The room fell silent for several seconds.
Then came a loud thud.
Shi Jing rolled right off the bed.
Half-kneeling on the carpet, he remained motionless.
He had clearly been scared stupid.
Shock was written all over his fair face. His lips were slightly parted, and even his eyes had widened into perfect circles.
After several seconds of stunned silence, Shi Jing finally found his voice.
“Only a dog would secretly like you! Can you be any more narcissistic?”
Jiang Yu pressed his lips into a straight line and did not respond.
His eyes lowered, concealing whatever emotions lay within them.
He stood there for a second or two before saying,
“Eat breakfast.”
Not receiving the sarcastic retort he had expected, Shi Jing gave him a strange look.
“Has our relationship really reached this level?”
Jiang Yu replied indifferently,
“I’m simply exercising humanitarian concern and treating you to breakfast.”
“I need to go back to my dorm and brush my teeth first.”
Shi Jing no longer cared whether the excuse sounded terrible.
“I can eat at the cafeteria by myself.”
Jiang Yu said nothing further.
Shi Jing immediately ran off.
More importantly, goosebumps had erupted all over his body.
The moment Jiang Yu had asked, “Are you secretly in love with me?” his brain had gone completely blank.
It was like the chain on a bicycle had suddenly snapped.
Every reaction system had shut down.
That sentence had been way too creepy.
That bastard Jiang Yu!!!
After returning to the dormitory, Shi Jing found all three of his roommates present.
Tao Qi’an was lying on his bed, looking slightly pale.
Wrapped in a thin blanket, he weakly greeted him.
“How was the luxury dorm on the third floor?”
Shi Jing’s face was still dark.
“What luxury dorm?”
Gao Lang sat in a chair below and appeared to be in fairly good condition. He hadn’t drunk much the previous night.
“Our floor is entirely four-person rooms. The third and fourth floors are double rooms with two private bedrooms connected by a living room and kitchen. That’s why everyone calls them the luxury dorms.”
Shi Jing recalled what he had seen upstairs.
His expression blanked for a moment.
“Why?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing.” Gao Lang shrugged. “But all the students up there are from the arts departments.”
He paused before adding,
“The Jiang Yu we mentioned last night lives there. Actually, I almost forgot—you spent the night in his dorm, so you definitely know already.”
Yue Yu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Then Chen Zhiyan should be there too.”
“Chen Zhiyan?”
For some reason, the name sounded familiar to Shi Jing.
He felt like he had heard it somewhere before.
“Who’s that?”
“A pretty-boy idol!”
Tao Qi’an suddenly sat upright from what looked like his deathbed and declared energetically.
“Chen Zhiyan is a pretty famous idol. He’s an incredible dancer. He used to be in a boy group, but now he’s gone solo.”
After explaining, Yue Yu looked at Tao Qi’an.
“What did he ever do to you?”
Tao Qi’an shook his head dramatically.
“Because my crush is his fan! Damn it, even her profile picture is his selfie.”
Yue Yu stared at him with a complicated expression.
“…You have a crush? A guy or a girl?”
“Obviously a girl!”
Tao Qi’an exploded.
“I’m super straight, okay?!”
Gao Lang guessed,
“A high school classmate?”
“No.”
“Then don’t tell me she’s from our university?”
Tao Qi’an became shy.
His cheeks turned slightly red.
“Yeah.”
“Damn, impressive.” Gao Lang leaned forward. “How did you meet?”
Tao Qi’an replied quietly,
“…Through gaming.”
“…”
Yue Yu asked,
“Have you met in person?”
“…”
Tao Qi’an stopped talking.
He lowered his head and fell into contemplation.
Unfortunately, the moment he looked down, the three people below all looked up at him simultaneously.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Forced into answering, he said,
“No.”
“…”
Room 216 sank into silence once again.
Shi Jing summed it up succinctly.
“Nice.”
In a university dormitory, the end of one topic simply marked the beginning of another.
“Student Shi Jing,” Yue Yu said, crossing his arms. “Didn’t you say you weren’t familiar with Jiang Yu?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tao Qi’an chimed in. “You even spent the night in his dorm. You guys must be really close.”
For a moment, Shi Jing didn’t know how to respond.
He found it strange too.
