The Princess and the Pea

Xu Shuche had been secretly feeling a bit schadenfreude, thinking that Jian Yixun was definitely about to get a thorough scolding from Professor Li.

He’d been ready to enjoy the show.

He just hadn’t expected the fire to end up burning him instead.

“Senior Xu?”

Professor Li pushed up his glasses.

After whispering a few words to the professor beside him, he raised his head again.

“Is that Xu Shuche from the School of English?”

The moment this name was spoken, the previously quiet classroom instantly filled with hushed discussion.

Xu Shuche usually didn’t like mingling in crowds, nor did he enjoy participating in activities.

Most people knew this legendary figure only through photos.

Today was the first time the majority of them were seeing Xu Shuche in person, and they all craned their necks to get a good look at what he actually looked like.

Xu Shuche’s face began to heat up again.

He subconsciously wanted to lower his head, but then he heard Professor Li say from the podium, “Is this the Xu Shuche who published a single-author paper in a core journal?”

Once he’d been named so clearly, there was no way to hide anymore.

Xu Shuche stood up in a fluster, stiffly upright as if being punished.

“Student Xu has strong academic ability and a steady temperament, unlike you.”

Perhaps students from other departments always seemed better than one’s own.

Even though Jian Yixun was also one of the top talents in the Physics Department, in Professor Li’s eyes, he simply couldn’t compare to Xu Shuche.

“And he’s your senior.

That makes him half your mentor.

Since you’ll be working on the project together this time, learn properly from him.”

Jian Yixun nodded repeatedly, putting on an impeccably proper act, looking extremely humble.

“Yes, yes.

I’ll definitely learn well from Senior Xu.

Please rest assured, Professor.”

Entrusting Jian Yixun to Xu Shuche clearly seemed reassuring.

Professor Li nodded, his expression showing obvious satisfaction.

“If everyone fully understands the task for this project, then next you’ll need to form groups freely.

Submit your group lists to me by next Monday.”

After the professors left, the noise level in the meeting room gradually rose.

Many people were looking toward Xu Shuche, clearly wanting to take a closer look at this so-called “department heartthrob.”

Although everyone who got into University B could be considered a favored child of heaven, they still had gossip-loving hearts, always rushing to the front lines of drama.

“Sorry about that, Senior.”

Jian Yixun turned his head toward Xu Shuche.

“But since it’s already like this, how about we just form a group together?”

Xu Shuche took a deep breath, his voice icy.

“I don’t want to be in a group with you.”

His voice wasn’t loud.

But everyone sitting nearby heard him clearly and showed looks of surprise.

In the eyes of others, Jian Yixun being rejected was practically unimaginable.

Plenty of people usually threw themselves at him.

This was the first time anyone had seen Jian Yixun take the initiative and still get politely turned down.

But if the one rejecting him was Xu Shuche, then somehow it made sense.

“No, Senior.”

Jian Yixun’s temper flared up too.

“Isn’t it just a project?

Who you do it with is all the same.

So why can’t you do it with me?”

“You didn’t even ask for my opinion before,” Xu Shuche said.

“Am I not allowed to not want to?”

That question left Jian Yixun speechless.

Thinking about it calmly, it really did seem like his fault.

But Jian Yixun had grown up being domineering, used to making unilateral decisions without consulting anyone.

Being rejected so abruptly made him feel uncomfortable all over.

“Don’t casually make decisions for other people.”

The more Xu Shuche looked at Jian Yixun, the more annoyed he felt.

This person’s arrogance and dominance always reminded him of unpleasant memories.

He picked up his laptop bag and said softly, “Excuse me.”

Jian Yixun froze in place.

After hearing that, he subconsciously moved aside, giving him space to pass.

He missed the best chance to apologize.

Several first-year graduate students who had been watching the drama saw the main character leave.

They half-heartedly comforted Jian Yixun, who was still standing there, and then went off to find their own project groups.

Qu Chao, however, had been closely following what was happening.

He had seen how the two clashed and how Xu Shuche picked up his bag and left.

He immediately left his own little circle and hurried over attentively to Jian Yixun.

“Junior, what happened?”

He asked.

“Weren’t things fine just now?

Why did he leave?”

Jian Yixun was holding in a ball of anger.

