Chapter 5: Blockade

Chapter 5: The Blockade

Yu Lanzhao would forever remember the day he first met Lin Shenshi.

The scorching summer sun still baked the earth, and the campus buzzed with activity during orientation week.

He stood alone, a simple backpack slung over his shoulder, a stark contrast to the other new students, who arrived in bustling entourages, laden with bags.

His dorm roommate, impeccably dressed, sneered at him as a "pauper," "bumpkin," and "country hick." All he could do was stand awkwardly by the bed, clutching his faded clothes, his palms slick with nervous sweat.

Many onlookers gathered at the door, pointing and whispering, enjoying his humiliation. But then, one person pushed through the throng and said to his roommate, "You don't want to live with him? Then I'll switch with you."

Lin Shenshi was like the sun, illuminating his bleak life, rescuing him from a moment of profound awkwardness and distress.

His Xiao Shi, so kind and tender-hearted.

Whenever he saw even a flicker of weakness or helplessness in others, he would extend a helping hand without a second thought.

So…

His Xiao Shi would surely return.

Just like last night.

*

Familiar footsteps paused outside the door.

In an instant, Yu Lanzhao’s triumphant smile vanished, replaced by a delicate welling of tears in his eyes.

He slumped over his desk, letting his eyelashes grow heavy with moisture.

In the sunlight, the young man appeared as fragile as a dodder vine clinging to a tree trunk—strong before parting, then utterly heartbroken afterward.

One glance was enough to ignite boundless regret and self-reproach.

How could anyone abandon him? How could anyone ignore him? How could anyone… make him weep with sorrow?!

Then, they would stay by his side, never to leave again.

Forever and ever.

Yu Lanzhao perfected his pose of delicate vulnerability, quietly awaiting the person outside to push open the door.

However.

No one entered.

One minute…

Two minutes…

Three minutes…

Until the tears on his eyelashes dried, the dorm room door remained stubbornly shut.

The smile in Yu Lanzhao’s heart vanished.

He lifted his head, waited a little longer, then walked over and opened the door.

A few students strolled by in the hallway.

No one else was outside.

His suitcase leaned forlornly against the wall.

"Bzzzt—"

Just then, his phone vibrated.

A WeChat message popped up:

[Xiao Shi]: Ah Zhao, my parents had a last-minute emergency and couldn’t make it. I’ve got something to handle, so I’m heading out. Can you drag my suitcase back to the dorm? Thanks!

Following closely was a cute chibi sticker, a cheerful, waving figure that bore a striking resemblance to Lin Shenshi.

Yu Lanzhao stared blankly at the screen, disbelief washing over him.

Xiao Shi… ran off?

*

The young man’s slender figure darted out of the dorm building. After scanning the area and not finding the person he expected, he pulled out his phone. The call went straight to voicemail, and he bit his lip before hanging up.

The school bell echoed across campus. Though reluctant, Yu Lanzhao pondered for a moment, then headed toward the academic building.

A few minutes later, a young man emerged from behind a shady corner where tree shadows danced.

With cautious, amber eyes, Lin Shenshi peered out, confirming Yu Lanzhao hadn't returned. He then patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

He truly couldn't bear to see Yu Lanzhao's pitiful, helpless expression, but enduring the pressure of Lu Yuan's possessive jealousy while being inseparable from Yu Lanzhao was simply too much to ask.

He wasn't like the original owner, whose mind was filled with lewd fantasies, only wanting to devour the protagonist shou in every conceivable way.

As a straight man, straighter than reinforced steel, Lin Shenshi now only wanted to maintain a reasonable and safe distance from Yu Lanzhao as a roommate.

But because of the favor the original owner had deliberately cultivated, Yu Lanzhao was very attached to him. If he were to cut ties for no reason, he might end up cornered by Yu Lanzhao again.

What if he accidentally triggered something…

After much deliberation, Lin Shenshi decided his only option was to gradually fade out.

