After The Beautiful Woman Moves Into The Jock's Dorm Room - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Morning Run – “Who should Shen Qingyu run with after all…”

Perhaps he was frightened, or perhaps it was due to the cold shower Shen Qingyu took, but when he woke up the next day, his throat felt as if it had been cut by a knife. His head was heavy and dizzy as he sat up. He was very familiar with this feeling of sickness, but fortunately, he had medicine stocked at home.

Shen Qingyu found his usual medicine in the cabinet, poured himself a cup of warm water, and swallowed the pills one by one, a protracted and agonizing process.

Capsules were too large and tended to stick to his tongue, making them difficult to swallow. Tablets were even worse; even touching his tongue for a second meant the nauseating taste would cling stubbornly.

This was why Shen Qingyu disliked taking medicine—be it capsules, tablets, or even granules and oral liquids that needed mixing. He had consumed too many strange-tasting medicines growing up. Although his physical health had improved significantly as he got older, his aversion to medicine was deeply ingrained.

He had classes tomorrow. Shen Qingyu dragged his body, feeling as exhausted as if he had trekked for miles in the desert, back to school. He pushed open the door, didn’t speak to any of his roommates, and headed straight for his bed, plunging into it.

He slept until 2 PM that afternoon.

Cheng Che took the initiative to wake him for lunch. When he saw Shen Qingyu’s fluffy little head peek out from behind the bed curtain, he felt his heart melt.

“I’m not hungry,” Shen Qingyu said weakly.

“What’s wrong? You’ve looked unwell since you came back. Are you sick?” Cheng Che put down the food he had just started eating, stood by his bed, and touched his forehead. “Temperature… you don’t seem to have a fever. Where do you feel unwell?”

Shen Qingyu liked the feeling of being cared for and worried about. The strange sensation in his throat made him uncomfortable. He said hoarsely: “I caught a cold. My throat hurts, and my head is dizzy too.”

“I’ll get you some hot water. Did you take medicine this morning?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You still need to eat lunch. I’ll go downstairs and buy you some porridge. Wait for me.”

Cheng Che bustled around, first filling his extra-large sports bottle with hot water and placing it on the desk to cool, white steam misting from the spout. Then he put on his slippers and went downstairs to buy him lunch.

Watching him leave, Shen Qingyu felt a warmth spreading through his heart, as if it had been suffused with hot steam.

Lu Xiao, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, scoffed loudly: “So sickly.” As if afraid Shen Qingyu wouldn’t hear him.

Shen Qingyu ignored him and lay back down, spacing out, occasionally giving an uncontrollable cough.

He thought his cough was quiet, but Lu Xiao impatiently “tsked,” complaining: “Coughing and coughing, it’s so noisy.”

Then he swung out of bed, slipped on his N-brand slippers, and left.

Shen Qingyu felt a bit awkward.

Cheng Che quickly returned. He checked the water temperature and said: “The water’s safe to drink now, be careful not to burn your mouth.” He then realized he was using his own cup. “Uh… do you have a cup?”

Shen Qingyu nodded. Since talking was difficult, he said haltingly: “On… the table…”

Cheng Che quickly found his mug. “Here you go. Drink plenty of water.”

“Okay.” Shen Qingyu held the cup and drank little sips, somewhat like a kitten drinking water.

His lips quickly became moist. After drinking a large cup of water in one go, he felt his throat hurt less, but it was still itchy—to the extent that he would likely be woken up by the itching cough at night.

The dorm door was violently thrown open. It was Lu Xiao, who had been gone for a while.

He was carrying a plastic bag. Before Shen Qingyu could clearly see what was inside, a small, round metal tin suddenly flew over from the opposite side.

“Cough drops. Take them quickly.” Lu Xiao’s tone was awkward.

“…”

Shen Qingyu held the cold tin in his palm. It took some effort to open the lid. The cough drops inside were neatly arranged, not a single one missing.

They were new.

Shen Qingyu had eaten this brand of cough drops before. They weren’t too sweet, and the mint flavor wasn’t too strong; they made his throat feel comfortable when he sucked on them.

He whispered: “Thank you.”

Lu Xiao casually tossed the bag onto the desk, his movements while climbing onto his bed seeming… odd.

“Your constitution is too poor,” Lu Xiao said without hesitation. “You’ll start exercising with me from now on.”

The taste of loquat spread in his mouth. Shen Qingyu looked at him dumbfounded, refusing: “My constitution isn’t poor; I just accidentally caught a cold.”

Cheng Che’s emotions were complex when he saw Lu Xiao toss the cough drops, but he couldn’t snatch the item from Shen Qingyu’s hands. He was just deeply unsatisfied, feeling that he had been careless, which gave Lu Xiao an opportunity.

However, Cheng Che only felt strange about Lu Xiao’s sudden change in attitude for a moment before convincing himself otherwise. In his mind, it was natural: Shen Qingyu was such a lovely and beautiful guy, who could resist being kind to him?

On the matter of “lack of exercise,” Cheng Che and Lu Xiao reached an agreement.

“Little Yu, he’s right. You really need to exercise.” Cheng Che tried to reason with him. “You spend all your time in the dorm, only going out for class, the library, and the cafeteria, with only an occasional PE class. That won’t do.”

“I…”

Shen Qingyu felt helpless. He never expected to be “ganged up on” by Cheng Che and Lu Xiao.

“How about this? You come night jogging with me. It’s very cool then.”

