Xia Zhinian’s fingers curled slightly, brushing against the toy snake, which suddenly twitched and writhed.
He froze, barely having time to react when the snake’s body twisted. Its head spun rapidly like a propeller, moving so fast it almost left afterimages resembling a fan.
Xia Zhinian: “??!”
What the heck is this thing?!
Xia Zhinian widened his almond-shaped eyes in horror. He tried to grab the toy snake’s head, but the wildly spinning head struck his fingers.
The toy snake’s head suddenly jerked to the right, crashing into Yan Ci’s belly!
But it didn’t stop there. It continued to whirl around his waist, and then the snake’s mouth moved, emitting a rough and eerie laugh that pierced through the classroom.
“Wowahhh, it’s you, it’s you, the chosen one, give me back my life, wowahhh!”
Xia Zhinian: “…”
Xia Zhinian: “…”
The classroom fell into an eerie silence, countless heads turning simultaneously to look at the back.
Xia Zhinian’s almond eyes widened, his scalp tingling, and his amber eyes filled with terror as he looked at the person beside him.
“!!!!”
Oh no, Yan Ci hated being disturbed while sleeping, and now he was even more frightening when ill.
Xia Zhinian swallowed hard, clenched his fingers, and tried to pull off the toy snake quickly.
But the boy still frowned.
Yan Ci opened his eyes, his dark pupils flashing with obscurity, the irritation of being woken up quickly spreading. He lifted his long, dark eyelashes and immediately saw the hand reaching towards his waist.
Xia Zhinian: “…!!” This is bad.
Xia Zhinian quickly retracted his hand, hiding it behind his back, his heart pounding, and turned to observe Yan Ci’s expression.
“…What are you doing, Classmate Xia?”
Yan Ci’s voice was a bit hoarse.
“Xia Zhinian! Playing with toy snakes again!”
The Chinese Language teacher slammed the lesson plan onto the desk with a heavy thud, looking angry. “Do you want to go home, huh?”
The desk made a muffled thud, causing Xia Zhinian to shiver, his eyes filled with tears as he stood still.
He didn’t know what was wrong with this thing either.
“Teacher Han.”
Yan Ci sat up, his long eyelashes lowered. He quickly suppressed the cold and sinister aura and put on a gentle facade. “I’m sorry. I was uncomfortable and fell asleep, accidentally pressing it.”
The Chinese teacher snorted, “Class president, you often cover for him. You’ll spoil him sooner or later.”
Xia Zhinian: “…” Nonsense, the protagonist will eventually ruin him.
Xia Zhinian secretly glanced at Yan Ci.
Yan Ci smiled slightly.
He would love to spoil him, but the little rice cake probably wouldn’t appreciate it.
Yan Ci was always a good student, and the Chinese teacher gave Xia Zhinian a warning glare before continuing the lesson.
Yan Ci looked down at the toy snake on his waist, then turned around, the scar at the corner of his eye turning slightly red, and looked at Xia Zhinian.
“Classmate Xia”
Yan Ci’s lips curved slightly, with a hint of a smile, his voice somewhat hoarse from just waking up. “Did you do this?”
Xia Zhinian hesitated briefly between sticking to the original character setting of stubbornness and admitting his mistake honestly. He quickly apologized, his almond eyes wide open, clutching his sleeves and mumbling softly.
“…I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to.”
The boy’s speech was stuttered; Yan Ci raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled lightly, “Classmate Xia, I don’t eat people.”
Xia Zhinian thought of the original story where the black sesame dumpling ate people without spitting out the bones, pursed his lips, and mumbled to himself.
“That’s hard to say.”
“…”
Yan Ci smiled, “I just took the blame for you, Classmate Xia.”
Xia Zhinian: “…”
Xia Zhinian’s soft hair hung over his forehead. His almond eyes curved as he smiled sheepishly, “I-I’ll take it off right now.”
Xia Zhinian carefully reached out, trying not to touch Yan Ci, pinched the snake’s tail, and took it off.
Last time, it wrapped around his leg; this time, it wrapped around his waist. Xia Zhinian was almost gaining experience in dealing with Yan Ci. He gritted his teeth and moved closer, reaching out with both hands, grasping the toy snake and pulling it off.
Yan Ci stared into his almond eyes, which were clear and clean, amber in color and shining warmly in the sunlight.
It made one’s heart itch.
Suddenly, a slender, pale hand reached towards his face without warning. Xia Zhinian’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively leaned back, his almond eyes wide open, and his whole body tensed.
“What are you doing?”
Yan Ci paused, his dark eyes looking over, meeting the boy’s guarded, animal-like defensive gaze. The smile on his lips slowly flattened.
“Classmate Xia.”
He lowered his voice and suddenly said, “It seems like you’ve never asked what medicine I take or what injection I received in the hospital that day.”
Nor had he ever asked what illness he had.
Xia Zhinian pursed his lips, quickly pulled the toy snake from him, and turned away to avoid his gaze.
“I only care about things related to Brother Chu,” he said.
The boy looked deeply in love. Yan Ci’s eyes narrowed slightly, his brows lowered, and the unbearable itching pain again spread.
