Dong Xi felt that the cool guy in their 508 dormitory had been acting strangely these past two days, but before he could figure out the reason, their dorm welcomed another major headache;
Their last roommate, Liu Bingran, was back from vacation.
“Old Yang, we haven’t seen each other for so long, and when I came back, all you did was say hey and kept playing your crappy game?”
Liu Bingran walked in and tossed his luggage into the center of the dorm room, bent down, and slung an arm over Yang Liang’s shoulder. “Aren’t you being too heartless? Shouldn’t you treat me to a meal as an apology?”
“Why should I treat you to a meal?”
Yang Liang’s face wrinkled into a ball, his voice low and muffled. “Don’t lean on me. This isn’t some crappy game.”
“If it’s not a crappy game, then what is it?” Liu Bingran said with a tone full of disdain. “It’s just a pile of data trash meant to scam money.”
Yang Liang’s fists clenched. “Then I’ll play mine, and you don’t have to watch.”
Liu Bingran: “Tsk, you’re shameless enough to play, but not shameless enough to let people watch?”
“Friendly reminder, lights out at 11 tonight.”
Dong Xi spoke up just in time before Yang Liang’s rage meter maxed out. “Liu Bingran, if you waste too much time, you might not finish unpacking.”
Liu Bingran glanced back at Dong Xi. “So what? I have a flashlight for after lights out.”
Though he said that, fortunately, he let go of Yang Liang and started tossing his things onto the bed, desk, and into the closet without much care.
“Hey, how long do you guys train every day now?”
Liu Bingran rambled on noisily, talking to himself even though no one answered. “What are you guys practicing? 100 meters? 200 meters?”
“With no progress at all, no matter how much you train it’s just the same. What’s the point? Oh right, where’s Yan-gw? Is that him in the shower?”
Speaking of Yan Chen, he suddenly chuckled. “Hey, how does it feel for Yan-ge to be over here now? The main campus is different from our branch…it’s full of talents, and people come and go without anyone praising you. Yan-ge, are you still able to adapt?”
The sarcastic tone made Dong Xi roll his eyes.
Yang Liang couldn’t hold back anymore. He turned his head and said forcefully, “That’s not true. Even in a new place, Yan-ge is still vy popular!”
“Is that so?” Liu Bingran curled his lip, clearly unconvinced.
He hummed a tune lightly, tossed a few braided cords into the corner, and as he passed by Yan Chen’s desk, his eyes wandered a bit too much.
“Yo, Yan-ge, you’re still working on a double degree? A sports student squeezing time to take extra classes, can you handle it?”
As he spoke, his hand couldn’t help but reach for the “Principles of Management” book on Yan Chen’s desk.
Unfortunately, before he could touch it, a small tin of mint candy flew out of nowhere and slammed hard onto the back of his hand.
The tin had been sitting under the balcony railing, and was coated with a thin layer of dust. It hit the ground with a loud noise, and the lid separated from the body.
Liu Bingran winced in pain, cursed under his breath, and quickly retracted his hand, face dark as he looked at the culprit.
Yan Chen had just finished showering. His hair was half-dried, and the steam from the bathroom still clung faintly to him.
Logically, even an ice cube should have softened a bit at this point, but Yan Chen just stood there with arms crossed, the air pressure around him so low it could freeze solid.
Yan Chen: “Didn’t I tell you not to touch my stuff?”
Liu Bingran’s mouth was mean, but he didn’t have the courage to go head-to-head with Yan Chen. “I’m just looking, Yan-ge. There’s no need to be so stingy?”
Yan Chen glanced at him expressionlessly, then lowered his arms and walked over. “Move.”
Liu Bingran’s chest rose and fell violently, and he felt so angry fire almost burst from his brows, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. He swallowed his anger and strode out to the balcony.
The door slammed shut. Yang Liang, who had been listening intently, spun around instantly, his face lit up, and gave Yan Chen two big thumbs up alongside Dong Xi!
Sure enough, only Yan-ge could handle someone like that. So satisfying!
Yan Chen didn’t show much emotion. He pulled out the chair and sat down, picked up the small tin box and tossed it into the trash, then tied up the trash bag and carried it downstairs.
There was a garbage bin downstairs outside every dorm building, not right by the entrance, but a short walk ahead.
After throwing the bag out, he turned back, only for a boy to suddenly pop up out of nowhere, confidently blocking his path.
