Chapter 496: Day 24 into the Alien War Story

Chapter 496: Day 24 in the Alien War Story

Zhang Yuankai snorted. "I don't care, I'm not partnering with you anyway."

Then he looked at An Yi, his eyes filled with anticipation. "How about it?"

An Yi nodded. "Sure."

"Yes!" Zhang Yuankai made a victory gesture.

Chen Heguang let out a wail, his food suddenly losing its appeal. "Guess I'm stuck with Shi Luo then... Shi Luo, you won't mind, right?"

Shi Luo didn't even look up, his voice flat. "Yeah, I would."

"Ugh!" Chen Heguang clutched his chest in fake pain.

The dorm erupted in laughter.

An Yi smiled too. He walked over to his desk, sat down, and opened his laptop.

The screen lit up, covered with dense literature and complex mathematical models.

The glow from the screen fell on his face, outlining his sharp features.

Chen Heguang stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke up. "An Yi, has anyone ever told you that you look... what's that word? Drop-dead gorgeous?"

An Yi glanced up at him, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "You already told me I was handsome when we first met."

"That's different!" Chen Heguang put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Handsome is handsome, but you... man, I can't quite put it into words. It's like... one look and you can't forget it."

An Yi shook his head and continued typing.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, making crisp, rhythmic clicks.

Shi Luo also looked up and adjusted his glasses. "True. Yesterday I went to the library and overheard two girls from the literature department talking about a 'god-tier junior' in the physics department. Their descriptions were pretty over the top—things like 'an anime character come to life' and 'cold, untouchable vibe.'"

Zhang Yuankai chuckled and added, "There's a thread on the forum too. On that anonymous campus forum, someone snapped a side-profile shot of you—probably a creep shot, not the best angle, but it already had hundreds of comments. Everyone was asking who he was, what major he was in, and if anyone had his number."

He paused, then added, "But the moderator deleted the post later, saying it violated his privacy."

An Yi kept typing, his voice calm. "Why are you guys so hung up on this? Don't worry about it."

"So this is what it's like to be a good-looking guy?" Zhang Yuankai scrunched up his face, his tone exaggerated. "If someone praised me like that, I'd be walking on air by now."

Chen Heguang handed him a mirror mid-bite.

Zhang Yuankai: "..."

An Yi chuckled but didn't say anything.

But his fingers paused, just barely noticeable.

He was used to people staring by now, but now... there was one particular look.

That look was too heavy, too intense, too persistent.

And that person was special too.

He thought back to that morning, outside the teaching building, to that look and that presence under the tree.

And those eyes—even from a distance, through the shadows, he could feel the emotions swirling in them.

Pain, struggle, longing, and... love.

Yes, love.

An Yi closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his brow.

How could he not notice?

An Cheng...

He silently said the name to himself, then let out a soft sigh.

"An Yi?" Chen Heguang's voice pulled him back to reality. "You alright? You look a little pale."

An Yi opened his eyes and looked back at the screen.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice as calm as ever. "Just a little tired."

"Then come back early after class and get some rest," Zhang Yuankai said, his tone concerned. "Anyway, it's Friday—no class tomorrow, so you can sleep in."

"Mm," An Yi replied.

But his gaze drifted toward the balcony without him realizing it.

From the third floor, he could see the residential neighborhood outside campus.

Rows of buildings lined up neatly, their glass windows glaring in the sunlight like countless silent eyes, watching the campus.

Behind one of those windows...

An Yi looked away and kept typing.

----------

On Friday afternoon, An Yi walked out of the teaching building with his three roommates.

Chen Heguang took the lead, stretching with a big yawn, his joints cracking softly.

He tilted his head back and let out a long breath toward the sky. "I'm dead... I just want to go back to the dorm and lie down, gaming until the end of time."

"Same," Shi Luo said, following behind him, holding a stack of thick textbooks in one hand and rubbing his tired eyes with the other. "But I still need to return books to the library."

"We'll head back to the dorm first, then," Zhang Yuankai said, turning to look at An Yi walking beside him. "What about you, An Yi?"

An Yi was about to answer when his gaze landed on someone not far away.

At the other end of the path, a familiar figure was heading their way.

It was An Cheng.

He looked like he'd just gotten out of class too, carrying a dark backpack. He was staring at his phone, brows slightly furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, like he was dealing with some annoying message.

Chen Heguang followed An Yi's gaze, his eyes brightening. He lowered his voice and said, "Oh? Another good-looking guy, but not as good-looking as you..."

He nudged An Yi with his elbow, his tone playful.

An Yi: "..."

Before he could finish, An Cheng looked up.

His gaze swept across the crowd, then settled on An Yi.

In that instant, An Yi saw a whirlwind of complex emotions flash through An Cheng's eyes.

Surprise, panic, struggle—and finally, deep within those always-steady eyes, a hint of pain that threatened to overflow... a pain so real, so raw.

That pain was too real, too raw for words.

A brief blankness flickered across An Cheng's face. His lips moved like he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.

But he quickly masked the blankness.

An Cheng walked over. "Xiao Yi." He stopped two steps away.

"Brother." An Yi responded with a smile, like the most well-behaved little brother, then turned to introduce his three roommates: "This is my brother, An Cheng, from the Finance Department."

He then looked back at An Cheng, his gaze perfectly calm: "These are my roommates—Chen Heguang, Shi Luo, and Zhang Yuankai."

"Hello." An Cheng nodded, his tone polite, his gaze quickly sweeping over the three roommates' faces before landing back on An Yi.

"Oh hey!" Chen Heguang was the first to react, flashing a bright, white-toothed smile: "So An Yi has an older brother! No wonder you're both so good-looking!"

He's not!

An Cheng almost blurted it out loud.

He's not An Yi's brother! They share no blood!

They're just... just brothers on paper, two kids adopted by An Qionglan.

He's not his real brother!

But he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He could only stand there, listening to An Yi say "this is my brother" in that calm, natural tone, listening to Chen Heguang say "no wonder" in that matter-of-fact way, listening to the hustle and bustle of people passing by, listening to his own heart beating heavily and slowly in his chest.

It hurt.

It hurt so much that his fingertips went numb, his throat tightened, and he almost doubled over in pain.