My Boyfriend is the Heartthrob, and I’m Just a Passerby.

In the dormitory, Ye Jishu adjusted his equipment and confirmed that the keyboard, mouse, and other devices were all functioning properly.

He was the only one in the dorm. Perhaps because Bo Zhehan was also involved in the livestream, his roommate hadn’t returned tonight, likely heading to a more professional recording studio.

This worked out for Ye Jishu.

Since he was alone, he could type louder without worrying about being interrupted. The game had already been downloaded in advance.

As for the content and background, he had done a brief review. The game was a horror genre.

The general plot was about several researchers from a company who encountered a power outage while working, which led to the release of an experimental monster that the company had deliberately kept hidden, triggering a terrifying event. It was a multiplayer game.

There were six people participating in the project, including Ye Jishu, with each person assigned a game card.

Ye Jishu hadn’t really learned about the other streamers. He was clear about his own role—just a worker who was there to attract people, so he didn’t mind not knowing about them. Besides, the project manager had already promised that he didn’t need to work on creating an active atmosphere.

[Maybe this is just part of the persona.]

Anyway, it was convenient for Ye Jishu.

He moved the mouse, launched the game, and then paused at the starting screen. The project manager had told him that the game would start streaming at 8 PM, and before that, he needed to do some brief promotion on his account.

Ye Jishu took out his phone and logged into his account. He hadn’t logged in since creating the account a few days ago. The moment he opened it, countless red dots flooded the screen, quickly covering his entire view. The red dots next to his profile picture had blurred into the “…” symbol. The number of messages had already surpassed 999+.

Ye Jishu was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected so many people.

【Did I see that correctly? Is it really YJS who created an account?】

【Brothers, what day is it? I’m crying.】

【I saw the platform’s official announcement saying that YJS is joining the project. Is this true? Didn’t they say YJS might be an AI?】

Ye Jishu had originally planned to go through all the messages, but…

…Never mind.

He decisively chose to ignore them.

Ye Jishu copied the official message he had been given and edited it into the post box before clicking “Publish.”

[Looking forward to the game @Game Official]

After posting, he refreshed the page, and the number of replies immediately jumped to 99+.

To be honest, he didn’t think he had this much popularity.

Even if people were curious about his real identity, it shouldn’t be to this extent. After all, he was just a game streamer.

If he wanted to understand more…

He clicked on the message, and within a few seconds, the first comment explained why.

[Looking forward to playing with you ^^]

The commenter was a streamer named Bai Feng.

He was a well-known influencer, following the “heartthrob” persona.

Ye Jishu shouldn’t have known him, but for some reason, he had an impression of him in his memory.

Why?

Was it because he had searched online after a failed date with Yan Mei? Had he watched the other person’s videos?

Bai Feng’s video style was completely different from his own. They were all about how to date properly, how to leave a good impression on your partner, and similar topics.

Aside from that, Ye Jishu vaguely remembered seeing some gaming videos on his homepage. But they weren’t technical; they were more about how to attract people who disliked him in the game…

Since he wasn’t interested in such topics, he hadn’t watched the videos but had only seen the titles on the covers.

[If we’re talking about heartthrobs, it should be Yan Mei.]

So, this streamer’s persona didn’t really affect him.

[Yan Mei.]

The name caused Ye Jishu to pause. His memories froze for a moment.

Suddenly, images of the previous day’s encounter at the mall flashed in his mind uncontrollably.

After they met, Wei Yangze hadn’t approached him again.

Ye Jishu wasn’t unaware of the situation.

It was probably a strategy of “retreating to advance.”

He had thrown out a question in front of him, planted a seed in his heart, and was now waiting for him to come to his own conclusion before responding… that kind of method.

However, his roommate’s words were still echoing in his mind.

[Don’t open the door, Jishu.]

He suddenly felt a bit irritable. His fingers clenched tightly, then loosened, repeating this process several times until the feeling dissipated.

He looked at the small pouch on the desk.

That was the last birthday gift he had bought for Yan Mei.

It wasn’t very expensive, but it was something he had chosen after visiting four different stores. The moment he saw it, he felt it would suit Yan Mei perfectly, so he bought it. Once the other person returned from the photoshoot, he would give it to him and then find a chance to break up. He didn’t want to continue living this way.

Gradually, Ye Jishu’s mind calmed down.

When he came back to his senses, the “looking forward to” comment had already been filled with numerous new messages.

