Chapter 6: The Three Fools in the Dormitory 1

“Loving you walking alone in dark alleys, loving your unyielding stance~~” 

The familiar alarm tone rang from the phone on the bedside table.

Ji Yuenian groggily opened his eyes. 

Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his sleepy eyes, grabbed the phone, turned off the alarm, and checked the time-10:58. 

He had slept for ten hours straight, no wonder he felt so refreshed.

Putting down the phone, he picked up a washbasin and went outside to fetch cold water. 

After a quick wash, the fully energized Ji Yuenian turned on the light and sat on the bed, the harsh white light flooding the already small room.

He picked up the silver coin, examined it closely for a moment, then pinched himself.

“Ouch- Not a dream.”

“Dear heavens, I’d rather have a storage space than this gender swap! Sure, I have a cross-dressing fetish, but I only want to sleep with girls, not become one!!” 

Ji Yuenian grumbled again.

After fiddling with the coin for a while, he put it away and picked up his phone, opening the dorm group chat.

Moonlight Eternal: “Heading back to campus. Anyone want lunch brought back?”

Moonlight Eternal was also Ji Yuenian’s online ID, inspired by “Red Cliff Ode.”

Resonating Fame: “Righteous Father, me, me! Shredded pork with potato noodles, three taels.”

Virtuous Kang: “Currently flirting. Planning to seal the deal tonight.”

Not a Little Fox: “Working. Do not disturb.”

After packing up, Ji Yuenian took out the trash and left his rented room, tossing the garbage into the bin downstairs before taking a shortcut back to campus.

He ate a curry beef meal at the school cafeteria, packed a shredded pork with potato noodles, and bought an iced lemonade on a whim. 

When Ji Yuenian returned to the dorm with the food, he was greeted by a shirtless guy rushing toward him for a hug.

“Righteous Father, you’re finally back!” 

Yao Jieming’s eyes nearly welled up with tears at the sight of Ji Yuenian-especially the noodles in his hand as he lunged for an embrace.

“Get off me, scram!” 

Faced with such a dramatic scene, Ji Yuenian’s eye twitched. 

He raised a foot threateningly, but Yao Jieming dodged nimbly.

“Righteous Father, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you every second~~” 

Yao Jieming didn’t approach again after dodging. 

Instead, he crossed himself devoutly and chanted, “Your kingdom is the kingdom of noodles, where potatoes and shredded pork abound-the paradise all hungry souls yearn for.”

“You just missed your lunch, didn’t you?” 

Ji Yuenian’s lips twitched, but considering Yao Jieming was a drama enthusiast from the literature club, he let it slide. 

He placed the noodles on the table and took the lemonade to his own bed.

Ji Yuenian’s dorm was a four-person suite spanning about 50 square meters, equipped with desks, chairs, a washing machine, air conditioning, and a private bathroom. 

Water was free, while electricity was split among them.

Lounging lazily against the headboard, Ji Yuenian opened the campus forum, stuck a straw into his lemonade, and leisurely scrolled through various amusing posts while sipping.

The forum was a chaotic mix of requests: 

“Looking for a girlfriend online-must be fair-skinned, beautiful, and long-legged,” 

“Any job leads? Preferably daily pay,” 

“Is the maid café near campus still hiring? Can guys apply?” 

“Help finding a missing blue-and-white cat, please~~”

His finger slid downward as pale light illuminated the boy’s face. 

Ji Yuenian paused at a particular forum post.

This was a pinned post in the Wanqing Academy forum.

[First Place in the 2023 School Heartthrob Election]

His fingertip trembled slightly, but he still tapped on the image.

Golden sunlight filtered through the trees, leaving only scattered patches of light. 

Beneath the shade stood a young man in casual clothes wearing a mask, as if trying to hide his entire being within his garments.

He crouched down, facing a blue-and-white striped cat with large, dark, round eyes utterly adorable with its fluffy fur.

The cat lowered its head, nibbling delicately at the chicken leg the boy offered.

The boy simply watched quietly, a hint of amusement hidden in his deep blue eyes.

The entire scene was picturesque and heartwarming, like something out of a fairy tale—too perfect to disturb.

This photo, casually taken by a fellow student, had garnered 20k likes, 15k comments, 30k shares, and over 4,000 votes among the heartthrob candidates.

As his finger continued scrolling, another image came into view.

[Second Place in the 2023 School Heartthrob Election]

Unlike the previous idyllic atmosphere, this photo featured its protagonist at a nursing home. 

Dressed in volunteer attire, he carried a broom and bucket, grinning warmly as he greeted several elderly residents.

Among the heartthrob candidates, it received 20k likes, 4k comments, 5k shares, and just over 2,000 votes-falling far behind the first-place winner.

And this protagonist was none other than Ji Yuenian himself!

His gaze lingered momentarily on his sweaty, volunteer-uniform-clad self before shifting back to the aloof, blue-eyed boy. 

Ji Yuenian gritted his teeth silently.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t accept being surpassed by others.

But after a semester of hard work-volunteering, cleaning martyrs’ graves, visiting lonely elders to lose to someone’s casually staged “candid shot”…

The bitterness made his teeth ache!

“Ji, Yao-whoever’s in there, open up!” Just then, a sudden knock came at the door.

“Coming, hold on.” 

Yao Jieming paused his noodle-slurping, set down his chopsticks, and swiftly went to open it.

A slender, masked boy ducked inside hurriedly, immediately locking the door behind him with an air of secrecy.

“You punk.” 

Yao Jieming shot him an exasperated look between noodle bites. 

“Why the mask? You’re not some celebrity-our school only needs one aloof heartthrob.”

“You think I want to?!”

Luo Yikang fired back without mercy, then removed his mask to reveal a face more beautiful than most women’s-narrow phoenix eyes with a beauty mark at the corner, straight nose, sensual lips—a veritable lady-killer of the new generation!

Yet now, one side of that devastatingly handsome face bore a bright red palm print, clearly from a woman’s hand.

At this sight, both Yao Jieming and Ji Yuenian inhaled sharply.

Exchanging glances, they instantly understood each other’s thoughts.

Justice at last this calamitous playboy had finally met his downfall!!

“Always the hunter, today the hunted.” 

Luo Yikang slumped into a chair, rubbing his stinging cheek resentfully. 

“Is Daji here? I need her to massage this.”

“She’s not back yet.”

“According to the usual schedule, he should be back by 6 PM.”

Yao Shijie and Ji Yuenian each responded.

“Right outside the door, dear brothers~” 

Suddenly, an overly sweet voice came from outside, giving all three of them goosebumps.

Ji Yuenian and Yao Jieming exchanged glances before both turning to Luo Yikang. 

With just one look, Luo reluctantly went to open the door, revealing a delicate-looking boy in a white shirt and jeans standing at the threshold, arms crossed, smiling brightly at him.

“Dear brother- I told you I’m not called Daji~~”