Chapter 22.1
“No…” Mu Ziweng covered his burning-red cheek in a daze, unable to tell whether it was hot from the slap or humiliation. Stiffening his neck, he weakly said, “Classmate, I honestly didn’t do it on purpose. Believe me…”
“Fuck off.” The male student coldly threw down those words, climbed to his feet with a dark expression, picked up his trampled uniform, and left without looking back.
Mu Ziweng turned and discovered quite a few people standing nearby, watching him curiously. Instantly flying into an embarrassed rage, he roared with a scarlet neck, “What are you looking at?! Get the fuck out of here!”
Everyone nearby hurriedly scattered while pretending nothing had happened.
“Mu Ziweng, are you… all right?” Jian Anmian licked his lips and asked, dumbfounded.
Mu Ziweng raised his head, revealing a pair of red-rimmed eyes. The bottle in his palm crackled beneath his grip.
Jian Anmian froze. His lips moved, but he suddenly had no idea how to comfort him.
Liu Qicheng earnestly consoled him, “It’s all right, Mu Ziweng. Life is very short. You open your eyes, close them again, and it’s over.”
Jian Anmian: “…”
Mu Ziweng: Aaaaaahhhhh!
Mu Ziweng lowered his head and fiercely wiped his eyes. He sprang up from the ground, glared furiously at Liu Qicheng, then grabbed his uniform and walked away without a word.
Jian Anmian inwardly realized that things weren’t looking good.
Socially Anxious Weng was so innocent and was even straight. After suffering such a publicly humiliating incident, he would probably want to move to another planet.
…
That night, after midnight.
Jian Anmian was dreaming when soft sobbing suddenly sounded beside his ear, instantly frightening him awake.
His eyes flew open in terror. Lying motionlessly in bed, he carefully listened for the source of the sound.
Strange. Why did it seem to be coming from beside him?
The person sleeping beside Jian Anmian was Mu Ziweng.
Jian Anmian: “…”
Oh my.
Socially Anxious Weng was hiding beneath his covers and secretly crying in the middle of the night.
Why was it both a little pitiful and a little funny?
The corners of Jian Anmian’s lips lifted, but he struggled to press them down again and closed his eyes.
Sleep, sleep. He hadn’t heard anything.
…
The first thing Jian Anmian did after waking the next morning was look at Mu Ziweng’s eyes.
Sure enough, they were slightly swollen.
Mu Ziweng’s expression darkened. He turned his face away evasively and asked fiercely, “What are you looking at?”
“Um… you didn’t wipe the sleep from your eyes,” Jian Anmian said.
“Fuck!” Mu Ziweng’s face flushed, and he hurried into the bathroom to check the mirror.
Watching Mu Ziweng flee in panic, Jian Anmian pursed his lips and smiled. He hadn’t lied. Mu Ziweng genuinely hadn’t wiped the sleep from his eyes.
Xiang Wenjun had gone out for breakfast and hadn’t returned. Apparently, he had met some older students in the group chat during summer vacation and planned to join the student union when club recruitment began.
Liu Qicheng intended to borrow books from the library later and was sitting at his desk compiling a list based on online recommendations. Suddenly remembering something, he said, “By the way, Jian Anmian, Mu Ziweng, did either of you hear someone crying strangely last night?”
Mu Ziweng was wiping the water from his face when he emerged from the bathroom and heard this. His body instantly stiffened.
Jian Anmian glanced at Mu Ziweng and shook his head with the corners of his lips slightly raised. “No. Maybe you were dreaming.”
“Strange. Why would I dream about someone crying? It must be because I didn’t study all day yesterday. I’ll add another book today.” Liu Qicheng scratched his head without suspecting anything, then turned back to continue organizing his reading list.
Mu Ziweng breathed a sigh of relief, only to look up and meet Jian Anmian’s dark eyes.
He froze, then asked irritably, “What are you looking at?”
Jian Anmian blinked. “Mu Ziweng, are you all right?”
“What kind of stupid question is that? I’ve always been perfectly fine!” Looking ready to bristle at the slightest disagreement, Mu Ziweng pulled a basketball from beneath the desk and said fiercely, “I’m done talking to you. I’m going out to play basketball.”
Mm, he certainly seemed energetic enough.
Reassured and sleepy again, Jian Anmian yawned and rubbed his eyes. “That’s good. I’m going back to sleep, then.”
Mu Ziweng complained in disgust, “Are you the God of Sleep? All you ever do is sleep, sleep, sleep.”
Jian Anmian had already climbed into bed and pulled the covers over himself. He smiled down at Mu Ziweng and waved. “Mu Ziweng, may you be victorious in every battle and utterly unstoppable.”
