The Protagonist and the Villain Both Kissed Me [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 13

Su Xi watched the scenery for a while until boredom set in. He randomly pulled a black-covered book from the shelf and began to flip through it. The dense black text was packed tightly together, and the various complex, incomprehensible formulas made his head spin.

“What is all this?” He curled his lip, deciding that continuing to daze off was a better option.

It was getting late, but instead of thinning out, the crowd in the library was actually growing. Near the entrance, many people standing in line frequently craned their necks to peek inside. The identity recognition machine flashed a steady red light, its long hours of operation seemingly causing it to lag.

Su Xi rested his chin on his hand and gazed at Duan Cheng’s face. The man’s overly long hair had been trimmed, revealing his cold, handsome features. Perhaps he had come across a confusing passage, as his thin lips were slightly pursed. Not far away, quite a few girls were already casting glances toward where they sat.

Su Xi didn’t like others staring at Duan Cheng like that; after all, this was his boyfriend.

His eyelashes trembled as he reached out to poke Duan Cheng’s hand, whispering, “There are so many people now. Let’s go back, okay?”

Without waiting for a response, he stuffed the books Duan Cheng had borrowed into a bag on the chair next to them and picked it up, ready to leave. Duan Cheng let out a helpless sigh, took the bag from him, and followed him through a less crowded exit to avoid the throng of people.

Out of the corner of his eye, Su Xi spotted a vending machine at the library entrance. He walked over in a few quick steps, and upon seeing the colorful array of products behind the glass door, he was immediately rooted to the spot.

“Ice soda.” He self-sufficiently bought two bottles of cold soda, handing one to Duan Cheng, who had caught up behind him. He unscrewed the cap of the other and tilted his head back for a deep gulp. The drink was so cold it made his teeth ache.

“Drink slowly,” Duan Cheng said softly, pressing his hand down.

The cold turned Su Xi’s lips a deep crimson. He pursed them and nodded vaguely. “It doesn’t taste good at all.”

In the evening, a crimson sunset draped across the sky over the campus. Even the breeze in the sweltering midsummer heat carried a wave of warmth. The lush emerald leaves swayed with the wind, making a rustling sound.

Su Xi walked in front while Duan Cheng followed unhurriedly by his side.

“When will the weather finally get cool?” Su Xi was sensitive to heat and feared the cold; his favorite season was autumn. Feeling miserable from the heat, he wished he could strip off all his clothes. He turned to look at Duan Cheng, who hadn’t broken a sweat at all, and asked enviously, “A-Cheng, aren’t you hot?”

“I’m alright.” Duan Cheng took his hand, and a faint chill was transmitted through their palms.

This guy really isn’t afraid of the heat; he’s like a giant popsicle.

Su Xi looked down at their joined hands. Biting his lip, he asked hesitantly, “Then… do you like me?”

The question was completely unrelated to their previous conversation; he simply wanted to confirm Duan Cheng’s feelings for him. But the man fell silent. Su Xi’s eyes instantly turned red. He pulled his hand back forcefully and stood in front of the man, meeting his perpetually calm black eyes.

Enduring the embarrassment, he asked again in a small voice, “Do you like me?”

As evening approached, the number of people around them increased. Many who noticed the scene began to whisper. Some even took out their cameras and started filming. Being the center of attention, Su Xi heard the surrounding chatter; his flushed face turned pale in an instant, and he could barely suppress his surging emotions.

“Holy crap! Is Duan Cheng a scumbag? He made Su Xi cry…”

“I can’t stand this. Post it online and expose him.”

“Wait, doesn’t Su Xi really like this fiancé? Don’t mess around, guys.”

Seeing the boy looking as fragile as a porcelain doll, a wave of massive panic surged in Duan Cheng’s heart. He reached out to grab him, but Su Xi swiped his hand away. Su Xi dropped a single sentence “Let’s break up” and ran off. Duan Cheng’s eyes darkened. Just as he was about to give chase, someone grabbed him by the collar, followed by a punch thrown with full force.

Su Xi ran all the way to the deserted rear garden of the school before stopping. He leaned against a wall to catch his breath, his vision blurred by tears.

He frowned, wondering where he had gone wrong for things to end up like this. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice when someone had joined him.

“Why run all the way here by yourself? Aren’t you afraid of meeting bad people after dark?” A voice laced with a smile suddenly rang in his ear.

Su Xi spoke somewhat dazed, “Li Huai? Why are you here too?”

“I came specifically to find you. I just missed a very big show, didn’t I?” Li Huai fished a tissue from his pocket and naturally wiped the sweat from the boy’s forehead.

Seeing the boy’s pale face and red-rimmed eyes, he felt a pang of discomfort.

“Oh.” Su Xi was clearly uninterested in the so-called “show.”

Li Huai arched an eyebrow in surprise. Normally, Su Xi would have curiously pried for details about the drama, but his current coldness was truly strange.

Does he really love that Duan Cheng that much?

“Come on, I’ll take you for a walk,” he suggested.

Qingling Academy employed military-style management; leaving campus without a valid reason was prohibited, and special circumstances required advance reporting and approval. However, these rules clearly didn’t apply to people like Su Xi and Li Huai.

The city streets at night were brilliantly lit. Vendors called out from every corner, and giant billboards hung from skyscrapers, featuring the hottest celebrity spokespeople of the moment.

