Chapter 33 Part 1

Fortunately, Lu Quan dressed himself after showering off his drunken stupor, but the moment the bathroom door swung open from inside, Liang Zhixia found his hand seized once more by the inebriated man.

He shook his hand wearily, feeling utterly drained.

“Shall we go to bed, then?”

Lu Quan mumbled his assent.

Liang Zhixia led the drunkard to the bedside, only for the man to yank him straight into his arms the instant he sat down.

The thin sleepshirt offered no barrier at all. Lu Quan’s body heat was intense, gradually warming Liang Zhixia’s own skin.

“You need to sleep properly now. It’s already very late.”

He turned to gaze at the unusually quiet Lu Quan. The man’s eyelashes were long and thick, framing eyes so deep they seemed capable of drawing anyone in.

Patiently, he waited until Lu Quan finally nodded.

He had just exhaled in relief when Lu Quan pulled him down onto the bed with him.

The woody scent of agarwood incense flooded his nostrils. Liang Zhixia struggled to rise, but a strong arm locked around his waist.

“Sleep together.”

After a full day of classes and the mental exhaustion of dealing with L, the touch of the soft bedding brought an overwhelming wave of fatigue crashing over him.

Liang Zhixia lay there with his eyes open, eventually settling into a relatively comfortable position in the man’s embrace. Before drifting off in a haze, he tugged the blanket over himself.

As for Lu Quan, he could just shiver.

Their breathing gradually synced into the same rhythm. After a long while, the man holding Liang Zhixia opened his eyes—eyes utterly free of any drunken haze. He gazed at the defenseless young man before him, then leaned down to capture the delicate earlobe between his lips.

“Zhizhi, you’re so naive.”

He reached for Liang Zhixia’s phone, lit up the screen, and saw the lock screen countdown: 14 days remaining.

He set the phone aside and looked back down at Zhizhi in his arms. In fourteen days, he would make Zhizhi dependent on him.

If Zhizhi didn’t like him now, he’d keep him confined first.

Given enough time, Zhizhi would naturally come to like him.

Zhizhi had just confessed that he liked him, that he’d never leave Lu Quan.

And he had recorded it all.

The night outside deepened, chill seeping in. Liang Zhixia frowned slightly and instinctively snuggled closer to the source of warmth beside him. Lu Quan wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin atop Zhizhi’s fluffy hair and pressing a gentle kiss there.

The next day, Liang Zhixia awoke to find the dorm empty save for himself.

Evidently, Lu Quan’s hangover had cleared.

He glanced down at the rumpled sheets beneath him. Somehow, he’d ended up sharing a bed with Lu Quan again.

There were no early morning classes that day, just a single PE session.

He scarfed down breakfast at the cafeteria in a rush before heading to class.

University PE classes ran the gamut, and students had to scramble to sign up for them.

By sheer luck, he’d snagged the last spot in badminton.

The PE instructor didn’t micromanage them much, as long as they showed up and didn’t wander off.

Jiang Ling and Fan Li had chosen different classes, so Liang Zhixia paired up with a vaguely familiar guy for badminton.

They rallied back and forth for twenty minutes.

Even with the gym’s air conditioning humming, Liang Zhixia could feel the sweat trickling down his body. He wiped his forehead and signaled to his partner for a break.

While handling his business in the restroom, he overheard two guys enter and chat at the sinks.

They were talking about Lu Quan.

“Is what Xu-ge said true? Is Young Master Lu really chasing someone?”

“It has to be. I just never pegged Lu Quan for the online dating type.”

“With all the girls at school crushing on him, and he goes and does online dating?”

“You wouldn’t get it. Online dating’s no strings attached—just fooling around.”

“I’ve seen so many online dating disasters. Photoshopped pics, cute girls turning out to be scruffy dudes picking their toes. Haha!”

“Right, Xu-ge said we can’t spread this around. Keep it quiet outside.”

“And that other thing Xu-ge mentioned? Swapping Lu Quan’s roommate into our dorm.”

“Oh yeah, Xu-ge said Lu Quan doesn’t like his roommate, and…”

Their voices faded into the distance. Only once they were gone did Liang Zhixia emerge from the stall.

Cold water rushed over his slender, pale fingers. He cupped some to splash his face, then patted it dry with a paper towel.

His bangs clung wetly to his forehead in damp strands. He combed them out one by one in the mirror with his fingers.

But his mind replayed the snippet of conversation he’d just overheard.

No wonder Lu Quan was doing online dating but had lied to him, claiming it was someone he knew.

Lu Quan hadn’t changed at all. He still despised him.

Liang Zhixia had thought their relationship had improved—they were even sharing a bed now.

But it wasn’t friendship. Certainly not roommate camaraderie.

Lu Quan’s acting skills were impressive.

Staring at the water spots in the mirror, sudden clarity washed over Liang Zhixia.

Lu Quan had been teasing him so much lately because he’d never met someone as thick-skinned as him. Rich guys like that always kept pets around for amusement, after all.

Lu Quan and he truly belonged to different worlds.

He shouldn’t expect anything more.

It just stung a little. Only a little.

With a soft sigh, he left the restroom. Passing the basketball courts, he spotted a familiar face.

