08

 Tan Yue's voice was not as relaxed as usual, but rather low and emotionless.

It gave people the feeling that if they didn't answer well, he would just barge in and settle accounts.

Song Yu's shoulders trembled slightly.

The bathroom light fell on his slender waist, making him look beautiful and pitiful.

"I, I..." Song Yu's voice trembled as he answered Tan Yue's question.

The idiot could lie, but he was afraid that he couldn't hide his emotions, afraid that the other party would see through his clumsy lie immediately.

And then get even angrier.

Song Yu sniffed and unconsciously dragged out his voice: "I'm changing clothes..."

"I can't do two things at the same time."

Tan Yue's body stiffened at the door.

He was brought to a hotel, and his voice was still so soft. Didn't he know how dangerous that was?

Or was it that when he came to the hotel with other men, he deliberately aroused men's dirty thoughts like this?

The reason he thought this was because Tan Yue himself was aroused by a young boy who had deceived him with just a few words.

But the straight man himself did not notice.

His attention was completely focused on whether Song Yu had booked rooms with other men, how experienced he was at lying, and whether he would disappear after winning him over.

He was annoyed and irritable, finding the shabby room unbearably stuffy, and even the lowest air conditioning temperature couldn't help.

The rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other came from the bathroom, like feathers tickling his ears. Tan Yue listened intently for a while before leaving the bathroom door and standing by the window.

Five minutes later.

Song Yu reluctantly opened the bathroom door.

Tan Yue immediately stared.

It was indeed a boy. Only, his height and frame were much thinner than his, his clothes a size too big, baggy, making his waist appear even slimmer.

His sweatpants seemed too long, rolled up twice.

His once straight black wig was gone, replaced by short, light-colored hair.

The boy revealed his true appearance.

Although handsome, he was undeniably a boy.

Tan Yue tried to ignore his own heartbeat and lowered his voice, "All changed? Can you answer my question now?"

Song Yu's face was pale, and he unconsciously bit his lip.

He gripped the hemp rope of the paper bag tightly, rubbing it back and forth until his fingertips turned red.

The paper bag was the one Tan Yue had handed him earlier; it now contained his wig, white dress, and a white lace French bra.

Seeing Song Yu biting his lip and remaining silent, Tan Yue knew what he meant, and his slightly improved expression immediately darkened again: "Didn't you say I was the first? Song Yu, what else have you lied to me about?"

He felt like a clown.

Normally, a straight man, after discovering a cross-dressing scam, would either scold the other person harshly or ignore them and immediately block them.

Not drag a young man to a hotel and repeatedly confirm if he was the only one fooled.

It's as if, even if the other person is a man, he has accepted it, but the feelings must be real.

Realizing this, Tan Yue felt he must have been bewitched.

Or perhaps it was because the young boy in front of him was too delicate and beautiful, and looked like he was about to cry. The difference in their sizes made him disdain using force.

The room was silent for half a minute.

Tan Yue didn't get a reply from Song Yu, and he roughly understood what was going on.

He chuckled lightly, but there was a thin layer of coldness in his eyes: "Your kissing technique is so bad, you don't even dare to open your mouth. I thought you were so innocent, that no one had ever touched your mouth before."

"So you've been kissed a

lot all along." "Still pretending you don't know anything."

The soft flesh on Song Yu's lips had been bitten raw, and he felt pain. He released his lips, not daring to touch them again, and looked up at Tan Yue, who was a head taller than him, with trembling eyelids.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his mind was blank, and he couldn't think of anything to appease the other person.

What should he do?

He didn't want to be hit.

Tan Yue looked very strong, and his hands were also very wide.

"Did you think I'm too easy to fool because I've never been in a relationship, and that I'd just swallow my anger and accept my bad luck after being scammed?" Tan Yue gave a cold laugh, then returned to his expressionless face.

"This is a hotel, the soundproofing is excellent. I can do whatever I want to you."

"I won't hold back when I bully people."

"I won't stop until I make you cry."

If Song Yu had looked up at this moment and seen the infatuated look on the other person's face, perhaps he wouldn't have been so frightened.

But Song Yu was clumsy and timid.

His shoulders trembled violently, his eyes drooping, and tears quickly filled his eyes.

Don't bully me.

I didn't want to lie either.

A large tear rolled down Song Yu's soft cheek and fell to the ground, like a full pearl being shattered.

Tan Yue was stunned.

He hadn't expected that his words, which weren't even a threat, could scare someone to tears.

