After I Cross-Dressed, Even My Roommate Kissed Me - Chapter 3

Qin Zhou watched that slightly energetic retreating figure with an expressionless face, his impatience toward the person in front of him growing heavier.

“Student, I really just got here and I don’t know the school layout yet. I didn’t mean to waste your time. Could you tell me the route one more time? Or I could record it and listen as I walk.”

Under the scorching sun, a thin layer of sweat covered Fang Xin’s forehead. He fumbled to pull out his phone an off-brand model that was nearly freezing in the heat. The scratched screen refused to cooperate. Fang Xin bit his lip, looking so anxious he seemed ready to cry.

Qin Zhou looked at the boy, who was nearly the same height as him, making such an expression. He found it utterly exasperating. The last shred of his patience finally evaporated, and he couldn’t hide the coldness in his voice: “Go straight along the road. If you don’t understand, ask someone else.”

With that, he strode away. Fang Xin had just unlocked his phone when he felt Qin Zhou drift past like a gust of wind, leaving him standing there gaping and at a loss.

It wasn’t until his vision started to blur from the sun that Fang Xin finally took heavy steps, dragging his sparsely packed suitcase toward his dormitory.

While the main cast was sweating through their plotlines under the sun, Pei Yisheng and Su Yiyi had already entered the library. The air conditioning was blasting as if it were free, making them both sigh in relief.

Remembering his promise to buy drinks, Pei Yisheng headed straight for the water bar with Su Yiyi.

“I’ll have an Iced Orange Americano,” Pei Yisheng ordered. He then turned to Su Yiyi. “What do you want? Pick whatever you like even the expensive ones are fine.”

Pei Yisheng’s voice lilted playfully. Su Yiyi glanced at him. “Why are you so happy?”

“Is it that obvious?” Pei Yisheng hadn’t noticed the constant upward curve of his lips, but he was indeed happy. His joy was infectious, and even Su Yiyi couldn’t help but smile.

“Extremely obvious. But I’m not used to Americanos; get me a passion fruit tea.”

The two sat in a corner. Su Yiyi touched the cold condensation dripping down his cup and couldn’t help but ask, “Shengsheng, are you going to keep doing your part-time job?”

Pei Yisheng sucked on his straw and sighed. “I have to.”

Although he had caught a fever this time because he spent hours in the rain as a stand-in photographer, it didn’t rain every time. This job was currently one of the few he could find that offered high pay for short hours. Switching to something else might not be as comfortable.

He needed money a lot of it.

Su Yiyi’s eyes darted around. “Then I’ll keep an eye out for you. If I find a part-time job that pays quick, I’ll definitely tell you.”

“Great! As long as it doesn’t interfere with classes or exams, I’m free.” Pei Yisheng was only downcast for a moment before cheering himself up. Life, after all, would get better bit by bit.

Not even three minutes into being serious, Su Yiyi’s true nature resurfaced. He looked left and right like a thief before lowering his voice to gossip, “Shengsheng, what if I went to ask for directions too?”

He blinked his eyes; there was no need to guess who he wanted to ask.

Pei Yisheng poked Su Yiyi’s forehead with a finger. “Stop that thought right now!”

Qin Zhou had a fearsome reputation. Su Yiyi wasn’t the “protagonist shou” (the main character’s love interest) if he forced himself into that circle, he’d get torn apart! He couldn’t watch Su Yiyi head down a path of no return, or his conscience would never be clear.

But fearing that being too direct would trigger Su Yiyi’s rebellious side, Pei Yisheng tried to recall the details of their encounter with the main cast. Combining that with what he remembered from the book, he actually recalled something: “Don’t you think Qin Zhou was very special today?”

“Special? Specially handsome?” Su Yiyi’s eyes glowed. From a distance, Qin Zhou looked even taller with longer legs, radiating pheromones from a mile away. How could someone look so… inviting? Su Yiyi was practically drooling.

Pei Yisheng endured it and grit his teeth. “Specially patient.”

The rumors on the school forum said Qin Zhou had a good background and a good face, but a rotten temper; most people couldn’t get two words out of him. Yet today, they had watched him go back and forth with the protagonist shou without losing his temper at all.

Su Yiyi was clearly more familiar with the rumors regarding Qin Zhou’s personality. His heart skipped a beat. “No way… is the campus ‘Bodhisattva’ gone? Does that mean I won’t get to see his abs anymore?”

Ignoring his grief, he somberly pulled out his phone and opened his gallery to frantically scroll through photos of Qin Zhou’s abs a hundred times.

