After The Beautiful Woman Moves Into The Jock's Dorm Room - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: (Revised) “I never realized before, this Cheng…”

On Saturday, Shen Qingyu secretly took a trip to the courier station before heading out. Because he had only found out that day was Cheng Che’s birthday at the last minute, the gift preparation was rushed. Fortunately, he made it in time, as it would have felt awkward to give a belated gift after the birthday was over.

By the time Shen Qingyu returned to the dorm, Cheng Che and Lu Xiao were already ready.

Even though it was Cheng Che’s birthday, Lu Xiao was dressed flashily. Anyone who didn’t know would think he was the protagonist. In contrast, Cheng Che was dressed very simply, but the design on his T-shirt was worth appreciating.

It wasn’t a regular print, but a feather sewn onto the fabric. The texture of the feather looked very natural, seemingly using silver thread with fine glitter. Under the light, the feather shimmered faintly.

Shen Qingyu was instantly captivated by it. He quite liked the T-shirt. It was beautiful and very unique.

“Everyone’s here. Let’s go,” Lu Xiao checked his phone. “Chen Qiming is already rushing us.”

Song Yu hadn’t returned to the dorm for several days. When Shen Qingyu messaged him asking if he wanted to come, he replied much later, saying he had family matters and couldn’t make it, then offered very polite birthday wishes to Cheng Che in the group chat.

Shen Qingyu was quite disappointed, as they didn’t get many opportunities to go out and eat as a whole dorm.

“This is for you, Cheng Che,” Shen Qingyu handed him the bag he had been hiding behind his back. “I bought it last minute. I hope you can use it. Happy Birthday.”

Cheng Che looked down at the exquisite gift bag: “Can I open it now?”

“Of course!”

Cheng Che carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside the delicate small box were wrist guards and knee pads.

His expression softened, and his eyes held undisguised delight. With just one glance, Shen Qingyu could tell he truly liked the gift.

“I wasn’t sure what to get, but I see you often play basketball, so I thought something practical would be better.” Shen Qingyu had carefully selected this gift late into the night, staying up past 3 AM on the day he found out it was Cheng Che’s birthday.

Cheng Che ran his finger over the gift box, the corners of his mouth curving up: “This is a wonderful gift. I really like it. I’ll wear them every time I play basketball from now on.”

The openly flirtatious atmosphere between Shen Qingyu and Cheng Che made Lu Xiao feel superfluous. His sharp gaze was fixed squarely on Shen Qingyu.

“Alright, can we go now?” Lu Xiao said impatiently. He couldn’t stand Shen Qingyu talking to Cheng Che so gently.

Cheng Che slowly put the gift away in his drawer, brushed past Lu Xiao’s shoulder, and returned to Shen Qingyu’s side: “Let’s go, Xiao Yu.”

The KTV Chen Qiming booked was near Wen University, about a twenty-minute walk.

Lu Xiao initially suggested driving, but Shen Qingyu thought it was too much hassle. The area near the university town was crowded with people and cars, and on a Saturday, they would likely hit traffic, not to mention how difficult parking would be, so he persuaded him to drop the idea.

Street vendors were lined up neatly. The lights and firelight mingled together, and the air was filled with the scents of various foods. The evening air was slightly cool. Shen Qingyu was sensitive to the cold and had put on a light jacket early. He rolled up his sleeves to expose his forearm, embracing the lively, bustling scene. Having lived alone for a long time, he intensely longed for a lively life. Compared to being alone at home, he actually preferred life at school.

Mid-September was not as hot as summer, and the evening breeze made Shen Qingyu feel very comfortable.

Shen Qingyu stood between Cheng Che and Lu Xiao, acting as the mediator between the two.

“Chen Qiming will definitely try to make you drink once he gets excited. Just refuse if you don’t want to. Don’t worry about him,” Cheng Che kindly reminded him. Given Chen Qiming’s lack of scruples, trying to pressure someone into drinking was certainly something he would do.

Shen Qingyu nodded. “I know.”

Lu Xiao sneered, “If he dares to pressure you into drinking, watch me deal with him.” His words were full of thuggish bravado, as if he were about to punch Chen Qiming in the face the next second.

“…That’s not necessary,” Shen Qingyu said.

“Yeah, there’s no need to be so rough,” Cheng Che seconded Shen Qingyu with a look of distaste. “It’s okay, Xiao Yu. I can drink for you.”

“You’re the birthday star tonight. They’ll definitely target you,” Shen Qingyu said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. “If I make you drink for me too, wouldn’t that be too much?”

Lu Xiao rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: “I never realized before, this Cheng Che is such a suck-up.”

He said drily, “How much can you even drink to offer to drink for others?” His words were full of sarcasm toward Cheng Che.

Cheng Che’s face changed at the mockery. Shen Qingyu didn’t want the two of them to continue arguing, so he wracked his brain to change the subject.

When they arrived at the KTV, Chen Qiming was already singing loudly. Before entering the room, they could hear his caterwauling. Shen Qingyu pushed the door open with a wry smile.

Besides Chen Qiming, there were three or four other unfamiliar boys in the room. They were all tall and burly, clearly all sports students.

Shen Qingyu suddenly felt like a little white rabbit who had wandered into a wolf pack, surrounded by people who could skin and eat him in one circle.

He was amused by his own strange thought and found a corner to eat fruit under the swirling neon lights.

Lu Xiao sat down beside him with a thump. “Why aren’t you singing?”

