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 The amount of information was too much for Song Yu to process quickly.

A few seconds later, his eyes, which had become dull from surprise, slowly widened, and then the corners of his eyes were steamed red by the heat on his face.

Song Yu was stunned for a moment, thinking about the state in which he had applied the medicine, and his blood rushed to his face, making it flush red. He was angry and annoyed, and wanted to curse, but he was too clumsy to say anything. He was so anxious that he even cried out: "You...you've seen it?"

Xie Zhiyan: "Yes."

The other party's frank admission did not make Song Yu pretend that it did not exist. The boy breathed heavily, his eyelashes trembled, and he bit the soft flesh on his lower lip again and again until it was raw before slowly letting go.

His breath was sweet.

"How could you see those..." Song Yu held back for a long time before he managed to squeeze out such a wronged sentence. He sniffed and showed an embarrassed expression on his face, "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Xie Zhiyan's face darkened.

Just as he was about to say something to salvage the situation, the hand on Song Yu's wrist suddenly stung, and the next moment, his collar was grabbed by a tremendous force.

Song Yu felt a gust of wind beside him, and then he saw the tall man gripping Xie Zhiyan's neck!

Xie Zhiyan staggered back a few steps.

"Thump"—the

sound of flesh hitting the wall was dull and heavy, echoing in the empty bathroom.

Song Xu had his back to Song Yu, so the young man couldn't see his expression. But just from Xie Zhiyan's gradually stiffening face and the bulging veins on the back of the man's hand, it was clear that Song Xu's mood was extremely sinister.

Xie Zhiyan, pressed against the wall, was seeing Song Xu for the first time. He stared at the man opposite him, and in the other's eyes, he saw certain desires suppressed deep within.

Xie Zhiyan sneered inwardly.

His eyes were dark, and facing a man who had been in a position of power for many years, there was no fear in his eyes, nor did he resist, letting the other's strength gradually increase.

Song Yu was startled, and immediately grabbed Song Xu's arm after realizing what had happened: "Brother, no!"

"Brother, don't do this..."

Song Yu's voice trembled as she pleaded, "Let go..."

The man stiffly released her hand, his face dark as he looked at Xie Zhiyan, his voice icy cold: "Don't appear in front of Xiao Yu."

With that, as if afraid of catching some kind of virus, he took Song Yu's hand and left.

Xie Zhiyan, leaning against the wall, coughed a few times with difficulty. His black hair was disheveled, his collar rumpled, and he looked utterly wretched.

After a while, the boy calmed his breathing, went to the sink, looked up, and stared blankly at his defeated self in the mirror.

He seemed lost in thought.

*

Song Yu wasn't sure if Song Xu had overheard her conversation with Xie Zhiyan in the bathroom that day, but judging from the man's behavior in the days since his return, he probably had.

After returning that day, all of Song Yu's communication devices were confiscated, she was completely barred from school, and even leaving the villa became difficult.

Several more security guards had been added to the gate.

Song Xu stopped going to the company and stayed in his study, checking on him every now and then.

Normally, being confined like this would have made Song Yu furious. But given the chaotic plot and the completely skewed romantic storylines of the three main characters—which he himself couldn't understand—he simply stayed home, avoiding the main characters. But

why did it turn out like this?

Song Yu didn't understand. He had followed the mission and the plot perfectly, yet the plot had gone completely astray.

Even stranger, the progress bar wasn't rewinding.

009's explanation was that the progress bar moved forward or backward according to the main characters' career and romantic storylines. Especially Xie Zhiyan; his academic achievements hadn't deviated from the plot, so his career path was fine. As for the romantic storylines, they were based on the experiences—unrequited love, the honeymoon phase, intimate contact, and the adjustment and heartbreak. All the necessary processes and experiences were there; whether the romantic partner was the main character became unimportant, so the progress bar continued to advance steadily.

Song Yu was completely bewildered and consulted 009: "What do we do after that?"

009 replied: "The plot progress bar is currently at 92%. Host, you have one last task. We'll see how things go after you finish it."

The system's mechanical voice unexpectedly reassured Song Yu slightly.

In the days that followed, he stopped going to school and contacting those people, staying home and going without internet for a while.

Song Yu wasn't addicted to the internet, and since he had everything he wanted at home, it wasn't too difficult.

His relationship with Song Xu was relatively harmonious, but to maintain his persona, he would throw a tantrum every now and then.

For example, he would deliberately complain that the food wasn't to his taste or that the plants attracted bugs, but Song Xu always indulged him, stopped growing flowers, and even cooked for him himself.

Song Yu was too embarrassed to complain anymore.

Song Xu was like a paper tiger; he looked strict, but was actually very tolerant.

However, the moment the topic of going back to school came up, Song Xu's face would immediately turn cold: "Xiao Yu, there are bad people outside. Stay home first. Your brother is protecting you."

Seeing that his persona was finally maintained, Song Yu went along with it and forcefully slammed his fork onto the plate.

He didn't control the force well, and it made a sharp, piercing sound.

