Chapter 4: Hugging My Crush

Lu Mian noticed Luo Qin sitting at the table reading a book, so he grabbed a bag of chips and happily scooted over to sit beside him.

Lu Mian deliberately flipped the pages of his book loudly, just to disrupt Luo Qin’s reading.

Hearing the rustling of pages beside him, Luo Qin looked up and gave him a calm glance.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he lowered his head and continued reading his book.

This indifferent attitude made Lu Mian feel like he had punched cotton—there was no resistance, and his efforts seemed futile.

Dorm 515 originally housed four people, but one had taken a leave of absence due to illness, so the three of them shared the room.

Ji Jinbai and Lu Mian were both art majors, while Luo Qin studied computer science.

Luo Qin ranked first in his major and had entered Qing University with the outstanding achievement of being the Top Science Student of Dongqi City Province.

On top of that, he was also very handsome—standing at 185 cm tall, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he exuded a somewhat refined yet roguish charm.

With fair skin and a high nose bridge, his only flaw was his somewhat aloof personality, but he still had many admirers.

Seeing Lu Mian eating chips again, Luo Qin turned to look at him.

He said calmly, “Chips are unhealthy junk food. You should eat less; it’s not good for your body.”

Lu Mian, who was munching on chips while scrolling through his social media, suddenly heard this and quickly turned around.

With a fierce look in his eyes and an annoyed tone, he placed his hands on his hips and retorted, “I like eating them, so what? It’s not like I’m eating yours!”

“Hmph.”

Lu Mian felt like Luo Qin was acting like a nagging parent, always trying to control everything he did.

Whenever he saw Lu Mian drinking alcohol, Luo Qin would simply take the drink away.

Then he would hand him a glass of orange juice, saying alcohol was bad for his health, implying that he could only drink beverages.

What college student drinks juice instead of alcohol? Yet Lu Mian didn’t dare disobey him, especially since he needed Luo Qin to help him with exam prep at the end of the semester.

So whenever Luo Qin was around, Lu Mian could only watch others drink while he sipped on juice.

And it wasn’t like he didn’t notice the others laughing at him.

On top of that, Luo Qin wouldn’t even let him go to bars! Luo Qin was truly despicable!

Feeling unhappy, Lu Mian puffed out his cheeks, then suddenly had an idea.

He quickly reached out and ruffled Luo Qin’s hair a few times, watching it turn into a messy nest, and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Then he retracted his hand and, before Luo Qin could react, quickly climbed up the stairs, returned to his bed, and tightly closed the curtains.

Lu Mian thought to himself, *Finally, I got him back once.*

*He looks so cold and aloof, but his hair is actually really soft. It’s nothing like him.*

Luo Qin hadn’t reacted in time when his hair was ruffled, and by the time Lu Mian had scrambled back to his bed, he realized that Lu Mian had a temper after all.

Looking at Lu Mian, who had now closed himself off, Luo Qin lowered his head, a faint smile flickering across his lips, his eyes filled with a hint of helplessness.

He reached up to tidy his disheveled hair.

Then he sat back down to continue reading, though his heart wasn’t as calm as before.

…

When Lu Mian entered the art studio, he saw Ji Jinbai carefully mixing colors. He leaned in and whispered, “Xiao Bai, do you remember Zhou Yang? I heard he broke up with his boyfriend and still likes you. He wants to pursue you again.”

Lu Mian pursed his lips, his eyes filled with disdain. Just mentioning Zhou Yang’s name made him feel like he was looking at trash.

Zhou Yang had liked Ji Jinbai since their freshman year and had pursued him passionately ever since.

At the dormitory building, someone arranged heart-shaped candles and shouted through a loudspeaker towards Ji Jinbai’s dormitory window:

“Ji Jinbai, I like you. Please be with me.” And other similar confessions.

All the boys on the floor gathered on the balcony to watch the commotion, noisily egging them on.

A group of people loudly called out, “Ji Jinbai, come down quickly, someone is confessing to you.”

Zhou Yang, instead of toning it down, only got louder, as if the louder they shouted, the more likely Ji Jinbai would come down.

At that time, Ji Jinbai, hearing someone outside shouting his name, walked to the window with some displeasure.

He looked expressionlessly at the heart-shaped candles below and the person with the loudspeaker calling his name, feeling not the slightest bit moved.

There are always some self-important people who think their actions are deeply touching.

Without any hesitation, Ji Jinbai took out his phone and called the campus security office.

