Chapter 10

“Is it really that bad?” Xi Xuan took a bite with his fork, then frowned. “Don’t eat it, I’ll go get you a bowl of noodles.”

Zhu Shiyan wasn’t keen on forcing his stomach either; he put down his chopsticks and casually asked, “Where did you buy this cake? Surely it can be returned if it’s made like this?”

Xi Xuan’s tone was vague. “Just bought it from a roadside stall.”

“Is that so?”

Zhu Shiyan felt something was off. While Xi Xuan went to the kitchen, he quietly took out his phone and snapped a photo of the cake box. A quick search revealed a beautifully decorated, trendy cake shop—delicate and very girlish.

Opening the reviews, he found nothing but praise: everyone said the shop’s cakes were both beautiful and delicious.

Zhu Shiyan glanced at the cake’s unappealing appearance, then looked at Xi Xuan’s focused back. He understood.

So he had made it himself?

Xi Xuan moved quickly, soon bringing over a bowl of noodles topped with a poached egg.

Zhu Shiyan adjusted his seat, eyes bright with anticipation. “Perfect, I haven’t had longevity noodles today.”

“Longevity noodles?”

“Yeah,” Zhu Shiyan smiled. “Where I’m from, on your birthday you eat a bowl of noodles that can’t be broken, symbolizing a long life.”

Xi Xuan had never heard of it, having never celebrated a birthday himself, but he nodded, “This is longevity noodles.”

With a mouthful of steaming noodles, Zhu Shiyan closed his eyes contentedly. “Thanks. When it’s your birthday, I’ll make you a bowl too.”

Xi Xuan’s heart skipped. “Okay.”

He bent down to clear the dishes and was about to toss the cake away.

“Wait.” Zhu Shiyan grabbed his wrist. “Don’t throw the cake out—it’d be a shame.”

Xi Xuan obediently put it down.

Zhu Shiyan yawned. “I should head back. Sleep here tonight, don’t bother going back to school.”

Xi Xuan had been watching the time. Since Zhu Shiyan arrived, twenty-five minutes had passed; he had five more minutes.

Carefully, he took a pair of ceramics from his backpack. “This is for you.” After a long pause, he said, “Happy birthday. I hope you’re happy every day.”

Perhaps never having said such words before, his voice was awkward but sincere.

Having learned from the cake episode, Zhu Shiyan didn’t say anything about not spending extra money. Instead, he took the ceramics and examined them closely.

They were a pair of chibi figurines: the one in front held a sword with an adorably fierce expression; the one behind clung to his coat, hiding half his face.

Honestly, the ceramics weren’t finely crafted and felt rough to the touch, but the two figures were vivid and lively. Especially the front one—its expression and posture were lifelike. The one behind seemed hastily made, as if the creator had rushed.

Zhu Shiyan gently patted the front figure’s head. His heart stirred, not in pain but with a dull ache; his mind grew muddled and confused.

Zhu Shiyan was someone who valued boundaries strongly. Even after coming to this world, he considered himself an outsider, indifferent to everything except the protagonist, whom he saw only as a mission target, never truly investing any emotion.

He would find ways to save the protagonist, play little tricks to gain his trust, kindly bring him home but never offer his own bed outright. He treated him as a friend but didn’t object to making friends with others.

He had always been clear: he was here for a mission, and once it was done, he would leave. But he had overlooked one crucial fact.

—Hearts are made of flesh and can be touched by sincerity and earnestness.

He didn’t want the other to buy expensive gifts, so he made the cake and ceramics himself. Though he didn’t say how, Zhu Shiyan knew it must have taken a lot of effort.

Despite being mired in hardship, facing endless malice and adversity, Xi Xuan fought desperately to rise, repaying every bit of kindness a thousandfold.

The system said this was just one of countless small worlds—real, yet all the people here were NPCs to him.

But he didn’t stop to consider: once involved, how could he truly stand by coldly?

Zhu Shiyan kept watching silently. Xi Xuan couldn’t read his expression—whether he liked it or not—and grew increasingly uneasy. “If you don’t like it, you can throw it away.”

He couldn’t afford expensive gifts but hated giving nothing. So he arranged to learn cake-making and pottery for two hours weekly in exchange for unpaid work.

The cake box was a free gift from the shop owner. He had tasted the cake during making and thought it edible, never expecting the final product to be so awful.

The pottery master praised his talent, saying the front figure was very well done. He had hoped this pair of ceramic boys would be liked, but now he felt it was too cheap.

He wanted to take back the ceramics but Zhu Shiyan avoided it.

“How can you take back something already given to me?”

A gentle smile lit Zhu Shiyan’s eyes as he leaned slightly and met Xi Xuan’s gaze. “Thank you for the gift. I really like it.”

