Chapter 44: Exercise
“It really was the chest wrap’s fault!”
As soon as An Han returned to the dorm, he angrily threw the chest wrap onto the floor and even stomped on it twice. His anger was almost bursting out of his eyes.
When he didn’t wear the wrap and went to see the sushi stall owner, everything was fine. The favorability didn’t move at all. But when he did wear it, the favorability skyrocketed so fast it made his scalp tingle.
He looked completely flat when wearing it, just like a real guy! So why could it still charm people?!
And the worst part, it didn’t even work on women! He had tested it with the convenience store lady, and there was zero effect!
“Stupid system, you’re screwing me over again!”
“I knew I couldn’t trust it!”
This system clearly had no intention of letting him live in peace!
If he had gotten this item before the system upgrade, back when there was no favorability display, he probably would’ve still been joking around with his roommates, completely unaware. In the end, all four of their favorability levels would’ve gone off the charts, and the dorm would’ve turned into hell.
A reverse harem system, seriously?! Damn it!
Still fuming, he kicked the wardrobe again, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down. Then he sat at his desk, holding his head in both hands.
Thank goodness he reacted fast this time, or that forty-something sushi stall owner might’ve fallen in love with him.
An Han hung his head, sitting in silence for a long time.
Right now, the most important thing was to stop using any system items and not to complete any quests that could increase his attributes.
If his body stats went up any further, there’d be no way to hide his chest anymore.
“From now on, it’s isolation mode!”
He suddenly lifted his head and swore to himself, “If I don’t see anyone, I won’t trigger any quests! At least until the end of the National Day break, I must make sure no new missions start!”
“Even if one does trigger, I’ll stay firm! No matter what the reward is, I can’t let it tempt me!”
With that, he stood up, looking defeated, and picked the chest wrap up from the floor.
Although the side effects were serious, who knew, maybe it’d still come in handy someday?
For example, when he went home during the holidays. Who knew how big his chest would get by then? The ones he bought online might not be enough, so he’d have to rely on the system’s version. And since it didn’t work on women, at least he wouldn’t accidentally charm his mom, right?
Even though the system’s wrap was supposed to clean itself, An Han still washed it again by hand on the balcony, he was a bit of a neat freak. After shaking off the water, he stuffed it back into the wardrobe.
Then he went and locked both the front and back doors, sat down in front of his computer, and decided he wouldn’t leave the dorm for the entire National Day holiday.
That had been his plan for the first day too, but because of the situation with Long Xing, it had triggered the system upgrade quest. He was a little curious about what kind of new rewards would appear after the upgrade, but for now, keeping his identity as a man was the top priority.
Even if it just meant delaying things a bit.
He sat in front of the computer the whole afternoon, and by dinner time, he finally stretched, twisting his sore waist.
Even though he always thought about playing games during class, actually playing for several hours straight was harder than he expected.
“Feels like I don’t have as much energy as before.”
“Am I getting old already?”
Muttering to himself, he took a sip of water and was just about to order delivery when someone knocked on the door outside.
After hesitating for a moment, An Han opened the door a crack, only his eyes showing, and saw Su Peng standing there.
“You’re feeling better now?” Su Peng asked. He didn’t have that scary “turned-into-a-wolf” look anymore. His eyes were clear, his tone calm, and he seemed perfectly normal, except for the faint trace of concern in his voice.
An Han secretly let out a sigh of relief. When Su Peng was in his normal state, he was actually quite friendly, but his concern still made An Han uneasy.
Su Peng’s favorability toward him was already close to ninety. Could it be that... he really liked him?
“Mm.” An Han opened the door and invited Su Peng inside.
Even though he didn’t want to deal with any men right now, he knew his behavior that afternoon had been too rude and emotional.
He knew the real reason behind it, but Su Peng didn’t. He was kicked out for no reason.
“Um... about this afternoon, sorry...”
Actually, An Han had wanted to apologize for a while, but his pride as a man made it hard to bring up.
“What happened to you this afternoon?”
He had thought up countless excuses all afternoon, but when Su Peng stood in front of him, he couldn’t say a word. His face turned red from holding it in.
Seeing that, Su Peng just shook his head helplessly. “Alright, alright.”
“You’ve been keeping a lot more secrets lately.”
“Have I?” An Han gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe it’s just that you didn’t really know me before.”
“Maybe.” Su Peng smiled and said, “Wanna go for a run at the track?”
“Run?”
Only then did An Han realize he hadn’t gone downstairs to exercise at all during the National Day holidays.
Maybe it was because his body didn’t look as thin and weak as before, his interest in working out had dropped a lot.
Feeling a little guilty toward Su Peng, and thinking he should make up for not exercising, An Han broke his own rule and nodded. “Sure, why not. Running a couple laps before bed might help me sleep better.”
For people who rarely exercise, running can be torture, boring, tiring, and painful. But for someone like An Han, who used to run regularly, it actually helped him relax.
“Wait for me, I’ll change into shorts.”
He turned around and went into his room. Two minutes later, he came out wearing loose, quick-dry sports pants that reached just below the knee.
His white, straight calves extended from the pant legs, and he wore a pair of Erke running shoes.
“After running, we can go to the cafeteria for dinner.”
“I already ate.”
“Then I’ll just go by myself.”
An Han walked ahead, putting wireless earphones into his ears.
Behind him, Su Peng’s eyes were drawn to An Han’s pale, smooth calves that swayed slightly as he walked. His gaze inevitably moved up to the part of his thighs that peeked out.
An Han’s legs were... perfect.
Su Peng couldn’t help but give silent praise in his heart. Even those heavily edited photos online couldn’t compare to An Han’s long legs.
They were slim and well-shaped, with smooth curves. Slightly soft when relaxed, yet showing a bit of strength when tensed, cute but also powerful. If those legs were wrapped around his waist...
“Su Peng, did the counselor ask you to join the sports meet?” An Han’s voice broke his daydream.
Su Peng froze for a second, quickly pushing away the thought and replying, “I’m planning to sign up for the 3000-meter race like before.”
“Three thousand meters... that sounds exhausting.”
“That’s why I asked you to practice with me.”
“Eh, what was your result the past two years?”
“You didn’t see it?”
That question was hard to answer.
Of course An Han couldn’t say that he’d spent the last two sports meets playing games in the dorm. He tilted his head slightly, pretending to think hard. “I don’t really remember. My memory’s not great.”
That unconscious, slightly shy movement looked delicate, almost girly, but it strangely lifted the mood, like talking to a gentle girl next door.
Su Peng knew what kind of person An Han was, but he didn’t call him out. “Usually I rank in the top five. Not as good as the sports majors, though.”
“Ah... yeah, can’t beat those guys.”
“What about you? Planning to sign up for anything? You didn’t join the last two years.”
“This year, Ren Chi keeps insisting I have to join...” An Han complained. “Look at me, do I look like someone who could win anything at a sports meet?”
Su Peng laughed and comforted him. “It’s the participation that counts, not the rank.”
“So troublesome...”