Chapter 36 “Not as handsome as you.”

On the other side, Lu Liu was sitting in his chair, his posture much straighter than Lin Zhi’s, but at this moment, he looked somewhat puzzled.

“Zhi” was the new WeChat account Lu Liu had opened last night to add a bunch of random people from his school.

During the military training, there were some minor tasks in the class, but they hadn’t yet elected the class president or the youth league secretary. Seeing that Lu Liu seemed calm and collected, the class assistant appointed him as the temporary leader. As a result, over the past couple of days, many classmates had asked for his contact information.

In addition, there were recruitment events for various clubs and students from other departments in the college. Lu Liu found the people he was adding to be too scattered, so when he registered, he got a spare campus card for the internet and used it to open this small account for adding less important contacts.

During military training, some classmates from other classes in the same squad had also asked for his contact details, and he gave them his small account, claiming he hadn’t brought his phone. When he switched to this account to approve the friend request, he saw a familiar name.

Lin Zhi’s WeChat. While Lu Liu wouldn’t say it was unforgettable, he was quite familiar with it.

At first glance, Lu Liu thought it was just a case of coincidentally using the same profile picture. But upon closer inspection, he realized it was indeed Lin Zhi. He couldn’t recall ever telling Lin Zhi his new number, so, after accepting the request, he expressed his confusion right away.

Lin Zhi, however, didn’t know any of this. He was only feeling an excitement of “determined effort breaking through all obstacles,” the thrill of finally finding his boyfriend.

【Zhi: Good evening. How did you add me?】

Lin Zhi tilted his head unconsciously. He didn’t seem to have thought about this question, and today, he had been too immersed in the excitement of “I finally found my boyfriend” to even consider the possibility that the way he got in touch might be questioned.

【Lin Zhi: Shake it?】

By the way, how did “Zhi” add him in his past life?

【Lin Zhi: It doesn’t matter, fate brought us together.】

Fate? Lu Liu could tell that Lin Zhi didn’t know this was his small account. He curled his lips slightly, not very happy, and simply replied with a “Mm.”

Huh, “Zhi” seemed a bit cold, but it didn’t dampen Lin Zhi’s enthusiasm. He pretended not to know anything and tried to get closer.

【Lin Zhi: I’m sorry to ask, where are you from?】

It really was a bit forward, considering they’d only exchanged a few messages. Lu Liu pressed down harder on the screen with his finger.

【Zhi: I’m from J City, currently studying in B City, at… 】

Lu Liu truthfully shared his background, thinking that he’d hinted at it clearly enough. Surely Lin Zhi had figured out who he was by now, right?

But to his disappointment, Lin Zhi responded with:

【Lin Zhi: What a coincidence!】

【Lin Zhi: I’m kind of the same. I’m studying at… but our schools are really close to each other.】

Heh, Lu Liu wanted to laugh in frustration. What a coincidence indeed!

Before he could think of the next thing to say to Lin Zhi, Lin Zhi quickly followed up with:

【Lin Zhi: Isn’t there a person in your department named Lu Liu?】

Lu Liu raised an eyebrow, and the slight irritation he had felt earlier faded away, replaced by a hidden curiosity. He decided to take this chance to hear Lin Zhi’s opinion of him, so he simply replied with “Yes.”

【Lin Zhi: He’s my high school classmate.】

“…”

Lu Liu waited for a while, noticing that Lin Zhi didn’t seem to want to continue. He began to feel frustrated. Was their relationship in Lin Zhi’s eyes really just summed up by the words “high school classmates”?

Unable to help himself, he typed a message:

【Zhi: And then?】

And then?

Lin Zhi looked at the question and fell into deep thought, unsure how to answer.

He had mentioned Lu Liu to get closer to “Zhi,” but now he had boxed himself into a corner.

First, he couldn’t act too close to Lu Liu, as that wouldn’t help his pursuit of “Zhi.” But at the same time, he couldn’t seem too distant from Lu Liu, either, because that would hinder future chances of “coincidentally” running into him at “Zhi’s” school.

