After The Beautiful Woman Moves Into The Jock's Dorm Room - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Scumbag – “Stay away from him, he is not a good…”

Shen Qingyu’s morning run plan quickly collapsed. Poplar catkins were floating everywhere in May, and even with a mask, he still had a mild allergic reaction, requiring him to take anti-allergy medication daily.

Cheng Che was terrified when he saw the small red scratches on Shen Qingyu’s face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t consider your catkin allergy,” he said, half-crouching in front of Shen Qingyu.

Though looking up at Shen Qingyu, his eyes drooped, like a puppy that had caused trouble and was confessing its guilt. The moment his eyes were stung by the alarming redness on Shen Qingyu’s face, Cheng Che felt intense remorse for not considering the allergy.

Shen Qingyu sat on the stool with his legs together, clumsily comforting him: “Don’t blame yourself; I didn’t even think of it. Besides, you were doing it for my benefit, I know. I’ll continue running after a while!”

Cheng Che stared at his bright eyes and sighed. His hand uncontrollably reached out and gently squeezed his knee a couple of times. Shen Qingyu twitched all over from the ticklish feeling.

Lu Xiao was fast asleep on his bed, having kicked his blanket away, revealing half of his firm abdomen. Shen Qingyu quickly averted his gaze.

“Alright, I’m heading to the library!” Shen Qingyu put on his backpack, then, under Cheng Che’s watch, put on his mask. His hair hadn’t been cut in a while; the slightly long bangs covered most of his eyes, yet couldn’t hide the sparkle beneath them.

“Go ahead,” Cheng Che ruffled his hair.

The library was quite far from the dorm building. Shen Qingyu took a shortcut through the small woods in the middle. Fortunately, there weren’t many mosquitoes this month; if it were June or July, he’d emerge with five or six mosquito bites.

Wen University’s library had recently been renovated; it had eight floors, bright and impressive.

Shen Qingyu headed straight for the study area. There weren’t many people at this time, and the quiet environment allowed him to quickly immerse himself in his studies.

As an English major, he naturally wanted to pass all necessary exams within the limited time. He had quickly passed CET-4 during the first semester of his freshman year, and his goal for the second semester was CET-6. Thankfully, TEM-4 could only be taken in his sophomore year, preventing everything from piling up at once.

In addition to his major, there was the second foreign language. Their second foreign language was Japanese. Learning two majors simultaneously gave him a feeling of near-death exhilaration.

Two hours flew by. Shen Qingyu’s back ached and felt numb before he finally stood up to stretch.

Sitting for a long time made him feel a little dizzy when he stood up.

Shen Qingyu prepared to go to the bathroom to wash his face and get a cup of hot water.

Passing the stairwell, Shen Qingyu heard a heated argument coming from inside.

Shen Qingyu was about to quickly leave when the girl’s voice suddenly sounded very familiar.

Soon, the argument stopped, replaced by the girl’s stifled sobs.

This… sounds like a classmate.

If he heard correctly, it was the class monitor.

She was one of the girls Shen Qingyu had a good relationship with and frequently interacted with in class.

Should I go over? Shen Qingyu felt she probably didn’t want anyone to see her crying, but her sobs were truly heartbroken. Shen Qingyu worried she might do something impulsive in her distress.

Shen Qingyu softened his footsteps and knocked twice on the emergency exit door.

The crying stopped abruptly.

Shen Qingyu asked: “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Song Anran, sitting on the steps, wiped the tears from her face and poked her head out: “It’s you.”

Shen Qingyu stood still.

“Come in, I’m fine.” Song Anran hugged her knees, curling up. “Sorry to make you witness that.”

She buried her head in her knees, mortified that a classmate had caught her arguing and crying in the library.

Shen Qingyu said thoughtfully: “I can pretend I didn’t see anything.”

When she let out a small laugh, Shen Qingyu handed her a tissue: “Wipe your tears.”

Song Anran looked at the tissue in her palm and said sadly: “I wish my boyfriend was as considerate as you.”

It’s clearly a relationship issue, Shen Qingyu thought.

