After The Beautiful Woman Moves Into The Jock's Dorm Room - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Does having pride get you a wife?”…

Shen Qingyu couldn’t believe what he had heard, nor could he give Lu Xiao the response he wanted.

In the dark environment, Lu Xiao’s breathing was right next to his ear. For a moment, Shen Qingyu suspected that the person who suddenly entered his room that night at the hot spring hotel was very much like Lu Xiao.

His heart trembled violently. Shen Qingyu squeezed out from under the arm Lu Xiao had braced beside him and then quickly slipped inside the house.

Before closing the door, Shen Qingyu looked down and said softly, “It’s getting late, and I’m a bit tired. You should hurry home too, and be careful on the way!”

After speaking, he quickly shut the door without waiting for Lu Xiao’s reply.

Shen Qingyu leaned against the door, breathing heavily. His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Cheng Che asking if he had arrived home.

Adjusting his mood, Shen Qingyu told him he had just arrived. Cheng Che immediately asked if it was convenient to video call.

Shen Qingyu turned on the light, looked at himself in the mirror—his clothes and hair were slightly disheveled, and his cheeks were slightly red. He didn’t look great. He hesitated, then said, “I want to take a shower first. I’ll call you back when I’m done cleaning up.”

Cheng Che happily agreed and stayed glued to his phone, afraid he might miss Shen Qingyu’s video call.

His shower took a while, and by the time he came out, it was past eleven. After changing into clean pajamas, Shen Qingyu flopped onto the bed and proactively video called Cheng Che.

The lights were off in the dorm room at this hour. Shen Qingyu could only see Cheng Che’s blurry outline on his phone screen—he was hiding under the covers because he didn’t want Song Yu, who was on the opposite bunk, to see.

Shen Qingyu’s face, however, was clearly visible on the screen. Having just showered, his eyes were moist, and crystal water droplets hung from his hair tips. Because he was lying on his stomach, the collar of his shirt drooped, exposing a sliver of his fair, slightly pink, slender chest.

Cheng Che’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He typed: “Xiao Yu, your hair isn’t dry yet.”

Shen Qingyu touched his still-damp hair, distressed. “It felt dry when I was blowing it, but it’s still a bit wet after coming out.”

The headset infinitely amplified the petulance in Shen Qingyu’s tone. Cheng Che’s fingers flew across the screen: “Next time I’ll help you blow-dry it; I’ll make sure it’s dry. Go blow it again now. Sleeping with wet hair will give you a headache.”

“Alright,” Shen Qingyu reluctantly agreed.

Just as Cheng Che thought Shen Qingyu was going to hang up, the screen shook. Shen Qingyu reappeared in the frame. This time, he was standing up, and the camera only showed the lower half of his face, accompanied by the “clack-clack” sound of his slippers hitting the floor. Shen Qingyu had taken the phone into the bathroom!

He placed the phone on the sink and adjusted the angle. Only after seeing his entire face in the screen did he step back half a pace and start blow-drying his hair again.

Cheng Che didn’t find the noise irritating. In the thin, stuffy air, he was almost struggling to breathe. He quietly pulled back a corner of his quilt, letting more air rush in, but he still felt very hot.

Even just watching Shen Qingyu blow-dry his hair across the screen made him feel happy. Cheng Che felt that whether Shen Qingyu still wanted to be with him after one month or not, it was worth it.

Turning off the hairdryer again, Shen Qingyu leaned closer to the screen and ran his hand through his hair. “Okay, it’s all dry now!”

Cheng Che typed his praise: “Xiao Yu is so good.”

After all the fuss, Shen Qingyu started to feel drowsy when he finally lay back in bed. Cheng Che noticed and quickly urged him to sleep. Shen Qingyu wanted to chat a little longer, but he was truly exhausted from the day and couldn’t stay awake. He fell asleep before hanging up the phone.

Cheng Che was momentarily stunned, then smiled silently, whispering “Good night” in his heart.