“No, if he’s going, he’s coming to the gym with me to cut fat. With his small frame, the wind could blow him away without me even trying.” Lu Xiao insisted firmly.

Cheng Che took a deep breath and said: “After night jogging, you can also jump rope or play badminton. Little Yu, didn’t you say you like badminton? I can play with you.”

“The badminton court is right next to the gym.”

“Little Yu is a beginner and probably can’t handle your high-intensity workouts.”

“I’m not an idiot. I’ll plan it well for him. You don’t think night jogging is the best option, do you?”

“At least it’s simple, and it helps complete the campus running kilometers required by the school.”

The two quickly began to argue over “Who should Shen Qingyu exercise with.”

Their words were fierce, their speed incredibly fast, neither willing to yield. The smell of smoke quickly filled the dorm room.

Shen Qingyu’s head was spinning. He wanted to cover his head with his blanket and let out a howl: “Masters, stop chanting!”

He didn’t want to night jog or go to the gym!!

But the two had no intention of letting him off the hook. Their eyes met, sparks flying, and they both spoke simultaneously:

“Little Yu, what do you think?”

“Shen Qingyu, tell us?”

Feeling even dizzier, Shen Qingyu said weakly: “I think…”

His gaze continuously shifted between Lu Xiao and Cheng Che. Choose Cheng Che? Lu Xiao would definitely be angry. His temper was bad, like a recently popular beagle puppy (note: a culturally referenced comparison for someone easily annoyed and vocal). The slightest displeasure would make him complain for ages. Even if Shen Qingyu wasn’t deafened by the noise, he’d be annoyed to death. Choose Lu Xiao? Cheng Che would definitely be sad, and Shen Qingyu didn’t want to see him unhappy.

“I…” He was utterly tormented internally. He didn’t understand why he had already surrendered. Couldn’t he just choose the option of “refuse to exercise”?

But Shen Qingyu knew they meant well, especially when he saw a flicker of expectation on both their faces. He suddenly felt a sense of self-reproach, like he was a terrible person.

Knowing that choosing either one would provoke the dissatisfaction of the other, Shen Qingyu said with firm resolve: “How about I go morning running with Song Yu instead?”

Lu Xiao: “…”

Cheng Che: “…”

Surprisingly, both agreed.

In their view, as long as it wasn’t the other guy, it was fine.

As for Song Yu, they could completely trust him.

…

That evening, when Song Yu returned from the library and heard Shen Qingyu suggest they go morning running together, a look of surprise and shock appeared on his usually indifferent and ascetic face.

How was this any different from a pie falling from the sky?

Song Yu agreed.

Shen Qingyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, begging sweetly: “Then could you wake me up in the morning? I’ll set an alarm myself, but I’m afraid I’ll be lazy.”

Song Yu said: “Okay. Why the sudden urge to exercise?”

Shen Qingyu peeked at Lu Xiao and Cheng Che’s expressions, winking at Song Yu: “My health isn’t great. Lu Xiao and Cheng Che suggested I exercise more.”

Seeing the reluctant and helpless expression on his face, Song Yu instantly understood everything. He curved his lips into a smile: “Okay. Once you’re well, we’ll go morning running together.”

…

Shen Qingyu’s cold lasted for over a week. Before he could pray for it to last longer, he was completely better.

The first day of morning running was pure agony. The alarm rang once and was quickly silenced.

Then he turned over in bed and continued to sleep sweetly.

When Song Yu returned and saw he was still sleeping, he directly touched Shen Qingyu’s cheek with his cool hand. The warm, soft skin almost felt like it was burning through him.

“Wake up.”

Shen Qingyu jolted awake, opening his eyes to see Song Yu. His heart skipped a beat. He mumbled: “Okay.”

Seeing his dazed look, Song Yu knew he wasn’t fully awake. Although his voice was cold, his words were caring: “Do you want to sleep a little longer?”

Remembering how earnestly he had begged Song Yu to take him morning running, Shen Qingyu firmly shook his head: “No, wait for me, I’m going to wash up, it won’t take long!”

He darted into the bathroom, trying hard to keep the volume down.

Song Yu turned his palm upward, opening and closing his hand, savoring the feeling of excitement from touching Shen Qingyu’s cheek just moments ago.

He… actually touched him?

Not in the dead of silent night.

Not in an intoxicating spring dream.

But in the daylight, with sunlight streaming in.

Song Yu lowered his head and smiled silently. His smile was chilling, and the eyes behind his lenses flickered with extravagant colors.

…

After running for half an hour, Shen Qingyu was panting heavily behind Song Yu. Song Yu was much more patient than he expected, practically pacing the run for Shen Qingyu the entire time. Although they didn’t talk much, every time Shen Qingyu looked at Song Yu’s straight back, his heart pounded with excitement, as if he had taken an adrenaline shot.

The running speed wasn’t fast, and Shen Qingyu wasn’t suffering too much, but he disliked the feeling of sweat sticking to his body. He tugged at his clothes, his mind focused entirely on getting back to the dorm to shower.

Compared to Shen Qingyu, Song Yu’s breathing was much steadier. A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead and neck, glistening in the morning light.

“You head back to the dorm first. Thank you for today. I’m going to grab Cheng Che some breakfast on my way to the cafeteria.”

Song Yu stopped abruptly. His low-arched eyebrows furrowed, and his tone turned cold: “You’re buying him breakfast?”