The Clingy Coquette and His Straight Roommate - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Too Sensitive

Studio.

Hua Die stood with his arms crossed, watching Bo Jingshi distribute desserts to the studio staff, then take away two bags—exquisitely packaged—and place them in the small refrigerator like precious treasures.

Sinister. This was far too sinister.

However, Hua Die didn’t truly take it to heart. It was impossible for Bo Jingshi to pull a U-turn from being a “steel straight man” on his very first day in a new dorm.

He looked down at his phone. Someone had added him to a group chat; he had a vague memory of it. With the new semester’s club recruitment, every club would hold an orientation activity. Though it was called “welcoming new members,” “predatory hunting” was a more accurate description. It was nothing more than seniors wanting to use this opportunity to meet fresh faces, see if there were any young and gullible freshmen, and make a move early.

Hua Die had a good relationship with the Mixology Club president, Ming Qiunian. The club was mostly comprised of second-generation wealthy kids, and people from the same circle played together easily.

Supposedly, a very generous new junior had joined the Mixology Club this time. On the first day of school, he introduced himself as a “0” (bottom) and welcomed “1s” (tops) to pursue him. Relying on his open wallet and decent looks, he became the “hot commodity” among the freshmen. Most of the funding for this orientation activity was provided by him because the weekend welcoming coincided with his birthday, and he wanted to celebrate it like a birthday party.

Hua Die exchanged a few casual pleasantries with Ming Qiunian, then saw a familiar profile picture among the group members.

Bo Jingshi? Who added him?

He hated people who added him to groups randomly.

Yu Lan had just finished class and was preparing to go to lunch with Niu Tiantian. While waiting for the elevator, a gentle and refined-looking man approached, calling out warmly, “Lanlan.”

This was Yu Lan’s class monitor, Ke Yisen. He was extremely popular, known for his good temper, and was also one of Yu Lan’s pursuers. Ever since their freshman year, Ke Yisen had been hovering around Yu Lan.

Yu Lan had skipped grades, so he was younger than his peers; he was only seventeen during his freshman year. At the time, he had rejected Ke Yisen with the excuse that “my mom doesn’t let me date early,” but now that he was eighteen, that excuse no longer applied.

Seeing Ke Yisen, Yu Lan instinctively hid behind Niu Tiantian. Thinking he was just being shy, Niu Tiantian gave a teasing “Ooh.”

The elevator doors opened, and Niu Tiantian went in first. It was peak time after class, so the elevator filled up instantly. Niu Tiantian waved at them to hurry in. Ke Yisen, seeing Yu Lan about to squeeze into the elevator, reached out to grab his wrist, but Yu Lan quickly dodged him. Due to the delay from that single movement, the elevator became full, and Yu Lan couldn’t get in.

Ke Yisen stared at his empty hand and laughed at Yu Lan. “Lanlan, the elevator seems too full. Let’s take the stairs.”

Stairwell.

“Lanlan, this is my birthday gift for you.” Before Yu Lan could speak, Ke Yisen cut him off. “Don’t reject me; this is my sentiment. If you don’t accept it, I’ll be sad.”

Yu Lan looked conflicted but ultimately accepted it, saying, “Alright, thank you.”

“The Mixology Club has an activity this weekend. Tiantian is coming; do you want to come?” Ke Yisen stopped on a landing, gazing at Yu Lan, who was one step higher than him. With the extra step, their gazes were level, allowing him to see that exquisite face more clearly.

Yu Lan thought for a moment and asked, “Does it count for credits?”

Their school had “Quality Education Credits,” known as “Sutuo” in some schools. To obtain them, one had to participate in various cultural activities, academic lectures, or research competitions. Yu Lan was only two sessions away from being able to apply for those credits.

Ke Yisen stared at him, suddenly smiled, and said, “It counts. They are being very generous with the hours awarded this time.”

Cafeteria.

A boy wearing heavy makeup leaned against a stone pillar, looking down at his phone. Catching sight of a figure ahead, he quickly deleted his chat history and put on a sweet smile. “Thank you for helping me get food, Senior.”

“No problem, Jia Nan. It’s my honor to help you.” An athlete with bronze skin flashed him a smile.

Li Jia Nan appropriately showed a shy expression, his lips curling up with a hint of smugness. He extremely enjoyed the pursuit of men; Du Mingyu’s words greatly satisfied his vanity.