Pei Yisheng: “…”

It seemed his friend didn’t really need a wake-up call after all. How could someone who just wanted to thirst over a “Bodhisattva” and a “cyber-husband” ever become a villain?

They wandered around the library, noting the subject divisions on each floor, and finally picked a middle floor.

Their dormitory building was mixed-use, mostly housing students from wealthy families or those who had transferred majors. Pei Yisheng studied Finance while Su Yiyi studied Directing. If they wanted to be study partners, they had to compromise.

Since the semester had just begun, the library wasn’t crowded mostly upperclassmen. They found seats and each picked a book. Pei Yisheng flipped through a work of literature completely unrelated to his coursework and slowly became absorbed.

Su Yiyi couldn’t sit still for long. After looking around restlessly, he borrowed a pen and paper from someone nearby and began sketching. By the time Pei Yisheng closed his book, Su Yiyi was energetically adding details to his masterpiece.

“Shengsheng, look!” Su Yiyi mouthed.

Pei Yisheng leaned over. Qin Zhou’s face was vividly captured on the paper. There was another tiny back of a head tucked into the bottom right corner, lacking even a single strand of hair. It was clear that Su Yiyi only cared about the handsome face of the one named Qin.

“It’s a good likeness.”

Su Yiyi was proud. “Of course. You done? Let’s go, I’m starving.”

Pei Yisheng nodded. He went to return his book while Su Yiyi returned the pen and paper. When Pei Yisheng returned, Su Yiyi’s hands were empty. Anticipating the question, Su Yiyi said proactively, “I threw it away.”

People like Qin Zhou were magnets for trouble. He was just drawing out of boredom; he wasn’t looking for drama.

Pei Yisheng studied his expression and gave Su Yiyi a mental thumbs up for his self-awareness.

Two days later, formal classes began. The packed schedule immediately took up most of Pei Yisheng’s time. He arranged to study with Su Yiyi in the evenings. Though Su Yiyi wasn’t used to such diligence, he managed to stick with it.

Leaving early and returning late, Pei Yisheng didn’t see Qin Zhou for a long time. He even saw Wen Xiuyun and Song Wen less often. Without having to deal with those “Celestial” second-generation elites, Pei Yisheng felt much more relaxed. Combined with the occasional part-time gig, he finally felt like his life was getting on the right track.

The only issue was that the part-time hours were hard to coordinate. As a “stand-in,” he had to follow other people’s schedules. After grit-teeth skipping two relatively easy classes, Pei Yisheng faced a new dilemma.

This couldn’t continue. He needed to find an online part-time job, but that might mean his income wouldn’t be guaranteed.

Using the student in front of him as cover, Pei Yisheng browsed job listings during class. After filtering through several layers, nothing seemed suitable. He pursed his lips and opened his WeChat Moments. He remembered a bar promoter who also did recruitment, claiming the work was easy and the pay was excellent, with plenty of tips.

Pei Yisheng didn’t believe the “easy work” part, but for the sake of money, he could endure it.

As soon as he opened his feed, the person was spamming posts with the same scripts. Pei Yisheng clicked the avatar and sent a message.

The other party replied instantly with a ten-second voice note. Pei Yisheng converted it to text.

“Good afternoon, Young Master Pei! It’s been so long since you visited Lihuo. Do you have a new favorite? We all miss you! Also, our shop has developed a lot of new ways to play. You should bring your friends to experience them~”

Pei Yisheng’s face turned red involuntarily. It wasn’t because he felt ashamed of the change in his status, but because no one had ever called him “Young Master Pei” before. It felt weirdly embarrassing.

Just as he was about to reply, he heard the professor announce a random roll call for participation points. He sent a quick reply, planning to discuss the details after class.

While eating, Pei Yisheng looked at the job details sent by the bar promoter. The pay was even higher than what he had seen on the Moments feed, but the service requirements were also more detailed. It seemed they favored his good looks.

He bit his chopsticks, unable to make up his mind. Even the chicken leg rice in front of him lost its appeal. He took a few forced bites and, feeling tasteless, decided to rest a moment. That was when he saw the protagonist shou, Fang Xin, wandering around the seating area like a headless fly.

There are so many empty seats, where does he want to sit?

Curious, Pei Yisheng began to observe him.

Fang Xin had just sat down with his meal. There wasn’t a single person he knew nearby. He sighed, not understanding why he always struggled to make friends.

He ate his meal in silent loneliness. But when he looked up, he happened to see the student who had given him directions the other day. In the crowded cafeteria, the guy stood out like a lighthouse, a radiant presence that made everyone else seem like background noise. Fang Xin’s heart leaped. Without thinking, he stood up and chased after him.

