TPPCGEM Chapter 40

Last night, Xia Zhinian said he would study with Yan Ci, but this morning, he came back sick. Xia Wenhan’s expression was not good.

Yan Ci glanced at the boy in his arms, then at Xia Wenhan, who was dressed in a suit.

…This is the little rice cake’s older brother.

He lowered his gaze, suppressing the overwhelming possessiveness in his heart, and loosened his grip slightly.

Xia Wenhan took the boy from him. Xia Zhinian, still groggy, nuzzled closer. Xia Wenhan gently placed him in the middle of the bed.

Yan Ci watched the obedient boy, his slender fingers tightening slightly.

“Brother Xia, you arrived quickly.”

Xia Zhinian lay back on the bed, unaware of the tense atmosphere around him. He only felt a chill and burrowed deeper into the covers.

Yan Ci bent down and skillfully adjusted the covers to expose his head. Xia Zhinian moved down to burrow again, and Yan Ci adjusted them.

Xia Wenhan watched Yan Ci’s familiar and natural actions, finding them increasingly suspicious. His voice was cold.

“The doctor is here. Please step aside.”

The doctor quickly stepped forward to take Xia Zhinian’s temperature and examine him.

“It’s nothing serious, just a cold. However, be careful not to let him get too stuffy. The young master has asthma, so be cautious if he starts coughing.”

The doctor took out medication and a syringe, setting it up in the room.

Yan Ci stood aside, watching as Xia Wenhan pulled out his brother’s hand and handed it to the doctor. The doctor swiftly injected the needle.

The boy let out a low groan, instinctively trying to pull away.

Xia Wenhan awkwardly patted the covers to soothe him.

Jiang Yuan and Xia Hongyu returned together, hurrying to the bedside. Jiang Yuan glanced at the tall and elegant Yan Ci standing nearby and thanked him warmly.

“Thank you, Xiao Ci. We wouldn’t have known that Nian Nian had a fever if it weren’t for your message.”

Yan Ci shook his head and looked at the boy on the bed, his face pale and weak. His heart ached slightly, feeling slightly stifled, and he sighed silently.

…Perhaps, if he hadn’t pushed so hard, his sweet little rice cake wouldn’t have gotten sick.

Now that the Xia family was back, Yan Ci found he had no place to intervene. His gaze lingered on the boy’s unusually flushed cheeks for a moment.

Then he looked at Xia Wenhan, who stood before him by the bed and pressed his lips together before getting up to leave.

“Brother Xia, watch that he doesn’t bury himself in the covers.”

Xia Wenhan turned his head and said coldly, “Goodbye.”

Yan Ci: “…”

–

This time, Xia Zhinian’s illness came on fiercely and suddenly, lasting for several days. His hand was left with several bruised needle marks from injections.

When he was awake, he was very obedient during the injections. When he wasn’t fully conscious, it took more effort, and the needle slipped a few times.

Outside, the rain was falling. Xia Zhinian sat by the window, his face pale, looking down at the bruised back of his hand. He pressed on it lightly. It hurt a little, and he let out a soft sigh.

It had been several days. His handwriting could be postponed due to his illness, but as long as he continued attending classes and handing in homework, it would be easy to get caught.

He had spent a few days in his room forcing himself to practice writing despite the dizziness. The results were… mediocre at best.

But delaying any longer wouldn’t help. He had to go back in time.

—— June 9th.

Chu Qingjian’s birthday.

Xia Zhinian entered through the back door. Zou Ziqian was standing sideways, talking to Yuan Lang. When he looked up, he saw the pale-faced boy at the door and called out in surprise.

“Former deskmate! You’re back!”

Yan Ci turned his head to look.

The boy was holding onto the door with one hand, still looking a bit weak. He coughed lightly twice, clearly not fully recovered.

“Classmate Xia, your body still isn’t well?”

Xia Zhinian slowly walked to his seat. Zou Ziqian laughed and joked, “Former deskmate, you really need to work on your health. You’re always getting headaches and catching colds.”

“Mm, cough cough cough, cough cough.”

Xia Zhinian nodded but couldn’t hold back a cough.

“Hey, former deskmate, you’re still not well. Why’d you come to school?”

