After The Beautiful Woman Moves Into The Jock's Dorm Room - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”……

Shen Qingyu woke up the next day to find the view outside the window entirely white. He sighed quietly. Occasional snow brought him surprise, but endless snow was a bit painful, especially since he had an appointment with the community center today for his practical activities.

Students at Wenda University are required to complete off-campus practical activities during the winter and summer breaks each semester. This semester’s assignment was community service.

He had called the community center in advance to confirm his visit today, so he couldn’t just cancel because of the snow. Moreover, just by looking at the heavy snow outside, he could guess what the community would ask him to do.

—Shovel snow.

Shen Qingyu painfully rolled out of bed, putting on layers of thick clothes—gloves, hat, and scarf—and changing into a pair of snow boots. He was so bundled up that his movement was restricted, but after walking two laps downstairs, he got used to the heavy feeling.

The community center was a bit far from Shen Qingyu’s building. It took him about twenty minutes to walk there. Standing at the entrance of the community center, he saw Song Yu, wearing a black down jacket and a grey scarf, looking back at him from inside the door.

Shen Qingyu was slightly startled, feeling a complex emotion. He and Song Yu seemed to constantly bump into each other so subtly and yet so frequently. Although they lived in the same complex, meeting wasn’t difficult, but he felt the frequency was too high.

From a distance, Shen Qingyu saw a complex mix of emotions on Song Yu’s face, as if he had been waiting for a long time. The moment he saw Shen Qingyu, Song Yu’s eyes curved slightly. He proactively opened the door for him, and his voice drifted over along with the gently falling snow:

“Why are you just standing there? Come in quickly.”

Hearing his clear voice, Shen Qingyu finally snapped back to attention. A flake of snow had landed on his eyelashes. As he blinked and entered the community center, he was about to remove his gloves to rub his eyes when a pair of warm hands reached out to him, a hint of gentleness in the voice: “Close your eyes, I’ll help you.”

Shen Qingyu instinctively obeyed, slowly closing his eyes. He felt Song Yu’s fingers gently wipe away the snowflakes that had already turned to water, and as he moved his hand away, his palm inadvertently brushed Shen Qingyu’s frozen red cheek.

“Why aren’t you wearing a mask?” Song Yu asked. “Your face is all red from the cold.”

Shen Qingyu gave an awkward smile: “I thought the scarf would be enough, but I didn’t realize the wind outside was quite strong.” The wind stung his cheeks, and the scarf couldn’t cover everything. A mask would have been better.

“Why are you here? Are you also here for practical activities?” Shen Qingyu asked curiously. He unwound his scarf, loop by loop, then suddenly remembered he might have to go out to shovel snow soon, and silently wrapped it back on. His action was seen by Song Yu, softening his heart.

“I’m here to volunteer,” Song Yu said lightly. “It works out for my holiday practical as well.”

Shen Qingyu praised him: “Volunteering is very meaningful!”

Song Yu glanced at him and said softly: “Anyway, I’m not dating anyone. I’d just be idle at home otherwise.”

Shen Qingyu choked, unsure how to respond immediately. Song Yu seemed not to expect a response anyway, lowering his eyes and saying: “Let’s go. I’ll take you to the person in charge.”

Song Yu led him to an office door. After knocking and receiving permission, they both entered.

The person in charge was a middle-aged woman with a neat short haircut, who looked very efficient. She printed a form for Shen Qingyu, asking him to fill in his information, then instructed Song Yu to take Shen Qingyu to get tools for snow removal.

“You two go ahead. A few more students will be coming later, and I’ll have them find you to join,” the person in charge said.

Shen Qingyu obediently nodded. He was grateful that Song Yu was here; otherwise, he might have been clumsy and held others back by himself.

Song Yu was completely unaware that he had become a “peerless hero” in Shen Qingyu’s mind. He found a lighter shovel for Shen Qingyu, grabbed one for himself, and the two walked out of the community center side-by-side.

“Have you shoveled snow before?” Song Yu asked.

Shen Qingyu shook his head: “No.” He paused for a few seconds, suddenly recalling something, and amended: “I shoveled snow at school before the winter break last semester, but the entire college was there, so it wasn’t tiring at all.”

