The Ten-Finger Interlock Mission

The rain outside still had not stopped, pitter-pattering as droplets slowly slid down the transparent glass. Ji Yanli reached out to close the open window, then found a brand-new towel from the wardrobe. He looked up at Chu Ci on the other side and beckoned to him: “Come here.”

Chu Ci frowned, staying in place without moving: “What for.”

“To help you dry your hair,” Ji Yanli answered in a low voice. He had taken off his soaking wet coat, but the rain had already seeped into his inner shirt. As the white fabric became saturated, the color faded slightly, and Chu Ci could catch glimpses of the skin hidden underneath.

He walked over, reaching out in an attempt to take the towel from Ji Yanli’s hand: “I can do it myself.”

But before Chu Ci’s fingers could even touch a corner of the towel, Ji Yanli quickly raised his hand. Taking advantage of being quite a bit taller than Chu Ci, he lowered his head to meet Chu Ci’s gaze: “Turn around.”

Those two words were spoken simply enough. There was no expression on his face, but the look in his eyes brooked no refusal. Chu Ci tilted his head back, deadlocked in a confrontation with him for half a minute before finally compromising. He raised a hand to rub his aching eyes while turning around to face away from Ji Yanli.

The sound of the wind outside was muffled, and the air inside the room was stagnant. His body, which had been shivering from the cold, gradually began to warm up. Chu Ci lowered his eyelashes, his hands lightly tugging at the hem of his shirt. Ji Yanli, standing behind him, draped the towel over his head. His slender fingers moved through the strands of hair, slowly wiping away the undried water droplets bit by bit.

By tacit agreement, neither of them took the initiative to speak. Chu Ci could only hear the soft rustling of the soft towel rubbing against his hair.

Ji Yanli’s breath occasionally fell upon his neck. The slightly cool sensation prickled his pores, seeping deep into his bones.

The other’s fingers would sometimes accidentally touch the curve of Chu Ci’s ear. When the pads of the fingers pressed against his thin skin, it brought about a wave of itchiness similar to a kiss.

Chu Ci unconsciously bit his lower lip. The small Adam’s apple at his throat rolled several times. His violently beating heart seemed to drive every muscle in his body, as a restless heat crashed around inside him. He didn’t notice that a faint blush had quietly emerged on the back of his neck.

Ji Yanli stared at that slightly reddened patch of skin. The look in his eyes shifted abruptly, and then he suddenly spoke without warning, breaking the silence that surrounded them.

“It’s raining so hard outside, why did you run out?”

The gentle voice came from above, swirling around Chu Ci’s ears. Chu Ci blinked rapidly and instinctively straightened his back, pulling himself out of his chaotic thoughts. He cleared his throat, feigning a relaxed tone: “I originally wanted to go buy some things, but just like you, who knew it would rain halfway there.”

He spoke the sentence very quickly, as if afraid Ji Yanli would hear the lie hidden within.

“Is that so?” Ji Yanli’s expression was indifferent. He shifted his gaze, landing on the reddened tips of the boy’s ears. Ji Yanli silently moved his fingers, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against that cartilage. With just a light touch, Chu Ci reacted exactly as expected, tilting his head to dodge away.

Chu Ci couldn’t see Ji Yanli’s expression, but the thumping heart in his chest made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. His sensory nerves seemed to become exceptionally sensitive in an instant. To divert his attention, Chu Ci forced himself to bring up another topic: “Are you planning to live at school lately?”

“Mhm, I want to escape for a while,” Ji Yanli replied. “But Teacher Wang said there aren’t enough school dorms, so you’ll have to bear with living here with me.”

Chu Ci bit the inside of his lip, mumbling in a voice as tiny as a mosquito: “Then if your parents come looking for you, I’m not looking after you.”

Hearing this, Ji Yanli chuckled and shook his head: “I promise not to involve you. After all, I’m the one stubbornly staying here and refusing to leave.”

His movements were very light. The breath he exhaled while speaking brushed past the back of Chu Ci’s neck. They were clearly very ordinary words, yet they made Chu Ci feel an indescribable sense of ambiguity. He uncomfortably tilted his head back slightly, knitting his brows awkwardly: “I think that’s about enough.”

‘It’s been wiped back and forth for nearly half an hour. Is this guy Ji Yanli trying to rub me bald?’

‘And his technique… he’s clearly rubbing a dog’s head!’

