After Transmigrating, I Saved the Saintly Male Lead
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Gu Hanzhou’s eyelashes were slightly damp, glistening with a thin layer of moisture. His dark pupils seemed as if they had been washed clean, shining like obsidian. The roots of his ears were tinged with a faint red, making him look like a pure and innocent schoolboy with flushed cheeks.
Ji Anche used his clean fingers to lift Gu Hanzhou’s chin, chuckling softly.
"Gu Hanzhou, don’t be shy."
Gu Hanzhou suppressed the violent desires surging in his heart, like a fierce dog willingly baring its teeth, kneeling on the ground in submission.
After a moment, he lowered his head and obediently nuzzled Ji Anche’s hand, his gaze pure and clear as he whispered. "I’m not shy."
His face was so red, yet he insisted he wasn’t shy.
Ji Anche’s lips curled slightly, but he didn’t bother to expose him.
"Alright, alright, you’re not shy."
"I’m going to the bathroom to wash my hands. You can start cooking."
Ji Anche couldn’t stand the sticky, dried-up cola residue on his fingers. He didn’t bother buttoning his shirt, simply leaving it open as he walked to the bathroom, stopping by the bedroom to change into a clean set of clothes.
When he returned to the living room, he found two steaming bowls of noodles on the dining table.
Upon closer inspection, they were two bowls of spaghetti with meat sauce. Fresh greens were sprinkled on top, and the rich aroma of the broth wafted through the air.
The dish looked, smelled, and tasted amazing, making his mouth water.
Ji Anche swallowed and picked up his chopsticks to take a tentative bite.
The noodles were firm and smooth, the broth rich and flavorful. Despite being a simple dish, it had an indescribably delicious taste. As he chewed, his eyes narrowed with satisfaction.
"This is so good."
Gu Hanzhou’s eyes sparkled, and he smiled softly. "I used to work part-time at a restaurant and picked up some cooking skills. If you don’t mind, I can cook for you often."
Ji Anche, moved, patted Gu Hanzhou’s shoulder and praised, "So filial."
Gu Hanzhou’s smile faltered slightly.
"..."
He tentatively asked, "Ge, did you use the wrong word?"
Ji Anche licked the sauce off the corner of his lips.
"No, I didn’t."
After finishing the meal.
Back in the classroom.
Li Xiangwen clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Che Ge, you’re amazing. Tian Junxiong came out after class and saw that you and Gu Ge were gone. His nose was practically crooked from anger. Tsk tsk, you should’ve seen his face, darker than the bottom of a pot."
"Who cares about him?"
"By the way, Che Ge, the math competition is coming up. Are you going to participate?"
Ji Anche looked dazed. "Math competition?"
The plot from the original novel was hazy in his mind. Only when relevant events were triggered did the details become clear.
The math competition was a prestigious event jointly organized by top universities like Q University and several high schools. High achievers could earn extra points for their college entrance exams or even secure direct admission to Q University.
Many students fought fiercely for that one spot.
In the original story, the male lead had also participated in the competition. In the first three rounds of preliminary exams, he ranked fifth among all participants from high schools in City A.
Fifth place meant that as long as nothing went wrong in the final round, he could secure direct admission to Q University.
If he got the recommendation, the male lead wouldn’t have to juggle taking care of his sick mother, working part-time jobs, and keeping up with his studies. The pressure on his shoulders would lighten significantly.
At that time, Gu Hanzhou was the only student from their high school to make it to the final round.
It was no surprise that many people were jealous.
On the afternoon of the final round, the math teacher called Gu Hanzhou to the Yucai Building for a talk. The Yucai Building was an abandoned structure, and Gu Hanzhou felt something was off, but out of respect and trust for his teacher, he went as requested.
When he arrived, there was no one in sight, and Tian Junxiong, who had called him there, was nowhere to be found.
Just as he was about to leave, he realized the door had been locked from the outside.
The room had no windows, and the only way out was through the iron door.
Gu Hanzhou tried to pry the door open with his fingers.
Time ticked by, and as the exam time approached, his nails broke, his fingers bled, and his throat grew hoarse from shouting. But the door remained tightly shut, unmovable.
Like his fate, no matter how hard he struggled, it remained fragile and unyielding.
Just one step away from securing admission to Q University, he missed the final exam.
It wasn’t until a security guard patrolled the area that night that Gu Hanzhou was discovered, locked inside.
By then, the exam had long since ended.
He had prepared for so long, hoped for so much, and prayed so hard. In the end, all his hopes shattered like broken glass, cutting him to the core.
Gu Hanzhou knelt on the dusty concrete floor, his thin back on the verge of breaking.
The room was silent and dark, mirroring his gloomy, oppressive life.
That night, Gu Hanzhou’s fever spiked to over 40 degrees, nearly life-threatening. Delirious from the high fever, there was no one to take care of him, no one to bring him water or food.
His mother, who suffered from mental illness, was in no state to help, her not lashing out at him was already a blessing.
During his fever, there was no food at home, and Gu Hanzhou had no money. He went three days without eating, staring at the bright red apples in his textbooks to stave off the hunger.
Gu Hanzhou endured the fever at home for three days, barely surviving and clawing his way back from death’s door.
Ji Anche’s heart felt as if it had been pierced by countless tiny needles, cracks forming as a sour, indescribable emotion seeped out, filling his chest.
His eyes stung, and he felt unbearably sad.
"Che Ge, what’s wrong?"
Seeing his usually unflappable boss with red-rimmed eyes, Li Xiangwen was baffled and tried to comfort him.
"Hey, even if we’re not good at math, there’s no need to be so upset. The math competition isn’t for normal people. Honestly, I can’t even understand the competition questions."
