The Beautiful Cannon Fodder Coveted by the Protagonist - Chapter 3

Daylight faded, replaced by the glow of electricity. Even before the sky had completely darkened, the streetlights and windows of the surrounding buildings flickered to life.

Zhou Zhou finished his takeout and walked to the large trash bin outside the dormitory to toss it. As he turned around, he bumped into Zuo Zhu and Chen Yuqi. Out of simple roommate courtesy, Zhou Zhou asked, “Are you guys headed out this late?”

Chen Yuqi, clutching a stack of books, nodded. “Yeah, the Art Academy has a meeting.”

Zhou Zhou nodded in understanding.

It wasn’t until they had disappeared from sight that the realization hit him: that meant he and Shanda would be the only two people left in the dorm!

His foot froze on the stairs. He pivoted immediately.

The campus convenience store was right next door. After a quick lap around the aisles and realizing he didn’t actually need anything, he picked up two bags of snacks just to have an excuse to linger.

When he finally returned to the dorm, the door was unlocked. The faint sound of running water echoed from within. Zhou Zhou let out a breath of relief, walked to his desk, and tossed the snacks onto his newly arrived suitcase.

The crinkle of plastic had barely subsided when the noisy system voice chimed in.

Mission starting.

Force the male lead to wash your feet and make things difficult for him. Failure will result in electrocution.

The legs of Zhou Zhou’s chair shrieked against the floor. Suddenly, the shrimp crackers in his hand lost all their appeal. His eyes widened and his brows shot up in sheer disbelief.

“What did you say? Say that again!”

Before he could let out a string of curses, the bathroom door creaked open.

Shanda walked out with nothing but a bath towel loosely wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water slid down the impressive lines of his muscles, disappearing into the mysterious territory beneath the towel.

Their eyes met. Zhou Zhou instantly covered his face. “Wh-why aren’t you wearing clothes!”

Seeing the crimson flush spreading to the boy’s earlobes, Shanda smirked. “I forgot to grab my clothes.”

Zhou Zhou spun around quickly, his teeth catching his lower lip. This was a complete mess.

Host, please complete the mission.

Push, push, push! Does Shanda look like the type of guy who would wash someone’s feet right now? Zhou Zhou grumbled inwardly. But suddenly, an image flashed through his mind—Shanda, wearing nothing but that towel, kneeling down to wash his feet.

Aaaaaah!!! That’s way too embarrassing! Zhou Zhou, what the hell are you thinking?!

Noticing Zhou Zhou’s back was still turned, Shanda looked down at his own bulging chest muscles. Is he… disgusted? He had specifically bought this towel at the store and made a point to walk out with his chest out and stomach in. He’d even posed in front of the mirror first. Wasn’t this exactly what the internet said worked?

After Shanda threw some clothes on, Zhou Zhou turned back around. He even stared for a moment, which actually made Shanda feel a bit self-conscious.

Zhou Zhou stole glance after glance, completely unaware of how glaringly obvious his “sneaking” was. Shanda narrowed his eyes, finding the boy’s behavior incredibly cute.

Suddenly!

Zhou Zhou stood up and marched toward him. With furrowed brows and a wrinkled nose, he drew closer and closer.

With every step, the sound of Shanda’s own heartbeat grew louder in his ears.

“Can you… can you help me wash my feet?”

…

Zhou Zhou stared at the hot water beneath him, haggling with 031 in his head. Does he really have to wash them? Isn’t bringing the water over enough to count as ‘helping’?

Negative.

Thinking back to the look in those blue eyes when he made the request—a look filled with something he couldn’t quite read—Zhou Zhou assumed it was anger. After all, Shanda’s eyes had gone wide, and a visible flush had climbed up his neck where the veins were popping.

The system confirmed his theory, explaining that Shanda’s smirk and his “Sure” were likely because he was plotting a way to get even later.

The rough calluses on Shanda’s hands tickled Zhou Zhou’s ankles, snapping him back to reality. He looked down to see Shanda gripping his slender, white ankle. Sensing Zhou Zhou’s instinctive recoil, Shanda looked up, looking a bit lost. “What’s wrong?”

His porcelain-white feet submerged into the water. The temperature was perfect. A quiet stillness settled over the room, wrapping around the two of them.

“Your ankles are so thin… and so white.”

The sudden voice made Zhou Zhou daze for a second. Thinking he had misheard, he straightened his back and asked suspiciously, “What did you say?”

The next second, his other foot was caught. Hard calluses scraped against his delicate skin like the scales of a snake, sending a wave of goosebumps over his entire body.

“Nothing,” Shanda smiled.

In Zhou Zhou’s eyes, that smile was a hidden blade. The guy was definitely deciding whether to chop off his left foot or his right foot first later on.

Shanda frowned, pressing down on a soft spot. “Why is it purple here?”

Zhou Zhou let out a sharp hiss as he realized he had a bruised sprain on his ankle. The stinging pain shot straight to his brain. “I… I don’t know.”

With both feet held in Shanda’s hands, Zhou Zhou’s size 40 feet looked surprisingly petite. The veins crossing the back of Shanda’s hands radiated a raw, masculine strength.

“Okay, that’s enough… Ah!”

As Shanda’s thumb brushed over the top of his foot, the uneven calluses triggered a sensation like an electric current.

System! Why are you shocking me?!

I’m not.

“Does it hurt? I’ll be gentler.” Shanda’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Zhou Zhou pursed his lips and shook his head.

