Chapter 7: Injury

Chapter 7: Injury

"The curtains swayed as the boy was pulled up by his pale, slender wrist, the movement accompanied by the crisp clinking of metal. Thick, heavy chains bound his neck, extending to the bedpost, imprisoning his delicate frame entirely within that confined space."

"Frowning, the boy pushed back in resistance, yet could only sink into lucid suffering. His once-bright eyes had lost all their light, staring vacantly at the ceiling as he allowed others to bite his lips and do as they pleased."

………

Lin Shenshi recalled the plot of the original book. In the depictions of the protagonist's interactions with his love interests, more than half were filled with such perverted and nonconsensual content.

The protagonist was like a fawn surrounded by a pack of wolves—helpless and alone, at constant risk of being dragged away by the neck to their den, devoured completely.

His experiences were always forced. Even if his body responded instinctively with pleasure, psychologically, he remained oppressed and tormented.

Moreover, the original book never even mentioned that the protagonist was attracted to men.

Perhaps... he was straight, just like himself.

Lin Shenshi shifted his gaze to the youth beside him. "Ah Zhao, do you like Teacher Lu?"

Yu Lanzhao nodded. "Yes, I do. He's a very professional teacher, and all the students like him."

Lin Shenshi: "No, I mean... that kind of like..."

"What kind?" Yu Lanzhao fluttered his eyelashes, his innocent, wide eyes innocent and confused.

Lin Shenshi paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind."

The youth was still naive and unaware. In his mind, the concept of love between men probably didn’t even exist.

If that wasn’t straight, what was?

The love interests in the original book were truly perverted and scumbags. Such a pure and flawless youth, who could have grown into a strong and upright man in a few years, was instead manipulated and ravaged by them, forced onto the bed to let out soft, seductive moans, exuding sensuality.

What a sin!

Truly a sin!

He had to find a way to keep Yu Lanzhao away from the miserable nonconsensual sexual life depicted in the original book.

As he thought this, Lin Shenshi helped Yu Lanzhao pick up the items scattered on the ground and put them back into his backpack, then pulled him to his feet.

"Ouch..."

Yu Lanzhao groaned in pain. Only then did the two realize he had sprained his right ankle, and there were also abrasions of varying degrees on his wrist.

Fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on the youth's fair forehead, and his lips turned pale.

Lin Shenshi immediately said, "I'll carry you back."

The youth's body was thin and small, light to carry. Lin Shenshi could even feel the slender bones beneath the fabric of his jeans.

In the original book, lengthy passages often described the protagonist's delicate figure and his slender waist. Those perverted predators often focused their gazes there, revealing greedy lust and covetousness.

Perhaps if he could help Yu Lanzhao gain some weight and become a little chubby, it would deter the predators' lustful intentions?

Worth a try.

As Lin Shenshi pondered the feasibility of this plan, he unconsciously had already returned to the dorm. He set Yu Lanzhao down on the bed and stood up. "Rest for a bit. I’ll go to the pharmacy to get some medicine."

Yu Lanzhao grabbed his arm. "Xiao Shi, you forgot—there’s a first aid kit in your wardrobe."

"...Oh, right. I’ll go get it." Lin Shenshi had no idea. Afraid of exposing his identity, he nodded vaguely and went to search for it.

In the corner of the wardrobe, half-hidden by layers of clothes, he found the first aid kit with a red cross printed on it.

Unexpectedly, although the original owner had impure intentions, he was still a thoughtful and considerate guy, even keeping a first aid kit on hand. He just didn’t know if it contained any medicine for sprains and bruises.

Lin Shenshi opened the first aid kit, but the moment he saw its contents, he quickly snapped the lid shut, producing a loud, crisp sound.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Shi?" Yu Lanzhao’s slightly puzzled voice came from behind.

Lin Shenshi cleared his throat. "Um... Ah Zhao, have you ever opened this first aid kit before?"

"No, I haven’t. These are your things, Xiao Shi. I’ve never touched them without permission." As Yu Lanzhao spoke, he made to stand up. "Did you lose something?"

"No, no! Stay put!" Lin Shenshi hurriedly stopped him. Seeing that Yu Lanzhao, though confused, obediently sat back down on the bed, he licked his dry lips and carefully opened the first aid kit again.

This time, however, he deliberately used his body to block Yu Lanzhao’s view.

Inside the sturdy plastic box, measuring 30cm long and 20cm wide, the items were cluttered, but a few stood out glaringly.

Placed on the very top was a small, unopened bottle containing a transparent, oily liquid.

