Chapter 56: Meeting Again

6 a.m.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the sounds of loud snoring and faint teeth grinding still echoed through the dormitory.

Yu Qing sat up on the bed.

Like a shadow, he silently slid down, quickly washed up, picked up his backpack, and left the dormitory, gently closing the door behind him.

The cold morning wind seeped through his collar, making him shiver, but it also drove away the last traces of drowsiness.

Yu Qing hadn’t slept all night.

Li Ming’s sudden outburst was like a sharp thorn hanging over his forehead, leaving him restless until dawn.

Walking on the empty road, the confrontation on the balcony last night replayed in his mind as vividly as if it had just happened.

Li Ming’s relentless questions seemed to still linger in his ears.

“Still too passive…”

Yu Qing thought bitterly.

He realized that now, he was almost always trying to make up for past mistakes.

Even with mysterious powers, he’d managed to make a complete mess.

If he hadn’t used a forced display of anger to suppress Li Ming’s doubts at the last moment, making him unable to continue along his original line of questioning, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After all, Yu Qing wasn’t really angry.

He didn’t feel rage, only panic and despair at the brink of being discovered.

Even at his angriest, he would simply stare in silence, unable to say a word.

Li Ming knew this.

But last night, he didn’t react and instead was suppressed by Yu Qing.

It wasn’t until later, when Li Ming sent an emoji, that Yu Qing finally confirmed Li Ming had seen through him.

Mixed with relief was a trace of unease.

As the person involved, Yu Qing could almost guess what Li Ming was thinking.

Yu Qing was streaming in the dormitory, but Fu Yi’s voice came from the stream.

The only possible explanation was that Yu Qing had brought Fu Yi into the dormitory.

Adding to this was the recent school anniversary.

Li Ming knew well that with Yu Qing’s personality, he would never, ever participate in such events.

Yet the reality was that Yu Qing not only joined but also did so with Fu Yi, who was widely noticed in the school.

What could be the reason?

Aside from being forced by Fu Yi, Li Ming couldn’t think of any other possibility.

To exaggerate, it was as if Fu Yi was coercing Yu Qing.

He originally didn’t understand what connection there was between Fu Yi and Yu Qing’s medicine, but if Fu Yi was a girl and forced a certain explanation, it seemed to be the only answer.

As for now, Li Ming’s suspicion hadn’t disappeared; it was only temporarily suppressed by Yu Qing, like a ticking time bomb.

The longer Yu Qing stayed in the dormitory, the higher the risk of it exploding.

If yesterday, when searching for a place to stay, he still hoped to find a better, more comfortable house, now Yu Qing had only one thought left.

Quick!

The sooner, the better!

He had to find a place to move out and live long-term as soon as possible.

The sooner he left the dormitory, the better.

As long as it wasn’t a hazardous building, even just a door that could lock securely, he could accept it.

As for the price?

As long as it wasn’t astronomical, as long as Yu Qing could afford it, nothing else mattered.

The entire morning, Yu Qing moved like a wound-up puppet, shuttling between different old residential complexes and agency offices.

He no longer cared about the agency’s ramblings about lighting or “spiritual energy.”

He only cared about three things.

Can he move in immediately?

How is the soundproofing?

Are there any neighborhood disputes?

Yet, even after lowering his standards so much, the process was still not smooth.

The places he liked either required a two-year lease or needed several days before move-in.

And the places available for immediate occupancy were often so bad that even Yu Qing, who considered himself not very picky, couldn’t help but shake his head.

Maybe it was divine pity.

Just as Yu Qing was about to give up and consider temporarily staying in a cheap motel, his rental app pushed a new shared housing listing.

The location wasn’t far from the school, in a relatively safe old complex, and it advertised three bedrooms, one living room, and a full kitchen and bathroom.

The conditions were already very good.

More importantly, the listing was clearly marked “urgent rental,” “short-term lease available,” and…

“Female tenants only.”

?

Heavens above!

The words “female tenants only” were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing Yu Qing’s excitement.

But the “urgent rental” and “short-term lease available” were fatally tempting.

Yu Qing hesitated for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth and called the number, ready to try his luck.

The one who answered was an agency rep with a straightforward voice.

After confirming the information, not only did the rep not try to dissuade him, but even encouraged Yu Qing to give it a shot and said the landlord was currently at the property and ready to show the house.

After getting the details, Yu Qing immediately rushed over.

The apartment was on the third floor.

The hallway was a bit dim but clean enough.

He knocked on the door, mentally preparing himself on how to convince the other party if a girl around his age opened the door.

After a while, the sound of slippers slapping against tile came from inside, and soon the door opened from within.

Yu Qing looked up—and froze.

Standing inside the doorway was a woman in comfortable light gray loungewear.

Her long hair was loose and unadorned, yet she exuded a cold, unapproachable aura.

She was the elegant lady he’d briefly met at the pavilion yesterday afternoon.

She clearly recognized Yu Qing as well.

Her slender eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly, a trace of surprise flickering in her eyes, but it quickly vanished, returning to the same calm indifference as yesterday.

“It’s you?”

Her voice was as cool as her demeanor, devoid of warmth.

A single sentence, yet it made Yu Qing feel a deep sense of distance.

“Uh, hello, I’m here to see the place. I just called.”

Yu Qing spoke awkwardly, his mind racing.

How could it be such a coincidence?

No, now wasn’t the time to focus on that.

This lady—who’d clearly specified she wanted a female roommate—probably had some bias against men.

The immediate priority was to convince her of his character.

Wait, was his character even that good?

Realizing what he was doing, Yu Qing suddenly felt guilty.

But he forced himself to speak, trying to explain:

“Um, about the tenant requirement, I saw that it says only females, but actually, I don’t think it needs to be that strict.”

As he spoke, he subconsciously raised his hand, but his backpack was heavy, so he let it drop, feeling awkward about what to do with his hands.

Su Qing Ruan’s gaze slid from Yu Qing’s face to his slightly moving hand.

Her eyes lingered only for an instant—so brief it was almost unnoticeable, as if it was just a casual glance.

To Yu Qing, her expression didn’t change at all.

She remained as aloof and unapproachable as before.

Yu Qing didn’t notice Su Qing Ruan’s scrutiny.

His attention was still on how to organize his words.

He’d thought about it the whole way here, but now, faced with the situation, his mind was overloaded and he couldn’t speak.

And even if he had noticed, he would have just assumed she was looking at the backpack in his hand.

His sister had grabbed it online, and since she got two, she gave him one as well.

It was called Sunny Day or something—seemed pretty well-known.

However, before Yu Qing could get to the point, Su Qing Ruan spoke in her usual calm tone, interrupting his painstakingly organized words.

“You can.”

“Ah?”

Yu Qing didn’t react at first.