Chapter 16 That’s Not Me

Chapter 16: I’m Not

After going head-to-head with Zhang Qinghang, it took him a while to clean up the dorm that night.

Not sure if he overdid it, but when he slept, Cheng Ge felt a dull ache in his chest.

Thanks to the medicinal meals Lin Nanshu had been feeding him recently, although the poison wasn’t cured, his body wasn’t as frail as before.

Cheng Ge quickly popped a life-saving pill and rested on the bed for a while, barely managing to push down that discomfort.

He told himself that next time, unless he had to, he’d stick to talking things out.

Punches were direct, but his life mattered more; using words to wreck the other guy worked just as well.

But this guy seemed trickier, even more twisted than Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming at least laid everything out in the open, but Zhang Qinghang always gave him a shady, sneaky vibe.

In his past life, he wouldn’t have been that scared; if the guy dared to mess with him, he’d have taken him down for sure.

But in this world, he had to be careful—he had no connections or pull; if the guy really came after him, throwing his weight around would be tough to deal with.

“Damn…” Just thinking about it made him irritated.

Better a thief in the open than one in the dark.

The thought of a guy having those kinds of intentions toward him made Cheng Ge’s skin crawl.

He pulled the blanket over his head, racking his brain for a plan.

But after barely two minutes of thinking, he was snoring away.

The night was deep, with only the occasional clang of the night watchman.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang”—four strikes, the fourth watch, the hour when even dogs were asleep.

Cheng Ge was fast asleep when, half-dreaming, he felt a ticklish sensation on his neck.

He instinctively reached out and touched something furry.

Cheng Ge jolted awake, his eyes snapping open. In the dim moonlight, he saw a head buried against his chest.

“Holy shit!!! Holy shit!!!” Blood rushed to his head, and without thinking, he kicked out hard.

The guy didn’t seem to expect Cheng Ge to wake up, and after a split second, he bolted out the door.

The others nearby, startled by the noise, woke up instantly.

Without a second thought, Cheng Ge scrambled off the bed and chased after the shadow.

But in the pitch-black dark, before he could take two steps, he slammed straight into a chair, stumbled and rolled twice on the floor.

Cheng Ge groaned in pain, struggling to get up in the dark. He looked toward the door, but the thief was already gone.

His two roommates, hearing the commotion, quickly fumbled for the candleholder and lit it, barely making out what was going on inside.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

They immediately turned to look at Cheng Ge on the ground. One glance, and their minds went blank, frozen in place.

Time seemed to stop…

Cheng Ge’s clothes were a mess, his collar wide open, his hair tousled and loose.

From his neck down to his collarbone, there was a big patch of suspicious red marks.

Maybe from the pain of the fall, his eyes were a little red, making him look like he’d been thoroughly ravished.

It took them a while to snap out of it. They quickly looked away and walked over to him, their steps a little unsteady.

“Cheng Ge, you okay?” One roommate reached out and discreetly pulled his collar together.

Cheng Ge rubbed the sore spot. “I’m fine, the thief ran off. Go check it out, please.”

He was pissed and annoyed, the drowsiness completely gone as he struggled to his feet.

Hearing this, the two got a little scared and, without overthinking, ran outside to check.

Other lodgers, hearing the noise, got up and asked what was going on.

“What’s happening?”

“Brother Cheng just saw a thief come into the dorm, but the guy slipped away too fast to catch. Check if anything’s missing.”

Hearing this, everyone searched outside but found no sign of the thief, and after checking their rooms, nothing was missing either.

Still, they felt uneasy, not sure if the thief hadn’t had time to steal or had other motives.

These people all came from decent families, with tangled relationships and political enemies; they feared someone settling a score.

Imagine someone sneaking up on you while you sleep and stabbing you—who wouldn’t be scared?

But since it was late, reporting it to the authorities would have to wait until dawn. However, as colleagues, they still needed to check on the victim.

“Brother Cheng, are you hurt? I’ve got some medicine; I’ll get it for you.”

“Muyu, did you see who it was?”

“We have to report this to the authorities tomorrow. That thief’s got guts, breaking into the Hanlin Academy.”

“Good thing Brother Cheng was awake, or we might’ve been in trouble.”

Cheng Ge frowned, wrapped in his blanket on the bed, only his head poking out, looking a bit pitiful.

Surrounded by a circle of concerned faces, he only gave perfunctory replies.

Seeing his state, they figured he was scared, so after comforting him for a while, they decided to let him rest and process it alone.

After seeing the others off, the two roommates closed the door and moved a table to block it.

Turning back to look at the still-dazed Cheng Ge, they sighed and left a lamp lit for him.

Cheng Ge lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the candlelight flickered.

After a moment, he raised his hand to cover his eyes, feeling like he might cry.

He was no longer clean; his pure straight male body had been defiled.

How could he ever have three wives and four concubines now? Would any pretty girl still want him?

Turning to face the wall, the more he thought about it, the colder he felt inside, and he bit down on the blanket.

If no pretty girl liked him, would he be stuck alone forever?

Thinking about how everyone else had a wife, kids, and a warm bed, while he was all alone.

A wave of sadness hit him, and he wiped at the corner of his eye, even though there were no tears.

He kept thinking until he drifted off to sleep again, his consciousness growing hazy.

"Hey, I like you. Wanna get married?"

A beautiful young girl in a white wedding dress, holding a bouquet, looked at Cheng Ge with love in her eyes.

Cheng Ge looked into her sparkling eyes, his heart pounding wildly, but before he could say anything, she grabbed his hand tight.

The lights around them suddenly went dim, and the people vanished, leaving them in a room that was all decked out for a celebration.

They locked eyes, and the atmosphere got super intimate, Cheng Ge’s face turned red.

The pretty girl slowly got up and moved closer to Cheng Ge, gently holding his face in both hands, her eyes full of tenderness.

Cheng Ge’s heart pounded even harder, staring at her without blinking, swallowing hard without meaning to.

Sensing he was nervous, she slid her hands around his neck.

Her eyes were like a deep well, pulling him in like she was going to drown him.

"Can I? I wanna kiss you..."

Cheng Ge’s face went bright red, and his mind felt like it exploded.

Damn... she’s so forward, and I kinda like it! What should I do? Should I say no?

But she didn’t give him a chance to refuse—she pressed into him and kissed him hard.

Cheng Ge felt her soft lips, his mind spinning, completely unable to think.

After a bit, she reached down and tugged at his belt, the implication clear.

Cheng Ge quickly grabbed his waistband, a hint of shyness on his face, "No! No! I’m not ready yet..."

But even after he said that, she didn’t stop, just kept teasing him, and it got to the point where he could barely hold back, ready to give in.

Just as he was about to go all in, his leg accidentally brushed against something pretty big.

Cheng Ge jolted, shoved the person away, and scrambled to get out of there.

But his body felt unbearably heavy, his legs like lead, and a pair of large hands instantly grabbed his calves, dragging him back.

"Let me go, you pervert! I’m a man! I like women..." Cheng Ge shouted, his body writhing wildly to break free.

But the other person just smirked evilly, lunging at him, whispering in his ear, "You’re gay, you’re gay..."

"I’m not, I’m not..." Cheng Ge retorted loudly.

"You’re gay, you’re gay, you’re gay..." The voice echoed repeatedly in his ears. Cheng Ge opened his mouth to argue but could no longer speak.

...

"I’m not gay!" Cheng Ge’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly in bed, shouting.

"Brother Cheng, what’s wrong?" Two concerned voices immediately sounded.