He liked Ji Huaizhi.
There was no doubt about that.
Ning Shuang was absolutely certain that he had fallen in love with Ji Huaizhi at first sight, but he had never shown it too obviously—mainly because he had no idea about Ji Huaizhi’s orientation.
On top of that, since they were living together now, if his feelings ever slipped out, there was no telling if it might scare Ji Huaizhi off enough to pack up and move out that very night.
Ning Shuang also held back because of Ji Huaizhi’s aloof, distant personality and his tendency toward silence. He couldn’t rush things; he needed to take it slow, get to know him gradually. Beyond the basic info on his enrollment form, Ning Shuang really knew nothing about the guy at all.
For the moment, he couldn’t even picture what dating someone like Ji Huaizhi would look like. But whenever Ji Huaizhi walked around campus, that face alone guaranteed him plenty of attention.
He kept tossing and turning too much. The person sleeping next to him suddenly spoke up. “Ning Shuang, can’t you sleep?”
Ning Shuang’s back went rigid. He rolled over to face Ji Huaizhi. In the pitch darkness, he couldn’t make out a thing, but he could feel those eyes fixed on him. “Sorry—did I wake you?”
“No, I can’t sleep either,” Ji Huaizhi said.
Ning Shuang was surprised. “You too? Not used to camping out here?”
“No.” Ji Huaizhi shook his head. Truth be told, he just couldn’t sleep because Ning Shuang was lying right there beside him—his heart was racing too hard.
Ning Shuang figured he must be having trouble adjusting to the unfamiliar bed and let the subject drop. Instead, he asked, “So, what do you think of the camping trip?”
“Not bad.”
Ning Shuang had seen that answer coming; the guy’s standard repertoire was “good,” “not bad,” “okay,” or just “mm-hmm.”
He slipped a hand under his head, feeling the rhythm of his own breathing and heartbeat, then asked softly, “Ji Huaizhi, do you have a girl you like?”
Ji Huaizhi frowned. What kind of question was that…?
“No.”
Ning Shuang blinked and pressed on. “What about a guy, then?”
Ji Huaizhi couldn’t help wondering why Ning Shuang was suddenly prying into his love life like this. He shot back, “What’s with the sudden interest?”
Ning Shuang didn’t wait for a proper answer—he jumped straight to his own conclusion. No boys he liked, then. Ignoring the question, he asked, “Well, could you accept a guy liking you?”
“Yes.” Ji Huaizhi could only accept it if it was Ning Shuang doing the liking.
Sure.
Ning Shuang perked right up.
He nearly flipped over, sat up, and confessed on the spot that he wanted to pursue him.
Good thing he held himself back.
“Oh, got it.” Ning Shuang coughed dryly, smugness creeping into his voice. “Just curious, that’s all.”
“Let’s sleep, Ji Huaizhi. Good night.”
If Ji Huaizhi had no issue with guys chasing after him, then Ning Shuang just needed to come up with a solid plan.
The tent was a tight fit for two grown men, and with each of them zipped into their own sleeping bag—like separate blankets—they weren’t even touching. Even so, Ji Huaizhi still felt like they were pressed way too close.
Ning Shuang’s breath washed over his face with every exhale.
Ji Huaizhi’s gaze gradually darkened. Thanks to the special training his clan had put him through since childhood, he had excellent night vision. Up close like this, he could make out everything clearly.
Ning Shuang’s face was right there, inches away.
Still so handsome. His long lashes fluttered now and then, his lips curved in a faint arc, his breathing slow and even.
Ning Shuang might have forgotten, but years ago, they’d lain face-to-face outdoors just like this, whispering their secrets to each other late into the night.
Too bad he didn’t remember any of it.
~~~
The next day, close to noon, the group finally started heading back down the mountain.
Students from the various departments clustered together again. Ning Shuang slung his backpack over one shoulder and brought up the rear of the line, staying close to Ji Huaizhi.
They chatted idly here and there.
When they reached the base of the mountain and were waiting for the shuttle bus, Ning Shuang suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind.
“Ning Shuang-senior!” “Senior!”…
He turned around and spotted Chen Lu shoving his way through the crowd from the edge of the road until he finally reached him.
“Chen Lu? Didn’t the Accounting Department head back to school ages ago? What are you still doing here?” Ning Shuang glanced at the roster in his hand and asked curiously.
Panting for breath, Chen Lu explained, “No, I got held up with something. I already cleared it with the class assistant and the instructor. I saw you here and wanted to head back to school with you. That okay?”
As he spoke, he kept getting the sense that the strikingly handsome guy standing behind Ning Shuang was staring at him with an icy glare.
Chen Lu looked more closely. It wasn’t his imagination—the gaze even carried a hint of warning.
Ning Shuang noticed him staring off toward his back and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes met Ji Huaizhi’s calm, easygoing ones.
He furrowed his brow slightly, then turned back to Chen Lu. “Sure. Just stick close to me for now. Once my class has boarded, you can get on with me.”
Chen Lu’s face lit up with a grin. He bowed quickly. “Thank you, senior! You’re the best!”
Ning Shuang rolled up the roster in his hand and planted his fists on his hips. “What, handing out nice guy cards now?”
“No, really, senior—you’re seriously awesome!”
“Alright, alright, I get it.” All the “senior” this and “senior” that was starting to embarrass Ning Shuang. “Come stand by me. Wouldn’t want anyone from the other departments bumping into you when they board.”
“Got it! Thanks, senior!” Chen Lu edged carefully behind Ning Shuang. He craned his neck to look up at his face, then ducked his head again.
