WAYCAV Chapter 01

“Damn, Su Zhiyan…”

Wen Bei had just gotten up to wash up when his roommate, who was about to head out, scared him so badly that the toothbrush cup in his hand shook three times.

Su Zhiyan stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around.

The dark circles under his eyes reappeared in Wen Bei’s line of sight, looking just like deliberately applied eyeshadow.

“Are you going to cosplay a panda in Lao[mfn]The prefix “老” (lao) carries a connotation of age, experience, and often endearment or respect. It is commonly used before a person’s surname or occupation to imply that they are seasoned or well-versed in their respective domain, or as a sign of familiarity and affection.[/mfn] Li’s class?” Wen Bei exclaimed in shock, his voice rising a notch.

“…”

Su Zhiyan replied irritably, “Want to cosplay a bamboo stick while you’re at it?”

Wen Bei caught the trace of annoyance in his tone and smirked. “You’re in a bad mood, huh?”

“Because of Lao Li’s class later?” he asked.

“That shouldn’t be the case though. Doesn’t he like students like you?”

Li Jin was famously strict. He was the kind of lecturer who demanded everyone’s undivided attention in class, much like a high school homeroom teacher. As a result, few people enjoyed his classes.

While these classes were torture for Wen Bei, they shouldn’t be unbearable for a super overachiever like Su Zhiyan, right?

He even used to eagerly do Lao Li’s assignments before.

Su Zhiyan sighed, “I’m taking sick leave.”

“Taking sick leave!”

Wen Bei shouted at the top of his lungs, dumbfounded.

Su Zhiyan expressionlessly covered his ears and grunted in acknowledgment. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to the hospital to get checked out.”

“Huh?” At these words, Wen Bei took a careful look at Su Zhiyan and finally noticed his complexion was unnaturally pale, so pale he looked like he might faint at any moment.

“Will you be okay by yourself?”

He was worried that Su Zhiyan might pass out alone after leaving, “I’ll go with you. I know that place well, really well!”

“Please stop bragging about getting food poisoning three times in a month like it’s something to be proud of.”

Su Zhiyan glanced at Wen Bei’s bed head. “Also, friendly reminder.”

“First, I’m a fully capable adult.”

“Second, there’s Lao Li’s 8 AM class today. I may have taken leave, but you haven’t.”

“…” Wen Bei’s face instantly turned pale.

Su Zhiyan smiled slightly, “Class starts in fifteen minutes. Lao Li will arrive in about five minutes. Our dorm is roughly 600 meters from Building B, including two flights of stairs and an uphill slope.”

He said softly, “Good luck.”

With that, he opened the door and left swiftly, leaving Wen Bei alone in the dorm to wail silently in helpless rage.

–

“This is a common condition among students like you, don’t worry.”

The doctor adjusted the glasses on his nose bridge and started scribbling on the medical record. “Just avoid staying up late, study more, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

He spoke with practiced ease, clearly experienced from seeing many students suffering from academic stress and various certification exams.

The pale-faced young man sitting beside him smiled faintly and quietly accepted the medical record. “Thank you, doctor.”

“No need. However…” The doctor suddenly looked up, eyeing the dark circles under his eyes. “Your condition is much more severe than theirs.”

“Sleep deprivation can affect your vital signs.”

“Avoid intense exercise for now. If possible, you could stay in the hospital for a few days to recover.”

The young man froze, his fine brows furrowing slightly. “…That won’t be necessary. Thank you for the suggestion, but I have a lot of coursework this semester. I’d better stay at school.”

Besides, he wouldn’t be able to rest well in the hospital either.

The doctor laughed, helpless about these students from the neighboring school. “Fine, we don’t have extra beds anyway. You’d end up in the hallway even if you stayed.”

Su Zhiyan: “…” Oh, thanks a lot.

He left the outpatient building holding the medical record, which showed little change from his previous checkups. He planned to head back to claim reimbursement at the school clinic.

The early September weather was unbearably stuffy. Perhaps due to the typhoon’s influence, this summer’s humidity was so high that stepping outside felt like being coated in a sticky fog, uncomfortable and suffocating.

Su Zhiyan walked to a shaded spot and leaned against a tree trunk, taking deep breaths as he felt slightly dizzy.

He stared at a green patch on the ground. It took him quite a while before he could make out that it was cotton-like fuzzy moss.

Having not had a good night’s sleep for almost half a month, Su Zhiyan truly felt his health was in imminent danger.

But what could he do?

Who could save him!

“Shen… Nian… jing…” he cursed silently. “Who the fuck are you?”

If one were to ask whether bugs existed in this world, Su Zhiyan would undoubtedly be one of them.

Otherwise, how could he dream about sleeping with the same person for over ten days straight?

And it was a guy!

And he couldn’t even see his face!

And he was the bottom!

These bizarre dreams and their frequency severely affected his sleep quality. Su Zhiyan had visited the hospital several times trying to figure out what was wrong with his body.

At first, he thought something was wrong with his brain, but the neurologist insisted he was fine. Then he went to psychiatry, but everything was normal there too. He even ended up sitting through two days of psychological counseling.

Nothing worked, absolutely nothing.

Not only had the dreams not improved, but they also showed signs of “worsening.”

Su Zhiyan’s only solution now was – study like crazy, read more papers and books.

Only by immersing himself in studies could he completely shift his attention, letting himself ignore everything else.

But his health kept deteriorating…

It seemed nothing should be done in excess. Too much rigidity leads to breakage, including studying.

But why wouldn’t these dreams collapse… Su Zhiyan crouched down and closed his eyes, irritated.

His phone vibrated with a buzz.

