The Video Call and the Unexpected Delivery

Chu Ci: “?”

Go ahead, keep acting.

The person on the other end poked the screen with his finger, creating a series of clattering noises as he fumbled with something. Chu Ci rolled his eyes, closing them to avoid looking at Ji Yanli. “Since you clicked it by mistake, I’m hanging up.”

As he spoke, he moved his finger toward the end-call button without hesitation. However, a split second before touching the glass, his finger hung suspended in mid-air as if lagging. He sat there for a long time, unable to bring himself to disconnect.

“Ah… well, since you already called, let’s chat for a bit.”

Sure enough, the moment Ji Yanli heard this, he stopped pretending. He adjusted his phone and sat before the screen with the posture of a model student.

Chu Ci withdrew his hand and let out a reluctant “Mm.”

They had said they would chat, but in reality, they spent a long time staring at each other through their screens in silence. Neither of them could squeeze out a single sentence.

Ji Yanli held a pen in his hand but never set it to paper. He stared fixedly at Chu Ci, his gaze so intense it felt as if he wanted to crawl through the screen and pull Chu Ci inside. Even though they technically saw each other every day at school, looking at Chu Ci properly like this gave Ji Yanli the illusion that an entire century had passed.

The heat in the other’s gaze was impossible to hide even through a digital display. Chu Ci felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny and awkwardly averted his eyes. Eventually, Lin Yu, sitting on the other side, couldn’t take it anymore. He frowned and asked Chu Ci in confusion, “Who are you talking to? Is it a mute?”

Chu Ci saw Ji Yanli freeze. After a few seconds of hesitation, Ji Yanli finally broke the long silence: “There’s someone else with you?”

“Ah…” Chu Ci opened his mouth, glancing up at Lin Yu. “A friend.”

Hearing this, Ji Yanli lowered his lashes halfway. His brow furrowed into a look of grievance, and he pouted slightly, speaking in a muffled tone: “You used to go to lunch with me.”

He was clearly bringing up a sore subject on purpose. Chu Ci felt a pang of annoyance and intentionally replied in a cold tone, “Who told you to ignore me?”

“I wasn’t ignoring you!” Ji Yanli’s eyes widened, his volume rising uncontrollably for a moment. He swallowed hard, a trace of panic in his beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry… but I had no choice…”

He lowered his voice and leaned in close to the camera. The sudden decrease in distance meant Ji Yanli’s face took up the entire screen. Chu Ci felt his heart skip a beat; he quickly raised a hand to his chest and subtly leaned back.

“A few days ago, my parents came to school. They asked why I wasn’t coming home. I had a fight with them in the office, and in the end, they threatened to investigate you. That’s the only reason I agreed to move back home.”

Ji Yanli bit his lower lip, looking even more pitiful. “I’ve had very few real friends since I was a child. In the past, many of them cut ties with me because they couldn’t stand my parents. I didn’t want things to be difficult for you.”

“Because to me—”

“You’re really important.”

Those last five words drifted into Chu Ci’s ears. The weightless syllables sent ripples through his heart. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a faint, suggestive flush crept onto the tips of his ears.

“Oh ho—”

The atmosphere lasted only a few seconds before being shattered by a cynical voice. Lin Yu had overheard the last sentence. He suddenly squeezed into the frame, his shoulder pressing against Chu Ci’s, and began to mockingly chant: “You—are—real—ly—im—por—tant—to—me—”

He mimicked Ji Yanli with an exaggerated expression, drawing out the syllables, completely ignoring the way Ji Yanli’s expression instantly turned icy.

“Ji Yanli, you’re so cheesy.”

Lin Yu clutched his stomach and laughed. Chu Ci looked from him to the screen; seeing Ji Yanli’s dark expression, he thought, This is bad.

He quickly raised a hand to cover Lin Yu’s mouth, stifling the reckless laughter. In his rush, he used a bit too much force. Lin Yu suddenly couldn’t breathe and began clawing at Chu Ci’s hand, trying to escape the “devil’s grip.”

“Mmph… mmph…” Lin Yu’s face turned red, his brows knitting tightly. Chu Ci turned back to Ji Yanli, giving an apologetic smile. “You know him, this guy has zero emotional intelligence. Don’t take it person—!!”

Before he could finish, a strange, wet warmth touched his palm. Chu Ci recoiled as if he’d been electrocuted, letting go of Lin Yu and nearly jumping out of his chair in shock.

“Why did you lick my hand!”

Chu Ci stared in disbelief, frantically wiping his palm on his pants. His elevated volume traveled straight into Ji Yanli’s ears.

“If I didn’t do something, you were going to suffocate me!” Lin Yu retorted, sounding both defensive and righteous. His chest heaved as he panted.

Chu Ci was about to snap back when he caught sight of Ji Yanli’s expression on the screen. The youth’s eyes were closed as he took a deep breath. Then, with a sharp click, the video call was disconnected.

Chu Ci reached out and pounded Lin Yu’s shoulder a few times. “You’re on your own, buddy.”