“…” Mu Ziweng snorted, tucked the basketball beneath his arm, and left.
…
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Jian Anmian didn’t have to attend military training, so his daily routine returned to what it had once been. All he did was eat and sleep, and his life couldn’t have been more comfortable.
His three roommates grew darker with every passing day while Jian Anmian remained so fair that he was almost translucent. Comparisons truly were infuriating.
Mu Ziweng resentfully cast Jian Anmian an envious, jealous look. Then he opened a sheet mask and carefully applied it to his face while looking into the mirror.
Jian Anmian stared in astonishment, his jaw nearly dropping.
Mu Ziweng’s face instantly flushed, almost drying out the sheet mask from the heat. Stiffening his neck, he demanded in humiliation, “What are you looking at? Have you never seen a macho man use a face mask?”
Jian Anmian: He… genuinely hadn’t!
Naturally, Jian Anmian didn’t dare say that aloud. He quietly moved closer to Liu Qicheng and asked softly, “Why did Mu Ziweng suddenly start using face masks?”
“Oh.” Liu Qicheng adjusted his glasses. “Ji Linwan said this afternoon that he was so dark he looked as though he’d been mining coal. Mu Ziweng was probably provoked by it.”
Mu Ziweng snapped, “Bullshit! I’m doing this so I can always look good in front of my goddess! What the fuck does it have to do with that sissy?!”
Jian Anmian pursed his lips and suppressed his laughter before continuing to question Liu Qicheng. “Ji Linwan?”
Liu Qicheng explained, “Oh, he’s the boy Mu Ziweng kicked in the butt when we went to collect our military-training uniforms. Unexpectedly, our three schools were grouped together for military training, so we often train together. Mu Ziweng is always competing against Ji Linwan in basketball. He lost twice today.”
Mu Ziweng shouted, “Liu Qicheng, stop fucking spreading rumors! I deliberately went easy on him, all right? Just look at that little sissy’s thin arms and legs. Last time, I only kicked his butt once and sent him flying! What if I seriously slapped him and accidentally killed him?!”
Realization dawned on Liu Qicheng. “Oh, no wonder he stood in front of you holding the ball, and the moment his arm brushed yours, you flew away like a spring. I thought it was strange at the time. He barely even touched you, yet you went flying. So you deliberately let him win.”
Mu Ziweng drew a deep breath, looking as though he wanted to skin Liu Qicheng alive and eat him. He tremblingly raised two enormous fists resembling iron woks. “Liu Qicheng—you just fucking wait!”
Jian Anmian finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. Covering his mouth, he burst out laughing. “Hahaha, I’m sorry, but Mu Ziweng… hahaha…” You’re genuinely hilarious!
Mu Ziweng: “…”
Mu Ziweng clenched his enormous fists, pursed his lips tightly, and declared with an aggrieved, furious expression, “I’m not talking anymore!”
…
The dormitory lights went out at around ten that evening.
Since military training began, everyone had been exhausted each day. They washed up early, lay in bed, and quietly played with their phones.
Jian Anmian lay in his starry-blue bed. The closed curtains enclosed a private little world belonging solely to him, like a tiny nest or a small blue universe filled with stars, giving him an immense sense of security.
The mattress beneath him was soft and comfortable, his entire body sinking deeply into it when he lay down. Whenever he moved, he could even feel the springy mattress gently swaying beneath him.
Before school began, Yan Zhimo had worried that the hard dormitory bed would be uncomfortable. He had spent several hundred thousand to commission one from the finest foreign mattress brand, made specifically to fit the dimensions of the dormitory bed.
If there had been enough time, Yan Zhimo would actually have preferred the model costing more than a million.
When Jian Anmian learned the price, his vision went black on the spot, and he nearly suffered another hypoglycemic episode.
The man seemed to regard him as the Princess and the Pea, carefully cradling and pampering him in the palm of his hand. He insisted on settling Jian Anmian among the softest down in the world, as though one careless movement might shatter him.
Mm… Why did he suddenly feel a little hot?
Jian Anmian rubbed his inexplicably flushed face, hugged the floppy puppy plush, buried his face in it, and rolled over.
So soft…
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
Jian Anmian jumped and hurriedly picked it up.
Coincidentally, it was the very man he had just been thinking about—and it was even a video call.
Jian Anmian panicked. His first reaction was to grab the blanket and cover his two bare legs.
After the man’s training, Jian Anmian had basically grown accustomed to speaking with him over the phone. However, he had never had a video call with him before.
It was fine. A video call wasn’t that different from an audio call. He only needed to speak normally.
