TPPCGEM Chapter 41

“I didn’t want, didn’t want anything.” Xia Zhinian stammered.

Yan Ci stared at him, the fine scar at the corner of his eye pressing down, his voice light but carrying a hint of coldness.

“Is Chu Qingjian really that great?”

Xia Zhinian, unable to back away because Yan Ci was holding his waist, felt his heart pounding. He swallowed hard, turned his head, and furiously thought, biting his lip. With wide, round eyes, he tentatively spoke up.

“You… don’t want me to go?”

Yan Ci curved his lips into a smile, reaching to pat his head. There was a cold, stern look in his eyes as he spoke slowly, “I was wrong for having your love letter burned and tricking you into sending it, but as a desk mate, haven’t I also said—”

“Don’t get your medicine dirty?”

Xia Zhinian blinked in surprise, unexpectedly picking up on his words.

Yan Ci paused, looking down at him. He suddenly found the boy’s reaction a bit strange.

Shouldn’t he be ecstatic about going to pick up Chu Qingjian?

Xia Zhinian squeezed and, struggling to breathe, shifted a little and patted Yan Ci’s arm.

“A bar is a place where it’s quite easy to get dirty.”

Yan Ci: “……?”

He loosened his grip but still held onto the boy.

Xia Zhinian, his eyes round and twinkling as if calculating something, smiled sweetly and spoke softly.

“Or… how about you go instead?”

Yan Ci: “??”

“……I go?”

Yan Ci stopped in his tracks, his long lashes lowered as he scrutinized the nearby boy. A strange feeling began to spread in his heart.

The boy rubbed his nose, his gaze shifting.

Of course, it’s you who should go.

The protagonist shou’s role, who else could go if not you?

Xia Zhinian cleared his throat, and Yan Ci, with his dark eyes fixed on him, spoke in a deep, deliberate tone, “Don’t you want to meet Chu Qingjian’s friends in the role of his fiancée?”

“Meeting proper friends is useful, but there’s no need to meet with useless hangers-on.”

“So you don’t want to personally send your dear Brother Chu home?”

Xia Zhinian: “……”

Seeing Yan Ci’s evident suspicion, Xia Zhinian pouted, “My brother will be here soon. He won’t let me go. There’s no one else, only you can help.”

He pressed his lips together, “If you don’t want to… you can resume the deal.”

“Oh?”

Yan Ci chuckled softly, “You want me to… pick up Chu Qingjian?”

A cold shiver ran down Xia Zhinian’s neck as he felt a hand move from his hair to his neck, its icy touch settling there, while warm breath brushed his ear.

“What are you planning? It seems a bit strange.”

Xia Zhinian stiffened all over, Yan Ci’s eyes watching his neck hairs stand on end with interest, and he smiled elegantly.

“Is there some secret that’s as peculiar as the handwriting?”

Xia Zhinian: “?!!!”

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god?!

Xia Zhinian’s mind raced with alarm bells as he tensed up, his eyes wide, and he couldn’t help but start coughing.

Feeling the boy’s response clearly, Yan Ci smirked, satisfied, and patted his back.

“Don’t be anxious. I’ll go.”

“I’m curious to see what bad intentions you’re hiding, Classmate Xia.”

Xia Zhinian: “……”

Damn!

Xia Zhinian felt a chill down his spine and wanted to curse.

The car’s horn sounded twice at the school gate. Xia Zhinian gave Yan Ci a deep look, feigned a concerned reminder to take care of his Brother Chu and quickly got into the car.

Perhaps stimulated, he began coughing non stop once in the car.

Xia Wenhan handed him a bottle of water, which Xia Zhinian took with a “Thank you.”

As the car started, Xia Zhinian looked back at the boys behind them. Yan Ci couldn’t see him through the privacy film, but Xia Zhinian waved calmly.

Two cars approached, stopping one after the other in front of Yan Ci. From the first car, two siblings got out, a boy and a girl with similar looks, their sharp voices carrying over the distance.

“Yan Ci! Is it you?!”

“Did you bribe that bitch? You knew my mom wanted to talk about a partnership, and instead, you had that bitch report us! You made us come out today!”

“You did it on purpose!”

Yan Yichen looked dishevelled, his eyes filled with rage as he shouted at the car while the other twin stood to the side, equally furious and scared.

Xia Zhinian turned to the window, watching the other car where Yan Ci’s young driver got out.

Yan Ci himself reacted calmly, his demeanor still gentle.

Xia Zhinian suddenly recalled what Father Xia said about the Yan family’s troubles and the person who texted saying he locked Yan Ci up, who seemed to be Yan Ci himself.