The boy’s inner thoughts drifted into Ji Yanli’s ears. He sounded like a small cat that had been petted until it grew impatient, extending its paws to give a soft scratch. Ji Yanli’s eyelashes fluttered as he suppressed the smile that almost escaped from the corner of his lips.

The towel in his hand was very absorbent, and the texture of the fluff was very comfortable. Ji Yanli looked at Chu Ci’s hair, which had become fluffy and soft again. Taking advantage of the other not paying attention, he raised his hand and rubbed it haphazardly a few times.

A few fine strands of hair slipped through his fingers, the tips brushing against his palm. The pleasant sensation made Ji Yanli feel an inexplicable longing.

But after all, the person in front of him had a bad temper. If he touched it for too long, he would probably really blow his top.

“Mhm, it’s completely dry now.”

Hearing Ji Yanli say this, Chu Ci moved. Then Chu Ci turned back and looked at the soaking wet Ji Yanli. He was just about to suggest helping him dry his hair too, but when the words reached his lips, he said: “Go take a shower, don’t catch a cold.”

After all, Ji Yanli clearly looked like he had been out in the rain much longer. If they delayed any further, he was truly a bit afraid Ji Yanli would get a chill.

Ji Yanli didn’t say much either. He nodded and walked a few steps to the wardrobe, taking out a change of clothes.

Chu Ci sat on the chair watching him. He saw Ji Yanli take a step, then pause, turn around, and return, thrusting the clothes in his hand firmly into Chu Ci’s arms.

Chu Ci was stunned, staring at the shirt in his arms and blinking: “What for?”

Ji Yanli lowered his head, his voice deepening. He hesitated for a few seconds before answering: “Before… didn’t you like my clothes very much?”

This vague sentence left Chu Ci baffled. The next second, Chu Ci suddenly remembered what happened the first time he stayed in Ji Yanli’s dorm.

Back then, in order to complete a task, he had accidentally been controlled by the original owner’s instinctive reaction. He had secretly run over like a pervert, grabbing Ji Yanli’s clothes to sniff them, and was caught red-handed by Ji Yanli.

The dark history-like memory replayed in his head like a film projector. Chu Ci froze in place, the thin garment in his hand immediately becoming a hot potato. He instantly threw it back at Ji Yanli.

“Who—who said that!” Chu Ci’s eyes widened. His fluffy hair swayed, appearing to explode along with his owner’s agitated emotions. Even his cheeks couldn’t stop burning red.

“I—I—I’m not a pervert!”

‘Aaaaaahhhh!!! My purity! My purity is ruined!’

‘Who likes your crappy clothes!’

‘Don’t disgust me!!!’

‘I order you to disappear from my sight right now!!’

Ji Yanli silently watched Chu Ci’s over-the-top reaction, tilting his head slightly. Then he shrugged, looking indifferent: “I see… then it seems I misunderstood.”

His tone sounded unusually calm. He didn’t even blink when looking at Chu Ci. After finishing, Ji Yanli ducked into the bathroom with his clothes.

Chu Ci listened to the sound of the other person closing and locking the door, staring blankly for a long time. It took a while for Chu Ci’s thoughts to slowly drift back. An indescribable sense of exhaustion washed over him. He opened his mouth and let out a howl of despair, then fell backward, crashing heavily into the soft bed.

What should he do.

Ji Yanli wouldn’t actually think he’s a pervert, would he?!

But that time was clearly an accident!

And… and he was forced too!!

Chu Ci clutched his head in collapse, rolling around irritably on the bed. The originally smooth bedding was tossed into a wrinkled mess by his thrashing. It wasn’t until the sound of water came from the bathroom that Chu Ci stopped his movements, nesting limply on the bed and gasping for air.

Fine.

Whatever happens, happens.

Pervert or lickspittle, Chu Ci felt that if he had to accept these redundant character settings, then so be it.

He rolled over to face upward, staring blankly at the white ceiling in utter despair.

There was only a month and a half left before the main protagonist returned from abroad. Chu Ci didn’t know what his current progress was in winning over Ji Yanli, but at the moment, it seemed the guy didn’t hate him?

Thinking of this, Chu Ci knitted his brows in conflict. Then he suddenly flipped out of bed, stepping barefoot onto the cold floor and running to the bathroom door in a few steps.

Knock knock knock.

