Chapter 1 Late Night Crisis
The dormitory building was unusually quiet at three o'clock in the morning, with only the occasional sound of a car engine in the distance breaking the silence.
Pei Song lay on the bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his ears perked up.
He heard his roommate James stumble into the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall, and the crisp sound of a wine bottle falling to the ground made him tremble all over.
"This has happened for the nth time..." Pei Song sighed and turned over and sat up.
Over the past two years of living together, James has always been a perfect roommate - he has good living habits, is friendly to others, and often buys local specialties to share with Pei Song.
As a senior student from Country Y who is about to graduate, James gave Pei Song a lot of advice on study and life.
But in the past month or so, everything has changed.
James began drinking frequently and often came back drunk.
Pei Song found empty wine bottles in the kitchen and living room several times.
He tried to persuade him, but James just smiled and said that this was the normal social way of people from country Y and told him not to take it too seriously.
There was a sound of chaotic footsteps outside, followed by the dull thud of something heavy falling to the ground.
Pei Song finally couldn't help it, put on his coat and walked out of the room.
"James? Are you okay?"
The floor lamp in the living room was emitting a dim light, and James was trying to get up from the ground in a crooked manner.
He was wearing his favorite blue plaid shirt today, but it was wrinkled beyond recognition and there were some wine stains on the collar.
"Oh,
Spencer...my
dear
Spencer..." James looked up, a drunken smile on his face, but his blue eyes were unusually bright.
Pei Song frowned, feeling that something was wrong with James tonight.
He bent down and tried to help the other person up: "You drank too much. Let me help you go back to your room to rest."
"No!" James suddenly grabbed his hand, "I have to say it today!"
"What?" Pei Song was stunned.
"I like you, Spencer." James stumbled to his feet, "I've liked you since the first time I met you. Do you know how much I've suffered in the past two years? Watching you busy in the kitchen every day, watching you being gentle and polite to everyone..."
Pei Song froze in place for a moment, his mind going blank.
He never expected that James, who had always taken care of him like a brother, would have such feelings for him.
What's even more terrifying is that James at this moment is completely different from the person he knew.
"You're shaking, Spencer..." James reached out and brushed Pei Song's face, with a strong smell of alcohol, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you..."
"James, you are drunk..." Pei Song turned his head to avoid his hand, trying to make his voice sound calm, "Let's talk tomorrow..."
Before he finished speaking, James took a step forward, and his strong arms instantly restrained Pei Song's shoulders, and the smell of alcohol hit him in the face.
Pei Song then realized that James, who had been doing fitness exercises for many years, was half a head taller than him and much more muscular.
Normally, he always restrained his strength in a gentle and polite manner, but now, this strong body became the most terrifying threat.
"Don't reject me, Spencer." James' voice became low, and the smell of alcohol sprayed on Pei Song's ears, "I'm about to graduate and return home, at least let me..."
His face slowly moved closer, and Pei Song could clearly see every stubble on his face.
Those usually gentle blue eyes were now bloodshot and flashing with dangerous light.
A chill ran up my spine.
This roommate, with whom I had lived for more than two years, now seemed like a complete stranger.
Just as James' lips were about to touch him, Pei Song's instinct for survival made him burst out with unprecedented strength.
The Taekwondo training he had persisted in came in handy at this moment. He quickly grabbed James' wrist and threw him to the ground with a standard shoulder throw.
James obviously didn't expect that the usually gentle Pei Song would have such skills. He fell heavily to the ground and let out a groan.
"I'm sorry." Pei Song stood there, his voice trembling, "but please keep your distance."
James lay on the ground without moving, and his shoulders began to tremble slightly.
Pei Song thought he was crying at first, but soon realized it was laughter.
"You are... just like me, Spencer." James slowly stood up and smiled bitterly, "Always so gentle, even saying 'I'm sorry' at a time like this."
Pei Song didn't say anything, but just took two steps back and kept a safe distance from James.
"I screwed up, didn't I?" James laughed to himself. "I ruined two years of trust..."
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
The sound of an ambulance siren in the distance sounded particularly harsh in the silent night.
Finally, Pei Song spoke first: "I will stay at my friend's house tonight, and tomorrow... I will move out."
James didn't try to persuade her to stay. He just lowered his head, his shoulders shaking slightly: "I'm
sorry,
Spencer...I'm
really
sorry..."
Pei Song hurried back to the room and hurriedly packed up the necessities.
His hands were still shaking slightly and his mind was in a mess.
At this moment, the cell phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from my good friend Su Mi.
"Songsong, are you still awake? I just saw your status on WeChat Moments. What happened?"
Pei Song then remembered that he had just subconsciously posted a message on WeChat Moments: "Who can take me in for one night..."
He briefly explained the situation to Su Mi, who immediately put down the game in his hand and said he would come to pick him up.
"Wait! I have a better choice!" Su Mi quickly sent another message, "My cousin's apartment next to M University just happened to have an empty room. Although the guy's personality is a bit cold, the accommodation is really good. Do you want to consider it?"
Pei Song was stunned for a moment.
He knew that Su Mi's family was well-off, and considering their long-time friendship, his cousin would not make things difficult for him.
And in this situation, he doesn't have much choice.
"Okay," he replied, "Please contact me."
After packing his simple luggage, Pei Song stood in the middle of the room and took a deep breath.
This place where he had lived for more than two years, the originally warm memories now became so strange and suffocating.
He gently pushed open the door, and James was no longer in the living room.
The tilted shoe cabinet and scattered wine bottles at the entrance were still silently telling what had just happened.
Pei Song quickly put on his shoes and left the place without making any sound.
It was not until he walked out of the dormitory building that Pei Song realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat.
The night wind was a little chilly, but he didn't care about that and walked quickly towards the subway station along the dim light of the street lamps.
Su Mi's message came in time: "My cousin agreed. He said you can go directly to see the room tomorrow. But I remind you that my cousin is a person... Never mind. You will know when you go there."
Pei Song breathed a sigh of relief and replied with a thank you.
Although M University is a bit far from his current residence, it is exactly what he wants.
All he wanted now was to get as far away from this place as possible, and never meet James again.