He felt they were destined! This student was surely a friend sent by heaven!

“Student, hello! I’m Fang Xin, do you remember me? I asked you for directions on opening day.” Fang Xin ran up to Qin Zhou, looking at him with hope. He unconsciously straightened his back and said happily, “I’ve been wanting to thank you. Let me pay for your dinner today, okay?”

Qin Zhou remained expressionless. Behind him, Lin Jiayu poked his head out. “Oh? What’s going on here?”

He looked at Qin Zhou teasingly, his eyes full of mischief.

“I don’t know,” Qin Zhou said flatly.

Fang Xin panicked. How could he not know? He had already introduced himself, and it was only a few days ago; it was impossible to forget so quickly. His mouth opened and closed nervously. “It was… last week, I asked you for directions.”

“Student, so many freshmen ask for directions. It’s normal not to remember. We believe in doing good deeds anonymously without seeking rewards. Go back and eat,” Lin Jiayu said with a smile, trying to smooth things over after getting his fill of the spectacle.

But Fang Xin stared stubbornly at Qin Zhou, as if he hadn’t heard Lin Jiayu at all. Seeing this, Lin Jiayu shrugged, thinking to himself that Qin Zhou’s charm was truly immense. Unfortunately, Qin Zhou didn’t have a good temper.

Sure enough, seeing that Fang Xin refused to leave, Qin Zhou finally fixed his gaze on him. He had the kind of face one forgot immediately; if the guy hadn’t mentioned the directions, Qin Zhou really wouldn’t have remembered him. He slowly curled his lips into a smirk and leaned in close. “Do you know me?”

Qin Zhou was exceptionally handsome a pure, aggressive beauty. Any expression on that face was enough to make one’s heart race. The campus forum literally called him a “Pheromone Injector,” which spoke to his impact. Seeing that face suddenly approach, Fang Xin was stunned. The next second, he performed a perfect example of turning beet-red.

His face flushed with excitement as he stammered to say something, but Qin Zhou, as if seeing something amusing, let out a mocking snort.

Fang Xin’s brain stalled again.

He saw Qin Zhou’s mouth moving, but his ears were buzzing so loudly he couldn’t hear a thing.

“Sorry, I have my own money. I don’t eat other people’s food.” Qin Zhou smiled wickedly. Seeing that Fang Xin still hadn’t snapped out of it, he suddenly felt bored.

Seeing him leave, Lin Jiayu followed close behind.

“I really don’t get it. With a temper like yours, how is your popularity so high? People look for you every day. Why doesn’t anyone look for the suave, handsome, and witty me?” Lin Jiayu complained.

Qin Zhou had more patience for his talkative childhood friend. He snorted. “You have no idea how annoying it is to deal with this crap. If you like it, you can have all this ‘popularity.'”

Lin Jiayu was heartbroken. “You truly don’t know how lucky you are!”

On the other side, Fang Xin finally snapped out of it, only to realize that many students were staring at him. Accompanied by those pointed looks, Fang Xin’s face went pale. He stopped eating, lowered his head, and walked out of the cafeteria, sitting on the edge of a flower bed in sorrow.

He couldn’t understand. They were clearly so destined to meet, so why did the other person embarrass him like that?

Pei Yisheng had watched the whole scene from behind a pillar. He was even more stunned than Fang Xin. Why was Qin Zhou acting like this? Was there a hidden “chasing-the-wife-at-the-crematorium” trope in Qin Zhou’s storyline? He had read the book too quickly and skipped parts; he really hadn’t noticed these minor plot points.

He went back to his seat, slowly finished his chicken leg, and decided to stop paying attention to them. The plot would eventually correct itself anyway. Otherwise, wouldn’t all his suffering over the summer where he was restricted from doing anything be for nothing?

After eating, Pei Yisheng had to go to the library. Because he had dawdled over his meal, he took a shortcut. Without streetlights, Pei Yisheng used his phone’s flashlight. He walked unsteadily over the round pebbles, his heart pounding for some unknown reason.

He kept his head down, wanting to reach the lit area quickly.

Just as he was about to pass a large shrub, he was suddenly grabbed and pulled into a strange embrace. His mouth was tightly covered. Pei Yisheng’s eyes widened in terror, his cries for help muffled into “mgh-mgh” sounds. In a moment of desperation, he bit down hard. The person was incredibly resilient, refusing to let go.

“Look clearly at who I am!” Qin Zhou’s eyes were fierce. “Keep biting and I’ll snap your teeth off.”

Pei Yisheng: !

Support After I Cross-Dressed, Even My Roommate Kissed Me