Lin Le instantly jolted awake. Wrapped in his blanket, he stared wide-eyed and did not dare move.
【Mission One: Prevent Han Jinyan and Fu Ji from being alone together in the same room.】
The mission left Lin Le dumbfounded. 【Ah… huh? We’re all in the same room. H-How am I supposed to stop that?】
【Host, please listen carefully to the following plot prompt.】
Lin Le listened to the System’s explanation, then pricked up his ears attentively.
Once he finished listening, he understood. In a little while, Fu Ji would spill water on his clothes and go to the bathroom to change. Han Jinyan, who would have just returned, would not know anyone was inside. He would enter and see Fu Ji taking off his clothes, become attracted by his physique, and an ambiguous atmosphere would begin to flow between them.
Lin Le did not dare sleep. He listened constantly for any movement below.
Fu Ji sat thinking for a while. The more he thought, the thirstier he became. He picked up his cup to drink and, for no reason, remembered the way he had pressed Lin Le’s lips earlier.
Those lips had been pushed slightly apart by his finger. When Lin Le spoke, Fu Ji could see his red tongue and white teeth, as though that tongue were licking his finger, carrying a hint of sensuality.
Fu Ji’s hand trembled. The cup slipped, but fortunately he caught it before it hit the floor. Looking at the clothes now soaked with water, irritation flashed across his face.
He opened his wardrobe, grabbed a shirt at random, and went into the bathroom.
The moment Lin Le heard Fu Ji enter the bathroom, he wanted to climb down from bed. He thought he could wait below. Then, when Han Jinyan came back, he could warn him that someone was already in the bathroom.
Lin Le happily shared this idea with the System and waited to be praised, only for the System to throw cold water over his enthusiasm.
【Are you trying to get yourself mistaken for a perverted stalker? Watching Fu Ji? Even standing guard outside the bathroom when he goes in?】
Hearing that, Lin Le froze. He had not thought of it that way.
While he was dazed, Han Jinyan had already returned. Needing the bathroom urgently, he noticed the dorm was resting and deliberately lightened his footsteps.
The bathroom door was closed, but there was no sound inside. Han Jinyan assumed the wind had blown it shut and opened it without thinking.
By the time Lin Le heard the movement and hurriedly climbed down, the plot had already happened.
He hurriedly shoved his feet into slippers and felt his way toward the bathroom. In his rush, his hand landed directly on Han Jinyan’s chest.
His fingers unconsciously squeezed. So soft…
Lin Le did not realize what he had touched. His entire mind was on his mission. 【System, what do I do? Did the mission fail? Has the atmosphere between them already become ambiguous? Sob…】
The System observed for several seconds and said seriously, 【I don’t know. This is strange.】
In truth, even if Lin Le had not come over, Han Jinyan would not have looked for more than a few seconds. He had opened the door and seen Fu Ji standing before the mirror adjusting his clothes. Nothing was exposed; he was only fixing his collar. Han Jinyan had immediately realized what was happening and was about to close the door when a pair of hands suddenly touched his chest, making him stop.
The ambiguous atmosphere described in the plot vanished without a trace. Fu Ji looked at Lin Le’s hand resting on Han Jinyan’s chest and narrowed his eyes dangerously. A strange, tense atmosphere spread instead.
Han Jinyan looked down a few times, leaned closer, and lowered his voice. “Feel nice? Still not taking your hand away?”
Lin Le jumped in fright and hurriedly withdrew his hand. Only after the System prompted him did he realize what foolish thing he had done.
He did not even know where to put his hands from embarrassment and could only explain in a fluster. “I-I didn’t mean to! Fu Ji is in the bathroom. You still can’t go in.”
Afraid of disturbing the others’ rest, Lin Le did not dare speak loudly. His deliberately lowered voice was like melted cotton candy—sticky, soft, and sweet.
Han Jinyan’s lips twitched soundlessly, as though he had smiled. Whether he believed Lin Le or not was impossible to tell. Folding his arms, he looked Lin Le up and down and suddenly asked, “What, are you a pervert? Keeping track of Fu Ji all the time?”
There it was! The instant those words came out, Lin Le grew nervous. Fortunately, the System had just raised that exact issue and even given him a solution.
He stammered through the prepared answer. “N-No. Because I can’t see, my hearing is sharper. I heard Fu Ji go into the bathroom.”
Han Jinyan drew out an “oh,” shifted his gaze to Fu Ji, raised an eyebrow, and said, “So you’re not a perverted stalker after all.”
Lin Le nodded quickly. “Mm-mm!”
Fu Ji had already come out. He looked deeply at Lin Le for several seconds. “He didn’t see anything. I was already dressed. Thank you for standing guard for me, Lin Le.”
Fu Ji deliberately emphasized Lin Le’s name, making it obvious that he did not believe his explanation.
Lin Le listened to Han Jinyan enter the bathroom and to Fu Ji return to his bed.
His heart sank. Not only had he failed the mission, but now people thought he was a perverted stalker too.
Sob, sob, sob. So upsetting.
With a miserable expression, Lin Le returned to his bed. Fu Ji sat on his own bed watching him, then said after a few seconds, “Don’t do that again.”
Lin Le jumped in fright, quickly realized what Fu Ji meant, and wailed even louder inside.
He really had been mistaken for a perverted stalker!
Back in bed, Lin Le grabbed his blanket and pulled it over his head. He was unbearably embarrassed. How was he supposed to get up in the afternoon? It would be mortifying.
At least he was grateful that he could not see. He did not have to watch their expressions, so maybe that reduced the embarrassment a little.
Lin Le was unhappy, but the feeling did not last long.
【Congratulations, Host. Your first mission is complete. Sight-restoration progress increased by one.】
Lin Le’s breath stopped. The mission had succeeded!!
