The snow ended up spoiling their plans to spar beneath the cherry blossom tree. A teacher found them loitering and ordered them to clean the hallways instead as part of their punishment.
Mo Aini internally cursed. (Shit, I could have had Hu Chuntian 3.0 touch the tree and perform some kumbayah voodoo magic on it or something to summon his other souls.)
Hu Chuntian whistled while sweeping the floor then set down the broom after a few seconds.
He closed his eyes for a while and faced the wall. He didn't do anything and just stood there like a bored kid, and Mo Aini sighed doing his job for him.
"Da Ge, don't clean anymore. Let's spar."
"We can't spar here. Wait until detention is over."
"I'll escape and call my driver over so we can go and spar at my house."
Mo Aini just nodded. "Ok, just wait for me at dismissal. I really can't get into more trouble right now."
"Ugh, but that's way too long for me to wait!" Hu Chuntian grumbled and leaned his head on the wall.
Mo Aini could only smile to himself a little by how strange Hu Chuntian is acting. How childish could he be?
Then, as if answering that question. Hu Chuntian slammed his head on the wall!
"Hu Chuntian!? What the hell are you doing!?"
Hu Chuntian was not satisfied and punched it as well until his knuckles bled, face not showing the slightest bit of pain or any emotion, just pure boredom. Mo Aini was stupefied and don't know what to do.
(Is he a fricking bulldozer!? He's going to pierce a hole on the wall at this rate! Does he plan to change from detention to suspension!?)
But the walls of a prestigious academy can't be that easily destroyed even by a violent, wild Tiger Emperor, so Hu Chuntian is just hurting himself at this point. Blood dripped onto the floor and some flew over Mo Aini's cheek.
"Hu Chuntian, stop! Stop it!" Mo Aini took both his wrists and gripped them tightly. "Let's go to the clinic now! What's gotten into you!?"
"There are no punching bags in this school, and my hand is itching to punch something. I can't take it anymore."
"Fuck, is it your addiction to punch something, huh!?"
"Yes."
Mo Aini could only blink several times. (His violence stat is so high that he's addicted to violence?)
[Yes. Do you still find him likable?]
(There has to be an explanation for this. I've already judged him too quickly on the first two worlds, I'll give him some consideration and observe for now.)
[Wow, the User is capable of character development.] The system mocked with its apathetic robotic voice. [Being a considerate older brother now instead of a foul-mouthed thug who likes to bully Hu Chuntian.]
(What bully? You're the big bully here, evil system.)
He sighed again and bring the bleeding hands closer, blowing on them. "Stupid kid, you could have made me your punching bag and not the poor wall if you're that desperate. I can block all of it and maybe knock some sense to you."
Hu Chuntian did not react at all when he started to bleed, but now he's making pitiful faces at Mo Aini. "But Da Ge said he doesn't want to spar. I'm being obedient to my elders."
"What obedient bullshit? You threw a tantrum the moment this elder didn't give attention to you!" Mo Aini smacked his head, but considerably lighter than Hu Chuntian expected. "You must have been a little spoiled brat when you were young. Now you've grown into a big spoiled brat. Come, let's have this cleaned up."
Mo Aini dragged him along the halls and staircases. Hu Chuntian followed, smiling like an idiot.
The clinic doctor with a long goatee and spectacles raise his fuzzy eyebrows at them when they came, but paid them no mind and continued reading his newspaper about the newest cloning technology.
He just pointed on a cabinet, eyes on the paper. "Third cabinet, farthest to the right. Don't spill the disinfecting solution or you would have to pay and buy your own."
"Did someone spill the disinfectant before?" Mo Aini asked, setting Hu Chuntian down one of the beds.
"Yeah, a kid with glasses was treating the soccer captain's scraped knee and spilled all the disinfecting solution. I told him he should buy new glasses."
(That definitely sounds like Shu Chuanli and Gou Manchu. So they're friends in this world, huh?)
Mo Aini was kinda glad for them. At least they don't have to suffer all the drama of being aware that there are other versions of themselves somewhere in the universe.
"Stay still." Mo Aini told Hu Chuntian as he go fetch the first aid kit in the cabinet.
This reminded him of a distant memory in the first world, the one where he pretended to sprain his ankle and was treated by Hu Chuntian. Then, in the second world, he was also brought by Hu Chuntian in this clinic when he collapsed.
Now it's his turn to take care of Hu Chuntian. It's a strange feeling. If it weren't for their pride, and the strange awkward circumstances brought by the constant lying, they could have been good friends in those worlds.
Well, he'll be a good friend to Hu Chuntian from now on, as thanks for all he has done.
