Their gazes suddenly collided across the entire playground. Suddenly, Shao Ming’s whole body stiffened for a moment. A sharp pain shot through his brain, and he quickly averted his gaze, furrowing his brows tighter.
Zhu Tong sensed something was wrong and hurried over, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
A familiar voice sounded in his ears, and Shao Ming snapped out of it, glancing at the youth standing beside him. He casually reached up and brushed aside the bangs hanging in front of his eyes, saying softly, “I’m fine.”
Zhu Tong: “?”
Shao Ming didn’t explain further, turning his gaze back to Xia Yang.
Xia Yang had already changed his expression, his face full of jealousy. Despite the distance, Shao Ming strangely could see any expression on his face clearly, even discerning where his gaze was falling — on Zhu Tong.
His eyes were full of resentment, and his once innocent and pretty face looked distorted due to the grimace.
At this moment, Luo Suo beside him remarked, “What’s with Xia Yang’s expression? He looks like he wants to devour someone. Is he sick?”
Shao Ming suddenly glanced at Luo Suo.
Could Luo Suo also see him from so far away?
He couldn’t help but start to ponder, but as soon as he began to think, the sharp pain he had just experienced surged back like a tide. He clenched his fists, his face gradually paling, and tiny beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
Meanwhile, in Xia Yang’s mind, mechanical voices kept repeating.
‘Critical error warning! Critical error warning! Please pay attention to your emotional management, host! Please pay attention to your emotional management!’
“……”
Xia Yang struggled to suppress the hatred for Zhu Tong deep in his heart, forcing himself to divert his gaze from Zhu Tong.
The voice in his mind sighed in relief, ‘Host, you shouldn’t waste any more time in this school. Your current mission is to conquer your other targets. They will give you everything you desire.’
Xia Yang spoke coldly, ‘Including Shao Ming?’
“…”
‘It was you who told me that everything in this world should belong to me. You said Zhu Tong should have been dead, that he should have died a long time ago. Tell me, why is he still alive? Why is he still thriving?’
If it weren’t for the inability to unleash his full fury, Xia Yang would undoubtedly be hysterical right now.
The voice in his head fell silent for a moment before saying, ‘He might be alive because of Shao Ming. As I mentioned earlier, this doesn’t include Shao Ming. He’s different from the others.’
Xia Yang asked, ‘How is he different?’
‘You can think of him as a bug in this world. He isn’t bound by the rules of this world. Even the people around him, influenced by him, will break free from the constraints of the rules. Staying by his side will not benefit you in any way.’
‘What about Zhu Tong?’ Xia Yang’s voice grew deeper. ‘Are you saying that as long as Zhu Tong stays by Shao Ming’s side, he can also break free from the constraints of the rules and live well? Why?’
The voice replied, ‘No, he can’t break free from the constraints of the rules. Although I’m not sure how his body has recovered, since you can’t do anything to him right now, as long as you return to A City, he won’t be able to influence you. You are still the center of this world. As long as you grow stronger, when your power is enough, you can still kill him. Once a character dies, I can erase any traces of their existence, including evidence of your killing him.’
Zhu Tong’s death was only a matter of time.
But how long would that time be?
Considering Zhu Tong’s current family background, even his own father couldn’t control him. How much time would Xia Yang need to eliminate Zhu Tong by his own strength?
He hated Zhu Tong.
He hated Zhu Tong for transferring to this school, taking away the attention and admiration of people in this school for him. He hated Zhu Tong’s appearance, which exposed his ugliness, and hated how easily Zhu Tong made Shao Ming accept him.
Even though he knew Zhu Tong was dying, Shao Ming refused to let go of him.
He would rather have a dead person than spare him a glance!
When he saw Shao Ming so intimately tidying Zhu Tong’s hair just now, Xia Yang was almost driven mad by jealousy. He couldn’t wait for even a moment, let alone give up this school.
Would he just leave easily, allowing Zhu Tong and Shao Ming to be lovey-dovey in this school?
He refused to accept it.
He wanted Zhu Tong to die immediately!
Zhu Tong should follow his own fate trajectory and disappear completely from this world!
Xia Yang clenched his fists, and blood vessels even appeared in his eyes.
Seeing that he seemed to be on the verge of losing control again, the system bound to him reminded him, ‘If you’re unwilling, then eliminating the bug can also accelerate Zhu Tong’s death.’
Xia Yang suddenly froze.
Eliminate the bug?
With his current strength, it would indeed be easier to deal with Shao Ming than to deal with Zhu Tong, but what should he do? Kill Shao Ming?
He shook his head abruptly. ‘No, Shao Ming can’t die.’
Shao Ming was not the one who deserved to die.
The one who deserved to die was Zhu Tong!
‘Host, what are you planning, then?’
‘Yes, how should I proceed?’ Xia Yang pondered.