Jian Anmian straightened his hair and urgently checked his collar and buttons. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed the floppy puppy plush from behind him and hugged it. Then he propped up his pillow and leaned it against the wall. After ensuring everything was properly arranged, he silently encouraged himself, plugged in his earphones, and slowly answered the call.
“What are you doing? Why did it take you so long to answer?”
Like Jian Anmian, the man was leaning against his headboard. The room behind him had decor Jian Anmian had never seen before, so it was probably the man’s bedroom.
The man appeared to have just emerged from the bathroom. He wore a pure black silk robe, its collar hanging lazily open to reveal a broad expanse of wheat-toned skin faintly flushed from the steam. The lines of his chest were taut and sensual, while his wet black hair hung over his forehead, softening his usually overpowering presence.
Beneath the hair framing his forehead was a pair of eyes as dark as a deep pool. They now held a smile as they silently gazed at Jian Anmian.
Jian Anmian looked only once before his ears instantly turned red. He hurriedly lowered his eyes, his gaze darting away as he nervously clutched the floppy puppy plush in his arms.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never made a video call before, so I was too nervous and needed to prepare myself mentally.” Jian Anmian obediently told the truth, his voice soft.
Jian Anmian was so nervous that he failed to notice the entire dormitory suddenly falling silent the moment he spoke.
The man chuckled deeply. “How have you been at school lately? Are your roommates easy to get along with? Have you adjusted? Have you felt unwell anywhere?”
Jian Anmian answered every question seriously. “It’s been good. My roommates are all very nice. My health is fine too, and I haven’t felt unwell.”
“Have you been eating properly every day? How does the food taste at the restaurant I arranged for you? If you don’t like it, tell me, and I’ll choose another one.”
Jian Anmian hurriedly said, “There’s no need. The restaurant Mr. Yan chose is delicious. I like it very much.”
Yan Zhimo lazily hummed in acknowledgment. His dark eyes remained fixed on Jian Anmian as he said in a low, pleasant voice, “If you don’t like it, don’t force yourself. Your happiness is what matters most.”
A lamp glowed beside the man’s bed, its warm light reflected in his deep eyes while his long lashes cast shadows beneath them. He looked impossibly gentle.
“Thank you, Mr. Yan…” Jian Anmian suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment, as though he and the man were lying together in the same bed and whispering against each other. Shyly, he buried his face in the fluffy puppy plush.
Yan Zhimo’s gaze swept over Jian Anmian’s pale pink ears before settling on the short stretch of fair neck visible above his collar. He suddenly asked, “Mianmian, are those the pajamas I bought you?”
“Yes. Mr. Yan bought them for me.”
“This seems to be the first time I’ve seen Mianmian wearing them.” Yan Zhimo narrowed his eyes. “But the camera is too close, so I can’t see clearly. Can you hold the phone farther away?”
Without suspecting anything, Jian Anmian released the puppy plush and held the phone farther away. “Like this?”
The boy’s face was rosy, and he wore soft, pale-yellow cotton pajamas. Warm orange light fell across his snowy skin, making him resemble a freshly steamed custard bun.
Yan Zhimo wasn’t sure whether it was his imagination, but when the boy leaned back just now, a stretch of smooth, snow-white ankle seemed to flash briefly across the screen.
It appeared… he wasn’t wearing trousers again.
Yan Zhimo’s gaze instantly darkened. He shifted somewhat unnaturally, his voice low and hoarse. “A little farther.”
Jian Anmian obediently moved the phone farther away.
He had no idea that his bare feet and ankles were now entirely exposed.
“Mm…” Yan Zhimo ran his tongue over the tip of a tooth, lowering and slowing his voice even further. “Good boy. Point the camera down a little.”
Although confused, Jian Anmian obediently lowered the camera and tilted his head. “Like this?”
Yan Zhimo’s breathing instantly quickened. He excitedly cursed inside and ordered hoarsely, “That’s right… Now lift the blanket.”
Let Mr. Yan see whether this naughty boy had deliberately gone without trousers again to seduce him.
Jian Anmian froze. Raising his head, he met the undisguised teasing in Yan Zhimo’s eyes and finally understood. His eyes widened in disbelief as he cried out in extreme embarrassment, his face scarlet, “Mr. Yan!”
Yan Zhimo looked innocent. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Flustered and annoyed, Jian Anmian clenched his small fists. His lips moved as he issued a weak, humble protest. “Y-you can’t!”
“Why not?” Yan Zhimo blinked, imitating the boy’s usual expression and even pretending to feel wronged. He was utterly shameless—a complete pervert. “Is there any part of Mianmian that Mr. Yan isn’t allowed to see?”
