On the weekend, it was time for the second-year students of the School of Science to move dormitories.
The hallway on the third floor of Building Seven was bustling with noise, filled with voices, footsteps, and the clattering of suitcase wheels rolling over the floor, creating a chaotic and irritating atmosphere.
Lu Yuxing’s daily necessities were mostly simple, so he didn’t have many belongings. Aside from his bed, he managed to pack everything into a few large boxes.
He finished organizing his things earlier than the other two and pushed his suitcase to Dorm 323 ahead of time.
Dorm 323 had previously been occupied by fourth-year students. After the seniors graduated in July, it remained empty, which saved Lu Yuxing and his friends a lot of hassle when changing dorms.
The dorm was quite empty; apart from some dust on the desk and bed, it was overall clean. The large tiled floor was very accommodating for those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, perfectly fitting the preferences of these math students. The space was symmetrically divided by a gap in the floorboards, creating two evenly split halves in the dorm, making it exceptionally uniform.
As soon as Lu Yuxing entered, he noticed this particularly comfortable symmetry. It wasn’t until he reached the end of this line that he spotted a glossy black suitcase.
The suitcase's owner was not in the dorm.
On the occupied bed, there was a handwritten name tag.
Mathematics Department, Shang Jue.
The handwriting was elegant and stylish, with the student ID number below written beautifully.
Lu Yuxing glanced at it for two seconds before looking away.
Although he didn’t have much to carry, the high temperature made him sweat a bit while moving his things.
His black shirt had some sweat stains on it.
Feeling uncomfortable, he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and pulled out another top from his suitcase to change.
Crack—
As the dormitory door opened, a warm breeze blew in, hitting the back of Lu Yuxing’s neck, which was damp with sweat.
He turned to look at the newcomer.
The boy who entered wore a simple black-and-white outfit: a white T-shirt and black pants, topped with a thin black jacket. He carried a heavy backpack slung over his right shoulder, pulling tightly at his shoulder.
With neatly cropped black hair, his skin was pale, and his thin eyelids made his face appear somewhat aloof.
Fortunately, there was a hint of a casual smile at the corner of his mouth, preventing his face from seeming unapproachable.
Shang Jue’s hand was still on the doorknob as he stepped inside. His first sight was Lu Yuxing, who stood across from his bed, and the exposed skin on Lu’s chest, showing off a nicely toned physique.
He smiled and greeted, “Lu, my classmate.”
Lu Yuxing frowned and turned his face away, ignoring him.
Shang Jue lifted his chin slightly and remarked in a tone of feigned praise, “So polite.”
“…” Lu Yuxing wasn’t the kind of person who advocated violence, but every time Shang Jue mocked him in that indifferent tone, he felt an impulse to fight him.
The two stared at each other across the polished hallway. Shang Jue stood against the light, squinting from the glare, yet neither was willing to be the first to look away.
This was the first time they stood this close together since graduating from high school.
Then they both tacitly realized one thing: the other looked even more annoying than a year ago.
The subtle curve of Shang Jue’s smile faded during their standoff.
“Hey, buddy—” a thick voice suddenly called from behind.
“What are you doing standing at our dorm entrance?” Ge Zhicheng, holding a thick stack of books, looked at the figure in confusion.
Shang Jue turned his head.
When Ge Zhicheng got a good look at his face, he froze for a few seconds in place.
Wow, this guy looks amazing!
You wouldn’t find many who could compare even across the entire A City, right?
"Oh, he's Lu Ge," Ge Zhicheng said, recognizing him.
Shang Jue smiled at him. "Room 323 is my dorm too."
"Oh!" Ge Zhicheng hadn't seen his face before, but Shang Jue's voice was quite recognizable; he remembered it from class a couple of days ago. He suddenly realized, "You are Shang Jue, right? I'm Ge Zhicheng, the one sleeping in the bed next to you. We're going to be roommates from now on."
"Hello," Shang Jue replied politely, nodding. The smile at the corner of his mouth seemed genuinely friendly.
Ge Zhicheng was taken aback.
Wow, a new roommate like this is pretty good!