Through the shimmering water, rough fingers gently wiped over the smooth skin. Zhou Zhou was always meticulous about personal hygiene, even keeping his toenails perfectly rounded and neat. As Shanda’s fingers rubbed between his toes, the intense tickling sensation caused Zhou Zhou to let out an accidental whimper.

He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. Wasn’t I supposed to be the one bullying Shanda? Why does it feel like I’m the one being bullied?

Shanda seemed not to notice the reaction, his thumb tracing circles on the sole of Zhou Zhou’s foot.

It hurts! System, System! He’s definitely getting back at me, it hurts so much, wahhh.

The corners of Zhou Zhou’s eyes turned red and his breathing quickened. Fearing that crying out would give Shanda the satisfaction he wanted, he gritted his teeth and endured it. His fingers gripped the edge of his stool so hard they began to dig into the wood. His fingertips, already pale, turned a ghostly white.

I can lower your sensory perception of pain. Would you like that?

Yes, yes, yes!

The pain and itching vanished instantly, but the sensation of being touched was infinitely magnified. He could hear his own ragged breathing. With fine beads of sweat on his forehead and his long eyelashes trembling, Zhou Zhou finally let go of the stool.

Can you remove the sense of touch too?

That option is not available.

After what felt like an eternity, Shanda finally pulled his hand out of the basin.

Zhou Zhou was covered in a fine sweat. Finally, it was over.

Shanda reached for a towel to dry him, but Zhou Zhou grabbed it first. He instinctively pulled his feet back toward himself. “No, no, no, no.”

Host, a reminder: you haven’t ‘made things difficult’ for him yet.

Shanda stared at the boy’s feet. Because of the hot water, the soles of Zhou Zhou’s feet were a soft pink. Water droplets rolled down his heels, creating tiny ripples in the basin as a faint, clean scent wafted through the air.

They sat in a stalemate until Zhou Zhou’s eyes darted to the side.

He saw the white socks he had kicked off earlier.

Got it! The perfect solution. Zhou Zhou, you’re a genius.

“Go wash my socks for me.” Zhou Zhou pointed at the discarded socks, putting on his best “demanding” face.

Congratulations, Zhou Zhou! You have completed the ‘Making Things Difficult’ task. Progress: 5%. Keep up the good work.

Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, a shadow loomed over him. Why was Shanda leaning in so close?! Had he finally realized what was happening and decided to punch him?

Zhou Zhou’s heart thrashed against his ribs like it was trying to escape.

As that devastatingly handsome face grew closer, Zhou Zhou didn’t know where to look, so he simply squeezed his eyes shut.

“Okay. You haven’t washed your clothes from this afternoon either. I’ll do them all for you.” The man’s breath hit his skin, making every pore contract. Zhou Zhou’s temperature spiked, and his heart raced even faster.

The shadow receded. In Shanda’s hands were the white socks, his shirt, his pants, and…

HIS WHITE UNDERWEAR!!!

Zhou Zhou’s hand shot out, his face a mix of embarrassment and fury. “Give that back!”

Shanda held out the shirt.

“Not that.”

The pants.

“No.”

The socks.

Zhou Zhou snapped. “The underwear! Why are you taking my underwear!”

Shanda’s lips curved into a smirk, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness. “To wash it. You just agreed. If you’re still upset about what happened this afternoon, I’ll just wash all your clothes for you from now on.”

“Wait, no—”

Bang—

The bathroom door slammed shut, cutting off Zhou Zhou’s right to refuse.

Zhou Zhou blinked rapidly. “Sy-System… the male lead is washing my underwear.”

Mm-hmm.

“He’s washing my underwear!” Zhou Zhou cried out in despair.

It’s normal. I assume this is his way of getting revenge.

Zhou Zhou blankly dried his feet. “What kind of revenge is washing someone’s underwear with a straight face?”

031 disagreed: No, no, no! Based on my years of reading web novels, the male lead gets humiliated in the early stages—like being forced to wash underwear. He washes them with bitter resentment, thinking, ‘I can endure anything, I’ll keep going even if I bleed or sweat, and eventually, I’ll slap your face so hard with my success!’

Right.

Zhou Zhou listened to the clichéd explanation. Years of reading? You must be reading ancient history. Those plots are older than I am.

Zhou Zhou, how can you not trust me? This is how this story goes. The male lead bides his time and climbs to the top. This is a top-tier face-slapping novel!

Listening to the steady trickle of water from the bathroom and thinking about his underwear in another man’s hands, Zhou Zhou almost wanted to laugh. Fine… the hero of the year’s best face-slapping novel is currently washing my underwear with a cold face.

He decided to let it go. If they were washed, they were washed.

He carried the basin to the balcony to empty it. A cool breeze blew past. From here, he could see the brightly lit windows of the teaching buildings. Moths swirled around the warm yellow streetlights, throwing themselves against the glass over and over, as if trying to extinguish the light.

Just as the sound of the water draining ended, the sound of the dorm door unlocking echoed.

“Whoa, scared me! You’re washing underwear?” Zuo Zhu’s voice boomed, followed by a mischievous cackle as he spotted the small white garments in Shanda’s hands. “You wear those? Man, don’t be too sad. Even if it’s like a ‘chili hanging from a giant tree,’ your face is top-tier. You won’t have trouble finding a date.” He even peeked downward as he spoke.

Shanda glanced toward Zhou Zhou’s bed and then looked toward the balcony. “They aren’t mine.”

Zuo Zhu: “Not yours?”

Just then, Zhou Zhou pushed the balcony door open and walked in. The three of them stood there, staring at one another.

Before Zhou Zhou could figure out what was happening, Shanda smiled.

“They’re Zhou Zhou’s. I’m helping him wash them.”

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