Qi An’an blinked as she looked at Qi Zhen. The two seemed quite familiar with each other. Could it be that the powerful storyline had already begun without her knowing?

For a moment, the desire to ship her CP stirred restlessly in her heart. Qi An’an stayed put, quietly waiting for the plot to deliver some sweet interactions.

Sure enough, as Jiang Lu approached, Qi Zhen stepped forward on her own and smiled slightly, pointing to her suitcase. “Jiang Lu, my suitcase is too heavy. Can you help me carry it?”

Oh my gosh, were they…… were they already this close? Qi An’an couldn’t help widening her eyes slightly. To be able to ask Jiang Lu to carry something for her, their relationship had to be quite close. When had this happened? Qi An’an stared without blinking from the side.

Jiang Lu’s hand tightened around the suitcase handle. His gaze, cold and indifferent, landed on Qi Zhen. His eyes were dark and chilling, and in an instant, a sudden, inexplicable fear rose in Qi Zhen’s heart.

Zhou Qi reacted quickly. While Jiang Zifan was still excitedly watching the scene unfold, Zhou Qi had already grabbed Qi Zhen’s suitcase. “Um…… Qi Zhen, I’ll help you with this. Give me a chance to do something for our school beauty.”

Qi Zhen snapped out of her daze. Although she felt a bit disappointed, she couldn’t say anything and still smiled gently. “Then I’ll trouble you, schoolmate.”

Zhou Qi grinned. “No problem. It’s nothing.”

The two of them entered the dorm building one after the other. Qi An’an touched her nose. Alright, her sweet moment had flown away. She composed herself. There would be plenty of time later.

Since the dream had ended, it was time to get back to business. Qi An’an resignedly picked up her suitcase. Actually, the suitcase wasn’t heavy at all and she could easily carry it herself. It was just that with her slender and delicate frame, it looked as if she might topple over at any moment.

There were people coming and going everywhere, the area buzzing with the noise of everyone moving in. Yet Jiang Lu felt as though no one else existed. His eyes were entirely fixed on that petite figure.

He averted his gaze, but his mind was filled with the image of Qi An’an’s impossibly thin wrists. He held back again and again, and finally let out a soft sigh.

“Give it to me.” A low voice suddenly sounded in her ear. Qi An’an turned her head and saw Jiang Lu’s cold side profile.

Qi An’an said in a small voice, “It’s not heavy. I can carry it.”

“Give it to me.”

Without giving her a choice, Jiang Lu grabbed the suitcase handle and effortlessly lifted it, walking ahead.

Qi An’an hurried to catch up. “Wait, wait, Jiang Lu, your hand is still injured.”

For a moment, Jiang Lu didn’t react. Then he remembered and pressed his lips together slightly. He unconsciously tightened his grip, then relaxed and obediently switched hands.

When they reached the dorm entrance, it was a chaotic mess inside with people tidying up, looking like a pot of boiling porridge. Jiang Lu had no intention of going in. He calmly set the suitcase down next to the door.

The door was wide open. Jiang Lu glanced inside and suddenly froze.

There were way too many suitcases. It was a six-person dorm, but at a glance, there were about fifteen colorful suitcases stuffed inside.

Jiang Lu: “……”

He asked Qi An’an in a low voice, “Are there more?”

Qi An’an replied, “There are two more, but—”

“Hey! Jiang Lu? Is that really you?” Yu Tianyang suddenly appeared from inside, wiping the sweat from his forehead and grinning brightly. “So you’re helping Qi An’an move her stuff. I thought it was just someone with the same name when I saw the dorm assignment list. You didn’t even tell me you got into Xincheng No. 1 High. We’re in the same dorm for the next few days. Let’s look out for each other, yeah?”

There were sixteen classes in their grade. Every four classes were grouped and assigned dorms by drawing lots. Classes 1, 2, 7, and 16 were grouped together, so students from these classes were mixed up in the dorm assignments.

Qi An’an felt more at ease hearing Yu Tianyang’s words. In the original novel, these two had met during military training when they lived together. Although the class lineup had changed significantly this time, they still ended up in the same place.

