Once a seed of suspicion is planted, it is incredibly difficult to root out. From then on, Qi Ningze occasionally distracted himself by observing Yang Le’an’s behavior.
The more carefully one observes a person, the more their inner nature is revealed. Underneath Yang Le’an’s gentle facade beat the heart of an ambitious soul.
Qi Ningze’s thoughts drifted gradually, as if two tiny figures were arguing inside his head.
One said: “He’s deceiving you and even wants to use you. He’s truly terrible.”
The other replied: “We cannon fodder are born to serve the protagonist. Deception and exploitation are simply human nature as long as the protagonist ends up better off, that’s all that matters.”
The two tiny figures bickered endlessly in Qi Ningze’s mind, neither willing to yield, pricking at him like needles.
After a moment of inner struggle, one figure slowly gained the upper hand.
Massaging his head, the furrows on Qi Ningze’s brow smoothed out as he persuaded himself: “Exploitation or not, as long as Yang Le’an is happy, that’s fine.”
The next day, Yang Le’an acted much more awkwardly around Qi Ningze, often turning his head away bashfully with an unnatural gaze whenever their eyes met.
Qi Ningze, meanwhile, greeted him cheerfully with an unchanged demeanor, his amber eyes resembling warm, gentle sunshine.
It was only when he arrived at school and saw Ke Feng that Qi Ningze’s cheerful mood sank once more.
With his head bowed, he greeted him in a hurry and eagerly rushed toward his seat.
“Hold on. Who allowed you to leave?” Ke Feng grabbed Qi Ningze like a little chick, dangling him in mid-air.
Not daring to move, Qi Ningze stayed submissively in Ke Feng’s grip with a troubled look on his face, his brows knitting into a tight furrow.
Seeing his foolish, adorable look, the corners of Ke Feng’s mouth curled upward as a magnetic chuckle rumbled softly from his throat.
A sudden idea struck him. Purposely knitting his brows to project an imposing, stern aura, he added a threat to his tone: “Did you write the poem I ordered you to write last time?”
How could Qi Ningze possibly write a poem? Isn’t this just deliberate harassment? Yet with Ke Feng’s formidable presence hovering over him, and being held in his grip like a chick, there was zero chance of escape.
Qi Ningze could only awkwardly stammer: “Umm… sorry, I forgot.”
“Forgot?” Ke Feng’s frown deepened even further. Combined with his handsome, cold, and harsh features, he looked utterly menacing like a demon straight out of hell.
With a trembling voice and a face flushed red with fear, Qi Ningze tried to argue back: “Forget it… my poem wouldn’t be able to capture even a thousandth of your handsome charm.”
Ke Feng remained unmoved: “I told you to write it, understand?”
After pondering for a long while, Qi Ningze bit his ruby-red lower lip, a faint mist coating his clear eyes: “Title: Ke Feng. Content: Handsome, handsome, handsome. Handsomeness is an attitude, handsomeness is a talent…”
He went on for quite a while. As those lines fell into Ke Feng’s ears, the corners of his mouth twitched, and his gaze toward Qi Ningze grew exceedingly complex.
Ke Feng spoke up hesitantly: “How about… you don’t write poetry in the future?” He really isn’t cut out for this path; the poem he wrote is truly beyond description.
Qi Ningze remained silent, simply staring up at him with those clear, tear-filled eyes, as if silently expressing his grievances.
Ke Feng let out a sigh, preparing to let Qi Ningze off the hook, when a group of students suddenly approached them head-on.
The blond boy leading the group spotted Ke Feng and his eyes lit up. Taking in their posture, he assumed he understood the situation.
Dashing over to Ke Feng, he shouted, “Boss, you’re here!” Turning to Qi Ningze, he scanned him up and down provocatively, letting out a contemptuous snort from his throat.
“It’s you blind fool angering the boss again! If you ask me, you deserve a severe beating.” The blond boy’s tone turned eager as he looked at Ke Feng. “Boss, do you need me to handle him for you?”
Standing between the two, Qi Ningze had a tiger on his left and a wolf on his right, nearly frightened out of his senses.
He reminded himself inwardly: Everything is for the sake of future promotions and raises. It’s no big deal, just a beating, right?
Everyone’s gaze shifted onto Ke Feng, as if a single order from him would subject Qi Ningze to an immediate, brutal thrashing.
Yet an unpredictable, enigmatic expression flickered across Ke Feng’s handsome, cold face.
Finally, Ke Feng spoke up. Reaching out, he pulled Qi Ningze firmly into his arms. “No need. I’ll discipline him privately. Dismissed.”
A hesitant look appeared on the blond boy’s face as he stammered, “Boss… just the two of you?”
He wasn’t worried that Qi Ningze would fight back; rather, he feared Ke Feng wouldn’t know his own strength and would cause a major scene.
He had clearly witnessed the boss forcing a dishonest, arrogant guy, who had repeatedly provoked Ke Feng headfirst into water.
He hadn’t pulled the guy out until he was on the brink of physical exhaustion, after which he delivered a severe beating. Ever since then, that once-arrogant guy gave Ke Feng a wide berth wherever he went.
Now, looking at the frail Qi Ningze, he worried the kid wouldn’t even last a few minutes.
