Just thinking about what he had to do later made Liu Sizhen feel even worse. Even though the system had already told him several times since this morning.

It said that this world was fake, and he didn’t need to feel so much pressure. Moreover, this was a necessary part of the male lead’s journey. Even if Liu Sizhen didn’t do it, someone else would have to take on the role.

But even so, it felt different.

That day, as usual, the male lead bought breakfast for Liu Sizhen, but Liu Sizhen had already eaten at home and wasn’t really hungry.

The food the male lead bought was chosen based on the male lead’s preferences in his profile. Liu Sizhen had hoped to prevent the male lead from suffering from such severe stomach issues in the future by doing this.

Of course, he’d also included some of his own favorite foods.

That day, he wasn’t hungry at all.

As usual, he first complained and then gave everything to the male lead.

Because his mind was preoccupied, the irritation on his face seemed more real than the usual fake irritation he put on. Lin Bosheng seemed to have noticed something, glancing at him several times.

When the break came, several boys from other classes came to find Liu Sizhen, since they had made plans earlier.

Liu Sizhen slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and adjusted his facial expression. When speaking to the male lead, he didn’t dare look him directly in the eyes; his gaze was on Lin Bosheng’s desk instead.

If he had looked into a mirror at that moment, he would have seen how guilty, awkward, and deflated he looked, his mouth turning down at the corners.

He didn’t see Lin Bosheng’s expression, but…

—Liu Sizhen’s expression, which seemed so guilty in front of him… was kind of cute.

After saying “see you later”, Liu Sizhen didn’t wait for the male lead’s reaction and just left. The other boys followed behind him, sensing his bad mood. They all assumed it was because of Lin Bosheng that he felt this way.

They began to talk badly about Lin Bosheng.

“Do you think he’ll really come?”

“Or should we go pull him out?”

Liu Sizhen shrank back, avoiding a boy named Lu Xu, who had tried to put his arm around his shoulders. Liu Sizhen vaguely remembered that he was from the class next door.

“Liu bro, what’s wrong with you?”

“…None of your business.”

There was no script for that line; Liu Sizhen had said it without thinking, overwhelmed by his frustration. Lu Xu didn’t seem to care much. He even asked, “Is it too hot for you?”

[……]

---

As expected, the male lead showed up for the appointment.

And to Liu Sizhen’s surprise, Lin Bosheng didn’t seem at all surprised by the situation. His expression was calm, as if being called to the restroom for a “lesson” was just another ordinary, daily event.

“Oh… wait a moment.” Lin Bosheng said, seemingly addressing only Liu Sizhen. “You… come here.”

Liu Sizhen, not understanding why, walked closer. Lin Bosheng casually dusted off the back of his shirt, as though Liu Sizhen had somehow leaned against something without noticing.

“Hm… are we starting now?”

“…Ah… oh, oh, oh.”

This was Liu Sizhen’s first time bullying someone. So, this was the process? The other boys who were there didn’t know what Liu Sizhen was thinking; they just found the situation a little unexpected, and they felt something strange in their hearts.

When the other four people held down Lin Bosheng, he would struggle very hard, but as soon as the leader Liu Sizhen came over, he would become extremely docile in an instant. It was really strange?

Except for when Liu Sizhen kicked his knee and he dropped to the ground with a muffled groan, he had gone completely silent.

The others assumed it was because Lin Bosheng was afraid of Liu Sizhen, and they began to flatter Liu Sizhen.

In that moment, even Liu Sizhen himself thought:

Oh my god, does the male lead have masochistic tendencies?

But when Lu Xu from Class 8 tried to grab the male lead’s hair, Liu Sizhen noticed Lin Bosheng quickly dodging it. From the speed of his reaction, it seemed like he really disliked Lu Xu.

So, it looked like he didn’t have any masochistic tendencies after all?

[Is it enough now? I think we can stop. System?]

Liu Sizhen had originally planned just to have a brief scene, to finish quickly. He had intended to grab the male lead by the collar, pin him to the wall, say some harsh words, and end the bullying session for the day.

But then, two guys, who Liu Sizhen didn’t even know the names of, tried to help out.

Previously, Lin Bosheng, who had easily been pinned down, now slipped away like an eel in their hands. For some reason, he wasn’t fighting back, as if there was something holding him back.

As they moved from the entrance of the restroom to the window at the far end, Lin Bosheng no longer seemed as docile as he had in front of Liu Sizhen, but for some reason, halfway through, he appeared to become the same helpless person, easily bullied.

