At the construction site, the mound of sand in the distance looked like a miniature volcano. The air above it shimmered constantly, roasting people until they felt restless and irritable.
Yuan Wei bent over and rinsed his head beneath a faucet. His figure was lean and streamlined, the curve of his back resembling a drawn bow ready to fire.
At last, the breeze carried over faint traces of cool moisture. Yuan Wei straightened up, and the front of his shirt was soaked through.
His loose athletic tank top clung damply to his body, sinking slightly under the weight of the water and revealing skin far fairer than the tanned color of his neck.
He wiped his face, then turned and walked into the shade. The loose waistband of his pants rested suggestively against the lines of his lower abdomen. When he sat down, the sharp curve of his spine disappeared smoothly beneath the blue fabric.
A moment later, Jiao Xing, bald and pot-bellied, strolled over. He carried a large tea mug in his hand, with a few cheap tea leaves stuck to the rim. The oily shine of his bald head made Yuan Wei squint slightly. He shifted over and made room for him.
Jiao Xing placed the mug on the ground and squatted beside him.
“Everyone else went to lunch. Why’re you still sitting here?”
Yuan Wei shook his head. “Not hungry.”
Jiao Xing clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Young people always love pushing themselves. Wait until you’re older, then you’ll understand.”
After speaking, he narrowed his eyes and took a sip of tea, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Yuan Wei rested his wrist against his knee and stared silently at the dirt mound in the distance. His eyes were very light in color, yet his eyelashes were dark as raven feathers. When he looked at the dirt pile, there was somehow an illusion of him gazing affectionately at a lover.
Jiao Xing sighed as well. The kid looked perfectly decent, so why had he chosen this kind of hard labor?
He still remembered how Yuan Wei had attracted everyone’s attention the moment he arrived. Rumor said he had just been released from prison after injuring someone in a fight.
Young men got hot-blooded sometimes, Jiao Xing understood that. He had been young once too. But what puzzled him was that he had never once seen any hostility in Yuan Wei. Despite his young age, he always carried a gloomy calmness, and when he kept a straight face, he seemed even more mature than Jiao Xing himself.
Even when the veteran troublemakers at the construction site had tried to provoke him some time ago, Yuan Wei had not gotten angry. He had merely glanced at them lightly with those pale eyes, frightening the bastards so badly they hurriedly made excuses and left.
Jiao Xing was extremely curious about what Yuan Wei had experienced to possess a maturity far beyond both his peers and even men of Jiao Xing’s own age.
While pondering endlessly over it, he had once accidentally glimpsed the long scars across Yuan Wei’s back, and only then did he catch a tiny glimpse of the iceberg hidden beneath those experiences.
Jiao Xing exaggeratedly let out another sigh, causing the water in his mug to slosh around.
“Little Yuan, maybe I’m meddling too much, but you’re not getting any younger. You should really think about finding someone. Look around, what healthy young guy your age doesn’t even have a girlfriend? Don’t blame me for speaking bluntly, but with your current situation… even if you are handsome… what girl would willingly stay with you?”
Yuan Wei rubbed his thumb against his index finger and lowered his pale eyes without speaking.
Jiao Xing set down his mug and leaned closer.
“If you don’t mind me meddling, I can introduce you to someone. My wife’s cousin, Chu Tao…”
The chatter continued in his ear, but Yuan Wei kept staring at the ground beneath his feet. In his vision were the faded hems of his pants and his slightly misshapen rubber shoes.
A line of ants crawled past in a winding trail. The first ant bumped into his shoe, its antennae twitching lightly as it tapped gently against the sole.
At last, the corner of Yuan Wei’s mouth moved slightly. He shifted his foot aside and watched the tiny creatures scurry neatly toward their nest.
“This girl has a round face and big eyes. Sure, she only finished middle school, but she’s hardworking, and she’d suit you just fi…”
Yuan Wei stood up, dusted off his pants, and prepared to leave.
Jiao Xing hurriedly stood up too, still clutching his thermos cup.
“Hey, hey, what’s your problem? At least give me an answer first…”
Halfway through speaking, he suddenly jumped like a startled rabbit and stared ahead with widened eyes.
“Hey, hey, hey, who’s that girl?”
Yuan Wei paused mid-step.
Turning around, he saw a red figure standing at the entrance of the construction site.
Even from far away, the fluttering hem of her dress was visible, and her beautiful face looked dazzlingly pale beneath the sunlight.
Jiao Xing exclaimed, “Wow, that girl’s really pretty. Who’s she looking for?”
Yuan Wei did not respond.
As the red figure drew closer and closer, the face of his ex-girlfriend, Sheng Xia, came clearly into view.
She wore a vivid red dress, one shoulder strap hanging loosely off her shoulder to reveal half of her snow-white skin. Loose strands of hair clung to her neck, tracing soft, lingering curves.
Perhaps because she had rushed over in a hurry, her breathing sounded rapid as she approached.
Yuan Wei did not move. His expression was as cold and indifferent as if he were facing a pile of wood.
Su Youtian rushed forward in a few quick steps. She squeezed her eyes shut and suddenly swung her hand out. Her five fingers merely brushed lightly across Yuan Wei’s cheek.
Yuan Wei froze.
【Host, are you caressing him?】
Su Youtian: “……”
The next second, her left hand suddenly rose out of control.
Smack!
Yuan Wei’s head snapped slightly to the side, and five red finger marks quickly appeared on his face.
Jiao Xing yelped, scrunching up his face and recoiling his neck in sympathy.
The surrounding air seemed to vanish in an instant. Even the temperature appeared to drop several degrees.
Yuan Wei narrowed his eyes, and frost seemed to form instantly within them.
