Cowardly Follower (05)

The third-year students have fewer classes, the postgraduate entrance exam candidates are still in the study room and haven't returned, and the rest are staying in the dorm playing games.

Everyone was busy with their own things, except for Lu Zhoucheng, who seemed to be quite idle, staring at his phone for an hour.

His roommate thought he had gone mad; when he came back from going out that night, he looked like he'd lost his soul.

With the recent trending topics about natural disasters, man-made calamities, and viruses, everyone is quite worried that something might have happened to Lu Zhoucheng, so they asked with concern, "What's wrong? Why are you staring at your phone for so long? Aren't your eyes tired?"

To everyone's surprise, Lu Zhoucheng replied casually, "Isn't that how everyone waits for their partner's WeChat?"

roommate. "?"

Okay, never mind.

After realizing what had happened, everyone was quite surprised. They had recently heard that Lu Zhoucheng had been getting close to a junior from the same department, but it had only been about a week; they hadn't expected them to be together already.

Moreover, Lu Zhoucheng looked completely infatuated.

My roommates shook their heads.

It looks rather cold, but it's surprisingly cheap.

Five minutes later, Lu Zhoucheng finally received Xue Ci's reply.

[good.]

Lu Zhoucheng frowned slightly, read through the messages he had sent again, and, combining them with the single word Xue Ci had posted, began to do some reading comprehension.

Is she agreeing to abstain from any intimate contact before marriage, or is she expressing relief that he is still a virgin?

Lu Zhoucheng was somewhat irritated.

Dating is a bit difficult for him, a complete novice.

Lu Zhoucheng barely slept all night, repeatedly checking his phone for posts like "What should I pay attention to in my first relationship?" and "Should I give in to my clingy boyfriend?" until dawn broke before he finally closed his eyes.

As a result, the bed shook violently twice just after I fell asleep.

Lu Zhoucheng was very alert and immediately got out of bed, while the others in the dormitory were fast asleep.

Standing on the balcony, he heard a crashing sound not far away, like the sound of a wall cracking.

An hour later, the hashtag for the earthquake in Anfei City trended on social media.

*

Xue Ci woke up and checked her phone, only to find out that an earthquake had occurred the previous night.

My roommates are all awake.

Yu Cheng was still the first one to leave the dormitory.

Wu Feng was alarmed when he saw the trending topic. "We're lucky to be alive. Several old neighborhoods in the city were split in two by the earthquake! If we had lived there, we would have been terrified!"

"Fortunately, no one was injured." Duan Zeran glanced at Xue Ci's bed. "How are you? Do you feel unwell?"

Xue Ci was just a little dazed after waking up. After muttering "It's okay" to himself, he opened the trending topics and scrolled through them for a few minutes.

Besides the earthquake, viral flu was also trending on social media.

He glanced at the date; the zombie outbreak was less than a month away.

Xue Ci plans to stock up on some supplies over the weekend.

This is a special advantage given to him by 11 based on his character design, allowing him to stock up on what he wants to eat. Other than that, he cannot interfere with the plot or the fate of other people.

With an hour to go before class, Xue Ci slowly finished washing up when her phone vibrated.

Wu Feng: "It was vibrating when you were brushing your teeth, probably five or six times."

Duan Zeran silent.

It goes without saying who sent the message so early in the morning.

Xue Ci opened her phone--

Lu Zhoucheng: [Still not awake? Don't you have class today?]

Lu Zhoucheng: [What do you want to eat? Rice balls and soy milk? Milk? Or wontons? You want it spicy, right?]

Lu Zhoucheng: [I've bought them all, you can choose whichever you like.]

Lu Zhoucheng: [Take your time packing, I'll come find you in your dorm.]

Xue Ci was taken aback, then immediately said, "[You don't need to buy so many.]"

Lu Zhoucheng: [If you can't finish it, I'll take care of it.]

"Xiao Ci? Are you ready?" Duan Zeran sitting in a chair waiting. "Go early, the cafeteria has tofu pudding today."

Xue Ci hesitated, "Um... Lu Zhoucheng bought breakfast for me and will be here soon."

