Lady

After evening self-study, students returned to their dorms to shower and sleep.

Ji Ze, having finished his shower, lay prone on his bed, intending to recite the ‘Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection’ before sleep.

” ‘Though lacking the grandeur of strings and winds, a cup of wine and a poem are enough to express one’s profound sentiments. “

” ‘On this day, the sky is clear and bright, the gentle breeze soft and refreshing. “

” ‘Gazing up at the vastness of the universe, and looking down upon the abundance of creation, one’s eyes wander freely, and one’s heart expands, finding ample delight in what is seen and heard—truly a joy…’ “

Jiang Hao emerged, towel in hand, drying his hair.

He heard a pleasant voice, rising and falling with intonation, and glanced over.

There was Ji Ze, book closed, propped on a pillow, engrossed in his recitation.

Though Jiang Hao had just showered, his hair still dripping wet, his upper body bare, he found the scene inexplicably elegant.

Suddenly, he spoke.

“How do you write the character xi from xiushi ye?”

Ji Ze, having just finished reciting a passage, paused in surprise before replying, “It’s the radical for ‘display’ next to the character for ‘contract.’ “

Jiang Hao pulled the towel from his head, his lips curving into a bright smile.

“Correct.”

Ji Ze shot him a glance, muttering discontentedly, “You interrupted me.”

Jiang Hao sat on the edge of his bed, saying with an air of familiarity, “Furen.”

Ji Ze froze, a little bewildered.

“Huh?”

Jiang Hao clarified, “You were reciting up to ‘the interactions of Furen.’ “

“Start from that line.”

“The fu is an initial particle, pronounced in the second tone.”

“You broke it into Furen, which is pronounced in the first tone.”

“How was I supposed to know what you were saying?” Ji Ze instinctively shifted further into his bed, explaining with a hint of discomfort.

Jiang Hao curved his lips into a smile.

“What did you misunderstand it as?”

“Furen—”

He deliberately drew out the final syllable, making the meaning vague and ambiguous.

Ji Ze’s heart skipped a beat, and a pillow flew at Jiang Hao in a fit of exasperated anger.

He retorted impolitely, “Did I give you permission to sit on my bed?”

“Scram, scram, scram!”

Jiang Hao easily caught the pillow and set it aside.

He leaned forward, closing in step by step, his face drawing nearer and nearer.

Ji Ze found himself practically pressed against the wall, wishing he could shrink into a thin sheet of A4 paper!

“My dear, you’re burning bridges here.”

“I spent a whole week rubbing medicinal oil on you, sitting right here every night.”

“Now that your injury’s healed, you’re immediately chasing me away.”

The dramatic Comrade Jiang began to play the victim, utterly lost in his pitiful role.

Meanwhile, Class Monitor Ji, who should have been the villain, was so intimidated that he crumpled into a ball, severely damaging his antagonist image.

Jiang Hao reached out, effortlessly scooping up Ji Ze, blanket and all, as if Ji Ze weighed nothing more than a flimsy air-conditioning quilt.

Jiang Hao’s hand deftly settled on Ji Ze’s waist, lifting the hem of his pajamas to reveal a stretch of pale skin.

Ji Ze quickly slapped his hand away.

“What’s wrong with you?!”

Jiang Hao let his shoulders slump, feigning a mournful look.

“Nothing, I just envy your dimples of Venus.”

Ji Ze paused, then pursed his lips, a slight hint of smugness in his voice.

“That’s something you can’t envy.”

“It’s natural, hmph.”

Jiang Hao wasn’t annoyed; instead, he smiled.

“Can they be developed later?”

Ji Ze pondered.

“…I don’t know.”

“You can search it up online.”

Jiang Hao didn’t seem to care.

“I’ll check later.”

“First, let me see your dimples of Venus.”

“…” Ji Ze was a little speechless, glaring, clearly unwilling to show them.

“You yourself said you helped me apply medicinal oil for a week.”

“Don’t you know what they look like already?”

Jiang Hao lied without a blush.

“I was only looking at the acupuncture points.”

“Just one glance, consider it my reward for helping you.”

Ji Ze frowned.

‘Reward’?

It sounded strange, but he had indeed inconvenienced the other person quite a bit over the past week.

After a moment of hesitation, he lay down, cautiously lifting his shirt a little, mumbling, “This isn’t a sign of a good figure; it’s just natural.”

“Both fat and thin people can have them.”

He had specifically looked it up online after that incident.

“Can I poke them?”

The voice came suddenly from above.

Ji Ze didn’t even have time to say no… So what was the point of asking?!

A warm fingertip unexpectedly landed on his lower back.

Ji Ze’s entire body tensed, and he shivered involuntarily.

Perhaps it was because whenever Jiang Hao approached, he would subconsciously become wary, his senses growing sharper, all his attention converging on one spot.

That feeling of touch was magnified infinitely, causing his scalp to tingle slightly…

This guy was indeed very dangerous.

Ji Ze yanked down his shirt and quickly rolled over, almost as if he were trying to conceal something.

“I’m done looking.”

Jiang Hao’s hand was left empty.

He paused for a moment, then smiled again.

Ji Ze huddled in his blanket, staring at him with wide, dark, round eyes.

His soft bangs had slipped slightly with his movement, resting on his eyebrows, making him look like a small kitten.

Jiang Hao watched for a while, then averted his gaze, rubbed his nose, and cleared his throat.

“Do you have time this weekend?”

Ji Ze’s grip on the blanket loosened.

He asked, strangely teasing, “What, trying to ask me out?”

Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, asking you out.”

“I want to get a haircut, and I’m not sure which barbershop is reliable.”

“Your hair has gotten long too, so we could go together.”

“Can you recommend one?”

Upon hearing this, Ji Ze subconsciously touched his hair.

It did seem a bit long; it was almost time for a cut.

He nodded in agreement without thinking.

It wasn’t until he was going to sleep that night that he found it a little strange.

Was it normal for two boys to go get a haircut together?

It seemed… quite ordinary?

He tried hard to recall any instances of male friends going for haircuts together and, finding that such situations did exist, he closed his eyes and slept peacefully.

The next morning, during morning self-study, students were loudly reciting classical texts to aid memorization.

Ji Ze also opened his book to recite the ‘Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection.’

When he reached the second paragraph, he couldn’t help but stop, connecting it to the events of the previous night.

Subconsciously, he didn’t want to read it aloud, so he silently recited this section in his mind.

But even if he didn’t read, it didn’t mean his deskmate wouldn’t.

” ‘The interactions of Furen, looking up and down throughout a lifetime, whether taking from one’s bosom, conversing within a single room; or entrusting oneself to something, indulging beyond the confines of the body…’ “

When Ji Ze heard the words Furen, in that familiar, low tone, his entire body stiffened, and he grew uncomfortable.

Jiang Hao turned to look at him, asking curiously, “Deskmate, why aren’t you reading anymore?”

Ji Ze didn’t dare to turn his head.

He felt like his brain must have short-circuited, to think that Jiang Hao’s ‘deskmate’ sounded like Furen, an utterance seemingly held on his lips, low and deep, carrying an indescribable flavor.

“It’s nothing.”

Ji Ze replied stiffly, turning to rest his chin on his hand and gaze out the window, as if intently admiring the morning campus scenery.

Jiang Hao’s hand rested on the page, gently stroking the characters for Furen, his gaze, however, fixed on Ji Ze.

His eyes were soft and focused as he unconsciously murmured, “Furen… the interactions of.”