My Boyfriend is the Heartthrob, and I’m Just a Passerby.

Since money was no longer a problem, the new issue became: What should he buy as a gift?

Ye Jishu absentmindedly stared at the content on the blackboard.

It was rare that he hadn’t slept through class, especially since this session would highlight key points for the exam, but even so, he couldn’t help zoning out.

The sound of his pen scraping across the paper echoed faintly.

Yan Mei had good financial conditions.

Most college students wouldn’t drive luxury cars or casually dine at high-end restaurants. In other words, if it was something material, Yan Mei could get whatever he wanted without needing anyone to give it to him.

So, what should he buy as a gift? That was the problem.

In front of him, a few girls were sitting.

Perhaps they were talking about something, as one turned to look at the other, the ponytail swaying with the motion.

Ye Jishu blinked and suddenly sat up straight.

[Yan Mei’s hair has gotten a little long.]

It slightly hung down to his neck, making the lines of his neck even more delicate, and he couldn’t help but keep staring at it.

But in the summer, it always felt a bit too hot.

Rather than giving Yan Mei something he might not like, it would be better to give him something practical.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

Everyone began packing up, getting ready to leave the classroom for their major course.

The girls were chatting with their friends when suddenly, a voice came from above: “Excuse me… where did you buy your hair tie? Can you tell me?”

…

The mall.

The foot traffic wasn’t heavy.

Ye Jishu couldn’t remember the last time he had been to a physical store. After all, most of the time, clothes and necessities could be bought online, and there was no need to go out.

Thank goodness for the convenience of the internet.

This was the first time he was buying something for someone else.

Compared to him, Yan Mei always loved buying various things for him. He couldn’t even imagine what the experience of choosing a gift for someone would feel like.

There were many things in the store.

At first glance, he couldn’t make any effective decisions and felt even more confused.

This one? Or that one?

Nothing seemed to match Yan Mei.

Even if it was a spur-of-the-moment idea, he felt like the situation was terrible.

After more than ten minutes, he walked out of the store empty-handed.

The next store was on the second floor.

However, before entering, his attention was drawn to a crowd gathered in the center of the mall.

A large group of people were blocking the area. From the noise, it seemed like they were holding a lottery event.

Ye Jishu originally planned to bypass the crowd and take the escalator to the second floor, but as he walked past them, a lottery ticket was unexpectedly shoved into his hand. It seemed like they assumed anyone passing by should join.

The top three prizes were physical items—home appliances and such.

The rest were small trinkets.

If it was just about going up, spinning the prize wheel in front of everyone, and seeing where the pointer landed, Ye Jishu would have discarded the lottery ticket. But the setup was more like a scratch card.

In other words, it was similar to gambling.

All he had to do was scratch off the protective layer to reveal the number and check if it met the criteria for winning.

[It’s like a card-drawing game.]

Ye Jishu scratched the ticket.

A number appeared in front of him—

[7.]

He looked up and glanced at the sign hanging nearby. It read: “Grand Prize: Microwave! Number 7!”

“……” Ye Jishu.

He scanned the crowd, then his gaze landed on a pregnant woman.

She was staring at the number in her hand with a disappointed expression.

He walked over to her and said, “Here, take this.”

The pregnant woman looked up in surprise after seeing the number. “You… this is…”

Sensing her shock, Ye Jishu simply turned and walked back in the direction he was originally heading.

“You really are a strange person.”

As he stepped onto the escalator, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Why give the prize to a stranger? It would be better to keep it for yourself.” The voice continued, “If it’s because it’s too heavy and you’re worried about not being able to take it home, malls usually offer delivery services, so bringing it home wouldn’t be that much trouble.”

“It would be a hassle,” Ye Jishu replied.

If it were smaller items, it would be fine. But if it was something like this home appliance, he didn’t know where he would put it, and dorms didn’t allow high-power devices.

“Just exchange it for cash then.”

“My money is enough for now,” Ye Jishu said.

“……”

If someone else had heard this, they would have found it hard to understand.

Who has enough?

The more money, the better.

That’s the normal mindset!

How could anyone think that having just enough to maintain a normal life is sufficient? It seemed as though they had lost basic desires and ambitions.

“Hmm, I suppose it’s not that hard to understand.”

