Chapter 20

When it comes to understanding something, sometimes it might take a lifetime of stubbornness, and sometimes it might only take a second.

Bai Nan was willing to be the latter, to be a fool.

But there are always some things in life that you can't afford to be confused about, like right now.

Outside the window, the night was deep and the dew was heavy; inside, it was unbearably hot and dry.

The room, less than 20 square meters, was crammed with four burly men. One of them, after recognizing the person at the door, waved to her in a friendly manner.

"Bai Di!"

Bai Nan couldn't bring herself to smile, and simply replied with a faint "Mm".

Huang Wang ignored her coldness and continued to happily point to the bed, saying, "Bai Di, we're about to separate into different beds. Would you like to sleep on the top bunk or the bottom bunk?"

He seemed much more lively than in the morning, and his adaptability was better than hers.

"I... am fine with anything."

She really does anything; no matter where she lies, the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes is men.

"Ahem, the top students choose first, I'm not a good student, so I'll choose last."

The boy who was speaking was sitting in a chair near the door. He was about the same height as Bai Di, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and looked very refined.

"Li Si, don't be modest. If that's the case, I'll have to choose last!" The tall boy standing by the stairs near the bed immediately retorted loudly, "I don't want to sleep by the door, or I might end up turning off the lights for you ancestors every day!"

The boy sitting on the innermost bed board, legs spread wide, said casually, "Then the top students will choose first, Wang Zhuo will choose next, then me, and finally Li Si. It's settled then!"

Huang Wang looked conflicted: "This...isn't that a bad idea? It's not fair to you if Bai Di and I choose first."

Bai Nan was still a little confused. It turned out that the reason she hadn't heard Bai Di's name was because he was a top student.

Are all boys so class-conscious? Or is it because they are in the honors class, so academic performance carries a high weight?

So high that fairness is disregarded.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhuo waved his hand magnanimously:

"What's the big deal? Just don't make me sleep near the door. Besides, Li Si and Peng Lei agreed!"

After hesitating for a few seconds, Huang Wang looked at Bai Nan: "How about you—"

Before he could finish speaking, two tall figures suddenly appeared at the door. One of them, who was rather slender, raised his hand and knocked on the open door.

"Knock knock knock"

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the two people at the door, and they all looked over.

Are all the people in room 401 here?

The person who spoke didn't look like a student; he had a somewhat experienced-looking belly with a leather belt around his waist. As he spoke, his gaze swept around the room before settling on the registration form in his hand.

"If everyone is here, let me tell you that the person next to you is your senior from the third year of high school. He will be staying with you temporarily for a year. If you all agree, please sign the form. If the dormitory head has already been chosen, he can sign it alone."

Seeing that the five people in the room were in a daze, he quickly added, "Oh, his name is Xu Xin. He's a top student in the top ten of the senior year. You all need to be careful."

In this context, the word 'vigilance' is associated with being shrewd and observant.

This was a direct invitation to them. Li Si was the first to understand this meaning and immediately said, "Understood, teacher. Where should I sign my name?"

The other four people also went up to sign one after another, and it wasn't until everyone's attention was focused on Bai Nan that she belatedly realized it.

After she finished signing, the dormitory supervisor, swaying her belly, turned and left.

The previously lively atmosphere had quieted down somewhat, but Xu Xin seemed oblivious, walking naturally to Bai Nan and extending his right hand:

"Xiao Di, please guide me in the future."

Bai Nan instinctively grabbed it, and her ears turned bright red a few seconds later.

Xu Xin suddenly calling Bai Di by her nickname gave her the feeling of her grandmother calling her "Nan Nan," and the handshake, which was neither too close nor too distant, made her feel a strange sense of shame.

As soon as the two let go of each other's hands, Peng Lei walked forward casually and extended his hand in a friendly manner: "Hello, senior."

Xu Xin glanced up at him, ignored him, and turned to Huang Wang, saying, "Hello, I hope we can get along well in the future."

Bai Nan glanced at his back and inexplicably sensed his unhappiness, but not understanding who had upset him, she didn't pay much attention.

Sharing a dorm room with a senior is already uncomfortable, not to mention that this senior seems a bit difficult to get along with.

The previously agreed-upon plan for separate beds fell apart and became obsolete due to Xu Xin's involvement.

"Um..." Huang Wang had met Xu Xin once in the cafeteria and was somewhat used to his cold attitude: "Senior, you can choose your bed first."

Li Si also stood up and made way for him to choose: "We are currently assigning beds and haven't decided who will choose first yet. Since you're here, senior, you can choose first."

Wang Zhuo wanted to say something, but after scratching the back of his head, he shut up.

The dormitory space was not large to begin with. Before the beds were chosen, everyone's luggage was placed on the floor. There was even a folded sofa ball next to Peng Lei, occupying half of the aisle.

Xu Xin walked over, stood next to the spherical sofa, pointed to the bed under Peng Lei's butt, and casually said, "I'll sleep here."

Before anyone could react, he pointed to the upper bunk and said, "Xiao Di will sleep here."

Finally, he added, "Do as you please."

Even the slowest person could sense Xu Xin's hostility towards Peng Lei, but surprisingly, Peng Lei didn't show any anger. Instead, he obediently got off the bed.

When Xu Xin 'accidentally' stepped on the edge of the sofa, she didn't get angry, but waited for his foot to move away before moving her own foot.

The atmosphere suddenly became strange. Anyone with a bit of sense would understand that these two either had some old grudges or their personalities clashed; in short, they were irreconcilable enemies.

Fearing being splattered with blood, Li Si was the first to dodge, and quickly discussed the matter with Huang Wang and Wang Zhuo. After that, the beds for the three of them were arranged.

