No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 21

“Shu Luo, I’m in Class 8! What about you?”

Today was the day to register for school. Everyone was looking at the class and dorm assignments.

After checking the class list, Zhang Feiyang couldn’t find Shu Luo’s name in his class. He saw Shu Luo squeeze out of the crowd and immediately went to ask him.

Shu Luo was drenched in sweat from being in the middle of the crowd and felt dizzy.

“Why are there so many people? I was almost crushed to death,” Shu Luo grumbled, using his shirt collar to wipe the sweat from his face.

Zhang Feiyang immediately jumped in front of him. “What class are you in? I’m in Class 8, and my dorm is in Building B, Room 403.”

“Hehe, Jiang Mu and I are both in Class 5, but our dorm is close to yours, B302.”

Zhang Feiyang threw an arm over Shu Luo’s shoulder. “Spill it! Did you use connections? You’re a lot behind Jiang Mu in terms of scores, but you’re in the same class as him? Huh? Come on, tell me the truth!”

Shu Luo was caught off guard and choked on his own spit. “Cough, cough… Brother, brother, don’t be so excited, okay? I believe this is fate, not a back door, okay?”

“I don’t believe it. We only have a difference of about ten points, and we didn’t get into the same class,” Zhang Feiyang complained. How could this guy happen to be in the same class as Jiang Mu?

Shu Luo laughed and patted his face. “What? You’ll miss me that much? My class and dorm are always open to you.”

Zhang Feiyang shook his head with a slight smile, let go of Shu Luo, and went back to look at the list. There weren’t as many people now, so it was easier to see the class assignments. He followed the list to Class 5 and saw that it was the “top students” class, where the scores were all over 700. Several of the students even had higher scores than Jiang Mu. There were only forty-plus people in the class, and Shu Luo was… at the bottom. It seemed this was an honors class, and Shu Luo was barely hanging on.

“Shu Luo, you’re last,” Zhang Feiyang said.

Shu Luo shrugged. “I know. I’m going to get crushed.”

“There’s always someone better than you out there. Class 5 is no joke,” Zhang Feiyang said, looking at Shu Luo thoughtfully. Would this guy be able to handle it?

“Let’s go. Do you want to go back to the dorms?” Shu Luo asked.

“Sure. Oh, by the way, why didn’t Jiang Mu come? That’s not like him.” The guy who cherished Shu Luo and would be attached to his hip didn’t show up?

Shu Luo smiled proudly. “Haha, he’s in the dorm helping me make my bed! I just leave all the logistics to him. My job is to be on the front lines.”

“Hehe,” Zhang Feiyang replied, with nothing more to say.

He thought to himself, “Is it really ‘fate’ that these two were so lucky to be roommates?”

They went back to their respective dorms. Shu Luo bounced into his dorm room, where Jiang Mu had almost finished everything and was putting clothes into his wardrobe.

Zhengcheng was a top private school, and the school environment was excellent, including the dorms. The standard dorm was a four-person room with a bed on top and a desk underneath. In those days, a dorm environment like this meant it was a first-rate school with ample funding.

The other two roommates had also arrived.

One was Li Zixin, a native of Guangdong who lived in S-City and went to a middle school there. He was tall and thin, just a little shorter than Jiang Mu, and wore glasses. He was soft-spoken and well-mannered. The other was Wang Kai, from Hubei, who also lived in S-City and went to another middle school. He was well-built, a little dark-skinned, and spoke with a big, bold personality.

The roommates all seemed nice.

“Jiang Mu, what’s your relationship with Shu Luo? Why are you helping him unpack?” Wang Kai, whose parents were helping him, asked curiously.

“Luo Luo is my brother.”

He didn’t explain further, so Wang Kai assumed they were cousins or something. “But Jiang Mu looks mixed-race, right?” he thought. “Maybe one of his parents is related to Shu Luo’s family.”

“Jiang Mu, are you mixed-race?” Li Zixin, who had finished unpacking, asked. He looked at Jiang Mu’s handsome face, which resembled a mixed-race movie star, and felt a little intimidated.

Shu Luo happened to walk in, greeted his new roommates, and said, “Hi, I’m Shu Luo.”

Wang Kai suddenly came closer and laughed. “You’re Shu Luo? You look a bit like a girl; you’re very delicate.”

Shu Luo’s face immediately crumpled. “What are you saying?! How do I look like a girl? Brother, your little brother is being bullied!” This roommate was too hurtful; his first impression was already ruined.

Jiang Mu, who was still tidying clothes, smiled slightly. He watched as Shu Luo’s face scrunched up as he walked over to him.

“I’m just kidding with you! Why are you running to tattle on me, haha!” Wang Kai laughed loudly. This Shu Luo was kind of cute.

“He’s alright; Shu Luo doesn’t look anything like a girl,” Li Zixin said.

Shu Luo’s mood improved when someone spoke up for him, and he walked over to Li Zixin.

“I’ll call you Little Xin, okay? Like Crayon Shin-chan, haha.”

Li Zixin had no objections. “That’s fine. My friends all call me that.” Then he remembered his previous question. “Jiang Mu is mixed-race, right?”

Shu Luo nodded. “He’s part French and part Chinese.”

“No wonder he’s so handsome. We’re all feeling the pressure,” Wang Kai said jokingly.

“I’m handsome, too,” Shu Luo said with a straight face.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment before Wang Kai’s loud laughter broke the silence.

“Shu Luo, it’s good that you’re confident. Actually, you do look pretty good; you’re the cute type. A lot of girls like that.”

