Closing his laptop, Kang Yao felt sore all over—his back ached and his waist was stiff. He had been writing the entire day, staying up until three or four in the morning. By then, he had completed about one-third of the entire program’s framework.

The efficiency was… average.

Even though his mind worked like a perfectly tuned machine, his hands simply couldn’t keep up with his thoughts. He had taken several breaks along the way, encountered hundreds of errors, corrected them one by one, and only after the program ran smoothly did he finally shut down the computer and eat a late-night snack.

The next morning, shortly after waking up, Kang Yao received a new message. It notified him that the audition for the Immortal Realm: Fourteen Provinces book trailer had been scheduled for that afternoon at 2 PM. Attendees were required to arrive half an hour early to check in and determine the order.

Kang Yao didn’t think much of it. He read the message and left it at that. After coding for another two hours, he generously added a new daily ritual to his routine: a full-body massage.

He had no choice.

His body was completely numb.

The nearest massage parlor was just two subway stops away. The reviews looked decent—it was quite popular among local dance and sports students. Kang Yao booked a two-hour session and set off at a leisurely pace.

Upon arrival, after confirming his appointment at the front desk, he made eye contact with a girl who was also there for a massage.

Their eyes met. The girl smiled at him gently.

Kang Yao wasn’t particularly shy about these things. Seeing that the girl was an exceptionally rare beauty in everyday life, he smiled back at her with equal warmth and gave a small nod.

The girl seemed a little surprised by his smile, but didn’t pursue any further conversation. After the brief greeting, the encounter ended there.

Once inside the massage room, after changing clothes and lying down, Kang Yao still felt like the girl looked somewhat familiar. After a bit of thinking, he finally managed to place her in his memory.

She was his classmate—an incredibly well-known beauty at school, named Qiao Qiao.

Since she devoted herself almost entirely to dance, she rarely interacted with the boys in their class, let alone the girls. They had only ever seen each other during group activities and had never spoken privately.

No wonder she was surprised that he even smiled at her.

It was just running into a classmate—nothing worth dwelling on. Kang Yao didn’t think more of it and closed his eyes to enjoy the massage. The masseur’s technique was clearly professionally trained, and the result was quite effective. After two hours, Kang Yao felt completely refreshed.

This kind of relaxation was probably something the “old Kang Yao” had never experienced before. The pain from his old injuries had eased significantly, and even walking felt much lighter. As he checked the time and got ready to leave, he was unexpectedly stopped at the door by a crowd of people.

A commotion was going on. In the center of the crowd stood a young girl, her eyes red with anxiety and tears streaming down her cheeks.

Across from her stood a cocky-looking middle school boy. His mother had a tight grip on his hand and was shouting loudly:

“I told you, he didn’t go in there on purpose! He just walked into the wrong room, that’s all! You kids really don’t know how to let things go. Accusing someone of secretly filming—filming what, exactly? What do you even have that’s worth filming?”

Kang Yao paused and listened for a while. The argument was intense. One side demanded that the boy hand over his phone, delete the photos, and apologize immediately. The other side vehemently denied everything, accusing them of slander and insisting that checking the phone would be a violation of the child’s privacy. No matter what, they refused to give up the phone.

The two sides weren’t evenly matched. The girl, who was standing alone, quickly found herself at a disadvantage.

Among the crowd, Qiao Qiao—whether she knew the girl who had allegedly been filmed or not—stepped forward and grabbed her hand, speaking firmly: “Don’t be afraid. Call the police. Let them check his phone.”

Hearing this, the boy’s mother immediately changed her tone and began pestering everyone around her: “There aren’t any security cameras here! Calling the police? That’s just throwing mud for no reason! Manager! Where’s the manager?!”

After shouting, she suddenly pretended to faint, forcing others nearby to help support her.

Strangely enough, despite how ugly the scene had gotten, the boy himself didn’t seem the least bit fazed. As he followed his mother out, he deliberately bumped into Kang Yao, who was blocking the way.

