Chapter 14
“Damn, what are you sneaking around for?” Cheng An rubbed his arms and, seeing no response, peeked over at Song Xu’s spot. “What are you doing again…”
*Slap.*
Song Xu abruptly shut his laptop and eyed him warily. “You invaded my privacy.”
Cheng An: ? Privacy again?
“What do you have to…” Suddenly, he smiled knowingly and patted Song Xu on the shoulder. “I get it, I get it. Send it to me later.”
Song Xu scoffed, “Don’t get any weird ideas.”
Cheng An grinned, “Stop pretending.”
“I already said I didn’t look!” Song Xu adjusted his glasses, waited until Cheng An left, then carefully reopened his laptop and typed: [My roommate was beside me just now, so I didn’t reply in time.]
The reply came quickly: [It’s okay qwq, I wasn’t waiting long either.]
Song Xu smiled softly and continued the conversation: [The snacks you recommended last time were really good.]
Magical Girl An: [Right?! Sweet and sour, the mango flavor is spot on~]
Thinking of the dried mangoes that had mostly ended up in Yi Chen’s stomach, Song Xu sent a slightly resentful message: [So good that my roommate finished them all, and he’s usually picky.]
After sending, Song Xu rested his chin on his hand, fully focused on waiting for a reply.
Five minutes passed without a word.
He felt a bit disappointed.
He had met Magical Girl An two months ago in an anime community. They hit it off immediately and quickly added each other on QQ.
After chatting, they discovered countless similarities: both studying computer science, both loving anime, and both loving snacks.
An An was a lively and adorable girl; they chatted every day.
Song Xu stared at the screen, about to send another message when An An finally replied: [I was just talking to my roommate, got delayed, sorry.]
Song Xu quickly typed: [Your roommate’s stuff is more important.]
[Nothing much, I just asked her to bring me lunch since she was going out.]
Song Xu rubbed his nose and smiled: [You reminded me; my roommate is going out too. I’ll ask him to bring me something.]
—
Zhong Yin carried four heavy trash bags, face full of exhaustion, braving the chilly air as she left the dorm.
Her three roommates were either lying down or sitting around lazily, waving without a hint of guilt. “Don’t forget our meal.”
“Yes, your majesties,” Zhong Yin replied dutifully, dragging her leg to close the door.
Only after disposing of the trash did she free her hands and grumpily type on her phone: [Have you arrived yet?]
Scrolling up, she saw messages from Yi Chen half an hour ago: [Do you want the package Aunt Bai sent you?]
[Pickup code]
[Pickup code]
Zhong Yin swore she really wanted to give him the cold shoulder, let him taste being ignored for once.
But this unpredictable guy messaged back: [No way.]
[Then I’ll return it.]
Zhong Yin was at her wit’s end: [Why is my package at your place?]
—
001: [My mom asked me to bring it to you.]
Zhong Yin: [Thanks for the trouble.]
001: [Not trouble, misery.]
“…”
His tone was sarcastic, like paying back a morning grudge. Zhong Yin was exasperated: [Can you speak properly…]
001: [Which building do you live in?]
[Building 19, why?]
001: [I’ll come downstairs in half an hour.]
Zhong Yin was pleasantly surprised: [Are you really bringing my package?]
001: [Otherwise, should I come just to say hello?]
Zhong Yin: “…”
[Here now.]
Her phone buzzed just as she looked up and spotted a boy standing beneath the parasol tree in front of the building.
The cold was biting; the area was deserted.
He carried a backpack, held his phone in one hand, the other lazily shoved in his pocket, Bluetooth earbuds in his ears. His black, messy bangs shadowed his sharp eyebrows.
The swaying tree shadows and red leaves on his shoulder added a vivid splash of color.
But the next moment, Yi Chen noticed her and gave a look that said, “What are you staring at? Come over already.”
Handsome, yes. Annoyingly cheeky, absolutely.
Zhong Yin sighed and stepped forward.
Up close, she saw his nose was red from the cold. His pale complexion made the color stand out clearly.
He pulled out his earbuds and casually nudged the box with his foot. “Aunt Bai sent you winter clothes. Can you carry it up yourself?”
His nasal tone caught her attention. She raised her eyes. “Are you sick?”
Yi Chen snorted softly.
His face was paler than usual, lips dry.
Sick yet out in the cold wind, forced to bring her package…
Zhong Yin immediately forgave him and sincerely said, “Thank you.”
Yi Chen twisted his mouth and dragged out the words, “It’s what a servant should do.”
Zhong Yin pretended not to hear. “I’ll treat you to a meal as thanks, okay?”
Yi Chen glanced at her, smirking, “In your dreams.”
“…?”
Zhong Yin was confused.
Did he think one meal was too little for such a big favor, or that her wanting to eat with him was unrealistic?
Either way, it was ridiculous.
She mused on the depth of Chinese culture and half-heartedly said, “Fine, then what do you want me to do?”
Yi Chen ignored her and gestured at the box with his chin. “Can you carry it?”
—
Two boxes, one large and one small.
The bigger one was surely the winter clothes, but the smaller?
“It’s a cake my mom made for you.”
“Thank Aunt Gu for me.” Zhong Yin bent to lift the boxes and said, “Next time, if you need any help from me… huh.”
The smaller box was unusually heavy. She misjudged her grip and stumbled backward, nearly falling.
Luckily, only nearly.
Someone caught her from behind, pulling her into a cold embrace.
His scent was clean, a faint hint of laundry detergent.
His hand gripped her waist briefly, then let go.
His bones were hard; her back ached from the impact.
Before she could recover, Yi Chen withdrew his hand as if burned, his face flushed.
Still shaken, Zhong Yin patted her chest. “Thanks.”
Yi Chen ignored her and silently lifted the boxes.
Though slender, the heavy boxes felt like light toys in his hands as he strode swiftly.
Zhong Yin hurried to keep up, embarrassed. “It’s troublesome to enter the girls’ dorm. I’ll carry them myself.”
Yi Chen suddenly stopped, lowered his eyelids, and fixed his gaze on her. Zhong Yin thought she’d said something wrong until he spoke softly:
“And then you’d fall on me again?”
“…”
Although he had caught her just now, this remark sounded off.
As if accusing her of falling on purpose?
“You’re overthinking,” Zhong Yin earnestly explained, “It was an accident.”
Yi Chen gave a noncommittal hum.
Before she could say more, they arrived at the dorm entrance. The dorm supervisor called out from inside: “Wait, no males allowed inside. What’s going on?”
Yi Chen: “Helping her carry stuff, five minutes.”
The supervisor pointed to the sign-in sheet: “Register name, contact, ID, duration, and leave your ID here.”
Zhong Yin was ready for Yi Chen to get annoyed and leave, but surprisingly, he paused, set down the boxes, and approached the desk. “I don’t have my ID. Is a student card okay?”
Zhong Yin glanced at him.
If Yi Chen bringing her package was already a shock, his willingness to endure the hassle and carry it upstairs stunned her even more.
The supervisor was cautious. “Let me see.”
Yi Chen handed over his student card. The supervisor put on reading glasses and scrutinized it. “Oh, from our school? Fine, go ahead—but five minutes, okay!”
Zhong Yin sweetly thanked her: “Thank you, Auntie.”
The supervisor looked at the young couple and sighed, “Young lady, you have a good boyfriend. He even delivers your packages to the dorm door—he must really care about you!”
“…………”