Chapter 5: Task
Lin Zhiheng had washed his hair, and his clothes were splattered with water, looking a far cry from his usual meticulous self.
Inside, as Chu Yang wiped his feet for the second time, Xie An continued to hand him wet wipes. “Don’t just kick people in the face in the future. Some people might sâ”
Chu Yang didn’t hear him clearly, so Xie An quickly changed his tune. “I mean, people’s faces are dirty. Wipe them a couple more times.”
Chu Yang muttered, “I didn’t mean to step on him.”
Si Yao glanced toward the balcony. Looking at Lin Zhihengâs flushed face and his clumsy attempts to wash his head and face, he knew exactly what the guy was thinking.
He turned to Chu Yang and said, “That dog is out on the balcony washing up. Don’t kick him next time; he doesn’t know how to cherish it.”
“…?” For a moment, Chu Yang thought he had misheard.
But Si Yaoâs expression was calm, and even Xie Anâs face remained unchanged… Was he being too sensitive? What was there to “cherish” about being stepped on?
Chu Yang didn’t dwell on it. He lay down, pulled up the covers, and went to sleep.
The others in the room stopped talking. Chu Yang didn’t know that when he wasn’t around, these people barely communicated. It wasn’t just that their “magnetic fields” didn’t align; once they realized everyone else was also eyeing Chu Yang like a tiger eyeing its prey, peaceful coexistence became impossible. It was a miracle they weren’t at each other’s throats.
Lin Zhiheng returned to the dorm, ignoring the two mocking gazes directed at him. He quietly opened his wardrobe, apparently intending to take a shower.
Damn! It really seemed like he had enjoyed it.
The dorm was silent. Si Yao sat directly facing Chu Yangâs bed, making no effort to hide his gaze. His bed was diagonally across from Chu Yangâs, so he couldn’t see the person once he was in bed. Instead, he sat below, looking up. Only someone with his good looks could pull this off without looking like a total creep.
However, he couldn’t see Chu Yangâs face. Chu Yang liked to sleep curled up; Si Yao wasn’t sure if it was a habit or a lack of security.
Si Yao decided it was too cold and adjusted the AC remote up two degrees.
Xie An, that “green tea” man, was in the bed next to Chu Yangâs. He climbed up quietly with his tablet. Chu Yang was facing the wall, so Xie An sat at the foot of the bed, pretentiously tapping on his screen.
Si Yao let out a mocking laugh. What are you pretending for? Can you even focus on that screen?
Then there was Lin Zhiheng, who slept in the bed opposite Chu Yang. He sat stiffly at his desk, the book in front of him not having been turned for ages. He was just putting on a front.
Lin Zhiheng felt Si Yaoâs gaze and reached out to pull his privacy curtain shut. Then, he picked up a mirror from his desk and placed it on his bookshelf. The shelf was packed, but there was one empty slot in the middle that fit the mirror perfectly.
Even better, the mirror was angled directly toward Chu Yangâs bed.
Although Chu Yang always used a mosquito net because he was afraid of bugsâmaking the view hazy and indistinctâit only made the sight more heart-stirring.
It wasn’t that Lin Zhiheng had to see anything; he wasn’t “perverted” from the start.
It began one day when he casually placed the mirror on the shelf. At the time, Chu Yang was sitting on his bed talking to his brother on the phone. The mosquito net was pulled back, and his two slender legs were swinging back and forth. He had a constant smile on his face, acting spoiled toward the person on the other end. His curved eyes were as bright as the stars. Watching through the mirror, Lin Zhihengâs throat had gone tight.
From then on, he subconsciously looked forward to itâlooking forward to seeing Chu Yang appear in this mirror, wanting to follow his every move through the reflection.
Even though Chu Yang lived in the dorm, he often went home after military training ended. Especially in the summer, he would head back as soon as afternoon classes were over and return early the next morning. Back then, the three of them had secretly tried to dig for information.
Si Yao was the boldest and asked Chu Yang directly if he was in a relationship.
During military training, Chu Yang had become famous throughout the school. Every time they were dismissed, people were confessing to him everywhere.
On the way to the convenience store, on the way to the cafeteriaâthere were even people who fainted from the sun, and once they woke up in the infirmary after being carried there by Chu Yang, they would immediately confess. There were even a few shameless men who would lean their heavy, muscular bodies against Chu Yang, shamelessly slumping over so heâd have to support them to the infirmary, claiming they wanted to “repay him with their bodies.”
But when Chu Yang received a confession from a man, he ran faster than anyone. With his three roommates constantly surrounding him, those people couldn’t do much. They could only claim they were “just joking” to coax the little straight man back.
However, by then, they had all confirmed one thing: Chu Yang really was straight. Not only could he not read the intentions of the men around him, but if a man actually confessed, he would flee.
So, at the time, Si Yao suspected he had a girlfriend and was leaving class to spend time with her.
But Chu Yang said he was going home.
Living in a dorm but going home every day? Those who didn’t know better would think he was a “Mommy’s boy” or a giant toddler.
A few days later, during his morning run, Si Yao encountered a bleary-eyed Chu Yang and… the “wild man” dropping him off at school.
He had already been feeling uncomfortable suspecting Chu Yang had a girlfriend. Seeing him with a man nowâand seeing that man pinch Chu Yangâs faceâmade the blood rush to his head. He immediately ran over, made a few sarcastic remarks, and got scolded by Chu Yang.
Later, Chu Yang explained that he needed to go back to livestream. He felt it was inconvenient in the dorm and would affect their rest. All three of them immediately insisted they didn’t mind.