Though Ye Jishu couldn’t see his face, he could feel the person taking a step up the stairs.

“After all, it’s you.”

The voice grew closer.

The mall’s air conditioning blew against Ye Jishu’s neck.

“I’ve seen your file. Your parents divorced when you were five, both remarried, and sending living expenses was difficult. From then on, you were kicked around like a ball, living with relatives for a few days before being sent away for various reasons. I understand why you like fish; because of that ‘seven-second’ memory myth, you don’t feel pain, right?”

Wei Yangze coldly summarized the investigation he had done on Ye Jishu’s background.

Their first meeting was in the teaching building.

Although they had a brief conversation, there was no recognition from Ye Jishu.

So, Wei Yangze made a judgment.

He went back, applied, and got Ye Jishu’s file.

The experiences a person has in life inevitably shape their personality.

So far, this statement was true.

Sensing the indifference that Ye Jishu displayed toward everything around him, as if no one could reach his heart, Wei Yangze felt an inexplicable challenge rise within him.

Such self-imposed emotional isolation was not something that developed overnight.

If someone has no expectations, it is because they have never had their expectations answered.

If someone is indifferent to everything around them, it is because they have never been treated properly by others.

That was why Wei Yangze had investigated Ye Jishu’s past.

Only by removing the cold, indifferent attitude of the other person could he truly engage in the conversation he desired.

He stared at Ye Jishu’s back.

What would his reaction be, having his inner thoughts exposed by a complete stranger? Up until now, all he needed was for the other person to show a crack, so he could smoothly introduce the topic he had already prepared.

“Click.”

The escalator reached the top.

Ye Jishu stepped off the stairs and finally turned around to look at Wei Yangze behind him.

The latter froze upon seeing his expression.

There was no awkwardness or pain from his exposed inner turmoil, only a calm demeanor.

“It’s not like that,” Ye Jishu said. “I just simply like fish. Besides, asking someone with no real connection to be kind to me would be too much to ask, don’t you think? I understand.”

Such an attitude.

It almost felt like… he was talking about someone else’s situation.

At that moment, Wei Yangze felt a twist in his stomach.

This was tricky.

He realized he had made a mistake.

Ye Jishu was not indifferent. He simply didn’t care, his personality had always been like this.

Even though Wei Yangze had obtained the other person’s file, at this moment, due to his incorrect approach, the dynamics between them had reversed.

“……”

“You’re colleagues with Lin Lin,” Ye Jishu said. “So, is this still about Chen Heming?”

At the mention of this name, Wei Yangze’s temples throbbed with pain.

Chen Heming—

[Source of Infection 3301].

That person had already been dead for a long time.

There was no need to worry about disposing of the body.

Within just ten minutes, what was left was only a clean skeleton.

The containment team had taken the bones.

They said it would be reported to the headquarters for research.

Anyway, it was no longer under Wei Yangze’s jurisdiction.

“We should talk over there,” Wei Yangze suggested.

He was referring to the coffee shop.

It was a weekday, not during rush hours, so the place was unusually empty, and they didn’t have to worry about others overhearing their conversation.

Once seated and drinks ordered, Wei Yangze pulled out the same pen that Lin Lin had used and placed it on the table.

“It’s not for recording, just necessary,” he said.

In public, maintaining caution was essential.

He had thought that Ye Jishu would at least ask something, but the other person merely glanced at it and said nothing.

[As expected… even less concerned than I imagined.]

“I won’t take up too much of your time,” Wei Yangze continued. “I only have a few questions, and the decision is in your hands.”

The air conditioning in the café was set quite cold.

So, even though the sun was shining outside, an irresistible chill crept up his spine.

Wei Yangze reached into his pocket, pulled out several cards, and placed them on the cold table.

Ye Jishu looked down at them.

They had pictures of different people, with names written beneath them.

They were Chen Heming and Professor Chen.

“You were at the scene and later learned that he jumped into the lake. Don’t you think it’s strange? No matter what, people have a survival instinct. Especially someone like him, who manipulated others emotionally, forcing them to death, yet he repeatedly drowned himself.”

Wei Yangze pushed the card with Professor Chen’s photo aside.

“Even if you don’t know exactly what happened, you must have sensed something, right? ‘Something went wrong,’ he lost his mind and confessed all the bad things he had done, crawling like a dog. Why was that?”

