The Agricultural University campus is massive.
Getting from the pedestrian street to the dormitory area on foot took a good dozen minutes, and once there, you still had to climb flights of stairs—a genuinely heavy workout.
After picking up the delivery from the breakfast shop, Li Youzhi hopped on his little e-bike and sped toward the dormitories.
It was a little past eight in the morning, right around the time many students were waking up.
Dressed head-to-toe in his "pure love battle robe" and carrying the takeout, Li Youzhi rode his e-bike all the way through campus, naturally drawing plenty of curious stares.
"Huh? What's going on with this guy?"
"Zhou Jingyao... which department is she from?"
"Foreign Languages, I think. I heard last night some guy went and sang under the girls' dorms, caused quite a scene. Could it be this dude?"
"That's definitely him! Junior in the Film and Literature Department, my girlfriend sent me a video of it yesterday. This guy had it so rough... Tried to chase a goddess, only to have the goddess list him for sale on Xianyu. Spent over a grand in living expenses in a month, only to find out at the very end that the person on the other end wasn't the goddess at all, but some guy..."
"Damn! So tragic, licked the wrong target and everything! Look at him, licked himself right into bankruptcy, haha!"
Hearing the whispering around him, Li Youzhi jogged down the dormitory hallway with the takeout. Before long, the collar of his hoodie was soaked with sweat.
As for those discussions and evaluations, Li Youzhi didn't care about them in the slightest.
Humiliated?
That was Li Youzhi's humiliation—what did it have to do with Brother Zhi?
Besides... for a top-tier looks-obsessed guy like Li Youzhi, being dumped by a catfish was already the absolute most humiliating thing possible. Compared to that, everything else just became trivial.
"Classmate, your dorm's breakfast has arrived!"
Following the address on the delivery bag, Li Youzhi knocked on a dorm room door.
With a smile at the few male students who had just woken up, he handed the takeout over.
"Thanks a lot, man... Huh?"
The sleepy-eyed student took the breakfast, and as his gaze accidentally swept over the two large lines of text on Li Youzhi's clothes, he instantly snapped awake.
"Bro, are... are you the guy from Moments last night who was singing downstairs at the girls' dorm?"
"Yep."
Li Youzhi nodded and grinned broadly.
"Are you doing this because..."
Not only girls loved gossip, but guys also possessed a burning desire to watch the drama unfold. Placing the takeout on a bottom bunk, the few guys in the room gathered around.
Being scrutinized by them like a monkey at the zoo, Li Youzhi let out a deep sigh...
"Sigh... I spent a whole month acting like a simpering bootlicker, ordering takeout every day for the girl I thought was my goddess. My allowance for the entire semester is completely gone. I had no choice, so I came out to take on a part-time job."
"How much did you spend?"
Seeing him like this, the student who had just taken the food couldn't help asking.
By then, several students in the hallway had also gathered around.
Surrounded by a bunch of curious onlookers, Li Youzhi secretly raised an eyebrow.
The chance to ruin Zhou Jingyao's day had arrived!
With that thought, his lips parted, and he let out a long sigh. "Let me put it to you like this, brothers: my family's financial situation is pretty average, and I only get three thousand yuan in allowance for the whole semester. Usually, I don't even order meat dishes when I go to the cafeteria, and I have to think twice before buying a cup of Mixue Bingcheng lemonade. But over the past month, I ordered Peach House Plus milk tea, Pizza Hut delivery, and Three Squirrels snacks for Zhou Jingyao—well, who I *thought* was Zhou Jingyao. Right now, I have a grand total of fifty yuan left to my name. I don't dare tell my family that the allowance meant to last until the end of the term is already gone. I had no other choice..."
At the very end, Li Youzhi raised his head.
Seeing his red-rimmed eyes, filled with self-blame, regret, and even a tiny trace of anger, all the guys present fell silent.
The ultimate tragedy of the human world!
"Bro, take it from me: if you don't have the funds, don't date. Otherwise, it really... hurts too much."