Ge Zhicheng was thus won over by Shang Jue's somewhat deceptive smile.
Lin Xuying was right behind him, silently sizing up the new roommate.
But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't connect Shang Jue with "Lu Yuhang's sworn enemy." The other person appeared quite refined.
Ge Zhicheng was carrying a stack of books that was almost level with his neck, making it difficult to hold.
Shang Jue stepped aside to give him a little path, returning to his own bed.
"Roommate, should we add each other on WeChat?" After putting down his books, Ge Zhicheng cheerfully said to Shang Jue.
Lin Xuying chimed in, "Add me too."
The three of them exchanged contact information.
During this time, Lu Yuhang had remained silent, not changing his clothes again. He had re-buttoned his shirt.
He was just a bed away from Shang Jue, yet neither of them even cast a glance at each other. It felt uncomfortable to look too closely, as if just making eye contact was wrong.
Even Ge Zhicheng, who was a chatty person, noticed that the atmosphere in the dorm was off. After adding Shang Jue on WeChat, he fell silent.
The large dormitory was filled only with the sound of clutter, no voices at all.
This atmosphere persisted until evening.
Once everyone had finished moving their things in, room 323 finally began to feel a bit more like home.
At ten o'clock that night, Ge Zhicheng finished tidying up his bed, grabbed his toiletries, and prepared to go shower on the balcony.
As he passed by Lu Yuhang's bed, he noticed a pile of unopened boxes on the floor. The desk only had a lamp and a book, and the wardrobe was empty. Realizing that Lu Yuhang was genuinely planning to move out, he sighed inwardly.
Turning his head, he discovered that Shang Jue's boxes were also untouched. Only his bed was made, and since Shang Jue had left the dorm earlier that evening, even the chair was empty.
He exclaimed, "Wait, are you two both going for a minimalist and cold style?"
Lu Yuhang, who hadn't glanced at the opposite bed since moving into room 323, turned around to look when he heard Ge Zhicheng speak.
Upon seeing that Shang Jue's bed was almost identical to his own setup, he maintained a neutral expression, but inside he felt a subtle discomfort.
He realized that he actually shared the same intention as Shang Jue.
When Shang Jue returned from outside, it was already half-past eleven, clearly just before curfew.
Ge Zhicheng and Lin Xuying were already in bed, the glow of two phones lighting up their heads. Lu Yuhang was still sitting below; he didn’t even blink when he heard the door open.
Shang Jue was not familiar with the other two, and he had even less to say to Lu Yuhang, so after entering, he headed straight for the bathroom to shower.
The dorm environment at A University was quite nice. The dorm had a balcony, and the independent bathroom was on the balcony, separated by a sliding door, which helped avoid noise when someone was washing up early in the morning or late at night.
After about ten minutes in the bathroom, Lu Yuhang got up and went to the balcony, closing the sliding door behind him.
In September, the temperature difference between day and night was significant; it was hot enough to sweat during the day, but it turned quite chilly at night.
Lu Yuhang stood on the balcony, feeling the cold wind for almost ten minutes.
When the minutes on his phone finally changed again, the bathroom door finally opened from the inside.
Lu Yuxing raised his eyes and met the gaze of the person walking out of the bathroom.
Shang Jue's hair was still wet, droplets cascading down the fine strands on his forehead. At that moment, when he was supposed to be relaxed, he unexpectedly bumped into Lu Yuxing’s cold expression, making it impossible not to be startled.
However, he didn't show it on his face and calmly said, “I thought I saw a ghost.”
Lu Yuxing remained expressionless and didn’t seem interested in responding.
Shang Jue smiled slightly. “It would’ve been better if it were a ghost.”
Lu Yuxing: …
Shang Jue's gaze casually landed on him.
Compared to a year ago, Lu Yuxing seemed to have grown a few centimeters taller. Among his peers, Shang Jue was already considered tall at 183 cm, with a pair of long, straight legs that made him stand out wherever he went.
But next to Lu Yuxing, he felt shorter by a head.
