chapter 1 - This still count as a HE? Just Let It All Burn
Shi Qiu slowly opened his eyes. The white hospital ceiling left him dazed, but the searing pain in his left wrist quickly brought him back to clarity.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his chin.
Shi Qiu blankly stared at the young man in front of him, whose face was twisted with anger.
“Shi Qiu, do you really have to do this? Force me with death?”
Shi Qiu blinked, not quite understanding what he meant. But the young man’s face was so handsome that Shi Qiu didn’t have time to feel angry, he simply looked up at him, innocent and clueless.
Shi Qiu’s eyes were extraordinarily beautiful, always seeming to hold a pool of clear water. When he looked at someone like that, it made people feel soft-hearted without knowing why.
The furious young man stared into his eyes for a few seconds and eventually gave in. He let go of Shi Qiu’s chin and said in defeat, “Just rest.”
Shi Qiu watched the young man silently sit on the chair beside the hospital bed and hurriedly called out to System 09 in his mind.
“09, what’s going on?”
“Host, as previously discussed, due to a missing main character in this scum gong and masochistic shou story, the small world couldn’t form. So we’ve arranged for you to fill in the role.”
“So this handsome guy is the shou?” Shi Qiu lay in bed, sneaking a glance at the young man, sharp brows, high nose bridge, a cold face that looked like a living sculpture. Very pleasing to the eye.
“That’s the scum gong,” 09’s mechanical boyish voice hesitated.
“Then who am I?”
“You’re the masochistic shou.”
Jiang Fengmian, still sitting in the chair and fuming, watched Shi Qiu shut his eyes in apparent pain.
09 continued dutifully explaining the plot: “Scum gong Jiang Fengmian was fostered in masochistic shou Shi Qiu’s home since childhood. Jiang always saw Shi as a younger brother, but Shi Qiu fell in love with him. Even though Jiang was a flirt and womaniser, Shi didn’t care, he persistently chased after him.”
“Jiang only wanted to be brothers, but after rejecting him multiple times, Shi Qiu resorted to suicide by smashing his phone and slitting his wrist in the bathtub to force Jiang into a relationship. That’s the scene you’re currently experiencing.”
“In other words, if you push Jiang Fengmian right now, he’ll agree.”
Shi Qiu felt despair rise within him.
“09, don’t you know? Two tops have no future.”
Jiang Fengmian was mentally preparing for Shi Qiu to force him again. He knew all too well how obsessed Shi Qiu was, he’d even resorted to wrist-slitting just to be with him.
Jiang had been abandoned by his biological parents and dumped on Shi Qiu’s family after a lump sum payment. Over the years, Shi’s parents treated him like their own. When they died in a car accident months ago, Jiang, as the older “brother,” felt responsible for looking after Shi Qiu.
Shi Qiu’s suicide attempt left him helpless. The idea of becoming lovers with someone he saw as a little brother filled him with hopelessness.
But instead of forcing him, Shi Qiu just lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a look even more despairing than his own.
“But we still need to complete the mission,” 09 suggested cautiously. “Host, could you maybe give it a try?”
“What’s the mission?” Shi Qiu asked internally.
“You must maintain the persona of deeply loving Jiang Fengmian and being willing to do anything for him. The end goal is for both of your happiness meters to reach 100%, achieving a HE between the scum gong and masochistic shou.”
Shi Qiu sank even deeper into despair.
“And what’s our current happiness score?”
“You: -15%. Jiang Fengmian: -50%.”
Negative. Both negative. Utterly miserable.
Let the world burn.
What kind of HE is this?
Shi Qiu sadly closed his eyes.
“Don’t give up, Host! You can do it!” 09 tried to cheer him up, his robotic voice a little more lively now.
Shi Qiu sighed and mustered some energy.
“So I only need to appear to love Jiang Fengmian and get both our happiness levels to 100%. There’s no requirement for us to actually be together, right?”
“That’s correct,” 09 confirmed immediately.
Shi Qiu let out a breath of relief.
That made things a lot easier.
Jiang Fengmian, noticing Shi Qiu’s odd demeanor, was debating whether to call a doctor. Just then, Shi Qiu opened his eyes again, his gaze calm and clear.
“Ge…” Shi Qiu’s voice was soft and gentle. His left wrist was stitched and bandaged, now so numb that his whole arm felt lifeless. An IV needle was stuck in his right hand. His delicate face was pale, he looked incredibly pitiful.
Jiang Fengmian looked at him, conflicted between guilt and resistance.
“Want some water?” Jiang inserted a straw into the cup and brought it to his lips.
Shi Qiu took a couple sips, then paused to gather his emotions. He looked up at Jiang Fengmian with those shimmering eyes. eyes no one could resist.
“Ge,” Shi Qiu gently tugged at Jiang’s sleeve with one finger, his voice barely audible. “Don’t be mad at me anymore.”
Jiang frowned and grabbed his wrist. “You’re still on an IV. Don’t move around.”
Watching Jiang treat him like some kind of monster unable to leave him alone, yet reluctant to truly embrace him, Shi Qiu almost laughed out loud.