They sat down to eat. Du Mingyu seemed to have no appetite; he poked at his rice before looking up. “By the way, Jia Nan, I heard from your president—will Senior Yu Lan from the Design Academy be there too? My relationship with the president is just average; could you help me ask the president for his WeChat…”

Li Jia Nan’s eyes turned somewhat venomous, but he quickly masked it, his tone sounding aggrieved. “I thought you simply wanted to eat with me.”

“Jia Nan, I’m not pursuing you. Sorry for making you misunderstand. I fell in love with Senior Yu Lan at first sight; he’s my ideal type, I…”

Li Jia Nan didn’t want to hear the rest. He forced a smile. “Alright, I was just joking. I heard he used to love attending all sorts of mixers and played quite hard. Pursuing him should be very easy.”

Du Mingyu frowned, about to defend Yu Lan, but Li Jia Nan’s next words made him joyful.

“I don’t have his WeChat either. I’ll start a group and let the president add everyone who’s coming this weekend. You can add him directly then.”

Li Jia Nan added a few people, who then started adding others. The group, originally less than ten people, suddenly reached about eighty.

He was quite popular, mainly because he was generous with money, and he got along very well with the freshmen. Immediately, someone sat beside him to chat. The phone was still vibrating, and that person let out a cry of surprise: “Holy shit, Ke Yisen!”

Li Jia Nan had heard the name but couldn’t place it for a moment.

“Ke Yisen is a sophomore, the prospective Student Union President. He’s incredibly popular, handsome, and extremely devoted—he’s been single for love…”

Li Jia Nan silently noted the name. Then, the other person cried out again, “Senior Yu Lan is coming too?!”

This person didn’t even care about eating; he immediately dropped his chopsticks and squeezed his phone, nervously wanting to add him on WeChat. His roommate laughed and gave him a shove, explaining, “This kid likes Senior Yu Lan. Senior Ke said Senior Yu Lan is definitely coming, so a lot of people are coming to this mixer just for him. Of course, we’re mainly here for your birthday, Jia Nan.”

This mixer had massive expenses; Li Jia Nan was footing the bill. He rented a villa for a “house party” and even hired a host to keep the atmosphere lively. Initially, the president had refused, but he said the day coincided with his birthday and he liked excitement, so they should just consider it his birthday celebration.

Li Jia Nan’s smile almost couldn’t hold. Yu Lan. Yu Lan again.

He heard that Yu Lan used to enjoy club activities as well, with an enthusiastic and cheerful personality like a little sun, but he stopped participating much after his freshman year, possibly due to a busy academic schedule. Li Jia Nan had only seen Yu Lan once from a distance at a lecture. Yu Lan’s features were vibrant and bright, easily overshadowing Li Jia Nan despite his heavy makeup.

Similar types tend to compare themselves, especially since the senior who came with him kept staring at Yu Lan and asking around for his contact info. Only after hearing that Yu Lan was being pursued by a very charming senior and was almost “taken” did he reluctantly drop his thoughts.

Li Jia Nan had intentionally taken a photo during the lecture. In the photo, Yu Lan was drowsy with his mouth slightly open—it could barely be considered an ugly photo. He posted it to his Moments, but unexpectedly, a ton of people praised Yu Lan for being good-looking, and the image was even stolen and posted on the campus confession wall to track him down for contact info.

But that was the ugliest photo of Yu Lan among all the ones he had taken. From then on, he started paying attention to this person.

Sure enough, there were many people in school who liked Yu Lan, and no small number of potential secret admirers. Many people who used to fawn over him had their affections shift after seeing Yu Lan.

“Senior Ke is very busy lately. Whoa, XX is coming too. Could it be they’re all here for Senior Yu Lan… He’s so charming; these people are all well-known figures in school.”

“Isn’t that obvious? With those looks, I’m not even gay but I’d want to turn gay for him…”

Li Jia Nan was a very envious and vain person. When encountering someone similar, he would instinctively compare. He truly couldn’t beat Yu Lan in looks, so he had to find some advantage elsewhere. He opened WeChat, looked at his friend list, and after hesitating for a long time, he made his move.

