ABMSI Chapter 64
by Suxxi“Wuhu! I dodged the bullet! I! Do! Not! Have!”
The Alpha, who only had one finger left, jumped up from his seat like he’d won the lottery. A few classmates shrank back in shock.
“As expected—love only slows down my gaming speed!”
Everyone around him just stared with deadpan faces. After a long, awkward beat, the overly-excited Alpha finally processed what he had shouted. His eyes widened as he screamed again:
“Wait—WHAT?! The campus prince actually likes someone?!”
His volume practically shook the walls. Peng Yan rolled his eyes.
“Why don’t you yell louder? Maybe the whole hot pot restaurant hasn’t heard yet.”
The Alpha instantly shut his mouth like a well-trained dog. Luckily, everyone here was from Class 8—otherwise, somebody in the restaurant might already be crying in heartbreak.
Everyone obediently folded down their fingers. In the brief silence, Fu Duqiu subtly turned his head, his gaze sliding toward Duan Wei. Duan Wei simply bent down his middle finger and went on laughing with the others.
He still didn’t like anyone yet…
Fu Duqiu’s eyes dimmed, unsure whether that was a blessing or a disaster.
A school heartthrob having a crush—this was nuclear-level gossip. Several classmates instantly lost interest in the game and latched onto Fu Duqiu, trying to dig out clues. But his lips were sealed tighter than a bank vault.
A girl sitting beside him wracked her brain for a tactic. After much effort, she finally blurted out:
“T-The person I like… doesn’t go to First High!”
“Damn, that’s incredible!” a Beta burst out. “That’s not just baiting the school prince—we’re all confessing our secrets now!”
And in front of everyone’s tense, expectant eyes, Fu Duqiu quietly folded down one finger, leaving only his pinky standing.
!!!
Even Duan Wei, who was just watching for fun, ended up staring at him. The hint was crystal clear:
The person the girl described had the same condition as Fu Duqiu’s crush.
So—the person he likes is from First High.
Who could it be? Xu Jianian? But their progress wasn’t that fast, right…?
He was utterly confused.
Meanwhile, Peng Yan, who already understood the situation, sighed like an old soul who’d seen too much.
Everyone stared at Fu Duqiu’s last finger, pinning their hope on the class monitor.
An Alpha beside them excitedly urged,
“Monitor! It’s all on you! One line, and we can crack the case!”
“No problem,” the monitor smirked, pushing his glasses. His eyes glinted with confidence.
“The person I like… is not in this private room.”
All eyes locked onto Fu Duqiu. If he folded his last finger, it meant the person he liked was in Class 8. If he didn’t, then the person wasn’t.
Either answer would be a bombshell.
But Fu Duqiu didn’t move. Didn’t speak. After a long, breathtaking silence—just when everyone thought the round was over—Fu Duqiu glanced sideways at Duan Wei, picked up his wine glass, and said calmly:
“I’ll drink.”
Silence. Dead silence.
Then chaos exploded.
Earlier, when the hint was only “not from First High,” everyone still had room to speculate.
Now the target zone had shrunk to Class 8 itself.
In an instant, most of the class turned to stare straight at Duan Wei, each brain running wild:
A: “Hold up, did I misunderstand the game rules? It’s the opposite that means finger down, right?”
B: “So he freaking likes someone in OUR class??”
C: “Holy sht holy sht this is straight-up a public confession! And I’m watching it for free??”
D: “Quick! Keep playing! Name everyone in class one by one! They’re confessing today if it kills us!!”
As observers see clearly while the clueless sit in the center of the storm, only one person remained ignorant: Duan Wei.
He stood there stunned, brain spinning in circles:
What?? Fu Duqiu likes Xu Jianian?? Since when?? Am I supposed to move to Phase Two now??
He even leaned toward Fu Duqiu to confirm, hesitating.
“So… the person you like is in our class?”
“Yeah,” Fu Duqiu admitted openly. Seeing Duan Wei still not getting it, he added, emphasizing each word:
“You know him very well.”
Duan Wei’s eyes grew wider and wider. His thoughts spun further and further off track.
Very well? That can only mean… Xu Jianian, right???
In that instant, he didn’t know whether to cheer or weep. His heart practically lit fireworks.
Finally—FINALLY—after surviving the agonizing “fake pursuit” stage, he’d officially entered Phase Two.
