As soon as the supermarket cashier auntie said those words, Jiang Xiao’s slightly parted lips pressed into a thin line.
He was about to explain when Song Qiuyu, standing beside him, coughed twice and spoke up first, “Auntie, you’ve got it wrong!”
She seemed a bit embarrassed, her porcelain-like face slightly flushed, as she pointed back and forth between Jiang Xiao and herself, emphasizing, “I’m a guy. We’re just friends, classmates, and roommates.”
Jiang Xiao was momentarily stunned.
“Oh…”
The cashier auntie’s mouth gaped wide enough to fit a quail egg, her shocked gaze darting back and forth between Song Qiuyu, still somewhat disbelieving.
You couldn’t really blame her for the mistake.
This young guy was just too delicate and pretty.
You have to understand, Nanfeng Drama Academy was full of good-looking guys and girls coming and going, but this young man in front of her outshone every actor and actress she’d seen so far!
And not just him.
Her gaze shifted to Jiang Xiao, and she clicked her tongue twice.
This year, Nanfeng Drama had struck gold—such eye candy!
The people waiting in line to check out were dumbfounded.
Huh?
A guy? A girl?
The pressure on this year’s freshmen was already starting to mount, in every way.
“As for these sanitary pads,” Song Qiuyu paused, turning to ask Jiang Xiao, “they’re a secret weapon for military training, you know? Didn’t you use them during high school military training?”
Jiang Xiao shook his head in denial.
“Oh, right, during every freshman military training, tons of boys come to buy sanitary pads,” the cashier auntie chimed in, glancing at Jiang Xiao before continuing, “Young man, why don’t you grab some to keep on hand?”
The corner of Jiang Xiao’s mouth twitched slightly, and he gently shook his head to decline.
“No worries, I’ll teach you when we get back to the dorm!” Song Qiuyu said earnestly, patting his flat chest.
After checking out, she took the receipt and, while walking, used voice input on her phone to log every expense into a budgeting app.
Jiang Xiao quietly watched her busyness from the side.
Halfway through their walk, Song Qiuyu’s hands, carrying bags big and small, began to tremble and gradually drooped.
Eventually, even her waist started to bend.
A bead of cold sweat slid down her cheek.
The price of going for the cheapest option had caught up with her.
She’d chosen the largest pack of laundry detergent to take back—five whole pounds—because it came with two small bottles of liquid detergent as a bonus.
“I… I think I’ve reached my limit. It’s so heavy!” she said.
With that, she turned to Jiang Xiao, her eyes brimming with hope, sparkling almost blindingly.
In her eyes, Jiang Xiao was now an angel with wings, his halo glowing brightly above his head!
“…”
A bead of cold sweat also slid down Jiang Xiao’s cheek.
He instinctively turned his face away, avoiding her fervent gaze.
After an internal struggle, he looked back at her, freed up one hand, and said, “Give it to me.”
“Thanks! Your bag looks lighter—want me to carry that one for you?” Song Qiuyu handed over the shopping bag with the laundry detergent and reached to take the lighter bag from him.
Her soft fingertips inadvertently brushed against the back of his hand, sparking a warm, itchy sensation. Jiang Xiao’s fingers, gripping the bag, curled slightly.
He shook his head to indicate he didn’t need help, took the laundry detergent bag, and walked ahead.
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, straightened her back, and hurriedly caught up.
“Jiang Xiao, you’re still the same as before, such a nice guy. Why do you always keep a straight face now? Talk more like you used to—you were always smiling back then!”
Jiang Xiao stumbled slightly, silently quickening his pace.
The Ten Thousand People Canteen wasn’t far from the supermarket, so to avoid making two trips, they headed there first to settle dinner.
Next to the canteen was Nanfeng Drama Academy’s renowned Nanfeng Opera House.
Just last year, the British Royal Opera troupe had performed there.
It was well-known in the industry, but more importantly, it was open and free to all enrolled students.
Song Qiuyu, eating her sweet-and-sour ribs, gazed at the Nanfeng Opera House bathed in the twilight glow, her face full of longing.
She dreamed of performing on that stage and having others perform scripts she’d written.
But this thought led to a question: she had come to Nanfeng Drama with her dreams.
What about Jiang Xiao?
In her memory, their junior high homeroom teacher had been certain Jiang Xiao was destined for top universities like Tsinghua or Peking.
His high school entrance exam score was perfect, the highest in the city.
Even at his worst, he shouldn’t be at the same school as her—a self-proclaimed academic slacker—let alone in the same major, class, and dorm.
Nibbling on her ribs, she stole a glance at the silent figure across from her.
After mulling it over, she decided asking directly might be unwise.
What if she accidentally touched a sore spot or reopened old wounds?
Song Qiuyu suppressed her curiosity and focused on her meal.
As they left the canteen side by side, whispers followed them.
By the time they reached the male dorm building, the murmurs grew louder.
“Look, they’re back!”
“This guy’s too lucky, getting escorted back and forth by his girlfriend.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Could be his sister.”
“You’re right. Guess I’m his brother-in-law now!”
“No way, she’s mine! My destined wife.”
Neither of them spoke.
Their footsteps echoed in the stairwell.
Soon, the door to Room 602 came into view.
The light was on.
Song Qiuyu took a deep breath, quickened her pace, and flung the dorm door open, greeting the two new roommates inside, “Hey, hi!”
As expected, the roommates shared the same misconception as everyone else.
She patiently explained, introducing herself and thoughtfully introducing Jiang Xiao as well.
The corner of Jiang Xiao’s mouth curved slightly upward.
“So, no more mix-ups, okay? We don’t want to mess up Jiang Xiao’s chances of finding a girlfriend,” Song Qiuyu said earnestly.
Jiang Xiao’s lips flattened into a straight line.
Silence lingered for a long moment until Xie Zhuran, the roommate with dyed white hair, jolted upright as if waking from a dream, pointing at Song Qiuyu and shouting, “Holy crap, Xiao Nan-niang was by my side all along?”
Song Qiuyu, who was hanging clothes, froze, clenched her fist, and blew on it as if dusting it off, playfully pretending she was about to hit him.
Xie Zhuran, quick on his feet, backed away, waving his hands. “My bad, bro, my bad! I’m behaving, spare me…”
“What a jerk. I suggest punching him in the face,” said Lin An, the bespectacled roommate, smiling as he adjusted his glasses.
Noticing Jiang Xiao’s gaze on the military training uniforms on the table, Lin An turned serious and added, “You guys got back just in time. The counselor just posted in the group chat: all freshmen need to be at the main lecture hall by 9:30 for the military training mobilization meeting. The opening ceremony will be held at the same time.”
“Yeah, it’s almost 9. We should head out soon,” Xie Zhuran chimed in.
Song Qiuyu, of course, didn’t hold a grudge.
The lecture hall seats were arranged by major and class, with class seating based on grades.
Since dormmates usually had similar academic performance, they typically sat together.
Now, she was seated to Lin An’s left, with Xie Zhuran to his right.
And Jiang Xiao… was sitting right next to her on the left.
This meant Jiang Xiao’s college entrance exam score was just as borderline as hers.
The academic star had fallen.
I like the dynamic they have going rn 🙂