“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Tao Qi’an looked completely confused.
“Apical growth suppresses the development of lateral buds,” Gao Lang suggested. “It’s biology. You can look it up on Baidu.”
Tao Qi’an actually opened Baidu and searched for it. Once he understood the meaning, confidence immediately surged through him.
“I used to think being short was a disadvantage. Turns out there are benefits after all.”
Yue Yu showed him no mercy.
“You can’t even grow taller yourself, let alone anything else. Girls probably don’t even want to hold your hand when they walk beside you.”
Tao Qi’an: “…”
Pouting, he said, “How can you be so sure Jiang Yu is well-developed?”
Shi Jing could not understand why a dorm dinner had somehow evolved into a discussion about Jiang Yu’s development.
Leaning back against his chair, Yue Yu curled his lips into a smile.
“Based on my years of experience judging men, there’s no way he’s lacking. Those legs, that waist…”
He clicked his tongue.
The gesture said more than words ever could.
Suddenly, Shi Jing spoke.
“He’s not. He’s short.”
The private room instantly fell into deathly silence.
The meatball Tao Qi’an had been holding with his chopsticks rolled across the table with a plop. His mouth fell open in shock.
Gao Lang looked no better than him.
Yue Yu lazily lifted a hand and played with the ends of his hair. His gaze drifted over with a meaningful look.
“How would you know? Do you know Jiang Yu?”
Before Shi Jing could answer, another question immediately followed.
“What’s your relationship with him?”
“Enemies,” Shi Jing replied, still sounding somewhat resentful when he thought about it.
Yue Yu raised an eyebrow. It was impossible to tell whether he believed him or not.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
“When you said he’s short, were you talking about duration or length?”
“…”
Shi Jing’s ears turned red.
It was his first time discussing a topic like this with anyone. But given the situation, he could only force himself to continue.
“Both.”
Meanwhile, back in the dormitory building—
The sun was setting in the west. Golden light streamed through the window, spilling across the floor and onto the young man standing by the window on a phone call.
The light outlined the edges of his features with effortless precision, making him seem almost unreal beneath the glow.
Suddenly, he sneezed.
The person on the other end immediately asked with concern,
“Caught a cold?”
“Probably,” Jiang Yu guessed. “I might have set the air conditioner too low last night.”
After chatting a little longer, he prepared to return to his dorm room.
Just then, the door opened from inside.
Chen Zhiyan had just finished showering. He was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and shorts.
Frowning unhappily, he asked,
“Why did you buy so many bags of lollipops?”
Part of him found them annoying. The other part found the situation bizarre.
He and Jiang Yu had practically grown up together. Jiang Yu had transferred away after a year of high school in their hometown, and they had not seen each other for several years.
Still, Chen Zhiyan understood Jiang Yu’s temperament fairly well.
The guy had never liked talking to people and hated sweets since childhood.
“You’re not seriously telling me that at your age you suddenly want to reconnect with your inner child and start eating lollipops?”
Jiang Yu could not even be bothered to answer.
Pulling over a chair, Chen Zhiyan sat down and crossed one leg over the other. He watched Jiang Yu pick up a bag of candy, tear it open, and take out two lollipops.
Immediately, Chen Zhiyan reached out.
“Grape flavor. I can tolerate that. I’ll help you out and take one.”
Jiang Yu looked at him.
The look in his eyes clearly asked:
What are you doing?
Chen Zhiyan’s hand froze midair.
“What? I can’t even eat one of your lollipops now?”
“These weren’t bought for you.”
Jiang Yu stood up and slipped the lollipops into the pocket of the jacket hanging on his wardrobe.
Chen Zhiyan gave him a strange look.
Then realization suddenly dawned on him.
“Do you have your eye on some cute little guy?”
Jiang Yu did not respond.
After dinner ended and the four members of Dorm 216 left the restaurant, they realized it was already dark outside.
Lanjing was the capital of China. Its prosperity far surpassed that of Canghe.
Towering skyscrapers rose into the night sky. Roads crisscrossed in every direction. Students filled the streets.
The evening breeze was cool and refreshing, clearing a little of Shi Jing’s drunken haze.
Only a little.
Gao Lang lived up to his name—sunny and outgoing.
Tao Qi’an was adorable and simple-minded, with beautiful handwriting.
Yue Yu was full of bad ideas, but he was excellent at keeping conversations lively.
The four of them got along surprisingly well.
The problem was that they had only just entered university and were all excited.
For some reason, they insisted on drinking alcohol to prove they were adults now.
Shi Jing cared deeply about his pride and reputation. After being provoked a few times by Tao Qi’an, he had grabbed a glass and started gulping down drinks one after another.
Leaning against a streetlamp, he looked over at Tao Qi’an, who was bent over a trash can vomiting his guts out.
Satisfied, Shi Jing nodded.
At least this guy looked worse than he did.
“I just don’t understand! Why break up? So what if she didn’t do well on the exams? I liked her because I liked her—not because of her grades!”
A furious shout suddenly exploded nearby.
Shi Jing’s heart jumped.
Turning around, he saw Gao Lang squatting beside a flower bed with a phone pressed to his ear.
His cheeks were flushed red.
At first glance, he looked fairly normal.
But Shi Jing could clearly see that the phone screen was lit up with the lock screen.
No one was on the call.
Shi Jing shook his head and slowly wandered over.
“Who… who are you talking to?”
Gao Lang’s eyes were red. He looked pitiful.
“My girlfriend… no, wait…”
“My ex-girlfriend.”
“So what?”
“Nothing.”
Suddenly, Shi Jing forgot why he had come over in the first place.
He stood up and looked around in alarm.
“Where am I?”
Yue Yu crossed his arms and watched the three drunken idiots making fools of themselves.
A vein twitched on his forehead.
What kind of sin had he committed to deserve this?
Fortunately, the restaurant was close to campus. The walk back was short.
Their dormitory area was in the South District, near the South Gate.
With great difficulty, Yue Yu managed to keep all three drunkards under control by himself.
By the time they finally reached the dormitory building, Shi Jing suddenly announced,
“I’m going to buy a lollipop.”
Yue Yu rubbed his aching temples.
“Do you even know your phone password right now?”
Of the three drunks, Shi Jing actually looked the most normal.
At the very least, he could still stand up straight.
Blinking, Shi Jing shook his head with complete confusion.
“Is that important?”
Meanwhile, Tao Qi’an and Gao Lang had already happily run toward the elevator.
Taking a deep breath, Yue Yu grabbed Tao Qi’an by the collar with one hand and caught Gao Lang by the back of his shirt with the other.
Then he turned toward Shi Jing.
“Can’t you skip the lollipop?”
Shi Jing was firm.
“No.”
Helpless, Yue Yu released one hand and dug a coin out of his pocket.
“Come here.”
He handed it over.
“I’ll give you fifty cents. Go buy a lollipop at the supermarket across the street. I’ll take these two upstairs first and come get you afterward.”
Just as Shi Jing accepted the coin, Yue Yu suddenly frowned and sucked in a sharp breath.
Turning his head, he met Tao Qi’an’s gaze.
The drunk fool had grabbed a handful of Yue Yu’s hair and tugged hard.
“Are you a boy or a girl?”
“I’m your mother!”
Yue Yu’s expression darkened.
He seized Tao Qi’an’s arm and shoved him straight into the elevator.
Tao Qi’an’s head slammed into the elevator wall.
He let out a miserable whimper.
Yue Yu released him and immediately reached up to inspect his hair.
His scalp throbbed painfully.
He had spent years growing that hair.
Hair oil, conditioner, countless hours of care—
He treasured it dearly.