Winning the male lead

The scent of fresh grass lingered in the air as Le Tian closed his eyes slightly. His hand, which had been gripping Jiang Yue’s arm, gently moved to wrap around his waist. Jiang Yue’s high-bridged nose brushed against his soft cheek—this was his first time kissing someone, both inexperienced and passionate. He stood on his tiptoes desperately, feeling as if he were about to get drunk from the sensation.

When the kiss ended, he felt a rush of excitement. He was only wearing swim trunks, and the evidence of his emotions was obvious, making his face turn as red as a tomato. He lowered his head, embarrassed to meet Jiang Yue’s gaze.

Jiang Yue said casually, “That was quite nice.”

Le Tian clutched the hem of Jiang Yue’s shirt, keeping his head down without saying a word.

Jiang Yue’s hand slowly slid down his bare back. “Want to feel even better?”

Le Tian hesitated. “We… we have class.”

Jiang Yue didn’t respond. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed him again. A genius truly was a genius—even when it came to kissing, he learned faster than most. Before Le Tian knew it, he was already dizzy from the sensation, unable to resist his advances.

At that moment, voices and footsteps could be heard outside. Le Tian snapped back to reality, his body trembling. “S-Someone’s coming! Let go of me.”

Jiang Yue, as always, remained indifferent, holding onto him tightly without any intention of letting go.

Le Tian struggled, trying to pry his hands off. “Stop messing around, they’re about to come in!” He twisted and turned, trying to escape, but Jiang Yue firmly pinned him in place and deepened the kiss.

As soon as he was kissed again, his resolve crumbled.

The voices outside grew louder, and Le Tian’s heartbeat raced wildly. His breathing turned erratic, and his sweaty palms clung to Jiang Yue’s waist. Just as someone knocked on the door, he ended up releasing himself in Jiang Yue’s embrace.

“Huh? Why won’t this door open?”

“Let me try… It really won’t open.”

“Is the lock broken? Should we call someone to check it?”

“Let’s wait until after class. Let’s go play a bit more.”

Finally, the voices faded into the distance. Le Tian collapsed weakly in Jiang Yue’s arms. Jiang Yue looked at his flushed face and dazed expression, a rare smile appearing in his usually indifferent eyes. He nudged forward slightly and said casually, “Now it’s my turn.”

They moved into the corner of the locker room. Le Tian, being smaller in size, was completely enveloped in his embrace. He was pressed against the windowsill, left at Jiang Yue’s mercy. Jiang Yue seemed to be in a particularly good mood. “Keep your legs together.” From time to time, he would lean in to kiss Le Tian, who felt like a tiny boat in the vast ocean, swaying helplessly with the waves.

After he finished as well, Le Tian whispered, “Why… why are you doing this to me?”

Jiang Yue buttoned up his shirt, glancing at himself in the locker room mirror as he smoothed out the wrinkles. “You don’t like it?” he asked flatly.

Of course, Le Tian liked it. Both his body and heart were filled with pleasure. He didn’t want to lie, nor could he deceive Jiang Yue. But he couldn’t quite figure Jiang Yue out—was he interested in him as a person, or just in the pleasure itself? Their relationship felt unclear and undefined.

Ding Le Tian had always been timid since childhood, afraid to even raise his voice. Facing someone as perfect as Jiang Yue, he dared not ask too many questions. He simply lowered his head, bit his lip, and admitted, “I like it.”

Jiang Yue turned around. Seeing Le Tian standing in the shadow of the window, looking small and somewhat pitiful, he pulled him into his arms and kissed him again. “As long as you like it, that’s good.”

“You don’t have to move,” he added, “just don’t mess around with Jiang Qu.”

Le Tian’s face turned red. “Jiang Qu doesn’t like boys.”

Jiang Yue said indifferently, “Not necessarily.”

Le Tian shoved him lightly. “Stop talking nonsense. Class is about to start.”

Before their classmates arrived, they quietly slipped out of the swimming hall. Jiang Yue had everything planned meticulously and had already mapped out the route, ensuring they wouldn’t run into anyone along the way.

They walked along an empty path on campus, with lush leaves casting large patches of shadows overhead. Le Tian walked beside him, slowly inching closer, tentatively reaching out in an attempt to hold his hand. But Jiang Yue didn’t notice—he simply strode forward at a brisk pace, leaving him struggling to keep up.

“C-Can you slow down a bit…” he couldn’t help but say.

Jiang Yue stopped and turned back. “I’m heading back first. You take your time.” With that, he took long strides and disappeared down the path.

Le Tian stood in place and muttered to the system, “This jerk is so cruel it makes me happy.”

The system: “…”

Le Tian: “When I die, it has to be a grand spectacle.”

The system shuddered, feeling a little sorry for Jiang Yue’s future. “Don’t be so vengeful.”

Le Tian smirked. “One day, I’ll make him regret treating my feelings so carelessly.”

System: “I didn’t expect you to have real feelings.”

Le Tian: “Hmph. Not only do I have them, but I have plenty.”

System: …

Jiang Yue truly was a cold and emotionless person. His relationship with Le Tian could be summed up as: “We hug, we kiss, we get each other off, but we’re not close.”

In class, Jiang Yue never even spared him a glance. But in private corners, they would share breaths and touch intimately, as if they were one. Every encounter began and ended with a kiss.

Le Tian suspected that with his intelligence, he had already figured out that kisses were important to him—so he deliberately used them, not because he actually wanted to kiss him.

So ruthless. Le Tian loved it.

Two scumbags colliding—one of them was bound to suffer. Since Le Tian was already fated to die, Jiang Yue would be the one to suffer in the end.

In the dormitory, Jiang Qu was writing furiously, preparing for an early admission exam. As far as Le Tian knew, Jiang Qu came from a wealthy family as well, with plenty of options. But he was ambitious and determined to get into a top university on his own merit. He was, in all fairness, a hardworking rich kid.

