Chapter 7

When Lu Quan returned to the dorm, Liang Zhixia was already tucked into bed.

He set the half-eaten grilled corn on the desk. Liang Zhixia, who had been sketching away, sniffed the air. Why did the room smell like grilled corn?

As he poked his head out from behind the bed curtain, his gaze locked right onto Lu Quan’s.

He jerked back in fright, and then Lu Quan’s cool voice drifted over. “Am I that scary?”

Liang Zhixia bit his lip, psyching himself up inwardly. Lu Quan wasn’t just his roommate anymore—he was his sugar daddy now.

With that in mind, he pulled the curtain halfway open, knelt on the bed with his knees tucked under him, and flashed a smile. “Not at all, Senior Lu. You’re not scary one bit.”

The man glanced at him idly. “Then why do you run every time you see me?”

Liang Zhixia chuckled to himself, though his smile grew even brighter. “No way! I must’ve just missed you, Senior Lu. Otherwise, I’d definitely say hi.”

When he got nervous, his eyes darted everywhere.

His gaze flicked toward Lu Quan’s desk and immediately recalled that initial warning, so he yanked it back—but not before spotting the grilled corn.

The internet said the best way to get along with someone was to start with shared interests and hobbies.

So he took the initiative. “Does Senior Lu like grilled corn too?”

“Mm.”

So curt.

Lu Quan really was tough to deal with.

Those online tips were useless.

His shoulders slumped, and he retreated behind the curtain.

Lu Quan, who had just finished handling some documents, hadn’t caught that. He looked up to ask again, only to see a pale arm vanish back inside in a flash.

He lowered his gaze and looked away.

Mid-September weather wasn’t cooling off—it was getting hotter. Liang Zhixia and Fan Li were heading to the field.

Nearby upperclassmen snickered sympathetically about how miserable their batch had it.

He let out a deep sigh. The moment he stepped out of the dorm building, sweat started beading on his skin.

Fan Li eyed him. “Xia Xia, didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Liang Zhixia thought of his dream from the night before and rubbed his eyes, nodding sluggishly. “Had a nightmare.”

He’d been in an epic battle with Lu Quan—and lost.

Fan Li glanced up at the blazing sun. “Want to ask the instructor for a pass? It’s scorching today.”

He shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”

Reality slapped him in the face soon enough.

He hit the ground before his brain even registered the fall.

A huge scrape tore across his pale arm, skin flipping open in a deep gash. Blood welled up fast.

Everyone around him freaked out.

The instructor yelled for someone to take him to the infirmary. Fan Li volunteered, leaving the others who wanted to skip training to sheepishly drop their hands.

The infirmary was packed that day—they couldn’t find an empty booth.

Pain hit his wound late, turning his rosy cheeks ghostly pale. His clenched fists grew sweaty, trembling faintly.

He patted the tense Fan Li beside him and murmured, “I’m okay. Don’t shake.”

Fan Li stared at the guy’s wan smile and said woodenly, “Stop smiling.”

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Underclassman?”

Liang Zhixia turned. It was Xu Cheng.

“Senior.”

Xu Cheng’s eyes dropped to his arm, brow furrowing. “Come on in.”

He didn’t budge.

“Is Senior Lu here?”

Xu Cheng replied, “He’ll be done soon. You go ahead—get that wound treated fast.”

Before Liang Zhixia could decide, Fan Li was already steering him inside.

Right away, they heard the doctor’s voice.

“I’m prescribing you some stomach meds. No more grilled corn or that kind of food from now on.”

Lu Quan, seated in a chair, happened to look up just then. Liang Zhixia pressed his lips together. “Sorry to interrupt, Senior Lu.”

Lu Quan gave a faint “mm,” his gaze skimming over the guy’s injury.

The doctor finished prescribing quickly and turned to bandage his arm.

Cleaning the wound hurt like hell. His eyes reddened fast, fat teardrops spilling silently. If Fan Li hadn’t been watching him like a hawk, no one would’ve noticed.

“Xia Xia, is it too painful?”

The doctor glanced up. Even crying, he looked good, she thought with a helpless sigh. “No choice—hang in there.”

Liang Zhixia’s voice was tiny, nasal. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Then Lu Quan’s icy tone cut in.

“Xu Cheng, let’s go.”

Liang Zhixia had no idea what he’d done to piss off Lu Quan this time. That frosty edge was clearly aimed at him.

The stinging pain made him feel even more wronged. Tears streamed down freely until the bandage was fully wrapped.

He stared at his now-bulky arm, had Fan Li support it, pulled out his phone, and snapped a photo with a click.

Then he posted it to his Moments.

[Zhizhi Doesn’t Know: One of those cursed days waaah (photo attached)]

Zhuzi commented first: [Ah, what happened to my baby? Does it hurt???]

Tears still wet on his face, he replied: [Not one bit (brave face)]

Back at the field, the instructor sent him straight to rest under the trees—no training for now, and he could even head out early.

He winked at Fan Li and Jiang Ling in the group, then sneakily pointed toward the cafeteria while the instructor wasn’t looking.

He could grab food early.

Watching everyone else drill was boring on his own. Liang Zhixia glanced at his arm and suddenly had an idea.

