New Roommate

"Xuxu, I'm leaving too!"

Zhou Zhou slung a black backpack over his shoulders and walked to the door, a mischievous smile on his delicate face. "Don't be scared staying in the dorm alone. If you really get scared, call me."

Duan Xu held a clean set of pajamas and said helplessly, "I'm not scared."

"Fine." Zhou Zhou sounded rather disappointed as he waved. "I'm off, then! Bye~"

"Bye." Duan Xu waved back as well. Once he saw the door close, he turned and went into the bathroom.

He turned on the shower, and the soft patter of water filled the room. Duan Xu washed his hair first, but as he worked the shampoo into a lather, his thoughts began to drift.

Just three days ago, he had suffered heatstroke and fainted while standing at attention during military training. While unconscious, he had dreamed a dream—an incredibly realistic dream.

In the dream, the world he lived in was a novel, and he was a cannon-fodder character. While working a part-time job, he was bullied by someone, and the protagonist shou stepped in to help him out. He fell for the protagonist shou because of that, but after learning that the protagonist shou and protagonist gong were already together, he silently gave them his blessing.

But one day, he discovered that the protagonist gong was very close to another cute-looking girl. He had even patted her head. Thinking the protagonist gong was cheating, Duan Xu went to find the protagonist shou. The protagonist shou did not believe him at all, saw through his feelings, and clearly rejected him.

He was heartbroken and unwilling to accept it, so he followed the protagonist gong, hoping to find proof of his cheating. Then the protagonist shou would believe him.

But he was discovered while following the protagonist gong. He argued with him, and the protagonist gong realized that he liked the protagonist shou. With a cold expression, he warned Duan Xu, but Duan Xu did not take it seriously. He followed the protagonist gong again, was caught again, and was beaten up outright.

After that, the protagonist gong learned the whole story from the protagonist shou and gave Duan Xu one final warning. Yet Duan Xu seemed to have lost his mind and insisted on opposing him. In the end, he enraged the protagonist gong, who used his family background to make it impossible for Duan Xu and his parents to remain in society. They had no choice but to go abroad.

But on the way to the airport, they were involved in a car accident. All three members of the family died.

When he woke up, his mind was still muddled. Everything that had happened in the dream was vivid in his memory, as if he had experienced it himself. His heart pounded violently.

Click.

The dorm room door opened, and a handsome, composed-looking young man entered while pulling a black suitcase.

He swept his affectionate peach-blossom eyes around the dorm. There were four beds, each with a desk beneath it, and the room was fairly spacious. The only vacant bed was on the right, near the door.

The young man closed the door and took two steps forward before abruptly pausing. His eyes shifted slightly as his gaze fell on the balcony at the far end.

Someone was in the bathroom.

The sound of running water had drowned out the door opening. Duan Xu was still immersed in his thoughts, completely unaware that someone who would affect the rest of his life had entered the dorm.

After showering, Duan Xu put on his pajamas, casually rubbed his hair dry a few times, then opened the bathroom door while holding his changed clothes.

The moment Duan Xu stepped into the room, he froze. His pupils shook as he stared at the extra person in the dorm.

The young man who had been putting away his things turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and the air suddenly fell silent.

Having just showered, Duan Xu's delicate face was flushed white and pink from the steam. Droplets clung to the ends of his still-damp hair, trailing down his fair neck and disappearing beneath his collar.

His light brown almond-shaped eyes stared at him in shock, like a startled deer. Yet beneath that shock seemed to be other emotions as well.

The young man paused, then nodded to Duan Xu. His voice was low and pleasant. "Hello. I'm Shen Yanlang, your new roommate."

Duan Xu's breathing quickened. Shen Yanlang! The protagonist gong from the dream! He looked exactly the same!

Panic rose in him as the scene of the car accident involuntarily surfaced in his mind. He looked at Shen Yanlang with extreme terror.

Seeing this, Shen Yanlang frowned slightly. "Sorry. I thought no one was in the dorm."

Before entering, he had thought the room was empty. Only after coming in did he realize someone was in the bathroom.

"N-No, it's fine." Duan Xu finally came back to himself, though his expression remained unnatural.

Shen Yanlang had really appeared!

Shen Yanlang found it strange, but he could not figure out why. So he took the initiative to explain, "I just returned from abroad. The counselor said this was the only mixed-major dorm with an empty bed."

"Ah, yeah." Duan Xu turned away while clutching his clothes, his voice low. "We're in different majors."

What should I do? Am I going to become cannon fodder?

"Mm, I'm in software engineering." Shen Yanlang continued unpacking his luggage, then asked Duan Xu, "What about you?"

"Visual communication." Duan Xu took a deep breath and turned toward the balcony.

I don't want to die! I don't want to die! My parents can't die either!

Shen Yanlang looked up at him. He did not know whether Duan Xu was usually like this or whether he was somewhat resistant because Shen Yanlang had appeared so suddenly. In any case, he could hear the distance in Duan Xu's tone, even that he did not want to speak to him at all.

He sniffed his clothes. He had not let out any pheromones, and the other person was clearly a beta. He truly could not understand why he was being treated this way.

"Splash—"

Duan Xu turned on the faucet to wash his clothes. His hands moved entirely on muscle memory, while his mind was filled with that dream and Shen Yanlang, who had truly appeared in the dorm.

He had spent the last two days convincing himself to let it go. But Shen Yanlang's appearance forced him to believe that the dream had been real.

His worldview had collapsed, leaving him completely dazed.

Even after he finished hanging up his clothes, he had not fully come to his senses. He mechanically stepped back into the room, failing to notice the water he had tracked out earlier. His foot slipped, and he fell backward.

"Careful!" Shen Yanlang had just finished unpacking. When he turned around and saw Duan Xu falling, he hurried forward and barely managed to catch him.

Startled, Duan Xu fell into Shen Yanlang's arms. One hand instinctively grabbed Shen Yanlang's arm with considerable strength, while the other clutched the edge of the desk.

"Are you okay?" Shen Yanlang helped Duan Xu upright.

So skinny, and so light.

Only after regaining his balance did Duan Xu realize that Shen Yanlang had been holding him. He instinctively pulled away. Rather than answering whether he was skinny or not, he only said, "Thank you."

This is so embarrassing. So unbelievably embarrassing!

"You're welcome." Shen Yanlang withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Mm." Duan Xu lowered his head and responded softly.

Please don't talk to me, thank you!

Seeing that Duan Xu was deliberately avoiding him, Shen Yanlang did not press the matter. He merely said, "I have something to do tonight, so I won't be staying here."

"Mm." Duan Xu answered again, turning his back to Shen Yanlang and pretending to organize his desk.

Leave already! Hurry up and leave!

Did I make him dislike me?

Shen Yanlang could not make sense of it no matter how much he thought about it. He picked up his phone and keys, preparing to leave.

At that moment, Duan Xu's movements paused, and he felt somewhat awkward.

His attitude just now really had not been very good. Shen Yanlang did not know about his dream, so it would naturally make him overthink.

He turned around, intending to say something, only to find that Shen Yanlang had already opened the dorm door, walked out, and closed it behind him.