He tapped lightly on the door. Ji Yanli inside was stunned for a moment, asking in a low, husky voice: “What’s wrong?”

Chu Ci leaned half his body against the frosted glass. Ji Yanli’s silhouette was reflected in the warm orange light. He looked down at the hazy glow at his feet. After hesitating for a few seconds, he spoke in a muffled, tiny voice: “Do you hate me?”

Those five short words quickly dissipated in the air. Ji Yanli didn’t answer immediately. Chu Ci only heard the sound of the water inside weaken a bit.

Just when he thought the other person hadn’t heard his question, the sound of flowing water stopped abruptly. Following that, the sound of footsteps hitting the floor drew closer and closer to him. The next second, the originally closed door was pulled open from the inside. Chu Ci even nearly fell right in because he wasn’t standing steadily.

A cloud of steam rushed over him. Chu Ci hurriedly stabilized himself and turned to look at Ji Yanli at the door. The other had a white towel draped over his shoulder, and undried water stains had dampened a small patch of fabric on his shoulder.

His cheeks were flushed from the steam, but his dark, bright eyes were incredibly clear. Ji Yanli propped one hand against the doorframe, meeting the gaze Chu Ci cast his way. His rosy, thin lips moved slightly: “I don’t hate you.”

The slightly hoarse voice made Chu Ci fail to react properly. He blinked his eyelashes vacantly, his lips trembling: “Ah—ah…?”

The boy in front of him looked down at him. Water droplets gathered at the tips of his hair and fell one by one. Ji Yanli exhaled a few breaths of warm air and repeated the sentence he had just said: “I don’t hate you.”

This time, even the sound became exceptionally clear. Ji Yanli’s pupils were very dark and deep, like a bottomless abyss, threatening to make Chu Ci sink in completely.

Chu Ci swallowed hard with difficulty, slowly averting his gaze and stiffly twitching the corners of his mouth: “Oh… okay.”

He suddenly didn’t know what to say. The heat that subsequently emerged on his cheeks made him instinctively want to flee. Chu Ci had no choice but to turn around awkwardly, then pulled a blanket out from his suitcase and walked quickly toward the outside.

“Where are you going?” Ji Yanli followed closely behind Chu Ci.

“I’m sleeping outside today,” Chu Ci answered. His pace didn’t stop; he even sped up a bit after Ji Yanli spoke. “There’s only one bed, isn’t there.”

Ji Yanli’s movement of drying his hair paused, letting the undried water droplets slide down the side of his face. He walked over in a few steps, blocking Chu Ci’s path: “Did I say something wrong?”

There was a hint of helplessness in his tone. Chu Ci looked at him: “No.”

Afterward, Chu Ci took a step to the side.

Ji Yanli followed him, continuing to block Chu Ci: “Then are you… shy?”

Chu Ci’s footsteps suddenly stumbled. He frowned and glared at Ji Yanli: “I’m not!”

‘What shy! Me, being shy toward you??’

‘Your thought process is truly on another level.’

Ji Yanli blinked innocently at him, looking like a child who didn’t know what he had done wrong. Despite being over 180cm tall, he somehow gave off the illusion of being pitiable.

He lowered his head, his wet hair hanging down. Transparent water droplets slid past the corner of his eye. Chu Ci clearly hadn’t done anything, yet an indescribable sense of guilt rose in his heart.

Chu Ci took a step back, intentionally avoiding looking at Ji Yanli’s expression.

The two of them stood outside in a stalemate for quite a while. Finally, Chu Ci admitted defeat. He let out a sigh and asked helplessly: “What do you want.”

“Let’s sleep together,” Ji Yanli said straightforwardly. His fox-like eyes were wide and round, looking completely devoid of deception. “Lest you have to sneak in during the middle of the night.”

Chu Ci: “…”

Wait…

NO!!!!

What on earth did he misunderstand!!!!

Damn it, my lifelong reputation!!

Chu Ci closed his eyes, his hands tightly gripping the blanket in his arms. He took a deep breath, then pushed at Ji Yanli’s abdomen with both hands, forcibly shoving him back into the room.

“Hey…”

Ji Yanli wanted to say more, but Chu Ci gave him no chance at all. Leaving behind a “Goodnight,” he slammed the door shut with a “bang.”

The world was finally quiet.

Chu Ci opened his eyes and walked step by step back to the sofa in the living room outside. The setup of Ji Yanli’s dorm wasn’t bad; the widened single sofa could just fit one person. He lay down on the cushion, turned off the living room light, and stared straight at the bedroom door.