Of course, you can't trust a conman's tears; who knows if he's just faking it to gain sympathy.

But Song Yu looked so pitiful.

The handsome young boy's eyes and nose were red, and he was sobbing, as if he was holding back tears. He finally couldn't hold back any longer and let out a few soft whimpers. It was

as if something had happened to him.

Resigned, Tan Yue suppressed his cold aura and quickly pulled two tissues from the tissue box on the bedside table.

Staring at Song Yu's already wet cheek, he slowly reached out to wipe away his tears.

Perhaps because he had never done this before, Tan Yue's movements were stiff, but still gentle.

But Song Yu still turned his face away: "...It hurts."

The tissues provided in the five-star hotel were of relatively good quality, but they couldn't compare to Song Yu's delicate skin.

Tan Yue stared at Song Yu's wet and red cheeks and couldn't help but have a thought—delicate.

What kind of boy is this delicate?

But he quickly threw away the tissues, grabbed the hem of his shirt with his fingers, and lifted his arm up, and his shirt was off.

In the spacious, intimately intimate hotel room, the tall, imposing young man who should have been confronting the conman was instead shirtless, bending over and carefully wiping away the little conman's tears.

It was unclear whether he was crazy or what.

Song Yu didn't complain of pain and obediently let him wipe his tears.

He secretly glanced at Tan Yue's face and, seeing that the other's expression wasn't as bad, dared to explain.

"I didn't mean to lie to you."

"I...I really like you...but you only like girls."

He'd probably just finished crying; the boy's soft voice was slightly hoarse, his eyelashes damp and sticky, and he didn't seem to be lying.

So scared, yet he still confessed to him.

Tan Yue felt lightheaded, a strange sense of satisfaction rising within him.

He tried his best to suppress it, completely abandoning the thought of revenge: "Then you can't lie to me."

"I'm a straight guy, and not only did I kiss a guy, but I also keep having dreams about him at night."

Tan Yue didn't say what the dreams were about, but Song Yu guessed the gist. His ears burned, and he apologized softly: "I won't lie to you anymore. I hope you can find a girl you like."

"..."

Tan Yue, still wondering what to do with this relationship, was speechless.

What Song Yu said made perfect sense, as if he had realized his mistake and wouldn't bother him anymore.

But Tan Yue wasn't happy.

A moment later.

He put the clothes stained with Song Yu's tears back on, his expression cold: "I'm leaving."

Song Yu looked up, his pale eyes showing a hint of confusion.

The ill-fitting top was askew, revealing a small patch of fair shoulder.

Tan Yue's eyelids twitched violently.

Suppressing his rapid breathing, he patiently explained in a gruff voice, "Let's go back first, we'll talk about it later."

Later... probably meant being blocked.

Song Yu gave a soft "Oh," then, as if remembering something, jogged a few steps to catch up with Tan Yue, handing him the paper bag: "I won't wear these anymore, here you go."

009 had searched for this dress; it cost several thousand.

No wonder Tan Yue was so angry; he'd invested both money and feelings—anyone would be angry.

Returning the clothes now might improve his mood.

Tan Yue wanted to say, "Keep it," but his gaze accidentally fell on the top of the paper bag.

White lace, very thin and minimal fabric.

Song Yu even wore this?

Tan Yue's breath hitched.

A few seconds later, he stiffly took the paper bag.

*

This day was too dangerous for Song Yu; after returning to his apartment, he collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

It took him half an hour to recover.

Not wanting to go downstairs, Song Yu ordered takeout, changed out of his oversized clothes, and snuggled into bed to listen to 009's recap.

[You have successfully completed the mission of "being exposed as a boy by the protagonist."]

[You have caused some psychological trauma to the protagonist. He won't contact you for a long time. After a while, he will meet the protagonist online using a female alias.]

Song Yu felt Tan Yue needed to shake off his bad luck, having been scammed twice in a row in online romances.

[Your main task here is to continue working and save up enough money to pay back your creditors.]

[Subsequent plot and missions await updates.]

[Current progress bar 60%. Congratulations, host, the plot is progressing smoothly for now.]

For the next whole day, Tan Yue didn't contact him.

It seemed he had blocked him.

Song Yu finally relaxed completely.

However, that night, 009 reminded him: [Host, Tan Yue hasn't blocked you; the plot has deviated.] Song

Yu: "?"

How could this be...

