Genius! Why couldn’t I think of that?

They had meatballs, and I had a chicken drumstick. What were the odds?

Honestly, Mo Qiu was still a little reluctant. The only meat in her rice porridge was the small number of chicken drumsticks. She’d eaten a few yesterday, then shared most of what was left with Bai Chen.

Now the drumstick in front of her was the only meat in her lunch.

Thinking about giving it to Bai Chen, who didn’t know good food when he saw it, Mo Qiu’s hand trembled around her spoon.

Stay calm, Mo Qiu. Think about it. This is all for your plan.

After reassuring herself again and again, she finally made up her mind. If she wanted to win Bai Chen over, this sacrifice was necessary.

Bai Chen had no idea the girl beside him was grumbling to herself. He was still struggling through the rice porridge and its painfully salty chicken drumstick.

Had I misunderstood something? Does all rice porridge in the world taste like this?

As he ate, Bai Chen suddenly realized he seemed to be getting used to the intense flavor.

Oh no. I can’t feel my tongue anymore.

After taking one salty beating after another, his tongue had finally met its valiant end.

Did I waste too much food in my last life, so the Old Man upstairs decided to make me suffer like this in this one?

Since Mo Qiu seemed to be enjoying her food so much, Bai Chen could only grit his teeth and eat along with her.

“Bai Chen.”

Hearing the girl call him, Bai Chen turned around and saw her picking up her chopsticks.

“You can have this drumstick.”

“Huh?”

Bai Chen froze for a moment. I finally managed to eat one, and now you’re offering me another?

Her chopsticks poked into the yellow-brown porridge, stirring through the sludge in search of the drumstick. It had been soaking for so long that its skin had taken on the porridge’s strange color.

The skin and meat were barely holding together, dangling in midair as if they might fall apart at any moment.

Yellow-brown broth dripped from the drumstick, sending ripples through Bai Chen’s heart.

Bai Chen had eaten badly cooked chicken before, but the drumstick in this porridge had completely changed his understanding of meat.

The waterlogged meat had none of the springiness chicken should have. Its overpowering aroma drowned out the meat’s natural flavor, making it impossible to tell whether the drumstick was even fresh.

“I don’t think I need it. You should keep it for yourself.”

“No. You’re a boy, Bai Chen, and you have PE this afternoon.”

“It’s fine. Skipping one drumstick won’t make me too hungry to run.”

“It will.”

“Why?”

“A hunch.”

Bai Chen nearly rolled his eyes. It felt like there was no way to get through to her.

As Mo Qiu held out the drumstick, Bai Chen worried that the broth would drip onto his desk. He had no choice but to lean forward, open his mouth, and let the girl feed him.

Just as the drumstick was about to touch Bai Chen’s lips, Mo Qiu’s fingers shifted slightly.

The drumstick slipped naturally from between her chopsticks, hit Bai Chen in the chest, bounced, and landed beneath the desk.

“Sorry. I got you dirty,” Mo Qiu said at once.

“It’s fine. I have to change for PE anyway.”

Bai Chen was just relieved he’d escaped. When she said the drumstick was dirty and couldn’t be eaten, he was glad she hadn’t gone so far as to offer him one that had fallen on the floor.

While Mo Qiu lowered her head to pick up her empty lunchbox, Bai Chen hurriedly took his thermos from his bag and gulped down a big drink of water.

The water washed away the taste of the porridge, and he felt his sense of taste come back to life. He’d nearly finished eating, so at least the ordeal was almost over.

Just then, something bumped the desk. The lunchboxes on top of it rattled.

Bai Chen looked down, curious, and froze.

“What are you doing?”

He almost shouted, but thankfully remembered in time that other people were still in the classroom.

“I’m picking up the drumstick I dropped.”

“Then why did you come over to my side?”

Mo Qiu had crawled beneath the desk. With her hands and knees on the floor and her body leaning forward slightly, she looked just like a cute little animal.

She crouched between Bai Chen’s legs, her deep-sea eyes perfectly calm. Bai Chen, on the other hand, was already blushing.

From this angle, Bai Chen’s gaze could even reach deep into the collar of her uniform. The plain, form-fitting bra tightly wrapped her peaks, and he seemed to catch a glimpse of faint pink.

“I accidentally kicked the drumstick over to your side.”

Mo Qiu reached out and pointed beneath Bai Chen’s chair.

“How did you kick it over with your leg?”

Bai Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Mo Qiu kept crawling toward his seat, reaching between his legs with her long arms to pick up the dusty drumstick and toss it into the empty lunchbox.

That should be the end of it, right?

Just as Bai Chen began to relax, she placed both hands between his thighs and pushed herself up.

“Y-you, what are you doing now?”

“I’m getting up.”

“Can’t you back up?”

“I can’t see where I’m going.”

“It’s not like you can’t turn your head…” Bai Chen couldn’t understand how she could say such ridiculous things with a perfectly straight face.

Mo Qiu’s movements forced Bai Chen’s legs apart, and as she shifted position, she ended up kneeling in front of him.

This is getting worse. Bai Chen tried to lean back as far as he could, silently praying that Mo Qiu wouldn’t look up and make the situation even more awkward.

Fortunately, Mo Qiu didn’t touch his pants. She simply held his waist lightly and continued climbing up.

Bai Chen had closed his eyes when a strange, pleasant fragrance reached him. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened them.