Only when the light projecting from under the door crack went out did Chu Ci’s suspended heart return to its place, and he slowly closed his eyes.

…And here he thought Ji Yanli would persistently chase him back out.

A dangerous thought suddenly popped into his head.

Chu Ci snapped his eyes open, staring blankly at the pitch-black ceiling.

Wait a second.

What was he expecting??

How strange…

He was definitely not acting right!

Chu Ci immediately sat up. The faint unease coming from within made his sleepiness vanish instantly. He quietly called out for Xiao Ba. The fluffy system appeared before Chu Ci with a “poof,” its round little white eyes blinking: “What does Host need Xiao Ba for?”

Its voice sounded like it had just woken up. Chu Ci frowned in confusion: “Do you systems need to sleep too?”

“Host! Our system world has started to focus on humanized development!” Xiao Ba sounded like it had heard something outrageous, huffily bumping against Chu Ci’s nose. “Some systems even need to eat to work!”

The soft fur made Chu Ci want to sneeze. Fearing his movements would be too loud and wake Ji Yanli in the room, Chu Ci quickly batted Xiao Ba away: “Don’t mess around, I have serious business to ask you.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ba immediately looked at Chu Ci seriously.

“What is Ji Yanli’s favorability toward me at now?” Chu Ci deliberately lowered his voice, asking in a whisper.

Xiao Ba: “Host, please wait! Let Xiao Ba check!”

As soon as it finished speaking, it disappeared instantly. Not long after, it reappeared before Chu Ci: “Sorry, Host. Xiao Ba cannot query the specific numerical value of the protagonist’s favorability, but Xiao Ba can clearly tell Host that the protagonist’s favorability is steadily rising!”

Xiao Ba’s words made Chu Ci feel inexplicably relieved. He continued: “You said before that as long as the protagonist’s favorability toward me rises, the original owner’s instinctive reactions will automatically disappear. Is that true?”

“It’s true, Host. Xiao Ba won’t say anything wrong.” Xiao Ba flew in circles around Chu Ci’s head.

No wonder that feeling of being inexplicably controlled had lessened a lot lately.

“But based on Host’s current progress, the original owner’s instinctive reactions still exist.”

Xiao Ba’s sentence followed immediately after.

Chu Ci looked at the little black shadow circling him, then reached out and accurately grabbed Xiao Ba in his hand: “So that is to say, the reason I felt something was wrong today was definitely because of the original owner, right?”

Xiao Ba’s body was rubbed back and forth by him, its two little white eyes forming dizzy curves: “Aaaah—my body is being rubbed out of shape by Host!”

“Logically speaking, as long as Host doesn’t develop feelings for the protagonist, all reactions that don’t belong to yourself can be attributed to the original owner’s will!”

Probably to get Chu Ci to let go quickly, Xiao Ba quickly finished explaining Chu Ci’s question. As the last syllable fell, Chu Ci’s hand holding Xiao Ba loosened. He tapped his chin with his finger, ignoring Xiao Ba who was spinning in the air.

“Ugh… how can Host treat his own system like this!” Xiao Ba’s body exploded into a ball of yarn. It irritably bumped against Chu Ci’s forehead twice. “The next task will be coming soon, Host should be prepared.”

After Xiao Ba finished its sentence, it instantly disappeared into the air.

Chu Ci looked up, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he turned his head to look at the long night outside the window. The rain had stopped at some point, leaving only the remaining water droplets falling from the eaves one by one.

He slowly exhaled a breath, letting his abnormal heartbeat slow down.

Developing feelings for Ji Yanli?

How could that be possible.

He would never like Ji Yanli in this lifetime.

After confirming it wasn’t his own problem, Chu Ci fell straight back, sinking into the soft sofa cushions. The soap-scented blanket covered the lower half of his face. Chu Ci raised his hand to block his eyes, letting the darkness swallow all the images in his sight.

The clock hanging on the living room wall moved bit by bit. The only sound in the silent room was the “tick-tock” of the hour hand. After an unknown amount of time, Chu Ci’s phone beside him suddenly lit up. The strong vibration startled Chu Ci awake from his dream.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes groggily, then picked up the phone. The stinging glare of the screen made it difficult for Chu Ci to open his eyes for a moment.

