Hot-Blooded Young Men

At the moment he placed the video call, Si Di stopped breathing.

He silently recited the names of every god he could think of.

Time stretched endlessly.

Si Di stared fixedly at Qin Wei—at the phone in his hand as he walked toward the car.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Qin Wei's phone did not ring!

Not only did it not ring, its screen did not light up either!

Phew—

Si Di let out a long breath, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Holy crap, that scared me to death!

He had known v for three years and seven months. They had been in an online relationship for five months and three days, calling each other "darling" and "baby."

If v was Qin Wei, it would be a world-ending disaster, a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions!

Si Di would definitely smash himself to death with a block of tofu, hang himself with a noodle, or drown himself in a cup of water!

Thankfully, it had only been a false alarm.

The unanswered video call automatically disconnected. Si Di patted his chest and opened v's profile.

The avatar was a pure black kitten lying in the sun before a floor-to-ceiling window.

Si Di blinked and finally put his mind fully at ease.

Seriously.

How could v, who was gentle, considerate, understanding, cool yet a little adorable, possibly be that shameless mutt Qin Wei?

Tch.

He was worrying over nothing and making trouble for himself.

Shaking his head, Si Di dragged his suitcase down the steps and headed toward the dormitory building.

Meanwhile, inside the black Cayenne that had just driven away.

Through the car window, Qin Wei watched the inexplicable smile on Si Di's face.

His handsome brows drew together slightly.

He silently cursed, Psycho.

Qin Wei withdrew his gaze in disdain and handed his phone to the young assistant in the passenger seat.

"My phone died. Charge it for me."

—

The production crew staff were waiting outside the dormitory building.

The moment Si Di handed over his phone and pushed open the door, it felt as though he had suddenly entered another world.

Outside was quiet and peaceful; inside was loud and chaotic.

Even more shocking, unlike the usual three- or four-person rooms in talent shows, Limited Idol had bizarrely arranged one massive communal sleeping area for a hundred people!

The room—no, it should have been called a hall—contained fifty neatly lined-up bunk beds. The trainees who had returned early were wandering around, choosing their preferred spots.

A hundred people in one room!

And they were all hot-blooded young men!

After a whole day of sweating, then taking off their shoes, the smell was practically suffocating!

Si Di did not have a germ phobia, but having grown up under the watchful eye of Si Guohua, a strict dean of discipline, he had always been very particular about his living habits.

Just as the smell in the hall was making it impossible for him to take another step, someone waved at him from far away.

The adorable Yu Ning stood beside a bed near the window and called excitedly, "Si Di, Si Di, come over here! I saved you a spot!"

By the window! Good airflow!

It was a lifesaver!

Si Di dragged his suitcase over.

Yu Ning pointed to the upper bunk, where the duvet cover had already been put on and the mattress pad and sheet were neatly arranged.

"The air circulates better here, and it's relatively quieter too, so I saved you a spot. I don't sleep very neatly, and I'm afraid I might fall off at night. Si Di, can you sleep on the top bunk?"

Why wouldn't he?

Si Di had slept in a top bunk for all four years of college. He could not thank Yu Ning enough.

After putting his suitcase beneath the bed, Si Di helped Yu Ning make his bed. Then the two went outside the hall together to collect their name tags.

When they returned with their name tags, there was someone else in front of the bed.

Lu Chen's bleached yellow hair was especially easy to recognize.

"Lu Chen! That spot is taken!"

Yu Ning shouted and hurried over.

Hearing him, Lu Chen turned to look. Not only did he refuse to leave, he took out his name tag and stuck it to the head of the bed.

"Lu Chen, what are you doing?" Yu Ning ran over and shoved Lu Chen aside. "I already told you someone was here. Are your ears broken? Didn't you hear me?"

Lu Chen put on an affected expression. "I didn't hear you. Besides, no one was on the bed when I came over. How can you prove it's your spot? My name tag is already on it, so this is my spot now. Go find somewhere else."

"Why should I move? Lu Chen, are you even being reasonable? My suitcase was under the bed, the duvet cover was on, and the sheet was laid out. Anyone with eyes could tell someone had claimed this place! Lu Chen, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Yu Ning had a soft temperament.

His face turned red with agitation, and he looked like he was about to cry.

Seeing that Yu Ning was easy to bully, Lu Chen shamelessly sprawled across the bed, acting like a scoundrel who feared no consequences.

"Lu Chen!"

Yu Ning went up and tried to pull him off.

Lu Chen lay there like a corpse, stubbornly refusing to move.

Yu Ning could not budge him. Just then, Si Di strolled back over. When Yu Ning turned his head, his eyes were already red.

"It's fine."

Si Di pulled him back by the arm, walked to the bedside, and looked down at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen swallowed nervously.

But with so many people watching, getting up and leaving immediately would be too humiliating. Lu Chen forced himself to stay put.

Si Di raised a brow and asked casually, "Are you sure you want to lie here?"

Lu Chen stubbornly shot back, "Yeah. What can you do about it? Are you going to hit me or something? I—hey—hey, hey, hey—ow!"

The first rule of the Limited Idol dormitory was: fighting was strictly prohibited.

Those who broke the rule would receive anything from criticism to expulsion.

Besides, the trainees had all come to compete in hopes of debuting in a group.

No one wanted to offend the production crew.

Since Si Di intended to stay and compete properly, he naturally had to follow the rules.

But the rules only prohibited fighting. They did not say anything about "horseplay."

As Lu Chen spoke, Si Di raised his brows halfheartedly, curled his lips, and put on a fake smile. Then—

He turned around!

Stiff as a board, he dropped heavily onto Lu Chen!

He might have been slim, but he was still a man. Combined with the force he deliberately put into it, his entire body slammed down hard!

Mount Tai crushing down from above!

Lu Chen felt as though his chest and abdomen were about to be flattened!

The air in his lungs was squeezed out at once, spilling from both his mouth and nose.

A pained whimper escaped Lu Chen's throat. His earlier arrogance was completely gone, leaving only frantic, clumsy struggling.

"Ah, my ribs! Si, Si Di, get off—what does it have to do with you that I'm lying on Yu Ning's bed—"

Oh?

He could still talk.

Apparently, the weight was not enough.

Still lying there, Si Di pressed down harder and shot Yu Ning a meaningful look.

Yu Ning was nearly dumbfounded. Catching the hint, he immediately rushed over and, alongside Si Di, pressed down on Lu Chen from the other side.

This time.

Lu Chen could not speak.

He looked much like the Fourth Prince in The Legend of Zhen Huan when he was poisoned to death, his hands flailing wildly in the air while weak, strange bursts of breath came from his mouth.

Everyone nearby was watching.

Worried that things might get out of hand, someone went to call the dorm supervisor assigned by the production crew.