Chapter 11
At the beginning of the new semester, early in the morning, Bai Yun had the driver take Jiang Shiyu to school. When they went downstairs, Jiang Shiyu discreetly glanced at the neighboring bedroom, but the door was tightly closed, indicating that no one was inside. It seemed that Shen Li had left after packing up the night before.
Upon arriving at school, the driver helped him move his luggage to the dormitory and then left. He sat on the bed, staring blankly at the familiar surroundings.
Jiang Hua University required students to live on campus before their senior year, so they took student accommodation seriously. Each dormitory had individual bathrooms, shower rooms, washing machines, air conditioning, etc.
Usually, there were four people in a dorm, but Jiang Shiyu’s dorm was a double, which Shen Li somehow managed to arrange for them when they started their freshman year.
Now the dorm was empty. Before the summer vacation, Shen Li had packed everything into the cabinets and took the excess back home. At that time, Jiang Shiyu sat on the bed eating the glutinous rice cakes that he had brought him.
He was lost in thought for a moment. His phone, lying on the bed, buzzed. He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Li Muzi.
Li Muzi was his classmate in the music department and one of his few close friends due to his health issues, he had always been a loner and rarely had friends. Li Muzi was one of the few.
“Hey, Muzi.”
“Shiyu, are you in the dorm?”
The tone on the other end of the phone sounded urgent, making him nervous. He quickly said he was there, and the next moment, Li Muzi said he was coming over.
He was puzzled by his sudden urgency. Li Muzi was always lively and often made a big deal out of nothing, so he stayed in the dorm, slowly packing his things, while waiting for him.
A few minutes later, Li Muzi rushed in, panting, and patted Jiang Shiyu on the back from behind.
“Shiyu, Shiyu.”
Jiang Shiyu turned around, smiling with his eyes. “Muzi, long time no see.”
“Quick, stop the small talk. Tell me about you and Shen Li. The school forum is exploding with rumors that he lost his memory, you two broke up. Damn it! It’s all because my dad insisted on sending me abroad for a closed-door study during the summer vacation. I missed out on this big news.”
Jiang Shiyu was caught off guard by Li Muzi’s bright golden hair flashing into his eyes. It was not easy for ordinary people to handle such a non-mainstream hair color, but Li Muzi’s beautiful and almost enchanting face subdued the dazzling hair color.
“Muzi, your hair.”
Li Muzi tossed his head, propped up his chin, and winked at him provocatively. “Do you think it looks good? I dyed it behind my dad’s back. He doesn’t know yet.”
Jiang Shiyu nodded seriously. “It looks very good, Muzi. This color makes you even more beautiful.”
Li Muzi laughed and fell back on the bed, laughing mischievously. “But I still think you’re more beautiful.”
Jiang Shiyu was used to his teasing and smiled faintly, his eyes narrowing with a hint of amusement.
After a while, Li Muzi remembered the main issue. He looked around the dormitory and saw the open suitcase on the floor and the empty beds facing each other. It was completely different from the tidy dormitory during the last winter vacation.
He patted Jiang Shiyu’s shoulder. “Hey, is what the forum says true? Did Shen Li really lose his memory in a car accident and forget about you, leading to a crisis in your relationship?”
Jiang Shiyu lowered his head and looked at his fingers, which were stained with dust from packing earlier, forming a black patch. “Yeah, that day we got into an accident while driving. As a result, he hit his head and lost some of his memories, forgetting about me.”
Li Muzi was astonished, his jaw almost dropping to the ground, wearing a look of incredulity.
“Lost his memory and that’s it? How could you break up because of that? Just explain it to him.”
“After he lost his memory, he believed he was straight and thought that I had seduced him into being gay, breaking off our relationship unilaterally.”
Li Muzi listened, his face full of disbelief.
“What nonsense is Shen Li spouting? After losing his memory, why didn’t he verify how you two got together before drawing conclusions? You seduced him? He’s straight? Who was the one following you around like a clingy puppy every day, touching and teasing you? Even Wan Chai pier wouldn’t have as many twists and turns as him.”
Jiang Shiyu, who had been feeling a bit down while facing the empty dormitory, gradually felt happier as Li Muzi arrived. Li Muzi kept teasing Shen Li without even bothering to find out the reasons behind it, unconditionally taking his side. It felt really good.
“Muzi, have some water.” He picked up a bottle of water from the table and handed it over.
Li Muzi took it, fake crying for a couple of seconds. “Our Shiyu is so obedient, so soft, so kind. It’s Shen Li who is blind and heartless, unlucky for not cherishing you. We can’t criticize our baby.”
Jiang Shiyu was amused by his antics, and his round cat-like eyes narrowed as he smiled, as if he naturally had eyeliner.
The two of them were chatting when Jiang Shiyu inadvertently looked up and saw someone standing at the door of the dormitory, half leaning against the outside, looking casual.
