Ning Guiqu bought a bowl of beef noodles for Shi Wen. Upon his return, Shi Wen was moved to tears with gratitude. Ning Guiqu then proceeded to scrub his white sneakers.
He scrubbed… for half an hour. And he was still scrubbing.
Lu Yuan resisted all curiosity and refused to pay attention to Ning Guiqu. Shi Wen, who came back from the bathroom with his phone in hand, paused in his steps. “Xiao Qu, how long have you been scrubbing those shoes? If you can’t clean them, why not just throw them away?”
Ning Guiqu continued scrubbing. “Even if I throw them away, they need to be clean first.”
Shi Wen didn’t understand. “Are you perhaps too much of a clean freak?”
Ning Guiqu wasn’t obsessed with cleanliness; he just found the shoe print extremely irritating! He wouldn’t be satisfied until he scrubbed it off.
Ning Guiqu lowered his head and violently scrubbed his white shoes, his voice eerily calm, “If you need to rest, just tell me. I can continue scrubbing tonight.”
Shi Wen: “…I’ve already slept all morning. Let me ask Lu Yuan if he’s taking an afternoon nap.”
“Lu Yuan, are you napping this afternoon?”
Lu Yuan: “…..”
“No.”
Shi Wen received an answer and said sincerely, “Xiao Qu, scrub to your heart’s content.”
Xiao Qu scrubbed even more vigorously!
Who was the idiot who stepped on his shoes?
After scrubbing for a while longer, the white shoes were almost clean, but not quite. Ning Guiqu absolutely couldn’t tolerate any stains on a pair of white shoes, so he placed them under the balcony, planning to continue scrubbing when he returned in the evening.
Mainly because Lu Yuan was about to leave, without even taking his computer. Ning Guiqu didn’t even wipe his hands dry. He quickly intercepted Lu Yuan. His eyes were sincere, and his voice was docile. “Where are you going? Can I come with you?”
Lu Yuan: “…..”
He shouldn’t have agreed to that meal yesterday.
Lu Yuan: “Basketball club. Internal practice, you probably can’t attend.”
Ning Guiqu was startled. Basketball club? The protagonist gong was in the basketball club! The book never mentioned Lu Yuan being in the basketball club! Logically speaking, since Lu Yuan and the protagonist gong were both considered campus heartthrobs at their school, if they both played basketball together, how could the book not have mentioned Lu Yuan at all?
Could it be that Lu Yuan was terrible at basketball, the kind who couldn’t even get on the court during matches?
What was Lu Yuan’s relationship with the protagonist gong then? They were in the same basketball club. But Ning Guiqu felt there probably wasn’t much of a relationship. If he were one of the protagonist gong’s good friends, he would have at least made an appearance in the book.
He was probably just too bad at basketball, and the protagonist gong looked down on Lu Yuan.
Ning Guiqu was about to inquire further when Shi Wen poked his head out. “Xiao Qu, you and Xiao Jiang need to go to drama club rehearsal this afternoon. Xiao Jiang has already asked in our group chat if you’ve left yet.”
The corners of Lu Yuan’s lips seemed to curl up slightly.
“Ning Guiqu, rehearse well.” With those words, he left without looking back.
Ning Guiqu: “…..”
Ning Guiqu wiped his hands and glanced at his phone. Sure enough, Jiang Xu had already tagged him in the group chat about attending the drama club in the afternoon.
The original owner joined a drama club that required rehearsals every weekend. Jiang Xu was also part of this drama club. Ning Guiqu had absolutely no interest in such drama clubs and didn’t want to go on stage to recite those cringe-worthy lines.
According to Jiang Xu’s casual mention, Ning Guiqu learned that the original cannon fodder joined this club purely because Jiang Xu had invited him. The original owner, after all, was known for being considerate, so he probably agreed.
And he, too, had to continue playing the role of the considerate original owner. He didn’t know what the original owner thought, but when he saw Jiang Xu—
“Guiqu and Lu Yuan are both my roommates. Guiqu’s right there; of course, you can take a photo with him.”
After Ning Guiqu arrived at the club, Jiang Xu brought a girl over to take a photo with him.
The girl exclaimed excitedly, “Ning Guiqu, can we really take a photo?”
Jiang Xu: “Of course. Right, Guiqu?”
Ning Guiqu forced a stiff yet appropriate smile, “Sure.”
And then—
He took a photo with the girl.
Yes!
Since coming to this club, his daily routine involved people coming to take photos with him. And these photo requests were always initiated by Jiang Xu. Even when girls said it wasn’t necessary, Jiang Xu would insist on taking a photo with a handsome guy as a memento. In short! Jiang Xu was using him to curry favor and make friends.
How despicable!
[Stupid Jiang Xu, I really want to blast you into outer space with a cannon!]
