This day only had one class each in the morning and afternoon, and once Macroeconomics ended, there were no more classes for the morning.
After class, some classmates, wanting to show they didn’t mind Song Yu’s orientation at all, made a point to awkwardly go up to him for some small talk.
Embarrassed yet touched, Song Yu’s cheeks flushed. After most students had left, he walked over to Ji Mian and Xie Heng.
“Lu Zhou, and... Xie Heng,” he said. “Thank you for helping me.”
He looked at Ji Mian, his eyes slightly reddened with guilt. “I’m sorry for making you say something like that in front of everyone because of me…”
“It’s nothing,” Ji Mian said with a casual wave. “My roommates all know I like guys anyway. Right, Heng-ge?”
Xie Heng nodded. “Yes.”
“By the way, what’s going on here?” Ji Mian frowned. “How did He Zhikai find out you like men?”
“I lent him my laptop a few days ago, not realizing I’d left my social app logged in,” Song Yu explained, recalling how He Zhikai had seen his messages with his ex, He Chang. His eyes immediately turned red as he remembered the sleazy way He Zhikai had brought up those messages in the dorm.
“Hey, don’t cry!” Ji Mian panicked, fumbling through his pockets for a tissue.
[Affection Points +80, Contributor: Xie Heng.]
[Affection Points +100, Contributor: Xie Heng.]
Xie Heng watched Ji Mian with an unreadable expression, lowering his gaze to hide his emotions.
[Affection Points +200, Contributor: Xie Heng.]
[Why the gradual increase?] The system muttered in disbelief.
Ji Mian, still a bit distracted by Xie Heng’s flood of Affection Points, paused slightly before handing Song Yu the tissue.
It was unusual. Xie Heng’s Affection Points had piled up to nearly two thousand last semester, far surpassing the main character, Song Yu. Only Ji Mian’s older brother and Lu Ge had accrued similar amounts.
[System, please mute the notification sounds.]
The constant pinging was distracting him.
System: [Right away.]
“I’m fine,” Song Yu replied, holding back his tears.
Growing up with strict parents, he was never the type to stand up for himself, often being a bit of a pushover. But he’d been fortunate to be surrounded by kind people before college, rarely facing such situations.
He thought he’d be seen as a weirdo, but that wasn’t the case.
Lu Zhou and his classmates had defended him, so he shouldn’t let himself be weak.
Ji Mian put away the tissue, exclaiming angrily, “Wow, this is literally a farmer and the viper! You lent him something, and he turned around and bit you!”
“I didn’t think he’d spread it around like this…”
Ji Mian replied firmly, “You’re way too trusting. Something as personal as your laptop shouldn’t just be lent out to someone like He Zhikai.”
Xie Heng gave Ji Mian a complicated look.
The nerve of him to say that—he was just as trusting back then, completely naive about that computer science guy…
Song Yu nodded. “…I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Still, this can’t go on. You’ll have to deal with him eventually, and knowing someone like He Zhikai, who knows what petty tricks he’ll pull.”
Ji Mian thought for a moment, then suggested, “How about applying to change dorms?”
“I thought about it. Lin Sai mentioned it to the student counselor last semester, but it was the end of term, so they said there were no empty beds and didn’t follow up.”
“Empty beds?” Ji Mian recalled something and glanced at Xie Heng.
Xie Heng looked down without saying a word.
He remembered mentioning to Ji Mian just that morning that he was considering moving out of the dorm.
“Well, give it a shot,” Ji Mian said. “You have a special case.”
“Mm.”
—
After consoling Song Yu, Ji Mian and Xie Heng walked back to their dorm together.
“I thought…” Xie Heng began suddenly, “you’d bring up my plan to move out.”
“You said you were ‘considering’ it. Nothing’s final yet. It’s still your bed—I couldn’t just mention that to him,” Ji Mian replied.
Xie Heng’s lips curved slightly.
After a slight hesitation, Ji Mian asked, “Xie Heng, you… you know I like him, right?”
The amusement in Xie Heng’s eyes faded. “…Yes.”
At some point, the system had reactivated the notification sound. Two more Affection Points notifications popped up, both sizable.
“So, I thought you might want Song Yu to move into the dorm with you.”
“!!” Ji Mian gasped. “That would be so weird! Song Yu doesn’t even like me right now—it’d just make him uncomfortable.”
Xie Heng was silent for a moment, then said, “He’s missing out.”
“…?”
Xie Heng’s willingness to join this conversation surprised Ji Mian, but he couldn’t resist poking for more. “So, Heng-ge, you think I’m pretty great, huh?”
“Great?” Xie Heng halted, an unexpected surge of frustration welling up.
Turning to Ji Mian, he said, “If I were him, I’d have been devoted to you by now.”
Xie Heng wasn’t being sarcastic. He genuinely couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t be drawn to someone like Ji Mian.
If he were Song Yu, if he were Song Yu…
Ji Mian was caught off guard by the sincerity in Xie Heng’s words, especially the word “devoted,” which sounded a bit old-fashioned.
“Well… maybe not that far,” he replied awkwardly, averting his gaze. “Anyway, let’s focus on getting Song Yu away from that jerk.”
