After The Beautiful Woman Moves Into The Jock's Dorm Room - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: “Happy New Year, Xiao Yu.”

To spend more time with Shen Qingyu, Cheng Che didn’t mind the trouble and specially came to his house to leave together.

The moment he saw Shen Qingyu, he hugged him, then gently kissed his forehead.

As the Lunar New Year approached, Wencheng was adorned with lanterns and festive decorations. On the streets, people could be heard discussing their New Year plans. The two of them squeezed into a corner of a subway carriage, staying close. They would occasionally brush palms when jostled by other passengers.

At the airport, Shen Qingyu took the initiative to greet Cheng Che’s aunt and uncle (Cheng Che’s parents) and wished them an early Happy New Year. Cheng Che’s mother had been puzzled as to why Cheng Che insisted on setting off separately from them, but upon seeing Shen Qingyu, she immediately beamed:

“Look how close they are, like real brothers,” Cheng Che’s mother said, then immediately tried to transfer a red envelope to him, under the pretense that “since you’ve given New Year’s greetings, you must have New Year’s money.” Shen Qingyu quickly stopped her.

“I’m so old now, I don’t need New Year’s money anymore,” Shen Qingyu said.

Cheng Che’s mother disagreed: “That’s not right. In my and his dad’s eyes, you two are always children. Take the money quickly. I didn’t expect to see you at the airport, so I can only transfer it to you.”

Shen Qingyu hesitated, glancing at Cheng Che’s mother, then at Cheng Che.

“It’s okay,” Cheng Che gently patted his shoulder, signaling for him to accept the money.

The money felt like a hot potato in Shen Qingyu’s phone. The mere thought that Cheng Che’s mother treated him like a son, like Cheng Che’s good friend, while he was secretly dating Cheng Che… made him feel extremely guilty.

Before the security check, Cheng Che’s mother said, “Xiao Yu, we’ll bring you back plenty of specialties when we return.”

Shen Qingyu smiled: “Okay, I’ll be looking forward to it then.”

On the way home, Shen Qingyu felt a bit hungry and was too lazy to go to the supermarket to buy groceries and cook. He decided to grab some rice noodles on the way. It had been a long time since he had eaten them.

To his surprise, he ran into Song Yu at the rice noodle shop.

Song Yu also lived in this neighborhood. He had once brought Shen Qingyu to this shop, so his presence here wasn’t strange. However, the owner seemed very familiar with him, asking immediately if he wanted the usual, and Song Yu pursed his lips and nodded.

Shen Qingyu greeted him proactively and sat down with him at the same table.

Song Yu noticed his attire suggested he had just returned from going out, assuming he had been on a date. He casually asked, “Did you have fun?”

Shen Qingyu was slightly taken aback and explained that he had just been seeing Cheng Che off.

Song Yu looked a bit pleased, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. His movements while gracefully eating the rice noodles were very refined, which made Shen Qingyu stare for a couple of extra seconds.

“Since I brought you here last semester, have you come back often?” Shen Qingyu asked curiously. “The owner seems to know you.”

Song Yu paused, giving a soft “Mm-hmm.” “Sometimes when I don’t feel like cooking, I come here to eat. It’s really good.”

“Of course! This is the best rice noodle shop I hand-picked in this area,” Shen Qingyu said with a proud expression. “I can recommend other good places to you.”

Song Yu lifted his eyes, looking at him seriously: “Okay.”

“Alright, then let me think about it when I get home. I’ll make a memo for you another day.”

“Okay, thank you, Xiao Yu,” he said in a low voice.

The way Song Yu said the name “Xiao Yu” felt completely opposite to how Cheng Che said it. Perhaps his impression of the harassment texts was too strong, but Shen Qingyu always felt the air turn a little cold when Song Yu uttered those two words.

After the meal, they walked home along the small road. Song Yu stopped a short distance away, watching Shen Qingyu walk to his door.