It was Lin Jie, the senior who’d helped him find his way to Emerald Bamboo Garden on orientation day when he’d gotten lost.

Lin Jie noticed him too.

“Hey, Senior,” Liang Zhixia greeted as he approached. “Is this your PE class too?”

Lin Jie wore a sleeveless shirt, his skin even darker than at their first meeting, his build tall and sturdy. But his smile revealed two rows of gleaming white teeth.

“What a coincidence. Last time was so rushed I forgot to add you on WeChat. Got a sec?”

Lin Jie’s fingers fidgeted along the seam of his rough pants, his heart pounding a bit.

“Of course! And thanks again for your help last time. How about lunch on me?”

Liang Zhixia pulled out his phone and opened his QR code. Once Lin Jie scanned it, he approved the friend request.

Lin Jie eyed the guy’s WeChat profile pic, his own eyes crinkling. “Did you draw your avatar yourself? It’s adorable.”

Liang Zhixia’s eyes lit up in surprise. “I did! How’d you guess, Senior?”

Lin Jie winked, grinning broadly. “I’ll tell you next time.”

Liang Zhixia was genuinely curious now. He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned in slightly. “Can’t you tell me now?”

No one could resist a pair of beautiful eyes fixed on them so earnestly.

Lin Jie tilted his head away from the gaze. Luckily, his dark skin hid the flush creeping up his face.

“Next time we meet,” he said.

Liang Zhixia pouted. “Fine.”

PE classes for non-sports majors weren’t rigorous, but you couldn’t stray from your group for too long.

Liang Zhixia had already been gone a while. “I should head back to my class. Wait for me after yours ends—lunch is on me.”

Lin Jie nodded. “Sounds good.”

After Liang Zhixia left, Lin Jie rejoined his group. A guy nearby slung an arm over his shoulders. “Since when do you know Liang Zhixia?”

Lin Jie elbowed him. “Met him at the start of term.”

The guy leaned in with a cheeky grin. “He’s even cuter in person than in his pics. Hard to run into him around campus, though.”

Lin Jie shot back, “What would you want with him if you did?”

The guy shrugged. “Just to admire. Bonus if it turned into dating.”

Lin Jie laughed and shoved him. “Get lost.”

The guy hooked his arm around Lin Jie’s neck, chuckling. “Got it, won’t steal your crush. Why so touchy?”

Meanwhile, Liang Zhixia returned to his group and played a few more rounds with his badminton partner.

The dismissal bell rang, and after the instructor called them together, class ended.

This week, he and his partner were stuck picking up stray shuttles and returning the rackets. By the time they finished, the gym was nearly deserted.

Remembering his lunch plans with the senior, Liang Zhixia said a quick goodbye and dashed for the exit.

Outside the gym.

Xu Cheng squatted under a tree, chewing on a blade of grass. He shaded his eyes against the sun and grumbled, “What are we doing out here?”

Lu Quan stood with arms crossed on a patch of clean ground, his tone flat. “Waiting for someone. Lunch.”

Xu Cheng stretched his legs as he stood. “Who? We’ve always eaten together. You got a new sidekick behind my back?”

Lu Quan ignored him.

Xu Cheng laced his hands behind his head and leaned against the tree, griping, “This is boring.”

Then a familiar figure caught his eye.

“Your junior’s got PE today, huh.”

Liang Zhixia came jogging up, backpack bouncing, straight to another guy. Both wore smiles—they clearly knew each other.

Lu Quan, glancing up from his phone, frowned slightly. His voice turned cool. “Who’s the guy next to him?”

Xu Cheng squinted. “Think it’s Lin Jie. Used to be in the Student Union promo department.”

Lu Quan grunted.

Nearby, Liang Zhixia listened as Lin Jie rattled off tasty hidden gems around campus.

No surprise from a sophomore—Lin Jie knew spots Liang Zhixia had never heard of.

“Wow! No wonder I couldn’t find that place last time—it’s down an alley.”

Lin Jie chuckled. “Wanna head there now?”

Liang Zhixia started to nod, then hesitated. “But their rice noodles are super popular. Isn’t it too late by now?”

Lin Jie flashed a sly grin. “Nah, perfect timing. The owner’s family—the sky’s the limit on portions.”

Liang Zhixia’s eyes widened enviously. “That’s living the dream.”

Lin Jie laughed. “Next time you crave it, just hit me up.”

“Sure, then thank you in advance, Senior,” Liang Zhixia said.

Lin Jie scratched his head, his cheeks flushing slightly. “You can just call me by my name. Can I… call you Xia Xia?”

Liang Zhixia had grown used to people addressing him that way, so he nodded. “Of course.”

“Xia Xia,” Lin Jie said.

Liang Zhixia turned back to look at him, tilting his head in confusion. “Hm?”

Lin Jie smiled. “Nothing, I just wanted to say your name.”

Lin Jie was quite the talker, ensuring the conversation never lulled. He knew all sorts of school gossip and odd tales, which Liang Zhixia loved to hear. He let out occasional gasps of surprise, and the two of them chatted animatedly.

At least, that’s how it appeared to Lu Quan.

Xu Cheng trailed slowly behind Lu Quan, his gaze fixed on the pair chatting happily up ahead. It took him a moment to catch on. “You’re waiting for your junior?”