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Join the ServerHe Ting pressed his lips together and stepped aside, letting Gu Qiuhang in.
Gu Qiuhang pushed him down onto the sofa and examined the bruises on his face under the light.
He Ting had very fair skin; even the slightest bump would leave obvious marks.
Now, under the bright light, the purplish bruises looked especially alarming.
From beneath his sleepwear, his pale wrist was exposed, five distinct finger marks stamped into it, as if embedded deep into the flesh.
Gu Qiuhang’s brows drew tighter and tighter, his tone turning colder.
“Who did this?”
He Ting replied calmly, “A classmate.”
“Which classmate?”
He Ting smiled faintly and looked at him with mild confusion.
“What difference does it make if you know? At our age, isn’t this kind of thing normal?”
He shrugged.
“Didn’t you used to get into fights too? I never saw you go complain to Mr. Gu.”
There was a time when Gu Qiuhang had been especially rebellious, often coming home covered in injuries.
Back then, Tang Xi would treat his wounds every time, eyes brimming with tears that refused to fall.
The moisture clung to his lashes, making them look even thicker.
Those days felt distant now. Gu Qiuhang narrowed his eyes, recalling those damp lashes, his heart inexplicably turning warm and soft.
His tone unconsciously gentled.
“It’s fine. Even if you don’t tell me, I can find out.”
He Ting pressed his lips together helplessly.
“Zhou Zhaoqi.”
Gu Qiuhang didn’t ask who that was. He simply nodded.
“Take off your clothes.”
“What the hell?!”
He Ting’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at him, while mentally complaining to the system.
“What does he mean?!”
System: “It’s spring. Probably mating season… and he’s been drinking.”
He Ting instinctively backed away, voice trembling.
“W-what are you doing?”
A flicker of amusement flashed in Gu Qiuhang’s eyes as he leaned closer.
“What do you think I’m going to do? Hmm?”
Warm breath brushed against his neck, sending tingling sensations down his spine. The faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air, dizzying.
He Ting’s face burned like fire.
He couldn’t see himself, but Gu Qiuhang could, his pale skin flushed pink, even his neck and ears turning red.
Holding back a laugh, Gu Qiuhang raised a brow slightly.
“Hmm?”
He Ting stammered, shrinking into the corner of the sofa with nowhere to retreat.
“H-how would I know?”
Gu Qiuhang finally let out a soft laugh and tapped his forehead lightly.
“What are you thinking? I just want to apply medicine.”
“Damn it!” He Ting raged at the system internally.
“You evil system, you misled me on purpose!”
System: “…I just told the truth. You can call me impure, but not misleading.”
“Oh.”
He Ting’s face grew even redder. He lowered his head and mumbled,
“No need. I already applied it myself.”
Gu Qiuhang didn’t move.
He Ting shrank back further. The two silently faced off.
“Do you want me to help you take it off?” Gu Qiuhang asked.
He Ting shivered.
No matter what, it was unavoidable.
Gritting his teeth, he awkwardly took off his sleepwear.
Wearing only his underwear, he lay face-down on the bed, pulling a sheet over his lower body and exposing only his back.
Gu Qiuhang brought in the medicine kit, along with a piece of bread and a carton of milk.
“Eat something after applying the medicine, then sleep. Don’t hurt your stomach.”
He sat naturally at the bedside and examined the injuries on He Ting’s back.
Bruises spread across his skin like blotches on a ruined canvas.
His lips pressed into a thin line, Gu Qiuhang poured medicinal oil into his palm and carefully massaged each bruise.
“If it hurts, say it. Don’t endure it.”
He Ting nodded, but still gritted his teeth in silence.
The cool ointment spread over the burning pain, it felt incredibly soothing.
Where the bruises were severe, Gu Qiuhang applied more pressure, trying to knead out the congestion.
The mixture of soreness, pain, numbness, and tingling made He Ting’s body tense to the extreme, his back tightening painfully.
So much so that he didn’t even notice when the sheet slipped away.
When Gu Qiuhang’s gaze drifted downward, the coldness in his expression gradually softened, and he suddenly laughed.
Confused, He Ting lifted his sweat-damp face from the pillow, only to see Gu Qiuhang staring at his underwear.
Boom.
It felt like something ignited in his head. His face burned as if on fire.
He remembered, there was a cartoon elephant printed on the back, spraying water.
He wanted to disappear.
