Cowardly Follower (02)

The male dormitories at East University are four-person rooms.

Besides Duan Zeran, Xue Ci has two other roommates. One Wu Feng, the vice-captain of the basketball team, who has a good relationship with Lu Zhoucheng; the other is Yu Cheng, who is a relatively important character in this world.

Yu Cheng was an illegitimate child of the Yu Family. He grew up with his mother in a cruel and dilapidated slum. The place was a melting pot of all sorts of people, and Yu Cheng struggled just to survive, which gradually led to his withdrawn and indifferent personality.

After the other young masters of the Yu Family learned that there was an illegitimate son named Yu Cheng outside the family, they were afraid that their inheritance would be taken away, so they asked Chen Jun, who was from the same school, to help give Yu Cheng a hard time.

It was called a show of force, but it was actually bullying and isolating.

However, Chen Jun felt it was pointless to take matters into his own hands, so he sent one of his recently recruited henchmen to teach the man a lesson.

The follower was fair-skinned and frail, and looked rather timid. He always walked with his head down, and was quiet and honest.

The fun of these spoiled brats lies in letting honest people bully others.

Xue Ci was this follower.

He was adopted by a couple who were unable to have children. His adoptive father worked as a driver for the Chen Family, and his adoptive mother was bedridden for many years. The whole family lived on his adoptive father's salary.

Offending the Chen Family is tantamount to cutting off their source of income.

After his adoptive father learned that he and Chen Jun were in the same school, he instructed him to curry favor with Chen Jun. So he obediently followed behind Chen Jun and his group, becoming an inconspicuous follower.

Xue Ci has been in this world for a week and has not yet met Chen Jun.

On his first day there, the other party sent him a message asking him to buy cigarettes.

After Xue Ci finished buying it, Chen Jun himself did not come to pick it up, but instead sent one of his subordinates.

[Don't worry, host. He dares to bully you now, but he'll be the first one to get his comeuppance when the zombies arrive!]

The storyline where Chen Jun forces Yu Cheng to bully him is almost here; the system panel is currently updating with information on this topic.

With a "click," the door lock was turned open from the outside.

Xue Ci didn't turn around, assuming it was Duan Zeran returning. "Are you bringing your homework to self-study tonight? I have a question I can't answer, and I'd like to see yours."

"OK?"

The voice was soft and gentle, with a lingering, sticky trailing tone.

After receiving no response for a while, Xue Ci around and froze.

Yu Cheng stood at the door.

The boy looked as if he hadn't been exposed to the sun for years; his skin was so pale it was almost sickly, and his gloomy demeanor made people overlook his handsome appearance.

At this moment, her black hair fell casually over her forehead, and her dark eyes were staring straight at him.

Xue Ci shivered.

She pursed her lips and quickly looked away.

According to the information, neither he nor Yu Cheng liked to talk. Neither of them had ever greeted each other first, so they were like strangers under the same roof, keeping to themselves and not interfering with each other.

Xue Ci didn't explain anything, Yu Cheng didn't say anything either.

The atmosphere in the dormitory was a bit awkward. In 11's words, it was like a married couple of over ten years, disliking each other and ignoring each other.

Xue Ci thought for a moment and corrected herself, "[I don't dislike him.]"

Yu Cheng may seem cold, but he's not a bad person. He'd secretly observed that the other person would pick up clothes that had fallen on the balcony floor.

The data has been loaded.

Upon seeing Xue Ci's lips turned even paler.

The system panel shows that Chen Jun had a long history of bullying classmates, even driving one of them to suicide.

As someone forced to bully Yu Cheng, he was also one of those bullied by Chen Jun.

Under Chen Jun's very nose, he would humiliate Yu Cheng by stepping on her face, verbally abusing her, and so on. Yu Cheng dared not resist at all, and even though she was trembling with fear, she did as he said.

After reading the information, Xue Ci looked at Yu Cheng with a pale face.

The other person had just returned from a part-time job and was tidying up the desk. Their hands were very bony, with prominent veins, thin and long knuckles, and several obvious scars on the back of their hands, which looked like old scars.

