CH 1

In the depths of the cellar, a thin and frail boy sat in the corner, hugging his legs. The cold wall pressed against his back and made him shiver.

Xia Zhinian pulled his school uniform tighter, endured not moving, and glanced at the person on the opposite wall with his big apricot eyes. He quickly looked away and couldn’t help pursing his lips.

There were only two people in this ghostly place: him and the protagonist shou. The original owner always bothered him, so would the protagonist shou take this opportunity to get rid of him?

He glanced again.

The cellar was dark, with only a ray of light coming from a high place. Right under the light, there was another person sitting.

The boy looked pale, leaning against the wall with a relaxed posture. His eyebrows and eyes were handsome, and he gave him a gentle look.

"Classmate Xia, are you okay?" he asked.

"This cellar has been abandoned for a long time. We've been down here for two hours, and I don't know when someone will come to find us."

The protagonist shou's tone was warm and concerned, but Xia Zhinian felt more uneasy and shrank into the wall. His round eyes stared at him warily.

"I'm fine."

Yan Ci smiled at him, his narrow eyes slightly curved. "I'm really sorry, I dragged you down with me."

"Are you tired? Do you want to sleep for a while? I'll wake you up when someone comes."

"..." Xia Zhinian's forehead twitched hard. He wrapped himself in his clothes and refused in one breath. "No need, I'm not tired."

What a pretense. As if he would wake him up when someone came.

If someone really came, this black sesame dumpling wouldn't hesitate to knock him out and leave him here.

After all, he was a troublemaker and a hated villain.

Xia Zhinian pitifully shrank into the corner, keeping a safe distance. He hugged his miserable self.

Two days ago, the original owner died unexpectedly. He, who had the same name, appearance and surname as him, transmigrated into a campus sweet novel called "Childhood Sweethearts" and became the cannon fodder antagonist that everyone disliked.

The original owner had a weird personality. He loved to follow the protagonist gong like a tail, obsessed with him in his heart and acted like a pervert. He also took every opportunity to trouble the protagonist gong's love interest, Yan Ci.

He was hung up on the protagonist gong, thinking that Yan Ci was a gentle and good student. He didn't know that he was actually a poisonous pie with a white skin and a black heart.

So black that he could squeeze out water.

This time, the whole second grade of high school organized a visit to the Xishan Daoist Temple scenic area. "Xia Zhinian" was unhappy with Yan Ci walking close to the protagonist gong, and wanted to teach him a lesson and scare him. On the mountain road, he took advantage of his carelessness and pulled his clothes.

But before he could touch him, Yan Ci stumbled out of nowhere and almost rolled down the steps.

The protagonist gong reacted quickly and saved him.

Yan Ci was fine, but the original owner was beaten up by the protagonist gong.

At that time, Yan Ci was gently explaining that it was his own fault, which made the protagonist gong feel sorry for him and hit harder.

...Although the original owner deserved it, this didn't change the fact that Yan Ci was a black-hearted boss.

Xia Zhinian wrapped himself in his school uniform. His inner villain was balding.

He had just finished the college entrance exam. He felt excited when he read the book, but wasn't it a bit too exciting to become the cannon fodder antagonist who opposed the black-hearted boss?

He could go back to his own world after he finished the original plot, so he gritted his teeth and went today. But before he had a chance to maliciously pull someone, he saw Yan Ci step on something and fall down with a thud.

He subconsciously grabbed him.

And then, he ended up in this broken cellar.

And spent some "happy" time with the black-hearted protagonist shou.

Xia Zhinian sighed bitterly, his eyes and eyebrows drooping.

Forget it, forget it. For the sake of going back, he, Young Master Xia, could bend and stretch.

He endured!

It was early May and the weather was not very warm. The temperature in the cellar was low to begin with, and now it was getting dark, it dropped even faster. Xia Zhinian only wore a long-sleeved shirt and a school uniform jacket. No matter how tight he wrapped himself, he couldn't keep his body temperature.

He curled up his legs and buried his head on his knees. His fair side face pressed out two red marks. He half-closed his eyes to conserve his energy.

