Chapter 25

The next day marked the start of the National Day holiday, a five-day break.

Cai Yu and Zuo Xingwei went back to their hometowns, while Bai Zining couldn’t return home because her parents were traveling.

“Are you going home?” he asked Zhu Shizhou. Yesterday, when they signed the agreement, they hadn’t taken the holiday into account, so he was now torn between postponing their arrangement or letting Zhu Shizhou off the hook for the next few days.

“Up to you.”

“Would you really listen to me if I said something?” Bai Zining reflexively asked.

“Of course. After all, you’re my…” Zhu Shizhou paused briefly before finishing, “master.”

Bai Zining was drinking water at the time, and upon hearing the last word, he was so startled that he inhaled sharply and choked, coughing violently. Zhu Shizhou walked over, gently patting his back and carefully wiping the water from the corner of his mouth with a tissue.

After catching his breath, Bai Zining, visibly upset, scolded him, “Did you take the wrong medicine?”

Zhu Shizhou looked innocent. “Did I say something wrong?”

“You’re not allowed to call me that! I’m not some kind of slave master; you’re making it seem like I’m bullying you.” As he spoke, he started coughing again, his cheeks flushing red, and his eyes glistening with a layer of moisture.

“Alright,” Zhu Shizhou shrugged. “In any case, all rights of interpretation belong to you.”

On October 1st, Bai Zining didn’t feel like moving. Around noon, he tried ordering Zhu Shizhou around. “I want the Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles^[1]Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles, known as “guò qiáo mǐxiàn” (过桥米线) in Chinese, is a traditional rice noodle soup originating from Yunnan Province in China. from Canteen Three. Go get them.”

Zhu Shizhou suggested, “Why don’t we go out to eat instead?”

“No,” Bai Zining refused. “I don’t feel like walking.”

“Alright,” Zhu Shizhou agreed without any further comment.

Just before Zhu Shizhou left, Bai Zining changed his mind and called out to him, “Wait, I’ll go with you.”

The reason for this sudden change of heart was that Bai Zining had suddenly recalled some online pranks people played on their roommates. He was worried Zhu Shizhou might sprinkle dirt in his food.

Because of this inexplicable concern, Bai Zining ended up eating all his meals that day outside with Zhu Shizhou.

Zhu Shizhou seemed to have an uncanny understanding of his tastes. He knew Bai Zining liked sweets and sour flavors but disliked cilantro. So, when ordering food, without needing Bai Zining to say anything, he would always specifically remind the shopkeeper to add extra vinegar and skip the cilantro.

The first day of having Zhu Shizhou as his follower passed peacefully. The next morning, Bai Zining had breakfast bought by Zhu Shizhou, who had woken up early. It consisted of xiao long bao and spicy hot soup (hu la tang).

After Bai Zining finished eating, Zhu Shizhou asked, “Do you want to go out and have some fun today?”

While Bai Zining was still thinking it over, Zhu Shizhou added, “Staying in the dorm every day must be pretty boring, right? I can take you to visit Wenyan Lake at B University.”

“No, the lake at B University is called Xuanyue Lake,” Bai Zining corrected, remembering that Zhu Shizhou had mentioned it before.

Zhu Shizhou just smiled without responding.

When they arrived at B University, and Bai Zining saw the large characters “Wenyan Lake” carved on a stone by the lakeside, he had the sudden urge to turn around and punch Zhu Shizhou.

It was indeed a beautiful lake. Although it was man-made, the water was a clear green, like a piece of emerald tourmaline gazing deeply at the sky, reflecting the dappled shadows of people and trees along the shore.

They spent most of the day outside, and in the evening, the two went to explore the night market. The food street was crowded, and Bai Zining’s attention was easily drawn to the little trinkets sold along the roadside. By the time he turned his head back, Zhu Shizhou was already out of sight.

Instead of sending a message, Bai Zining stood under a tree near where they had gotten separated and waited. In less than three minutes, Zhu Shizhou found him.

“Still smart enough to stay put and wait, huh? Looks like you paid close attention in your childhood safety education classes,” Zhu Shizhou teased, and handed him a box of takoyaki. He waited patiently while Bai Zining finished eating it right there.

As they were about to leave, Zhu Shizhou grabbed Bai Zining’s wrist first. “Be careful not to get lost.”

“I’m not a kid,” Bai Zining muttered, but he didn’t shake off Zhu Shizhou’s hand.

On the fourth day of the holiday, the two went hiking. Since everywhere was crowded during the National Day break, Zhu Shizhou, after asking for Bai Zining’s preference, deliberately chose a less frequented spot nearby.

After a tiring day, they returned to the dorm. After showering, Bai Zining realized he had forgotten to bring his towel inside. At this time, only he and Zhu Shizhou were in the dorm.

So Bai Zining called out his name, “Help me grab my towel. It’s hanging on the balcony. And grab my shorts from the cabinet too.”

