Virtual Pet

When the teacher reached the rooftop, he was momentarily stunned. Though not the homeroom teacher of Class A, he recognized Huang Haotian, who was lying on the ground with a cigarette dangling from his crotch. After glancing at the other burly guys, his gaze landed on Ye Chuan, who was coughing as if suffering from tuberculosis. Instinctively, the teacher believed Ye Chuan’s side of the story.

“This… is getting way too wild, isn’t it?” the teacher muttered to himself. Despite decades of experience, he had rarely encountered such a bizarre situation. He reflexively turned his concern toward Ye Chuan.

“Are you alright, student?”

“I-I’m fine… sniff…” Ye Chuan immediately rubbed his nose, his eyes watering as if stung by smoke. He buried his face pitifully into Luo Xi’s shoulder, and she played along, gently patting the back of his head with her soft hands.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Just then, Huang Haotian seemed to regain his senses and struggled to get up, mustering every ounce of strength left in him.

“You—full—of—crap!”

He propped himself up, the cigarette still dangling from his crotch, its embers flickering in the rooftop breeze. The sight left everyone exchanging awkward glances.

“He’s the one who beat all four of us up! And then he pressed the cigarette butt on my brother—ow, damn it!” Huang Haotian yanked out the cigarette and pointed accusingly at Ye Chuan, who still wore an expression of utter misery.

“He—he stole all my lines?!”

But as soon as Huang Haotian finished speaking, the others just stared at him with strange looks, even Zhao Ruyan, who had followed them up, seemed baffled, as if questioning what avant-garde performance art he was attempting.

“Why are you all looking at me like that? Ugh… this hurts like hell.” Huang Haotian clutched his stomach in pain.

“So you’re saying he single-handedly took down all four of you?” The teacher pointed at Ye Chuan, who promptly coughed weakly, his face so pale he looked like a terminally ill patient.

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you guys the top fighters from the Taekwondo club? And you got beaten by someone this scrawny?” The teacher gave him a look that screamed, Are you kidding me? He was now convinced Huang Haotian had been caught in some shady business and was now trying to pin the blame on Ye Chuan.

Huang Haotian froze.

Wait… how the hell did he beat us?

He was a city-level Taekwondo champion!

A wave of confusion washed over him. Had all his training been for nothing? Were four of them really no match for one frail-looking guy?

The physical pain was nothing compared to the shattering of his pride. Huang Haotian stammered, unable to form a proper response. “I—no way, how could he—?”

“Enough! All of you, follow me to the office!” The teacher finally lost his temper. “Bullying a classmate is bad enough, but using such a ridiculous excuse?!”

“Huh?”

After the guys were dragged away by the teacher, only Ye Chuan, Luo Xi, and a few others remained on the rooftop.

Ye Chuan lifted his head and glanced toward the stairwell. “They gone?”

“All gone.” Luo Xi tugged at his sleeve, watching as his pitiful expression instantly vanished, replaced by his usual demeanor. “What did they do to you?”

“Just a bunch of losers.” Ye Chuan smirked but then broke into a violent coughing fit. “Cough cough cough!”

“Why are you coughing so badly?” Luo Xi frowned, patting his back. “Should we go to the infirmary?”

“Nah, just some heatiness from last night.” Ye Chuan waved it off. “No big deal.”

Luo Xi still looked unconvinced. She turned to An Shiyu behind her. “You should talk some sense into him.”

“He’s not a kid. He knows his own body.” An Shiyu leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She had seen right through the act—those guys had definitely been beaten up by Ye Chuan. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she turned toward the stairs.

“I’m heading back.”

“Shiyu—”

Watching An Shiyu saunter off, Luo Xi sighed in resignation before shooting Ye Chuan a glare. “Don’t do something so dangerous again. Taking on so many people was reckless.”

Ye Chuan grinned and nodded.

“And!” Luo Xi suddenly raised her voice, planting a hand on her hip while jabbing a slender finger at his nose.

“Next time, don’t ever threaten to kick my butt in public! That’s way too rude to a girl.”

“Fine, I’ll do it in private then.”

“That’s—wait, no! Not in private either!” Luo Xi huffed. “People might think we’re dating or something.”

“Good point. Wouldn’t want to scare off any sugar mommies.” Ye Chuan chuckled.

Luo Xi just snorted in response.

“Cough cough cough!” Ye Chuan’s face turned a sickly shade of purple as another coughing fit seized him, leaving him dizzy.

Luo Xi’s worry deepened. “Are you sure you’re okay? Didn’t you go to the hospital yesterday? What did the doctor say?”

Ye Chuan stayed silent.

“It’s nothing, really.” After a few seconds, he finally exhaled slowly.

But as he took a few steps forward, Luo Xi noticed his body swaying unsteadily. Afraid he might tumble down the stairs, she quickly moved to support him. “Stop acting tough. Let’s go to the hospital for a proper check-up?”

“No money, Luo Xi.” Ye Chuan reflexively replied.

“I have some! I’ll give you all my savings.”

“Just help me down the stairs.” Ye Chuan suddenly remembered he wasn’t that broke anymore. “I’ll go to the hospital when I get the chance.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah.”

“Hold on tighter, I might fall.”

“Okay…”

“You wearing padding?”

“Do I look like I need to?!”

---

After school, the afternoon sun painted the windows in warm orange hues, its light spilling across the polished floor tiles.

Ye Chuan packed up his things—tomorrow was the weekend, meaning more time to spend with Bai Qianshuang. Maybe he could raise her affection a little, though teaching her how to survive in society was still the top priority.

Then there was his illness. Since he hadn’t found any miraculous cure yet, he figured he should at least get some proper medication from the hospital.

“Chuan, I’m off to the broadcasting club.”

“Got it.”

Luo Xi had her own club activities and bid him farewell before leaving. Later, she’d be helping out at her stepfather’s barbecue stall. Despite her packed schedule, she always seemed full of energy.

Once Luo Xi was gone, Ye Chuan pulled out his phone to check on Bai Qianshuang’s status.

[Bai Qianshuang is hungry.]

[Bai Qianshuang is meditating to distract herself.]

[Bai Qianshuang is even hungrier.]

The logs made it seem like she was on the verge of starvation. The pixelated avatar on his screen lay motionless on the bed, like a toy running out of batteries.

“Feels like I’m raising a virtual pet…” Ye Chuan pocketed his phone and quickened his pace toward the school gates.

Guess I’ll buy extra groceries today.