“I…” Jian Anmian tightly gripped the blanket before his chest and bit his lower lip in mortified anger. Trembling, he whispered, “I’m not wearing any trousers underneath…”
Yan Zhimo gave an aggrieved little sound. “Can I really not see?”
“No!” Jian Anmian exclaimed. Remembering that his roommates were still in the room, he inhaled deeply and furiously refused in an extremely quiet voice, “No! Don’t! You can’t!”
“All right. Then I won’t look.” Yan Zhimo sounded regretful.
Jian Anmian was just about to sigh in relief when the man rapidly added, “I’m guessing they’re white.”
Jian Anmian: “…???”
Jian Anmian nearly fainted. “Mr. Yan!!!”
The protagonist gong’s mouth… How could it be so damn wicked?!!
Yan Zhimo knew when to stop. He immediately smiled and coaxed him, “Baby, don’t be angry. I was only teasing you.”
Jian Anmian glared at the man, too angry to speak yet too afraid to protest. His cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish.
You’re the protagonist gong! You’re so impressive! You can go seven rounds in one night and fuck me like a rag doll whenever you want. Of course I don’t dare get angry!
Puppy Frantically Sharpening Its Claws.gif
Although Yan Zhimo didn’t feel guilty in the slightest, he still had to display the proper attitude. He said sincerely, “How about this? To make it up to Mianmian, don’t eat at school tomorrow afternoon. I’ll take you somewhere delicious. All right?”
What could Jian Anmian do? Could he possibly refuse?
He was merely a fish on the protagonist gong’s chopping board—and a salted fish that had already been thoroughly marinated. He was too lazy even to roll over unless the protagonist gong poked him, and apart from lying flat and sleeping every day, he couldn’t do anything. The protagonist gong could fuck him to death with his dick alone.
Jian Anmian was terrified. He had no choice but to agree aggrievedly.
“Good boy.” The enormous pervert, President Yan, revealed a satisfied smile. He looked at the boy several more times with reluctance, as though committing his adorably angry appearance to memory so he could continue bullying him in his dreams. In a gentle voice, he said, “Good night, Mianmian. See you tomorrow.”
I hope I appear in your dreams.
Jian Anmian pouted and said gloomily, “Good night.”
I hope I absolutely do not dream about you!!
After ending the call, Yan Zhimo immediately opened his photo album and flipped through the hundreds of soft, adorable screenshots he had taken of the boy during their conversation. The corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted.
Although he hadn’t feasted his eyes, teasing the boy seemed even more entertaining.
So adorable. He liked him so much. He wanted to fuck him.
…
“Ah-Jian, who were you talking to just now?”
The moment Jian Anmian put down his phone, Xiang Wenjun’s voice emerged from the darkness.
Across from them, Mu Ziweng silently clicked his tongue and complained internally: Who else could it be? His domineering-CEO husband.
Jian Anmian said, “He’s my…”
The word husband hovered on his lips, but he was ultimately too embarrassed to say it and changed his answer. “My guardian.”
“Guardian?” Xiang Wenjun was skeptical. What kind of guardian would make Jian Anmian’s voice so soft and clingy? It sounded almost as if… His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pressed for details. “What kind of guardian? Your father? Or your older brother?”
“No…” Jian Anmian pursed his lips, disliking the way Xiang Wenjun was interrogating him about his privacy.
“Neither?” Xiang Wenjun frowned. “Is he your uncle? Your maternal uncle? Or some other relative…?”
Mu Ziweng suddenly slammed his fist against the bed frame and irritably interrupted him. “You’re so damn noisy! Are you going to let anyone sleep?!”
Xiang Wenjun curled his lips disdainfully, but outwardly apologized good-naturedly. “Sorry. I’m going to sleep now. Ah-Jian, you should rest early too. Good night.”
“Mm.” Jian Anmian emphasized, “Good night, everyone.”
…
The following afternoon, Yan Zhimo sent Jian Anmian a message telling him to go to the school entrance.
Jian Anmian put on his mask, raised his umbrella, and walked to the entrance. Once there, he took a photograph and sent it to Yan Zhimo.
The university’s main entrance was quite large. At the very front stood a massive stone monument engraved with the names of teachers and students throughout the school’s history who had made outstanding contributions and achievements. New names were constantly being added.
There were also fountains and flower beds before the monument, with rows of elegant trees planted along the outermost edge. People constantly came and went through the entrance, and far too many things obstructed the view, making it genuinely difficult to find someone.
Yan Zhimo: Find somewhere shady and stay there. Don’t wander around. I’ll come find you right away.
Jian Anmian: Okay!
Jian Anmian: [Obedient Puppy Sitting and Waiting.jpg]
Yan Zhimo: Mm, good boy.
Yan Zhimo: [Head Pat.jpg]
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