Chapter 5: Yan Huaqing – So I Have a Good Father  

After finishing his meal, Lin Yu finally bid farewell to Chen Shuhua.  

With no classes in the afternoon, he checked his messages, where one stood out prominently—impossible to miss.  

**[Yan Huaqing: You weren’t at last night’s celebration. Everyone missed you~ You must come to the Team Competition member selection for next semester this afternoon.]**  

While waiting for 001 to draft his club resignation message, he glanced at his watch and headed toward the basketball club’s venue.  

He strode forward but gradually slowed his pace as he neared the building. Standing motionless outside the basketball club’s activity hall, he tucked his hands into his pockets and waited.  

001 tilted its head in confusion. “Host, what are you doing?”  

“Nothing.”  

“If it were a normal person during the finals that day, they might’ve been anxious or frustrated.”  

Lin Yu rubbed his chin and continued, “But the team’s attitude seemed… different.”  

001 asked, “How so?”  

“Debatable.”  

001 didn’t understand, glowing in bewilderment.  

Lin Yu remained still, hands still in his pockets, and raised his wristwatch. “There’s no surveillance here. Five more minutes.”  

“I don’t think I misjudged this.”  

001: “But isn’t this a bit… unethical?”  

Lin Yu lifted his head and curiously touched his own face. “Is this considered unethical in human terms?”  

001: ?﹏?  

“Probably? I’m not human either…” 001 loaded some data.  

Lin Yu nodded. “I won’t do this next time.”  

Inside, lively discussions roared loud enough to shake the activity room. They were loudly debating the new team selections, with the focus of their arguments revolving around someone they called “Student Fang.”  

“Hahaha, our Student Fang is so reliable! He’s definitely gonna be vice-captain!”  

“Yeah, way better than that Lin Yu guy!”  

001 instantly sharpened its focus, activating recording mode as it pressed its entire spherical form against the door.  

“Pfft, Lin Yu’s too high and mighty to even show up to the celebration.”  

“Was he even that good at basketball? Didn’t we win last night thanks to Captain Yan?”  

“Seriously, I don’t get why he’s all over the Confession Wall.”  

“Tch, just bandwagoners.”  

“Can’t compare to our Fang. Rumor has it he was in the provincial team before…”  

The crowd’s discussion gradually shifted away from Lin Yu.  

001 stayed alert, continuing to monitor for a while before shutting off the recording. It blinked its big eyes in confusion at Lin Yu, who was deep in thought. “Wuwu, Lin Lin, why do they hate you so much?”  

“Wuwu, aren’t you supposed to be the Universally Beloved in this world?”  

Lin Yu raised his wrist and calmly pushed the door open. His movements were as composed as ever, even as all sound inside came to an abrupt halt the moment the door swung open.  

“Ah—Host, shouldn’t you have waited a bit longer before opening the door?”  

Silence fell instantly.  

Everyone inside turned their heads in unison at the creak of the door, their eyes landing on Lin Yu.  

Fang Siqi also looked up, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise at the sight of Lin Yu—dressed neatly, standing in stark contrast to their group of “rough” sportswear-clad guys.

Yan Huaqing quickly stepped forward, extending his hand toward Lin Yu and patting the seat beside him. “Lin Yu, you’re finally here!” he said with a smile.

Lin Yu nodded at him but remained standing, unmoving.

Yan Huaqing coughed twice, putting on a serious expression as he glanced at the team members before subtly turning his gaze back to Lin Yu. Seeing his impassive face, he relaxed slightly and spoke up, “We’ve pretty much finished discussing the team roster—”

“For the new semester, our team members will be me, Lin Yu, Fang Siqi, Zhang Shuo…”

“Any objections?”

Some frowned and nodded, their eyes repeatedly darting toward Lin Yu—

Their gazes were far from friendly.

001, taking advantage of being invisible to everyone, quietly leaned in close to Lin Yu’s ear. “Host, this club really doesn’t suit us. Maybe we should just quit…”

Lin Yu glanced at the casually lounging members in the activity room, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. His voice, low and pleasant, carried clearly, “Sorry, I have a lot of personal matters to attend to next semester.”

Yan Huaqing stared at him blankly. “Ah, really? Lin, we’ve been teammates for so long…”

His eyes held a trace of confusion, as if he had just woken up, and he scratched his head absentmindedly before fixing his gaze intently on Lin Yu.

Zhang Shuo immediately picked up the conversation. “Captain, Lin must have something important going on.”

Another member chimed in, his expression odd as he furrowed his brows and added,

“Yeah, Lin’s family is loaded. Maybe he’s inheriting the family business.” His gaze, filled with ill intent, swept over Lin Yu.

Lin Yu’s expression remained unchanged. “I’ll explain my withdrawal to the coach. Thanks for understanding.”

His decisive words left the room in a mixed atmosphere. The members exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with subtle reactions.

Without another word, Lin Yu turned and strode toward the door, his long legs carrying him forward without hesitation. The air seemed to ripple as he pushed the door open, the motion lifting the hem of his clothes in a graceful arc.

