Chapter 26: The Rival - Are You in a Relationship?

Xie Changyu's memory of that night was not very clear; he only had some fragmented memories and feelings, but it was already very exciting for a novice like him.

His chest heaved slightly, he clicked his tongue in annoyance, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.

Gu Qingjia, who was under the bed, wasn't angry at his words. Instead, she casually said, "Don't you dare peek at me while I'm changing clothes."

The last syllable of his voice carried an inexplicable sarcasm.

Xie Changyu held back, his eyebrows furrowing, and tried to remain calm as he replied, "If there's nothing to see, why would I look at you?"

How do you know I'm not worth watching if you don't even look?

“I’m not interested in men’s bodies anyway. What you have, I have too,” he retorted sarcastically.

The people below fell silent. Xie Changyu couldn't help but laugh, his eyebrows curving into a smug smile that drove the guy crazy.

But his smugness lasted only a few seconds before he felt the bedside shake a few times.

He stopped laughing, leaned out, and cursed, "Are you crazy?"

He certainly wouldn't have dared to say this to Gu Qingjia before, but after what happened and with the other party's inexplicable emotions, he felt he couldn't back down from this guy anymore, and he didn't care whether he lived or died!

Gu Qingjia looked up at the face in front of her, not angry but amused, and changed the subject, saying, "Why are you blushing?"

Hearing this, Xie Changyu touched his face and found it was indeed hot, probably because he had just thought of something inexplicable. But he still stubbornly insisted, crossing his arms and saying, "The air conditioning is too hot, it's a bit stuffy, mind your own business."

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes. This time, they were close enough to see the face of the person in front of them very carefully. Gu Qingjia's eyes were a little bluish, but his face was still the same face, handsome and charming, but it looked strange.

She exuded a different kind of allure than before.

He instinctively felt a bit resistant, leaning back a few steps. He said with a stern face, "What do you want? Why didn't you say anything earlier? Why are you shaking my bed now?"

Gu Qingjia lowered her eyes and said, "Just letting you know I've changed my clothes."

After saying that, she let go of the hand supporting her on the bed, walked back to her own bed, and said, "Okay, you can continue with your work."

Xie Changyu resisted the urge to roll his eyes, feeling like he'd been tricked, and angrily said, "If you're mentally ill, go get it checked!"

He swore he'd be a dog if he ever spoke to that guy again!

This time, he wore a Bluetooth headset to block out the outside noise. He sat there with a ruddy complexion. He was already feeling stuffy from the air conditioning, but this time, his emotions were running high, making him even redder.

For the next month, he didn't speak to Gu Qingjia at all, and she seemed to have returned to normal. Apart from being a little confused on the first day, she acted as if she didn't see Xie Changyu afterward, avoiding suspicion very much.

Xie Changyu also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Qi Yan and Jiang Yue's relationship had eased up a bit this month, and they seemed to have made up.

As winter break approached, he felt nervous about meeting up with his friends. He looked at his closet full of winter clothes and searched for a long time, but couldn't find a single one that he liked.

"What are you looking for?" Qi Yan, still wearing short sleeves, stood beside him and asked curiously.

"Clothes." Xie Changyu practically buried himself in the closet, kneeling there and rummaging through everything.

Qi Yan also squatted down, the two of them very close, and he said softly, "Do you need me to help you find it?"

Xie Changyu refused, "No need, I'll just flip through it once, I'll be done in no time."

Qi Yan hummed in agreement, shifting his position as he continued watching the other person kneeling there searching. "Okay, just say so if you need my help."

It's already the end of December, and New Year's Day is approaching. It snowed lightly all night, and the ground and trees are covered with a thin layer of white snow. The air conditioner in the dormitory is set even higher, and it's just right to wear a short-sleeved shirt. It's very comfortable.

Xie Changyu searched for a long time but couldn't find the handsome clothes he wanted. He gave up, withdrew from the closet, and found that his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He complained, "It's so hot in the closet."

He stood up, grabbed a tissue to wipe his sweat, and said dejectedly, "Forget it, they don't have any clothes that look good to me. I'll just buy some online."

Because he was reminded that the meeting time was approaching, he suddenly rummaged through his closet to see if he had any clothes that would make a good impression. When he found that he didn't, he had no choice but to go online and look up some outfits to buy.

Which one do you want? I'll give it to you.

Qi Yan thought he simply suddenly felt a sense of style and wanted to be a little more fashionable, which made her chuckle, but not wanting to disappoint him, she decided to give him some gifts.

Xie Changyu waved his hand and refused, "No need, I'll just buy this myself."

