PBMM CH3

In an alluring and romantic dream, a teenager wearing a school uniform was walking toward him. He had a shy smile on his face, yet he continued to slowly and firmly approach.

Once he drew near, he called out softly, “Lin Chi…”

Lin Chi’s eyes snapped open, his heart pounding wildly. Thump! Thump! Sweat beaded on his forehead. He reached his hand under the blanket, and sure enough, he felt a patch of dampness.

“Fuck!”

He Qing was currently brushing his teeth when the system notification chimed: [Ding! Lin Chi favorability: 40]

[Oho~] He Qing whistled in his mind. [Looks like our Chichi had a sweet dream~]

He dawdled while brushing his teeth and finished washing up at a painstakingly slow pace. Then, he took a little water and carefully dabbed it onto his eyelashes, making his already thick and long lashes look even more curled and prominent. He Qing blinked at the mirror; his doe-like eyes were dewy, exuding a natural sense of pitifulness.

[Host, what is the point of doing this in an empty bathroom?]

[You’ll see in a moment.] Just as he said that, footsteps echoed outside the door.

—Bang!

The door was roughly pushed open, and Lin Chi barged in. The teenager with the dewy eyes looked at him in fright, his eyes full of fear and panic. “Wh-what are you…”

He was at a complete loss, stepping backward continuously in fear, completely forgetting he was in a bathroom. His foot slipped, and his entire body tilted backward. Lin Chi reacted swiftly, grabbing him and pulling him back. Steadying the still-panicked teenager, Lin Chi looked at those trembling eyelashes adorned with water droplets, and for some reason, his heart softened.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to be my boyfriend? As your boyfriend, can’t I come pick you up for class?”

He Qing’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. He looked as if he was about to lean in, but right before they touched, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and he timidly stood in place. His voice was very soft, but his enunciation was clear as he earnestly asked Lin Chi, “Do you really like me?”

Lin Chi froze for a moment, but quickly recovered, putting on his usual smile and answering affirmatively, “Of course. You’re so cute, of course I like you.”

Being praised as cute…

The teenager’s face instantly flushed red. The clarity from a moment ago was shattered by Lin Chi’s words. His eyes sparkled, resembling someone who had just been hit by a pie falling from the sky—a look of pure joy mixed with disbelief at his own good luck. However, it was evident that he completely believed Lin Chi.

Lin Chi secretly let out a sigh of relief. “Let’s go…” He hesitated for a second before calling out, “A-Qing.”

He Qing revealed a massive smile and nodded emphatically. “Mhm!”

————

The students of Class 1 soon discovered a strange phenomenon. Lin Chi, the aloof flower on the high peak, was actually getting close to He Qing, the mute that everyone ostracized. They were practically inseparable every day. The classmates found it weird, but since Lin Chi’s best bro, Zhang Xu, had accepted He Qing’s presence, it wasn’t really anyone else’s place to say anything.

They just watched silently, wanting to figure out how this incredibly timid mute had managed to win Lin Chi’s favor. But after observing for a while, the onlookers felt somewhat speechless. How was this being friends? He was basically being treated as a servant!

In the past, He Qing did nothing but study every day. After school, he would eat and immediately return to his dorm to sleep, then arrive early the next morning for self-study. And look at him now?

Every morning he had to run to the cafeteria to buy breakfast for Lin Chi, plus extra for Zhang Xu. During class it was fine, but as soon as class ended, he would inevitably be ordered to run back and forth. Even though the teaching building wasn’t that tall, making that trip so many times a day took a toll. Watching He Qing panting from exhaustion, yet still smiling as he handed Lin Chi whatever he had asked for, someone finally couldn’t stand watching it anymore!

“He Qing!” A pretty girl frowned, standing at the staircase and stopping the teenager who was about to head upstairs. She looked at the courier box in his hands, and her frown deepened. “During this one break, you’ve already run back and forth five times. Aren’t you tired?”