His brows were dark with gloom.

“What are you doing here?”

Qu Chao tilted his face slightly, presenting the angle he had practiced countless times in front of a mirror—one he was sure best showcased his superior features.

“I’m just checking on you, Junior.

You kindly invited him to your project group, but he treated you like that.

I really think it wasn’t worth it for you.”

“And Junior, don’t think he’s all aloof and noble.

Privately, he’s actually—”

“What does that have to do with you?”

Qu Chao had been wholeheartedly fabricating Xu Shuche’s so-called “dark secrets.”

Hearing Jian Yixun’s gunpowder-filled “what does that have to do with you,” he froze.

“What?”

“I said, what does that have to do with you?”

Jian Yixun frowned.

“I made a decision for him without considering his feelings.

Of course it’s reasonable for him to reject me.

I don’t even think it’s a big deal.

Who are you to come pointing fingers?”

As he spoke, he carefully sized up the delicate senior in front of him who clearly didn’t know his place.

Objectively speaking, both Xu Shuche and Qu Chao could be considered “pretty” boys.

But Xu Shuche carried a natural chill that kept people at arm’s length, making it hard to read what he was thinking.

He was like a thick book waiting to be opened, full of mystery.

That made Jian Yixun find him interesting.

Qu Chao, on the other hand, gave off a frivolous feeling.

There was no need to ask—everything he was thinking was written all over his face.

Jian Yixun snapped back to his senses and realized that he was giving Xu Shuche a remarkably high evaluation.

Giving such a high evaluation to someone who had embarrassed him twice in a row made Jian Yixun suspect he’d been cursed or something.

Qu Chao still wanted to say something.

But seeing Jian Yixun’s face so dark it looked like he might kill someone in the next second, he stopped.

“I know what you’re plotting,” Jian Yixun said in a low voice.

“For the sake of you being a senior, I don’t want to put it too harshly.

But you’d better stay far away from me.

I’m homophobic.

You sick freaks with ulterior motives should roll as far away as possible.”

After saying that, he shoved past Qu Chao and strode out of the meeting room.

But at the end of the hallway, he stopped.

With a conflicted, teeth-aching expression, he pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and sent a message to a pinned contact named “Little Bunny Riceball.”

“Baby, if you make someone angry, how do you usually apologize?”

Xu Shuche took his laptop to the research room.

He’d originally planned to read a few papers.

But the argument from earlier left him distracted and unsettled.

He couldn’t focus even after two lines and ended up lying on the desk, aimlessly scrolling through his phone.

A QQ message suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.

【Little Bear Cheese】: Baby, if you make someone angry, how do you usually apologize?

The research room was empty.

Xu Shuche didn’t feel like typing, so he opened an app on his phone, adjusted a few settings, then switched back to WeChat.

He long-pressed to record a voice message.

“Dummy, just go say sorry directly.”

After sending it, he tapped the voice message and listened once.

What came out wasn’t a male voice, but a slightly mature, elegant female voice—lazy and pleasant to hear.

【Little Bear Cheese】: But… never mind, I’ll handle it myself.

【Little Bear Cheese】: Listening to your voice, are you in a bad mood?

Xu Shuche paused.

He felt like that sentence hadn’t really revealed any sign of “being in a bad mood.”

Yet the person on the other end somehow picked it up.

“A little,” Xu Shuche said.

“I ran into someone I really hate.

They were mean to me twice in one day.

Super annoying.”

“I see.”

“Little Bear Cheese” replied quickly.

“Want me to send you a red packet so you can buy something to comfort yourself?

Or hop on the game—I’ll set off some fireworks for you to watch?”

Xu Shuche couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Saying that just means you want to come coax me.

What’s the point of red packets?

I don’t want red packets at all, you stupid straight man.”

“Little Bear Cheese” was his in-game partner from the game Jianghu Great Dream.

So-called partners were just tools for running dungeons together, hanging matching locks of longing, and farming appearances.

At first, Xu Shuche hadn’t planned to develop any feelings with him.

But “Little Bear Cheese” was half a social menace.

They’d only known each other for three months, yet it felt like three years.

Although Xu Shuche usually chatted with him using a female voice, he’d never accepted any red packets.

“Little Bear Toast” had hinted several times about getting his address to order him food.

