Lin Zhi summed up the system’s task: after delivering the water, he had to say that nauseating line, and Song Mian needed to express willingness to let him lick his abs.
This was no longer just a joke. The task was so explicit this time—was it punishing him again for stealing socks but not underwear?
The Romance Survival System professed its innocence: 【This has nothing to do with this system! I’m just a working stiff system.】
Lin Zhi felt like dying might be better.
At 10:30, Lin Zhi abruptly appeared at the gymnasium in his thick floral padded pajamas. He leaned against the wall and sent Zhu Muyun a dying voice message: “C-come… pick me up.”
With such a curt message, Zhu Muyun soon appeared at the gymnasium entrance. He saw Lin Zhi propping himself against the wall, face flushed red, eyes closed. Zhu Muyun walked over in stunned shock.
“Zhizhi, what are you doing!”
Lin Zhi spoke in a weak, hoarse, nasal, and heavy voice: “Came to watch the game. When do they finish?”
For the first time, Zhu Muyun couldn’t understand Lin Zhi and Song Mian’s friendship.
“About half an hour left? I can just record it for you. Look at you, Zhizhi.” Zhu Muyun supported Lin Zhi, who also exerted some effort, and the two finally entered the gymnasium safely.
Half an hour—almost there!
“I have to watch.” Lin Zhi’s attitude was firm, as if he’d joined a cult.
Lin Zhi’s thick floral padded pajamas didn’t draw too much attention—college students ran around in sleepwear everywhere. But his face, which clearly looked unwell yet exquisitely refined, and his state requiring support to walk, caught quite a few eyes. Some even took photos.
Lin Zhi, feeling awful, had dulled senses and didn’t notice he was becoming others’ gossip. Only after sitting next to Zhu Muyun did he finally exhale in relief.
So tiring!
The basketball court was in the midst of fierce play for the ball, but Lin Zhi had zero interest. Closing his eyes made him want to sleep. The Romance Survival System fretted: 【Host, this isn’t the time to sleep! You need to deliver water to the Male Lead after he finishes playing. Where’s the water?!】
Lin Zhi jolted awake and opened his eyes.
The water?
“Do you have water?” Lin Zhi forced his eyes open and turned to ask Zhu Muyun.
Zhu Muyun actually did.
“Mine’s mineral water, but in your state, you need hot water. If you don’t want to go to the infirmary, how about I take you back to the dorm to rest?”
Lin Zhi: “I want mineral water. Have you drunk from it?”
Zhu Muyun pulled out the mineral water from under the chair. “Haven’t opened it. But drinking cold water like this will make your body worse.”
“I won’t drink it.” Lin Zhi sincerely extended his feverish hands in a cradling gesture. “I’ll give it to Song Mian when he’s done.”
Zhu Muyun’s mouth twitched. He truly didn’t understand roommate friendships.
Zhu Muyun handed the water to Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi’s scorching palms found relief against the cool mineral water. He leaned against the chair back, eyes on the court but mind elsewhere. His feverish brain couldn’t function at all, and he had no clue how to wrap things up after completing the task.
The Romance Survival System comforted: 【You straight guys can say ‘I love you’ to each other—what’s this line?】
Lin Zhi groaned miserably: “Can it compare? This nauseating line has to be delivered with sincere longing for Song Mian to let me lick them. I might even have to beg at a critical moment. Without a solid excuse, after today, in Song Mian’s eyes, I won’t be a pure, innocent straight guy anymore.”
The Romance Survival System piled on: 【Good news. Host, you stopped being innocent when you kissed the Male Lead.】
Lin Zhi clenched his powerless fists but couldn’t grip.
Lin Zhi thought his expression was very grim, but in Zhu Muyun’s eyes, his face was rosy, lips pale, weakly leaning against the chair—yet stubbornly watching Song Mian’s game despite the discomfort.
Among the dormmates, Zhu Muyun liked Lin Zhi the most. Tong Xu was nice but a playboy with poor character; Song Mian was a cool guy who ignored people and wasn’t in the same world; Lin Zhi was just chatty, but flawless otherwise—and the chattiness annoyed Song Mian, not him.
Seeing Lin Zhi like this tugged at Zhu Muyun’s heart. But he didn’t do cliques, especially not contacting Song Mian behind Lin Zhi’s back—that felt disloyal.
So Zhu Muyun @’d Song Mian in the group chat: [Zhizhi came to watch the game. Song Mian, after you’re done playing, can you come by here? He wants to give you water, but he can’t even walk.]
After sending, he quietly waited for the game to end.
Lin Zhi closed his eyes again. Cheers erupted sporadically nearby—Song Mian had scored.
“So handsome! Song Mian is too handsome! I saw his abs!”
Lin Zhi’s eyelids twitched.
“Aaah, I saw them too! Quick, take a photo!”
“Song Mian senior, go for it!!”
Even underclass girls had come.
Lin Zhi opened his eyes and spotted Song Mian amid the crowd at a glance. At 190cm, he stood out even among the sports students—tall, long-legged, lean and powerful build, with a sharply contoured handsome face.