When they returned to the club activity area, the group was incredibly lively. People were adding each other as friends left and right, and messages about adding people were quickly buried. A group of people in a new environment—especially freshmen—instinctively feel a sense of admiration and worship toward seniors. They crave meeting more people outside their own grade; the more people they know, the better their social skills seem to be.

While they were chatting, someone suddenly scrolled through the group members. “Who is this ‘Don’t Bother’?”

Li Jia Nan: “It’s Bo Jingshi, Senior Bo.”

Ming Qiunian was stunned. “Huh? Bo Jingshi is coming too? That might have been Hua Die who pulled him in. For a lone wolf like Bo Jingshi to actually be willing to attend a mixer, the sun must have risen from the west.”

They gasped. “Wait, Nannan, how do you know he’s Senior Bo?” They looked at his phone screen, which happened to be the profile page. “You guys are WeChat friends!”

“Senior Hua didn’t add him; I did.”

Bo Jingshi didn’t like adding friends and hated people adding him to groups even more. When strangers added him to groups, Bo Jingshi usually left the group immediately and deleted the contact.

Li Jia Nan decided to take a gamble. If Bo Jingshi was willing to come, that would bring glory to his face. If he wasn’t willing, it was fine; Bo Jingshi’s cold personality wouldn’t explain anything, he would just leave. It had been like that before. Even when Bo Jingshi had been added by someone secretly taking his phone, he didn’t make a scene; he just blacklisted and deleted the group. An arrogant person like him wouldn’t waste time investigating, let alone mention these things to others.

Even if Bo Jingshi really left the group, it would be easy to explain when others asked—for example, that Bo Jingshi was too busy to come, or that he didn’t like noisy environments. They didn’t know Bo Jingshi, so they couldn’t actually go and ask him to confirm the truth. Li Jia Nan held onto the idea of “giving it a try”—what if Bo Jingshi really was willing to come to this weekend’s party?

A long time passed, and ‘Don’t Bother’ had not left the group. It was currently the lunch break, a time when almost no one wasn’t looking at their phone. Facing many envious gazes, Li Jia Nan’s vanity was greatly satisfied, though he only showed a modest smile on the surface.

Nannan: Everyone remember to change your nicknames~

Nannan: Thank you everyone for joining the Mixology Club activity. We’ve prepared many fine wines at the venue, wine lovers shouldn’t miss out~ (Image of several crates of liquor) (Image of a luxury villa)

A group of people immediately supported him.

L: Jia Nan, you’re really rich. This wine is super expensive. Oh my god, you’re spending so much.

Shui-er: Who doesn’t know Jia Nan is a rich second-gen! Good looks, good temper, and a wealthy family. Amazing, a winner at life.

One: Sob sob, Nannan, does your house need a maid?

Li Jia Nan curled his lips. Yes, this was it. He liked being pursued like this and liked being the center of attention.

Nannan: Not at all, I’m just an ordinary family, I’ll be eating dirt soon. It just happens to be my birthday this weekend, so if everyone has fun, I’ll be happy~

Wu: Forget it! You just bought a Chanel bag yesterday and even gave everyone in our dorm a game console. If you aren’t rich, who is?

Next, the group was flooded with phrases like “Nannan is so rich,” “Sugar daddy, support me,” and “Cuddles to the sugar daddy.” Li Jia Nan saw the time was right and posted again.

Nannan: By the way, everyone can drink, right? If you don’t drink and want something else, you can come to me to order~ Don’t be formal with me, and please don’t bring your own drinks privately, otherwise I’ll be sad~

The group was very lively. A college party isn’t complete without alcohol. They discussed what kinds of liquor to buy—beer, spirits—and specifically listed some low-alcohol fruit wines to accommodate the ladies. Generally speaking, even those who didn’t know how to drink would force themselves to take a few sips for social reasons; even if they didn’t want to, they would force themselves so as not to ruin the fun.

But then someone spoke up.

Little Bear: Then can I order the Mango Pomelo Sago from AD! (Excited Bear Image)

Nannan: Sorry, Senior. I thought about it carefully, and if everyone else is drinking alcohol and you’re the only one drinking something else, it’s a bit off. It’s better not to receive special treatment. Plus, I heard you know how to have a good time, so you shouldn’t be unable to drink.

Nannan: I didn’t mean it that way, I just heard that Senior, you used to play quite hard and liked making friends.

Nannan: Oh, my mouth is so clumsy. QAQ Senior, don’t misunderstand, I really didn’t mean it that way.