【He mentioned YJS in his previous videos, and now we’re finally going to share the screen!】

【Fuck, I’m shipping this… How is this happening?】

【Waiting for the streamer’s harem +1】

【No one would reject Bai Feng, right! Really jealous of YJS…】

They often mentioned him.

Ye Jishu hadn’t known about this.

Now that he looked at it, it seemed that the sudden flood of messages on his account was related to this streamer, Bai Feng.

If it were any other time, Ye Jishu probably wouldn’t have replied.

But now, since it was part of the work…

He replied with a simple “Mm” under the “looking forward to” comment and then closed his phone.

His gaze shifted to the bottom of his computer screen, and his bored mood perked up a little.

It was now 6:50 PM.

There were ten minutes left before the connection would begin.

Ye Jishu resized the livestream chat window to make the game take up more space on the screen, ensuring it wouldn’t interfere with his view.

Just as he finished adjusting the mouse, an invitation to connect popped up in the bottom right corner.

It was about to start.

Ye Jishu clicked to accept.

Almost immediately, several voices filled his ears through the headphones, all talking over each other in a noisy clamor.

“Hahaha, hey everyone! Our last member just joined! The official announcement just dropped on time, thank goodness Bai Feng was keeping an eye on it, or else everyone would’ve thought it was a joke by the official account!”

“Here we have the mysterious streamer who never participates in any events, never speaks, never shows his face…”

“Bai Feng is the most famous among us, and look, he’s getting us all hooked!”

It seemed like these people knew each other well.

Before Ye Jishu could speak, they were already chatting casually and joking around, using him as a topic of teasing.

And subtly, it seemed like they were all boosting Bai Feng’s status.

This was quite a superficial circle.

Bai Feng’s fanbase seemed to have grown large enough to be considered “out of the circle,” which is why the others were speaking like this.

“Suddenly joining the project like this really surprised everyone. Is it because of Bai Feng?”

Ye Jishu didn’t respond.

The streamer named Bai Feng laughed, and from the pleasant male voice, it was clear that he had the kind of charm that made people warm to him instantly.

“Alright, stop it, when we’re playing the game later, don’t—”

These people were talking amongst themselves already.

So familiar with each other.

“Alright.”

A familiar voice suddenly interrupted the banter with impatience.

Even though it came through the equipment, Ye Jishu could still recognize the tone—Bo Zhehan.

He seemed to be following his usual style, not at all surprised to others with his arrogance.

He directly stopped the conversation, “We need to make at least 20% progress today. YJS is our guest, so let’s get him into the game first.”

Though his tone wasn’t as sharp, it was still clear that he wasn’t pleased.

Perhaps because of his position.

The others didn’t say anything more but tacitly changed the topic and started the game to ease the tension.

Ye Jishu also entered the game interface.

There were no basic character settings.

Different character cards were available, each with a different number of stars underneath them, indicating varying levels of difficulty for operation.

“Which one should I choose?” Bai Feng said, “This one is so difficult.”

From the rustling sounds, it seemed like he had seen the character cards.

Among them was a couple.

The problem was that one of the characters had five stars, and the other had the highest difficulty level of six stars.

Ye Jishu, clear about his role, directly chose the male character from the couple and confirmed it first.

After all, this was the only one with super high difficulty.

The role was crucial because it had the ability to trigger side quests and help others clear the game.

Even the most dedicated fans would gradually lose patience, and it would be hard to attract the attention of the out-of-circle audience who follow the trend.

As soon as Bai Feng spoke, the others tacitly chose different characters.

It was as if they all knew.

The others were here for YJS.

“If I choose the female character, it’s pretty difficult. If I make a mistake, no one will blame me, right?”

The bullet comments began to flood: “No way”, “How could that happen?”

Because of the character cards, the screen was filled with comments like “With YJS here, the boyfriend role should definitely be able to protect, right?”

Bai Feng seemed to have smiled when he saw a particular comment.

“Alright, since I really want to try being a couple with YJS, I feel safe with him in this difficult operation. Then I’ll choose—”

However, before he could make a move, the character card turned gray.

Someone else had chosen it before him.

“I’ll do it,” Bo Zhehan said coldly. “If we fail, we’ll have to start the whole game over. We’re running out of time.”

【Laughing so hard, who didn’t know this is YJS’s favorite character?】

【I thought I was watching a livestream, not some dating show?】

【YJS can really keep his composure, how is he not reacting to this? Is he really an AI?】

… Definitely not an AI.

