Quick Transmigration: Let Me Tell You, I'm a Social Anxiety Person

Wen Ying immediately sent the photo to Liang Muxi. Before putting her phone away, she opened another app and hovered her finger over the plus sign in the upper right corner: "Should I post this on my WeChat Moments?"

After hesitating for a few seconds, she exited the software: "Never mind, we agreed that this is a secret."

Wen Ying put her phone back in her pocket and looked up. Liang Muqi was looking at her, as if he had something to say.

But when she asked him, he just shook his head and picked up the plastic knife.

Liang Muqi cut the cake, but because he carefully avoided the smiling faces of the two little figures on the cake, the cake he cut was still not particularly beautiful.

However, Wen Ying didn't say anything. She picked up a large piece and put it in her mouth. She found it delicious and smiled contentedly.

Liang Muqi also curved his lips into a smile. Wen Ying was turning around to talk to him when she caught this moment.

So she forgot what she was going to say and instead clicked her tongue and said, "Really, how come you only remember to smile after the photo is taken?"

Liang Muqi looked at the small plate in his hand. A piece of fruit fell out of the soft cake base. Wen Ying handed him a tissue, and he used the tissue to cover the fruit that had fallen on the table.

After a while, he held the crumpled piece of paper and replied softly, "But I think it's just right."

The cakes hidden in the alley were cheap and affordable, and Wen Ying unsurprisingly bought too big. They couldn't finish them, so they asked the owner for the packaging box to take home.

The shop owner stood by the counter tying a ribbon: "There's an extra charge for that."

Wen Ying still hadn't learned how to bargain, and took out her phone to scan the QR code.

With a beep, before he could even enter the numbers, the shopkeeper suddenly said, "This handsome young man has already paid." He then handed Liang Muxi a few coins, along with the tied box.

They went out, walked out of the alley, and returned along the road still lit by orange lights. After walking only a few steps, the residential area was already in sight.

It turns out the cake shop is so close to home.

Liang Muqi handed the cake box to Wen Ying: "I won't go in."

After going around in circles, the remaining half of the cake still had to go back to her refrigerator. Wen Ying sighed, "Okay, then be careful on your way."

She took a few steps forward, then looked back and saw Liang Muqi still standing there, his back to her, head down, seemingly doing nothing.

As she entered the residential area, carrying the cake box, she quickly walked out of the circle of enthusiastic residents. Suddenly, her phone rang in her pocket.

The message came from Liang Muxi: "I forgot to ask just now..."

The sentence was incomplete and incoherent. So all that time he was fiddling with his back to me was to type just these few words?

Wen Ying slowed her pace and waited, but still didn't receive the next message from him.

She stopped typing: "I also have a question."

"What?" This time the reply was quick.

Wen Ying: "Is your input method a nine-key or a twenty-six-key keyboard?"

"Twenty-six."

"Then why do you type so slowly?"

"The bus just arrived, and they're accepting coins."

"Oh..." She continued walking forward, keeping her head down to avoid the enthusiastic gazes of the residents.

What were you about to ask?

"What's the stakes?"

Two questions appeared on the screen at the same time. Wen Ying looked at the message Liang Muxi had sent, paused for a moment, and thought to herself, "So that's what he wanted to ask..."

But the words she said before buying the birthday cake were just casual remarks, meant to coax Liang Muxi into having a birthday celebration. In truth, Wen Ying herself didn't know what the bet was.

Just like now, she didn't know why a feeling of gloom welled up in her heart. It was probably because she was annoyed by the sound of a child playing the piano that came from somewhere.

She thought to herself, "If I were to play, it would definitely sound much better than his." She burst out of the crowd of elderly people and returned home, where the pitch-black night completely enveloped her.

"The stakes are the answers to the entrance exam."

"I remember the rankings; your seat was right behind mine, you know?"

The next morning, Wen Ying arrived at school on time.

Liang Muxi didn't come; he had taken leave again.

By now, Wen Ying had guessed that the person hospitalized was actually Liang Muqi's mother. Liang Muqi didn't seem like the kind of weak person who was frequently sick; you could tell from the fact that he could lift Wen Ying out of the pond with one hand after she fell in.

The rumor circulating in the class that "Liang Muxi missed the final exam because of illness" is false, and only Wen Ying knows the truth, and she does not plan to share it with others at the moment.

Shortly after arriving at the school, the senior students were called to the playground for a pep rally.

A group of people sat on benches, baked by the late summer sun, looking like wilted blades of grass. Only when they answered the principal's rousing slogans did they raise their heads in unison and shout, bursting forth with a last burst of vitality.

Using the shadows of the people in front of them as cover, Wen Ying and Chen Ge huddled together to discuss their newly composed lyrics and music. Both of them were radiant and excited, but because they were communicating with gestures, it was still quite discreet, so no one noticed them.