It was the most thoughtful and heartfelt birthday present he had ever received.

Xi Xuan’s eyes brightened, his ears flushed red. “I-I’m glad you like it.”

Zhu Shiyan placed the ceramic figures by the bedside and waved him off. “I’m leaving. See you tomorrow.”

Xi Xuan nodded, “See you tomorrow.”

But he didn’t follow Zhu Shiyan’s advice to stay and sleep there. After he left, Xi Xuan locked the doors and windows and went out.

The arcade was still bustling in the early morning. Xi Xuan changed into his work uniform and told the front desk, “Shift change.”

The attendant looked surprised. “Xi Xuan? Aren’t you going to school tomorrow?”

“I am.”

“Then why are you here...?”

No need to sleep???

The attendant didn’t finish his question because Xi Xuan immediately took over and started working, showing no interest in further chat.

Shrugging, the attendant changed and left.

Xi Xuan worked through the night until the next shift arrived in the early hours.

He silently handed over his duties, changed into his school uniform, and returned to school.

He rarely pulled all-nighters. He couldn’t afford to be sick, so he always took care of his health and maximized sleep.

This all-nighter was because he had to make up for the classes missed in cake-making and pottery, which he attended once a week for a month.

After Zhu Shiyan’s birthday came his first final exam in this world.

He had worked three years in his original world. Though a top student from a prestigious university, he had long forgotten most high school knowledge.

Despite months of effort to catch up, he still scratched his head during exams and sighed in frustration.

As soon as he left the exam room, he knew he was doomed, expecting his first failing report card.

Sure enough, the results came back with a bright red failing paper slapped on his desk.

Chu Junyuan turned to see it, bursting into laughter and mercilessly taunted, “You only got 34 in physics? Hahaha—”

Zhu Shiyan, embarrassed and angry, snatched his paper back. “You only scored a few points more than me. What’s there to be proud of?”

Thirty-eight versus thirty-four—he didn’t know where Chu Junyuan got the nerve.

“Every point counts.”

Chu Junyuan cheerfully flipped through his papers. “Let me see how you did in other subjects.”

After checking, he was silent. This kid had poor scores only in physics and chemistry; the rest were decent, especially English—only two points lost!

Looking at his own stack of failing tests, he was crushed and turned away to brood.

Silence fell. Zhu Shiyan frowned deeply at his physics paper.

He had always been the model child, never knowing what it was like to be a poor student. But physics? He truly couldn’t grasp it. Now in the second year of high school, he was still struggling with first-year material—it was no wonder he was failing.

Just then, a test paper floated before his eyes: a dazzling perfect score of 100. He stared blankly at its owner and exclaimed, “You got full marks in physics?!”

Xi Xuan took the paper calmly and nodded. “The questions were easier this time.”

Zhu Shiyan, who scored 34: “...”

His mind raced. A thought came to him as he leaned closer. “What are your plans for winter break?”

“Part-time job.”

“Is your schedule full?”

“Yes.”

“I have a part-time job that pays well, is easy, and close to home. Want to consider it?”

Xi Xuan looked puzzled. “What?”

Zhu Shiyan smiled brightly. “Tutoring me.”

At lunch, Zhu Shiyan followed Xi Xuan and earnestly persuaded, “You’re going to have a part-time job anyway. Helping me study counts as a part-time job. Why not?”

When he first wanted to transfer schools, he told Zhu Feng it was because the pressure at Lincheng No.1 High was too great. He wanted a change of environment and promised to improve his grades.

He did improve, but his subjects were severely unbalanced.

Moreover, recently Zhu Tingyun had suddenly started taking an interest in his life—everything from daily needs to studies—and even offered to live with him, which scared Zhu Shiyan into repeated refusals.

To avoid drawing too much attention from this family, he needed to present himself as a compliant, well-behaved student, proving he could manage on his own. So he had to fix his subject imbalance.

His worst subject was exactly Xi Xuan’s specialty. He had money, and Xi Xuan needed a part-time job. It was a win-win situation.

Xi Xuan frowned. “I’ll tutor you, but I won’t take your money.”

“That won’t work.” Zhu Shiyan refused outright. “We’re friends, but that’s a separate matter—you work, I pay.”

If Xi Xuan tutored him, he would lose a part-time job and the salary. He couldn’t explain that.

No matter how much Zhu Shiyan tried, Xi Xuan refused. Eventually, he would just bury his head in practice problems whenever the subject came up, pretending not to hear.

Zhu Shiyan was at a loss and resorted to his last tactic. “I transferred to this school on a promise to my dad. If my grades don’t improve, I’ll have to transfer back.”