He picked a perfect leaf off the ground, raised his injured arm to the sky, and took a shot.

[Baby, is this leaf pretty?]

[Can I give it to you? Let it keep you company, okay?]

[It rained yesterday. So cold. I want you to hold me.]

[Can you like me a little more? Talk to me?]

[I don’t want anyone else around you.]

The protagonist in his new comic was a gloomy obsessive guy pining for his neighbor—riddled with insecurities but consumed by possessive urges. He wouldn’t let anyone else near, craving his crush’s gaze forever.

If it were him injured, he’d casually flash the wound to his beloved, then leverage that flicker of sympathy for bolder demands.

Liang Zhixia jotted his organized thoughts into a memo, tossed the leaf aside, and scooted farther into the shade. It was brutally hot today.

By the time L messaged back, lunch was over.

[L: How’d you get hurt? Does it hurt?]

[L: Pretty. I’ll grab it from you next time.]

[L: Wear more if it rains.]

He sprawled on his bed and sent a lazy voice note.

“If I say it hurts, will you like me a little more?”

He scrolled their chat history, ignoring the leaf pickup bit.

Just venting, really.

But the reply took forever this time.

He was drifting off facedown when his phone buzzed. Groggy, he squinted at L’s messages.

[L: Yeah.]

[L: Who’s the guy holding your arm in that Moment?]

The topic jumped fast. Liang Zhixia’s sleepy brain lagged hard. He leaned into the mic, voice all sticky.

“Guy… my friend…”

His eyelids drooped shut, pale fingertips slipping off the record button.

Whoosh—the voice note sent.

No more messages came.

Boom-rumble-boom.

Liang Zhixia had texted the instructor for leave before napping. Thunder jolted him awake.

The sky outside loomed like an invading army, dark and oppressive. A blinding flash of lightning cracked, followed by deafening thunder.

Barefoot, he shut the balcony window. Just as he did, sheets of rain hammered down.

Raindrops battered the glass, pattering relentlessly.

He glanced back at the dorm—it was pitch-black, like a lurking beast ready to devour.

Only after flicking on all the lights did he relax a bit.

The class group was in party mode: no training thanks to the rain.

Jiang Ling and Fan Li were chatting about it in their little group too.

He fired off a surprised kitten emoji.

Hugging his knees on the bed, the soft bedding gave him a sliver of warmth and safety.

Rainy days always dredged up bad memories—shattered glass everywhere, ugly yelling, blood spraying.

He sipped some warm water and zoned out at his blank canvas.

Then he lightly patted his cheeks. He’d gotten several commissions the past couple days; he’d knock them out this afternoon and take on more.

His gaze hesitated on the closet. What if Lu Quan really didn’t want that shirt? He’d keep it and pay him back.

Better keep his distance from Lu Quan from now on. One more payout, and he’d be broke for real.

“No more, no more! Why’re you going so hard today?”

Xu Cheng waved him off, panting hard. He cracked open a water bottle, chugged some, then dumped the rest over his head.

Standing at the opposite corner, far away, he called out in confusion. “Don’t you hate boxing? What about your germaphobia?”

Lu Quan leaned against the boxing ring ropes, unwrapping the white bandage from his wrist. In the dim light, his eyes narrowed slightly. He turned toward Xu Cheng, gaze pitch-black and bottomless.

It was chillingly cold, the frost practically solidifying.

“Want another round?”

Xu Cheng shut up instantly. Once Lu Quan headed for the showers, he hopped down from the ring and fished his phone from his bag.

He tapped a cat avatar and hammered out a frenzy of texts.

[Lu Quan has finally lost it!!! When are you coming back!!!]

It was still the middle of the night abroad, so there was no point counting on that guy.

Xu Cheng ruffled his hair, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He grabbed his phone and messaged someone else.

[Junior brother, have you noticed anything off about Lu Quan lately?]

Liang Zhixia had just finished his draft and stretched lazily. His gaze paused on the screen, his expression turning surprised. He replied politely.

[Senior, I’m not that close with Senior Lu.]

The next second, another message popped up.

[Senior here has a favor to ask. Could you keep an eye on Lu Quan tonight?]

He sent back a question mark.

This time, Xu Cheng replied with a ten-second voice message.

Out of curiosity, Liang Zhixia tapped to play it.

“I suspect he’s heartbroken.”

Everyone had a weakness for gossip—especially when the star of the story was Lu Quan, the golden boy of the school. Liang Zhixia’s interest was instantly piqued.

[Who is it? Do I know them? From our school? The Art College campus belle?]

[Ah, well, I actually don’t know. It’s just a hunch.]

That didn’t sound very reliable.

He lowered his head and typed.

[Got it, Senior. I’ll keep an eye on Senior Lu.]

Liang Zhixia desperately wanted to share this juicy secret, but he couldn’t just blurt it out.

Still… as long as he didn’t tell anyone from their school, it should be fine, right?

With that in mind, he posted on his main account’s Moments.

【Zhizhi Doesn’t Know: I’ve got a friend who’s dating!!!】

No sooner had he hit send than a comment appeared below it.

【L: Is this “friend” you?】