Qi Yan asked in confusion, "Does it have special significance?"

Xie Changyu pursed her lips and denied it, "No, I just wanted to buy it myself, you don't need to give it to me."

He doesn't want to tell them about his online relationship right now. After all, many people think it's a childish and unreliable thing to do, so he doesn't want to expose it until he gets a clear result.

Besides, it would seem a bit shabby to have someone else send me clothes for a meet-up, so I had to prepare them carefully myself to show that I valued the occasion. Therefore, I refused outright.

Qi Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."

The other two people in the dormitory were also there. It was still snowing outside, so no one went out. In addition, the New Year's Eve party was tomorrow, and all the classes had been finished in advance to give the students time to prepare.

After the party, it'll be New Year's Eve. Xie Changyu turned to Qi Yan and asked, "Where are you going for New Year's Day?"

Qi Yan thought for a moment, "I have something to take care of and need to go out of town. What about you?"

"I'll stay in my dorm room and lie down." Xie Changyu laughed, her tone smug. "It's so cold outside, I'm not going out. It's warmer in the dorm."

Qi Yan smiled and said, "That's a good idea too."

Xie Changyu put the clothes he had just taken out and piled up back in and hung them up again. He clapped his hands and said, "I'm going to wash my hands first."

His phone was still on the table. When he passed Gu Qingjia, he glanced at it unintentionally and found that the other person was looking at his phone and doing something.

After washing his hands, he went to the restroom. When he came out, he found that his phone was on. He picked it up and looked at it in confusion. It was Sui Sui sending him messages non-stop. He also found a record of a three-second phone call that had just been connected.

He held his phone, glanced at the three people in the dorm, and finally fixed his gaze on Qi Yan, asking him, "Qi Yan, did you just answer a call for me?"

Qi Yan looked up, noticing his somewhat unpleasant expression, and replied, "Your phone did ring just now, but Gu Qingjia was closest, so he answered it for you quickly. What happened?"

His tone was concerned, but Xie Changyu didn't answer. He gritted his teeth, his cheeks a little sore, and looked at Gu Qingjia with anger in his eyes. He asked in a stern tone, "Why did you answer my call without my permission?"

Gu Qingjia seemed to be startled awake from his daze. His eyes were initially a little unfocused, then turned strange. He said in a light tone, "I accidentally clicked it."

"you!"

Xie Changyu was furious. This guy actually hung up on Sui Sui for him, and even after answering the call, he paused for three seconds before hanging up, which scared Sui Sui so much that she thought something was wrong with him and started bombarding her with messages.

He rolled his eyes at him, his tone very unpleasant, "Don't touch my phone again."

His cheeks puffed up with anger, and he quickly sat down on the stool to send a message to explain.

Qi Yan glanced at the atmosphere between them, his eyes flickering slightly. He tentatively asked, "What's wrong? Did this guy do something?"

When his phone rang, he heard it immediately and was about to answer it when he saw Gu Qingjia, who was sitting closer to him, quickly grab the phone and take it without saying a word. Three seconds later, she hung up.

At first, he thought it was just some spam call and didn't pay attention, but now it seems that's not the case. He lowered his eyes, as if it was someone very important.

He asked, "Did he hang up on your aunt and uncle?"

Xie Changyu pursed her lips and denied it, "No."

But he didn't say anything more. Qi Yan could tell that the other person wasn't too willing to talk about this topic, so he wisely shut up.

Xie Changyu's feelings were very complicated. He didn't know what had happened in those three seconds, but he could guess what Sui Sui had said. The first thing she said must have been a very affectionate way of addressing him. He looked at Gu Qingjia, frowning, thinking, "This guy must know."

I just don't know how many of them were guessed correctly.

He looked away again, trying to calm Sui Sui down. He didn't know why, but he felt that Sui Sui was becoming more and more…

He seemed prone to losing control of his emotions. Like now, he stared at the call request sent from the other end, answered it, and asked gently, "Are you feeling better now?"

He tried to keep his voice as low as possible, but it was still quite noticeable in the otherwise quiet dormitory; at least Qi Yan heard it completely.

He turned his head to look at that gentle face, lost in thought.

After chatting for a while, Shen Zisui's emotions finally calmed down. Next to him was a sofa that was almost torn apart. His hand holding the phone trembled slightly. "Baby, I'm sorry."

He sighed and rubbed his aching head. He had just called and been suddenly hung up on, and he was terrified, feeling a bit overwhelmed. But now, after being comforted by the other party, he felt much better.

