Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

The moment Li Chen pushed open the door to room 302, he knew that the judgment, though delayed, was finally coming.

The main lights were not on inside; only a few dim, yellowish table lamps were lit.

Wang Qiang, Chen Mo, and Zhao Zixuan sat in the middle of the room in a triangular formation, each holding something in their hands—Wang Qiang was holding a clothes hanger, Chen Mo was twirling a ballpoint pen, and Zhao Zixuan was playing with a pair of limited-edition sneakers.

The atmosphere was somber, comparable to a joint trial.

"You're back?"

Wang Qiang spoke first, his beady eyes narrowing into slits, gleaming with a shrewd light, "Have you straightened your collar? Have you held hands enough? Are you full of gigolos?"

Li Chen closed the door behind him, chuckled twice, and asked, "Aren't the brothers asleep yet?"

"Sleep? How are we supposed to sleep?"

Zhao Zixuan slammed his sneakers on the table with a dull thud. "The whole school is talking about your relationship with Yan Xi. They've even come up with names for your child on the forum."

"As my beloved eldest son, I am very anxious as a father."

Chen Mo pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting light: "According to the forum's popularity trend, it reached its peak ten minutes ago."

"The reason was that someone witnessed Yan Xi adjusting your collar at the entrance of the architecture department, and the intimacy of the action exceeded the boundaries of normal social interaction."

"Old Li, confess and you'll be treated leniently."

Li Chen threw his schoolbag onto the bed, pulled out a chair, sat down, and sighed, "It's just like what you see."

"What?"

Wang Qiang banged the clothes hanger loudly, "Did you kiss? On the lips or the cheek? Did you stick your tongue out?"

"Get lost!"

Li Chen grabbed a mineral water bottle from the table and threw it at him, "What are you thinking? I was just... simply tidying up my clothes."

I don't believe it.

Wang Qiang nimbly dodged, "Unless you treat me."

See the picture poorly.

These bastards spent so much time building up the story, but this last sentence is the key point.

Li Chen rolled his eyes, but he also felt guilty.

After all, I've been prioritizing my girlfriend over my friends these past few days, leaving these guys out in the cold.

"Okay, okay, okay."

Li Chen raised his hands in surrender, "This weekend, at 'Chuanyu Renjia' near the school gate, all-you-can-eat drinks and meat, okay?"

"make a deal!"

The previously eerie and terrifying interrogation scene instantly crumbled. Wang Qiang tossed aside the clothes hanger, chuckled, and his fleshy face blossomed into a wide grin: "I knew Old Li was the most loyal! That's my true son!"

Zhao Zixuan also put away his sneakers and turned on his computer: "Since our eldest son is being so generous, let's not just sit idly by."

"Log in! I'm taking you to Diamond rank tonight!"

"Come on, let's get started!"

A few minutes later, the familiar sounds of keyboard typing and shouting filled room 302.

"Top lane! Top lane, someone come here! Zhao Zixuan, you noob, stop farming the jungle!"

"I'm here! I'm here! Old Li, give me a shield!"

"Chen Mo, where's your ultimate move? Are you saving it for the New Year?"

The battle is at a stalemate.

This was a qualifying match, and the opposing team consisted of five formidable opponents. The two sides traded blows, making it a fierce and evenly matched contest.

At this point, the game had reached the 40-minute mark, and both sides were engaged in a skirmish near the Dragon Pit, with a team fight set to determine the outcome.

Li Chen was completely focused, his fingers flying across the keyboard, the light from the screen reflecting on his tense face.

Just then, the phone screen next to the keyboard lit up.

There was no ringtone, only vibration.

hum-

Li Chen glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.

WeChat pop-up window.

[曦]: Go downstairs.

Only two words.

Simple, brutal, and leaving no room for negotiation.

Li Chen's finger trembled, and the healing spell he was about to cast on Wang Qiang ended up on Zhao Zixuan, who was at full health.

"Holy crap! Lao Li, what are you doing? Who are you trying to heal?!"

Wang Qiang screamed, "I'm going to die! Help! Help me!"

Li Chen ignored the wailing and howling in his headphones. He stared at those two words and made a decision in just 0.1 seconds.

The qualifying rounds can be played again, and brothers can be comforted again.

But if we let Yan Xi wait... that could lead to someone's death.

"that……"

Li Chen quickly took off his headphones, switched to the game interface with lightning speed, and clicked exit. "I have something urgent to do, I'm hanging up."