Even Song Yu himself felt uncomfortable listening to it, but he still kept a fierce expression: "Are you going to lock me up for life?"

"What you're doing is wrong."

If he hadn't unintentionally gone to see Song Yu that day, Song Xu wouldn't have known that besides Xie Zhiyan, so many people were coveting his younger brother.

Like a pack of wild dogs smelling meat.

The man stared at his completely unsuspecting younger brother.

Song Yu was safest only at home, by his side.

*

After the feigned cold war, Song Yu realized he hadn't seen Song Xu for several days.

He asked Song Xu's assistant and learned that Song Xu was on a business trip.

"Mr. Song said the internet is working again." The assistant handed Song Yu a phone. "He needs to go on a business trip for a while, and told you not to worry."

With his elder brother not home, the atmosphere wasn't so oppressive, and Song Yu felt much more relaxed. He took the phone and had 009 log into WeChat, only to be bombarded with messages—

Zhou Yanming and Lu Xing had both sent him many messages, while Xie Zhiyan remained silent.

Song Yu thought for a moment, put down the phone, and didn't reply to a single one.

He could go out with bodyguards, but wandering around alone was also quite boring. Eventually, he simply stopped going out altogether.

Until one day, the progress bar suddenly regressed a little.

Song Yu was stunned and quickly asked 009 what was going on.

009 checked: [Zhou Yanming is hospitalized.]

*

Zhou Yanming spent half a day in the hospital, his foot bandaged and unable to put weight on it, and the hospital's internet was terrible. He lay listlessly on the hospital bed, scrolling through his chat with Song Yu.

He didn't understand how he had been brought home so quickly after just buying a bottle of water.

He should have just carried the person away and bought them.

He called Song Yu's new number, but couldn't get through. His WeChat messages went unanswered. Feeling a pang of sadness at not seeing him, he listlessly put down his phone and lay down to rest.

There was a noise at the door.

Zhou Yanming thought it was a nurse coming to change his dressing and didn't open his eyes. But when the light footsteps approached, a familiar fragrance wafted over.

Zhou Yanming practically jumped out of bed. Upon seeing the face he had longed for, he immediately grabbed the other's wrist, his words tumbling out incoherently, "Xiao Yu! You...you came to see me!"

He hugged the slender boy tightly, nuzzling his neck like a large dog, "I missed you so much..."

Song Yu hadn't planned to come.

But when he learned that Zhou Yanming's foot had been injured by a nail placed by An Zhu, he didn't hesitate and immediately asked 009 for the address.

"Your foot..."

He looked at the gauze on Zhou Yanming's right foot, his eyes downcast. "Is it badly injured?"

"It's alright." Zhou Yanming was full of energy now. "Seeing you makes me feel better immediately."

Song Yu didn't say anything more. He placed the bouquet and fruit he had brought on the table, poured Zhou Yanming a glass of hot water, washed his hands, and sat down on the chair by the bed to peel an orange for him.

Zhou Yanming's black backpack was nearby. Song Yu glanced at it; a glass bottle filled with fine sand was hanging from the zipper.

—It was the talisman he had given Zhou Yanming when he first met An Zhuzhe.

In the original story, An Zhuzhe had tripped up Zhou Yanming quite a few times, but Zhou Yanming wouldn't fall for such a stupid trick.

So what happened this time?

Song Yu called the vice-captain and learned that Zhou Yanming had been absent-minded during training recently, staring at his phone, waiting for his reply, and hadn't noticed stepping on a nail in his shoe.

The talisman was completely useless.

Song Yu felt extremely guilty.

Fortunately, 009 could restore the broken surveillance footage; An Zhuzhe had already been taken to the police station by the team.

After peeling the orange, Song Yu handed it to Zhou Yanming, peel and all, and the other boy immediately opened his mouth.

Clearly, he wanted Song Yu to feed him.

Song Yu: "..."

His arm didn't seem injured... but Song Yu still fed him segment by segment.

This indulgence led to Zhou Yanming taking advantage. Despite only having a small injury on the sole of his foot, he acted like he was crippled, his arm aching and unable to lift.

Song Yu fed him fruit several times, his fingers inevitably touching the other boy's lips.

Zhou Yanming coughed lightly: "I'm going to the restroom."

Song Yu said worriedly: "I'll go with you!"

Should he go in with him to watch him do something bad? Zhou Yanming avoided eye contact, somewhat awkwardly: "No need."

Then, he hopped onto one foot and into the restroom, his movements somewhat comical.

Song Yu watched him close the door with concern, and 009 in his mind suddenly spoke softly: [He's perfectly healthy.] Song

Yu thought it was just a superficial meaning.

Sure enough, Zhou Yanming recovered quickly, and after he was discharged from the hospital and returned to school, Song Yu didn't go to see him again. But he planned to ask for a

good luck charm for him. After searching online, Song Yu found a temple known for its accurate fortune-telling.

Those bodyguards definitely wouldn't let him go.