“Shen Li is just a bastard, a heartless scumbag. Baby, let’s not give up the whole forest for one crooked tree. He’s just a bit taller, a bit more handsome, with a bit more abs and better skills in bed…”
“Cough, cough, cough!!!” Jiang Shiyu’s face turned red as soon as he heard that. He recognized the person standing at the door as Shen Li, but Li Muzi kept on talking nonsense without a filter.
Seeing him coughing so hard, Li Muzi quickly approached with concern, “Shiyu, why is your face so red? Oh… are you still shy? Last time it was you who told me that Shen Li was good in bed and that you couldn’t stand it. Let me think of a solution for you.”
He coughed even more violently, wishing he could just faint. He took the opportunity to sneak a glance at the person at the door. Shen Li had entered carrying his luggage, and with a thud, he placed the suitcase on the floor.
This startled Li Muzi, who turned around to see Shen Li, who had an expressionless face, standing there. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
“When… did you come?” He asked tremblingly.
Shen Li had a sinister smile on his face as he spoke word by word, “Since you said there’s no chance I’m bent like you.”
Li Muzi felt his vision darken, and he stood up slowly, holding onto the edge of the bed, and turned to look at Jiang Shiyu, sincerely saying, “Shiyu, I suddenly remembered that I haven’t packed my luggage yet. I’ll go back to the dorm first. We’ll talk later.”
With that, he dashed out of the room.
The empty dormitory was left with only Jiang Shiyu and Shen Li. Jiang Shiyu sat on the bed, feeling restless, not daring to look up at Shen Li’s expression.
Shen Li grabbed his luggage, ignored the person opposite him, and walked straight to his own bed, opening the closet to start packing.
Jiang Shiyu’s anxious thoughts gradually calmed down. He sneaked a glance at Shen Li’s side and saw that his bed was already neatly made, and his luggage was packed neatly. Shen Li took a set of sportswear and walked to the bathroom.
So fast.
Jiang Shiyu compared his two messy suitcases on the floor and felt embarrassed. He quickly started to tidy up, forgetting the embarrassing situation just now.
In the bathroom, Shen Li turned on the showerhead on the wall, and the cold water flowed down from above, taking away some of the heat.
He had learned about him and Jiang Shiyu living alone in a double room during the summer vacation. He had come to the school early in the morning to find the dormitory management and request a room change, but they said all the dormitory arrangements were full and couldn’t be changed.
Originally, he was very annoyed as he dragged his suitcase over. He could still find excuses to avoid it at home, but living in a double room where he couldn’t escape, he couldn’t avoid it.
As a result, when he heard the small fry and someone else gossiping about him outside the door, he suddenly felt black and couldn’t help but speak up.
There was a constant sound of tinkling outside the door, and he didn’t know what the little brat was doing. He walked out after taking a cold shower and changing his clothes.
The dormitory door was wide open, and the morning sunlight poured in from the corridor, forming irregular facets on the white porcelain surface.
Two large suitcases were scattered on the floor in the middle, and the bed on one side was piled with sheets and quilts, seeming to hide something inside, wriggling constantly.
Shen Li frowned, casting doubt on Jiang Shiyu’s ability to take care of himself. How did this person manage to survive for over a decade?
Jiang Shiyu wriggled around in the bedding, almost making himself dizzy. When he felt that his breathing was not smooth and his heart was beating faster, he quickly found the exit and crawled out, only to meet Shen Li’s scrutinizing gaze.
He sat on the edge of the bed, breathing heavily. The fresh air made his throat and nose feel much better, and his muddled mind cleared up a bit. He looked at Shen Li’s attire and asked him, “Are you going out?”
Shen Li, with his back to the door, stood still, not turning around, waiting for him to continue.
“Yeah.” He replied coldly.
Glancing at him again, he said, “Hurry up and pack your stuff. If I don’t have a place to sleep tonight, I’ll throw everything out.”
Jiang Shiyu, with his messy hair, looked a bit aggrieved and lost. His voice was trembling, “Okay, I’ll try my best.”
Shen Li took out a black messenger bag from the closet and put it on his shoulder, ready to leave. Jiang Shiyu seemed to remember something and hurriedly stopped him.
“Shen Li.”
Shen Li stood still with his back to him, waiting for him to continue.
“Aunt Bai Yun said… she wants you to go to the hospital for a check-up this week. You must remember.”
Actually, Aunt Bai Yun didn’t say that. Shen Li’s medical records and check-up time were all secretly written down by Jiang Shiyu. He was afraid that if he mentioned it, he would be upset, so he pretended that Aunt Bai Yun reminded him.
Shen Li hesitated for a few seconds before replying with a grunt. Jiang Shiyu reminded him again, “You must remember. It’s in these two days.”
“I know. You’re so annoying.” He left with these words, taking big strides.