Duan Zeran's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and smiled, "I see. Then I'll wait for Xiao Ci."

Wu Feng asked in surprise, "Is Lu Zhoucheng pursuing you or...?"

Xue Ci said truthfully, "We're together."

Wu Feng raised his voice. "When!?"

Xue Ci startled. "Last night..."

Wu Feng realized he had gotten too excited and coughed, "Oh, it's good that you two are together. Lu Zhoucheng really is..."

I didn't expect this guy to be such a simp.

However... Wu Feng subconsciously glanced at Xue Ci's face.

The boy had just finished washing up; his eyelashes were sticky and drooping down, like feathers landing on his pink under-eye area.

Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes and brows were innocent and adorable.

It makes you want to pinch her rosy cheeks and smell if she has a sweet fragrance in her mouth.

... It's normal to be a simp.

Less than two minutes later, Lu Zhoucheng arrived, carrying a pile of breakfast. Xue Ci shared some with Duan Zeran, who was still waiting for him.

Lu Zhoucheng glanced at Duan Zeran, too lazy to say anything, and handed the soy milk in his hand to Xue Ci.

Xue Ci, with a rice ball still in her mouth and her cheeks puffed out, mumbled, "Wait a minute."

He had a bad feeling; Lu Zhoucheng seemed to be taking too much initiative.

So he specifically reminded me, "You don't need to bring it for me next time; you'll be very tired getting up early."

Hearing Xue Ci's concern for him, Lu Zhoucheng quickly raised the corners of his lips, then casually said, "My stamina is still alright."

Xue Ci: "?"

Lu Zhoucheng: "Besides, isn't that how it is when you're in a relationship?"

After saying this, the cool and aloof guy rested his chin on his hand, trying to hide the blush on his ears.

The progress bar was moving forward, and Xue Ci didn't say anything more. For the next week, Lu Zhoucheng was inseparable from him, accompanying him to class and eating three meals a day together. He said he looked too thin, took him to very expensive restaurants, and gave him gifts every few days.

It seems to be a little different from what I expected...

After pondering for a while, Xue Ci realized: [I understand, he can give me anything except feelings!]

11 (Silence for two seconds): [Host is awesome (≧v≦)]

With 11's support and the smooth progress of the progress bar, Xue Ci was full of confidence. Just like the plot development, she would take every opportunity to stick close to Lu Zhoucheng.

Once the other person stares at you with a stiff expression, put on an innocent look.

Lu Zhoucheng was forced to stand up every day. He was used to being arrogant, and on the one hand, he felt ashamed of standing like this, but on the other hand, he couldn't refuse to be so close to Xue Ci.

So I started by taking three or four cold showers a day.

Fortunately, he was in excellent physical condition, otherwise he would have been crippled long ago.

The progress bar has reached 30%.

Xue Ci was very satisfied.

Upon hearing that Lu Zhoucheng was going home for the weekend, he pretended to be reluctant to part with him and said, "Then come back soon, or I'll miss you."

Lu Zhoucheng cleared his throat, hesitated for a few seconds, and said, "No, otherwise you can come with me..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xue Ci was called away by Duan Zeran.

Lu Zhoucheng gave the other person a cold look—could she be planning to become a mistress?

*

Xue Ci she could stay in her dorm and rest this weekend. But Lu Zhoucheng kept sending her messages, and they even had a video call that night.

Xue Ci spent all her time replying to messages.

He flipped through the calendar.

Fortunately, they were able to break up in less than a month.

On Sunday afternoon, Xue Ci was about to leave the school to stock up on goods when the task popped up.

[The Yu Family heir and Chen Jun's gang cornered Yu Cheng in the first-floor restroom of the teaching building and humiliated him. Chen Jun called you, his lackey, to clean up the mess.]

[It's called "cleaning up the mess," but really it just means you have to go and say some harsh things to the other party. Yu Cheng was just humiliated and is on the verge of an emotional breakdown; he won't be friendly to you.]

They just want to see an honest man like you get bullied by an illegitimate child.