As the school leaders' speeches came to an end, five or six students were dragged onto the stage by the dean of students' academic affairs. They were criticized and denounced for violating school rules and regulations.

Chen Ge told Wen Ying, "This group of people came to the school to catch ghosts yesterday."

"Weren't you planning to go too?"

"I'm not the kind of person who likes to join in the fun."

Wen Ying glanced at him, indicating that she did not believe this nonsense.

Chen Ge: "Anyway... something came up."

The sound was amplified by a large speaker. The headmaster was speaking passionately, telling everyone not to believe nonsense or take things at face value, and that young people in the new era should not be superstitious.

No one below was really listening, and even those who did weren't willing to agree with what the leaders were saying. Quiet discussions were constantly rising from all around: "Maybe it's not a ghost, but a signal from another world?"

This question somehow struck a nerve with Chen Ge: "Do you think there's another world?"

Wen Ying thought for a moment and said, "I think so."

Chen Ge also made a firm fist gesture: "I think so too."

After the assembly, the students carried their stools back to their classrooms and, under the guidance of their homeroom teacher, set up their desks. The opening exam arrived so unexpectedly.

The seat behind Wen Ying was empty. Liang Muxi had missed the exam, and her score on the report card was about to become "0" again.

I wonder if he still remembers asking him for the answer. Even if he does, he probably won't give it to me.

After all, based on her extensive reading experience, no top student would voluntarily hand over reference answers to a struggling student; that would be tantamount to pushing the struggling student back into the pit of getting something for nothing.

Although Wen Ying wasn't a true academic failure, to avoid unnecessary trouble—such as being suspected of having her brain replaced with a stupid one—she decided to maintain the persona of a struggling student for the time being and let her scores rise slowly.

So this time—

Wen Ying tossed the answer-throwing magic weapon she had borrowed from Chen Ge into the air and drew a "C" on the paper.

Liang Muxi did not appear all day.

Halfway through the English exam during evening self-study, the front door was opened, and Wen Ying felt a figure pass by her desk and sit down behind her.

Wen Ying had already filled in the answers haphazardly and was now lying on the table, idly staring blankly.

She had just pieced together the sentences for her essay using the most basic words, writing "smoke flower" instead of "fireworks"—such a whimsical idea! For someone who knows absolutely nothing about literature, it's absolutely amazing!

But looking to the side, Chen Ge, the real underachiever, didn't bother to piece things together at all and simply left the page blank.

That was a miscalculation; it looks like she'll be moving up several places this time.

Wen Ying rested her head on her arm, and the sound of writing came from the exposed ear.

Despite being late, Liang Muxi still walked into the classroom, sat down, and slowly filled in the test paper. One hundred and fifty points, minus the listening comprehension section, left one hundred and twenty points, which couldn't offset all the zeros in front.

But once he picks up a pen, he still writes without thinking.

Just like Liang Muxi, who clearly didn't seem happy and hadn't even celebrated his birthday, still had to comfort Wen Ying, who had fallen into the water, by saying, "Life is beautiful."

He had long developed an instinct to face everything with equanimity.

As she was lost in thought, Wen Ying was suddenly poked from behind. She turned her head reflexively and saw Liang Muqi handing her a note.

The proctor happened to have her back turned. She had never done anything like this before, and feeling a little guilty, she hurriedly reached out and took the paper, slowly unfolding it under the exam paper.

Liang Muqi actually wrote down the answer for her.

However, it seemed that there were only reading comprehension options. At the bottom, he wrote a small note saying that the rest was not finished and asked Wen Ying to wait a while.

Wen Ying stared at the line of words, her heart filled with complex emotions.

I never expected that my casual remark would be taken seriously, and I never expected that Liang Muqi wouldn't even realize it was a joke.

As an outstanding student with good character, he could easily become an accomplice to evil.

Wen Ying felt ashamed, and inexplicably had the feeling that she had led a good child astray.

She wrote under that line: "No more, don't send it to me anymore." After writing it, she realized that her tone was wrong, as if she was blaming Liang Muxi, so she crossed it out and changed it to "You focus on writing, I don't need the answer anymore."

Wen Ying handed the note back, and a while later received a new one.

This time it was a cloze test, and there was still a small line of text below: "They didn't have my accuracy rate."

...What? Do you think this is like passing notes and chatting in class?

Moreover—Liang Muqi actually misunderstood that Wen Ying had already received rescue from someone else, it seems that his misunderstanding was more than just a little bit.

However, it was also because she didn't express herself clearly...

Wen Ying picked up her pen and wrote the last words on the note: "I was just joking! I've already finished writing it myself! Don't underestimate the dignity of a slacker!"

