Qiu Sui jolted at the sudden cold touch on his mouth, nearly shoving the cup away. Hands braced on the desk, he stared at Xiao Mu in lingering shock, clear eyes wide with alarm.
Xiao Mu hadn’t meant to startle him and apologized profusely. “Sorry! I saw you were busy and thought I’d make it easy…”
Qiu Sui had just been too absorbed to drink.
Seeing Xiao Mu’s awkward face, he took the cold cup with some embarrassment, sipped once, then set it aside. He grabbed a tissue to wipe the droplets off his keyboard and said uneasily, “Just call me next time.”
Xiao Mu regretted his impulse. Glancing at Qiu Sui’s expression and seeing no suspicion, he relaxed, opened his laptop, and got to work.
He’d hoped homework would spark chit-chat to get closer, but Qiu Sui was laser-focused. Xiao Mu’s conversation starters died unspoken as he stole glances, utterly captivated by that profile.
He’d never met a Beta so perfect for him. Truth be told, before Qiu Sui, he’d had zero interest in romance. But since the semester started, he couldn’t help wanting to get near him, even fantasizing about dating.
Sure, plenty of Omegas in class competed for him at first, but they’d lost patience quick. Xiao Mu believed real liking meant persistence—they clearly weren’t serious about Qiu Sui.
During military training, he’d seen Qiu Sui chatting animatedly with friends—worlds away from his usual cool distance in class. It only fueled his craving to be that close.
He wants Qiu Sui to treat him that way… no, to be his lover, surpassing them all.
Lost in thought, Xiao Mu heard two knocks at the door. He snapped back, eyes flicking to his screen before Qiu Sui noticed.
Nearly an hour since he’d arrived, but his progress was minimal. Sensing Qiu Sui stand, a pang of inexplicable guilt hit him. Feigning casual, he asked, “Who’s that?”
Qiu Sui hadn’t shared his dorm with anyone but Xiao Mu, and hadn’t bonded much with classmates. With all the promo gigs in the dorms, he replied without thinking, “Probably some floor promoter.”
He yanked open the door—and was confronted by an oppressively broad chest. Before he could look up, a familiar voice sounded.
“Sorry to interrupt…” The voice trailed off midway, shifting into a surprised, “Qiu Sui?”.
Qiu Sui’s upward gaze snapped back down at the sight of those perfectly shaped lips, and once he confirmed it was really Shen Zhixiao who had come knocking, he squeezed the door handle tighter in disbelief, blinking hard.
He could feel the other man watching him. After so many days apart, speaking to Shen Zhixiao again left his heart in utter turmoil. He couldn’t control the stiffness in his voice as he asked lowly, “Do you… need something?”
Shen Zhixiao stared at the Beta’s tousled hair, detecting no other Pheromones on him. From the edge of Qiu Sui’s blind spot, he peered through the door crack and caught only half a head of someone inside. His fingers clenched slightly.
“Yes.” Even though Qiu Sui hadn’t looked up, Shen Zhixiao still flashed an apologetic smile.
As if unaffected by that night, his voice remained as gentle and measured as ever. “Wen Heng accidentally overpaid the electricity bill just now. I came to sort it out. Is your roommate here too?”
The tall Alpha blocked almost all the light in front of Qiu Sui, making him look dainty and fragile beside him.
In a state of high tension, Qiu Sui’s gaze uncontrollably fixed on the other man’s solid, powerful chest, which rose and fell with Shen Zhixiao’s words and breaths.
Qiu Sui reacted sluggishly, his eyelids twitching as he hurriedly shifted his eyes away and mumbled awkwardly, “I don’t have a roommate. How much was the overpayment? I’ll transfer it back to you right now.”
As he spoke, he fumbled for his phone and realized he hadn’t grabbed it.
Under that concerned gaze, Qiu Sui beat a hasty retreat back inside. He’d only stood outside for a few minutes, but he was already dizzy from the heat.
Their voices had been soft, so Xiao Mu only caught bits and pieces. Seeing Qiu Sui return with flushed cheeks, he asked softly in concern, “What’s up?”
Qiu Sui snatched up his phone and said uneasily that it was nothing, then headed back to the door. He’d just opened WeChat to scan the code for the transfer when Shen Zhixiao said lowly that it wasn’t necessary.
He stood straight in the doorway and pressed down on Qiu Sui’s phone. His handsome face reflected clearly in the dark screen, right in Qiu Sui’s line of sight, making his heart race. Then he heard the man speak slowly, “I saw you at the Comprehensive Building interview today too. You were keeping your head down then as well.”
“Qiu Sui.” He gazed at the Beta’s downcast lashes, his voice warm with a hint of pleading. “I’ve thought about it a lot. Maybe we could talk again?”
