“Hmm?” Ning Shuang hadn’t expected Ji Huaizhi to suddenly say something like that.
A breeze blew in from the river surface, carrying the distinctive fishy smell of summer rivers along with the scent on Ji Huaizhi’s body—the same one Ning Shuang had noticed back at the Abandoned Lab Building.
And to think he’d run into Ji Huaizhi there twice now.
Did someone like Ji Huaizhi even have desires? What could he possibly want?
Seeing Ning Shuang staring off into space, Ji Huaizhi shifted to a probing tone and asked softly, “Is it not convenient?”
“No, no.” Ning Shuang waved his hands frantically, shaking his head. “It’s fine. Come with me then. We can head home together after.”
Ning Shuang picked up the backpack he’d set on the ground. “Put your clothes in here. It’s not convenient to carry them by hand.”
Ji Huaizhi obediently placed them inside. Ning Shuang zipped it up and was about to sling it over his shoulder when Ji Huaizhi grabbed the strap first and draped the bag across his own.
Ning Shuang stared at him, momentarily stunned, but Ji Huaizhi seemed oblivious to the surprise in his eyes. He met Ning Shuang’s gaze and asked, “Shall we go?”
Ning Shuang nodded quickly. “Yeah, let’s go.”
He ducked his head and walked ahead, thinking to himself that he really couldn’t quite figure Ji Huaizhi out. The attitude he’d shown at their first meeting was worlds apart from how he acted now.
Zhao Wei Liang’s dorm was on the fourteenth floor, and with classes just letting out, students were flooding back to their rooms. Ning Shuang and Ji Huaizhi had to wait through one full elevator load before squeezing into the next one.
Ji Huaizhi stood in the corner, with Ning Shuang right in front of him. The car was packed tight, forcing the two of them to press close together.
“Ji Huaizhi, am I crowding you?” Ning Shuang kept his eyes down to avoid meeting Ji Huaizhi’s gaze. As he spoke, his breath puffed warm against the other’s neck.
“It’s fine,” Ji Huaizhi murmured. He lowered his eyelashes, his gaze settling on the swirling pattern atop Ning Shuang’s head. The fresh scent of shampoo filled his nostrils, and those two words came out strained from deep in his throat.
“You smell really nice,” Ning Shuang said, sniffing again and keeping his voice low.
Aside from the ancient woody and bamboo aroma that clung to him from the Abandoned Lab Building, Ji Huaizhi’s natural scent was faint—like sandalwood blanketed in fresh snow, cool and aloof.
It suited him perfectly.
Ning Shuang didn’t find the gesture flirtatious at all. He’d never dated or even had a crush, but he had plenty of friends, and they weren’t shy about casual contact like this. To him, it was just normal between buddies.
The hand at Ji Huaizhi’s side clenched suddenly. He pressed his lips into a thin line, unsure how to respond.
Ning Shuang chuckled and looked up to meet his eyes. “Is it your body wash?”
“Perhaps,” Ji Huaizhi said, turning his head away.
They were pressed so close that the long hair draped over Ji Huaizhi’s shoulder brushed against Ning Shuang’s, some strands even tickling across his cheek.
The moment was a real test of endurance for Ji Huaizhi.
Thankfully, the fourteenth floor arrived soon enough.
With a ding, the elevator announced the floor. Ning Shuang grabbed Ji Huaizhi’s sleeve and shoved their way out.
“Good thing fewer people got off on the lower floors, or we’d have been stuck in there longer,” Ning Shuang said with relief as he let go. He turned and headed down the hallway.
Ji Huaizhi said nothing, simply quickening his pace to match Ning Shuang’s without drawing attention.
Ning Shuang soon reached the door to Zhao Wei Liang’s dorm.
He knocked, and someone came to open it right away.
It was one of Zhao Wei Liang’s roommates. The moment he saw Ning Shuang, his eyes went wide. “Ning Shuang! What brings you here? Looking for Lao Zhao?”
“Yeah, I heard he had a cold. Just checking on him,” Ning Shuang explained.
Xiao Luo tilted his head to peer at Ji Huaizhi behind Ning Shuang. Ning Shuang followed his gaze and quickly introduced him. “This is my friend. He came along with me.”