He opened WeChat, and their chat history stopped the previous morning. The last message was from Tan Yue—[Baby, I've arrived.]

Hmm... Tan Yue seems quite angry.

He'd been using "baby" frequently since their first meeting, and now thinking about it, it probably made him incredibly uncomfortable.

But even knowing he'd been tricked, why hadn't he blocked him?

Song Yu frowned.

It was unlikely that Tan Yue would block his host. The usually impartial AI began exploiting system loopholes to help its host take advantage: [The original data stated that "after being blocked, Tan Yue suffered his first emotional setback," without specifying who blocked whom.]

Song Yu: "?"

So... even though he was clearly a fraudster, he still actively blocked Tan Yue?

009 had long been dissatisfied with the fragment, not only tearing down several of its buildings but also frequently blocking it and then bullying the host.

It was time for revenge.

[Host, you're doing well.]

[After all, you won't be in contact anymore.]

[After being blocked, the progress bar increased by 5%.] Upon

hearing this, Song Yu immediately acted without hesitation.

He had 009 calculate how much money Tan Yue had sent him in total, and reluctantly transferred it from his meager savings to the other party.

He planned to wash the remaining items, such as the dress, and send them to the school after the semester started.

After settling the score, Song Yu blocked the other party.

As soon as he blocked him, the progress bar reached 65%.

Finally, he didn't have to lie about wearing a dress anymore.

Song Yu's eyebrows relaxed, and he was in a good mood.

When Zhao Ran came back that evening, he even brought him a bowl of mung bean soup to cool him down.

That night, Song Yu slept soundly, and his phone was on silent.

He had no idea that Tan Yue, who had been struggling and irritable about his sexual orientation all day, was about to send a "let's try" message when he saw a glaring red exclamation mark.

*

The next morning.

As soon as Song Yu woke up, he heard 009 reminding him that the plot had changed.

[You can check your phone.]

The boy, who had just woken up, was slow in his movements and expression, and slowly opened his phone and turned off airplane mode.

His eyes widened when he saw the dozen or so missed calls from Tan Yue.

—They'd been calling since 9 PM last night, several even in the middle of the night.

…So angry she couldn't sleep? He couldn't

get through on the phone, and Tan Yue had blocked him on WeChat. Tan Yue sent him messages:

【Blocked me? Didn't you say you liked me? Like me and then block me?】

【Answer the phone.】

【And transferred money, is this trying to cut ties with me? Is it clean? You stole my first kiss, my first love, everything, and you even saw my body naked! And now you want to run away?!】

Song Yu: “…”

It sounded like a condemnation of a scumbag.

He stared at the longest message, puzzled.

He could accept the others, but when did he see his body naked…?

009: 【While you were crying, he took off his clothes to wipe your tears.】

Song Yu: “…”

His porcelain-white cheeks instantly flushed pink. The boy pursed his lips, ignoring the memory.

However, Tan Yue's messages were completely unexpected.

Song Yu could picture his expression as he said those words—his face would be incredibly sour, and his tone like he was demanding a debt.

The money he'd transferred was returned intact.

If it wasn't a money issue, then it was a romantic entanglement.

But Tan Yue was a straight man; even if he wanted to take responsibility, he couldn't, and besides, it didn't fit the plot.

Just as he was agonizing over this, his phone vibrated twice.

Song Yu's palms went numb from the vibrations. He rubbed them together with his fingertips, then opened the message—

Tan Yue: [Block me or not, it's up to you. I don't like men anyway.]

Tan Yue: [Fine, don't come looking for me again.]

Hmm?

It seems like things are about to end.

"Buzz"—wait

, another message.

Song Yu thought Tan Yue was going to say something sarcastic, but it turned out to be a WeChat message.

From another man.

Shang Lin Chu.

"..."

The main characters should get to know each other already.

Song Yu didn't really want to talk to Shang Lin Chu, but the other party was, after all, his creditor.

He reluctantly opened it.

Compared to Tan Yue's sarcastic messages, Shang Linchu's were much more normal, simply asking what he'd been up to lately.

Song Yu thought for a moment: "Working to save money."

Although he couldn't pay off his debts, he wanted the other person to know he wasn't just messing around.

Shang Linchu: "What kind of work?"

Hmm?

Did he think he'd found some high-paying job? As

Song Yu was editing the message, a photo suddenly popped up in the chat box.

The background was a hotel, and the picture showed the backs of two people. A tall young man was holding the hand of a girl in a white dress, seemingly heading to a hotel.

