The system feigned confusion. [Host, what makes you think that? This is just a virtual novel world.]
However, Lu Chi asked mildly, [Then what about the ending?]
The voice in his mind went silent.
Ever since the day he transmigrated, the system had only provided him with about three-quarters of the plot. The ending had always been locked, hidden from view.
In the original novel, after his birthday, Gu Yanyan continued to suffer all kinds of bullying. A week later, at noon, his grandmother struggled to make the trip to A University to visit him, only to be mocked by his cruel roommates. In the chaos, she fell into the campus lake and drowned.
Afterwards, the perpetrator cried and begged for forgiveness, then turned around and tried to pay hush money to make it all go away. Gu Yanyan finally snapped. Using that “colorless and tasteless” poison Liang Jiashu had so kindly gifted him, he turned the man into an idiot who would never be sane again, closing that filthy mouth forever.
Next came the dance major who woke up to blades hidden in his shoes, and the other roommate whose plagiarism was exposed and got expelled… Gu Yanyan lost all sense of reason. A year later, on another rainy night eerily similar to before, he personally killed his uncle, Gu Jie, who had come to demand compensation for his old mother’s death.
The ones who helped him deal with the corpse were people from the Lin family.
And under their guidance, his final revenge target became Liang Zhiyu.
Liang Zhiyu, who had already been at odds with Gu Yanyan before entering university, grew even more violent after enrollment. Then one weekend that same year, the Liang family’s villa suddenly caught fire without warning. The blaze took the lives of four people: his mother, Liang Qing, his little sister, Liang Yi, the nanny, and the driver.
The fire broke out too suddenly.
Before any investigation could take place, Liang Zhiyu’s cheap father seemed to have expected it and immediately sold off the family company to the Lin family for cheap, then vanished without a trace.
As for Liang Zhiyu, the once-glorious young master, he fell from grace overnight, turning from a golden boy to a penniless stray, opening the door to his long, humiliating “chasing-his-lover-through-hell” story arc with Gu Yanyan.
And throughout it all, Gu Yanyan continued to “pursue” Liang Jiashu.
But Liang Jiashu merely watched from the sidelines, neither answering nor rejecting. Early on, when Gu Yanyan’s vengeful tricks were still clumsy, he even stepped in to help clean up the mess, covering the evidence for him time and again.
But he also never stopped anyone else from hurting Gu Yanyan.
He was like a cold-blooded scientist, calmly slicing open the specimen before him, studying every reaction of the small white mouse and extracting whatever information he pleased.
The story’s final scene returned to the familiar FOM. Gu Yanyan stood at the back entrance, the same place he had killed his uncle, and heard Liang Jiashu ask flatly, “Tell me, you and…”
But the story ended there. And the system in Lu Chi’s head continued to pretend to be dead.
Lu Chi didn’t press it. After finishing his lecture, he returned to his office to rest. The other teaching assistant was still in class, leaving the room silent except for the hum of the air conditioner.
After a while, the system finally piped up, voice small and pitiful: [Baby, well… I guess you could say this world is real, kind of. It’s just… a badly written novel world.]
Lu Chi replied blandly, [I think the ‘badly written’ part is pretty obvious. You didn’t really need to emphasize it.]
He’d read plenty of melodramatic scripts before, but that level of melodrama?! That took divine talent…
…Or divine punishment.
The system stammered, and Lu Chi continued, [You said before that if the Protagonist Gong and Shou end up together, the worldline would collapse. Is that why the novel’s ending was never written?]
So the system had sought someone to separate the two leads, to prevent them from meeting and thus stop the world from collapsing into oblivion.
However, the system shrieked in panic.
[Wait, what?!] it asked, [Did I say that out loud? When?!]
Lu Chi didn’t answer. After a pause, he took a sip of water and asked, calm as ever: [What’s your IQ?]
[IQ?] The system echoed blankly. [I don’t have that kind of thing.]
[…]
The system went on to admit sheepishly: [That’s why I got assigned to the Quick Transmigration Department! None of the systems has IQs. We just take missions, complete them, and once we’re done, we disappear into the galaxy forever.We don’t have a home to go back to.]
[But hey, it’s the Quick Transmigration Department! Getting a mission at all is already a blessing!]
Lu Chi asked, [Then why did you choose me back then?]
[Because you were pretty. And your grave looked nice. I couldn’t resist.]
The air conditioner hummed on.
Lu Chi looked at his lesson plan, flipped a page, and said mildly, [Got it. Be good. Go play.]
His tone was calm, like someone gently instructing their senile housecat not to pee on the carpet. The system chirped obediently, [Okay, okay!] and went quiet for a few seconds before popping back, anxious again:
[Host, I still think there’s something off about that Lin family. Shouldn’t you ask the Gong No.1 to investigate? They beat you up once, remember?]
