20

 After Song Yu came to his senses, he realized how awful those words were.

He thought Xie Zhiyan had come to break up with him, but he didn't expect to be told so many strange things. He gradually lowered his eyes.

He was unhappy.

He wasn't that kind of person.

He wouldn't let anyone kiss him.

Xie Zhiyan saw the boy's little expressions.

He couldn't be soft-hearted. Xie Zhiyan warned himself.

He would show this pitiful expression to other men too. Did you want to share him with other men?

Impossible.

Despite constantly reminding himself, Xie Zhiyan's tone softened, and he started to talk about the matter at hand: "Why did you say you were single? Am I that embarrassing for you? Or do you just want to find someone—"

"Slap."

Xie Zhiyan's right cheek turned to the side, and the pain belatedly surged up.

He froze there, maintaining the position without moving.

Song Yu's slap wasn't very strong at all. But Xie Zhiyan still felt pain.

He hit me. He

hit me for another man.

Proud, melancholic, and forlorn Xie Zhiyan couldn't accept this fact.

An only child, his parents' marriage was a business arrangement. He'd grown up witnessing the hypocrisy of such marriages—bound by mutual interests, outwardly loving couples, but in reality, each going their own way, barely exchanging a word.

Later, he discovered that almost all the arranged marriages around him were like this.

Xie Zhiyan felt utterly disgusted.

Was it so difficult to steadfastly love only one person?

If it were him… he would find someone and commit wholeheartedly.

If it weren't for this kind of love, loyal to him until death, belonging entirely to him, he'd rather not have it.

But five whole days had passed since he returned to school.

He had been waiting, waiting for Song Yu to give him an explanation.

Yet, she wouldn't even glance at him, surrounded by a group of men every day.

How ridiculous! He thought he had given Song Yu enough time and patience to adjust to the relationship, that she was just shy and introverted, which was why she hadn't made it public.

He was wrong.

Perhaps Song Yu had been playing him from the very beginning.

Those text messages and photos were probably just this pretty young man's hunting tactics. He observed carefully when he saw something he liked, but once he got it, he lost interest and forgot about it.

Only he was as stupid as a dog, summoned and dismissed at will.

He was no different from those he had mocked before.

"Am I not enough for you?"

"Why don't you tell everyone I'm your boyfriend?"

"Am I embarrassing you? Or am I just one of those dogs you've set your sights on?"

"Song Yu, I'm not like those dogs who surround you without any dignity."

Song Yu stared blankly at the increasingly clear finger marks on Xie Zhiyan's face. Most of her initial anger subsided, replaced by a sense of guilt.

Xie Zhiyan's downcast eyes and vulnerable expression were like a puppy soaked by the rain.

Every word she uttered accused him of his despicable behavior, her heart broken by this scumbag.

And it really was true.

I really am a scumbag...

What if I made Xie Zhiyan cry?

Song Yu's mind was a mess. She bit her lower lip, struggling with how to salvage the situation.

Maybe, she could take this opportunity to break up. "

I'm sorry, I'm going to do something bad again.

" Song Yu hardened his heart, mimicking the scumbag quotes 009 had shown him before, and frowned, "If that's what you think, there's nothing I can do."

"If you don't want to, then go find someone else."

Xie Zhiyan's heart sank suddenly, his blood running cold from his spine to his limbs. His lips were pressed tightly together, making him look exceptionally sinister.

Song Yu's body trembled uncontrollably under his bathrobe, and he instinctively wanted to run away.

However, it was too late.

A broad and strong hand pressed down on his lower back a few times, the pressure skillful, not heavy but enough to make his whole body go limp.

Song Yu's gaze suddenly shifted upwards, and because he lost his balance, he panicked and let out a soft cry. After realizing what was happening, he immediately stretched out his leg, trying to kick the other person away.

But his strength was no match for the other person.

This bathrobe belonged to Zhou Yanming, a size too big, and was already loose. With this struggle, the boy's two thin and white legs were completely exposed to the air.