It seemed the twin siblings had locked Yan Ci up, and Yan Ci discovered it, choosing a time to reveal it and make things worse for the twins.

As for locking himself up…

Xia Zhinian pondered, recalling the day in the underground activity room.

That day, he had hurried to find Yan Ci, breaking away from his usual identity.

Originally, Yan Ci’s plan to reveal Chu Qingjian’s relationship had made him avoid Yan Ci.

… After that, things had eased up a bit.

Soon after, the transaction had started.

The black sesame soup dumpling’s special effects medicine, one scheme after another.

Xia Zhinian sighed, his understanding of Yan Ci’s unscrupulousness refreshed countless times. It would soon be refreshed again. He sighed deeply.

His phone dinged with a new notification.

He opened it to find a friend request.

【YC】: Deskmate, it’s settled. We’ll resume the one-for-one trade. I didn’t send the love letter last time, so it’s cancelled. Please don’t be mad at me anymore.

Xia Zhinian: “……”

You don’t suffer any loss at all.

Xia Zhinian sighed.

“Nian Nian.”

Xia Wenhan suddenly called him coldly.

“Hmm?”

Xia Zhinian looked up, his round eyes meeting Xia Wenhan’s. He casually rested his hand on the steering wheel, glancing at him through the rearview mirror with a stern tone.

“Are you quite familiar with Yan Ci from the Yan family?”

Xia Zhinian: “……”

Xia Zhinian touched his ear, thinking for a moment. “Not really, just some interaction at school.”

At most, he knew about Yan Ci’s illness. As for how familiar they were, it wasn’t much.

Xia Wenhan nodded. “The Yan family’s waters run deep. Stay away from them.”

“……Mm.”

Xia Zhinian didn’t know how Yan Ci managed to get Chu Qingjian back, but he sent him a message not long after. Since he couldn’t send images with the friend request, he used a group chat contact to send a photo.

The car stopped in front of the Chu family’s house, where Chu Qingjian was dragged inside by the strong driver. The scene looked like a kidnapping, making it hard to watch.

Xia Zhinian felt a headache coming on.

The next day, Xia Zhinian handed in the homework he stayed up late to copy to Mr. Qin. In the afternoon art class, the teacher instructed the class to go outside and do a natural landscape sketch.

Xia Zhinian set up his easel and kept looking around on tiptoe.

Natural landscape sketches were done outdoors, within the school’s artificial lake and greenbelt. The teacher let them choose their spot and submit their work at the end of the class.

As a key high school, despite not taking up classes traditionally, most students focused on preparing for college entrance exams, so there weren’t many serious artists.

In short, it was just for fun.

The boy, standing on tiptoe and looking around, his little hair sticking up, seemed lost in thought. His amber eyes were clear as he held the paintbrush, nibbling on his finger joint, staring off into the distance.

Yan Ci was not far from him, his shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing his smooth white arms. He was sketching with a pencil on his paper.

“Deskmate, what are you looking for?”

Xia Zhinian returned to reality, glancing at him with a hint of guilt. His round eyes were wide.

What are he looking for? Of course, it’s Chu Qingjian.

Today’s plot requires both the protagonist shou and the protagonist gong to witness it.

Yesterday was the protagonist gong’s birthday party, and the original owner was forbidden from attending. So, of course, he wouldn’t be content to let it go quietly today—thus, he is here to cause trouble.

Xia Zhinian looked at the picturesque lake and then at the gentle and elegant Yan Ci, pouting in frustration. His gaze shifted to a tall guy carrying an easel, and his eyes lit up as he waved.

“Brother Chu, cough, cough, cough.”

Yan Ci: “……”

Chu Qingjian: “……”

Chu Qingjian glanced at the two of them, quickly turned his head, looking at the sky, the ground, and his phone, and walked away.

“……”

Xia Zhinian had nothing to say.

Well, at least the protagonist shou noticed him with the protagonist gong.

He carried the easel toward the lakeside. There was a path winding around the artificial lake, which usually had beautiful scenery, but the water was quite deep.

In the original novel, Chu Qingjian gets drunk on his birthday. The original owner, who hadn’t attended their crush’s birthday party, is filled with jealousy and anger upon learning that Yan Ci picked up Chu Qingjian. This leads to increasingly outrageous behavior.

During today’s art class, the original host secretly extended his evil hands by the lakeside, intending to push Yan Ci into the lake. But the black sesame dumpling is not so easy to provoke. When the original owner failed to push Yan Ci, he himself fell into the lake.

Thinking about the current situation, Xia Zhinian felt that the difficulty of this plot was quite high.