Probably wanting to avoid the topic, Song Anran quickly changed the subject: “Did you know, you looked so cool when you admitted your sexual orientation in the class group chat!” Song Anran’s eyes instantly lit up as she recalled that day.

Shen Qingyu was stunned: “Really?”

“Yes! But you stopped talking in the group later, so you probably didn’t see how everyone was praising you,” Song Anran said animatedly. “That Zhao Zhixuan was just mad that you got the first-class scholarship, so he deliberately ran his mouth in the group!”

Even now, Shen Qingyu didn’t know why Zhao Zhixuan felt the need to publicly expose his sexual orientation in the class group chat. He considered himself polite to everyone and didn’t think he had made any enemies. So, he was shocked when he saw Zhao Zhixuan post a picture of him and Yang Yu walking into a gay bar.

“Just because of the scholarship?”

Song Anran said: “Yes! He’s a poor student from the mountains who relies on scholarships and grants, but scholarships are given based on who has the highest overall score. They can’t just give it to him because his family is poor.”

Zhao Zhixuan’s academic performance was good, but unfortunately, he spent most of his time studying and the remaining small portion working, barely participating in any activities. This resulted in a very low activity score, which led to Shen Qingyu surpassing him in the final ranking.

Shen Qingyu didn’t think there was any problem with him receiving the scholarship. It was purely based on merit.

That day was quite a dark one for Shen Qingyu.

Yang Yu, feeling playful, pestered Shen Qingyu to accompany him to a newly opened gay bar, which Shen Qingyu wasn’t opposed to; he viewed it as a way to relax.

He hadn’t expected to be spotted by Zhao Zhixuan, who secretly took a photo.

Shen Qingyu had forgotten what the group chat was discussing that day. He only remembered that after Zhao Zhixuan sent the picture, the whole chat went silent.

【Zhao Zhixuan: @ShenQingyu I just saw you and someone enter a gay bar. Is it fun in there? [Image]】

Shen Qingyu’s mind buzzed then, as if thousands of flies had swarmed into his brain.

His first reaction was to ignore it. It concerned his privacy, and he had the right to refuse to answer.

Immediately after, classmates in the group tried to smooth things over.

【Chen Zixin: Hey, aren’t all bars the same? Just drinking and dancing?】

【Gao Qian: Exactly. Zhao Zhixuan, if you haven’t been, we can choose a bar for a party sometime.

【Zhao Zhixuan: This isn’t just any bar; it’s a gay bar. Who doesn’t know they play rough in there?】

【Song Anran: What does that have to do with you? You’re too nosy.

【Zhao Zhiwei: I just asked if it was fun in there. Why are you so angry? Do you like him or something?】

【Chen Zhongyi: So, what are you trying to imply???】

【Zhao Zhiwei: Just kidding [Smile] I’m concerned about him. A hot tip: gay men are the group with the highest rate of HIV transmission [Smile]

When the conversation reached this point, Shen Qingyu knew he couldn’t sit idly by.

【Shen Qingyu: A joke requires the other person to find it funny. I’m gay, got a problem?】

【Shen Qingyu: You care about me so much, could it be that you’re interested in me? Well, I’m sorry, I’m not interested in you. Give up now.

Shen Qingyu’s fingers were trembling as he typed those two lines. It was the first time he had mentioned his sexual orientation in such a large group chat.

After saying this, he regretted his impulsiveness. He should have just ignored it. He didn’t dare look at the chat again and naturally didn’t know the group had exploded.

Shen Qingyu came back to the present, not wanting to continue the topic, and instead asked: “Did you… encounter some trouble? It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”

Song Anran said dejectedly: “My boyfriend wants to break up with me.”

Shen Qingyu’s delicate eyebrows furrowed.

“No one else can stand my temper but him! I can’t imagine what I’d do without him.” Thinking of her heartbreak, Song Anran started sobbing quietly again. “He really sacrificed too much for me.”

Shen Qingyu quickly interrupted her self-pity: “You’re overthinking it. The world will keep turning without him, and you’ll be fine.”

“But he said there are many good girls around him, and he chose only me.”