“Right, come on in.” Xiao Luo’s eyes lingered on Ji Huaizhi’s face for a few seconds before stepping aside.
Ning Shuang glanced back at Ji Huaizhi. “Come on in.”
Ji Huaizhi nodded and stepped inside.
His eyes darkened as he looked toward the person sleeping on bed four.
“Brother Zhou, Lao Yu, guess who’s here?” Xiao Luo shut the door and hurried out to the balcony, calling to the two washing clothes.
“Who?”
“Ning Shuang!” Xiao Luo said.
“Ning Shuang?” Two heads poked out from the balcony.
Ning Shuang grinned. “What are you guys up to?”
“Washing clothes. Here to see Lao Zhao?” Brother Zhou, with his side-parted messy hair, held up his hands to show Ning Shuang the suds.
Ning Shuang nodded. “Yeah, checking on Lao Zhao.”
“He’s out cold right now. Fever’s pretty bad,” one of them said as the three from the balcony came inside. The dorm’s Lao Yu slung an arm around Ning Shuang’s shoulders.
Ji Huaizhi’s gaze paused on that hand on Ning Shuang’s shoulder. Brother Zhou, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed. “Hey… who’s this guy?”
Ning Shuang quickly stepped back to Ji Huaizhi’s side and introduced him to the other two. “This is my friend, here to check on Lao Zhao with me.”
“Just call him Ji Huaizhi,” Ning Shuang added, then turned to him. “Wait here a sec. I’ll go see Zhao Wei Liang.”
“Okay.” Ji Huaizhi nodded.
Ning Shuang climbed the ladder cabinet to Zhao Wei Liang’s bedside. The guy was named Wei Liang—”Slightly Cool”—but right now he was burning up. Ning Shuang’s hand jerked back the instant it touched his forehead.
“Burning up like this?” He felt his own head, then Zhao Wei Liang’s neck. He and Zhao Wei Liang were close enough that this was all par for the course between friends.
Ji Huaizhi watched them, his gaze lingering on Ning Shuang’s hand for a long moment.
Only after a while did he look away. He curled his hand to his lips and coughed lightly twice. In the quiet dorm, the sound carried, and Ning Shuang heard it. He turned. “You okay? Did you catch a chill from the wind downstairs?”
Maybe it was Ji Huaizhi’s quiet nature or the long hair, but Ning Shuang always pictured him as someone in fragile health.
Ji Huaizhi pressed his lips together. “I’m fine,” he said calmly.
Ning Shuang nodded and turned his concern back to the other three by the bed. “Has he taken his medicine?”
Xiao Luo nodded. “Morning and lunch doses, but not the evening one yet.”
Ning Shuang dipped his head slightly, then leaned down to sniff Zhao Wei Liang. Sure enough, it was gu. Chen Lu must have wished for something academic, landing him with the Intelligence Gu.
Zhao Wei Liang’s wish to get a girlfriend probably got him the Charm Gu. Unlike the Love Gu—which made the victim fall for the caster—the Charm Gu just piqued others’ interest in the target.
Whoever cast it clearly hadn’t measured the dose right. That was the danger of gu: get the quantity wrong, and it backlashed.
“Brother Zhou, get me a cup of warm water. He should take his medicine before sleeping.”
Brother Zhou agreed and grabbed Zhao Wei Liang’s water cup from the desk. He filled it with warm water and handed over the cold medicine from the desk too.
Ning Shuang checked the label—just basic cold meds, nothing harmful. He shook Zhao Wei Liang awake.
“Zhao Wei Liang, take your medicine before you crash again.”
Zhao Wei Liang wasn’t as bad off as Chen Lu; he managed to sit up. “Ning Shuang, what are you doing here?”
“Just checking on you. How’d you catch such a nasty cold?” Ning Shuang handed over the pills and water.
“Probably the night breeze last night…” Zhao Wei Liang said. He popped the pills in his mouth and washed them down.
Once he’d swallowed, Ning Shuang offered his handkerchief. Zhao Wei Liang took it and wiped the water from his lips.
The fresh scent from the handkerchief wafted into his nose and swirled through his mind. Almost instantly, Zhao Wei Liang felt clearer-headed.
“Hmm?” He sniffed it intently before handing it back. “Why’s your handkerchief smell so good?”
