Xia Zhinian was still reeling from the shock of the protagonist gong falling in love. He turned his head and directly faced a gentle and handsome face.
Yan Ci had a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He lowered his head, and seeing the hint of confusion on Xia Zhinian’s face, his smile widened slightly, feigning ignorance.
“What’s the matter, Classmate Xia?”
Xia Zhinian’s temples throbbed with pain, his lips white as he looked at him dazedly. “What… did you do?”
“Me?”
Yan Ci tilted his head slightly, his smile refined.
“Nothing at all.”
Yan Ci didn’t intend to let the boy know his thoughts yet until the boy ultimately gave up on Chu Qingjian.
He chuckled softly.
The meteor shower was nearing its end, and it was getting late. Old Qin organized the students to gather their things, clean up the trash, and return to the bus along the same route.
The place was remote and far from the bus to the viewing spot. The students turned on their phone flashlights, illuminating the uneven path as they chattered and laughed their way back.
Up ahead, Chu Qingjian was walking with some girls, occasionally chatting.
Xia Zhinian trailed at the back, his eyes fixed on Chu Qingjian’s direction, his lips pressed tightly together, his face pale, and his almond-shaped eyes hinting at panic.
He still needed to process everything fully.
This world’s trajectory was different from the original novel. The protagonist gong was in a relationship and the initially sweet story fell apart.
What about him? How was he supposed to return to his original world?
Xia Zhinian, in a daze, kept his eyes on the other side, his steps faltering on the uneven ground.
He wobbled and stopped, his fingers digging into his palms, slightly bent over and panting lightly, his gaze lost. Slowly, he began to move forward again.
Zhao Jinjing, not far from him, saw his devastated look, almost pitiful, and slowed her pace to catch up to him.
“Xia Zhinian, don’t be too upset.”
She sighed softly. “Ever since you saved me from those bullies, I’ve meant to tell you. You transferred in late, so you might not know. Chu Qingjian has always had a string of partners.”
Xia Zhinian: “??”
“…A string of partners?”
Xia Zhinian lifted his head in a daze, eyes widening slightly, his face blank. “What do you mean?”
The protagonist gong had previous partners.
“Well…”
Zhao Jinjing saw his bloodless face and tried to put it gently. “There are often rumors about Chu Qingjian on the forum. Not all of them are just rumors; many are true.”
“But Chu Qingjian’s partners are usually not from our school, so everyone here treats them as mere gossip.”
Her family had frequent dealings with the Chu family, so she knew more. Seeing the boy’s face blank and stunned, looking exquisitely fragile like glass, she sighed softly and left him some space to calm down, moving ahead.
Xia Zhinian strolled, his mind a jumble of thoughts weighing him down, making breathing hard. He walked slower and slower, his movements sluggish.
The dull pain in his head was evident, and his ears buzzed.
He looked at Chu Qingjian, his long lashes trembling, amber eyes foggy in the night, breathing labored. He couldn’t help but bite his index finger, teeth sinking in.
“Classmate Xia.”
A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, gently pulling his finger away.
Yan Ci looked at his completely dazed expression, the smile on his face fading a bit, the thin scar at the corner of his eye calm, his voice very soft.
“Is it that painful?”
Do you like Chu Qingjian that much?
Xia Zhinian’s ears buzzed, catching a bit of the voice. He looked up at Yan Ci for a moment, then surprisingly, pulled a faint smile, looking desolate.
Yes, not only was the protagonist gong problematic, but so was the protagonist shou, who also didn’t match the original setup.
The original novel didn’t mention Yan Ci having any skin hunger.
Xia Zhinian’s head hurt, muddled, lacking the energy to deal with Yan Ci. Breathing heavily, he weakly pulled away his arm, avoiding Yan Ci, and walked forward without a word.
Yan Ci’s gaze darkened, a usually well-concealed danger leaking out briefly, then hidden away again. He followed unhurriedly behind him, like a fierce beast lurking in the dark, eyeing its prey, waiting for the right moment.
When Xia Zhinian got on the bus, he leaned against the window and closed his eyes. The bus swayed, and he curled up, motionless, looking weak. He didn’t remove the remaining candy from his pocket, dozing off with his eyes tightly shut.
Back home, Jiang Yuan stood at the door of her youngest son’s room, worriedly looking inside through the door.
“Xiao Han,” she asked Xia Wenhan beside her, “what’s wrong with Nian Nian? He went out to watch the meteor shower but came back looking completely out of it as if he’d suffered a huge blow.”
Xia Wenhan shook his head briefly, “I don’t know either. I’ll ask around.”
Jiang Yuan nodded and, after some thought, called Yan Ci.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then, a soft sigh came through, sounding worried.
