Chapter 11

They went out to eat together.

The price wasn’t expensive, and Le Cheng felt a bit embarrassed about always letting Zhou Shiru pay, so he insisted on paying this time.

He had submitted all his manuscripts and was mainly waiting for the review results. The psychological pressure regarding money had eased significantly since passing the artist review would mean he could start earning money.

After Le Cheng paid, he and Zhou Shiru strolled back to school. Passing by a small stall, he noticed someone selling starch sausages.

It was almost November, and the weather in the north had already turned cold, making it a perfect time to enjoy a starch sausage.

Le Cheng stopped, thinking this was a good opportunity to showcase his playful skills. Pointing to a small stall, he looked at Zhou Shiru and, with a sense of entitlement, said, “I want to eat starch sausages, and you have to buy them for me.”

Zhou Shiru didn’t hesitate and asked, “Which stall?”

“This one, this one,” Le Cheng responded happily, pointing with his mouth.

Zhou Shiru went to buy them. The stall owner was quick and efficient, soon roasting the sausages and packing them in paper bags.

Zhou Shiru handed the bags to Le Cheng, who exclaimed “Wow” with bright eyes, like a puppy seeing a meaty bone.

Le Cheng looked down and handed another paper bag to Zhou Shiru, who didn’t take it.

Le Cheng tilted his head in confusion, “What’s wrong, aren’t you going to eat?”

Zhou Shiru replied, “They’re all yours.”

“Really?” Le Cheng was a bit delighted, “Hehe, then I’ll enjoy them all by myself!”

Zhou Shiru turned his head to look at him and noticed that Le Cheng seemed to be easily pleased. Even simple food could make him smile.

While eating the starch sausage, Le Cheng admired the scenery along the way. After a while, his mouth became dry, so he instructed Zhou Shiru to buy him a drink.

Zhou Shiru returned with a cold cola. Le Cheng crumpled his food wrappers and stuffed them into the bottle. Zhou Shiru watched as he shook the bottle, causing the trash inside to sway back and forth before Le Cheng threw it into a garbage bin.

Just as they entered the school gate, Le Cheng saw two girls handing out something at the entrance.

Curious, Le Cheng leaned forward, and the two girls, noticing them, immediately brightened up and approached.

“Hello, would you like to check out the Halloween masquerade ball? It’s being held in the main auditorium!” said the taller girl, handing him a flyer.

Le Cheng took the flyer and noticed they hadn’t handed one to Zhou Shiru.

The shorter girl enthusiastically said, “Classmate, with your great looks, it would be a pity not to join our event! How about considering it?”

Le Cheng had never encountered this kind of event before and became a bit interested. “Do we have to do our own makeup and wear masks?”

“Yes, exactly! And we have many fun activities!” the shorter girl replied. “Are you intrigued? If you want to sign up, you can contact us using the details on the flyer!”

Le Cheng glanced at the flyer, noting the cute little devil font.

The taller girl blinked, “If couples join our masquerade ball, there are even more fun activities!”

Le Cheng tilted his head to look at Zhou Shiru, who remained expressionless. So he decided to hold off for now. “Alright, we’ll think about it and get back to you.”

“Sure,” the two girls replied cheerfully, waving goodbye.

After strolling to a quiet path, Le Cheng asked, “Have you attended this masquerade ball before?”

Zhou Shiru replied briefly, “No.”

As Le Cheng had expected, someone as unromantic as Zhou Shiru wouldn’t have attended.

Le Cheng casually asked, “Will you participate this time?”

Zhou Shiru looked at him, “I probably will.”

“Hmm?” Le Cheng was a bit surprised. He didn’t think Zhou Shiru would attend the masquerade ball for him. “Why?”

“I’m in the student council,” Zhou Shiru explained concisely. “This time I have to be a server.”

Le Cheng then understood. No wonder those two girls seemed to recognize Zhou Shiru and even knew their identities.

Although Zhou Shiru was well-known at C University, not only for his outstanding abilities and grades but also for his impeccably handsome looks, it didn’t mean everyone had to recognize him.

So, they were all from the student council.

Le Cheng imagined the scene: a server in a suit—it should look pretty good. “So, everyone in your department has to wear formal attire to serve?”

Zhou Shiru replied, “Not necessarily, it just so happens that I was chosen.”

Le Cheng got an idea.

A suit! Zhou Shiru in a suit! With his great physique, he should look really good in a suit!

Le Cheng’s mind flashed with the image of Zhou Shiru’s well-defined abs.

Ah… he really wanted to see it. He really wanted to see it!

But now wasn’t the time.

When they arrived at the dormitory building, Le Cheng and Zhou Shiru parted ways.

Back in the dorm, Qin Yu was doing laundry while Tan Xiaobai was playing games under the bed.

