"Could it be piggybacking?"

"Yeah, he’s practically killing himself carrying Mu Shiqi."

Just imagining Wu Feng’s frame hauling Mu Shiqi—who wasn’t exactly slim—made Zhou Zhiyi stifle a laugh. The mental image was absurdly vivid: a cross-dressing guy lugging a chubby girl. Seriously? *Too beautiful for words.*

But judging by the plot, Mu Shiqi’s weight wouldn’t last long. If the male lead carried a female classmate to the infirmary without *some* payoff, readers would riot. Yet if she stayed overweight? Unacceptable. The only logical path: the infirmary scene would spark their bond, Mu Shiqi would fall head over heels, and—bam—she’d vow to lose weight.

And in novels? Weight melted off girls overnight. Three kilos a week? Easy. (Unless you were an otaku side character trying to shed pounds. *Go eat shit.*) If Mu Shiqi succeeded, she’d rival Chu Xinyue.

This wouldn’t hurt Zhou Zhiyi directly. But a chilling thought struck him: *How many girls already like the protagonist?* Chu Xinyue and Wu Feng’s sister were givens. Qin Huan was a mystery. Add Mu Shiqi? That’s… a harem trajectory.

"Hey. Wanna play a game?" Zhou Zhiyi blurted out—uncharacteristically proactive.

"What game?" Xie Wenbo, Li Han, Liu Tingyuan, and Wu Yuyang chorused like quadruplets.

"Truth or Dare, obviously."

"Tch."

"Boring."

"That’s so last decade."

"I thought you meant Sanguosha."

*Seriously? Sanguosha’s ancient too!*

"Games aren’t ‘old’ if they’re fun," Zhou Zhiyi insisted, hiding his true motive.

"Whoa, so eager?" Li Han draped his arm over Zhou Zhiyi’s shoulder. "Since you’re hyped—let’s play."

"Well… nothing better to do."

"Fine by me."

"I’m The King of Fighters. None of you stand a chance."

*Why does everyone obey Li Han? Do I have zero charisma?* Zhou Zhiyi fumed. *Li Han might be a side character too—but another sporty guy? Unlikely. Most stories don’t stack two athletic rivals.*

They settled the fairest way: rock-paper-scissors. The fun wasn’t in winning—it was in the consequences. Zhou Zhiyi’s goal? Uncover everyone’s crushes. Matchmake strategically. Engineer a clean ending: Main Lead + Heroine, Second Lead + Second Heroine, Third Lead + Third Heroine. Perfect.

But he never expected *himself* to lose the first round.

*This luck… Do second leads get a rock-paper-scissors debuff?*

"So, Zhou Zhiyi," Li Han’s trademark grin—*sports idiot grin*—loomed close. "Truth or Dare?"

*Truth means they’ll ask who I like. Dare means they’ll make me do something stupid to a girl.*

Truth was safer. Confessing his crush on Qin Huan now could backfire—but if the MC only ended up with the heroine? A rejected second lead might still get his girl. Silence meant no chance. Readers hated forced pairings.

"Truth, obviously—"

A jolt of icy dread cut him off. Unseen pressure coiled in his chest.

*No…*

**INSTRUCTION: CHOOSE DARE.**

*Why is the system interfering NOW?*

*So I never had a choice from the start?*

Zhou Zhiyi’s bitter smile tightened.