[Your task is to obediently deliver harsh words to Yu Cheng after being threatened by Chen Jun and his group. Reward: 500 points.]

Xue Ci's face paled slightly, and she asked with concern, "[Is Yu Cheng injured?]"

11 checked the surveillance footage: [He had bruises on his face, but his clothes were relatively clean.]

After replying to Lu Zhoucheng's message, Xue Ci immediately quickened her pace and headed towards the teaching building. She soon received a call from Chen Jun on the way.

The background noise on the other end was very loud. Chen Jun seemed to be smoking, and he was speaking unclearly, telling him to come over.

"Okay..." Xue Ci hung up the phone.

The teaching building was quiet on the weekend, with few students, especially on the first floor, which was rumored to be haunted.

Seven or eight boys were standing at the entrance of the restroom, laughing and joking. Chen Jun was talking to Yu Ming, the young master of the Yu Family. When he saw Song Xueci walking towards them, he stopped and stared intently at the boy.

After not seeing her for a while, he noticed that Song Xueci had become even more beautiful.

She seems more delicate than before.

He remains as timid as ever.

Song Xueci stopped a few meters away, not daring to go any further.

Her originally pink lips had turned white.

Yu Ming glanced at Song Xueci; he had never seen this person before, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Who is this?"

"My driver's son, his new sidekick," Chen Jun forced a wicked smile, "He'll probably cry if you scare him a little."

Yu Ming: "What do you mean?"

Chen Jun didn't explain further, and instead said to Song Xueci, "I'm giving you a task."

Xue Ci listened quietly. Sure enough, he was to go in and clean up the mess left by the violent perpetrators.

Chen Jun stared at his face. "How can you be such a coward as my lackey? Say something harsh to scare him and tell him not to gossip."

Xue Ci was a little worried.

His eyelashes trembled incessantly, and his lips, bitten in his mouth, finally regained some color.

"... knew."

Song Xueci has been inside for two minutes, and there has been no movement.

Chen Jun stood in the corridor smoking, clearly losing patience, and ordered one of his underlings to listen to the situation.

The underling quickly returned. "Boss, Song Xueci is talking tough to him. I heard him saying things like 'Step on him, don't let him go back to the dorm' to that bastard."

Chen Jun was slightly surprised. "He really said that?"

The younger brother had just nodded when they heard a noise coming from the restroom—but it wasn't what they expected.

Not only did Yu Cheng refrain from using any force against this handsome bookworm, he also obediently followed him out.

It looks like Song Xueci is walking a dog.

Chen Jun's face darkened as he walked up to the two men.

He noticed that Yu Cheng's expression towards him had turned sinister.

He had been dealing with Yu Cheng for half a year and knew his personality very well. Yet, Yu Cheng wasn't angry at all after Song Xueci; instead, he stared at him as if he were a dead man.

That gaze was chilling. Chen Jun broke out in a cold sweat. He forced himself to remain calm, masking his fear with anger, and asked Song Xueci, "What did you say to him?"

Song Xueci mumbled, "... as you said."

"You mean to stomp on him?" Chen Jun chuckled darkly, glancing back and forth between the two men's faces, as if he suddenly understood something. "What? You bastard like Song Xueci? Would stomping on you feel good?"

Upon hearing the word "bastard," Xue Ci's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "Don't say that."

Song Xueci spoke up for Yu Cheng, and Chen Jun's expression turned grim. He stared intently at Xue Ci's face before walking towards her.

Song Xueci's cheeks were still chubby and looked very soft. Just as he was about to reach out, his wrist was grabbed tightly.

"Ah--" Chen Jun screamed in pain, sweating profusely.

In that instant, he seemed to hear the sound of bones breaking.

When did Yu Cheng become so strong?

Chen Jun couldn't think straight anymore; his vision blurred, and his body slumped to the side.

Yu Cheng shielded Xue Ci behind him and threw Chen Jun against the wall.

Then he lowered his eyes and stared at his hands.

The group of underlings froze on the spot at first, then surrounded their leader. Everyone was observing the situation, making noise but not daring to step forward easily.