“Chu Qingjian saved Classmate Xia and always thought he liked him. Today, he discovered that Chu Qingjian has a girlfriend, so naturally, he’s a bit lost.”
“…Is it about the Chu family’s child again?” Jiang Yuan pursed her lips.
Sitting by the window, Yan Ci had a smile tugging at his lips. He tapped his fingers lightly, his voice steady. “Yes.”
–
In the classroom, Xia Zhinian sat with his head lowered, his long lashes trembling, looking fragile.
He returned to check the forum and found many past love stories of Chu Qingjian. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out how the protagonist gong ended up in a relationship with someone other than the protagonist shou.
He used to worry about what to do if the plot where he kissed Chu Qingjian failed, but now the protagonist gong had thrown a bomb at him.
His plot seemed particularly irrelevant now.
…But he needed to return.
Putting everything else aside, this was not his world; it was the world of the original Xia Zhinian.
He had no system, no tasks, and had never met anyone who had transmigrated into a book to tell him how to return. The only way he could think of was to follow the plot.
It was the last straw he could grasp.
If that straw was gone, if the plot collapsed, or if he couldn’t return to his original world in the end—
His gaze lowered, scanning around, and landed on his thin, pale wrist, where the blue veins were visible.
“Clatter!”
The sudden splashing of water interrupted Xia Zhinian’s thoughts, and half of his clothes were quickly soaked with hot water.
He froze briefly, his almond-shaped eyes wide, before being pulled back to avoid more hot water.
“Sorry, sorry!”
Beside him, a delicate-looking boy holding a large cup looked panicked, glanced at the person behind Xia Zhinian, and blew on his scalded finger, looking weak.
“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t hold it steady. Sorry for spilling it on you. Let me wipe it off for you.”
Xia Zhinian, slightly pale, looked at the boy with wide almond-shaped eyes.
“You…”
He muttered, pulling a name from his memory, “Qin Jin?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Qin Jin hurriedly put the cup on Xia Zhinian’s desk. He pressed it onto a pen by accident, and the large cup tipped over, spilling hot water quickly across the desk toward Xia Zhinian’s legs.
Xia Zhinian was stunned for a moment and moved aside. Only halfway did he realize that two hands were on his shoulders, effortlessly pulling him and his chair back, leaning him against the person’s waist.
The chair legs scraped against the tile floor, making a sharp sound that drew attention from the people around.
Xia Zhinian snapped back to reality, his almond eyes bright as he looked at Qin Jin, who had ill intentions.
… isn’t this the minor villain who’s here to trouble him?
He suddenly became alert.
The original Xia Zhinian was annoying, and many people disliked him. Qin Jin was one of them; he liked Yan Ci, so he intentionally poured hot water on him because he often clashed with Yan Ci.
The villain’s scene was brief in the original, but the timing matched!
The plot hadn’t completely collapsed!
The romantic subplot was in shambles, but the main storyline remained intact!
Xia Zhinian’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Stop looking at him.”
A voice suddenly came from behind, clear and slightly deep, carrying a hint of coolness. “Did you get burned?”
Xia Zhinian: “??”
The voice came from very close behind him. Xia Zhinian looked up to meet Yan Ci’s gaze. Seeing Yan Ci reaching to touch his soaked uniform, Xia Zhinian instinctively stepped aside, his voice clear.
“I’m fine, you… you, don’t…” Don’t get so close.
Xia Zhinian was wary of the protagonist shou, Yan Ci. He slipped his shoulder out of Yan Ci’s hand, quickly stood up, averted his eyes to avoid eye contact, and the tuft of hair on his head bobbed.
“It’s okay, thank you.”
He acted as if he was avoiding some terrifying creature, retreating quickly.
Qin Jin glanced at Yan Ci’s expression, which was uncertain and gloomy, and then his face took on an innocent yet distressed look as he worriedly asked, “Xia Zhinian, I’m sorry. Are you okay? Class president, your hand…”
Xia Zhinian: “???”
He turned his head wide-eyed and only then noticed that the back of Yan Ci’s pale hand was red, likely burned when he had pulled Xia Zhinian earlier.
How…
He peeked at Yan Ci, bit his lip, and didn’t know what to say.
Yan Ci’s gentle and handsome face was unusually expressionless. His voice was low and unhurried.
“Qin Jin, a simple apology can’t brush off your intentional act of pouring hot water.”
The onlookers’ eyes shifted toward them. Qin Jin’s face changed. “Class president, I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”
Yan Ci pulled his lips into a tight smile, his voice steady.
“There was only one pen on the table, not a single book. How did you manage to spill the cup onto the pen accurately?”