Looked like they were destined to become good friends. From another perspective, it proved how strong the original plot’s corrective power was. That meant she didn’t have to wrack her brain to create opportunities for the two protagonists to interact. She just needed to wait quietly for things to unfold naturally.

Yu Tianyang was naturally outgoing. After recognizing Jiang Lu, he immediately began organizing things. “Jiang Lu, you just got here, right? No need to help with the moving. I’ve already finished unpacking and have nothing to do. I’ll help them move their things. You should go settle your own stuff.”

“What a coincidence. I just heard someone call Brother Lu’s name and turns out it really was you.” Zhou Qi came out of the dorm, followed by Qi Zhen.

“So it turns out……” Zhou Qi stopped mid-sentence when he saw the deep, quiet look in Jiang Lu’s eyes and quickly swallowed his words.

So the little fairy and the school beauty were living in the same dorm. What a coincidence. But those nicknames were ones he and Jiang Zifan had come up with in private. He didn’t dare say them out loud. If he pissed Jiang Lu off, he really didn’t want to find out what Jiang Lu’s fists felt like.

Qi Zhen followed Zhou Qi out and immediately spotted Jiang Lu and Qi An’an standing together. Jiang Lu was dressed in all black casual clothes today, while Qi An’an wore a simple white long dress. Unexpectedly, they looked like a perfect match standing side by side.

She recognized the suitcase beside Jiang Lu. It was the one Qi An’an had just been carrying.

The sight was a bit of an eyesore. A wave of discomfort rose in Qi Zhen’s chest, but she didn’t show it. She still smiled and said, “Jiang Lu, let’s all have a meal together later and get to know each other. Drinks are on me. Thank you both for helping us with our luggage.”

Last time, Jiang Lu had left for some unknown reason. This time, she couldn’t miss the chance again.

Qi An’an’s eyes lit up slightly. This had to be a plot moment, right? She turned her head to look at Jiang Lu, but the backlight obscured his expression. All she could see was the same cold, hard curve of his lips as usual.

Qi An’an couldn’t see it clearly, but Zhou Qi could see everything with absolute clarity.

Earlier downstairs, when they were standing far from the spot where the little fairy stood, Jiang Lu’s gaze toward Qi Zhen had been icy and brimming with killing intent. Honestly, it was nearly as intense as when he had beaten up Li Hanyu before.

But now? Standing next to the little fairy, he looked so obedient, not even daring to show a trace of harshness in his expression.

Zhou Qi was quick-witted and had no interest in lingering in a place of drama. He turned to Qi Zhen and said, “Let’s save eating for later. Come on, I’ll help you bring the rest of your luggage upstairs.”

He cut in too quickly, and the words Qi Zhen had been about to say were stuck in her throat. She had intended to use Jiang Lu’s presence as an excuse to shake off Zhou Qi, but now that he had already offered so readily, it would be too awkward to reject him in front of everyone. She could only nod and say, “Alright…… Sorry for the trouble.”

After the two left, Yu Tianyang tried to pick up the previous conversation again, but Jiang Lu interrupted him, “No need. I’ll move it.”

Ji Ruomeng was leaning by the door. Though she didn’t know Jiang Lu, she was instantly stunned by his looks. She patted Yu Tianyang’s shoulder and said, “Yeah, Bro, you really need more practice. Look at you, dripping with sweat. Now look at him. His face isn’t flushed and he’s not even breathing hard. Don’t go fumigating our precious little An’an’s suitcase with your smell. Sit down and rest. I’ll get you an apple.”

Yu Tianyang muttered, “Fine, you carry it then”, and turned to walk inside with Ji Ruomeng. “Got any pears? I don’t like apples.”

Jiang Lu turned to head downstairs. Qi An’an didn’t even bother with the two inside and followed behind him. “Jiang Lu, those remaining suitcases are heavy. I can handle it. Your hand was injured just a few days ago. Don’t worry about it.”

She paused, then added, “Hey, is your suitcase heavy? If it is, I can help you carry it.”