Given enough time, once Yu Lanzhao sensed his distance, he wouldn’t cling to him anymore. Then, whether he left or stayed as an ordinary roommate, it wouldn’t provoke Lu Yuan’s murderous intent.

The course load in the second year was much heavier than in the first, with the schedule packed full of various major courses, general education classes, and electives. Lin Shenshi inevitably had to share some classes with Yu Lanzhao.

He would hide in a nearby restroom until he heard the class bell, then sneak into the back row. Just before the end-of-class bell, he would be the first to slip out of the classroom and hide.

At night, he waited until Yu Lanzhao was sound asleep before returning to the dorm, and he left quietly before the sun rose in the morning.

What was supposed to be an NP adult novel had turned into a stealth survival story for him.

Sigh!

The life of a cannon fodder extra was truly tough!

Fortunately, after all these efforts, he really hadn’t let Yu Lanzhao corner him.

After two days of this, Lin Shenshi clearly felt that Yu Lanzhao’s searching gazes had significantly decreased.

Excellent. The end of relationships between adults is always quiet. Let’s peacefully transition into ordinary, distant roommates!

The last class on Friday was about to begin. Lin Shenshi checked the time and slipped out of the bathroom.

The hallway was nearly empty of students. Those, like him, who liked cutting it close were anxiously rushing to their classrooms. Following behind them, he didn’t stand out.

The classroom was at the very end of the hallway. After a few days of practice, Lin Shenshi had the timing down—at his pace, he could slip into the back row right as the bell rang.

But unexpectedly, when he was just a few steps away from the back door, a figure suddenly emerged from inside.

Lin Shenshi came to an abrupt halt, frozen in place.

A few steps away stood the slender figure of a youth. His dark, deer-like eyes glistened with unshed tears, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall, as if he had been waiting all along for an explanation.

Ah, this…

Why did it feel like he was a scoundrel caught red-handed…

Lin Shenshi was so embarrassed he could dig a three-bedroom apartment with his toes. Just as he was about to steel himself and say hello, the class bell rang. He sighed in relief and said:

"Class is starting, let’s hurry inside!"

He ducked down and tried to slip through the gap between the youth and the doorframe, but his wrist was suddenly grasped.

Yu Lanzhao’s hand was slender and cool to the touch; it couldn’t even fully encircle Lin Shenshi’s wrist. His voice carried a soft, tearful tone: "Xiao Shi, why are you avoiding me?"

Lin Shenshi froze.

Oh my god…

You actually asked it out loud?

Couldn’t we just keep the unspoken understanding between adults—you don’t ask, I don’t tell?

Oh, he forgot—Yu Lanzhao wasn’t an adult yet.

Lin Shenshi instantly felt his head spinning. The situation he least wanted to encounter had still happened.

The youth’s eyes were brimming with tears, the corners reddened, like pear blossoms glistening with rain—delicate and heartbreaking, making it impossible to utter any words of rejection.

Lin Shenshi could only dodge the question: "You—you let go of me first."

His guilty conscience made his voice stammer uncontrollably.

But the youth’s grip seemed locked around his wrist. As Lin Shenshi struggled, he pulled too hard and ended up dragging the other entirely into his arms.

The youth’s clean, fresh scent drifted into his nostrils. The slender figure leaned against his chest, deer-like eyes lifting pitifully to gaze up at him.

His beautiful face was tinged with sorrow; the teardrop mole at the corner of his left eye was enchantingly seductive. His jade-like skin reflected a crystalline glow under the sunlight, like an exquisite porcelain doll on a display shelf.

Lin Shenshi swallowed hard.

"What are you two doing?!"

Suddenly, a frosty reprimand came from behind. Lin Shenshi broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

Damn it!

How could he have forgotten—this class… was taught by the obsessively jealous king, the top ‘gong’, Lu Yuan!

Lin Shenshi hastily took two steps back, stammered in explanation: "Teacher Lu, actually—"

Before Lin Shenshi could finish, he felt his back collide with a wall of muscle, instantly rendering him speechless and rooting him to the spot.

He could clearly feel it, pressed against the small of his back…

His expression turned grim.