He Qing looked at her in confusion. “A-Chi asked for my help…”

Looking at He Qing’s pure, innocent eyes, Sun Yumeng looked as frustrated as one wishing iron could turn into steel. “What help! Things he could easily carry up in one trip, he intentionally makes you run back and forth for! He’s completely just playing with you!”

“No, A-Chi just forgot…”

Infuriated by the teenager’s response, Sun Yumeng counted on her fingers for him: “These past few days, you’ve run back and forth at least a hundred times, right? They’re treating you like a joke, do you know that?! Look at what kind of person that guy Lin Chi is! His mind is sinis—”

“What kind of person I, Lin Chi, am?” A cold voice sounded from behind Sun Yumeng. With a dark expression, Lin Chi took a few steps forward and yanked He Qing to his side, looking at her with an unfriendly gaze: “Miss Sun, isn’t your hand stretching a bit too far into other people’s business?”

“A-Qing, let’s go!”

Watching helplessly as Lin Chi dragged the boy away, a trace of coldness flashed through Sun Yumeng’s eyes. She scoffed, turned around, and walked into the classroom.

He’s just a poor kid who got lucky enough to be Lin Chi’s lackey. There’s no need for me to waste my time.

Roughly pulled down the stairs by his arm, He Qing obediently followed, leaving Sun Yumeng, who had wanted to save him from his misery, so angry she couldn’t speak.

Meanwhile, Lin Chi was educating He Qing: “That Sun Yumeng always parades around like some champion of justice, but she’s really just a self-righteous idiot. Just ignore her!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the teenager before him nodded obediently without a second of hesitation. The gaze looking back at him was full of absolute trust, and he responded firmly: “Mhm! I know everything she said was fake! A-Chi would never purposely play tricks on me. A-Chi is the best!”

The urge Lin Chi just had to list out all of Sun Yumeng’s unreliable deeds instantly faded. He opened his mouth, closed it, and finally said uncomfortably, “Let’s go, let’s head down to play ball. Zhang Xu is waiting!”

[Ding! Lin Chi favorability: 49]

On the surface, He Qing obediently followed behind Lin Chi, but in his mind: [I’ve run my legs thin, and he’s still one point away from liking me. Chichi really is a demanding little goblin~]

[Reminding Host: There are 27 days left until the mission deadline. Please complete the mission as soon as possible.]

[Hmm… I’m just missing a catalyst. System, do me a favor~]

The system’s cold, inorganic mechanical voice sounded in He Qing’s ear: [No problem, as long as you give me points.]

[Deal!]

Lin Chi led He Qing down the stairs, but he was feeling somewhat unsettled. Sun Yumeng wasn’t wrong; he and Zhang Xu really had been playing He Qing these past two days. Watching him get ordered around in circles, only to run back with a look of pure bliss on his face, Lin Chi found it amusing but also felt a twinge of guilt.

Has this game gone too far?

Walking by the wall of the sports field, he was just thinking this when he suddenly heard an exclamation in his ear: “A-Chi!!” A tremendous force shoved him away. Before Lin Chi could even steady himself, a massive boom rang in his ears, and dust billowed into the air. Through the cloud of dust, Lin Chi stared blankly, realizing that the teenager who had just been smiling shyly at him was now lying wretchedly under a pile of bricks. His forehead was bleeding, his eyes were tightly shut, and it was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive.

The spot where he was lying was exactly where Lin Chi had been standing a moment ago.

Lin Chi stared in shock at the unmoving teenager beneath the dust, finally realizing what had happened. The wall had collapsed; He Qing had pushed him out of the way and gotten crushed underneath himself.

[Ding! Lin Chi favorability: 65. Reached the initial standard of ‘Liking’. Please keep up the good work, Host!]

[It—it hurts so much! You promised it would be painless!]

[Ah! My apologies, the pain-free package costs 388 points. Would the Host like to purchase one?]

Before losing consciousness, He Qing’s hand, buried under the bricks, struggled to give the middle finger: [Just you wait!]

Under the messy pile of bricks, the teenager’s lower half was buried. His face was covered in a layer of dust, and blood was continuously flowing from his forehead. Lin Chi stumbled over, only then realizing his legs had gone soft. He yelled a few times: “A-Qing! A-Qing?!! He Qing!!”