Xue Ci lowered her head.

Yu Cheng is already very pitiful.

He didn't want to bully the other person.

The dormitory remained quiet. After Duan Zeran returned and greeted Yu Cheng, who glanced at him in response.

Seeing Xue Ci slumped over the table, looking unhappy, Duan Zeran went over and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did the ice cream upset your stomach?"

"I'm not feeling unwell." Xue Ci composed herself. "Shall we go to study together tonight? I can't solve a problem."

Duan Zeran breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you're alright."

He returned to his seat, stuffed his calculus workbook into his bag, and reminded Xue Ci what classes she had tomorrow and which subjects she needed to bring to evening self-study.

Xue Ci obediently packed her things and was about to carry them on her back when she suddenly remembered something. "Is it my turn to be on duty today?"

The hygiene of the boys' dormitory was worrying, but their dormitory was always clean, thanks to the duty roster arranged by Duan Zeran, and everyone cooperated well.

"Then you go to the classroom first, I'll probably..." Xue Ci thought about her pace, "... be there in about an hour."

Song Xueci wasn't very good at these things, or rather, her body was a bit delicate.

Duan Zeran recalled that a few days ago, the other person was washing clothes in the washroom, and their fingers were rubbed red after only a few rubs.

How can it be so tender?

Duan Zeran took a deep breath, went to the balcony and picked up a broom. "I'll help you, it'll only take ten minutes to finish."

Xue Ci was taken aback for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, "You've helped me so much, I'll help you in the future too."

What are you saying?

Duan Zeran's breathing became heavy.

Smelling the fragrance emanating from Xue Ci, he immediately bent down in embarrassment.

He urgently needs help with something right now.

Yu Cheng sat in his seat as if no one else was around.

He is a loner and never cares about other people's business.

They neither offer help nor accept help from others.

The sound of the broom scraping the ground was really jarring to my ears.

Whether it's just her imagination or not, Yu Cheng feels that her senses have become more acute lately.

At this moment, you could even hear the sound of the two people standing together on the balcony, their clothes rubbing against each other.

His roommate, I don't know what kind of shower gel he used, the smell just kept wafting into his nose.

Yu Cheng straightened his back, packed his schoolbag, and left early with a cold expression.

*

Xue Ci only wiped two tables, and the other party finished cleaning the rest.

To express his gratitude, he bought the other person a glass of lemonade.

However, Duan Zeran lost the straw on the way.

Xue Ci: "Should we go to the cafeteria and get another one?"

"It's too far." Duan Zeran glanced at Xue Ci's empty glass of lemonade. "I'll just use yours."

Xue Ci was stunned. "... As long as you don't mind that I've already drunk it."

Duan Zeran and said, "Why would I complain?"

As expected of the protagonist, he's much more unconcerned with details than the average person.

Xue Ci silently praised him in her heart.

The academic atmosphere at East University was strong. When the two arrived at the classroom, most of the students were already there.

Duan Zeran had a club activity to attend at 7:30, so he wrote down the solutions to several difficult problems and put them in his notebook. He also filled Xue Ci's thermos with hot water before leaving.

Xue Ci was carefully reviewing the steps when the task suddenly arrived.

[Host, Chen Jun is coming to find you soon, for letting you bully Yu Cheng.]

[Don't be afraid, I've placed a reflective shield on you. If he attacks you, the damage will bounce back to him.]

[Thank you, Xiao Qiu...]

Xue Ci tensed up and went into a defensive stance.

Two minutes later, there was a knock on the window next to us.

Xue Ci raised her face, and a boy with dyed red hair smirked at her, mouthing "Come out."

This must be Chen Jun.

Xue Ci bit her lip and went out like a little hedgehog.

Chen Jun's arm was wrapped in bandages, indicating that he had been recuperating from an injury some time ago. He was accompanied by two henchmen who dressed and looked like thugs.

However, Chen Jun was not a math major, so his classmates didn't know him and were unaware of his past misdeeds. They assumed he was simply visited by a friend from another department.