Song Yu racked his brains, but his stamina was limited, and he couldn't shake off the other party at all.

One morning, he tried again.

But this time, he hadn't run more than a few steps when he heard the roar of a motorcycle beside him.

Song Yu stopped, turned to the side, and Lu Xing was driving in a beautiful arc, steadily coming up in front of him.

"Get in."

Song Yu didn't hesitate, put his arm around Lu Xing's waist and got on the motorcycle.

The group of bodyguards were quickly left behind.

Song Yu breathed easily and leaned close to Lu Xing's cheek: "Thank you."

009 timely reminder: [Host, don't forget that he asked Xie Zhiyan for the surveillance video.]

Song Yu: "!"

He almost mistook him for a good person again.

Song Yu immediately moved back a little: "Put me down."

Lu Xing chuckled: "You're quite the opportunist."

Song Yu felt embarrassed and didn't speak.

Lu Xing asked again: "Where to?"

Song Yu still didn't answer.

"You won't tell me, huh?"

The sudden acceleration startled Song Yu, who immediately hugged the PE student's waist tightly: "Slow down, slow down..."

Lu Xing slowed down a bit and pestered Song Yu to ask several more times. Song Yu finally gave in after being bothered: "I'm going to that temple in Xicheng."

Lu Xing immediately understood, feeling incredibly jealous: "To ask Zhou Yanming for a peace charm?"

"Yes." Song Yu tugged at his clothes, "Put me down."

Still feeling jealous, Lu Xing couldn't bear to let her go: "I know the way."

It seemed she wanted to go with him. Song Yu knew that saying anything more would be futile, so she sat quietly on the back.

Lu Xing rode for about half an hour and arrived at a parking lot. The road after that was quite steep, and the motorcycle was difficult to ride up. The two bought some food and water at a small shop at the foot of the mountain and decided to go to the temple.

It wasn't peak season at the temple, so there weren't many people. After queuing for a while, it was Song Yu's turn.

Lu Xing, dressed in a black windbreaker, was tall and aloof, completely out of place amidst the surrounding scene of people offering incense and praying. His handsome face was cold as he thought he must be crazy.

He'd actually accompanied Song Yu to get a peace charm for another man.

But seeing the boy's clean profile, he knew that if time could turn back, he would still be with Song Yu.

Song Yu got a peace charm and was about to have it blessed when Lu Xing suddenly said, "Aren't you going to get one for yourself?"

Well… since he was already there,

Song Yu got one for himself too. All the peace charms looked the same, so he borrowed a pen and wrote his name on his to distinguish it from Zhou Yanming's.

He then asked Lu Xing, "Are you getting one too?"

Lu Xing replied indifferently, "I don't believe in these things."

Song Yu didn't say anything more. After the peace charm was blessed, he took it, only to find Lu Xing wasn't in his usual spot. He looked around and finally saw him at the area for those seeking peach blossom fortune slips.

The boy looked very serious: "Does this work?"

Song Yu: "..."

After both of them agreed, they went down the mountain the same way they came. The mountain wasn't high; it would only take half an hour to climb to the top, but the path was very steep.

Song Yu struggled to walk. After walking for five minutes, he noticed a danger sign directly ahead. The group turned back.

Lu Xing told Song Yu to stay where he was and went to ask what was going on.

"It's a mudslide. They said it won't be cleared until tomorrow morning."

Song Yu turned on his phone, only to find there was no signal. He looked up at the sky; it was already getting dark.

With no other option, the two retraced their steps to a small hotel, but it was full.

The lobby was crowded with people, and the kind hotel owner brought out plastic stools, blankets, and a heater.

Lu Xing chose a quiet corner for Song Yu, his body almost completely blocking him out, and warmed some mineral water for him.

Song Yu was wrapped tightly in the blanket, huddled next to the heater, his cheeks slightly flushed, like a warm, fluffy marshmallow.

The surroundings were noisy, and exhausted from the day, Song Yu curled up in the corner, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Lu Xing suddenly spoke, "Asleep?"

Song Yu was a little slow to react and didn't have time to reply before he heard Lu Xing continue, "Xie Zhiyan and Zhou Yanming have both kissed you, haven't they?"

Song Yu's shoulders trembled slightly.

He didn't want to talk about this, so he simply pretended to be asleep.

"Has Zhou Yanming kissed you many times?"

"That's right, you even prayed for his safety, he must be very important to you."

"Last time on Truth or Dare, I was sitting right next to you."

Song Yu was taken aback, subconsciously realizing what he was about to say. She

pursed her lips tightly, her face tense.

Her eyelashes, however, trembled violently as if they had been switched on.

Lu Xing didn't know if he was deliberately trying to make the other person hear him, or if he was speaking to his own resentment: "Why did you choose him?"

His voice was very low, his breathing erratic.

He stared intently at the boy's skin, which was flushed pink from the stimulation.

After a moment, seeing that Song Yu didn't respond, his voice lowered again.

"It's so nice to be able to kiss you." " Kissing

you must feel so good."

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