Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lu Zhao no longer dared to look at Hu Chengyu’s expression, afraid that Hu Chengyu’s anger would affect him.

Hu Chengyu looked at Shen Yan with dark eyes.

Perhaps due to drinking warm water while taking his medicine, his usually pale lips had a slight red tinge.

His skin was extremely fair, especially since Hu Chengyu had dressed him in a pure black T-shirt.

The stark visual contrast drew everyone’s gaze.

The collar was a bit loose, draping over his shoulders, revealing a patch of skin on his slender neck. His collarbones were particularly attractive.

Shen Yan felt somewhat uneasy under Hu Chengyu’s gaze.

The atmosphere in the dorm was suffocating, making it hard to breathe. Just as Lu Zhao was about to speak to ease the tension, Hu Chengyu suddenly said, “Fine, the receipt is on the table.”

After speaking indifferently, his gaze fell on Shen Yan’s slightly relieved expression.

Although Shen Yan still lacked strength, he could definitely return to the neighboring dorm by mustering his remaining strength.

After getting the receipt and bidding farewell to Lu Zhao, he opened the door and left.

But just as he took a half-step out, he heard Hu Chengyu say, “Take the trash out.”

Lu Zhao’s wide eyes looked at his brother, his body turned sideways as he frantically blinked at Hu Chengyu: What are you doing? Can’t you see Shen Yan is having trouble walking?

Hu Chengyu ignored him.

However, Shen Yan apologized politely, “Sorry, that was my fault.”

He had been so focused on keeping his distance from Hu Chengyu that he had forgotten to take out the trash.

His movements were slow but meticulous.

Hu Chengyu glanced at Lu Zhao and stated, “The person I was talking about is you.”

Lu Zhao looked surprised, looking at Shen Yan and then back at Hu Chengyu, his mouth slightly open, “I, I…”

Hu Chengyu didn’t give him a chance to finish, “Do you have the heart to make your ‘pretty brother’ do the work?”

Lu Zhao inwardly swore that his brother had definitely emphasized the word ‘your.’

Shen Yan, who was standing nearby, was also stunned, pre—pretty brother?

In a daze, Shen Yan left Hu Chengyu’s dorm. Standing in front of Dorm 202, unable to find his key, he only then realized that the clothes he was wearing didn’t fit him at all.

A faint woody scent lingered around his nose.

Thump! Thump!

Realizing whose clothes he was wearing, Shen Yan’s heartbeat quickened.

His ears also felt hot.

He quickly fanned himself with his hand, trying to cool down.

The sound of his heartbeat was bothering him.

His other hand formed a loose fist and pounded twice: "What are you beating for? It’s not the first time I’ve worn his clothes..."

Shen Yan took two deep breaths, ensuring he was calm, before knocking on the door next door.

The door opened quickly. Shen Yan was momentarily dazed. Was Hu Chengyu standing behind the door?

Shen Yan: "The... dorm key..."

Hu Chengyu looked at him with a cold expression. "I don’t have the key."

After throwing out the trash and humming a tune, Lu Zhao returned. Seeing them standing there, he found it odd. "Why are both of you standing here?"

Only Hu Chengyu and Lu Zhao had been cleaning. It didn’t take much to infer who had the key.

"Brother Lu Zhao, the dorm key..."

Lu Zhao seemed to remember something, his expression turning peculiar. No one knew him better than Hu Chengyu.

"The key is locked inside?"

Lu Zhao nodded stiffly.

He had been the last to leave Shen Yan's dorm and, in his haste, had closed the door without thinking about the key.

Lu Zhao chuckled. "These are double rooms. Maybe your roommate will come tomorrow."

Shen Yan’s pupils widened, and his voice rose involuntarily. "No way!"

Hu Chengyu glanced at him coolly.

Lu Zhao belatedly realized that Shen Yan had been avoiding his brother like the plague. What was he saying?

The silence was awkwardly tense.

Shen Yan: "I’ll stay at a nearby hotel for the night."

Just as he was about to leave, an arm suddenly appeared in front of him.

Tanned skin, with smooth and well-defined muscle lines.

Shen Yan knew the strength that lay beneath those muscles.

Before he could touch the other man, his body moved faster than his mind, and he stepped back.

Hu Chengyu glanced at him, then said to Lu Zhao. "Go find the manager and get the spare key."

"Ah, yes, yes, the manager has a spare key." Lu Zhao tapped his head. "How did I forget? Yan Yan, you don’t need to go to a hotel. Wait here. I’ll get the key for you."

After the flustered Lu Zhao departed, the atmosphere in the corridor returned to its previous dullness.

Shen Yan’s gaze was clear yet cold, helpless as he looked at Hu Chengyu. "I..."

Hu Chengyu: "If there’s nothing else, I’ll head inside."

Without waiting for Shen Yan to respond, the door slammed shut with a bang.

Shen Yan felt that Hu Chengyu seemed angry?

Was it because she had disturbed him by knocking on the door?

After a minor setback, Shen Yan finally entered her own dormitory.

The layout was the same as Hu Chengyu’s dormitory.

Shen Yan sat in the chair, lost in thought. This was clearly a grad student dormitory. She wondered if she had been assigned here because of Shu Qianfei or Shen Shubai.

It was probably Shu Qianfei, wasn’t it?

Shen Yan lowered her eyes and looked at the oversized T-shirt she was wearing, and softly sighed.

She found her phone in her backpack, and after sending a message to Shu Qianfei to make sure she wasn’t disturbing her work, she made the call.

"Mom, I..."

"Yan Yan, is your health okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Mom, I wanted to..."