"You got a haircut?" Chen Jun hadn't seen her clearly through the window until Song Xueci came out of the classroom.

So this is what it looks like.

That was quite unexpected.

A look of amazement appeared in Chen Jun's eyes, and his two henchmen were also staring at Xue Ci.

Xue Ci lowered her head and whispered an "Mmm".

The sound was so faint, like a mosquito's hum, that it made my heart itch.

However, people with bad character cannot change their nature.

After seeing Song Xueci's appearance clearly, Chen Jun was even more curious to see how he would bully people and whether he would cry first when he slapped her.

His heart was racing, and he cut to the chase. "Your roommate seems to have won an award in a competition recently."

The henchmen chimed in, "He's so arrogant. Last time he even dirtied Brother Chen's shoes, and he doesn't even greet Brother Chen when he sees him."

Chen Jun said with a smirk, "You two are roommates, so you must have a good relationship."

Xue Ci finally spoke, "I won't talk to him."

However, Chen Jun didn't let him off the hook. "Roommates need to build a relationship, how can you not talk to each other?"

"You guys have your advanced math assignment due tomorrow, right? Go ask him for it, make a mess of it, and then yell at him."

He then leaned down, looking at Xue Ci's thick eyelashes. "Did you hear that?"

Xue Ci immediately took two steps back.

Let alone getting it dirty, he felt that given his relationship with Yu Cheng, he wouldn't even be able to get the notebook.

He'll definitely get beaten up by Yu Cheng.

After returning to the classroom, Xue Ci planned to write a draft for the other party in advance.

However, an OOC warning was issued.

He couldn't help but shudder upon hearing the words "severe punishment."

Last time, he overheard people chatting in the headquarters cafeteria, mentioning OOC (Out of Character) punishments, and everyone looked terrified.

It looks terrifying.

*

Yu Cheng smelled a familiar fragrance.

He glanced back.

As if caught off guard, her wet, doe-like eyes showed a flustered expression. After standing there stunned for a few seconds, she tried to smile at him.

As Song Xueci approached, the fragrance intensified.

Yu Cheng's face tightened.

Xue Ci by his serious and gloomy expression, and the tips of her ears turned red with nervousness.

"Yu Cheng."

He whispered.

"Could I borrow your advanced calculus homework?"

Perhaps feeling guilty, Xue Ci instinctively closed her eyes when Yu Cheng raised his hand.

The expected pain did not occur; instead, something was stuffed into my palm.

Xue Ci opened her eyes.

In her hand was Yu Cheng's homework book.

"... Thank you!"

Grabbing her workbook, Xue Ci ran back to her seat.

His chest heaved, and his cheeks flushed red.

But how do I get the notebook dirty...?

On the other side.

Yu Cheng was finding it hard to continue studying.

The scent emanating from Song Xueci seemed to cling to him, making it impossible for him to concentrate on his studies.

He left the classroom and waited in the corridor for more than ten minutes, preparing to wait for the smell on his body to dissipate before going back into the classroom.

What are you doing here?

Duan Zeran finished an event and was rushing back to study when he saw Yu Cheng alone outside. He then greeted him.

Yu Cheng turned around. "I'm tired of studying, let's take a break."

Duan Zeran: "Okay, I'll go in first then."

Yu Cheng's gaze swept past the plastic bag in Duan Zeran's hand.

After entering the classroom, he glanced at Song Xueci's desk.

Sure enough, there was an extra small cake.

Yu Cheng sat back down expressionlessly.

His workbook has been returned and is placed neatly on the table.

Open --

A small dog with drooping eyes was drawn in the blank space.

Below are the delicate words. "You look just like it."

Yu Cheng was stunned.

A girl passing by accidentally saw it and whispered to her friend.

"What an adorable puppy."

"I never expected him to draw this in his homework."

"I thought he was the kind of person who never smiled!"

Yu Cheng pursed her lips tightly, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

moment.

He put his workbook into his schoolbag and took out a new notebook.