Amid the silence, Li Youzhi gave a heavy pat to the shoulder of the classmate holding the takeout, left behind a "Enjoy your meal, remember to leave a good review," and turned away desolately.
"Bro, wait!"
A shout broke the silence. Li Youzhi stopped and turned back to see the student who had just taken his delivery running after him.
Catching up to Li Youzhi, the guy didn't say another word and pressed a ten-yuan bill into Li Youzhi's hand.
"It's just a little something, don't look down on it. Think of it as a pack of cigarettes from a brother."
Shaking his head, Li Youzhi pushed the money back.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but a person must always pay for their own mistakes. Hurry back and eat your meal, bro, and then get to class. Study up and learn a thing or two. Knowledge is different from girls—you pay for it once, and whatever you learn stays yours forever. In this lifetime, you're the only one who might forget it; there's no way it'll ever betray you."
Pushing the money firmly back, Li Youzhi turned once more and strode rapidly toward the end of the hallway.
By now, most of his back was soaked through with sweat.
The bold red characters reading "Wise men do not fall in love" were stained by sweat, leaving streak-like "bloodstains" across his white clothes, creating a striking visual impact.
His heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Matched with his forlorn back, the atmosphere in the entire dormitory hallway turned oppressive—stuffy enough to make it hard to breathe, like the moments right before a violent storm.
*Bip!*
Received 266 Awe Points!
Hearing the system notification ring in his ear, the corners of Li Youzhi's mouth curved upward.
At the same time.
*Click.*
Someone in the hallway whipped out a phone and snapped a photo of Li Youzhi's retreating back.
"So tragic! Simp, simp, simped till you ended up with nothing!"
The guy taking the photo grinned widely and tried to be clever.
"What the fuck?"
Unexpectedly, his remark ignited the anger of all the guys on the scene.
"What the hell are you laughing at, man? Was that what you call a simp? That was clearly a poor soul trapped by love!"
"If you're gonna fucking laugh, laugh at that woman! Why are you laughing at my brother?"
"Is sincerity funny? Is devotion funny? Fuck your mother!"
Knocking the phone right out of the photographer's hand, the guys in the hallway swarmed toward the far end of the corridor.
...
Downstairs in the dorm building.
"Bro, stay strong!"
"Don't lose heart, she's the one who doesn't deserve you. You deserve better!"
Looking up at the classmates who had rushed out onto the balconies to cheer him on, Li Youzhi flashed a brilliant smile and gave them a thumbs-up.
Watching the group of college students who had been utterly moved into a sloppy mess by just a tiny bit of acting on his part, Li Youzhi couldn't help silently giving himself a mental pat on the back.
His looks might not be cutting it anymore, but Brother Zhi's inner substance was still dazzling.
Just by making a slight move, he had already tested the limits of this tier.
With acting skills like this, Brother Zhi just wanted to ask—who, else, could possibly rival him?!
Starting up his little e-bike amid the cheers and encouragement of the crowd, Li Youzhi sped off toward the campus gates.
*Bip!*
【Completed 2-star suggestion (find a part-time job), reward: F-grade treasure chest】
【Opening treasure chest...】
【Congratulations user, obtained Physical Enhancement Concoction X1. Description: After consumption, grants a minor boost to stamina and endurance. P.S.: Twelve bottles to a box. One bottle clears the mind, two bottles relieve fatigue, three bottles keep you going all night long, bringing you lasting athletic energy!】
Ooh-hoo-hoo!
Hearing the reward notification from the system, Li Youzhi grinned broadly.
Not bad at all.
With this stuff, his grand weight-loss plan was going to go even more smoothly!
*Beep, beep, beep.*
Just as he was thinking that, his phone chimed with a notification.
Seeing that the delivery manager had posted another order, he immediately replied back with a "Right away!"
Facing the eight-or-nine-o'clock morning sun, Li Youzhi twisted the throttle of his little e-bike all the way down and charged full speed toward his target!