Ruan Qing looked at the man, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “If you... have any questions, just give me a call. I’ll head back to school first.”
The man nodded, “Alright.”
The young boy wasn’t surprised that his good older brother agreed, it was just to make him obediently go home.
After all, if he caused trouble and didn’t go home, it would only invite their father’s anger, and no one would benefit from that.
But the more important reason was that he couldn’t do anything with his current body, and the young man wouldn’t regard him as a man, so he agreed.
Hmph, arrogant man.
Thinking he’s got everything under control.
He would make him pay for underestimating him.
After all, he didn’t plan on staying like this forever.
His good older brother probably didn’t know, but the Qi family indeed didn’t need two heirs, but as long as the other died, he could grow up normally.
After all, if he was the only one left in the Qi family, the position of heir would naturally belong to him.
With the man’s agreement, there were no more surprises. Ruan Qing directly left with the young boy.
Originally, Ruan Qing just wanted to get to the entrance of the residential area, then find a hotel nearby and spend the night.
But unexpectedly, the young boy instructed the driver to take him back to school at the fastest speed. When Ruan Qing returned to school, the dormitory door wasn’t even closed yet.
Ruan Qing waved politely at the young boy waving to him from the car and said goodbye.
As the luxury car disappeared into the night, Ruan Qing sighed in his heart and returned to the dormitory listlessly.
Generally, the dormitories at the First University were four-person rooms, and Ruan Qing’s dormitory was no exception.
But he only occupied the dormitory room.
Because there boys in their batch were divided in multiples of four and there were two more left, the extra two were assigned to one dormitory.
That’s him and Qi Shen.
But Qi Shen had never been to the dormitory, so Ruan Qing was the only one living here.
Ruan Qing particularly liked this because living alone was very comfortable.
Moreover, since he lived alone, he bought a new large bed and placed it in the corner, much more comfortable than the one at school.
After returning to the dormitory room, Ruan Qing collapsed onto his own large bed. Although he only went to deliver a certificate and prizes, he felt that a lot had happened.
He felt extremely mentally exhausted.
Also, today he didn’t seem like himself. He felt like he had become much more indifferent.
Clearly, he used to be very kind.
Ruan Qing suddenly paused. Wait, why did he think he was kind?
Shouldn’t the term “kind” be used to evaluate others? How could one use that to evaluate oneself?
Most people wouldn’t think of themselves as unkind just because they didn’t hug a mischievous child, right?
This was so strange.
And he always felt that everything that happened today was very strange. Even his reactions were not quite like him.
Just as Ruan Qing was puzzled and wanted to carefully recall, a strong drowsiness came over, interrupting his doubts and thoughts.
His eyelids started to uncontrollably close, as if he was about to fall asleep the next second.
A struggling expression appeared on Ruan Qing’s face, but ultimately, he couldn’t resist the urge to sleep, lying down and entering the realm of dreams.
It was not even a minute, and he hadn’t even taken off his shoes.
He hadn’t even laid his head on the pillow, not in a comfortable position at all.
Rather than falling asleep from exhaustion, it seemed more like suddenly being forced into a state of dormancy.
***
When Ruan Qing woke up, his brain was still a bit fuzzy, completely looking like someone who hadn’t fully awakened.
But he felt uncomfortable all over, and half of his body was a bit numb.
Ruan Qing struggled to sit up against the bed, then reached out to rub his temples.
However, because of his movement, the numbness intensified. His delicate little face wrinkled directly, and he dared not move again.
The whole person exuded a sense of grievance, like a bullied little kitten.
Ruan Qing sat for several minutes until the numbness completely disappeared. He picked up his phone and checked the time; it was already seven in the morning.
Yesterday was indeed too tiring; he actually fell asleep as soon as he got back.
Ruan Qing seemed to have already forgotten the anomalies he noticed last night and overlooked anything out of place. He sat on the edge of the bed, furrowing his brows, looking somewhat distressed as he stared at his phone.
This was because he had received a text message on his phone, sent just a minute ago.
[I checked, you don’t have morning classes, right? Let’s meet at the school gate at 9 AM, and remember to bring your ID card and household registration.]
The message was signed ‘Qi.’
Obviously, this message was from Qi Shen, considering the contact number matched the one the counselor gave him yesterday.
