The First Encounter

After dinner, Lu Xingyan returned to the dormitory, but Xu Yi still hadn’t sent him another message.

Was Xu Yi planning to cut him off?

Growing up, Lu Xingyan had rarely encountered girls like this.

Most girls were reserved and shy. Even the bolder ones who pursued him didn’t act this openly.

They wouldn’t flaunt themselves so directly.

So it was only natural for Xu Yi to feel different to him.

“Yan-ge, did you fight with your girlfriend? You’ve looked distracted this whole time.”

Only after they reached a quieter area did Li Yuan finally fail to suppress his curiosity.

Lu Xingyan had no intention of hiding it. He wasn’t the type to care much about other people’s opinions.

“Yeah. She stopped talking to me.”

“So even someone like Yan-ge has to coax girls?” Li Yuan observed his new roommate curiously.

Lu Xingyan’s expression was usually faint and indifferent. When he wasn’t smiling, he even looked a little fierce.

Even when chatting happily with his girlfriend earlier, his smile still carried a sense of distance.

Did he really like his girlfriend that much?

Lu Xingyan was sensitive to probing gazes. He glanced sideways at Li Yuan and casually asked, “What do girls usually like?”

Li Yuan himself was still single, but his previous roommates had all dated before, so he had heard enough gossip to pretend he understood.

“How about buying desserts or milk tea to cheer her up?”

Lu Xingyan didn’t answer immediately.

Under normal circumstances, that would indeed work.

But the current problem was that Xu Yi now thought he was some fat guy.

Should he send a selfie?

Lu Xingyan didn’t care much about saving face. The moment he returned to the dormitory, he went straight into the bathroom to take a picture.

Although he had never sent selfies to anyone before, he had seen the kinds of photos girls online liked.

****

Xu Yi was genuinely angry.

That picture had completely shattered his fantasy.

It was Starfall’s voice and personality that had finally given him the feeling of actually being in a relationship.

Yet the other party had casually sent over a picture like that.

Xu Yi already knew that most people with attractive voices and strong gaming skills were probably overweight in real life.

But knowing it and seeing it personally were two completely different things.

The moment he saw the photo, all desire to fantasize vanished. He only wanted to blacklist the other person.

Normally, Xu Yi would immediately delete anyone who proactively sent ugly photos.

But this time, he felt strangely reluctant.

It felt as though he had happily bitten into a chocolate dessert only to discover it was filled with shit.

Xu Yi decided to finish packing and head straight to school.

He didn’t want to deal with online dating for the next few days.

While doing a final check of his luggage, Xu Yi hesitated briefly over whether he should bring his toys.

The dorm beds had curtains, so technically he could still use them…

After thinking for a moment, Xu Yi packed several quieter items into the hidden compartment of his suitcase, planning to secretly move them onto the bed once his roommates were absent.

Just then, his phone vibrated inside the elevator.

It was a message from Starfall—still saved under the contact name “Husband.”

Xu Yi felt even more disgusted when he saw that name.

He tapped into the chat, intending to change it immediately, only to freeze upon seeing a bathroom mirror photo of defined abs.

The owner of the picture had casually lifted his shirt, revealing lean, beautifully sculpted muscles.

Faint blue veins could even be seen beneath the skin, making him look incredibly powerful.

Damn.

Exactly his favorite type of physique.

But it had to be fake.

Xu Yi only had one free hand, the other still pulling his suitcase. Impatiently, he pressed the voice-message button.

“You can fool little girls, but don’t fool yourself.”

– Husband: I can video call. Is now convenient? –

Xu Yi froze.

So it really might be real.

A live video call carried much more credibility than a picture.

Unfortunately, the ride-share Xu Yi had ordered had already arrived downstairs.

Meaning he couldn’t really talk.

After storing the suitcase and sitting in the back seat, Xu Yi accepted the video call.

He put on his earphones.

The moment the call connected, he saw an upward “straight-man angle” view.

Only the upper body was visible, vaguely revealing a sharp jawline.

His face was probably attractive too.

“Ready?”

A deeper, slightly huskier voice whispered through his earphones, carrying a faint intimacy.

Xu Yi typed:

“Lift your shirt and bite it.”