Song Yu was stunned.

Shang Linchu had actually hired someone to spy on him?

Although it was reasonable for a creditor to spy on a debtor, Song Yu was still unhappy. He sullenly turned off his phone.

However, Shang Linchu sent another message:

"You like this type? You met him in school?"

"Slept with him?"

"Do you like playing this kind of game with him?"

...

Song Yu's cheeks burned. He silenced his phone and ignored it.

Fortunately, 009 said that Shang Linchu was currently abroad on business and wouldn't be back for a while.

He might even meet Tan Yue online before returning.

Song Yu continued his routine life.

Zhao Ran was going on a business trip soon, and before leaving, he folded Song Yu's clothes and reminded him to eat well and not sleep until the afternoon, as it would upset his stomach.

Song Yu was already a bit delicate, and working the night shift, so not eating properly would definitely cause him problems.

However, Zhao Ran was very caring; at least Song Yu hadn't been sick yet.

009 suddenly said: [Host, I've upgraded your body; it's now at level B.]

Song Yu said "Oh," and then heard 009's standby tone.

?

It seems unhappy?

Song Yu recalled that 009's tone just now sounded like it was asking for praise.

Was it because he hadn't praised it?

Do AIs get jealous?

But actually, after being together for so long, Song Yu no longer considered it an emotionless machine.

So—

"009? Little 9?"

"Our 009 is the best!"

"Boom!"—

This time it crashed.

Song Yu: "..."

Being praised in such a tone by its host, 009 couldn't handle it at all, its body overheating and directly paralyzing.

Fortunately, there was a protection program, and it automatically started operating again after two minutes.

*

Business at the bar was fairly good during the summer vacation, but Song Yu found that the intern he was supervising hadn't come for several days. At first, he thought the other person had taken leave, but when he still hadn't seen him on the fourth day, he asked his colleagues if the other person had taken leave.

"You mean Xiao Sun? He got fired by the boss."

Song Yu was surprised. "What happened? Did he do something wrong?"

"He didn't make any mistakes at work, but he likes to gossip behind people's backs." A colleague leaned in and whispered, "By the way, he seemed to love talking about you everywhere, saying you have a girlfriend but still flirt with other people, and that you've flirted with him too."

Before Song Yu could react, his colleague patted him on the shoulder. "But we all believe in your character, and of course the boss believes in you too, otherwise he wouldn't have fired him."

Song Yu didn't expect that such a thing could happen to a bartender. But rumors about him had circulated at school before.

He didn't pay attention and went back to the locker room when it was almost closing time.

Just after he finished changing, Shen Yize came in, looking like he had something important to talk to him about.

"Boss."

Song Yu straightened his back and listened attentively.

He didn't expect Shen Yize to ask him if he would accept his sponsorship to go to school.

Seeing his surprised expression, Shen Yize slowly said, "Don't feel burdened. This is actually a project the Shen family undertakes every year to improve their reputation. This year, the project was given to me. I've seen your information; you dropped out of S University, right?"

The man had actually investigated Song Yu's background thoroughly long ago, but he hid it perfectly: "Other things can wait; your studies are the most important."

If it weren't for the plot, Song Yu would definitely accept.

But given the current storyline, he was heavily in debt and had no chance of returning to school, so he politely declined.

Shen Yize didn't try to persuade him: "If you want to go back to school in the future, just tell me."

"Boss... thank you."

In a way, Shen Yize was his benefactor. A simple thank you was hardly meaningful, and Song Yu awkwardly said, "What... what do you want to eat? I'll treat you, boss!"

Shen Yize lifted his eyelids: "What do you want to eat?"

Song Yu thought for a moment and mentioned a barbecue restaurant downstairs in the apartment complex.

At this time, only barbecue restaurants were open.

Fortunately, Shen Yize didn't mind and nodded in agreement. The shop was nearly empty and had closed early. The two took Shen Yize's car to Song Yu's apartment building.

The shop wasn't big, with five or six tables and chairs set up outdoors, and even at this hour, two tables were still occupied.

The owner was grilling lamb skewers at the entrance, the hot summer wind carrying the aroma of cumin and chili everywhere.

As soon as Song Yu got out of the car, she smelled the delicious aroma, her eyes instantly brightening. Then, like a small animal, she twitched her nose.

Shen Yize's lips curved into a quick smile.

Song Yu had never eaten with Shen Yize before, so he asked him what he wanted to eat. Shen Yize ate everything except onions.

