A Risky Touch and the “Stupid” Student

Xiao Ba’s voice echoed repeatedly in Chu Ci’s ears.

Silence.

A long, heavy silence.

It wasn’t until Xiao Ba called out softly again, [Host?], that Chu Ci snapped out of his trance.

“Wait.” He felt the corner of his eye twitch and asked hesitatingly, “Is the… task you just issued actually legal?”

Xiao Ba blinked twice, appearing somewhat bewildered, but still answered confidently: [Please rest assured, Host, our tasks are absolutely legal! They are all issued according to the needs of the plot!]

Chu Ci suddenly fell silent.

He let out a wordless sigh. Even though he was extremely resistant, he had to force himself to complete the system’s tasks. As the saying goes, one must bow their head when under another’s roof.

Chu Ci carefully turned over, his eyes wide as he stared at Ji Yanli’s profile in the darkness. The thick night blurred the youth’s facial curves, but the dim light from outside spilled onto the bridge of his high nose, making him look breathtakingly handsome.

The other was still breathing evenly, seemingly fast asleep, so he hadn’t noticed Chu Ci creeping closer. Chu Ci swallowed, reached out from under the covers, and tentatively moved his hand toward Ji Yanli’s cheek.

The warmth lingering on his fingertips quickly slipped away. Chu Ci’s eyes widened as his finger drew closer to the youth beside him, inch by inch. His movements were extremely slow; he was almost holding his breath, leaving only the violent pounding of his heart beneath his ribs.

He didn’t dare make a sound for fear of waking the sleeping Ji Yanli. However, because the lying position was awkward, Chu Ci had to slightly prop up his upper body, casting a shadow that enveloped Ji Yanli.

After half a minute, his soft fingertips finally touched Ji Yanli’s cheek. The other’s skin was delicate and slightly cool. The bone structure beneath the thin skin was prominent, yet it retained the collagen unique to a young master of this age. Chu Ci gazed down at him, his finger sliding inch by inch along Ji Yanli’s brow bone. The proportions of his features were excellent; from his bone structure alone, he was a classic beauty.

Chu Ci unconsciously moved a few inches closer to Ji Yanli. His breath brushed below the other’s eyelids, gently swaying the thick, downward-slanting lashes. His Adam’s apple bobbed instinctively, and the finger touching the cheek began to tremble slightly.

He didn’t notice his own cheeks were currently burning red. The little person hidden in his heart was praying for these three minutes to pass quickly on one hand, while on the other, he seemed bewitched, his body controlled to lean closer and closer to Ji Yanli.

How strange.

A ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Chu Ci’s head.

—I want to kiss Ji Yanli.

His gaze lingered on Ji Yanli’s thin, rosy lips. The naturally upturned corners really did look suitable for kissing. Chu Ci’s breathing suddenly became ragged, and the gaze fixed on those two petals gradually turned scorched, as if he could see through the thin skin to the hidden blood vessels and veins beneath.

His cool fingertips continued to wander over Ji Yanli’s cheek. Chu Ci would occasionally press lightly on the other’s beautiful brow, then circle around the corner of his eye, leaving forced red finger marks on the fair skin.

He moved slowly, very slowly, getting closer to Ji Yanli’s lips. Their breaths intertwined, the damp air nearly moistening Ji Yanli’s nose. The surroundings were deathly quiet, with only Chu Ci’s drum-like heartbeat breaking the silence of the night.

Chu Ci’s finger brushed past the other’s jawline, easily touching his slender neck. After his fingertip accidentally bumped into Ji Yanli’s prominent Adam’s apple, the person who had been motionless suddenly let out a muffled groan.

This sound snapped Chu Ci’s muddled thoughts back to reality. His cloudy eyes suddenly focused, and after freezing for two seconds, he realized what he had almost done.

Was he… was he crazy!

He had actually, truly wanted to kiss Ji Yanli just now!!

Chu Ci covered his mouth in disbelief, his pupils trembling. He immediately straightened up and scrambled back as if he had seen something filthy.

The clothes on his back were nearly soaked with cold sweat. If he hadn’t snapped out of it just now and continued to be controlled by the original owner’s instincts, he couldn’t even imagine what would have happened next!

No, was this original owner… really this thirsty, this much of a pervert?!

Chu Ci frowned, his features full of disgust. He rubbed his lips hard with the back of his hand. Even though they hadn’t actually touched, Chu Ci still felt like something disgusting was sticking to his mouth.