“I’m fine.”

“Classmate Xia.”

Yan Ci hadn’t been acknowledged. Hearing Zou Ziqian calling him “former deskmate” so familiarly, he suddenly felt that his form of address sounded distant. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he changed his tone, speaking more gently.

“Deskmate.”

“Let’s talk after you sit down.”

He pulled the boy down to sit in his chair.

Xia Zhinian’s wrist, covered by his sleeve, was held as he was pulled down to sit. He coughed softly, glancing at the calm and gentle Yan Ci.

This black sesame dumpling had set such a big trap for him, yet now he acted like nothing had happened.

Xia Zhinian pouted, pulling his arm away and turning his head to ignore him. He took Yan Ci’s Chinese workbook from his bag and placed it on his desk.

“Cough, here’s your book. Cough cough.”

Yan Ci looked at the book on the desk, then at the boy who had turned away, only showing the back of his head. He sighed inwardly.

Oh no, he upset him.

He’s still angry.

Yan Ci moved closer and sighed softly, his demeanor gentle and refined. “Classmate Xia, deskmate, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

“How about you write another letter, and I’ll deliver it properly this time?”

Last time, he had only delivered an empty envelope.

“Cough, cough, cough, cough.”

Xia Zhinian’s throat hurt, his voice hoarse. His round almond eyes looked over, his amber pupils chilly. “No more deals. Cough, don’t talk to me.”

So annoying.

The boy turned his head away, his pale lips pouting slightly in discontent.

Yan Ci smiled, his expression calm and full of patience as he gently coaxed, “Alright, I won’t talk. Let me get you some water first.”

He washed Xia Zhinian’s cup and went to the back of the room to fill it with warm water, placing it on his desk.

“Your body’s not recovered yet. Why rush back to school?”

Xia Zhinian remained silent. As the class was about to start, the back door opened again, and Chu Qingjian hurried in with his backpack, holding a pile of brightly colored love letters and gifts in his arms.

Yan Ci raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a sense of unease.

Sure enough, Xia Zhinian looked over, coughing twice, and took out a delicate gift box the size of a palm from his bag, handing it to Chu Qingjian, who had just returned to his seat.

The boy’s exposed hand still had bruises from the needle on the blood vessels, which stood out sharply against his porcelain-white skin, but the boy seemed oblivious. He smiled, his eyes curving.

“Brother Chu, happy birthday. Cough cough.”

Yan Ci: “…”

The smile faded from Yan Ci’s lips as his dark eyes lifted, staring at the boy who had rushed to school to deliver a birthday gift before he had even fully recovered.

Xia Zhinian shivered slightly under Yan Ci’s intensity of presence. His round almond eyes glared at him before quickly looking away. He ignored him and handed the gift box to Chu Qingjian.

“Brother Chu, this is a gift I picked out for you. I hope you like it.”

Inside was a watch. The original owner of this body had racked his brain over this gift, spending all his allowance for the month on it.

However, for Chu Qingjian, this kind of item wasn’t significant. In the original story, he didn’t even bother looking at it and just tossed it into the miscellaneous items room.

Following the original plot, Xia Zhinian bought and delivered the gift on Chu Qingjian’s birthday. If everything went as expected, Chu Qingjian would likely take the afternoon off to celebrate his birthday at home and go out with friends in the evening.

But that part had nothing to do with Xia Zhinian. In the original story, the Xia family forbade him from attending, fearing he would ruin the event.

His storyline will continue tomorrow.

Chu Qingjian hesitated before accepting the gift. Xia Zhinian smiled and handed it to him.

“Happy birthday, cough cough, I hope you have a great day.”

Yan Ci: “…”

Yan Ci’s dark gaze shifted between Xia Zhinian and Chu Qingjian. It was deep and unfathomable, like ink that absorbed all light.

After delivering the gift, Xia Zhinian slumped over his desk, ignoring the gloomy gaze next to him and coughing softly.

Chu Qingjian turned around to take his seat. Yan Ci looked at the boy who was still coughing weakly, his face tight, the scar by his eye-catching a chill as he forced himself to speak more gently, trying not to let his irritation show.

“You rushed to school just to give a gift when you’re still not fully recovered?”

