Pushing the door open quietly, I raised my eyes to survey the surroundings.
Scattered snacks, numerous empty drink bottles on the table, and a half-eaten, cold burger on the desk.
If not for having visited many times before, Jiang Chi would have doubted he had come to the wrong place.
But in any case, this was a clinic.
Only now, it was not just messy but also seemingly empty.
Just as Jiang Chi was about to find a seat to wait, a faint squirming sound came from nearby, reminiscent of wriggling maggots.
Following the sound, his gaze landed on the bookshelf that had once been filled with books.
At some point, it had collapsed, and the fallen books had piled into a small mound that undulated slightly, as though something was stirring within.
“Dr. Zhang?”
Jiang Chi tentatively called out.
At the same time, in response to his voice, a large artist’s hat emerged from the mound, followed by books tumbling to the side.
One by one, the books slid away, as if some kind of boss monster was undergoing a second-stage transformation, gradually revealing its true form.
It was a little boy-wearing an oversized painter’s hat, with bright orange-yellow eyes and a blue-and-white striped shirt-utterly adorable, like a shota straight out of an anime.
The second-stage transformation complete, the shota held a plump, oversized groundhog in his hands.
His round eyes suddenly sharpened, like a cat’s.
However, upon noticing someone present, Yan Qing quickly tossed the groundhog into the trash bin, as if trying to hide something.
“Big bro, what brings you here?”
“I came to pick up my medicine,” Jiang Chi said flatly. “Is Dr. Zhang in?”
“Teacher went to another province for a very important client,” Yan Qing replied, swiftly darting to the desk.
He pulled open a drawer and retrieved a pre-packaged set of medication along with a follow-up consultation form.
“Here. Teacher told me before he left that if either of you big brothers came for your medicine, I should give it to you.”
He handed the medication to Jiang Chi, then picked up the follow-up form and sat properly in the office chair, adorably mimicking the gesture of adjusting glasses.
“Big bro, tell me how you’ve been lately. Teacher taught me psychology—everything he knows, I know too.”
Jiang Chi accepted the medicine, intending to leave and return another time for the follow-up.
But seeing the shota’s serious yet endearing expression, he hesitated briefly before speaking.
“Lately, I’ve been dating a girl.”
“Mhm.”
“Once, when I held her hand, I didn’t feel the urge to vomit.”
“And psychologically?”
“Nothing either.”
Jiang Chi paused, as if recalling the moment, then added, “Instead, it was a strange feeling—sweet and warm, like being wrapped in honey.”
“Uh…”
Yan Qing froze.
Meow meow? Teacher never covered this-how was he supposed to respond?!
No clue, meow! What to do, what to do?!
“Do you think it might be the power of love?”
Jiang Chi suddenly shifted the topic, echoing a phrase his mother often nagged him about.
“Love?”
The shota was even more bewildered now.
He scratched his head.
“I’m still young, I’ve never been in love. I don’t know about love.”
“But being able to accept someone else to this extent is a good thing. I’ll congratulate you, big bro—may your mysophobia heal soon!”
“Big brother can also try holding hands with others. If the nausea doesn’t reappear, it means your mysophobia is initially cured. If the nausea still occurs, then that girl is special to you.”
“Special?”
Jiang Chi mulled over the word.
“Exactly, special,” Yan Qing nodded.
“I’ve heard teachers say that in human genes, there’s a one in a hundred million chance of naturally occurring genetic soulmates. Whether it’s hormonal attraction or compatibility in personality and interests, everything aligns perfectly.”
“One could even say they were born for each other. To each other, they are the one and only, everything, irreplaceable, for a lifetime.”
The one and only? Everything?
To her, I’m irreplaceable.
Under his mask, Jiang Chi’s lips curled into a slight smile.
When Jiang Chi left the clinic again, he carried an extra book—a gift from the young Yan Qing titled The Self-Cultivation of a Perfect Boyfriend.
* * *
Meanwhile, what was our irreplaceable, one-and-only, lifetime girl (boy), Ji (Ji) Qing (Yue) Chan (Nian), doing at this moment?
Answer: In a meeting, and nearly asleep.
“For this cultural performance, all departments need to align their granularity, form a coordinated strategy, grasp key points, and connect the underlying logic to lay a solid foundation for this groundbreaking sports event. We must innovate while inheriting, develop while preserving…”
The student council representative on stage was enthusiastically sharing his “highly constructive” views, while below, the sports committee representative Ji Yuenian was fighting to keep his eyelids from drooping, utterly exhausted.
For some unknown reason last night, Ji Yuenian had been unusually hyperactive, almost as if he were high.
After dealing with Long Qiang, who had made a mess everywhere, he went after other troublemakers, armed with a steel pipe each, patrolling until 3 a.m., “educating” countless “old acquaintances.”
The price, however, was waking up this morning completely drained, far from rested.
Ji Yuenian was barely managing to stay awake through the student council representative’s monotonous speech, his head nodding occasionally as he struggled to remain alert.
Suddenly, he glanced sideways and caught Su Tian secretly pulling out his phone under the desk, shielding it with a textbook.
The pale glow of the screen lit up his face as he stared intently.
This guy, reading a novel during a meeting.
Red-Haired Monster? The Dao Crusher, or the new book by The Great Love Immortal?
Should he suddenly lean over and pretend to be a teacher to scare him?
A mischievous idea popped into his head.
But the next moment, Ji Yuenian dismissed it.
After all, Su Tian was one of only two representatives from the sports committee.
If he were exposed reading a novel in public, it would reflect poorly on him as the sports committee head.
With that in mind, Ji Yuenian nudged Su Tian with his elbow.
Su Tian turned his head suspiciously, only to see a hand reach over and firmly, unyieldingly, snatch his phone away.
“Bro Ji…” Su Tian’s voice carried a hint of panic, like a kid caught watching inappropriate videos under the covers.
“Come get it after the meeting,” Ji Yuenian said, lifting his gaze to meet Su Tian’s, his eyes carrying a clear warning.
With that, Ji Yuenian placed his phone on the table, but curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t resist glancing at the screen.
Su Tian watched Ji Yuenian’s action, wanting to stop him but already too late.
He slumped into his seat, a single thought flashing through his mind.
It’s over!
[This story is a friendly creation by “Peach Blossom Fairy,” set in Wanqing Yongxing School, featuring the domineering school bully CP with the sickly school heartthrob-gender-swapped version: the petite and frail school heartthrob turns out to be a girl.]
[When school bully Ji Yuenian discovers that school heartthrob Jiang Chi is actually a girl, he corners her against the wall.]
[Ji Yuenian pinches Jiang Chi’s soft chin, a wicked smirk curling at the corner of his lips: “So you’re a woman, huh? Hmph! Jiang Chi, congratulations—you’ve piqued my interest!”]
Ji Yuenian: Huh?
Ji Yuenian: Oh.
Ji Yuenian: WHAT?!
Su Tian, with such good taste, you truly have a bright future ahead of you! These are fanboying levels never seen before in the industry!