C19

 Upon returning to Room 323, as soon as Lu Yuxing pushed the door open, he was jolted awake by a bone-chilling wind.

The balcony window was wide open, and the sliding door between the dormitory and the balcony was also left ajar. The cold wind from the north in late October rushed in, particularly frigid on a night like this.

As soon as he entered, he was met with accusations from his two roommates.

“Lu Ge, why didn’t you reply to our messages?”

“I went out tonight and didn’t check my phone. What did you send?” Lu Yuxing said while heading to the balcony to close the window.

He then looked at the messages his roommates had sent earlier. The messages were sent over two hours ago, asking Lu Yuxing if he wanted to go out for dinner.

There was another message sent a few minutes ago.

【Xiao Mifeng isn’t a little bee】: Why? Why... why did the study god leave with the class monitor?

“...”

【Lu Yuxing】: Just for a walk.

After sending that, he decisively exited the chat page.

Lin Xuying: “I went to your exam room after finishing with Zhi Cheng, but I still couldn’t find you. I thought you went back to the dorm.”

“Sorry, I put my phone on silent before the exam and forgot to turn it back on after.”

Ge Zhicheng: “No big deal. We were going to say let’s all go out for dinner after the exam, but since you didn’t reply, we just made hot pot in the dorm.”

Inside the room, Lu Yuxing could indeed smell the lingering scent of hot pot.

Lu Yuxing: “Was it self-heating?”

Ge Zhicheng: “... We used a pot.”

Lu Yuxing: “Using electric appliances is against the rules; don’t get caught.”

Lu Yuxing himself rarely broke the rules, but he didn’t pay much attention to what others did.

“Hehe, that’s why we were ventilating just now. By the way, Lu Ge, how did your exam go?”

“It was alright.”

Ge Zhicheng nodded, feeling reassured. He genuinely thought Lu Yuxing was impressive. If it were him, with his mind blanking out, he would probably break down and cry before even getting to the exam room.

Lu Yuxing: “Someone helped me, so it went smoothly.”

Ge Zhicheng’s head was nodding halfway when he paused, “Huh? Who?”

“Shang Ge.”

“...Who?”

“Shang Jue.”

Ge Zhicheng exclaimed, “Ah! That big shot Shang is really nice!”

After having such a tense relationship with Lu Ge before, he’s now helping him without holding any grudges!

Lin Xuying, hearing this, couldn’t help but deeply reflect on his previous judgments, thinking of Lu Yuxing as a small-minded person.

“Lu Ge, your hair is getting blown into a bird’s nest.” Ge Zhicheng had noticed this as soon as Lu Yuxing walked in. He held back his teasing until now, “Is it so windy outside today?”

Lu Yuxing casually fixed his hair a bit, “It’s the wind.”

“Perfect timing that you’re back, or else let’s set a time to go out for dinner?”

“Mm.”

“How about this Friday? I don’t have any classes in the afternoon.”

Lu Yuxing was about to agree when Lin Xuying asked, “What date is it? I have a club event on the evening of the thirty-first.”

Ge Zhicheng flipped through his phone calendar, “November 1.”

“Oh, then I’m fine with that.”

November 1...

That date sounded a bit familiar.

Lu Yuxing pondered while pulling out a chair and casually placing his backpack on the table.

The thick strategy textbook in his bag thudded against the desk with a dull sound, as if a stone had been thrown into a calm lake, jolting Lu Yuxing back to his senses.

“...”

He remembered.

November 1 was the day he and Shang Jue got together.

Ge Zhicheng asked, “What about you, Lu Ge?”

“On that day, I might have something.”

“Might?”

“Mm.” Lu Yuxing wasn’t sure what Shang Jue thought about such commemorative days, “It’s still uncertain what it is, but I need to make time.”

If it weren’t for Ge Zhicheng knowing Lu Yuxing well, he might have taken this vague response as an excuse to avoid making plans.

“What about the weekend then?”

“Sure.”

Lin Xuying said, “I’m okay with that too.”

After setting a time, Lu Yuxing sat in his seat, feeling anxious.

If he hadn’t suddenly heard this date, he wouldn’t have remembered that there was some kind of anniversary coming up in two days. For an anniversary, he should buy a gift, right? But it was already the thirtieth, and he had classes all day tomorrow, leaving him no time at all. Moreover, he had no memory of Shang Jue's preferences.

