Don’t Try To Corrupt Me

“Boss, give me two cups of pearl milk tea.”

“Medium or large?”

Zheng Zilu looked at Sheng Yuan beside him and squeezed out two words from between his teeth, “Large cup.”

The milk tea shop was just across the school, with a good flow of customers. However, there were only fifteen minutes left until the end of lunch break, so there was no need to queue up.

Zheng Zilu handed him the prepared pearl milk tea and said, “Here, don’t drink too much and get bloated.”

Sheng Yuan replied, “One cup of milk tea won’t do that.”

Zheng Zilu was grinding his molars so hard that they were about to shatter. He gulped down his own portion and saw that Sheng Yuan still had more than half a cup left. “Can’t you drink faster? I have things to do.”

In fact, the other person didn’t need to wait for him at all.

“What’s the matter?”

“I need to go back and tidy up the dormitory. The head teacher will come to inspect the cleanliness of the boys’ dormitory tonight.”

If it weren’t for the commotion at the gymnasium, he would have gone back to the dormitory after finishing his meal.

The more Zheng Zilu thought about it, the more he felt miserable. If it weren’t for the commotion at the gymnasium, he wouldn’t have had to treat Sheng Yuan to milk tea!

Inspecting the dormitory’s cleanliness?

Chewing on the pearls, Sheng Yuan asked, “Is it for the outstanding student selection?”

“Yes, it is. Even if there’s no official evaluation, there will be some verbal encouragement.”

Sheng Yuan got up, “Let’s go.”

Zheng Zilu was surprised, “What are you going to do?”

Sheng Yuan looked back at him, “Didn’t you say we need to tidy up the dormitory?”

Zheng Zilu stood frozen in place, looking at the tall figure ahead.

Could it be that Sheng Yuan was going to help him clean the dormitory?

Could he really be that kind?

The two arrived at Building A of the dormitory. When they reached the fourth floor, Zheng Zilu’s speculation was gradually confirmed.

‘What a surprise! He really came to help!

He may be a bit of a bastard, but I didn’t expect him to be so considerate.’

Zheng Zilu stopped at Room 407 and introduced, “This is my dormitory.”

Sheng Yuan glanced at him, “I see.”

Zheng Zilu smiled, “Well, let’s clean together.”

“Okay, mine is next door. After you’re done cleaning, you can come find me.”

Afterwards, he pushed the door open and walked into Room 408 under Zheng Zilu’s surprised gaze.

Zheng Zilu: “…”

‘What a fart?!

What exactly was I expecting?!

Sheng Yuan! Act like a decent person!!!’

Sheng Yuan entered Room 408, and compared to when he left yesterday, there was no noticeable difference, not even the school uniform hanging on the small balcony had been taken down.

?

Could it be that he didn’t come back yesterday?

The thought flashed for a moment, but Sheng Yuan quickly dismissed it from his mind.

He didn’t have time to think about the target’s whereabouts. He had important matters to attend to now.

Sheng Yuan rolled up his sleeves to his forearms. With little time left before class, he quickly tidied up the dormitory. Finally, he took down the school uniform that was left hanging from yesterday and neatly folded it, placing it on the bedside.

‘A well-groomed high school gentleman.

Target, this is the persona I’ve created for you.’

At first glance, Room 408 was clean and tidy, far better than yesterday when be washed the school uniform yesterday.

[System: Yesterday, you were Snail Girl. What about today?]

Sheng Yuan: “Snail Girl Plus.”

[System:…]

‘You understand the concept of “plus.”’

Before leaving, he took out a photocopy of study notes from the plastic bag he was carrying and placed it on Yu Zuojin’s bed, then he left.

Back in the classroom, he handed the materials to Xia Zhiqi and asked him to distribute them to the little brothers.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand or any questions, just come and ask me directly.”

“But, Big Brother, don’t you still need to review?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“But if we delay your review…”

“That’s my own fault.”

Xia Zhiqi: “…”

[System:…]

You have a way with words.