Xie Heng seemed to regain his composure. “Actually, Song Yu doesn’t necessarily have to move. The one who should leave is the one causing the trouble.”
He continued, “Song Yu and Lin Sai are both too mild-mannered. If He Zhikai were in another dorm, he wouldn’t act so brazenly.”
In male dorms, unusual situations usually had straightforward solutions. If He Zhikai hadn’t lucked out with such easygoing roommates, he’d have been put in his place long ago.
"Yeah, but..." Ji Mian sighed heavily, troubled. "The advisor doesn’t have the authority to make a student move out of the dorm; Song Yu has to submit the application herself, only then can the advisor approve it."
"He Zhi Kai would never voluntarily request a dorm change."
"..."
"Ah, don’t worry, Heng Ge. I’ll think of another way with Song Yu."
Xie Heng looked at Ji Mian's tightly knit brows and, after a moment, gave a nod.
---
He Zhi Kai left the supermarket with two cups of instant noodles.
Just as he stepped outside, a tall figure appeared in front of him, blocking his way like a wall.
He Zhi Kai’s thick, unruly brows furrowed deeply. He moved to the left, but the person across from him also shifted in the same direction, casually blocking his path—whether intentionally or not, he couldn’t tell.
What the hell is this guy's problem? If it weren't for the size difference, He Zhi Kai would’ve cursed him out by now.
Irritated, he looked up to see who it was, his expression changing slightly.
It was that buzz-cut guy…
"Hey, Classmate He."
"You?"
Xie Heng gave a faint smile. "I have something I’d like to discuss with you."
He Zhi Kai looked at him warily. "If you’ve got something to say, say it here."
"Here?" Xie Heng raised an eyebrow. "That might not be very favorable for you."
Though wary, He Zhi Kai followed him a few steps away from the busy supermarket entrance.
"…What do you want to talk about?"
Xie Heng leaned closer and murmured a few words.
He Zhi Kai's face instantly darkened, his expression one of disbelief. "Are you threatening me?"
Xie Heng didn’t respond directly. "You have two weeks. I hope you’ll have your dorm withdrawal processed by then."
"You wouldn’t dare!"
Xie Heng’s expression remained impassive as he looked down at him coldly. "You’re welcome to test me."
"..."
He Zhi Kai glared at him for a moment, then turned away angrily and left.
---
A week later, word reached Ji Mian that He Zhi Kai had applied to switch dorms.
Song Yu had passed him the news, asking if Ji Mian had secretly spoken to He Zhi Kai.
Ji Mian was completely bewildered, but he had a hunch that it had something to do with Heng Ge. Not long ago, Heng Ge had mentioned that it wasn’t right for the victim to be the one forced to change dorms—it should be the perpetrator.
And soon enough, He Zhi Kai himself requested a dorm change.
When Ji Mian received Song Yu’s message, he was still in line at the cafeteria, with Heng Ge standing right behind him.
He turned around. "Heng Ge, what’s going on?" He showed Heng Ge his chat with Song Yu. "Why did He Zhi Kai suddenly decide to change dorms?"
"You talked to him?"
Heng Ge glanced at the message but didn’t deny it. "Yeah, I used a little tactic."
"? You—" Ji Mian’s mouth opened slightly, and he leaned back, lowering his voice. "You didn’t beat him up, did you?"
Heng Ge looked at him, his face close. "No, I only said a few words."
"What did you say?"
"I told him I saw him bring a phone into the exam room to cheat during last semester's advanced math final." The line moved forward, and Heng Ge nudged Ji Mian to step up.
Once they caught up, he continued, "The school keeps the exam room surveillance for three months. There’s only two weeks left for the footage from last semester’s finals."
Ji Mian listened, feeling something was off, and thought for a moment.
When they took the advanced math exam last semester, he remembered being in the same exam room as Heng Ge. But he didn’t recall any third-year students being there.
He hesitated. "But I thought you and He Zhi Kai weren’t in the same exam room?"
"Right." Heng Ge chuckled, placing a hand on Ji Mian’s back, lightly guiding him forward. When he was done pushing him, his fingers lingered on Ji Mian’s shoulder blades, unwilling to let go.
"So I lied to him," he said.
Judging by He Zhi Kai’s character and last semester’s academic performance, he most likely cheated to avoid failing. Given his poor reputation, it was unlikely anyone would risk helping him, so he probably snuck a phone or cheat notes in. Heng Ge had chosen the advanced math exam as a bluff, since cheat notes wouldn’t have helped much in that subject, so it was likely he had brought a phone.
Of course, all this was just Heng Ge’s guess. If He Zhi Kai had insisted on denying it, there wasn’t much Heng Ge could do.
Besides, even if they had been in the same exam room and he had seen something, Heng Ge wouldn’t resort to reporting He Zhi Kai for cheating. For one thing, Song Yu’s situation didn’t directly involve him, and he didn’t like using personal grievances as grounds for reporting someone; it felt distasteful.
Fortunately, He Zhi Kai was guilty enough to give in without much of a fight.
"Heng Ge…" Ji Mian glanced back at the faint smile on Heng Ge’s face.
"You’re impressive!"
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