How could they mind? The only time Chu Yang spent in the dorm was during his afternoon nap or the brief moment he came back to shower after playing ball. He really was a “blink and you’ll miss him” presence, brushing against their hearts and then vanishing without a trace.
After Chu Yang confirmed multiple times that they wouldn’t mind, the first thing he did was buy several curtains to section off each desk.
Si Yao and the others were naturally happyâout of sight, out of mind. But Chu Yangâs own setup was the most extreme; he practically walled off his entire desk before starting his stream. They didn’t know if it was because he was streaming from the dorm, but he spoke very little, mostly just playing the game.
Even quietly playing games attracted plenty of viewers. Since the three of them couldn’t see him in the dorm, they lurked in his stream and tipped a lot of money. Si Yao had a big mouth; he was one of the many in the chat shouting “Little Straight Man.”
When Chu Yang streamed from the dorm, he mostly just played games and didn’t say much. It was only on weekends when he was back home that he would chat with the viewers for a few hours, which made the three in the dorm both jealous and angry.
Was there anything he couldn’t say in front of them? They didn’t find him noisy at all.
Chu Yang slept until past one in the afternoon. He went out for lunch with his three roommates, and after coming back with a drink, he was just in time for an electiveânot a particularly important one.
Chu Yang sat in the middle, with Lin Zhiheng and Xie An acting as his “left and right guardians.” Si Yao didn’t manage to snag a side seat, so he sat directly in front of Chu Yang.
In a lecture hall, even sitting in the row in front was quite close. Furthermore, Si Yao was tall and broad, enough to hide almost all of Chu Yang. Chu Yang was actually quite pleased with this.
He took a sip of coconut juice and sighed, “This professor’s class is still so popular.”
Almost every time Chu Yang attended, the room was packed. Xie An smiled but said nothing.
This was an elective where attendance wasn’t taken, and it was an open-book exam. Normally, many people would skip it, yet it was full.
The professor also felt it was strange but didn’t think much of it. Opening the book, he said, “It seems everyone is free this afternoon. This class always has the highest attendance.”
The packed lecture hall went silent for a moment, and then everyone chorused, “It’s because your lectures are great, Professor!”
Quality was one thing, but a full house was another.
There were always persistent people hoping for a chance encounter with Chu Yang, even if it was just for a single glance.
After class, Chu Yang returned to the dorm to stream for a bit. He waited until the peak sun had passed before heading home. After eating and walking the dog, he curled up on the sofa and chatted intermittently with Chu Yuanzhou on the phone.
His toes wiggled occasionally. The big dog nestled by his legs and nudged his toes with its nose. It was a bit damp. Chu Yang didn’t like the feeling, so he pulled his legs back and grabbed a tissue to wipe them.
Suddenly, that golden system floated in front of him. Chu Yang jumped, instinctively turning his phone facedown, worried Chu Yuanzhou might see this terrifying scene. Chu Yuanzhouâs voice rose in concern: “Whatâs wrong? Did you fall?”
“No, I just accidentally knocked my phone over.” Chu Yang answered casually but made no move to pick the phone back up. His eyes were fixed on System 091, his expression far from happy.
The system shrank back and explained, “Only you can see me. He won’t see anything.”
Chu Yang instinctively wanted to respond, but remembering he was still on the phone with Chu Yuanzhou, he held back and used his eyes to ask the system what was wrong.
Before the system could speak, Chu Yuanzhou spoke again. He frowned at the black screen. “Did the screen break? Iâll have someone send you a new one.”
Chu Yang: “…Itâs fine. Itâs just lying on the table; Iâm too lazy to pick it up.”
“Uh… I have another call coming in. Iâm hanging up.”
Chu Yuanzhou: “Mm.”
The camera shook briefly as Chu Yang hung up. He looked at the system expressionlessly. “What is it?”
It was completely different from how he treated Chu Yuanzhou. Chu Yang was clearly unhappy and guarded. His voice was calm and his lashes were slightly lowered, yet they couldn’t hide the sharp light in his eyes. This made the system feel a sense of disparity.
[System: A drop in Pei Xilinâs health has been detected. You need to go help him.]
Chu Yang frowned. “Now?”
[System: Yes.]
The system was a bit nervous because Chu Yangâs recent attitude made it feel like it might need to persuade him before heâd agree to go.
But Chu Yang stood up decisively. “Iâll change my clothes. Get the navigation ready.”
The system was stunned. [..O-Okay!]
Chu Yang changed into a black hoodie and black trousers, even putting on a mask.
The system didn’t think much of it at first, but once they stepped outside, it felt something was off and flew a circle around Chu Yang.
It suddenly felt like Chu Yang looked even more eye-catching in this outfit. Although he was dressed in black, his skin was so fair that he seemed to glow in the night. His slender fingers hooked around the mask to adjust it.
The system finally understood what the “scumbag vibe” felt like.
With his cold, exquisite features, long limbs, and a lean build that didn’t look weak at all, a single casual glance from him could make oneâs heart race.
He opened the car door, got in, and buckled his seatbelt. Without a word, he started the car and backed out of the garage. He drove fast, and the car was silent except for the navigation prompts.
The system felt like Chu Yang was unhappy againâhe probably was unhappy, being called out to complete a task at this hour. It was almost midnight. 091 had somehow learned how to “read the room.”
Chu Yang arrived directly at the address the system provided. According to 091, Pei Xilin was here. After driving a circle, Chu Yang didn’t see a single soul under the headlights.
He frowned, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car, even tucking a collapsible baton into his pocket.
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