06

 Song Yu's mood today was like a rollercoaster. One moment he was smelling the protagonist's clothes, the next he was bullying the protagonist. He felt like a big villain, messing around between the young couple.

However, he had completed the task so far.

Song Yu: [009, I think I know how to do bad things now.]

But 009 didn't agree with him as usual. Instead, he suddenly said: [You didn't have to add the protagonist's WeChat.]

Song Yu: [Didn't they say that contacting the protagonists more would speed up the progress bar? After I added them, the progress bar moved forward.]

Song Yu's intention in saying this was to get 009 to praise him for being smart, but 009 didn't say anything more. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt that 009 seemed to be throwing a tantrum.

But can a system have a temper?

Song Yu didn't think about these things anymore. After sending a message to Lu Xing, he climbed up to the top bunk and took a nap.

When he woke up, it was already past five o'clock.

Lu Xing didn't message him again, but Zhou Yanming sent him several WeChat messages and even called him later.

[Zhou Yanming: Are you hungry?]

[Zhou Yanming: I'm passing that beef brisket shop, want to eat there tonight?]

Ten minutes later.

[Zhou Yanming: I've bought it, I'll bring it back later.] The

beef brisket shop was a hidden gem they'd stumbled upon a while ago; the food was delicious, but it was a bit far from school. Song Yu replied "Thank you" and transferred the money back to him.

There was no reply yet.

Song Yu got out of bed and picked up Lu Xing's clothes from the back of the chair. The jacket was clean, seemingly unworn. He planned to sprinkle some chalk dust on it and return it untouched.

This kind of prank was something a boy behind him had done to him in high school; after he found out, he'd taken him to the hallway and given him a good scolding.

The boy's face turned red from the scolding, and he hadn't done anything like that since.

There was no chalk dust in the dorm, so Song Yu planned to ask 009 for some. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered the other person's strange tone earlier, pursed his lips, and decided to go downstairs to buy it.

Suddenly, a small piece of chalk appeared on the table.

009: [Host.]

Seemingly trying to make peace.

Song Yu wasn't an unreasonable person, and besides, he and 009 hadn't really argued. The displeasure on his face vanished instantly.

After chatting casually for a couple of minutes as usual, Song Yu started his task. He chose an inconspicuous spot on the clothes and drew a mark with chalk, but the system judged the task as failed.

009: [This is too minor, too mild.]

Song Yu pursed his lips, unable to think of a better solution for the moment.

After a while, 009 reminded him: [Zhou Yanming is coming back.]

Song Yu had no choice but to pause the task. He put away the chalk, and just as he placed the clothes on the back of the chair, Zhou Yanming returned. The boy, carrying a takeout box, looked at him as soon as he entered, a slight smile on his face: "Just woke up? Are you hungry?"

Song Yu nodded obediently.

Zhou Yanming placed the stewed beef brisket for two on the table, but his gaze accidentally fell on the clothes draped over the chair—a thin black windbreaker.

Did Song Yu own this jacket?

He occasionally helped Song Yu collect her clothes, but he had never seen this one before.

And the size seemed wrong; if Song Yu wore it, the hem would probably cover her thighs.

Zhou Yanming was puzzled, but casually asked, "A new jacket?"

Song Yu whispered, "It's Lu Xing's."

Lu Xing? How did he know Song Yu?

In that instant, alarm bells rang in Zhou Yanming's mind: "Why did he leave his clothes here?"

Song Yu hadn't expected Zhou Yanming to ask so many questions, so she had no choice but to tell the truth.

Zhou Yanming's usually relaxed brows furrowed. The thought of Song Yu using her slick, foam-covered fingers to wash other men's clothes made him inexplicably sour. The usually easygoing and cheerful man's tone turned sarcastic: "Just dust it off if it falls on the ground, what kind of clean person is he?

Besides, you two aren't even that close, why were you so stupid as to wash a man's clothes? "

Zhou Yanming hesitated for a moment, then swallowed the last part. Jealousy made him ignore the fact that Lu Xing himself wouldn't do such a thing, and he simply picked up the clothes from the chair and threw them into the sink: "You eat first, I'll wash them for you."

