08

 Fu Qing waited outside the door. The dormitory had only six luxurious single rooms on each floor, and Fu Qing's room wasn't on this floor. Because of the small number of students, no one could see Fu Qing's figure in the corridor.

Fu Qing was getting anxious. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette case, hesitated for a moment, and put it back. Although there were windows in the corridor, Fu Qing was still worried that the smoke would bother Jiang Nian.

Fu Qing didn't know when he had become so fussy. He had always been very carefree, but everything changed after meeting Jiang Nian.

At first, Fu Qing had only heard Jiang Nian's name a few times from others, with vulgar teasing and a hidden disdain, as if it were just a trivial joke.

He didn't take it to heart. It was realistic for someone from the elite class to look down on people from other classes, especially someone from Jiang Nian's family, which was considered low-class in the academy.

But when Jiang Nian actually appeared at the elite class's door, none of those who had teased him before were speechless. They could only think, "Why is he here? Who is he looking for… could it be me?"

Fu Qing undoubtedly thought the same thing.

But Jiang Nian chose Xu Haiyuan, just like now.

Fu Qing let out a soft sigh.

With a click, Jiang Nian opened the door and came out. Fu Qing's spirits lifted, and he stepped forward to greet her. He put his hand on Jiang Nian's shoulder, glanced at the closed door, and asked in a low voice, "Xu Haiyuan didn't do anything to you, did he?"

It was a very ambiguous gesture.

Jiang Nian shook her head, her expression unreadable. She walked side-by-side with Fu Qing, answering his question softly, "No, we just chatted."

"That's good. Xu Haiyuan has a bad temper; I was afraid you'd been wronged."

"Mm."

Fu Qing moved closer to Jiang Nian. His body temperature was higher, and his warmth traveled from his palm to Jiang Nian's coat.

It was summer, and even at night, the air wasn't humid; it was hot but relatively dry. However, Fu Qing was standing too close, almost huddled together, and Jiang Nian still felt hot. He placed his hand on Fu Qing's chest, his voice slightly muffled, "Brother Fu, don't get too close."

"Hot?" Fu Qing asked.

"Mmm."

Fu Qing moved away slightly, lowering his hand from Jiang Nian's shoulder. The hand slid through the air before stopping beside Jiang Nian's drooping hand. Fu Qing's fingertips twitched, but he followed his heart and took Jiang Nian's hand.

It was subtle; not interlocking, just holding it. Jiang Nian could easily pull away.

Jiang Nian didn't do that. Seducing people was his job; he generally didn't refuse others.

This irresponsible, non-refusal attitude was the reason for the misconception most people had, and Fu Qing was deeply trapped in this misconception, unable to leave.

This was the second time Fu Qing had escorted Jiang Nian back to his dormitory. Unlike the deluxe single rooms, the double dorms were crowded, with people coming and going at the bottom, all seeing Fu Qing and Jiang Nian's affectionate behavior at the entrance.

Or rather, it was Fu Qing's perspective; he simply couldn't bear to part with Jiang Nian, feeling that if they spent more time together,

their relationship would deepen, increasing his chances .

"I'll leave you here," Jiang Nian waved, intending to leave, but seeing Fu Qing standing still, she hesitated, then gently hugged him.

Jiang Nian didn't have much of a desire to test Fu Qing; he was too compliant, and she didn't know where to begin, so she decided to hold off for now. However, a little sweetness was never a bad thing.

Thinking this, the excited Fu Qing grabbed her waist, lifted her high, and then spun her around a few times before setting her down, placing a kiss on her large, bulging eyes.

Fu Qing's hot breath came in heavy gasps. He had a thousand words he wanted to say to Jiang Nian, but in the end, they all coalesced into a single sentence: "Go inside, I'll watch you."

Only after Jiang Nian disappeared from sight did Fu Qing turn and leave. Walking under the heavy shade of the trees, Fu Qing suddenly stopped. He raised his hand, his gaze falling on his palm, as if he could still feel the sensation of touching Jiang Nian. His usually well-hidden jealousy began to churn uncontrollably at this moment, until it completely consumed his heart.

He wanted more, more possibilities with Jiang Nian.

...

