Chapter 2

Damn it, why was he getting closer again?!

"Why are you coming closer?!"

Hao Tu immediately jumped away. His brows were tightly furrowed, and he looked thoroughly disgusted by Hui Jiang.

White sheets of paper drifted down slowly like willow catkins.

Hao Tu turned his face away to avoid them, not even letting his peripheral vision land on the papers. His attention remained fixed on Hui Jiang at all times, afraid that the other man would come closer again.

Under that icy gaze, Hui Jiang hurriedly apologized.

"No, I... I'm sorry!"

He bent down to pick up the discarded drafts from the floor.

Hmph!

That damned gay.

Don't think I can't guess what you're thinking.

Hao Tu stood proudly in place, chin slightly raised, squinting as he watched the other man busy himself. His face was filled with disgust.

"It's not what you think. I... I have my reasons."

As Hui Jiang cleaned up, he secretly observed Hao Tu's expression.

"Reasons?"

Hao Tu rolled his eyes internally.

He hated people like this the most—those shameless individuals who secretly had a crush on him.

Hui Jiang clenched the manuscripts in his hand and decided to go all in.

"I'm actually sick!"

He gritted his teeth and looked directly into the man's eyes.

"I have a fetish. A very serious fetish. I like collecting other people's trash..."

"What?"

Hao Tu narrowed his eyes.

Then he laughed mockingly.

"A fetish... That's certainly a nice excuse. But do you think I'll believe it?"

Sweat trickled down Hui Jiang's face.

"It's absolutely true."

Hao Tu snatched away the stack of drafts Hui Jiang had already organized, along with everything else from the cabinet and desk.

He moved so quickly that Hui Jiang could not even react.

"What are you trying to do?"

Seeing the low-pressure aura surrounding him, Hui Jiang did not dare approach recklessly.

Without even lifting his eyelids, Hao Tu replied,

"Get out of the way."

His words were cold and hurtful, completely disregarding Hui Jiang's feelings.

He picked up the items and headed outside.

Hui Jiang rubbed his nose and obediently stepped aside.

Those things would have to be dealt with sooner or later anyway.

The real problem now was that Hao Tu did not believe him.

Bang!

Hao Tu slammed the dormitory door as he left.

Only after reaching the hallway did he pause slightly.

Suspiciously, he glanced back.

There were no footsteps.

Hui Jiang had actually not chased after him...

Hmph!

Unhappily, he turned his head and stormed downstairs.

Hao Tu did not know why he was so angry.

After thinking it over, he could only blame everything on his perverted roommate.

That damned pervert.

That damned gay.

He actually dared to have a crush on him!

Hao Tu dumped all the drafts into a garbage cart in one go.

The low-pressure aura around him was so intense that it practically seemed tangible.

Just wait.

I'll make you pay for this!

His beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

His pale pink lips curved into a somewhat wicked smile.

The cold and handsome face gained a touch of vitality because of it, causing passing female students to secretly glance his way.

Wait.

The underwear was still with Hui Jiang!

The smile on Hao Tu's face froze before it could last even half a second.

No.

He absolutely had to get it back from that pervert!

...

...

Not long after Hao Tu left, the other two roommates returned.

"Hui Jiang, why didn't you turn on the air conditioner?"

Wiping away sweat, Hui Jiang replied,

"I just got back too. I got busy and forgot. It's really hot today."

The sudden incident earlier had scared him so badly that he had broken out in sweat.

His back was already soaked, and the white fabric of his shirt clung to his skin.

The dorm leader nodded and switched on the air conditioner.

Hui Jiang asked,

"Did either of you see Hao Tu when you came back?"

Ling Yu Dong took a sip of water.

"I think so. Why?"

"Hao Tu had just gone downstairs when you came back. I figured you probably would have run into him."

Hui Jiang pushed up his glasses.

Ling Yu Dong nodded and opened his takeout box.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No. I was planning to go out and eat later."

Just as he finished speaking, the dormitory door was pushed open again.

The moment Hao Tu entered, he noticed that the other two roommates had also returned.

Not wanting them to know anything, he could only return to his own seat for now.

With a dark expression, Hao Tu walked to his desk.

Everyone in the dorm could feel the low-pressure atmosphere radiating from him.

Hui Jiang lowered his head and pretended to play on his phone, turning his back so he would not have to look at Hao Tu.

Now that the other roommates were present, Hao Tu probably would not dare do anything to him.

But this could not continue forever.

How was he supposed to explain himself?

Hui Jiang's head ached.

He had even lost the motivation to take a shower.

The scraping sound of chair legs dragging across the floor echoed harshly.

Hao Tu pulled out his chair, sat down expressionlessly, and opened his laptop.

Ling Yu Dong exchanged a glance with the dorm leader.

The two instantly understood.

Hui Jiang and Hao Tu seemed to have had a falling out.

Buzz buzz.

A message notification popped up on Hui Jiang's WeChat.

【Brother Dong (Ling Yu Dong): Did you offend Hao Tu? Why is he so angry?】

【Hui Jiang: I don't think so.】

【Hui Jiang: I don't know.】

How was he supposed to explain this?

Hui Jiang replied dryly with two short messages before closing the chat window.

Immediately afterward, he noticed the red notification beside Hao Tu's name in WeChat.

Pushing up his glasses, he wondered why Hao Tu was messaging him.

He opened the conversation.

【Hao Tu: Underwear. Give it back.】

Only then did Hui Jiang remember the underwear still in his pocket.

