30 : take a shower

 Knowing what this is for…

Yin Luo: 【Are you sure the bullying value has increased? Why do they seem to dislike me less than before?】

Even Shang Chengning confessed to him, and Lu Ran fought for him, their speech was all very strange.

The system, acting as a leader for the first time, was driven to madness by Yin Luo's question, almost crashing before finally replying: 【Waaah, host, I don't know either, but the bullying value has indeed increased.】

Seeing it whimpering, Yin Luo stopped asking questions, her fair fingers holding a cotton swab, and gently shaking it: “Don't look so far away.”

So Lu Ran obediently came over.

Yin Luo ignored his questions and silently applied the medicine for him. When he woke up the next morning, the wound was indeed healed.

The guilt lessened slightly, after all, the other person had been injured fighting for him.

Shen Qing also called, informing them to come for a reshoot of the advertisement in the afternoon; this time the studio was near the school. The two didn't plan to rush, intending to have lunch at the cafeteria first, and then leisurely make their way over.

The cafeteria wasn't particularly crowded on a day off, but Yin Luo immediately attracted everyone's attention as soon as he entered.

He was handsome and had filmed Shen Qing's advertisement, making him quite popular on the school forum recently.

He used to be quite popular, but mostly with criticism, with rumors that he liked to keep men, had a bad temper, and was arrogant. But now the tide had turned, and almost everyone who had met Yin Luo thought those rumors were utterly unfounded.

Yin Luo didn't notice the stares from these people. While waiting for Lu Ran to buy him food, his phone rang twice.

It was from Duan Muze.

Recently, Duan Muze had been messaging him very frequently, and sometimes when Yin Luo forgot to reply, he would just call directly.

Most of the messages weren't important; they seemed more like making small talk.

But Yin Luo listened quietly.

The system also saw Duan Muze's message: [Are you at school?]

[Host, the male lead's affection level for you is now 88. He probably thinks you two are dating.]

Yin Luo: "..."

How... are you dating?

While surprised, he also felt quite fortunate—Duan Muze looked cold and aloof, seemingly disliking contact with people. He could reach 95 without even dating.

The system, knowing his thoughts, replied: "[Host, you seem quite resistant to dating.]"

Yin Luo thought for a moment

: "[I'm not resistant to dating; I'll date if I meet someone I like.]"

What he was more resistant to was the unavoidable physical contact in dating: holding hands, hugging, long kisses… even more inappropriate things.

That kiss in high school had left Yin Luo with considerable psychological trauma.

Since he hadn't replied to his message, Duan Muze called directly this time.

After the call connected, a deep, pleasant male voice came from the other end: "Hello, are you at school?" Yin

Luo hummed in response.

Hearing the background noise of plates clattering, Duan Muze made a judgment: "In the cafeteria? The one outside your dorm?"

"Yes…"

"I'll come find you."

After a brief conversation, Yin Luo hung up.

The system confirmed again: 【Host, it seems the male lead wants to date you. Generally, people with a 70% favorability rating will get together. If 88 hasn't confessed yet, he's a very cautious person.】

Yin Luo pursed her lips, troubled: 【If I date him, can I avoid doing those things?】

The system honestly replied: 【That seems unlikely…】

…Yin Luo sighed.

Not far away, Lu Ran was carrying a plate over. The two spent a lot of time together, and he always chose dishes to suit her taste. Seeing Yin Luo's drooping lips: “What's wrong? Who made you angry?”

“Nothing…” Yin Luo thought of Duan Muze's phone call earlier, “Right, I have a friend coming over in a bit.”

Lu Ran half-lifted his eyelids, full of jealousy: “Which one? The older man or that guy in the entertainment industry?”

“…”

Yin Luo was about to speak when suddenly a hand appeared in front of her. The hand was thin but strong, with long, slender fingers. It looked somewhat familiar, and only placed a carton of milk in front of her before letting go.

Both looked up. Duan Muze, wearing a black hoodie, had longer hair that slightly obscured his eyes, making him look much more haggard. He didn't look at Lu Ran, his gaze fixed on Yin Luo: "Going to Shen Qing's this afternoon?"

They were friends, and Shen Qing had probably told him about it. Yin Luo: "Yeah, I need to reshoot an ad."

Duan Muze: "Want a ride?"

Before Yin Luo could answer, Lu Ran chuckled strangely: "It's such a short distance, why would I need your car?"

Duan Muze glanced at him this time, remaining silent.

The atmosphere seemed a bit off.

Shouldn't these two be getting along well? Yin Luo tried her best

to salvage the situation: "How about we walk together?"