Ning Guiqu angrily jabbed at his phone screen.
“Ning-xuedi1学弟 (xué dì) – junior or younger male schoolmate, stop playing with your phone. Come over for rehearsal.”
Ning Guiqu put away his phone and once again displayed a polite smile, “Coming.”
Ning Guiqu and the others were currently rehearsing “Snow White”. Ning Guiqu played one of the seven dwarfs.
Originally, they wanted Ning Guiqu to play the prince. But the original owner couldn’t deliver the prince’s lines, turning bright red whenever he tried. However, given Ning Guiqu’s good looks, the club president was determined to have him play a role. So Ning Guiqu ended up as a dwarf, specifically a dwarf without any lines.
After all, with seven dwarfs, Ning Guiqu could easily blend in. The current Ning Guiqu, who had transmigrated, could accept this arrangement.
The rehearsal lasted until five in the afternoon. Afterwards, Ning Guiqu, out of friendly roommate courtesy, asked Jiang Xu, “Want to have dinner together?”
Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, “Nah, I’m going to meet someone who’s… you know.”
??
Meeting someone to go clubbing??
Ning Guiqu, already committed to his act, continued playing along and grunted in acknowledgment.
As they walked out of the club, Jiang Xu said, “I didn’t expect you to be so naughty under that proper exterior. Want me to introduce someone to you?”
Ning Guiqu was puzzled. Introduce what?
Just as Ning Guiqu was about to refuse, Jiang Xu continued, “Oh wait, you’re gay. I don’t have any gay connections.”
Ning Guiqu was shocked.
How did Jiang Xu know? Could Jiang Xu be gay too?
Jiang Xu put his hands in his pockets, glanced at Ning Guiqu, and said smugly, “Wondering how I know? Let me clarify, I’m not gay, but I can tell. Only gay guys are this obsessed with cleanliness. I suspect Lu Yuan is too, he’s always so meticulous.”
Realizing Jiang Xu was just guessing, Ning Guiqu felt relieved. He didn’t want people to know about his sexual orientation yet. He was indeed gay; he hadn’t been lying to that pretty foreign language girl that day.
But he had already decided to remain single for life.
However, Ning Guiqu felt that Lu Yuan was probably straight. Although he hadn’t seen Lu Yuan being particularly close to any girls, he had a gut feeling that Lu Yuan was definitely straight!
Ning Guiqu gently refuted, “You’re being too absolute. Are you saying straight men can’t be clean? Don’t you care about cleanliness?”
Jiang Xu stopped walking as he and Ning Guiqu parted ways at the teaching building. He was heading off campus, while Ning Guiqu was going to the cafeteria.
“I don’t care about it. And my intuition tells me you’re not straight. Don’t worry, I’m just asking. I’m not interested in you gay guys. Bye?”
Ning Guiqu: “…Bye.”
[Jiang Xu seems to have a brain, I won’t curse him anymore]
Lu Yuan, who was still at the basketball club, had just picked up his phone when he saw this message from Ning Guiqu.
Not cursing Jiang Xu anymore.
Was he still cursing him…
“You check your phone as soon as you’re off the court. Are you in love?” Song Huai casually tossed a water bottle to Lu Yuan, who caught it smoothly. Under his friend’s gossipy gaze, Lu Yuan put away his phone, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig of water.
“Who would I be in love with?”
Song Huai said matter-of-factly, “That prettiest roommate of yours? Was that a message from him? You were in the same class in high school, haven’t you established a good roommate relationship yet?”
Although Song Huai and Lu Yuan were in the same high school, they weren’t classmates. However, when Song Huai came to play basketball with Lu Yuan, he had seen Ning Guiqu, whose looks were indeed eye-catching. But back then, Song Huai didn’t pay much attention.
Lu Yuan tightened the bottle cap again, his expression calm. “He’s a guy, and I’m straight. Also, I’ll tell Xu Zhi you said my roommate is pretty. Did you two have a fight recently? I haven’t seen him come around at all.”
Song Huai: “…”
Song Huai sighed, “I just held his hand in public, that’s all. Does he still want to keep our relationship underground or what?”
Song Huai propped himself up with both hands and looked at Lu Yuan helplessly. He seemed to be seeking comfort.
Lu Yuan felt a chill. He had absolutely no interest in comforting his gay friend who had been dating since high school.
Just then, Lu Yuan’s phone chimed again, this time from his college WeChat account, a message from Ning Guiqu.
[Have you eaten dinner? Let’s eat together?]
Lu Yuan coldly refused without hesitation.
Song Huai curiously leaned over to look, but Lu Yuan immediately turned off his phone screen, expressionless.
Song Huai: “…”
Song Huai clicked his tongue and stood up, “How boring. I’m going to pick up Xiao Zhi for dinner.”