Xu Shuche had always refused, clearly expressing his wish not to involve real life.

In the game, Xu Shuche played a healer.

Once, on a whim, he used a voice changer in the guild voice chat.

After that, everyone defaulted to thinking he was a girl.

He neither confirmed nor denied it.

After all, it was just a game.

It didn’t involve real life.

Did it really matter whether he was a man or a woman?

Or perhaps he simply disliked his real-life identity.

The virtual “Little Bunny Riceball” felt more likable, more free.

Xu Shuche looked at the chat window and sighed, thinking again of the argument earlier.

He actually shouldn’t have gotten angry at Jian Yixun.

The other party hadn’t meant any harm.

And given his reputation, there probably wouldn’t be many project groups willing to take him.

Why couldn’t he just go along with it and accept the invitation?

He seemed to mess up so many things.

His phone vibrated several times.

Xu Shuche snapped back to attention and saw that “Little Bear Toast” had sent him a bunch of videos—various puppies gathered from a video site.

【Little Bear Toast】: When you see these puppies, you’ve already been blessed by the god of good luck!

Quick, say thank you to the puppies!

Xu Shuche laughed again.

“You’re so childish, idiot.”

But he had to admit that after “Little Bear Toast” made such a fuss, the regret and irritation that had been bothering him seemed to disappear.

They chatted idly for a while longer.

Xu Shuche locked his phone screen, opened his laptop, and finally managed to read properly.

He read until after eleven at night.

Xu Shuche stretched.

He slowly packed up his laptop and walked back to the dorm under the dim roadside lights.

Only when he climbed the stairs and reached into his pocket did he realize that he seemed to have forgotten his dorm key.

The school’s management of graduate housing wasn’t very strict.

Plus, tomorrow was Saturday.

Many people chose to go home or stay out overnight.

The entire building was quiet.

There were barely any rooms with lights on.

Standing in the pitch-dark hallway, a gust of cold wind blew past.

Xu Shuche shivered uncontrollably.

There was no heating in the corridor.

The safety stairwell door was open.

The autumn wind poured into the building, chilling hands and feet.

When he came upstairs earlier, he thought he’d seen that the dorm supervisor wasn’t there.

There was no one to ask for a spare key.

Xu Shuche sighed, troubled over what to do.

Just then, he faintly heard the sound of water boiling inside the dorm.

Someone was inside.

Was it Qu Chao?

Normally, Qu Chao only stayed a few days a month.

The two of them were basically strangers who never meddled in each other’s affairs.

But right now, that faint sound of boiling water became Xu Shuche’s lifeline.

“Qu Chao?”

Xu Shuche knocked on the door.

“Is that you?

Are you back?

Could you open the door for me?”

The faint sounds inside stopped.

They were replaced by silence once more.

The dorm door didn’t let light through.

Xu Shuche had no way of judging whether anyone was inside.

Unwilling to give up, he knocked again.

“Qu Chao?

I forgot my key.

Could you help open the door for me?”

There was no response.

The cold wind made him sneeze several times.

He sighed helplessly, unsure what to do now.

At this hour, most places he could go were already closed.

The best options were to leave campus and book a hotel for the night.

Or wait downstairs for the dorm supervisor, who might come back at who-knows-when.

But he was underdressed.

And his phone was about to run out of battery.

Xu Shuche clicked his tongue irritably and raised his hand, preparing to knock one last time.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps on the stairs behind him.

“Mm, yeah, I’m staying at school tonight,” that person seemed to be on the phone.

“I only stayed in the dorm for the first few days of term.

Gotta clean it once in a while, I—”

Xu Shuche turned around.

The voice on the phone stopped abruptly.

The two stood facing each other across half a corridor and a dim emergency light.

Neither had expected to run into the other here.

Jian Yixun was wearing a fitted long trench coat.

His phone was still in his hand.

After staring at Xu Shuche for a moment, he finally spoke.

“Senior?

Why are you standing in the hallway so late instead of going back to your dorm?

You scared me to death.”

Xu Shuche was so cold that the corners of his eyes were red.

His voice was a bit hoarse.

He tightened his grip on his laptop bag and said softly to the person in front of him.

“I forgot my dorm key.

I can’t get in.”