Chapter 53: Tired

Later that night, after eating and drinking their fill, they left the food stalls.

It was already past 8:00 PM, but the snack street outside the school was still quite lively.

Chen Zhilong, having drunk to his heart’s content, walked ahead with his arm around Wang Zuhao’s shoulder.

They skipped like children, chased each other around, and occasionally belted out songs in raspy voices.

Lin Mingxin hadn’t drunk much—or rather, he wasn’t the type to get excited when drunk.

He walked to the side alone, yawning and playing on his phone.

Meanwhile, Bai Yao and Qiu Ye felt embarrassed.

They followed from a distance, pretending not to know the other two, yet worried they might get into trouble after drinking so much.

“I don’t see what’s so great about alcohol,” Bai Yao said.

‘I’ve never been drunk in my life,’ he thought.

Bai Yao couldn’t understand why anyone liked drinking.

He had even heard of obsessive women who drank their lives away, becoming so decadent they needed a system to save them.

Even though the system had chosen the wrong host…

“When you’re slightly tipsy and a bit dizzy, it actually feels quite good,” Qiu Ye explained from beside him.

“Besides, we’re celebrating, aren’t we? It’s fine to have a little.”

Bai Yao glanced at him.

Qiu Ye shook his head without hesitation and added, “But I’m definitely staying away from alcohol from now on. This was such a huge lesson.”

No, Bai Yao was actually secretly pondering how to complete his task.

It had been nearly 2 hours since the meal started, yet he still hadn’t finished the mission.

He didn’t even have a clue how to do it.

‘Why are the tasks so troublesome now when they used to be so simple? Right! The Angelic Smile?’

Bai Yao narrowed his eyes, suddenly remembering the reward he had received earlier.

He didn’t like smiling to begin with, and after getting that reward, he became even more afraid to smile.

But hadn’t Qiu Ye’s gaze lingered on him for quite a while because of his smile earlier?

‘Expanding my thinking… maybe other rewards are suitable too?

Like wearing women’s clothing in front of Qiu Ye? If I add makeup…’ No, no, he wasn’t some cross-dressing pervert!

“I’m planning to go for a follow-up checkup this Friday. I’ve already made an appointment,” Qiu Ye said.

“Friday? Oh, the doctors are off on weekends.”

At least the outpatient doctors only worked half-shifts on weekends.

“Want to go together?”

Bai Yao nodded reluctantly.

“Okay.”

‘Why do you insist on dragging me along? I don’t want to go to the hospital at all…’

A night breeze blew, bringing a hint of chilliness.

He shivered.

The cold seemed to seep into his marrow, starting from his chest and spreading to his limbs.

Agreeing to something he didn’t want to do felt like the final straw.

He suddenly felt so tired…

His experiences over the past fifteen days, being led by the nose by the system, the mental anguish he suffered, the anxiety over his body gradually becoming more feminine, and the serious illness that might force him to take a leave of absence in 6 months… everything surged up at once, weighing on his heart and making it hard to breathe.

He was so exhausted he didn’t even want to speak.

The student street was still bustling and prosperous, and his roommates were playing and chasing each other, but Bai Yao felt distant, as if he didn’t belong to this world.

‘Maybe I should…’

Bai Yao regretted it and wanted to decline Qiu Ye.

But Qiu Ye did have a fracture and needed someone to accompany him.

He was just being sensitive.

“Don’t want to go?” Qiu Ye asked.

“Uh… it’s fine.”

Bai Yao lowered his head and couldn’t help but confess, “I just feel… a bit tired.”

He and Qiu Ye had talked late into the night until 3:00 or 4:00 AM and had spent 2 hours on the phone together before.

If he had to choose someone to vent his hidden frustrations to, it would be Qiu Ye.

His lowered eyes were hidden in the night.

He picked at his fingernails and continued to walk forward in silence.

Qiu Ye’s hand suddenly reached out and gently rubbed Bai Yao’s head twice.

“?”

Seeing Bai Yao look up in confusion, Qiu Ye smiled.

“If you’re tired, then rest. I have a fracture, I’m not an invalid, okay?”

Inexplicably, a sense of grievance welled up.

Bai Yao’s nose suddenly felt stingy.

He pursed his lips tightly, wrinkled his nose, and hummed an acknowledgment.

“Mm.”

He almost wanted to tell Qiu Ye everything that had happened to him recently, including the bizarre, idiotic system, the tasks to seduce men, the prophecy about him becoming a perverted obsessive woman in the future, and most unbearable of all — his body re-entering a developmental stage and moving toward becoming female…

But he swallowed it all back.

He couldn’t tell anyone these things, whether it was family or friends.

It wasn’t a matter of whether anyone would believe him; it was more that he was used to keeping everything to himself.

Bai Yao quickened his pace, stepping ahead of Qiu Ye.

He didn’t want anyone to see the look on his face, as if he were about to cry.

Looking at his slender back, Qiu Ye once again felt his coldness, tinged with a faint gloom.

Qiu Ye recalled Bai Yao’s smile.

He could clearly smile so warmly, like an angel, bringing a sense of healing to others, yet he couldn’t heal himself.

He was clearly a very gentle person, yet he seemed to be constantly torturing himself…

As Bai Yao gradually increased the distance between them, Qiu Ye had the illusion that he was drifting away alone.

**[Task completed. Reward: 100 RMB]**

Bai Yao froze.

The next moment, Qiu Ye caught up and threw an arm around his shoulders.

“If something’s on your mind, just tell me.”

He grinned, tightly gripping those slender shoulders.

“We’re freaking brothers!”

“Uh… yeah.”

Bai Yao only then realized that the task had been completed because Qiu Ye had been staring at his back for at least 1 minute.

‘What was I even worrying about? And what was Qiu Ye looking at? Is my back really that good-looking?’

“You two, hurry up!”

Lin Mingxin shouted from ahead.

“You guys go back first! We’re going to buy some more food!”

Qiu Ye yelled back.

“Eating again?”

No wonder Bai Yao seemed to have gained some weight.

Was it because Qiu Ye was constantly taking him out to eat and drink?

Lin Mingxin didn’t think much of it.

Since neither of them had drunk alcohol, he didn’t need to worry.

He jogged to catch up with the two semi-drunk guys ahead.

—

In the blink of an eye, the other roommates disappeared from their sight around a corner.

“Come on, let’s go to the convenience store to buy some snacks and drinks.”

Qiu Ye pulled Bai Yao into the nearby store.

Bai Yao stopped at the counter by the entrance, waiting for Qiu Ye to finish shopping.

“Do you want a small cake? Eating something sweet will put you in a better mood.”

“No, I’m full.”

“Then do you want a Coke?”

“Whatever. Don’t waste money; you still have your follow-up checkup.”

Qiu Ye soon returned with a large bag of snacks and drinks to check out, saying dismissively, “It’s not that expensive. You should eat when you need to and save when you can.”

Bai Yao felt this pile of snacks was completely unnecessary.

He took the initiative to reach out and take the bag as they walked out, and Qiu Ye quickly followed.

The two walked side by side toward the dormitory building.

It was past 8:00 PM, and the campus was brightly lit.

The distant basketball courts and playground echoed with bursts of noise, but after leaving the convenience store and entering the shaded path of the dormitory area, the lights were obscured by the trees.

There weren’t many people around.

It was as if only the two of them remained in the world.

Their shadows were stretched long by the lights behind them before disappearing into the darkness.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Qiu Ye said.

“…”

Bai Yao acted as if he hadn’t heard.

He silently pulled a bottle of Coke from the bag and downed half of it in one go.