【Mr. System, how did that happen? I thought I failed.】
The System said, 【No. You only needed to keep the two of them from being together in the bathroom. Host, you did very well. Congratulations.】
Even the normally cold, flat electronic voice carried a trace of humanity because Lin Le had successfully completed the mission.
Now happy, Lin Le quickly became sleepy. With that pleasant feeling in his heart, he drifted off contentedly.
The bell signaling the end of the lunch break woke everyone sleeping in the dorm. Lin Le felt his way down from bed, put on his coat, and yawned.
Fu Ji and the others had already gone out. Lin Le dawdled alone in the dorm for quite a while before slowly leaving.
He entered the classroom just as the bell rang. The first afternoon period was in the classroom, while the second was physical education.
Lin Le returned to his seat. Fortunately, the teacher had not arrived yet, which made him sigh in relief.
Xiang Chi rested his chin on one hand and looked at him. “Why are you so late?”
Lin Le took out his pen. “Hm? I’m not late. Class hasn’t started yet.”
Xiang Chi was about to say something else when the sound of the teacher entering interrupted him.
Lin Le thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent in group life. He listened especially attentively in class, and whenever the teacher interacted with the students below, he would raise his head and respond too.
Xiang Chi lay over his desk sleeping. Fu Ji and Zhou Zhongshe, on the other hand, listened seriously.
When the lesson ended, Lin Le packed away his books with bright eyes.
Group life really was wonderful! The atmosphere was completely different from one-on-one lessons. It was lively and made studying feel much more engaging.
Lin Le was happy, and the corners of his lips lifted into a tiny curve.
Zhou Zhongshe patted Xiang Chi’s shoulder and woke him so they could go to physical education. Only then did Lin Le realize the next class was PE.
Because of his special circumstances, the school had specifically exempted him from participating in PE activities, though he still had to be present in case anything happened.
That afternoon, Lin Le wore a thick down jacket. It really was terribly cold today. Xiang Chi’s jacket was back in the dorm, and Lin Le planned to wash it together with his own things when he showered that night.
He rubbed his hands together, wrapped his sleeve around his palm before gripping his white cane, and followed the rest of the class outside.
When they reached the sports field, Lin Le did not know where he was supposed to line up, so he could only stand off to one side. The PE teacher came over and saw Lin Le standing there, his face pale from the cold and his whole body shivering. “Lin Le, go rest in the equipment room. It’s too cold outside.”
Lin Le blinked and said okay. He walked only a few small steps before returning. “Teacher, I don’t know where the equipment room is.”
The PE teacher immediately felt a headache coming on. He swept his gaze across the class and said, “Then…”
While the teacher was still hesitating, Zhou Zhongshe raised his hand. “Teacher, I’ll take him.”
“All right. You two go.”
Lin Le listened as Zhou Zhongshe came over and slowly guided him forward. Zhou Zhongshe considerately said, “Careful, the ground is slippery. Do you want me to hold your hand?”
Lin Le shook his head, thinking that Zhou Zhongshe was actually quite gentle.
He was a good person.
Zhou Zhongshe, now labeled a good person, followed behind Lin Le with smiling, narrowed eyes.
Zhou Zhongshe did not walk quickly. He lagged behind Lin Le, hands clasped behind his back, watching Lin Le inch along.
Perhaps because he was afraid of falling, Lin Le never dared take large steps. He walked with great care.
His white cane also tapped cautiously ahead. Lin Le focused on his own path and did not notice that Zhou Zhongshe had finally been staring at him the entire time.
The System suddenly issued a mission. 【Mission Two: Keep Zhou Zhongshe with you in the equipment room until class ends.】
The arrival of the second mission made Lin Le’s eyes light up at once. He turned his head toward Zhou Zhongshe and called softly, “Zhou Zhongshe, are you still there?”
Zhou Zhongshe said, “Hm? What is it?”
Only after confirming that Zhou Zhongshe was still following did Lin Le relax. He had been a little afraid Zhou Zhongshe might secretly slip away, in which case his mission would be ruined.
So he said quietly, “Could you walk in front of me and guide me?”
Zhou Zhongshe said, “Of course. Do you want to hold my hand?”
This was the second time Zhou Zhongshe had offered. This time Lin Le did not refuse, because he needed to keep a firm hold on Zhou Zhongshe’s movements!
Zhou Zhongshe’s palm was slightly larger than Lin Le’s. Both of their hands were warm, and once they were clasped together, damp sweat quickly gathered between them.
Lin Le found it uncomfortable, but Zhou Zhongshe neither said anything nor let go. Lin Le felt too embarrassed to bring it up, so he could only complain miserably to the System in secret. 【Mr. System, my palm is all sweaty. It’s sticky and uncomfortable.】
The System’s voice was colder than the winter wind. 【Then shake him off.】
Lin Le said, 【I can’t. I can’t see. What if he secretly runs away? What about our mission?】
The System stopped speaking. Lin Le forced himself to endure the discomfort and squeezed his hand inward a little, rubbing away some of the sweat.
But Zhou Zhongshe misunderstood the movement as Lin Le wanting to hold tighter. His steps paused slightly, and he gripped Lin Le’s hand more firmly.
The two reached the equipment room. Zhou Zhongshe opened the door and let Lin Le enter first. Sunlight shone from behind them, and Zhou Zhongshe’s tall shadow enveloped Lin Le’s. Beneath the sunlight, their two shadows seemed to merge into one.
There were too many obstacles inside the equipment room. Lin Le’s cane easily struck things, so he could only move carefully.
The door shut and locked with a crisp sound. In the quiet air, Lin Le could hear only his own breathing. He could not hear Zhou Zhongshe speaking. Suddenly nervous, a bad thought rose in his mind. He hurriedly turned
