Extra Chapter 01

1. Love Guide

When Bai Zining was with Zhu Shizhou, he always wanted to stick close to him. He wanted to touch his hair, his arms, or kiss his cheek, or even his Adam’s apple.

This was a dangerous signal.

The love guide had stated that in a relationship, no matter which party, one must not be too clingy and must leave enough personal space for the other.

So over the past few days, Zhu Shizhou noticed that Bai Zining was becoming less and less affectionate with him, and the moments they were close grew shorter. After going an entire day without receiving a single kiss, he asked Bai Zining why he had been so cold to him lately.

“Really?” Bai Zining thought for a moment. “But we clearly kissed—kissed so many times yesterday.”

“That’s different. I can feel it. Is something on your mind?”

“No,” he denied. “I just feel like I shouldn’t cling to you too much.”

“Why not?” Zhu Shizhou countered. “Aren’t we in a relationship?”

“But someone said that everyone has their own privacy, and couples are no exception. So we need to give each other enough personal space and not stick together all the time.”

“Who said that?”

“People online.”

“That’s just other people’s experiences, baby. It’s not worth us taking advice from.” Zhu Shizhou pulled Bai Zining over, making him sit on his lap. “The love guide for Bai Zining and Zhu Shizhou only has one rule: Zhu Shizhou likes everything about Bai Zining. Don’t you like being close to me?”

“I do.”

“Remember that?” Zhu Shizhou asked again.

Bai Zining nodded earnestly and placed a kiss on Zhu Shizhou’s lips. “Got it.”

2. The Issue of Addressing

After lunch in the afternoon, they went for a stroll in the park. Passing by a makeshift haunted house, Zhu Shizhou stood at the entrance and looked at it for a while. Bai Zining timidly asked if he wanted to go in.

Zhu Shizhou said no, it looked like something meant to scare kids.

A little further down the path, the two sat on a bench to rest. Bai Zining mentioned that he was a bit thirsty, but the shop was near the haunted house they had just passed. Zhu Shizhou let out a casual “Mm” and, feeling playful, said, “Call me gege, and I’ll go get it for you.”

“I’ve already called you that so many times. Why does it always feel like you’re taking advantage of me?” Bai Zining propped his chin on his hand, pondering. “But I’m only half a year younger than you. Technically, we’re the same age, so what’s the point of calling you gege? It’s meaningless.”

“Then how about I let you be gege for a day?” Zhu Shizhou asked.

“Sure!” Bai Zining nodded immediately, showing his approval.

“Bai gege, where do you want to take me to play?” Zhu Shizhou’s tone was soft, completely unlike his usual cool and aloof demeanor. It was like a feather brushing past Bai Zining’s ear, making half his body go numb.

“I-I… no, gege will take you to the haunted house.” Bai Zining resolutely pointed toward the big tent.

“Alright,” Zhu Shizhou said, taking Bai Zining’s hand and gently shaking his fingertips. “Then you have to protect me properly.”

When they reached the entrance, Bai Zining hesitated again. His legs refused to take a step forward. The eerie artificial ghost flames might be fake, but the terrifying sound effects echoed vividly in his ears. Yet, after making such a bold declaration earlier, there was no reason to back down now.

He closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths. Suddenly, someone pinched his earlobe. Startled, he opened his eyes to see Zhu Shizhou looking at him. Zhu Shizhou gave his ear a few more playful squeezes before saying, “Let’s not go, baby. I was just teasing you.”

“Didn’t you want to go?” Bai Zining asked.

“No, I’m afraid of ghosts too. Plus, it’s so dark in there, I wouldn’t even be able to see your face.”

“Alright then. What do you want to do next?”

“Anything’s fine. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Will you still call me gege?” Bai Zining asked with concern.

Zhu Shizhou burst out laughing. He leaned in slightly, bringing his face closer to Bai Zining’s, and blinked as he asked, “Can gege take me on the Ferris wheel?”

And so, Bai Zining Gege first bought water for the two of them, then happily dragged Zhu Shizhou off to ride the Ferris wheel.

