After returning to the dorm, Yue Yu was sitting on his bed in shorts, applying body lotion.
A faint wintersweet fragrance filled the dorm.
“Did you have fun today?” someone asked.
Gao Lang said, “Pretty fun.”
Tao Qi’an said, “Not fun.”
Shi Jing: “……”
Gao Lang looked at Tao Qi’an in confusion. “Weren’t you pretty wild today?”
Tao Qi’an stared sorrowfully at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle. “My crush didn’t reply to my messages on the way back to school.”
Shi Jing took his earphones and went to the balcony.
When Qin Yu answered the call, he was running on the track, drenched in sweat.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Shi Jing described everything that had happened on the bus.
“Tell me,” he said, “what does he mean by that?”
Qin Yu wiped his sweat with a towel while walking back toward the dorm building.
“Hmm…” he thought for a moment. “Does Jiang Yu want to repair your relationship? Like… be friends?”
Shi Jing nervously bit his fingernail. “Actually…”
He took a deep breath. “I think so too.”
Qin Yu nodded, then remembered Shi Jing couldn’t see him. “So what do you think?”
“I…” Shi Jing got stuck again. “I’m not a heartless person. If he really wants to be friends with me, it’s not impossible. He just has to apologize and treat me to a meal.”
Qin Yu: “Apologize for what? He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Shi Jing went silent.
Qin Yu wasn’t wrong either. Jiang Yu hadn’t actually done anything wrong—he had earned first place through ability.
If anything, Shi Jing had just taken out his frustration on him.
“You’re right,” Shi Jing said after a pause. “Then I’ll treat him to a meal.”
He was someone who responded better to softness than force. Since entering university, Jiang Yu had actually treated him quite well—he had even endured letting him lean on his shoulder all night.
It really was appropriate to treat him to a meal.
Half an hour later, after showering, Shi Jing came out.
The other three were chatting, while he sat cross-legged on his bed.
He stared at his chat window with Jiang Yu with a serious expression, like he was solving a difficult math problem.
Finally, he took a deep breath and sent the message he had rewritten several times.
—【Are you free tomorrow at noon? I’ll treat you to a meal.】
After sending it, he had just finished inhaling and exhaling once when the reply came back.
—【Yes.】
Chen Zhiyan had gone to film a show, so Jiang Yu was alone in the dorm.
He walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a bottle of low-alcohol fruit wine.
It was cold. He drank half the bottle before the warmth in his body subsided.
He returned to the sofa and forwarded a screenshot of Shi Jing’s message to a group chat.
The group had twenty to thirty people and was always lively.
【What’s up? Another little beauty inviting you out?】
【Use your brain. If it were a beauty, would Jiang Yu post it here?】
【Wait… could it be Shi Jing?】
The moment “Shi Jing” appeared, everyone who had been lurking instantly jumped in.
【?】
【??】
【???】
Facing the flood of question marks, Jiang Yu curled his lips slightly and replied slowly with one word.
【Yeah.】
It was like cold water poured into boiling oil—instant explosion.
【Nice, Jiang Dog. Finally seeing light after all the darkness.】
【Congratulations 9999999】
【Bro, I’ll bring two cases.】
【Slow cooking really works.】
Even Chen Zhiyan, still on set, chimed in:
【Don’t forget my breakup meal.】
Jiang Yu replied:
【Easy.】
The next day.
Near noon, Shi Jing stood in front of his wardrobe choosing clothes.
His closet was full of black, white, and gray—various jeans, sweatpants, T-shirts, and hoodies.
Today, Yue Yu unusually stayed in the dorm and turned to look at him lazily.
“Who are you going out to eat with?”
“……A friend,” Shi Jing said.
Tao Qi’an squinted at him. “Just a friend? Why are you blushing?”
“Shut up!” Shi Jing snapped in embarrassment.
He randomly grabbed a T-shirt and sweatpants, went into the bathroom to change, then shuffled out wearing slippers and left the dorm.
The other three exchanged looks.
Tao Qi’an looked innocent. “What did I do this time?”
Gao Lang shook his head. “No idea.”
Yue Yu smiled. “This kid’s just thin-skinned. Give him some dignity next time you talk.”
Three to four minutes after waiting downstairs, Jiang Yu came out of the dorm building.
A white sleeveless T-shirt with black pants—simple, but it still made people unable to look away.
Shi Jing glanced at him a few times and felt like he was especially good-looking today.
“You… why aren’t you wearing a mask?” he asked.
“Why would I?” Jiang Yu replied.
Shi Jing reminded him tactfully. “Aren’t you kind of famous? What if some excited fans rush over…”
Jiang Yu smiled faintly.
A small dimple appeared at the corner of his lips, softening a face that was usually sharp and aggressive.
“I’m not going to be a celebrity anyway. Once the hype from that suspense drama dies down, people will forget me.”
“Oh.” Shi Jing nodded.
Jiang Yu looked him over. “Where are we eating?”
“I checked Meituan last night. There’s a place that sells dry-pot bullfrog—it’s pretty good.”
“Let’s go then,” Jiang Yu said indulgently.
The restaurant was indeed good—crispy, fragrant, and flavorful.
And Shi Jing also realized something: having Jiang Yu as a friend didn’t seem bad at all.
After all, he kept picking dishes for him and handing him tissues.
Look at him—so gentle.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Yu wiped his mouth and asked, “Why did you suddenly treat me to a meal?”
Shi Jing patted his round stomach.
“I…”
He hesitated for a long time.
“Recently you’ve been pretty nice to me, so I thought you…”
Jiang Yu’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. “I what?”
“Do you want to be friends with me?”
“……”
“No.”
The answer came out instantly, without any thought.
Shi Jing’s hand froze mid-pat.
He hadn’t expected a negative answer at all.
The happy mood from earlier disappeared instantly.
He leaned back slowly, resting against the chair, and curled his lips into a forced smile.
“Oh.”
Jiang Yu immediately noticed that his mood had dropped, but he couldn’t quite figure out why.