They both agreed, but neither seemed willing to back down. After lunch, they were locked in a stalemate at the cafeteria entrance over who should walk on Yin Luo's right.

Yin Luo's temples throbbed slightly.

Lu Ran's youthful arrogance and unwillingness to back down were one thing, but why was Duan Muze joining in the commotion? And shouldn't the third male lead be idolizing the male lead and practically wanting to recognize him as his brother?!

Even someone as dense as Yin Luo could sense that the plot had gone off track, perhaps due to his own shortcomings in completing the task. He decided to temporarily ignore the bullying points and focus on repairing the relationship between the two.

"It doesn't matter which way you go. If you keep arguing, just drive over, I'll walk by myself."

These words immediately silenced them.

The walk from the school to the photography studio took about ten minutes. Along the way, Lu Ran occasionally mentioned things about the dormitory and classes, while Duan Muze remained silent, his face cold.

But that was his usual expression, so Yin Luo didn't realize it was a sign of displeasure.

They arrived at the photography studio quickly.

Shen Qing, seeing them arrive, called out to him and Lu Ran, explaining what they wanted to film, and then began preparations. While getting her makeup done, Yin Luo nudged Lu Ran's arm: "Did you understand what Director Shen was saying?"

Lu Ran thought Yin Luo hadn't understood and was about to demonstrate his experience from modeling when the boy added seriously, "I heard Duan Muze is a really good actor. Do you want to learn from him?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Seeing his silence, Yin Luo started recommending Duan Muze: "I've seen all his movies, and his acting is really good. Are you going to act in the future? You can have him teach you." Lu

Ran practically endured Yin Luo's praise of Duan Muze, his face turning cold as he gritted his teeth: "You seem to care about him quite a bit?"

System: [Host, your bullying value has increased.]

Yin Luo: "...?"

How strange.

Yin Luo shut his mouth. He didn't need much makeup, so he had more time than Lu Ran. Seeing that Lu Ran didn't seem to listen to what he was saying, he decided to try to persuade Duan Muze instead.

Leaving the lounge, he stood at the door, head down, making a call. Just as he dialed, a voice came from beside his ear: "Looking for me?"

The breath tickled Yin Luo's ear. He rubbed it, turned around, and saw Duan Muze leaning over with his hands in his pockets: "Um… will you still have flare-ups these days?" It took

Yin Luo a while to realize he was suffering from skin hunger, and he felt a little embarrassed: "No… I wear a lot of clothes in the fall, so it's fine if no one touches me." 

That meant Yin Luo hadn't been touched by anyone else during this time. Duan Muze gave a faint "hmm," but his voice sounded noticeably more cheerful. 

His gaze then remained fixed on the boy's neck. Yin Luo noticed and asked warily, "…What's wrong?" 

"Are those marks still there?" Duan Muze bent down slightly, his breath cold and sharp, a scent that seemed particularly aggressive to Yin Luo. 

"Those marks I left on your neck." 

It's been so many days… Yin Luo was a little impatient: "They're long gone." He was wearing a thick coat today, almost completely hiding his chin, making his face look even smaller. 

Duan Muze maintained his original posture; if an outsider were present, they would think he was about to kiss her. "Let me see." Yin Luo thought she misheard and asked in surprise, "...See what?" "Look inside your clothes." 

The man spoke so confidently, his expression so indifferent, that Yin Luo felt there was no other meaning behind his words. 

Just as she was about to unzip his jacket, he remembered that Shang Chengnin's teeth marks hadn't completely faded. …Did Duan Muze bite him back then? …Maybe he shouldn't show him. 

The man looked abstinent and serene, but beneath his skin, he was already clamoring to devour the person opposite him. 

He had only been away from Yin Luo for a short time, and he was already unable to control himself. 

Seeing Yin Luo hesitate to zip up the zipper, Duan Muze patiently asked, "What's wrong?" 

Yin Luo casually made up an excuse, "It's cold. I'll show you next time... next time." Duan Muze paused, his eyes darkening, "You said it." 

"Hmm..." Just then, a staff member came over and said that Director Shen was already in the studio. 

Yin Luo said "Oh" and quickly followed. Before filming officially started, he paused for a moment, then said to the tall man standing to the side, "Do you know my roommate? His name is Lu Ran. He's a model, but he's also quite good at acting." 

He didn't notice the man's increasingly cold expression, and tried his best to find Lu Ran's good points. 

Finally, Duan Muze's lips curled into a faint smile, "You know him quite well." 

Yin Luo didn't detect his jealousy, "Yeah... we're in the same dorm, so we spend most of our time together." 

If Duan Muze's expression was just gloomy before, it was now so dark it looked like he wanted to kill someone. 