This was specifically to prevent Starfall from using someone else’s prerecorded video to fool him.

Starfall obediently complied.

Long fingers casually grabbed the hem of his shirt.

Xu Yi’s breathing instantly became uneven.

Those fingers looked so long…

They probably could go very deep.

He quietly started screen recording while staring at those hands.

Then the camera angle shifted slightly upward, and Starfall truly bit the edge of his shirt.

From Xu Yi’s perspective, it almost looked as though he were lying beneath the other person, watching him teasingly bite his clothes.

Damn.

I like him even more now.

Xu Yi: To prove it’s real, pinch your nipple.

At this point, Xu Yi already knew the abs were real.

Fake muscles wouldn’t reveal veins like that.

And when Starfall raised his arm, the muscles subtly tightened along with the movement.

Xu Yi simply wanted to poke them.

“Is there a reward?” Starfall didn’t comply immediately and instead lazily counterattacked. “Can I see Princess Xu Yi’s too?”

Xu Yi froze.

Having never experienced a real offline relationship before, Xu Yi suddenly felt overwhelmingly aroused.

He desperately wanted to rub against those abs.

But…

He was still a man.

Actually meeting was impossible.

The realization brought an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

Feeling slightly upset, Xu Yi typed:

“A girl’s private parts aren’t something just anyone gets to see.”

“If we meet, I’ll let you touch them.”

After saying that, Starfall turned off the camera but kept the microphone on.

Xu Yi was starting to feel slightly carsick. Leaning weakly against the seat, he slowly typed one final message.

Xu Yi: Carsick. Can’t talk right now.

“You’re in the car? Call me when you arrive. I’m always free.”

Xu Yi couldn’t help curling his lips upward slightly.

Most online relationships were conducted secretly. Usually, people first sent messages asking whether the other party was available before making calls.

Yet Starfall, whom he had only known for two days, already seemed completely comfortable with spontaneous calls.

On one hand, it suggested he probably didn’t have many other girls around him.

On the other hand, it also showed he was surprisingly inexperienced.

Xu Yi had to admit—

he liked that a lot.

Contentedly, he closed his eyes.

****

The trip to school only took half an hour.

Xu Yi dragged his suitcase into the dormitory.

The room was currently empty, with two beds still unoccupied.

The dorm conditions were decent—a four-person room with loft beds and desks underneath.

Xu Yi chose the bed closest to the door.

After setting down his suitcase, he immediately went downstairs to buy daily necessities.

By now, the sky outside had completely darkened.

Along the road, he saw groups of students leaving campus together for late-night snacks.

After asking for directions, Xu Yi discovered the supermarket was located near the girls’ dormitory buildings.

He walked quite a distance before finally climbing several flights of stairs carrying bags full of supplies.

By the time he returned to the dorm room, he was already breathing heavily.

****

Lu Xingyan had just finished showering when Li Yuan urged him to hurry up because he needed the bathroom.

Left with no choice, Lu Xingyan came out wearing only a towel around his waist.

Just as he was about to grab a shirt, he suddenly had a whim and picked up his phone, aiming the camera toward his still-damp abs.

He subconsciously tightened his muscles while taking the picture.

At that exact moment, the dorm door suddenly opened.

His pose froze awkwardly in place.

Lu Xingyan paused before lowering his phone.

Being caught taking an abs selfie was genuinely embarrassing.

Frowning instinctively, he looked toward the doorway.

The heavy wooden door slowly opened, revealing a pale, handsome face.

Southern summers were humid and unbearably hot. Just walking outside for a short while left people covered in sweat.

Tiny beads of sweat clung to the young man’s forehead, and his cheeks carried an unnatural flush from exertion.

The two unexpectedly locked eyes.

Then, almost simultaneously, both looked away with equal indifference.

Neither of them seemed interested in warmly greeting their new roommate.

In reality, even Xu Yi’s ears had turned red.

Flustered, he immediately averted his gaze.

His fingers gripped the shopping bags so tightly that his knuckles turned faintly white.

His new roommate’s physique…

was ridiculously good.

Almost on the same level as Starfall’s.

Xu Yi was afraid he might accidentally reveal too obvious a gaze and end up disgusting the other party.

Besides, he had never been good at social interaction.

