Ch 18: How To Be A Good Lackey

As soon as Xi Guanming said that, within less than five minutes screenshots of his words were wildly reposted across major forums and websites. Before this, the audience had stubbornly managed to rationalize all kinds of ambiguous moments circulating on Neverland, but now there was simply no way to explain it away.

No man punishes another man by telling him to take off his clothes—unless it’s in bed.

Oh. And he had indeed told No. 6 to get onto the bed.

The data for No. 6’s livestream shot straight from third place to an overwhelming first. Countless users flooded in, putting such pressure on the backend that it nearly crashed.

People had long been saying that No. 6 and the president had something going on, but most viewers never took it seriously. First, because based on how the president behaved in other streams, he didn’t seem like the type to have a campus romance. Translated on Hololo novels. And even if he did, it would obviously be with Jiang Yan—after all, insiders had revealed that her data had been adjusted multiple times by the project team, and the more powerful the NPC, the more they would be drawn to her. Second, everyone knew that shippers always talked nonsense. They could even claim a random frog by the roadside and a cat eyeing it hungrily had a destined love from a past life.

Who would’ve thought this time it was actually real?

How was that even possible?

No matter how you looked at it, it made no sense at all!

!!!

In many people’s minds, No. 6 was just a well-built but annoying lackey. Based on how the president acted in the streams they usually watched, No. 6 was obviously destined to be used up as expendable material. How had things escalated to getting into bed after just a few days?

Used up… in bed?

Oh my god, that was even more wrong!

Netizens turned into screaming chickens across forums, expressing their shock. “Holy shit” and “AHHHHH x n” became the most frequently used phrases.

That night, hospitals saw more cases of dislocated jaws than in the past half year combined.

The official account of Neverland was tagged countless times that night. Even the prosecutor’s office sent people to ask what on earth was going on. But they themselves were baffled. According to their design, the president was supposed to join the competition for Jiang Yan. How had his orientation suddenly changed? They checked the backend data over and over again and still found nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed “number one micro-expression analysis expert,” who had gained millions of followers by analyzing NPC expressions, had insisted that the president deeply despised No. 6, that all his behavior was just an act, and that No. 6 would eventually pay dearly for his stupidity. Now his posts were flooded with mockery—“Why don’t you analyze whether your wife loves you?”

The comments were so uniformly savage that the expert deleted his account overnight in anger.

Another group of sharper viewers went back and replayed No. 6’s earlier streams. Now that they believed the president and No. 6 had something going on, their interactions took on a completely different flavor. Discussions exploded across forums, with people saying that shipping the two felt as natural as breathing.

The livestream continued. Naive viewers who had never experienced the “camera facing the door” phenomenon sat in front of their screens rubbing their hands together in anticipation, thinking Neverland was finally about to show them something 18+. But soon they realized they couldn’t even see a single swan feather.

Their smiles slowly faded.

Sad cat face.jpg

…

Inside the dorm, Shao Ye thought he must have misheard. He looked up blankly at Xi Guanming and let out a short, confused, “Huh?”

“Do you want me to repeat it?” Xi Guanming asked.

His tone sounded perfectly calm—so calm that even someone as thick-skinned as Shao Ye couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

So he really hadn’t misheard. What kind of punishment required taking off clothes?

Maybe it wasn’t “go to the bed and take off your clothes,” but “go to the boat and scrub your clothes”?

…Actually, that sounded even weirder.

Shao Ye ultimately didn’t dare make Xi Guanming repeat himself. He let out a dry laugh. “N-no need.”

After returning to the dorm earlier, he had already thrown his shirt into the washing machine. Now he was wearing a gray-blue T-shirt and patterned cropped pants. He looked down at himself.

Then he gritted his teeth and stamped his foot.

Fine.

He’d strip!

Xi Guanming turned and sat down where Shao Ye had been writing his self-criticism. Seeing the bold words “Self-Reflection” at the top of the lined notebook, he couldn’t help but laugh. But the moment he lifted his head again, all trace of his smile disappeared.

In the short time it took him to turn around, Shao Ye had already pulled off his T-shirt. Now he hesitated over taking off his pants, repeatedly tugging the zipper down and back up, sneaking glances at Xi Guanming.

He thought his movements were subtle, but Xi Guanming saw everything clearly.

He didn’t rush. He casually picked up the glass of water on the table and swirled it in his hand like a fine glass of wine.

After much fumbling, Shao Ye finally took off his pants. Now he was left wearing only a pair of white boxer briefs. The dorm wasn’t cold, but he felt like every hair on his body was standing on end.

He pressed his lips together and asked quietly, “President… do I have to take everything off?”

Xi Guanming held the glass and looked at him silently.

Under that gaze, Shao Ye began doubting himself again. Had he misheard earlier?

Was the president actually telling him to wash clothes? Not bed, but… scrubbing?

Xi Guanming calmly admired the strong, healthy body before him, like a sculpture of a Greek hero from the hands of a Renaissance master. Every muscle was perfectly proportioned. Under the bright light, the white underwear was faintly translucent.

He raised the glass, took a sip, and asked lightly, “What do you think?”

Shao Ye gripped the waistband of his underwear tightly with both hands. After struggling for a long time, he still couldn’t bring himself to pull it down.

It wasn’t like he had never been to a communal bathhouse or been naked around other men. Translated on Hololo novels. The problem was he had no idea what was going to happen next.

He tried one last time, joking, “President, you’re not going to make me run naked around the track, are you? How about I just run a couple laps in the dorm?”

Xi Guanming raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

Lowering his expectations, Shao Ye added, “If not… can I at least cover my face?”