He threw a series of questions without giving the other person any time to respond.

But Ye Jishu didn’t speak.

Wei Yangze turned the card over.

On the back was a photo of a shy, gloomy roommate.

He was wearing a uniform from the affiliated high school.

His face looked much younger than it did now, and his eyes were avoiding the camera, showing a timid expression.

“This is a student from your department, but you’ve never seen him in any of your courses. You probably never saw him leave the dorm, right? Even now, after he’s moved out, there hasn’t been any notice from the counselor. You know this is highly unreasonable for a college student,” Wei Yangze said, staring at Ye Jishu without blinking, trying not to miss any change in his expression.

There was still one more card, which hadn’t been flipped over.

But anyone with a bit of imagination would know who was hiding behind that last person.

Ye Jishu lowered his head, staring at the card, seemingly lost in thought.

It was impossible to predict how he would react.

At this point, the atmosphere grew tense.

The air conditioning was still set to a very low temperature.

But Wei Yangze could feel a thin layer of sweat forming on his back, despite the cold.

[Does he know, or not?]

[But I absolutely can’t give up on this opportunity.]

A foul, rain-soaked memory slowly crept into Wei Yangze’s mind.

He wasn’t as unaffected as he appeared.

His mind and body had been forced to remember the stench of that night and the bloodstained images.

What exactly was that special human?

What did [He] refer to?

Confusion, unease, and anxiety flooded his brain.

And for the past four months, he had been tortured by what his mind kept replaying.

Having worked for the control bureau for so long, Wei Yangze trusted his instincts, and he was certain that Ye Jishu had something to do with all this.

[Why was there no response from headquarters when I submitted the report? What’s going on?]

Aside from Lin Lin, a rookie, experienced staff wouldn’t hesitate to push boundaries.

This strange feeling drove him to find Ye Jishu today.

But seeing Ye Jishu’s reaction now, it seemed like he truly didn’t care. He didn’t have the usual human response to the unbelievable, no dilation of pupils or trembling from an emotional shock… only a slight confusion.

“Are these things related to Chen Heming?”

“… No.”

“Did I cause it?”

“No.”

In fact, it was the opposite.

When Ye Jishu was around, these anomalies didn’t exist.

This, too, was an inexplicable phenomenon…

[Could Ye Jishu be that special human?]

However, before Wei Yangze could finish his thoughts, Ye Jishu stood up suddenly, his gaze shifting to meet him.

Upon hearing this, Wei Yangze looked up in shock, but all he could see was Ye Jishu’s emotionless face. “I’m not interested.”

Before Wei Yangze could react, Ye Jishu had already walked to the front desk, paid, and left. Caught off guard, Wei Yangze didn’t even have time to stop him before he saw Ye Jishu’s figure disappear from his sight.

[…]

Ye Jishu exited the store.

His pace gradually quickened.

What started as a calm walk soon turned into a hurried run, and he soon entered the mall’s restroom.

He took a long breath in.

Then, a short exhale.

He looked up, his reflection in the mirror still showing the same emotionless face.

Thankfully, this expression, in some ways, helped him regain his composure, and his racing heart soon calmed down.

[What’s so strange about this?]

[This is just a melodramatic novel; it’s normal for there to be illogical plot holes.]

He tried to convince himself.

But gradually, another voice echoed in his mind.

[Is it really?…]

At this point, could he still—

Ding-dong.

Suddenly, his phone, which he had placed in his pocket, rang.

Ye Jishu’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

He took out his phone.

The message was from his roommate.

Since that day, his roommate hadn’t replied to any of his messages.

So, when he opened the conversation, his gaze lingered on the question his roommate had asked him.

But now, his roommate had finally responded.

The message was a long, edited text.

But at a glance, the key idea of the message was clear.

It was a fairytale.

Bluebeard.

It was a well-known story.

The husband, who went on a trip, gave his wife the keys to the castle and told her, “You can go anywhere, but don’t open the door to the basement.”

However, the wife was overcome by intense curiosity and desire, which led her to open the door—her key dropped to the floor, stained with blood, but it couldn’t be cleaned.

…

It was Pandora’s box.

Once the key was used to open it, there would be unimaginable and terrifying consequences.

Roommate: [Don’t open the door, Jishu.]