"You bastard, how dare you lay a hand on me!" Chen Jun, regaining his composure, cursed at the other man, "Go and get him!"

The henchmen, still armed, impulsively tried to surround and stop them, but were kicked from behind and rolled to the ground.

Behind him, Lu Zhoucheng glanced coldly at Chen Jun: "Who are you going to get?"

The Lu Family has a stronger background than the Chen Family, and Lu Zhoucheng himself is the type to fight like a madman. Chen Jun was very wary of him after fighting him once.

He stared at Lu Zhoucheng. After Lu Song Xueci and pulled her into his arms protectively. "They bullied you?"

It turns out Song Xueci has found a powerful backer; no wonder she's been ignoring his messages lately.

Chen Jun's face darkened. Although they outnumbered each other, they couldn't afford to offend Lu Zhoucheng.

"Go!" His face was contorted with pain as he was carried away by his underlings. Before leaving, his gaze fell on Song Xueci, but it was quickly blocked by Lu Zhoucheng.

The other person looked terrible, with an expression that said, "Dare to mess with Song Xueci and I'll kill you."

After everyone left, Lu Zhoucheng pressed Xue Ci's shoulder and looked her up and down. "How are you?"

Xue Ci her head. "I'm fine, but my roommate is injured."

Upon hearing that Xue Ci was alright, Lu Zhoucheng's expression immediately relaxed. He glanced at Yu Cheng, who only had a small bruise on his face.

I didn't even notice unless he told me.

"Just apply some medicine and it'll be fine." Lu Zhoucheng didn't want Xue Ci to stay with Yu Cheng. He didn't know why, but he always felt that Yu Cheng Xue Ci was very clingy.

Xue Ci hesitated. "Maybe the wound won't be visible when it hits."

He looked up at Yu Cheng and asked, "Are you in pain?"

The fragrance wafted towards Yu Cheng's face. The boy paused for a few seconds, then said stiffly, "... A little."

If Yu Cheng said it hurt, it must be really painful. Xue Ci looked worried and discussed with Lu Zhoucheng, "I said I would go to the infirmary with him."

Although Lu Zhoucheng didn't look too happy, he still accompanied Xue Ci to take Yu Cheng to the infirmary.

While the school doctor was examining Yu Cheng, Lu Zhoucheng asked Xue Ci what had happened earlier and why she was still in contact with Chen Jun.

Xue Ci told him the truth honestly, and Lu Zhoucheng silently frowned.

"It's nothing serious, just a superficial injury on your face." The school doctor removed his stethoscope. "However, your heart rate is too fast, and your muscles are too tense. You can rest here for half a day and we'll observe your condition."

Seeing that Yu Cheng was alright, Lu Zhoucheng said to Xue Ci, "Your roommate is fine, can we go now?"

Xue Ci glanced at Yu Cheng and said, "Then call me if you need anything."

He then asked, "Do you have my number?"

Yu Cheng nodded. The usually gloomy man was unusually obedient in front of Xue Ci: "Yes."

"That's good."

Xue Ci told everyone to get some rest, and then left with Lu Zhoucheng.

Yu Cheng sat by the hospital bed, gazing at the slender figure outside the window, a look of infatuation gradually appearing on his face.

Song Xueci rarely spoke to him. When he heard the other person say, "If he doesn't go to the infirmary, stomp on him and don't let him go back to the dormitory," his blood almost immediately heated up.

They flocked to a certain place.

*

Xue Ci successfully completed the cleanup task.

The points were credited to my account quickly.

Chen Jun's wrist was broken by Yu Cheng, and he was hospitalized in the city. He didn't send any more messages to bother Yu Cheng.

The next day, his adoptive father called him and said that he had found a higher-paying job and no longer had to put up with the Chen Family's temper. He also told him not to be Chen Jun's lackey anymore.

Although Lu Zhoucheng didn't say it, Xue Ci knew that he was the one who did all of this behind the scenes.

As a token of his gratitude, he gave Lu Zhoucheng a red bracelet with a Xiao Xue attached to it.

