Xie Yun lazily lifted his eyelids and shot him a glance.
“No, thanks.”
After staring him down, he looked away, stood up, and attempted to push past the man. “I’m with my seatmate. Excuse us.”
What a joke, Xie Yun thought. Why would I leave the protagonist behind to hang out with this thug?
Behind him, a faint, almost imperceptible curve tugged at the corner of his seatmate’s lips.
Cui Yiyang, leaning his weight on the desk with his knuckles, didn’t listen. Instead, he leaned in closer with a grin, whispering, “Transfer student, how many times have you rejected me now? You stood me up yesterday; can’t you say yes just this once?”
Many curious gazes flickered toward them.
Feeling the pressure of the other’s height, Xie Yun frowned and took a few steps back, only to feel warm breath fanning against the back of his neck. His back brushed against Lu Yibing’s burning chest.
The youth immediately ducked his head, turned around, and pushed Lu Yibing toward the aisle. “Let’s go.”
Before the two people—one in front and one behind—could react, Xie Yun had already grabbed the umbrella he left at his seat yesterday and slipped out of the classroom with Lu Yibing in tow.
Cui Yiyang, who had been ditched again: “???”
Xie Yun, you just wait.
The continuous rain, carrying a hint of a chill, brushed against the two youths’ clothes as they went downstairs.
At the bottom of the stairs, Lu Yibing tried to take the umbrella. “Let me hold it, Brother.”
He was calling him “Brother” so obediently.
Xie Yun looked at him sideways, quietly meeting the gaze of those dark pupils beneath messy bangs. No wonder he was so easily bullied.
“Next time they do this, you have to learn to fight back.” Finally, Xie Yun could only let out a soft sigh. “Your brother can’t be by your side every second.”
Doesn’t this guy tell his elders when he’s being bullied? Xie Yun sighed again in his heart.
System: 【He’s your brother with different parents, you know~】
That’s true. In the original book, he was an adopted child, and since he was adopted by the mother, he took her surname. Given that status, it really was hard for him to speak up.
But fortunately, he was the protagonist shou. Later on, a protagonist gong would likely appear to protect him, playing out a classic melodramatic Mary Sue plot. As long as Xie Yun brought them together, he’d be in the clear.
System: ? 【Host… I said you are supposed to be the one to woo the protagonist shou.】
Xie Yun: “……”
He had almost forgotten. But he wasn’t a gong, nor was he gay; why did it have to be him doing the wooing? This straight man was truly troubled.
Moreover, Xie Yun had never liked anyone in his life, let alone known how to pursue someone. He had, however, seen others pursue him.
Buying breakfast? Walking them home? Doing everything for them?
Xie Yun thought for a moment and then proactively opened the umbrella. “Your jacket already got soaked earlier because of me; how can I let you hold the umbrella now? Come here.”
…This should work, right?
Lu Yibing looked at him and smiled, obediently bowing his head to duck under the opened umbrella.
The rain pattered against the surface. With two tall men squeezed under one umbrella, it was inevitable that some rain would splash in. Lu Yibing reached out.
A sensation of warmth wrapped around and rested on Xie Yun’s shoulder. He froze, instinctively wanting to dodge. “What are you doing?”
Their eyes met in a somewhat awkward gaze.
“Brother’s shoulder will get wet; I’m shielding you.” Lu Yibing looked at him, saying these words with a beaming smile, though the strength in his hand tightened.
But this gesture was too…
…Gay.
【Is the protagonist shou a homosexual?】 Xie Yun silently asked in his mind.
【What kind of question is that, Host?】 The system chuckled.
“……” Xie Yun conceded.
Still, being held like that felt awkward. He calmly brushed away the hand. “No need.”
“Why?” Lu Yibing lowered his dark eyes, staring at him intently. “What if Brother’s shoulder gets wet?”
Xie Yun: “……”
Hadn’t his clothes already gotten slightly damp on the way back to the teaching building?