Lu Chi thought for a moment and humored his dimwitted system. [I know. I meant to ask Liang Jiashu yesterday, but we got distracted.]
[Distracted by what?]
[Sex,] Lu Chi replied evenly. [You know, me and that Gong No.1, in bed.]
There was an immediate mechanical scream in his mind. Lu Chi smiled, feeling refreshed, and calmly went back to reviewing his notes. The sunlight slanted across the desk, but he looked utterly unbothered.
If the world were going to end, so be it. He’d already died once, anyway.
Not to mention that he still had a job to do.
……………
The class bell rang.
Sighing like a true office slave, Lu Chi went back to the classroom. It seemed the art department was holding someteam event since the students were all dressed up and chattering as they filed out.
Ahh… youth was such a beautiful thing.
But the tired office worker in Lu Chi’s soul politely declined their invitation to join.
From the seats below, Gu Yanyan watched him with shining eyes, hugging that luxury shopping bag in his arms protectively. Tomorrow was the weekend, but his dinner with Lu Chi was scheduled for tonight.
It was the first time he’d ever bought something that expensive, so he didn’t dare leave it in the dorm. Also, he’d lost too many things already: it was like living with Phantom Thief Kid upstairs1, Gru from Despicable Me below2, and Bai Zhantang3 across the hall.
So he carried the bag everywhere, afraid someone would steal it.
Fortunately, his dorm transfer request had just been approved, and he’d been avoiding those people lately. Once they were separated, he’d never have to see them again.
This time, Gu Yanyan went back to being a diligent student, got a respectable part-time job, and tried his best to start over and live a grounded life.
A new, hardworking version of himself should be worthy of pursuing Lu Chi, right?
But somewhere in the front row, Liang Jiashu glanced down at his phone, placed an order for a pack of marker pens, then stood and left the room, expressionless.
…………….
The sun was blazing overhead.
Back at the villa, Lu Chi took a shower, then pulled out a can of temporary hair dye. Soon, he heard the door close downstairs, signaling that Liang Jiashu was also back, so he called out immediately, eyes bright, his tone sweet and coaxing across the hall: “Brother Liang, come here for a second?”
Liang Jiashu froze. Ever since yesterday, Lu Chi had started calling him “Brother” all the time.
When he woke up. When he drank water. Even when they were in the car.
It was like he’d trained for the role, like a professional actor whose tone could shift in an instant. And when the mood struck, his voice turned syrupy, like he had a piece of candy melting on his tongue.
Like now.
From across the room, Liang Jiashu heard that soft, teasing call: “Brother Liang, help me, yeah?”
He was looking at him.
And Liang Jiashu loved that look, that warmth, that vivid reality. It made him feel, for once, like he was getting closer.
Closer to the real Lu Chi.
A thought that made his heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.
Liang Jiashu stepped forward without expression. Lu Chi opened his mouth to call him again, but Liang Jiashu covered it with his hand, gently pushing him into the bathroom. Picking up the hair dryer from the counter, he said lowly, “…Stop calling me that.”
He was already hard.
“The ends are still damp. I’ll dry them for you.”
Lu Chi obediently hummed an oh, then reminded him lazily, “The spray’s ash-pink. Remember to roll up your sleeves, or it’ll stain.”
Liang Jiashu gave a small hum, his fingertips brushing lightly through the other man’s hair. The warm air from the dryer blew across them, and once it was done, he carefully began spraying the color.
In the mirror, the man’s smooth hair gradually took on that soft ash-pink hue, slowly turning into the same pastel butterfly shade from before.
As for the once straight-laced Liang Jiashu, the one who used to wear pressed shirts and slacks, stiff and proper, with even his cuffs ironed sharp, he now stood in a dark shirt with its sleeves hastily pulled up, its collar faintly wrinkled where Lu Chi had tugged at it.
And his ghostly white wrists were smudged with gray-pink dye, making him, for once, look vividly alive.
He had changed a lot, though he didn’t know it himself.
Through the mirror, Lu Chi watched him and leaned lazily against the sink, smiling faintly. “I thought you’d go crazy again,” he said. “Refuse to let me go to FOM.”
Liang Jiashu’s possessiveness had reached a certain dangerous level. Before, if Lu Chi so much as tried to go out, he’d be dragged back to bed until he lost his mind.
To leave, he’d have to choke him by the throat or slap him across the face.
However, Liang Jiashu only lowered his eyes. His voice was quiet and even, saying, “You’re not the kind of person who fools around.”
“Lu Chi, you’re a good person.”
