PBMM CH2

When He Qing returned with two bottles of drinks, Lin Chi had just executed a handsome slam dunk. The basketball fell smoothly through the hoop. He stood up straight, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. As he turned around, he locked eyes with He Qing, startling the teenager into taking a step back.

Under the surprised gazes of the two, he also realized he had overreacted. His face instantly burned red. Hesitantly, he stepped forward and handed the drinks and the leftover change to Zhang Xu, mumbling, “This is, this is the remaining money… ninety-four in total…”

Zhang Xu took the drinks but didn’t take the money. “Keep the change!”

“No… no…” He Qing would stutter whenever he got nervous. At a loss for what to do, he tried to hand the money back to Zhang Xu, only to be impatiently interrupted. “Aren’t you poor? Consider this money a reward for you!”

Lin Chi, who had been about to walk away, paused in his tracks and looked at He Qing. Sure enough, the teenager’s previously flushed face had turned a fluctuating shade of pale and green, drained of all color. His clean white teeth stubbornly bit down on his lower lip. As if mustering a lifetime’s worth of courage, he suddenly shoved all the money into Zhang Xu’s arms and ran away as if chased by some wild beast.

Clutching the money, Zhang Xu was dumbfounded. He looked at Lin Chi: “What! What is he doing?”

Lin Chi’s gaze followed the teenager’s retreating back. Hearing the question, he withdrew his gaze and let it fall with some disgust on the thoroughly confused Zhang Xu. His tone was light: “If you don’t know how to speak, then shut up.”

“Huh?” Zhang Xu looked bewildered but felt rebuked. He wanted to ask more, but seeing his friend already bouncing the ball and heading toward the teaching building, he hurriedly scurried after him. “No, what are you saying! How do I not know how to speak!”

He Qing ran all the way up to the fifth floor in one breath. Sitting in his seat, he panted heavily from exhaustion. He waited a long time, but there was no system notification, so he couldn’t help but poke the system: [Cute Little System~ Where’s our Chichi’s favorability rating?]

The flat, emotionless mechanical voice dutifully reported: [Current Lin Chi favorability: 10.]

[Huh?] He Qing’s tone was filled with disbelief. [Isn’t ‘arrogant, domineering, cool second-generation rich kid’ x ‘independent, self-reliant poor student’ an official pairing?]

The system didn’t answer, and He Qing didn’t care, thinking to himself: [I’ve hooked up with him three times, and Chichi’s favorability is still just at the level of a slightly familiar passerby. So what’s with him acting all fascinated by me?]

The system coolly reminded him: [You’re thinking too much.]

Completely ignoring the system’s words, He Qing continued to himself: [According to the original plotline, Lin Chi should be coming to confess to He Qing tonight…]

[Correct.]

[OK!] He Qing dug out his backpack—one he had used for over five years and which had long begun to fade. Reaching his hand inside, he rummaged around. The system watched his actions in confusion. [Host, what are you doing?]

After searching for a long time, he finally fished out fifty yuan. Pinching the crumpled bill, He Qing licked his lips: [My acting skills are going to explode tonight! I have to eat something good to replenish my energy!]

Ah~ This body really was pitifully poor. So poor he couldn’t afford to eat, yet he still struggled to stay alive, making the people who killed him all the more detestable.

————

By the time He Qing used his fifty yuan to eat to his heart’s content and returned to the dorm, it was already ten o’clock at night. Who could blame him for being smart and eating at a buffet?

As he leisurely strolled to the bottom of his dorm building, a dark figure suddenly emerged from behind the flowerbeds. The teenager was startled. His feet, which had been walking perfectly fine, tripped over each other, and he stumbled, almost falling.

Once he finally steadied himself, he used the dim light to hesitantly call out, “Lin… Lin Chi?”

The person walking in the shadows stepped out. He stood under the dim streetlamp, possessing sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, though his brows were knitted in displeasure and his lips pressed into a thin line, making him look exceedingly irritated.

He was the one hiding in the dark scaring people, so what right did he have to be irritated!

