In the dormitory, Bai Yao sat on a chair, holding a warm electric heating pad against his stomach while soaking his feet in a basin of hot water, staring at the computer screen.
He simply could not focus.
Even though the pain was not very intense, the continuous bloating and dull ache still drained a lot of his energy.
He had no mood to do anything else, and his attention kept drifting back to his abdomen.
The cold and indifferent expression he had earlier was gone.
His face looked lifeless, his eyes dull.
His whole body seemed wilted, completely lacking energy.
“Want to drink a bit more water?”
Qiu Ye sat beside him, bringing over a cup of warm brown sugar water that had cooled slightly.
He placed it nearby, looking a little nervous.
“Should you take some medicine?”
It was the first time both of them had experienced menstrual cramps.
Neither knew what to do, but Qiu Ye seemed even more nervous than Bai Yao.
“Let’s not take medicine yet. It’s just uncomfortable,” Bai Yao said.
He was used to enduring illness first.
In the past, whether it was a cold or a fever, he would tough it out for several days before considering medicine.
“Then drink some water?”
“Mm.”
He picked up the cup and took a sip.
At first the brown sugar water had helped and made him feel a little better, but now that he had drunk a lot, it did not seem to have much effect anymore.
The heating pad and foot soak were the same—only temporary relief.
He slumped onto the table, pressing the heating pad more firmly against his stomach as if he wanted to push it inside.
After only about an hour, Bai Yao’s face had turned paler.
His spirit visibly weakened, which made Qiu Ye feel distressed.
“My body feels a bit sore…” Bai Yao muttered.
He clearly had menstrual cramps—why did the muscles in the rest of his body feel sore too?
“Why don’t you go lie down on the bed?”
“Mm.”
He took another big gulp of brown sugar water, set the cup down, lifted his feet out of the basin, and did not even bother drying them.
He climbed onto the bed and slipped inside the bed curtain.
Lying under the blanket did feel a bit more comfortable.
Bai Yao wanted to sleep.
The constant dull pain had exhausted him physically and mentally.
But even after closing his eyes, he felt no sleepiness.
He turned over, plugged his phone in to charge, and absentmindedly scrolled through Douyin.
This was useless… even Douyin felt boring.
Now he finally understood why girls during their periods could become irritable and explosive.
Having a constant pain debuff hanging over you would make anyone irritable.
And with that dull pain, you simply did not want to do anything, leaving you gloomy.
His pain was not even severe.
He had heard that some girls’ menstrual cramps were so bad they could faint.
So annoying!
Bai Yao pulled the blanket over his head, trying to sleep somehow.
Half an hour later, he opened his eyes.
Sleepiness had come, and his eyelids were heavy, but the pain would not let him fall asleep.
Irritated, he rolled around on the bed twice.
Hearing the noise, Qiu Ye immediately put down the game he had been playing, pulled open the bed curtain, and poked his head inside.
“What’s wrong?”
“Annoyed. Leave me alone,” Bai Yao said, turning his back to him.
“I’m sleeping.”
But how could he ignore that?
It was obvious Bai Yao was in a bad mood.
Normally, bothering him now might provoke an angry tigress.
But Qiu Ye climbed onto the bed anyway and slipped inside the curtain.
“What are you doing?”
Bai Yao asked irritably.
“Keeping you company. You look so uncomfortable.”
Qiu Ye sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed, looking at Bai Yao, who was facing the wall and wrapped in the blanket like a chicken wrap.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“How about I rub your stomach for you?”
“No need.”
“Uh… I just grabbed two bags of laundry detergent for one cent. Do you want one?”
“Really?!”
Bai Yao instantly sat up.
“Where’s the event? I’ll grab one too!”
Qiu Ye quickly scooted closer and demonstrated the steps on his phone.
Bai Yao followed seriously with his own phone, only to find that the event had already ended right after the hour changed.
“It’s fine. You can grab it again at six this evening.”
“Boring.”
Bai Yao slumped back down again.
But suddenly he remembered—the system task required Qiu Ye to take care of him, not for him to hide in bed alone enduring the pain of his period.
Helping him boil water and buying the heating pad earlier probably already counted as taking care of him.
But how could he make Qiu Ye feel moved?
He already felt miserable, and he still had to think about these annoying things…
Sleepiness made Bai Yao’s brain feel foggy.
His mind kept thinking, but his eyes closed unconsciously.
His consciousness blurred for a moment, then he suddenly woke again because of the dull pain in his lower abdomen.
Holding his stomach, he groaned softly and curled his legs up, turning to face Qiu Ye.
“Did I fall asleep?”
“You even snored twice.”
Bai Yao looked miserable, weakly complaining, “I want to sleep. I finally start feeling sleepy, but it hurts again…”
“Then I’ll rub your stomach?”
“Maybe not…”
Last night, even having his thigh touched had embarrassed him enough to run away.
His lower belly was obviously even more private.
Normally, even being poked there would make him jump in shock.
But hearing Bai Yao’s uncertain tone, Qiu Ye said directly, “Come here. I’ll rub it for you. Stop hesitating.”
Usually, Bai Yao’s questions meant he was uncertain and struggling to decide, so Qiu Ye might as well decide for him.
Reluctantly, Bai Yao leaned closer.
His pale face gained a faint blush.
“Come a little closer.”
“….”
If he moved any closer, he would practically be lying in Qiu Ye’s arms.
After hesitating, under Qiu Ye’s firm tone, Bai Yao finally sat up and stiffly half-lay back into Qiu Ye’s embrace.
The next moment, Qiu Ye’s warm hand covered his stomach through his clothes.
The warmth from a human body was clearly more comfortable than the heating pad.
After gently rubbing a few times, the dull pain deep in his belly seemed to ease.
His upper body leaned against Qiu Ye’s chest, as if wrapped in warmth.
He could smell Qiu Ye’s calm and warm scent, which gave Bai Yao—who was anxious from the cramps—a sense of security.
He hummed softly.
“Still uncomfortable?”
“Lower.”
Lower?
Qiu Ye’s hand had originally been covering the area below Bai Yao’s navel.
Moving lower would reach the lower abdomen triangle area.
But Bai Yao did not seem to mind…
So he shifted his hand down slightly and gently rubbed Bai Yao’s lower abdomen.
It had to be said that Bai Yao’s belly was soft.
It felt very nice to rub, like kneading a cotton ball.
His whole body also smelled nice.
It was hard to tell whether it was the scent of shampoo and body wash or simply Bai Yao’s natural fragrance.
Bai Yao’s slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his stiff body loosened.
Tilting his head, he rested it against Qiu Ye’s chest, closing his eyes, not moving for quite a while.
Seeing him so defenseless, Qiu Ye could not help having a few improper thoughts.
What if he slipped his hand inside Bai Yao’s clothes?
Clearly rubbing directly against the skin would work better!
It was not that he was being perverted and trying to take advantage of the situation!
[Qiu Ye’s heart rate is rising! He feels attracted to you!Reward increased by 100!]
The system notification disturbed Bai Yao.
He let out a vague hum, opened his eyes to glance at Qiu Ye, saw Qiu Ye avoiding his gaze, and did not think much of it before closing his eyes again.
So the task was this simple? Just lean against Qiu Ye.
One hundred yuan already earned.
That improved Bai Yao’s gloomy mood a little.
Huh?
Why is something hard pressing against my lower back?