WAYCAV Chapter 06

“Are you guys still playing basketball with Shen Nianjing this weekend?”

After class, Su Zhiyan asked Wen Bei and Zhuang Qiyu.

Before Zhuang Qiyu could process the question, Wen Bei responded, “Do you need something from him?”

“Yes.” Su Zhiyan nodded firmly.

Something very important.

He understood now that sleep was more important than anything else in the world.

Seeing his serious expression, Wen Bei didn’t ask further and said, “Sunday afternoon.”

“What about Saturday?” Su Zhiyan asked.

No way was he going to wait until Sunday. Ever since he discovered how to avoid having dreams, he wanted to bump into Shen Nianjing every day. How could he risk falling back into the pit of nightmares?

Besides, he still couldn’t figure out why Shen Nianjing seemed to be avoiding him.

“He has tutoring in the morning on Saturday, and works part-time at a dessert shop in the afternoon,” Wen Bei replied, puzzled. He couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you have his WeChat? Why not ask him directly?”

“…” Su Zhiyan rubbed his nose. “We’re not that close.”

“?” Wen Bei’s face screamed confusion.

Not close? You have the nerve to say you’re not close?

I didn’t even go to support Shen Nianjing’s early morning stall, yet you, who bought out his entire stock, say you’re not close??

“Yeah, if I were as close to him as I am with you guys, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble.”

“Dad, I’m really touched by what you just said.” Although Zhuang Qiyu only half-understood their conversation, he was pleasantly surprised and clutched his chest. “My heart feels so warm.”

“Stop fooling around.” Su Zhiyan glanced at him, paused, then added, “Let’s meet at the usual place at 3 PM on Saturday to sort out our homework.”

The usual place was the tea lounge in the sunken plaza on campus. It was quiet and stayed cool, with few people. Su Zhiyan and his group often went there to work on group projects.

“Ah…” Wen Bei’s face fell. “Can’t we do it Monday afternoon? I want to rest properly on the weekend.”

“Strike while the iron is hot. Chen Shuyu and the others will agree too.” Su Zhiyan walked out without looking back.

“Professional slackers really have it rough with you guys.” Zhuang Qiyu turned to Wen Be, who was hoping to find a kindred spirit in despair.

Zhuang Qiyu shook his head, his expression solemn and reverent, “If Dad is watching over our homework, I’d be willing to go even at 3 AM.”

Wen Bei: “…”

“Heh.”

When he returned to the dorm room and opened the door, he found it completely empty without a trace of human presence.

“!” Wen Bei suddenly realized.

Wait, shouldn’t they have returned to the dorm together after class? Where did Su Zhiyan go by himself??

–

[Wang Woof Woof[mfn]王汪汪汪汪 – It’s Wang wang wang wang wang lol. I’m not sure if the 王 Wang meant it’s the last name of the contact, or if it literally meant King so I leave it as Wang Woof Woof[/mfn]: Building 5, Room 302, Film Appreciation.]

Su Zhiyan glanced and typed with one hand.

[S: Thanks]

That dog’s internet at home was pretty fast. This class was so popular that he hadn’t been able to get in before.

Su Zhiyan put on his hat and mask, preparing to go downstairs to scan a shared bike. Just as he turned the corner of the first flight of stairs, someone called out to him, “Zhiyan?”

The voice was deep and resonant.

Su Zhiyan turned around, removed his mask and hat, and smiled faintly. “Professor Yang.”

“I was just thinking of finding you. Next month there’s a project…”

Thirty minutes later, downstairs, Su Zhiyan picked out and scanned one of the few remaining bikes.

Since he’d missed the regular class start time, Su Zhiyan walked unhurriedly to Room 302.

The lecture hall was packed.

Although Film Appreciation sounded like an easy course, especially with its essay-based assessment, its popularity wasn’t just because of that. Not to mention the teacher was A University’s internet-famous lecturer who, like a video platform content creator, had a way of embedding knowledge into students’ minds through various bizarre and quirky humor.

Standing by the back door stairs, he peered in and spotted Shen Nianjing sitting in the second-to-last row, his cowlick standing proud and conspicuous – while he was fast asleep.

Su Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. So he came to class just to openly catch up on sleep?

He originally planned to just sneak in, quickly touch Shen Nianjing’s shoulder or back, and leave, but now seeing this guy so comfortable sleeping in class without a care in the world, he didn’t want to leave anymore.

Su Zhiyan’s eyes swept over the crowded back rows.

When the break bell rang, a figure from the second-to-last row grabbed their bag and snuck toward the back door.

“Su-ge!” Tan Yang kept bowing with clasped hands, his smile about to leap from his eyes onto Su Zhiyan’s face. “I’m off! Enjoy the class, see you later!!” After a comical salute, he ran down the building, cheering all the way.

Su Zhiyan adjusted his hat brim and strolled from the back door to the second-to-last row. He took the seat next to Shen Nianjing where that person had just been sitting.

Sleeping so soundly, Su Zhiyan glanced over, feeling somewhat displeased.

Why should he have to run back and forth just to avoid dreams while this guy could fall into peaceful sleep anywhere, anytime.

What a dog.

Su Zhiyan silently reached out and touched his shoulder.

Ding! Touch achievement unlocked, nightmare level cleared! His mind automatically added sound effects.

Hehe. Su Zhiyan laughed internally.

No worries, now he could get a good night’s sleep too!!

Ever since learning that he wouldn’t dream as long as he had contact with Shen Nianjing, seeing him no longer made Su Zhiyan feel uncomfortable all over.

After all, when someone from your dreams appears in reality, you have to accept it whether you want to or not. And since he’d accepted it, why not make use of it?

The person beside him stirred, lifting his head slightly from his arms.

Awake? Su Zhiyan glanced over.

