Zheng Xunqian kept his head down, restraining himself from making any sound as he laughed, but unfortunately, his trembling shoulders still betrayed him.

It was the first time Jing Tian saw him smile so exaggeratedly.

How ridiculous must he have looked back then? Jing Tian’s face turned bright red, muttering softly, “Stop laughing.”

Zheng Xunqian pursed his lips, nodding at him, “Hmm.”

But the still obvious curve of his lips made his promise seem unconvincing.

Just then, the waiter called out their number.

Jing Tian was about to get up when Zheng Xunqian stood up in front of him, gesturing for him to stay seated, then headed towards the counter.

His back, still shaking.

Jing Tian lowered his head, covering his cheeks with both hands.

So embarrassing.

Zheng Xunqian was really annoying.

He never expected that the so-called tomato broth in this hot pot restaurant would also taste spicy.

“Is it spicy?” Zheng Xunqian took a sip with a spoon, puzzled. “Is it just your imagination?”

Jing Tian looked at the thick layer of chili oil on his hot pot, speechless.

The mucous membrane inside his mouth felt a strong stimulation. If he weren’t worried about being unseemly, he would have stuck his tongue out like a puppy to cool it down.

Zheng Xunqian asked again, “Can’t eat at all?”

“…Not really,” Jing Tian dared not close his mouth, speaking with a slight leak of air, “I should be okay if I eat slowly.”

“Don’t force yourself.”

Jing Tian shook his head, blowing a piece of winter melon in small bites to cool it down before putting it into his mouth.

He wrinkled his brows, squinting his eyes and making “sizzling” sounds as he chewed, finally swallowing the winter melon after a while, then heaved a long sigh.

“It’s actually not bad, I can accept it,” he said to Zheng Xunqian, “The taste is unique, quite delicious!”

After saying that, he noticed that Zheng Xunqian was still laughing with his head down.

“Is it necessary…” Jing Tian grumbled, staring at him.

“Take it slow,” Zheng Xunqian picked up his chopsticks, “Just in case you spray my bowl again if it gets too spicy.”

Seeing Jing Tian still looking unhappy, he added, “It’s okay, even if you do spray, I won’t mind.”

Jing Tian didn’t want to talk to him, lowered his head and continued eating, then suddenly realized something and asked, “So, you used to be very disgusted, right?”

Zheng Xunqian continued to eat the heavily spicy food without changing his expression, but his expression changed noticeably when he heard the question.

“Let’s be reasonable,” he said to Jing Tian, “Even if it’s sprayed into your own bowl, it would still be disgusting.”

He had said it all, and Jing Tian gave up discussing this topic and continued to eat.

Because he was not good at eating spicy food, his eating speed became extremely slow.

Zheng Xunqian finished eating, but there was still a lot left in Jing Tian’s bowl, and the vermicelli had expanded, still patiently blowing each piece to cool it down.

“Don’t force yourself,” Zheng Xunqian said, “If you can’t get used to it, just forget it.”

“It’s okay,” Jing Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead, “I’m starting to get used to it a little.”

After eating so much, the taste was quite addictive.

“I’m afraid your stomach won’t be used to it.”

Zheng Xunqian said.

“But if I don’t eat now, I’ll be hungry in the afternoon.”

Jing Tian said.

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Xunqian said, “I’ll treat you to milk tea with extra ingredients, it’s the same.”

Jing Tian was caught in a psychological struggle.

Both the hot pot in front of him and the sweet milk tea were very tempting to him, and for a while, he couldn’t decide.

“Let’s go,” Zheng Xunqian said, “Your lips are red.”

Jing Tian pursed his lips, feeling a bit awkward.

He hesitated for three seconds and made up his mind, “Just a few more bites!”

Eating something spicy and then drinking a sip of cold milk tea felt incredibly wonderful.

He held the milk tea cup, sighed comfortably, and turned his head, only to find Zheng Xunqian frowning.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s not good for your stomach like this,” Zheng Xunqian said, “At least order something at room temperature.”

“Room temperature isn’t tasty,” Jing Tian rubbed his stomach, “It’s okay, I didn’t eat much just now.”

Although it was very stimulating for him, it was only slightly spicy after all. The tomato broth itself wasn’t too greasy, and his stomach was always healthy, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Zheng Xunqian looked helpless, took a sip of oolong tea he had just bought from the convenience store, and said, “It’s up to you.”

As they walked back to school, Jing Tian’s stomach was full from the pearls, taro balls, and pudding in the milk tea.

“Is it still spicy?” Zheng Xunqian asked.

“A little bit,” Jing Tian said, “My mouth is fine, but my lips are still burning.”

After saying that, he realized that Zheng Xunqian’s gaze was focused on his lips, making him feel even more uncomfortable. He unconsciously pursed his lips, then lightly bit them with his teeth.

His lips seemed to have swollen slightly due to the spiciness, becoming thicker than usual and a bit red.

“…What are you looking at? Stop staring.”

He complained softly with his head down.

“Oh.”

Zheng Xunqian responded.

After that, unbelievably, he really stopped looking.

