Chapter 123 Boarding

Chapter 123: Living on Campus

"You're being a bit rude, you know."

Yan Zhoubai pouted, knowing that Zhan Jiayu, having studied abroad, surely hadn't experienced communal living and likely never even stayed in a university dorm.

"Unpleasant as it may be, it's the truth."

Zhan Jiayu was unyielding on this point. The mere thought of Yan Zhoubai sharing a room and living under the same roof with other men was utterly unacceptable to him.

"No!"

"I *will* *live* in the *school* *dorm*," Yan Zhoubai declared, enunciating each word. "Your disagreement is useless; I won't listen to you."

Yan Zhoubai had long anticipated university life. If he didn't live in a dorm, wouldn't he be missing out on half the fun? Absolutely not—he couldn't accept that.

As for Zhan Jiayu's concern about potentially poor dormitory conditions, Yan Zhoubai didn't think it was a big deal.

Though he had grown up in the lap of luxury in the Yan family, he considered himself capable of enduring hardship and wasn't particularly fussy about material comforts.

Life at Cangru Temple had been simple and frugal, and he felt it hadn't affected him in the slightest.

Zhan Jiayu initially believed there was no room for negotiation; he simply couldn't let Yan Zhoubai share a dorm with other men. But seeing Yan Zhoubai half-kneeling on the sofa, clutching his tablet, and looking down at him with a sulky expression, his heart instantly softened.

If he truly wanted to live on campus, then so be it. He was supposed to live on campus anyway; it was only Zhan Jiayu's excessive possessiveness that made him reluctant. He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn't help himself.

Yet, all his dark, possessive thoughts melted away whenever he truly faced Yan Zhoubai.

"If you don't agree, then you can sleep alone tonight. I'm not sleeping with you; I'm going back to the room next door."

Seeing Zhan Jiayu's refusal, Yan Zhoubai immediately deployed his trump card, resorting to threats.

Ever since they became intimate at the hot spring hotel in Fengqing County, they had shared a bed, leaving Yan Zhoubai's old room vacant.

Living together had its ups and downs. The upside was the warmth and sweetness of sleeping with his boyfriend, which Yan Zhoubai quite enjoyed. But the downside was equally apparent:

Since their intimacy began, Yan Zhoubai felt he was getting to know a completely new Zhan Jiayu. How could he be so obsessed with *that* sort of thing? It was almost like an addiction.

Yan Zhoubai had once confided his frustrations to the system, only to realize it was futile. The system had even censored what happened between him and Zhan Jiayu in the hot spring that night, meaning it couldn't see anything. It was even more clueless than he was, so asking was pointless.

Still, this situation caused Yan Zhoubai no small amount of distress. The main reason was Zhan Jiayu's overwhelming stamina and energy—clearly, his muscular physique wasn't just for show.

Every time, it went on for so long that Yan Zhoubai would feel drained the next day at work, almost making mistakes. While no serious consequences arose, it undeniably hampered his learning efficiency.

So, he began secretly searching online: *Is it a medical condition if a man has too much energy or lasts too long in that area?*

Before he could find any answers, Zhan Jiayu stumbled upon his search history. The result was another thorough "lesson" in bed, with Zhan Jiayu insisting through action that his prowess was purely due to good health, not an illness!

After that, Yan Zhoubai realized how much Zhan Jiayu valued this matter, or rather, sleeping with him. Using it as leverage would almost certainly sway Zhan Jiayu, with a 90% chance of success.

"Baby, you can't just threaten me with that."

Zhan Jiayu was already on the verge of agreeing when he heard Yan Zhoubai threaten to sleep separately.

He admitted that this tactic could indeed sway him, which was precisely why he disliked Yan Zhoubai saying it. He loved Yan Zhoubai too much to bear the thought of sleeping apart.

"Hmph, then why won't you let me live in the dorm?"

Yan Zhoubai didn't care; he'd say it again and again if he had to.

"Alright," Zhan Jiayu sighed helplessly. "You can live on campus. But I have one condition: if you have no classes or activities, you come home to sleep."

"Yay!"

Yan Zhoubai was overjoyed. He wrapped his arms around Zhan Jiayu's neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

Just as he tried to pull away, Zhan Jiayu held him tight.

"Is one kiss really enough? Once school starts, I won't be able to hold Xiao Chuaner to sleep anymore. Such a huge loss—do you think one kiss makes up for it?"

Zhan Jiayu feigned distress, though a smile played on his lips. The silver-rimmed glasses he wore while reviewing reports gave him a refined, almost villainous air, but his smile considerably softened it.

"What do you want, then?"

"What do I want?"

As he spoke, Zhan Jiayu's large hand expertly slipped under the loose hem of Yan Zhoubai's loungewear, heading straight for the spot he wanted to touch.

"Ah! Be gentle! Don't touch there!"

Yan Zhoubai was furious. Zhan Jiayu had some strange obsession with kneading his chest. It wasn't like he was a woman, or even worked out—his chest was flat, so what was there to squeeze?