Xia Zhinian: “…”

Why did he get sick for no reason? Wasn’t it all because the black sesame dumpling was trying to expose his identity?

Xia Zhinian ignored him, but Yan Ci kept staring at him with pitch-black eyes. He gently tugged Xia Zhinian’s sleeve and softly said, “Sit up and drink some water.”

Xia Zhinian didn’t want to talk to Yan Ci—less interaction meant fewer traps—but after coughing a few times, he did feel like drinking water. He sat up, grabbed the cup from the table, and gulped a few sips.

His soft lips glistened with water, making them look less pale.

Yan Ci smiled slowly and patted his head.

Xia Zhinian tried to dodge but couldn’t escape. He pouted, his almond-shaped eyes round and full as he glanced at Yan Ci, his voice hoarse. “Don’t touch my head.”

“Your voice sounds like this, so speak less.”

Yan Ci withdrew his hand, not wanting to upset the sick little rice cake. “Do you need more water?”

“I’ll get it myself.”

Xia Zhinian stood up sluggishly, went to the water dispenser to refill his cup, and returned to his seat, lying down again, refusing to talk to Yan Ci.

Yan Ci lowered his gaze, observing the boy lying on the desk with his back to him. His slender figure formed a graceful, delicate arc, and the back of his neck looked soft and fair, his fluffy hair tempting to touch.

Though the fever had subsided, his throat hadn’t fully recovered, and the purple bruises on the back of his hand from the injections were still striking.

Yan Ci spent the whole day patiently trying to coax him, but it didn’t work—Xia Zhinian wouldn’t talk to him. Yan Ci tapped his fingers on the desk. His eyes lowered, their meaning unreadable.

–

Xia Zhinian was waiting for his older brother, Xia Wenhan, at the school gate that evening. His big brother was probably worried about how seriously he had been sick, so he decided to pick him up personally and even insisted that he not eat lunch at school.

Traffic was heavy at this hour.

Xia Zhinian hadn’t fully recovered. After standing for a while, he grew tired, so he sat on the sidewalk near the school gate, hugging his knees and looking around.

His slightly lighter hair reflected the golden hues of the setting sun, making him appear warm, like a little kid waiting to be picked up from kindergarten.

Yan Ci wasn’t far behind him, just around a corner.

A moment later, a soft, high-pitched meow suddenly echoed nearby.

Xia Zhinian’s head shot up.

“Meow.”

Xia Zhinian: “??”

A kitten?

Another kitten?

Most of the students had already left, so the entrance was quiet. The soft, milky meows were very clear. Xia Zhinian’s eyes lit up as he stood up and followed the sound.

He rounded a low fence near a small alley and saw a familiar, refined boy in a white shirt crouching on the ground, holding a palm-sized, clean, pure white kitten.

The kitten looked less than two months old and meowed nonstop. The boy fed it bits of sausage, and the kitten happily ate, its tail brushing against his hand.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a golden glow, and the scene looked soft and beautiful.

Xia Zhinian glanced down and saw the boy’s familiar, handsome face.

“…” He was speechless.

Time to leave.

Xia Zhinian turned to go.

“Deskmate.”

Yan Ci smiled and called after him. “Why are you leaving so fast? I won’t eat you.”

He stroked the kitten’s neck, his voice gentle and elegant. “Your brother isn’t here yet, is he? Want to hold it for a bit?”

“Meow,” the kitten responded in a soft mew.

Xia Zhinian: “…”

Xia Zhinian stopped in his tracks and turned his head. His almond-shaped eyes were round as he looked over.

Yan Ci was crouching, smiling as he waved the little white kitten’s paw at him. His lips curved, his voice soft and gentle. “Meow~”

Xia Zhinian: “?!”

The kitten, confused, continued to meow softly and tilted its head.

Xia Zhinian: “…”

Help! It’s… it’s so cute!

Xia Zhinian couldn’t move his feet. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the kitten. Then he glanced at Yan Ci warily, puzzled. “Why are you, cough cough, here?”

The elegant and refined Yan Ci didn’t get even a glance from his deskmate when he meowed like a cat, but he successfully got him to speak five words.