Given their relationship, why had Jiang Yu kept him there?
And even let him sleep in his bed.
If the situation had been reversed, Shi Jing would have kicked him out without hesitation.
…
Well.
If Jiang Yu had been so drunk that he genuinely couldn’t walk, Shi Jing probably would have shown some mercy and let him stay.
But sleeping on the floor would have been non-negotiable.
…
After chatting for a while, Shi Jing brushed his teeth.
His head still felt slightly dizzy, so he climbed back onto his bed and lay down.
Opening WeChat, he checked whether anyone had messaged him the previous night.
There wasn’t a single message.
He pondered this for a moment.
Once again, he gained a crystal-clear understanding of how terrible his popularity was.
The only new discovery was a phone call in his chat history with Yue Yu.
“You called me last night?”
Yue Yu nodded.
“You said you wanted to buy candy. I couldn’t find you at the supermarket.”
Shi Jing paused.
“Was I the one who answered?”
Seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, Yue Yu mercilessly shook his head.
“No.”
Since it hadn’t been him, the identity of the person who answered was obvious.
Shi Jing immediately became as quiet as a chicken.
That evening, they held their class meeting.
The classroom was on the second floor.
Chemistry Class One had a total of thirty-five students.
There were more boys than girls, though there were still quite a few girls.
Most people came with their roommates and naturally sat together.
Shi Jing sat alone in the second row by the window.
The academic counselor had not arrived yet.
Students who already knew one another chatted quietly among themselves.
Bored, Shi Jing scrolled through his phone.
Just then, he saw a message from Qin Yu.
Qin Yu: 【Have you gotten familiar with the people in your class?】
Shi Jing: 【No.】
A few seconds later, he added:
【Doesn’t matter.】
“Have you guys seen Jiang Yu yet?”
“No! Who was it that said we’d be able to catch up with Jiang Yu after getting into Lanjing University? I want to formally report them for fraud.”
“I saw him, guys.”
“When?!”
“This morning.”
“So handsome.”
Several girls seated behind him were chatting quietly.
His phone vibrated again.
Another message from Qin Yu arrived.
Qin Yu: 【Do you know who tomorrow’s freshman representative is at the opening ceremony?】
Shi Jing’s eyelid twitched.
Shi Jing: 【Who?】
Qin Yu: 【Who else? Our little Genius—Jiang Yu!】
“The guy’s legs are so long and straight. He’s so handsome I almost couldn’t stop myself from calling him husband!”
“Jiang Yu is ridiculously handsome! He’s absolutely Lanjing University’s campus heartthrob!”
Shi Jing: “…”
Why was Jiang Yu’s damned name everywhere?
He locked his phone and tossed it onto the desk.
He accidentally used too much force.
The noise was fairly loud.
The girls behind him, who had been enthusiastically discussing Jiang Yu’s attractiveness, instantly fell silent.
Crossing his arms, Shi Jing thought:
Finally stopped. So noisy.
One second later, he turned around.
“Sorry for interrupting. Please continue.”
All three girls froze.
The girl in the middle stammered,
“I-it’s okay.”
Shi Jing turned back around.
After that, the three girls remained completely silent.
Not a single word was spoken.
Absentmindedly tapping on his screen, Shi Jing repeatedly wondered whether he had spoken too harshly or looked too unfriendly.
Why had they stopped talking altogether?
What he didn’t know was that the three girls were frantically typing messages.
Their group chat was exploding.
Only the main character had changed from Jiang Yu to him.
【OMG, our class actually has someone this gorgeous… I think my chance has finally come.】
【OH MY GOD, he’s so cute! My girlish heart is about to explode!】
【I’ve studied diligently and worked hard for over ten years. This is exactly what all that effort was for. I deserve this.】
…
A few minutes later, the academic counselor arrived.
She was a young woman who looked only a few years older than the students.
She wore a floral dress and had an approachable appearance.
First, she introduced the university.
Then she went over the school rules and regulations.
Finally, they reached the main event of the evening.
“Everyone here comes from different places and backgrounds, so it’s important to get along well with one another.”
The counselor tapped the podium.
“And the foundation of getting along is getting to know each other. So let’s go one by one and do a self-introduction in front of the class.”