Chapter 1296: FIRST DAY OF UNIVERSITY

"BROTHER ZE?"

Luo Yan's voice pulled Bai Ze sharply out of his memories. He blinked hard and focused his eyes back on the road in front of him. Thinking about what had happened after he almost dropped that box, he couldn't stop his cheeks from heating all over again.

He remembered how he had fumbled with the box, his grip slipping on the smooth plastic. The whole thing had tilted sharply, the angel-and-demon figurines sliding violently to one side inside. He had made a desperate, flailing grab for it and somehow caught it hard against his chest with a loud, embarrassing thump. The sound had drawn looks from several people nearby.

Xia Li had stared at him for a frozen second, her eyes wide, before she clapped both hands over her mouth. Her shoulders had shaken with silent, helpless laughter, tears of mirth gathering in her eyes. He had just stood there, frozen, clutching the box of entangled, half-naked figures like a life preserver, his face burning so hot he was sure it was glowing.

The only good thing that came from the whole embarrassing mess was that, by the end of the day, he felt like he and Xia Li had gotten a lot closer. Or at least, he believed they had. He didn't think he was being delusional and just imagining the entire shift in their relationship. The way she had teased him gently afterward, the easy conversation that picked right back up, it all felt more comfortable than before.

And to prove his point, they had met up two more times in real life since the bookstore trip. Once, they went to a different cafe. Another time, they just walked around a park. They still played and talked together in the game all the time, of course. But those two extra real-life meetings felt significant.

Bai Ze cleared his throat, pushing the warm, embarrassing memories aside. He finally responded to the question Luo Yan had asked earlier. "Yeah, I did. We've met a couple of times in person since then," he said, trying to sound casual. "We... we're definitely closer now."

Because he was looking straight at the road, Bai Ze didn't see the knowing, cheerful smile that crossed his cousin's face.

"Good for you, Brother Ze," Luo Yan said, his voice warm with genuine approval.

He had thought Bai Ze wouldn't actually do anything about his feelings for Xia Li. Honestly, he had wondered if his cousin had even realized he had those feelings yet. But it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

He was truly happy for his cousin. Bai Ze was a good guy who deserved someone nice. Luo Yan sincerely hoped things would go well for him, that his feelings would be returned, and that he wouldn't get his heart hurt.

***

Arriving at university, Luo Yan went straight to the building where his first class was. He walked into a large, tiered lecture hall for Data Structures and Algorithms, a core course for his major. The room was filling up with other students. The front screens were dark, and the digital whiteboard at the side was blank, waiting for the lecture to begin. He found a seat, opened his laptop, and pulled up the syllabus from the course website to glance over it one more time.

Although he had taken this exact course in his past life, that didn't mean he remembered every single formula or coding method. Especially since he had never actually gotten a job after graduating the first time. In his last life, he simply hadn't lived long enough after university to put most of this knowledge to real use. Because of that, a lot of the specific, practical knowledge had just simply faded away from lack of use.

It would be different this time around, though. Because he would make absolutely sure that he wouldn't die right after graduation again. If he had to find a monk and beg for a protective talisman, he would do it. But Luo Yan had a strong feeling it wouldn't happen again. If it did, then it wouldn't be bad luck anymore—it would be a full-on curse. Dying once could be written off as a terrible accident. Dying a second time in the same way would mean fate itself was just messing with him.

The lecture hall continued to fill with students until almost every seat was taken. A few minutes after the scheduled start time, the professor finally walked in. He went straight to the podium at the front of the room and began setting up his laptop.

The professor looked up from the podium and scanned the room. "Good morning, everyone," he said in a calm voice. "Welcome to Data Structures and Algorithms."

***

After his first class ended, Luo Yan closed his laptop and put it back in his bag. He stood up with the rest of the students. He and Shen Ji Yun had planned to meet in front of their department's main building, so he was eager to leave. He couldn't wait to see him. He also really wanted to ask if anyone from the Shen family had tried to contact him over the weekend.

As he was walking out of the lecture hall, he was surprised when a small group of his new classmates approached him. They looked excited and a little hesitant.

"Excuse me," one of them, a guy with glasses, said. "Are you... Noctis? From Yunyue?"

Another girl chimed in, her eyes wide. "We're huge fans! We watched all your games during Arcadia Cup!"

Luo Yan blinked. He had known he might be recognized, but he had expected no one to actually come up and talk to him like this right after class.

But he quickly returned to his senses and offered them a friendly smile. "Yes, that's me," he said. "Thank you for supporting our team."

They became even more excited at his friendly answer. It was clear they wanted to ask more questions. But they were standing right in the middle of the aisle, and Luo Yan could see other students trying to get past, looking annoyed.

"I'm sorry," Luo Yan said, giving them an apologetic smile as he took a small step to the side. "I really have to go meet someone. Maybe we can talk another time?"

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