02

 It was almost 8 PM when Song Yu finally completed his second task.

His old phone contained many messages he'd already sent, which he intended to use as a reference, but he almost threw it away while scrolling through them.

He was so ashamed he could barely stand.

After much hesitation, Song Yu searched online for some couple conversations before sending a message that didn't seem too strange.

【Task 2 complete, Task 3 pending refresh.】

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief and was about to put the phone back in the drawer when he accidentally caught Zhou Yanming's gaze on him.

Was the other man watching him the whole time?

Although Zhou Yanming had helped him out of a predicament today and comforted him about Chen Yue's situation, it didn't mean he didn't suspect the photo.

Song Yu's eyes widened with nervousness, his nose and earlobes flushed pink, and he stared intently at Zhou Yanming. A few seconds later, the other man coughed lightly and looked away first.

...Seems like he didn't suspect anything.

Song Yu quickly put the phone back in the drawer and locked it. He'd met more people today than in the two worlds he'd experienced before, and he was exhausted, so he climbed into bed to rest.

The creaking of the bed reached his ears, and once it quieted down, Zhou Yanming glanced at Song Yu's bed again.

He truly hadn't expected Song Yu to have a crush on him.

However, he had no intention of dating, so he definitely couldn't accept her.

If he rejected her outright…

Zhou Yanming thought of Song Yu's expression when he was cornered earlier that day.

Oh well, she'd probably hide and cry secretly.

Zhou Yanming had been lost in thought all night, and when he finally lay down, the image that appeared before his eyes was that of the boy's light-colored eyes.

*

Song Yu was woken up by 009 the next day.

009: [Task Three: Audit classes and reserve a seat for the protagonist.]

Song Yu and Xie Zhiyan weren't in the same major, but he would still secretly audit classes, even unilaterally reserving seats for the protagonist. Of course, the protagonist was unaware of this and never actually sat next to him.

So even being a pervert requires 8 AM… Song Yu reluctantly hummed twice, wrapping himself up tightly.

Zhou Yanming, who happened to be passing by Song Yu's bed, heard the noise and stopped.

He remembered that Song Yu also had class this morning.

His two roommates had already gotten ready to leave and called out to Zhou Yanming, "Let's go, Lao Zhou! Don't be late."

Zhou Yanming waved, "You guys go first."

His two roommates thought he hadn't finished getting ready yet, "Okay, then hurry up!"

Time was a bit tight, but even so, everyone ignored Song Yu's reluctance to get in bed and no one asked him anything.

The boy did everything by himself, and Zhou Yanming felt a little sorry for him.

The basketball team all thought that Song Yu was the one who put the nails in the bed. Being wrongly accused of doing something bad to someone you like would make most people sad.

Especially since Song Yu looked like he could be easily bullied and made to cry.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yanming glanced at the small bundle on the bed, reached out and patted it, and said, "Song Yu, get up, you have class this morning, right?"

A few seconds later, the blanket finally moved. Song Yu didn't even open his eyes, slowly poking his head out from the side of the covers, his voice muffled: "Sleepy..."

Zhou Yanming froze.

He stared at the fluffy head and the red marks on the other's fair and delicate cheeks, and for some reason, he couldn't speak.

He hadn't expected Song Yu to be like this when he first woke up.

"Get up, get up..." Coming back to his senses, Zhou Yanming suppressed his strange heartbeat. The boy was tall and close to the bed, so almost as soon as Song Yu lifted the covers, he could smell a fragrance.

It was light,

yet it lingered around his nose, refusing to dissipate.

*

There were many male students in the physical education major, and the classroom was still noisy ten minutes before class.

The boys in the back row huddled together chatting and bragging. Chen Yue, who usually chimed in, didn't participate this time, instead staring silently at his phone.

On the screen was a number he had asked someone for this morning—Song Yu's phone number.

Yesterday, his sudden visit had indeed startled him. Thinking of Song Yu's pinkish eyes, Chen Yue planned to call and apologize properly.

Suddenly, the people around him started jeering.

"Holy crap! What's going on with Brother Zhou?"

"Isn't that Song Yu in the back?"

"They came together? No way, when did they become so close!"

Chen Yue paused, looked up, and saw Song Yu standing in the classroom corridor. The boy pursed his lips, looked around, and then found an empty seat.

Zhou Yanming naturally sat down next to him.

"Looks like the nail incident was a misunderstanding, they've made up."

"Song Yu seems pretty timid, not the type to do something like this."

"This is more than just a reconciliation, they even brought each other to class. Looks like they're dating."

"Then Brother Zhou isn't so valuable anymore, he only found out he was being secretly admired yesterday, and he's already agreed today?"

None of them noticed Chen Yue's increasingly somber face; they continued their discussion.