And perhaps because there was no fat there, it always hurt like hell whenever Zhan Jiayu pinched him. Yet, no matter how many times Yan Zhoubai complained, Zhan Jiayu never changed.

So annoying!

...

The day before school started, Yan Zhoubai received a message from his eldest brother, Yan Anxuan, wishing him a smooth and happy start to the semester. Yan Anxuan also subtly hinted that if Yan Zhoubai was willing, he'd like to drop him off on his first day.

Yan Zhoubai accepted Yan Anxuan's blessings but completely ignored the unspoken expectation in the message.

Tomorrow wasn't just the start of the semester at Wutong University; many universities in Beijing, including the prestigious Peking University, were also starting on the same day.

So, Yan Anxuan didn't need to drop him off, and neither did his parents. They could all focus on Bu Qiran instead.

During their stay at the hot spring resort, his parents, eldest brother, and even Bu Qiran had sent him many messages—apologies, concerns, and requests for him to return. Yan Zhoubai read them all but didn't reply. Gradually, the messages tapered off, though they never completely stopped.

After returning from the resort, Yan Zhoubai's anger had subsided somewhat, so he selectively replied to a few messages. The other side seemed delighted to hear from him and continued sending messages, but Yan Zhoubai only responded when he felt like it.

Eventually, both sides seemed to accept this awkward, unresolved dynamic.

"Boss, do you think Peking University has much better facilities?"

Zhan Jiayu was sitting at the dining table, video-conferencing with his younger brother Eden to discuss the Zhan family's affairs in Country A, when Yan Zhoubai suddenly asked this question out of the blue.

Yan Zhoubai had been playing on his game console on the sofa, but now he was leaning over the backrest, looking eagerly in Zhan Jiayu's direction like a bored kitten seeking attention.

Since it was just a casual meeting with Eden, Zhan Jiayu excused himself briefly and took off his headphones.

"Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

Zhan Jiayu took the opportunity to take a break and drink some water, giving Yan Zhoubai his full attention.

"Just occurred to me. Do you think Peking University is much better than Wutong University, boss?"

Yan Zhoubai faced Zhan Jiayu, kneeling on the sofa with his chin resting on the backrest. From the side, he looked like a lazy little cat, half-sprawled on the sofa.

The nickname "Big Bro" was first used when Yan Zhoubai acknowledged Zhan Jiayu as his big bro. At the time, Zhan Jiayu found the term particularly hard to accept, feeling it was somewhat exaggerated, as if they were acting in a movie. Later, Yan Zhoubai himself gradually forgot about it after using it repeatedly.

After all, his relationship with Zhan Jiayu deepened step by step, evolving beyond just a "big bro and little bro" dynamic.

The reason for this was that Zhan Jiayu could be quite demanding in bed, always wanting to hear Yan Zhoubai call him various names. He himself would switch between terms like "Xiao Chuaner," "baby," and "wifey," making Yan Zhoubai blush until his face was bright red without feeling the least bit embarrassed, and he insisted that Yan Zhoubai do the same.

But Yan Zhoubai was thin-skinned and couldn't bring himself to utter more embarrassing terms. In a moment of desperation, he once called out "Big Bro."

Yan Zhoubai had thought the term would be a mood-killer, but surprisingly, it seemed to excite Zhan Jiayu instead. He had no idea what was going on in Zhan Jiayu's mind at that moment.

Nevertheless, the name just stuck. Zhan Jiayu called him "Xiao Chuaner," and he called Zhan Jiayu "Big Bro."

"In terms of faculty strength, academic programs, and student quality, it is better than Wutong University. As for the rest, I don't really know."

In reality, Yan Zhoubai's question wasn't really a question at all. Peking University is the top-ranked university in the country, while Wutong University is barely known, only having a slightly known reputation locally in Jing City and doesn't even rank nationally.

As for the hardware facilities of the two universities, you could just look that up online, so there was no real need to ask.

But Zhan Jiayu was still willing to take the time to answer Yan Zhoubai's question patiently. Yan Zhoubai wasn't the clingy type, so if he asked such a question, there must be a reason behind it.

"Peking University also starts tomorrow. Bu Qiran will be starting university tomorrow too."

Yan Zhoubai didn't dwell on the topic of which university was better between Peking University and Wutong University. Instead, he brought up Bu Qiran, sounding down, and Zhan Jiayu immediately understood the reason for his unhappiness.

"Really?"

Yan Zhoubai's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Really."

Zhan Jiayu smiled slightly. He knew exactly how Yan Zhoubai was feeling—he was just feeling insecure when he thought about how accomplished Bu Qiran was.

All he needed to do was simply point out one area where Wutong University was better than Peking University. This was equivalent to telling Yan Zhoubai that he, too, had areas where he was better than Bu Qiran.

"Ge, I didn't expect you to be so good at comforting people?"

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Author's note: Here I am! [Heart emoji]