You're Really Suspicious

Mu Wei's state of mind was in a haze. He was staring off into the distance while he was strutting towards the bathroom. Strangely enough, he couldn't figure out the guild master at all. He grew even more suspicious of him when he repeated what the man said. 

As he set foot into the bathroom, a cool air swept him up and made him squint his eyes from the comfort. It was a peaceful scenery, the rays flashing through the windows at the top and the air conditioner slowly turning. The bathroom was well maintained and even smelled of fresh lavender. 

Mu Wei walked to the mirror and began to splash cold water on his face. He shivered from the uncomfortable feeling it brought but helped eased his mind. It made him more awake, and he felt that he could think much clearer now.

He let out a sigh and stared at himself in the mirror for a while. Just a few moments ago, he was a successful actor and felt like he was in a fever dream. Now, he's stuck in this novel, carrying the burden of 5 regressions. As each day passes, his sanity is slipping closer to the edge. 

Looking at this foggy mirror, he could no longer remember what he even looked like before. It's became hard to picture in his mind the exact details of his face. Mu Wei has gotten so used to living in this new body that he could no longer feel foreign. 

'What did he mean by that? What the hell.' 

Mu Wei's mind was throbbing just thinking about it. It could've been just a meaningless tease but that would be unlikely. He felt like the guild master was trying to tell him something regarding his regressions. 'Could he have known about my regressions and powers?'

No... Mu Wei didn't want to believe it. Besides, if he could have known then he would've been able to dodge his attack earlier. But there is a chance that sly man could've been doing it to make him believe he was just spouting nonsense.

'This is so infuriating.' Despite the continuous splashing of cold water on the white-haired man's face, it only gave a cooling effect for a few seconds. Due to this frequent splashing, this wet the sleeves of the man and several people who walked past this scene began to stare at Mu Wei strangely. 

"Excuse me, are you alright?"

A crisp, clear and deep voice soon sounded through Mu Wei's ears. It was a voice that belonged to a young man. The white-haired man who was busy staring into emptiness soon turned his head to the right side of him. 

"Are you feeling alright? I couldn't help but notice that you seem a bit pale" Mu Wei's gaze lifted up and a young man can be seen through his blurry eyesight. He squinted his eyes due to the water droplets and his vision soon became clearer. It was a dark-haired man with hazel eyes. He seemed to be around his 20's, judging from the voice and appearance.

"Yes, I'm alright." Mu Wei responded politely, sparing the man a few meaningful glances before turning around to take a few paper tissues. He took a deep breath and rubbed the soft yet textured paper in his face.

"My name is Dong-Hyun, what about you?" 

The young man seemed to be intrigued by him and asked him for his name expectantly. Mu Wei, after tapping his face with the tissue, gazed at the man behind him and responded suspiciously. "My name is Mu Wei." 

"Oh, I see. If it's alright with you, can we become friends?" Dong-Hyun smiled slyly and the person's gaze seemed to turn more mischievous. Mu Wei's eyelids began to twitch at this and was suddenly reminded of how Lu Beiyi acts. 

'This couldn't be Lu Beiyi talking to me, right? Surely not...'  Mu Wei glanced at the man more deeply and seemed to be observing his actions. However, the man didn't seem to be affected by this at all, with his smile growing slyer by the second.

Mu Wei couldn't believe it. 'I mean, surely, he isn't the guild master, right? But it's not impossible to think about. If the man is as strong as the rumors say, then surely the man manipulating people should be expected.'

Mu Wei's lips pressed into a thin line, his sharp eyes locking onto Dong-Hyun's hazel ones. The air between them thickened, a palpable tension brewing that neither seemed willing to break. Dong-Hyun tilted his head slightly, his playful smile still plastered on his face as if he were testing Mu Wei's patience. A vein almost popped in Mu Wei's forehead at this sight.

"I'm sorry," Mu Wei finally said, his tone a touch sharper. "I don't make friends easily."

Dong-Hyun chuckled, a soft yet unsettling sound that seemed to echo in the spacious bathroom. Despite the air conditioner, Mu Wei felt the atmosphere became even more colder at this. The familiar eerie feeling he felt with Lu Beiyi soon returned and made the white-haired man became even more guarded against this man.

"Oh, don't be so quick to reject me," he said, stepping closer. His footsteps were unhurried, deliberate. "I'm just trying to make friends, it's hard being a loner here, you know?"

