The rebirth of lickspittle

Zhang Fan returned to the dormitory.

He found the third roommate, Jin Hui, with a bruised and swollen face, dabbing blood with a tissue. The second roommate glared at him angrily, his eyes filled with the intent to kill.

The atmosphere was tense—it was clear the two had just fought, and the local boy Jin Hui had come out worse.

"You just wait! I'm from Huayang, and there's no way I'm letting an outsider bully me!" Jin Hui shouted.

"Big talk! Not convinced? Let's go again!"

"You wait! Tomorrow, you're gonna regret this!" Jin Hui cursed while fumbling with his phone, as if calling reinforcements.

The eldest, Niu Qiang, was a 21-year-old rural guy who had repeated school twice. Dark-skinned and strong, he stood between the two to prevent another fight.

The second roommate was Uyghur, named Aisha Nurwulam Rejep Balati. His full name was so long that no one could remember it; they simply called him "Old Two."

Zhang Fan sat on his bed, lit a cigarette, and watched the two of them argue with amusement.

"Zhang Fan! Y-You… how did you get more handsome?" Jin Hui blurted out, caught off guard as he looked at Zhang Fan.

Everyone turned their eyes to Zhang Fan.

Each of them felt that Zhang Fan indeed looked noticeably better than he did earlier that day.

Zhang Fan was momentarily stunned but quickly realized it must be the result of the system reward he received—a slight increase in his charm stat.

Of course, he couldn't reveal the existence of the system.

"Haven't I always been this handsome?" he replied smugly.

The roommates smacked their lips but didn't argue. Though they weren't keen to admit it, they had to agree—Zhang Fan was indeed the best-looking among them, with sharp features, an excellent physique, and an unmatched aura.

Jin Hui, however, didn't let go of the matter. "Zhang Fan! Are you a local?"

"Uh, why are you asking?"

"I'm asking if you're local! A local getting beaten by an outsider—isn't that disgraceful? Are you going to help me or not?"

The room fell silent. Everyone looked at Zhang Fan, especially Old Two, who seemed particularly nervous.

Old Two wasn't too afraid of Jin Hui, as he viewed Jin as a loudmouth who acted tough but was, in fact, all bark and no bite. However, Zhang Fan's quiet demeanor carried a certain weight that made him hard to ignore.

Zhang Fan took a drag of his cigarette and asked, "Can you at least tell me why you two fought?"

Old Two immediately spoke up. "Jin Hui is a bastard! He tried to steal my girlfriend!"

"That's nonsense!" Jin Hui retorted. "Gulnaba said herself you two weren't even a couple!"

"I chased her all the way to Huayang! I'm this close to winning her over! And you, my own roommate, pull this crap?!"

"You think I wanted to be your roommate?"

"If not for me, you wouldn't even know her!"

"Well, thanks so much, then," Jin Hui sneered sarcastically.

Seeing the two about to go at it again, Zhang Fan pointed to the youngest roommate, He Guangxi.

"You explain."

He Guangxi swallowed nervously.

"Uh, well, this kind of involves you, Fourth Brother. You asked me to look up a girl named Gu Youan, right? I couldn't find much about her in the school database, so I checked her roommates instead. One of them is Gulnaba—a stunningly beautiful Uyghur girl, just as pretty as Gu Youan. Their dorm has so many beauties!"

Zhang Fan frowned. "Get to the point."

"Oh, right, right." He Guangxi grinned sheepishly. "So Gulnaba was easy to track. She's a gorgeous Uyghur girl who got recruited three years ago into the ethnic performing arts program. Old Two said she's his girlfriend and that he worked hard to get into Huayang just for her.

"To help you find Gu Youan, Old Two invited Gulnaba out. But Gulnaba said she wasn't Old Two's girlfriend—they just knew each other as kids. Then Old Three said he wanted to pursue her, and promised he'd make her a star since he knows lots of directors. And, well, Old Two punched him."

Zhang Fan extinguished his cigarette. What a soap opera.

Old Two glared at Jin Hui.

"Damn it! First you brag about nonsense I ignore, but now you're trying to steal my girl!"

"Screw you! Gulnaba said she has nothing to do with you!"

As the tension rose again, Zhang Fan didn't move but instead watched them silently.

Oddly, the two of them glanced at Zhang Fan mid-argument and then hesitated. It was as if some invisible force extinguished their tempers.

After listening to the full story, Zhang Fan asked, "Old Two, is she really your girlfriend?"