The boy seemed to hurt his shoulder from the impact and looked up to curse, “Get outta the way, sissy.”

Kang Yao was undeniably good-looking, but anyone could tell at a glance that he was a man. He had never heard someone call him that before. With a faint smile and without warning, he reached into the boy’s pocket and yanked out the phone, then slammed it hard on the ground.

The phone immediately shattered, breaking into several pieces as the screen cracked into a web of distorted fractures.

The noise startled everyone nearby—including the middle school boy himself. In a panic, he bent down to pick up the phone, trying to assess the damage. Before he could make sense of it, Kang Yao snatched it from his hands again and this time tossed it directly to the crying girl.

Before Kang Yao stepped in, it wasn’t as though others hadn’t tried to seize the phone—but each attempt had been blocked by the boy’s fiercely protective mother. This time, however, Kang Yao’s move came so swiftly and without warning that it happened effortlessly.

The girl froze for a second, stunned, but caught the phone in her hands. The middle school boy lunged to snatch it back, but the onlookers—already fed up with his behavior—quickly moved to block him.

Unable to retrieve the phone, the boy flew into a rage, his anger now fully directed at Kang Yao. “What the hell is wrong with you?! You better pay for my phone! Give it back now!”

Kang Yao, of course, didn’t even acknowledge him. He simply turned to leave. The boy pounced at him from behind—only to be met with a perfectly aimed kick from Kang Yao, landing squarely between his legs.

With a sharp cry, the boy dropped to his knees, writhing on the floor in pain.

His mother, who had just been helped to her feet, heard the commotion and looked over. Slapping her thigh, she shrieked, “He hit him! He hit my son! That’s assault! Someone call the police!”

Kang Yao turned around, still smiling, voice light and breezy:
“Oh? Do you see any security cameras here? Dumbass.”

And with that, he walked off, not the least bit concerned about what would happen behind him.

Strangely, though he walked away slowly and without a hint of panic, the shouting and chaos remained behind him. Neither the boy nor his mother managed to catch up.

Was that it? Boring.

Kang Yao sighed, feeling rather unimpressed, and made his way leisurely toward the subway station. A moment later, hurried footsteps came chasing from behind. A girl called out brightly,

“Kang Yao!”

Kang Yao turned around. The girl in the white dress behind him was none other than Qiao Qiao. Whether it was from the heat or from running, a light sheen of sweat glistened on the tip of her nose, and her bright, beautiful eyes sparkled.

Kang Yao asked, “Something wrong?”

Qiao Qiao didn’t actually have anything urgent to say. She had simply witnessed what happened earlier and instinctively followed him out. Now that Kang Yao had asked, she couldn’t come up with a response, so she countered instead, “Where are you going? Do you have a ride?”

Kang Yao looked at her, puzzled. Qiao Qiao gave a small, slightly shy smile. “I’ve got a car. Wherever you’re headed, I’ll give you a lift.”

Kang Yao couldn’t bring himself to say no, so the two of them walked together toward the underground parking garage.

“This one,” Qiao Qiao said as she pressed a button. A pink luxury car chirped in response as it unlocked. Kang Yao had seen this model before and knew the price—it must’ve cost over two million yuan once it hit the road.

So it turned out this Qiao Qiao wasn’t just fairy-like in appearance—her status matched too.

Once in the car, after fastening their seatbelts, Qiao Qiao double-checked the destination with Kang Yao. Then, suddenly, something clicked in her mind. “You signed up for the campus model competition?”

Kang Yao replied, “You did too?”

Qiao Qiao shook her head. “No, I just heard about it.”

Kang Yao actually found it a little strange. The campus model recruitment was open to both men and women, and with Qiao Qiao’s looks—pure and graceful, almost ethereal—several of the roles seemed practically tailor-made for her.

And yet, she hadn’t signed up.