The system, Xiao Ba, hopped around beside Chu Ci, its fluffy body swaying with uncontainable joy: [Congratulations to the Host for exceeding the requirements of the task: Touch any part of the protagonist bottom’s body for three minutes!]

[Host, you’re amazing!!! You almost completed a hidden task!] Xiao Ba excitedly bumped into Chu Ci, its two white round eyes curving into arcs. [Does the Host want to challenge the hidden task? There might be unexpected surprises!]

After Xiao Ba finished, Chu Ci didn’t react for a long time. The little system let out a confused [Eh?] and flew in front of Chu Ci’s face. Seeing Chu Ci’s lifeless, dull gaze, Xiao Ba lost its calm: [Host!!! What’s wrong!!! Don’t give up on life!!!]

Chu Ci blinked slowly, acting as if he hadn’t heard Xiao Ba’s voice, still showing no reaction.

Xiao Ba hurried to press against Chu Ci’s cheek, rubbing affectionately: [Host! If I knew you were so resistant to physical contact, I wouldn’t have made you do this task first. Actually, this task could have been pushed back!]

The system’s eyes seemed to shoot out invisible tears, wishing it could grow hands to hug the broken Chu Ci.

Hearing this, Chu Ci’s scattered pupils finally focused. He looked at Xiao Ba expressionlessly, then said in a low, hoarse voice: “When will the original owner’s instinctive reactions disappear?”

Xiao Ba froze for a moment, then answered obediently: [Once the protagonist bottom’s favorability toward the Host increases, the original owner’s will will disappear accordingly. Then, the Host will no longer be controlled.]

As its voice fell, Chu Ci went silent again. He just tilted his head and stared wordlessly at the oblivious Ji Yanli lying on the bed, the eyes hidden under his black bangs deepening.

Xiao Ba didn’t know what bad idea Chu Ci was cooking up. A few minutes later, Chu Ci suddenly rose and leaned toward Ji Yanli.

Then, he quietly leaned down to Ji Yanli’s ear, cupping his hand near the corner of his mouth in an extremely ambiguous gesture.

Xiao Ba was thrilled, and before it could ask “Host, are you challenging the hidden task?”, Chu Ci suddenly cursed in a soft, gentle tone: “B*ch!”

Xiao Ba: “???”

Xiao Ba: “!!!”

Xiao Ba: [Host! What if the protagonist bottom wakes up! What if he hears you! What if his favorability toward you drops!!]

The system flew over in a panic, bumping into Chu Ci’s head with its body, trying to wake its host’s lost sanity.

Unfortunately, it was to no avail. The more Xiao Ba tried to stop him, the more energized Chu Ci became, as if he had suffered a great humiliation.

The fragrance of his words echoed in the silence of the night.

In the days that followed, Chu Ci and Ji Yanli didn’t speak a word to each other. It was as if they had no connection at all, returning to being strangers as usual.

Except for the bandage on Chu Ci’s forehead, which served as proof that everything that had happened before was real.

Chu Ci remembered clearly that he had acted like a madman for who-knows-how-long that night. When he woke up again, he was still in Ji Yanli’s bed, but Ji Yanli was gone.

The cold bed beside him didn’t even leave a trace of warmth, a departure so decisive that Chu Ci had the illusion of being abandoned after a one-night stand.

Thinking of this.

Chu Ci couldn’t help but slap himself.

What on earth was he thinking…

He propped his head up with one hand, reflexively glancing at Ji Yanli’s figure ahead. As the student council president, Ji Yanli was busy; after every class, he was sought after by either students or teachers. All sorts of trivial matters were piled onto him, yet he didn’t know how to refuse, only nodding and agreeing with a smile.

He played the part of the model student perfectly in front of everyone.

It was as if the person who had exposed the “badness” hidden in his bones that day wasn’t him.

Chu Ci narrowed his eyes.

He suddenly felt that Ji Yanli wasn’t as simple as the original novel portrayed.

His thoughts drifted further and further away as he twirled a pen with his fingers. Sunlight streamed in through the window, covering Chu Ci’s slender wrist. His seat was by the window, a place constantly bathed in sun. Because the original owner was a passerby NPC, his presence was so weak that the teachers never noticed him.

