"It really was the chest binder's fault!"
The moment An Han got back to his dorm, he furiously tore off the binder, threw it to the floor, and stomped on it twice—his eyes practically burning with rage.
Without the binder, approaching the sushi vendor caused no reaction at all; the man's affection level didn't budge even after several minutes. But the second An Han put the binder back on and walked over again, the affection meter shot up like a rocket—enough to make his scalp crawl.
It made no sense! With the binder on, his chest was completely flat—indistinguishable from any ordinary guy! How could that possibly trigger some kind of "charm" effect?!
And the worst part? It didn't work on women at all! He'd even tested it with the convenience store auntie—zero effect!
"Damn you, trash system! You're screwing me over again!"
"I knew I couldn't let my guard down!"
This system clearly had no intention of making his life easy.
If he'd obtained this item before the system upgrade—before affection indicators even existed—he'd probably still be innocently fooling around with his clueless roommates. Then, one by one, all four of them—and maybe even their teacher—would've hit max affection, turning their dorm into a personal harem from hell.
Was this some kind of reverse harem system?! Damn it!
Fuming, An Han kicked the wardrobe again, took a deep breath to calm himself, and slumped into his chair, hands cradling his head.
Thank goodness he'd caught on quickly—otherwise, that forty-something-year-old sushi vendor might've actually fallen for him.
Head bowed, An Han sat in silence for a long while.
The most urgent priority now was to avoid using any system items and steer clear of attribute-boosting quests.
If he accidentally gained even a single point in body stats, there'd be no hiding his chest anymore.
"From now on, I'm going into full isolation mode!"
He suddenly lifted his head, declaring firmly to himself: "If I don't see anyone, I won't trigger any tasks! At least not before National Day ends!"
"And even if a task does activate—I must stay strong! Absolutely no giving in to tempting rewards!"
He stood up and sheepishly shuffled over to pick up the binder.
Sure, its side effects were extreme—but who knew when it might come in handy?
For example, when he went home for the holidays. Heaven only knew how much his chest might grow by then. The ordinary binders he'd bought online probably wouldn't cut it—only the system's version could reliably flatten everything. And since it didn't affect women, at least he wouldn't accidentally charm his own mother!
Even though the system-issued binder had self-cleaning properties, An Han's slight germophobia made him trot out to the balcony to wash it anyway. After shaking off the excess water, he stuffed it deep into his wardrobe.
Then he double-locked both the front and back doors, sat back down at his computer, and resolved not to leave his dorm for the rest of the holiday.
He'd had the same plan on Day 1 of the break—but thanks to Long Xing, he'd accidentally triggered a system-upgrade quest.
Although he was curious about what new rewards the upgraded system might offer, preserving his male identity felt far more urgent—even if it was just a temporary delay.
He'd been glued to his computer all afternoon. By dinner time, he finally stretched, groaning as he stood up with a sore lower back.
He always daydreamed about gaming during lectures, but actually playing for hours on end was exhausting.
"Feels like I don't have the stamina I used to…"
"Am I getting old or something?"
Muttering to himself, he took a sip of water and was about to order takeout when—knock knock.
After a brief hesitation, An Han cracked the door open just enough to peer out with one eye.
It was Su Peng.
The terrifying, lust-driven wolf from earlier was completely gone. Now, Su Peng looked perfectly composed—clear-eyed, polite, and genuinely concerned.
An Han exhaled inwardly. Normal-mode Su Peng was actually quite nice… but that very kindness made him nervous.
After all, Su Peng's affection was already creeping toward 90. Could he actually… like him?
"Yeah," An Han said, opening the door wider and gesturing him inside.
He didn't want to interact with any males right now—but his behavior that afternoon had been way too abrupt and rude.
He knew his own reasons, but Su Peng had been unceremoniously kicked out without explanation.
"Sorry about this afternoon…"
An Han had wanted to apologize for hours, but male pride had kept him from bringing it up.
"What happened to you earlier?" Su Peng asked.
An Han had rehearsed countless excuses in his head—but now that Su Peng stood right in front of him, he stammered helplessly, face turning red.
Seeing his distress, Su Peng just sighed and shook his head. "Alright, alright. Never mind."
"You've been keeping more secrets lately."
"Huh? Really?" An Han gave an awkward laugh. "Maybe you just didn't know me well enough before."
"Maybe," Su Peng said lightly, then casually invited, "Wanna go for a run at the track?"
"A run?"
An Han realized he hadn't stepped outside to exercise once during the entire holiday.
His body didn't look as frail as it used to, so his motivation to work out had waned.
Feeling guilty toward Su Peng—and guilty about his own laziness—he reluctantly broke his own isolation rule and nodded. "Fine. A couple laps might help me sleep better anyway."
For casual runners, jogging was pure torture—boring, tiring, and dull.
But for An Han, who'd long made running a habit, it was a form of mental relaxation.
"Give me a sec—I'll change into shorts."
He disappeared into his room and returned two minutes later wearing knee-length athletic pants.
Made of lightweight, quick-dry fabric, the loose pants revealed his slender, porcelain-white calves, and his feet were clad in Erke sneakers.
"We can grab dinner at the cafeteria after."
"I already ate."
"I'll go by myself, then."
An Han walked ahead, slipping wireless earbuds into his ears.
Behind him, Su Peng's eyes trailed over An Han's delicate calves, which swayed slightly with each step—then drifted helplessly upward to the sliver of smooth, pale thigh peeking from beneath the hem.
Damn… An Han's legs are seriously top-tier.
He mentally gave them a thumbs-up. Those heavily photoshopped "perfect legs" online probably couldn't hold a candle to An Han's real ones.
Long, slender, and flawlessly shaped—gracefully curved yet taut, soft enough to look adorably plump when relaxed, but capable of firm, athletic definition when tensed. Just imagining them wrapped around his waist—
"Su Peng," An Han suddenly turned around, snapping him out of his daydream. "Did the counselor ask you to sign up for the sports meet?"
Su Peng jolted back to reality and quickly buried those inappropriate thoughts. "Yeah, I'm planning to register for the 3000-meter again, like before."
"The 3000-meter? That sounds brutal."
"That's why I'm asking you to train with me."
"Oh? What were your results the past two years?"
"You didn't watch?"
That was a tricky question.
Of course An Han hadn't watched—he'd usually just holed up in the dorm gaming during sports meets. He just tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion. "I don't remember… my memory's terrible."
Though unintentional, that cute, girlish gesture made him seem even more endearing—like chatting with a sweet, innocent neighbor girl.
Su Peng knew exactly what An Han was like, but didn't call him out. "Usually top five. Nothing compared to the athletic majors, though."
"Yeah, those sporty guys are on another level…"
"What about you? You didn't compete the past two years, right? What are you signing up for this time?"
"That bastard Ren Chi forced me to join…" An Han grumbled. "Do I look like someone who'd place at a sports meet?"
Su Peng chuckled softly. "It's about participation. Placing doesn't matter."
"Ugh… such a hassle…"