Seeing the look on his face, Qiao Qiao offered an explanation. “Actually, some friends did suggest I join, but I’m not really interested in that kind of thing. My lifelong dream is just to dance.”

Dancing sounded romantic, but anyone who had truly danced would know how much physical torment and pain hid behind the glamour. Kang Yao nodded and asked, “Don’t you need to stay with your friend?”

“You mean that girl just now? I don’t actually know her—we just happened to be there at the same time,” Qiao Qiao replied. She assumed Kang Yao was concerned, so she added, “I still called the police earlier. She’ll be fine.”

Kang Yao said nothing, his head lowered as he casually scrolled through his phone. He was sitting in the car of a girl he barely knew and had never really spoken to before, yet he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable.

Qiao Qiao glanced at him from the corner of her eye a few times, then couldn’t help asking, “Have you always been like this?”

Kang Yao asked, “Like what?”

The kind of person who smashes a phone, hits someone, and walks away smiling… Qiao Qiao didn’t say that out loud. She just said, “I thought you were always the quiet type. You seemed really well-behaved.”

To Kang Yao, being called “well-behaved” sounded almost like an insult. He suddenly chuckled and said to Qiao Qiao, “Yeah, I was faking it.”

Qiao Qiao was momentarily stunned, then let out a laugh. But the smile didn’t last long—because the car had just entered the expressway, and they were now stuck in a long, grueling traffic jam.

Kang Yao was on his way to an interview. Seizing the chance to be helpful, Qiao Qiao had eagerly offered to drive him, thinking it might make her seem thoughtful and considerate. Yet things had turned out the opposite—now, because of her, he was going to be late.

Watching the clock tick down as the interview time approached, Qiao Qiao grew visibly more anxious. She kept apologizing to Kang Yao over and over. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly—can’t believe I took this route.”

“Don’t worry,” she continued quickly. “We’ll make it in time. If I really made you miss it, I’ll find a way to fix it. I’ll call my dad.”

But Kang Yao wasn’t the least bit anxious. In fact, he was watching videos. “It’s fine,” he said. “Being a little late might actually work better.”

Qiao Qiao saw how calm he was, and the subtle flutter in her chest that had stirred earlier when she’d watched him from a distance grew stronger. She couldn’t help asking, “What are you watching?”

Kang Yao smiled. “The venue’s surveillance feed.”

What? Qiao Qiao didn’t even bother checking what video it actually was. She just naturally assumed he was joking—and burst into laughter. Her nerves eased, and she was no longer as flustered as before.

After nearly an hour’s delay, Qiao Qiao’s car finally pulled up in front of the hotel. Kang Yao got out and said, “I’m off. Drive safe.”

Qiao Qiao watched his back for a few seconds, hesitated, then called out to stop him. “I’m actually free this afternoon.”

Kang Yao asked, “You want to wait for me?”

Qiao Qiao was caught off guard and felt a bit embarrassed. “The interview won’t take long. I can wait for you and then give you a ride back.”

Afraid Kang Yao might misunderstand, she quickly waved her hands in explanation. “Don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t mean it like that. It’s just… I kind of like you, but not in a romantic way…”

She wasn’t sure how to phrase it. She had never met anyone like Kang Yao before, and though she didn’t think she wanted to date him, she was undeniably drawn to him. She just couldn’t help wanting to get closer to him.

Her worries, however, were unnecessary. Kang Yao didn’t seem to misunderstand at all. He responded calmly, “I like you too.”

Seeing Qiao Qiao stunned, he added, “You’re more beautiful than most people. The longer I look, the more I like it. But don’t misunderstand—you’re just not the type I’d date.”

In a way, that was actually true.

Qiao Qiao broke into a bright smile and, almost like an old friend, asked, “So I’ll wait for you in the parking lot. By the way, what’s your type?”

Without missing a beat, Kang Yao casually swiped the surveillance footage off his phone. “I like someone who’s obedient and a bit of a ‘puppy dog,’ and they have to be good-looking too.”