“Damn, with just this little bit of money, when do you think you’ll ever pay it off? Are you even trying to earn more?”

“If you ask me, instead of making us come to collect all the time, why don’t we just sell this kid? He’s got such soft skin, some rich guy might really be into that, hahaha.”

“That’s a solid idea!”

With that, the group of men moved in to grab Xu Yan, who was lying on the ground.

But Xu Yan wasn’t going down without a fight.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

The others hadn’t noticed, but from where I stood, I clearly saw Xu Yan hiding a knife up his sleeve.

This could end badly.

Before I had time to run over, I shouted from where I was, “Wait! I’ll pay back what he owes you. Don’t touch him!”

10

Hearing this, both the debt collectors and Xu Yan froze.

The men exchanged glances, and the leader looked at me with a sinister smile. “You’ll pay for him? Who are you to him, anyway? Do you even know how much his father owes us?”

I wasn’t interested in explaining myself to these people. After making sure Xu Yan was still alright, I met the man’s gaze and asked, “What’s the payment method?”

After dealing with the debt collectors, I took Xu Yan home.

On the way, he glanced at me several times, wanting to say something but too wary to speak.

As I turned to leave, he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Who are you? Why are you helping me? What do you want from me?”

I smiled and left him with a simple answer: “You’ll understand later. For now, I just want you to go back to school and study hard.”

Xu Yan had his guard up, so telling him too much now would only make him more suspicious. It’s better to take things slowly and earn his trust over time.

I felt a sense of relief that the task was finally making progress.

But just as I turned the corner, I froze.

Leaning against the wall in front of me was Wen Xun, whom I had sent home with an excuse earlier.

His eyes were red, full of grievance.

“Brother, were you in such a hurry just to meet him? Is he the one you like?”

The look on his face was as if my confirmation would shatter him.

Not wanting him to misunderstand, I quickly gave a firm denial.

“He’s not someone I like. Stop overthinking.”

But clearly, Wen Xun didn’t believe me at all.

11

All the way home, my ears were filled with his endless questions.

“If you don’t like him, why did you pay his debt?”

“Are you always this kind to everyone?”

“Will you meet him again?”

I wanted to answer, but most of the responses involved the system, which I couldn’t reveal. So, I gave vague replies.

“Because I wanted to.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

In the end, I started to feel a little irritated, and my voice rose.

“Can you stop asking? Who do you think you are, anyway? Why should I have to answer you?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted it.

Wen Xun liked me.

I’d been aware of how he carefully tried to please me over the past few weeks.

My words were cruel.

I instinctively glanced at Wen Xun. He hung his head, silent, his expression unreadable.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

I wanted to say something to break the silence, but I couldn’t find the words.

We remained quiet all the way home.

After a long, exhausting day, it was already past midnight when I finished washing up.

I stood outside Wen Xun’s closed door, hesitating for a long time. Just as I was about to knock, the door opened.

Before I could react, I was pulled inside with force, pressed up against the wall.

Wen Xun, freshly out of the shower, wore only a loose bathrobe, water droplets still trailing down his collarbone.

Noticing my gaze, he suddenly smiled.

There was an added hint of possessiveness in his eyes.

“Brother, what are you here for so late? Feeling guilty?”

“You really are kind, aren’t you?”

Hit right where it hurt, I lowered my head in embarrassment.

“As long as you understand. I didn’t mean to say that to you earlier. My head was a mess, and I was feeling annoyed. It just slipped out, sor—”

Before I could finish, my chin was gently lifted.

A soft sensation silenced all my words.

12

As Wen Xun’s face loomed closer, I felt my face flush red and instinctively shut my eyes.

After a moment, I heard a soft chuckle near my ear.

“Brother, you’re so cute. You’re actually blushing.”

Before I could retort, Wen Xun kissed me again.

In a daze, I heard him murmur, “Brother, you never need to apologize to me.”

I hesitated, and the tension in my back slowly eased.

Wen Xun was like an alluring demon, igniting a fire within me over and over again.

Feeling overwhelmed, I shot him a glare.

But his smile only grew wider.

“Brother, I’ve been with you since I was eighteen. You owe me a title now.

“Anything Xu Yan can do for you, I can do better.

“Brother, I love you. Let me be the one to satisfy you…”

That night was wild.

13

I woke up to the sound of my alarm.

I had gotten used to setting it, and had forgotten to turn it off.

But as I moved, I realized Wen Xun’s arm was still wrapped around my waist, his fluffy head resting against my neck, his breath brushing my skin.

It tickled, making me shiver.

In his sleep, Wen Xun’s sharp features softened, and his slightly upturned lips made him look soft and innocent.

Who would have thought that this clingy, affectionate boy was the one who took charge last night, with endless stamina at that!

Recalling the events of the previous night, my face flushed.

I reached down to rub my aching waist, gritting my teeth as I turned off the alarm.

All that moving woke Wen Xun.

He tightened his grip on my waist and gave me two quick kisses on the ear before finally getting out of bed to wash up.

Maybe it was the intimacy of the night before, but all the tension between us seemed to have melted away.