Su Xi and Li Huai wandered the streets almost aimlessly. After a while, Li Huai couldn’t take it anymore. He took the boy’s hand and said softly, “Xi, don’t be sad. At worst, just break off the engagement. What’s so good about someone who makes you cry…”

Before he could finish, Su Xi looked at him with an extremely cold gaze.

“Let’s go to Night Encounter,” Su Xi blurted out, interrupting Li Huai.

Night Encounter was the most popular entertainment venue in the Imperial Capital a den of vice where gold was spent like water. It was a mixed bag where people of all classes gathered just to seek a temporary escape. Su Xi had overheard Jiang Wenyuan and his lackeys mentioning it before.

Despite his inner reluctance, Li Huai knew that once Su Xi made up his mind, it couldn’t be changed. He could only compromise and go with him.

Inside the massive hall, the colored lights created an ambiguous and blurred atmosphere. Su Xi leaned against a deep red sofa, watching the people around him twisting their bodies in pursuit of pleasure. The cacophony was enough to briefly numb his muddled brain.

He reached for a glass and downed it in one go. His breath was filled with the rich, intoxicating scent of wine mixed with various pheromones, making him feel dizzy. His gaze landed on Li Huai next to him, and he leaned in with a smile. “Why aren’t you drinking?”

“Drinking too much is bad for you.” Li Huai took the glass from his hand and set it on the table. The spacious tabletop was already covered with empty bottles, the glass shimmering under the colored lights.

Su Xi’s face flushed easily when drinking, and his fair skin was now entirely rosy. More and more blatant, burning gazes fell upon him, but he seemed not to notice. He frowned and reached for a glass on the table, only to be pulled into Li Huai’s arms the moment his hand touched it.

“Oof—” His nose bumped against the man’s firm chest, causing him to let out a soft cry.

“Let’s book a private room; there are too many people here.” Breathing in the rich orchid fragrance emanating from the boy’s neck, Li Huai suggested softly with a frown.

There were too many Alphas here. In a closed space, it was too easy for uncontrollable things to happen. If he hadn’t been by his side, who knows how many people would have directly harassed Su Xi by now.

“I don’t want to. It’s so lively here.” Su Xi pouted and pulled away from Li Huai. His hand landed on the sofa next to him as he tried to climb down, but the man had released a bit of pheromones, leaving him weak and able only to let the man hold him.

Su Xi covered the scent-releasing gland on the man’s neck and said with a scowl, “Let go…”

“I can let go, but we have to change locations.” Li Huai took a step back, sounding as if he were negotiating, but his words carried a certain non-negotiable firmness.

“…” Su Xi pursed his lips. Angrily, he reached out and ruffled the man’s hair, huffing in dissatisfaction, “You’re so disrespectful. See if I don’t go back and tell your uncle on you.”

However, because of the alcohol, his words sounded soft and lacked any real threat.

“Fine, fine, whatever you say.” Li Huai let the boy mess up his clothes. He tilted Su Xi’s chin up, meeting those shimmering eyes, and succumbed helplessly.

“Of course.” Su Xi turned his head, about to say something more, when he suddenly spotted someone entering through the door. His muddled brain cleared instantly.

Didn’t he just have a fight with Duan Cheng? How did the man chase him all the way here!

Su Xi struggled to get off the man, but the memory of being humiliated in front of everyone flashed through his mind, and his rising guilt vanished in an instant. He decided to act as if he hadn’t seen him, though he instinctively lowered his head.

When the system first transmitted the data, he had vaguely seen the reason why the original owner hated Duan Cheng. It wasn’t just because the Duan family had fallen and he was an “unsuitable” Beta; it was because… Duan Cheng had done something very excessive to the original owner before.

“What’s wrong?” Li Huai noticed Su Xi’s tense body. He looked up in surprise and also saw the familiar figure.

“Nothing. Don’t look around.”

Su Xi raised his hand to cover the man’s eyes. Because his emotions were fluctuating too much, the pheromones from the back of his neck began to leak uncontrollably. Realizing things were going south, he quickly got up and tried to sneak out, using the crowd as cover.

Unbeknownst to him, his actions had long been captured by Duan Cheng, who had been observing the room since entering. Seeing Su Xi trying to slip away, he moved to follow.

Su Xi sent a message to Li Huai as he walked, saying he was just going to the restroom and there was no need to follow.

In the restroom, he turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face. Looking in the mirror, his face was flushed, and water droplets clung to his eyelashes, giving him a pitiable appearance. He bit his lip and looked at his fair arm, then ruthlessly gave himself a pinch. The sharp pain caused his eyes to turn red instantly.

“Host, what are you doing?” System 1368 asked hurriedly, nervous upon seeing Su Xi’s self-harming action.

“Making Duan Cheng feel a bit more distressed for me,” Su Xi answered the system calmly in his mind, though his face looked as if he were about to break the next second.

He leaned against the sink for a while until the dizziness from the alcohol subsided before planning to head back. He had only taken two steps when he ran straight into Duan Cheng, who had come looking for him. He thought he was hallucinating. Looking at the face he had been thinking of day and night, Su Xi froze for two seconds before stumbling to try and bypass him.

“Where are you going?” Duan Cheng grabbed Su Xi’s wrist.

Su Xi blinked and squinted for a moment to confirm the person in front of him was indeed Duan Cheng. “What business is it of yours?”

“I apologize for what happened today. Su Xi, don’t be mad anymore.” Duan Cheng pulled him into the restroom and locked the door behind them, coaxing him in a soft voice.