It was quiet in the cellar for a long time, when a voice came from across.

"Classmate Xia?"

Yan Ci softly called him.

"Are you asleep?"

Xia Zhinian's mind moved, but he kept his eyes closed and didn't make a sound.

Yan Ci waited for a while, then called him again, as if to make sure he was asleep.

He held still. After a long time, he heard some rustling sounds from Yan Ci's side, followed by a series of light footsteps.

Click, click, click...

They got closer.

Xia Zhinian held his breath, his heart rising a little.

Yan Ci walked up to him and stopped. He didn't do anything else, just quietly looked at him.

Xia Zhinian didn't know what he was up to. He was a bit nervous. He hugged his knees and closed his eyes. His fair and tender neck was exposed to the cold air, and his hairs stood up.

Finally, Yan Ci moved.

The sound of fabric rubbing came.

The next second, Xia Zhinian's back warmed up. A jacket was tightly placed on his back, covering his white and dazzling neck as well.

Xia Zhinian closed his eyes and sighed in relief. But before he could exhale, he stiffened in the next moment--

A large shadow covered him. A gust of wind cut through the air. Something aimed at his neck and slashed down with a fierce force.

Xia Zhinian was silently terrified. In the moment when the wind approached, he slightly dodged down.

"Ugh."

A strong force came. Xia Zhinian's neck hurt like it was about to break. His body instinctively groaned and went limp. He fell to the ground.

The jacket on his body slid down, half-covering his head.

Yan Ci's face was somewhat pale, his lips tightly pursed. He glanced lightly and let the clothes messily cover the boy's head. He turned around and sat back in his original position.

He leaned against the wall, and only then did he slowly exhale. He breathed hard, as if he was struggling. He took out a wet wipe from his backpack and casually wiped his fingers one by one.

"......?"

...What kind of operation is this?

Xia Zhinian was dumbfounded. His neck hurt so much that it was stiff. He quietly opened a slit in his eyes from behind the jacket and looked at Yan Ci wiping his hands in shock.

He knew that the protagonist shou had a cleanliness obsession, but he didn't expect it to be so serious. He even gave him a jacket to cushion before knocking him out...

I really thank you for that.

Xia Zhinian's face was full of speechlessness.

But luckily, thanks to this jacket, he dodged a bit when the hand chop came down.

Xia Zhinian's round apricot eyes rolled around. His fingers curled up. His left thumb rubbed his index finger joint.

He had never done anything outrageous in his life. His strength was almost zero. He could only lie down and pretend to be unconscious, using the jacket to cover himself. He opened his bright and round eyes and secretly glanced at the protagonist shou.

Yan Ci carefully wiped his hands and leaned against the wall. His figure was slender and tall. One leg stretched out and the other bent casually.

His right hand gripped his left wrist tightly. His fingertips turned white from the force. His face looked bad. His breathing became heavier.

It was as if... he had some chronic illness that was acting up.

Xia Zhinian didn't understand what was going on. He half-opened his eyes and quietly looked over there.

It got dark outside. The only light source in the cellar was a small hole in the ceiling. The light inside became dimmer.

Until a certain moment.

The small hole above didn't let any light in. The cellar fell into complete darkness.

Yan Ci suddenly groaned lowly, his body trembling slightly.

Xia Zhinian tried to open his eyes wide. He vaguely saw a figure leaning against the wall and slowly standing up. His breathing became more rapid. He seemed anxious and restless, groping on the wall. His palm rubbed against the cold wall, and the next moment--

"Bang!"

A loud noise pierced the darkness.

The person across punched the stone wall, and blood quickly dripped from his joints.

Xia Zhinian was startled: "?!!"

Something was wrong.

He was startled by the sound and his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to lift the clothes up right away. But before he could move, Yan Ci fumbled and opened the zipper of his backpack, taking out something.

With a click, a cold white light suddenly lit up.

The cellar was no longer completely dark.

Yan Ci breathed a sigh of relief. His panting echoed softly in the deep cellar. He leaned against the wall again and sat down. His breathing eased a bit. His pale wrist rested on his knee. He held a finger-sized flashlight in his hand.