Instantly embarrassed, he was about to reply when two more messages arrived in succession.

【Hao Tu: Are you playing dead?!】

【Hao Tu: Are you giving it back or not? Don't think that just because people are in the dorm, I can't do anything to you!】

Even through the screen, Hui Jiang could feel Hao Tu's urgency and resentment.

Why was he in such a hurry?

It wasn't as if he had said he wouldn't return it...

【Hui Jiang: I'll definitely give it back. Don't get worked up. Isn't it because there are people in the dorm?】

He absolutely had to calm Hao Tu down.

He could not let this matter become public.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Hui Jiang sent a cute emoji to ease the awkwardness in the conversation.

Shameless.

Hao Tu snorted coldly.

Looking at the cute emoji in the chat window only made him more convinced that Hui Jiang had a crush on him.

【Hao Tu: Don't send emojis.】

【Hao Tu: I'm discussing something very serious with you!】

【Hui Jiang: Alright, alright. I'll listen to whatever you say.】

Hui Jiang glanced toward the balcony.

The atmosphere in the dorm was far too strange.

He needed to find a way to smooth things over with Hao Tu as quickly as possible.

【Hui Jiang: How about I put the underwear in your bucket on the balcony, and you can go get it yourself later?】

Reading that message, Hao Tu narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as if evaluating its credibility.

【Hui Jiang: I definitely won't do it again. Please be magnanimous and let me off this time.】

【Hao Tu: No!】

The moment he sent it, Hao Tu immediately felt he had said the wrong thing.

【Hui Jiang: Emmm, then what do you want?】

How had this turned into him looking unreasonable?

He absolutely could not fall into the pervert's trap.

Pressing his lips together, Hao Tu secretly glanced at Hui Jiang.

【Hao Tu: Forget it. Just do what you said earlier and put the underwear in my bucket first.】

After sending the message, Hao Tu heard Hui Jiang get up and walk toward the balcony.

Was he really being this obedient?

This was not quite what Hao Tu had expected.

He stood up and followed him outside.

Ling Yu Dong and the dorm leader exchanged glances.

Then they quietly slipped behind the balcony door and began eavesdropping.

For the sake of peace and harmony in the dormitory, they felt obligated to understand the conflict between their roommates.

The lingering heat of early September had not yet faded.

The glow before sunset spread across the buildings.

The moment Hui Jiang stepped out of the air-conditioned room, waves of heat washed over him.

He placed the underwear into Hao Tu's bucket and heard the door behind him open.

Carrying a chilly aura with him, Hao Tu walked up behind him.

Hui Jiang felt a chill run down his back.

Every hair on his body stood up.

Turning around, he gave Hao Tu an awkward smile and immediately tried to slip away.

"Stop right there."

The cold gaze stabbed into Hui Jiang's back like a blade.

Hui Jiang froze.

"Is there something else?"

"Where are you going with that shampoo?"

Hao Tu frowned.

"The bathroom is behind you."

Why was he suddenly minding his business?

Helplessly, Hui Jiang replied,

"I was planning to go out for dinner later and take a shower at the public bathhouse while I'm at it."

"Are you sick in the head?"

From the moment he enrolled, Hui Jiang had known that Hao Tu was difficult to get along with.

Aside from being handsome, rich, and intelligent, the man was basically nothing but flaws.

He was arrogant and spoke harshly.

Anyone who spent a few weeks living with him would probably end up full of frustration.

Fortunately, Hui Jiang had long since gotten used to it.

He was not someone who held grudges.

Most of Hao Tu's cutting remarks went in one ear and out the other.

"In weather this hot, you're going to the bathhouse?"

Hao Tu simply wanted to mock him.

Leaning close to Hui Jiang's ear, he whispered,

"You really are a pervert."

His deep voice and warm breath brushed against Hui Jiang's sensitive ear.

Hui Jiang immediately shrank his neck and retreated several meters away.

"No, this really is a misunderstanding. If you refuse to believe me, there's nothing I can do."

In weather this hot, he did not want to go to the bathhouse either.

But the atmosphere in the dorm was simply too strange.

The only option was to leave and avoid the situation for a while.

"I only believe what I see. Say whatever nonsense you want."

The sunset glow spilled across the balcony.

Half of Hao Tu's face was bathed in light, softening the sharpness of his features.

Their shadows stretched diagonally across the ceramic tiles.

Hui Jiang was in no mood to admire his roommate's handsome face.

He quietly pulled open the door, intending only to sneak back into the room.

However, the moment the door opened, he saw the two roommates hiding behind it.

The three of them stared at one another with wide eyes.

Ling Yu Dong rubbed his nose.

"Uh..."

"What are you two doing here? Move."

Hui Jiang pushed past the two roommates, grabbed his bag, and walked straight out of the dormitory.

Hao Tu's expression darkened even further.

"You were eavesdropping?"

The dorm leader swallowed nervously.

"We were worried about you and Hui Jiang. We were afraid you two might start fighting."

Ling Yu Dong quickly agreed.

"Yeah. The weather is already hot enough to make people lose their tempers easily. If you really started fighting on the balcony and someone accidentally fell off, it could be fatal."

Impatiently, Hao Tu replied,

"Enough. If I really wanted to hit him, I'd have beaten him to death already."

That damned pervert ran so fast.

Did he grease the bottoms of his shoes or something?

"Calm down, calm down. That guy didn't do anything outrageously unforgivable, right?"

Hao Tu looked at the underwear sitting in his bucket and snorted coldly.