I heard from 11 that Lu Zhoucheng would encounter danger and get injured before he awakened his superpowers, and this bracelet can shield him from pain.

You knitted it yourself?

Lu Zhoucheng took the red string and played with it back and forth with his fingers.

"I bought it." Xue Ci held out her wrist to him. "I have one too, it's a matching set with yours."

Lu Zhoucheng couldn't stand this.

Her ears burned as she quickly put the bracelet on her wrist.

However, the veins on his wrists were too prominent, making him completely unsuitable for such thin ropes.

Xue Ci looks better in it.

A day later, the entire basketball team knew that Lu Zhoucheng had a red string, a gift from Song Xueci, a matching couple's item.

While everyone felt Lu Zhoucheng was being smug, they couldn't help but envy him.

If Song Xueci them off, they would definitely want to show off.

*

Time flew by, and the progress bar smoothly rose to 35%.

Aside from spending more time with Lu Zhoucheng than expected, the plot showed no signs of going astray.

Xue Ci glanced at the countdown 11 had given her—three more days until they broke up.

Today is Friday, which means it's Saturday night.

There are classes all day on Friday.

Just before get out of class ended, the counselor suddenly came into the classroom. "The flu has broken out recently, everyone be careful when going out. Don't go out unless there are special circumstances, the hospitals are almost overflowing."

"I will have the class monitor distribute cold medicine to each dormitory, and tell me immediately if anyone develops a high fever."

"In the class group chat, the dormitory head should keep an eye on everyone's situation and report to me every night."

Whispers began to circulate in the classroom.

"What's going on? It's just a minor cold!"

I'm going home this weekend.

"It should be fine, right? There's the flu every year, isn't there?"

Xue Ci glanced at the time; there were still about 10 days until the zombie outbreak.

However, nobody took these strange phenomena seriously.

After class and dinner, Xue Ci found a classroom to study, and Lu Zhoucheng followed her.

The classroom was quiet. Lu Zhoucheng leaned close to Xue Ci's ear to discuss going to his house on the weekend.

To outsiders, they just looked like a lovey-dovey young couple.

Xue Ci nodded, befitting her character, but still asked beforehand, "Are your parents home?"

"I only have my brother at home." Lu Zhoucheng comes from a single-parent family; his parents are divorced, and his mother is a career woman, so he was practically raised by a nanny and his brother.

The two had a very good relationship. His brother saw that he was unwilling to inherit the family business and even gave up his beloved medicine, returning to the Lu Group after graduation.

Seeing Xue Ci's worried expression, Lu Zhoucheng comforted her, "Don't be nervous, it's just the three of us having dinner at home. My brother is just quiet and looks serious, but he's actually a very nice person, and he's only a few years older than us."

"I told him about us when I went home last time." Lu Zhoucheng coughed and awkwardly scratched his head. "Anyway, we're going to get married soon, so it's good to meet the parents early."

He then stared at Xue Ci's profile and asked, "What do you think?"

Xue Ci nodded worriedly.

Lu Zhoucheng was satisfied, and then told him some things about his brother, Lu Bo'an.

Finally, she said, "My brother will definitely like you."

Xue Ci became even more worried.

The plot doesn't mention Lu Zhoucheng taking him home, and the timeline hasn't been rewound yet.

But... we're breaking up in three days.

Xue Ci finished her evening self-study session absentmindedly, and didn't even finish the homework due on Monday.

It was already 10 o'clock, and the two packed their bags and went back to their dormitory.

As I approached the dormitory entrance, a voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

[Task refreshed.]

[You clung to Lu Zhoucheng during evening self-study, and on your way back, you encountered several couples hugging and cuddling downstairs in the dormitory. Realizing that you hadn't been intimate with him after dating for so long, you mustered your courage and hugged Lu Zhoucheng.]

[After sensing the other person's stiffening body, you finally realize that they don't like you at all.]

[After struggling for two days, you finally broke up with them on WeChat after they didn't message you all weekend.]

[Now you need to do your first task: hug Lu Zhoucheng. You have ten minutes.]