Shu Luo narrowed his eyes, exuding a dangerous aura. “Wang Kai, I’m not done with you!”

With that, he pounced on Wang Kai’s back, grabbing his neck, determined not to let go.

“Hey, hey, hey! A gentleman uses his words, not his fists! Calm down, calm down!”

Shu Luo couldn’t care less about being a gentleman. “I’m not a gentleman; I’m a lowlife! Today, I’m going to make you admit that I’m handsome!”

Jiang Mu’s eyes darkened, and he stepped forward to pull Shu Luo off of Wang Kai’s back.

“Luo Luo, stop fooling around.”

Jiang Mu’s voice was very intimidating, especially when he sounded calm. It meant he was probably about to get mad.

“Brother, this guy, Wang Kai, is just too much,” Shu Luo said, wrinkling his little face in displeasure.

“Go unpack your things,” Jiang Mu said coldly, turning to go to the balcony.

Shu Luo looked at Jiang Mu’s back, not knowing what to do. “Oh no,” he thought, “he’s mad.”

“It’s all your fault; he’s mad now,” Shu Luo said, pushing the blame onto Wang Kai.

Wang Kai looked innocent. “I didn’t do anything!”

Li Zixin just watched them play around with a smile. However… he felt that Jiang Mu was out of place. His demeanor made him seem much more mature.

Shu Luo trotted to the balcony, where Jiang Mu was washing a new towel.

“Uh… um, Brother, are you mad?” Shu Luo asked, walking over to him.

“No,” Jiang Mu said.

He said it so bluntly. “And he says he’s not mad?” Shu Luo mumbled to himself.

“I was just playing with them. I guess it was too noisy?”

Jiang Mu hung the clean towel on the rack and turned his head to look at him with a half-smile. “What do you think?”

“Don’t look at me like that; it’s creepy,” Shu Luo said. He hated that look on Jiang Mu’s face; it seemed like he was scheming something.

He was indeed a little upset. He felt uncomfortable seeing Shu Luo goofing around with others. He had his own selfish reasons, but he didn’t want anyone to find out.

“Brother, I’m calling you ‘Brother,’ so we’re like brothers, right? As brothers, we should be able to say anything to each other, right? Even if you’re annoyed with me, you can just tell me. It might hurt my feelings, but at least I’ll know.”

Shu Luo just kept mumbling, like a little bee.

Jiang Mu couldn’t stand him mumbling anymore. He reached out and put his hand on Shu Luo’s head, covering it with a single palm. He then forced Shu Luo to look at him.

“Luo Luo, I didn’t mean to be mean. I admit I was a little annoyed, okay?”

Shu Luo could feel the warmth of Jiang Mu’s palm on his head. He was even more surprised that Jiang Mu could cover his entire head with just one hand. He looked into Jiang Mu’s deep eyes and felt a little dazed.

Seeing Shu Luo’s confused expression, Jiang Mu just ruffled his hair. “It’s fine, go play. I’m going to take a shower and then head to the classroom.”

“What a jerk. Is he that great just because he has a big hand?” Shu Luo felt a little resentful.

He walked out of the balcony with his shoulders slumped and gave Wang Kai a glare.

“It’s all your fault. Now I’m even more upset with my brother, and since I can’t be mad at him, I’m going to be mad at you,” he said, glaring at Wang Kai.

“Is Jiang Mu mean to you? Are you that afraid of him?” Li Zixin asked.

“Well… he’s not mean. How should I put it? He can be very intimidating without even getting angry,” Shu Luo said, deciding to just give up on explaining. He knew he wouldn’t be able to make them understand. Jiang Mu was completely different in front of other people than he was in front of him. In front of others, he was distant and composed, but in front of Shu Luo… he was everything. He had never yelled at him, but when he was angry, he didn’t even need to say a word; his expressions were enough. Shu Luo had already learned to read him.

Li Zixin recalled when Jiang Mu first came into the dorm. He was carrying two suitcases with a blank expression, looking unapproachable. His features were sharp, and he gave off a cold vibe. When they all said hello, he smiled and greeted them, but it felt like there was a barrier between them. He was polite but distant.

But when Shu Luo came in, Jiang Mu’s eyes lit up, and he started talking more. He also seemed annoyed at Shu Luo’s fight with Wang Kai, but in reality, he was probably annoyed with Wang Kai. The feeling was strong: these two had a very close relationship.

“Luo Luo, let’s go,” Jiang Mu said.

After taking a shower, Jiang Mu seemed gentler and less distant.

Shu Luo saw that Jiang Mu’s expression had improved, so he went over to him.

“Hehe, Brother, was your shower nice?”

“It’s fine; you don’t have to ask me that. I’m not mad. Let’s go,” Jiang Mu said, a slight smile on his face, looking to be in a good mood.

Shu Luo smiled when he saw him smile. “That’s good, that’s good. Let’s go to the classroom now. We have to pick our seats!”

Jiang Mu glanced at him, and Shu Luo knew what he was going to say.

“I know, I know. I haven’t forgotten. We’re still going to be desk mates, right?”

Wang Kai walked over to Shu Luo, raised an eyebrow, and said, “You’re not a little kid anymore! You need your brother to protect you to feel safe!”

His teasing tone made Shu Luo furious.

“Wang Kai, don’t mess with me. Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall! I don’t like being joked with,” Shu Luo said.

Wang Kai found Shu Luo’s agitated expression amusing.

Jiang Mu’s eyes darkened, and he walked out of the dorm first.

Li Zixin frowned in confusion and also walked out.