In the end, only the bed closest to the door was left. Peng Lei didn't say anything, picked up the sofa ball, and lay down.

The school dormitories are quite nice; in addition to basic amenities such as air conditioning, bedding, and trash cans, each dormitory has a private bathroom.

During the two years that Bai Nan lived at the No. 1 High School, he was even more comfortable than at home.

However, back then we lived in a girls' dormitory, and everyone was quite sweet and cozy. Now, living among a bunch of boys, even if I don't say that life will be hell in the future, it certainly won't be more comfortable than before.

At 11:30 PM, the dormitory lights were turned off on time.

Bai Nan opened her eyes and lay on the thin mattress.

The emergency indicator light in the hallway shines through the glass of the dormitory door, leaving a green light on the white ceiling.

Her eyes widened as she stared blankly at the green light.

My mind went from "So I'm sleeping in the boys' dorm like this?" to "I wonder how Bai Di is doing?" and then to "Why is Xu Xin in the same dorm as her?"

The moment Xu Xin's name is mentioned, it's as if my brain instantly captures the key words, and all that's left are questions about Xu Xin:

Why did Xu Xin suddenly transfer to City C?

Why does Xu Xin dislike Peng Lei?

What case happened in Taipei seven years ago? Is it related to Xu Xin?

Xu Xin, Xu Xin, Xu Xin...

Bai Nan quickly shook his head, trying to shake the name out of his mind, but he forgot that the person living in the lower bunk was himself.

The phone screen next to my pillow suddenly lit up, and the white light instantly pierced the ceiling, illuminating half of the dormitory.

Bai Nan immediately pulled the air conditioning blanket over her head and carefully opened the message. She wasn't quite used to this new phone yet; her usual watch didn't have such a large screen or such a glaring light.

[Anonymous: What?]

It was a message from Xu Xin; she belatedly realized that he had noticed her shaking her head earlier.

[Mu Nan: It's nothing, I just have trouble sleeping.]

[Anonymous: What are you thinking about?]

Bai Nan felt a little embarrassed when she saw the message. She couldn't very well tell the person in question that she was thinking about them just now, could she?

[Konami: Well... it's a little... weird to be sharing a room with so many guys for the first time?]

There was no further movement from the other end, but the screen kept displaying "The other party is typing".

A while later, a new message popped up.

[Anonymous: Moving tomorrow, two-person room.]

Bai Nan: "???"

[Munan: Huh? What do you mean?]

The other side is very fast this time.

[Anonymous: I just applied for a double room with the principal, and she approved it.]

Bai Nan: "??????"

Now it was her turn to not know how to reply, but she couldn't not reply at all.

【Mu Nan: 666】

Now, without needing to reply to the other party, Bai Nan felt his response.

After all, with the lower bunk swaying like that, it's hard for the upper bunk not to feel it.

[Munan: I'm not talking anymore, I'm going to sleep (with a bonus peaceful emoji)]

There was still no response from the other side, but the bed shook even more violently. Bai Nan helplessly poked her head out and said to the person below:

"Stop laughing, go to sleep!"

She kept her voice very low, since the other beds were completely silent, and they were probably all asleep.

Once the noise from the lower bunk stopped, Bai Nan was almost in the hazy state before falling asleep, her consciousness gradually sinking.

Swish—

The screen lit up again, piercing her head and instantly dispelling her sleepiness.

[Wilder: My dear classmates, are you able to sleep?]

It was Bai Lu who went crazy in the group chat.

[0: The thought of military training tomorrow makes me want to die, how can I possibly sleep? (Bonus: Zhang Yi struggling to walk in a strong wind emoji)]

Even after being tortured twice, Li Ling still felt like she wanted to die during military training.

[Munan: If you don't send me a message, I'll fall asleep...]

【0: ? ? ? 】

[0: What nonsense are you talking about? I just finished gossiping about the class next door, how could you fall asleep so quickly?]

【0: Wait for me to see...】

Holy crap! Bai Nan instantly snapped back to reality; he'd forgotten to change his group nickname!

She quickly messaged Bai Di, telling him to pretend to be sleepy and talk to Li Ling a few more times to distract her.

A long minute passed, and Li Ling didn't send any more messages, so Bai Nan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

[Wang: What are you guys talking about? I can't sleep either...]

Bai Nan peeked out from under the covers and looked down at the bed. She saw Huang Wang also tucked under the covers and replying to messages, with a sliver of light peeking through the edge of the covers.

By this time, Bai Di and Bai Nan had finished rehearsing their testimonies, and Bai Di quickly sent a message in the group chat.

[Yan: @AnonymousXinGe, where are you guys doing military training tomorrow?]

Xu Xin didn't reply to him; he was probably already asleep.

To outsiders, Xu Xin and Bai Di seem to have a pretty good relationship; at least Xu Xin is willing to talk to him.

[Wilder: Aren't you guys sharing a dorm room? Why didn't you just ask to my face?]

Bai Nan quickly peeked down to the lower bunk to make sure Xu Xin was asleep before asking Bai Di to reply to the message.

[Yan: He seems to be asleep. Never mind, I'll ask him tomorrow.]

At this moment, Huang Wang also chimed in with a comment.

[Wang: Yeah, senior should be asleep, he hasn't checked his phone.]

call--

Bai Nan let out a long sigh. These days were more torturous than those of secret agents in movies.

One must always be on high alert, otherwise it is easy to give oneself away if one is not careful, especially in front of Bai Lu.

Only after everyone in the group finished chatting, went to sleep, and logged off did she finally relax completely.

Less than five minutes after turning off the screen, she fell into a deep sleep.