Sitting on the table, legs together, the soft flesh of his thighs rippled like water, delicate and supple.

A hard pinch left a deep, pale red mark.

Xie Zhiyan scooped him up, placed him on the table, and pressed himself against him almost without gaping.

He bit Song Yu's lip.

A faint taste of blood spread in his mouth.

...

When Song Yu was released, he was completely powerless. He was held in Xie Zhiyan's arms, his eyelashes completely wet with tears from the corners of his eyes, his lips slightly parted, emitting rapid, soft breaths.

His pupils were very light, and when he was lost in thought, he looked like a once pure and innocent fallen god.

Xie Zhiyan's gaze was fixed on the boy's face, not missing a single subtle expression.

After a long while.

"Choose one."

In the quiet, stagnant air, Xie Zhiyan suddenly spoke.

"...Wh-what?"

Xie Zhiyan turned around, placing his hand on Song Yu's side, enveloping him in a possessive posture, like a spoiled brat who would ask, "If my mom and I fell into the water at the same time, would you save the water?" "Zhou Yanming or me, choose one."

It sounded like a breakup proposal.

Song Yu lowered his eyes, about to choose Zhou Yanming as the other suggested, when 009 reminded him not to be out of character.

He paused, pursing his lips in silence.

Xie Zhiyan knew what silence meant, of course. He sneered, took a few steps back, and resumed his usual arrogant demeanor.

"Song Yu, you're quite something."

*

Zhou Yanming paced back and forth at the end of the corridor countless times before finally hearing a sound.

The locker room door at the end opened, and only Xie Zhiyan came out.

Zhou Yanming looked tense, afraid something had really happened to Song Yu. He had known Xie Zhiyan for so many years and knew that the other's personality was reserved, far from the gentle person he appeared to be.

"Where's Song Yu?" He strode over and stopped Xie Zhiyan, but was taken aback when he saw the red finger mark on the other's face.

Xie Zhiyan raised his head, gave him a cold glance, and left without saying a word.

Zhou Yanming didn't have time to think. He rushed into the changing room and saw Song Yu jumping off the table, his bathrobe completely disheveled.

The boy was momentarily stunned, then looked away, asking with concern, "Are you alright? Did Xie Zhiyan do anything to you?"

Song Yu shook his head: "I'm fine..."

Zhou Yanming carefully checked him over.

His lips were red, and his eyes were moist... Realizing that Song Yu might have been forcibly kissed, Zhou Yanming's expression stiffened, but he didn't say anything. He simply gathered Song Yu's bathrobe and tied it up, then held his hand tightly.

After walking for a while, Zhou Yanming suddenly asked, "Is anything bothering you?"

Song Yu's legs were still weak, and his shoulders trembled at

the question: "No..." He was still defending Xie Zhiyan.

Zhou Yanming frowned.

Impulsiveness made him ask the question he had been wanting to ask for days: "What is your relationship with Xie Zhiyan now?"

Only then did Song Yu remember to ask 009: [Was that a breakup?]

009: [Yes, the system has approved your statement. Xie Zhiyan has unilaterally severed ties with you.] Song

Yu: "..."

Breaking up? Like a child... Song Yu said defiantly, "I'm breaking up with him!"

Zhou Yanming was slightly taken aback.

That's good.

He gripped Song Yu's hand tightly: "Then don't talk to him anymore."

Be with me.

Of course, Zhou Yanming didn't have the courage to say the last sentence yet.

The plot had finally been corrected, and the bullying of the first and second leads was almost over. Song Yu, playing the cannon fodder third lead, only had one last scene left.

—At the end of the semester, he would be exposed for everything he had done to Xie Zhiyan, then his reputation would be ruined, and he would be expelled from school.

Song Yu began to wait for this plot.

After that day, he rarely saw Xie Zhiyan, and when they occasionally bumped into each other in the cafeteria, Xie Zhiyan avoided him like the plague.

