Zhou Yi's three roommates exchanged glances from afar, shook their heads, and walked off.
They hadn't treated Zhou Yi well before, and now they felt too awkward to approach him.
Zhou Yi looked at the boys in front of him, some of whom had mocked him previously, but he didn't refuse their offers.
"Sure, let's go."
Zhou Yi accepted the invitations, and the boys collectively sighed in relief.
As they walked toward the cafeteria, nearly every head turned to look at Zhou Yi.
Girls whispered amongst themselves, stealing glances.
"Wow, isn't that the senior from Visual Arts? So handsome."
"He looks even better in person than in the forum photos."
"I agree—he's way hotter in real life."
"Should we ask for his contact info?"
"No point. I heard he doesn't add anyone. Pretty aloof."
The boys walking with Zhou Yi couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy hearing all the chatter.
"Zhou Yi, we judged you unfairly before and said some harsh things. We hope you won't hold it against us."
"Yeah, sorry about that. Let me treat you to dinner today—it's my way of apologizing."
Zhou Yi knew exactly why they'd changed their tune.
But people were predictable: they admired strength and mocked weakness. Only by becoming strong could you earn respect.
College was like its own little society—if you were strong, people respected you; if you were weak, you got pushed aside.
Zhou Yi wasn't arrogant. He smiled humbly and replied, "Don't worry about it. I wasn't exactly likable back then."
His words made the boys feel even guiltier.
Before long, they were calling each other brothers.
Later, they headed to an internet café and played a few rounds of games together. Surprisingly, Zhou Yi excelled at gaming too.
"Whoa, dude, what kind of skills are these?"
"Incredible!"
"What rank are you? Take me under your wing next time, bro!"
Zhou Yi calmly operated the mouse while the others, who had initially joined him, gathered around to watch him dominate the game.
If you're wondering why Zhou Yi was so good at gaming, it was thanks to a temporary cheat from the system—only active for three hours, but enough to make an impression.
By dinnertime, Zhou Yi still insisted on heading to the cafeteria.
During the meal, they all grew curious about how Zhou Yi's grades had improved so dramatically.
This was probably the biggest mystery on everyone's mind—and perhaps the real reason they'd invited him to dinner.
Zhou Yi stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth and, under their expectant stares, casually remarked, "Maybe I suddenly unlocked my full potential."
The boy sitting next to Zhou Yi, Xu Yu, laughed and nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, stop teasing us. Just share your secret already, will you?"
With food still in his mouth, Zhou Yi mumbled, "If you insist… I guess it's talent plus hard work."
Wang Yang chimed in curiously, "But why did you bomb exams before? Math doesn't improve overnight. What's your secret?"
Xu Yu leaned in mysteriously. "Were you hiding your true abilities back then? Intentionally failing to fly under the radar?"
Zhou Yi seemed caught off guard by the question. He paused for a moment, gave Xu Yu a complicated look, and then fell silent.
His silence spoke volumes—it was as if he'd confirmed their suspicions without saying a word.
The group exchanged glances. Could the rumors circulating about Zhou Yi be true?
Had he intentionally pretended to be a low-key loser?
Without Zhou Yi knowing, speculations about him had already spread through the Visual Communication department multiple times.
In addition to the main class group chat, there were always smaller cliques exchanging messages.
The people having dinner with Zhou Yi that day had seen Zhang Lili's wild theories floating around in those chats.
Xu Yu pulled out his phone and sent a flurry of exclamation marks in one of the smaller group chats.
[Xu Yu (Profile stays the same until I rank #1): !!! Guys, GUYS! I'm having dinner with Zhou Yi right now. Guess what just happened?!]
[City Belle: What?? Stop dragging it out, tell us already!]
[Su Ning: .]
[18-Year-Old Pure Stepmom: ??? You're eating with Zhou Yi and didn't invite me?? Get his WeChat ASAP!]]
All ten members of the group urged Xu Yu to stop beating around the bush.
[Xu Yu (Profile stays the same until I rank #1): Lili was spot-on! Zhou Yi WAS pretending to be a loser this whole time!]
[City Belle: Spill the tea!!!]
[18-Year-Old Pure Stepmom: Where are you guys? I'm coming to join!!]
[Xu Yu (Profile stays the same until I rank #1): We asked him straight-up if he was hiding his true skills and purposely tanking his scores. Zhou Yi froze for a moment, gave me this intense look, and then stayed quiet. Total confirmation, right?]
[City Belle: OMG, I NEED to see this for myself! Give me your location NOW!]