Back in the dormitory, Tan Shisheng wasn't there. His earlier words seemed like a lie, but thankfully, Jiang Nian hadn't believed them. He changed his clothes and took a shower. After showering, he chatted with his contacts for a while, ate takeout ordered by someone (he didn't know who), finished his homework, washed up, and climbed into bed.

After Jiang Nian fell asleep, the dormitory door opened; it was Tan Shisheng.

Tan Shisheng closed the door and slowly walked to Jiang Nian's bedside. Taking advantage of his superior height, he could see the curve of Jiang Nian's face, pressed against the pillow.

His expression was never very changeable, and it was still indifferent now. He adjusted his glasses, looked away, and slowly finished washing up. Dressed in his pajamas, he returned to Jiang Nian's bedside.

There was something Tan Shisheng had noticed for a long time:

once Jiang Nian fell asleep, she was very difficult to wake.

Tan Shisheng went to Jiang Nian's bed. The bed wasn't small; it could easily fit two people, but Tan Shisheng didn't. He propped himself up above Jiang Nian.

The two were extremely close. This was the first time Tan Shisheng had done this, and the first time he had observed Jiang Nian so closely. The description "skin like jade, face like cinnabar" was somewhat poetic; the thought that popped into Tan Shisheng's mind was more direct: an angel.

Sleeping Jiang Nian looked like a little angel.

Jiang Nian's eyes were tightly closed, her long, straight eyelashes obediently spread out. Tan Shisheng's lips landed on Jiang Nian's forehead. This wasn't ambiguous; if Tan Shisheng had wanted to, the kiss would have been on Jiang Nian's lips, but he didn't.

It wasn't that he still had any morals left.

Tan Shisheng had no morals.

He simply felt that kissing Jiang Nian would be more meaningful when she was awake.

Tan Shisheng's large hand caressed Jiang Nian's cheek, very lightly. He traced the shape of her eyebrows and then touched her not-so-prominent, but protruding, cupid's bow—small, round, soft, and adorable—making Tan Shisheng's gaze dim for a moment.

At this moment, as if sensing Tan Shisheng's actions, Jiang Nian suddenly frowned, her lips tightly pursed, and she let out a soft moan.

Tan Shisheng stopped.

Most people might feel panicked by this, but Tan Shisheng didn't. His eyes, peering through his glasses, were fixed on Jiang Nian's face, observing her reaction with the uncanny intensity of a cold-blooded animal.

Tan Shisheng even felt a surge of anticipation, hoping his adorable roommate would wake up and discover his appearance.

Would she be frightened, scream, or cry? Those beautiful eyes, brimming with tears, seemed veiled in a white mist, before finally falling—pitiful and endearing.

But Tan Shisheng knew Jiang Nian was fragile, yet not quite that fragile; her nature was always enigmatic.

So, would Jiang Nian be angry? Angry about having such a strange roommate.

Would she hit him? Tan Shisheng didn't have a masochistic streak, but he had seen Jiang Nian hit someone before—incredibly endearing—so Tan Shisheng wanted to be hit by Jiang Nian and see.

Perhaps it would be interesting.

But after thinking for a long time, Jiang Nian still didn't wake up. His brows gradually smoothed out, and he fell asleep again, which made Tan Shisheng somewhat disappointed.

Tan Shisheng continued his actions, slowly moving to Jiang Nian's prominent Adam's apple. Tan Shisheng seemed to like this spot, touching it again and again, before finally sliding down and unbuttoning the top button of Jiang Nian's pajamas.

Unlike Jiang Nian's usual style, her pajamas were very simple and plain. As Tan Shisheng unbuttoned them, he thought about how he would buy Jiang Nian some cute pajamas to match her style when they were together.

Several buttons were undone, revealing Jiang Nian's straight collarbone. Tan Shisheng's large hand covered it, almost dominating most of Jiang Nian's chest.

"Nian Nian..."

At the same time as Tan Shisheng's voice, Jiang Nian's phone rang. Tan Shisheng's eyes narrowed, and his hand moved incredibly fast. The ringtone was turned off after only a few seconds.

After doing all this, Tan Shisheng looked at Jiang Nian. Jiang Nian was still asleep, her expression peaceful. A faint smile appeared on Tan Shisheng's lips as he muttered, "Little pig."

However, the phone rang again, relentlessly. Tan Shisheng's expression turned cold, and he turned it off again. He looked at the out-of-province number displayed on the screen, not finding this surprising.

