On his first night back in the country, Lin Zhicheng only slept for a short 2 hours, as if he had merely taken a nap.
He sat at the head of the bed as the sky began to brighten.
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, turning into a hazy glow that scattered across the hotel room floor, illuminating the dust motes floating in the air.
Lin Zhicheng stretched and rubbed his aching eyes.
He decided to spend the day adjusting his biological clock; no matter how tired he felt during the day, he couldn’t let himself go back to sleep.
He had to hold out until nightfall.
‘Is the coffee shop open yet?’
Checking the time, Lin Zhicheng looked over at Bai Yao, who was sleeping in the other bed, with a worried expression.
Bai Yao had a terrible sleeping posture.
The quilt had already been kicked onto the floor, and he was sprawled out on his back with his head tilted to the side.
His lips were slightly parted, and a single drop of crystal-clear drool hung from the corner of his mouth.
The hem of his short-sleeved shirt had ridden up to just below his chest, revealing a fair, flat belly.
He looked like he was about to wake up soon, as his hand resting on his stomach would scratch it from time to time.
‘To think my cousin was just an unremarkable, short little boy a few years ago…’
Lin Zhicheng tried hard to reconcile the Bai Yao in his memories with the Bai Yao before him.
He could only see that his skin had improved and his acne had cleared up.
In terms of physique, he seemed to have developed a bit of “weak-fat” from a long-term lack of exercise, making his whole body look soft and devoid of muscle.
But if that was really all it was, could it truly turn an unremarkable boy into this gender-ambiguous, somewhat pretty person?
“Mmm?”
Lin Zhicheng’s gaze lingered for too long, causing Bai Yao to feel a sense of discomfort in his sleep.
He let out an indistinguishable hum, opened his eyes groggily, and looked at Lin Zhicheng with a dazed expression.
Those misty eyes looked innocent and pitiful, appearing watery and aggrieved.
The confused, half-awake look on his face added a layer of defenseless cuteness.
But Bai Yao soon rolled over and lay on the edge of the bed.
He stretched out his arm to pick up the quilt from the floor, covered himself again, and went silent.
“Sleeping like a pig.”
“Mhm~”
Bai Yao responded instinctively.
Lin Zhicheng stood up with a yawn.
“I’m going downstairs to grab something to eat. Do you want breakfast?”
“Okay~”
Still groggy, Bai Yao’s voice was hoarse and weak.
Seeing this, a sudden thought struck Lin Zhicheng.
Driven by both curiosity and a sense of responsibility as an older cousin, he asked, “Are you seeing a boyfriend?”
“No~”
“I won’t tell your mother.”
However, Bai Yao fell completely silent, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
Lin Zhicheng could only attribute Bai Yao’s changes to “a boy’s version of the glow-up” rather than him being enticed into becoming a femboy or part of the LGBTQ+ community by some man.
It took about 30 minutes for Bai Yao to fully wake up.
He had long forgotten that he had woken up once already.
Seeing that his cousin had vanished from the room, he sent a message to check on him and then walked to the bathroom, yawning repeatedly.
[You’ve held out for so many days, yet you broke your streak by drinking yesterday!…]
The system was nagging incessantly in his mind.
Bai Yao ignored its words, calmly used the toilet, brushed his teeth, and washed his face.
He felt a little happy.
At least he didn’t have to worry about the milestone rewards for the next half a month.
While he was finishing up, the door opened, and Lin Zhicheng returned carrying two bags of breakfast.
“Time to eat.”
Bai Yao quickly spat out the foam in his mouth, rinsed with a few gulps of water, wiped his face, and habitually walked out of the bathroom with a cold, expressionless face.
Compared to his groggy appearance earlier, Lin Zhicheng found his expressionless cousin much more natural to look at.
Lin Zhicheng handed the breakfast to his cousin and said, “I booked a bullet train ticket for noon.”
“Mhm.”
Bai Yao opened the plastic bag to find a McDonald’s breakfast.
