CFL 24

“……”

Wen Ci had been thinking about how to explain, but the person opposite him directly pulled out a big move.

Because he had given him a bottle of water?

Good heavens, he was wronged. Alright, at most it was a misjudgment.

Wen Ci responded very straightforwardly: “No, I don’t like you.”

Wen Ci looked into Yu Bin’s eyes, sincerely and kindly: “I saw you looking for water everywhere, and you looked so pitiful, so I helped you out.”

Yu Bin: “……?”

Wen Ci didn’t want to be misunderstood and was about to say something to further clarify when the atmosphere between them was interrupted by the sound of light footsteps from the doorway. Both of them looked over simultaneously.

In an instant, all of Wen Ci’s words got stuck in his throat, neither going up nor down, causing discomfort.

Fortunately, things had been explained clearly. Wen Ci held his books and said goodbye to them.

The classroom entrance was only so big, and Jiang Yufeng stood there, staring intently at him with a very meaningful look. Wen Ci lowered his head and was forced to brush past him and walk out.

Once they were far enough away, Yu Bin let out a soft chuckle: “Strange, do you really think he’s not admitting it because he’s shy?”

Last night at the gathering, he had been looking at himself the whole time. Yu Bin wasn’t stupid; of course, he could tell. But he and Wen Ci could be considered strangers; last night was their first meeting.

There had been instances of love at first sight in his case, but since it was Wen Ci, he felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

Wen Ci was just too beautiful, like a warm and lustrous pearl. It felt as if his heart would melt just from a few glances at her.

Yu Bin couldn’t help but indulge in wild thoughts. He even felt that he was right. If it hadn’t been for Jiang Yufeng’s sudden intrusion, there might have been some other progress between them.

Jiang Yufeng was silent for two seconds before speaking indifferently: “He doesn’t like you.”

Yu Bin looked at him, his smile fading: “You’re being too absolute.”

“He was very clear just now. If you pretend not to understand, I will question your communication skills in our future cooperation.”

Yu Bin needed the project to gild his experience and enrich his resume. It wasn’t the right time to have a falling out. He clenched his jaw: “Do you care about Wen Ci that much?”

Jiang Yufeng lowered his eyes, placing the printed blueprints on the table as if he hadn’t heard him: “Continue.”

Wen Ci rubbed his shoulders; he had almost been scared to death just now.

Jiang Yufeng couldn’t have heard everything, could he? No way, his ears weren’t that sharp.

Wen Ci hopped down the stairs, and on the last three steps, he landed perfectly.

Ten points!

Wen Ci exhaled a breath of cool air into the gloomy weather outside. The sky was filled with cumulus clouds. It had been sweltering a few days ago, but now it seemed to be in a state of wanting to rain but not quite.

He wondered if it would rain tomorrow.

After confirming that Yu Bin wasn’t the senior, Wen Ci felt much better and began to regain his anticipatory mood.

Of course, he didn’t say anything bad about Yu Bin. He just felt that he and the senior from WeChat didn’t match. It was strange and discordant, which made Wen Ci very resistant.

Wen Ci bought some snacks on his way back to the dormitory—cheap ones to satisfy his cravings. He thought Tao Peng and Lu Xuesong must have been asleep, but their dormitory door was open.

Curious, he walked over and peeked inside. There were a lot of people.

Upon closer inspection, Wen Ci recognized them—they were classmates and from the neighboring dormitory.

Lu Xuesong, with his sharp eyes, spotted Wen Ci and waved him over, explaining: “Some seniors and juniors just came by to sell stuff.”

Wen Ci was surprised: “Sell? Is that allowed?”

“Since the club recruitment is coming up, we’re the fresh blood they’re targeting. They won’t let us slip away. So now the dormitory building is fully open, regardless of gender. They usually take this opportunity to come up and sell things, like phone cards.”

“……” Wen Ci had already been taken advantage of once.

“Oh, right, we also discussed whether to order a water delivery service. They even help install the barrels. A barrel of tap water costs eight yuan, and we have to carry it up ourselves. Some students just can’t do that kind of heavy lifting, so the water delivery service came into being.”

Wen Ci asked, “How much does it cost?”

“A few yuan per delivery, I forgot the exact amount.”

“Well, that’s not too bad. You guys decide; I’m fine with whatever.”

With that settled, Wen Ci looked around and asked, “What are you guys talking about now?”

“About tonight’s class committee vote.”

The tutor, in the interest of fairness, decided to use a voting system to determine the class committee members for this semester, including the study committee member, two class presidents (one male and one female), the Youth League branch secretary, and so on. The people from the two dormitories gathered together to discuss how to canvass for votes.

It had been less than two months since the start of the school year, and Wen Ci couldn’t recognize everyone here. Apart from Lu Xuesong and Tao Peng, the other faces were quite unfamiliar.

However, a few of them were companions from the last barbecue outing, giving Wen Ci a sense of strange familiarity.