Mo Qiu crawled out from under the desk, her slender waist almost against him. Her doll-like face was right in front of him, and he held his breath as he studied it.

From a distance, her unlit eyes looked like the deep sea. Up close, they were like an abyss, threatening to pull his soul in.

No matter how many times he saw them, they were beautiful eyes.

Mo Qiu put a hand on his shoulder, as if inviting him to do something with her. She didn’t say a word, and Bai Chen couldn’t bring himself to speak either.

Blood rushed downward through his entire body. Even though they were in the classroom, Little Bai Chen couldn't help but raise his head. What made it even worse was that he bumped against something—soft and warm.

Just then, a voice interrupted them both.

“There you are, Bai Chen! Mr. Zheng wants you at the security office…”

A classmate came closer, saw the two of them pressed together, and stopped mid-sentence.

Mr. Zheng? The security office? Had there been progress with the investigation?

Mo Qiu turned her head and stared at the classmate with her deep, unwavering eyes, making him shiver. “Sorry to interrupt. Remember to go to the security office and see Mr. Zheng.”

“Oh, I’ll go right now.” Bai Chen seized the chance to get up from his seat, leaving the girl with her head lowered.

What a nuisance.

Mo Qiu had finally gotten the upper hand, and Bai Chen had seemed close to losing his composure. The whole situation had made her uncomfortable, but she could put up with it.

Next time, for sure…

“Mo Qiu.” Bai Chen suddenly stopped and turned to look at her. “Could you come with me?”

The girl paused, then started walking after him.

As they headed for the security office, Mo Qiu wondered more than once what Bai Chen was trying to do.

Did he find out about what I did? Impossible. Even if they checked every camera in the school, they couldn’t prove it was me.

She’d acted on those students in a blind spot, and once the hypnosis wore off, there wouldn’t be anything unusual about them.

As they walked, Mo Qiu noticed Bai Chen turn into a corner of the school building. Few people came here, even during lunch break.

Could it be something else?

“Mo Qiu, I want to talk to you about what happened last Friday.”

Bai Chen didn’t want to put it off any longer. He had to get to the bottom of what had happened last Friday. Was it a coincidence, or had she planned it all?

The cheers and laughter from the sports field sounded as if they came from far away. In this shadowy corner, the air felt noticeably cooler.

Bai Chen took a deep breath and turned as he spoke. “Mo Qiu, what exactly…”

The sight before him made his eyes widen. He immediately raised a hand to cover them.

“What are you doing?!”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to talk about last Friday?”

Mo Qiu looked confused and stopped unbuttoning her shirt. She’d already undone several buttons, leaving her shoulders exposed.

“Were you even listening to me?”

“Yes.” Mo Qiu’s shirt was still partly unbuttoned. She held her right arm with her left hand. “You’ve finally agreed to accept my thanks.”

“What thanks?”

As soon as he said it, Bai Chen remembered. She’d said something about taking care of him for the rest of his life.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh?” Mo Qiu sounded noticeably disappointed.

“Put your shirt back on. This is a school.”

“Okay.” Mo Qiu put her shirt back on. “I’m dressed.”

That was fast.

Bai Chen lowered his hand and saw that she still hadn’t buttoned her shirt properly.

She’d only draped her shirt over her shoulders, leaving it open over her clothes. Her figure, usually hidden by her uniform, was now plainly visible.

Bai Chen had never been so startled in his life. For a moment, his brain seemed to shut down.

When he didn’t react, Mo Qiu stepped closer and pointed at herself.

“Do you want to touch me?”

“…Are you serious?” Bai Chen raised an eyebrow.

“It’s okay. You helped me, Bai Chen. I don’t mind.”

“I only helped you once. What if I were a bad person and took the chance to hurt you?”

“I don’t care.” Mo Qiu didn’t even blink.

She was used to pain by now. Whether it came from a stick or a knife, the worst part was the first moment. After that, she could get through it by focusing on something else.

Bai Chen sighed heavily and gave up trying to reason with her.

What had she gone through to end up with such a strange personality? She didn’t care about herself at all. That was nothing like how a normal person thought.

“Listen. Don’t say things like that to me again. I don’t need anyone to take care of me. If you insist on taking care of someone, then take care of yourself.”

As he spoke, Bai Chen slowly buttoned her shirt for her. His fingers occasionally brushed against her soft, ample bosom, making his movements somewhat flustered.

Take care of myself? Mo Qiu looked at him coldly.

I’ve always been perfectly capable of doing that. I don’t need someone like you pretending to care about me.

Bai Chen was focused on the buttons. The upper ones were difficult to fasten, and he fumbled with them.

“Mo Qiu, could you hold the shirt for me?”

“Okay.”

Just as Bai Chen began to relax, footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

“Who’s there?”

We’re done for. Is that the teacher who catches couples? No, that voice…

The teacher who walked in saw the two of them and froze. “Mo Qiu and… Bai Chen? Didn’t I tell you to meet me at the security office? Why are you sneaking off together?”

“Mr. Zheng, let me explain.”

“You two are moving pretty fast. You’re already taking each other’s clothes off.”

“No, that’s not what happened. Mo Qiu, help me explain.”

“Okay.” The girl, called on to explain at the worst possible moment, nodded and looked at their homeroom teacher. “Teacher, Bai Chen was adjusting my clothes. He hasn’t touched me.”

Welp. There was no explaining their way out of this.