The house was dark. Shen Qingyu walked to the window and was about to draw the curtains when he looked down and saw Song Yu was still standing downstairs.

Shen Qingyu sent him a message, asking why he hadn’t left yet and what he was waiting for.

Song Yu saw his message and smiled silently into the night wind.

【Song Yu: You saw me by the window, didn’t you?】

【Song Yu: Not waiting for anything, just want to enjoy the breeze.】

The moment he knew Shen Qingyu was watching him, Song Yu put away his phone, waved his hand up towards the air, and then turned and left.

…

On New Year’s Eve, Shen Qingyu went to the mall and bought a bunch of things. Every year, he celebrated the New Year at his aunt’s house and would prepare gifts for his cousin. Although his aunt always told him not to buy so much, Shen Qingyu felt he was just a guest, and it didn’t look right to show up empty-handed.

His aunt was busy cooking at home, and Shen Qingyu followed her into the kitchen to help.

“Oh, you don’t need to join the hustle and bustle. Go to the living room and watch TV. I can handle it myself,” his aunt said, smiling as she ushered him out of the kitchen.

“But I want to help you out,” Shen Qingyu pouted playfully.

“You really don’t need to. Xiao Yu, be a good boy,” his aunt said. “It’s New Year’s today. I’ll make you extra of your favorite dishes.”

Reluctantly, Shen Qingyu agreed. He slowly went back to the living room and saw his cousin holding the toy he had given him with great fondness.

Everything was ready, just waiting for his uncle to come home.

Shen Qingyu stood up and took a photo of the lavish table full of food, sending it to Cheng Che.

Soon, Cheng Che replied with a photo—he was standing by the deep blue sea, wearing swimming trunks. His body was well-proportioned and firm, with visible, lean abdominal muscles, and the muscle lines of his arms and thighs were smooth and beautiful. He looked a little unaccustomed to the attire, his expression slightly shy.

Shen Qingyu secretly saved the photo and replied with a long string of “thumbs up” emojis to show his approval.

Just then, his aunt’s phone suddenly rang. After answering the call, her face instantly turned pale, and the hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

Shen Qingyu sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped forward to ask.

His aunt quickly hung up the phone, wiped her hands on her apron, and said anxiously: “Xiao Yu, your uncle’s mother suddenly fell ill and was rushed to the emergency room. I need to take your cousin and rush over.”

Shen Qingyu was stunned: “Then you should go quickly. Why don’t you eat something first? You’ve been busy all morning…”

“No time, the situation is urgent. If you’re hungry, eat first. Don’t wait for us,” his aunt said, untying her apron while instructing his cousin to change clothes, her expression solemn.

Shen Qingyu faintly heard her sigh softly: “This New Year’s probably won’t be peaceful…”

By evening, his aunt and cousin hadn’t returned. Shen Qingyu looked at the slowly cooling reunion dinner table, feeling empty inside. He let out a soft sigh, carefully wrapped each dish in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator, then quietly left his aunt’s house.

Shen Qingyu walked through the streets dotted with lights from thousands of homes. The streets were mostly empty, and he felt like a wandering, lonely soul. Having not eaten all day, he was starving, and his walking pace had slowed considerably.

This was probably the first time he had spent New Year’s alone.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared behind him, followed by the crackling sound of a fuse burning. He turned his head just in time to see fireworks brilliantly blooming in the night sky.

He instinctively wanted to take a picture to share with Cheng Che, but then remembered he was supposed to be with his family at his aunt’s house, so he silently put away his phone.

Back in his empty apartment, Shen Qingyu boiled a bag of frozen dumplings and ate them while waiting for the Spring Festival Gala to start.

Outside the window, brilliant fireworks occasionally shot up. Shen Qingyu watched for a while, found it boring, and lay on the sofa to scroll through his moments.