Lu Yuan also stood up, his phone flashing again. It was from another WeChat account.
[Stupid Lu Yuan, go to Antarctica now! Go be a slave to the penguins!]
[Is this how you treat a friend? How despicable!]
Lu Yuan fell silent. His attitude towards friends…
The love-struck Song Huai, who had just left, had nothing to say. But Ning Guiqu wasn’t the same personality as Song Huai.
If Ning Guiqu considered him a friend… then his attitude was indeed terrible. Lu Yuan’s conscience returned, and he sent a follow-up message: [Let’s go together. Wait for me at the cafeteria entrance]
After sending it, Lu Yuan looked at the “stupid” message Ning Guiqu sent from the other account. So he was still stupid. Now, he had even become a slave to penguins. But how come Jiang Xu was suddenly smart?
Lu Yuan felt he shouldn’t care about these things, but surely no one wants to be called stupid, right?
It would be fine if everyone was treated the same, but Jiang Xu seemed to be an exception.
[What kind of indecisiveness does Lu Yuan have? One minute he wants to eat with me, the next he doesn’t. A thousand thoughts in a minute. Did the penguin army invade his brain? I really want to crack it open and see what’s inside!]
Lu Yuan: “…”
Lu Yuan saw Ning Guiqu at the cafeteria entrance. Ning Guiqu waved at him with smiling eyes. If he didn’t know about the WeChat rants, he would never have imagined that Ning Guiqu’s true nature was… like that!
You really can’t judge a book by its cover.
Ning Guiqu felt that Lu Yuan’s glances towards him were somewhat complex, but whenever he looked back, Lu Yuan would avert his gaze. While queuing to buy food, Ning Guiqu poked at his phone again.
Lu Yuan glanced at the screen.
[Big idiot.]
Though it didn’t specify who, Lu Yuan felt it was directed at him. He stared at Ning Guiqu’s head with a pensive look.
So, what did Jiang Xu do?
While eating, Lu Yuan casually chatted with Ning Guiqu, “Who do you think is the smartest in our dorm?”
Ning Guiqu: ?
Wasn’t it obvious who the smartest in their dorm was? Did Lu Yuan want to hear praise? How should he compliment him?
Ning Guiqu put down his chopsticks and replied seriously, “You. Actually, you shouldn’t compare yourself to just our dorm. You should compare yourself to the whole school. Lu Yuan, you’re the smartest person in the entire school!”
Lu Yuan felt embarrassed, but he didn’t believe it.
“What about Shi Wen? Do you think he’s smart?”
Ning Guiqu considered his words carefully. “He got into Linhai University, which shows he’s intelligent enough. It’s just that sometimes, he can be a bit absentminded.”
Ning Guiqu tried to make his words sound as friendly as possible.
Lu Yuan asked, “What about Jiang Xu?”
Ning Guiqu replied, “He’s very smart. He has a pair of wise eyes. But in other aspects, he’s not as good as you.”
Lu Yuan ate his meal slowly. Ning Guiqu’s praise for him felt hollow, but his compliments for Jiang Xu seemed genuine. Even mentioning his wise eyes. Lu Yuan thought that because he didn’t have wise-looking eyes, he was always called an “idiot” in the comments.
But why was Ning Guiqu praising him so emptily on the surface?
Was it to work at his company in the future?
Or was he still not giving up on him?
Lu Yuan really didn’t want to be so narcissistic. But Ning Guiqu had a history. Logically, he shouldn’t have any contact with Ning Guiqu. However, if Ning Guiqu genuinely wanted to be friends, Lu Yuan would feel guilty for shutting him out completely.
He did have a conscience, after all, but he wasn’t the type to engage in ambiguous relationships.
Lu Yuan raised his eyelids.
Ning Guiqu encouraged him warmly, “Lu Yuan, I don’t know why you’re asking me these things. But you must have confidence in yourself! You’ll definitely start your own company.”
Lu Yuan lowered his eyelids, his expression exasperated.
Impressive.
Truly impressive.
Lu Yuan wondered where on earth this company was.
That night, back in the dorm, Ning Guiqu was scrubbing his white sneakers again. Shi Wen, nauseated by the sound, told him to stop.
Ning Guiqu continued scrubbing slowly, “Sorry, I’ll be quieter.”
Shi Wen scratched his head, “That’s not what I meant. I think you should leave the shoes as they are. Those stains won’t come off.”
Realizing Shi Wen wasn’t bothered by the noise, Ning Guiqu resumed scrubbing vigorously.
“I can’t. Not scrubbing makes me anxious. Xiao Shi, when I go shower later, could you secretly throw them away for me? And don’t tell me where you disposed of them.”
Shi Wen: “…Fine.”