‘I’ve never had such a high-end breakfast in my life!’
Encountering food he had never tried before, Bai Yao acted like a cautious cat.
He sniffed the scent first, checked the receipt, took a tiny bite to taste it, and then took a sip of the soy milk…
The Double Layer Grilled Chicken McMuffin was actually quite good.
The soy milk was similar to the one in the cafeteria, though it was a bit light on sugar.
“How much was it?”
“Dozens of yuan.”
‘Expensive as hell!’
“How does it taste?”
Lin Zhicheng asked while sipping his McDonald’s coffee.
“I’m taking the train back at noon. What about you?”
“It’s alright…”
Bai Yao naturally wanted to go back to his dorm immediately, but he felt he should see his cousin off at the station.
He was torn.
“Why don’t you head back first? The station is nearby, right? I’ll just call a cab.”
“Okay, I’ll head back after I finish eating.”
Lin Zhicheng lowered his head to transfer money to Bai Yao on his phone.
“How much was the hotel? I’ll transfer it to you.”
“No need…”
“You’re still a student, why are you being so polite with me?”
‘Even though we haven’t seen each other or kept in touch for years, my cousin is still a good person.’
Bai Yao accepted the transfer.
Now that the money had arrived, even the McDonald’s soy milk tasted better.
After breakfast, Bai Yao’s mind was set on returning to the dorm.
He didn’t know why, but when they were kids, everything they did together was fun and meaningful, and they were always reluctant to part.
But after growing up, being with his cousin felt boring, and they had almost nothing to talk about.
“Do you still play games?”
“I stopped. No time.”
Even games, their only common topic, were gone.
Bai Yao became increasingly restless, wanting only to return to his dorm and play games.
He hesitantly packed his things and looked at his cousin, wanting to say something but stopping.
“Leaving?”
“Mhm…”
“Are you taking a taxi, the bus, or the subway?”
Lin Zhicheng stood up.
“Take a taxi. Send me a message when you arrive.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“I’ll walk you downstairs.”
Grabbing his laptop bag and slinging it over his shoulder, Bai Yao followed Lin Zhicheng out of the hotel and onto the street.
After a short wait, the ride-hail car pulled up to the curb.
Bai Yao turned back and waved at his cousin with a polite smile.
“I’m heading out then.”
Lin Zhicheng froze, nodding blankly.
His cousin was fine when he wasn’t smiling, but when he did, wasn’t he a bit too bewitching?
That smile was like a flower in bloom, both sweet and bright.
It was enough to steal a man’s soul…
“Hmm?”
Bai Yao was slightly confused, but the car was already waiting.
He hurriedly got in with his laptop bag, gave the driver the last four digits of his phone number, and leaned back against the seat.
He checked the time; it was just after 8:00 AM.
He sent a message to ask if Qiu Ye was awake and if he needed any breakfast brought back.
He had finally completed the task his mother gave him!
[Task Completed! Cash Reward: 100]
Bai Yao was a bit confused about when the system had issued a task. How come he didn’t know?
Oh, wait! Was it the “stay safe” one?
[Task completed beyond expectations! You shared a room with a man! Gazing at that handsome face, full muscles, tempting skin, and that ferocious dragon, you weren’t so hungry that you couldn’t keep your legs closed? You actually resisted your most primal and instinctive desires after drinking! Are you planning to go for the Pure Love Style?]
[Though you missed out on a man, you shouldn’t practice sexual repression for too long. It’s bad for the body.]
[Reward obtained: Custom Extra-Large Simulated Magic Wand! An experience more wonderful than a real person!]
Bai Yao froze.
With a glimmer of hope, he lowered his head to search his phone for what a “Magic Wand” actually was…
His face finally changed, turning pale as his pupils contracted violently.
In an instant, even the tips of his ears turned a bright, glowing red.
‘Dammit! I don’t need this thing!’
‘I don’t want this kind of filth appearing in my wardrobe!’
‘If my roommates find this, it won’t just be social suicide!’ —
LMAO