Lu Yuxing searched for keywords on browsers and various apps, finding an overwhelming amount of information about couple anniversaries.

After a long while, he finally let out a heavy sigh.

He needed to think of a way to salvage this.

—

After returning home, Shang Jue lay in bed, repeatedly listening to the recording that said, "Thank you, Shang Ge" feeling immensely pleased. He buried his face in the pillow and chuckled to himself for a while. Having taken advantage of Lu Yuxing, Shang Jue was in a great mood, and even though it was past his usual bedtime, he didn't feel like rushing to sleep.

The bedroom was surprisingly quiet, with no lights on. Shang Jue lay on his side, half of his face sunk into the soft pillow, aimlessly staring at his phone screen while his mind drifted through the chaotic world of information, and a vague sleepiness began to wash over him.

Suddenly, a message popped up at the top of the screen, pulling him out of his daze.

Lu Yuxing: Are you asleep?

Shang Jue blinked, feeling a bit more awake.

[Shang Jue]: What’s up, baby?

Lu Yuxing: What’s the plan for the day after tomorrow?

The day after tomorrow…

Feeling sleepy, Shang Jue's brain was a bit slow to process the information, and it took him a while to realize that the day after tomorrow was Friday.

What plan could there be?

[Shang Jue]: Going home to sleep.

Two minutes later.

Lu Yuxing: Don’t we need to celebrate our anniversary?

Shang Jue thought for a moment and remembered that their school was having an event next month for its 61st anniversary. Last year, they celebrated the 60th anniversary with a grand event, and the school gave every student a commemorative gift, along with extra milk for the students in the School of Science.

[Shang Jue]: We should celebrate.

Lu Yuxing: How do we celebrate?

Shang Jue squinted his eyes in annoyance.

Is this guy looking for trouble because he can’t sleep at night?

Last year, during the anniversary celebration, Shang Jue was also involved in some of the planning for the School of Science. He patiently typed out a response.

[Shang Jue]: We just finished the grand celebration for the 60th anniversary last year, so it definitely won't be too elaborate this time. The school will probably just make a short promotional video as material.

A few days ago, Wen Jiayue even asked him if he wanted to be in the celebratory video.

The other side didn’t reply for a long time, and Shang Jue frowned, sending another message.

[Shang Jue]: Old Wang said the school would at most give out some fruit this year. There’s no chance of getting a whole box of milk.

What does this silly dog care about that? When he said he would share half of the rent, he seemed pretty confident; he shouldn’t be short on that box of milk.

[Shang Jue]: I'm a bit tired.

Lu Yuxing: Go to sleep.

[Shang Jue]: Goodnight, baby~

Lu Yuxing: Getting fruit sounds good.

Shang Jue looked at that last somewhat unnecessary message for a moment longer, turned off his phone, and tossed it aside, preparing to rest.

He closed his eyes and tried to cultivate sleep for a few minutes, but every time he was about to fall into slumber, he was pulled awake by his subconscious.

Shang Jue opened his eyes again, still feeling something was off, and mentally reviewed the earlier conversation.

Anniversary, how to celebrate, plans for the day after tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow is November 1st, right?

That date sounded a bit familiar…

Two minutes later, a loud voice broke the silence of the bedroom.

“—Damn!”

Shang Jue suddenly jumped out of bed, fully awake.

He turned on the bedside lamp with a snap, pulled out his phone, and without waiting to send a message, cleared his throat and dialed a number directly.

As soon as the call connected, Shang Jue immediately switched to a sweet tone: “Hello? Baby!”

Lu Yuxing must have gone out to the balcony to answer the call because the voice on the other end was quiet, with no sounds from Ge Zhicheng or Lin Xuying.

Lu Yuxing: “Didn’t you say you were tired?”

“...Yeah.” Shang Jue licked his lips, pondering what excuse to give to avoid revealing the truth.

But for things like this, the more you explain, the more powerless you feel.

Shang Jue decided to skip the excuses and think of a way to make it up: “Baby, what kind of food do you like? I can book a restaurant.”

The voice on the other end was calm: “No need. I’m fine with fruit.”

Shang Jue: “…”

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Next: Chapter 20