He tugged at the corners of his mouth and chuckled, his eye scar sharp, staring at the boy like a lurking beast staring at its prey, setting a sweet trap and smiling softly at him.
“Okay.”
That was… a good speech.
–
After school, Xia Zhinian stood at the school gate waiting for the Xia family’s car. Although he didn’t complete the plot where he kissed Chu Qingjian at the banquet, the Xia family, especially his big brother Xia Wenhan, was already furious.
Recently, they stopped sending a driver to pick him up; Xia Wenhan came to pick him up personally. He couldn’t control what happened in school, but outside, he could watch his little brother personally, preventing him from causing trouble.
Xia Zhinian saw his big brother’s message about being stuck in traffic and strolled around the school gate.
Suddenly, he saw a flash of orange by the flower bed, followed by a soft “meow~”
Xia Zhinian’s ears perked up, and his eyes lit up. He bent down and peeked into the low hedge, looking inside.
“Kitty?”
Inside, there was a plump orange cat nestled deep in the branches. It looked chubbier than the tabby cat that had mistakenly led him to Yan Ci’s corner in the hospital.
It was used to students feeding it and wasn’t very afraid of people. It softly meowed at him again, its round face looking very cuddly.
Xia Zhinian’s eyes sparkled, and he squatted down, carefully reaching out his hand with the palm up. “Kitty, are you looking for food?”
The cat sat still, its front paws together. It wagged its tail tip, stood up, and meowed softly before walking towards him.
Xia Zhinian: “!!!!!”
Does this mean the cat doesn’t dislike him?!
He was excited, his lips curling up uncontrollably, his amber eyes filled with light, and he cautiously remained still.
“Meow.”
The cat walked up to him, lifted a paw, hovering above his palm, its round eyes very captivating. Hesitating, he slowly lowered the paw.
Xia Zhinian held his breath, revealing a smile.
But suddenly, things changed dramatically.
Just as the cat was about a fist’s distance away, it bared its teeth, hissing fiercely, and lunged at his fingers, its sharp teeth gleaming.
Xia Zhinian was startled, didn’t have time to react, and suddenly felt a strong force on his shoulder, yanking him backward, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his butt.
The cat’s sneak attack fails. It flattens its ears and meows angrily, running away and disappearing into the corner.
Xia Zhinian’s butt was a bit numb from the fall. He sat dazed for a couple of seconds before looking back. A tall figure in a neat suit stood behind him, looking down at him.
“Brother?”
Xia Zhinian was momentarily stunned.
The boy sat on the ground, his eyes clear and innocent like his mother’s, with a hint of confusion, as if he hadn’t fully grasped the situation.
It was hard to imagine this boy causing trouble at school or publicly trying to kiss someone at a party.
Xia Wenhan stared at him for a few seconds, his face expressionless as usual, and in his typical aloof manner, he responded with a hum and picked him up like a small chick.
“Are you hurt?”
“…No.”
Xia Zhinian shook his head, stepped back from Xia Wenhan, turned around, and patted the dust off his pants. His round apricot eyes glanced regretfully in the direction the cat had run off.
“Stray cats are not easy to get close to.”
His brother looked down at him with the same steady gaze. “If you like cats, you can buy a tame one and keep it at home.”
Xia Zhinian pursed his lips and lowered his eyelashes.
“Never mind, I don’t like them that much, but thanks, big brother.”
It had nothing to do with the cat; even in his original world, the tamest cat would still want to scratch him.
Xia Zhinian got into the car, looked at his big brother, who was trying to correct him and thought about the original character’s fate. He sighed softly.
The Xia family did love their youngest son.
It’s just a pity that the original character died.
The car disappeared into the distance.
No one noticed a figure standing far away at the school gate, tall and gentle like jade, raising his eyebrows slightly as he looked in their direction.
–
Xia Zhinian avoided Yan Ci for several days.
During these days, he avoided Yan Ci, and Chu Qingjian avoided him. The students in the class watched their interactions like a show, unsure which genius had written an eight-character review—
“Entangled in grudges, hard to part.”1 a complex situation where individuals are deeply involved in conflicts or grievances, making it difficult for them to separate or resolve their issues.
This quickly spread throughout the class and was well-received.
Xia Zhinian: “…”
Xia Zhinian was worried to the point of losing his hair.
Even if the protagonist shou and gong emotional line was weak, as long as most of the main plot remained unchanged, he worried that it might affect his return to the original world if he didn’t complete his cannon fodder plotline.
After much consideration, he decided to try to kiss Chu Qingjian again.
This time, he had to avoid the protagonist shou!
Xia Zhinian clenched his fist determinedly.
During the break, Chu Qingjian went to get water, and soon after, someone called from the door.
“Chu Qingjian, the English teacher is looking for you.”
“The English teacher?” Chu Qingjian put down his cup, frowned, and walked to the classroom door.
Xia Zhinian was hiding in a corner of the corridor, peeking out from behind the wall. His apricot eyes lit up as he saw Chu Qingjian coming out, and he quickly ran to another side.