He reported that Zhou Yang was disturbing the students’ normal rest time and asked them to persuade him to leave.

The confession ended with Zhou Yang being taken away by security, and Ji Jinbai did not show himself.

This news also made it to the front page of the school forum the next day.

Since then, Zhou Yang never gave up, always finding opportunities to pester Ji Jinbai.

Somehow, he got hold of Ji Jinbai’s class schedule and followed him to class several times.

He often waited for Ji Jinbai after class, giving him gifts and food, but each time Ji Jinbai refused without hesitation.

He even tried to bribe Ji Jinbai’s classmates with gifts, hoping they would help him pursue Ji Jinbai.

But none of the classmates paid him any attention.

As a result, everyone in their class knew that Ji Jinbai had a persistent suitor who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Ji Jinbai had told Zhou Yang many times that he didn’t like him and hoped he would stop bothering him.

But Zhou Yang continued his ways, bringing him meals every day, not taking Ji Jinbai’s words seriously.

It wasn’t until the second semester of freshman year, when Zhou Yang got a boyfriend, that the harassment that had lasted a semester finally stopped.

Lu Mian indignantly stood up for Ji Jinbai.

“Xiao Bai, you might be harassed again recently, but don’t worry, I’ll walk with you to and from class from now on. He wouldn’t dare do anything.”

Ji Jinbai paused his coloring, thinking of Zhou Yang’s past behavior, feeling extremely uncomfortable and that it had seriously disrupted his normal life.

Ji Jinbai picked up his pen to outline, his face showing no expression, and he said indifferently, “Hmm, I’ll try to avoid him.”

After a peaceful half-month, Ji Jinbai thought that person wouldn’t harass him anymore and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

…

His phone kept vibrating, and the notification bar kept popping up messages from strangers:

“Baby, you look so good in that white shirt today. I want to hide you at home so only I can see you.”

“You smell so nice.”

“You always walk with that pink-haired guy. I don’t like him. Baby, you’re mine alone.”

“Baby…”

Ji Jinbai didn’t need to think to know who was sending these messages. He couldn’t think of anyone else but that person.

This had happened several times this month, each time from a different number sending harassing messages.

Before the next message could be sent, Ji Jinbai frowned, quickly swiped, and directly blocked the sender and deleted the harassing messages.

Ji Jinbai tucked his phone into his pocket and carried the freshly bought milk tea as he walked towards the back alley of the milk tea shop, where a hot pot restaurant was located.

The Fine Arts Club members were having a gathering there tonight. Ji Jinbai had joined this club during his freshman year.

The area was bustling with many snack stalls, lively bars, and entertainment venues.

The alley was dimly lit and sparsely populated. Ji Jinbai quickened his pace, suddenly hearing hurried footsteps behind him.

The footsteps were heading in his direction. Feeling a sense of dread, Ji Jinbai prepared to walk faster.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his right wrist from behind, startling him.

He turned around and saw a face flickering in the dim light. He forcefully broke free from the grip on his wrist.

With an impatient and cold expression, he said, “Why is it you? Are you following me?”

The person was holding a bouquet of roses, his eyes fixated on Ji Jinbai.

Zhou Yang looked at the person he had been longing for day and night, his eyes filled with fervor, and handed the flowers to Ji Jinbai.

Ji Jinbai, as if not seeing the flowers, glanced to the side.

“Jinbai, I’ve liked you for a long time. Be with me, okay? I’ll treat you well, I promise.”

Zhou Yang looked at his face, but unfortunately, he didn’t see the expression he had hoped for.

“I’m not following you. I just want to protect you. There are many people who like you, and I’m afraid you’ll be taken away.”

Ji Jinbai looked at him with icy eyes, creating distance between them.

He spoke slowly, “This isn’t love; it’s harassment. I’ve told you many times, I don’t like you. I don’t know why you keep disrupting my life.”

“And also, stop sending those harassing messages in the future.”

Zhou Yang, seeing the alienation and impatience in his eyes, felt a surge of anger. After pursuing for so long, all he got was a rejection.

Zhou Yang’s eyes were filled with rage and possessiveness. He pushed Ji Jinbai against the wall.

He stepped forward and pressed his shoulders. Sensing danger, Ji Jinbai struggled with all his might.

He tried to pry Zhou Yang’s hands off, but it was no use. Zhou Yang used all his strength to hold him down.

Zhou Yang leaned in closer, his eyes filled with obsession and desire.