When Shen Qingyu woke up the next day, he realized Cheng Che hadn’t hung up the phone either; the video call had lasted all night, and Shen Qingyu’s phone was nearly out of battery. He woke up earlier than Cheng Che, and after plugging his phone in, he finally ended the call.

Shen Qingyu met Cheng Che at school for breakfast, and then they went to the library to study together. He didn’t tell Cheng Che what happened last night, only mentioning that the Japanese food was delicious and the pub had a great atmosphere, promising they would go together next time.

After two days, Lu Xiao also returned to the dorm, and surprisingly, he woke up on time to attend class. They didn’t speak for those few days and had very little eye contact. Shen Qingyu thought he might have figured things out, so he felt a faint sadness over losing a very compatible friend, but mostly relief.

Cheng Che guarded against him like a thief for a few days, and seeing no action, he relaxed somewhat.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xiao seized this moment. While Cheng Che was out of the dorm, he cornered Shen Qingyu in the bathroom. Seeing the panic on Shen Qingyu’s face, he suddenly realized he had scared him. He then sheepishly backed up against the wall, like a puppy acknowledging its mistake.

“I’ve been sick for the past few days, so I didn’t come back, afraid of infecting you,” Lu Xiao explained.

Shen Qingyu was taken aback, then nodded, not forgetting to show concern: “Are you better now? Why did you suddenly get sick?”

“I’m fine now, just a minor cold.”

“That’s good then.” Shen Qingyu lowered his head, looking at his toes, a little confused why Lu Xiao insisted on talking to him in the bathroom.

Lu Xiao naturally saw that Shen Qingyu had been avoiding him for the past few days. He forced down his irritation and proactively asked, “Why are you avoiding me?”

Shen Qingyu was exposed and felt awkward, but he could only pretend to be clueless: “Huh? No, I’m not. You’re overthinking it.”

“Then why won’t you look me in the eye?” Lu Xiao slowly leaned closer. The closer he got, the more nervous Shen Qingyu became. “You didn’t take what I said to heart, did you? I told you, I don’t mind you two being together…”

As soon as Shen Qingyu heard this kind of statement, he felt a headache coming on and stiffly changed the topic: “How about we go outside? It’s really stuffy in here.”

Lu Xiao didn’t stop him, only watching his back as he pushed open the bathroom door and fled outside, saying loudly and resolutely: “You can’t avoid me forever! I can wait until you two break up. You won’t get married anyway, so I still have hope.”

The dorm room door was also pushed open. Cheng Che walked in just in time to hear Lu Xiao’s shameless statement. Enraged, he put the fruit he had just bought on the desk, then fiercely pointed at Lu Xiao and said, “Lu Xiao, don’t you have any shame?”

Lu Xiao didn’t get angry at being scolded. He had figured out a lot of things in the last few days. “Does having pride get you a wife?” After saying this, he glanced triumphantly at Shen Qingyu.

It wasn’t until he had said these words that Lu Xiao felt immensely relieved. The emotions that had been pent up—the frustration, the annoyance, the sadness—were effortlessly vented in that single sentence.

Cheng Che was furious. He took two large steps forward and violently shoved Lu Xiao against the door, his fist raised high. How dare this idiot talk like that right in front of him? He’s completely out of line! If he didn’t teach him a lesson, Lu Xiao would only become more insolent.

Lu Xiao didn’t resist. He was slightly taller than Cheng Che, and he calmly looked at the anger in Cheng Che’s eyes. He thought of himself a few days ago, when he ran into them being intimate on the street, also filled with the same fierce, uncontrollable rage.

Shen Qingyu felt Lu Xiao’s statement was highly provocative, but he absolutely couldn’t let the two of them fight in the dorm. But if he stopped Cheng Che now, it would look like he was protecting Lu Xiao… Neither outcome was what he wanted.

Despite the distance, Lu Xiao noticed Shen Qingyu’s angry gaze. He showed a cheeky, indifferent expression, as if he didn’t care at all whether Cheng Che would actually strike him. He mentally counted.

One second, two seconds.