What a useless teammate.

With that, he picked up his tray and left.

Lin Yu was left dazed, standing there for a long time before he finally snapped out of it and chased after Chu Ci. “Wait, what do you mean? Explain yourself!”

“Chu Ci!!”

The café owned by Lin Yu’s cousin wasn’t actually that far from the school.

Chu Ci spent the first day familiarizing himself with the environment, and then, relying on his corporate-s*ave instincts, he quickly mastered his duties.

Cleaning, greeting customers, taking orders, and making coffee—it was all tedious but routine work. Chu Ci came in every day after school. Lin Yu’s cousin took a real liking to him because he was obedient and hardworking.

A week flew by. The busy schedule allowed Chu Ci to temporarily forget about Ji Yanli’s existence. The next time he heard the name “Ji Yanli” was when the system, Xiao Ba, popped up to issue a task.

Chu Ci placed a cup under the coffee machine, grabbed a handful of beans, and loaded the hopper. He flipped the switch. With a soft clack, the machine began to grind the round beans into a fine powder.

The bitter aroma wafted into his nose, and the soothing music in the shop gave him a sense of peace. That peace was interrupted when Xiao Ba, who had been hovering around him, slammed into Chu Ci’s forehead. Its black body displayed two angry, slanted eyes to show its dissatisfaction.

“Host—!! Are you even listening to Xiao Ba?!” The mechanical voice blared in his ear, dominating his eardrums. “The system detects that the Host’s recent contact with the protagonist shou is too low. This could lead to a drop in the protagonist’s favorability!”

Chu Ci ignored Xiao Ba, taking out the ground coffee to sift it before pouring it back into the machine.

A moment later, the brown liquid began to flow. The rich aroma filled the air. Chu Ci picked up the freshly made cup and took a deep sniff.

“Host!!!” Seeing no reaction, Xiao Ba shouted even louder. “You’re not refusing the mission, are you?!”

Chu Ci finally shifted his gaze to the system. “I’ve been meditating every night lately. I’ve realized that this kind of life isn’t so bad.”

“Think about it—a person’s life is only so long. If you spend every day living in fear just to survive, what’s the point?”

As he spoke, Chu Ci took a sip of the coffee. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, the sharp taste making him scowl. He put the cup down and muttered, “God… this is more bitter than my life.”

Xiao Ba’s round eyes blinked. “Host, you look so charming when you’re being philosophical.”

“I think so too.”

“But Host cannot skip the mission! Otherwise, there will be other punishments!!”

Xiao Ba’s voice nearly pierced Chu Ci’s eardrum.

Chu Ci covered his ears and rolled his eyes at the system in a silent protest.

Forcing a laborer like this—just wait until I get out of here, I’ll sue you.

Chu Ci pulled over a chair and sat down, leaning his head back. “What am I supposed to do? Ji Yanli is being monitored by his parents. If I get close to him, I’ll be in trouble. It’s not that I’m unwilling; it’s that Ji Yanli is the one avoiding me.”

The orange light of the setting sun filtered through the window, turning his hair a light brown.

Xiao Ba flew closer to his ear, whispering like a little devil: “No problem. When the plot won’t move, the Host can create the plot themselves.”

With that cryptic message, it vanished, leaving Chu Ci puzzled.

But soon, he understood exactly what Xiao Ba meant.

He was currently holding a coffee in one hand and a delivery address in the other. After checking the address a dozen times, he finally stopped in front of Ji Yanli’s house.

Beneath the tree in the courtyard, a layer of withered yellow leaves had gathered. The wind rustled through them with a soft shhh.

Chu Ci looked up blankly at the house number. Even the glow of the sunset in his eyes couldn’t revive his dwindling vitality. He stood at the door for a long time, hesitating. Finally, with a pouting expression of total resignation, he pressed the doorbell.

The familiar chime rang out, accompanied by Chu Ci’s racing heart.

The café didn’t usually do deliveries. They were typically busy enough after school that they reached capacity or ran out of stock.

But today was unique.

The only reason this order was being delivered was that the buyer had paid an obscene amount of money.

If Chu Ci had known from the start it was for Ji Yanli, he wouldn’t have come even if his life depended on it.

Waiting is always nerve-wracking. Chu Ci was debating whether to just leave the coffee at the door and run. Just as he decided to do exactly that, tiptoeing toward the doorstep to set the cup down, he heard a click. The tightly shut door began to open, slowly, inch by inch.

Chu Ci froze reflexively. His lashes fluttered rapidly as he looked up with an expression of pure soul-weariness.

Of course. It wasn’t Auntie Zhang who opened the door.

It was Ji Yanli.

He was wearing simple loungewear, and the muscles beneath the thin fabric were faintly visible. He looked a bit tired, and his pale skin looked almost blinding in the direct sunlight—but regardless, he was still exceptionally handsome.

He rubbed the corner of his eye. When he recognized Chu Ci, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He asked blankly: “Why are you here?”

Chu Ci gritted his teeth.

His fist was clenched.