He lifted his eyelashes to look and saw it was a message from his counselor.

[Counselor: Oh my god! Why are you at the hospital again????]

Then a picture was sent over.

[Counselor: I’ve approved your leave, five days including the weekend. You must rest and recover, and no studying!!]

[Counselor: *angrily waving a knife.jpg*]

Su Zhiyan stared at these messages with wide eyes. “…Fuck.”

They could actually force sick leave without the student’s consent!

To others, Su Zhiyan had been constantly ill since the semester started. His face was growing increasingly pale, and his condition was visibly worsening. He was obviously someone who needed time off to recover properly.

But only he knew this wasn’t an illness at all!

Damn you, Shen Nianjing, who the hell are you!

Su Zhiyan was going crazy, mentally noting down a big mark against this dream person in the Book of Life and Death!

Would he ever have peace if these dreams continued?

What if one day he couldn’t forget about this damn dream even while studying…

Su Zhiyan shook his head quickly to clear his mind, refusing to consider such a terrifying possibility.

Maybe he really was too tired, and the constant stress had led to these “nightmares”? Perhaps if he followed orders and rested for a few days to relax, everything might return to normal.

Su Zhiyan had never been one to complain. After adjusting his mindset, he immediately regained his composure, filled with hope.

He stopped by the cafeteria to buy a bread roll, wolfed it down in a few bites, then returned to his dorm to take his medicine with water.

Then he changed his clothes, got into bed, laid flat, put on his sleep mask, and closed his eyes.

Everything around him fell silent. His breathing gradually steadied as he drifted into deep sleep.

In the steamy heat, a man with a well-defined figure leaned against him.

Rapid breaths fell on his ear as he felt the man drawing closer.

As the heat rose, Su Zhiyan bent his knees restlessly, instinctively turning his face to the side.

At that moment, his eyelashes fluttered.

He saw a mole on the man’s right index finger.

It was very light, a pale brown, similar to the color of his own eyes.

Su Zhiyan’s mind suddenly exploded. His arms forcefully broke free from the man’s embrace, and the next second, he opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

“…”

Another dream.

Hey, why was everything so dark…

Did he sleep until the middle of the night?

Su Zhiyan: “…”

He stayed stunned for a moment before realizing he needed to remove his sleep mask.

After taking it off, his light brown eyes were full of resistance and exhaustion.

Damn these cursed dreams… making him more tired the more he slept.

The doctor’s advice to “rest well” was completely impossible.

Am I going to die from exhaustion? Su Zhiyan lay flat on his bed, staring lifelessly at the ceiling, feeling like his days were numbered.

“Su Zhiyan!”

The dorm door burst open with a “bang” as a sweat-drenched Wen Bei strode in excitedly, tossing a basketball in his hands.

“Such a shame you weren’t feeling well today. Let me tell you, after class we went to play basketball and met this super awesome guy!”

Wen Bei’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he enthusiastically recounted every detail of the three hours of fun they had that morning.

Back in freshman year, Su Zhiyan used to love playing basketball, but later his interests shifted to reading research papers. Exercise became just a way to maintain his health. However, he still enjoyed hearing about what happened on the court.

“That guy did this behind-the-back shot, and the ball went straight through the hoop! So cool!”

“And his stamina was incredible. By the end, we were all starving, but he was still bouncing around like an energetic wild dog.”

“Great personality too. Lao Zhao accidentally bumped into him, and it wasn’t a light bump. Lao Zhao was wincing, but this guy didn’t mind at all.”

“I thought he was from the Sports Department, but turns out he’s from our department, just took a year off.”

“I made plans to play with him again.” Wen Bei finished his story and peered at the person playing dead on the bed. “Hey hey, want to join?”

“Mhmm.” Su Zhiyan was tired, so his response was half-hearted.

“?” Wen Bei instinctively slapped a hand on Su Zhiyan’s head, roughly covering the upper half of his face.

“…” Su Zhiyan pushed his paw away.

“Get your dirty hand off me.”

“You don’t have a fever, so why are you so listless?” Wen Bei asked, puzzled.

“I wasn’t sick to begin with. The doctor just said I wasn’t getting enough rest,” Su Zhiyan said resentfully. “But the counselor went ahead and gave me three days off.”

“!!!” Wen Bei poked his head out from the bathroom, pupils dilating. “Three days off?!”

He rushed over with dripping wet hands, spraying water all over Su Zhiyan’s face.

“…” What did I do in my past life to deserve this, Su Zhiyan thought as he wiped his face.

“Five days straight with the weekend? You’re basically starting National Day break early. So lucky!”

Wen Bei was excited, wishing he could take Su Zhiyan’s place.

“What’s so lucky… I can’t even focus on reading.” Su Zhiyan got off the bed and went to the bathroom to wash his face.

“You’re already top of the class, why worry about coursework? You won’t fall behind much. That graduate school spot is definitely yours next year.”

Wen Bei sat ungracefully on the chair with his legs crossed. After staying quiet for a moment, he started shouting again, “Hey hey hey! That guy asked me to play basketball tomorrow afternoon!”

He ran to the bathroom door with his phone, shoving the chat history in Su Zhiyan’s face.

“You coming or not? Huh?”

“No, I can’t do intense exercise.”

“Ah…” Wen Bei was disappointed. “But you’ll be so bored in the dorm. Da Zhuang and the others are coming too!”

Su Zhiyan remained noncommittal as he turned off the tap and picked up a towel to dry his face. His eyes swept across the phone screen in front of him—

Su Zhiyan instantly turned to stone.

His wet bangs were pushed up, revealing his entire face, his clear features frozen in shock.

What was that contact name??

Shen Nianjing????

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