaodai not only condensed his beautiful and illusory fantasies but was also a comfort to him in the disappointing reality.