She drew a heavy circle around "herself" as an emphasis, then tossed the note back.

As expected, Liang Muqi did not send any further messages.

After the bell rang and the students handed in their papers, they put their desks back in their original seats.

The classroom was filled with the screeching of desk legs scraping against the floor and the crashing sound of towering stacks of books collapsing—a chaotic scene.

Liang Muqi closed the pen cap and put it in his pocket. Only then did Wen Ying realize that he had only brought two pens to the exam.

He stood up, ready to leave.

Wen Ying asked, "Aren't you going to continue with evening self-study?"

“I took a week off,” Liang Muqi said, as the crumpled paper with English answers fell to the ground. He picked it up and put it back in his pocket. “My mother is having surgery these days.”

“Oh…” Wen Ying was stunned. So… why did you take a week off and rush over here now?

She wanted to ask, but then she inexplicably felt that this wasn't the right time.

So he swallowed it back and said instead, "Then I wish Auntie a successful surgery."

Liang Muqi nodded, shifting his gaze from her to the blackboard, which was now somewhat mottled from being wiped clean.

He stopped talking, but didn't leave immediately. He just stood quietly beside her. The classroom was bustling with noise, but they didn't exchange a single word, as if they could glean something from the silence.

When the school bell rang, all the lively noise had to return to its original place. Chen Ge also returned from the group of boys playing around. Only then did Liang Muqi turn her face back again and say softly, "Then I'm leaving."

"Okay." Wen Ying looked into his eyes, raised the corners of her lips and smiled slightly. "Be careful on the road."

After Liang Muxi left, Wen Ying sat back down. Turning her head, she saw Chen Ge scrutinizing her with an extremely probing gaze.

"What?" The teacher supervising the self-study session had already walked in, so she had to lower her voice.

Chen Ge wrote a few words on the workbook with a pen and pushed it over.

When did you and Liang Muxi meet?

[Not long ago.]

[How long ago was "not long ago"?]

[A little over a month.]

[......]

Chen Ge pondered for a few seconds, then continued writing: [So, when I pulled you under the table at the barbecue restaurant that day, you actually knew each other?]

Wen Ying looked at him, and Chen Ge frowned, looking puzzled.

She found it odd, and picked up her pen again: [What's wrong? I already said Liang Muxi didn't mind.]

He paused, then added with concern, "[Besides, so much time has passed, and you're still thinking about this? This internal conflict won't do.]"

Chen Ge: [No...did he tell you anything else?]

Wen Ying was puzzled: [What else could he possibly say to me?]

Chen Ge shook his head, took the workbook back, and remained silent.

-

At 9:15 p.m., the campus was completely silent.

Liang Muqi went down to the first floor and heard light footsteps behind him. When he turned the corner, he glanced back out of the corner of his eye, but there was nothing there.

The steps were deserted, with only dim light shining down.

Turning back, I saw a person standing at the bottom of the stairwell, their face obscured by the backlight.

He brushed past the other person, who then called out his name.

"Liang Muxi".

Liang Muqi paused for a moment, then raised her eyes. Before her was a face that did not match her memory at all. Her waist-length hair had lost its luster for some reason, and her clothes were also grayish.

Only those eyes, radiating a faint blue light, stared at him without blinking.

He called out his name but didn't speak, looking mysterious and wanting to keep her in suspense. Liang Muqi didn't have much patience to argue with him. Today was already busy enough, and it was only by taking time out of his busy schedule to come to school.

He looked away uninterestedly and continued walking.

The man followed closely behind him, his voice hoarse as if he were extremely dehydrated.

"When the last thread connecting you to the human world is severed, you will have to return to that world..."

"But that world won't accept you either. By the time you return, they'll already have new families!"

"Wanting to reach the shore, little did they know there were even more dangerous shores beyond; wanting to jump into the water to embrace death, they never considered that there was another world after death!"

"Nowhere belongs to you. That place turned you into a monster! I'm being driven crazy by it!"

Liang Muqi walked forward calmly, thinking as he went. This person was indeed crazy. Everything he said was grammatically incorrect. It seemed that he had never paid attention to Chinese language and literature, and he couldn't even distinguish between the most basic words, "you" and "me".

The guardhouse was in sight; a uniformed man was yawning by the window. Liang Muqi walked over and said, "Excuse me, I..."

The gatekeeper suddenly woke up, touched his face, made a few "hmm hmm?" sounds, and shouted loudly, "Leave slip!"

Liang Muxi took out the sick leave slip, and the old man squinted at it before pressing the remote control to slowly open the door.

There was no sound behind him anymore. Liang Muqi turned around. It was dark all around, and the path was narrow. Only the lamp above his head emitted a light as bright as day. A few moths flew over and died quickly.