[0 Degrees Celsius: Guess who I am?]

There was a warning prompt below the stranger’s message.

[The other party is not your friend yet. Please add them as a friend to continue chatting!]

Chu Ci frowned, unable to think of anyone else who had his contact information besides Ji Yanli.

Just as he was planning to treat this message as spam, the other party seemed to have had a telepathic premonition and sent two more messages.

[0 Degrees Celsius: Hey hey hey! You definitely can’t guess… forget it! I’ll just tell you!]

[0 Degrees Celsius: I’m Lin Yu. (Cat blinking.JPG)]

Chu Ci was stunned for a moment, then lightly tapped and added Lin Yu’s contact information.

[My ass is on fire don’t mess with me: Lin Yu?]

[0 Degrees Celsius: Unthinkable, isn’t it? I actually managed to find you!]

[0 Degrees Celsius: Because after school today I went to find Teacher Wang, and I happened to see the phone number on your sponsorship application form, so I thought I’d give it a try.]

[0 Degrees Celsius: Speaking of which, your name is quite funny.]

Looking at the messages constantly popping up from the other party, Chu Ci felt his temples throb.

[My ass is on fire don’t mess with me: I thank you.]

Great. One Ji Yanli wasn’t enough, and now this troublemaker Lin Yu had been added.

[0 Degrees Celsius: Eh? Why don’t you open your Moments?]

[My ass is on fire don’t mess with me: I don’t like posting on Moments.]

[0 Degrees Celsius: Really? There are actually people who don’t like going crazy on Moments!]

[0 Degrees Celsius: I don’t believe it.]

Chu Ci took a deep breath, his temples throbbing even harder.

Ever since Ji Yanli liked his Moments post, Chu Ci had directly put a level three defense line on his Moments.

After all, the matter of cursing the person to their face.

Anyone who encountered it would have to dig out a three-bedroom apartment with their toes.

[My ass is on fire don’t mess with me: Believe it or not.]

Chu Ci finished this sentence cleanly and decisively, then turned off all message notifications, tossed the phone aside grandly, and continued his dream.

Due to tossing and turning until the middle of the night before falling asleep, Chu Ci failed to wake up the next day.

But Ji Yanli was practically a walking human alarm clock. The sky outside was barely light when he finished getting ready and stood before Chu Ci.

Next, Chu Ci felt the blanket tightly wrapped around him for security being pulled away. The morning’s unique chill seeped into his clothes from the window.

Chu Ci shuddered and snapped his eyes open. He sat up like a spring, turned his head to look at the person who had disturbed his peaceful slumber, and was about to lose his temper with bared teeth: “…Who is it!”

The next second, a steaming hot towel descended from the sky, covering Chu Ci’s face tightly. Not only did it block all his grumbling words back in, but it almost made Chu Ci suffocate.

He struggled to take the towel off, and the sleepiness in his head cleared quite a bit. Ji Yanli’s voice drifted lightly into Chu Ci’s ears: “If you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late.”

As he spoke, Ji Yanli had already walked to the door. While putting on his shoes, he turned to look at the still-dazed Chu Ci: “Hurry up. I’ll go buy breakfast first. Meet me at the cafeteria later.”

By the time Chu Ci slowly regained his senses, Ji Yanli had already left the dorm.

He wasn’t as efficient as Ji Yanli. In fact, he often took advantage of his own low-presence bug to be late every day. If it weren’t for Ji Yanli constantly circling around him lately, causing his presence to rise and making him a target of the teacher’s attention, Chu Ci would still be playing games with Zhou Gong in his dreams.

Thinking it over.

In the end, the culprit had to be blamed on Ji Yanli.

So the first thing Chu Ci did after getting up was to rightfully give Ji Yanli a scolding.

He walked to the window, opened it to breathe some fresh air, and then shouted at the top of his lungs: “…You all can go die somewhere else!!”

The sound echoed in the air. The other students were startled by this sudden outburst and turned to look up at the building. Meanwhile, Chu Ci had already re-locked the window and began washing up and changing clothes in a refreshed mood.

The feeling of venting his dissatisfaction…

Was truly great!

Chu Ci’s movements weren’t slow either. He successfully left the door within ten minutes. There were less than twenty minutes left until morning self-study, and the dorm building wasn’t far from the teaching building. Chu Ci simply followed what Ji Yanli had said before leaving and went to the cafeteria to find him first.

