As if sensing Pei Yisheng’s doubt and wariness, Song Wen narrowed his peach-blossom eyes and smiled like a cunning fox, though his words sounded quite serious.
“Actually, Professor Sun asked me to come take a look. She’s been a bit busy these past two days, but she’ll come to guide everyone’s rehearsal once she’s finished. She wanted to send a little token of her appreciation first, lest she be drowned in everyone’s complaints when she finally arrives.”
Professor Sun was the faculty leader in charge of large-scale events. She usually had a great relationship with the students, often joking and playing around with them. Upon hearing that it was Professor Sun’s arrangement, the hands reaching for the cupcakes moved a few beats faster.
Pei Yisheng looked at Song Wen suspiciously, not quite believing that things were so coincidental. He hadn’t heard of Song Wen having any role in this program; why was he acting on Professor Sun’s behalf to appease them?
If he were to say Song Wen came specifically to see him, that would be too conceited. Pei Yisheng shook his head inwardly; it was better to just accept Song Wen’s explanation.
Song Wen held a portion in his hand, specifically meant for Pei Yisheng. The flavors were ones he had meticulously requested. “Shengsheng, I brought this for you.”
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Pei Yisheng had no choice but to take it. Then, under Song Wen’s expectant gaze, he took a bite of the cupcake.
Song Wen asked impatiently, “How does it taste?”
“It’s good, not too sweet.” Pei Yisheng took another bite. The filling was soft and fragrant, and the cake itself was fluffy and delicious. It really was quite tasty.
Song Wen said with a grin, “My family’s chef made this. If it weren’t for the fact that I can never get the recipe proportions right, I would have made it for you myself.”
Pei Yisheng’s eyes widened. What kind of provocative nonsense was this? Was this something he should be saying to him?
“Song Wen, you really love to joke.” Pei Yisheng gave a fake smile. He didn’t want to cause himself any trouble. He had noticed just now that while everyone was eating cupcakes, they were also listening to their conversation and enjoying the gossip!
Song Wen, however, propped up his arm and tilted his head, his expression looking hurt and dejected. “But everything I said is true.”
True, my foot. If you really wanted to bake a cake, you just had to follow the instructions for the proportions and not try to be “creative” on a whim!
With so many master chefs at home, how could there not be a specialized pastry chef? If they arranged everything step-by-step for the young master, could the finished product possibly be bad? Whoever believed Song Wen’s words was an idiot.
Pei Yisheng chuckled dryly and stopped responding. If they kept talking, who knew what other wild claims Song Wen would make? Pei Yisheng still cared about his reputation.
Speaking of reputation, where was Fang Xin?
Hadn’t Song Wen been with Fang Xin lately?
The students watching the scene were even more interested in this question, but none of them had the courage to ask Song Wen directly. They wanted to find out indirectly from Pei Yisheng. As soon as Song Wen left, a group of people surrounded Pei Yisheng.
“Yisheng, what did Song Wen mean just now?”
Pei Yisheng knew Song Wen had brought him trouble. He looked innocent and in truth, he really was confused so his voice sounded particularly sincere. “I don’t know either. Maybe he’s just looking out for me as a roommate. He’s always been a smooth talker; I’m already used to it.”
The boys who had a crush on Song Wen curled their lips, not believing him at all, and even felt that Pei Yisheng was being a “Green Tea” (manipulative). The girls, on the other hand, exchanged looks after a moment of silence, conveying some very significant unspoken thoughts.
Pei Yisheng couldn’t satisfy everyone. Fortunately, the break wasn’t long, and everyone was serious about the rehearsal, so the interlude passed.
Unexpectedly, an argument broke out on the school forum that evening.
Someone had posted about Song Wen coming to watch the rehearsal and bringing food and drinks. The post went on and on about how great Song Wen was, how delicious the food was, and whose “light” they were basking in to get such treats.
They told “that person” to be careful, lest their “home be stolen.”
Although Pei Yisheng’s name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, he was referred to as “the roommate” throughout. And while Fang Xin’s name wasn’t mentioned either, everyone knew who “that person” was.
“This is clearly trying to stir up trouble,” Pei Yisheng said to Su Yiyi after reading the post. “I hope Fang Xin doesn’t see it; the comments are malicious.”
Su Yiyi laughed. “It’s the same for you.”
Pei Yisheng fell silent.
He didn’t know if Fang Xin had seen it, but at least he hadn’t come to confront Pei Yisheng. Rehearsals and studying took up all of his extracurricular time. His part-time job at the bar had stopped long ago, though Cao Qing had called him several times.
That guy kept implying that he shouldn’t be abandoned, telling Pei Yisheng to let him know which bar he moved to so he could follow him there to hang out.
A “nutter” almost escaped Pei Yisheng’s lips.
Work at Meng Zihua’s studio had also been paused. He squeezed out time once a week; if there was work, they would focus on shooting, and if not, they would just gather materials at the studio. The accounts on various platforms were all waiting for updates.
If it weren’t for Pei Yisheng’s unwillingness to reveal his true personal information, just filming his daily life would have been enough for updates.
He felt quite bad about it. The senior had helped him so much, yet he still couldn’t balance his studies and work well.
After learning about his conflict, Meng Zihua comforted him. “These are small things. I definitely won’t let good job opportunities pass by, but others are optional. Getting your GPA is the big thing; that’s not an opportunity you can just get whenever you want. In life, focus on the big things and let go of the small ones. Your choice isn’t wrong at all.”
Pei Yisheng nodded obediently.
When Qin Zhou came out of the bathroom, this was the scene he saw.
A clearly tall and long-legged boy who preferred to huddle in his chair, legs pulled up together in front of him. When he talked on the phone, his voice was low and his laughter was small teasing like a little hook.