“I’m taking out the trash. Do you need anything?” he asked as he stood up.

Jiang Qu didn’t even look up. “Under my bed. Thanks.”

By now, the two of them had become quite familiar with each other. Le Tian was easygoing and obedient, making it easy for Jiang Qu to get along with him. He went over to help clean up, even though the dorm’s cleaning lady usually took care of the trash.

In reality, taking out the trash was just an excuse—he used it as a way to meet Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue went home every night, but he lived close by and would stop by the school’s back gate during his night runs to see Le Tian.

Tossing the trash away, Le Tian padded toward the back gate in his slippers. Autumn was approaching, and the night breeze was beginning to carry a chill.

In the quiet corner behind the school, a boy’s light yellow floral pajama top hung loosely, his fair skin tinged with a faint blush of excitement. Under the dim glow of the streetlight, he looked as delicate as fine jade. Jiang Yue leaned in, his face close to the boy’s neck.

“G-Gentler,” Le Tian gasped, “someone might see us.”

Jiang Yue’s teeth grazed against his soft skin. “There are already mosquitoes.”

Le Tian had no response to that and could only go along with it.

Jiang Yue wore a black hoodie, his hat pulled low, blending seamlessly into the night. The two of them kissed intensely, their breaths mingling. Le Tian was so caught up in the moment that the sound of their kiss made his own heart race in embarrassment.

Since they were outside, they couldn’t take things too far. A little kissing and touching would have to do. But Jiang Yue had been waiting for an opportunity to be alone with him for a long time. He whispered, “I borrowed the key to the music room.”

Le Tian felt both excited and nervous. “Won’t we get caught?”

Jiang Yue reassured him. “No.”

“…Alright, then.”

The walk to the music room went smoothly, just as Jiang Yue had predicted. The room, usually used for small group lessons, had a few sofas scattered around for students to sit on.

Now, Le Tian found himself pressed against one of them. He hesitated. “What if we leave marks?”

Jiang Yue, clearly well-prepared, replied, “The sofa cover is new—I’ll take it with me later.”

Le Tian sighed inwardly. No matter how smart an eighteen-year-old boy was, his mind still seemed to be preoccupied with certain thoughts.

Relaxing at last, he opened his arms to embrace Jiang Yue. In the silent music room, where melodies usually flowed, a different kind of youthful energy filled the air.

Afterward, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion, feeling a lingering warmth on his skin. Jiang Yue, though looking satisfied, still had a trace of dissatisfaction in his gaze.

He gave him a light pat. “Your birthday is during the New Year, right?”

Le Tian blinked, taking a moment to process before nodding. “Yeah, the third day of the Lunar New Year.”

Jiang Yue smirked and tapped him lightly. “I’ll come find you then.”

His words and actions made it clear—Le Tian was just a temporary indulgence in his eyes.

Even though Le Tian wasn’t the brightest, he could sense that when Jiang Yue said he’d find him, he wasn’t talking about celebrating his birthday. It was something else entirely.

But what were they, really?

Perhaps it was the darkness that gave him courage. As Jiang Yue turned to leave, he suddenly called out, “Jiang… Jiang Yue!”

Jiang Yue turned back, his sharp features softened under the moonlight. “Hmm?”

Le Tian’s heart pounded. He opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t bring himself to say what he truly wanted. Instead, he asked softly, “Can you kiss me again?”

Without hesitation, Jiang Yue leaned in and kissed him deeply. Le Tian stood on his toes, returning the kiss, but the coldness in his heart grew stronger. As they pulled apart, he couldn’t help but ask, “Jiang Yue, if it were someone else… would you do the same?”

Jiang Yue was silent for a moment before answering indifferently, “Maybe.”

Those three words shattered the last bit of hope Le Tian had. His head lowered quickly, hiding his expression. With a weak voice, he muttered, “Goodbye.”

Jiang Yue didn’t notice anything wrong—or perhaps he did and simply didn’t care. Without another word, he turned and left.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qu had just finished an entire set of practice problems. Stretching lazily, he suddenly realized that Le Tian, who had said he was just going to take out the trash, had been gone for nearly an hour. Annoyed, he got up to look for him, only to find him crouched at the dormitory entrance, crying.

Startled, he quickly pulled him inside. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? If you have to cry, at least don’t do it at the door! People will think I bullied you.”

Le Tian shook his head, brushed off his hand, and buried himself under his blanket, sobbing.

Through muffled cries, he whimpered, “System, my heart hurts so much…”

The system, exasperated: My heart hurts too—how could someone be such a drama king?

Jiang Qu sat down beside him, frowning. “What happened? Talk to me! Stop crying!” When Le Tian didn’t respond, Jiang Qu grabbed his arm and pulled him up. That’s when he noticed something off.

Le Tian’s lips were swollen—not the kind caused by allergies, but as if they had been kissed too roughly.

His expression darkened. His eyes traveled downward, catching sight of the red marks on Le Tian’s neck. As a teenage boy himself, he didn’t need much imagination to figure out what had happened. His anger flared.

“Who did this?!”

Le Tian shook his head, still sobbing.

Jiang Qu, furious, kicked the nightstand, sending it crashing to the ground. “Were you forced, or was this your choice? Speak!”

Le Tian hiccupped through his tears, barely able to breathe, but continued shaking his head.

Jiang Qu’s patience snapped. His voice grew cold, dangerously close to Jiang Yue’s tone. “Are you out of your mind?”

Le Tian sobbed harder. In between broken breaths, he finally choked out, “I… I like him…”

Jiang Qu’s heart trembled violently. The sounds around him seemed to fade away, leaving only those three words ringing in his ears—

“I like him.”