“It’s alright. Rest if you get tired. I’m here.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingyu pursed his lips in embarrassment: “How can I do that? I’ll work hard too. I won’t let you do everything alone.”

Song Yu softly said, “I know.”

The two began to work in the snowy outdoors. Although Shen Qingyu’s movements were a bit unfamiliar, he worked very seriously.

Song Yu, on the other hand, was highly efficient, quickly clearing a large patch of ground. He also occasionally helped Shen Qingyu shovel the snow piled up on his side.

Occasionally, Shen Qingyu would straighten up to stretch his back. Looking up, he saw a couple walking past, supporting each other. The boy carefully tucked the girl’s hand into his pocket. They were laughing and talking, in an intimate pose. Watching this scene, Shen Qingyu’s eyes dimmed unconsciously, and a faint, indescribable bitterness welled up in his heart.

Song Yu, who had been quietly observing him, saw the change in his expression. He put down his shovel, walked closer, and asked softly: “Is this a case of seeing the scene and being moved by emotion?”

Shen Qingyu looked at him in surprise.

“You and Cheng Che have separated, haven’t you?” Song Yu said this with absolute certainty.

Shen Qingyu looked up sharply, his eyes full of astonishment: “How did you know?”

Song Yu didn’t speak. He just took out his phone, opened Lu Xiao’s moment, and handed it to him.

Shen Qingyu looked down and saw a post Lu Xiao had made in the early morning. The caption read: [Wish granted, where there’s a will, there’s a way.]

Shen Qingyu never expected that Song Yu learned about this through one of Lu Xiao’s moments. And that he guessed the breakup with Cheng Che from such an ambiguous sentence. Should I say it’s just like Song Yu? He’s so perceptive even about things like this.

He lowered his head and smiled bitterly. Shen Qingyu had been in a bad mood for the past two days and hadn’t checked his social media. Lu Xiao, while saying he couldn’t let Song Yu know, still wanted to show off that he had finally waited for this moment, choosing this way to share his feelings. He definitely never imagined Song Yu would see right through it.

“Now,” Song Yu’s voice pulled him back to the present. The cool tone was now serious and deep. “Can I openly like you?”

Shen Qingyu sighed helplessly, yet a curve formed at his lips that he didn’t even notice: “If I said no, would you agree?”

“No,” Song Yu answered unequivocally, without the slightest hesitation.

“Then why did you ask me?” Shen Qingyu found it slightly amusing.

A faint smile also spread in Song Yu’s eyes. He whispered: “That was to get your approval.”

Shen Qingyu’s face felt slightly warm. He lowered his head, picked up his shovel, pretending to continue shoveling snow, and mumbled: “…Let’s get back to work.”

Song Yu looked at his slightly reddened ear tips and picked up his tool again, feeling pleased.

A while later, Shen Qingyu wanted to move to a different spot but didn’t notice a patch of compacted ice underfoot. His foot slipped, and his body instantly lost balance. He cried out in surprise. Just as he thought he was going to fall hard, a strong arm timely wrapped around his waist, bringing him steadily into a warm embrace.

“Be careful,” Song Yu said calmly. “Otherwise, I’ll think… you’re throwing yourself into my arms.” He said it half-jokingly.

Shen Qingyu paused. He tried to pull out of the embrace but was held tightly. He thought to himself, I’m not throwing myself into your arms, you just want me to throw myself into your arms, don’t you?

“Go and rest for a bit. No rush,” Song Yu suggested.

Having held the shovel tightly for a long time, Shen Qingyu felt his arm was a bit sore, and his back was stiff. So, he didn’t push himself, sitting on the small ledge of the flower bed, his feet dangling and swinging back and forth in the air.

“I think I see two other people,” Shen Qingyu pointed to two people holding similar shovels in the distance. Like a savior, he waved vigorously to catch their attention. “That’s great, Song Yu, we have help!”

With that, Shen Qingyu made a move to jump down from the ledge. Fearing he might be unstable, Song Yu put down his shovel, stood at the edge of the ledge, and held his legs, letting him slowly jump down.