Chu Ci dropped his pen and rubbed his fingertips together. Unknowingly, he began to daze off while staring at Ji Yanli. The other was currently standing by his seat talking to a girl from another class. The girl looked up at Ji Yanli’s face, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because as Ji Yanli was speaking, he suddenly turned his head and met Chu Ci’s eyes. The orange glow fell into his eyes, turning his dark pupils into a light brown.

The sudden eye contact caught Chu Ci off guard. His heart tightened, and his expression froze for a few seconds. The fingers he was rubbing together became awkward.

Just as Chu Ci thought Ji Yanli had noticed something, Ji Yanli looked away again in the next second, continuing to discuss things with the girl as if he hadn’t seen Chu Ci at all.

Chu Ci’s heart, which had leapt to his throat, barely managed to fall back into place.

[Sigh… Host, if you had controlled yourself that night, your relationship with the protagonist bottom wouldn’t have regressed so much.]

Xiao Ba appeared out of thin air on Chu Ci’s desk. It acted like it had witnessed the whole thing, so its tone was exceptionally dejected.

It flew up to touch Chu Ci’s finger and shouted: [It’s highly likely the protagonist bottom’s favorability toward you has dropped to negative!!]

Chu Ci glanced at Xiao Ba and muttered: “Taking ten thousand steps back, does he—does Ji Yanli have no fault at all?”

His words sounded confident yet strangely guilty.

Xiao Ba was speechless. Its two small white eyes turned into four horizontal lines. It hovered in front of Chu Ci with that speechless expression for a few laps before quietly disappearing.

Chu Ci slowly slumped over, his chin resting on the back of his hand, his gaze still stubbornly lingering on Ji Yanli.

The girl from the other class had left. Ji Yanli was now sitting back in his seat, continuing to organize his notes. He never liked to mix with the other boys in the class, so he always carried a faint fragrance.

Chu Ci blinked, feeling a bit resentful for some reason.

‘He had the nerve to say so confidently that he wouldn’t forget me, that he’d remember me well.’

‘Yet he forgot so quickly.’

‘Heh, a man’s mouth is a lying ghost.’

Chu Ci rolled his eyes and buried his head in his arms to catch up on sleep.

Meanwhile, Ji Yanli, sitting in the front row, inexplicably sneezed: “?”

The July summer air was always filled with an uncomfortable heat. After hearing Chu Ci’s inner thoughts, Ji Yanli shook his head helplessly. After finishing his notes seriously, the phone in his pocket vibrated twice. Ji Yanli took it out and saw two new messages from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: [Guess who I am?]

Ji Yanli frowned. Before he could reply, the other sent another message: [You definitely won’t guess. Come find out the answer in two months.]

After that, the phone in his palm returned to silence.

Ji Yanli tilted his head, completely treating these two messages as spam. He picked up the pen that had almost fallen and left his unique mark on the textbook.

“Ji Yanli?” A student sitting by the door suddenly turned and called him. “Someone’s looking for you.”

Ji Yanli looked up and saw a tall, thin youth standing outside the classroom door. The youth’s hands hung in front of him, his fingers unconsciously twisting together. He pursed his lips and peered timidly into the classroom. When his eyes met Ji Yanli’s, they noticeably brightened.

Ji Yanli remembered him; it was the person he had encountered in the restroom a few days ago.

The youth hesitated at the door, wanting to come in but not daring to. His gaze toward Ji Yanli held a hint of pitifulness. Ji Yanli sighed, capped his pen properly, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the classroom.

“Classmate, did you need something?” He spoke first, fearing the other was too timid to speak.

The youth looked up at him, his eyes full of uncontainable joy. He bit his lip, thought for a few seconds, and then spoke: “Um… the other day… thank you for helping me, Classmate Ji.”

His voice was tiny. His cheeks would flush red when he spoke, and when he lowered his head, his black bangs would slightly cover his eyes. He looked very familiar.

The image of another person instinctively surfaced in Ji Yanli’s mind.

“You’re welcome,” he answered flatly. “Classmates should help each other.”

The youth shook his head, his voice rising a few notches uncontrollably: “It’s different! My family background isn’t good, so I’m always bullied. No one has ever been willing to help me. You—Classmate Ji Yanli is the first person willing to help me!”

The flush on his cheeks deepened, and the corners of his eyes were tinged red. His lips trembled; he looked like he was about to cry.

