With the mindset of “the sooner I pick up trash, the sooner I can be done with it,” Ji Chenai stepped out again, umbrella in hand.

After some time observing the area, he had pretty much mapped out the nearby streets. The neighborhood they lived in was well-equipped with public facilities and had decent security, which was why his family felt comfortable letting Ji Chenai go out on his own.

Today was hot. Even though it was close to 4 p.m., the sun was still blazing. Ji Chenai planned to spend an hour collecting trash, head home to take a shower, and then let Zhou Yaoyun push him around for a casual stroll.

Armed with an umbrella and wearing sunglasses, Ji Chenai left the house. Xiao Qi, his ever-present AI companion, expressed its amazement at his dedication. “My previous hosts always whined and begged to avoid picking up trash. But you…”

Ji Chenai quipped, “You never expected to meet an environmentalist in your lifetime, did you?”

Xiao Qi found itself at a rare loss for words.

Under the scorching heat, Ji Chenai spent an hour picking up trash, earning himself several dozen points of positive energy. Then, he decided to take a different route home, eager to cool off before Zhou Yaoyun noticed he’d been out.

On his way back, the route happened to pass by the sports center where Zhou Yaoyun played basketball. As Ji Chenai walked along the sidewalk near the entrance, a burst of loud arguing caught his attention.

Curious, he looked toward the source of the commotion and saw a group of young men in jerseys standing near the entrance, seemingly in the middle of a heated dispute. Ji Chenai squinted and realized one of the boys was none other than his younger brother, Zhou Yaoyun.

From where he stood, Ji Chenai had a clear view of the scene, but the dense shrubs nearby shielded him from being noticed. He stopped in his tracks and listened carefully to the argument, quickly piecing together what the quarrel was about.

It turned out that someone had deliberately been picking a fight with Zhou Yaoyun and his friends. During their basketball game at the sports center, the troublemaker kept intentionally throwing balls into Zhou Yaoyun’s side of the court. Once or twice might have been shrugged off, but after repeated offenses, tempers flared.

All of them were young and hot-blooded, and a few sharp words almost escalated into a physical altercation.

Zhou Yaoyun, however, managed to hold onto a shred of rationality and stopped his friends from charging in.

A tall, burly boy standing next to Zhou Yaoyun had a particularly loud voice, making his anger even more obvious. He bellowed. “Zhou Yaoyun, don’t hold me back! I’m gonna teach this punk a lesson today! Damn it, every day he’s gotta mess with you. It’s so freaking annoying!”

The person the tall boy had just insulted as a “punk” yelled back. “Wang Yao, bring it on! If you don’t knock me down today, you’re my punk!”

Zhou Yaoyun shouted angrily. “Fu Angran, that’s enough! You messing with me is one thing, but why are you stirring things up today?”

The boy called Fu Angran, who was about the same height as Zhou Yaoyun and had a fairly handsome face, glared back with hostility. His expression was sharp and full of malice. “Zhou Yaoyun, you’re kidding me, right? You won’t play ball with me, but you hang out with this bunch of trash? Do you think you’re too good for me? Hah! You think you’re worthy of me picking on you?!”

The tension between the group was rising fast, and it looked like a fight was about to break out.

Hiding behind the bushes, Ji Chenai watched the scene with wide eyes. He couldn’t do much to help, and the thought of calling the police crossed his mind—only to remember he had forgotten his phone.

At that moment, Xiao Qi’s voice suddenly chimed in. “Fighting is bad behavior!”

Ji Chenai replied dryly. “…And your point is?”

Xiao Qi: “Stopping a fight can earn you positive energy points, much faster than picking up trash…”

Ji Chenai glanced at his scrawny arms and legs. “If I rush out there and tell them to stop fighting, will they actually listen?”

Xiao Qi replied. “They’ll probably knock you down first and then continue fighting.”

Ji Chenai: “…So what’s the plan?”

For a moment, Ji Chenai thought he detected a hint of gleeful mischief in Xiao Qi’s tone. “Based on system analysis, I recommend using the ‘Doom of the Liar’ skill to stop them!”

Ji Chenai was speechless. He looked again at the group, poised to break into an all-out brawl, and then glanced down at his unresponsive legs. “Activate ‘Doom of the Liar’.”

Xiao Qi let out a string of giggles, which made Ji Chenai desperately wish he could cover his ears.

Seconds after Ji Chenai activated the skill, the tense standoff miraculously resolved itself.

The boy who had been about to hurl insults and throw the first punch, Fu Angran, suddenly bellowed. “Zhou Yaoyun, you idiot! You wanna know why I mess with you? Because I like you, damn it!”

His confession echoed across the sports center like a thunderclap.

If jaws could hit the ground, every single person there—including Ji Chenai, hiding awkwardly behind the bushes—would have been picking theirs up off the floor.

The scene shifted so dramatically it felt like a hard pivot from a gritty gangster movie to a blush-inducing romantic K-drama. Ji Chenai covered his face in disbelief. “This… this was the last thing I expected…”

Xiao Qi: “Mmmhmm~”

But this was only the beginning of the chaos. Since Ji Chenai’s skill, Doom of the Liar, was an area-of-effect ability, everyone present was suddenly compelled to spill their hearts out.

For instance, Wang Yao, the tall boy who had been locking horns with Fu Angran, smirked mockingly and said. “Fu Angran, you’re always pestering Zhou Yaoyun for basketball games. Why don’t you ever come looking for me instead?”