No response. The teenager’s eyes were closed, showing no signs of life.

The massive commotion quickly attracted nearby teachers and students. A crowd rapidly formed around them. Amidst the chaotic noise, some called for an ambulance, some went to notify the principal, and others tried to move the bricks pressing down on He Qing. In his ears, Lin Chi could hear a teacher who recognized him nervously asking if he was hurt. In a daze, Lin Chi suddenly heard someone shouting, “The ambulance dispatch said there was a multi-car pileup in the eastern suburbs, all their cars have been sent out! Who has a car? This student isn’t going to make it, we need to get him to the hospital immediately!”

Isn’t going to make it? Who isn’t going to make it? He Qing? That silly mute?

With trembling hands, Lin Chi pulled out his phone. “Dad…”

He Qing was rushed to the operating room of a top-tier hospital in a luxurious ambulance, sirens blaring and flashing through red lights all the way. With the absolute best surgeons operating and the most expensive medicines used, they barely managed to save his life. Lin Chi sat on a chair, his face deathly pale. When Zhang Xu rushed over and saw his state, he got a terrible fright.

“Chi-zi! Don’t scare me! What happened?!” He rushed up and checked Lin Chi from head to toe, but seeing no injuries at all, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Monkey and the others said you got crushed by a falling wall, scared me to death! Thank God you’re okay!”

“I wasn’t the one crushed by the wall.” Lin Chi slowly looked up, the bloodshot veins in his eyes distinctly visible. “It was He Qing. He pushed me away and got crushed himself…”

Zhang Xu froze for a second. “Then, then how is he now?”

“He’s in there being resuscitated…” Lin Chi’s face was ashen. He looked at his best friend and said earnestly, “Xu-zi, I think I might have really fallen for him. I’ve fallen for… a man…”

He had hoped to draw some strength from his friend, but instead saw Zhang Xu step back with a face full of terror, his eyes staring blankly straight behind Lin Chi. Lin Chi’s body stiffened violently. He slowly turned his head. Standing there was a man, and at this moment, a pair of eyes, similar to his own but much deeper, was staring right at him.

Seeing him look over, Lin Cheng’s thin lips parted, his magnetic voice cold and flat: “Is that so?”

The blood in Lin Chi’s veins turned to ice. At this moment, he showed none of the arrogant aloofness he had at school. Like any ordinary child terrified of their parent, his body was so stiff he didn’t dare to move.

His son had just come out of the closet, but Lin Cheng’s reaction was merely to look him up and down. After confirming Lin Chi wasn’t injured, he said concisely, “I have a meeting, I’m leaving first. Remember to wear a c*nd*m.”

After saying that, the man, whose expression hadn’t shifted a single bit from beginning to end, glanced at the words ‘Operating Room’, turned around, and walked away. Two people were waiting out in the corridor. Seeing him approach, they hurried up to meet him: “President Lin, the price we previously agreed upon was…”

“Regarding the postponed itinerary, would it be alright to schedule it for tonight?”

Only after watching Lin Cheng’s long legs disappear around the corner of the corridor did Zhang Xu finally dare to make a sound. “Chi-zi, your dad treats you really well.” He didn’t even react to you coming out, how could that not be nice?

“But you just said, you like He Qing…” Zhang Xu was about to ask for clarification, but saw his friend’s ugly expression. Lin Chi’s eyes were fixed rigidly on the direction Lin Cheng had vanished, his hands hanging by his sides, clenched tightly into fists.

“A-Chi?”

Before Zhang Xu could inquire further, the red light went out. The unconscious, pale-faced He Qing was wheeled out, the doctor following behind. “Who is the patient’s family?”

The two hurried forward, only to hear the doctor say: “The patient is currently out of mortal danger, but his calf sustained nerve damage, which might affect his ability to walk in the future.”

Lin Chi’s footsteps halted. Affect his ability to walk in the future—doesn’t that mean he’ll be crippled?