...The protagonist shou is afraid of the dark?

Xia Zhinian slowly widened his eyes.

There was no such setting in the original text.

He didn't dare to move. He looked at the protagonist shou through the half-covered school uniform jacket on his head.

He didn't notice. Suddenly, the zipper of the jacket in front of him fell to the ground with a faint ding.

"What's that sound?"

Yan Ci raised his head sharply. His sharp eyes looked straight at him.

"!!"

Xia Zhinian was startled. He quickly closed his eyes. His long eyelashes brushed against the edge of the clothes in front of him. His heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.

The cellar was extremely quiet, with a slight echo.

Xia Zhinian clearly heard Yan Ci stand up and walk slowly to him. He stopped only a step away from him.

His heart pounded and he kept his eyes closed.

After a moment, he heard a vague low laugh.

"Classmate Xia."

Yan Ci raised his smile and called him softly. His voice was deep, like whispering in his ear. He was gentle and slow.

"Are you awake or asleep?"

Xia Zhinian: "...!"

This sounded like you are asking me if I want to live or die.

His heartbeat sped up uncontrollably. He tried to lie on the ground and pretend to be unconscious. He didn't move at all, not even his eyes.

Yan Ci lowered his eyelids and looked at him. His eyes scanned his body back and forth. He chuckled meaningfully and slowly rolled up his sleeves, revealing a pale and thin wrist.

"Classmate Xia suddenly became so quiet and calm that I felt a bit strange."

"But it doesn't matter."

He smiled softly. "I'll handle it."

Xia Zhinian: "!!!"

Handle?!

A hand reached for his head. Xia Zhinian's heart stopped for a moment. He quickly opened his eyes and wanted to bounce up. But a jacket fell over his head and blocked him tightly.

He wanted to pull off the clothes as soon as possible, but his neck suddenly felt a burst of pain. His bones and flesh made a dull sound.

Xia Zhinian hadn't finished cursing in his heart when everything went black in front of him.

Xia Zhinian woke up and sat up abruptly. He felt dizzy and weak. He subconsciously reached out to touch his surroundings.

Pillow, cup, bedside table.

Not the cellar wall.

He was out.

"Nian Nian? Nian Nian, you're awake. What are you looking for?"

Xia Zhinian hadn't had time to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard a woman's voice nearby. The shadow in front of him disappeared.

He was sitting on the bed in a hospital gown. Next to him was a gentle and delicate woman whose age was hard to tell.

Jiang Yuan carefully looked at him, her voice worried. "Nian Nian, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? What do you want to find? Mom will help you find it."

...Mom?

What a strange way to address someone.

Xia Zhinian paused for a moment. This was... the original owner's mother.

"Thank you, I'm not looking for anything."

Xia Zhinian was not good at dealing with relatives. He flipped through his memory and found that the original owner was not close to his family. He politely said: "I'm fine, you don't have to worry."

The boy's long eyelashes drooped slightly. His voice was clear. Jiang Yuan looked at her son's pale face and wanted to help him lean against the head of the bed. She reached out her hand.

Xia Zhinian subconsciously dodged back. He saw Jiang Yuan freeze and stop.

"...Thank you, I-I can do it myself."

He didn't like being touched by others.

"Th-then okay." Jiang Yuan withdrew her hand. She didn't say anything. She hid the excessive worry on her face and smiled reassuringly at him.

"That cellar was so high and cold. You and Yan Ci fell down and stayed there for so long. When we found you, you were burning with no consciousness. You scared mom to death. Fortunately, Xiao Ci took care of you all the time."

Xia Zhinian: "...?"

Jiang Yuan didn't know about the original owner's troublemaking at school. She smiled and said softly, "Xiao Ci saved you from the car accident before, and took care of you in the cellar this time. You should thank him properly."

Xia Zhinian: "...?!"

Yan Ci? Took care of him?

He was knocked out by Yan Ci, okay?

"Knock knock."

The door was half open. A tall and handsome boy in a hospital gown stood by the door. He smiled and knocked on the door.

"Aunt Jiang."