The walls of the school infirmary were painted white, and the light source came from the incandescent light on the ceiling, mixed with the pungent smell of disinfectant in the air, which made Yu Deng feel a bit physically uncomfortable.
Yu Deng, feeling weak, was supported by Dr. Lin, almost leaning into his arm.
He lifted his head, his translucent, beautiful eyes glistening with tears. Hesitantly, he said, "Dr. Lin, are you going to help me? But this feels a little strange…"
"What's so strange about it?" Dr. Lin looked at Yu Deng with a gentle and patient attitude, guiding him kindly. "You're my patient, so of course I'm responsible for you, aren't I?"
Yu Deng tried to think, but the overwhelming and unbearable longing distracted his attention, and he could only vaguely follow Dr. Lin's reasoning.
"And while I'm helping you relieve the discomfort, I can also treat you," Dr. Lin continued. "You can try trusting me."
Yu Deng caught the key words: "Ah, can this be treated?"
"Of course."
Yu Deng was persuaded, tilting his head to make a request: "Alright, then can you touch me now… I feel uncomfortable."
Dr. Lin smiled, his lips curving: "Alright."
The tall, handsome young doctor stood beside the bed, extending his hand and completely pulling the delicate patient into his embrace.
Yu Deng was wearing thin and loose pants today. With a quick flick of his finger, Dr. Lin pushed the fabric up to above his knee.
His large hand covered Yu Deng's smooth, delicate skin, gently holding it. Dr. Lin's body temperature was low, sending a small shiver through Yu Deng.
"Is this acceptable?" Dr. Lin asked, pressing Yu Deng's waist. His slightly calloused fingertips applied gentle pressure, slowly gliding over the leg, causing the muscle to tremble.
His shirt was also lifted slightly, revealing half of his slender, delicate waist.
Yu Deng nodded dazedly, letting out a soft hum, his voice still carrying a noticeable nasal tone.
However, it still felt a little strange. Is this really how an examination and treatment should be done?
System 01: [.]Silly host.
[Everyone, I'm so angry my eyes are turning red. What kind of quack doctor would dare deceive my baby!]
[Although doctors in infinite worlds are usually not good people, I'd rather he kill someone! Why is he deceiving my baby like this! Where is your hand going!!]
[Wuwuwu, silly baby, you've been deceived, no examination is done like this!!]
[I also want to touch my wife's legs... Damn, black screen! Lin Dog has no medical ethics, he must be bullying my wife again!]
Dr. Lin's hand had already moved up from Yu Deng's calf, resting on his waist. His breathing deepened, and his grip tightened subconsciously, repeatedly rubbing the slim waist.
Yu Deng's skin pressed against Dr. Lin's hand, and the unbearable discomfort was indeed alleviated, but the touch was a bit rough, which caused a different tingling sensation in Yu Deng's body.
"Dr. Lin…" Yu Deng tilted his head back, calling Dr. Lin by name, accusing him, "You hurt me."
His delicate face, a pale pink, had tears hanging from his curled lashes.
Lying in Dr. Lin's arms, Yu Deng's purity and allure were both apparent on him, yet there was no contradiction, as if he were a deity who controlled both desire and beauty.
Dr. Lin's heartstrings twitched, and a certain excited emotion began to brew.
Dr. Lin softly coaxed: "This is what treatment is like."
Yu Deng didn't buy it. He furrowed his brows, angry at Dr. Lin: "No… If it has to be like this, then I don't want the treatment!"
Dr. Lin wasn't angry. He only felt that the beautiful young man in his arms resembled a little cat throwing a tantrum.
"Yu Deng, why are you so temperamental?"
"You clearly hurt me…" Yu Deng's voice unintentionally took on an authoritative tone, commanding Dr. Lin, "You have to be gentle, and don't move around. That way, I won't feel uncomfortable."
It was the first time someone had given Dr. Lin orders like this. Surprisingly, he was willing to listen to Yu Deng.
"Alright, making the patient comfortable is my responsibility."
Lin Qinxu lowered his head, significantly lightening his touch, and stopped teasing Yu Deng's sensitive skin in a mischievous way.
This was the first time Lin Qinxu had followed instructions, though it wasn't actually his first time seeing Yu Deng.
Yesterday, as Yu Deng walked to the administrative building, Lin Qinxu had noticed him. The boy walked alone down the empty campus path, nervously and anxiously scanning his surroundings. Little did he know, this cautious yet adorable demeanor attracted a prolonged gaze from someone hidden in the shadows.