Most of his friends were sharing pictures of their reunion dinners, but Shen Qingyu thought none of theirs looked as delicious as what his aunt had made. Even Song Yu had rarely posted a photo, though it only showed three dishes.

It looks like he’s also spending the New Year alone. For a moment, Shen Qingyu couldn’t tell who was more miserable between the two of them.

As the clock struck midnight, the new year began. Shen Qingyu couldn’t sit still anymore. He grabbed the sparklers he had bought earlier that day and went downstairs to play. He made sure to dress warmly, but found it wasn’t as cold as he had imagined.

Shen Qingyu went to the designated area for setting off fireworks and distributed the sparklers to a few children. In exchange, he asked one of the little girls to take a picture for him.

The photo was a little blurry, but Shen Qingyu particularly liked the hazy quality. The sparkling light from the sparklers lit up his face, and his gentle smile was faintly visible.

As soon as he posted it on his moments, many people liked it. But Shen Qingyu hadn’t expected the first one to be Song Yu.

He suddenly had a premonition that he might see Song Yu again soon.

Fifteen minutes later, Shen Qingyu finished the last sparkler and turned around, bumping straight into Song Yu’s eyes.

Seeing him frozen in place, Song Yu slowly walked closer, a faint smile on his lips: “Why are you spacing out?”

“Why are you here?”

“Isn’t this the only place in the neighborhood where you can set off fireworks?” He smiled lightly, holding up the bag in his hand. “I bought some fireworks.”

Shen Qingyu’s eyes lit up when he saw the “Floor Pearls” in his bag: “Where did you buy those? They were already sold out when I went this morning.”

This type of firework can be placed directly on the ground. When lit, silver-white sparks scatter like pearls, and it was his favorite kind.

Song Yu put the bag of fireworks on the ground, took out a box, handed it to him, and asked softly, “Want to set them off together?”

Shen Qingyu nodded, squatted down, and watched Song Yu skillfully open the packaging.

In the cold night, Song Yu’s slender fingers were slightly red, but his movements remained calm and graceful.

“I originally thought I’d have to spend tonight alone,” Song Yu said as he arranged the fireworks, his voice very soft, almost swallowed by the wind.

Shen Qingyu looked at his lowered eyelashes, and suddenly felt that Song Yu was especially real at this moment. The distance between them seemed to have closed even more.

He replied softly: “Me too. Something urgent came up with my aunt’s family, so I’m alone.”

Song Yu looked up, his gaze gentle: “Then that’s perfect. We can keep each other company.”

He lit the fuse and pulled Shen Qingyu back a few steps. Silver-white sparks instantly erupted, soaring into the dark night sky. The light reflected on their faces, flickering on and off.

“Happy New Year, Xiao Yu,” Song Yu turned his head to look at him, his eyes filled with the glow of the fireworks.

“Happy New Year,” Shen Qingyu responded with a smile. At this moment, he suddenly felt that this Lunar New Year wasn’t so lonely.

Just as he was about to light another firework, Cheng Che’s video call suddenly came in. Song Yu slowly lowered his gaze and took a step back to give them some space.

Shen Qingyu turned to glance at him, a little flustered, confirmed that Cheng Che couldn’t see him from that angle, and then answered the call.

“Happy New Year, Xiao Yu. I was just taking pictures for my parents. Let me show you the fireworks here.” Cheng Che flipped the camera around, letting Shen Qingyu admire the fireworks he found beautiful. “I saw the picture you sent me. Are you wearing enough clothes outside? I saw it’s almost minus twenty degrees in Wencheng today.”

Shen Qingyu squatted on the ground, his chin resting on his knees. He said obediently, “I’m wearing a lot. If you don’t believe me, look.” As he spoke, he raised his phone high so Cheng Che could clearly see what he was wearing.

Cheng Che focused intently on him, then suddenly saw a figure quickly move out of view, a bit familiar. But he didn’t think much of it, figuring it was normal for Shen Qingyu to be outside with other people.