The proximity made Mu Wei instinctively tense, his body on high alert. Dong-Hyun's presence was too easy, too comfortable, as though he belonged in this moment far more than Mu Wei did. No, it's as if he could already tell what the outcome of this moment was.

The white-haired man fought to keep his expression neutral, but something about the way Dong-Hyun moved—almost predator-like—set his nerves on edge.

Despite their appearances being worlds apart, Mu Wei had a feeling this was Lu Beiyi manipulating a person. Being someone who always trusted gut rather than reason, he quickly made the decision to leave before things get out of hand.

"I appreciate the concern," Mu Wei said curtly, turning to the side to throw the tissues in the class then making the plan to leave immediately after. He didn't like how the man's shadow lingered over him, how he could feel the weight of those hazel eyes studying him. It felt the same with Lu Beiyi, it felt like someone completely seeing through his mind. 

"It's really making me sad; I finally made the effort of making a friend and got rejected on my first try." Dong-Hyun sighed sadly, his tone appearing to be disappointed but was laced with something that felt like amusement. "Ah, what shall I do now? I might become a loner during my training here. Do you perhaps hate me now, Mr. Mu Wei?"

Mu Wei paused for a split second and stared at the shameless man behind him. 'Is he fucking serious right now? He has a thick face for saying something as embarrassing as that.'

"I think you're reading too much into it. I don't hate you; I'm just not interested in making many friends." Mu Wei said flatly, his voice becoming less cold than his previous response. Probably because he felt that the man reminded him of his small juniors during his acting career, he unconsciously became softer. 

Dong-Hyun's smile widened ever so slightly, his hazel eyes glinting with mischief. "Then...Can we become acquaintances instead? I won't be too much of a bother."

Mu Wei didn't answer for a while. He didn't like the way this conversation was going, and he especially didn't like the way Dong-Hyun's gaze felt like a wolf in sheep's clothing. 

The silence between them grew heavier. The faint hum of the air conditioner seemed louder now, a constant reminder of how enclosed this space was. 

When Dong-Hyun finally opened his mouth to break the silence, the white-haired man suddenly responded lightly. "Sure, we can become acquaintances."

The moment this response escaped his mouth; he started to regret it. Mu Wei wanted to slap himself for this idiotic response. 'He's clearly Lu Beiyi pretending to be someone else. Why on earth would I accept being acquaintances with him?! Sure, he reminded me of my small juniors, but I knew damn well he was just acting pitiful on purpose!'

Meanwhile, Dong-Hyun seemed to be happier at this response and gave a bright smile at the man. "That's great! I'm glad we're acquainted now, Mr. Mu Wei."

Mu Wei hummed in response and became to observe the man even more. 'Although, the appearance was not as good as Lu Beiyi, he would still be considered a B tier actor in terms of just looks. But why would Lu Beiyi be pretending to be one of his trainees? Is he trying to spy on me even more closely?'

After throwing the tissues in the trash can, Mu Wei didn't forget to leave the bathroom immediately and headed towards the cafeteria to find Lu Yi. However, the dark-haired man seemed to be following him and was even walking side by side with him.

"So," Dong-Hyun said after a moment, a. "What brings someone like you to a place like this?"

The question was innocent enough, but Mu Wei couldn't shake the feeling that it was anything but innocent. His instincts screamed at him to tread carefully when answering this. No matter how innocent the man looked, Mu Wei shouldn't forget that the man behind the face is Lu Beiyi.

"Just passing through, nothing special." Mu Wei replied vaguely, unconsciously quickening his pace towards the cafeteria more. He really wanted to meet Lu Yi now.

"Hmm." Dong-Hyun hummed thoughtfully, his fingers touching his chin as he seemed to be thinking about something. Yet despite this, his pace never slowed and seemed to be keeping up with this fast-paced walk. "You don't seem like the type to just 'pass through.'"

Mu Wei's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze looking at Dong-Hyun beside him. "And what type do I seem like?"

Dong-Hyun's smile turned almost predatory, his voice dropping slightly and his eyes becoming more eerie. "The type who's hiding a big burden from other people. You seem like the type of person who joined this because you needed to, not because you wanted to."

The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating and inescapable. Mu Wei's heart thudded against his ribcage, but he forced himself to remain composed. His lips twitched at this sentence, and even if it was Lu Beiyi facing him right now, it was hard to refute this. 

'I seriously don't like this...Why am I always running into this troublesome person? I can't tell if he's someone I can trust with my task or someone that I need to defeat eventually. It's hard to see through you, Lu Beiyi.