“If someone as handsome as Song Yu had a crush on me, I definitely wouldn’t be able to resist. I wouldn’t even need him to confess; I’d be all over him.”

“How come I never noticed how good-looking Song Yu was before?”

“And he smells so good. When I surrounded him yesterday, I almost fainted from the scent.”

…

Chen Yue’s face grew increasingly grim.

He was originally helping Zhou Yanming, but now he was the only bad guy. Song Yu probably wouldn’t want to talk to him anymore.

He turned off the screen, silencing the people around him, but his frustration didn’t lessen at all.

Song Yu didn’t notice the stares from others.

He was a little surprised when Zhou Yanming suggested going to class together that morning. Of course, he was willing to be friends with someone as kind as Zhou Yanming, but due to his character setting, he didn’t dare to agree immediately.

Fortunately, 009 said that getting close to the protagonist’s friends was beneficial to the plot development and wasn’t out of character.

Having someone to go to class with made Song Yu feel a little better.

With only a few minutes left before class, 009 reminded him of the task: [Please save a seat for the protagonist.] Song

Yu opened his bag, intending to grab a book to reserve a spot, when he felt a shadow looming over him.

"Is anyone there?" The voice was cold and impatient.

Song Yu looked up. It was a tall boy, dressed all in black, with sharp eyebrows, cold, indifferent eyes, and dark pupils that made his pale skin appear even darker, exuding an aura of unapproachability.

009: [This is the protagonist, Lu Xing.]

Song Yu's neck was starting to ache from looking up. He remembered that the protagonist was about the same height.

But what do people in this world eat to grow so tall?

Seeing Lu Xing about to sit in the seat, Song Yu silently put his book away. 009 reminded him: [If someone sits down, the mission is considered a failure.]

Song Yu: "..."

He silently put the book back and whispered, "It's taken."

Fortunately, there were still many empty seats in the classroom, otherwise he might have had to give up on this mission.

Hearing Song Yu's voice, Zhou Yanming turned around and saw Lu Xing: "You actually came to class?"

Lu Xing and Zhou Yanming were on the same basketball team and had a good relationship. He said lazily, "I only skipped two periods." After speaking, he glanced at Song Yu, who was looking down.

Lu Xing rarely paid attention to others, but he knew a few of Zhou Yanming's friends, but this face was unfamiliar.

"Oh, this is my roommate, saving a seat for someone." Zhou Yanming knew that Song Yu hadn't actually saved a seat for someone; he just didn't like interacting with people. The thought that such an introverted person would only sit with him made his breathing easier, and his voice became lighter, "Why don't you sit in the back? There are seats there too."

Zhou Yanming himself didn't realize that the scales in his heart had begun to tip.

Lu Xing was too lazy to argue, so he didn't say anything more, picked up his schoolbag, and sat down in the back row. He rested his chin on his hand and closed his eyes to relax for a while, waiting for the bell to ring.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out next to him: "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Lu Xing half-opened his eyelids, and Xie Zhiyan was standing in front of him, smiling slightly as he asked about the same seat.

Seeing that it was his friend, he was about to tell him that the seat was taken, but then he saw the little boy who had just rejected him extend a small, fair arm and slowly remove the book he had placed on the table to reserve the seat.

Lu Xing: "?"

Was he being targeted?

As soon as Xie Zhiyan sat down, 009's voice rang in his mind.

[Task 3 completed, side quest completed, 3000 points added.]

[Task 4 will be released in three days.] Song

Yu exclaimed in surprise, "Side quest?"

[Side quests are hidden quests; completing them will grant extra points.]

After the bell rang, Song Yu began to concentrate on the lesson. However, he still felt a little guilty facing Xie Zhiyan, so he subconsciously leaned towards Zhou Yanming.

Zhou Yanming, who was still wondering, "Did I save this seat for Xie Zhiyan? When did they meet?", suddenly felt his arm being lightly brushed.

His heart skipped a beat.

The skin that was brushed felt like it was electrified.

Song Yu was secretly touching him.

Does he...like him that much?

Zhou Yanming scratched his head in embarrassment. Three boys sitting in a row was indeed a bit cramped, but he didn't move away.

Throughout the class, Zhou Yanming was brushed against four times, and he didn't hear a single word of the lesson.

There was another person who also didn't listen.

Lu Xing, though cold, wasn't a jerk; he always listened to the lessons. However, today, a faint fragrance kept wafting from his right front, making it impossible for him to concentrate.

Lu Xing knew where the fragrance came from.

So fair-skinned, no wonder he smelled so good.

But what kind of man is that fair-skinned?

And his earlobes are pink too.

It wasn't until the bell rang that Lu Xing realized

he'd been staring at the boy for the entire class .