Jiang Lu abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at Qi An’an.

Qi An’an was still speaking earnestly. “Seriously, I haven’t even seen how your hand is doing. Is it serious? Will you be okay with military training? Did you tell your teacher about it?”

Jiang Lu didn’t respond to her questions. His heart pounded harder with each beat, and with a dark, unreadable expression, he muttered, “Qi An’an, if you keep doing this……”

“What?” She asked, confused, as he suddenly cut himself off.

Jiang Lu fell silent. He had been crazy just now. He couldn’t go on like this.

He shook his head with a soft laugh. Qi Zhen’s type, the kind who pouted and acted cute to get men to help, made him sick to his stomach. But his An’an had been thinking about his hand all along, and now she was even offering to help him carry his suitcase.

“My hand’s fine now. It was just a scratch, really.” Jiang Lu’s voice was gentle. He had meant to sound indifferent, but he couldn’t manage it at all at this moment. “It’s no problem for me to carry a few things for you. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Lu carried Qi An’an’s remaining two suitcases up to the fourth floor with ease.

Qi An’an bought some water from the self-service vending machine by the stairs. When Jiang Lu put the luggage down at the door, she handed a bottle to him.

“Jiang Lu, have some water.”

He took it but didn’t open it right away. “You go ahead and unpack. I’ll head out first.”

Qi An’an smiled and nodded, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, once everyone’s done settling in, are we all going to eat together?”

Qi Zhen had suggested it earlier. Such a good opportunity couldn’t be missed. Now was the perfect time to confirm the plan.

“You guys go ahead. We’ve got something else.” Jiang Lu replied quickly, leaving no room for discussion.

Seeing his attitude, Qi An’an didn’t try to persuade him. “Alright then. Maybe next time.”

……

Back in the dorm, Qi An’an shared the rest of the water with the others. Ji Ruomeng’s eyes gleamed as she wrapped an arm around Qi An’an’s shoulder and gossiped, “An’an, that drop-dead gorgeous guy just now, what’s going on between you two?”

Qi An’an poked her waist and smiled. “Don’t let your imagination run wild. He’s my middle school classmate.”

“Wow, you’re still so close with a middle school classmate? And he turns out to be the legendary Jiang Lu? Yu Tianyang already gave me the full background, but girl, you’re shady, you didn’t tell me a thing. He said Jiang Lu used to be a top student and a total goody-two-shoes back then?”

“He still is.” Qi An’an replied, sounding slightly nervous. “What else did Yu Tianyang say?”

Ji Ruomeng shrugged. “Not much else.”

Good. Her big nephew was reliable and hadn’t gone around telling everyone about Jiang Lu’s past or background.

Qi An’an didn’t like talking about Jiang Lu behind his back. She stood up, opened her suitcase, and started organizing her bed. “Alright, Mengmeng, stop gossiping. Let’s finish tidying up and go have lunch together.”

────ρя

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Jiang Lu had been used to doing all this since he was young, so he finished organizing his stuff very quickly. Once done, he sat by his bed, eyes blank, lost in thought.

They had arrived late, so the others in the dorm had already finished and gone to eat. Only Jiang Zifan was still struggling with making his bed, panting hard. As a pampered rich kid who had probably never made his own bed before, he had been wrestling with the sheets forever, and the results were still a mess.

“Damn, I’m beat. This’ll have to do.” Jiang Zifan muttered impatiently, smacking the bed before sitting down to rest. His eyes were sharp and he immediately noticed the unopened bottle of water by Jiang Lu’s side and walked over to grab it.

“Let me take a sip, Brother Lu. I’m dying of thirst.” He lifted the bottle and began to twist the cap.

“Don’t touch that.” Jiang Lu snatched it away in an instant. His dark eyes bore into Jiang Zifan, making the latter’s heart skip a beat.

Seriously, Jiang Zhifan could tell Jiang Lu was not pleased— and not just mildly annoyed, but that he had seriously overstepped. The feeling was as if he hadn’t just twisted open a water bottle, but had tried to unscrew Jiang Lu’s father’s head.