Yan Huaqing stumbled after him in a hurry. “Lin—”

He caught up to Lin Yu on the sports field, where the latter stood watching him with an amused half-smile. Yan Huaqing swallowed hard, pressing a hand to his chest as if to steady his nerves, and spoke up. “Gege, I—I’m sorry.”

He looked up at Lin Yu, his eyes glistening. “I didn’t know you wanted to leave. Did you… hear something?”

“These guys are just a bit blunt. They didn’t mean what they said…”

His gaze turned pleading. “You’re so amazing, Gege. None of us want you to leave.”

“Besides—if you go, which girls would even come to watch our matches anymore?”

Lin Yu studied his face before slowly smiling—not mockingly, but with what seemed like genuine warmth. “Isn’t there someone called… Student Fang?”

“Fang Siqi? He can’t compare to you.”

Lin Yu turned away slightly. “Seems like everyone likes him well enough.”

Yan Huaqing took a step forward, nearly pressing against Lin Yu. He clenched his sleeves tightly, his expression tinged with frustration. “Gege! Yesterday, I gave you…”

“You know what that meant, right?”

His eyes reddened as he stared intently at Lin Yu, brimming with intense emotion. “So… is brother rejecting me then?”

Yan Huaqing’s heartbeat gradually quickened. Biting his lip in disbelief, he searched desperately in Lin Yu’s pupils for answers.

Lin Yu took a step back, lowering his gaze to avoid eye contact. He brushed his sleeves absentmindedly, as if deep in thought, before speaking slowly. “Huaqing… I value sincerity in people.”

“My apologies.”

He turned and walked out of the gymnasium, leaving Yan Huaqing standing frozen in place, utterly at a loss.

In the distance, birds seemed to streak across the sky, leaving only silence in their wake.

Yan Huaqing remained rooted to the spot, fists clenched tight, his wide eyes staring blankly ahead in confusion.

001 fluttered around Lin Yu excitedly. “Host! Host! That Yan Huaqing likes you so much! Even I’m moved~”

Lin Yu suddenly burst into laughter, covering his mouth with his hand to hide his growing smile.

“This Fang Siqi… it’s no coincidence.”

“The Administrator should really upgrade your social etiquette module.”

001 short-circuited slightly, looking at Lin Yu with puppy-dog eyes. “Don’t slander the Administrator……”

Then added weakly, “And don’t slander me either.”

“Though you’re right about one thing.”

“In this world, I’m the Universally Beloved. It’s only natural people would like me.”

“But having such a bad reputation in this basketball club… 001, does that seem normal to you?”

001 shook its head.

“Access the school’s intranet. Check if there’s any connection between Fang Siqi’s application or invitation and Yan Huaqing.”

“Found it—”

“Records show Yan Huaqing actively sent the basketball club invitation form to Fang Siqi’s email a week ago.”

“I see.”

Walking along the campus path, Lin Yu felt unusually relaxed. He didn’t plan to stay in the dorm tonight—checking whether his father was properly at work seemed more important.

“What do you think of Yan Huaqing’s influence in the team?”

001 looked puzzled. “Obviously strong! He’s the captain after all.”

Lin Yu tapped his fingers rhythmically against his sleeve, completely at ease. “That’s exactly why I told Yan Huaqing I value sincerity.”

“He’s probably been secretly turning the team against me—”

“Just to highlight how uniquely kind he is to me in front of others.”

“Most likely went through great lengths to recruit Fang Siqi”

“To demonstrate his special treatment of me.”

“He’s really… dedicated.”

001 fell silent. Having just accessed the school activity room’s surveillance feed, the screen clearly showed Yan Huaqing had indeed been badmouthing Lin Yu behind his back. “He really is dedicated, Host. He genuinely likes you so much.”

Lin Yu pressed his car key. Having reached the parking lot, he opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. “Liking me does earn points in the romance department.”

He started the engine. “But judging someone with poor character solely by their motivations while ignoring their actions—”

“That would just be foolish.”

“Host, where to next? I’ll set up navigation for you.”

“Why?”

“Host, don’t be sad…… I just discovered an account sharing Yan Huaqing’s mailing address—probably his alternate account.”

“There are so many slanderous posts about you on the school forum and Confession Wall…”

001’s entire sphere dimmed slightly, as if drooping its head before landing on Lin Yu’s shoulder. “He’s so scary…”

“Host, Host, the Main Quest has refreshed (＾－＾)V!”

“It’s a crucial node you must complete in these Small Worlds, related to your fortune points. The system strongly recommends you complete it~”

“Tonight you need to go to a bar and rescue the original world’s male lead who’s being harassed by a client.”

“To prevent chaos in the Small World, we just need to follow the normal plot progression. Completing all plot points will repair the Small World.”

Lin Yu scrolled through the light screen with one hand, pointing at a particular section while massaging his forehead. “Sending the male lead to a love hotel and drafting a Cohabitation contract counts as normal plot progression?”

001 materialized its physical form, only to have its head immediately pressed down by Lin Yu. It extinguished its glow in protest. “That’s just how it is… The original character’s personality was the ultimate scumbag – never initiating, never refusing, never taking responsibility.”

Lin Yu: …

“Fine then, I’ll go ‘cohabitate’ with him and see how it goes.”