The Allergy Crisis and the Dog-Like Rival

The pungent, spicy flavor exploded in his mouth, the choking sensation searing straight down his throat. Ji Yanli barely chewed twice before he couldn’t take it; the chopsticks slipped from his hand and clattered onto the table. His expression shifted instantly. Covering his mouth with one hand, he bent over and began to cough violently.

“Cough, cough, cough!!!”

On the other side, Chu Ci had just let out a smug little smile at the success of his prank. But before his grin could even fully form, he realized Ji Yanli looked seriously hurt. His face was flushed a deep crimson, veins bulged at his temples, and he coughed until his voice sounded raspy.

Chu Ci’s smile froze. Snapping out of it, he hurriedly poured a cup of water and pushed it toward Ji Yanli’s hand, asking frantically, “Ji Yanli, are you okay? Quick, drink some water!”

Ji Yanli couldn’t answer. His breathing was ragged, his eyes bloodshot. He looked up at Chu Ci for just a second, and the sight left Chu Ci stunned and terrified.

The commotion caught Sister Qin’s attention. She rushed over, and seeing Ji Yanli drenched in sweat from coughing, she cried out in shock, “Oh my! How did he get spiced up like this?!”

She quickly ran to the freezer, grabbed a bottle of ice-cold milk, and thrust it into Ji Yanli’s hands. “Quick! Drink some to cut the spice!”

Ji Yanli nodded obediently. Without even taking the time to use a straw, he tore off the seal and tilted his head back, gulping the milk down.

Sister Qin patted his back to help him breathe, then turned to look at the dazed Chu Ci. She explained softly, “Xiao Li hasn’t been able to eat spicy food since he was a child. I didn’t know back then and coaxed him into trying it once. The result was just like this. I was even more scared than you the first time I saw it—I actually cried, thinking Xiao Li wasn’t going to make it.”

As the cold milk slid down his throat, gradually soothing the burning pain, Ji Yanli finally recovered a bit. He set the milk down and looked up at Chu Ci, a trace of moisture still lingering in the corners of his eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” Ji Yanli’s voice was raspy, yet he still tried his best to comfort Chu Ci. “I just can’t handle spicy food, it’s okay.”

“What do you mean ‘can’t handle it’!” Sister Qin tapped his shoulder, her tone laced with disapproval. “The doctor said it clearly—you have a chili allergy!”

Ji Yanli swallowed, and as if afraid Chu Ci would overthink it, he quickly added, “It’s a mild allergy.”

“An allergy is an allergy,” Sister Qin frowned, pinching his cheek. He was so thin there was hardly any flesh there. “What is wrong with you, child? No matter how mild, an allergic reaction can be life-threatening. Don’t take it lightly.”

Finished, Sister Qin scanned the dishes on the table, tilting her head in confusion. “Strange. I know you can’t eat chili, so I didn’t even put much spice in your friend’s dishes, and yours had none at all. How did it suddenly turn out like this…”

The last few words drifted into Chu Ci’s ears. He gripped his clothes tightly, feeling even more guilty.

‘Crap! I almost killed the protagonist!!’

‘If Ji Yanli accidentally kicked the bucket here, how would the plot of this book even continue!!’

‘Chu Ci! Look at what you’ve done!!’

‘You almost destroyed the happiness of two people!’

‘You deserve ten thousand deaths!’

The little person in his head held a full-scale criticism session against him. He bit his lower lip and lowered his eyes. After agonizing for a while, he stood up and shuffled over to Ji Yanli’s side.

Sister Qin, seeing he had recovered, went back to help out. Lunch peak had passed, and the surrounding tables were empty. Ji Yanli looked up, silently watching Chu Ci approach. His eyes still held a tint of red, but his gaze was exceptionally tender.

Chu Ci didn’t quite dare to look him in the eye, so he deliberately looked away, focusing on Ji Yanli’s exposed collarbone. The prominent bone sat beneath thin skin, rising and falling gently with his breath—it was unexpectedly beautiful.

He released his bitten lip, his red mouth opening and closing as he whispered three words: “…I am sorry.”

“I didn’t know you were allergic to chili.”

Chu Ci quietly reached out a finger and tugged at Ji Yanli’s sleeve twice. He had no idea how pitiful he looked in Ji Yanli’s eyes. The youth scanned him up and down, then raised an eyebrow, asking with a half-smile: “Are you apologizing—”

“Or are you acting spoiled?”

He intentionally dragged out the last word. Hearing this, Chu Ci’s thoughts lagged for a moment. When he finally realized what was said, his grip on the sleeve tightened, and he ground his molars.

‘Maybe I should have just let him die.’

‘What was I even feeling guilty for!!’

The insults in his heart reached Ji Yanli’s ears. His gaze traced the blush on Chu Ci’s cheeks, his cunning fox-like eyes narrowing. Then, Ji Yanli’s expression changed. He suddenly bent over and began to cough heavily again.

Chu Ci instantly lost his cool. He knelt down, grabbing Ji Yanli’s wrist, his brows furrowed in deep worry. “…Ji Yanli, have you still not recovered?”

He reached for the milk, only to find the bottle was empty. Chu Ci stood up abruptly. “Wait here, I’ll go get another one!”

Just as he turned to leave, his hand was caught, forcing him to stop. He blinked in confusion and looked back, only to see a mischievous smirk. Chu Ci froze, then realized he’d been played.