And this morning, during the assembly in the hall, Lin Qinxu had noticed Yu Deng right away—even in the dim corner, Yu Deng was dazzlingly beautiful.
...It was that guy, Lu Yan, who was a bit annoying.
"..."
Lin Qinxu held Yu Deng, his palm resting on his side, gently stroking in a slow, soothing motion.
Yu Deng finally felt some relief. The discomfort he had been enduring eased a bit, and he glanced up at the doctor, curiously asking, "Dr. Lin, do you treat others like this?"
"Others? Of course not, you're my most special patient," Lin Qinxu replied, smiling. "Besides, I don't usually see patients."
"Oh..." Yu Deng half-closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort. "How long will it take for this skin hunger to be cured?"
"It's a rather lengthy treatment process."
Lin Qinxu's smile deepened as he coaxed, "If you have time, it's best to come for check-ups and treatment regularly... at least once every three days."
[Ding. Triggered special side mission.
Mission target: Lin Qinxu]
[Lin Qinxu side mission (1): Accept Dr. Lin's treatment invitation.]
So Dr. Lin has a special mission too. Yu Deng thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll make time to come."
Before he knew it, the sky outside had darkened. The light in the school infirmary was now the only source of illumination, and the temperature seemed to have dropped slightly.
Yu Deng pulled his shoulders in, instinctively leaning a little closer to Lin Qinxu.
Lin Qinxu continued his soothing motions, gently patting Yu Deng's back and adjusting his clothes.
"Alright, should be feeling better now. Let's call it a day for the treatment."
Just as Lin Qinxu finished speaking, footsteps were heard in the hallway outside the infirmary. It was Lu Yan, returning with a lunchbox and school uniform.
Yu Deng turned his head. "Lu Yan."
"Mm." Lu Yan placed the lunchbox on the nightstand, then noticed the flushed corners of Yu Deng's eyes. "How are you feeling after resting in the infirmary?"
"Fine, I guess," Yu Deng replied. "Dr. Lin did a check-up and treatment for me."
Lin Qinxu smiled and nodded, turning to head back to his office to record the data, seemingly giving space to the two students in a considerate manner.
Lu Yan glanced at the calm and gentle Lin Qinxu, then looked back at Yu Deng. "Is that so?"
Yu Deng didn't notice the ambiguous emotions in Lu Yan's eyes. He opened the plastic lunchbox and casually asked, "Have you eaten?"
Lu Yan shook his head. "Not yet. But I bought some steamed buns." He then took a white bun out of the bag.
"Steamed buns? Why didn't you use my meal card…"
Such a simple dinner.
Yu Deng watched Lu Yan eat the bun, feeling somewhat displeased. "Are you looking down on my money?"
Lu Yan paused for a few seconds before softly saying, "No."
Yu Deng snorted, lowering his head to eat. The cafeteria food, as usual, was difficult to describe. Yu Deng forced himself to eat about a third of it before pushing the lunchbox to Lu Yan, ordering,
"Finish the rest."
Lu Yan silently accepted the lunchbox.
In his mind, Lu Yan came up with a clumsy excuse for his whole day of compliance—Yu Deng was a patient, and he didn't want to argue with a patient.
The leftover food in the lunchbox was quickly finished. Yu Deng also applied the ice pack for a while.
Lin Qinxu noticed that the two students were packing up to leave the infirmary and walked out from his office, reminding Yu Deng, "Remember to come for a follow-up."
Yu Deng nodded, leaning against Lu Yan's back, signaling that he understood.
In the hallway.
The door to the room next to the infirmary was partially open. Yu Deng casually glanced inside and noticed several beds inside, with shelves stacked with bottles and jars in the corner. However, the light was too dim for him to see clearly.
Hmm? The person in the bed closest to the door seemed somewhat familiar.
The young man was lying straight on the bed, his arm and abdomen wrapped in bandages, faint stitching marks and bloodstains visible.
It wasn't until Yu Deng was being carried away from the infirmary that he sluggishly realized—the boy in the bed was the one who had dropped the tray in the cafeteria yesterday. Yu Deng suddenly remembered the cafeteria rule about double compensation and shivered slightly.
Could it be that if food is wasted, one has to compensate with their own flesh...?
[Ding. Congratulations to player Yu Deng for discovering the detailed cafeteria rules.]