A thought struck Tan Shisheng, and he understood almost instantly.

When the phone rang for the third time, Tan Shisheng calmly buttoned up Jiang Nian's pajamas. Then, before Jiang Nian could open her eyes, he used the railing for support and nimbly jumped off the bed. The movement was minimal. He didn't leave; instead, he stood by the bed, holding the ringing phone that had woken Jiang Nian, calmly watching her grope around the pillow, her face still dazed.

He spoke, "Jiang Nian."

Jiang Nian was still asleep, forcibly woken up, his head still a little foggy. However, hearing Tan Shisheng's icy voice, he instinctively turned his head to meet Tan Shisheng's dark eyes.

Jiang Nian shivered and asked, "What's wrong?"

Tan Shisheng handed the phone to Jiang Nian, who took it. Tan Shisheng didn't speak, so Jiang Nian suppressed his doubts and answered the call. But the other end was quiet, without any sound. After a while, Jiang Nian asked suspiciously, "Hello? What's wrong?"

Jiang Nian's voice was still groggy from just waking up, with a slight nasal tone, as if he were whispering in someone's ear.

The person on the other end immediately hung up. Jiang Nian was unhappy. He stared at the blacked-out phone screen, feeling like he wanted to curse.

At this moment, Tan Shisheng spoke up, saying, "Your phone kept ringing, but you didn't wake up, so I came to check on you."

"Is something urgent?"

Jiang Nian understood. Holding his phone, he smiled shyly at Tan Shisheng and said, "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

Tan Shisheng shook his head. "No need to apologize. I wasn't disturbed; I wasn't sleeping."

"Oh." Jiang Nian didn't know what to talk about with Tan Shisheng. Although it was unintentional, it had indeed disturbed him. Jiang Nian reached under his pillow, pulled out a peanut milk candy, and handed it to Tan Shisheng. "Here, have this. Eat it and get a good night's sleep."

Tan Shisheng glanced at Jiang Nian, then at the candy, thought for a moment, and took it.

Seeing Tan Shisheng accept it, Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief. Still sleepy, he silenced his phone, propped himself up on the bed, and said softly to Tan Shisheng, "Then I'll go back to sleep. Goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight." Tan Shisheng didn't intend to continue; he returned to his own bed.

The next day, when Jiang Nian woke up, Tan Shisheng, whom he rarely saw, was still there. He sat upright in his chair, a dark desk lamp on the table, emitting a cold white light. Tan Shisheng held a book, occasionally turning a page with a rustling sound.

Jiang Nian didn't disturb Tan Shisheng; the two weren't close enough to chat.

After washing up, wearing his school uniform and carrying his books, before leaving, the motionless Tan Shisheng suddenly greeted him, "Going to class?"

"Yeah. What about you? Aren't you going?" Jiang Nian was a little surprised; this was the first time Tan Shisheng had spoken to him first.

Tan Shisheng closed his book, placed it on the table, stood up, and handed Jiang Nian a bag. Jiang Nian instinctively took it and saw it was steaming hot dumplings.

They were his favorite.

But they were too plain, not at all like Tan Shisheng.

Jiang Nian didn't understand.

Tan Shisheng said, "This is your breakfast."

He paused, worried Jiang Nian might refuse, and added, "Thank you for the candy yesterday, it was delicious."

Actually, he was allergic to peanuts, but not severely.

Eating it occasionally wasn't a problem.

Jiang Nian accepted it with a smile and thanked Tan Shisheng. Tan Shisheng nodded and watched Jiang Nian leave. Then,

Tan Shisheng focused his gaze on Jiang Nian's bed, scrutinizing it before finally fixing it on the plush toy at the foot of the bed. He picked it up, examined the eyes, then removed the left eye, revealing a small camera attached to it, pointing directly at Jiang Nian's bed.

Tan Shisheng sneered and slowly crushed the intricate machine.

He then replaced the eye and put the toy back in its place.

Everything seemed as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nian carried steamed dumplings downstairs. She couldn't resist sneaking a bite—it was shrimp-flavored, the steam reddening her fingertips.

He breathed softly on his fingers, trying to cool them down.

Then he saw a familiar figure.

A large body leaned against the doorway, its eyes fixed on him, bloodshot and unbearable.

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