The Misunderstood “Original Wife” and the Heart-Shattering Mission

Water droplets from his damp hair fell onto Chu Ci’s shoulders, soaking into the clean fabric of his white shirt. Ji Yanli’s words struck his eardrums with reckless abandon, leaving Chu Ci frozen in place, staring at the youth with his mouth slightly agape in utter confusion.

The other boy frowned slightly, a faint reddish hue tinging the corners of his eyes. He lowered his head, his dark bangs falling forward, his voice sounding muffled and laced with an indescribable grievance.

Chu Ci remained dazed for a long time before a single sound escaped his throat: “Huh??!!”

Ji Yanli blinked, his long, curled lashes fluttering. Realizing that his previous wording was a bit strange, he shifted his phrasing: “I mean… have you made a new friend?”

Even with the change in expression, Chu Ci could still hear the underlying tone—the vibe of a pathetic “original wife” waiting for a “scumbag” to return to his senses.

Chu Ci: “?”

‘Do I look like an orphan to you?’

‘Wait a second…’

‘Who even said we were friends!’

Hearing Chu Ci’s internal monologue, the look in Ji Yanli’s eyes became even more pitiful. He sniffled, took a step forward, and reached out to tug on Chu Ci’s sleeve, his soft fingertips rubbing against the thin fabric.

“Don’t misunderstand,” he whispered, his voice raspy and his eyelashes cast down innocently. “It’s just… if you make new friends, could you please not… not want me anymore?”

Ji Yanli’s baffling logic made Chu Ci’s brain stall even harder. He suppressed the urge to crack open Ji Yanli’s skull to see what was inside. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and replied: “How should I put this… You are the most important person to me. In my world, there’s only—!”

Before he could finish, a slender, fair finger gently pressed against Chu Ci’s lips. The warm breath made the fingertip damp. Chu Ci felt his spine stiffen, and his pupils trembled involuntarily.

Just then, the phone on the table lit up as if on cue. Chu Ci caught a glimpse with his peripheral vision—it was a message from Bo Yu.

Universe’s No. 1 Big Simp Don’t Mess With Him: “I think I just heard Ji Yanli’s voice!”

A second later, as if exploding, messages started pouring in, making the phone vibrate incessantly.

Universe’s No. 1 Big Simp Don’t Mess With Him: “I didn’t react in time! But after I hung up, I thought about it—that was definitely Ji Yanli!”

Universe’s No. 1 Big Simp Don’t Mess With Him: “So weird, why was your phone with him?!”

Universe’s No. 1 Big Simp Don’t Mess With Him: “…Ah! You two aren’t living toge—”

Ji Yanli moved with lightning speed to turn off the screen and silence the notifications. He moved so fast that Chu Ci didn’t have a chance to read the rest.

Chu Ci slowly moved his gaze back to Ji Yanli’s face. The youth’s brows were knit even tighter, and his usual gentle expression had vanished without a trace.

—He looked extremely unhappy. Like he wanted to hit someone.

Combined with Bo Yu’s messages and this inexplicable expression, Chu Ci suddenly realized exactly why he was being so difficult.

Chu Ci raised his hand to grip Ji Yanli’s wrist, moving the finger away from his lips. He hesitated, then asked: “You… did you touch my phone?”

Ji Yanli startled slightly, then looked up at him with a hint of panic, as if confirming something. After a few seconds, he nodded sheepishly. “Sorry.”

His eyes cast downward like a helpless puppy. Looking at him, Chu Ci couldn’t help but soften his tone. He uncharacteristically answered Ji Yanli’s questions with patience.

“The person messaging me is actually that guy you met this morning,” Chu Ci paused before continuing, “Bo Yu.”

“He only contacted me to ask about you. He wanted to know when you’d have time to take him to see Xiaobai.”

“He said you seemed to be in a bad mood this morning and didn’t give him a straight answer. He agonized over it for a long time after we parted and couldn’t resist asking.”

Chu Ci said it all in one breath. As the last syllable landed, he tilted his head up, his dark almond eyes staring straight at Ji Yanli.

Hearing this, the frost on Ji Yanli’s face finally thawed a bit. However, he still frowned, his thin lips pouting as he grumbled, “Then he should have just asked me. Why ask you?”

“Good question.” Chu Ci curled his lips into a mirthless smile. “I’ll call him right now, and you can tell him yourself.”