Yan Ci’s lips curled into a smile as he patiently explained, “Qin Xu, my driver, got stuck in traffic. I heard the kitten meowing, so I came over to take a look.”

“Do you want to hold it?”

Xia Zhinian: “…” Hold it?

Xia Zhinian was shamefully tempted.

He hadn’t had many chances to pet cats.

Cats had never liked him since he was a kid, and he had never gotten to hold one.

Xia Zhinian looked at the kitten in Yan Ci’s arms and felt that Yan Ci’s presence here was odd, but he couldn’t figure out why. He bit his lip and slowly walked back, his voice soft and a little unwilling but full of excitement.

“…Yes, I want to hold it.”

Yan Ci waited for the boy to crouch beside him, then smiled and extended the well-behaved little kitten towards him.

“I’ll hold it. You can pet it first. Once the kitten gets used to you, you can hold it. That way, it won’t scratch you.”

The two of them squatted close together, their knees almost touching. Xia Zhinian, a small figure, was nestled in Yan Ci’s shadow.

Yan Ci held the kitten with one hand, stroking its neck with the other. The kitten nuzzled against his hand, continuing to meow softly.

Xia Zhinian: “!!”

So cute!

He glanced at Yan Ci before slowly extending his hand, carefully placing his fingertips on the kitten’s head, gently stroking backward.

It was so soft, the fur unbelievably smooth.

Xia Zhinian’s eyes widened, filled with a bright gleam as his lips curved in delight. “So soft.”

The kitten tilted its head and glanced at Xia Zhinian with its blue eyes. After a moment of hesitation, it allowed him to pet it.

Xia Zhinian: “!!”

How magical—it didn’t scratch him!

Xia Zhinian’s eyes turned into crescent moons as he smiled. Yan Ci observed the boy’s delighted expression and couldn’t help but smile. He spoke softly, his voice gentle.

“Do you want to hold it?”

“Yes!”

Xia Zhinian nodded enthusiastically like a pecking chick. Yan Ci handed over the kitten, and he opened his hands to receive it.

But as he touched the kitten, its ears flattened suddenly, and it hissed, “Meow!”

Xia Zhinian held his hands out, but the kitten swiftly swiped its claws at him before he could react.

Yan Ci frowned and quickly grabbed the kitten’s paw, pulling it back. He then took Xia Zhinian’s hand, carefully inspecting it. “Did it scratch you?”

Xia Zhinian spread his fingers as Yan Ci meticulously examined each one.

“It didn’t scratch, cough cough.” Xia Zhinian pouted, his almond-shaped eyes glancing at Yan Ci as he whined, “But I didn’t get to hold it.”

The boy looked a bit sad. He glanced at the well-behaved kitten in Yan Ci’s hands, a faint trace of disappointment in his eyes.

Yan Ci pursed his lips and, holding the kitten again, offered, “I’ll hold it steady. You can try again.”

…But it didn’t work. The kitten scratched every time it got near him.

It had a very selective temperament.

It was well-behaved in Yan Ci’s hands, but as soon as it got close to Xia Zhinian, it would hiss, bite, and scratch.

The boy was deflated. His little tuft of hair drooped as he sighed, “Forget it.”

He was used to being disliked by cats and dogs.

Yan Ci raised an eyebrow slightly.

He hadn’t expected Xia Zhinian to be so… unliked by cats.

When he saw the boy chasing after the kitten at the school gate last time, he guessed that Xia Zhinian liked cats, but he hadn’t imagined this…

He originally wanted to cheer him up, but now it seemed he had only made him feel worse.

Yan Ci unceremoniously placed the kitten back under the low hedge, his voice gentle as he consoled him, “Stray cats are very cautious, so it’s normal for them to scratch people.”

However, Xia Zhinian was the one who always got scratched the most.

Xia Zhinian nodded dejectedly.

Yan Ci handed him a disinfecting wipe for his hand, and Xia Zhinian looked up at him.

With his tall frame, the elegant and refined Yan Ci looked slightly awkward crouching down here.

He pursed his lips and took the wipe, murmuring, “…Thank you.”

Suddenly, a phone ringing filled the air, accompanied by a buzzing against his leg. Xia Zhinian looked down, confused, and fished his phone out of his pocket.