When contesting for the ball and jumping, his hoodie hem would lift with the motion, flashing a glimpse of abs.
Lin Zhi’s gaze held no admiration, only sympathy for Song Mian. His handsome, rich, perfectly built bro was about to be verbally harassed by this straight guy!
Lin Zhi’s breathing grew slightly ragged. Zhu Muyun glanced over worriedly. “You sure you’re okay?”
Lin Zhi narrowed his eyes: “If not, I die. I know which matters more.”
Zhu Muyun fell silent and @’d Song Mian in the group again, reporting Lin Zhi’s position.
At 11:10, the computing college beat the sports college by one point, winning the match.
After coming off the court, Tong Xu wiped sweat from his forehead as a blushing girl handed him water. He smiled and took it. Song Mian accepted no one’s water. Though his face held a post-exercise flush, his eyes remained indifferent. His distinctively knuckled hand unlocked his phone.
Song Mian scrolled casually.
Tong Xu gritted his teeth enviously: “What door did God close on you?”
Song Mian lowered his gaze: “People skills, probably.”
Tong Xu was speechless, thinking with Song Mian’s family background, even poor people skills would draw admirers. Plus, there was Lin Zhi.
Tong Xu said: “One Zhizhi could fill your social circle.”
Song Mian’s fingers paused, but he said nothing.
The dorm group chat had been bumped to the top, with Zhu Muyun’s latest: [We’re in the third row. Zhizhi’s really hanging by a thread!]
Song Mian frowned slightly and tapped into the group. Just then, Zhu Muyun came panting over. “Song Mian, Lin Zhi wants to give you water. He can’t walk!”
Tong Xu puzzled: “Where? Where’s Zhizhi? Water for me too?”
Song Mian looked up. With his sharp eyesight, he spotted Lin Zhi on the spectator seats—in thick pajamas, clutching the chair unsteadily as he shuffled sideways. Onlookers occasionally chatted with him.
Lin Zhi shook his head, and the passersby left first.
Tong Xu followed Song Mian’s gaze and saw Lin Zhi, shocked: “Is Zhizhi role-playing as an old man crossing the street?”
Tong Xu didn’t know about Lin Zhi’s illness. That morning, after taking Lin Zhi to the infirmary, Zhu Muyun had run into Song Mian buying buns at the cafeteria.
Zhu Muyun figured Lin Zhi had begged Song Mian for breakfast again last night, so he told Song Mian about the infirmary to save him a trip—and the duty of delivering breakfast to Lin Zhi fell to Song Mian.
Zhu Muyun anxiously explained: “He’s got a fever. He was at the infirmary half an hour ago! Just to watch your game, Song Mian, and give you water.”
“No way, got any for me?”
Zhu Muyun: “Just one bottle in his hand.”
Tong Xu sucked in a breath.
Song Mian strode over first, catching Lin Zhi just as he reached the aisle and nearly fell without support. Song Mian’s tone was stern: “Sick and still not behaving?”
Lin Zhi lifted his face, eyes curving as if about to close. He extended the mineral water with his left hand, nasal voice thick: “Tired, right? Drink water.”
Song Mian hesitated before taking it, suspicious: “Poison?”
Lin Zhi obediently explained: “Hasn’t even been opened.”
Then, his heavy head drooped forward, resting against Song Mian’s arm. Lin Zhi panted roughly, looking half-dead.
Song Mian didn’t push him away.
Tong Xu and Zhu Muyun approached. Tong Xu eyed the bottle in Song Mian’s hand and the miserable Lin Zhi, unhappy: “Where’s mine?”
Lin Zhi ignored him.
“Hey, where’s mine? Lin Zhi, I haven’t been bad to you, right?” Tong Xu rolled his eyes dramatically.
Lin Zhi pretended not to hear, though guilt stirred inside.
Sorry, bro. Delivering water to the Male Lead was his task.
For the first time, Zhu Muyun felt Tong Xu was kinda pitiful. “Forget it, I’ll buy you one—it’s just two bucks.”
Tong Xu: “……”
That hurt more.
But as a roommate, even without water, conscience remained: “Go back to the infirmary. He looks serious.”
Song Mian lowered his gaze: “Get on.”
Lin Zhi was dazed without support when Song Mian knelt halfway in front of him.
Lin Zhi flopped forward. Song Mian grabbed his legs, adjusted, and hoisted him onto his back. Lin Zhi was fully pressed against Song Mian’s back.
Song Mian’s steps were steady; Lin Zhi felt no jolts on his back. His arms draped around Song Mian’s front, and he relaxed considerably.
“Song Mian bro, you’re actually this good to me. I don’t deserve you.” Lin Zhi’s face rested on Song Mian’s shoulder, voice woeful, heavy breaths brushing Song Mian’s neck.
Song Mian glanced back. Lin Zhi slept peacefully, eyes closed.