“And you say you don’t care about me,” Ji Yanli’s eyes crinkled, his thumb restlessly brushing against Chu Ci’s palm. His tone was leisurely, but every word felt like it was being aimed at Chu Ci’s heart. “Tell me, if something really happened to me, would you cry?”

Chu Ci’s eyes widened. His face deepened in color, whether from anger or something else.

‘…Who cares about you!’

‘Rest assured, if crying at your funeral would make me money, I’d cry until you came back to life.’

‘Hiss—wait—Ji Yanli really is sick in the head!’

He frowned, twisting his wrist to escape. Even though he knew he couldn’t win, he still stubbornly resisted.

“Cry, cry, cry, I’ll definitely cry,” Chu Ci squeezed the words out through grit teeth. “I’ll cry until a buckwheat pillow sprouts, and you’ll be the fertilizer.”

“But if something really happened to you…”

“I definitely wouldn’t be able to go on.”

“After all, you are like the air surrounding me. Without you, how could I continue to live?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Chu Ci wanted to go insane.

‘Believe it or not, I’ll get a vacuum sealer and suck all the air out of this world!’

‘One punch to destroy this dog-buff! One punch!’

He bit his lip hard, forcing himself not to explode, his body trembling with the effort.

Ji Yanli watched with amusement as Chu Ci’s face turned bright red. Then, he let go of his hand and stood up. As he walked past him, Ji Yanli leaned down and whispered, “I was just joking. Why did you take it so seriously?”

The mirth in his voice was impossible to hide.

Chu Ci: “…”

I am going to kill Ji Yanli!!

After returning to school in the afternoon, Chu Ci officially began a unilateral cold war with Ji Yanli.

Besides ignoring him, Chu Ci would intentionally walk past Ji Yanli’s desk. Every time he passed, he made a point of rolling his eyes at him.

Ji Yanli: “?”

…Does he have a cramp in his eye?

What Chu Ci didn’t know was that in the eyes of Ji Yanli’s admirers, his actions looked like a blatant provocation. Soon, he felt resentful gazes shooting at him from all directions.

He shivered. He didn’t dare roll his eyes at Ji Yanli anymore.

He managed to survive until school ended. To avoid being harassed by the admirers, he bolted out of the classroom the second the bell rang. Even though they lived under the same roof, Chu Ci just wanted to be a stranger with zero connection to him right now.

Ji Yanli usually lingered in the classroom after school, as many people would corner him to “discuss homework,” and he was too polite to refuse. Chu Ci timed his return to the dorms; as long as he wasn’t seen with him, no one would link them together.

Thinking of this, he walked around the track with peace of mind. The orange sunset fell on his shoulders as he walked, head down, stepping on the black shadows on the ground. The sunlight dyed his white uniform a faint gold.

Suddenly, he didn’t notice someone appearing nearby and walked right into them, hitting a hard chest. Chu Ci clutched his head in silent agony, then looked up to see who was blocking his path.

“You…”

He was about to snap, but then he saw it was none other than Bo Yu, whom he had met that morning. The tall, muscular youth stood before him like a human wall. Chu Ci glanced at the clear muscle definition on his chest and quickly looked away.

“…Look at this big ‘simp’,” Chu Ci muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?”

Bo Yu looked down at the thin boy rubbing his forehead. His voice was so soft Bo Yu only heard the sounds but couldn’t make out the words.

Chu Ci forced a smile and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Seeing Bo Yu looking hesitant, clearly wanting something, Chu Ci asked helpfully, “If you need something, just tell me.”

Bo Yu’s drooping puppy-dog eyes went wide. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Oh… you noticed…”

He bit his lip, struggling with whether to speak. Finally, like a broken jar being smashed, he said, “Actually… I really do need your help with something.”

Chu Ci looked at his fidgety manner—it was quite a sight compared to his “macho man” exterior.

Chu Ci took a breath. “Go on.”

“It’s… it’s…”

Bo Yu’s face turned red. Even though he didn’t have pale skin, Chu Ci could see his cheeks darken.

Chu Ci looked at him expressionlessly and stated the obvious. “You want Ji Yanli’s contact information, don’t you?”

Having his little secret exposed, Bo Yu was so embarrassed he practically wanted to crawl into his basketball jersey. He squirmed uncomfortably and even pitched his voice higher: “Oh! How could you just say it out loud!”

Chu Ci’s face darkened. The other’s coquettish behavior made him uncomfortable. “Just say if you want it or not!”

“Yes! Yes!” Bo Yu was startled by the shout. “Ah… actually, no!”

Chu Ci closed his eyes, his temple throbbing. He held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

Bo Yu blinked. “What for?”

“To give you the contact info.”

Chu Ci curled his lip.

Bo Yu let out an “Oh” of realization and was about to hand over the phone when he suddenly pulled it back.

Chu Ci, who only saw a blur: “?”

“No, I can’t do that!” Bo Yu stammered. “I haven’t gotten Ji Yanli’s permission. I can’t just add him.”

“How about this…”

Bo Yu took a clean notebook from his bag, tore out a page, and carefully wrote down a string of numbers before stuffing it into Chu Ci’s hand.

“Give my contact info to Ji Yanli. If he’s willing, he can add me.”

As he spoke, Bo Yu started blushing again. “I’ll be waiting for the notification.”

He finished quickly and ran off, looking quite happy.

Chu Ci, left standing there staring at the piece of paper: “…”

Seriously. Is there even one normal person in this group?!