He suddenly thought of someone, someone who was destined to be with him until the end, someone who had admired him since childhood, someone who would unconditionally indulge and spoil him after their reunion, someone who would agree to all his requests and fulfill all his wishes.
He wouldn’t let Shao Ming die. He would make Shao Ming regret it. He would definitely make him regret it.
Xia Yang clenched his fists, turned his head towards where Shao Ming was, gritted his teeth, and then left.
On the other side, it wasn’t until Xia Yang disappeared from sight that the intense pain in Shao Ming’s head began to ease.
After a bout of ringing in his ears, his vision gradually cleared, and he saw a face filled with anxiety leaning in front of him.
“Shao Ming!”
Zhu Tong held his face in his hands, checking his forehead’s temperature.
Shao Ming suddenly smiled. “What are you doing?”
Zhu Tong looked up and saw his nonchalant face, feeling a bit bewildered.
Suddenly, Luo Suo spoke up, “Shouldn’t it be what you’re doing? What just happened to you? You looked like you were possessed, and your complexion was so bad. Do you need to go to the school clinic?”
Shao Ming asked, “Possessed?”
Luo Suo: “Yeah, we’ve been calling you for ages, and you didn’t react…”
Shao Ming looked at Zhu Tong again. “So, is my boyfriend worried about me?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Luo Suo: “…” Why did he have to be force-fed dog food just for showing concern for a friend?
Zhu Tong didn’t deny it, still looking at him with concern.
Shao Ming suddenly rubbed his forehead. “I’m feeling a bit unwell. Let’s go to the school infirmary.”
Zhu Tong immediately said, “I’ll accompany you.”
Worried that Zhu Tong wouldn’t be able to handle it alone, Luo Suo followed, saying, “Then I…”
Shao Ming had already pulled out a whistle from around his neck, used for gathering the class, and handed it to him. “It’s almost time for class to end. Can you help out?”
Before P.E class ended, they needed to gather the whole class.
Luo Suo took the whistle. Seeing that Shao Ming’s complexion had improved, he thought he wouldn’t faint on the way, so he nodded. “Alright then.”
Shao Ming leaned against Zhu Tong as they walked towards the school infirmary.
Zhu Tong kept turning his head to look at him, unable to relax his brows.
Just as they were about to reach the school clinic, Shao Ming suddenly stood up straight, pulling him behind a giant agave plant, then sat on the flower bed himself, pulling Zhu Tong onto his lap.
Zhu Tong: “?!?!”
“You…”
“I’m fine, no need to go to the infirmary.”
Zhu Tong was shocked. “But how can that be? You just…”
“I was lying to Luo Suo just now, just to have some private time with you.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
There were surveillance cameras all over the school. What private time?
Thinking he should stand up, Zhu Tong was stopped by Shao Ming.
Resting his head on Zhu Tong’s shoulder, Shao Ming said, “I have something to ask you.”
Zhu Tong, worried that Shao Ming wasn’t feeling well, couldn’t bring himself to push him away as he leaned “weakly” against his shoulder. He lifted his hand slightly, then let it drop. “What… what do you want to ask?”
Shao Ming said, “Is your condition related to Xia Yang?”
“！”
Zhu Tong’s heart skipped a beat.
He remained calm and asked, “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Shao Ming raised his head again, but his eyes remained lowered as he said, “Xia Yang is different from others.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
If he hadn’t secretly observed that Shao Ming’s affection for Xia Yang was negative, he would have suspected that Shao Ming had also fallen under Xia Yang’s bewitchment.
After a brief moment of surprise, Zhu Tong suddenly realized something and asked seriously, “How is he different?”
Just as Shao Ming was about to speak, another wave of headache hit him.
He frowned again, but despite the pain, he persisted, “He stands out more than others…”
After he spoke, the headache suddenly intensified.
His face turned pale instantly, and Zhu Tong’s heart tightened. “Are you…?”
‘Is he having a headache?’
The system suddenly spoke in his mind.
Zhu Tong was taken aback and without thinking, he asked, “Are you having a headache?”
Shao Ming suddenly looked up, looking somewhat surprised at Zhu Tong.
Zhu Tong was also surprised because judging from Shao Ming’s reaction, he was right.
Or rather, the system was right.
Why was he having a headache?
Shao Ming could somewhat guess why he was having a headache. Since Luo Suo complained about Xia Yang at the ping-pong table, he had noticed something unusual. Afterwards, he experienced a sudden headache, so severe that it left him dizzy and unable to think clearly.
If it were someone else, they might have instantly dismissed their previous thoughts when experiencing such a strange headache.
Even if they hadn’t forgotten, they wouldn’t have suspected Xia Yang for the sudden headache.
But Shao Ming was different. He already had suspicions.
Zhu Tong’s miraculously recovered body, his inexplicable healing rate, and his confession of a “secret” — all these anomalies, coupled with his curiosity and concern for Zhu Tong, magnified every anomaly around him. So when he noticed Xia Yang’s obvious “presence” among others, his brain instinctively seized onto this anomaly and refused to let go.