Shi Wen sat waiting for Ning Guiqu to shower. Lu Yuan had stopped using his computer and was drinking water while playing on his phone. For a moment, only the sound of Ning Guiqu’s scrubbing filled the room.
As Shi Wen played his game alone, Jiang Xu suddenly called him. Before Shi Wen could speak, Jiang Xu said, “Don’t any of you check the group chat? Look at the post I shared! It’s about Lu Yuan.”
Shi Wen had his phone on speaker.
All three roommates heard it.
Ning Guiqu even wiped his hands and rushed to check his phone. Upon seeing the post, he tensed up.
This was unacceptable!
Absolutely unacceptable!
The post’s title read: [Computer Science Department’s Heartthrob Lu Yuan Likely to Start a Company, Who Wants to Work There?]
The content: “I overheard Lu Yuan talking to his roommate in the study room. His roommate said Lu Yuan is amazing and mentioned starting a company. Honestly, I think it’s quite possible. Many in our major start businesses, though many fail too. But I believe Lu Yuan will succeed! With such a handsome boss, I’d work myself to death at Lu Yuan’s company!”
The comments section was full of replies, even offers to work for free.
Ning Guiqu’s face turned pale.
Shi Wen finished reading and sincerely asked Lu Yuan, “Can I join?”
Lu Yuan was awkwardly contacting the admin to delete the post. The admin hadn’t replied yet, and Lu Yuan was at a loss for how to respond to Shi Wen.
He didn’t have a company.
Ning Guiqu quickly refused on Lu Yuan’s behalf, “You can’t go.”
Shi Wen protested, “Why not? I’m Lu Yuan’s roommate. Why can’t I go? Am I not good enough?”
Ning Guiqu’s inner demon was running wild, cursing everyone in the post! But outwardly, he remained gentle, “You’re excellent. You could find work anywhere.”
Lu Yuan: “……”
Lu Yuan was dumbfounded. Ning Guiqu’s silver tongue really wasn’t wasted; he could say anything.
Ning Guiqu’s words made Shi Wen a bit embarrassed. But he quickly realized something was off and hesitated, “Are you saying only untalented people can go to Lu Yuan’s company?”
Ning Guiqu sat beside Lu Yuan, gripping his phone tightly. He looked at Shi Wen seriously, “No. I mean, Lu Yuan’s company is suitable for people like me.”
Shi Wen: “? What kind of person are you?”
Ning Guiqu’s lips moved, his voice calm, “A capitalist’s lackey.”
Shi Wen: “…”
Lu Yuan: “…”
Then Ning Guiqu turned to face Lu Yuan with utter sincerity in his eyes, “I know many people in the post want to work for free, but they just find it interesting for now. If you don’t pay them, it won’t work. Besides, they’ll definitely badmouth you in private. If you treat them poorly, they’ll quit. But I won’t! Lu Yuan, because I’m your…”
Surely he wasn’t going to say he was Lu Yuan’s dog?
“Shut up!” Lu Yuan hastily scolded, interrupting Ning Guiqu.
Stunned by the rebuke, Ning Guiqu abruptly stood up, muttering, “Why are you yelling?” He grabbed his phone and left.
Before Lu Yuan could react, Ning Guiqu had already gone to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
Lu Yuan: “…”
After Ning Guiqu left, Shi Wen dared to speak, timidly asking, “Did Xiao Qu go to cry in private?”
Lu Yuan wasn’t sure, but he thought it couldn’t be that bad, could it?
But Ning Guiqu said, “Why are you yelling?” before leaving, and his voice sounded a bit hurt. Was he too harsh?
Shi Wen stood up, “I’ll throw away his shoes now. Lu Yuan, you should apologize to Xiao Qu. He has such a good temper. Why did you yell at him?”
Lu Yuan: “…You also think I was yelling at him?”
He just wanted Ning Guiqu to stop talking.
Shi Wen replied matter-of-factly, “If you told me to shut up, I probably wouldn’t think so. But Xiao Qu is naturally gentle. When you speak to him in that tone, of course, he’ll think you’re yelling at him.”
Lu Yuan had to admit, although Ning Guiqu cursed freely in his phone, in reality, he was still a good-tempered pushover. A hint of guilt colored Lu Yuan’s eyes.
As Lu Yuan felt guilty, his phone lit up.
[I really can’t be a bootlicker! Is it too much to want to be Lu Yuan’s loyal subordinate? I’m definitely more reliable than those people on the forum!]
[Lu Yuan is so fierce. What if he yells at me every day when we work together? But it’s really hard to find a job with regular hours and weekends off. Do I really need to change my major?]
Now, Lu Yuan felt not only guilty but also embarrassed.
So, he had meant a loyal subordinate.
He was to dirty-minded.
TL Notes
- 1学弟 (xué dì) – junior or younger male schoolmate
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