Shang Jue didn't like the feeling of being overshadowed, especially by someone who had a terrible attitude towards him. However, his dislike for Lu Yuxing was no less than Lu Yuxing's for him.
But unlike Lu Yuxing, who was openly disdainful, he kept his feelings concealed.
Warm steam wafted from the bathroom, carrying a hint of fresh shower gel.
Lu Yuxing scrunched his nose in distaste and held his breath, finding the scent a bit too strong. After a moment, he realized that this was a pointless gesture.
He didn't hide his dislike for Shang Jue, and Shang Jue wasn't inclined to be pleasant in return. He put away his smile and said lightly, “What do you want?”
Lu Yuxing shifted his gaze towards the dormitory, gesturing for Shang Jue to look.
In Dorm 323, beside the two beds near the balcony, were several large boxes piled up, and the table had almost no decorations.
It was clear that the owners of the two beds shared the same intention.
Lu Yuxing’s low, cold voice rang in Shang Jue's ears: “Are you moving out, or am I?”
Shang Jue raised an eyebrow. “What’s the point of that question? We won’t come to an agreement anyway.”
“If you move out, I can cover half your rent.”
“Sorry, but I’m not really in need of money right now.”
Lu Yuxing fell silent.
Indeed, they could not come to an agreement.
“What do you want to do?”
Shang Jue asked with a smile, “What do you want to do?”
He asked amiably, but Lu Yuxing sensed a hint of provocation in his tone.
Suddenly, he recalled having seen Shang Jue in a fight before, and he was quite good at it.
In his second year of high school, he had transferred to A City due to his brother's job. He had always been a top student, and the school he transferred to was the best in the area, Hai Zhong.
However, on the first day at Hai Zhong, he encountered a gang fight. More specifically, he saw several tall, burly men beating up a thin boy wearing the Hai Zhong uniform. The blue-and-white uniform hung loosely on the boy, who had rolled up his sleeves and had long, slender legs swinging inside black pants, facing away from Lu Yuxing.
Despite the clear disparity in numbers and size, the fight tilted in favor of the slender boy.
By the time Lu Yuxing managed to get through to the school security office, the fight had already ended.
The boy looked to be around sixteen or seventeen but had plenty of bad habits. After kicking the last opponent, he leisurely lit a cigarette for himself.
As he exhaled a puff of bluish smoke, he turned his head slightly as if sensing something. When he noticed the person at the alley's entrance wasn’t wearing a Hai Zhong uniform, he indifferently turned away, showing no interest in looking at Lu Yuxing’s face again.
Lu Yuxing exchanged a momentary glance with the boy through the hazy smoke and coldly evaluated him as “smoky and chaotic” before hanging up the call to the security office.
"Too many calls, I'm leaving."
Pulling his mind back from memory, he looked at Shang Jue and thought: This guy seems to be good at using his fists to solve conflicts.
Lu Yuxing hesitated for a moment and slowly rolled up one sleeve, revealing the well-defined muscles of his forearm.
Shang Jue's eyelid twitched.
Damn, what is this stupid dog planning to do? Is he going to fight me?
He hadn’t gotten into a fight since high school; once he entered university, his lazy nature was completely unleashed, and he hardly exercised anymore. Looking at Lu Yuxing's smooth and clearly toned muscles…
Shang Jue quickly surrendered.
He silently averted his gaze, but his tone remained calm and composed: "It’s disruptive to fight in the middle of the night; let’s keep it simple and play rock-paper-scissors."
As soon as he finished speaking, he wanted to bite his own tongue.
Damn, that was too cowardly… And why did I suggest rock-paper-scissors? Really impressive! Do I not know how bad my luck is?
Lu Yuxing gave him a puzzled glance and lowered his sleeve.
When it comes to games tied to probability, Shang Jue’s luck was always terrible.
A few seconds later, he retracted his extended fist, stared at it for a while, and sighed internally.
"I’ll look for a place to stay tomorrow."
Lu Yuxing replied, "I keep my word. If you move out, I’ll pay you half the rent."
Shang Jue shrugged indifferently.