After saying that, he grabbed his phone, and without even putting on his coat, rushed to the door.

The dormitory fell silent instantly.

On the computer screen, the red "Player Disconnected" message stood out starkly.

Immediately following was the sound of crystal exploding.

"Defeat".

The three people stood frozen in their seats, staring at the grayed-out screen, then at the figure that had disappeared through the doorway.

A full five seconds passed.

Wang Qiang roared in a heart-wrenching rage: "Li Chen! You son of a bitch! This is the qualifying round!!!"

Zhao Zixuan slammed the mouse down: "Prioritizing women over friends! This is absolutely prioritizing women over friends! From now on, Li Chen is no longer a member of Room 302!"

Chen Mo adjusted his glasses, his tone somber: "According to game theory, he chose his brother over his girlfriend."

"It's a male's instinct, it's shameful, but... it's fucking infuriating."

……

Li Chen rushed downstairs in one breath.

The autumn night wind rushed into his collar, calming his feverish mind slightly. He panted and looked around.

The streetlights under Building 7 were dim and yellow.

Yan Xi stood under that old locust tree.

She changed her clothes.

Wearing a loose gray sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and white sneakers.

Her hair was casually tied into a ponytail, revealing her smooth and full forehead.

Gone is her aloof and sophisticated demeanor from the daytime; now she looks like a friendly, down-to-earth older sister next door.

But that aura of "keep away" still lingers.

Several boys who wanted to approach her automatically turned away when they were three meters away from her.

Li Chen calmed his breathing and walked over quickly.

"So fast?"

Yan Xi heard footsteps and turned around.

She was holding her phone, the screen still lit, clearly not expecting Li Chen to come down so quickly.

"It's alright... nothing's wrong."

Li Chen lied without thinking, completely ignoring his roommates who were cursing his ancestors in the dormitory.

Yan Xi looked him up and down.

Their gazes fell on his upper body, which was only wearing a thin T-shirt, and their brows furrowed slightly.

"Aren't you cold?"

"It's alright, I just ran down here, it's hot."

Li Chen scratched his head.

Yan Xi didn't say anything, but simply reached out and pulled his wrist.

Fingertips touch the skin.

Li Chen's hands were warm, even a little hot.

That was the sweat from playing games and running all the way.

My palms were sweaty.

Yan Xi released her hand in disgust, took out a pack of tissues from her pocket and slapped it into his hand, "Wipe it off."

Li Chen obediently did as instructed.

"Let's go."

Yan Xi turned and walked towards the school gate.

"Where to?"

Li Chen followed, clutching the used tissue in his hand.

"Have a meal."

"Now?"

Li Chen glanced at his phone; it was 9:30 PM. "Want some late-night snacks?"

"I didn't eat enough for dinner."

Yan Xi said matter-of-factly, "That structural engineering teacher went overtime for too long, and the cafeteria ran out of food a long time ago."

Li Chen recalled the extremely "healthy" amount of food she ate at the cafeteria at noon and silently complained in his heart: That's because you don't eat much, no wonder the teacher doesn't understand.

The two exited through the north gate.

This area is a famous food street, filled with the smoke of cooking and bustling with people.

Yan Xi turned into an alley with practiced ease and stopped in front of a small shop with a sign that read "Authentic Mala Tang".

The shop is small and even a bit run-down, but the aroma is wonderful.

"This one?"

Li Chen was somewhat surprised.

He assumed that a refined academic genius like Yan Xi would have exquisitely presented light meals or high-end Japanese cuisine for her late-night snacks.

Mala Tang, a humble dish that is full of the smell of gutter oil (not really), doesn't fit her style.

"What, you're not happy with it?"

Yan Xi raised an eyebrow and pushed the door open to go inside.

"No, I love eating this too."

Li Chen quickly expressed his opinion.

The store was quite crowded, mostly with students.

Yan Xi found a corner seat and pointed to the vegetable selection area: "Go get it."

What would you like to eat?

Li Chen picked up the red plastic basket.

"Wide rice noodles, enoki mushrooms, baby bok choy, and frozen tofu."

Yan Xi rattled off the menu like a machine gun, then paused and added, "Take more meat, beef rolls and lamb rolls, and two more grilled sausages."

Li Chen turned around in surprise: "You can finish it?"

"I'm not the one eating it."

Yan Xi was rinsing the bowls and chopsticks with boiling water, without even looking up, and said, "It's your turn to eat."