“…”
The compliment made Lu Chi feel strangely uneasy, like the man was plotting something. But Liang Jiashu stayed calm all day. Before they parted, he even slipped Lu Chi a few cards, telling him not to worry about money.
Lu Chi arched a brow, took the cards, and left without a care.
Night had already fallen; the city center was alive with headlights and noise.
When Lu Chi arrived at FOM, he was surprised to see the entrance lined with luxury cars. Stepping inside, he glanced around instinctively and froze.
Neon lights shimmered.
In the lounge on the first floor, several students from A University were seated in the booth area, heads close in gossip.The dance floor pulsed with music, their laughter echoing above the beat. Clearly, FOM had been chosen as their “welcome mixer” venue.
And at the very edge of the booth… sat the very Liang Jiashu.
Expressionless, with a single Bluetooth earpiece flashing inside his right ear.
…Anyone could guess what he was listening to.
Their eyes met. Lu Chi raised a brow and gave the faintest hint of a smile, but didn’t go over. Instead, he turned away, took the elevator upstairs, and sat at one of the restaurant tables to wait.
After a while, a familiar waiter came by.
“Xiao Chi, Gu Yanyan had something come up. He said he’ll be about half an hour late, and asked me to apologize for him.”
Lu Chi waved it off. “It’s fine.”
After a moment’s thought, he sent a message to Liang Jiashu.
[Eat, Sleep, Dance]: What happened to Gu Yanyan?
Ten seconds later, the reply came.
[LJS]: Just traffic. I had someone block the road for thirty minutes.
[Eat, Sleep, Dance]: …
Lu Chi sighed, picked up Gu Yanyan’s gift from under the table, and left the private room, planning to tell Liang Jiashu to stop tormenting the Protagonist. But halfway there, a strong arm suddenly hooked around his waist from behind and dragged him, without warning, into an empty restroom.
The door slammed shut and locked. Under the bright light, Lu Chi found himself pressed against the counter, looking at the mirror, and at the familiar, handsome face reflected behind him.
Liang Jiashu met his eyes, blank-faced.
The restroom wasn’t big, but it was full of sleek, minimal mirrors on every wall. No matter where Lu Chi looked, all he could see was Liang Jiashu’s shadowed gaze following him.
He raised a brow, pinched the man’s neck lightly, and said, “Don’t lose your mind. I really have to go out in a bit.”
Lu Chi had never been the type to break a promise. He respected anyone who deserved respect.
Liang Jiashu hummed in response but didn’t move. His arms locked around Lu Chi, pinning him firmly against the counter. Then, after a long pause, he reached for the zipper on Lu Chi’s jeans.
“Liang Jiashu.”
Lu Chi immediately caught his burning hand, frowning in warning.
He hadn’t meant to sound cold, but his sharp, beautiful eyes lowered, lashes brushing his cheeks, the ash-pink strands of his hair falling forward. His expression carried that effortless mix of grace and danger unique to him.
Especially when that zipper was pulled halfway down, revealing a flash of pale, taut muscle beneath.
So beautiful, it made people want to kneel and lick.
Liang Jiashu’s black eyes fixed on him. After a moment, he took out a black permanent marker, bit the cap off with his teeth, and let it fall to the floor.
The cap rolled away with a clatter as Lu Chi stilled.
Liang Jiashu’s voice came low and even: “Lu Chi, I’m not doing anything.”
Lu Chi wasn’t the type to mess around, but everyone else was. The world was too dangerous, and everyone wanted a piece of him.
So Liang Jiashu needed to mark him.
To write it down that this man’s lips, his tongue, his waist, his chest, his stomach, every part of him belonged to Liang Jiashu.
No one else could use him.
No one else could touch, hold, or swallow him.
In the mirror, the reflection showed one man sitting, and the other kneeling before him.
Liang Jiashu looked up, palm sliding lower, voice calm as he asked, “Lu Chi, how about I draw an arrow for you?”
From his lower abdomen downward, toward the inside of his thigh, the arrow pointed straight to what Liang Jiashu had kissed, licked, and taken countless times.
And then, he’d write beneath it:
“Liang Jiashu’s Exclusive.”
All of Lu Chi was for Brother Liang’s use only.
- Kaito Kuroba/Phantom Thief Kid is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Magic Kaito manga series created by Gosho Aoyama. ↩︎
- Felonious Gru Sr., typically referred to simply as Gru, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Despicable Me franchise. Gru is a grouchy, quick-witted, and cynical former supervillain who serves as a secret agent to fight other supervillains. ↩︎
- Don’t know who this dude is, but I guess he’s some famous Chinese villain character. ↩︎
Leave a Reply