Zhu Shizhou responded with an “Okay,” and within half a minute, he found both items. He knocked on the door and handed them to Bai Zining through the crack.

After drying himself and getting dressed, Bai Zining opened the bathroom door, only to see a figure. Zhu Shizhou hadn’t left. He was leaning against the balcony door, watching him with a playful expression.

“What are you doing? You scared me!” Bai Zining complained.

“I found this in your wardrobe,” Zhu Shizhou said, showing him the item in his hand.

It was the refrigerator magnet!

Even though his identity was already exposed, Bai Zining still felt as if something embarrassing had been revealed. “Why are you randomly touching other people’s things?” he retorted.

“I found it while grabbing your shorts. You hid it so well,” Zhu Shizhou teased.

“Stop talking nonsense. Give it back,” Bai Zining said irritably, trying to snatch the magnet from Zhu Shizhou’s hand. However, Zhu Shizhou easily dodged him.

Unwilling to give up, Bai Zining tried again and successfully retrieved the magnet. However, his hands were still damp from just finishing his shower, and he failed to get a good grip. The smooth ceramic slipped from his fingers and fell straight to the floor.

And the corner chipped off.

Neither of them spoke. Bai Zining stared at the two broken pieces on the ground. The original orange pattern had been ruined, and the edges revealed the pale yellow clay underneath. It was one of his favorite refrigerator magnets, something he had spent a long time choosing before deciding to bring it to school.

“I’m sorry,” Zhu Shizhou apologized first, bending down to pick up the pieces. “I shouldn’t have teased you. There’s another one just like it at home. I’ll bring it for you tomorrow, okay?”

Bai Zining pouted. “No need. I’ll just buy a bottle of glue tomorrow and stick it back together. I told you not to mess with my stuff.”

He took the two broken pieces from Zhu Shizhou’s hand, placed them on his desk, and slowly climbed onto his bed. Pulling the curtains shut, he gave off a clear “do not disturb” vibe.

It was not yet 10 p.m., and Bai Zining was scrolling through his phone when he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening. Peeking through a small gap in the curtain, he saw that Zhu Shizhou had left, leaving him alone in the dorm.

He huffed softly, then absentmindedly resumed searching online for a Spanish shopping agent.

Close to eleven o’clock, the door opened again indicating that Zhu Shizhou had returned.

He fiddled with something quietly below for a while before gently poking Bai Zining’s bed curtain. “Ningning, are you asleep?”

Bai Zining didn’t feel like responding. After a few seconds, he reluctantly answered, “What is it?”

“I put a new refrigerator magnet on your desk. I’m really sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean it.”

Bai Zining abruptly sat up, pulled open the curtain, and found himself face-to-face with Zhu Shizhou.

Judging by the time Zhu Shizhou had returned after the power outage last time, his home was over half an hour away from the school. To make it back before curfew, aside from the time spent taking a cab, he must have run the rest of the way. A thin layer of sweat still covered his forehead.

“You…” Bai Zining started to say something but got stuck. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “I’m not some petty person. Besides, this was originally a gift you got for Cai Ning. If anything, I tricked you into giving it to me. Calculate the total price, and I’ll transfer it to you.”

“I gave it to you willingly; don’t overthink it,” Zhu Shizhou said, reaching through the side railing of the bed and gently patting the back of Bai Zining’s hand in a reassuring manner. “Get some sleep. Good night.”

The next morning, after getting out of bed, Bai Zining noticed a refrigerator magnet with an orange design stuck to the side of Zhu Shizhou’s cabinet. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the one that had been broken yesterday. At some point, Zhu Shizhou had glued it back together. The surface only showed a faint, almost imperceptible crack.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zining swapped the intact one on his desk with the repaired one. Then, he stuck the glued magnet onto the side of his own metal cabinet.

Now that it had already been noticed, there was no need to keep hiding it. Besides, Bai Zining thought, a refrigerator magnet this nice-looking would be wasted if not displayed.

During the five-day holiday, Bai Zining and Zhu Shizhou spent two days in the dorm and three days out exploring.

Throughout these five days, Zhu Shizhou took excellent care of Bai Zining. Every meal was tailored perfectly to his taste, and whenever they bought milk tea or snacks, Bai Zining never had to stand in line. Bai Zining, who usually struggled with making decisions, found that there was no need to hesitate when it came to Zhu Shizhou. Whatever Zhu Shizhou picked always turned out to be exactly what he wanted.

So, when Cai Yu saw Zhu Shizhou handing a plate of freshly washed grapes to Bai Zining on the evening of the 5th, he was so shocked that his mouth hung open.

He pulled Bai Zining aside and whispered, “Are you two… back on good terms?”

“Not exactly,” Bai Zining replied. “But he has to listen to me now. So, no matter what happens over the next half month, don’t be surprised.”