He gave a fake smile. “Then I’ll just move the umbrella a bit more toward my side, and I won’t get wet. ^^”
The rejected Lu Yibing: TT
The dark clouds in the sky remained gloomy. Raindrops dripped along the edge of the umbrella, dampening the two boys’ broad shoulders. Passing the fountain, a white angel sculpture stood ahead. Its pure white form was soaked by the rain, eyes closed in devotion as its hands were folded in prayer.
Walking through another small patch of shade, the two arrived at the logistics office.
The logistics office was one of the administrative areas for the Student Union, handling various tasks like lost and found or uniform collection. They closed their umbrellas and stepped inside.
The marble floor of greenish-grey tiles gave off a cold glint. The chandeliers swayed slightly, and the vast front hall was empty. Lu Yibing surveyed the surroundings and stepped through a door that was slightly ajar.
“Brother, come in with me for a moment.”
As he walked in, a faint echo drifted out. Puzzled, Xie Yun followed him.
The white-plastered walls were hung with Raphael oil paintings. The surroundings were snow-white, and in a square corner, stacks of folded new uniforms were piled high.
“My uniform was ruined before, and I came here to get a new one, so I know where they are,” Lu Yibing said abruptly.
Xie Yun crouched down by the pile of uniforms and glanced at him.
Having taken off his deep blue uniform jacket, the white shirt was dampened by rain and clung to the youth’s body, revealing his broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted physique. Looking closely, one could even see the faint lines of Lu Yibing’s skin tone.
Someone looked away.
Judging by the quality, these uniforms must be expensive. And he can just endure this? Xie Yun began to have doubts.
His pale fingers grasped the transparent plastic bags with a rustling sound as he focused on rummaging through the pile for his own set.
Bang!
The door was suddenly slammed shut with heavy force!
The crouching Xie Yun flinched in fright. Lu Yibing reacted instantly, checking the lock.
It wouldn’t open.
He frowned in thought. Just as he turned his head, he met Xie Yun’s approaching gaze. Two buttons of the grey shirt were undone, revealing a snow-white, slender neck and prominent collarbones. The boy’s shoulder was damp.
Lifting his long lashes, Xie Yun stared at him expressionlessly. He had a pair of very beautiful eyes; his unconscious indifference was like the gurgling snow-melt beneath floating ice—cold, clear, and aloof.
“Let me see.”
As his crisp voice fell, the cold beauty leaned in, shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu Yibing.
The scent of cedarwood hooked onto Lu Yibing’s nose. He lowered his gaze.
So white. His gland area is so pink.
He lowered his eyelids further. The snow-colored back of the other’s neck was right before his eyes. It felt as though if it were touched even slightly, it would flush red.
As the onlooker thought this, the red flushed across his own cheeks first.
Frowning slightly, Xie Yun tried the handle several times but couldn’t open the door. It was likely locked from the outside.
…Who is this bored? Xie Yun was speechless. He pulled his phone from his pocket.
Lu Yibing, meanwhile, stared at him unblinkingly.
His fingers are also very beautiful. The knuckles had a faint pink tint; they were long, lean, and pale, with elegant, bony lines.
His thoughts drifted.
Slender fingers typed rapidly on the screen. The school allowed phones, so Xie Yun sent a message to the teacher he had added the day before. He then looked up and met that lingering gaze. “What are you looking at me for?”
Caught in the act, Lu Yibing remained unhurried. With a flush on his face, he turned his head away. “Brother’s clothes are wet. Why don’t you change into the uniform here?”
There were uniforms right here, after all.
Xie Yun’s finger paused on the screen as he looked at him. “?”
“There are no cameras here…” The red-faced Lu Yibing continued to look away, his voice low as he spoke each word clearly.
Xie Yun raised an eyebrow. “Are you not a person?”
Lu Yibing: “Is Brother afraid I’ll watch? ^^”
He actually turned back to meet Xie Yun’s eyes when he said this.
Seeing his smiling face, Xie Yun: “……”
The youth unhurriedly tucked his phone away. “I’ve called for help. I’ll change in a toilet stall later.”
Lu Yibing maintained his smile.