The moment Jiao Xing saw this, he immediately slammed his cup onto the table and scolded angrily:
“What’s wrong with you, young lady?! Why are you hitting people the moment you show up?!”
Yuan Wei did not speak, but he took a step forward.
Seeing his reaction, Jiao Xing asked, “You two know each other?”
Yuan Wei did not answer. He lowered his lashes, his eyes like the lakes of the Tianshan Mountains, frozen with eternal frost.
The girl first stared at her own hand in disbelief. Then, with a pale face, she slowly turned her neck like a rusted machine. Looking at Yuan Wei, she seemed genuinely frightened, trembling uncontrollably from head to toe.
Su Youtian parted her lips. Her throat felt as though someone were choking it shut, and she barely managed to squeeze out a few words.
“I… I…”
Yuan Wei slowly raised his hand and reached toward her face.
His fingers were long and well-defined, roughened slightly with calluses. Though his hand radiated warmth, Su Youtian felt only bone-deep coldness from it. Even the breeze stirred by his movement made goosebumps rise across her skin.
She shook in place like a frightened quail. If she had feathers, they probably would have puffed up completely by now.
Yuan Wei’s fingers curled slightly. Just as his fingertips brushed against Su Youtian’s cheek, she suddenly let out a dramatic howl:
“How could you treat me like this?!”
Yuan Wei’s hand paused midair.
He watched as Su Youtian trembled like a quail, squeezing out two giant tears while clutching at his tank top and wailing:
“Yuan Wei, how could you be so heartless!”
Her voice was shrill and grief-stricken, her expression full of sorrow and resentment. She looked exactly like a lovesick girl abandoned by a scumbag boyfriend. The commotion instantly attracted attention, and many of the workers nearby poked their heads over, glaring at Yuan Wei with condemnation.
Jiao Xing’s scalp tingled in shock. Was this one of Yuan Wei’s romantic debts coming back to haunt him?
Yuan Wei lowered his lashes. The frost in his eyes seemed to melt slightly under the sunlight for reasons unknown.
Su Youtian tugged at him so hard his body rocked slightly back and forth. His tank top was stretched halfway down his chest, exposing pale skin beneath. A faint line down his chest resembled a narrow river winding through subtly rising dunes. The rough pulling somehow created an oddly intimate atmosphere.
Su Youtian swallowed hard, nearly forgetting her lines.
Internally cursing beauty for being misleading, she hurriedly squeezed out more tears and accused Yuan Wei through sobs:
“Don’t tell me you don’t know why I hit you!”
Even the system seemed stunned by her shamelessness. Its cold voice stalled for a moment.
【Host, what exactly are you doing?】
I’m fighting for survival here!
Su Youtian complained indignantly in her heart.
In the original novel, after Yuan Wei was released from prison, the two of them had never met again. Even though they lived in the same city and both knew where the other was, Sheng Xia never once visited him. After enough time passed, Yuan Wei naturally understood what that meant, and the two silently accepted the end of their relationship.
The corner of Yuan Wei’s lips lifted slightly.
“I don’t.”
Su Youtian froze, then pressed onward. She practically wrung Yuan Wei’s tank top into a pickled vegetable while tears poured from her eyes like a burst dam.
“Why didn’t you come see me after getting out of prison? Did you really want to break up with me that badly?”
Through her actions, she perfectly demonstrated what it meant to turn the tables and blame the victim instead.
Yuan Wei narrowed his eyes. He reached out and grasped her wrist, lowering her hand with gentle but undeniable strength.
Su Youtian’s heart skipped a beat. Judging from his reaction, was this strategy not working?
Her face gradually turned pale, and the tears at the corners of her eyes nearly retreated back inside.
“No.”
His lips moved slightly as he answered with only that one word. Though it was a denial, the hands restraining Su Youtian remained steady and firm.
No?
What did “no” mean?
Did he mean he had not avoided coming to see her, or that he had not wanted to break up?
Panic rose in Su Youtian’s chest, and she accidentally hiccuped through her crying.
“No what?”
Yuan Wei fell silent again.
Lowering his lashes, he reached out and grabbed Su Youtian by the collar.
Startled, she widened her round eyes and glared at him. “Hey!”
Though Yuan Wei looked lean, he was actually incredibly strong. With one hand gripping the back of Su Youtian’s collar and the other pushing against her back, he quickly marched her toward the entrance in just a few steps. Completely bewildered, Su Youtian was shoved along helplessly.
Yuan Wei released her collar and gave her another push from behind.
“Go on.”
Su Youtian stumbled forward several steps involuntarily. Turning back, she saw Yuan Wei standing with his back to her, hands in his pockets, his shadow stretched long behind him.
She sniffled before finally asking in disbelief:
“T-that’s it?”
Even the system sounded speechless.
【He actually didn’t hit you.】
Hey, you sound disappointed about that…
Su Youtian wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Lucky, lucky…”
Thinking back on it, she had assumed all she needed to do was lightly slap Yuan Wei. She had never expected the system to be capable of forcibly controlling her body to complete missions.
“What was that just now?”
【I am the Self-Destruction System. My purpose is not only to make you court disaster, but to make sure you suffer for it. I’m here to let you get abused, not flirt.】
F-flirt?
Su Youtian rubbed her sweaty palms together, her face inexplicably flushing red.
【…Yin Shan is coming.】
Su Youtian abruptly turned around and saw Yin Shan staring at her strangely.
“What were you doing just now?”
Su Youtian paused, then smiled.
“Obviously I went to see Yuan Wei.”
Yin Shan stepped closer.
“And… what did he say?”
Su Youtian replied, “He’s completely impossible to deal with. I can’t do anything about him.”
Yin Shan blinked her large eyes.
“Then you’d better hurry. If Yuan Wei keeps staying in this city, Shen Haolin definitely won’t let him off.”