Winning the male lead

Jiang Qu pinned the person onto the bed, raised his hand, and was about to hit him. But after taking a closer look, Ding Le Tian’s small frame didn’t seem like it could handle a beating at all. If he threw a punch, he would probably cry so hard that the whole dormitory building would flood with his tears.

But before he even made a move, the guy was already wailing, crying out, “I was wrong!” He was so scared that he didn’t even stutter anymore.

Jiang Qu insisted that he had to teach him a lesson. Words alone wouldn’t do, or else Ding Le Tian would really think he was just a paper tiger. He glanced around but couldn’t find anything handy to use. So, he pulled off one of Ding Le Tian’s little bear slippers, examined him for a moment, and realized that the only part of his body that looked somewhat sturdy was his butt. Without hesitation, he smacked him right on it. “What did you do wrong?”

He didn’t hold back on that hit. Le Tian let out a deafening wail, bursting into tears, unable to even speak.

Jiang Qu, infamous for carrying twelve disciplinary records and undefeated across Yangde, had never seen someone so cowardly before. Just one hit, and he was already crying like this. He wasn’t sure if he had hit too hard or if Ding Le Tian was just faking it. He raised his hand again and said, “I asked you what you did wrong. If you don’t answer, I’ll hit you again.”

Le Tian sobbed so hard that he could barely catch his breath. Jiang Qu pressed down on him from behind and noticed that even his neck had turned red. He let go and flipped him over. Le Tian’s face was flushed red, and he was crying so hard that he was about to pass out, still stammering, “I-I was w-wrong…”

Every time Ding Le Tian angered him to the point of explosion, he always ended up feeling like he was bullying him. This time was no exception. Frustrated, he threw the slipper aside and growled, “If you do this again, I’ll break your hand.”

Le Tian kept crying while thinking, There won’t be a next time, sob sob sob…

Jiang Qu took a deep breath. “Get up. Go cry in your own bed.”

Le Tian struggled to crawl up, curling his upper body inward. But as soon as he put pressure on his butt, he let out another loud yelp and collapsed back down.

Jiang Qu narrowed his eyes. “Ding Le Tian, I’m warning you—don’t fake it.”

Le Tian just kept crying, clutching his butt.

Jiang Qu stood there, coldly watching him. Suddenly, he bent down, flipped Le Tian over again, and yanked down his pants. Le Tian was wearing little yellow piglet-print underwear, with a tiny pig tail facing Jiang Qu. Jiang Qu grimaced at the sight and gritted his teeth, pulling down one side of the underwear.

It was really red. And not just red—bright red, with marks spreading all over. People always said, “Your butt’s gonna bloom,” and now Ding Le Tian’s had indeed bloomed, with red splotches clawing outward. Based on Jiang Qu’s many years of fighting experience, this would turn purple in a little while, then blue by morning. The pain would make it impossible for him to even stand.

Even though Ding Le Tian was the one at fault, Jiang Qu suddenly felt like he was in the wrong.

Le Tian kept crying, his tears and snot soaking into Jiang Qu’s bed.

Jiang Qu felt like he was torturing himself. Annoyed, he snapped, “Stay there and don’t move!”

Le Tian thought, Move? How could I even move?

It really hurt. He was a complete weakling—soft all over, with skin that was thinner than others’. No one had ever laid a finger on him before, so this one hit nearly knocked his soul out of his body. He swore to himself, If I ever ship another CP again, I’ll be a dog.

The door opened again. He could tell from the footsteps that Jiang Qu had returned. Then, something cold pressed against his burning skin, and the fiery pain instantly eased. Le Tian let out a long sigh of relief.

Jiang Qu frowned. “Hold it yourself.”

Le Tian knew he was in the wrong this time, so he obediently held the towel-wrapped ice pack against his butt.

After all that commotion, Jiang Qu’s bed was a complete mess, and now there was a half-naked Ding Le Tian lying there too. He hesitated for a moment before kicking off his shoes and sitting on Le Tian’s bed instead. “Let’s just drop this…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Le Tian sniffled and cut in, “I-I was w-wrong… I won’t… d-do it again…”

Jiang Qu stared at him for a long moment before reaching into Le Tian’s drawer and pulling out a piece of candy, tossing it to him.

Le Tian saw it but couldn’t grab it—both his hands were still pressing down the ice pack.

