Chapter 27 Part 1

After another week of classes, Liang Zhixia gradually settled into freshman life.

Except for…

One particular person who showed up right on time every day.

This was a blow-off class; the professor didn’t bother keeping an eye on them and just droned on about the textbook.

He quietly pulled out his phone. The screen lit up with a message from L.

His slender fingers slid across the display, scrolling up endlessly.

He flicked through message after message—mostly just sappy, meaningless fluff.

L had been pretty normal a month ago. How had things gotten so weird?

Was L some kind of hopeless romantic?

Good thing he wasn’t.

His fingertip tapped the screen as he typed out a reply.

【Zhizhi】: Baby, I’m in class right now.

The Gold Medal Chat Companion had said that in an online romance, you should drop hints about your daily life to make it feel more real, more like an actual relationship.

As for calling him “Baby,” that was L’s insistence.

L had said it was to make up for not sticking to the original script from the start.

If he called out “Baby,” then L wouldn’t call him Baby anymore.

He’d agreed at the time—who knew L had so many wild ideas up his sleeve? Now his nicknames could fill a whole nursery rhyme.

Zhizhi, wifey, good boy, treasure…

Every one after the first made him flush with embarrassment, tempted to drag L out of the screen and give him a good thrashing!

With a quiet sigh to himself, he typed the next reply.

【Zhizhi】: Baby, of course I missed you today too~

He selectively responded to a few standout messages from the rest.

Dating was exhausting.

Just one more month, and he’d be free.

Staring at L’s name at the top of the chat, he couldn’t figure out what was going on in L’s head. He’d expected some revenge plot, but no—they were actually “dating.”

L… was way too thirsty.

Not even sparing strangers online. It was his own fault, really. If he’d just noticed the difference between i and l, he never would’ve added the wrong person.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. He pocketed his phone and textbook, then headed off-campus for food with his two usual lunch buddies.

Meanwhile, in one of the Student Union offices.

Lu Quan lounged on the leather sofa, his gaze sweeping over Xu Cheng, who was hunched over the desk staring at his computer screen, doing who-knows-what. He tilted his chin up toward Qu Yizhou. “What’s he up to?”

Qu Yizhou set down his textbook and quickly replied, “He’s looking up the class schedule for the Art College beauty.”

Lu Quan frowned. “Wasn’t he into that girl from the other school lately?”

Qu Yizhou picked up his book again, flipping pages as he spoke. “Apparently, she wasn’t into his type. Said jocks are all players.”

Lu Quan’s brows shot up. “Good taste.”

Xu Cheng, who had just printed out the schedule, leaned against the edge of the desk with his arms crossed, chin lifted in a pitiful pout. “You guys have any loyalty to your bro?”

Qu Yizhou didn’t even look up. “Brother Lu and I are just stating facts.”

Lu Quan glanced down at the messages on his phone, then looked up. “Print me a copy of Xia Xia’s schedule.”

“Tch.” Xu Cheng let out a tsk, flashing a sly grin. “Why do you need the underclassman’s schedule? You’ve never been the good-senior type.”

Lu Quan shot back, “We’re roommates. What’s wrong with knowing each other’s schedules?”

Xu Cheng scoffed. “Maybe the kid doesn’t even want to know yours. Maybe he doesn’t care.”

The corner of Lu Quan’s mouth curved up, a chill glinting in his eyes.

“You’ve been pretty chatty lately.”

Xu Cheng: “…”

Fine. He zipped it.

With a grin, he mimed zipping his lips shut and bustled off to print the schedule for his “good bro.”

Lu Quan dropped his gaze back to his phone, switching to his alt account to send a message to Zhizhi’s matching burner.

Ding—

A third-year Finance Department schedule popped up on his screen. Liang Zhixia tilted his head, puzzled.

He scanned the random timetable, starting from Monday.

Had Lu Quan sent it to the wrong person?

He set down his chopsticks and held down the voice message button.

“Brother Lu, did you send this to the wrong guy?”

Jiang Ling and Fan Li both looked up from across the table. Fan Li blew on his scalding noodles before speaking. “School Grass?”

Liang Zhixia nodded.

Jiang Ling suddenly remembered something and leaned in, whispering, “Last time, I accidentally walked in on Lu Quan getting confessed to. The girl was pretty cute, actually. But before she could even finish, he said he had a boyfriend. She didn’t believe him, so he showed her his phone. Whatever she saw shut her up—she just bolted.”

“Does Lu Quan really have someone?” He might not like the guy, but gossip about campus hotshots was always juicy.

Liang Zhixia hesitated for a moment, only to meet two pairs of sparkling eyes.

He whispered back, “He likes someone, but I don’t know if they’re official.”

Jiang Ling burst out laughing. “Someone Lu Quan can’t seal the deal with? This is gold.”

Liang Zhixia shushed them in a panic. “Don’t spread it around!”

They both flashed him an OK sign.

Just then, his phone buzzed on the table.

A message from Lu Quan lit up the lock screen.

【Lu Quan】: Didn’t send it to the wrong person.

???

What did that mean?

Bragging that third-year classes were lighter than freshman ones???

Lu Quan wasn’t that petty. That sounded more like Senior Xu Cheng’s style.

Unsure what to say, he fired off an emoji.