Gu Hanzhou noticed the change in Ji Anche’s demeanor and turned to see the faint redness around his eyes. He was stunned.
His gaze shifted to Li Xiangwen. Gu Hanzhou’s expression remained gentle and polite, his tone even friendly, but his eyes were icy.
"Li Xiangwen, what’s wrong with my Ge/brother?"
Suddenly being stared at with icy, dagger-like eyes, Li Xiangwen shivered and quickly clarified.
"Gu Ge, this has nothing to do with me! I just mentioned the math competition, and then Che Ge suddenly became like this."
"I’m fine. I just thought of something sad," Ji Anche said, his voice slightly hoarse and nasal.
He rummaged through his drawer and pulled out some snacks. Strawberry donuts, strawberry pies, strawberry-flavored Oreos, strawberry rolls, and coincidentally, a bright red apple…
He stuffed all these items one by one into Gu Hanzhou’s arms.
Ji Anche didn’t know how to comfort the male lead, so he could only resort to such clumsy methods.
Gu Hanzhou took the snacks in confusion.
"Ge, what’s wrong?"
Ji Anche sniffled, suppressing the sour feeling in his nose.
He didn’t know what was wrong either.
He just suddenly wanted to make sure the male lead could eat whatever he wanted, so he would never have to go without even the simplest things, like an apple.
Li Xiangwen exclaimed, "Wow, they’re all strawberry-flavored. Che Ge, I didn’t know you had such a girly side."
Ji Anche shot Li Xiangwen a cold glance. "Real men eat strawberry-flavored snacks."
Li Xiangwen quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, strawberry flavor is forever the best."
Ji Anche placed the snacks in front of Gu Hanzhou, his eyes slightly red. "Here, eat up. You need to replenish yourself."
Gu Hanzhou didn’t ask any more questions. He opened the packaging and obediently started eating the snacks.
Watching the male lead eat slowly and carefully, Ji Anche finally felt a little better.
"I have a lot more snacks. You can eat as much as you want. Is there anything you’d like to eat tonight? I’ll take you out to eat."
Li Xiangwen, envious, shouted loudly, "Che Ge, I want some too! I want to eat as well!"
Ji Anche replied coldly, "No."
Li Xiangwen’s fragile heart shattered. "Wah wah wah."
He hugged Tan Ruizhe’s waist beside him, pretending to cry.
"Wah wah wah, Gege, comfort me. My heart is broken."
Tan Ruizhe made a gagging expression and kicked him away.
"Stop being crazy. Get lost."
Li Xiangwen pounced back to retaliate.
While the two were roughhousing, Tian Junxiong and the homeroom teacher walked into the classroom.
Tian Junxiong knocked on the blackboard, and the noisy classroom immediately fell silent.
He took out the roster and found Liu Lifei’s name.
He had heard that Liu Lifei was close to the young master of the Ouyang family. If he could use Liu Lifei to get close to the Ouyang family, wouldn’t he be able to rise to the top in no time?
He leisurely paced the podium and asked gently, "Is Liu Lifei here?"
From the corner, a boy with a face more swollen than a steamed bun, his skin a patchwork of bruises, stood up from his seat. His face was as pale as a zombie’s, as if he had just crawled out of a horror movie.
Tian Junxiong was so startled that he missed a step and stumbled to the ground.
Clutching his sore knee, Tian Junxiong stood up, his face red with embarrassment and anger.
"I called for Liu Lifei. Who are you? Why are you causing a scene? This is a classroom, not a place for you to mess around with scary makeup. Get out and wash that disgusting stuff off your face!"
Liu Lifei’s mouth was so swollen that he could barely speak. He struggled to say,
"Teacher, I am Liu Lifei. I’m not wearing makeup. I’m really injured."
Liu Lifei had been having a streak of bad luck lately. Ever since he tricked Gu Hanzhou into the storage room, his phone had gone missing, his computer had been hacked and crashed, his wallet had been stolen, and even while walking on the street, he had been dragged into an alley and beaten up. Liu Lifei had been living in constant fear, his nerves on the verge of breaking.
Hearing that this person was indeed Liu Lifei, Tian Junxiong immediately changed his tone and said kindly, "Oh, it’s fine. I was just joking with you earlier, haha."
Tian Junxiong praised, "Although Liu Lifei’s appearance leaves something to be desired, his grades are something every student should strive for. I believe Liu Lifei is a hardworking, diligent, and ambitious student."
The students below couldn’t help but roll their eyes at such shameless flattery.
Liu Lifei, hardworking? Diligent? Ambitious? If Liu Lifei was hardworking, then everyone else could get into Tsinghua University.
Hearing Tian Junxiong’s praise, Liu Lifei couldn’t help but feel smug.
"Thank you, teacher. You’re so insightful."
"Of course. In all my years of teaching, I’ve seen more students than you’ve eaten meals. I can tell at a glance that Liu Lifei will definitely have a bright future. Unlike some people who achieve a little success and start thinking they’re invincible, as if they’re some kind of big shot. What a joke."
At this point, Tian Junxiong deliberately paused and glanced meaningfully in Gu Hanzhou’s direction.
Ji Anche noticed Tian Junxiong’s malicious gaze and remembered that this was the person who had crushed the male lead’s hopes.
He smiled gently and said in a warm voice, "Teacher Tian, I have a question for you."
Tian Junxiong snorted disdainfully. "Go ahead."
Ji Anche looked serious. "How did you go blind at such a young age?"
"Oh, wait."
"You’re not that young, are you?"
"Let me rephrase that. Would you like me to help you get a pair of glasses for your failing eyesight?"
"Please don’t be polite. It’s the least I can do."
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