‘Little Bear’ didn’t continue speaking. In reality, ‘Little Bear’ Yu Lan was staring at his phone screen, his small face wrinkled. Yu Lan didn’t know if he was being too sensitive, but he felt that ‘Nannan’ was being snide with him.

Niu Tiantian hadn’t been looking at the group. Seeing Yu Lan’s expression was off, she opened the chat. After reading, her brow furrowed, and she looked coldly at Ke Yisen. “You’re just going to let this snide person be snide to Lanlan?”

Ke Yisen said warmly, “This person is named Li Jia Nan, a freshman. There’s no need for us to get into a conflict with him, he’s just a kid. Besides, most of the funding for this activity is from him, and it’s also to celebrate his birthday…”

Niu Tiantian interrupted impatiently, “He’s only a month older than Lanlan. He’s a kid, but what about Lanlan? Who isn’t a kid?”

L: Everyone should just drink alcohol. Otherwise, if we’re all drinking and you’re the only one drinking milk tea, it’s a bit awkward. And Nannan’s expenses are already huge, so let’s not add to his costs.

“…”

There was a group of people in the chat licking up to ‘Nannan’. Yu Lan didn’t have these freshmen as friends, so they naturally didn’t know who he was. Niu Tiantian was so angry she grabbed her phone to curse someone out when a new message suddenly popped up on the screen.

Don’t Bother: .

‘Don’t Bother’ didn’t say anything, but for some reason, it projected a thick sense of impatience. People asked each other: Who is this? Why haven’t they set a group nickname?

Once Bo Jingshi spoke in the group, the Mixology Club became lively again.

“Nannan, tell us, how do you have Senior Bo’s WeChat?”

“He actually spoke, god… I heard a senior from Computer Science say Bo Jingshi has never even attended a class party, yet he’s willing to come to your birthday bash. You have so much face.”

Li Jia Nan bit his lip and remained silent. They continued to ask, and he put on a coy, shy expression.

“You guys aren’t together, are you?”

He said bashfully, “It’s nothing like that, not so fast yet.”

“Oh come on, you even have his WeChat. I heard he doesn’t add people he isn’t close to. There was a mixer over the summer before school started; he got drunk, and many people secretly added him as a friend, but he blacklisted them all afterward!”

He bit his lip. “I added him back then…”

“He actually didn’t delete you?! Does he have feelings for you?”

“Definitely, right!”

No matter how they asked afterward, Li Jia Nan refused to say another word, looking embarrassed to the extreme. Everyone understood—no wonder this ice sculpture could be moved; it turned out to be the power of love. It seemed even the coldest person would change in the face of love.

Li Jia Nan’s vanity was greatly satisfied. He was certain Bo Jingshi still remembered him and remembered the greeting from the mixer. After all, he had dressed very sexily that day; it was normal for Bo Jingshi to have an impression of him.

That day, Bo Jingshi was drunk and seemed to be in a bad mood. Many people secretly took his phone to add themselves, but they were all deleted later. He had been bolder; not only did he add him, but he also chatted with Bo Jingshi for a while. Though it was a one-sided conversation—Bo Jingshi hadn’t said a single word—that didn’t stop Li Jia Nan from believing Bo Jingshi might actually have feelings for him. Otherwise, why delete so many people but leave him alone? Why not leave the group now?

Nannan: @Don’t Bother Senior QAQ, what kind of wine do you want to drink? My dad recently brought a crate of red wine from abroad, do you want to try? The taste is very good!

Don’t Bother: ?

Don’t Bother: Who are you?

If it were anyone else, they would have started feeling awkward, but Li Jia Nan was different.

Nannan: I’m Jia Nan, Senior. We met at the freshman orientation mixer over the summer, we chatted together, we had a very pleasant talk that day QwQ~

Don’t Bother: Don’t know you. Deleted.

Don’t Bother: Don’t use my phone to add friends randomly in the future.

The group chat was awkward for about five minutes. ‘Nannan’ never spoke. After a while, someone smoothed things over: Haha Senior, many of us have wanted to meet you. We were just talking about what to drink, you usually drink alcohol, right?

Don’t Bother: No.

Don’t Bother: I’m allergic to alcohol. I’ll die if I drink it.

Then what the hell are you doing entering our Mixology Club mixer group???

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