After the elevator went up, Shi Jing stood outside the elevator doors, clutching the coin in a daze.
The alcohol had gone to his head. He only remembered that he wanted to buy candy, but he had no idea where he was supposed to buy it.
The dormitory building was quiet, with only the occasional person coming in from outside.
He held that coin in his palm for a full five minutes before finally moving.
Walking over to the elevator, he pressed the button.
A few seconds later, the elevator arrived.
He stepped inside and stood in a corner of the car.
The elevator remained motionless.
Just as Shi Jing was wondering why, it suddenly started moving.
First floor. Second floor. Third floor.
Ding.
A crisp notification sounded, and the elevator doors slid open.
The doors slowly parted to either side.
Someone was standing outside.
The person wore a baseball cap and a mask, dressed in a white sun-protection jacket and a pair of jeans.
The outfit was simple and low-key, but his figure and temperament were so outstanding that it was impossible not to notice him.
He was holding a phone to his ear while talking to someone.
A section of his wrist was exposed beneath the sleeve of the jacket—cold, pale, and slender. Under the bright white lighting of the elevator, the faint blue veins beneath his skin were impossible to hide.
“Shi Jing?”
The young man’s voice was low, sounding surprised.
“What are you doing here?”
Shi Jing did not respond.
Jiang Yu looked at him more closely.
Normally, whenever they happened to run into each other, Shi Jing would at least throw a few sarcastic remarks his way instead of ignoring him completely.
His gaze settled on the boy’s flushed cheeks.
The corners of his eyes, usually rounded and soft, were tinged with red.
There was a faint watery sheen in his eyes.
The next second, Jiang Yu caught the faint smell of alcohol.
His brows furrowed.
“You’ve been drinking?”
Shi Jing still said nothing.
A few seconds later, he stepped out of the elevator.
Perhaps because the person in front of him seemed familiar, he opened his palm.
Jiang Yu looked down.
There was a coin in it.
Fifty cents.
Shi Jing kept a straight face and said coldly,
“Buy a lollipop.”
Was he being mistaken for a convenience store owner?
Jiang Yu stuffed his phone into his jeans pocket, grabbed Shi Jing by the wrist, and led him back to his own dormitory.
Fortunately, Chen Zhiyan was not around.
The dorm was silent.
Summer temperatures were high, and candy melted easily, so the lollipops had been stored in the refrigerator.
Jiang Yu walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
With both hands in his pockets and a cool expression on his face, Shi Jing hurried after him.
Jiang Yu took out a grape-flavored lollipop.
Turning around and closing the refrigerator door, he looked at Shi Jing.
Noticing his gaze, Shi Jing unconsciously pulled his hands out of his pockets.
Objectively speaking, Shi Jing had a very likable baby-faced appearance.
Now that he was drunk, his features looked even softer.
His dark eyes were coated with a thin layer of moisture, making anyone who saw him want to protect him.
Jiang Yu unwrapped the candy.
His voice unconsciously softened and slowed, becoming unusually gentle.
“Open your mouth.”
Drunk and unusually obedient, Shi Jing parted his lips.
Jiang Yu carefully slipped the lollipop into his mouth.
A strong grape flavor immediately spread across Shi Jing’s tongue.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu’s gaze lingered on his lips.
Just now, when Shi Jing had opened his mouth—
His teeth had been neat and white.
The glimpse of a soft, rosy tongue…
Jiang Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Forcing himself to lower his eyes, he stopped looking.
The next moment, a damp lollipop was pressed against his lips.
Jiang Yu froze.
His long black lashes trembled slightly as he looked up.
Shi Jing pressed his lips together and said,
“You should have some too.”
Jiang Yu’s lips were naturally thin and sharply shaped, their color usually pale.
Now, after being brushed back and forth by the lollipop, they carried a subtle sheen.
If someone photographed him like this and posted it online, Jiang Yu’s legion of appearance-focused fans would probably turn into screaming fangirls again.
Unfortunately, Shi Jing had no appreciation for such things.
He only cared about the candy.
Licking the corner of his mouth, he was clearly reluctant to part with the lollipop, yet still wanted to share it with the person in front of him.
So he could only painfully sacrifice it.
Taking a step back, Jiang Yu asked,
“Shi Jing, who am I?”
“Jiang Yu.”
The answer came instantly.
Without even a second of hesitation.
Then he added,
“You bastard.”
“…”
Because he had answered correctly, Shi Jing was rewarded with another strawberry-flavored lollipop.
While sucking on the candy, he kept glancing at Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu sat on the living room sofa, talking to Chen Zhiyan on the phone.
“Don’t come back tonight.”
He had originally planned to go out, but because of a certain drunkard, he had to cancel those plans.