Old Two looked down, clearly upset. "We used to go to school together. She said she'd marry me back then. Now… but I'm sure she still loves me!"

"Yeah, well, I say she loves me," Jin Hui sneered. "She wants to stay in Huayang and be a star. What can you even offer her?"

Old Two gritted his teeth but couldn't find anything to say back.

Zhang Fan sighed. "Since neither of you are officially dating her, why not compete fairly? Old Two, if you think she still loves you, hold on to that. Jin Hui, if you think you're the better match, pursue her. You both seem pretty confident."

Zhang Fan handed each of them a cigarette and then offered some to the rest of the room. Everyone took one, except for Old Five, who politely declined with a smile.

"As for Jin Hui getting punched," Zhang Fan said, "you had it coming."

"Zhang Fan! How can you say that? Aren't you one of us locals? Helping an outsider? If word gets out, how will you show your face in Huayang?" Jin Hui protested, clearly miffed.

Zhang Fan replied, "Without Old Two, you wouldn't even know Gulnaba. Getting punched is your ticket fee."

Jin Hui mulled it over. That… sort of made sense.

With Zhang Fan diffusing the situation, the quarrel stopped for now, though the two were clearly still trying to outdo each other.

Later, Jin Hui added Zhang Fan on QQ.

His first message: "Bro! Help me out as a fellow local—what's the best way to win Gulnaba over? She's stunning!"

Zhang Fan replied, "Compared to Old Two, you're at a disadvantage. You barely know her, and if he asks her out alone, what can you do? Maybe just give up."

"No way, bro! Come on, help me out, and I'll treat you to dinner at the Flame of the Yellow Emperor!"

Zhang Fan smirked. This guy sure could talk big. That restaurant only accepted VIP reservations and was famously a venue for hosting foreign dignitaries. Jin Hui wouldn't afford it in a million years.

"Well, there is one way. Organize a dorm outing—both dorms, go see a movie or sing karaoke. That way, it's natural to invite her."

"Both dorms? That'll cost a lot, won't it?"

"What? You're not scared of spending money, are you?"

"Of course not! Thanks, bro! I'll arrange it soon!"

If Jin Hui were stingy about it, Zhang Fan didn't mind funding it himself. After all, while they chased Gulnaba, he had his sights set on her roommate, Gu Youan. This was the perfect opportunity to meet her.

Shortly after, Old Two approached Zhang Fan secretly.

"Bro," Old Two whispered.

Jin Hui immediately perked up from his bunk.

Zhang Fan looked at Old Two. It seemed everyone was calling him "bro" now.

"What is it?"

Old Two glanced at Jin Hui, then said, "Can we talk outside?"

After some thought, Zhang Fan got out of bed.

On the rooftop, Zhang Fan pulled out a cigarette, and Old Two quickly lit it for him.

"So, what's the problem?" Zhang Fan asked.

"I'm worried Gulnaba will end up with Jin Hui," Old Two admitted honestly.

Zhang Fan's eyes sparkled. "Then spend more time with her. Build your connection. But would it feel awkward with just the two of you?"

Old Two thought about it. "It might. I don't feel as relaxed with her as I used to."

"Then take someone with you. Girls usually bring a friend along anyway. You could bring Old Six, He Guangxi," Zhang Fan suggested deliberately.

Old Two imagined it—the pimple-faced, bespectacled chubby guy accompanying him—and immediately shook his head. Gulnaba already looked down on him; bringing He Guangxi would make it worse.

If not He Guangxi, then maybe Old One, Niu Qiang?

Niu Qiang was honest and dependable, but his rural demeanor wasn't ideal for impressing girls.

Old Three, Jin Hui, was out of the question. He was the competition.

That left only Old Four, Zhang Fan, and Old Five, Fan Tiantian.

Fan Tiantian had delicate features and a feminine air, but he was painfully shy. In a whole day, he hadn't said ten words.

Zhang Fan smoked and gazed out over the campus, waiting patiently.

He had deliberately suggested He Guangxi, knowing Old Two would ultimately ask him instead.

Sure enough, after some thought, Old Two gave him a sheepish smile. "Bro, how about coming with me?"

"Me?" Zhang Fan pretended to be surprised. "I'm pretty busy, but… you know I'm interested in meeting Gu Youan. If you can get her to come along, I can get us four tickets to the Grand Theatre's concert hall. Otherwise, forget it."

Old Two nodded enthusiastically. "She'll come, she'll come! They're all art students—she'd love that!"

Zhang Fan patted his shoulder with a smile. "Then it's up to you."