“Does it?” Ning Shuang shrugged, pocketing it. “Probably the laundry detergent.”
Zhao Wei Liang said, “I feel way better already. This stuff works. Another night’s sleep, and I’ll be good as new tomorrow.”
Ning Shuang thought to himself, if I hadn’t come, a few more nights and you’d be sleeping eternally.
“Good to hear. I covered a class for you, so you owe me one later.” Seeing Zhao Wei Liang perk up, Ning Shuang set down the empty cup and climbed down from the ladder cabinet, steadying himself on the bed frame.
“Ning Shuang!” Zhao Wei Liang called from the bed rail. Ning Shuang looked up. “What?”
“I don’t think it was the wind.” Zhao Wei Liang stared at him intently.
Ning Shuang frowned. “Huh?”
“I’m serious!” Zhao Wei Liang insisted. “Last night, I saw glowing floorboards. Heard people talking upstairs. Someone even asked me my wish. I gave him the gold chain from my neck, said I wanted a girlfriend this semester. He took it, said he’d gotten it, then nothing. When I got back, I felt off. Spent all day having weird dreams.”
Ning Shuang lowered his eyes, thinking it over, then looked up. “Sounds like you’ve been seeing ghosts.”
“Zhao Wei Liang, has your fever fried your brain? Take your medicine and sleep it off—you’re not making any sense,” Lao Yu said. He was the dorm’s resident staunch materialist, the kind who got annoyed at any hint of the supernatural.
Last semester, when Ning Shuang had been crashing in their dorm, they had stayed up late telling ghost stories, and Lao Yu had spent the whole time debunking them with scientific explanations.
Zhao Wei Liang flopped back onto his bed. “Fine, you’re probably right. The fever must have messed me up.”
Ning Shuang let out a sigh. “Get some sleep then. You’ll probably be right as rain by tomorrow.”
“Thanks for coming to check on me. Just having you here has me feeling refreshed already,” Zhao Wei Liang said.
Ning Shuang chuckled. He asked, “Last night at the wish spot—besides you, did anyone else make a wish there?”
“Yeah, quite a few people.” Ning Shuang didn’t know them well, so he had no idea how they were doing.
But if they were all in the same boat as Zhao Wei Liang, did that mean he had to check on each one personally?
The thought was exhausting. Who the hell was behind this mess? He let out a soft sigh. “Whatever. I’m heading back to make some food—I’m starving.”
“Let’s go, Ji Huaizhi,” he said, walking over to Ji Huaizhi’s side.
At the sound of Ning Shuang’s voice, Zhao Wei Liang propped himself up again, eyeing them both with blatant curiosity. “Ning Shuang, is this the super hot roommate you mentioned yesterday?”
Ning Shuang played dumb on the spot. “What? Mentioned what? Who’s hot? Hasn’t your fever cleared up yet?”
He looked guilty as charged and hustled Ji Huaizhi out of the dorm.
Once they were out, Ning Shuang took a deep breath and explained to Ji Huaizhi, “He’s talking nonsense. He’s still burning up, after all.”
“Let’s head back.”
Ji Huaizhi’s lips curved up slightly, and he replied softly with a single word. “Okay.”
The elevator downstairs wasn’t as crowded. They made it out of the dorm smoothly and walked together toward the bus stop outside campus.
Class had just let out, so the roads were full of students heading every which way.
It was clear just how popular Ning Shuang was. In that short stretch, he exchanged greetings with at least ten people.
“Seems like a lot of people like you,” Ji Huaizhi remarked suddenly as they left campus and headed for the bus stop.
Ning Shuang knew exactly where that observation came from. He grinned at Ji Huaizhi. “I’m in the Student Union, so I run into them a lot. That’s why so many people know me.”
“You’re so good-looking—more and more people will want to get to know you,” Ning Shuang said sincerely.
Ji Huaizhi responded coolly, “I have no interest in meeting them.”
“Uh… that’s not what I meant.” Ning Shuang knew Ji Huaizhi wasn’t the type to strike up conversations or make friends easily. He couldn’t picture him ever being as sociable as himself. “What I mean is, you’re really attractive, so lots of people are going to want to know you.”
