Chapter 37: The Harassed Instructor

Lin Jianxi was absentmindedly eating an orange.

The sudden appearance of that perverted boss, combined with a trainee suffering heatstroke, left him in a complicated mood. He tried to puzzle it out but drew a blank—his thoughts felt thoroughly blocked. In the end, all he could do was stare blankly at the bookshelf.

That angle might have a hidden camera.

Could it be the Protagonist?

Lin Jianxi flashed a dry smile in that direction, his mind a tangled mess.

If it was the Protagonist, he couldn’t ask his husband to investigate. After all, the Protagonist was ruthless. What if Shen Yuxiu ended up targeted down the line?

Seeing how uncomfortable he looked, Shen Yuxiu squatted down beside him. “Take some time off.”

Lin Jianxi sat cross-legged on the sofa, mulling it over. He really should lay low for a bit. Leaning closer, he said, “A vacation feels too irresponsible. Let’s just reassign the classes and bring in more lead instructors. That way, I can pop in for inspections now and then. What do you think?”

Shen Yuxiu nodded in agreement. “I’ll take care of it this afternoon. You rest here.”

Those words finally put Lin Jianxi at ease.

With all the pressure lifted, he felt utterly relaxed and went to grab a bottle of liquor.

He’d been planning to half-recline and catch some sun, but the thought of a possible camera made him glance at the bookshelf with a raised eyebrow. He promptly buttoned his shirt all the way to the top, swapped his pants for a pair of loose sleep ones, and only then settled in to drink without a care.

He knocked back quite a bit, his eyes half-lidded as he sprawled across the sofa.

His phone buzzed.

Lin Jianxi unlocked it and instinctively checked Shen Yuxiu’s WeChat, only to find the message wasn’t from him.

He froze for a second.

It was a text message.

【1246734XXXX】：[Picture][Picture][Picture][Picture]

Lin Jianxi sat up slowly, his fingers trembling faintly.

Every single image was of him.

Photos of him drinking just now, sprawled drunkenly on the sofa nibbling an orange, flashing that smile at the bookshelf—even an old restricted shot from way back with his husband, the sensitive parts censored out.

【1246734XXXX】：Your phone number is my WeChat ID. Add me. I’ve got videos too—tons of them. My memory cards can’t even hold them all.

【1246734XXXX】：You wouldn’t want these getting spread around, would you, Lin Jianxi?

【1246734XXXX】：Is your husband there? If not, how about a video call?

【1246734XXXX】：No video call? Fine. I can watch you anytime I want anyway.

“…”

Lin Jianxi stood and walked over to rummage around the bookshelf.

His phone buzzed again.

【1246734XXXX】：I’d advise against finding the camera. If you do, I won’t mind sharing your videos with the whole world. You’re pretty well-known in the industry, right? Wonder what your employers would think.

【1246734XXXX】：Your hands are gorgeous.

【1246734XXXX】：Add me. Use those hands to jerk off for me.

【1246734XXXX】：I want a video.

“…………”

Lin Jianxi clutched his phone, his mind going blank.

It wasn’t fear, exactly. It was just… was this the Protagonist? It had to be the Protagonist… but was it really?

Lin Jianxi typed out a reply.

—What did I ever do to you?

【1246734XXXX】：Your husband pissed me off.

【1246734XXXX】：But he won’t be riding high much longer. Behave yourself, and you might avoid some suffering.

“…”

The Protagonist.

It really was the Protagonist.

If it was him, there was nothing Lin Jianxi could do. In this world, the protagonist’s halo trumped everything.

Lin Jianxi closed his eyes for a moment.

He didn’t respond to the messages or add the WeChat contact. Instead, he returned to the sofa and started drinking again.

Shen Yuxiu…

Was something about to happen to him?

Lin Jianxi bit the cap off another bottle and spat it aside, his gaze drifting emptily out the window.

The sun blazed overhead.

It was almost too bright, stinging his eyes.

