She always felt that Huo Qijun seemed to be in a particularly good mood at the moment, just too proud to show it. The corners of his mouth were slightly turned up, radiating an indescribable sense of satisfaction that made one want to punch him.
At the dining table, Tang Yuan held back and didn’t dare to speak. After lunch, when they were all sitting on the sofa, Fu Xiaoqing brought over some fruit platters. It was during this moment that Tang Yuan took the chance to move closer to Lin Wei. He was quite curious about this senior who had been a prominent figure in school but didn’t pursue a medical career after graduation.
“Senior, you had such good grades back then. Why didn’t you continue your studies?” he blurted out without thinking.
Lin Wei felt that he was quite naive. Normally, someone might forgo their profession due to some hidden difficulties, and asking such a direct question could easily offend.
Fortunately, the original character didn’t have these issues; it was purely the author’s choice to make him always ready, acting as a supporting character for the main lead.
Thus, Lin Wei smiled gently and replied, “There was no need. Anyway, I only need to treat one person’s stomach issues, and that’s enough.”
Tang Yuan didn’t expect such an unambitious and somewhat oddly romantic answer. He had thought it was like in a drama where someone painfully gives up their dreams and is forced to return home to inherit a fortune!
Although his idealized view of the outstanding senior had shattered by half, the remaining half shone even brighter, prompting him to ask, “Is that person your girlfriend?”
It wasn’t just wild guessing on his part; it really sounded quite ambiguous to say one decided to study medicine just to take care of someone’s stomach issues…
As soon as this audacious question was asked, the other three people present fell silent.
Fu Xiaoqing, with a piece of watermelon in her mouth, dared not swallow, fearing she might choke. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Huo Qijun, expressionless, subtly adjusting his sitting posture to hide his discomfort. Fu Xiaoqing struggled to suppress her laughter, her lips trembling slightly, which caused Huo Qijun to shoot her a glare filled with annoyance and embarrassment.
“…No,” Lin Wei said, clearing his throat awkwardly. It seemed he had underestimated the potential impact of this young man’s question, and the system in his mind began to clamor.
“Just a childhood friend, a bro.” This time, he answered cautiously and succinctly, eliminating any chances of further misunderstandings.
Tang Yuan immediately seemed to lose interest: “Oh… I see.” He even appeared somewhat disappointed.
With the atmosphere muddied and difficult to navigate, the culprit of the miscommunication remained oblivious and drifted into silence. As the mood was about to cool down, Fu Xiaoqing hurriedly swallowed the watermelon, asking, “Lin Wei, were you famous in your school?”
Tang Yuan thought for a moment, chuckling to himself before replying, “Anyway, during my time, senior was quite famous in the school forums, especially in various ‘most handsome’ polls. They say that in those years he studied, people lining up to chase him could queue from the library to the school gate!”
If anyone else were in Lin Wei’s position receiving such overt praise, they might feel a bit embarrassed and want to dig a hole to hide in.
However, Lin Wei was unfazed by such compliments; after all, he was set to be the rival to the domineering male lead in this story, so he had grown accustomed to it and felt no shame.
As for Fu Xiaoqing, her admiration for Lin Wei was significantly thicker than Tang Yuan’s, simply considering it quite natural that many admired him.
Only Huo Qijun, upon hearing this, paused his fingers in thought at his knee and unexpectedly said, “Boy and girl?”
“Come on!” Tang Yuan hastily replied, “That’s quite normal! Looking good comes with its perks! When it comes to appearances, gender doesn’t always matter!”
Huo Qijun seemed to ponder this, realizing that many same-sex admirers had pursued Lin Wei since university, but Lin Wei claimed he hadn’t met anyone he liked. He looked at Lin Wei again, unable to control himself, and asked, “With so many people pursuing you, didn’t any of them capture your heart?”
This lingering sense of probing hung in the air. Before Lin Wei could answer, the system chimed in: [Master, why don’t you just make up a romantic interest? Maybe that will quiet the male lead down!]
[It’s too late. I’ve already told him that I’ve never liked anyone.] Unless he suddenly found a fake boyfriend for theatrics, which would feel awkward and unnecessary, he couldn’t understand why Huo Qijun was so fixated on this non-existent orientation he carelessly mentioned in a moment of weakness.
The system speculated quietly: [Is he subconsciously homophobic?] He was indeed frightened but lacked a clear self-awareness, which is why he seemed so uncomfortable around Lin Wei.
To be honest, after the system’s prompt, Lin Wei began to feel the same way.
So, the casual reply he meant to give turned into: “I’m really not interested in dating anyone. Being single suits me just fine.”
He intended to ease Huo Qijun’s discomfort, but as soon as he finished speaking, Fu Xiaoqing empathized and added, “I feel the same; it’s quite meaningless. It’s better to use that time to do something productive and enrich ourselves.”
She, too, had experienced harsh criticism from Madam Huo, and now in her eyes, anything related to romance was just a fleeting thought.
Huo Qijun opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He also discovered that Fu Xiaoqing’s assertively dismissive statements didn’t stir his heart at all; rather, he felt more affected by Lin Wei’s earlier comment about dating not being his interest.
At this point, anything said would be superfluous; silence was more appropriate.
Tang Yuan didn’t linger too long. He had already discussed the exam details he needed to with Fu Xiaoqing in the morning. After they finished eating and resting, Lin Wei drove him back. On the way, unable to hold back, Tang Yuan asked, “Senior, is that childhood friend with a stomach problem… Huo Qijun?”
He had wanted to ask this while they were at Lin Wei’s house, but Huo Qijun’s aura intimidated him, making him hesitant to joke with him.
“Yeah, it’s him,” Lin Wei nodded.
Tang Yuan was initially overjoyed that he guessed correctly, but then he hesitated and fell silent.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Wei asked, glancing at him curiously in the rearview mirror.