【Lin Zhi: Lu Liu is also one of my buddies.】

Lu Liu: “…”

Did he not already know that?

【Zhi: Oh, I see.】

Lin Zhi nodded to himself, confirming his statement.

【Lin Zhi: Yeah, we often visit each other’s campuses.】

【Lin Zhi: After military training, I’ll go visit him.】

Not everything Lin Zhi said was a lie. The day after military training ended, he did go to Lu Liu’s school. But the main purpose wasn’t exactly about visiting him. So, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell Lu Liu in advance and had only messaged him just before leaving.

The WeChat contact labeled “Lu Liu.”

During the military training, he had chatted with “Zhi” every day, sometimes about daily life, and when the conversation went cold, he’d bring up Lu Liu to keep the topic going. By now, the two were quite familiar with each other.

He wasn’t sure if “Zhi” had mentioned him to Lu Liu, but he felt guilty and hadn’t dared to contact Lu Liu during this time.

Lu Liu was still waiting in the same spot from before. Now, there weren’t as many people by the school gate, so Lin Zhi spotted him from a distance. Lu Liu had gotten a little tanned, and it looked like his hair had been cut short. Lin Zhi didn’t look too closely, his gaze drifting to the school motto on the stone tablet beside the gate.

Lin Zhi’s eyes were clearly avoiding looking at him, so he missed the almost-smiling expression on Lu Liu’s face.

“Why did you suddenly decide to come to our school?” Lu Liu asked knowingly.

“Uh,” Lin Zhi glanced at the stone motto and then the artificial rockery, “I was bored in the dorm, so I thought I’d take a walk.”

Lu Liu nodded, then mischievously suggested, “Then how about we go look around the area?”

“No need!” Lin Zhi hurriedly shook his head, “It’s fine just being in your school. Last time, I was in such a rush, I didn’t get a good look.”

“Oh,” Lu Liu held back a laugh, “What did you want to see clearly?”

“Well, it’s nothing really,” Lin Zhi feigned a stretch of his neck, “Military training was so tiring. My back and legs are still sore. I’m already exhausted from walking to your school. Can I rest in your dorm for a bit?”

“Of course,” Lu Liu shrugged and turned to lead the way, “Let’s go.”

Lin Zhi glanced at Lu Liu’s profile, stealthily pulling out his phone to unlock it.

He thought he was being very discreet, but little did he know that Lu Liu had caught every little movement of his. Without a sound, Lu Liu took out his own phone, muted the volume, and smoothly switched to another WeChat account.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, he received the message that Lin Zhi had sent to “Zhi”:

【Lin Zhi: Which dorm do you live in?】

【Zhi: Boys’ Dorm 3, Room 307.】

Lu Liu played along, continuing to type:

【Zhi: Why are you asking?】

But Lin Zhi was already too distracted to respond. If he remembered correctly, when the semester started, he had been to Lu Liu’s dorm, and the room number was exactly 307!

“Class monitor,” Lin Zhi turned around and widened his eyes to look at Lu Liu. “You live in 307, right?”

“Yes,” Lu Liu smiled, generously complimenting him, “You have a good memory.”

Lin Zhi’s expression was filled with excitement and a bit of shock. “Zhi” was actually Lu Liu’s roommate!

This…

Lin Zhi tried hard to suppress the overwhelming emotions inside him, his voice hoarse with excitement: “How are your roommates… like?”

If he followed Lu Liu back, would he be able to see “Zhi” right away?

“They’re all fine,” Lu Liu said, “Easy to get along with.”

“Oh…” Lin Zhi gritted his teeth and asked, “Are they… handsome?”

“Ha!” Lu Liu couldn’t help but laugh, then quickly cleared his throat to cover it up. “They’re okay, fairly good-looking, but not as handsome as me.”

Lin Zhi was momentarily distracted by Lu Liu’s rare moment of narcissism, but just as he was about to comment, he heard Lu Liu add:

“They’re not as handsome as you, either.”