His phone kept buzzing, but Lin Jianxi ignored it. He stared at the familiar office, taking in every corner, and suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.

After a moment, he stood, picked up the bottle cap he’d tossed.

He’d drunk a lot and was more than a little tipsy now, his body heating up. He undid all the buttons he’d just fastened, tidied his husband’s desk according to their usual routine, then sank into Shen Yuxiu’s chair. Hugging his husband’s jacket, he zoned out.

Suddenly, the room felt so cold.

Lin Jianxi lowered his lashes.

It was just him now. All alone.

He picked up his phone, intending to see what else the Protagonist had sent, when he noticed the red notification dot on WeChat.

Tapping it open, he found a friend request from Xu Song’an.

“…”

He still hadn’t given him the eye drops.

Lin Jianxi suddenly remembered. And Xu Song’an hadn’t worn his hat today either. With the instructor switch this afternoon, he’d need to inform the new one about his eye condition.

Biting down on the bottle, Lin Jianxi slowly opened the Protagonist’s texts.

【1246734XXXX】：Scared? Don’t be. Obey me, and I won’t hurt you.

【1246734XXXX】：Drinking yourself silly and still cleaning up his desk for him?

【1246734XXXX】：When we meet, will you clean my place too?

【1246734XXXX】：Better not wear a stitch.

“…”

Lin Jianxi’s expression didn’t change. He kept biting the bottle rim as he typed back.

—Hold on.

—I’ve got a trainee with eye problems. Need to handle something for him.

There was a long silence from the other side.

Lin Jianxi shook his head to clear it, then headed out the office door.

~~~

While Lin Jianxi stewed over here, the trainees on the other side had launched into a heated discussion.

“He really goes for the pitiful types.”

“Act all pathetic, and you get whatever you want.”

“Damn, you guys have no idea how good he smells…”

“His gentle side is so beautiful.”

“If only he weren’t an instructor,” someone blurted out.

The cafeteria fell silent for a beat, then erupted into chaos—

“If he weren’t an instructor, would he still be that gentle?”

“Feels like I could just hug him whenever.”

“…Fuck, stop. Can’t eat now. Gotta hit the bathroom.”

“Me too.”

“Actually, getting slapped by him feels pretty good. No need to be gentle.”

“…”

“…………”

Another round of heated discussion ensued.

In the lively crowd, only Xu Song’an stayed silent, quietly staring at his phone. He hadn’t touched the food in front of him.

A long time passed—until his classmates began filing out of the cafeteria one by one. Only then did Xu Song’an pick up his tray, dump the leftovers, and trail after his roommate toward the dorm.

His roommate said, “Quick, look—it’s the instructor.”

Xu Song’an looked up and saw Lin Jianxi talking to a man.

His roommate added, “That guy’s an instructor too. Are they splitting classes already? So soon?”

Xu Song’an said nothing.

After Lin Jianxi finished speaking with the man, he leaned against a tree trunk, closed his eyes for a brief rest, and then started toward the office building.

Xu Song’an watched him.

Lin Jianxi noticed the gaze, looked over, and walked right up to Xu Song’an.

“Classes get divided this afternoon,” Lin Jianxi said. “If you’re not feeling well, make sure to tell the instructor.”

Xu Song’an nodded, a faint smile just starting to form—until he saw Lin Jianxi turn to his roommate.

“Come on, let’s get you to the infirmary,” Lin Jianxi said. His head throbbed from all the drinking; he drew in a deep breath. “It might not be anything serious, but fainting isn’t trivial.”

“…”

At those words, his roommate immediately adopted a frail demeanor. “Thank you, Instructor.”

Still buzzed from the alcohol, Lin Jianxi acted on impulse. He stepped forward, tilted the roommate’s head down, and pressed their foreheads together.

In that instant, the heartbeats of passersby, onlookers nearby, bystanders—and the one whose forehead was being touched—all seemed to halt simultaneously. Even the air grew thick and still.

“…”

“…………”

Xu Song’an’s smile froze on his face.

Lin Jianxi kept his eyes closed for a moment, feeling the temperature, then said, “You’re fine. No fever. Come with me.”

The roommate stood there, dazed.

Lin Jianxi simply took his hand. “No worries. If you’re really feeling bad, you can lie down in the infirmary for a bit.”

The roommate glanced at his own hand, then stammered, “Oh… oh, okay, Instructor.”

Lin Jianxi led him toward the infirmary.

The roommate mumbled something incoherent when Lin Jianxi’s phone buzzed again.

“…”

Lin Jianxi sighed and picked up the pace, dropping the trainee off at the infirmary.

He pulled out his phone and saw two new messages.

【1246734XXXX】: Video

【1246734XXXX】: I want it now.

“…”

Lin Jianxi crouched beneath a tree and typed back.

—I’m outside

—Not convenient

【1246734XXXX】: Go back now.

Lin Jianxi shut his eyes. Suddenly, a cool sensation brushed them.

He caught a familiar, refreshing scent.

It was his husband.

Lin Jianxi rose and leaned into him.

Shen Yuxiu looked down. “Why aren’t you in the office? Feeling unwell?”

“No,” Lin Jianxi said. “Drank too much earlier.”

Shen Yuxiu replied, “I’ll walk you back. There are sobering pills in the office.”

Lin Jianxi enjoyed his liquor, so Shen Yuxiu always kept a good stock of sobering pills there for him.

Lin Jianxi shook his head. “Too much booze. Not going back. You head out first—I’ll go home and sleep it off.”

Shen Yuxiu said, “I’ll drive you.”

Lin Jianxi nodded.

On the way, he asked again, “Have you pissed anyone off?”

“…” Shen Yuxiu’s grip on his hand tightened. “In this line of work, you make a lot of enemies.”

“…”

Fair enough.

After all, providing bodyguards—or even hired muscle—the people on the receiving end always held grudges.

Lin Jianxi knew he wouldn’t get anything useful out of it, so he dropped the subject.