“You know, from the moment I first saw you, I wanted to keep you at home. I like you, I want to have you.”

“But why are you so disobedient?”

Ji Jinbai couldn’t break free, his eyes filled with fear. Looking at Zhou Yang’s twisted face, he felt that this person was a madman.

Zhou Yang leaned in to kiss his neck. “No, let me go, let me go,” Ji Jinbai felt an overwhelming disgust towards him.

As Zhou Yang got closer and was about to touch him, Ji Jinbai, in desperation, stomped hard on his foot and used all his strength to break free, then ran forward without looking back.

Zhou Yang, not having succeeded, couldn’t let him escape. He chased after Ji Jinbai closely.

Just as Ji Jinbai felt he was about to be caught by the person behind him, a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of him, holding him securely in his arms.

“Ah!”

A scream was heard as Zhou Yang’s wrist was twisted by the man in front.

Then, Ji Jinbai was turned halfway by the man, and Zhou Yang was kicked two meters away, clutching his stomach as he fell to the ground.

Zhou Yang looked in terror at the man who had suddenly appeared.

“Who… who are you?”

The man didn’t answer him. Instead, he carried the limp Ji Jinbai out of the alley.

Zhou Yang, seeing this stranger taking Ji Jinbai away, stood up despite the pain and blocked his path.

“No, you can’t take him away. He doesn’t know you. What are you trying to do?”

As he spoke, he tried to step forward and grab Ji Jinbai’s hand, attempting to pull him away from the man’s embrace.

Before he could even touch Ji Jinbai’s hand, the man raised his leg and kicked him hard in the chest.

Zhou Yang fell to the ground in a disheveled state, clutching his chest and howling in pain, unable to get up.

Carried out of the alley, Ji Jinbai struggled to get down, but he hadn’t yet recovered from the shock.

His body was weak, his eyes red, and tears kept falling, clearly terrified.

Seeing that he hadn’t yet calmed down, the man held him tighter, gently stroking his hair and softly comforting him.

“Don’t be afraid, you’re safe now, Jinbai.”

Ji Jinbai leaned his head against the man’s chest, feeling that the voice sounded somewhat familiar. Slowly, he looked up and saw a deep, cold, and handsome face. It was him.

Looking at him, Ji Jinbai couldn’t quite believe it.

“Is it Mr. Lu?”

“Yes, it’s me. Have you forgotten me so quickly, Jinbai?”

Lu Tingshen looked at him, a faint smile on his lips.

“I… I haven’t forgotten.”

How could he forget? He had always remembered.

Ji Jinbai buried his face in Lu Tingshen’s chest, the sudden encounter momentarily making him forget his earlier fear.

His hands, which had been hanging at his sides, slowly wrapped around the man’s neck.

He nuzzled his chest affectionately, breathing in the comforting scent of sandalwood.

Lu Tingshen carried the person in his arms out of the alley and onto a bench on the lawn.

He had intended to put him down, but feeling the slight tremble in the body he held, he thought Ji Jinbai must still be quite shaken.

So, he held him in a childlike embrace, letting him sit on his lap.

One hand supported his waist, while the other gently patted his back, silently comforting him.

Hearing the sobs from the person in his arms, Lu Tingshen cupped Ji Jinbai’s face. The beautiful, fair face was streaked with tears.

He gently wiped away the tears with his hand, and Ji Jinbai’s red, watery eyes looked up at him.

In those eyes were panic and a hint of vulnerability.

Looking at him, Lu Tingshen felt his heart soften in an instant.

Ji Jinbai felt the warm touch on his face and thought the man’s hand was very comforting.

In truth, Ji Jinbai wasn’t that scared anymore, but he didn’t want to leave this warm embrace, so he pretended to still be frightened.

Lu Tingshen looked down at the person curled up in his arms.

He patted his back, silently comforting him.

Sensing that Ji Jinbai was still afraid, Lu Tingshen leaned closer to his ear and whispered softly,

“Jinbai, I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

Ji Jinbai looked up upon hearing his gentle tone and suddenly met his gaze.

Ji Jinbai buried his face in Lu Tingshen’s chest again. Who could resist this…

Seeing him hide in his chest again, Lu Tingshen felt a bit helpless and joked,

“Am I that unsightly? Why won’t you look at me?”

Ji Jinbai slowly raised his head, his damp eyes meeting Lu Tingshen’s deep gaze, and whispered, “No.”