Someone was sitting in Wen Ci’s chair. When Wen Ci approached, he froze for a few seconds, then apologized with a forced smile: “Sorry.”

Wen Ci said it was okay, paused for a moment, and then asked if he wanted some candy.

The person waved his hand, indicating no need.

He eventually left, returning the chair to Wen Ci, who sat down and listened to their conversation.

He heard them chatter about various names, which Wen Ci remembered but couldn’t match to faces, until he keenly caught someone mentioning Jiang Yufeng’s name.

“He’s probably not suitable, but we don’t know if he’ll raise his hand tonight.”

“Probably not.”

“But if he does, most of the class will vote for him.”

“Then we won’t have any advantage at all.”

Being handsome, with delicate and pleasing features, can provide an extremely comfortable visual experience and uplift one’s spirits.

Despite Jiang Yufeng’s rather cold personality, his popularity as one of the top freshmen heartthrobs on the forum remained high.

Moreover, in this world where people often engage in promiscuous behavior, it’s rare to find a handsome guy who stays clean and upright……

Wen Ci didn’t actually think the classmates disliked Jiang Yufeng; they just felt he was hard to approach. If he became a class committee member, it would make things more difficult.

University is indeed a mini-society.

Wen Ci slowly began to understand some truths.

“So the best we can do on our side is to……”

“Send Wen Ci into the fray.”

Wen Ci, who was in the middle of tearing open a candy wrapper, was taken aback when his name was called out: “?”

He timidly asked, “What kind of battle?”

“The male class committee position.”

Wen Ci shook his head: “I don’t know how to lead a class.”

“Better than Jiang Yufeng, though.”

Wen Ci said, “You guys don’t even know for sure if Jiang Yufeng will raise his hand.”

“He probably will; it’s for extra credits.”

University A is well-known in the country for its difficulty in earning credits……Every year, the forum turns into an 18-layer hell of credits at the end of the semester, with people constantly wailing and running around to sign up for activities to accumulate just a tiny bit of credits and activity points.

Wen Ci had no interest in running for the male class committee position and politely declined their suggestion.

Wen Ci felt dispirited; he wouldn’t be able to take a nap now. He guessed he would end up holding a book and joining everyone else in a large group at the entrance of Building No. 1 of the teaching building later.

[W: Are you asleep?]

[Senior: ?]

[Senior: Why aren’t you sleeping?]

[W: The classmates in the dormitory are discussing the class committee thing.]

[W: Are you a class committee member, senior? (With stars in eyes)]

[Senior: You guess.]

[W: You probably are. I guess you’re the study committee member. You’re really good at drawing, your grades aren’t bad, and you have a great figure. Many people would vote for you. Wait, do you guys vote too?]

This was something Wen Ci perceived with his sixth sense; he was always strong in this regard.

[Senior: Study committee member, sure.]

Wen Ci: “?”

This response was odd.

[W: So you are?]

[Senior: Likely.]

“……”

This answer was even stranger.

Wen Ci was still too sleepy, dozing off with his head on the desk. Later, Lu Xuesong shook him awake. After washing his face, half of his face was white and the other half red with patterns; he could have gone straight to act in a play after changing clothes.

What a painful Monday, he felt like crying.

Lu Xuesong pinched his face and laughed, “Your face is so soft, like cotton candy.”

Wen Ci had no energy to respond to him.

The four afternoon classes were extremely painful, mainly because they were so soporific. It was an introduction to architecture, which also required group work. The teacher of the introduction was very casual, completely different from the teachers of the general courses.

Wen Ci and Lu Xuesong were too lazy to think, so they simply continued with the groups from the general courses. In this way, the four of them were together again, only this time with an additional person, Tao Peng.

Tao Peng just wanted to be close to Lu Xuesong. Their relationship had been spiraling upwards in recent times, unstoppable, and of course, the frequency of their intimate moments in the dormitory had also increased.

However, Wen Ci had already gotten used to it. Since he couldn’t resist, he had to accept it.

The only thing that comforted Wen Ci was that they finally stopped throwing condoms around carelessly!

After each intimate session, they would properly clean the floor, and sometimes, in a more refined manner, they would spray some perfume or air freshener. Of course, this didn’t eliminate the smell entirely; it just made it less strong.

Lu Xuesong truly seemed very comfortable, looking fresh and moist every day, clearly well-nourished.

Wen Ci was curious, envious, and also felt the urge to be intimate again.

Sha Zhengyi glanced at Wen Ci and Jiang Yufeng and suddenly felt like the odd one out, so he volunteered to join another group.

In this strange way, the people from Dormitory 504 reformed their team.

Fortunately, everyone got along very harmoniously. Tao Peng’s initial inexplicable hostility towards Jiang Yufeng had now completely dissipated.

As the fourth class was about to end, a classmate called out Wen Ci’s name and pointed towards the door.

Wen Ci turned his head, and his heart skipped a few beats. How could it be Yu Bin?