He exuded a cold aura, and even the staff around him wisely avoided him. 

The man leaned close to Yinluo's ear and whispered, "He knows about your skin hunger disorder too?" Yinluo's earlobe trembled slightly. 

"You let him touch you too?" What does "let him touch you" mean? What a strange phrase. Just then, someone nearby shouted, "Holy crap! Watch out!" Yinluo heard a creaking sound above his head, like an old fan running. Before he could even look up, he was grabbed and held tightly— followed by a jumble of shattering debris and screams. 

"Get him to the hospital!" 

"Call 120!" 

Yinluo's mind was foggy, but he didn't feel any pain; he was just a little breathless from Duan Muze's tight embrace. 

The other man was very strong, protecting him completely in his arms. 

After a moment, Yinluo smelled blood. Liquid was slowly flowing down his neck. Warm. 

Yinluo's eyelids twitched wildly, and his voice was anxious: [System! What happened? Is Duan Muze injured?] 

System: [ Yes, host. There was a piece of wood that wasn't properly secured, and it hit you. Duan Muze blocked it for you.] Yin Luo's breath hitched. 

He tried to struggle free to see how Duan Muze was, but the tight embrace prevented him from looking up. He could only feel the other's body temperature and scent. 

"Are you hurt?" The man's voice was hoarse and low. 

Because of the tight embrace, Yin Luo's chest was shaken violently, and his throat was dry: "No..." Duan Muze didn't speak again. It wasn't until everyone put him in the ambulance that Yin Luo noticed the blood on his body. 

Filming was paused. Shen Qing got into the ambulance, and Lu Ran, hearing the commotion, came out of the dressing room. Seeing Yin Luo standing there with blood on his body, he immediately came over: 

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Yin Luo shook his head sluggishly: "I'm fine..." After a while, he recovered and said with reddened eyes: 

I need to go to the hospital." 

Lu Ran: "I'll go with you." * Fortunately, Duan Muze hit his shoulder, not his head. 

The bleeding was from a cut caused by a sharp piece of wood. 

At this moment, he was shirtless as the nurse bandaged his wound. Yinluo was still extremely guilty, running around all afternoon, serving Duan Muze tea and water, his eyes red as he spoke. 

Duan Muze wanted to comfort hjm, saying he was fine, but seeing how concerned Yinluo was, he swallowed his words. 

The filming had to be postponed, and Shen Qing went to pay the medical bills. Only Duan Muze, Yinluo, and Lu Ran remained in the ward. 

Yinluo's thoughts were entirely on Duan Muze. 

Lu Ran was annoyed but understood, so he sat in the corner with a sour face, remaining silent. 

When Yinluo learned that Duan Muze needed to be hospitalized, she offered to help him. Duan Muze politely declined: "You have classes. It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." 

This made Yinluo even more guilty: "I don't have many classes. Didn't you hurt your shoulder? You must have a lot of things to do. I'll come and keep you company." 

Lu Ran sneered inwardly. 

Because she had to stay at the hospital, Yinluo packed some personal belongings and went back to the dormitory with Lu Ran. Lu Ran watched him take clothes out of the closet: "Or should we hire a caregiver?" "It probably won't be convenient." 

Yin Luo finished packing and, before leaving the dormitory, said, "Remember to save me a spot." Lu Ran gave a disappointed "Oh." 

* It was already evening when they returned to the hospital. Yin Luo brought Duan Muze some porridge, but the other man didn't eat a single bite. 

He asked in confusion, "What's wrong?" Duan Muze replied, "I can't lift my shoulder."

"Ah..." Yinluo looked at him with some guilt, took a chair and sat down next to him. "Then I'll feed you."

A bowl of porridge was small, but feeding him was slow, and Duan Muze's face would occasionally brush against Yinluo's fingers.

Slightly cool.

Very soft.

After feeding him, Yinluo tidied up the trash; he wasn't usually this diligent. Because Duan Muze was staying in a VIP ward, the room was large enough to fit an extra makeshift bed.

Yinluo was tidying his things, and as he turned slightly, he bumped into the man's arms.

He couldn't care less about the indescribable tingling discomfort he felt, and hurriedly asked Duan Muze, "Did I bump into you?"

Duan Muze shook his head: "No. You're very soft."

Yinluo paused: "You...you shouldn't follow behind me, I'll bump into you."

"I don't like the smell of hospitals." Duan Muze leaned down, sniffed the boy's neck lightly, and then returned to his bed.

But a moment later, Yinluo felt himself bump into him again.

"...Didn't I say not to follow behind?"

Duan Muze hummed in response, his voice low. "I want to take a shower." He tried to raise his right hand, but couldn't lift his arm. 

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