Qin Jin’s eyes welled up with tears, looking pitiful.
“Class president, I know Xia Zhinian’s family is powerful, but you can’t disregard the facts just to please the Xia family.”
He had gone to elementary school with Xia Zhinian. Why did an orphanage-raised lunatic become a wealthy family’s son, bullying Chu Qingjian and receiving Yan Ci’s favor?
Why!
“…”
Xia Zhinian looked at Qin Jin’s clenched fists and supposedly pitiful yet secretly jealous expression. For once, he was speechless.
Oh, no wonder this guy was an even more minor character than the original Xia Zhinian. His acting was terrible.
“Yan Ci’s family business isn’t smaller than the Xia’s. Yan Ci wouldn’t just be catering to the Xia family; there’s plenty of room at the back. How did you manage to spill water right on me?”
Xia Zhinian’s face scrunched up, looking lively. Yan Ci felt an itch in his hands, unable to resist patting his soft hair, smiling.
“Some consideration is necessary, but it depends on the person.”
Xia Zhinian: “?!”
Xia Zhinian’s eyes sparkled with light, glaring at him, his voice carrying a hint of fierceness as he snorted.
Consideration?
Is this how you consider things?
Using him as a medicine, deliberately letting him see Chu Qingjian with a girl. And uses both soft and hard tactics to achieve his goal, he is thoroughly black-hearted!
Xia Zhinian’s gaze lingered on the red mark on Yan Ci’s hand for a few seconds before he pursed his lips and looked away.
Yan Ci chuckled, glancing at his red hand, then told Xia Zhinian to remove his jacket and rinse it with cold water. He turned to Qin Jin, a dark look in his eyes.
–
Xia Zhinian took off his uniform jacket and rolled up his short sleeves in the bathroom.
The burn wasn’t too severe through the clothes, just a large red patch that looked alarming.
He rinsed his arm under the cold water, the icy sensation clearing his mind.
The plot hadn’t completely collapsed, so there was still hope.
His mood, gloomy for days, finally lightened a bit, a smile tugging at his lips.
“Classmate Xia, still happy after getting burned?”
A voice startled him from behind.
Xia Zhinian: “!!!”
What?!
He turned around sharply, his heart pounding.
Yan Ci’s mouth was curled in a smile, his eyes scanning the boy meaningfully, the scar at the corner of his eye adding a gentleness. His voice was warm, questioning.
“Is the burn serious?”
There were only the two of them in the bathroom. Xia Zhinian cautiously held his jacket, backing away, his eyes round and filled with vigilance as he pouted.
“Not serious, you look after yourself. If it gets worse, find me, I’m leaving.”
He didn’t want to be alone with Yan Ci. After speaking, he hurried to leave.
Yan Ci casually took a step, his long legs blocking the way.
“Wait a moment, Classmate Xia.”
Yan Ci had anticipated that the boy would avoid him after seeing the meteor shower, but now that he truly avoided him, Yan Ci felt a twinge of irritation. The scar at the corner of his eye cooled.
Xia Zhinian halted abruptly, his heart pounding, eyes wide and round. His lips pressed into a thin line as he warily watched Yan Ci.
“What do you want?”
“Classmate Xia,” Yan Ci’s mouth curled into a smile, his voice gentle, tinged with curiosity. “I’m a bit curious.”
“Chu Qingjian’s relationship left you dejected all day. Why… did getting splashed with hot water make you happy? Any special reason?”
“!!!”
Xia Zhinian’s heart pounded, his scalp tingling, fingers curling as his pale face showed round eyes. His voice trembled slightly, “Happy? I just calmed down a bit.”
“I won’t be your medicine, you… you better find another way.”
The protagonist shou is too sharp.
He avoided Yan Ci’s eyes, staying silent and trying to leave.
Yan Ci’s dark eyes watched the large red patch on his arm. After a moment, he chuckled softly, his voice gentle and warm.
“Let me guess, Classmate Xia, are you planning to seek comfort from your Brother Chu?”
“?!”
What nonsense is that?!
Xia Zhinian was so startled that his neck tingled, his pupils contracted, and his body reacted faster than his mind, instinctively trying to run.
An arm suddenly wrapped around his waist, a terrifying strength pulling him back, his feet off the ground. Xia Zhinian’s eyes widened, heart racing as he struggled, kicking his legs.
“Yan Ci! Are you losing your mind again?”
“No.”
Yan Ci laughed, his expression gentle, supporting him with one hand and placing him aside easily. His face shifted subtly, letting out a soft sigh, his dark eyes fixed on the boy.
“Classmate Xia, I’m in pain.”