Song Yu was glad that he didn't have any more tasks to harass Xie Zhiyan, otherwise it would be too awkward.

However, what followed was the main characters' jealousy and romantic entanglements, which had nothing to do with him. But after a while, Song Yu was surprised to find that Lu Xing and Zhou Yanming didn't care for or comfort the broken-up Xie Zhiyan; instead, their relationship became increasingly distant.

What was going on?

At this point in time, Lu Xing and Xie Zhiyan were already together.

The progress bar had rewound a bit.

To get the plot back on track, Song Yu intentionally distanced himself from Zhou Yanming and Lu Xing. Lu Xing was alright, coldly asking if he'd been busy lately; Zhou Yanming, on the other hand, was going crazy, constantly asking what he'd done wrong or if he was tired of Song Yu.

Song Yu: "..."

Why did everyone think of him as a jerk?

Song Yu casually made up an excuse, saying he wanted to be alone for a while. Although the two weren't happy about it, they didn't dare disturb him easily.

After creating the necessary conditions for the main characters, Song Yu finally felt at ease.

One weekend morning, Zhou Yanming couldn't stand the recent neglect and insisted on going to the library with him. Helpless, Song Yu lied and said he was thirsty and wanted a drink.

The kind of sparkling water he mentioned could only be bought at a convenience store outside the school. Zhou Yanming agreed: "Okay, I'll buy it and come find you."

Song Yu went to the library alone.

While going up the stairs, the path ahead was suddenly blocked.

He thought he had taken a good spot, so he moved a little to the left, but the other person moved in the same direction.

Even if Song Yu wasn't very bright, he knew this person was doing it on purpose. He looked up and realized the boy opposite him looked familiar.

009 Reminder: [An Zhuzhe, the one who put nails in Zhou Yanming's shoes.]

Song Yu's face instantly fell.

An Zhuzhe was indeed there to cause trouble, or rather, he hadn't forgotten Song Yu since they last met: "Why isn't Zhou Yanming with you anymore?"

Song Yu didn't want to talk to him, frowning: "Don't talk to me."

An Zhuzhe didn't expect Song Yu to be so temperamental towards him, and his face turned cold: "What are you pretending for?"

After saying that, he reached out to grab Song Yu's clothes.

Song Yu dodged in disgust, but didn't control his strength well and was about to hit the wall next to him—

the pain he expected didn't come.

Instead, it was warm and soft. Song Yu

was stunned for a moment, and after standing up straight, he realized that someone had used their hand to shield his head.

Xie Zhiyan withdrew his hand, shielding Song Yu behind him, and looked coldly at the other person: "Dare to touch him and see what happens?"

An Zhuzhe felt a chill run down his spine.

He truly hated the people who made him leave the basketball team, but the only one he dared not provoke was Xie Zhiyan—he had unintentionally witnessed Xie Zhiyan fighting. It was in an alley outside the school, where Xie Zhiyan was alone against several thugs, his eyes cold and sharp as knives, his blows ruthless, completely disregarding his own injuries.

Now, the other man's eyes were even more sinister than before, looking at him as if he were already dead.

An Zhuzhe understood that even if he was interested in Song Yu, he had to give up the idea.

Otherwise, he really would be killed by Xie Zhiyan.

After An Zhuzhe left, Xie Zhiyan's gaze softened. He turned back and asked Song Yu, "Is something wrong?"

The two hadn't spoken for a long time. Song Yu said hesitantly, "N-nothing, you—"

He suddenly changed his expression: "Your hand is bleeding..."

Xie Zhiyan then raised his left hand.

There was a scrape on it, and blood was gushing out.

It was from when he shielded Song Yu's head.

Song Yu felt extremely guilty, her face turning pale: "I'll go to the hospital with you... Does it hurt?"

Xie Zhiyan lowered his eyes, staring blankly at the wound.

"It hurts."

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