Before He Qing could vent his thoughts, Lin Chi had already taken a step. He had long legs; with just one stride, he stood right in front of He Qing. Meeting his confused, bewildered gaze, Lin Chi’s lips pressed together even tighter. Yet, in the next second, as if reciting a script, he said, “He Qing, let’s date!”

“Ah… ah?” The teenager stared blankly, seemingly unable to process it yet.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Chi glanced toward the flowerbeds. Zhang Xu and Monkey were stealthily hiding there, snickering as if watching him make a fool of himself. The displeasure on his face grew heavier, but he looked back at the confused, frightened He Qing. His tone dropped slightly, yet sounded incredibly earnest: “I like you!”

He reached out his hand naturally, initially intending to rest it on the teenager’s hair. But just seconds before it landed, he paused and somewhat stiffly placed it on his shoulder instead. “So let’s be together!”

After speaking, Lin Chi waited for He Qing to either glare at him in anger or flee in a panic. Based on his understanding of the person in front of him, fleeing was more likely, given his shy personality.

Looking at the teenager still staring blankly at him, Lin Chi felt a bit agitated. This game of Truth or Dare had really gone too far.

Look, He Qing must definitely be treating him like a pervert!

Being stared at by those clear eyes made Lin Chi extremely uncomfortable; it felt like he was bullying the person before him. He frowned and thought, Forget it, I should just end this trashy game!

Just as he was about to speak, his hand suddenly tightened. Confused, Lin Chi looked down, only to see He Qing gripping his arm with both hands. His eyes were sparkling, dazzling as if they were shooting out the most beautiful flames.

The teenager’s small face was full of pure joy and ecstatic disbelief. For the first time, Lin Chi realized that this teenager, who always kept his head down and refused to speak, was actually quite good-looking. His features were delicate; while none of them were absolutely exquisite on their own, combined they were surprisingly fitting, especially those eyes, which sparkled as if they could speak.

Such pure eyes seemed only to belong to children… No, that wasn’t right. A child wouldn’t have a gaze so full of deep affection, as if he were looking at his entire world… A second later, Lin Chi was jolted awake. Those eyes were looking exactly at him!

The timid teenager was dizzy from this monumental good news. Tightly clutching the hem of the person’s shirt in front of him, his voice trembled with excitement as he struggled to express his feelings. “I, I like you too… Lin Chi… I… I really like you…”

“Can we… can we really be together?” he asked timidly and cautiously.

Lin Chi was stunned. He reflexively looked toward the flowerbeds. The two who had been snickering there had also frozen.

They stared over with dumbfounded expressions, only to see the mute from their class, who usually didn’t even dare to speak, stuttering as he confessed his feelings: “The… the first time I saw you… was five years ago… Back then you…”

Lin Chi had absolutely no interest in hearing the history of unrequited love from the person in front of him. After regaining his senses, his face turned ugly. Hidden in the shadows, He Qing couldn’t see it clearly, but Lin Chi’s voice suddenly turned freezing cold: “He Qing, actually this is just a Da—”

“Eh?? A-Chi! What are you standing here for?” Zhang Xu suddenly jumped out from the flowerbed, coming over with a somewhat stiff smile. Yet, right when he almost bumped into He Qing, he hastily dodged out of the way.

He Qing was frightened out of his wits by the sudden appearance. He froze in place, his eyes filled with panic. “You… you…”

He wanted to ask when he had gotten there and how much he had heard. Living amid hardship and mockery, He Qing knew very well what kind of treatment and glares he would face if his sexuality were exposed.

His heart pounded rapidly. His gaze fell upon the person he liked, and he steadied himself. If Zhang Xu said he heard, then he would push all the blame onto himself, allowing Lin Chi to get away clean.

Lin Chi was utterly distracted and flustered by his gaze. He glared at Zhang Xu. “What are you doing!”

“Ah! I came out to look for you! A-Chi, let’s hurry upstairs! Everyone’s waiting for you!” Without another word, Zhang Xu stepped forward and pushed Lin Chi to keep walking, taking the opportunity to awkwardly wave at He Qing. “Um, Mute… no! He Qing! You should hurry back to your dorm too!”

