Chapter 10

Le Cheng quickly fell asleep.

He slept very deeply, cutting off external sounds.

When he opened his eyes, the light was bright. Le Cheng stared at the ceiling in a daze, listening to the faint sound of mechanical keyboard typing beside him, and raised his hand to gently cover his eyes.

“Le Cheng, are you awake? Do you still feel so bad?” Tan Xiaobai was standing by his bed, asking him.

Le Cheng turned his head, his pale face flushed with an unusual redness. “I’m okay. I don’t feel as bad anymore.”

“That’s good,” Tan Xiaobai nodded. “You were already asleep when I came back. Did you take the medicine?”

Le Cheng paused. Medicine?

He wasn’t so feverish that he lost consciousness, but he was definitely not very clear-headed when talking to Zhou Shiru.

Zhou Shiru brought him medicine and seemed to have helped him to bed.

Le Cheng blinked, his long lashes slightly damp. “Yes, I took it. Zhou Shiru brought me the medicine.”

Tan Xiaobai asked, “He brought it to you? That’s pretty nice.”

Le Cheng nodded in agreement.

He had thought that even if Zhou Shiru didn’t dislike him, he would likely be quite annoyed with him. He didn’t expect Zhou Shiru to bring him medicine after hearing about his fever.

However, it’s also possible that he wasn’t actually annoyed. From daily interactions and the plot of the original story, Zhou Shiru was a very responsible person.

Le Cheng instinctively reached for his phone beside the pillow but didn’t find it.

Tan Xiaobai asked, “Do you want to look at your phone? It’s down there.”

Tan Xiaobai handed it to him, and Le Cheng said, “Thanks, Xiaobai,” as he took it.

“Oh, and I brought you some food—green pepper beef with rice. It’s a bit cold though. Do you still want it?”

“Eat, eat, eat!” Le Cheng perked up immediately. “Xiaobai, I want it. Just pass it to me.”

Taking the food, Le Cheng didn’t open it right away but first checked his phone messages.

There was a red dot on Zhou Shiru’s profile picture.

[Brother: Are you feeling any better? Remember to drink plenty of water after taking the medicine.]

Le Cheng felt a pang of warmth. Zhou Shiru was really responsible.

He didn’t reply immediately and instead opened the food container to eat.

He hadn’t eaten since the morning, and it was already one o’clock. He was starving.

After taking a couple of bites, Le Cheng looked around and realized that the sound of typing on the mechanical keyboard earlier had come from Qin Yu—his other roommate.

But there was still one bed that was empty.

Le Cheng paused, wondering why his other roommate hadn’t returned yet on a Monday.

After finishing his meal, Le Cheng asked Tan Xiaobai while transferring money, “By the way, where’s our other roommate?”

Tan Xiaobai followed his gaze and shrugged, “I think he’s not staying on campus anymore. Just as well, he snores really loudly.”

Le Cheng pondered for a moment and then asked, “Do I snore?”

Tan Xiaobai exaggerated, “Beautiful people are like dewdrops, naturally they don’t snore—”

Le Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily.

After finishing his meal, Le Cheng requested leave from his teacher. He was feeling weak all over and couldn’t attend class.

He exited the teacher’s chat screen, and Zhou Shiru’s chat window was right at the top. Le Cheng stared at it for a couple of seconds before clicking in.

[Orange: Okay, I got it. Thank you for bringing me the medicine today qwq]

[Orange: Here’s a little flower for you.jpg]

[Orange: How much did the medicine cost? I’ll transfer the money to you.]

“Dingdong—”

[Brother: No need]

Le Cheng realized that Zhou Shiru was quite generous. No wonder, after their breakup in the original plot, he gave the original owner a sum of breakup compensation.

Le Cheng tapped the screen, not insisting any further: [Okay, you brought me the medicine. Did it delay your class?]

[Brother: No]

Le Cheng was reassured and was about to type a response when a new message popped up.

[Brother: If you’re still feeling unwell, you can skip the afternoon class]

Le Cheng stared at these words, suspecting that he was seeing things.

The top student was actually encouraging someone to skip class!

Le Cheng always felt that Zhou Shiru was aloof and distant, even though he was responsible and helpful. He seemed like a cold, distant genius who kept others at arm’s length.

But now, Zhou Shiru seemed to suddenly be closer, as if he had gained a bit of… “popularity”??

Le Cheng was amused by his own odd description.

[Orange: What’s this? The top student actually teaches people to skip class?]

Zhou Shiru replied quickly.

[Brother: Yes, only teaching you.]

…That sounded oddly flirtatious, Le Cheng paused slightly.

But soon Zhou Shiru sent another message.

[Brother: To be precise, you’re sick and should take a sick leave, not skipping class, so I’m not actually teaching you.]

Le Cheng paused for a moment.

He knew it—Zhou Shiru wouldn’t flirt with him!

Just a straightforward guy, as always.

Due to his illness, Le Cheng lay in the dorm for three days. Besides occasionally bothering Zhou Shiru, he spent his time drawing.

He completed four illustrations at a rapid pace, working so intensely that he felt dizzy. This also delayed his recovery. After uploading them for review, he also posted the drawing process and original images on Weibo and Douyin.

His Douyin account was doing really well, with over a thousand followers now and a couple of posts that went semi-viral.

Weibo’s promotion mechanism was different from Douyin’s, so it didn’t have the same luck. He barely managed to attract over a hundred followers, but they were all quite enthusiastic.

By the time Le Cheng went back to class, it was already four days later, on a Friday.

Their class was in the Experimental Building. After class, Tan Xiaobai suddenly had a strong urge to use the restroom.

