Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You're still here?" He Xu snapped. "Didn't I tell you to get lost?"

"I did get lost," Zhang Yu replied with an embarrassed smile.

He pointed at the basketball machine: "From there..." then at the sofa, "to here."

He Xu: "..."

Crazy.

He couldn’t be bothered to deal with Zhang Yu. He picked up his water bottle and chugged the water.

A trickle, not swallowed in time, slid from the corner of his lips, down his neck, and disappeared into his collar.

Zhang Yu curled his fingers slightly, his gaze involuntarily following the thin trail of water until it landed on the skin exposed at the human’s collar.

That restless, urgent feeling rose in him again, as if instinct were urging him to do something.

But Zhang Yu didn’t know how to relieve this sudden impulse. He could only shift uncomfortably, pinching his fingers to suppress the squirming, restless tentacles beneath his skin.

Unaware of the hidden danger just steps away, He Xu drank his fill, downing half the bottle in one go. Quenching his thirst, he then poured himself a glass of orange juice and settled into an armchair.

Leaning back, he crossed one leg and said coldly, "Fine, stay if you want. Just don’t run away when you get beaten up later."

Was he talking about his crew? Zhang Yu shook himself out of his daze and blinked, finally asking the question he’d been wondering about: "Why did you hit me in the first place?"

If it was because he accidentally spilled water on him, then in the original storyline, the protagonist hadn’t provoked him at all—so why had he bullied the protagonist?

He Xu didn’t even look up. "Because I don’t like you. Got a problem with that?"

Dislike me? Zhang Yu was puzzled. But that night, hadn’t he seemed to enjoy it?

He’d even cried, overwhelmed.

Just then, the others returned. Seeing Zhang Yu on the sofa, Sun Ran scowled. "Why are you still here? Get lost, or I’ll beat you up!" His tone was identical to his boss’s.

"You can’t hit me," Zhang Yu said innocently, pointing at He Xu. "He said no hitting me today."

Sun Ran froze, turning to He Xu. "Boss?" Did he really say that?

"..." He Xu gave Zhang Yu a deadpan stare. This kid really knew how to push his luck.

But since he’d already said it, he didn't deny it and simply grunted.

Sun Ran was stunned, looking back and forth between his boss and the curly-haired boy, who was looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes. He had no idea what was going on, but since his boss had acknowledged it, he had no choice but to back down.

Beside them, Yu Ling eyed Zhang Yu curiously and nudged Sun Ran. "Who’s this?"

"The new transfer student in our class. He spilled water on the boss earlier and got beaten up for it," Sun Ran grumbled.

Even after getting personally thrashed by the boss, he still dared to stick around?

Yu Ling’s eyes widened slightly as she studied the curly-haired boy. Sensing her gaze, he turned to her, his seaweed-like curls swaying as he flashed a sweet smile, dimples denting his cheeks—instantly melting her heart.

*Awu~*

She mentally squealed at the sight of such an adorable creature, her eyes sparkling.

So cute!

Sun Ran took a few steps forward, looming over Zhang Yu. "Move!"

Zhang Yu blinked. "Why?"

Sun Ran: "I’m sitting here. Go stand somewhere else!"

The curly-haired boy batted his eyes, looking pathetically weak—as if one punch could knock him out—yet his words didn’t match his delicate demeanor at all: "No. I was here first."

"Hey—" Sun Ran was speechless. "You really wanna make me say it twice? Move or not?!"

Zhang Yu replied softly but firmly: "No!"

Seeing Sun Ran’s eyes flare with anger, he immediately pointed at He Xu. "He said none of you can hit me today!"

Sun Ran: "..." Was this kid serious? Acting like he was all high and mighty over a single sentence... Tch! Not that he was calling his boss a chicken.

Yu Ling, who had watched the whole exchange, snickered and walked over, shouldering Sun Ran aside before plopping down next to Zhang Yu.

She crossed her arms and leaned back, smirking at Sun Ran’s shocked expression—as if he couldn’t believe he’d just been betrayed. "What? I was here first."

