Underworld Player

Bai Zhi shook his head exasperatedly as he watched the figure of Xia Wen disappearing into the crowd. Noticing that she still had a pile of food left on her plate, he muttered, "She really left without a single word of apology... and worse, she wasted food! I can't believe her."

That was one thing he could never understand—why was it that whenever he shared important life lessons, people always ended up giving him the stink eye?

"People are way too soft! What, I can't even have a conversation?"

With another resigned shake of his head, Bai Zhi cleaned up his area and turned to leave the cafeteria.

Before he could take a step, he found his way blocked by a gorgeous beauty.

"Umm..."

As he took a proper look at the face of that beauty, Bai Zhi suddenly recalled the cringeworthy things his namesake had done, and his face fell.

The school's most eligible bachelorette, Lin XiaoYi. She had a heart of gold and a healthy, supportive family, but most importantly, that family was wealthy. She was the very person who had been the target of "Bai Zhi's" constant courting and flirting, all so that he could hopefully mooch off her. At least, up until his all-night gaming session which ended in sudden death.

"You..."

As soon as he noticed Lin XiaoYi about to speak, Bai Zhi recalled the several times before when such interactions between her and "Bai Zhi" would draw undue attention. Resolving to distance himself from the dismal legacy of his unfortunate namesake, Bai Zhi spoke up assertively and forced Lin XiaoYi to swallow whatever it is she had wanted to say.

"I must apologize for the shameless harassment I subjected you to before. I regret it all most deeply. I promise that, from now on, I shall not interfere with your life. Let us part ways amicably, you to the East and I to the West, and never the twain shall meet."

In the same amount of time it took her to process his entire speech, Bai Zhi had made his exit and been swallowed up by the crowd… which meant that he failed to catch the expression on Lin XiaoYi's face.

As she watched him leaving, she showed all the signs of excitement and interest. "Just as I thought, Bai Zhi is no ordinary person..."

Only yesterday, this guy was brazenly pestering her and declaring that he would successfully date her no matter what. For him to change his tune overnight and turn into someone who treated her with total indifference, anyone could see that something did not add up. That is, unless his very soul had been replaced, which was clearly preposterous.

She even felt thankful about her encounter with the creature who had disguised itself as her good friend Xia Wen. If she had not gotten the call that allowed her to reveal the imposter, she might never have realized Bai Zhi's secret. Hearing him promise that he would no longer pester her gave her a sense of relief—it was just like how he had left his seven prior girlfriends in the dark.

Lin XiaoYi took a deep breath. "To keep his true identity secret, he's even willing to endure being misunderstood and having a bad reputation..."

Just at that moment, Xia Wen arrived at the cafeteria huffing and puffing, her cellphone still in her hand. She spotted Lin XiaoYi standing with her fists clenched and looking determinedly in the distance, and promptly made her way over. Collapsing at the table, she made a pitiful face at her friend.

"That was exhausting... XiaoYi, you have to treat me to hotpot this weekend. Hey, what's wrong?"

Xia Wen was shocked to see her friend turn to her with a wild, fervent look in her eyes.

"Wennie, I've finally found The One!" "

Lin XiaoYi clapped her hands over Xia Wen's shoulders, her eyes almost blazing with excitement.

Xia Wen looked thoroughly confused.

———

In the summer heat, the sound of cicadas droned endlessly from among the trees.

"So, this is the bastard..."

Hidden amongst the branches, a pair of eyes watched unblinkingly as a certain youth walked past the tree.

The Face-Borrower was an unusual vengeful spirit. Normally incorporeal and formless, the spirit had the ability to determine the person whom its targets' considered nearest and dearest, then take their form. Then, by carefully manipulating its victim, the spirit would cultivate a feeling of terror within them. Once the victim was at an appropriate degree of terror, that was when the Face-Borrower would feast. It was a spirit that fed on human fear.

However, fear also being its source of power, if its target did not feel any fear of the Face-Borrower, then it was effectively harmless.

Lin XiaoYi had been its first target, and step by step, the Face-Borrower had managed to successfully take control of her fear, but at the critical moment, its hunt had been ruined by some guy with a big mouth...

"I will make you taste that which they call Fear... How dare you spoil my fun?!"

The figure passed safely by the tree, and with a cold humph, the pair of eyes hidden in the foliage gradually disappeared.

———

"Bai Zhi!? XiaoYi, did he drug you or something?"

Back in the girls' dorms, Xia Wen had been pestering Lin XiaoYi to reveal the name of "The One". When she finally did, Xia Wen was flabbergasted.

"Just yesterday, you told me that he was a pain in the you-know-where! How did he turn into The One overnight? What in the world happened?! Don't you remember? This is the guy who dated a string of seven girls!"

"Well~ Of course I know! Relax, I'm just as informed as you are of such things~" Lin XiaoYi replied casually, her eyes never leaving her laptop screen as she busily searched the internet for some explanation of what had happened to her today. "But you know, what does all that have to do with him being The One for me? Nothing at all!"

"OMG XiaoYi, you're definitely high on something. What do you mean 'nothing at all'?" Xia Wen scratched her head in disbelief. "He's a scumbag, you know? The playboy who dated seven girls back-to-back! The swindler who steals his own girlfriend's money and spends it on video games! The good-for-nothing who spends all day playing video games, barely attends his classes and has no ambition whatsoever! That scumbag! Except for that handsome face, if that scumbag has even a single quality, I certainly haven't heard about it!"

"Mmhmm... he does, though." Putting down her mouse, Lin XiaoYi turned to her friend with a joyous grin on her face. "He hides in the shadows, protecting the light. He's… a hero."

Xia Wen's jaw dropped.