This behavior of Lin Bosheng’s was clearly more infuriating to the two small-time thugs who were familiar with him. They laughed in anger.

“Why the hell are you still pretending, Lin Bosheng?! There’s no teacher here. Do you really need to keep acting like such a good student? Before…”

But Lin Bosheng couldn’t let these idiots finish talking.

Since entering the restroom, he had been carefully observing the surroundings, looking for something useful. However, no matter how he thought about it, whatever he picked up would definitely be visible from Liu Sizhen’s perspective.

For some reason, Lin Bosheng subconsciously didn’t want Liu Sizhen to see his real self. He even thought:

Maybe… I should let these idiots have a few hits?

After all, from this point on, he would definitely make them pay double for this later.

Lin Bosheng and these guys had some personal grudges, stemming from a series of trivial matters. At first, it had been just a little friction, but it had gradually built up over time, turning into what it was now.

They had never gotten the better of Lin Bosheng.

Moreover, because of Lin Bosheng’s good grades, even if they reported him, the teachers would always side with him.

He wasn’t some innocent little victim, having grown up in some dark Alley.

His peripheral vision kept watching the figures on the other side.

Because those two figures were blocking Lin Bosheng, Liu Sizhen couldn’t see what was going on. All he saw was the two of them talking, and then one of them suddenly slipped and nearly fell on top of the male lead.

Liu Sizhen couldn’t just stand by and watch the male lead get beaten, especially in such an unfair situation. He immediately raised his voice to stop them and, amidst their confused stares, he pretended to be calm and explained.

“What are you looking at? What the hell is this to do with you? Get lost! Only I can bully him!”

---

If things had ended there, it would have been within Liu Sizhen’s expectations.

He could tell that the three boys from the other class really seemed to dislike Lin Bosheng, almost as if they had some personal grudge against him. But Liu Sizhen thought it shouldn’t be anything like that. With the male lead’s personality, if there was any issue, it was probably because they started it.

Earlier, Lin Bosheng’s jacket had already fallen.

The school uniform from the No.2 high school wasn’t too expensive, only about 200 yuan per set. But for Lin Bosheng, it was really too expensive, and since he couldn’t afford a new one, he was still wearing an old uniform from the previous year.

Even though it was an old uniform, the male lead still treated it with great care.

In the chilly weather, he was only wearing a short-sleeve inner shirt underneath. It had probably been worn for a long time, and the quality wasn’t great, so when they slightly pulled on it, it couldn’t bear the strain and tore.

When the sound of the fabric tearing echoed, the first person to turn pale wasn’t Lin Bosheng, but Liu Sizhen.

The negative emotions that had been building up since the morning reached their peak at that moment. The discomfort, the emotional turmoil, and all kinds of unease rushed in.

Liu Sizhen was genuinely afraid of such scenes. From the moment he entered the restroom, it felt like there was a heavy weight pressing on his heart, and everything around him seemed like a nightmare repeating itself.

After all… he had really been bullied like this before.

When Liu Sizhen was a child, he skipped two grades and entered middle school at the age of ten. At that time, the kids in his class, around twelve or thirteen, were very mischievous. They were keen on forming cliques and bullying the weak.

As the shortest and thinnest in class, Liu Sizhen became the target of bullying. Because he was younger, because he was powerless to fight back, and because he was too scared to tell the teachers or his parents, he endured it in silence.

Even after he grew up, those days remained something he couldn’t bear to look back on. Perhaps those who had bullied him had matured by now, or maybe they had completely forgotten how they had treated him.

But Liu Sizhen would always remember. He would remember how they took his money, under the pretense of “borrowing” it, but never returned it. He would remember how they took his breakfast, how each time he went hungry it hurt, and how they would trip him on purpose as he passed by, laughing cruelly.

He would also remember when they cornered him in the boys’ restroom, and how he had to slowly crouch against the wall, hugging his wet body tightly.

Liu Sizhen had tried to find some sense of security in that posture, and even thought, “Anyone, please help me.” But at that time, no one came to his aid. It was different from the physical coldness; it was a psychological kind of chill.

Clothes are humanity’s last defense, almost like a final line of protection. Perhaps at that time, those who bullied him didn’t understand what their actions really meant; they just knew that it made him feel humiliated.

Liu Sizhen remembered those moments so vividly that after reading the script, when he learned that he was supposed to bully someone else in the same way, he remained silent for a long time.

“…Do I really have to do this?”

Even though the system told him that the male lead and this entire world were fake, and that he could treat it like a stage play, Liu Sizhen still felt an intense rejection of this task from the bottom of his heart.