[Guihuai High School follows a frugal and no-waste policy, requiring students to cherish food. Any waste will require the student to compensate with any organ of their choice at double the value. If waste exceeds three instances, the punishment will be upgraded.]
[Of course, students need not worry, these compensated organs will not be used in the cafeteria.]
Yu Deng: "..."
The last sentence really didn't need to be added.
How disgusting, ugh, and this is just one of the punishments. The upgraded ones must be even worse.
No wonder the cafeteria is so lifeless; no one dares to make a sound... But thinking about it, why did those two boys argue so much in the cafeteria that day?
Yu Deng couldn't figure it out and decided he didn't want to go to the cafeteria anymore.
Lu Yan noticed the shiver from Yu Deng and turned his head. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"Mm..." Yu Deng looked at Lu Yan for a few seconds, poked his hair, and suddenly said, "I'm glad you're here."
Otherwise, he would've ended up wasting food!
Lu Yan was puzzled but felt a pleasant sense of being recognized in his heart.
They walked along the path toward the teaching building. As they passed the administrative building, Yu Deng once again saw the Honor Roll for the grade.
This time, he didn't look at the top student, Lu Yan, but instead glanced at the others. He was surprised to see the boy who had thrown the basketball earlier today. He was ranked third in the grade.
"Ranked third and still so rude." Yu Deng muttered.
"Grades don't mean everything." Lu Yan paused for a few seconds before saying, "He once wanted to be the school heartthrob, but didn't gain the recognition of the other students."
Yu Deng: "??"
So, he has a problem with him being the school flower? What a strange person.
Yu Deng felt that there must be some details he hadn't considered, but since he wasn't good at picking up on details or making inferences, he gave up on thinking.
Yu Deng leaned against Lu Yan's shoulder, unintentionally pressing his cheek against Lu Yan's neck.
There was no noise on the school path, not even the faintest chirping of insects or birds, only the subtle sound of wind and footsteps.
"Yu Deng, did you discover anything else today?" Lu Yan suddenly asked.
"Hmm, actually, yes, Dr. Lin said I have skin hunger."
So it really is that condition.
Lu Yan lowered his eyes, remembering what Yu Deng had said earlier—that many people had hugged him.
Was it because of this condition that Yu Deng became so close to so many people? Or perhaps his closeness with him was also because of this?
After a long pause, Lu Yan softly said, "Hold on tighter, you're slipping down. Wrap your arms around my neck... or other places are fine too."
...
Although Yu Deng had sprained his ankle, this couldn't be used as an excuse to skip class, so he still had to attend evening self-study.
He slumped on the desk, struggling to finish his homework with the help of his live stream viewers.
Yu Deng's attention was on his homework, so he didn't notice that many people in the class were watching him, occasionally glancing at the boy ranked third in the grade.
The long evening self-study finally ended, and Lu Yan naturally carried Yu Deng on his back, taking him all the way back to the dormitory.
Zhuang Lin had already returned to the dorm earlier, looking inexplicably annoyed as he watched Lu Yan carry Yu Deng back.
"Tomorrow I'll apply to Teacher Wang for accommodation." Lu Yan set down Yu Deng's school bag and uniform and said.
Yu Deng blinked. "Why?"
Lu Yan's tone didn't change. "You're injured, right? It's better for me to take care of you if we move in together." After saying this, he added, "Do you need me to help with your shower later?"
"Huh?"
Before Yu Deng could react, Zhuang Lin couldn't hold back anymore. He raised an eyebrow and stiffly said to Lu Yan, "Why are you so concerned? Isn't Yu Deng still got me as his roommate?"
Lu Yan spoke slowly, "Roommate?"
Neither of them had fully acknowledged or accepted their feelings for Yu Deng, or perhaps they hadn't truly admitted what was in their hearts.
But despite this, they instinctively competed.
"Yeah, if you don't go back soon, the dormitory will close. I can help," Zhuang Lin said.
Lu Yan took a deep breath. "But I'm his boyfriend, what about you?"
Zhuang Lin froze and turned to look at Yu Deng. "Is what he said true?"
Yu Deng just remembered that it was indeed like that and nodded. "Ah, yeah."
Yu Deng didn't deny it.
Zhuang Lin clenched his fists, not sure whether to be angry at Yu Deng for having a boyfriend and still ordering him around like this, or at Lu Yan for actually being Yu Deng's boyfriend.