Sun Ran: "..."

He had no respect left in this group!

The others laughed. "Brother Ran, just sit down already. Otherwise, when A Yuan and the others get back, you won’t even get a spot."

Even He Xu, lounging nearby with one leg crossed, curled his lips slightly.

Sun Ran: "..."

Sulking, Sun Ran sat down. Whatever—he wouldn’t stoop to arguing with this sheep-curl brat!

Zhang "Sheep-Curl" Yu: ?

Trying to save face, Sun Ran changed the subject. "Where’s A Yuan and the others?"

"Oh, everyone was hungry, so we were gonna grab food together. But A Yuan said there’s a new seafood place nearby—big portions, tastes good too—so they went to get takeout."

As if on cue, a few delinquents returned, carrying several large bags of food.

"Food’s here, food’s here!"

Everyone gathered around, taking the bags and setting them on the central table. They unwrapped the food containers, arranging the dishes one by one.

"What’s this? Stir-fried clams?"

"Ooh, garlic oysters! I call dibs!"

"Hey, there’s seaweed salad too! Nice, all my favorites."

Zhang Yu also squeezed in, pointing at one dish curiously. "What’s this?"

Sun Ran and the others who knew him were busy unloading the takeout bags and didn’t notice him. But since he acted so at home, those who hadn’t met him before assumed he was a new member and enthusiastically explained.

"You’ve never had this? These are mantis shrimp, salt-and-pepper style. So good."

Zhang Yu stared in amazement at the red cooked shrimp on the table. He’d eaten mantis shrimp before—but they were always live and blue. He’d never had them roasted like this.

He pointed to another seafood dish that looked both familiar and unfamiliar, asking, "What about this one?"

"This is grilled pomfret."

"And this?"

"This is..."

Their back-and-forth conversation was lively. Nearby, He Xu leaned back on the sofa, his arm resting on the armrest, fingers lightly pressed against his upper lip. The faint scent of seafood wafted from the table, making him frown slightly. For some reason, he felt a queasy feeling in his stomach.

He endured it for a while, but the discomfort only grew worse. Sitting up straight, he reached for the orange juice, hoping a sip would settle his stomach.

Just as he was about to extend his hand, Sun Ran approached.

As the right-hand man of the boss, Sun Ran naturally wouldn’t forget his leader.

Carrying a metal bowl, he walked up to He Xu cheerfully. "Boss, try this! A Yuan said this dish gets the best reviews at their place."

It was a bowl of sea intestines with rice, a specialty of northern coastal cuisine. Restaurants that could make this dish usually did it well, but for it to be the house specialty here, there had to be a good reason.

Plump, shiny rice grains were neatly packed at the bottom of the metal bowl, topped with a generous portion of the dish—chopped sea intestines mixed with pork, garnished with finely chopped green onions, all drenched in a thick, savory gravy.

At the moment, He Xu only wanted to suppress the rising nausea and had no appetite at all. "I'm not hungry. You guys go ahead—"

As he spoke, his gaze landed on the metal bowl in Sun Ran’s hands. His eyes widened in shock, and he suddenly stood up, taking a step back!

Sun Ran was standing close, his hand extended right in front of He Xu. Caught off guard by the sudden movement, the metal bowl was knocked over, spilling its contents all over the floor with a loud clatter.

Everyone froze, turning to look in shock. Zhang Yu, holding a mantis shrimp, also tilted his head curiously.

His eyes landed on He Xu’s face, and he blinked in surprise. Why did He Xu look so pale? Almost... as if he was scared?

Under the dim lighting nearby, the metal bowl lay overturned on the smooth tiles, most of the food hidden beneath it. Only a few pieces of sea intestine had rolled out, lying quietly in the spilled sauce.

He Xu stood beside it, staring at those round, segmented sea intestines.

To others, his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he had some deep-seated hatred for these sea creatures.