Truth be told, the blond boy actually held a decent impression of Qi Ningze. Qi Ningze was very honest; he often saw Qi Ningze sharing his lunch with the stray cats and dogs around campus.
The kid was skinny as a rail himself, yet spent all day looking out for stray animals quite an oddity.
Ke Feng nodded, his gaze icy. As if seeing right through the blond boy’s thoughts, he said indifferently, “You guys leave. I know my limits.”
With things stated so clearly, the blond boy didn’t dare say more. He had prepared himself for the worst, never expecting Ke Feng to take such a stern stance with him.
Once the group departed, Qi Ningze was left alone to face Ke Feng.
Standing frozen in place, he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. Terrifying thoughts raced through his mind, was he about to get beaten up directly?
Was this truly the inevitable fate of cannon fodder?
Before Qi Ningze could react, Ke Feng grabbed his arm, seemingly preparing to take him somewhere.
Not daring to resist, Qi Ningze submissively followed Ke Feng’s lead.
Ke Feng pulled him straight into a hidden private suite. Qi Ningze looked around curiously having stayed at the school for so long, he had never realized such a place existed.
The room was decorated elegantly and simply, yet exuded a subtle sense of luxury and refinement.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Qi Ningze asked Ke Feng, “Why did you bring me here?”
Qi Ningze’s heart pounded wildly, filled with equal parts fear and curiosity.
Normally speaking, taking someone away to beat them up wouldn’t lead to a place like this, right? This was clearly Ke Feng’s private quarters.
Without saying a word, Ke Feng headed into the suite’s kitchen for a short while.
Before long, he emerged wearing a small bear apron, holding a steaming bowl of noodles in his hands.
Ke Feng’s expression remained as fierce as ever, but paired with the bear apron, it took on a ridiculously humorous tone.
His curious gaze was so intense that Ke Feng glared at him annoyance, placing the bowl directly in front of Qi Ningze and stating in a cold, matter-of-fact tone: “Eat it fast. It’ll get cold if you wait.”
Qi Ningze stared blankly at the scene before him, a wave of astonishment washing over him.
Why would Ke Feng, who looked so fierce and terrifying on the surface be the kind of man who wore a bear apron and cooked noodles for someone in private?
Without exaggeration, in Qi Ningze’s mind, Ke Feng was the type of underworld boss who would speak to you nicely one second and stab you to death the next.
“I’ll eat, I’ll eat!” Under his pressuring gaze, Qi Ningze picked up the chopsticks to take a bite.
After a single bowl of noodles, Qi Ningze was thoroughly won over by Ke Feng. The delicious flavor was beyond anything words could describe.
The gaze Qi Ningze directed at Ke Feng held an unmistakable trace of admiration that he hadn’t even noticed himself.
Having eaten someone’s food, one ought to say nice things and do good deeds in return.
Sitting uneasily in his chair, Qi Ningze offered praise in a soft voice: “Thank you. The noodles you made are truly delicious.”
Ke Feng nodded, an imperceptible trace of delight flickering in his eyes.
Feeling that this damaged his usual tough image, Ke Feng remarked nonchalantly, “No need to thank me. I should be thanking you.”
“Huh? Why?” Ke Feng’s sudden thanks caught Qi Ningze completely off guard, and he instinctively pointed a finger at himself.
Qi Ningze asked, “Were you thanking me just now?”
Ke Feng nodded, “Yes, I was thanking you.”
A look of utter bewilderment crossed Qi Ningze’s face, his mind going completely blank. “I don’t think I did anything, why are you suddenly thanking me?”
Ke Feng lowered his head to conceal his expression, the gaze hidden beneath his hair sharp and intense. He said coolly, “The stray cats and dogs at school are raised by me.”
The reason he hadn’t bullied Qi Ningze further was precisely because Qi Ningze had taken good care of the campus cats and dogs.
This bowl of noodles today was simply a small token of gratitude for Qi Ningze’s daily deeds.
Upon his reminder, Qi Ningze finally recalled the matter. As a minor cannon fodder who had just entered this world, his heart was constantly filled with ignorance and fear.
Yet those feelings couldn’t be shared with anyone else and had to be buried deep in his heart.
Thus, Qi Ningze would intentionally or unintentionally feed the cats and dogs at school, using those moments as a way to unwind.
“So that’s how it is! Those cats and dogs are raised by you.” Thinking of the little animals at school, Qi Ningze’s gaze softened considerably.
Looking at Ke Feng with a faint hint of admiration in his eyes, Qi Ningze smiled and said, “You’ve raised them so well, every single one of them lives so happily.”
He had even observed carefully that each cat and dog had its own designated little shelter, showing just how much care Ke Feng had put into them.
Ke Feng froze in a daze, staring foolishly at Qi Ningze. The youth’s true beauty previously hidden by the System gradually shone through once more.
Smooth, fair skin paired with eyes that seemed to hold a galaxy of stars, yet without being overly dazzling; when he smiled, he resembled a pristine, radiant moon.
That bright moon landed squarely in Ke Feng’s heart, stirring up towering waves.
By the time Ke Feng snapped back to his senses and looked again, Qi Ningze seemed to have reverted to his usual plain, unremarkable appearance.