"I'm glad to hear that. Old Wang told me you gave him the day off. I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle things. Is Dad... Never mind. I specially asked a friend to assign you to a quieter dormitory.

"If you're not comfortable living there, call Old Wang. You can come home.

"Maybe it’s better if you come home. I’m really worried about your health."

Shu Qianfei's speech was a bit fast, and Shen Yan struggled to find a chance to speak. "Mom, have you been drinking?"

There was a moment of silence before Shu Qianfei's voice came through. "Yes, just a little."

From the sound of it, it was definitely more than just a little; she was clearly a bit drunk.

Shen Yan suddenly felt a pang of sorrow. "Mom, you should go to bed early. I'm doing fine at school, so don't worry."

After hanging up, still worried, Shen Yan sent a message to Shu Qianfei’s assistant, asking her to take care of Shu Qianfei.

She decided not to tell Shu Qianfei about the dormitory change.

*

The next day, just as Lu Zhao had said, Shen Yan indeed met her new roommate.

When Gu Jia entered the room and saw Shen Yan, his eyes lit up. "H-hello, I'm Gu Jia from New Media Class 1."

Shen Yan replied, "Hello."

Behind Gu Jia was a man with a cold demeanor, who bore a slight resemblance to Gu Jia.

"Hello, I'm Gu Jia's uncle."

Gu Jia, looking cute with dimples when he smiled, said, "He was worried about me and insisted on coming. There was an accident yesterday, and I spent a day in the hospital, which is why I reported in a day late.

"I'm really sorry you had to clean by yourself."

Shen Yan didn’t claim credit for it and gave a brief account of what happened the previous day, only saying that she had heatstroke, and that's why they helped clean up.

Gu Jia's uncle was not much of a talker. After setting up Gu Jia's bed, he gave a few instructions and then, seemingly receiving a work call, left in a hurry.

Shen Yan wasn't sure how to interact with strangers, so he sat at his desk, drawing and writing. However, Gu Jia's gaze kept falling on him.

He was hard to ignore.

"Gu Jia, do you need something?" Shen Yan's voice was clear yet unexpectedly gentle.

Gu Jia felt his face heat up. "N-no, it's nothing."

"It's just that you're so attractive, I can't help but look."

Shen Yan chuckled softly. "Thank you, you're handsome too."

Gu Jia looked conflicted. "Are you having some trouble? Ah, am I being too abrupt?"

"When I first saw you, you were frowning continuously."

Even when frowning, you still look so good!

A little voice in Gu Jia's heart was shouting.

Shen Yan said, "It's fine. Actually, I was considering changing dorms."

Gu Jia felt his happiness drain away.

Gu Jia felt like crying. "Is it because I kept stealing glances at you? I'm not a creep, I swear!"

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "It's not because of you. I was thinking about changing dorms yesterday, before I met you."

Despite looking like a pampered child, Gu Jia surprisingly respected boundaries and didn't ask why Shen Yan wanted to change dorms.

Knowing it wasn't his fault, Gu Jia felt a little better.

But he couldn't be happy about Shen Yan, such a good-looking roommate, leaving.

Gu Jia said, "Even though we've only known each other for a short while, I'm really glad to have met you."

"When do you plan to talk to the advisor about changing dorms? Can I still come visit you?"

"Can we be friends?"

Shen Yan replied with a question of his own. "Talk to the advisor about changing dorms? That’s how it’s done?"

Gu Jia said, "In college, changing dorms usually requires talking to the advisor."

After all, it was his first day of university.

Shen Yan's clear eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's wonderful."

"Ahem, I mean, it's my first time living on campus, so I’m not very familiar with the process. Thank you, Gu Jia."

Gu Jia smiled, showing a cute dimple. "You're welcome."

Shen Yan soon contacted the advisor. Perhaps because Shu Qianfei had already mentioned his poor health to the advisor.

The advisor repeatedly asked over the phone if he was feeling unwell.

*

In the office building of A University, Lu Zhao was summoned by his mentor to assist with some work. While walking, he texted Hu Chengyu to complain.

Lu Zhao: Bro, why does Professor Cheng have so many tasks? Why does this information require me, Lu Zhao, to handle it personally?

Lu Shuai: Ugh, my promotion match was interrupted! My Grandmaster rank!

……

He could send ten messages, but Hu Chengyu might not even respond once.

A few minutes later.

Lu Shuai: Bro, do you know what I just overheard in the office?

Lu Shuai: You’ll definitely find this interesting!

Lu Shuai: Yan Yan called the advisor to request a dorm change.

Hu: It’s "interest," not "sexual interest." What have you been searching for?

Hu: He’s changing dorms, what does that have to do with me?

Lu Shuai: Sigh, it seems Yan Yan is really giving up on you this time.

Lu Zhao sent another dozen messages but got no response.

Meanwhile, Shen Yan felt relieved, finally putting down the burden in his heart.

However, it was still a bit chaotic at the start of the semester, and the advisor said they would respond by tomorrow at the latest.

In the evening, as the weather cooled, Gu Jia pulled Shen Yan to go for a walk around the campus.

However, just after leaving the dorm room, they saw Hu Chengyu standing in the corridor, though it was unclear how long he had been there.

When Gu Jia saw Hu Chengyu’s deep, cold gaze, he instinctively shrank back, feeling a bit afraid.

“Classmate, I need to talk to Shen Yan. Could you step aside?”

Gu Jia glanced at Shen Yan, who nodded. “I’ll be quick, wait for me.”

Though a bit worried, Gu Jia returned to the dorm room.

Hu Chengyu’s icy gaze fixed on Shen Yan. “I heard you’re changing dorms?”

Author's Note:

Lu Zhao (→_→): Who said "what does that have to do with me?" just now?