3. Self-contained Loop

When it came to Bai Zining and Zhu Shizhou being together, the most surprised person had to be Cai Yu.

He asked Bai Zining, “Ah Bai, what dirt do you have on Zhu Shizhou? He doesn’t seem like the kind of person to have committed any heinous crimes.”

Bai Zining was at a loss for words. “Can’t you think something good about me for once? How are you so sure it’s me threatening him and not the other way around?”

Cai Yu recalled how last night Zhu Shizhou had thoughtfully peeled a mango, placed it in a bowl, and fed it to Bai Zining. He also remembered how, the day before, Zhu Shizhou was on the balcony hanging out clothes that were clearly Bai Zining’s. He fell silent.

Bai Zining, dissatisfied with his silence, said, “If you have something to ask, just ask.”

In an instant, Cai Yu recalled a past conversation with Bai Zining, and a bold idea popped into his head. “Could it be that he was being so nice to you recently because he was trying to court you?”

A series of events suddenly connected in his mind, and the more Cai Yu thought about it, the more logical it seemed. “That must be it. He pursued you, but at first, you didn’t agree because you disliked him. But later, you were moved by his persistence and sincerity and decided to give him a chance.”

Seeing that Cai Yu had already filled in the gaps with what he considered a reasonable backstory, Bai Zining didn’t know how to correct him. He vaguely responded, “More or less.”

Cai Yu smiled, a genuinely heartfelt smile, and said, “If you both like each other, of course, I’ll give you my blessing.” Then he pulled Bai Zining a little closer, leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Don’t worry, Ah Bai. I’m your best friend. I won’t tell anyone that you used to badmouth Zhu Shizhou to me.”

Bai Zining: …Thanks, I guess.

4. The Art of Comforting

Xie Cheng, on the other hand, seemed to take the matter in stride. He looked Bai Zining up and down and casually said a name, “Cai Ning?”

“…” Although he didn’t want to admit it, it was the truth. Bai Zining reluctantly replied, “It’s me.”

“Good thing it’s you,” Xie Cheng said, appearing visibly relieved, which left Bai Zining feeling puzzled.

“You don’t know, before this, I always thought Zhu Shizhou was dating some girl from another school. But after this semester started and seeing how clingy you two were, I almost thought Zhu Shizhou was cheating. For a while, I was really worried about my buddy’s reputation. On a small scale, this is a relationship issue, but on a larger scale, it’s a question of character. It stressed me out for days,” Xie Cheng explained in a rush. Then he asked, “But why do you use a girl’s voice when gaming? And even change identities, is this some kind of… kink?”

Bai Zining froze, unsure how to respond. The real reason for pretending to be a girl to get back at Zhu Shizhou, was too embarrassing, and he didn’t want to tell anyone.

“Don’t ask so many questions,” Zhu Shizhou interjected. “We were role-playing. Does that answer satisfy you?”

Xie Cheng clicked his tongue twice, then suddenly remembered something. Before his brain caught up with his mouth, he blurted out, “Then, Xiao Bai, why did you ask me to convince Zhu Shizhou not to fall for a scam? Were you seriously thinking of breaking up with him back then?”

Bai Zining’s vision darkened, and he almost wanted to stuff a towel into Xie Cheng’s mouth. His first reaction was to glance at Zhu Shizhou, who was beside him, frowning slightly. “You wanted to break up?”

“No, let me explain. It’s not like that.” Bai Zining forced a guilty smile and reached out to grab Zhu Shizhou’s hand.

Sensing the tense atmosphere and realizing he had misspoken, Xie Cheng quickly muttered a clumsy excuse and bolted.

It took a long time, but Zhu Shizhou was finally appeased. However, Bai Zining’s mouth was swollen.

He decided to take back everything he had ever said about how best Xie Cheng was.

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Translator’s Note:

Thank you all for reading this beautiful story, hope you enjoyed it!(≧▽≦)❤️

Would you like to try my other translation?

● After Agreeing to Marry My Arch-enemy

● Is It Too Late to Cancel the Wedding?

Visit Avrora Translator Page for more novel! (≧▽≦)

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