Ruan Qing had a good memory; he remembered it with just a glance and didn’t need to check the chat records to confirm it.
The problem was, he only said yesterday that he would take responsibility just to prevent Qi Shen from jumping off the window.
But the words were already spoken, and going back on them didn’t seem right. What if Qi Shen attempted suicide again because of his refusal?
He couldn’t be there to save him every moment.
Ruan Qing, troubled, rubbed his head, contemplating how to handle the situation.
However, after thinking for a long time, Ruan Qing couldn’t come up with a solution. His mind was in complete disarray, lacking the clarity and logic it usually possessed.
It was just an accident; why did it escalate to this point?
Moreover, the First University had those large bathhouses, and many boys used to go together to shower. It didn’t seem like there was a need to take responsibility in such a situation.
Was Qi Shen the type of puritan who was so pure that he felt tainted if someone merely looked at him?
...That was also a possibility.
Ruan Qing took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and tentatively sent a text.
[Classmate Qi, I think getting married now is a bit too fast. It’s not that I don’t want to take responsibility; I just always believe that the ambiguous and romantic period is the most beautiful in a relationship. I don’t want to skip this process and go straight into marriage.]
[So, can we start as lovers first? Is that okay?]
After sending the message, Ruan Qing immediately sent another, expressing his thoughts, [Don’t worry, when the time is right, I will definitely marry you.]
After sending the messages, Ruan Qing anxiously looked at his phone, fearing rejection.
Fortunately, the other party didn’t reject him.
[Okay.]
Ruan Qing sighed in relief at the agreed-upon message, but his relief was only halfway.
Because the other party sent a second text.
[Then let’s do some things that lovers do first. See you at nine in the morning.]
Things that lovers do?
Ruan Qing looked at this text, and his slender fingers gently tapped the edge of the phone. His beautiful eyes carried a hint of contemplation.
This might not be a bad opportunity. He could take advantage of this time to change Qi Shen’s perspective, make him realize that being seen naked by someone of the same gender was just a common thing, and there’s no need to take it seriously to the extent of marriage.
Or perhaps make Qi Shen outright dislike him.
That way, he probably wouldn’t insist on making him take responsibility.
Ruan Qing looked at the man, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “If you... have any questions, just give me a call. I’ll head back to school first.”
The man nodded, “Alright.”
The young boy wasn’t surprised that his good older brother agreed, it was just to make him obediently go home.
After all, if he caused trouble and didn’t go home, it would only invite their father’s anger, and no one would benefit from that.
But the more important reason was that he couldn’t do anything with his current body, and the young man wouldn’t regard him as a man, so he agreed.
Hmph, arrogant man.
Thinking he’s got everything under control.
He would make him pay for underestimating him.
After all, he didn’t plan on staying like this forever.
His good older brother probably didn’t know, but the Qi family indeed didn’t need two heirs, but as long as the other died, he could grow up normally.
After all, if he was the only one left in the Qi family, the position of heir would naturally belong to him.
With the man’s agreement, there were no more surprises. Ruan Qing directly left with the young boy.
Originally, Ruan Qing just wanted to get to the entrance of the residential area, then find a hotel nearby and spend the night.
But unexpectedly, the young boy instructed the driver to take him back to school at the fastest speed. When Ruan Qing returned to school, the dormitory door wasn’t even closed yet.
Ruan Qing waved politely at the young boy waving to him from the car and said goodbye.
As the luxury car disappeared into the night, Ruan Qing sighed in his heart and returned to the dormitory listlessly.
Generally, the dormitories at the First University were four-person rooms, and Ruan Qing’s dormitory was no exception.
But he only occupied the dormitory room.
Because there boys in their batch were divided in multiples of four and there were two more left, the extra two were assigned to one dormitory.
That’s him and Qi Shen.
But Qi Shen had never been to the dormitory, so Ruan Qing was the only one living here.
Ruan Qing particularly liked this because living alone was very comfortable.
Moreover, since he lived alone, he bought a new large bed and placed it in the corner, much more comfortable than the one at school.
After returning to the dormitory room, Ruan Qing collapsed onto his own large bed. Although he only went to deliver a certificate and prizes, he felt that a lot had happened.
He felt extremely mentally exhausted.
Also, today he didn’t seem like himself. He felt like he had become much more indifferent.
Clearly, he used to be very kind.