Seeing him come in, Tan Xiaobai said, “You’re back.”

“Yeah,” Le Cheng nodded, hesitating for a moment. “Xiaobai, do you know about our school’s masquerade ball?”

“Masquerade ball?” Tan Xiaobai nodded. “Yeah, the student council applies to hold it every year. It’s been going on for many years.”

“And the masquerade ball is a great place to find a partner!” Tan Xiaobai continued. “They have programs, and you know, many popular costume characters have fixed pairings, so it’s easy to start conversations. Those with particularly good costumes are also likely to be approached.”

“And at the end, everyone dances together. You need to find a dance partner. You can invite anyone, as long as they agree. Of course, many couples agree to go together. There’s even a legend…”

“They say that couples who dance together at the masquerade ball will be blessed and stay together forever. Many of them end up getting married, and people believe it…”

Tan Xiaobai went on and on, but Le Cheng wasn’t really listening.

He had a question in mind.

His straightforward plan was actually quite detailed: first, holding hands, then hugging, and finally kissing.

They had already held hands, and Zhou Shiru had shown some resistance. According to the plan, the next step was hugging…

Le Cheng thought that when he got to the kissing part, Zhou Shiru would probably break up with him. He didn’t think they would last long enough for him to suggest living together.

After all, he felt Zhou Shiru was more homophobic than he had initially thought.

Step by step, one thing at a time. They could dance together at the masquerade ball, which naturally involved holding each other and physical contact. Yes, it was a perfect and natural reason.

He decided to invite Zhou Shiru to dance on the day of the ball!

This way, he could smoothly move on to the next step. Even if Zhou Shiru rejected him, it didn’t matter. His goal was to provoke some reaction from Zhou Shiru.

Le Cheng felt like a genius.

Tan Xiaobai waved his hand in front of him, “Why are you grinning like that? Were you even listening to what I was saying?”

“Huh?” Le Cheng laughed sheepishly, “Yeah, I heard you. Isn’t it about dancing together? I heard that.”

Tan Xiaobai gave him a suspicious look, doubting he had heard the latter part at all. Le Cheng cleared his throat, “By the way, Xiaobai, are you going?”

“I’m not going,” Tan Xiaobai shook his head. “I went last year, and no one talked to me. I realized this world is a huge beauty trap!!”

Le Cheng was amused by his exaggerated tone.

—

That evening, Le Cheng sent a message to Zhou Shiru.

[Orange: Senior Zhou, do you want to take a walk on the playground today?]

“Ding dong—”

Le Cheng looked at his phone.

[Older Brother: …]

[Older Brother: Okay.]

Le Cheng laughed so hard he doubled over, imagining how exasperated Zhou Shiru must be with that ellipsis.

There was no helping it; he just liked calling him Senior Zhou.

[Older Brother: What time?]

[Orange: Now. I’ll come down in 10 minutes. Wait for me, okay?]

Le Cheng planned to tell Zhou Shiru about the invitation to the masquerade ball now. If Zhou Shiru rejected him right away, he would think of another approach.

After all, finding an excuse for a hug wasn’t too difficult.

Le Cheng put on his jacket and went downstairs to meet Zhou Shiru.

Zhou Shiru arrived even faster, standing under a tree, waiting for him.

Le Cheng joined him, and together they headed to the playground.

The cool evening breeze brushed against their cheeks, feeling pleasant and relaxing. Le Cheng couldn’t help but stretch lazily. Just as he was about to speak to Zhou Shiru, he noticed in his peripheral vision that someone behind them was horsing around, not watching where they were going, and was about to bump into Zhou Shiru.

Instinctively, Le Cheng grabbed Zhou Shiru’s wrist and gently pulled him aside.

The touch was soft and a bit cool, as if a tiny electric current had passed over his skin. Zhou Shiru’s heart skipped a beat as he lowered his gaze to look at him.

Le Cheng released his hand and pointed with his mouth, “They were about to bump into you.”

Zhou Shiru lowered his eyes and responded with a soft “Hmm.”

Remembering the main reason he had come, Le Cheng stopped and said, “By the way, I want to attend the masquerade ball. Since you’ll be there as a server, I want to find someone to dance with.”

Zhou Shiru unconsciously furrowed his brows. “Who are you asking?”

Le Cheng smiled. “You.”

Zhou Shiru was slightly taken aback. “Me?”

He suddenly recalled the widely known campus legend about blessed lovers.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “Why?”

“Huh?” Le Cheng looked confused.

Zhou Shiru repeated, “Why are you inviting me?”

Le Cheng blinked. “Hmm… do you need a reason?”

Le Cheng looked seriously at Zhou Shiru, his eyes bright and captivating. “Because I want to dance with you. I only want to dance with you.”