With the decision to move out settled, Lu Yuxing didn’t want to say another word and went back to the dorm to rest.
Shang Jue's hair was still damp; he lingered a bit longer on the balcony to enjoy the breeze. Close to midnight, he quietly entered the dorm.
The other two roommates, who usually liked to stay up late, were exhausted from the day’s moving and had put down their phones and gone to sleep before midnight.
After getting into bed, Shang Jue glanced at Lu Yuxing’s bed.
The person on the bed was facing away from him, lying on his side, and it was hard to tell if he was asleep or awake. Even though there was more than a meter-wide chasm between them, Lu Yuxing still chose to face the wall when he went to bed to avoid seeing Shang Jue the next morning.
Shang Jue lay down and mimicked him, turning onto his side as well.
He usually slept quietly; when he was younger, classmates would sometimes tease him during school naps, saying he looked like a corpse in a coffin. Shang Jue just smiled in response.
Sleeping on his side was a first experience for him.
It wasn’t very comfortable; his right arm was pinned down by his body, and it took him a while to fall into a deep sleep.
---
In the 323 dormitory, staying for one more day was torture.
Shang Jue discovered for the first time that his schedule was annoyingly aligned with Lu Yuxing's!
Every morning at seven o'clock, both of them almost woke up at the same time. Lu Yuxing relied on his body’s natural biological clock, while Shang Jue depended on the vibration of his phone alarm. In any case, every time they opened their eyes, sat up, and turned their heads, they would inevitably see another pair of still-sleepy eyes.
Shang Jue cursed silently in his heart and immediately perked up.
Academically, they were both extremely competitive. Occasionally, when Shang Jue wanted to avoid Lu Yuxing in the evenings, he would intentionally not stay in the dorm, only to unexpectedly run into him at the library.
Every time their eyes met, he felt a deep sense of frustration, and Lu Yuxing looked equally annoyed.
Shang Jue accelerated his search for a new place.
A few days later, the agent took him to see a two-bedroom apartment of less than a hundred square meters, which had nice decor and good lighting.
Shang Jue couldn’t live in such a large place by himself, but he didn’t have the patience to continue looking. Renting a more spacious place wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The agent was a young woman who showed Shang Jue around the basic facilities of the apartment. Occasionally, her gaze would fall on his profile, but due to their height difference, she could only see his remarkably defined jawline.
Damn, that jawline was clearer than her life plan!
She wanted to imprint that profile into her memory!
"Let’s go with this one."
The agent was taken aback for a moment, probably because she hadn’t seen someone agree to rent so decisively. Such a big apartment wasn’t cheap. This guy looked like he was still a student, yet he hadn’t even asked about the rent before deciding?
"The rent is two thousand three hundred a month, no management fee, with one month’s deposit and payment upfront."
"Sounds good." Shang Jue's pocket vibrated; he lowered his eyes and opened his phone.
It was a friend request.
[Friend Request: Lu Yuxing]
[Note: .]
Is the sun rising in the west? Shang Jue stared at the friend request for a few extra seconds.
Lu Yuxing's profile picture was a chalk drawing made up of floating mathematical formulas and geometric shapes, set against a void black background.
Shang Jue scoffed inwardly; this guy was really devoted to math, even making his social media account so dull and tedious.
Without hesitation, he pressed the “reject” button on the friend request.
The agent thought he was replying to a message and couldn’t help but glance at the smile on Shang Jue's face a few more times. In this day and age, a gentlemanly, polite guy who looked that good was incredibly rare, almost a species on the brink of extinction.
She patiently waited for Shang Jue to finish before speaking: “Ahem, if that’s fine, should I arrange for the landlord to sign the contract tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
“When do you plan to move in?”
“The sooner, the better.”
"Alright, there shouldn't be any issues with the landlord. If you're in a hurry to move in, you can start bringing your things over today..."
Shang Jue's phone rang several times in succession, the default ringtone somehow conveying a sense of annoyance.
However, Shang Jue seemed completely uninterested in replying, casually tilting his head to signal the agent to continue speaking.
The agent was taken aback for a moment before she resumed her explanation.
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