On the third second, Shen Qingyu stepped forward and took hold of Cheng Che’s arm, which was trembling with anger. It took both of his hands to grasp it. He shook it gently and said, “Cheng Che, I want to eat hot pot.”

His playful, affectionate tone immediately sobered Cheng Che. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t resort to violence in front of Shen Qingyu. He didn’t want to leave a violent impression. His raised fist slowly lowered, but he was still unwilling to let it go. As he turned, he made it look accidental and punched Lu Xiao in the stomach.

Lu Xiao was momentarily distracted by Shen Qingyu’s soft tone, which, though not directed at him, warmed his heart. Taken by surprise, he took the full force of the blow, gritting his teeth to suppress a grunt, and watched them walk away side-by-side.

He rubbed his abdomen, cursing, “Damn it, that was a brutal hit.”

However, exchanging that punch for hearing Shen Qingyu’s flirtatious tone felt like a worthwhile deal.

The dorm room fell silent again, with only Lu Xiao remaining. The window was open, and the breeze blew in, scattering the last trace of unwillingness in Lu Xiao’s heart. He slowly walked toward the window.

Downstairs, Shen Qingyu and Cheng Che’s figures gradually moved away. Shen Qingyu seemed to be saying something, his profile exceptionally soft in the sunlight. Cheng Che turned his head, listening intently. Although their hands had separated the moment they left the dorm, they walked so close that the backs of their hands brushed occasionally, looking even more intimate than actually holding hands.

Lu Xiao’s eyes darkened. The flutter in his heart caused by Shen Qingyu’s petulance, mixed with an undeniable bitterness, surged up again. But he quickly pulled the corners of his mouth into a slight, roguish, and determined smile.

“Just wait,” he muttered to himself, sounding like he was speaking to himself, yet also like he was declaring it to the figure downstairs across the space.

The hot pot restaurant was steamy and bustling with noise.

Shen Qingyu distractedly swished a slice of tripe in the broth, the scene from the dorm constantly replaying in his mind.

Lu Xiao’s unprincipled gaze, Cheng Che’s raised fist… and his own almost instinctive, soft tone used in a moment of panic to calm the argument.

“What’s wrong? Still thinking about what just happened?” Cheng Che’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He placed a perfectly cooked slice of fatty beef in Shen Qingyu’s bowl, his tone as relaxed as possible, though a trace of lingering anger remained in his eyes.

Shen Qingyu looked up and managed a strained smile: “Nothing. I just think… he’s a bit unreasonable.”

“He’s not just unreasonable, he hasn’t given up at all,” Cheng Che put down his chopsticks, his expression becoming serious. “Xiao Yu, we can’t keep going like this. If he dares to say something like that in the dorm today, tomorrow he’ll dare to do something even worse.”

Shen Qingyu fell silent. He knew about Lu Xiao’s persistence, that desperate, reckless drive that sometimes scared him, and sometimes… stirred a subtle emotion within him that he didn’t even want to explore.

He could only lower his head, poking at the food in his bowl with his chopsticks, and whispered, “I know… I’ll keep my distance from him.”

Cheng Che looked at him, and his concern outweighed his anger. He sighed, reaching out to lightly squeeze Shen Qingyu’s hand:

“I’m not blaming you. I don’t want to put you in a difficult position either,” he paused, his eyes firm. “I understand you don’t want to completely cut him off, but a person like him—the nicer you are, the more emboldened he becomes.”

“But… I honestly don’t know how to face him,” Shen Qingyu said, feeling lost.

Cheng Che also felt a headache coming on. Actually, the best way to deal with Lu Xiao’s personality was to avoid direct confrontation, but as long as Shen Qingyu was around, it was impossible for him not to clash with Lu Xiao. It was truly difficult.

“It’s okay. Leave it to me to handle. Don’t worry about it anymore,” Cheng Che said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. “If you keep worrying about him, I’m going to get jealous.”

Shen Qingyu instinctively wanted to nod, but for some reason, the word “Okay” caught in his throat, eventually dissolving into a vague sound. He suddenly felt that even this noisy hot pot restaurant was becoming suffocatingly stuffy.