Jiang Qu didn’t care. He lay down on Le Tian’s bed, closed his eyes, and got ready to sleep. “When the ice melts, just throw it on the floor.”

Le Tian softly hummed in acknowledgment, his voice thick with congestion.

Jiang Qu reached out and turned off the light.

A while later, he heard rustling sounds coming from Ding Le Tian’s side. The sound continued for three minutes. He finally lost his patience, snapped the light back on, and glared over. Le Tian looked up at him, dazed, with tear tracks still on his face, and a candy wrapper clamped between his lips.

This guy is really an idiot. Jiang Qu walked over, peeled the wrapper off for him, and stuffed the candy into his mouth. When Le Tian sucked the candy in, his tongue accidentally brushed against Jiang Qu’s fingers. Jiang Qu recoiled as if he had been burned, yanking his hand back. “Damn it, are you a dog? Stop licking people!”

Le Tian looked completely innocent. “I-I didn’t…”

“Shut up. Sleep!” Jiang Qu growled irritably, lying back down on Le Tian’s bed and turning off the light again.

He had only started living in the dorms in his senior year.

Ding Le Tian, on the other hand, had already been living in this dorm for three years before he arrived.

A faint fragrance suddenly lingered around Jiang Qu’s nose. He lowered his head and sniffed—it was coming from Ding Le Tian’s blanket, a strawberry scent.

He woke up once in the middle of the night. After using the restroom, he glanced at Ding Le Tian and saw that he was still sound asleep. The melted ice pack was still stuck to his butt. He tossed it away, went downstairs to grab a new one, wrapped it in a towel, and placed it back on Le Tian’s skin.

Le Tian groggily reached back to pat at it but didn’t wake up at all.

Jiang Qu sighed. Idiots really have no worries.

The next morning, when Le Tian woke up, Jiang Qu was gone again. He was still lying on Jiang Qu’s bed, his butt aching terribly. He reached up to wipe the drool off his mouth just as the sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom.

He struggled to turn his head. “Y-you didn’t…”

Then he froze in terror.

The person who walked out of the bathroom wasn’t Jiang Qu.

It was Jiang Yue, dressed neatly in a buttoned-up shirt and black school pants, his face expressionless, eyes landing directly on Le Tian’s exposed butt.

Le Tian’s face instantly turned red. He scrambled to pull the blanket over himself. “W-why are y-you here?”

Yesterday, Ding Le Tian’s father called him all day but couldn’t reach him. Worried, he contacted the school, and the homeroom teacher sent Jiang Yue to check on him.

Jiang Yue glanced at the part of Le Tian’s body he was trying to cover and stated matter-of-factly, “Jiang Qu hit you.”

Le Tian couldn’t deny it—he obviously couldn’t have hit himself.

Jiang Yue pulled out his phone and handed it to Le Tian. “Call back.”

Just seeing the phone gave him PTSD. Trembling, he found his father’s number and reassured him that he was safe, explaining that his phone had broken. Only then did his father finally relax.

As soon as the call ended, Jiang Yue snatched the phone back.

Standing tall with an imposing presence, he scrolled through the phone for a moment before flipping the screen to Le Tian again. The dreaded “Water flows naturally ” CP (couple pairing) discussion forum was on display. Le Tian’s heart trembled once more, filled with regret. If he could do it all over again, he would never have checked that CP forum!

“I-I’m sorry…” He said tearfully.

Jiang Yue’s expression remained as indifferent as ever. His gaze, naturally downturned at the corners, was icy and unreadable. He continued scrolling through the phone, reading a few more posts before locking it and placing it beside Le Tian. Then, in a calm voice, he asked, “Do I look like a bottom?”

In the “Water flows naturally” CP forum, Jiang Yue was often depicted as the submissive one due to his delicate features—red lips, white teeth, and an overall ethereal beauty. But Le Tian, shaking his head internally, knew better: this guy was all dominance, no doubt about it!

Feeling utterly defeated, he whimpered, “I-I was wrong…”

Jiang Yue remained expressionless, his cold demeanor unwavering. He seemed incapable of anger or joy. His tone was steady as he said, “I won’t hit you.”

But Le Tian found no relief in those words. If anything, Jiang Yue’s voice carried an underlying message: I don’t need to hit you to make you suffer.