“Ge, I’ve figured things out,” Shi Qiu looked him in the eyes seriously. “I won’t force you to be with me anymore. Let’s go back to being brothers, okay?”
Jiang was visibly stunned.
“You… really mean that?”
“You’ve really thought it through?”
Shi Qiu gave him a faint smile.
“I know you can’t just leave me. Even if I forced you into a relationship now, you wouldn’t resist anymore. I don’t need to trick you.”
“I really have thought it through. Let’s go back to being how we were before, just as brothers. Don’t hide from me anymore. Don’t be afraid of me.”
Shi Qiu was the one lying pale and fragile in bed, yet he was the one saying, “Don’t be afraid of me.”
He knew how the story was supposed to go. After being forced together, both Jiang and Shi would become incredibly miserable. Jiang, full of resentment, cheated repeatedly, while Shi clung to the relationship like a lifeline. They were a textbook toxic couple.
Shi Qiu thought: there’s really no need for that.
Especially when they were both tops, it just wasn’t going to work.
Jiang Fengmian’s eyes slowly lit up.
“You’ve thought it through… That’s good.” A genuine smile finally appeared on his face. He gently stroked Shi Qiu’s cheek.
With Shi Qiu’s parents gone, he only had Jiang to rely on. Jiang had always felt responsible for taking care of him. He’d tolerated Shi Qiu’s affections, thinking the younger boy was just confused between love and familial bonds. Even the suicide attempt didn’t make him truly angry.
Shi Qiu maintained his well-behaved smile, while silently sighing at Jiang’s protagonist aura. When Jiang was gentle, it was like watching a glacier melt dazzlingly handsome.
Shi Qiu nuzzled against Jiang’s hand and gazed at him with those beautiful eyes.
“But can I keep being good to you like a little brother who loves his older brother? Is that okay?”
Jiang pulled his hand back instantly, but after a brief hesitation, nodded. “Okay.”
As long as Shi Qiu wasn’t trying to force him into a relationship, everything was fine.
This crisis had been handled.
Shi Qiu closed his eyes to rest but asked 09 in his mind,
“Did Jiang Fengmian’s happiness score change?”
Given that Jiang’s life was otherwise perfect, a top student, ridiculously handsome and talented, being chased by a lovestruck “little brother” was the only downside. Now that Shi Qiu had removed that stressor, he should be thrilled, maybe even throwing a celebration dinner.
“Yes, Host. Jiang Fengmian’s happiness is now at -20%.”
Still negative. Clearly, he had other troubles too.
Shi Qiu was exhausted and soon drifted off to sleep.
But not for long. The quiet rustling of voices outside the room woke him up. He opened his eyes and saw Jiang Fengmian talking to a vaguely familiar man.
“I have exams and need to return to school. I can’t leave Shi Qiu alone. Can you look after him for a while?” Jiang pressed his fingers to his brow, his voice low.
“There’s a nurse, isn’t there?” the man replied his tone calm and more mature than Jiang’s.
“It’s not safe,” Jiang muttered. “And Shi Qiu gets scared. He needs someone around. Lu Chengyan, just treat it like keeping him company.”
The man turned to look through the glass door at Shi Qiu lying in bed.
The boy was only nineteen, his pretty face now flushed from just waking up. His eyes big, round, and confused looked toward him, soft and clear, unknowingly seductive.
No wonder Jiang didn’t trust the hospital staff. With one arm bandaged and the other hooked up to an IV, Shi Qiu was completely defenseless.
“Alright,” Lu Chengyan replied simply.
Shi Qiu stared back at him. 09 was helping him recall the plot he had entered this world after the wrist-slitting incident. At that time, the original Shi Qiu had crawled out of the bathtub soaked in blood, tried to call for help, and fainted after bumping into someone.
That person, it turned out, was Lu Chengyan.
According to the story, Lu Chengyan was Jiang Fengmian’s maternal cousin. The Lu family was a prestigious aristocratic household. While Jiang had been abandoned, Lu Chengyan was the legitimate heir, raised by the family patriarch. At 28, he had already been in charge of the family business for five years.
Surprisingly, he and Jiang seemed to have a good relationship.
Lu Chengyan appeared far more composed and mature than the just-turned-twenty Jiang Fengmian. Their temperaments were completely different.
It was late autumn. Lu wore a black cashmere coat and stood at the doorway. Unlike Jiang’s slim build (needed for acting school), Lu had a sturdy frame, and the gray shirt under his coat was pulled tight across his chest, outlining his toned muscles.
Shi Qiu noted his profile. Although their faces were quite different, Lu Chengyan did share a few features with Jiang, perhaps a common family trait.
Lu turned to meet Shi Qiu’s gaze, and Shi Qiu quickly looked away, pretending nothing had happened. He then turned toward Jiang, who was about to enter the room, and gave him an obedient, soft smile.
📌 Translator Notes:
Thanks for reading my first translation! 😘 I would really appreciate it you could leave some comments 🥹
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