Xu Yecheng felt his legs aching. He glanced at his watch—only ten minutes left until his shift ended.
He worked at a convenience store.
With a blank stare, he watched a couple lingering in front of the shelves. His expression soured again.
"Honey, look! This cup is so cute!" the girl cooed.
"Yeah, let's get it for you then~" her boyfriend replied sweetly.
Xu Yecheng nearly spat blood.
They'd wandered around the store for half an hour, cooing and cuddling the whole time—only to buy a single cup in the end.
Are you kidding me?!
The couple finally came to the counter to check out. Xu Yecheng quickly wiped the sour look off his face and plastered on his professional, fake-but-sincere smile as he rang them up.
After they left, swaying arm-in-arm down the street, his expression turned quietly desolate.
Usually, right around closing time, a familiar figure—his girlfriend, Ji Qingying, the campus beauty of their college—would appear outside the store, waiting for him.
But a week ago…
It had been pouring rain that night. Ji Qingying had dragged him out for dinner. As they parted ways, she suddenly said,
"Xu Yecheng, let's break up."
The rain roared, the world buzzed with noise—but her words cut through it all, sharp and clear.
"Why…?"
"I've been so exhausted lately… I'm sorry for letting you down. Let's not see each other anymore. You're a good guy, and I really enjoyed the time we spent together."
And just like that, Xu Yecheng was dumped—confused, heartbroken, and too timid to reach out again.
Snapped back to the present, he realized his shift had ended.
He tidied up quickly and stepped outside. His legs prickled with numbness, his whole body heavy with exhaustion.
Walking down the dimly lit street, a sudden, thunderous crash echoed overhead—followed by the sharp tinkle of shattering glass.
He froze, instinctively looking up—just as tiny fragments rained down onto his face.
Panicked, he bolted forward. Mid-stride, something landed on his hand, searing hot.
He turned—flames were licking up his arm.
"What the hell!?" he yelped, flailing his arm to put out the fire, but it barely helped.
Then—cold liquid splashed across his face, soaking his shirt. The fire vanished instantly.
A sweet, fragrant scent filled his nose.
Beside him, a passerby held an empty milk tea cup and looked at him with concern.
"You okay?"
Xu Yecheng, touched, replied gratefully, "Yeah, thanks." Now he was walking away smelling like free strawberry milk tea.
"Glad you're alright," the stranger said, handing him two tissues.
Xu Yecheng wiped the milk tea off his face and dabbed at his soaked shirt.
He was genuinely thankful—the stranger had used their own drink to help him—but strawberry was his least favorite flavor, and a little more aim wouldn't have hurt.
He glanced back at the road and up at the building. One of the rooms was engulfed in roaring flames.
Must be a fire…
He sighed. At least he wasn't hurt.
Today was seriously cursed.
Too drained to care about the cause, he just wanted to crawl back to his dorm and collapse.
But when he lifted his hand, he noticed a black, gooey lump stuck to his arm.
What the…?
He tried peeling it off—it clung to his skin like glue. A sharp jolt of pain shot through him the moment he tugged, and cold sweat broke out across his body.
What even is this thing?
Assuming it was just some sticky debris from the explosion, he rotated his arm carefully. It didn't hurt otherwise—so, with a resigned sigh, he decided to leave it be… for now.
Drenched in cloying strawberry sweetness, he trudged back to his dorm.
"I need a shower," he muttered, revolted by the syrupy stench.
Since the blob wasn't painful or itchy—and refused to budge—he'd just have to accept his fate… and let nature take its course.
After showering, the sticky milk tea residue gone, he finally felt human again.
But the mystery nagged at him—why did that explosion happen? And what exactly was this blob that landed on him?
He sat down at his desk. The dorm was empty—everyone had gone home for the National Day holiday. He'd stayed behind to earn some extra cash. His family lived far away, and honestly, he wasn't eager to go back.
His relationship with his parents had always been strained—they'd constantly criticized him for his mediocre grades. Now, living alone in a new city and attending an ordinary university, he was content enough.
He flopped onto his bed and scrolled through short videos. Then—a notification popped up:
**"Special follow @Qiwu_Nong_Qingying: Still together with you today... (photo) >>>"**
Xu Yecheng froze.
A bad feeling crept in. He tapped open Weibo.
The post was dripping with affection, accompanied by two photos of intertwined hands.
His heart dropped.
His ex-girlfriend had moved on—already?!
Less than a week after their breakup?
He zoomed in on the images. Yep—two people holding hands, smiling like lovebirds.
But wait… when they were together, Ji Qingying had insisted they keep their relationship private. She'd seemed so intelligent and thoughtful back then. Their month together had been pleasant—until she suddenly turned distant and ended things peacefully…
He scrolled down to the comments:
> "Congrats Qingying on snagging God He!!"
> "Wishing you both 99 years of love~"
Xu Yecheng's stomach twisted.
Then he saw another comment:
> "Our campus queen and king—I ship this pairing so hard!!"
He stiffened.
*He?* As in… his roommate, He Xiaohan?!
Despair crashed over him.
His ex—sweet, innocent Ji Qingying—had been snatched up by the biggest scumbag he knew.
He knew exactly what kind of guy He Xiaohan was: six girlfriends in one month!
That wasn't romance—that was a revolving door! Even novels wouldn't dare write something so absurd!
Xu Yecheng gritted his teeth.
He had to warn Ji Qingying!
But… she'd said clearly: *"Don't contact me after we break up. No interference."*
Damn it…
As he wrestled with his thoughts, his eyelids grew heavy. The world blurred.
Sleep swept over him like a tide.
—
New book, ball support, Crab crab