The English teacher’s office was on the top floor, usually accessed by the teachers’ elevator. During breaks, the students’ elevator was slow and crowded. So, Chu Qingjian would take the stairs.
The stairwell on the top floor was dark and almost deserted.
He would kiss Chu Qingjian as soon as he came up and be done with it!
Xia Zhinian quickly ran to the sixth floor, panting from the climb. He bit his left index finger to calm his breathing, standing in a secluded spot and looking down the stairs.
There were no windows in this stairwell; only an old light bulb made everything look dim. Xia Zhinian held his breath, listening to the footsteps echo from below.
Here he comes!
Xia Zhinian clenched his fingers, his palms damp, his heartbeat matching the approaching footsteps in heavy thuds.
He felt a bit nervous.
Soon, the footsteps reached the last half flight of stairs, paused slightly, and continued upward steadily.
Xia Zhinian stood at the corner, counting the steps. He suddenly stepped out when the person was about to reach the top.
“Brother Chu.”
He called softly, stepped forward, grabbed the person’s sleeve, and quickly stood on tiptoe, leaning toward the boy’s chin.
In a glance, he saw the person smiling, with an icy scar at the corner of his eye. His actions froze abruptly.
“Why did you stop, Classmate Xia?” The person’s voice was low and warm, smiling, “Go ahead and kiss.”
…Yan Ci?!
Xia Zhinian was startled, his pupils shrinking, and the memory of the banquet flashed in his mind. He instinctively wanted to retreat.
But a strong arm wrapped around his waist like an iron bar while another hand stroked his hair.
Xia Zhinian was momentarily panicked, breathing rapidly, his wide apricot eyes looking up at the person.
“You… where’s Brother Chu? Let go of me!”
Yan Ci stared at him, his eyes dark and scary in the dim stairwell.
“Are you that worried about your Brother Chu?”
The English teacher had taken a leave of absence early. Yan Ci saw Chu Qingjian being called away under the pretense of the English teacher, and when he turned around, he couldn’t find Xia Zhinian. He immediately had a guess.
But he hadn’t expected it.
Xia Zhinian, after all this effort, still had his mind set on Chu Qingjian.
This little rice cake is still thinking about the kiss he hadn’t completed at the banquet.
Yan Ci felt a surge of anger, gritting his teeth. His eyes were cold, and he leaned closer.
“Classmate Xia, your Brother Chu isn’t here, so why not kiss me instead.”
Xia Zhinian stared closely at the scar at the corner of Yan Ci’s eye and was frightened by the coldness in his eyes. He tried to retreat, but the arm around his waist held him tightly, leaving no room to escape.
Seeing Yan Ci lean in, Xia Zhinian shivered, his wide eyes filled with fear and his voice trembling, “You… Yan Ci… are you crazy?”
“Classmate Xia, you’re joking.”
Yan Ci chuckled softly, his voice gentle, his fingers running through Xia Zhinian’s soft hair as he leaned in, his breath brushing against Xia Zhinian’s neck.
“I didn’t want to scare you, but you’re too disobedient.”
Xia Zhinian: “??!”
Xia Zhinian, dazed, felt Yan Ci’s breath on his skin, the proximity making his heart pound harder.
Yan Ci’s voice sounded soft and close to his ear—
“Don’t be afraid. Since you’re scared of me, let me tell you my most fatal weakness.”
In the darkness, Yan Ci spoke a word that confused Xia Zhinian.
… Skin…
…Hunger…disorder?
Xia Zhinian, confused for a moment, vaguely understood its meaning and tried to press himself against the wall, his palms sweaty and his heartbeat loud.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Yan Ci laughed softly, his voice revealing an intense possessiveness.
“Darling, you are my special medicine.”
He didn’t want his little rice cake to be preoccupied with someone else, but giving up seemed like an impractical option for now.
Xia Zhinian is timid and can’t be coaxed, and when faced with a more forceful approach, he tries to flee.
So, Yan Ci revealed his weakness, leaving it up to Xia Zhinian to decide whether he could use it to his advantage.
Of course, Yan Ci no longer cared about scaring him.
Yan Ci smiled and patted his head.
Xia Zhinian: “??!”
Confused, Xia Zhinian leaned back against the wall and struggled a bit. His round apricot eyes widened, “What nonsense are you talking about? What does this have to do with me and Brother Chu?”
The boy mentioned “Brother Chu” repeatedly, showing deep feelings. Yan Ci smoothed down his ruffled hair, hiding his dark thoughts, and laughed lightly, changing his approach.
“Stay away from Chu Qingjian.”
Stay away from everyone.
“Don’t contaminate my special medicine.”
Xia Zhinian: “?!”
…Special medicine?
This wasn’t part of the original plot!
Xia Zhinian was momentarily dazed, his mind buzzing with chaotic thoughts. He pressed his body even more against the wall.
A slight, cold touch brushed against his cheek, sliding down his chin and grazing his lips.
Xia Zhinian shivered slightly, his apricot eyes wide and blank in the darkness.
“…Yan Ci.”
“Hmm?”
Yan Ci gently caressed his cheek, lifting his chin with a soft smile, “Does Classmate Xia still want to kiss someone now? How about me?”