Time passed minute by minute. The bell for the start of class after the long break was loud enough to be heard even in this small room. Still, there was no movement on the phone.
What is going on now? Xie Yun frowned.
He remembered there was no such plot in the original book. In the original story, Lu Yibing was supposed to be at an elective equestrian class at this time; he wouldn’t be locked in here with him at all.
The white-lit chandelier illuminated the cramped room. The sweltering heat was suffocating, and Xie Yun began to sweat slightly. A bead of sweat slid down his snow-white neck, brushing past that faintly pink gland.
Lu Yibing’s gaze followed that bead of sweat as it rolled into his clothes.
So hot.
He turned his head away, his brows knitting as if he were in increasing distress. He even leaned his entire body against the wall, slowly sliding down.
Xie Yun, who was studying the door lock, noticed him. “What’s wrong with you?”
He instinctively went over to support Lu Yibing’s sliding shoulder.
The cedarwood scent from before grew closer and closer. Lu Yibing stared blankly at the gorgeous face right in front of him.
“Brother?”
He shook himself out of his daze. Their eyes met, and Xie Yun noticed that his dark pupils had suddenly lost their light and become murky. His forehead and temples were covered in sweat, and he looked listless and drained.
What is happening?
Xie Yun called him several times, but he didn’t respond, only staring at him in silence. It was a very scorching gaze.
It can’t be a heat cycle, can it? Then we’re doomed.
A circle of warmth wrapped around Xie Yun’s waist. In the next moment, the other’s chin rested on his shoulder.
The youth’s muffled voice brushed against his ear: “Brother, I’m cold.”
As those three words landed, the air instantly fell into an eerie silence.
What did he say? It’s this hot and he’s calling out that he’s cold?? Xie Yun’s frown deepened.
The heavy scent of cedarwood wound around his nose. Lu Yibing lowered his eyelids and took the opportunity to bury his face in Xie Yun’s shoulder.
So fragrant… He closed his eyes, unwilling to let go.
The warmth on his waist tightened a bit more, and Xie Yun’s hands, which were holding his shoulders, had nowhere to go.
The two remained frozen in that position. The rough sensation against Xie Yun’s waist was burning hot, scorching his skin bit by bit. It was too hot. Sweat mixed with their breath, and the air became sticky.
He wanted to shove Lu Yibing away.
“Brother…” A tiny tremor appeared just as Xie Yun was about to push. The other person shuddered for some unknown reason and held him even tighter. “Don’t push me away. It’s so cold.”
Unable to match his strength, Xie Yun looked for a way to break free. “…I’ll go get a jacket for you.”
“No,” he murmured. “Brother is warmer than a jacket. Don’t go.”
Xie Yun: “……”
So gay.
The sweat flowing from both of them mixed together. It was too uncomfortable. Xie Yun patted his back to coax him. “Your brother is hot. My clothes are soaked with sweat. Let me go change into a uniform and then hold you, okay?”
The negotiable tone sounded like an ambiguous whisper to Lu Yibing. His arms gradually loosened as if he were moved to compromise.
With the grip on his waist loosened, Xie Yun suddenly pushed him away. The sudden reaction caused Lu Yibing to stumble a few steps. The person who pushed him instinctively reached out to steady him again, then quickly let go.
“Wait a moment.”
Xie Yun murmured in a low voice, avoiding his burning gaze, and turned around to look for a uniform.
Lu Yibing stared at his slender back, a clear smile playing on his thin lips.
The original host and Xie Yun’s heights were very similar, both 1.79 meters. He found the standard size measured a week ago.
His flushing fingers pinched the transparent bag. Xie Yun stood up and actually walked back to Lu Yibing.
“Brother said he was changing into a uniform. Could it be…?” Lu Yibing’s faint gaze landed on him.
Xie Yun managed a rare smile. “Yeah, I’m changing.”
His knuckles, turned red from his breathing, rested on his own snow-white yet flushed chest. His fingertips toyed with a button. Xie Yun watched Lu Yibing as he moved.
Seeing this, the other boy froze, a blush flying to the tips of his ears.
“Please move aside.”