On the other hand, he had no choice but to complete it.

Not just because Liu Sizhen wanted to survive and return to his own world, but also because of the promise the system had made. It told him he could save the comatose/vegetative person.

If that happened… his mother might wake up.

---

The system had told Liu Sizhen that the world around him was fake, and that the people in it weren’t real. He was supposed to treat them like set pieces on a stage.

Liu Sizhen had been persuaded by this reasoning and had indeed started to treat them all like characters in a play. He had convinced himself of this before, but now, suddenly, he couldn’t.

Looking at the bullied male lead, Liu Sizhen seemed to see his past self. Even though he knew Lin Bosheng, as the main character, would be sharpened by these trials, it still hurt him to see it.

Just as Liu Sizhen’s own experiences had made him gentler and more polite, having been hurt himself made him more empathetic to the pain others felt.

So, he actively helped his classmates, striving to become the good child in everyone’s eyes…

To a certain extent, Liu Sizhen really felt sorry for the male lead.

He sympathized with him having a father who was an alcoholic and a gambler, who didn’t even try to fulfill the responsibilities of a parent. His mother, unable to endure it, had left him, reportedly running away with another man.

His own school fees and miscellaneous expenses were reduced as long as he maintained a certain rank in exams. On top of that, he had applied for the school’s financial aid, or else he might not have been able to finish high school.

Liu Sizhen also knew about the male lead’s future. After a certain incident, Lin Bosheng didn’t go to college. He entered the workforce early, and his business ventures didn’t go smoothly at first. He struggled, facing many setbacks and failures.

However, his early experiences had toughened Lin Bosheng’s resolve. Plus, he wasn’t unintelligent, and over time, luck started to turn in his favor. His business gradually began to improve.

---

At least, as the main character, Lin Bosheng’s final outcome didn’t betray the hardships he endured as a child. Those who had bullied, humiliated, and looked down on him all had miserable endings.

It seemed like karma had caught up with them, as they all faced one mishap after another.

In the end, Liu Sizhen read through the script, and when the male lead, after going through a great deal, looked back on the past, he couldn’t help but reflect. He still thought that if given the chance, he would have wanted to study, but back then, he didn’t have a choice.

As for Liu Sizhen’s role… it wasn’t very far into the story. His main task was to bully and torment the male lead in the beginning, to give him some “training,” just as the system had said—there wasn’t much to it.

The male lead’s wish was simple. He just wanted to go to college. Liu Sizhen initially thought it would be the easiest wish to fulfill.

After all, the characters in this little world were very wealthy, and once Liu Sizhen left this world and returned to his own, the money here wouldn’t come with him. It could only remain behind.

That’s why Liu Sizhen didn’t mind spending money so freely. He didn’t feel any pain when using others’ money. In fact, it even felt strangely satisfying.

---

“…”

Liu Sizhen and his companions were stunned for a moment by the unexpected event, but they quickly realized this was an excellent opportunity.

Naturally they were unwilling to let it go.

The boys around him seemed to be laughing—maliciously. They were clearly bullying another boy. But to Liu Sizhen’s ears, everything had changed.

A few unlearned delinquents were standing nearby, pretending to smoke like adults. Amid the swirling smoke, Liu Sizhen noticed Lin Bosheng’s hands clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

It felt like a cycle. Liu Sizhen, looking through Lin Bosheng, saw his past self, clutching his torn clothes like they were the last remnants of his broken dignity.

In Liu Sizhen’s eyes, when he saw the male lead’s clenched fist, it slowly relaxed. It was strange, like a balloon deflating.

It seemed like a silent surrender, or maybe a subtle test?

Lin Bosheng, despite saying nothing and doing nothing, seemed to be waiting for Liu Sizhen’s reaction…

The male lead collapsed to the ground, looking helpless, and shifted toward Liu Sizhen. In that moment, Liu Sizhen didn’t think much about it. A strange emotion flooded his heart.

“Get out! Get the hell out!!”

At first, Lu Xu thought he had heard wrong. He hesitantly asked:

“Brother Liu? What did you just say?”

Liu Sizhen, normally very gentle and never cursing, must have been too deep into the role he was playing. In that moment, the words escaped him:

“I said, get the hell out! Damn it! Can’t you understand anything?!”

He acted like he was about to kick them.

It was as though, if they hesitated for even a second, they’d be kicked out. Though Liu Sizhen wasn’t the tallest among his lackeys, his imposing demeanor made up for it.

“Get lost!!! Get lost!!”