The youth’s volume just now was a bit high. The classroom windows didn’t have good soundproofing, so his words attracted quite a lot of attention. Dozens of eyes fixed on Ji Yanli at once, giving him an indescribable sense of discomfort.

Since he was a child, he never liked being the center of attention.

“Actually, I wanted to come and thank you that very day.” The youth curled his lips slightly. “But that day… Classmate Ji left in such a hurry, I really didn’t have a chance.”

After saying this, he bit his lower lip with his white teeth, his brows drooping slightly in a wronged expression.

Ji Yanli felt his temple throb.

“After all, another student was injured that day.” He lowered his gaze. Even though the sunlight poured into his eyes, it couldn’t erase the coldness hidden deep within.

The youth tilted his head.

‘Ah—if you didn’t mention it, I wouldn’t even remember there was someone else.’

‘Who was it? I can’t really remember.’

‘But Ji Yanli seems quite concerned about him, maybe I should just play along.’

The youth then acted as if he had just remembered: “Ah… right! How is that classmate’s injury!”

“Um…” Ji Yanli narrowed his eyes, his gaze circling the top of the youth’s head. “It shouldn’t be anything serious.”

The youth covered his chest with one hand and let out a breath: “That’s good. As long as he’s okay.”

Perhaps his movements were too exaggerated, making his words lack sincerity. He seemed to realize this, so he added: “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

Ji Yanli said nothing, just watching him silently.

“By the way, my name is Lin Yu. Can Classmate Ji exchange contact info with me?” Lin Yu changed the subject, pulling a phone from his pocket with curving eyes.

His phone didn’t look new, with several cracks on the screen. True to his word, his family situation wasn’t great.

Ji Yanli watched as he eagerly opened his contact list, his large eyes blinking as he looked at Ji Yanli.

“If Classmate Ji is free this weekend, I’d like to take you out for ice cream.”

“I really couldn’t think of any other way to thank you…”

“So I hope Classmate Ji will give me this chance!”

Ji Yanli lowered his eyes, staring at Lin Yu’s phone without moving.

Lin Yu’s lips had a glistening sheen, and his expression was extremely harmless, yet his uncontainable inner thoughts exposed all his schemes.

‘Ji Yanli’s family is so rich, and his father even has shares in Chengqing High School. If I get close to him, would Zhang Zhuo’s gang still dare to harass me?’

As the last syllable fell, Ji Yanli immediately turned his head and dropped a sentence: “There’s no need for contact information.”

“I have to help a classmate with tutoring this weekend. Sorry, I can’t go.”

He refused cleanly and decisively, a far cry from his usual persona of never turning anyone down. It left Lin Yu stunned in place.

“Ah… then… when is Classmate Ji free?” Lin Yu reacted immediately, refusing to give up.

Ji Yanli didn’t even look at him: “I’m not sure. After all, the classmate I’m tutoring has rather poor grades.”

“It’ll take at least half a year to improve them.”

Lin Yu was dumbfounded.

Half a year?! In half a year, he’d be forced to drop out by Zhang Zhuo’s gang!

“Wh… which classmate needs your help so much?” Lin Yu’s eye twitched.

‘Where did this idiot come from to get in my way.’

‘Just how stupid do you have to be to need half a year to improve? Chengqing High School is a top school, how did they even get in?!’

The sounds of his exasperated thoughts filled Ji Yanli’s ears. As Lin Yu tried to chase after Ji Yanli, the school bell rang, blocking the youth’s steps at the door.

Ji Yanli caught a glimpse of Lin Yu at the door from the corner of his eye. The other was biting his lower lip so hard it turned pale, his hands clenched into fists in a look of resentment.

He withdrew his gaze indifferently, only noticing that Chu Ci, who had been sleeping on his desk, was woken by the bell. He looked up groggily, appearing a bit dazed.

Ji Yanli looked at the tuft of hair sticking up on Chu Ci’s head and arched an eyebrow.

Then, avoiding his own seat, he walked straight toward Chu Ci in the back row.

The sunlight outside fell on the grey-black floor, and the black shadow beneath the youth moved slowly with his steps.

Ji Yanli stopped in front of Chu Ci’s seat. Meeting the other’s confused gaze, his slender finger curled slightly and tapped on Chu Ci’s desk.

He parted his thin lips, his warm voice forming a question: “Are you free this weekend?”

“Chu Ci.”