[This is the last day before winter break begins. You want to have memorabilia of your boyfriend before you part ways and not see each other again until the Spring Festival. He is always carrying that strange colorful rock with him. Do you:
> 'Accidentally' take the rock with you so he will have a reason to visit you during the holidays
>Politely ask for it ]
Mo Aini drank his boba tea in the Theater Club room by the side, sighing. It was pretty damn obvious. (She Haoran hates people trying to manipulate him AND people touching his things. Doing the first option is like shooting yourself twice.)
But he can't guess if Mo Jiagei would follow the advice on the paper plane or not. So ever since then, Mo Aini had also gone random. It's not about getting a perfect Good Ending score anyway. What matters is She Haoran would not get a Bad Ending.
He was unlucky this time, and Mo Jiagei stole the rock. She Haoran caught her in the act!
"Ms. Mo, what are you doing?" She Haoran smiled at her with almost closed eyes. "This is my personal property, why are you going to put it in your pocket?"
"Ah.... R-Really?" A line of sweat fell on Mo Jiagei's forehead as She Haoran gripped her wrist that was holding the igneous rock. "We were cleaning the club and it was just laying around so I thought I should keep it before someone accidentally sweeps it...."
"But it is laying around on MY desk. Surely, no one would think to sweep things desks that don't belong to them." She Haoran had a dark aura around him. "Listen, Ms. Mo...."
She Haoran went to whisper something to his sister that made her eyes go wide. Mo Aini was so curious and he wanted to go closer to eavesdrop but he can't without being noticed. Eventually, She Haoran let go and gave a nod to her with his politician smile, leaving with his precious rock in hand.
"What was that all about?" Mo Aini stopped sucking on the straw and furrowed his eyebrows together.
"Slurp! What was what all about, Da Ge?"
Mo Aini frowned as a familiar shock of blond hair came by his side. "I gave you your own bubble tea, why did you drink mine?"
"Because I finished it, and I want to try Da Ge's." Hu Chuntian grinned.
"They're the same flavor." Mo Aini said.
"I think yours taste better." Hu Chuntian sucked on the straw again. "Because you drank from it. It's like an indirect kiss."
"More like the passing of a thousand bacteria through saliva." Mo Aini took his drink away before the childish delinquent can finish it.
Mo Aini took his bag since he had finished cleaning up his things both in the lockers and his desk from his classroom and the Theater Club. He made a mental note to earn money and buy a camera for the next semester's photography project. Maybe he could steal one...
(Wait. System, I have a question.)
[Yes?]
(You said these worlds are not fictional, that they are not AIs following a script. Then how do you explain the time when I tried to buy beer, and the cashier girl is acting like an NPC? How do you explain the fact that I keep getting ignored?)
[It is our doing, of course. We want you to believe that you really are in an otome game, so we manipulate the people's stats according to your action. That cashier lady, we lowered her Alertness stat and heightened her Friendliness stat.]
[Mo Jiagei is the tricky one, since we have to censor mentions of your name and your face from her perspective of the screen. But to avoid problems, those who are not LIs or have a significant relationship with the LIs will barely notice you or interact with you.]
(So if I did do a crime that doesn't involve an LI, you'd help me get away with it?)
(Yes, as long as an LI doesn't catch you in the act.)
Mo Aini was relieved since he really doesn't have much money, and he's too lazy to spend the winter holidays working part-time jobs to get new stuff. His wallet always has 200 yuan per day, and that's it. The system also told him they're not going to give him more allowance since that's the one assigned to the Cupids.
Otherwise, they might get more laid back and try to live an OOC life in these alternate universes. They're assigned as 'side characters', so of course, they can't be rich millionaires.
Speaking of rich millionaires....
Mo Aini could feel Hu Chuntian following him like a shadow behind his back. He really does feel like a goose being followed by a duckling.
Stealing may sound exciting, but he also feels like he shouldn't abuse this privilege of the system covering up for him. And he does have some guilt too, it would only feel right to steal if there was some dog blood drama of an evil businessman going on. Maybe he could just borrow some money or do some favors in exchange for bucks for this CEO's son.
"Hu Chuntian, do you have a camera already?" Mo Aini asked.
"For what, Da Ge?" Hu Chuntian asked.
"For the project, silly. Weren't you listening to Ma Jianyu's project discussion at all?"
"That cowboy? I can't even understand a word he says from that pretentious accent of his." Hu Chuntian snorted. "And I don't care about any school activities, my father said he'll let me graduate this year, so whether or not I do well is all the same. I only wanted to be in Class A before because of your sister, but now that Da Ge told me about it, it sounds so tedious to be with the nerds."
"So you don't want to be in the same class as me?" Mo Aini raised an eyebrow.
"I do! I'll be doing my best to drag you back to Class C!" Hu Chuntian proclaimed proudly. "It's way easier to get to Class C than Class A. Just break a couple of noses and we'll be in the same class again!"
Mo Aini jokingly smacked his head. "Stupid brat, there's no way I'll let you drag me with you in your delinquency. I'm a changed man, remember?"
"You can still change. Join me into the dark side!"
"Is that a fucking Star Wars reference?"
They both laughed together and pretended to swing lightsabers at each other in the hallway. They didn't care if they looked weird. Who the fuck cares, they're two bros having fun!
"Heh, but back to the camera." Mo Aini was done goofing around and went straight to the topic. "You really don't have one in your multi-billion mansion house?"