*

The next task is in three days. Song Yu finally had some free time. In his previous life, he spent a long time in the hospital and was incredibly envious of group activities. Sometimes he'd even stop to watch club recruitment events on the street.

But in this world, his character is gloomy and prefers solitude, which troubled him.

Fortunately, Zhou Yanming always invited him to class and meals together.

Being with him was necessary for the plot, and even if they got closer occasionally, it wouldn't be out of character. Besides, he would run into Xie Zhiyan every time.

Each time they met and exchanged a few words, the plot line would advance a small space.

—Besides daily tasks, Song Yu also needed to complete the world's plot line. Once the plot line reached 100%, he could leave, and this small world would be reclaimed by 009.

On Friday afternoon, Song Yu received Task Four.

009: [Send a photo to the protagonist before 4 PM.]

Song Yu was stunned: "Wh-what?"

009: [In the original plot, you accidentally got injured and felt wronged, so you sent a photo of your injury to the protagonist.]

Song Yu's eyes widened: [Do I have to hurt myself?]

009: It also fell silent.

It's not good for its host to be so delicate.

Song Yu hesitated for several minutes, then thought: [Does a very small injury count? Like, if the skin is red?]

009 answered in a mechanical voice: [The specific situation needs to be judged by the system to determine whether it is qualified.]

Song Yu was about to open the camera and take a picture of his finger to test it when Zhou Yanming came over and called him to go out together: "Basketball team practice this afternoon, want to come along?"

Zhou Yanming had his own selfish reasons.

Some people on the basketball team still thought that Song Yu was the one who put the nails in, and he couldn't explain to everyone one by one, so he simply brought Song Yu to the basketball team so that others would know that they had a good relationship, and the rumors would be dispelled.

He wasn't one to care about others' opinions, but his roommate was so well-behaved and quiet; he couldn't let him be wrongly accused.

Song Yu had never participated in club activities, and upon hearing Zhou Yanming's invitation, he immediately forgot about his mission.

He even boasted to 009: "I'm going to play!"

009: ...

He didn't know how long basketball practice would take. Before leaving, 009 reminded him to bring his old phone in his bag.

*

3:30 PM.

Basketball practice court.

Everyone heard that the incident of Song Yu putting nails in Zhou Yanming's shoes was a misunderstanding, and their relationship had improved considerably, but they hadn't expected it to have reached this point.

Do roommates usually help each other open bottle caps?

Over here, Song Yu took the mineral water Zhou Yanming handed him and quietly said thank you.

Everyone around him was doing strength training, and he was infected by their enthusiasm for sweating it out, feeling somewhat eager to try.

Zhou Yanming noticed: "Do you want to try?"

Song Yu was pleasantly surprised: "Really?"

"Yes, but you need to stretch first, otherwise it's easy to get injured."

Zhou Yanming stood up and began to teach Song Yu how to stretch. Some movements required the two of them to work together. Seeing that Song Yu was about to fall, he immediately stepped forward to support her waist.

The soft and supple feel of his hand brushed against his fingertips. He subconsciously looked down, and Song Yu's clothes were lifted up, revealing a small section of her fair waist.

Lost in thought, Zhou Yanming felt a gentle touch on his arm, followed by Song Yu's soft voice: "I'm sweating, I want to wash my face."

The boy seemed to dislike exercise, and his alabaster skin was now flushed.

The heat from his body intensified the fragrance.

Zhou Yanming felt short of breath and inexplicably hot. He tensed his shoulders, his voice becoming hoarse and stiff: "...Okay, there's a sink in the locker room, you, you go..."

Song Yu didn't notice Zhou Yanming's awkward behavior and went straight to the locker room.

If 009 hadn't reminded him, he would have almost forgotten about the mission.

The locker room was for the basketball team, and everyone was training on the court; it was empty. Song Yu took out his phone from his bag, agonizing over what kind of photo to send to Xie Zhiyan.

He first took a picture of his hand, but the system rejected it.

So he took a picture of his arm, but that also failed.

Song Yu was at his wit's end. He was so anxious that beads of sweat started to appear on his nose. After washing his face, he complained to 009 in a drawn-out voice about the system's strictness. 009 suddenly said, "[It's taken.]"

Wh-what?

"[It's on your phone, take a look.]"

Song Yu opened his phone.

The photo must have been taken just now; there were still water stains on his collar and neck.

There was a bruise on his neck, from where he'd bumped into something.

"Is this okay?"

It looked like a very ordinary photo.

009: "[System approved.]"

Time was running out, so Song Yu didn't hesitate any longer and sent the photo.

However, as soon as he turned off his phone, he heard a vibration behind him.

He turned around.

Xie Zhiyan, who had somehow entered the dressing room, was looking down, tapping his phone screen with his long, slender fingers.

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