Given Yan Ci’s attention to special effects drugs, if he really brought Yan Ci close, he might not fall into the lake. Yan Ci might just rescue him.

After some thought, he decided to simplify things.

He would just jump in himself.

Xia Zhinian found a corner under a tree, placed the easel at the edge of the lakeside path, looked around, and pretended to sketch a few strokes on the paper. Slowly, he moved the easel closer to the lake.

He looked at the calm water surface, seeing his shadow clearly reflected.

“……”

The water seemed quite deep.

He couldn’t swim, damn it.

Xia Zhinian glanced at the scenic lake manager, who was not far away, handling the swans in the lake.

Forget it, go for it.

If rescued, the plot goes smoothly. If not rescued… well, the plot diverges…

Xia Zhinian cleared his mind and took a deep breath, scribbling randomly on the paper with one hand while quietly pushing the easel forward with the other, his fingertips turning white.

The wooden easel reached the edge of the path, and the tranquil lake surface was ahead.

He rested his hand on the easel, pretending to lean on it for support, applying slight pressure.

“Screech!”

A sharp friction sound suddenly rang out.

Xia Zhinian’s shirt collar at the back of his neck was unexpectedly yanked. Startled, he saw a hand immediately appear on the easel in front of him, and the legs of the easel scraped loudly on the ground.

With the sudden force, he was abruptly pulled backwards, his eyes wide open.

“Classmate.”

A familiar voice came from a very close distance behind him, with a hint of cold puzzlement, “Why are you painting so close to the lake?”

…Yan Ci?!

Xia Zhinian was shocked, his heart racing wildly. His body was forced backwards, and he glanced at the water’s surface so close. He gritted his teeth.

No, if Yan Ci follows him, he probably won’t leave. The opportunity is only now!

Go for it!

“Ugh!”

The easel was stuck on some stones on the path, severely tilting. Xia Zhinian relaxed his grip, pretending to lose support and fall forward with the momentum. Subtly freeing his neck from the hand gripping it, he held his breath and dived forward.

Yan Ci’s expression changed, and his face quickly lost its expression. He reached out to grab him, his fingertips brushing against the edge of Xia Zhinian’s clothes, but suddenly missed. His heart tightened, and his pupils constricted.

“Xia Zhinian!”

Xia Zhinian: “!!!”

Ah!

The bank was slippery, and he unknowingly stepped on something, causing his entire body to lose control and fall downward. He held his breath and tightly closed his eyes.

With a splash and a dull “thud” sound.

“……”

“Hiss!”

Xia Zhinian groaned in pain, his body frozen and unmoving. He couldn’t hold back his breath, and fresh, moist air filled his nostrils. He was stunned for a moment, then opened one eye and looked around.

Yan Ci stood on the shore, his expression fluctuating, frowning deeply at him.

And he…

Sitting upright in the water, which was only up to his chest.

Xia Zhinian: “……?”

“??? What’s going on?”

Xia Zhinian was stunned, opened both eyes, looked down at himself, and then back at the silent and stern Yan Ci on the shore, blinking in confusion.

Yan Ci’s brows were deeply furrowed. He stared at the dazed boy in the water, his dark eyes filled with anger and suspicion.

He should have grabbed him.

He definitely should have.

But…

Yan Ci tightened his lips, stepped into the water, and walked on a ring of large stones laid years ago by the school to prevent students from accidentally falling into the lake. He grabbed Xia Zhinian’s wrist, his fingers tightening, pulling him up.

Xia Zhinian was pulled up and stood on the stones, the water reaching just below his knees. Still somewhat dazed, he looked down and mumbled softly.

“Is it so shallow?”

“Ugh!”

The force on his wrist suddenly increased, gripping him so hard that it felt like the bones might be embedded in his body. Xia Zhinian winced in pain, “It hurts, it hurts, cough, cough.”

The powerful pulling force made him lean forward. A hand pinched his chin, forcing him to look up. His heart suddenly raced, his palms grew cold, and his eyes were wide open.

“Xia Zhinian.”

Yan Ci lifted his chin, staring into his eyes for a long time as if trying to see what thoughts were hidden within. His eyes were frighteningly cold, almost predatory, his voice low and chilling.

“How deep do you want the water to be?”

Was it an accidental fall?

Or was it…

Xia Zhinian: “?!!!”

Oh no, Yan Ci… has he figured it out?

Staring into those pitch-black eyes, Xia Zhinian felt an overwhelming sense of panic, as if he were being torn apart and exposed, with his heart and secrets laid bare under the open sky.

His fingertips curled, his body shivering slightly, and he struggled to hold back his cough.

“…No, I didn’t mean it… I just said it casually.”