Song Mian: “……”
The gymnasium was still crowded. Song Mian carrying a man in floral padded pajamas instantly became the focus. Lin Zhi was sick, not deaf or blind—he heard the whispers and phone snaps around him.
Lin Zhi didn’t hide. He boldly lifted his foggy head, letting them see his face clearly. More than that, he told Song Mian: “After today, you’ll be a super humane senior who’s great to his friends. No more cold, heartless ice block!”
Song Mian’s tone was even: “Want to hear what they’re really saying?”
Lin Zhi strained to listen.
“Oh my god, who’s that in pajamas? So pretty, like a beautiful girl.”
Lin Zhi bashfully pressed his forehead to Song Mian’s shoulder.
“They’re praising me.” Lin Zhi was shy.
Song Mian’s eye twitched. Amid all the comments about him and Lin Zhi, he zeroed in on the one complimenting himself. Song Mian: “Listen more.”
Lin Zhi refused: “I’m not narcissistic.”
Song Mian: “……”
Lin Zhi didn’t bask in praise, so what time was it now?
Before he could laboriously lift his hand, the Romance Survival System chimed in: 【11:20. Host, you have forty minutes left.】
Forty minutes, timed at his most vulnerable—zero time to think.
Lin Zhi’s head swam hazily as Song Mian’s cool voice sounded: “When did you get here?”
Lin Zhi mumbled: “Half hour ago, I think.”
Song Mian: “IV done?”
Lin Zhi: “No. Wouldn’t make your game if I kept it up.”
Outside the gymnasium, Song Mian’s throat bobbed. “You… really wanted to watch me play that badly?”
Lin Zhi’s voice was rough: “Not exactly.”
Song Mian’s heart suddenly calmed: “So what then? Still not behaving when sick?”
He really wasn’t behaving even when sick—Lin Zhi felt a bit guilty and stayed quiet. But lifting his head, he saw they were heading to the infirmary and quickly stopped him: “Don’t take me back to the infirmary. Take me somewhere empty. I have something to say to you.”
Song Mian: “What?”
Lin Zhi mysteriously: “Somewhere private first.”
Song Mian had planned to ignore it, but the fidgety Lin Zhi on his back left him no choice. He detoured to a nearby teaching building, found an empty classroom, and set Lin Zhi on a seat facing away. Lin Zhi seemed asleep and slumped straight down upon release—Song Mian caught him.
Lin Zhi then opened his eyes. “A-arrived?”
His face was too red; a light touch burned. Song Mian seated him properly and coldly reminded: “You need the infirmary. Skip it, and you might burn into an idiot.”
Lin Zhi insisted: “It’s fine. I’ll go after I say it.”
Song Mian leaned against the side of the desk, his gaze lowered as he urged, “Say it quickly.”
Lin Zhi scratched his butt.
Song Mian: “……”
Lin Zhi scratched his face.
Song Mian: “…….”
Lin Zhi swallowed again, lifted his face, his eyes unfocused as he said directly, “Can you let me see your abs?”
In his feverish state, Lin Zhi’s tone was perfectly righteous, but when it left his mouth, it carried a heavy nasal tone and a hoarse rasp that made it sound a little aggrieved. It was as if… Song Mian should have lifted his clothes long ago to show Lin Zhi his abs.
Song Mian: ?
Song Mian’s expression turned strange. “Did the fever fry your brain?”
No way—he couldn’t even look. How was he supposed to lick them?
With the first step taken, Lin Zhi had lost all sense of shame. He’d already said it, so he had to complete the task!
“No,” Lin Zhi said, frowning but still perfectly righteous. “Not even this? If you won’t let me see, then I’ll just have to die.”
With that, Lin Zhi lightly bumped his head against the desk with a thud. He looked up, already dazed and delirious. “Will you let me?”
Song Mian: “……”
Song Mian’s expression grew grave. “You’re seriously ill.”
Song Mian tried to take Lin Zhi to the infirmary, but Lin Zhi refused to cooperate. He bumped his head against the desk several more times and then looked up, his eyes narrowed. “Do you want to watch me die with your own eyes?”
Song Mian: “…….”
Song Mian… lifted the hem of his hoodie just a bit.
Lin Zhi saw it—nicely defined, for sure. But his goal wasn’t just to look; it was to lick.
Lin Zhi’s mind wandered in a haze. “System, what was I supposed to say?”
The Romance Survival System was still reeling from its host’s death threats. It murmured, 【Your abs are so defined. I really want to lick the sweat off them.】
Lin Zhi’s gaze grew heavy.
Song Mian was in the middle of lowering his hem when Lin Zhi suddenly grabbed his hand.
Song Mian jolted at the burning heat, his breath hitching for a second. “What are you doing?”
Lin Zhi stared at the sliver of Song Mian’s exposed abs, then looked up. He took a deep breath—only to choke and turn his head for a sneeze. Then he looked up again, staring at Song Mian’s bare midriff. His face flushed red as he repeated the line verbatim: “Y-your abs are so defined. I really want to lick the sweat off them.”
Song Mian’s pupils contracted sharply.
“What did you say?”