Song Yu then asked, "Do you want some chili peppers?"

Shen Yize nodded.

"Is mild spicy okay?"

"Medium spicy, please."

Song Yu's eyes widened, staring incredulously at the refined man opposite him, reminding him, "Boss, it's very spicy!"

Until Shen Yize had a half-smile on his lips: "You think I'm spicy?"

No, not like that...

His cheeks burned, his alabaster face quickly turning pink. The boy whispered, "I meant the chili peppers are very spicy."

Then he added, "Boss, you're handsome."

Shen Yize stared at Song Yu's bright red earlobes, subtly nudging his cheek.

Song Yu had been to this restaurant twice with Zhao Ran. The owner recognized him and smiled as he took his order: "Another friend is treating you to dinner?"

Song Yu shook his head: "This time it's my treat."

The owner joked, "Then that dark-skinned friend from last time must be heartbroken."

Hearing this, Song Yu realized that he seemed to have taken Zhao Ran's kindness for granted.

Although he usually reciprocated, it seemed like the other person was the one paying more often.

Song Yu wondered if he should give the other person some clothes.

Zhao Ran only had two sets of summer clothes, both of which were worn out.

The boy kept his head down and didn't notice Shen Yize's increasingly brooding gaze.

The skewers they ordered were quickly grilled. The owner gave them an extra bottle of beer and opened it.

Afraid of wasting it, Song Yu took two disposable cups and filled them both.

He knew his alcohol tolerance, so he only drank one cup and didn't pour any more.

But the beer in the cup seemed endless. When Song Yu finally stood up, his head was still a little dizzy.

Shen Yize paid the bill and prepared to take him home.

Song Yu, who had been drinking, was quieter than usual, obediently following behind the man.

When they reached the door, Shen Yize asked him for the key.

"Key..." Song Yu repeated slowly, his words slurred.

He took the key out of his pocket and handed it to him.

He was drunk.

Shen Yize stared at the boy for a while, then silently opened the door, and took Song Yu's hand to lead him into the room.

The door was tightly closed.

Song Yu's room was small; Shen Yize had only stood at the doorway the last time he came, only realizing its size when he entered.

He was tall, almost having to bend down to pass through the door.

In this cramped space, Song Yu was looking up at him.

Her expression was dull and clean, completely unguarded.

Shen Yize's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice slightly hoarse: "Going to sleep."

Song Yu nodded, but didn't move for a long time.

Shen Yize raised his eyelids: "Don't want to sleep?"

Song Yu loosened his lips and pointed to the wardrobe: "I need to change into pajamas."

Shen Yize didn't speak, turned to the wardrobe, and opened it.

A row of dresses inside made him squint.

The next moment, the man turned to look at Song Yu, his voice terrifyingly calm: "Living with your girlfriend?"

Song Yu first showed a hint of confusion, then shook his head: "No girlfriend..."

Shen Yize was slightly taken aback: "Then why are there so many dresses?"

Perhaps this question was too difficult for a drunk person to think about; Song Yu pursed his lips and simply shook his head.

A long, strong hand ripped open the dress in the wardrobe. Shen Yize glanced at the size, then leaned closer to smell it, his eyes darkening slightly.

The man turned, walked to Song Yu, and bent down, bringing his face close to hers.

Beautiful, and obedient.

No wonder she was surrounded by a bunch of stray dogs.

Shen Yize reached out and rubbed his fingertips back and forth between the two men's lips.

The lips slowly turned a deep red, as if they were moistened with rose juice.

"Ugh..." Song Yu felt pain, but he couldn't escape.

Two hands gripped the back of his neck, preventing him from struggling.

"Are you uncomfortable, Xiao Yu?" Unlike the emotion in his eyes, Shen Yize's tone was gentle, like comforting a lover.

Song Yu gave a complaining "Mmm."

"Then tell me, Xiao Yu, did you wear the dress for other men to see?"

Song Yu's lips were pressed against his fingers, and he couldn't stop drooling, which slowly wet Shen Yize's fingertips.

So sleepy.

My head is heavy.

Song Yu's eyelids were drooping, but he heard someone whispering in his ear.

"Little Yu, do you know what happens when you wear a skirt in front of a man?"

If Song Yu were conscious, he wouldn't be foolish enough to stare at the person opposite him and follow up with the question.

"You'll be taken home."

"Pick him up."

Shen Yize's voice was low.

He whispered the last word in Song Yu's ear.

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