The Price of a Risky Gambit

The roommates, caught by her gaze, felt a pang of guilt, their eyes instinctively darting away.

Zhou Yi was practically making it clear: if Lin Yating failed to manage the situation, allowing it to escalate further, then those who were privy to the details—or had even accepted minor favors—would undoubtedly be dragged down with her.

“Oh, right,” Zhou Yi added, standing up to deliver another blow. “I hear the school’s disciplinary committee has started investigating financial flows. If they follow the trail all the way back to you, your tears won’t do you any good then.”

“I, I’ll handle it right away! I’ll hang up now! I’ll contact him immediately!” Lin Yating, utterly defeated, fumbled for her phone. “Senior… if, if anyone asks…”

“Don’t worry,” Zhou Yi reassured her, her gaze sweeping over the other roommates who were holding their breath. “As long as you can clear your own name, I doubt anyone will try to implicate you.”

With that, she turned and left, closing the door to Room 212 behind her.

[Key recording acquired: 19:45-20:02]

[Target’s psychological defenses breached; subsequent actions will be continuously monitored.]

Only upon stepping out of the female dormitory did Zhou Yi realize her back was completely drenched in sweat.

Heaven knew how precarious her risky gambit had been! Had Lin Yating been even slightly more perceptive, or if Zhou Yi had misspoken a single word, the entire situation could have devolved into a fiery disaster in mere moments.

Fortunately, she had clung to Xiao Qi’s “thigh” beforehand, instructing the system to thoroughly dig into all background data and information related to campus loans. Xiao Qi’s continuous online assistance during the execution had barely allowed her to stabilize this incredibly perilous situation.

Even that decisive transfer screenshot, deployed as a killing blow at the very last moment, had been precisely extracted by Xiao Qi from a colossal data stream, rapidly generated, and instantly transmitted to her phone just as she launched her attack!

Honestly, she herself had almost been fooled.

[Hehe~ No need to thank Xiao Qi too much! Being able to help the player is this system’s greatest joy!]

Zhou Yi rolled her eyes. “Isn’t this just your job? You talk as if it’s some grand accomplishment…”

It wasn’t until she was out of sight of the female dormitory building that her taut nerves finally relaxed, and she realized her legs had turned to jelly, unable to carry her further.

She slowly squatted down, burying her flushed cheeks into her cool palms as a wave of post-ordeal exhaustion and immense accomplishment washed over her, intertwining. After a few ragged breaths, she suddenly let out a soft snicker.

“This is a hundred times more thrilling than final exams, damn it!”

****

The moment Zhou Yi opened his eyes, he was caught off guard by Jiang Chen’s face inches away. Startled, he recoiled, his head hitting the bed frame with a solid thud.

“Holy shit!” Zhou Yi cursed, his vision darkening with pain as he rubbed his aching head, grimacing. “Are you trying to scare me to death, you damn close-talker?!”

“Taking your temperature,” Jiang Chen grumbled, his face dark as he waved the thermometer. “I watched over you all night, and this is the attitude I get?”

Only then did Zhou Yi realize he was still in bed, a fever patch on his forehead and an unopened box of fever medicine beside his pillow.

“I… had a fever?”

“Of course,” Jiang Chen snorted, clearly annoyed. “You were burning like a furnace, babbling nonsense. If I hadn’t found you early, you’d probably be liking posts in Marx’s WeChat Moments right now.”

“…Thanks a lot,” Zhou Yi muttered. “While we’re at it, how ‘done’ am I?”

“Thirty-nine point three degrees Celsius.” Jiang Chen shoved the thermometer closer to his face. “Where’s that fiery temper you just had? Want to give an encore?”

Zhou Yi fell silent.

He dazedly touched the fever patch on his forehead. So, he’d been burning up and completely out of it while he was outwitting the “green tea b*tch”?

“Tsk…” he cursed under his breath. “If you hadn’t suddenly gotten so close, I wouldn’t have been startled.”

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes. “I got close to see if you were still alive. Instead, you nearly knocked yourself silly.”

“Already silly,” Zhou Yi mumbled. A sudden wave of dizziness made him weakly sink back down, pulling the blanket tighter around himself, leaving only a pair of slightly moistened eyes visible due to the fever. He groaned softly, “Ugh, my whole body aches. I feel terrible.”

Jiang Chen watched his listless appearance for a few seconds, then sighed, placing the fever medicine and a cup of water by his hand. “Take your medicine. Don’t dawdle.”

Zhou Yi obediently took the pill and swallowed it, the warm water flowing down his burning throat, bringing a brief moment of relief.

Even before the medicine took effect, his groggy mind couldn’t help but wonder if Chen Hao’s problem had been fully resolved.

He suddenly jolted awake, poking his head out from under the covers. “Old Jiang, you didn’t… do anything while I was asleep, did you?”

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes. “Are you delirious from the fever? If I really wanted to ‘do something,’ would I wait for you to fall asleep?”

Zhou Yi was thoroughly choked. “…Right, I guess.”

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Good, good, he hadn’t been discovered. If Jiang Chen saw the two “hangers” that had appeared on his chest, he probably wouldn’t live to tell the tale.

“Are you fever-addled, or are you actually hiding some secret?” Jiang Chen suddenly leaned closer.

There was something odd about this guy; as Jiang Chen leaned in, he actually caught a faint, elusive fragrance, somewhat like… the kind of scent a girl might wear.

“What’s that smell on you?” Jiang Chen asked abruptly after sniffing.

Zhou Yi, looking bewildered, raised his arm and sniffed it himself, left and right. “What smell?” Besides the sweat from his fever and the faint gel scent of the fever patch, he couldn’t detect anything.

“I don’t know, it’s just… a faint scent, like a girl’s perfume.”

The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Zhou Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly pulled the blanket over his head, muffledly retorting, “Nonsense, nonsense! Is there something wrong with your nose?!”

Jiang Chen’s light chuckle came from outside the blanket. “True, it’s not like you’d secretly be wearing women’s clothes behind your brother’s back, right?”

“!!!” At these words, Zhou Yi’s heart nearly leaped from his throat. He clutched the blanket tightly, burying his head, not daring to utter a sound.

Yet, he immediately realized his mistake. No, why was he acting guilty? He had already left the simulator; how could there still be a girl’s scent? Jiang Chen was probably just trying to trick him!

Seeing his cowardly reaction, Jiang Chen clicked his tongue. “Look at you. Scared stiff by a mere joke?”

He lazily slung his backpack over his shoulder. “Alright, since you haven’t completely burned your brains out, I’m heading to class.”

Reaching the door, he glanced back at Zhou Yi. “Sick people should just lie down quietly and not stir up trouble. I’ll get you a sick leave, so don’t say your brother isn’t loyal.”

Nestled in his blanket, Zhou Yi hastily changed his hand gesture, giving him a thumbs-up. “Brother Chen is mighty! Your great kindness will never be forgotten!”

“Scram,” came Jiang Chen’s laughing voice from outside the door. “I don’t have such a shameful little brother.”

Finally, Zhou Yi was alone in the dormitory. The moment the door closed, he immediately threw off the blanket and gasped for air.

Recalling his glorious victory in the simulator last night, the mission should have been successfully completed, and the punishment ought to have been lifted.

It seemed his earlier worry had been for naught. With a delighted grin, he pulled open his collar and nearly fainted at what he saw.

Those two small mounds were still firmly in place. He poked them in disbelief, and the soft sensation returned with undeniable realism.

“Holy shit… how are these still here?” His mind was flooded with questions.