Zhen Lin looked up at him, his face bright with a smile and crescent-shaped eyes. “Yan-ge, what a coincidence～ I didn’t think I’d run into you like this.”
Yan Chen completely ignored him.
Zhen Lin followed him with light steps. “Yan-ge, since the Art Department and the Sports Department moved to the main campus together, we’re technically from the same hometown now. You’re not even going to say hi?”
“Fine, don’t say hi then. Liu Bingran said he’s back. I came to find him, but I left in a hurry and didn’t bring my phone. Yan ge, can you help me call him down?”
“If not, I’ll just go up and look for him myself? If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as you agreeing and inviting me to your dorm, okay?”
“Come on, Yan ge, just pay me some attention~”
Zhen Lin grinned and reached out, trying to grab Yan Chen’s wrist. But just as his fingertips were about to touch Yan Chen, they froze in midair.
Under the glaring white light at the entrance, Yan Chen paused and turned his head slightly to glance over. His gaze was cold and the pitch-black pupils were so deep they were terrifying.
“You can try touching and see what happens.”
The wind rustled through the trees, and after flickering a few times, the streetlamp’s white light seemed to dim even more.
As if choked by an invisible hand, Zhen Lin instantly shut up, and the curve of his lips almost collapsed.
Until a noisy chatter came from the distance, coming closer and closer. Several boys carrying hot water kettles were laughing and joking as they came out of the dormitory entrance.
Their voices broke the frozen atmosphere.
Zhen Lin took a couple of hurried breaths, quickly withdrew his hand, and the air touching his skin finally started to warm back up.
“Alright, then I’ll head up first.”
He quickly plastered on a smile again, his tone so light it was like nothing had just happened. “Bye, Yan ge, see you later~”
Taking advantage of the door still being open, Zhen Lin skipped forward, grabbed it, and slipped inside.
As he turned the corner with lively steps, his smile vanished in an instant. He loosened his fingers, revealing a layer of sticky cold sweat in his palm.
The main door, having lost support, shut automatically with a “click’ and locked.
In the quiet surroundings, Yan Chen’s phone gave a crisp notification sound.
He stood under the street lamp, pulled out his phone, and saw a message tagging all members in the French Class 3 group chat:
An Xue: [@Everyone, check the group files. The list of people who failed last week’s translation assignment is in there.]
An Xue: [Oh right, Wenyu @Ye Wenyu, the counselor wants to see you after class. I forgot to tell you just now /tongueout]
Ye Wenyu: [Okay.]
Yan Chen exited the group chat, opened his photo album, and pulled up Ye Wenyu’s class schedule. He quickly saw that his current class was “Mao Zedong Thoughts”, located in Teaching Building 2, and ended at 9:40.
It was already 9:30 now, just ten minutes before end of class.
Yan Chen put away his phone, turned on his heel, and went toward the teaching building.
–
Ye Wenyu replied to An Xue, put his phone back in the drawer, and continued marking the key points of the chapter on the projection.
The few girls sitting behind him weren’t from Class 3. Ever since the teacher had paused the lecture, they’d been quietly chatting.
Ye Wenyu didn’t have the habit of eavesdropping, but some words inevitably drifted to his ears, and he realized they were talking about a card drawing mobile game.
Until a name that was practically his allergen popped up in their conversation:
“You also think Yan Chen is basically the real-life Qin Mo, right? Sister, I thought it was just me!”
“His setting’s really similar? I heard from a friend at the branch campus that Yan Chen is also a super rich second generation, his family owns a conglomerate.”
“A conglomerate? Yeah right, that sounds a bit exaggerated, okay?”
“I think so too, but apparently it’s true.”
“He’s handsome and rich, was he born with the script of a male lead in a romance novel?”
“But his personality is a little different from Qin Mo’s. Yan Chen isn’t gentle at all, he seems kind of fierce, not easy to approach, and doesn’t look like the caring type.”
…
Ye Wenyu’s focus shifted the moment the name came up, and the movement of his pen slowed noticeably.
It wasn’t like they said.
Yan Chen… he didn’t think Yan Chen was hard to talk to at all. On the contrary, he even thought no one was easier to talk to than him.
He was willing to give up his training lane so others could have class; lent him clothes the very first time they met; and even returned the gesture by giving him candy…how could someone like that be considered fierce?
Once his thoughts began to drift, it was hard to pull them back.
Come to think of it, it had been several days since he last saw Yan Chen after that day at the South Gate sports field.
He thought that since Yan Chen kept his clothes, they’d cross paths again soon. But after the weekend passed, there was no news from the other side.
