Chapter 3
1444 Words
The little robot who had just arrived in the human world had only unlocked the joys of online entertainment. Lying in bed surfing the web with his online “friends,” his delicate legs, smooth like white jade, swung lightly in the air, overlapping in lazy ease.
“Mr. 001, I still have no idea how the original host made the main characters hate him.” His pretty little face was full of confusion.
[The original host was just a minor cannon fodder in the early story. There's not much detailed data available.]
“But Mr. 001~ I know you can help me~ Won’t you please~?”
As his fingertip skimmed across fragments of plot on the virtual screen, Ruan Yao suddenly sat up. His pearl-white toes curled into the cotton bedsheets.
“But Mr. 001—” his voice turned honey-sweet, thick and sticky,
“—there has to be a detailed manual on how to make the protagonists hate me, right?”
There was a subtle pause in the electrical signal, lasting exactly three seconds.
[Based on behavioral logs: During military training, the original host had poor hygiene habits, used others’ personal belongings without permission, and later spread false rumors about them during a crossdressing livestream scandal.]
[At most, I’ll give you reminders as the plot progresses.]
“Yay! I knew Mr. 001 was the best!”
Ruan Yao flipped over and lay on his stomach, happily swinging his legs. His pajama hem slid back, exposing his snow-white ankle.
[The original host used arrogance to cover up the inferiority he felt after moving from a mountain village to the big city. He acted cold and distant toward the main characters, which made him seem gloomy—and left them with a bad impression.]
“Then Mr. 001, if I just ignore them…”
A faint creak of the wooden door hinge interrupted his internal dialogue with 001.
Gu Shiye stood at the entrance, dragging a black suitcase behind him.
Warm hallway light spilled across the boy’s head, his cool-toned skin gleaming like he’d just stepped out of a painting—an aristocratic young master come to life.
“Hi, I’m Gu Shiye.”
Ruan Yao lifted his gaze lazily, his eyes skimming over the defined joints of the boy’s wrist before drifting indifferently back to his phone screen.
Just then, the bathroom door creaked open. Jiang Ji poked his head out, hair dripping wet. Water dripped down his Adam’s apple and into a dark gray tank top. His bronze chest muscles peeked through the steamy air.
He saw the entire scene—how Ruan Yao didn’t even bother acknowledging Gu Shiye—and felt secretly pleased.
The two of them had grown up together. Gu Shiye was the classic "golden child."
Whenever Jiang Ji caused trouble as a kid, his mom would scold him: “Why can’t you be more like Gu Shiye?”
People who didn’t know them well assumed they were lifelong buddies. In truth, their relationship amounted to little more than casual greetings.
“You’re in this dorm too, Gu?” Jiang Ji’s smile revealed a hint of sharp canine tooth, and a towel hung loosely from his shoulder. “This is Ruan Yao. He’s a bit shy—don’t take it personally.”
Before he could finish, a clear voice cut him off.
“I am not shy!”
Ruan Yao suddenly tossed his phone onto the mattress. His light brown pupils gleamed beneath the warm yellow wall lamp.
“I just don’t feel like talking to you.”
The little curls at the end of his hair trembled like an angry ragdoll kitten.
“I don’t mind. I get the feeling Yao Yao’s actually kind of cute,”
Gu Shiye said calmly, his glasses glinting with soft light. His fingertips unconsciously brushed over the suitcase handle.
Jiang Ji had only known Ruan Yao a few hours longer, yet hearing Gu’s familiar tone filled his throat with something bitter.
As morning sunlight melted into the dorm like golden syrup, Jiang Ji’s lashes twitched beneath closed lids.
His phone buzzed against his collarbone. Instinctively, his fingers pressed the side button—basketball-honed joints tensing into a beautiful arc.
When Jiang Ji sat up, the air conditioner blanket slipped off his shoulders, revealing a lean waistline.
As he stepped barefoot onto the floor, he suddenly recalled the feel of Ruan Yao's foot stepping on his knee the night before.
After a quick wash, he headed downstairs to pick up the breakfast he’d pre-ordered. The shrimp dumplings in the thermal box were still steaming.
When he returned, he found Ruan Yao dozing at the edge of the bed.
His camouflage shirt was crooked, exposing a stretch of snowy nape. Just as his foot hovered over his slipper, he lost balance—falling straight into the scent of shrimp dumplings and the warm embrace waiting for him.
Jiang Ji carried him straight into the bathroom and gently sat him on the sink counter.
His pajama shorts were very short. Because of the motion, the hem rode up even further, revealing more soft, white thigh flesh. Where the counter edge pressed in, the tender flesh dimpled, spilling over slightly.
Jiang Ji carefully squeezed toothpaste onto the brush, then gently pinched Ruan Yao’s cheeks. The boy’s rosy lips parted slightly.
One hand cradled the round back of his head, the other began brushing gently—like a tiger sniffing a delicate rose.
Still half-asleep, Ruan Yao let himself be handled like a puppet, swaying softly under Jiang Ji’s touch.
As the electric toothbrush buzzed, Ruan Yao’s misty eyes slowly blinked open.
In the mirror, he saw the toothpaste foam on his cheek. When Jiang Ji wiped it off with his thumb, Ruan Yao suddenly bit down on the finger.
A sharp pain from the little fangs made Jiang Ji grunt. But the culprit pouted and scolded him first.
“You’re so annoying~ I hate early classes, I hate military training...”
“…and I hate you too.” He pouted like a grumpy kitten.
His long legs, clad in camouflage pants, slid between Jiang Ji’s knees, pinning him gently against the sink as Jiang Ji wiped his soft cheeks with a prepared warm towel.
“Yes, yes, my little darling. Let’s eat first—we’re gonna be late.”
If early class was a slap, then Jiang Ji was another slap just for existing, and military training was an entire Dragon Fist combo.
By the time the whistle split through the morning fog, sweat had already soaked through the back of Ruan Yao’s camo shirt.
The September sun was merciless, like a blade fresh from the forge. Even the air warped in the heat, creating swirling distortions in the sky.
Under the drill sergeant’s shouts, the line of cadets stood like wilted wheat in a sun-scorched field.
“Dismissed!”
After the standing drill, they were finally given a short break. Many students ran for the shade.
The cicadas screeched in the scorching sun, and the rubber track shimmered in waves of heat.
Ruan Yao looked down at the sweat stains spreading down his sleeves.
Around him, excited whispers from girls filtered through the noise:
“Third row, second from the left… he looks like a mochi spirit!”
“No! More like a daifuku with legs!”
“This year’s campus beauty king has arrived!”
“I’m voting for him as school hunk—his face is god-tier!”
“No way~ With that kind of beauty, he’s gotta be the school queen!”
As Jiang Ji approached with a cold bottle of electrolyte water, he caught an art student exclaim confidently:
“That kind of beauty was born to be bullied by hot jocks until he cries!”
The bottle in Jiang Ji’s hand gave a quiet c***k under the pressure of his grip.
The whispers under the tree kept going—
“Ahhh look, beautiful campus queen x dark-skinned athlete! That combo is too spicy.”
“Why not radiant beauty top x sunny puppy bottom? Crying while doing it is very on brand.”
“Shipping everything will ruin you.”
“Shipping everything is what gives me a balanced diet.”
“I think high-IQ iceberg x spoiled genius top or black-bellied elite x naive flower bottom sounds great too!”
“I heard everyone in their dorm is super good-looking and super nice to Ruan Yao, so I’m shipping YaoYao x all of them!”
“Apparently Gu Shiye and Jiang Ji grew up together. Childhood friends pairing isn’t good enough for you?!”
“Hehehe~”
- Writer