Ruan Qing suddenly paused. Wait, why did he think he was kind?
Shouldn’t the term “kind” be used to evaluate others? How could one use that to evaluate oneself?
Most people wouldn’t think of themselves as unkind just because they didn’t hug a mischievous child, right?
This was so strange.
And he always felt that everything that happened today was very strange. Even his reactions were not quite like him.
Just as Ruan Qing was puzzled and wanted to carefully recall, a strong drowsiness came over, interrupting his doubts and thoughts.
His eyelids started to uncontrollably close, as if he was about to fall asleep the next second.
A struggling expression appeared on Ruan Qing’s face, but ultimately, he couldn’t resist the urge to sleep, lying down and entering the realm of dreams.
It was not even a minute, and he hadn’t even taken off his shoes.
He hadn’t even laid his head on the pillow, not in a comfortable position at all.
Rather than falling asleep from exhaustion, it seemed more like suddenly being forced into a state of dormancy.
***
When Ruan Qing woke up, his brain was still a bit fuzzy, completely looking like someone who hadn’t fully awakened.
But he felt uncomfortable all over, and half of his body was a bit numb.
Ruan Qing struggled to sit up against the bed, then reached out to rub his temples.
However, because of his movement, the numbness intensified. His delicate little face wrinkled directly, and he dared not move again.
The whole person exuded a sense of grievance, like a bullied little kitten.
Ruan Qing sat for several minutes until the numbness completely disappeared. He picked up his phone and checked the time; it was already seven in the morning.
Yesterday was indeed too tiring; he actually fell asleep as soon as he got back.
Ruan Qing seemed to have already forgotten the anomalies he noticed last night and overlooked anything out of place. He sat on the edge of the bed, furrowing his brows, looking somewhat distressed as he stared at his phone.
This was because he had received a text message on his phone, sent just a minute ago.
[I checked, you don’t have morning classes, right? Let’s meet at the school gate at 9 AM, and remember to bring your ID card and household registration.]
The message was signed ‘Qi.’
Obviously, this message was from Qi Shen, considering the contact number matched the one the counselor gave him yesterday.
Ruan Qing had a good memory; he remembered it with just a glance and didn’t need to check the chat records to confirm it.
The problem was, he only said yesterday that he would take responsibility just to prevent Qi Shen from jumping off the window.
But the words were already spoken, and going back on them didn’t seem right. What if Qi Shen attempted suicide again because of his refusal?
He couldn’t be there to save him every moment.
Ruan Qing, troubled, rubbed his head, contemplating how to handle the situation.
However, after thinking for a long time, Ruan Qing couldn’t come up with a solution. His mind was in complete disarray, lacking the clarity and logic it usually possessed.
It was just an accident; why did it escalate to this point?
Moreover, the First University had those large bathhouses, and many boys used to go together to shower. It didn’t seem like there was a need to take responsibility in such a situation.
Was Qi Shen the type of puritan who was so pure that he felt tainted if someone merely looked at him?
...That was also a possibility.
Ruan Qing took a deep breath, picked up his phone, and tentatively sent a text.
[Classmate Qi, I think getting married now is a bit too fast. It’s not that I don’t want to take responsibility; I just always believe that the ambiguous and romantic period is the most beautiful in a relationship. I don’t want to skip this process and go straight into marriage.]
[So, can we start as lovers first? Is that okay?]
After sending the message, Ruan Qing immediately sent another, expressing his thoughts, [Don’t worry, when the time is right, I will definitely marry you.]
After sending the messages, Ruan Qing anxiously looked at his phone, fearing rejection.
Fortunately, the other party didn’t reject him.
[Okay.]
Ruan Qing sighed in relief at the agreed-upon message, but his relief was only halfway.
Because the other party sent a second text.
[Then let’s do some things that lovers do first. See you at nine in the morning.]
Things that lovers do?
Ruan Qing looked at this text, and his slender fingers gently tapped the edge of the phone. His beautiful eyes carried a hint of contemplation.
This might not be a bad opportunity. He could take advantage of this time to change Qi Shen’s perspective, make him realize that being seen naked by someone of the same gender was just a common thing, and there’s no need to take it seriously to the extent of marriage.
Or perhaps make Qi Shen outright dislike him.
That way, he probably wouldn’t insist on making him take responsibility.