He was so moved he almost cried.
Luckily, his poker face was decent enough. Since he still didn’t speak, Fu Duqiu—rarely—couldn’t quite read Duan Wei’s mood. So he cautiously asked,
“Then… what do you think I should do?”
“What else can you do?” Duan Wei shot back instantly, not even blinking, “Confess, of course—”
Before he could finish, he felt a sharp kick from the person sitting next to him. He turned to Peng Yan, confused:
“Why are you kicking me??”
“……”
The spectator Peng Yan broke into a cold sweat. At this point, he felt Fu Duqiu might as well tattoo ‘I like Duan Wei’ right across his forehead. Out of the fifty-something people present, literally everyone understood except Duan Wei.
Peng Yan forced a smile as he stretched his leg, eyebrows twitching, “Just stretching…!”
Please, Brother Duan, I beg you, stop throwing yourself into the wolf’s mouth…
But our clueless Duan Wei caught none of this. He casually waved his hand, “Then go stretch somewhere else.”
Peng Yan: “???”
With that out of the way, Duan Wei turned back to the other side, continuing his pep talk.
“My advice: just confess already. The college entrance exam is coming—we can’t let your beautiful youth end in regret.”
“Aiya, Brother Duan, this duck neck tastes great,” Peng Yan desperately interrupted, grabbing Duan Wei’s shoulder and twisting him toward the food. “Try it!”
Duan Wei, caught up in the thrill of pushing the plot forward, pushed his hand away, “I’ll eat later!”
Peng Yan: “……”
“I just don’t know how to confess.” Fu Duqiu ignored Peng Yan completely, testing the waters. He looked at Duan Wei, expression playful, seeming to be in quite a good mood.
Hearing this, Duan Wei sighed inwardly at how pure this boy must be—never even confessed before. So he slapped his chest like a guarantee:
“I’ll help you!”
“……”
Fu Duqiu paused, wondering if he’d misheard.
“Help me? How exactly?”
What, are you planning to wrap yourself and deliver the package?
Duan Wei replied as if it were obvious:
“Yeah, I’ll help you! Confessions? I’m a total expert at that.”
Fu Duqiu: “……”
The good mood that had been radiating off Fu moments ago instantly dimmed. His eyes turned a shade colder, and his brows tightened.
Meanwhile, the mastermind behind all this chaos went on rambling, listing every confession tactic he’d seen on TV or read in novels. Peng Yan finally shoved an entire plate of duck neck into Duan Wei’s nonstop mouth just to shut him up.
The sports festival counted as the last event of senior year, and soon the class fell back into intense exam prep. Near the end of February, spring slowly arrived. Sunshine spilled over every corner of the school, glimmering over the artificial lake.
The streets that had been covered with fallen leaves now sprouted new buds. After a heavy rain, every leaf looked freshly washed.
As soon as class ended, Teacher Qin assigned several workbooks as homework. The pile of papers made Duan Wei’s head throb. After filling in the last blank, he buried his head on the desk—only to hear some classmates nearby talking:
“There’s a Lantern Festival light show at the lake near the suburbs these days. You heard about it?”
“Of course, my parents are even planning to go release lanterns to pray for blessings!”
With a smack, Duan Wei lifted his head off the desk, remembering the taxi driver he’d overheard over New Year. Sitting nearby, Fu Duqiu turned his head and, guessing what Duan Wei was thinking, asked:
“You want to go?”
“Yeah.” Duan Wei nodded, checking the calendar. Lantern Festival happened to be at the end of the month, with a half-day break.
With an idea forming, he glanced at Fu Duqiu.
“We can invite Xu Jianian and the others too. The more the merrier.”
Fu Duqiu paused, frowning slightly as if faced with an extremely difficult problem. Then, after a moment of quiet thought, he nodded.
Seeing him agree, Duan Wei couldn’t hold back a grin. Ever since that hotpot dinner, he’d been plotting how to set Fu Duqiu up with that girl. This Lantern Festival was basically fate working overtime. If he didn’t seize the chance, he wouldn’t be a worthy Cupid.
Full of energy at the thought, Duan Wei spent the rest of the day planning how to help Fu Duqiu “win the beauty’s heart”—completely oblivious to the burning stare beside him.
Author’s Note:
Confession Gauge: 50%