In the end, he’d overestimated things, and was completely fooled by Yan Chen’s “I’ll give it back to you next time”.
The initiative was now with Yan Chen. If Yan Chen’s “giving it back” meant having a classmate return it on his behalf, then there was nothing he could do.
He couldn’t exactly nitpick and claim the clothes were damaged or not washed properly just to keep the conversation going…
The tip of his pen pressed into the page, leaving a twisted line of tangled frustration. After much deliberation, “taking the initiative” was the only solution he could come up with.
Since he couldn’t guarantee Yan Chen would come to him, then he’d go to Yan Chen. If the other party asked, he’d say he urgently needed the clothes for something.
Then he’d casually find an excuse to ask Yan Chen for his contact information. Yan Chen was so easy to talk to, he definitely wouldn’t refuse.
Problem solved.
But just as he relaxed a little, another problem surfaced…where could he find Yan Chen?
The bell rang on time. As the students noisily packed up their books, the Mao Zedong Thought teacher waved and left the classroom.
Ye Wenyu rubbed his forehead, forced himself to set aside this currently unsolvable issue, packed his books, and headed to the counselor’s office.
By the time he finished everything and left the office, it was nearly 10 p.m.
The bright moon hung high, and the night was deep and quiet. The students in the teaching building had all gone.
Hugging his books, Ye Wenyu walked alone down the overly silent hallway. As he listened to the echo of his footsteps, he resumed his deep contemplation.
He currently knew of only two places where Yan Chen trained, and he could only find the swimming pool’s class schedule.
Today was already over. Tomorrow was Tuesday. If Yan Chen’s class didn’t have training scheduled at the pool…
A knot of stifling frustration twisted in his chest, about to swell and burst, but it vanished in an instant the moment he stepped out of the teaching building.
His steps faltered slightly and he stared blankly at the figure at the bottom of the stairs.
The person had long legs, a tall frame, and was dressed in loose, light-colored clothes. Even in the most relaxed posture with his head slightly lowered, his back remained straight, exuding a calm and composed temperament.
He stood by the flower bed, and in front of him was a chubby cat with orange fur. He held a sausage in his hand, casually tearing off small pieces to feed it.
Who else could it be but Yan Chen?
The stone dragging down his heart turned into a hot air balloon in an instant and rose into the sky. A thin string in his mind was gently plucked, making Ye Wenyu involuntarily blink.
The next second, he lifted his foot and walked straight toward the person and cat, a faint light flickering in his eyes that even he didn’t notice.
“Meow~ meow~”
The orange cat, unable to wait for the next piece after finishing the last one, meowed impatiently, though it still sounded like it was acting cute.
The one feeding it acted like he hadn’t heard anything.
He had noticed the person approaching from the corner of his eye, and now turned his head, quietly watching him walk closer step by step.
Until the orange cat lost its patience, flicked its tail, stood on its hind legs, and took a big bite out of the sausage.
Only then did Yan Chen peel the plastic casing down a bit more and asked Ye Wenyu, who had stopped beside him, “Did you just finish class?”
When his voice entered Ye Wenyu’s ears, a breeze happened to pass by, making Ye Wenyu feel that the passing wind seemed lazy as well.
“Class ended at nine thirty. I just came from the office.”
Now that he was this close, Ye Wenyu finally recognized which cat it was.
All the cats at their school had names, and they were officially registered. The one in front of him was “Lao Huangli”, which was famous for being greedy, and was the fattest and friendliest of them all.
He watched Yan Chen tear off another piece of sausage and place it in front of Lao Huangli, then asked, “It’s so late, did you come just to feed the cat?”
“I was on a night run. Just passing by.” Yan Chen lifted his chin slightly. “It happened to cling to me.”
He’d been passing by the teaching building when the hungry cat stopped him on its way out to look for food. Left with no choice, he went into a convenience store and bought some snacks, becoming a temporary feeder.
This kind of situation wasn’t rare at Xuan University. In fact, it was quite common. Ye Wenyu had no trouble believing it.
He found Lao Huangli’s focused eating quite cute and reached out, wanting to pet its head.
But just then, Yan Chen suddenly tossed all the remaining sausage onto the flower bed.
Lao Huangli, unable to resist the temptation, turned its head and began chomping down happily, purring as its tail stood tall.
Ye Wenyu’s hand landed on air.
The title for this chapter is not from raws, they were jumbled up somewhere.