———————-

In the evening, Yu Zuojin walked out from the back door of the barbecue restaurant carrying a large black garbage bag.

The voice of the old man in the shop could be faintly heard.

“Xiao Yu, you can leave first today. It’s not busy, Aunt Chen and I can handle it.”

Yu Zuojin disposed of the garbage and didn’t pay attention to the old man’s words. He returned to the shop and continued working.

Qi Sheng came back from the school with his school uniform jacket and found him, “Brother Yu, I heard that Tie Tou will come to inspect the boys’ dormitory tonight.”

Yu Zuojin wore rubber gloves, washing dishes in front of a small, pitiful sink.

His shoulders were broad, and he was slightly hunched over, if he stood straight, his head would hit the cabinet above.

It was a bit cooler outside, and Qi Sheng put on his school uniform jacket. “Brother Yu, you don’t have much to do today. Just go back after work.”

They weren’t particularly afraid of Tie Tou, but mainly because he never stopped nagging once he started.

Just like a Tang Monk reciting the Tightening Spell, it never ends.

It gave headaches.

Qi Sheng was curious, “By the way, Brother Yu, what were you doing in the dormitory all morning?”

Yu Zuojin remained silent.

Qi Sheng glanced at him but didn’t ask further.

“Brother Yu, I’ll go now. See you later.”

Qi Sheng left through the back door, and his footsteps disappeared as the door closed.

The store had fewer customers today, and the three of them finished tidying up everything and closed around ten minutes to ten.

The old man carried a paper bag and said, “Xiao Yu, it’s almost Mid-Autumn Festival. Take two mooncakes with you.”

Yu Zuojin lowered his gaze, and the dim light in the kitchen fell on his brows and eyes, highlighting the small mole below his eye.

“No need.”

Without waiting for a response, he left through the back door after saying, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Aunt Chen put on her coat, lifted the curtain, and entered the kitchen. She noticed the red paper bag in the old man’s hand and asked, “Did Xiao Yu take it?”

The old man hunched his back and shook his head.

“This child has a cold temperament.”

Aunt Chen sighed, “It’s almost autumn, but his family hasn’t bothered to get him some warmer clothes.”

“No one cares about him.”

The first time they saw Yu Zuojin was two years ago when an immature young man with a youthful face asked if they were hiring.

It was in the middle of winter, and he was dressed lightly.

They had never seen Yu Zuojin’s family up to now.

Aunt Chen had arrived the previous year and initially thought Yu Zuojin was related to the old man. It was only later that she learned he wasn’t, but she didn’t inquire further about his situation at the time.

Presumably, his family was poor, and he had come out to work to make a living.

“What about his parents?”

“Never seen them. I’ve heard from others that this kid just lives at the school and never contacts anyone.”

“Such a tragic fate.”

The old man and Aunt Chen locked the door and left.

He took care of his own food, clothing, and expenses.

No one looked after Yu Zuojin, and no one dared to.

He was notoriously violent in the circle, fighting until he saw blood, as if this would make him happy.

No one wanted to get close to Yu Zuojin except those who followed him.

Yu Zuojin returned to the dormitory today, and there were still more than five minutes before the end of the senior year’s evening self-study.

The head teacher arrived at the dormitory building ahead of time in order to prevent the students from cleanings up the dormitory after school and to catch them off guard.

Seeing Yu Zuojin come back before the end of study time, he wanted to go forward to educate him.

However, recalling what the dormitory supervisor had said before, that the room was unattended and he returned at three in the middle of the night, he sighed and swallowed his words.

‘Rebellious! Truly rebellious!’

If he were to speak the truth, this lad would return to his dormitory every night in the wee hours.

It’s better to come back early than to come back late for the sake of safety.

But he wouldn’t let him off so easily either.

The headmaster approached, “Yu Zuojin, did you tidy up the dormitory? Open the door, I need to inspect.”

“No.”

Yu Zuojin coldly uttered one word and stepped aside in front of the door.

He meant for the headmaster to enter directly and see for himself.

The headmaster frowned, “Didn’t I mention yesterday that I would check the cleanliness!”