A moment later, Chen Lu called out softly. “Senior.”
“Yeah?” Ning Shuang pocketed his phone and turned.
In a small voice, Chen Lu said, “Could we sit together on the bus later? I don’t know anyone in your class except you, and I’m kinda nervous.”
Ning Shuang looked at him like a little brother—short and skinny, thick glasses, bangs half-hiding his brows, always keeping his head down except when he was talking to Ning Shuang.
“Sure, we can…”
He didn’t even finish. The guy behind him suddenly brought a curled fist to his mouth and let out a few soft coughs.
Ning Shuang whipped around to Ji Huaizhi, who suddenly looked so fragile a stiff breeze might scatter him.
“Ji Huaizhi? You okay?” Ning Shuang ditched Chen Lu on the spot and hurried over, full of concern.
Ji Huaizhi coughed a few more times. “Not sure. Feels like I’m coming down with a cold. Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Ning Shuang hadn’t slept much either, thanks to all the thoughts swirling in his head. But he’d assumed Ji Huaizhi was just restless from the new spot. He hadn’t realized it was bad sleep.
“I’ve got cold medicine.” Ning Shuang swung his backpack around to his chest, unzipped it, rummaged inside, and pulled out a box of preventive cold tablets. He also grabbed a sealed bottle of water, twisted off the cap one-handed, and passed it over.
Ji Huaizhi took the water. Ning Shuang snapped off two tablets. “Take these to head it off. If you’re still feeling off when we get back, I’ll go to the hospital with you.”
“Alright, thanks, senior,” Ji Huaizhi said as he plucked the tablets from Ning Shuang’s palm.
Ning Shuang’s eyes went wide. He stared at him in shock. “You—you’re calling me…”
“Senior? Am I not supposed to?” Ji Huaizhi swallowed the medicine and blinked at him innocently. “That’s what they all call you.”
Well, it wasn’t wrong.
Ji Huaizhi really was a year and a grade below him.
“Haha, ha.” Ning Shuang’s laugh came out a bit forced. Seeing no one paying attention, he dropped his voice. “With our relationship, ‘senior’ feels kinda distant, doesn’t it?”
It didn’t really, but hearing it from other people versus from Ji Huaizhi was totally different. There was this weird thrill to it.
Ji Huaizhi just pursed his lips and stared at him without a word.
Ning Shuang wilted under that vaguely resentful, almost sad look. “Fine, fine—you can call me whatever. Go nuts.”
Ji Huaizhi turned his head away and stopped responding.
Ning Shuang: ?
“You mad?” He darted around in front of Ji Huaizhi, tilting his head to peer up at him from below. All he got was that calm, icy expression.
“No,” Ji Huaizhi said. “Just not feeling great.”
“Not feeling great? This stuff has a sedative effect to help you sleep. I’ll sit right next to you on the bus.”
“Alright, thanks, senior.” Out of Ning Shuang’s sight, the corner of Ji Huaizhi’s mouth twitched upward just a fraction.
Ning Shuang shut his eyes for a second. Those repeated “senior”s were making him oddly uncomfortable. His face heated up for no reason, and his heart beat faster than usual.
Desperate to shake off the weird sensation, he turned back to Chen Lu. “One of my classmates isn’t feeling well—I need to keep an eye on him. You sit right behind me instead. That way, it’s easy to get my attention if you need anything.”
“…Alright, thanks, Senior.” Chen Lu’s eyes visibly dimmed.
He gripped his sleeve tightly, glancing at the frail-looking Ji Huaizhi before reluctantly withdrawing his gaze.
The school bus finally pulled up. Students from Business Class 1 boarded one after another. Ning Shuang grabbed Ji Huaizhi’s backpack and slung it over his own shoulder, ushering him to sit in the back row first. Ning Shuang himself stood at the front, counting heads row by row. Once everyone was accounted for, he hopped off to greet the driver—who was having a smoke outside—before returning to the bus.
Their class wasn’t large, and after everyone sat down, two seats remained empty. Because Ji Huaizhi wasn’t feeling well, Ning Shuang had made sure he got the window seat. Chen Lu ended up right behind Ning Shuang.
The bus slowly pulled away.
The road down the mountain wound through lush green trees on all sides. As the vehicle passed under the canopy, dappled sunlight filtered through the branches, casting shifting shadows on the bus and spilling into the interior through the windows.
Ning Shuang unscrewed the cap of another bottle and handed it to Ji Huaizhi, asking with concern, “Need some more water? Feeling carsick after the medicine?”
Ji Huaizhi took the bottle and tilted his head back for a sip. A trickle escaped the corner of his lips, trailing down his smooth neck and leaving a glistening path in its wake.
Ning Shuang quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it over.
“I’m okay, not too dizzy,” Ji Huaizhi said.
Ning Shuang let out a breath of relief. He pulled out his phone and told Ji Huaizhi, “Good. Close your eyes and rest then. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
Ji Huaizhi watched him open the game interface, a subtle shift flickering in his eyes. Then he said, “I can’t sleep. You playing a game?”
“Yeah, it’s almost two hours back. Figured I’d kill some time with a game,” Ning Shuang nodded.
Ji Huaizhi straightened up and took out his own phone. “You taught me last time, but I haven’t played much. Teach me again, Senior.”
He put a deliberate emphasis on those last two words.
Ning Shuang’s heart skipped a beat at the words. “Sure, sure! I’ll teach you.”
One simple “Teach me, Senior” from Ji Huaizhi was enough to wear Ning Shuang out like an ox.