"No, they're all broken when I trashed the whole place last year. I do it every year on my birthday." Hu Chuntian said. "But I'll just ask my butlers to buy me one online."
"Hmm, can you also buy one for me? I'll pay you back once I earned the money." Mo Aini did the maths and he can still pay Hu Chuntian back if he tried not to spend the 200 yuan allowance he get daily from his wallet.
"I can give you one for free, you're my Da Ge after all."
"No, I don't really like receiving things from people without returning the favor. I don't want to be a leech."
That's what he had always felt for the last two years when he still didn't get a job. He felt like a leech to his parents, so he don't want to be a leech to anyone else.
"I don't mind if would leech off to me, Da Ge. You could suck my blood dry if you want." Hu Chuntian joked. "But if that's how you really feel, then I have a better deal for you."
"What?"
"In exchange for the camera, spend the whole winter break with me!" Hu Chuntian said. "My parents never get home anyway and I dismiss everyone to go back to their families so I always end up alone. Besides, you promised to spar once my knuckles healed, right? You can live with me this winter and we can spar every day!"
"Isn't living together too much? Can't I just visit sometimes?" Mo Aini asked.
"Well, that breaks off the deal then. You can try to buy a camera on your own, Da Ge." Hu Chuntian crossed his arms and pretended to scoff.
Mo Aini was incredulous. "Hey, didn't you just you will let me leech off to you no matter what? What happened to that, huh?"
(And what does he get from spending the winter break with me, anyway? The benefits I get from him outweigh the benefits he gets from me. I get to have the camera AND a luxurious bed to sleep in during the winter. )
"Yes, I would let you be a leech." Hu Chuntian said. "If you would let me be a leech to you too. When you're in my house, you should follow everything I say."
Hu Chuntian's aura suddenly changed from bright and bubbly to something dark. "And I mean EVERYTHING, Da Ge.".
Mo Aini blinked, remembering this is the same guy whose favorite movie is 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight.
(I need to fucking run.)
"No thanks!!!"
Mo Aini rushed off and Hu Chuntian chased after him. "Wait, it's just a joke, Da Ge! I was joking! You don't have to do anything, just spar and spend time with me is enough!"
------------------
In the end, he accepted the deal.
"Your jab is too lopsided, try to punch forward."
In Hu Chuntian's personal private gym (yes, he does have one in his house, fucking rich people!) he and Mo Aini exchanged blows while wearing gloves. They tried various martial arts and fighting styles like aikido, kickboxing, and even just freestyle brawling.
Of course, Hu Chuntian has a preference for freestyle brawling. He's a street delinquent after all. There are no rules when you are fighting to the death with similar cut-throat thugs.
But he listened carefully to Mo Aini's advice. Mo Aini just pulled these advices from 33% experience, 33% videos he watched from Youtube, and 34% plain bullshitting.
Somehow, it was still pretty useful and Hu Chuntian managed to copy him perfectly on everything he does.
The bad side means he always loses and gets knocked down on the ground.
"Are you okay, Da Ge?"
Hu Chuntian looked down at him, sweat falling down his chiseled face. His hair should have looked rugged but still managed to look smooth and perfect because of fucking anime logic.
"You really are a quick learner, aren't you?" Mo Aini recalled from the time he taught him math. He rubbed his aching shoulders. "Fuck, kid. That's all the things I know, we're done for the day."
"Huh? But I still want to try taekwondo, jujitsu, judo, arnis, sumo, sambo, kendo, fencing, shuai jao—"
"Di Di, we have the whole winter and maybe spring to try all that! Let this elder take a rest, will you?" Mo Aini groaned and rolled on the floor. "Maybe for a whole week, I can't feel my legs anymore."
"Da Ge's stamina is really low. When was the last time you properly exercised?" Hu Chuntian bent down to sit beside him.
"When I was 17 at PE class, I think." Mo Aini rolled over and over again to reach his water bottle. He looked like a worm, which made Hu Chuntian giggle secretly.
Mo Aini gargled the water and gulped. "My stamina isn't low, yours is just similar to a beast's. The name Tiger Emperor really suits you."
"Still, you have to admit that you haven't been cultivating your body like me, Da Ge. How are you supposed to make a comeback to the Shengxiao Brotherhood Club now?"
"What comeback!?" Mo Aini exclaimed. "I never agreed to join the fight club..... again! My time is over, I'm a retired veteran, remember?"
"Oops, did I forget to mention that as part of our deal?" Hu Chuntian smiled conspicuously. "I already enlisted both of us to fight at the New Year competition. So you have to show up whether you like it or not, Da Ge."
(Ugggh, this brat! I'm going to get my ass beat up by thugs at New Year.)
"You should have asked for my permission." Mo Aini grumbled. "There's no way I could keep up with you kids. My body is like an old bamboo that will crack when bent."
"Da Ge, you're not even that old. You're still 24. Don't be so dramatic." Hu Chuntian reassured him. "Besides, we'll train every day! We'll get you back in shape and make you a young bamboo again!"
"Every day?"
"Yes, every day!"
"Every day like this?"
"Yes, even more intense than this, actually!"
Mo Aini lay still on the floor, feeling his soul float away from his body. "Hu Chuntian.... when I agreed to this deal, I didn't know you meant you would kill me from exhaustion!"
------------------------------------------
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.