Don’t Try To Corrupt Me

Chapter 87

Yu Zuojin carried Sheng Yuan all the way to the entrance of No.1 Middle School. The security room was brightly lit, and two security guards were exchanging shifts.

Yu Zuojin was a constant headache for the school’s teachers and leaders. In the past two years, he would often go out to fight in the middle of the night, and the security guards couldn’t control him. However, they had become familiar with him.

Recently, they heard that he had changed for the better. He stopped skipping classes and fighting, spending his days studying in the classroom. At first, they didn’t believe it, but upon careful consideration, he indeed hadn’t gone out in the middle of the night for almost half a year.

Seeing the bulge on Yu Zuojin’s back, they thought it was a luggage bag.

One of the security guards spoke, “What is that? It’s so big.”

It was bulging.

Sheng Yuan’s head popped out from behind Yu Zuojin’s back.

“It’s not a thing.”

Yu Zuojin: “…”

Security guard: “…”

Why did that sound strange?

Yu Zuojin replied in a hoarse voice, “It’s a person.”

“You two seem to get along well,” the security guard teased. Remembering something, he asked, “Are you spending the Lunar New Year at school this year?”

Sheng Yuan got off Yu Zuojin, who had a calm expression. Normally, he wouldn’t respond to people, but recently he had slightly changed this habit. He would respond, but with few words like “Mmm” or “Oh.”

Yu Zoujin: “Mmm.”

Sheng Yuan looked at his calm profile. He had no knowledge about Yu Zoujin’s family situation.

“Don’t your family members miss you? A few days ago, I saw your mother here again.”

Again?

Yu Zoujin’s mother would visit him almost every month or every other month, but the number of times they could meet in person were few and far between.

“She left something for you in the security room. Should I take it for you or…”

“Leave it.”

His voice was cold and decisive. He didn’t even glance in the direction of the security room, as if whatever was there had nothing to do with him.

The security guard remembered Tang Jing asking someone to give them two cigarettes and help her say a few good words.

“Your family brought a lot of things for you, saying they are things you can use. Your parents have good intentions. You should take them back.”

The security guard turned to go to the security room to fetch them and Yu Zoujin’s face darkened. His voice sounded like a knife in the cold wind, “No, thanks.”

Sheng Yuan was still by his side. Yu Zoujin struggled to suppress his impulse, but his breathing grew heavier, completely drowning out the voice of his reason.

His brain started to buzz. Anger and boundless energy surged forth. Yu Zuojin’s veins stood out on the back of his hand, and his eyes were frighteningly dark.

“I said…”

“No!”

His growled in a low voice, struggling to suppress something, but the restraints of confinement had reached their limit.

“If he doesn’t like it, then he won’t take it back.”

Sheng Yuan sensed Yu Zuojin’s dissatisfaction and pulled him closer, slightly leaning in front of him.

“Uncle, could you please take care of it for a few days? We’ll come back for it next time.”

“Hey, how many times has this happened?”

Seeing that the items were truly unwanted, the security guard stopped insisting. “It’s getting late. You should both go inside.”

The security guard returned to the security room, and Sheng Yuan pulled Yu Zuojin to observe his expression, but Yu Zuojin lowered his head to avoid it.

Sheng Yuan blinked. “Why are you hiding? I’ve seen you angry before.”

Yu Zuojin revealed one eye from his black hair and looked at him.

Sheng Yuan didn’t notice anything unusual. He had seen Yu Zuojin’s expression when he was fighting, and thought that was how he looked when he got angry. But Yu Zuojin was never an emotional person.

Yu Zuojin felt a warmth in the palm of his hand.

Sheng Yuan asked, “Do you want to come to my house for the Lunar New Year?”

Yu Zuojin was momentarily stunned.

Spending the New Year alone sounded too lonely.

Sheng Yuan never thought that the other party would refuse. He didn’t even consider the possibility, as Yu Zuojin always followed his lead without question.

Unless an asteroid collided with the Earth.

Yu Zuojin replied, “No need.”

Sheng Yuan: “…”

Does the Astronomy Club know about this?

His refusal was tactful, although his tone always sounded so strange that it was hard to discern any fluctuations. But as he held Sheng Yuan’s hand, his fingers rubbed against the warmth of Sheng Yuan’s palm.

“I have other things to attend to.”

Sheng Yuan asked, “What things?”

Yu Zuojin replied, “Studying.”

When these words came out of Yu Zuojin’s mouth, even Truly Ambitious, the Delinquent System, felt a sense of confusion.

Yu Zoujin could have had many reasons—fighting, causing trouble, engaging in violent activities, or smoking and drinking…

Just like his notorious reputation that once struck fear into people’s hearts, he had done many rebellious and outrageous things.

But he had changed a lot. In fact, at that moment, Truly Ambitious was almost unable to recognize Yu Zuojin standing before it.

At first glance, nothing had changed since he and Sheng Yuan met, but everything was different.

There was a gap in their academic performance, almost like a chasm. Sheng Yuan’s excellence was evident to all, but he struggled in his studies. In the past two years, he hadn’t taken classes seriously, so now he needed to double his efforts to catch up.

Sheng Yuan invited him, did he want to go? He did, he wanted to go so badly it was driving him insane. But he refused. He wanted to stay at school and focus on his studies. With the college entrance examination around the corner, he didn’t have any time to slack off and fool around. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be with Sheng Yuan; rather, he wanted to be with him for the long haul.

Sheng Yuan: “Is Classmate Yu suddenly enlightened?

Yu Zuojin nodded.

“Then I’ll come to bring you dumplings the day after tomorrow. It will be New Year’s Eve.”