With Song Yu nearby, Shen Qingyu wasn’t afraid. After landing easily, he clapped his hands to dust off non-existent dirt, put his hands on his hips, and asked: “How was that? Was my landing posture cool?”

Song Yu curved his lips: “Cool.”

Shen Qingyu suddenly noticed a lot of snow had fallen on Song Yu’s hat. It would be very cold if the chill got inside his hat. Shen Qingyu bit his lip. “Squat down.”

Song Yu was momentarily confused, but obediently half-squatted in front of him. Shen Qingyu raised his hand and patted the snow off Song Yu’s hat with his glove, explaining: “You had a lot of snow piled up on your hat. I helped you brush it off.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We’re all… we’re all friends.”

Song Yu pondered for a moment: “Then can I move back to the dorm when school starts?”

Shen Qingyu: “…”

The two students in the distance dragged their shovels, awkwardly scraping the ground: “Um… can I interrupt you two? How come I can’t pry this snow up?”

Shen Qingyu pretended not to hear Song Yu’s question, eagerly approaching them to teach them. He knew the technique was just what Song Yu had taught him moments ago.

“Oh! So that’s how it works. Thank you!” The two students realized, trying the method Shen Qingyu taught them, and it was indeed much easier.

Working together, the four of them significantly increased their snow removal efficiency. The snow continued to fall, but the atmosphere was much lighter. Shen Qingyu occasionally instructed the two students, acting like an experienced little teacher, though only he knew that this “experience” was just knowledge imparted by the person next to him.

Standing nearby, Song Yu seemingly casually brought up the subject again: “So, can I move back to the dorm after school starts?” His voice wasn’t loud, just enough for the two of them to hear.

Shen Qingyu glanced at Song Yu, then slowly turned his head away, his ears slightly flushed, his tone deliberately casual: “You didn’t pay any less for the dorm bed, so it’s not like I can kick you out. Just live there if you want. Why are you asking me?”

While it sounded like a complaint, it was, in fact, an agreement. Reaching this conclusion, Song Yu smiled faintly with satisfaction.

The busy time passed quickly. The area they were responsible for was mostly clear of snow. After the person in charge came out to inspect, she was satisfied and let them end their practical for the day.

Back in the community center, the warmth inside was a sharp contrast to the snowy cold outside. Shen Qingyu took off his heavy coat, feeling much lighter. He went to get two cups of hot water and handed one to Song Yu.

The steam from the hot water blurred their expressions and softened the surrounding sounds. Shen Qingyu held the paper cup, feeling the warmth transferred to his palm. He happily drank a couple of sips, then put it aside and said: “Actually, I think shoveling snow is quite interesting.”

Song Yu lightly “Mm-hmm’d,” and reached out to grasp Shen Qingyu’s free wrist.

“Your hands are all red from the cold,” Song Yu whispered, his thumb gently rubbing his slightly cool fingertips.

Before Shen Qingyu could react, Song Yu suddenly lowered his head and kissed the back of his hand. It was like a falling snowflake, fleeting but leaving a scorching sensation.

Shen Qingyu flinched as if burned, snatching his hand back. His heart pounded, and his cheeks flushed. He whispered in embarrassment and urgency:

“You… I haven’t washed my hands yet!” He was wearing gloves while shoveling snow, so while it wasn’t dirty, it felt unhygienic.

Song Yu straightened up, looking at his flustered expression, the amusement in his eyes deepening. Yet, his tone was dead serious, “It’s alright, I don’t mind.”

“You…” Shen Qingyu was choked by his righteous attitude, momentarily unable to find a retort. He could only glare at him, inexplicably feeling that Song Yu looked exactly like Lu Xiao had last night after successfully stealing a kiss.

When did Song Yu become so mischievous too?

Shen Qingyu grumbled internally, picking up his water cup to take another small sip.

School would start in just over half a month. He couldn’t even imagine how chaotic their dorm room would be once they all returned.

Shen Qingyu sighed helplessly, looking troubled, and even prayed that this last period of peace would pass slowly, slowly.