These were Tang Xi’s clothes. It hadn’t bothered him before, but now…
Crayon Shin-chan’s voice echoed in his mind:
“Elephant… elephant… my nose…”
Flustered, He Ting scrambled to grab the sheet to cover himself.
Gu Qiuhang pressed down on his hand.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed.”
He said that, but the smile on his face didn’t fade at all.
He Ting glared at him, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Suppressing his laughter, Gu Qiuhang pulled the sheet over He Ting’s upper body and lifted the lower half, exposing only his legs.
He Ting was on the verge of tears.
“System… dear system… he’s doing this on purpose, right?”
System: “Didn’t you just call me evil?”
He Ting whimpered,
“I was wrong. You’re the best system.”
His long, slender legs were smooth and warm under Gu Qiuhang’s hands.
His gaze grew darker and darker.
Finally, he did what he had been wanting to do.
He poked lightly at He Ting’s waist through the sheet.
Whatever crossed his mind made him bite his lip softly.
When his hand moved toward the covered curve of He Ting’s hips.
He Ting jolted upright and scrambled into the corner.
“O-okay… that’s enough.”
He stammered, not daring to look up.
His eyes were damp, like a small animal that had been bullied too much.
“Is there any on your butt?” Gu Qiuhang asked hoarsely.
“N-no.”
He Ting wrapped the sheet tightly around himself.
“There’s still the front-”
“No, no need! I can do it myself!”
Gu Qiuhang stood up, looking down at him.
He Ting curled up in the corner of the bed, the sheet pulled up to his neck, exposing just a hint of delicate collarbone.
Even he didn’t realize it, but he had taken on a defensive posture.
Gu Qiuhang’s eyes darkened.
“Don’t fight anymore. Whatever happens, I’ll handle it.”
He Ting lowered his head, saying nothing, only the small swirl of hair at his crown faced him.
Gu Qiuhang watched him, a trace of disappointment surfacing.
When had they become so distant?
Not long ago, He Ting had followed him so carefully.
But now… something had quietly changed.
He had changed.
And so had He Ting.
He smiled faintly, strange.
Before leaving, he reminded him again:
“Eat before you sleep.”
He Ting stared blankly at the bread and milk left behind, sitting motionless for a long time.
Only after a while did he relax his tense back and exhale slowly.
A deep sense of frustration filled him.
Every time he faced Gu Qiuhang, his heart raced uncontrollably, his face flushed, his mind in chaos.
It made him uneasy.
He wanted to run away.
And yet, there was also a deep sense of self-loathing.
He didn’t know what it meant, but at the same time, he did.
He flopped onto the bed, kicking his legs wildly.
“System! Hit me awake! I’m supposed to go back!”
System replied gently,
“I don’t use violence. And it’s spring, why not enjoy life?”
He Ting covered his ears.
“I don’t want to hear it! I’m going back!”
System chuckled softly.
“Even if you stayed here your whole life, only a few days would pass in the real world. You don’t have to suppress yourself so much.”
“Are you a matchmaker or something?”
“Of course not. But I’ll tell you this—follow the rules of this world, and you’re free. You can love, and you can be loved.”
Speechless, He Ting buried his face in the pillow.
After a while, he laughed softly, then, as if thinking of something, his cheeks slowly flushed again.
He drifted off to sleep in tangled thoughts.
Restless.
Turning again and again.
In the dream, he stood before Gu Qiuhang, hands curled nervously, heart pounding wildly.
Gu Qiuhang’s expression was cold, devoid of warmth.
But He Ting still stood on tiptoe, and kissed the corner of his lips.
They should have been warm, but instead, they were ice cold, freezing straight into his heart.
Then someone walked in.
Li Yue.
Gu Qiuhang pushed He Ting away with a mocking look, pulling Li Yue into his arms.
The coldness vanished, replaced by tenderness.
He Ting lowered his head in inferiority.
Li Yue’s voice trembled faintly:
“Weren’t we friends? How could you do this?”
And Gu Qiuhang’s voice, cold as ice:
“Disgusting.”
Disgusting.
Disgusting.
Disgusting…
The words struck his heart again and again.
Cold.
Painful.
He Ting woke with a gasp, sweat soaking his hair.
Sitting in the darkness, he slowly hugged his knees after realizing it was just a dream.
Then he muttered softly,
“You stupid system… it’s all your fault. You misled me again.”
You’ve got to see this next! How to Avoid Regression will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : How to Avoid Regression
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