As he spoke, Chu Ci reached for the phone. Ji Yanli immediately turned and blocked him with his back. He looked down into Chu Ci’s eyes and muttered, “Forget it… I’ll contact him myself.”

There was still an undeniable sense of loneliness in his voice. Chu Ci narrowed his eyes and asked tentatively—

“Ji Yanli, you aren’t… are you?”

“Jealous?”

He emphasized the last word on purpose. Ji Yanli didn’t react immediately, his eyes filled with blank confusion. Chu Ci realized he had said something that could easily be misunderstood. He tapped his own lips and, before Ji Yanli could recover, blurted out: “You heard wrong, I didn’t say anything.”

He turned to flee. But before he could take a step, Ji Yanli caught his arm. Heat radiated through his long sleeves. Ji Yanli stared at the back of Chu Ci’s head, his voice drifting into his ears like the summer night wind.

“I don’t quite understand what being jealous feels like.”

“However…”

“Seeing you talk to him makes me… very unhappy.”

Ji Yanli’s voice sounded normal, but Chu Ci could sense the hidden possessiveness. Chu Ci felt his body go rigid. He didn’t dare turn around, fearing that seeing those eyes would cause his mental defenses to crumble due to the original body’s instincts.

“You didn’t pay any attention to me when you came back today. At that moment, I just wanted to know who you were talking to.”

“Chu Ci.”

He suddenly increased his grip, pulling Chu Ci’s arm and forcing the boy to turn and face him. Ji Yanli stared at Chu Ci’s trembling pupils and bitten lip.

“I beg you, even if you meet other close people in the future…”

“…Don’t leave me behind.”

Chu Ci felt his head spinning. Ji Yanli’s voice became ethereal. Lately, his heart rate had been spiking too often; he quickly clutched his chest, fearing he had developed a heart condition.

‘What is he saying… what is he saying!!’

‘Xiaoba! Xiaoba! I’m hallucinating, Xiaoba!’

‘Help me! Someone help me!’

The room seemed to spin. Chu Ci’s face burned a fierce red. Ji Yanli watched the change, and seeing Chu Ci looking like he was about to boil over, he reached out to touch his forehead.

Chu Ci snapped out of it instantly. Breaking free from the suffocating cocoon of desire, he fled the room like a terrified rabbit, slamming the door behind him.

The living room was lit only by a floor lamp. Chu Ci stumbled to the sofa and collapsed into the soft cushions. The “thump-thump” of his heart synchronized with the ticking of the clock.

The lingering heat on his face made him think he had a fever. He lay motionless on the sofa, waiting for his sanity to return.

Crazy. Ji Yanli has definitely gone crazy.

He talks without thinking or filtering.

“Unhappy”? I bet the corners of his mouth are practically reaching the ceiling!

Quietness returned, save for Chu Ci’s heavy breathing. Once his heart rate stabilized, he flipped over and gasped for air. To recover, he started cursing Ji Yanli in his head.

He glared at the closed bedroom door, hearing a few sneezes from inside. Perhaps he was cursing too hard, because a message arrived:

Fake White Lotus Real Scheming Tea Who Loves To Play Dead: “Goodnight. Get some rest.” Fake White Lotus Real Scheming Tea Who Loves To Play Dead: “…Save your energy. Stop cursing me.”

Chu Ci: “?”

Still fuming, he ignored the message and tossed the phone aside. The wounds on his face began to throb again, seemingly still holding the warmth of Ji Yanli’s fingers. He stared at the dark ceiling, and slowly, a giant image of Ji Yanli appeared on it!

Chu Ci sat up with a start, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. The ceiling was empty.

Strange. He was starting to have hallucinations.

…I told you staying with him leads to nothing good!

Chu Ci groaned softly and flopped back down. A wave of exhaustion hit him. He was tired of pushing the plot and “conquering” Ji Yanli for no pay.

He suddenly felt like storming into the room and demanding answers. He actually walked to the door, but it was quiet inside. Ji Yanli was likely already asleep. Thinking about how he was awake and agitated while the culprit slept made him resentful.

He lifted a foot to kick the door, but hesitated. He slowly put his foot back down, telling himself: I’m a civilized person; I don’t disturb people at night. He turned back toward the sofa.

After a few steps, System Xiaoba appeared in front of him, its fluffy body nearly bumping into his nose.

“Host! Host! Xiaoba is here to give you the next mission!!”

The cheerful mechanical voice filled the air.

“The next mission is—”

“Kiss the protagonist for thirty seconds!”