Lu Yan finally smiled, no longer looking at Zhuang Lin, and asked Yu Deng again, "So, do you need my help?"
Yu Deng had some confidence in his ability to take care of himself. "Hmm, I should be fine. You should go back."
"Okay." Lu Yan didn't insist. He helped Yu Deng organize his things, wrote his number on a piece of paper, then stood up and left. "You can message me if you need anything."
The dormitory door clicked shut. Lu Yan left the school before the dormitory building and school gate closed.
Only two people remained in the dorm.
Yu Deng watched Lu Yan leave, then realized what Lu Yan had said — message him?
It turned out that this school instance had phones. He hadn't used them in the previous two instances and had almost forgotten about them as a tool.
Yu Deng fumbled through his backpack and took out a phone. After a few random operations, he realized that the phone in this instance only had basic functions and couldn't search the internet for outside information.
After figuring out the electronic device, Yu Deng slowly prepared a set of clean clothes and got ready to shower. Zhuang Lin, arms crossed, was staring at Yu Deng with a deep look in his eyes, as if lost in thought.
Yu Deng didn't notice Zhuang Lin's expression. He dragged his swollen left ankle and slowly shuffled to the bathroom, clumsily taking a shower.
Of course, his clumsiness was only because his foot was twisted. With Zhuang Lin waiting outside, Yu Deng wasn't as afraid of the bathroom having strange things.
Yu Deng struggled to take off his clothes and, when he looked into the dirty laundry basket, realized that his clothes from yesterday were still in there.
Yu Deng froze for a few seconds.
Ah, that's right, he felt like something was forgotten — he hadn't done the laundry.
So annoying, he didn't want to do the laundry.
Outside the bathroom, Zhuang Lin couldn't settle down. He could hear the water in the bathroom stop, but after that, he didn't hear anything. After pacing around the room a few times, he finally walked out.
He found Yu Deng coming out of the bathroom holding a pile of clothes, standing by the balcony sink, staring blankly at the clothes.
Yu Deng turned around with a hopeful look. "Zhuang Lin, is there a washing machine or laundry room here?"
"No," Zhuang Lin replied. "The leaders of Guihuai decided that washing clothes is a student's responsibility, so they tore down the public laundry rooms a few years ago."
Yu Deng looked disappointed. "Okay."
Yu Deng had no choice but to start washing clothes. But he was really unskilled, and with his foot still hurt, he clumsily rubbed at the clothes for a while before finally washing his thin shorts. He hadn't even hung them up before almost slipping and falling.
Luckily, Zhuang Lin was standing nearby, so Yu Deng used him as a cushion to stop himself from falling.
Zhuang Lin: "..."
Yu Deng, feeling wronged, was holding the fabric, leaning against Zhuang Lin, half-resting in his arms, with a tired voice. "Zhuang Lin, could you hang them up for me... and wash the clothes too, please? I'm so tired."
Zhuang Lin closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Yu Deng, you already have a boyfriend."
His voice was full of frustration and anger.
He thought to himself: Yu Deng already has a boyfriend, so how can he still order me around like this?! And be so affectionate with me without any guard up?!
What Zhuang Lin couldn't accept even more was that, after learning that Yu Deng had a boyfriend, his first reaction was... so what if Yu Deng has a boyfriend?
Why can Lu Yan do it, but I can't?
Zhuang Lin was extremely annoyed. How could he have such thoughts? It was like a stray dog seeing a pet dog with an owner, enviously trying to get the same attention and affection.
Zhuang Lin fought to control himself from looking at Yu Deng and coldly rejected, "I'm not your boyfriend. I can't do it."
Yu Deng didn't realize the connection between the two. He tilted his head and looked at Zhuang Lin, his voice soft and sounding very disappointed. "Why? You're the only one who can help me now."
His elongated tone went straight into Zhuang Lin's ears. Zhuang Lin's chest heaved a few times, and in the end, he took the fabric from Yu Deng's hand in silence, hanging it up and standing by the sink.
Yu Deng stood by the balcony door, watching Zhuang Lin wash his clothes.
He was still helping him, after all. Why was he being so harsh earlier? Though, it seemed like Zhuang Lin had said something?
"What did you say?" Yu Deng's soft voice was filled with confusion.
Zhuang Lin didn't turn around. His voice, though, sounded harsh.
"I said, if I keep helping you and paying attention to you... I'm a dog."