Qiu Sui dreaded exactly this—facing Shen Zhixiao head-on and having him bring up that awkward night. While yanking his phone back to check the overpaid amount, he interrupted, “I’ll transfer it to you right now…”
But Shen Zhixiao didn’t pull out his phone for the scan. He simply watched Qiu Sui’s movements and continued softly, “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. But I still want to clear things up. I want to be friends with you, and it’s not because of your brother.”
The atmosphere suddenly grew strange. Qiu Sui couldn’t pinpoint the feeling, only sensing his nerves stretched taut as he waited for the next words.
“I don’t know why you misunderstood, but actually, I…”
A sudden scrape of a chair from inside cut off their conversation. Qiu Sui belatedly remembered Xiao Mu was still there and froze awkwardly, not daring to look at the man in front of him.
Shen Zhixiao’s voice paused, his brows knitting almost imperceptibly, a trace of disappointment in his tone. “Is that your new friend inside?”
As if realizing something, he stepped back a few paces and forced a smile. “Sorry for interrupting you two. I’ll head out first.”
Qiu Sui clearly had no idea how to handle a situation like this. Every word from Shen Zhixiao felt like soft cotton stuffing into his chest, leaving him suddenly stuffy.
He stood there dazed, watching the man’s retreating back. In the setting sunlight, it carried an inexplicable air of desolation.
Qiu Sui lingered in place for a moment, watching Shen Zhixiao vanish into the enclosed lobby, then reappear on the open walkway opposite until he entered a dorm room.
He returned to his own dorm slowly, a bit distracted. Mostly because of what Shen Zhixiao had just said.
‘I want to be friends with you, and it’s not because of your brother.’ What did that mean?
He really wanted to be friends with me? Why?
Aside from Qiu Shun, Qiu Sui couldn’t think of any reason why an S-Rank Alpha would insist on befriending someone like him.
He was just an ordinary Beta…
Xiao Mu, who had accidentally bumped the chair while eavesdropping, stared guiltily at his computer screen and tapped the keyboard.
He’d overheard their talk, and something felt off about it—especially the other man’s tone before leaving, which made Xiao Mu keenly sense something unusual.
Was that Qiu Sui’s friend? Xiao Mu recalled the deep male voice; it sounded like an Alpha.
He’d never seen Qiu Sui with Alpha friends, and a sense of wariness rose unbidden.
Sensing Qiu Sui’s return, Xiao Mu nervously observed his expression and pointed at the computer, pretending nothing had happened. “How do you do this part?”
Qiu Sui’s wandering thoughts snapped back. His gaze drifted to the screen, and after half a second, he said “oh” and returned to his seat.
He noticed Xiao Mu had lingered forever on one section with lots of confusion. After teaching him, Qiu Sui took pity and said, “Just finish the first part. I can knock out the rest tonight.”
Xiao Mu hugged his laptop and smiled sheepishly at him. “My basics are really weak. I feel like there’s no hope for the Computer Association interview today.”
Hearing the topic shift from homework, Qiu Sui paused, puzzled but offering clumsy reassurance. “It’s fine. I heard from a senior that the club’s pace is cutthroat. Not getting in means you can relax more.”
Xiao Mu’s eyes curved happily at the encouragement. He barely touched the keyboard, instead watching Qiu Sui wrap up, then suddenly asked, “Have you been super busy these past few days?”
Caught off guard by the question, Qiu Sui’s typing slowed. He answered honestly, “No, why?”
Xiao Mu slumped sadly onto the desk, looking up at him from below with a mournful expression. “Then why didn’t you invite me to play cards? I’ve been waiting for your invite every night.”
Qiu Sui had completely forgotten if the other hadn’t mentioned it.
These past few days, he’d been playing as usual with Qiu Shun and Qiao Keren. When Qiu Shun was swamped with homework, he’d played with Qiao Keren alone, forgetting the earlier promise. Now he apologized awkwardly. “Sorry, I forgot. If I’m free tomorrow night, I’ll invite you.”
Xiao Mu’s expression brightened instantly. He held up a finger happily. “You can’t forget this time, okay?”
Qiu Sui gave a strained smile and nodded. Only when Xiao Mu turned back to work did he relax.
Once Xiao Mu finished the first part and left, Qiu Sui finally felt at ease.
He still wasn’t used to sharing the dorm with someone; it brought an indescribable awkwardness and restraint.
Qiu Sui wondered if it was because he’d never lived in the dorms with anyone before. If a new roommate really transferred in later, he’d just find a place off-campus to live alone.
The thought reminded him of Shen Zhixiao’s mistaken electricity payment, which he’d completely forgotten amid the distraction.
Qiu Sui pulled out his phone. The mini-program was still open midway. Checking the balance, he discovered the guy had overpaid by ten thousand.
His eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost.
Were Wen Heng and Shen Zhixiao planning to live in the dorms year-round?
Even that wouldn’t cost this much, right?
