Futile Devices Scans

Dappled shadows of trees swept past the car window, flickering between light and dark; the deep blue sky and white clouds resembled shredded cotton candy, while the pale green school bus moved steadily along the road. Ke Bu rested his right cheek against the window, his gaze vacant. “The city is so vast, without end. Find a woman, build a house, buy a piece of land, carve out a view—after that, it all leads to a dead end.” For no apparent reason, this line from a movie suddenly flashed through his mind.

The excited freshmen stirred the atmosphere inside the bus into a lively buzz. He turned his face toward the window to avoid making eye contact. Yet the boy beside him was utterly oblivious, patting Ke Bu on the shoulder. When Ke Bu turned his head, he was met with a radiant smile. He clicked his tongue—anyone who showed such a foolish grin could, in his judgment, be categorized as a fool.

“Hello, classmate. My name is Gong Zhu. Since it sounds the same, a lot of my friends jokingly call me ‘Princess.’” He had barely finished speaking before eagerly breaking into a grin.

“If we’re going by homophones, ‘Boar’ would be more accurate.” Ke Bu cast him a sidelong glance, taking in the boy’s large, blinking eyes, small yet well-shaped nose, slightly upturned lips, flushed cheeks, and slender figure—his looks were undeniably first-rate. Gong Zhu did not get angry; instead, he wore a smile like that of a benevolent father indulging a child. “You’re really interesting. I think we’ll become good friends.” There it was—a hopelessly naïve do-gooder living in a fairy tale.

“Let’s not. I’m not a kind person at all. Our temperaments don’t match. For the sake of leaving a good first impression, the most appropriate choice is for both of us to keep our mouths shut.” Acting on instinct, he shifted his body slightly farther away. Gong Zhu, however, paid no heed. “I feel a bit nervous. It’s my first time studying so far from home. Maybe I’ll even develop a relationship people will envy.” Pure innocence.

“Don’t tell me you think you’ll bump into a beautiful girl holding books, and she’ll shyly clutch her skirt and say, ‘Ah, don’t look!’ Or that your fingers will accidentally touch the same book in the library, and you’ll stare at each other for ten seconds. Or that you’ll see her playing with a stray cat in the rain, getting drenched just to hold an umbrella over it. Stop dreaming. These unrealistic, cliché plots should have been burned long ago.” Ke Bu—a thoroughly pragmatic boy who never harbored even the slightest optimistic fantasy about the world.

Gong Zhu waved his finger, rejecting Ke Bu’s assumptions. “I think I’ll accidentally run into a powerful student council president. Everyone respects him, but I alone coldly ignore him, so he keeps picking on me—yet doesn’t want to see me with anyone else. Or maybe a teacher will hug me from behind in the counseling room when no one’s around, whispering in my ear, ‘You weren’t very obedient in class today.’ Or I might suddenly wake up in a strange place and find someone sleeping beside me, and from then on, a faint yet undeniable bond forms between us.” The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his smile growing increasingly dazzling, as though pink bubbles were forming behind him.

Ke Bu’s eyes widened slightly, his back nearly pressed against the window. Experienced as he was, how could he not understand? Everything this “Princess” had just described was pure BL material! Shielding his eyes from the dazzling “light,” he thought: This is bad. On the very first day of school, I’ve run into a top-tier shou. A deep sense of unease about his future school life took root.

Just as Ke Bu was still in shock, the bus slowed and came to a stop. He followed the crowd as they disembarked. Before him rose the grand school gates: brick towers on either side, and between them an ornate black European-style gate. Uneven walls enclosed the greenery within. Dragging his luggage, Ke Bu stood among the clamoring students, squinting at this so-called legendary school. This private institution was fundamentally different from others; he had only managed to gain admission because his father’s friend was a teacher here. Located in a remote suburb, even the nearest city required an hour-long bus ride—and the bus schedules were pitifully sparse.

At some point, Gong Zhu had already come to stand beside him, his eyes bright like those of a maiden in love. Following his gaze, Ke Bu looked over—and with a single glance, he locked onto that person in the crowd. Standing in the glaring yet warm sunlight, an alluring aura seeped out from him in fragmented traces. His face was breathtakingly beautiful—so much so that one dared not look directly, yet could not look away. This boy seemed as though he did not belong to the mortal world. Even the tall, slender girl standing before him only reached his shoulder.

