Suddenly, Lu Quan bit him.
A clear tooth mark had appeared on the inside of his left ring finger.
That little red mole had been licked and nibbled until it grew even redder and more inflamed.
Liang Zhixia curled his fingers slightly, refusing to let Lu Quan lick any more. The friction between his fingers stung—it must have broken the skin.
The pain brought a flush to the corners of his eyes. His lips pouted, his eyes turned red, and his nose twitched faintly. In a aggrieved voice, he said, “Lu Quan, you bit me. It hurts.”
Lu Quan looked up and leaned closer, coaxing him in a low, husky tone. “Because Zhizhi is just too cute. I couldn’t help myself.”
Liang Zhixia wasn’t buying that excuse—not even a little—especially not when he could feel the scorching hardness pressing against him. His light tea-colored eyes flew wide open. He shoved Lu Quan away with all his might and scrambled to the side.
If one listened carefully, the tremor in his voice was unmistakable.
“Lu Quan, I’m going to sleep.”
Lu Quan glanced downward, his tongue pressing against the roof of his mouth as his eyes lifted slightly. He had still managed to scare Zhizhi, after all.
He took just one step forward, and Zhizhi retreated by a step.
With a sigh, Lu Quan backed up several paces on his own. His voice came out hoarse. “I won’t touch you tonight. Don’t be afraid of me, Zhizhi.”
Liang Zhixia didn’t believe a word of it. He stood his ground and issued orders. “Go take a shower right now.”
While Lu Quan was in the shower, he would hide under the covers.
If he had been just a little smarter, he might have realized that a bed curtain couldn’t keep out a man burning with desire for him.
Lu Quan’s sharp, eagle-like eyes lowered slightly. Under Liang Zhixia’s watchful gaze, he grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom.
Once the man’s figure vanished behind the bathroom door, Liang Zhixia let out a deep breath of relief. His whole body went limp as he sank into the chair. He grabbed a wet wipe and carefully cleaned the finger that had been licked.
Even after scrubbing it thoroughly, his pale finger still held a faint pink flush. The red mole on the inside of his left ring finger was even brighter than before, exactly as he had feared—the skin had broken.
It was only a tiny break, but it hurt like hell.
He muttered under his breath, “You’re awful.”
When he swiveled the mirror on the desk toward himself and checked his profile, there it was: a very distinct tooth mark.
He touched it gingerly. It didn’t hurt, but it felt a little numb.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the open gift box nearby. He sneaked another glance toward the bathroom, where the water was still running loudly. Pursing his lips, he thought to himself that Lu Quan had bitten him, so it was only fair to accept the gift, right?
He pulled out the panda plushie merchandise set and arranged the pieces one by one on the desk.
A panda munching on bamboo, a panda snoring away on its back, a panda batting at a butterfly with outstretched paws.
Every one of them was adorably chubby and endearing.
He snapped photos with his phone and posted them to his Moments, making sure to block L’s account.
【Zhizhi Doesn’t Know】: Super cute ^-^
Zhuzi was the first to comment. After replying, Liang Zhixia switched straight to his chat with Zhuzi.
The conversation still showed the messages he had sent an hour earlier.
Zhuzi had time to like and comment on his Moments but no time to reply to his texts.
Liang Zhixia poked Zhuzi’s avatar, waiting for a response.
While he waited, the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped. Liang Zhixia bolted to the bed and yanked the curtain closed just as the bathroom door swung open.
The motion was too abrupt. Lu Quan emerged to find the curtain swaying, and he let out a low chuckle.
Hiding in bed, Liang Zhixia heard it and felt a sharp twinge on the side of his face. He touched the tooth mark that still hadn’t faded. Was Lu Quan a dog or something?
He perked up his ears, listening to the sounds beyond the curtain: the slap of slippers on the floor, then Lu Quan opening the wardrobe.
And then his curtain was yanked open from the outside.
!!!
Liang Zhixia couldn’t hold back a yelp of surprise. He grabbed the pillow beside him and hurled it straight at Lu Quan’s face.