Zhou Yaoyun: “…”

Fu Angran: “…”

With that sarcastic expression, was Wang Yao really saying something that suggestive?

After speaking, Wang Yao’s face turned beet red—though fortunately, his darker skin tone masked most of it.

Meanwhile, one of Zhou Yaoyun’s other friends, who had been ready to throw out some tough words, suddenly blurted. “I really don’t want to fight. Last time I had a headache for half a month, and who knows how long it’ll hurt this time…”

As more people confessed similar sentiments, an awkward silence descended over the group.

These young men, brimming with testosterone and seemingly on the verge of a brawl just moments ago, all lowered their heads in unison, staring down at their shoes. Not a single word was spoken again.

Ji Chenai felt that if he were in their shoes, he’d want to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Finally, it was Zhou Yaoyun who broke the silence, offering a concluding remark. “Let’s… just call it a day and head home.”

Everyone slowly nodded, their movements exaggeratedly cautious, as though nodding too quickly might cause them to blurt out something else embarrassing.

Fu Angran, after what seemed like a lengthy internal struggle, finally croaked. “Let’s go.”

With that, the group—who had just finished their basketball game—walked away with heavy steps, their retreating figures carrying an air of profound weariness and sorrow.

Watching them leave, Ji Chenai couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, mingled with a strange sense of melancholy. This was all Xiao Qi’s fault! He genuinely wanted to empathize with them, but despite himself, the corners of his mouth began to curl upward.

Xiao Qi piped up. “Go ahead and laugh if you want.”

Ji Chenai replied in a mock-serious tone. “You’ve seen right through my soul…”

Xiao Qi: “Because if you don’t laugh now, you might not get the chance to later.”

Ji Chenai froze for a moment, but he quickly understood Xiao Qi’s implication. The group from the sports center, having resolved the Fu Angran incident, was naturally heading home. Unfortunately, the direction they were walking was exactly where Ji Chenai was hiding.

Ji Chenai couldn’t imagine what would happen if Zhou Yaoyun discovered him lurking here. The thought of being exposed sent a chill down his spine. Without hesitation, he made a snap decision: “Activate Invincible Flying Flying Flying Leg!”

Xiao Qi: “You missed one Flying…”

Ji Chenai’s expression twisted, and he corrected himself through gritted teeth, “Activate Invincible Flying Flying Flying Flying Leg!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ji Chenai stood up from his wheelchair, hoisted it onto his shoulders, and dashed away like the wind. The only hiccup in his flawless escape was that he misjudged his strength during the first few steps and accidentally shattered two bricks underfoot.

Zhou Yaoyun walked at a leisurely pace behind the group, his demeanor calm, but his sharp eyes were quietly scanning the surroundings. Despite his nonchalant appearance, he was clearly on the lookout for someone. Yet, by the time they reached the bus stop, he had found no trace of the person he was searching for.

Zhou Yaoyun narrowed his eyes and casually pulled out his phone, dialing the home landline. Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he followed the group onto the bus.

After the day’s events, the atmosphere among the group was unusually awkward. Unlike their usual boisterous chatter and playful banter, everyone seemed afraid to speak. Some stared down at their phones, others dozed off, and a few gazed blankly out the window at the passing scenery.

Zhou Yaoyun knew exactly what was on their minds. He turned his attention to the vibrant sunshine outside the window, quietly lost in his own thoughts.

After sprinting away from the scene, Ji Chenai hurried back home. He knew that Zhou Yaoyun and his friends usually stopped for drinks or a break after basketball, but given today’s unexpected events, there was a chance Zhou Yaoyun might come home earlier than usual. If that happened, Ji Chenai would be in trouble.

By the time Ji Chenai made it back, only forty minutes had passed. He quickly placed the wheelchair in the bathroom, grabbed a change of clothes, and prepared to take a quick shower.

However, just as Ji Chenai was about to dry himself off, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

Zhou Yaoyun’s calm voice came from the other side. “Bro, are you in there?”

Ji Chenai stammered a muffled response. “Uh… yeah… I am.”

Zhou Yaoyun continued. “Are you showering? I need to use the bathroom.”

Ji Chenai, in his haste, hadn’t locked the door. Hearing Zhou Yaoyun’s question, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing. After all, Zhou Yaoyun had helped him bathe before, and they were both guys, so… Wait.

Ji Chenai’s face stiffened. He used to think it didn’t matter because they were both men, but now, for some inexplicable reason, he felt like… maybe it did matter, just a little.

Unaware of Ji Chenai’s inner turmoil, Zhou Yaoyun casually entered after receiving permission. Without a second thought, he naturally dropped his pants and relieved himself.

Ji Chenai lay in the bathtub, pretending to admire the “scenery” as his gaze wandered aimlessly around the room.

After finishing in the bathroom, Zhou Yaoyun turned to Ji Chenai. “Why the sudden urge to shower, bro?”

Ji Chenai replied casually. “It’s hot.”

Zhou Yaoyun raised an eyebrow. “So… you went out, didn’t you?” His gaze landed on the change of clothes set aside. “Your clothes are soaked through.”

Ji Chenai chuckled awkwardly. “Heh… haha…”

But Zhou Yaoyun didn’t press further. As he walked to the door, he glanced back and added in a calm tone. “When you go out, make sure to stay safe, okay?”

Ji Chenai: “…” (；´з｀) Adorable little brother, are you mad at me?

=^_^=