Nowadays, most people rely on voice messages, and phone calls have become rare. Moreover, with the original owner’s small social circle, the number of people who would call him is even smaller.

The incoming call was from a local number, which was not saved in his contacts.

He answered, “Hello?”

A young male voice on the other end spoke teasingly, with a noisy and rowdy background.

“Hey, is this Xia Zhinian?”

Xia Zhinian frowned and coughed twice, covering his mouth. “Yes, who is this?”

The person might have been on speakerphone because a group of people laughed loudly upon hearing his response. Someone shouted, “Aren’t you Chu Qingjian’s fiancée? You don’t even have your fiancée’s number? Are you still asking who this is?”

Xia Zhinian: “???”

He glanced at the phone screen—it was still an unknown number… But indeed, the original owner didn’t seem to have Chu Qingjian’s phone number.

He was sitting close to Yan Ci, and Yan Ci overheard some of the conversation. His eyebrows furrowed lightly, and his dark eyes looked over with an unreadable expression.

“Do you need something?” Xia Zhinian asked, his voice hoarse from his sore throat.

Wasn’t Chu Qingjian celebrating his birthday right now?

Among all the chaos, the person on the other end laughed and said, “Your fiancée had too much to drink. Come pick him up, and while you’re at it, let us meet this fiancée of his.”

Xia Zhinian: “?!”

Xia Zhinian was stunned.

Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be… the protagonist shou’s scene?

In the original story, this group of friends had called Yan Ci, who was already dating the protagonist, to pick up the drunken Chu Qingjian as a prank. In the end, they were outsmarted by the black sesame dumpling.

Why did they call him instead?

He suddenly looked up at Yan Ci.

Having heard the voices on the other end, Yan Ci took out a wet wipe and cleaned his hands. He stood up and looked down, his gaze fixed on Xia Zhinian, and he had a faint, cool smile on his lips.

“Classmate Xia, are you planning to go?”

Yan Ci’s lips curved in a soft, gentle smile. His light tone blended with the teasing voices from the phone, making the situation feel especially awkward.

Xia Zhinian’s heart skipped a beat. Squatting on the ground, he strained to look up at him, but Yan Ci was backlit, making his expression hard to read. Biting his lip, Xia Zhinian stood up and took two steps back.

The boy tugged at the hem of his clothes, his mind racing. He spoke into the phone, “I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Alright, we’ll be waiting at Star Night Bar.”

The small kitten set aside earlier scampered out, meowing as it ran toward them, only to retreat again quickly.

Yan Ci’s eyes darkened. He let out a soft chuckle, his gaze deepening while the smile on his lips grew gentler as he took a step closer.

“Classmate Xia.”

The sun was almost set, and Xia Zhinian suddenly engulfed in Yan Ci’s shadow. Clutching his phone tighter, his fingers turned pale as he blinked. His heart began to beat faster, and instinctively, he stepped back.

Suddenly, his arm was grabbed. Xia Zhinian’s heart skipped a beat as he was pulled forward, stumbling. His eyes widened as an arm wrapped around his waist.

“Deskmate.” Yan Ci’s voice was soft, almost affectionate, with a hint of amusement. The gentle tone was pleasant to the ear, but it sent chills down Xia Zhinian’s spine.

“…Yan, Yan Ci.” The boy trembled slightly.

Yan Ci’s smile remained faint as he lifted a hand, running his fingers through the boy’s hair, combing it back from his forehead to reveal his full face. His long fingers tightened, forcing Xia Zhinian to tilt his fragile neck.

“Isn’t it a bit too much to be doing this right in front of me, hmm?”

He had already been displeased when he saw the boy dragging his sick body to deliver a birthday gift earlier and had barely managed to hold back.

Now, the little rice cake wanted to run off to some unfamiliar bar because of a phone call?

Xia Zhinian tilted his head, cautiously glancing at Yan Ci’s expression, hesitating. “It’s not that, I… I just wanted to…”

Yan Ci’s displeasure was obvious, his gaze intense as it lingered on the boy’s face.

Yan Ci’s eyes slowly traced down from his forehead, eventually settling on the boy’s pale yet delicate lips.

“What do you want?”