[Just friends? What about Hu Chuntian's romantic feelings for you?]
(I think he'll understand that I could only love him platonically. We already treat each other as brothers and partners-in-crime. Besides, I'm str—)
[Don't say another word, we already get that you're in denial.]
(What kind of nonsense are you saying? What the hell would I be in denial of!?)
The system did not answer and Mo Aini brush it off with a scoff.
"Da Ge, you looked so distracted. What's wrong?" Hu Chuntian asked.
"I'm thinking of how the hell you could get your knuckles messed up this badly that you don't even yowl in pain." Mo Aini went to his side with the kit and went to give him first aid.
"Look, you're not even reacting to when I pour the disinfectant. Are you even human? That shit stings like hell."
"Uwahhhh, it really does hurt Da Ge!" Hu Chuntian only cried like a baby when Mo Aini told him to.
Mo Aini smacked him in the head again. "Don't use your acting skills on me, it's too exaggerated and you reacted too late."
"But it really does hurt, Da Ge, I just have a slower response time than most people." Hu Chuntian played innocently. "Won't Da Ge comfort me?"
"Fine, fine. What a troublesome Di Di you are." Mo Aini said, wrapping the hands in gauze and gently rubbing them with a deadpan face. "Calm down, it'll feel okay, it doesn't hurt....."
Hu Chuntian pouted. "Da Ge doesn't sound comforting at all."
"I'm an artist, not a caregiver." Mo Aini sat beside him. "What do you want me to do? Sing you a lullaby? Kiss the boo-boo away?"
Hu Chuntian took the opportunity to joke around. "Yes, yes! Da Ge should kiss me!"
He puckered up his lips but the harsh Mo Aini smack his face away. "I said the boo-boo, not your dirty mouth."
"Awww." Hu Chuntian acted disappointed, but he really was just messing around with his new friend. Mo Aini would never understand how quickly extroverts can be so comfortable with new people to make jokes like that.
Hu Chuntian still did not give up and raised his bandaged fists. "Okay, kiss it then to make the pain go away."
Mo Aini snorted. (I really can't believe I was scared for my life this morning. Hu Chuntian 3.0 is just an overgrown child.)
Hu Chuntian wasn't really expecting him to do it but...
Mo Aini placed two gentle kisses on both of his hands, saying sincerely: "Don't do that again. Don't hurt yourself again. Not in front of me, it also hurts just looking at it...."
Hu Chuntian felt his heart beating dangerously fast, and he had never experienced being flustered before. But now, he felt like he was so embarrassed that he would explode!
"It was just a joke, Da Ge. It doesn't really hurt, I just wanted to skip detention with you." Hu Chuntian looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "But I..... promise I won't do it again if it bothers you."
"That's a relief." Mo Aini patted his head. "I'll go finish the work assigned to us and you stay here. I'll just make excuses if the teacher or the student council looks for you."
"Don't go, Da Ge!" Hu Chuntian tried to reach for him... but his hands are all wrapped up.
He was so distracted in joking around with Mo Aini that he didn't realize his good Da Ge actually wrapped both his hands together with the bandage and tied the end to the bedpost!
"Hey, Da Ge, what is this????" Hu Chuntian complained.
"You can easily break free from that. It's a test if you're really as obedient as you said. If you pull yourself away, you would unwrap the bandage I just made for you, and I won't spar with you anymore." Mo Aini threatened seriously. "Also, don't be loud and bother the clinic doctor. Behave and I'll give you a treat later."
Hu Chuntian just can't believe Mo Aini would do this to him, but he still nodded. "Okay...."
Mo Aini gave a satisfied smile. "Good. I'll be back soon."
The Tiger Emperor doesn't understand. Why did he just let Mo Aini have his way with him? Why does he already feel so close to him to the point that it doesn't bother him to be embarrassed by Mo Aini anymore? He had always been so hostile and he can sense it through his tense muscles whenever someone approaches him, but with Mo Aini, he just relax.
"I've only known Da Ge for a day, yet so many confusing things already happened so fast." Hu Chuntian laid in bed, giving up on his predicament to be tied on the bed. "All I know is, I want to follow him from now on. "
"I want to be with him wherever he goes."
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Read The Mafia Boys' Contract Marriage which is joining WPC right now XD
I know it's shameless of me to advertise like this but I'm desperate :)))) Plus it'll be a pretty fun book, I guarantee you.
If you're a fan of mafia, criminal investigations and detective stories, please check it out and support it.
PS: It will also be a whole lot more spicier than any of my books so far cough cough How much spice? You'll see.