*

After the mission was successfully completed, Xue Ci began to feel uneasy.

Since the mission was successful, Yu Cheng must have seen it, so why isn't he coming to settle accounts with me?

He scribbled on the homework and called him a puppy.

Perhaps they simply don't want to talk to me.

Xue Ci thought about it and realized it made sense. After all, Yu Cheng's time was precious. Besides studying, he also had to work part-time to earn money. He could have gotten a scholarship if he had the time to argue with him.

11: [Host is amazing! You even managed to pass this.]

Xue Ci this test purely by luck.

He was very worried about his future tasks.

... and they even dared to step on my face.

That would kill you.

11: [Host, after analyzing the data, 11 found that during your relationship with Lu Zhoucheng, Chen Jun almost never caused you any trouble.]

It seems Chen Jun is still wary of Lu Zhoucheng.

Xue Ci decided to add Lu Zhoucheng on WeChat tomorrow, hoping to win him over as soon as possible.

Duan Zeran, sitting next to him, looked downcast.

One night, Xue Ci looked towards Yu Cheng several times.

*

The next day, after finishing her Xue Ci declined Duan Zeran's invitation to leave school together and headed straight for her destination.

Upon arriving at the stadium, he went to the front row and patted one of the boys on the shoulder.

Wu Feng turned around.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Song Xueci's face.

"Y-you've come."

He and Song Xueci were just ordinary roommates; they hadn't exchanged a single word after adding each other on WeChat.

This afternoon, however, he suddenly messaged me asking if I could come over and watch him play basketball.

Wu Feng put in a tremendous effort throughout the entire match, but Xue Ci didn't arrive until after the match was over.

The two sat in the rest area, talking about something, no one knew.

Lu Zhoucheng made a three-pointer with a blank expression.

Xue Ci clapped along with everyone else.

Wu Feng has a good personality and gets along well with Lu Zhoucheng.

He planned to get Lu Zhoucheng's WeChat from the other party.

The match ended quickly. After chatting with his teammates, Wu Feng handed Xue Ci a bottle of water. "We're going out for dinner after this, do you want to come?"

He knew that Xue Ci was introverted.

However, the fact that someone as introverted as him would come to watch him play shows that he must really want to be friends with him.

"They're all from the team. I told them you're my roommate."

Xue Ci thought this was a good opportunity and nodded.

"We need to go to the changing room to change now."

The room was full of tall, athletic students, making Xue Ci appear even more frail and thin. Wu Feng, worried that he might get bumped or jostled, told him to go straight into the locker room.

Xue Ci sat quietly in the chair and waited.

My mind was completely occupied with how to add them on WeChat.

"Old Lu, you're here. You played well today too." Wu Feng had just taken off his shirt and was about to pat Lu Zhoucheng on the shoulder when he remembered that the other man didn't like being touched, so he immediately withdrew his hand.

"Generally."

For some reason, Lu Zhoucheng's voice was colder than usual.

Wu Feng stopped thinking about these things, grabbed his short-sleeved shirt, walked over to Xue Ci, and asked her if there was anything she wanted to eat.

Lu Zhoucheng glanced at it indifferently, then gave a cold smile.

It's only been a few days? And you've already changed your target.

Is it just for looking at the body?

Now that other bodies are offering themselves up for you to see, are you just staring at them intently?

Wu Feng probably knew this, which is why he refused to wear a shirt.

Lu Zhoucheng scoffed lightly.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with him.

"I'd like some spicy diced chicken..." Xue Ci felt embarrassed to make so many requests at someone else's celebration party. Just as she was about to say that it was fine, she felt a dark shadow fall down.

He looked up.

Lu Zhoucheng arrived here without anyone noticing.

The boy had taken off his jersey and short-sleeved shirt, leaving his upper body bare, and asked Wu Feng if there were any clothes in the closet.

Author's Note:

LOL, I still prefer your initial rebellious self.

Chen Jun is just cannon fodder; he'll die soon.

Some slices come out quite late, it's a braid, hehe~~~