Xi Guanming set down the glass and replied, “In your dreams.”

“Huh?” Shao Ye’s eyes went wide as he stared at him. “You really want me to run outside naked?”

Seeing that Xi Guanming still didn’t respond, he took a deep breath.

Fine.

If it’s naked, then naked it is.

Shao Ye bent down and, in a few quick moves, removed his underwear as well. At last, his body was completely bare, fully exposed before Xi Guanming.

Xi Guanming reached toward his shirt pocket, but found nothing. He remembered he hadn’t brought his glasses back tonight. A small oversight, nothing serious.

His tongue moved slowly inside his mouth, imagining the taste of licking that honey-colored skin.

The dorm room was extremely quiet. Even the sound of a needle dropping would have been clear. No one had passed through the hallway for a long time. Gradually, Shao Ye relaxed, treating it as if he were just bathing with the president in the bathhouse.

After a long while, he heard Xi Guanming say, “Turn around.”

Shao Ye gave an “oh” and slowly turned around. Xi Guanming’s gaze traced down from his neck, inch by inch along his spine. Shao Ye didn’t know what was about to happen. His eyes shifted uneasily, feeling as if the goosebumps that had just settled were about to rise again.

After a long pause, Xi Guanming finally withdrew his gaze. He glanced down at his own lower body, adjusted his sitting posture, and said in a low voice, “Get on the bed.”

There was a faint hoarseness in his voice.

Shao Ye let out a long breath of relief. It seemed he wouldn’t be made to run outside naked after all. He moved quickly, almost leaping onto the bed in one bound, afraid that if he hesitated, the president might change his mind and throw him out of the dorm.

“Lie face down,” Xi Guanming added.

Shao Ye didn’t think at all. More accurately, he didn’t think at all. He quickly followed the instruction and lay prone on the bed. It didn’t quite feel like he was about to wash clothes, more like he himself was about to be “washed.” Otherwise, it couldn’t be that the president, seeing how hard he fought today, wanted to give him a massage… right?

Wait.

Why not?

Shao Ye’s thoughts circled, only to lead himself into a deeper hole. He asked, “President, what exactly are we doing?”

“You’ll know soon enough.”

Xi Guanming stood up and walked to the bedside, loosening the blue-striped tie at his neck with one hand. His shadow fell across Shao Ye’s back, as if it reached him first, brushing his nape.

He lifted his right leg and knelt one knee onto the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight.

Shao Ye bit his lip, gripping the bedsheet tightly with both hands. Soon, a slightly cool hand landed on his shoulder, sliding slowly down along his spine, finally coming to rest on the wound on his back that had just begun to scab.

That hand was very, very light, like a feather, brushing him into a tingling numbness. He squeezed his legs together, suddenly feeling like he needed to go to the bathroom.

Xi Guanming noticed his movement, pressed his lips together in a faint smile, and then suddenly increased his strength, pressing down. Caught off guard, Shao Ye sharply inhaled and cried out instinctively, “President! It hurts, hurts, hurts!”

“So you do know what pain is,” Xi Guanming said leisurely, easing his strength.

He bent down, his thin lips close to Shao Ye’s ear, and asked, “You’re injured, yet you still disobeyed me and fought. I thought you didn’t know what pain was.”

“It didn’t hurt while fighting,” Shao Ye muttered softly.

“Talking back?” Xi Guanming asked with a smile.

For the first time, Shao Ye clearly sensed danger approaching. But before he could say he didn’t dare, there was a sharp smack as Xi Guanming’s hand came down hard on his backside.

Shao Ye was stunned. His mouth hung open for a long while before he came back to his senses.

So this was the punishment?!

Ever since elementary school, no one had spanked him like this. It didn’t hurt that much, but the embarrassment was overwhelming. His face and ears flushed bright red, as if they might bleed.

Full, round, and elastic.

Xi Guanming glanced at his slightly reddened palm.

“You like mango pudding, don’t you?” he asked.

Shao Ye didn’t understand why the topic suddenly shifted to food. His face was still buried in the pillow, his voice muffled. “I do.”

Xi Guanming chuckled softly at the answer, leaned down again, and spoke near his ear in a low, magnetic voice:

“What a coincidence. I like… eating it too.”

---

Author’s note:

[I’m speechless at the official side, they really won’t show anything at all.]

: What do you mean won’t show anything? After complaints, didn’t they send the two swans from the artificial lake to work overtime overnight?

: Swans: bad luck

: Swans’ lives matter too

: Where are the animal protection people now?

: Guess we can only laugh at the antis now

: They’re really stubborn. Even after the experts deleted their accounts, they formed a group called the “Neverland Sect,” saying they’re inheriting the experts’ will, protecting the president’s reputation, and exposing the shameless conspiracy between the official side and No. 6

: “President’s reputation”

: pfft

: The same reputation where he tells someone to strip and get on the bed?

: How far will things go tonight? I didn’t see the president place an order

: You have to take it step by step. The first time, you’ve got to let No. 6 get used to it

: What exactly is it that I, a distinguished VIP viewer, am not allowed to see? I’ll pay! I’ll pay!

: I have a friend with a terminal illness, only three months left. He says if he doesn’t find out what the president and No. 6 did tonight, he won’t die in peace

: I have a small idea

: Speak, my lord

: Last time, when the antis complained about fake scenes, the official side released screenshots to prove them wrong. So this time, if we also… you know

: hehehehehe

: Sounds promising

: Brilliant!

: Alright, I’m joining the antis

: No, wait, I’m now the most devoted believer of the Neverland Sect

≽^•⩊•^≼

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