"The water's boiled, and I've left your medicine here too."
"Order some takeout later—eat before taking the pills."
Ren Chi clearly hadn't noticed An Han's real condition; he was treating it like a normal fever.
After placing the medicine and hot water on the desk, he glanced down at An Han, who was still slumped over the table, apparently suffering badly.
"I'll head out now, then?"
"Go, go!" An Han lifted his head, relief and joy lighting up his face.
Ren Chi felt like this kid was literally shooing him away.
Amused, he reached out and ruffled An Han's hair, his eyes soft, voice gentle: "Just call me if anything comes up."
An Han froze instantly.
"You *do* call me 'Bro Ren,' right?" Ren Chi chuckled as he walked out the door.
He actually liked having a quirky little brother like An Han—though, admittedly, some of An Han's… interests might raise eyebrows in conventional society.
The moment the door clicked shut, An Han let out a long, shaky breath. Slowly, he pushed himself up from the chair and slapped his still-burning cheeks hard.
"That was terrifying!"
"So the side effect of this prop is—*I* get charmed?!"
"That feeling…"
It wasn't like his usual flustered excitement. This was a deep, visceral yearning—to be touched, held, embraced. His whole body had burned with a strange, unsettling heat.
He shuddered, chilled despite the warmth.
The heat hadn't fully faded from his skin. Bracing himself against the wardrobe and bed frame, he hopped on one foot all the way to the balcony. He turned on the tap and splashed cold water straight onto his face.
Summer tap water was lukewarm, offering little real cooling—but the sharp sting from his sprained ankle gradually pulled him back to reality.
Still shaken, he returned to his desk, deleted the old selfie from the camera, and watched as the disguise effect vanished. The slightly handsome, refined boy from moments ago instantly reverted to a delicate, undeniably feminine-looking "pseudo-girl."
"The system never gives anything good," he grumbled.
Back at his computer, a new suspicion formed: "If the system ever rewards me with a house or a car… would those have weird side effects too?"
"Like, describe a luxury villa—but it's actually a rotting shack in some mountain ditch?"
"Or winning the lottery—but the prize money's impossible to claim?"
It wasn't that he was cynical—it was just that the system had screwed him over too many times.
Still, it wasn't all bad. Barring accidents, the disguise prop's side effect probably only activated around *men*.
As long as he didn't go parading himself in front of guys while disguised, he wouldn't get… *aroused*. That meant he could use it during winter or summer break to hide his changes from his mom.
*If nothing goes wrong…*
He put Ren Chi's medicine back in the drawer, then—wobbling on his injured foot—gripped the ladder and hopped his way onto the top bunk.
Forget about holidays for now—he needed to deal with his roommates returning after National Day break.
He'd tried *so hard* during the holiday not to trigger the system or gain new stats… yet that "Skin-and-Bone" attribute had appeared anyway. Since it altered his very bone structure, the changes were obvious. He'd need a solid cover story.
And then there was Long Xing—still sitting at over 80 affection points. Clearly liked him.
Su Peng was even closer to 90… though he hadn't shown any *romantic* signs yet. Still, An Han had to be careful.
"Maybe I should just stop being human and *lower* their affection points?"
"If I can raise them, I should be able to lower them too, right?"
He paused—then suddenly got excited.
"Mission objective! Reduce *both* of their affection points by 10! Reward: treat myself to a fancy meal!"
It had been a long time since he'd felt this fired up about a task—ever since he realized how much the system loved to screw him over.
If only the system would issue *this* kind of mission…
"Should I prank them? Or do something they hate?"
Lying in bed, he racked his brain for what Long Xing and Su Peng disliked most.
Long Xing was impatient—hated when people dragged their feet. He was always the first one up for class, never waited for the others, and marched off alone every morning.
As for Su Peng… they hadn't interacted much before. An Han genuinely didn't know what annoyed him.
…Wait—did he hate vegetables?
During their recent meals together, Su Peng had only eaten meat, always leaving most of the greens in their takeout untouched. A total carnivore.
He jotted down their traits in his phone's notes, brainstorming ways to sabotage their affection.
Just as he was deep in thought, the door suddenly swung open.
An Han jolt upright in bed, heart racing—only to see Su Peng rushing in, looking frantic.
"Su Peng? Weren't you at the mixer?" An Han asked, stunned.
"Aren't you sprained?" Su Peng hurried to the foot of the bunk, craning his neck to look up at An Han.
"But you said you wouldn't be back until *tonight*?"
Seeing An Han seemed okay, Su Peng finally relaxed. "Your voice sounded really urgent on the phone… so I came back right away."
"Wait—you walked all the way back yourself?"
"No, the counselor carried me back and even took me to the clinic. Said it'll be fine in a couple days."
"Oh… the counselor?" Su Peng exhaled in relief. "Good. If I'd known you were okay, I wouldn't have rushed back in a taxi."
His concern was heartwarming—but An Han narrowed his eyes, his internal alarm blaring louder. He played it cool: "How was I supposed to know you'd panic like that? You could've just called to check before rushing over."
*No wonder—with affection that close to 90, of course he'd drop everything the second he heard I was hurt.*
An Han quietly studied Su Peng, searching his eyes for any hint of… something more.
Was he actually being *liked* by a guy?
But affection could mean brotherly love too, right? Maybe Su Peng's high score was just platonic?
"Hey, how was the mixer anyway? Fun?" An Han asked, putting on a gossipy grin.
"Meh. Just some games, cards… nothing special." Su Peng flopped onto the lower bunk, crossed his legs, and looked up at An Han peeking over the edge of the top bunk. "Though the girls from that school were pretty cute."
He noticed An Han's face looked noticeably fairer and smoother than it had that morning.
"What school?"
"Art Academy. Full of pretty boys and gorgeous girls."
"See anyone you liked?" An Han teased.
Su Peng shook his head. "Got a few WeChats, but none I actually liked."
"But they're all hot! Stop being picky—having girls like you is already lucky."
With Su Peng's looks, unless he was holding out for a literal goddess, he had plenty of dating prospects.
"It's not about looks—it's about personality," Su Peng sighed, grumbling, "I asked a few of them… turns out they're regulars at nightclubs and bars, go clubbing every night. How could I possibly date someone like that?"
An Han bit back a laugh. "C'mon—just because someone smokes, tattoos, dyes their hair, or goes clubbing doesn't make them a bad person."
"Occasionally? Fine. *Every single night?* That's a problem." Su Peng shook his head. "Those girls are too much hassle. I'd rather duo-queue with you in games."
An Han's wariness spiked instantly. He tested cautiously, "Don't say stuff like that—it sounds like you *like* me."
"Dude, don't go full femboy on me and start acting all gay. I can't handle that."
That answer eased An Han's tension—just a little.
*Yep… definitely just bro love!*