As he spoke, he twisted the door of Room 408.

The door opened, and a cool evening breeze blew in, hitting their faces.

It was from the open window on the small balcony.

The wind passed through the door, gently ruffling Yu Zuojin’s hair.

The headmaster looked at the tidy room and halted in his steps.

“Didn’t you say it wasn’t cleaned?”

Yu Zuojin raised his gaze.

“Okay, I get it. You kid! You said that because you wanted to surprise the teacher!”

The headmaster walked in, nearly stumbling on the potholed floor near the entrance. He looked around, left and right. “It’s quite clean.”

His gaze fell on a particular spot.

“Oh! You study too!”

The headmaster picked up the study notes placed on Yu Zuojin’s bed and burst into laughter, unable to contain himself.

“Good, good!”

“It’s not mine.”

“What do you mean it’s not yours? If it’s on your bed, it’s yours.” The headmaster patted Yu Zuojin’s back twice with an encouraging gesture. “No need to explain. The teacher knows.”

Yu Zuojin: “…”

“Keep it up.”

The headmaster left, his hands behind his back, smiling. Just like yesterday, history was an astonishing acquaintance.

The door closed.

Looking at the tidy dormitory, Yu Zuojin’s expression became increasingly gloomy, everything making him feel resistant.

The school uniform that was washed yesterday, the neat dormitory today.

There was a strong restlessness in Yu Zuojin’s chest.

A wild beast had intruded into the lion’s territory.

Yu Zuojin walked out of the dormitory, reached the first floor, and directly entered the office where the dormitory supervisor was located.

Seeing him, the supervisor was so startled that he nearly fell off his chair.

“Do you need anything, student Yu?”

Yu Zuojin walked past him.

“Hey, hey, student Yu, those are the teacher’s belongings!”

Yu Zuojin directly took the accommodation register. On the empty second name column of Room 408, two words were written.

—Sheng Yuan.

~

Meanwhile, inside the teaching building, the bell signaling the end of school rang. Sheng Yuan paused his writing, placed his textbooks neatly in the desk drawer, slung his backpack over his right shoulder, and stood up.

“See you, Brother Sheng!”

“Goodbye, Brother Sheng.”

Sheng Yuan waved his hand and, upon reaching the school gate, noticed a group of unruly teenagers randomly questioning students walking out of No.1 Middle School.

Silently, Sheng Yuan took off his glasses and put on the sunglasses that he always kept in his school uniform pocket.

[System: What are you doing?]

Sheng Yuan didn’t bat an eye. “Disguise.”

[System: …]

I just love your confident demeanor when you talk nonsense with your eyes wide open.

With the sunglasses on, Sheng Yuan walked out of the school gate, catching the attention of one of the unruly teenagers.

“Hey!”

Sheng Yuan continued walking forward.

The teenager grabbed his arm, “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

“Me?”

“Yes!”

The unruly teenager gripped his neck and noticed that the other person was slightly taller. He silently stood on his tiptoes. “Hey, I have a question. Do you know someone named Sheng Yuan?”

“Which Sheng and which Yuan?”

“It seems to be the flourishing Sheng, yuan…” The person grew frustrated for a moment. “The grudge type of yuan.”

*怨(yuàn) – grudge /resentment, but Sheng Yuan’s name is actually 渊(yuān) which means profound/deep.

Sheng Yuan: “…”

Sheng Yuan kept a straight face. “I don’t know. There are many people named Sheng Yuan in our school. I don’t know which one you’re referring to.”

“Who else? Our big brother is looking for the one who beat up Wu Di!”

“Then who is your big brother?”

“The Wolf King.”

Sheng Yuan: “Wow.”

[System: Wow.]

‘It’s been a while since I’ve heard such a cringey name.’

“That Sheng Yuan who came out of nowhere, he seems quite formidable. Do you know him?”

Sheng Yuan: “Vaguely heard of him.”

---

Author’s note:

Brother Yu: You better not let me catch you.

Brother Sheng: Don’t push your luck.