Chapter 7

After drying his hair, Zhu Shiyan ruffled it a few times and asked, "Your hair seems a bit long. Do you want to get it cut?"

In truth, if one looked closely, the male lead’s facial features were quite striking, with smooth, refined contours. It was only because his eyes were perpetually hidden behind his bangs and he suffered from chronic malnutrition that he appeared gaunt, making the sixteen-year-old look more like a child of thirteen or fourteen.

Xi Fei shook his head.

"Alright then." Zhu Shiyan didn't press the matter. He stood up, patted the boy's head, and said, "Goodnight."

Xi Fei looked up, his dark, bright eyes fixed on him.

Zhu Shiyan waited patiently.

"...Goodnight."

He seemed unaccustomed to the words, delivering them with a slight hesitation, yet with sincere earnestness.

Satisfied, Zhu Shiyan returned to his room with a mysterious, fatherly smile on his face.

Xi Fei watched his retreating back, not moving until he was completely out of sight before slowly crawling under the covers. After a moment, a hand emerged from the quilt and carefully touched the top of his own head, mimicking the motion of the man just moments ago, as if trying to feel the lingering warmth of that palm. Then, he withdrew his hand, tucked his chin into the blankets, and sniffed unconsciously. His ears, exposed outside the quilt, turned beet red.

For the first time in his life, he drifted off to sleep in a quiet environment and a warm bed.

The next day, Zhu Shiyan was awakened by his alarm. He rubbed his eyes and opened his bedroom door to find the sofa already empty. However, the entire room looked brand new. The floor was so polished it seemed to reflect his image; the kitchen had been scrubbed spotless; a set of bedding and pajamas were neatly folded on the sofa; and a steaming bowl of noodles sat on the dining table.

He hadn't just brought home a male lead; he had brought home a guardian spirit.

Eating the piping hot noodles, Zhu Shiyan felt both warmed and struck by an indescribable ache in his heart. How much hardship must one have endured to become so efficient at chores, and to be so eager to repay even the slightest kindness ten or a hundred times over?

When Zhu Shiyan walked into the classroom, he glanced at the back row. Seeing Xi Fei studying with his head down as usual, he felt relieved and went to take his own seat.

Qiao Li, sitting beside him, kept winking at him.

Zhu Shiyan helplessly closed his textbook. "Alright, what is it this time?"

She had been signaling him since he walked in, her face practically shouting that she had juicy gossip and he needed to ask. It was hard for him to ignore.

Qiao Li said excitedly, "Zheng Xingyan got beaten up! It was brutal—his arm was even fractured."

"Really?" Zhu Shiyan’s interest was piqued. "Who did it? When?"

Qiao Li lowered her voice, speaking mysteriously. "Last night. Nobody knows who did it. I heard Zheng Xingyan is furious and is scouring the world for the person who hit him."

Zheng Xingyan was indeed furious. After being rescued by a passerby that day, the first thing he did was check the surveillance footage. But the spot where he was attacked happened to be a blind spot, so the assailant wasn't captured on camera. He then tried to get the black bag that had covered his head tested for fingerprints, but it was perfectly clean, leaving no trace.

There had been a large crowd at the gaming arcade that day, and he had spent days searching like a headless chicken without finding a single clue.

The person seemed to have planned it long ago, knowing he would be there and knowing about the camera blind spot, carefully orchestrating the assault from the shadows without leaving a single trace. For a moment, Zheng Xingyan suspected the little wretch, but then he looked over and saw him cowering, and figured he was overthinking it—with that scrawny body, how could he possibly pull off something like this?

He never found the culprit, and as time dragged on, the matter just faded away.

Zhu Shiyan viewed Zheng Xingyan’s beating as nothing more than his just deserts. He listened to the gossip and promptly forgot about it.

In the blink of an eye, winter arrived.

Zhu Shiyan had arrived in the autumn; he had been in this world for over two months. This year’s winter seemed especially bitter, with cold winds whistling into his collar. As he struggled to close the window, he turned around to find a cup of hot water held out to him.

"Here."

Zhu Shiyan smiled, took the cup, and asked, "How have you considered the suggestion I gave you last time?"

Xi Fei avoided his gaze. "I don't want to use your money."

"I told you, this isn't 'using my money,' it's rational asset management. I'm lending it to you, and you'll have to pay me back tenfold in the future."

Having spent these days with him, Xi Fei could already tell when he was joking and when he was serious. He insisted, "I don't want your money."

Zhu Shiyan was momentarily stumped. Patiently, he persuaded, "How about this: consider it an early birthday gift from me. Your birthday is coming up, anyway, and it's normal for friends to give each other gifts."

Xi Fei muttered, "My birthday isn't until next year..."

Zhu Shiyan’s patience wore thin, and he interrupted, "It’s decided. You’re not allowed to refuse."

Chu Junyuan, who sat in front of them, turned around and asked with interest, "Decided what?"