Yu Bin had a typical northern Chinese face, with features and a temperament that were both大气and sunny. He waved at Wen Ci with a cheerful smile.

Wen Ci reluctantly walked out, and the two of them stood face to face in the corridor.

“Did you want to talk to me about something?”

“Do you remember Du Chengyan?”

“I do.”

“Let’s go out for a meal, the three of us?” Yu Bin added, “It’s right at the school gate. I know you have a class meeting tonight, so I’ll bring you back early.”

Eating a meal is a way to foster relationships between people and is also a form of flirting.

Du Chengyan had a crush on him, and Wen Ci knew it. What did Yu Bin mean by this? Did he want the three of them to go together……or was he suggesting a third wheel? That didn’t seem likely.

Yu Bin whispered, “We can start as friends and slowly get to know each other. I don’t mind that Du Chengyan likes you.”

“……”

Cracked.

Wen Ci shattered, with pieces falling all over the place.

Yu Bin said, “You have the chance to choose.”

Wen Ci first put his face back together, pursed his lips, and sighed, “I don’t like you, nor do I like Du Chengyan. Let’s just forget about being friends.”

Wen Ci, who had added Yu Bin on WeChat, regretted it immensely.

“Why did you sigh when you said you don’t like me?”

“……” Wen Ci felt more dead inside than anything, “I was sighing for myself.”

Yu Bin laughed, “Stubborn.”

Wen Ci’s face shattered once again.

When Wen Ci entered the classroom, he was pale all over, as if he had been terrified.

Lu Xuesong asked, “Let’s go eat together later.”

Wen Ci wasn’t hungry and planned to go to the supermarket to buy some bread to tide him over. If it weren’t for the damned class meeting, he could have met up with his senior tonight. Annoying.

“No, I’ll go back to the dormitory first. You guys go ahead.” Not being a third wheel starts with Wen Ci.

Wen Ci spoke with his head down, completely unaware of Jiang Yufeng’s focused gaze on him.

The class meeting started at seven, and they didn’t have much time left. Wen Ci skipped eating to leisurely head to the classroom on the second floor of Building No. 1 in advance, choosing a spot with a good view where he could also slack off.

He hadn’t been there long when a few more people trickled in. Wen Ci had been looking down at his phone and didn’t notice someone sitting next to him until he felt a thick, intense shadow blocking the light on his phone screen. Only then did Wen Ci slowly turn his face.

At the sight, his heart skipped a beat again.

Before Wen Ci could avert his gaze, Jiang Yufeng caught it, his peripheral vision spilling over: “Is there someone next to you?”

Wen Ci shook his head.

Jiang Yufeng said, “This spot is the best.”

Wen Ci: “……”

That made sense. He had wondered why Jiang Yufeng would be willing to sit next to him.

Jiang Yufeng placed a bottle of cola on the desk. He wasn’t hungry tonight. After finishing four classes in the afternoon, he continued to go back and draw plans. It seemed like he could skip meals without any issues.

But the main reason was that his mind wasn’t at peace.

The moment Yu Bin called Wen Ci out, Jiang Yufeng seemed to realize that Wen Ci must have misunderstood something.

He was making a wedding dress for someone else.

He took out his phone and several times tapped open Wen Ci’s chat box.

[Yf: There?]

Wen Ci was biting a lollipop, holding his phone with both hands as he replied to the message.

[W: Getting ready for the class meeting.]

Before Wen Ci could receive a reply from his senior, the person next to him suddenly stood up and walked out the door, leaving the cola, notebook, and a pen safely on the desk.

He didn’t receive a reply from his senior, but he did receive a voice call from him, which startled Wen Ci so much that he almost dropped his phone. Fortunately, he had muted it in advance; otherwise, it would have been a complete social death.

Wen Ci answered, speaking softly, “Senior, I’m about to start class. What’s up?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to meet before?”

Wen Ci instinctively replied with an affirmative “Mm,” then couldn’t help but furrow his brows. This voice was different from the senior’s previous two times—it was so familiar, yet he couldn’t place where he had heard it……He couldn’t remember.

Was the senior’s voice like that of Sakura from “Cardcaptor Sakura,” changing so much?

Wen Ci said, “Yeah, we had a plan. Tomorrow night.”

After a brief silence, Wen Ci asked quietly, “Can’t you come out?”

The senior didn’t want to wait any longer: “I want it sooner.”

Wen Ci had already checked his schedule and committed it to memory: “I don’t have classes in the morning tomorrow, but I do in the afternoon. How about around four in the afternoon if you don’t mind?”

Waking up early was very painful……

“I want it even earlier.”

Through the phone, the senior’s voice became very husky, like a deep tone that had been suppressed all along.

Wen Ci couldn’t help but rub his ears: “You, how early do you want it?”

“Tonight.”

Wen Ci: “!”

Wen Ci: “?”

Jiang Yufeng said: “Come out.”