Ye Jishu had already turned the volume down to the lowest.

He was used to playing games alone, so the noise from so many people around him was distracting, and he couldn’t follow what they were talking about.

The game continued.

While he controlled his character, passing through a narrow door in the lab, he unintentionally caught sight of an octopus model on the table.

“Seems like…” Ye Jishu muttered.

When he spoke, his voice suddenly echoed again in the headphones.

There was a distortion in the sound, likely due to the connection.

He quickly realized he made a mistake.

[Forgot… to turn off the voice.]

Since Ye Jishu wasn’t used to talking while playing games, he hadn’t realized the voice input had been active. He subconsciously spoke upon seeing something familiar, and the device captured it instantly.

The bullet comments froze for a moment.

Then, a flood of new comments poured in, quickly filling the screen.

【Can I just say?! His voice is so nice!!!】

【Sounds like someone who’s not a corporate drone, so refreshing! Isn’t that the voice of a teenager?】

…

At the computer, Bo Zhehan let out a scream.

In an instant, he was sweating, his hand shaking, causing the female character he was controlling to fall.

[No way, it’s Ye Jishu!!!]

[What did I say in front of him?! This is a disaster!!]

What made it even worse was that he really liked YJS. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fought for that character card.

Of course, he probably liked Yan Mei too.

But now—

YJS was Ye Jishu.

And Ye Jishu and Yan Mei were a couple.

The realization hit him like a blow to the head.

How could he like both members of a couple…?

But when he thought about it, instead of feeling guilty, he felt a strange excitement.

Am I… a pervert?

While Bo Zhehan struggled internally, his character moved forward and slammed into the lab door in the game.

The realistic sound of the door creaking echoed through the headphones.

The next moment, the game scene unfolded before their eyes.

It was an operating laboratory, with pale green light casting down from the test tubes, shrouding the whole room in a dim glow. The fan above hummed, making the bloody scenes on the test tables even more disturbing.

【What is this? It says “A2 Laboratory”.】

【It’s all animal organs and severed limbs… I guess the game is set in some lab. They must be using small animals like mice, rabbits, or dogs for experiments… It’s kind of gross.】

Ye Jishu saw a red icon trigger above his character’s head.

His character had a spiritual role.

The red icon meant entering an important side quest. If avoided, a chase scene could trigger.

The others were saying things like “That’s scary” and “Let’s get out of here quickly,” preparing to leave the laboratory.

Since the game didn’t have a built-in chatbox, typing wasn’t an option.

Since they were already talking…

Ye Jishu activated the voice.

“There’s a side quest here, we can’t leave.”

“You have to go in,” Ye Jishu said calmly. “It’s fine, don’t be afraid, don’t touch anything. Nothing will happen.”

Although his words were calm, in such a creepy game environment, his steady demeanor felt out of place but also strangely reassuring, giving others an involuntary sense of calm.

The group fell silent, the atmosphere growing eerie.

Only Bo Zhehan regained his senses and unintentionally muttered, “Damn, that tone… so cool…”

His words echoed what the others were feeling.

Maybe it was because Ye Jishu rarely spoke, and when he did, it naturally drew everyone’s attention.

Bo Zhehan felt a tremor deep within.

An inexplicable sense of healing and peace.

It was like being next to him; even the chaotic thoughts cleared up.

[The livestream task is done for tonight, how about I head back to the dorms and rest?]

Bo Zhehan had originally planned to sleep at the hotel.

However, suddenly, he changed his mind and decided to head back to rest tonight.

He still wanted to stay close to Ye Jishu.

“…”

The others had no objections and continued controlling their characters into the lab.

Ye Jishu entered first.

Following the red marker, he reached a workbench marked in bright red.

What he noticed first was an old desktop computer on the table.

The green light was blinking, making a “beep-beep” sound.

A straight line seemed to indicate the machine was operating normally, with countless white tubes connected to an unseen area.

Ye Jishu adjusted the game’s camera angle.

Then his gaze fell on the most crucial detail on the desktop.

There, sitting on the table, was an eyeball, placed on top.

Blood was dripping from the eyeball, still carrying peeled muscle tissue, leaving bloodstains on the dead white surface of the table, exuding a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

Ye Jishu paused.

He felt that this scene seemed oddly familiar.

But since the game had just officially released today, there was no way he could have seen such a bloody scene elsewhere.

Where exactly had he seen something like this before…?