The school cafeteria usually wasn’t very crowded in the morning. Coupled with Ji Yanli’s heartthrob setting, finding him was not difficult at all.

Chu Ci stood at the cafeteria entrance, squinting his eyes as he peered inside. Sure enough, in less than half a minute, Chu Ci quickly locked onto Ji Yanli, who was surrounded by a crowd in the middle.

The other held two cups of soy milk and some snacks, his face looking slightly awkward as he rejected the food being handed over by his admirers. He stumbled forward, but because he was surrounded so tightly, his movements were completely restricted.

Chu Ci looked down at the time on his phone, let out an irritable “tsk,” and stepped through the door with a cold face.

“Student Ji Yanli, this is chocolate I made myself last night. I hope you can accept it.”

“Student Ji, I didn’t expect to meet you in the cafeteria. Can I ask you to have lunch together today?”

“What a magnificent face. Help me, Mom! Seeing this face, I can go three days without eating!”

“…”

The chirping sounds in his ears made Ji Yanli’s eardrums ache. He secretly knitted his brows, but a smile remained on his lips as always, politely rejecting everyone’s “kindness.”

They shamelessly confessed their love to Ji Yanli, praising his elegance and gentleness. The inner thoughts hidden beneath their empty words were fully exposed before Ji Yanli.

For his face.

For his money.

For his parents’ peerless status.

Since Ji Yanli had strangely acquired the ability to hear others’ inner thoughts, he had heard far too much of this.

He didn’t know whether having this ability was good or bad. On one hand, the hypocritical masks of humans made him nauseous; on the other hand, he felt fortunate that he could know these things and no longer be kept in the dark.

Ji Yanli lowered his eyelashes, the look in his eyes gradually turning colder.

At that moment, someone accidentally knocked over the chocolate someone had handed to him. The exquisite and beautiful packaging box slid to the ground in a graceful arc. The chocolates inside scattered, with a few accidentally hitting Ji Yanli’s white shirt.

The pristine fabric now had several dirty marks. The people around fell silent for a few seconds, then immediately reached out, wanting to touch the dirty stains on Ji Yanli’s clothes.

Like a swamp constantly pulling Ji Yanli down.

Ji Yanli looked at these people, and for the first time, a thought of fear emerged.

He wanted to run.

…Wanted to escape.

He gritted his teeth hard, attempting to push this inexplicable thought out of his mind.

At that moment—

“Ji Yanli!”

A familiar voice pierced through the crowd and fell into Ji Yanli’s ears.

Then, he saw a small figure squeeze in. Along with the warmth coming from his wrist, Ji Yanli saw the swamp entangling his legs recede in an instant.

He raised his eyes and instinctively stepped out, following the person holding his wrist as they ran out of the crowd without hesitation.

The morning breeze carried a gentle dampness, lightly brushing past Ji Yanli’s temples. What was soothed along with it was his previously panicked and uneasy heart.

His unfocused gaze quietly gathered. Looking at the boy’s back in front of him, he then unconsciously lowered his head and chuckled.

Chu Ci heard Ji Yanli’s laughter.

He stopped his footsteps and turned around. His black hair on his forehead had long been blown away by the wind, revealing a smooth and full forehead. The boy knitted his brows, looking exasperated. When he spoke, the words were: “I stole you away so brazenly, will I become a wanted person by them?”

“But what can be done? You’ve already stolen my heart. I am unwilling to see the one I love fall into difficulty.”

Ji Yanli didn’t speak. He silently looked at Chu Ci’s bright black eyes, because he knew that before long, the real Chu Ci would emerge to punch and kick him.

‘Dammit… I’m going to throw up before I even eat.’

‘Let’s talk it over next time. This morning run thing, let’s not do it again.’

‘Ji Yanli also has something wrong with his head. He doesn’t use the high-class private chef at home, but insists on squeezing into the cafeteria.’

‘Now this is great. If I die, it’ll be purely from starvation.’

‘I’m starving, I’m starving, I’m starving, I’m starving, I’m starving…!!!!’

The little person inside Chu Ci’s heart roared recklessly. Even though he was extremely unwilling, he still couldn’t directly express his dissatisfaction toward Ji Yanli.

Ji Yanli slightly hooked the corners of his mouth, the look in his eyes softening a bit. Then he raised his hand and, while Chu Ci wasn’t paying attention, popped a fried dumpling into his mouth.