Then he saw Shen Nianjing turned towards him, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

“??????”

“……”

After Shen Nianjing’s brain rebooted, he suddenly felt weak all over, so limp he wanted to collapse – might as well just faint and be done with it.

When he first woke up and found someone sitting beside him, he didn’t pay much attention. He thought about changing his position to continue sleeping, but then he caught a familiar scent.

A sweet soap fragrance, very faint but fresh.

He immediately perked up, and sure enough, found Su Zhiyan sitting next to him.

Although the other was wearing a hat and mask, more covered up than any other time he’d seen him, those light-colored eyes were forever unforgettable.

Terrifying.

Shen Nianjing silently lowered his head, slowly turning it to the other side to avoid meeting those eyes.

Heh, Su Zhiyan chuckled softly and looked away.

This reaction, there was definitely something fishy going on.

The class bell rang, and the teacher walked in from outside, holding a freshly delivered bubble tea.

“Oh?” She glanced at the tiered seats, her phoenix eyes twinkling with amusement. “There’s a handsome boy who really caught my eye~”

Suddenly, the entire class’s attention focused on them.

Obviously, it was quite eye-catching when the person secretly gaming in the back row was suddenly replaced by Su Zhiyan in full hat and mask attire.

“…”

Shen Nianjing let out a laugh, turning to glance at Su Zhiyan several times, as if afraid others wouldn’t know who the teacher meant.

Su Zhiyan looked over coolly, seeing Shen Nianjing’s expression of someone enjoying the show, as if eager to see him get kicked out of the classroom.

He removed his mask and hat, his beautiful eyes curving up. His light-colored eyes proved extremely useful at this moment. His gentle features made him look like the most innocent and well-behaved child in the world.

“Sorry, Professor,” he stood up, his tone light and genuinely sincere. “Everyone says you teach wonderfully, and I’ve always wanted to attend your famous lectures, but unfortunately the class was full when I tried to register.”

“Today my friend has a stomach problem, so he specifically asked me to attend the second half for him.”

“Thanks to his stomach issues, I finally have a chance to sit in on your class properly.”

“Hahahahaha…” The tense classroom atmosphere immediately lightened.

The teacher walked closer, holding her microphone. “Can’t help it, my class is just too appealing.”

“You know people who want to sit in have to line up and take numbers, right?” She pointed at Su Zhiyan. “Next time remember to make a reservation, I’ll give you the VIP channel. Otherwise, I can only pray your friend’s stomach keeps acting up.”

“Just kidding, health comes first, students.” She waved for Su Zhiyan to sit down and began the next part of the lesson.

Su Zhiyan obediently nodded, “Thank you, Professor.”

The surrounding air stirred slightly as he sat down. That faint soap scent mixed with a hint of fresh green tangerine wafted to Shen Nianjing’s nose.

“…” He couldn’t help but look at him, only to meet Su Zhiyan’s gaze.

The soft smile in the other’s eyes immediately disappeared after sitting down, returning to his usual cold demeanor. A ray of sunlight from the back door fell across his back, turning his hair tips golden.

Whether due to the angle or not, his look now was completely different from his usual sarcastic or subtly prickly demeanor. His calm gaze carried a childlike pride.

Shen Nianjing froze, not knowing what to say.

The next second, he received a cold look – What are you looking at?

Shen Nianjing understood the look: “…”

He quickly turned his head away.

Su Zhiyan felt troubled. If he followed Shen Nianjing around every day, or stalked his schedule like some obsessive fan…

That would be too creepy!

He couldn’t compete in creepiness with actual creeps.

He glanced sideways. Maybe… he should just try to become friends?

It should’ve been a completely normal thing to make friends within the same major. To be precise, making friends was a normal thing between normal people.

Naturally saying hello, naturally getting along.

But when it came to Shen Nianjing, it became difficult to approach…

Su Zhiyan recalled how the other avoided him, his eyes gradually becoming colder.

He refused to believe he couldn’t dig out this dog’s secrets.

The phone on the desk vibrated with a “buzz,” making its presence conspicuous between the two of them.

[S: I heard you took a year off and just came back?]

[S: Then why do I feel like you look so familiar?]

Shen Nianjing looked at the lit-up phone screen. His mind buzzed after seeing the content.

He slowly raised his left hand to prop up his head, forcefully blocking Su Zhiyan’s line of sight.

The phone buzzed again.

Shen Nianjing remained unmoved, propping his head up while seriously flipping through his book, his eyes bright and focused. Anyone who saw would praise his dedication.

However, page 105 was flipped back and forth, never moving on to the next page.

“Whoosh-”

At the teacher’s command, the classroom lights went out, and the curtains blocked out the daylight.

His vision suddenly darkened, making it impossible to see the silhouettes of people around.

The movie clips playing on the screen became the only light source in the dim space.

In the dimly lit space, vision was limited, the classroom completely quiet except for the young voice coming from the speakers.

Shen Nianjing suddenly couldn’t sense the presence of the person beside him.

Everything seemed frozen except for the film’s dialogue and background music continuously reaching his ears.

Did he leave?

Just as he was about to look up, a well-defined hand suddenly reached in front of him – pushing his phone before his eyes.

Slender white fingers lay across the black screen, reminiscent of their owner’s characteristically unyielding demeanor.

Shen Nianjing froze.

The hand was quite attractive.

It really would suit yellow crystal well.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Shen Nianjing shook his head frantically as if suddenly awakening, even slapping himself twice.

“Buzz-” The phone vibrated again.

The screen lit up under those well-defined fingers. The sea-blue lock screen made the hand appear even more coldly white.

Shen Nianjing looked down and saw the messages through the gaps between the fingers.

[S: Don’t you find me familiar too]

[S: ?]

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