As he stubbornly refused to stop thinking, his headache kept intensifying.
Initially, he only had suspicions, but the headache reappearing just now, and the timing of its occurrence, forced him to link the headache with Xia Yang.
The headache only occurred when he questioned Xia Yang.
And it got worse when he voiced his doubts.
Something was stopping him from thinking, from “discovering” anomalies, and from telling others about them.
He wanted to speak again, but the excruciating pain made it difficult for him to even move his lips.
Gradually losing strength in his grip on Zhu Tong’s hand, he had leaned against Zhu Tong’s side earlier as a pretense of weakness, but now he was genuinely feeling drained.
Zhu Tong was beside him, watching his complexion grow even paler. He had already released his hand and jumped down from his lap. Seeing Shao Ming swaying, Zhu Tong quickly stepped forward to support him, letting him lean against him.
“Is it hurting badly? Let’s go to the infirmary already…”
Zhu Tong looked towards the direction of the school infirmary, but the system interrupted him, saying, ‘Going there now won’t help.’
Zhu Tong panicked. ‘Then what should I do?’
The system replied, ‘His current condition seems to have triggered the self-protection mechanism of hiding anomalies.’
Zhu Tong furrowed his brows. ‘What self-protection mechanism?’
The system explained, ‘It’s a mechanism to prevent oneself from being discovered, forcing individuals other than the host to forget about anomalies. Normally, anomalies caused by the system cannot be detected by ordinary people, and this mechanism generally wouldn’t be triggered. But he might have gained the ability to perceive anomalies because you disclosed the fact that anomalies exist in this world to him. You…’
‘You mean he’s discovered anomalies caused by the system?’
Wasn’t Shao Ming’s discovery related to anomalies in Xia Yang?
Zhu Tong asked in confusion, ‘What do you mean? Aren’t the anomalies appearing on Xia Yang due to the world’s setting? What does it have to do with the system?’
The system replied, ‘It used to be that way, but now it’s not entirely.’
“… “
Both Zhu Tong and the system fell silent for a moment. Then the system said, ‘It’s indeed what you’re thinking.’
Zhu Tong：“……”
He felt a slight surprise.
It used to be due to the world’s setting, but now it’s not entirely.
—That means, inside Xia Yang’s mind, there might be another system, just like his.
Not might, but definitely.
But that wasn’t important right now.
‘What should we do now?’ Zhu Tong tightened his grip, embracing the taller youth sitting on the edge of the flower bed, resting his head against the person in front of him. ‘How do we alleviate his headache?’
The system: “…”
‘The reason for his headache is because he wants to expose anomalies. As long as he stops thinking about those anomalies and about leaking information, the headache will naturally ease.’
Without hesitation, Zhu Tong lifted Shao Ming’s face. “Shao Ming, look at me.”
Tortured by waves of pain, Shao Ming struggled to lift his eyes. He saw Zhu Tong staring at him with seriousness but also with sincerity and determination.
His attention was diverted, and the pain quickly faded away.
Zhu Tong said earnestly, “Look at me and don’t think about anything else. If you want to know anything, I’ll tell you. It’s true that my health condition is indeed related to Xia Yang, but now I’m alive, and it has nothing to do with him. Don’t think about him anymore, understand?”
Although the pain had eased, Shao Ming hadn’t fully recovered yet. He looked at Zhu Tong in a daze.
The system thought that this host was quite the blabbermouth, daring to spill everything.
Shao Ming remained silent for a while, and Zhu Tong also kept quiet.
The system suggested, ‘I think giving him a kiss might be more effective.’
Zhu Tong replied, ‘Kissing him is just a temporary solution. After the kiss, he’ll still continue to think.’
The system remained silent.
–Zhu Tong is quite forward-thinking, ah.
Shao Ming seemed to have just realized what Zhu Tong had said. He tilted his head slightly and asked, “Do you know why I have a headache?”
Zhu Tong nodded. “I do.”
Although he had just found out as well.
Shao Ming continued, “Do you know why Xia Yang is different from others?”
Zhu Tong nodded again.
Shao Ming squinted slightly.
Zhu Tong was now in a state of recklessness, thinking that since Shao Ming already knew so much, knowing a bit more wouldn’t hurt.
Seeing that Shao Ming didn’t ask any further questions, Zhu Tong took the initiative to say, “What I’m about to tell you might seem unbelievable, and it might even challenge your perception of this world. But you have to believe that every word I say is true.”
Shao Ming remained silent for a moment before saying, “…Alright.”
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Tong continued, “You think Xia Yang stands out more than others because he…”
As Zhu Tong spoke, he suddenly paused. He looked down at Shao Ming, who was staring at him with earnest eyes, and a question popped into his mind.
Both Shao Ming and Zhu Tong had perceived anomalies. Why didn’t he trigger that self-protection mechanism, like when Shao Ming discovered the anomalies?