Is that something a person should say?

Shen Qingyu’s expression was complicated. He started feeling sorry for the girl in front of him. It was clear she was being emotionally abused (pua’d) without realizing it, already brainwashed and starting to look down on herself.

“That’s nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with you. Why would no one else be able to stand you?” Shen Qingyu genuinely wanted to shake her awake, to make her see clearly!

Song Anran was immersed in the pain of the breakup, her tears flowing endlessly.

“I know what you mean, but I’m just so sad…”

Shen Qingyu’s eyes also reddened in his haste—not from sadness, but from anger.

He couldn’t understand what was worth clinging to about that kind of guy. She would probably realize, once she got over him, that “having dated this person” would become her personal digital black mark.

Shen Qingyu was not good at comforting people, especially not girls.

He could only place his arm loosely around her shoulder.

Sensing his movement, Song Anran cried even harder, resting her head directly on his shoulder and weeping: “Why would he do this to me… I like him so much…”

Shen Qingyu felt like a struggling best friend caught between her and her boyfriend, stammering and unable to offer any real consolation.

…

As Song Yu passed by the emergency exit, it took him less than half a second to catch Shen Qingyu’s voice.

It sounded like he was coaxing someone gently, with a hint of petulance.

His face was grim, moving like a cold snake, making not a single sound as he approached.

Through the slightly ajar door, he immediately saw Shen Qingyu and the girl leaning on his shoulder.

Their posture was intimate, looking somewhat compatible from behind.

Song Yu clenched his jaw, then pretended to accidentally kick the door, causing a sharp noise.

Shen Qingyu was startled. He turned and saw Song Yu’s displeased expression. Feeling danger, the alarm bells in his mind rang incessantly. He gave a weak smile and quickly pulled his hand back.

Seeing his quick reaction, Song Yu’s expression softened slightly. He calmly observed Shen Qingyu’s face—eyes rimmed red, pupils misty, as if he had suffered a great grievance.

His cold voice held a hint of tension: “What’s wrong with you?”

“Me?” Shen Qingyu pointed to himself.

Song Anran next to him was crying a river. How could it look like he was the one in trouble?

Song Anran suddenly stood up: “You’re from the PE department, right? I’ve seen you!”

Song Yu tightened his jaw: “Can I help you?”

His aloof attitude didn’t deter Song Anran: “Are you in the same major as Gao Weibo?”

“Gao Weibo” was her boyfriend.

Song Yu lowered his narrow, almond-shaped eyes, contemplating for a moment: “I vaguely remember him.”

“I’m his girlfriend. He blocked me. Could you possibly…”

“No.”

Song Yu refused clearly and decisively. Shen Qingyu felt as if he could hear her heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

Shen Qingyu: “…”

Song Yu: “You’re his girlfriend?”

Song Anran nodded: “We’ve been together for over half a year.”

Song Yu’s gaze slowly shifted to Shen Qingyu’s face. Shen Qingyu sensed his hesitation to speak, frowning slightly.

“His girlfriend is a senior in our major. They started dating during military training,” Song Yu stated calmly.

Song Anran looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She tightly clutched Shen Qingyu’s arm to keep from falling.

Shen Qingyu cursed internally: “F**! What a cheap, scummy man!”*

…

After walking Song Anran back to her dorm building, Shen Qingyu sighed repeatedly on his way back to Male Dorm Building C.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“How can that scumbag manage to date two girls at once, both so devoted to him, and both at the same school? He’s truly a master of time management!”

Song Yu’s gaze remained fixed on Shen Qingyu’s earlobe. He desperately wanted to go up and pinch or touch it; the texture must be wonderful.

Before Song Yu could answer, Shen Qingyu asked: “Are you close to him?”

Song Yu: “We haven’t exchanged more than a few words.”

Shen Qingyu was righteously indignant: “Stay away from him! He is not a good person!”

Song Yu nodded obediently: “I will, don’t worry.” Then, his flat lips curved slightly upwards. Shen Qingyu probably didn’t know that the person standing beside him was also a genuine “bad person.”