Yu Zuojin hailed a taxi for Sheng Yuan, gave the driver the fare, and reluctantly glanced at Sheng Yuan a few times before turning to enter the school.

His jaw tightened as he stared at the paths in the campus. He could feel his emotions rising higher and becoming clearer, roaring in his mind and dancing recklessly before his eyes. He couldn’t restrain it, couldn’t extinguish it. It was as if his memories had become blurred since he entered the school gate.

He was clearly so stimulated, but he had no awareness. He couldn’t even remember how he returned to Room 408. He only felt like a few minutes had passed, but…

Yu Zuojin picked up his phone. The lock screen displayed a photo of Sheng Yuan in a magnificent prince costume from when he performed in the stage play.

01:59

Two hours had already passed.

Yu Zuojin’s dark pupils lowered as he stood in the ruined dormitory.

The floor was in a state of disarray, and his left hand was dripping with blood. The blood flowed, and his fingers twitched slightly.

He looked at everything in the dormitory, standing still for a long time. Even he felt shocked by the state of the room.

He was under the control of emotions and nerves, completely losing his sanity and with nowhere to return.

He had felt it a long time ago, maybe a year or two ago. He couldn’t remember clearly. Back then, he could still attempt to calm himself down. But gradually, he couldn’t control it anymore. He even began to enjoy the pleasure brought by violence. He suppressed it again and again, but each time it came back stronger.

Yu Zuojin looked at the thermos flask that had been thrown to the ground. The body was dented, a piece of it chipped against the table corner, and he didn’t know where the lid had fallen.

His trembling fingers picked up the thermos flask from the ground.

At this moment, the fear in his heart was amplified infinitely.

Sheng Yuan’s face on the phone screen was radiant.

What if he harmed Sheng Yuan one day?

Yu Zuojin dared not think about it. He began to tidy up the dormitory frantically, wanting to restore everything to its original state as if the madness in Room 408 had never happened.

Early on New Year’s Eve, Sheng Yuan got out of bed. Sheng Wang was still sleeping soundly on his small wooden bed.

Sheng Yuan looked at his brother’s carefree sleeping posture and reached out to cover him with the blanket.

The love of an older brother.

The next second, Sheng Wang directly kicked the blanket off.

[System: So rebellious, I like it.]

Sheng Yuan: “…”

Learning to be ungrateful at such a young age.

But Sheng Yuan still picked up the blanket and covered him again.

He walked out of the room. In the kitchen, there were clattering sounds as Sheng Chenggong pounded the meat. Meanwhile, Feng Juan was using a feather duster to clean the TV cabinet.

Sheng Yuan entered the kitchen. “When are we going to make dumplings?”

Sheng Cheng replied, “Soon. I’ll start wrapping them once I finish preparing the meat.”

Sheng Yuan went to the side to check how much dough was left.

Sheng Cheng said, “There’s enough. I’ve kneaded a lot.”

Indeed, there was quite a lot. Sheng Yuan said, “After wrapping and steaming, I want to take some with me.”

“Where are you going on such a big day?”

Sheng Yuan: “My friend is staying at school for the New Year, so I’m taking some food to him.”

Sheng Cheng perked up, “Girlfriend?”

Sheng Yuan: “Boyfriend.”

Sheng Cheng: “…”

“I thought it was a female classmate.” Sheng Cheng assumed Sheng Yuan was joking, unaware that he was telling the truth.

“At this age, boys have big appetites. Let’s wrap more dumplings for him. It’s New Year’s Eve, and the child is working hard at school,” he sighed.

With the meat filling prepared, Sheng Yuan washed his hands and started wrapping the dumplings. He looked focused, his fingers nimble. In just a few motions, an ugly dumpling was born.

Truly Ambitious: “…”

His movements looked skilled but the outcome was ugly.

[System: I thought you would be good at it.]

Sheng Yuan: “When have I ever been bad at it?”

[System: …]

He seemed quite satisfied with himself.

[System: Report it.]

Sheng Yuan: “You don’t believe me?”

[System: It’s the truth.]

Sheng Yuan placed the dumpling in his hand in front of Sheng Wang, who had just come down.

“Does it look good?”

Sheng Wang replied in a crisp voice, “Looks good!”

Truly Ambitious: “…”

Who will manage these two brothers?

No.1 Middle School was bustling today. Many cars were parked outside the school, and some parents had even arrived late last night. Apart from Yu Zuojin and nearly thirty other students who stayed at school for the New Year, most of the parents came to deliver dumplings and the New Year’s Eve dinner to their children.

It was lively at lunchtime. The school cafeteria was open every day, and besides the regular meals, there was also a heating kitchen available so that the food brought by parents wouldn’t get cold.

Listening to the hustle and bustle outside, Yu Zuojin sat at his desk doing math problems. Soon, he heard footsteps approaching in the corridor, gradually getting closer, followed by a light knock on the door of Room 408.

Sheng Yuan had arrived.

Yu Zuojin put down his pen, stood up from his desk, and walked briskly to the door. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips as he opened it.

Seeing the person outside, his voice got stuck in his throat.

There stood Tang Jing, holding a food container in her hands. Her demeanor was mature and gentle. When she saw Yu Zuojin smiling and opening the door, her eyes filled with surprise, quickly followed by a smile on her face.

“Zuojin.”

Standing beside her was a tall man, almost as tall as Yu Zuojin, serious and composed. His displeasure faded upon seeing Yu Zuojin.

Yu Zuojin coldly observed the two people outside the door, the curve at the corner of his mouth disappearing.