None of the scenes Jing Tian had imagined had happened.

……

They had classes in the afternoon.

Jing Tian was worried that Yang Yue would indulge in games or oversleep in the dormitory, so he calculated the time and specifically made a phone call as a reminder.

After picking up the phone, Yang Yue yelled loudly, saying that he was in the crucial moment of a game and ordered him to hang up immediately.

After hanging up the phone, Jing Tian anxiously waited until the last minute before class. This addicted gamer finally arrived late.

Yang Yue rushed into the classroom, sweating profusely and panting heavily after taking his seat, looking half-dead tired.

“Are you okay?” Jing Tian looked at him helplessly.

But Yang Yue grinned and made a V sign towards him, saying, “I’ve turned the tide and finally reached the Grandmaster rank!”

Jing Tian was speechless for a while before shaking his head with a smile, “That’s good then.”

“Of course, otherwise you’ll owe me,” Yang Yue said, then glanced at him with a suggestive look and asked softly, “Did you tell him?”

Jing Tian nodded and, taking advantage of Zheng Xunqian’s angle where he couldn’t see, mouthed to Yang Yue, “I told him I’ll talk to you when I get back.”

Seeing Yang Yue nod, he glanced guiltily in Zheng Xunqian’s direction.

Zheng Xunqian was busy playing with his phone.

Looking at Yang Yue, who was already half-leaning on the table, Jing Tian sighed inwardly. Being sandwiched between these two every day in class, he could still manage to pay attention, which was quite impressive.

Unfortunately, less than ten minutes later, he started to drift off as well.

These compulsory courses related to ideology and politics had a hypnotic effect, with teachers lacking enthusiasm and the subject being irrelevant to their majors, all scheduled for 1:30 in the afternoon, which was quite anti-human.

Jing Tian yawned with teary eyes, and when he turned his head, he found Yang Yue, who had been leaning on the table for quite some time, still awake.

He looked tired as he stared at the screen of his phone placed aside, typing slowly with one hand, as if chatting with someone.

Sensing Jing Tian’s gaze, Yang Yue didn’t try to hide anything and even pouted, gesturing for Jing Tian to take a look.

Turning around, Jing Tian found a conversation window on Yang Yue’s phone screen.

At the top was the nickname of the other party: “What did you eat for lunch today?”

Jing Tian recognized it as Shu Ziqin’s account.

He became interested and reached out to swipe Yang Yue’s phone screen, roughly skimming through their chat history.

It was awkward and embarrassing.

Two hours ago, Shu Ziqin asked Yang Yue what he had for lunch, then sent a picture of his own lunch to Yang Yue, who replied that he only had instant noodles and emphasized how lacking in nutrition it was. Shu Ziqin asked if he needed help buying some more nutritious food.

Yang Yue’s replies were polite but perfunctory.

“Thanks, I’m full, no need.” “I’m a bit busy now, let’s chat later.” “Haha, really? I have to go to class now, see you later.”

In the recent messages, Shu Ziqin expressed concern that Yang Yue might not make it to roll call if he leaves so late, then exaggeratedly praised him for his fast running speed and stamina, followed by expressing worry if he felt thirsty from running so much.

Yang Yue yawned and muttered to Jing Tian, “What does this guy want? Why does he talk so much nonsense?”

Jing Tian didn’t know how to explain.

Yang Yue soon couldn’t even keep his eyes open, mumbling sleepily, “Reply to him for me, tell him I’m going to sleep, we’ll talk later.”

Jing Tian had no choice but to send the message on his behalf.

A reply came back in about ten seconds.

—Be careful not to get caught by the teacher!

Jing Tian put down the phone and glanced at Yang Yue, who was already sound asleep.

Back in the dormitory, Jing Tian roughly recounted the conversation about Zheng Xunqian moving in to Yang Yue.

“So, he didn’t submit an application, he just casually mentioned it to Teacher Xia?” Yang Yue frowned.

“More or less,” Jing Tian said, “Teacher Xia thought I knew about it too.”

“It’s strange,” Yang Yue seemed skeptical, “With his grades, is he the type to forget things so easily?”

Jing Tian thought, it seemed quite like him.

But Yang Yue had a different opinion, “Even if he doesn’t care about other things, how could he casually forget something related to you?”

That made sense too.

“…Too many things have happened,” Jing Tian said awkwardly.

“What things?”

They slept together, and the next day, they acted like nothing had happened. Zheng Xunqian followed by getting a fever.

It was understandable to forget amidst all the chaos.

“He was sick those days,” Jing Tian could only bring up the last point, “Anyway, you still don’t want someone else to move in, right?”

“Put yourself in my shoes. If I got a girlfriend and let her move in, the three of us sharing one room, could you handle it?” Yang Yue said.

Jing Tian felt that the actual situation was a bit different from this example, but since Yang Yue wasn’t willing, he couldn’t force it.

Jing Tian sighed, “I understand.”

Just then, his phone vibrated.

The other party involved in the conversation didn’t easily forget this time and texted to inquire about the situation.

—Did you ask Yang Yue?