Le Tian’s face was filled with despair. “Y-you should just h-hit me instead…”

Jiang Yue studied him for a moment before asking, “Do you need to use the bathroom?”

Le Tian had held it in all night, and although he had initially suppressed his urge out of fear, Jiang Yue’s question made it return in full force. He internally cried out, Mom, I’m so scared!

The system, thoroughly entertained, replied, Don’t be. At worst, you’ll just get beaten again.

“I’m only seventeen… I’m still just a kid…” Le Tian lamented.

But Jiang Yue was unsympathetic. When Le Tian didn’t respond, he simply grabbed him and hoisted him up. Le Tian, having lain in bed all night, was sore all over and unsteady on his feet. Being suddenly lifted sent a sharp pain through him, making him wail.

Jiang Yue ignored him and half-carried, half-dragged him to the bathroom. “Go.”

Le Tian’s legs trembled so badly he could barely stand. He was on the verge of tears. Mom, I think I’ve met a real psychopath!

The system, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, said, Hang in there, show him what you’re made of.

Jiang Yue exuded an intimidating aura. Unlike Jiang Qu, who was outwardly hot-tempered but secretly soft-hearted, Jiang Yue was something else entirely—cold and calculating, like a predatory flower that lured in its prey before devouring it. Under his silent but forceful command, Le Tian had no choice but to shakily unbutton his pants.

Jiang Yue didn’t look away. His gaze was direct and completely unbothered. Then, in his usual calm tone, he commented, “So small.”

Le Tian: …

The psychological torment was unbearable. He swore to the system, I’ll never read another smutty CP post again!

Jiang Yue remained as indifferent as ever. “Need to wipe?”

Le Tian frantically shook his head.

Jiang Yue, still composed, said, “Better wipe.”

Trembling, Le Tian obediently grabbed a tissue and carefully wiped himself before putting everything back in place.

Jiang Yue then asked, “Do you accept the punishment from Jiang Qu?”

Le Tian wouldn’t dare say no. “I-It was m-my fault…”

Jiang Yue nodded, finally giving him his full attention. His eyes, though almond-shaped, had a sharper quality to them, and his stare made Le Tian feel like an object under scrutiny. The longer Jiang Yue looked at him, the more he wanted to cry. But unlike Jiang Qu, who would stop when he teared up, Jiang Yue simply watched in silence until he forcibly held back his tears. Only then did Jiang Yue shift his gaze.

“Jiang Qu went out of town for a competition,” Jiang Yue said, lifting Le Tian and carrying him back to bed. “I’ll be taking care of you for the next few days.”

His tone made it sound less like taking care of and more like torturing.

Le Tian felt like fainting. He pleaded with the system, Mom, I swear I’ve learned my lesson! Please don’t leave me alone with this psychopath!

The system, ever amused, responded, Everything happens for a reason. This is a wonderful surprise.

Jiang Yue opened Le Tian’s bedside drawer, revealing a stash of various candies. Picking one out, he held it up. “Want one?”

Le Tian hesitated. He wasn’t sure if answering yes or no would lead to his doom. After a moment of internal struggle, he chose honesty and nodded.

Then… he watched as Jiang Yue calmly threw the candy into the trash.

Le Tian: …

This guy isn’t just a psychopath—he’s downright sick.

Jiang Yue picked another candy. “Want one?” His tone remained unchanged.

This time, Le Tian shook his head.

Jiang Yue methodically unwrapped the candy, and just when Le Tian thought he might actually get to eat it, Jiang Yue popped it into his own mouth instead.

Le Tian: !!! What happened to ‘not eating candy’?! You little psychopath!

Jiang Yue ate the candy differently from him—rather than sucking on it slowly, he bit down, crunching it loudly. The sound alone made Le Tian’s ears ache, as if those weren’t candy pieces in Jiang Yue’s mouth, but his bones.

After finishing, Jiang Yue picked up another candy and held it in front of Le Tian again.

Le Tian was utterly bewildered.

Jiang Yue asked, “Want one?”

Le Tian thought for a long time before carefully replying, “If-if you want me to e-eat it, I-I’ll eat. If-if you d-don’t want me to, I-I won’t.”

Jiang Yue nodded indifferently. “You’ve learned.”

Le Tian: … Somebody save me. This guy is a complete psychopath.