Next to the bottle was a small remote control.

Besides these, there were various other items, some recognizable and some not—things that definitely shouldn’t have been in a male college student’s dorm room.

Recalling the situation he’d encountered since transmigrating into the book, Lin Shenshi couldn’t help but sigh:

The original owner was really... thoroughly prepared.

What thoughtful guy? Clearly another pervert! A creature ruled by his lower half with nothing but OOXX on his mind!

Lin Shenshi’s face darkened. He gathered up those items, tossed them into the deepest part of the wardrobe, and covered them with clothes. Then, he took out a Yunnan Baiyao spray and a medical ice pack from the first aid kit.

When he sat down by the bed and opened the cap of the spray bottle, Yu Lanzhao looked at him with his innocent gaze and asked, "Xiao Shi, why is your face so red?"

"Tired from rummaging through things," Lin Shenshi made up an excuse to brush it off and changed the subject. "Here, stretch out your foot. I’ll spray the medicine for you."

Yu Lanzhao lifted his foot onto the edge of the bed but groaned in pain when he tried to take off his shoe.

In that short time, his ankle had already turned red and swollen. Even slightly bending over was excruciating.

Lin Shenshi knelt by the bed. "Let me help you."

The youth was wearing plain white canvas shoes. Perhaps from years of washing, the fabric had become rough and fuzzy around the edges, with some signs of wear and tear, but they were very clean, though faintly faded to a creamy hue.

Yu Lanzhao’s financial situation was poor. As an orphan, he relied solely on government grants to get by, often struggling to make ends meet, so he took on part-time jobs whenever he had time.

As a student at the Performing Arts Academy, working as an extra on film sets was the best option.

Lin Shenshi remembered that it was on a film set not long after this that Yu Lanzhao would encounter the sharp-tongued Emperor of Film. On set, the Emperor of Film acted indifferent, but behind the scenes, he engaged in all sorts of violent and explicit play. It was this bastard’s idea to put a chain around the protagonist’s neck.

Sigh. Trouble always seeks out the most vulnerable. Even earning a living, he managed to run into a pervert.

Lin Shenshi sighed inwardly but kept his hands busy, carefully helping Yu Lanzhao untie the laces and remove the canvas shoes.

The youth's feet were small and pale, their jade-like texture fitting perfectly in his palm. The arch of his foot was smooth and elegant, like the most perfect work of art crafted by nature, showing no sign of someone who had to constantly hustle everywhere to make a living.

But who could have imagined that such a sixteen-year-old boy, with his slight frame, was carrying the heavy burden of life all alone.

The liquid from the Yunnan Baiyao pain relief spray felt icy cold as it suddenly hit the skin, making Yu Lanzhao flinch.

The early autumn weather had already begun to show a slight chill, and Yu Lanzhao balked at the sensation.

Lin Shenshi placed a soothing palm over the area, the warmth of his touch penetrating deep through the skin, gradually easing the discomfort caused by the spray.

Yu Lanzhao lowered his gaze to look at him, his dark eyes swirling with unreadable emotions.

Lin Shenshi, completely unaware of the boy's gaze, kept his head down with an expression of intense focus. To avoid a repeat of what happened earlier, he first sprayed the liquid onto his own palm, then rubbed his hands together to warm it before applying it to the boy's ankle.

He repeated this process until he'd covered the entire area.

The spray had a somewhat pungent smell, so Lin Shenshi got up to open the window before handing him the prepared medical ice pack.

"Ice it with this first, I'll go to the cafeteria to grab us some food."

Lu Yuan's acting class was the last one on Friday. Originally, Lin Shenshi had planned to take the shortcut to the cafeteria, but he had been delayed by that out-of-control bicycle until now, leaving both of them with empty stomachs.

Yu Lanzhao nodded obediently: "Alright, I'll wait for Xiao Shi to come back."

Lin Shenshi left the dorm room and shut the door behind him.

The room instantly fell into silence. A few minutes later, Yu Lanzhao took out his phone.

WeChat unread messages—

[Roadside Acquaintance]: Boss, how was my acting?

[Zhao]: Well done. (Transfer 200 yuan)

[Roadside Acquaintance]: Thank you, boss!

Yu Lanzhao held down to delete the chat record, then braced himself against the table and stood by the window.

On the long path outside the dormitory building, the young man's slender figure was walking toward the nearest cafeteria.

The boy slowly curved his lips into a faint smile, his deer-like clear eyes narrowing, the innocent appearance completely gone.

What churned in his eyes was a dark intensity strikingly similar to Lu Yuan's.