"It's okay." Xie Changyu held the phone close to his ear, turning the volume down as low as possible so that no one else could hear. He breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that the other person had calmed down. "I just went to the bathroom. Don't be afraid."

"Um."

Shen Zisui smiled sweetly, feeling both excited and scared about the upcoming meeting.

The call ended.

Shen Zisui stared at the men's clothes he was wearing and remained silent for a while. He went to the room and opened the wardrobe door. There was a large row of winter fashion women's clothing. These were sent by big brands. In the past, they would send men's clothing, but this year, at his request, they were replaced with women's clothing.

He pointed to one of the items, then looked at them one by one, stroking his chin as he pondered, "Which one should I wear?"

...

On the day of the New Year's Eve party, Qi Yan left early because he was going out of town and didn't have time to watch it. Gu Qingjia, who had been looking gloomy lately, also went out and no one knew what she was doing. Only the two of them were left in the dormitory with nothing to do.

Xie Changyu and Jiang Yue stared at each other in the dormitory. Xie Changyu shrank back, somewhat speechless. "Why are you staring at me like that? Is something wrong?"

Jiang Yue looked up, her expression aloof and unapproachable, and said, "You're in a relationship."

It's not a question, it's a certainty.

Xie Changyu choked, and exclaimed in horror, "What did you say?!"

Jiang Yue's eyes deepened, becoming as black as ink. "You're in a relationship."

Xie Changyu patted his chest, first denying, "No." Then he looked at him questioningly, "Why are you suddenly saying that?"

How did this guy know? He wouldn't be surprised if Gu Qingjia said this, but it sounds strange coming from Jiang Yue.

Xie Changyu got goosebumps for no reason. "Besides, even if I'm in a relationship, it's none of your business."

He wasn't lying; he and Sui Sui hadn't officially started dating yet. Although they were close enough, it was more like an ambiguous relationship.

Jiang Yue didn't explain why he said that, but just glanced at him and said, "I guessed."

"A guess?!" Xie Changyu almost vomited blood. He had nearly given himself away. He caught his breath and said irritably, "Then you guessed wrong."

"Lend me some paper."

Xie Changyu was utterly bewildered by this man's thought process. What was he doing now, suddenly changing the subject? He picked up a tissue from his desk and threw it at him, saying, "If you're given tissues, shut up and stop spreading rumors!"

Jiang Yue took the paper, tore off a few sheets, weighed the package in his hand, and then threw the paper back. He first rubbed the toilet paper a few times, glanced at the pattern on the paper, then wiped his table a few times, and calmly said, "I never spread rumors."

Xie Changyu raised an eyebrow and gave a fake laugh, "You were just spreading rumors."

He wanted to swear.

But he had to endure it; he couldn't afford to offend this person, so he had to...

"I see."

Jiang Yue spoke in a low voice, a stiff smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, his eyes strange, "...I understand."

Xie Changyu really wanted to ask him what he knew.

But he didn't want to stay with this guy any longer. He had just received an invitation from Wen Shu to watch some dance performances. He had initially thought it would be boring and wanted to refuse, but he changed his mind. He felt that being with Jiang Yue was more boring than watching visually enjoyable programs.

So he quickly replied with an "OK," and successfully received a happy hug emoji from the other person.

[Bored God: I'm coming right now!]

Wen Shu: Okay, I'll wait for you here.

Xie Changyu looked at the shared location sent by the other party, changed into warmer clothes, and covered himself up completely before going out.

The snow was light today, but it will start snowing heavily from tomorrow. All the activities were rehearsed indoors, and the event venue was also moved indoors.

However, their school is very luxurious, with a large indoor venue that can accommodate 5,000 people, as well as various lighting designs.

He already knew that Wen Shu would be performing a piece tonight, a piano piece that perfectly suited the image of a campus heartthrob.

He had visited before and Wen Shu had played it for him many times. It was indeed very beautiful, and even he, a tone-deaf person, could appreciate it.

Walking on the thin layer of snow, Xie Changyu wore a pair of snow boots and a cold-proof mask that was tightly pressed against his cheeks. This time, he wore black-rimmed glasses, after all, he was going to see a performance, and he was afraid that he would be embarrassed if he couldn't see clearly if the distance was too far.

Once they reached the main building, he took off his mask, exhaling a large puff of cold air. His black-rimmed glasses made him look rather dull, but his smile was rather innocent.

"You've arrived."

Wen Shu was wearing a white dress, which made her look very thin. She was full of energy and had a gentle demeanor.

A note from the author:

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The battleground is about to erupt.

It has been decided that it will be available for purchase on the 31st.