Scrolling up revealed a glaring transfer record.

Two hundred thousand.

He hadn’t even known WeChat allowed transfers that big.

That night back in the dorm, he’d sent it all back.

He knew Lu Quan was just trying to help, but it had still shocked him a little.

Lu Quan was loaded.

Thinking about how he’d have to hand over all his cash to Aunt Wang next month, he grabbed his big bowl and slurped down the noodle broth.

Tasted pretty good.

The three of them headed back to their dorms for a nap.

Afternoon classes were packed—core major ones—and those two professors loved catching anyone dozing off.

They’d make them perform on the spot up front.

Liang Zhixia always enjoyed the show, but if it were him up there, he’d take a stint standing in the back over that any day.

Afternoons like this made him drowsy in no time. He’d barely hit the bed before passing out.

He hadn’t even drawn the bed curtain.

Some time later, the dorm door creaked open from the outside.

Lu Quan spotted the shoes by the entrance and instinctively lightened his steps as he entered.

When his eyes landed on the guy asleep on the bed, he couldn’t help stepping closer. Forgetting his usual germaphobia, he dropped to one knee on the floor.

With no curtain in the way, he leaned in close to the sleeping figure. Their warm breaths mingled like invisible threads, inseparable.

So fragrant.

Zhizhi smelled so good.

He wanted to devour Zhizhi in one bite.

His Adam’s apple bobbed sharply as he inched closer, nearly brushing the boy’s face.

Suddenly, the boy’s long lashes fluttered—he seemed about to wake. Lu Quan froze, holding his breath. The boy shifted, turning his cheek… right against Lu Quan’s lips.

The soft, sweet flesh of his cheek puffed out from sleep. Lu Quan parted his lips and took it in.

Sucking, nibbling, licking—soon it glistened, slick and wet.

A closer look revealed a faint bite mark.

Satisfied with his claim, Lu Quan eyed the mark, breath quickening, veins bulging on his forearms. A smirk tugged at his lips as he pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of Zhizhi on the bed.

Zhizhi was his, inside and out—marked by him, scented with him.

The thought sent a thrill through Lu Quan, control slipping.

“Mine. All mine.”

In the quiet midday dorm, a low, husky murmur broke the silence.

Ding-a-ling—

Still groggy from sleep, Liang Zhixia fumbled for his blaring phone, swiping the screen with pinpoint accuracy.

The annoying alarm cut off.

He blinked slowly, hauling himself up with a lazy stretch. His face was blank, utterly dazed.

Like he hadn’t woken up at all.

Five minutes later, the figure on the bed finally stirred.

Liang Zhixia glanced down and spotted what looked like a damp spot by the pillow. He touched his mouth on instinct—no drool.

Not his, then?

As he lowered his hand, his fingertip brushed his cheek—slightly damp.

Faint, but lingering.

A blush crept up his face. Good thing Lu Quan never came back at lunch, or there’d be another dorm rule: “No drooling in your sleep.”

Class was about to start. He splashed cold water on his face and snapped awake.

He made it to the classroom with ten minutes to spare.

He borrowed Jiang Ling’s mirror and peered at his reflection.

His cheek had stung a bit when he’d scrubbed it with the towel earlier.

Fan Li yawned, eyelids drooping as he glanced over. “What’s up?”

Liang Zhixia frowned. “Is this spot broken skin?”

Fan Li leaned in. “Huh, it’s a little red. Kinda swollen. Bug bite?”

Liang Zhixia’s frown deepened. “No way. Aunt Wang from Lu Quan’s place cleans the dorm every day. No bugs in there.”

Then he remembered his lip from last time—red, a bit swollen, busted.

Same bug?

He even climbed onto his bed specifically while he was asleep.

That bug must be possessed.

Next time, he absolutely had to catch the damn thing and slay it personally!

After returning the mirror to Jiang Ling, Liang Zhixia sprawled across the desk, pillowing his head on his arms as he fiddled with his phone.

To his surprise, L hadn’t bombarded him with a ton of messages.

There was only one, sent just five minutes ago.

【L】: Has my good boy woken up yet?

?

He typed back a reply.

【Zhizhi】: How did you know I was sleeping?

The response came instantly.

【L】: Because you and I have a telepathic bond. I always know what my good boy is up to.

Liang Zhixia muttered under his breath, “As if that’s possible.”

Still, he couldn’t help asking what L was doing right now.

【L】: Hmm… Let me guess. Zhizhi’s sitting in the classroom right now, waiting for class to start?

Liang Zhixia stared at the message on his phone screen, his eyebrows shooting up in undisguised astonishment.

【Zhizhi】: How did you know?

【L】: Because we’re made for each other.

Liang Zhixia: “…”

Off spouting nonsense again.

He set his phone down, and Jiang Ling and Fan Li—who had been watching him for a good while now—leaned in, boxing him in from both sides.

Jiang Ling grinned. “Who’re you chatting with, Xia Xia? You’ve been glued to your phone a lot lately.”

Fan Li nodded vigorously in agreement. “Yeah!”

Liang Zhixia threw up his hands in a feeble attempt to deflect. “No, just scrolling around.”

Jiang Ling gave a playful huff. “Come on, Xia Xia, spill the beans~”