“…”
He struck first. “…You scared me first.”
Lu Quan said nothing. Instead, he pulled out that panda plushie Liang Zhixia had seen before, from behind his back.
The panda wasn’t particularly large, but it was the perfect size for a hug pillow.
Lu Quan tucked it into Liang Zhixia’s arms, then bent down to peer into his eyes. “This is for you.”
Liang Zhixia loved it, but he couldn’t accept it.
“I don’t…”
Lu Quan cut him off.
“Zhizhi, you’ve got two choices right now. One: it sleeps with you. Two: I sleep with you.”
“…”
Wasn’t this just putting him in a tough spot?
With tears in his eyes, he chose the panda plushie.
That was when he realized the downside of sharing a dorm room with someone.
There was no one to help him.
Lu Quan just stood there watching him, so Liang Zhixia lay down, wrapped his arms around the panda plushie, and glanced up at Lu Quan. In a small voice, he said, “I’m going to sleep now.”
Little did he know that Lu Quan, seeing him so obedient, felt the beast in his heart stirring once more, ready to break free.
Liang Zhixia blinked his big, bright eyes, silently urging Lu Quan to leave and stop disturbing his sleep.
Lu Quan arched a brow and leaned in closer.
But this time, Liang Zhixia was ready. He clapped his hands over both cheeks, a smug glint peeking from his eyes.
He had miscalculated Lu Quan’s move, though.
The one spot he hadn’t covered—his lips—was nipped quickly before Lu Quan pulled away.
“You… you hooligan!!!”
Liang Zhixia clapped a hand over his mouth and glared daggers at the man standing by the bed.
Lu Quan, in high spirits, curved his lips into a grin. He looked genuinely pleased.
“Good night, boyfriend.”
“…”
Who was his boyfriend?!
Liang Zhixia grumbled silently in his head but didn’t dare say it aloud. He was afraid Lu Quan might come back for another bite.
Outside the dorm, the rain began to fall again.
It pattered lightly against the ground, sending up tiny splashes with each drop.
Liang Zhixia lay there with wide-open eyes that held no trace of sleepiness. His fingers idly tugged at the panda plushie’s soft fur.
He couldn’t sleep.
As a result, he was late for his Monday morning class at eight.
When he knocked on the door, he secretly hoped Lu Quan’s head would be the one peeking out.
It was all Lu Quan’s fault—he’d caused this insomnia and made him oversleep.
The professor calmly waved him inside the lecture hall, then drew a line through his name on the roster.
Everyone in the large classroom looked at him either with pity or barely concealed schadenfreude. Liang Zhixia’s toes curled in embarrassment as he slunk to the seat Jiang Ling and Fan Li had saved for him.
After class, Jiang Ling and Fan Li asked what had happened.
He mumbled vaguely, “Overslept.”
He pulled out his phone and fired off a barrage of angry messages to L.
【Zhizhi】: It’s all your fault aaaaa!!!
【Zhizhi】: I was late! The prof marked my name!!!
【Zhizhi】: Flailing kitten.jpg
…
【Zhizhi】: Kung fu kitten.jpg
He had just set his phone down when a notification popped up on the lock screen.
He unlocked it. It wasn’t from L—it was from Zhuzi.
【Zhuzi】: Stayed up all night gaming last night, forgot to reply, my treasure.
【Zhuzi】: Actually, I did reply. With my mind powers.
【Zhuzi】: Flawless plan, right? Bet he’s totally hooked on you now, can’t pull himself away.
【Zhuzi】: My plan’s foolproof. Just keep following it, and he’ll be putty in your hands.
Liang Zhixia wanted to snort. Hooked? The guy had straight-up evolved into a pervert.
He glanced toward the door of the classroom and spotted Lu Quan walking in with a book in hand.
Then Lu Quan sat down right beside him.
“You… what are you doing here?”
Lu Quan replied matter-of-factly, “Accompanying my boyfriend to class.”
“…”
Who was his boyfriend???
For a while, I thought Lu Quan had Zhuzi’s phone ah