Ke Bu subconsciously glanced up at the sky. Despite the oppressive season, today was relatively cool—fortunate. At some point, he had developed the habit of always paying attention to the weather.

“C-can I ask your name?” the girl asked timidly.

“What?” There was no discernible expression on that face.

“Can I ask your name?” she repeated.

“What?” he echoed.

Gong Zhu whispered, “Is His Highness the Prince hard of hearing?”

“If you call him that again, I’ll beat you into ‘Lord Bun.’”

“Can I ask your name?” The girl raised her voice slightly, as though making one final attempt.

“What?” The same mechanical repetition. He had clearly heard her! The girl seemed to realize something, leaving awkwardly with her companion. Ke Bu dragged his suitcase over. He had intended to walk past the boy, yet found his steps inexplicably heavy—an involuntary reaction beyond his control, which embarrassed him somewhat.

“What, are you here to ask my name too?”

“I just want to ask when you’re going to die,” Ke Bu retorted.

The boy did not get angry. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Around fifty, perhaps.”

“Don’t answer that so seriously!! And you’ve set your lifespan way too short!!” Ke Bu burst out.

“If compared to your twenty-year lifespan, it’s not that short.”

“Don’t randomly assign an expiration date to my life!!” Ke Bu replied, somewhat at a loss.

“Zhi Li, so you’re here!!” A boy in the distance called out as he ran over. Ke Bu sniffed in displeasure and dragged his suitcase away. Gong Zhu chased after him. “I thought you were someone who wouldn’t admit defeat. After what Lord Zhi Li said, you just let it go?”

Ignoring the title as best he could, Ke Bu curled his lip. “My survival instincts tell me to avoid unnecessary conflict.”

“It’s not as exaggerated as you say. I think Lord Zhi Li seems quite easy to get along with.” Hearing this, Ke Bu let out a strange, cold laugh, his shoulders trembling. Gong Zhu then fidgeted and said, “Th-that… what do you think of Lord Zhi Li?”

Ke Bu was no fool. Questions like that rarely came from ordinary intentions. He stopped and turned around. “Who you like is your business. But let me give you some advice—someone like Zhi Li is better avoided. He’ll drain all your maidenly fantasies.”

“You talk like you know Lord Zhi Li very well.”

“I’m just good at judging people.” After saying this, Ke Bu left. That kind of affection—one that consumed one’s life—especially for a man, was not something he would ever be foolish enough to indulge in. Shaking his head, he recalled some unpleasant memories.

The moment he pushed open the dormitory door, a lewd aura rushed toward him. The instant he caught sight of the figure inside, he shut the door again, took a deep breath, and opened it once more—just to confirm it wasn’t an illusion. Rolling his eyes toward the ceiling, he sighed.

“This is seriously like seeing a ghost,” said Chu Hao Yu helplessly.

“That’s my line. What are you doing here?” Chu Hao Yu, Ke Bu’s high school classmate—his mind was so thoroughly filled with erotic nonsense that there was no room left for actual thought. Though he possessed an excellent appearance, his side of the dorm had already been completely covered with posters of busty girls.

“This is my dorm. If I’m not here, where else would I be?” Fate truly had a cruel sense of humor—why did he have to share a room with this thing? Ke Bu forcefully pulled open his suitcase and began taking out clothes and daily necessities.

“By the way, Ke Bu, do you notice anything different about me today?”

“I don’t want to know.” So this was the first day of school? It felt like the omen of misfortune. Why did it have to be Chu Hao Yu?!

“I’m not wearing underwear today.” Chu Hao Yu said smugly. Ke Bu hurled the clothes in his hand at him. “I said I don’t want to know!”

“I heard it helps release male hormones better. Crap, it’s already this late—I need to go find Zhi Li.” Zhi Li—again. Picking up his clothes, Ke Bu stared at the ceiling. “Lord Zhi Li… you’re everywhere.”

The name Zhi Li—like a mischievous criminal—so casually burrowed into the marrow of Ke Bu’s bones.

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