Lin Chi was being pushed forward. He didn’t know what trick Zhang Xu was playing, but years of mutual understanding between friends kept him from exposing it. When he looked back, he saw He Qing standing all alone under the streetlamp, his gaze fixed steadily on him. Inside those eyes was a feigned strength, making it look as though he would burst into tears in the next second.

He Qing watched the two walk away. An aura of loneliness almost drowned him entirely. Finally, he lifted his feet and heavily stepped into the dormitory building.

In the flowerbed behind them, the forgotten Monkey still maintained his stiff hiding posture, covering his mouth. Only after seeing everyone leave did he dare poke his head out. “Phew!” He gasped for air, trying to calm his violently beating heart.

What… what the hell was going on here?

[Ding! Lin Chi favorability: 30]

He Qing maintained his lifeless, slow movement up the stairs. [It went up by twenty in one breath? Seems he isn’t very straight either…]

His actions, tone, and spoken words toward Lin Chi today were all exactly what the He Qing in the original fate had said. Presumably, what Lin Chi did next would also follow the original fate.

It was just that…

He Qing was somewhat curious. What exactly was the reason that made such a straight man string the original owner along for a week before telling the truth? If he truly despised him, then he shouldn’t have used the guise of affection to play He Qing’s lover for seven days!

Since birth, this body had probably only experienced happiness during those seven days filled with deception. Unfortunately, seven days later, what awaited him was his ‘lover’s’ disgusted, icy gaze and words that pierced the heart. He Qing closed his eyes. The deepest memory etched into this body was Lin Chi’s face filled with revulsion as he spoke.

“A man, actually being with another man so disgustingly, and even using such a dirty place in bed. Pervert! Disgusting! Let me tell you! I only confessed to you because of a Dare. If I had known you’d cling to me like this, I would’ve just chosen Truth! Stay away from me from now on, lest you infect me with some dirty disease!”

The memories after that were blurred and skimmed over: beatings, classmates’ pranks, blood, and then leaping off the high rooftop, followed by complete darkness.

[System, why are the memories incomplete?]

[Memories that severely traumatized the original host have been sealed, but this does not affect your ability to complete the mission. Task progress is at thirty percent. Please keep up the good work, Host, muah!]

The system’s final encouragement, delivered in a cold, flat mechanical voice, gave He Qing goosebumps all over. Extremely repulsed, he replied: [Alright, alright, alright! Muah, muah, muah!]

On the other side, Lin Chi was pushed all the way back to the dorm by Zhang Xu. With only the two of them there, Lin Chi couldn’t hold it back anymore. Tossing off Zhang Xu’s hand, he suppressed his anger and said, “What did you drag me back for? Didn’t you see the state He Qing was in?”

Zhang Xu patted his shoulder, speaking with deep sympathy, “Alright, your brother knows you got a scare! Didn’t I just suddenly remember something?”

Lin Chi shook his hand off in disgust, saying impatiently, “What something! Didn’t you see I was just about to make things clear to He Qing?”

The thought of being liked by a man made his entire body uncomfortable. He Qing’s joy-filled eyes flashed in his mind, and Lin Chi surprisingly realized he wasn’t too repulsed by it. A second later, he snapped back to his senses and, to cover it up, said coldly, “He actually likes me! How disgusting!”

Zhang Xu didn’t take Lin Chi’s words to heart. In his eyes, it would be abnormal if Lin Chi didn’t say that! He winked at Lin Chi and revealed his scheme: “Weren’t you always confused about how your dad could like men? Isn’t there a ready-made test subject right here? Just date him for a couple days, and once you get bored of it, you can just make things clear!”

“What kind of rotten idea is that! I definitely won’t!” Lin Chi rejected it without thinking, though he hesitated a bit in his heart.

“Oh man! What are you afraid of! It’s just dating a guy for two days! Given that little mute chick’s cowardly nature, he wouldn’t dare do anything to you! The two of us are being watched strictly these days and can’t find any entertainment, so just treat it as a bit of fun!” With Zhang Xu constantly egging him on, Lin Chi eventually relented.

“Fine…” He happened to feel a bit bored lately anyway. “Then I’ll just play along with him for fun.”