But only Zhang Yu could see—his face was pale, his pupils trembling slightly, his body stiff, as if paralyzed with fear.

Sun Ran asked cautiously, "Boss... what’s wrong?"

He thought he had done something wrong, offended He Xu in some way. Nervously studying his boss’s expression, he didn’t dare speak too loudly.

He Xu seemed to snap out of it at the sound of his voice. After a dazed pause, he averted his gaze and said hoarsely, "Go ahead without me." Then, with hurried steps, he left.

Everyone exchanged glances. Someone guessed, "Maybe Boss hasn’t fully recovered from his cold, so the smell of seafood is bothering him?"

"Probably... It’s all your fault for insisting on buying seafood! Couldn’t we have eaten this another day?"

A Yuan, rubbing his head where he’d been smacked, whined, "How was I supposed to know Boss wasn’t fully recovered? Besides, you all agreed when I bought it! Why blame just me?"

"Enough, enough. Boss didn’t say anything. Let’s just keep eating," Yu Ling interjected before calling out to Sun Ran, who was still standing there dumbly. "Sunny, what are you zoning out for? Come eat."

"Who the hell is your ‘Sunny’?! Don’t get cozy with me!" Sun Ran snapped reflexively before joining the others. Still uneasy, he glanced back. "Did Boss go to the bathroom? Should we bring him some tissues?"

"Pfft—!" Yu Ling choked on her drink, slapping his shoulder repeatedly as she burst into laughter, tears nearly streaming down her face. "T-Tissues?! Hahaha! Oh my god, you—hahahaha!"

Others stifled their laughter. "Brother Ran, maybe we should stop calling you that and just call you ‘Mama Ran’ from now on."

Sun Ran’s face turned red. Grabbing a mantis shrimp, he shoved it into the joker’s mouth. "Shut up and eat!"

"Ow ow ow! I was wrong, I was wrong—!"

Amid the chaos, no one noticed a certain curly-haired boy slipping away, quietly following He Xu.

Zhang Yu trailed behind He Xu all the way to the bathroom.

It was empty. When Zhang Yu entered, He Xu was bent over a sink, splashing water on his face.

Though "washing his face" wasn’t quite accurate—he was just cupping water in his hands and dousing himself over and over. After about a dozen splashes, he stopped, gripping the sink and staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

Zhang Yu didn’t know what he was thinking. The moment he stepped inside, he felt inexplicably restless, his hair curling involuntarily, his tentacles stirring uneasily beneath his skin.

What’s going on?

He pinched his arm to keep his tentacles from moving and pulled a few tissues from his pocket, offering them to the person at the sink.

He Xu didn’t take them. Instead, he glanced at Zhang Yu through the mirror and said coldly, "If you need to go, go. Don’t get in my way."

Zhang Yu shook his head. "I don’t need to. I just thought you looked unwell. Are you still sick?"

Had he caught a chill that night? But he’d made sure to cover him properly with his jacket...

He Xu scoffed. "None of your damn business."

He shouldered past Zhang Yu, intending to leave, but he froze abruptly.

Back at the basketball game, they had been close but still maintained some distance. Now, with their collision, a fishy smell from Zhang Yu instantly flooded He Xu’s senses.

His face contorted in disgust. Gritting his teeth, he staggered back two steps, hand over mouth. "What did you just eat?!"

Zhang Yu blinked. "Mantis shrimp...?"

Remembering the grilled squid from earlier, he hesitantly added, "And some grilled squid..."

At "squid," He Xu’s expression changed again. His face drained of color as he doubled over the sink, gagging violently while pointing at Zhang Yu. "You—get out! Stay... away from me!"

Zhang Yu stood there, completely lost.

As a former marine creature who hadn’t been human for long, he was clueless about human reactions. But his System, 9527, detected something wrong. It scanned its own program, cross-referenced the latest data on the school bully antagonist, and after processing the results, went quiet.

"Host," 9527 said, "it seems... he’s pregnant."

Zhang Yu froze.

WHAT?!