Lu Zhoucheng was still thinking about how to arrange rooms for Xue Ci on Saturday night, and whether Xue Ci would be afraid of the dark if he arranged two rooms, when he felt a light bump in his arms.

Lu Zhoucheng was stunned.

Head bowed.

Xue Ci was holding him, her face tilted upwards, her eyes slightly moist under the streetlight.

Puffy cheeks.

It looks... absolutely gorgeous.

Lu Zhoucheng's Adam's apple bobbed, a layer of heat surged up his back, and his blood began to heat up as well.

It smells so good, and it's so soft.

Lu Zhoucheng, being a virgin, couldn't handle this kind of stimulation and immediately got an erection.

"You..."

His voice was hoarse, and he wanted to say something, but then he felt his arms go empty.

Xue Ci left him with only her back view and ran into the dormitory building.

"Why are you running..." Lu Zhoucheng took a deep breath, smelled the fragrance in the air, and looked around again.

In the darkness, a couple's bodies were intertwined, their heads touching, seemingly kissing.

Lu Zhoucheng lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

I stood there for ten minutes before going back.

*

My other three roommates are all here.

When Xue Ci, the group was discussing what their counselor had said that day.

Wu Feng, an innate optimist, said, "It's probably just the common flu. I think it's nothing serious, but you should still be careful when going out; it's never good to be sick."

Duan Zeran: "People are already panic-buying at the supermarkets near my home. I think we should stock up on some in the dorm too."

As expected of the protagonist, he has foresight.

Xue Ci in, "I also think we should stock up."

"Let's go grocery shopping together this weekend," Duan Zeran asked Yu Cheng, who had a rather solitary personality. "Are you coming with us? Or is there anything we need to bring?"

Yu Cheng was silent for a few seconds. "I'll go with you."

Wu Feng exclaimed in surprise, "That's rare! You seem to have become more cheerful lately."

He smiled and asked Xue Ci, "What time are we going?"

Xue Ci thought for a moment, "Would 3 PM on Sunday afternoon be okay?"

As for what they did at other times, they all tacitly refrained from asking.

After discussing it, Duan Zeran asked with a half-smile, "How's it going with Lu Zhoucheng lately?"

Xue Ci thought of Lu Zhoucheng, who had completely frozen after she hugged him earlier. "This isn't good."

We're breaking up this weekend.

Duan Zeran taken aback. "If he bullies you, tell us."

"Yeah, he has a terrible temper." Wu Feng knew that Lu Zhoucheng was good to Xue Ci, but that was just a facade.

Since Xue Ci couldn't say for sure, then it must be Lu Zhoucheng's fault.

The two of them talked back and forth, urging Xue Ci not to tolerate the other.

Yu Cheng stared silently at Xue Ci.

Xue Ci hadn't expected everyone to be on his side. He was just about to say something nice about Lu Zhoucheng to salvage his image when the message from Lu Zhoucheng arrived.

Lu Zhoucheng: [You just hugged me.]

Xue Ci he was going to interrogate her, so she replied with a cute emoji.

The reply came instantly.

Lu Zhoucheng: [Are you looking at those people downstairs?]

Lu Zhoucheng: [We've been talking for almost a month.]

Lu Zhoucheng: [We really need to do some other things.]

Xue Ci: "?"

Xue Ci: [...] Hmm?

Lu Zhoucheng: [Kiss.]

The news keeps coming.

Lu Zhoucheng: [Although all of this will have to wait until after the wedding, we will definitely get married eventually, so it doesn't matter if we do it a little earlier.]

Lu Zhoucheng: [We're about to meet each other's parents.]

Lu Zhoucheng: [What do you think?]

Lu Zhoucheng: [Do you want to kiss me?]

Xue Ci was stunned.

Why bring this up all of a sudden...?

He didn't know how to reply and was still struggling with the decision.

A few seconds later, another message came from the other end--

Lu Zhoucheng: [I'm coming to find you.]

Author's Note:

Oops! My typing speed is too slow, I didn't finish writing about breaking up.

Let's let Brother Suibian survive for one more chapter.