With someone else eavesdropping, Xi Fei immediately shut his mouth, retreated to his seat, and lowered his head to focus on his practice problems. Chu Junyuan glanced at him, then continued to stare at Zhu Shiyan.

Zhu Shiyan said casually, "Nothing, just a small matter."

Last week, seats had been rearranged, and he had requested to sit with Xi Fei, which had made Qiao Li so angry she hadn't spoken to him for a week. Only after sitting together did he realize that Xi Fei was wearing only a thin coat in the middle of winter. Because he sat by the door, the biting wind roared past, leaving his lips blue and his fingers ice-cold.

Zhu Shiyan knew without asking that he had no money for thick clothing and was simply toughing out the freezing winter. That was why he had suggested buying him two warm coats, only to be flatly refused. But after some arguing, it was clear the refusal was ineffective.

Zhu Shiyan took a sip of water in a good mood while Chu Junyuan rambled on in his ear, "Don't forget about Saturday. You have to come; you promised."

Zhu Shiyan tried to negotiate, "Can we change the location?"

What kind of normal person celebrates a birthday at a gaming arcade? Especially the same arcade where Zheng Xingyan had been beaten up—wasn't he afraid of getting jumped too?

"No," Chu Junyuan said righteously. "I still have a few thousand tokens left there. I’m going to spend them all."

Zhu Shiyan: "..." Fine.

He glanced at Xi Fei, who was buried in his work, and opened his mouth to ask if Chu Junyuan had invited him. But seeing Chu Junyuan turn away as soon as he finished speaking, he swallowed the words.

Although Xi Fei’s situation at school had improved significantly due to his influence and Zheng Xingyan’s transfer, there had been no physical bullying recently. Chu Junyuan no longer looked at him with disgust, but his attitude remained largely indifferent and neglectful. Inviting him to a birthday party seemed unlikely.

The heater hummed overhead as Xi Fei focused on his work, the atmosphere uncharacteristically peaceful and comfortable.

But Zhu Shiyan, who knew the future plot, was well aware that this tranquility was temporary. The incident with Zheng Xingyan was just an appetizer; what followed would push the boy toward the abyss. All he could do was try his best to protect him and pull him back from the edge.

On Saturday, Zhu Shiyan followed behind Chu Junyuan with little enthusiasm. Seeing acquaintances coming and going, he asked, "Did you book the whole place?"

"Yep," Chu Junyuan said with a grand wave of his hand. "I’m going to have a blast."

"...As long as you're happy."

He handed over the gift he had prepared and yawned. "I’m so sleepy. I’m going to go get some rest."

"Rest, my foot." Chu Junyuan pulled him up. "You promised to keep me company."

Zhu Shiyan looked listless. "You have so many friends; just find someone else. I’m really tired."

Young Master Chu’s temper flared as he dragged him forward. "I don't care. I want you to play with me."

He didn't know why, but he felt an inexplicable urge to be close to Zhu Shiyan. It wasn't just because he was wealthy or good-looking—Chu Junyuan couldn't quite put his finger on it. He just wanted to be near him. He believed he wasn't the only one who felt this way; everyone who came into contact with him seemed drawn to him. Otherwise, Qiao Li wouldn't have cried over a simple seat change, and the rest of the class wouldn't be so polite to him despite his frequent contact with that "little monster."

But half an hour later, Chu Junyuan didn't think that way anymore.

Because Zhu Shiyan was seriously, truly, *terrible* at games!

After becoming the bottom of the leaderboard once again and failing to catch a single prize after spending hundreds of tokens, Chu Junyuan couldn't take it anymore. He snatched the mallet for the whack-a-mole game and glared at him. "I'm playing by myself!"

Zhu Shiyan smiled. "I told you to find someone else."

Chu Junyuan ignored him and focused on the game.

Zhu Shiyan shrugged and took two steps back to let him play alone. After a while, his sleepiness had faded, and he wandered toward a basketball arcade machine.

In his youth, he had been obsessed with studying to get into a top university, and in college, he had been busy with part-time jobs to pay tuition and living expenses. He had never been to a place like this and was clueless about these games. It was no wonder Chu Junyuan’s blood pressure had spiked after playing with him.

Zhu Shiyan bounced the basketball, hit "start," and took a shot at the hoop.

Ten minutes later, he was panting, drenched in sweat, with a pathetic score of 2 on the scoreboard.

"..."

He really wasn't cut out for these games.

The next second, a basketball flew over his shoulder and swished through the hoop. A crisp "thud" echoed as the ball hit the board, the scoreboard flickered, and a perfect three-pointer appeared.

Zhu Shiyan’s eyes widened. He turned around to see who it was and his eyes widened even further. "What are you doing here?"

Did Chu Junyuan actually invite him?

Xi Fei picked up the basketballs from the floor one by one and gestured to his uniform. "I’m working a part-time job here."

"I see."

Xi Fei was always finding ways to make money when he wasn't in class. Zhu Shiyan nodded and helped him put the balls back into the rack. As he did, he asked, "Have you been here the whole time?"

Xi Fei didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Do you want to play? I'll teach you."