Shen Qingyu raised his chin and smiled, “With Chen Qiming hogging the mic, I think I’ll pass on singing.”

“Do you want to sing? I’ll make him give you the mic.”

Saying that, he stood up as if to go to the song selection machine, but Shen Qingyu pulled him back hard, making him sit down with a jolt.

Lu Xiao was smiling, seemingly enjoying this “flirting” interaction with Shen Qingyu. Shen Qingyu then realized that Lu Xiao probably hadn’t truly intended to grab the microphone; he was just teasing Shen Qingyu.

Realizing this, a look of playful anger appeared on Shen Qingyu’s face. He hit Lu Xiao’s arm hard, then pulled away, refusing to communicate with him further.

As the birthday boy, Cheng Che was surrounded by several people forcing him to drink. Shen Qingyu sat nearby, watching the fun, feeling happy, and also took a couple of sips himself.

As for Lu Xiao, after the first wave of drinking was over, he shamelessly joined in to encourage Cheng Che to drink more. Cheng Che knew he had bad intentions and was deliberately trying to get him drunk and make him look foolish, but under the influence of alcohol, the competitive fighting spirit of a man was instantly ignited. He absolutely would not allow himself to be outdone in front of Shen Qingyu, so he drank heavily again, forcing himself to swallow more.

Shen Qingyu watched for a while, felt that Cheng Che really couldn’t drink any more, and walked over to intervene.

“Why are you drinking so much? Go sing a song,” Shen Qingyu put two microphones in their hands, one for each. “What do you want to sing? I’ll cue it up for you.”

With Shen Qingyu present, Lu Xiao couldn’t continue pressuring Cheng Che to drink. Feeling a little regretful, he decided to crush Cheng Che in other areas, determined to show him his own appeal.

Lu Xiao: “Anything is fine for me. What can Cheng Che sing?”

Shen Qingyu: “…” His original intention was just to get them to sing and distract themselves, not to make them sing a duet!

Cheng Che wasn’t interested in singing with Lu Xiao at all, but by saying that, Lu Xiao had put him on the spot. If he refused, it might affect his image in Shen Qingyu’s mind. He took a deep breath.

“Anything is fine for me too. What do you want to hear, Xiao Yu?”

The noisy environment made Shen Qingyu’s mind feel jumbled. He stood in front of the song selection machine and randomly browsed the popular list. “How about ‘You Have a Little Sweetness’? Do you both know it?”

Lu Xiao, Cheng Che: “…Why a love song?”

“Well… does it matter? I just randomly picked a song everyone should know. I can change it if you mind,” Shen Qingyu explained patiently.

Of course, he had another subtle intention.

The lyrics of this song had clear parts. They definitely wouldn’t argue over who sang which line, otherwise, given their fierce rivalry, they might actually fight over the lyrics.

“Fine, I’ll sing the male lines,” Lu Xiao quickly claimed.

Cheng Che was not to be outdone: “Why should you?”

“Seriously, why are you being so petty?”

“If you’re not petty, then I’ll sing the male part, and you sing the female part.” Even though Cheng Che had been drinking, his mind was still quite clear.

Lu Xiao was adamant: “Impossible.”

The two started bickering back and forth. Although their voices weren’t loud, the atmosphere quickly cooled down. Chen Qiming, who was playing cards with others, quickly rushed over to mediate when he heard them arguing and almost got hit in the process.

Shen Qingyu retreated slightly, helplessly holding his head. They didn’t argue over who sang which line, but they were arguing over who sang the male part. That was the flaw in his plan.

“How about we just change the song?” he weakly interjected.

Cheng Che, Lu Xiao: “No! We’re singing this one.”

In this, they were surprisingly in sync. Neither was willing to back down and sing the female lyrics, and neither was willing to give up the opportunity to challenge the other.

A light bulb flashed in Chen Qiming’s head: “How about I sing the female part? What do you think? I’ll sing a duet with each of you!”

That was actually a good idea, Shen Qingyu thought to himself. Chen Qiming had really helped!

Lu Xiao and Cheng Che both hesitated, clearly tempted by his suggestion.

Another boy suddenly raised his hand and said, “No way. Chen Qiming’s singing is terrible. It’s noise pollution for my ears!”

Shen Qingyu felt like he heard the sound of his beautiful illusion shatter with a crack.

Cheng Che’s reason returned slightly. He said calmly, “Chen Qiming’s singing is indeed bad.”

Lu Xiao also rarely agreed with him and nodded: “We can’t let him sing.”

Chen Qiming was well aware of his own singing ability, so he didn’t object. He just scratched his head: “Then there’s no choice, unless… how about Shen Qingyu sings it!”

Shen Qingyu looked blankly: “…” What is going on? How did this circle back to me!

Lu Xiao thought it was a brilliant idea and gave Chen Qiming a thumbs-up. If he could sing a love song with Shen Qingyu, he wouldn’t mind singing the female part, and would even be happy to.

“I think that works.” Lu Xiao looked at him, his eyes full of eager anticipation.

Shen Qingyu returned his gaze with a forced smile.

Cheng Che was more considerate and proactively asked for his opinion: “Do you want to sing? It’s okay if you don’t.”

Shen Qingyu actually didn’t mind. Furthermore, it was Cheng Che’s birthday, and singing a song was fine. However, he had a vague bad feeling, sensing that the duet might lead to even more intense conflict between the two of them.

Harboring this anxiety, he nodded and said, “It’s fine. I’ll sing with you two.”