This time, Song Yu couldn't stop him and was directly pressed into the chair. He wasn't good at saying no, good or bad, and in the end, he could only say, "Then I'll wait for you to eat together."

Through the thin fabric, Zhou Yanming could feel the boy's thin bones being pressed against his hands. He was a little distracted and immediately let go: "Okay... I'll wash them quickly, it'll be done in a bit."

Zhou Yanming worked efficiently, turning on the tap and adding laundry detergent. While washing, he couldn't help but glance at Song Yu again.

As a result, he saw the boy who had already separated the takeout boxes and was sitting in the chair, waiting for him expectantly.

Just like... a little wife waiting for her husband to come home for dinner.

Zhou Yanming was startled when he realized this thought. But the more he tried not to think about it, the more Song Yu's obedient and quiet image flashed before his eyes.

The days when her husband went to cook and do laundry, while his little wife sat at the table waiting for him to eat, would be so happy.

Zhou Yanming's arm tightened, and the force in his hand increased.

009: [Congratulations, host, mission complete.]

Song Yu, still desperately resisting the temptation of the food's aroma, was stunned: "?"

009 explained: [The clothes have had a loose thread.]

"..."

Song Yu looked at the wrinkled, dripping coat hanging on the balcony and felt sorry for it.

It seems that being too strong isn't always a good thing.

*

Regardless of the process, the mission of bullying the protagonist was finally completed. The summer temperature was high, and the clothes on the balcony dried completely overnight.

Song Yu took the coat down, carefully folded it, put it in a small paper bag, and then took it to Lu Xing.

He was prepared to pay for the shirt, but after the other person took it, they just glanced at it casually: "You really hand-washed it?"

Song Yu: "No, Zhou Yanming helped."

Lu Xing didn't say anything.

Song Yu stood there, unsure whether to go back. He tried to judge by observing the other person's expression, but unfortunately, that face remained incredibly sour.

After a moment, Lu Xing suddenly sneered: "He's quite obedient."

Song Yu wanted to explain something, but his mind went blank, so he pursed his lips: "Then I'm leaving."

Lu Xing gave a curt "Mm," and Song Yu left the dormitory. Having probably completed two tasks at once, 009 didn't post anything for the next few days, occasionally popping up to chat with him.

When Song Yu wasn't on missions, she almost always spent time with Zhou Yanming—attending classes, eating, and leaving school—living a regular and carefree life. The plot was about a third of the way through, and soon

it would be the scene where Xie Zhiyan decided to try dating Zhou Yanming. 009 said that Song Yu's presence was originally required for this kind of situation to advance the plot. So, that evening, after Zhou Yanming returned from class, Song Yu immediately surrounded him, saying she would accompany him to basketball training for the next few days.

Zhou Yanming was caught off guard by that light, soft fragrance, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, he said, "Sure, but our training is very boring, won't it take up your time?"

Song Yu shook her head: "No, it won't."

Zhou Yanming hesitated.

Recently, many people in the team had been inquiring about Song Yu, seemingly interested. Therefore, he hadn't taken Song Yu along much lately.

He knew how naive and clueless the boy was.

Seeing Zhou Yanming's troubled expression, Song Yu assumed he was unwilling, so she pleaded softly for a while, saying things like "You're the best" and "I like being with you," making Zhou Yanming completely distracted, even forgetting when he finally nodded.

*

The next day after school, Song Yu went to the training ground with Zhou Yanming.

Next week was the finals, and everyone had already changed into their matching basketball uniforms. Perhaps due to their traditional mindset, only Xie Zhiyan wore a short-sleeved shirt under his oversized basketball uniform.

However, he soon took off his short-sleeved shirt as well.

To Song Yu's surprise, Xie Zhiyan, despite his slender appearance, showed no less muscle than the others after taking off his shirt; broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he looked incredibly powerful.

Song Yu was filled with admiration. Just

then, 009's voice suddenly rang out: [These are just data.]

Song Yu looked away. He heard 009 say something else, but the voice was too soft to hear clearly: [What did you say?]

009: [Nothing.]

009: [The mission is here.]

Over time, Song Yu had begun to accept his fate and was less resistant to missions. But when he heard 009's next mission, he was still stunned.

His cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and his eyes widened: "[I also have to steal a kiss... How can I steal a kiss with so many people around? Does this sound reasonable?]" 009

: "[There will be a power outage in two minutes. I will guide you to Xie Zhiyan.]"

After saying that, it added: "[You only need to touch his face. This mission is worth 1000 points.]"

That's too much.

Song Yu accepted it without any backbone.

Two minutes later, the entire training ground was plunged into darkness. Everyone was caught off guard and started chattering: "What happened? Did the circuit breaker trip? Or is there a power outage?"

With 009's help, Song Yu's vision was clearer than the others, and he could see the general outline. He didn't waste any more time, bypassing the others and heading straight for the target.

Even with the surrounding noise and the faint sound of someone calling his name, Song Yu could still clearly hear his own heartbeat.

One kiss after another.

Xie Zhiyan wasn't far away. The boy remained calm, standing still and quietly waiting for the power to be restored.

Song Yu quickly reached him.

He planned to give Xie Zhiyan a light kiss on the cheek and then sneak away. If he was lucky, Xie Zhiyan would think he had just been accidentally touched.

But he probably miscalculated the angle. When he tiptoed and slowly brought his steaming pink face closer, his lips touched something softer and warmer.

Although inexperienced, Song Yu could tell—it wasn't the feel of a cheek.

The voice of "Mission accomplished" rang in his mind, Song Yu's shoulders trembled slightly, and he immediately pulled back, fleeing the scene of the "crime."

However, after running a short distance, his wrist was tightly gripped.

Song Yu was so frightened that he couldn't speak.

The next second, Zhou Yanming's voice reached his ears: "Where did you go? I've been looking for you for ages."

Song Yu's heart finally calmed down, and he made up an excuse: "No... I didn't go anywhere."

After finding Song Yu, Zhou Yanming's tone was noticeably less tense, and he comforted him for a couple of minutes. Soon, the power was restored.

Zhou Yanming didn't let go of his hand, but leaned down to look at Song Yu and noticed that his face was unnaturally red. He asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Song Yu was too guilty and kept his head down without saying a word.

Everyone saw the two holding hands and couldn't help but start teasing them.

"You weren't holding Song Yu's hand the whole time during the power outage,

were you?" "Captain, you really treat her like your wife!"

...

Song Yu didn't listen to these teasing remarks. He felt his face getting hotter and hotter, and afraid that Xie Zhiyan would suspect him, he made up an excuse to go to the restroom.

After washing his face, the heat on his face slowly subsided.

Song Yu looked in the mirror and opened his mouth.

"I didn't mean to."

"I just wanted to touch your face..."

"I didn't mean to..."

009 comforted him: [It's okay, host, they're just a bunch of data.]

It didn't dare tell him that it could clearly see everything in the darkness—Song Yu's angle wasn't wrong; Xie Zhiyan had suddenly moved his position.

It was intentional.

Despite 009's comforting words and the 1000 points he received, Song Yu still felt that his sins were too great this time.

A kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips are very close, but their meanings are worlds apart.

Xie Zhiyan had his own CP, but he had his first kiss stolen.

Song Yu lowered his eyelids, straightened his clothes, and bumped into Zhou Yanming as he went out.

Zhou Yanming thought that what he had said earlier had upset the boy, so he came to explain: "You...you're not angry, are you? Don't listen to their nonsense, they're just bored, I've already—" He

was interrupted halfway through his sentence.

"I want to ask you a question."

Zhou Yanming was taken aback: "Go ahead."

Song Yu held back for a long time, even biting his lips until they were soft, before carefully speaking.

"Would you be angry if you kissed someone you didn't like?" He thought for a moment, trying to lessen his guilt, "Like... a quick kiss on the lips, just for a second."

Zhou Yanming's mind went blank.

He could barely hear what Song Yu was saying anymore. He

could only see a handsome boy with a glossy face, standing in front of him, talking about "kissing" and such.

Zhou Yanming tried to slow his heartbeat, to appear normal.

But when he came to his senses, he heard his own unsteady, breathless reply: "Just a quick kiss on the lips, what kind of kiss is that?

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