---

Chapter 4: “Too bad, he’s not into your daughter…”

Qin Shi’s game ID was Star!
Star, Qin Shi — the protagonist of the novel.
Fox, Zhang Canyang — the antagonist of the novel.

Whether it was the wild, intimidating protagonist Qin Shi, or the antagonist Zhang Canyang with his golden hair and angelic smile, both characters were hugely popular in the story.

They had chosen a low-profile bar to celebrate Hu Xun’s birthday, but surprisingly, they still ran into fans of Qin Shi.

“Star! It’s Star!”
“Star, I like you! Can I take a photo with you?”
“Star, your skin is so nice, and your nose is so high! You’re even more handsome in person than in the videos~”

Soon, Qin Shi was surrounded by stylish and attractive girls.

At first, he stood up coolly to greet the girls who came over. But when people started reaching for his hair or hands, that aloof and wild “stay away from me” expression started to crack.

“Star, your hairstyle today is amazing. Can I touch your ear?”
“No!”
“Star, your hands are so pretty! You beat Fox with these hands last season, right? Let me pinch them~”
“Don’t touch my hands! Don’t pull my hair!”

Qin Shi desperately tried to reject them.

Li Huanhuan sat nearby munching on chips, mouth agape at the surreal scene, blinking in confusion. She looked down at her chips, and two seconds later decisively tossed them back on the table, picked up the bag of cat food beside her, and prepared to leave.

Just then, Qin Shi shouted toward the dance floor: “Hu Xun! Xiao Yu!”

Hu Xun, Zhou Jianyu, and a cool-looking girl on the dance floor all turned to look. Qin Shi struggled to move toward the dance floor, and the crowd around him shifted with him, causing even more chaos.

Just as Li Huanhuan stepped out of the booth and hadn’t even regained her balance, she was bumped from behind by the crowd and stumbled forward.

Just as she was about to fall, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Her head bumped into a firm, warm “wall,” and she started seeing stars.

She looked up, teary-eyed, to see Qin Shi’s cold, sharp face.

Before she could even process why he was here, she felt her wrist being pulled forcefully. “Ah—” She didn’t have time to speak before Qin Shi dragged her through the crowd toward the back of the bar. At that moment, she realized there was a staircase hidden in the corner.

Qin Shi seemed familiar with the place and quickly pulled her upstairs.

“Star! Star is over there!”

Someone sharp-eyed spotted them.

Li Huanhuan’s heart was pounding as she glanced nervously at Qin Shi. But he seemed completely unfazed, his grip on her hand never faltering.

Clack—

The storage room door shut behind them.

They hid inside.

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

Footsteps rushed outside.

“Where’s Star? I saw him run this way!”
“Where did he go?”
“Keep looking! Maybe he went further back!”

The footsteps gradually faded, and the chaotic lighting outside the door slowly returned to normal.

In the dark, Li Huanhuan held her breath. Only when it was completely quiet outside did she finally exhale — but then she heard breathing above her head and froze again.

Qin Shi… was right in front of her?

The storage room was too small, and to fit both of them, Qin Shi had basically enveloped her in his arms. One hand rested above her head, her back pressed against the wall, and they were face-to-face. Even though he tried not to touch her, the space was too tight, and she could practically hear his heartbeat.

A strange tension filled the air between them.

Li Huanhuan suddenly felt thirsty, her face flushed. Even though it was dark and Qin Shi couldn’t see her, she still instinctively looked away.

“Sorry.”

Qin Shi broke the silence, his voice low — probably to avoid drawing attention from outside. It tickled her ears and made her squirm, causing her to turn her face, brushing against the back of his hand.

“Sorry,” Li Huanhuan apologized this time.

“It’s fine. I dragged you into this mess. Man, are all girls this scary?” Qin Shi had just spoken when more footsteps came from outside.

Tap tap, tap tap.

Both of them held their breath again.

“Huh? This is a storage room?” someone stopped outside.

Click.

Someone tried the door but couldn’t open it.

“Won’t open?”
“Is it locked?”

After a while, the voices faded.

Still unsure if the crowd would come back, they stayed silent.

In the darkness, with sight gone, the other senses became sharper. Li Huanhuan couldn’t see, but she could hear Qin Shi’s breathing, feel his heartbeat, and smell his distinct scent — making her feel more and more awkward and wanting it to end quickly.

She had no idea how long it took before the search was finally over.

Clutching the cat food, she dashed out of the storage room and exhaled hard.

Qin Shi followed behind and sent a message on his phone. Then he said, “There are still people in the front. Let’s go out the back.”

They took a staircase behind the storage room and exited through the bar’s back door.

“Huh?” Li Huanhuan looked at him in surprise.

“This bar belongs to my teammate’s cousin. I’ve been here before,” Qin Shi explained.

She nodded, seeming to understand.

“You’re still holding that?”

Qin Shi noticed the bag of cat food she was carrying.

She looked down — of course she was! She paid for it.

Qin Shi pulled out his car keys. “Let’s go, I’ll give you a ride.”

“Huh?”

“What, you still want to go back and drink more?” He dangled the keys, raising an eyebrow.

“No.”

She quickly shook her head. “I mean, you don’t have to bother. I’ll just take the bus home.”

A blind date followed by a ride home — that felt way too ambiguous.

Clutching the cat food, she took a couple steps back. “Thanks for today. I’m heading home now.”

“You’re rejecting me?” Qin Shi looked surprised.

Just then, someone poked their head out of a window on the second floor of the bar. “Star! It’s Star!”

Thump thump thump! Someone was running through the hallway, coming downstairs.

Qin Shi had been spotted.

“You’ve been found,” Li Huanhuan pointed helpfully toward the bar, then turned and ran toward the bus stop like she didn’t want to be dragged into the mess again.

Thump thump thump!

Fans appeared at the stairs.

“Star! Star!”

Qin Shi knew it was time to run.

Still, he was both shocked and annoyed that Li Huanhuan ditched him so quickly. He ran a few steps in the opposite direction, then turned to look at the woman already at the bus stop.

“Li Huanhuan!”

She turned back under the night sky.

“Stay away from Fox! He’s only getting close to you because of me!” Qin Shi shouted across the distance.

The fans were already downstairs. Qin Shi had no time to explain further and dashed off.

“Huh? What?” Li Huanhuan stared at his disappearing figure, puzzled.

What did Qin Shi just say?

Right then, the bus arrived. Clutching the cat food, she got on.

There weren’t many passengers. She found a window seat at the back. Watching the streetlights flicker by, she felt like the whole day had been a dream.

“Hello, Mom?”

Her mother called to ask how the blind date went.

Thinking about their time together earlier, Li Huanhuan said over the phone, “It’s not a good match… Yeah, he’s tall and handsome — 1.88 meters, girls would love his face… but too bad, he’s just not into your daughter. Sigh, no need to push it anymore…”

---