A Trap of Jealousy and the Hidden Protector

Chu Ci froze. His gaze moved inch by inch toward Ji Yanli. The tall youth raised an eyebrow at him, looking back with a puzzled expression.

“I…” Chu Ci tugged at the corner of his mouth, quickly searching for a plausible excuse. “I—I was talking about a popular drama lately.”

Ji Yanli let out an “Oh” as if suddenly enlightened, then continued to press: “Which drama?”

The question caught Chu Ci off guard. His pupils darted around guiltily.

‘How should I know what dramas exist in this world?!’

He bit his lip, silent for a long moment. Seeing that Chu Ci looked like his head might actually burst from thinking too hard, Ji Yanli’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. He softly tossed out a hint: “Ah—are you talking about the one Lin Cian starred in recently?”

The name sounded both strange and strangely familiar. Chu Ci was stunned for a second before he remembered: Lin Cian was the third male lead in the original story.

In a world with a “universal heartthrob” setting, the protagonist shou would naturally have more than one “peacock” vying for his attention.

However, Lin Cian appeared much later than the other supporting characters, primarily because his persona was that of a popular actor. In the original plot, Ji Yanli first met him at a banquet where Lin Cian was being stalked by a crazed fan. To escape, he had dragged a passing Ji Yanli into a fake, intimate scene.

Chu Ci thought for a moment. Since Lin Cian was a character who would show up eventually anyway, there was no harm in shifting the focus to him. It might even help push the plot forward.

Chu Ci nodded vigorously, playing along with Ji Yanli. “Yes! That’s the one! He plays the villainous second lead—ruthless, decisive, and most importantly, really handsome!”

Feeling like something was missing, he added: “You should check it out if you’re interested.”

‘Praising a future supporting character in front of the protagonist to build up favorable impressions… God, even the Nobel Prize in Literature couldn’t find a talent like me.’

Ji Yanli looked down at Chu Ci’s lips, which were curled into a smug little smile like a cat that had just caught a fish. He suddenly stopped walking. While Chu Ci wasn’t paying attention, he raised a hand and lightly brushed the other’s lips.

The warm touch sent a shiver down Chu Ci’s spine. Even though it was just a light graze, the temperature felt like it was glued to him. His breathing grew ragged, and the blush on his ears deepened.

Ji Yanli leaned in, his shoulder brushing against Chu Ci’s. In a voice that was gentle yet magnetic, he asked casually: “So, you like Lin Cian’s type?”

The sudden question caught Chu Ci off guard. His mind went blank, and he blurted out instinctively: “Mhm.”

“Why?” Ji Yanli tilted his head, probing further.

Chu Ci toyed with the hem of his shirt, his lower lip bitten red. He pushed through with the lie: “Maybe because… because he’s good-looking…”

His voice trailed off weakly. Ji Yanli opened his fox-like eyes wide, looking at Chu Ci innocently: “Am I not good-looking?”

Chu Ci: “?”

After a few seconds of thought, Chu Ci replied: “You’re good-looking too.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yanli looked even more aggrieved. He said quite matter-of-factly: “Then why don’t you like me?”

Chu Ci: “…”

Ji Yanli: “Or do you only like Lin Cian’s kind of ‘good-looking’?” He pointed a finger at himself. “And not mine?”

Chu Ci felt dizzy from the boy’s circular logic. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to stop himself from snapping.

‘What is wrong with this guy? Why is he suddenly starting a “male competition” in a vacuum?!’

‘Who did he learn this imaginary enemy skill from…’

‘And what does my type have to do with you?!!’

With his heart thumping in his chest, Chu Ci felt his temper had worsened significantly since arriving in this world. He ignored the question and kept walking straight ahead.

By the time they reached the classroom, the morning study session had ended. The bell for the first period—Mathematics—rang. Since Ji Yanli had offered to tutor him, the math teacher had been calling on Chu Ci every single class, supposedly to check the “quality” of Ji Yanli’s teaching.

They walked into the classroom one after another. Overly blunt gazes followed Chu Ci, making him feel like a hole was being stared into him.

As Chu Ci passed by his seat, Ji Yanli suddenly reached out. Chu Ci nearly bumped into his arm and paused, looking at him in confusion.

“Wait,” Ji Yanli whispered, leaning in. His slender fingers moved gently.

The soft fabric of the youth’s sleeve brushed against Chu Ci’s nose, bringing a faint, intoxicating scent. At such close proximity, Chu Ci could feel Ji Yanli’s breath stirring his hair. For a moment, the world went quiet, leaving only the sound of his own racing heart.

A few seconds later, Ji Yanli withdrew his hand and held a tiny green leaf in front of Chu Ci. “There.”

Chu Ci blinked rapidly at the leaf. Then, he sensed the gazes from around the room… they seemed to have become even sharper.

‘Oh no!’ Chu Ci thought. ‘Is this kid trying to make sure I don’t leave this classroom alive?!’

He ducked his head, using his bag as a shield, and fled to his seat.

Chu Ci kept his head down, but the hostile glares didn’t fade. Usually, his low “presence” would kick in once he distanced himself from Ji Yanli, but today was different. Even ten minutes later, people were still turning around to glare at him.

Worried, he summoned the system, Xiao Ba.

“What’s going on?” Chu Ci whispered. “Why are they all looking at me?”

Xiao Ba blinked its round body. “It’s likely because Host has been interacting with the Protagonist Shou too frequently, causing your presence to become permanently fixed at a higher level.”

“What do I do then?!”

Xiao Ba nuzzled his nose comfortingly. “Don’t worry, Host! Having more presence isn’t bad. If you successfully woo the Protagonist Shou, you’ll go from a background character to a winner in life!”

Chu Ci remained miserable. The math teacher finally left after the bell, and Chu Ci stood up to head out. As he passed Ji Yanli’s desk, a pink corner of an envelope sticking out of the drawer caught his eye.

He frowned, tilting his head to look at it. The color, the pattern, the crumpled edges… it looked exactly like the love letter he had given Ji Yanli.

‘But… didn’t I throw that in the trash that day?’

Impulsively, he reached out to pull the envelope out. Suddenly, a voice shouted: “You’re stealing!”

The accusation instantly drew everyone’s attention. Chu Ci froze. “No… you’ve misunderstood…”

“I saw it! You were trying to steal!” The boy pointed at Chu Ci, exaggerating the movement to the rest of the class. “He reached right in! If I hadn’t caught him, he would’ve gotten away with it! Ji Yanli is so rich, you’ve probably been targeting him for a long time!”

The rest of the class, already annoyed by the attention Ji Yanli had shown Chu Ci earlier, began to murmur in disgust.

“I knew he was suspicious. This morning, Ji Yanli helped him with his hair, and he didn’t even say thank you—he even glared at him!”

“How can Chenqing High allow someone with ‘dirty hands’ to stay here? It’s a disgrace to the school’s reputation!” The first boy stepped forward to grab Chu Ci. “Let’s report him to the Dean’s office! Students like this should be expelled!”

The crowd’s voices grew louder, like a hundred megaphones blasting in Chu Ci’s ears. He couldn’t find his voice; his legs felt like lead. He felt a wave of dizziness, and his heart began to ache from the stress.

Just as he was about to collapse under the pressure, a pair of warm hands covered his ears. Soft fingertips pressed against his cheeks, blocking out the noise.

Chu Ci opened his eyes to see Ji Yanli standing behind him. With a cold, indifferent gaze, Ji Yanli swept his eyes across the room. Then, he leaned down close to Chu Ci’s ear, his voice vibrating through the bone.

“…Be good. Don’t listen.”