Yan Ci continued to stare at him, his eyes seeming to peel away his layers, revealing him completely.

Xia Zhinian felt a chill down his back, his whole body stiff, and he instinctively lowered his eyes to avoid the gaze.

“Hey, are you guys okay?”

The lake manager, who had been watching from a distance, came over. Seeing no problems, he didn’t approach further, as the lake bottom had stones and small boats could easily run aground.

Xia Zhinian waved towards him, signalling that everything was fine. He turned back to Yan Ci, his tone soft.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

The original text didn’t specify how deep the lake was, only mentioning that the original host fell in and was rescued, without saying who saved him.

Perhaps… it is because there are stones below, so the water isn’t very deep.

Yan Ci’s eyes narrowed, his anger surging. He tightened his grip on Xia Zhinian’s slender wrist and led him back to the shore.

Xia Zhinian’s wrist ached from the grip, and he felt unusually guilty and afraid, not daring to resist.

He coughed, enduring the pain as he was roughly dragged to the shore.

The area was secluded, and neither students nor teachers had noticed. Once out of the water, his damp clothes clung to him, and the wind made him shiver and sneeze.

“Stand still.”

Yan Ci pulled him onto the lakeside path, holding him firmly. He removed his jacket, reversed it, and wrapped it around Xia Zhinian’s shoulders, then picked him up in one arm and started walking back.

Xia Zhinian was suddenly lifted off the ground, sitting on Yan Ci’s arm. He gasped lightly in surprise, his face pale, biting his lip and remaining silent.

Yan Ci stopped, his face expressionless, his voice slightly cold and succinct, “Where does it hurt?”

Xia Zhìnian didn’t want to trouble him too much or be scrutinized by Yan Ci, so he bit his lip.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt. Just let me down.”

Yan Ci’s lips tightened into a thin line, his jawline sharp and defined. “I don’t want to ask twice. Should I check you part by part?”

“Or should I just take you to the hospital?”

Xia Zhinian: “……”

Xia Zhinian turned his gaze away, his body stiff, blinking rapidly, pouting as he mumbled.

“…… My, uh, butt hurts.”

It was probably from slipping and falling on a rock.

Yan Ci looked down, his hand reaching out to touch each part through the clothes.

“!!!”

“Yan, Yan Ci!”

The wet and thin clothes made the sensation more intense, and it hurt quite a bit. Xia Zhinian’s eyes widened, and he tried to move his legs away, flustered, “Y-you, stop…”

Stop touching him!

His ears turned embarrassingly red as he bit down hard on his lip to stifle a groan.

Yan Ci withdrew his hand. “The tailbone seems fine, just bruised. It should turn blue.”

Xia Zhinian: “……!!”

But don’t touch me directly!

Xia Zhinian’s ears grew hotter, and his face turned red. He turned his head away, not speaking.

—

Yan Ci carried him towards the dormitory. Xia Zhinian suggested going home directly, but Yan Ci seemed not to hear, his usually gentle face showing a trace of coldness as he took him into the room.

Xia Zhinian watched as he locked the door with a key, his eyes wide. He wanted to speak but did not dare, cautiously glancing over.

Yan Ci was angry.

Had he discovered that Xia Zhinian had intentionally fallen?

From his angle, it could be said to be an accident.

Yan Ci put him down and pushed him into the bathroom, his tone cold. “Take a shower. I’ll get you some clothes.”

“Yan Ci.”

Xia Zhinian, feeling nervous and intimidated, softly suggested, “How about I just go home?”

“Do you want me to help you take them off?”

Yan Ci’s expression remained blank, his eyes as deep as ink.

Xia Zhinian: “……”

Xia Zhinian swallowed hard, his fingers whitening, and obediently entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He took a deep breath.

Forget it. He looked even scarier now, more intimidating than before. It was better not to provoke him.

The wet clothes clung uncomfortably to him. After a couple of minutes of mental preparation, Xia Zhinian told himself that the Black Sesame Soup Dumpling wouldn’t eat him, so he quickly undressed and showered.

At the moment he turned off the shower, a muffled, rhythmic, and persistent knocking on the door sounded as if someone had been waiting there.

Xia Zhinian felt an eerie chill. Looking at the door with his amber eyes, he asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

A low, calm voice came from outside the door. “Clothes.”

“……”

Xia Zhinian bit his lip and unlocked the door.

Yan Ci’s dark lashes lifted as he watched the lock position, and when the door opened slightly, warm, damp air escaped. A delicate hand reached through the gap, its skin tinged with pink from the heat.

“…… Thank you, give them to me.”

The boy’s voice was clear and clean.