He had already taken off the sun-protection jacket.
Underneath was a black T-shirt.
Leaning forward slightly, his slim figure looked both lean and unexpectedly attractive.
Chen Zhiyan was stunned by Jiang Yu’s shamelessness.
“…Who are you to tell me what to do?”
Jiang Yu replied,
“The new season just released two skins…”
Chen Zhiyan immediately changed his tune.
“I’ll sleep at my own place tonight.”
After ending the call, Shi Jing shuffled over.
He sniffed the air.
“Grape flavor.”
Then he asked,
“Can I have it?”
Even though he already had a lollipop in his mouth, he still wanted the one Jiang Yu was eating.
“No.”
Jiang Yu pushed his head away.
With the lollipop stick between his teeth, he spoke vaguely.
“You gave it to me. You can’t ask for it back now.”
Meanwhile…
After safely escorting Gao Lang and Tao Qi’an back to the dormitory, Yue Yu immediately ran across the street to the supermarket to look for Shi Jing.
He searched for quite a while without finding him.
A full-grown person couldn’t just disappear inside the university, right?
Had he run off with some beautiful crush?
Sweat appeared on Yue Yu’s forehead from worry.
Fortunately, he had Shi Jing’s WeChat.
He placed a voice call.
The ringtone sounded once before the call connected.
“Where are you?”
The voice that answered was not Shi Jing’s.
Instead, a low, captivating male voice spoke.
“Are you his roommate?”
Instinctively, Yue Yu replied,
“I am.”
“He’ll stay at my place tonight. He can go back tomorrow after he sobers up.”
“Alright.”
The words left Yue Yu’s mouth before he realized something was wrong.
The man’s tone had been far too natural.
Yue Yu immediately corrected himself.
“Wait. What exactly is your relationship with Shi Jing?”
At the very least, he had to ensure his new roommate’s safety.
The other side fell silent for a moment.
“I’m Jiang Yu. We used to be classmates.”
Yue Yu froze once again.
Weren’t they supposed to be unfamiliar with each other?
When Shi Jing opened his eyes, his head still hurt a little.
Heavy blackout curtains blocked the light, leaving the room pitch-black.
He could not even tell what time it was.
The last thing he remembered was Gao Lang squatting beside the road making a phone call.
Strange.
Had he made it back to the dorm?
But the bed beneath him felt absurdly large…
His phone was beside his pillow.
Picking it up, he checked the time.
10:05 a.m.
Climbing out of bed, he discovered a pair of slippers thoughtfully placed below it.
There was even a cup of honey water on the bedside table.
Pulling open the thick curtains, brilliant sunlight flooded into the room.
Shi Jing instinctively shut his eyes.
When they adjusted to the brightness, a grove of white birch trees came into view.
The balcony of his dormitory also faced a birch grove.
Judging by that, he really had returned to the dorm area.
Footsteps sounded outside, drawing closer.
The bedroom door opened.
The young man standing outside looked slightly tired.
He carried a plastic bag containing two steamed buns and a cup of millet porridge.
Their eyes met.
Shi Jing reacted as though he had seen a ghost.
He immediately jumped back onto the bed.
“Why are you here?”
Walking inside, Jiang Yu set the breakfast on the desk.
“Because this is my dormitory.”
Shi Jing: “…”
Turning his head, he surveyed the room.
It was fairly tidy.
A stylish bookshelf stood in one corner, filled with books and various discs.
A laptop sat on the desk, beside an open book.
Most eye-catching of all was the enormous wardrobe at the foot of the bed.
“Is this really a dormitory?” Shi Jing asked. “Are you sure this isn’t your house?”
“If this were really my house,” Jiang Yu replied, “I’d at least knock down one wall. The room is too small.”
Shi Jing: “…”
How had he never known Jiang Yu was this ridiculous?
“Eat.”
Jiang Yu switched off the air conditioner and opened the window, letting the natural breeze flow in.
Sitting on a small stool, Shi Jing stubbornly continued questioning him.
“Why am I here?”
Before Jiang Yu could answer, he added,
“Did you do something to me last night?”
The obedient, soft-tempered Shi Jing from the previous night had already expired.
“Why are you here?” Jiang Yu repeated calmly. “That’s a question you should ask yourself.”
“Myself?” Shi Jing sneered. “I was drunk last night. How would I know?”
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Keeping his jaw tight, Jiang Yu said,
“Last night I was about to go out. When the elevator doors opened, you were standing inside, completely drunk. I didn’t know which dorm you lived in, so I kindly brought you here.”
After explaining, he leaned against the wall and said coldly,
“The one who should be questioning someone is me.”
Shi Jing frowned.
“What do you want to question?”
Jiang Yu looked at him.
“Are you secretly in love with me?”