“Eat something first.”

“Thanks to you this morning.”

Chu Ci puffed out his cheeks, looking at Ji Yanli in slight surprise.

‘No way… this guy actually falls for this?!’

‘When I used deep affection buffs on him before, didn’t he have a face like he was constipated?’

‘…Has he been possessed?’

Seeing Chu Ci’s gaze toward him become increasingly strange, Ji Yanli leaned forward and unceremoniously flicked Chu Ci’s forehead with his finger.

“What are you looking at me and thinking blindly about.”

“Ouch!”

Chu Ci clutched the spot that had been flicked in pain, then gave Ji Yanli a fierce glare.

‘This is definitely Ji Yanli.’

‘No one else in the world is more malicious than him!’

‘…I curse him to have terrible luck when he goes out today!’

A small red mark was left on the boy’s fair skin. Ji Yanli looked at himself reflected in his pupils, then extended his finger and gently rubbed his forehead for him.

“Sorry,” Ji Yanli said softly. “I think I was a bit too forceful.”

The cool fingertips and thin skin were closely pressed together. The distance between Ji Yanli and Chu Ci suddenly shortened. That unique fragrance on him recklessly invaded Chu Ci’s nasal cavity.

Chu Ci looked up slightly. From this angle, he happened to meet Ji Yanli’s beautiful, full lips. Chu Ci suddenly felt his head “buzz,” and then an indescribable heat burned his throat dry. Chu Ci forced himself to bury his head. Only after he moved his gaze away from Ji Yanli’s lips did that uncomfortable feeling disappear.

“Let—let’s go.” He dodged Ji Yanli’s touch, his lips unconsciously beginning to stammer. Even the words he spoke were stuttering. “It’s almost… almost time to be late.”

When facing Ji Yanli, Chu Ci’s volume would reflexively weaken, and the whole person would become submissive, as if it were an unchangeable defense line set by the plot to satisfy the original owner’s character setting.

Ji Yanli lowered his eyes, gazing at the crown of Chu Ci’s head. The smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

The morning self-study bell rang out of the blue, making Chu Ci’s whole body go numb. He just wanted to speed up, but Ji Yanli was quick to grab Chu Ci’s arm.

“No need to hurry.”

The boy spoke unhurriedly.

“When you’re with me, even if you’re late, the teacher won’t pursue you.”

He knew all his privileges clearly.

Chu Ci looked back at him, inexplicably feeling that Ji Yanli was a bit strange. Compared to the usual Ji Yanli who was never late and followed all the rules, the current him seemed a bit too rebellious.

The person beside him held his arm tightly and wouldn’t let go. Whenever Chu Ci showed signs of trying to break free, Ji Yanli would intentionally tighten his grip.

Chu Ci’s strength couldn’t match his, so he could only obediently give up. But he wasn’t a peaceful person himself, so he kept his head down and mumbled softly.

Ji Yanli listened to his harmless resistance and raised an eyebrow: “If you don’t want me to hold your arm, then let’s hold hands.”

His sudden words were like a bomb hitting Chu Ci’s forehead. Chu Ci was stunned for a moment, then instinctively asked: “What?”

“I said… let’s hold hands,” Ji Yanli repeated seriously. “After all, if I let go now, you’ll definitely run far away.”

Like a cat that was impossible to get close to and needed cat treats and cat sticks to be coaxed over.

Chu Ci stood there with his mouth half-open, dumbfounded.

‘Am I crazy or is this guy crazy?!’

‘Don’t you always like Song Qichen? Why do you want to hold hands with me!’

‘No! No! Something’s gone wrong!’

Chu Ci’s pupils shrunk. He forcefully broke free from Ji Yanli’s hand that was restraining him, and then, just as Ji Yanli had said, he instantly widened the distance between them to over ten meters.

He did not intend to have any more intimate contact with Ji Yanli besides completing tasks.

After all, he only needed Ji Yanli’s favorability, he didn’t actually want to date him.

Absurd.

Truly too absurd!

Chu Ci kept his head down and walked forward. Suddenly, Xiao Ba appeared by his ear, its cheerful mechanical voice surrounding Chu Ci.

“Host, Host! Xiao Ba is here to release a new task!”

The pitch-black fluffy ball blocked Chu Ci’s sight, forcing him to stop.

“The next task is—”

“Interlock fingers with the protagonist for one minute!”