The restroom on the third floor was closed for maintenance, so Le Cheng accompanied him to the fourth floor. However, there were so many people there that Tan Xiaobai had to wait for a while. Le Cheng then suggested, “Let’s check the Teaching Building. There might be an available restroom there.”

The Experimental Building and the Teaching Building were connected by a corridor, so they didn’t have to go down again.

Tan Xiaobai nodded and walked awkwardly.

After a long struggle, they finally made it to the fourth floor of the Teaching Building. Tan Xiaobai hurried to the restroom. After finishing, Le Cheng suddenly remembered that Zhou Shiru was having a class here.

It was supposed to be in B-429.

Le Cheng wasn’t entirely sure, so he checked his phone.

Yes, it was B-426.

In the past few days, he had been chatting with Zhou Shiru more frequently than usual. Besides sending messages to check in, he would also send random, silly jokes.

Zhou Shiru’s replies were still as nonchalant as ever, though he generally did reply, which might be due to his inherently indifferent nature.

Earlier, Le Cheng had sent him a funny photo from roll call and asked where his class was.

Zhou Shiru had replied: [Two large classes, B-426]

Thinking that Zhou Shiru might still be there, Le Cheng decided it had been a while since he’d carried out his “straight guy” mission, so he planned to drop by.

He said goodbye to Tan Xiaobai and went on his own.

Upon arriving at B-426, he was surprised to find that the professor was running late, which was quite unusual for a university. Le Cheng pressed his face against the window of the back door, trying to spot Zhou Shiru.

He habitually looked forward and saw Zhou Shiru in the back few rows. Zhou Shiru was wearing a black coat, sitting relaxed in his seat, with half-frame glasses perched on his high nose, his profile lines very distinguished.

Cheng Yufei, who usually didn’t like listening to theoretical lectures, hunched over playing games. After losing several rounds, he sat up straight, frustrated, and glanced out the window.

“Eh? What the hell…” Cheng Yufei said quietly, “Brother Rui, look at the back door. Is that Le Cheng?”

Zhou Shiru, initially annoyed by the interruption, turned his head to glance outside.

The glass of the back door was rectangular and narrow. Le Cheng’s face was pressed against it, looking fair and cute, with large eyes and a slightly reddened nose.

The moment their eyes met, Le Cheng’s face lit up with a very surprised and happy smile. His eyebrows curved up as he waved his hand lightly at the window frame.

Zhou Shiru hesitated for a moment, then heard Cheng Yufei quietly say, “It really is him. Damn, my eyesight is incredible. People like us with perfect vision are truly blessed… How did Le Cheng find you? Aren’t their classes in the Experimental Building? He came all the way here to find you…”

Cheng Yufei had a look of worldly wisdom: “What else could it be if not love?”

Zhou Shiru was momentarily silent. “How did you know he was in the Experimental Building?”

Cheng Yufei replied, “Oh, you’re so sharp. I have a friend in his class, and he told me.”

Zhou Shiru nodded in understanding.

Cheng Yufei looked at him and said, “I told you he must like you, and you didn’t believe me.”

Zhou Shiru replied indifferently, “Thanks, but I still don’t believe it.”

“Damn!” Cheng Yufei made a dramatic expression of disbelief.

Zhou Shiru shifted his gaze and lightly turned his phone.

The frequent messaging had made him more familiar with Le Cheng, but also more uncertain. It was a subtle feeling.

Although he had never been in a romantic relationship, he understood the process somewhat. Le Cheng’s eagerness and his tendency to act coquettish towards him were unusual.

Yes, coquettish.

This vague attitude made it difficult for him to judge accurately.

But perhaps Le Cheng just liked playing the role of a boyfriend, considering they were now in a relationship.

After another three or four minutes, the teacher at the podium announced the end of the class.

Le Cheng stepped back slightly to make way, and when someone came out through the back door, their gaze naturally fell on his face.

“Eh? Who’s that?”

“Don’t know… Looks so young. Is he a junior?”

“He’s really good-looking. Is he here to see his girlfriend?”

“Hahaha, how do you know it’s not a boyfriend?”

“Ah? Then my heart is broken…”

Le Cheng stood silently, listening to the discussion around him.

…He was indeed here to find his boyfriend.

Although this boyfriend was arranged.

When the crowd at the back door had dispersed enough, Le Cheng took a couple of steps forward and peeked inside. He saw Zhou Shiru being stopped by the teacher, apparently discussing something.

Cheng Yufei was also beside Zhou Shiru and, upon seeing Le Cheng, winked at him.

Le Cheng thought Cheng Yufei seemed very lively and smiled back at him.

Zhou Shiru soon finished his conversation with the teacher and walked out. As he approached, Cheng Yufei, with a mischievous look, nudged Zhou Shiru’s shoulder and said, “Ahem, your junior is here to see you. Did that guy leave first?”

Zhou Shiru gave him a dismissive look, and Cheng Yufei walked away, laughing.

Le Cheng heard the term “junior” used twice today and found it amusing. He looked at Zhou Shiru and purposely said, “Senior Zhou, you came out so slowly.”

Zhou Shiru looked down at him and replied, “Hmm, what should we do?”

Le Cheng replied, “Of course, we should go have a meal together! I want to eat braised chicken with rice. How about it, Senior Zhou?”

His voice was soft, and he deliberately elongated the last two words, making them sound light and airy, like a playful feather lightly brushing against him.

Zhou Shiru’s heart skipped a beat.

Le Cheng was still looking up at him, his thick eyelashes slightly curled: “How about it, Senior?”

Zhou Shiru stared at him for two seconds.

“Alright,” Zhou Shiru said softly, “Junior.”