“You probably haven’t noticed, but on the school forum, people are already fishing for you—trying to track you down and snag your contact info.”
“Fishing?” Clearly, Ji Huaizhi’s understanding of the term was pretty surface-level.
Ning Shuang couldn’t help but laugh. Ji Huaizhi had long hair and an earring, but his mannerisms were so straitlaced. “It means a bunch of people like you and want your contact details.”
Ji Huaizhi’s brows furrowed deeply.
Ning Shuang burst out laughing this time. He was starting to think Ji Huaizhi wasn’t as aloof as he seemed. In fact, he was kind of cute.
“Alright, I’ll stop. Don’t want to overload you.” They boarded the bus one after the other. Ning Shuang scanned his transit code, and Ji Huaizhi dropped two coins into the fare box behind him.
Ning Shuang took a window seat in the back row, leaving space for Ji Huaizhi, who sat down right beside him.
Ning Shuang fidgeted a bit, rubbing his knees. The breeze from the open window whipped his hair around. “Oh yeah, Ji Huaizhi, you haven’t had dinner yet, right?”
“Not yet.” After finishing his own errands, he’d gone straight to the dorm to find Ning Shuang, so he hadn’t eaten.
Ning Shuang turned to look at him. “How about I cook tonight? You head home first, and I’ll swing by the supermarket for some veggies and daily essentials.”
No sooner had he said it than Ji Huaizhi replied, “I want to go too.”
Ning Shuang was a little surprised, but mostly pleased. “Really? Cool, that way you can pick out stuff you like.”
“Mm.” Ji Huaizhi nodded.
A few stops later, they got off the bus.
As soon as they stepped off, a strong gust of wind hit them, and Ning Shuang sneezed. Ji Huaizhi’s gaze darkened slightly. He looked at Ning Shuang and asked, “Should we go back for a jacket first?”
Ning Shuang was in a short-sleeved shirt and thin pants; the wind cut right through his clothes.
“Nah, I’m fine—tough as nails.” Ning Shuang led Ji Huaizhi across the street toward the mall.
The supermarket was still busy at this hour. Ning Shuang grabbed a cart and made a beeline for the produce section. They got lucky—a fresh batch of fruits and veggies had just come in, plenty for him to browse.
“Do you eat eggplant?” Ning Shuang asked.
“Mm,” Ji Huaizhi replied softly.
“Corn? We could boil some for breakfast tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
“Then let’s get some eggs and tomatoes too. I can make tomato-egg soup after my morning run.”
“Okay.”
“Mushrooms?”
“Fine.”
…
Ji Huaizhi might not have taken the initiative to pick anything, but he had a response ready for every suggestion from Ning Shuang.
Noticing this, Ning Shuang stopped short. Ji Huaizhi, following close behind, nearly bumped into him.
“Ji Huaizhi, what do you want to eat? Don’t make me decide everything,” Ning Shuang said, turning to face him.
“Anything’s fine,” Ji Huaizhi replied.
Ning Shuang pressed, “What about fruit? Anything you’re craving?”
“Not really.”
…
They just weren’t clicking on this. Ning Shuang felt a bit awkward and pushed the cart onward.
They got home with the groceries right at six-thirty. Ning Shuang tied on an apron and started prepping dinner.
Ji Huaizhi pitched in, helping out. He gathered his long hair with a wooden hairpin, the stray strands framing his face and lending him an unexpectedly gentle air.
Maybe because the kitchen was so cramped, Ning Shuang caught that familiar scent again—the one from in front of the Abandoned Lab Building. It hadn’t faded even after all this time. Ji Huaizhi must have gone inside at some point.
Ning Shuang paused mid-chop and suddenly turned to Ji Huaizhi. “Ji Huaizhi, do you have any wish that you absolutely have to see come true?”
Ji Huaizhi’s long lashes lifted. Cold water ran over his fingertips and the cabbage leaf he held. He paused for a few seconds, then turned to look at Ning Shuang. His gaze was like a still, dead sea—devoid of ripples, the dark purple glow spreading from his pupils, the shadows under his lashes like an abyss, deep and bottomless.
Ning Shuang noticed the silence and the intensity of Ji Huaizhi’s stare. He turned to meet it, but Ji Huaizhi looked away first. Only then did he speak. “Yes.”