In the original story, Lu Yuan’s reputation as a pervert wasn’t unearned. His fixation on the protagonist spanned the school’s groves, cafeteria, and library—no words or physical contact were needed. Just sharing the same air with the protagonist seemed to energize him like downing ten pounds of energy boosters.

Despite the bustling crowd around them, yet hidden in secluded spots, they would embrace tightly, leaving the protagonist flustered and blushing while Lu Yuan calmly smiled and greeted passing students.

Among these places, the classroom was one of their regular spots.

Once, he even hid the protagonist under the lectern in front of the entire class…

The more Lin Shenshi recalled, the stiffer his body became.

In the early parts of the original story, Lu Yuan had always kept his behavior under wraps, which was why he could covertly torment the protagonist for so long without being exposed.

But now…

Oh crap.

Would Lu Yuan take him out for stumbling upon his lecherous urges toward the protagonist?

A strong hand landed on his shoulder, sending a shudder through Lin Shenshi’s heart. The man gripped his shoulder blade, his fingertips brushing faintly against his neck, raising goosebumps.

Lu Yuan’s voice was deep and icy:

“What are you spacing out for?”

Trembling, Lin Shenshi turned and met the man’s inscrutable eyes—like a raging, turbulent sea or a bitter, barren winter.

“Nothing…” He fought to steady his voice, but it still quivered faintly.

“—We were just about to enter the classroom.”

Yu Lanzhao stepped forward, took his hand, and pulled him behind, shielding him with his slight build.

The boy’s palm was warm and soft, a stark contrast to Lu Yuan’s cold touch.

But Lin Shenshi broke out in a fresh cold sweat.

Please!

If the obsessively jealous freak saw this, all hell would break loose!

Lin Shenshi quickly withdrew his hand and took two large steps back to distance himself from Yu Lanzhao.

This time, he kept his tone even: “Teacher Lu, class has already started. Everyone is waiting for you.”

The commotion outside had drawn the attention of some students inside the classroom. A few were craning their necks to look back, and some nosy students had even pulled out their phones, itching to take photos.

[Two Men Fighting Over One! A Love Triangle Between a University Teacher and Students!]

[Morality Corrupted? Humanity Lost? The Scandalous Affairs of Teacher-Student Romance!]

[Who’s the Other Man? A Baffling Love Story!]

[………]

In an instant, his mind flashed with all sorts of scandalous campus-gossip headlines. Lin Shenshi waited calmly, not batting an eye.

Given Lu Yuan's personality in the early stages of the original book, he would never allow such a situation to unfold.

A dark, intense gaze swept over his head. Moments later, Lu Yuan, with a cold expression, brushed past them toward the front door.

Lin Shenshi let out a silent sigh of relief.

He entered the classroom through the back door but noticed that Yu Lanzhao stood frozen in place.

The young man lowered his head, staring at his now-empty right hand, his dark eyes filled with hurt and loneliness.

Lin Shenshi: Ah…

In his rush to avoid upsetting Lu Yuan, he had completely overlooked Yu Lanzhao's feelings. His rejection had been too obvious, totally against his usual approach of "amicable and mature separation."

The young man looked like a wounded animal, biting his lower lip without saying a word.

Lin Shenshi hesitated for a moment but eventually walked back. He reached out and encircled Yu Lanzhao's, feeling the thin, small bones in his palm, and flashed an apologetic smile.

It was as if he were saying, "That was an accident—forgive me?"

Yu Lanzhao looked up at him, his dull eyes lighting up again.

With the comforting work done, Lin Shenshi casually—yet swiftly—let go of his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lu Yuan was still walking forward and likely hadn’t noticed their little exchange.

Lin Shenshi quietly cheered, having perfectly resolved both situations. All that was left was to safely get through the performance class.

He gestured for Yu Lanzhao to come with him back into the classroom.

However, before his heels had even fully left the ground, Lu Yuan's chilling voice rang out:

"Lin Shenshi."

The muscles around his lips instantly stiffened.