His gaze fell on the legs Pei Yisheng was hugging; they were fair and smooth, with high Achilles tendons and slender ankles. When standing, he had beautiful leg lines, but while sitting huddled up, they looked quite soft.
Pei Yisheng’s pajamas were made of pure cotton, seemingly worn for several years; they were loose and baggy, with the pant legs sliding up to the base of his thighs, revealing a sliver of his boxers.
It seemed impolite to keep looking, so he shifted his gaze upward. Over the past half-week, Pei Yisheng’s finger had long since healed. His fingers were rounded and full; the way he held his phone was prettier than a hand model’s.
With another person in the dorm, Pei Yisheng felt a bit uncomfortable talking on the phone, so he ended the call after a few more sentences. He turned to look at Qin Zhou, a bit of awkwardness in his voice as he looked for something to say. “Staying here tonight?”
“Yeah.” Qin Zhou was a man of few words. After a moment, realizing Pei Yisheng had stopped talking, he added, “Classes are quite concentrated these few days. It’s more convenient to stay here.”
“Yeah, true. Even if you drive, staying in the dorm saves ten minutes,” Pei Yisheng replied.
Qin Zhou glanced at him, a sudden competitive streak flaring up. “I can get to the classroom in five minutes.”
“Impressive. But driving too fast isn’t safe; there are a lot of people at school.”
Qin Zhou wanted to say his driving skills were excellent and there wouldn’t be any problems, but then he felt there was no need to explain in such detail. Pei Yisheng was probably just being polite.
“Yeah. I’ll slow down in school from now on.”
In reality, the school had speed limits, but Qin Zhou just hadn’t cared.
Pei Yisheng smiled, thinking that Qin Zhou was actually quite easy to talk to.
If Lin Jiahu had been there and heard Qin Zhou say such a thing, his eyes would have popped out. When had this guy ever prioritized “safety” while driving? If the gas pedal wasn’t floored and there was no push-back into the seat during acceleration, the drive was considered wasted.
Over the next few days, Qin Zhou was indeed in the dorm. Pei Yisheng grew more and more accustomed to his presence. For some reason, Qin Zhou made him feel more comfortable than Song Wen or Wen Xiuyun did.
Perhaps it was because he had seen Qin Zhou step up for justice.
Every road in the school was now lit with streetlights. Cao Qing had also turned over a new leaf. He didn’t know much about the girl, but not paying attention and not touching the subject letting the event be forgotten in the long river of memory might be the best way to handle it.
He still remembered Qin Zhou’s hands after the fight; the knuckles were slightly grazed, full of power and providing a complete sense of security.
Unlike his own fingers, which became red and swollen just from being wrapped in a hairband a few times.
Thinking of this, Pei Yisheng planned to bring back some late-night snacks for Qin Zhou after rehearsal.
Compared to him, Qin Zhou was a night owl. He had no idea when he actually went to sleep. Two days ago when he got up in the middle of the night, Qin Zhou was still playing games.
He had groggily asked Qin Zhou why he wasn’t asleep yet, just out of politeness. He didn’t expect Qin Zhou to simply say “going to sleep” and immediately turn off his phone. The only light source in the dorm disappeared, and Pei Yisheng stood stunned for two seconds before groping his way back to bed.
He wanted to ask Qin Zhou if logging off the game directly would get him reported for being AFK, but seeing that Qin Zhou had already settled down as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he swallowed his words.
Going AFK once probably wasn’t a big deal.
Pei Yisheng, wrapped in a fluffy scarf, picked out his favorite Oden from a steaming hot pot. He wanted meatballs, kelp sprouts, fish cakes, radish…
He took a large box and bought two rice balls before heading back to the dorm.
“I’m back!” Pei Yisheng said naturally as he opened the door, handing the things over for the other person to take while he unwound his scarf and hung it up.
Wen Xiuyun looked down at the items Pei Yisheng had brought back and sneered inwardly.
He had mistakenly thought that if Pei Yisheng lived in the dorm alone, he would realize how good he was, come back to find him, and apologize for his mistakes. At that point, he would naturally forgive him generously and find an opportunity to take things further with him.
Look at this he had only been away for a few days, and Pei Yisheng was already almost “trained” into the other person’s mold!
After unwrapping his scarf, Pei Yisheng felt something was wrong. If Qin Zhou were here, he should have spoken to him by now. He turned around and saw Wen Xiuyun with a dark, brooding face, and was startled.
Wen Xiuyun looked up at him and asked like a malevolent ghost, “Shengsheng, who were you talking to just now?”
“To put it another way, who is the person who has been living and staying in this dorm with you?”
Pei Yisheng: “…”
“It’s just someone from the dorm. No outsiders have come.”
“Song Wen?” Wen Xiuyun observed Pei Yisheng’s expression. Seeing him remain calm, he said with certainty, “Qin Zhou.”
He knew Song Wen was being pestered by Fang Xin and couldn’t possibly come to the dorm. So his “home” had been “stolen” by Qin Zhou.
“Pei Yisheng, you think Song Wen and I are no good, but is Qin Zhou any better?”
“It’s not like you haven’t been in the social circle; you know exactly what kind of reputation Qin Zhou has. Is getting mixed up with him really better than being with me or Song Wen?”
Wen Xiuyun finally stopped acting like a “slow-boiled frog.” “Shengsheng, I am more devoted than Song Wen and more emotionally stable than Qin Zhou. Even if you’re considering someone, it should be me. What do they even count for?”
Wen Xiuyun was ruthlessly tearing down the others.
Alarms blared wildly in Pei Yisheng’s head.
Save me, save me! Why is the plot different now?!