Yan Ci looked down, pulling out the clothes. “The underwear is new, the clothes are washed but used. They will be big.”

Xia Zhinian: “…… Okay.”

The boy quickly grabbed the clothes, and the pale, slender hand withdrew, closing the door firmly.

Yan Ci stood by the door, watching the thin door panel, feeling an unsettling cold in his heart. He had missed catching the boy, and he felt like he needed to keep a closer watch on him. But when they returned, it was obvious from Xia Zhinian’s wet clothes that he had fallen into the water.

A student had notified the art teacher, who reported it to Old Qin, who then contacted the Xià family.

The boy was wearing clothes too big for him, awkwardly holding up his pants, and met with Xia Wenhan, who had arrived.

Xia Wenhan had already understood the situation and exchanged glances with the boy following closely behind, his narrow eyes carrying a mysterious meaning.

Yan Ci lowered his gaze in silence, watching as the boy was wrapped in an extra layer of clothing and put into the car.

The car window rolled down, and Xia Zhinian waved at him, looking conflicted.

“Uh, I’ll buy new clothes and return them to you later.”

“No need. Just return them directly.”

Xia Zhinian looked puzzled.

Isn’t Yan Ci a clean freak?

Xia Wenhan tapped on the car window. “Nian Nian, close the window. You haven’t recovered from your cold, so don’t catch a draft.”

Xia Wenhan thanked the boy who saved his brother but found him unsettling. He then took Xia Zhinian home.

Xia Zhinian had almost fallen into the water and was soaked, but he had been wrapped in clothes quickly enough to avoid any major issues. He just had a sore throat and a stuffy nose.

Xia Zhinian slowly approached his desk the next day in class, moving deliberately as he took out yesterday’s homework from his bag. He coughed a couple of times and handed it to Yan Ci.

“Here, the English homework from yesterday.”

“Sit down and talk.”

Unusually, Yan Ci didn’t instantly revert to his usual cold demeanor. Instead, he maintained a gentle, refined appearance. He sat at his desk and grabbed Xia Zhinian’s wrist to pull him down into a seat, making him sit closer.

“!!!”

The grip on his wrist was firm, and Xia Zhinian found himself sitting down abruptly, his body tensing. His delicate, pale fingers gripped the edge of the chair tightly, knuckles turning white. He stood up immediately, wincing in pain.

“I-I’ll just stand.”

The boy’s voice was nasal, and he sighed in discomfort.

He had looked in the mirror yesterday and saw two large bruises on his buttocks that hurt with even the slightest touch.

The fall had been quite severe.

Yan Ci’s gaze moved downward, landing on the only part of the boy that had grown noticeably fuller, with a slight curve. His eyes deepened slightly as he gave a soft huff.

It’s better that it hurts.

Only when it hurts will he remember and stop running around carelessly.

Xia Zhinian’s nose was a bit stuffed, his lips slightly parted for breath. He was reluctant to let his buttocks touch the chair but found it tiring to stand or squat. He sighed, placing his jacket underneath him to make sitting a bit more bearable.

There were cushions at home and in the car, but he hadn’t expected it to hurt so much here.

During the break, he went to the bathroom. Standing was tiring, and sitting was painful, so he went outside for fresh air.

Turning a corner downstairs, he unexpectedly saw two familiar figures standing in a corner.

One was a handsome guy with a hint of teenage rebellion, and the other was a refined and elegant figure.

From his angle, they were very close, almost touching.

…Is that Yan Ci and Chu Qingjian?

What are they doing?

Xia Zhinian’s eyes widened in surprise, then he felt a bit excited.

Was there some progress after the drunken pick-up?!

“Here.”

Chu Qingjian handed something over, clicking his tongue. “You’re too slow. Can you be a bit faster?”

Yan Ci took it with a cold tone. “No need to worry, you—”

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly looking up with suspicion.

A fluffy head peeked out from the corner, two round, bright eyes looking at them, and they made eye contact.

Xia Zhinian: “?!”

Xia Zhinian froze momentarily, then quickly withdrew his head, trying to sneak away with a grin.

“I didn’t see anything. You guys continue.”

“Xia Zhinian.”

Yan Ci’s expression darkened slightly, a strange feeling spreading quickly inside him. “Come back.”

…What is there to continue?

Xia Zhinian’s wrist was suddenly grabbed with a frighteningly strong grip, pulling him back.

“?!”

What’s going on?

He widened his eyes. The grip on his wrist was intense, pulling him back and encircling his waist with both hands.

Xia Zhinian’s face turned pale, his body trembling momentarily, and he let out a soft whimper. “It hurts, it hurts. Please let go.”