~~~

Finally home, Lin Jianxi headed to the bedroom and drew the curtains.

Shen Yuxiu watched from the doorway. “I’ll make you some sobering soup.”

His phone buzzed once more.

Lin Jianxi huddled in the corner of the bed, head lolled against the wall as he grinned. “Such a good little housewife. No need—I’ll be fine after some shut-eye. Wasn’t that hammered.”

Shen Yuxiu insisted, “No, sleep now. It’s just one bowl. Won’t take long.”

“…”

Lin Jianxi said, “Then close the door on your way out.”

Shen Yuxiu eased him down, pulled the covers over him, and slipped out, shutting the door behind.

Lin Jianxi heard sounds from the kitchen.

He sat up, propped against the wall, and keyed the number into WeChat’s search bar digit by digit. Then he sent a friend request.

Even now, it all felt surreal.

Lin Jianxi asked the System, “Is this guy the protagonist?”

The System: “Hehe.”

Lin Jianxi: “…” Ah, the price of failing the mission was steep.

【X】: I’ve passed your friend verification. We can chat now.

【X】: Your choice: record a video, or video call.

Lin Jianxi needed to buy time.

Shen Yuxiu was right outside, after all. He’d wait until the soup was done and Shen Yuxiu left before handling this.

—Can you tell me where you are?

—Training camp?

—Have I seen you these past few days?

【X】: Ten seconds.

【X】: Oh, right—don’t be scared. I didn’t mean to frighten you with all that.

【X】: I won’t spread those videos of yours. I’ve got the rest of the photos safe with me—no more passing them to trainees. But if you’re not good, I’ll send them straight to your husband.

【X】: He’s right outside the door now, yeah? You lock it?

“…”

Lin Jianxi squeezed his eyes shut. His heart hammered wildly as he exhaled a heavy breath.

~~~