Especially not in an awkward situation like this, where he had accidentally intruded on someone else’s privacy.

Sure enough, his new roommate’s expression looked cold and impatient before he casually looked away again.

Xu Yi bit his lip lightly.

Whatever.

He was already used to being alone anyway.

Xu Yi dragged the package containing his mattress over to the bed near the door before starting to make it.

The duvet cover and sheets he brought from home were sky blue—a neutral color that wouldn’t easily arouse suspicion from either roommates or online dating targets.

He had just spread out the bedsheet and was currently half-buried inside the duvet cover trying to fix the blanket when his phone suddenly chimed.

****

Lu Xingyan still felt slightly embarrassed after getting caught taking an abs selfie.

For now, he no longer felt like sending photos, so he simply saved the picture to his gallery, casually dried his hair, and changed into pajamas.

Xu Yi still hadn’t contacted him.

Should he message first?

Sitting at the desk, Lu Xingyan pondered how to start the conversation.

[Lu Xingyan: Xu Yi baby, are you secretly looking at other men again?]

The message had only just been sent when a soft notification sound rang out behind him.

Lu Xingyan instinctively turned toward the source.

His new roommate was currently half-buried inside the duvet cover, with only his backside exposed outside as he awkwardly struggled to fit the blanket properly.

For some reason, Lu Xingyan suddenly remembered the image he had previously imagined—

Xu Yi’s shorts-clad butt.

If it really looked like that…

it would actually be pretty nice.

Realizing what he was thinking, Lu Xingyan’s expression darkened instantly.

No matter how good-looking this new roommate was—beautiful enough to almost seem delicate—

he was still a man.

Why the hell was he staring at another man’s butt?

Especially this clumsy roommate, who couldn’t even manage to put on a duvet cover properly.

Maybe it was simply because the other person’s phone chimed right after he sent the message, causing him to subconsciously connect Xu Yi and his roommate together.

At that moment, Xu Yi finally replied.

[Princess: I’m back at school. A little tired. Not gaming tonight.]

Lu Xingyan suddenly felt something strange.

His new roommate had also just returned to school.

And earlier, when the dorm door opened, he had noticed the other person possessed long, straight legs too.

What the hell was wrong with him?

How could he even think something like that?

They weren’t even the same gender.

Lu Xingyan quickly replied:

[Then rest early.]

No notification sound came from behind him afterward.

For some reason, Lu Xingyan quietly relaxed.

Looks like he really had been overthinking.

All those dirty conversations lately had probably messed with his brain.

Standing up, Lu Xingyan noticed his new roommate had already finished putting on the duvet cover and was now struggling to install the bed curtains.

The setup was slightly troublesome. One side needed to be held steady while the other side was fixed into place.

Looking at the roommate’s relatively slender figure, Lu Xingyan instinctively felt the other party probably couldn’t manage it alone.

He stood up.

Of course, he told himself it was simply because the constant fumbling noises were too annoying, so he was only helping to make things quieter.

However, just as he reached the lower bunk—

Something suddenly collapsed.

A curtain rod that hadn’t been secured properly abruptly fell downward.

The distance was too close for Lu Xingyan to dodge in time.

Clang.

The hollow metal rod didn’t hurt much, but getting hit like that was undeniably embarrassing.

Lu Xingyan raised his head, impatience still visible between his brows—

only to meet his roommate’s startled gaze.

Like a frightened rabbit.

For one bizarre moment, Lu Xingyan inexplicably thought of the first encounter between Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing.

But the thought vanished instantly.

After recovering from the shock, the other person suddenly became cold and guarded again, looking at him with detached indifference as though this had nothing to do with him.

“Are you trying to scam me?”

Lu Xingyan became annoyed.

His new roommate wasn’t Pan Jinlian, and he certainly wasn’t Ximen Qing either.

He had clearly been trying to help.

What an ungrateful guy.

With a sneer, Lu Xingyan said:

“Come down.”

His roommate’s body visibly stiffened for a second.

So he’s just a paper tiger after all.

Lu Xingyan knew his naturally cold expression could intimidate people. Seeing the other party become flustered somehow amused him, and the corners of his lips curved upward slightly.

“Relax,” he drawled lazily. “I’m not going to bully you.”