Oh, then I'm interrupting you two

Li Shu had just finished eating and felt a little groggy from the carbs. The moment he saw Chen Yannan standing at his dorm room door, he actually felt a little dazed.

"Sure, I have time."

Li Shu stood up and followed Chen Yannan outside. Honestly, it had been a long time since he had been alone with Chen Yannan. The man was broad-shouldered and stood tall and straight, and he carried the jasmine scent the original owner had loved most.

As the scent drifted into his nose, Li Shu's chest still tightened with a stifling ache, almost like a stress response.

The system had merged his memories with the original owner's so successfully that certain situations would involuntarily stir up memories of the past.

He had thought he had fully become part of Chen Yannan's circle, wishfully deceiving himself that Chen Yannan's constant changes of partners were an indirect way of protecting him. Only Xue Chen's arrival had made Li Shu understand completely that Chen Yannan's partner did not belong to Chen Yannan alone, but to the entire Chen Family.

Chen Yannan stopped beneath the window at the end of the corridor and turned to look at Li Shu.

"Have you been happy lately? Run into any trouble?"

Li Shu felt a little uncomfortable under Chen Yannan's gaze and couldn't help picking at his fingers. "Pretty happy. I've got enough money, and I don't skip classes, arrive late, or leave early. I've been studying hard lately, getting ready for the CET-4."

They had grown up together. How could Chen Yannan fail to notice that Li Shu was acting strangely? "Is there anything else you're keeping from me?"

Plenty.

But that "don't lie to me, I already know what you've done" tone practically etched fear into his bones.

Li Shu considered for a moment, then stole a guilty glance at Chen Yannan.

"You know my family doesn't really want me studying finance, and I'm honestly not cut out for making money, so I'm planning to transfer to the school of physical education next semester."

"That way, you won't have to divide your attention to look after me, and I can use the opportunity to smooth things over with my family."

Chen Yannan had originally been worried that Li Shu's closeness with Pei Song'an would draw Shen Muwen's attention and land him in trouble. He had never imagined Li Shu would say anything about changing majors.

A strange, weightless sensation suddenly spread through his heart. It distressed Chen Yannan even more than seeing that text from Shen Muwen had.

"You're changing majors? When did this happen?"

Li Shu didn't think it was a big deal. After all, as he remembered it, Chen Yannan hadn't been particularly supportive when he first chose this major.

"At the start of this semester. If I don't transfer in the second semester of freshman year, I won't have another chance."

Chen Yannan's hand tightened slightly. "Who knows?"

Li Shu was baffled. "Just Cheng Zhen, I guess. I haven't told anyone else."

"I told you that you could come to me if anyone wronged you." Chen Yannan paused. Perhaps because Pei Song'an didn't know about this either, his agitation eased a little. "I can help you resolve it. You don't have to swallow your hurt and change majors to run away."

Li Shu lost it. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

He decided to clear things up now, before Xue Chen found out and stirred up trouble again.

"Brother Yannan, I really did choose finance because I was young and didn't know any better. Now I've seen the light. I still want to spend the best four years of my life studying something I like."

"No one has wronged me, seriously."

"Besides, you'll have a family of your own someday. I can't cling to you forever."

Hearing those words, Chen Yannan suddenly felt dazed.

He remembered the beginning of their first semester of freshman year. Li Shu had worn a white shirt, his face glowing like ivory in the sunlight, his rosy lips opening and closing as he called him his big brother and said they shouldn't part in the future, either.

His sordid selfishness had made him want to maintain that outward calm, yet he had never imagined that the first to upset the balance would be the person who had once said he would never leave him, no matter what.

"Our little Shu has grown up. You know how to talk like an adult now."

Thinking the matter was settled, Li Shu scratched his head. "Heh, Pei Song'an's the one who's always talking like an adult. He told me adults need to follow the rules all the more and can't just do whatever they want!"

Chen Yannan's gaze settled openly on Li Shu's pale wrist. "Really? You think Pei Song'an is that good?"

Li Shu thought what he had just said was enough to prove he harbored no improper feelings for Chen Yannan, so he relaxed as they talked.

"He's a good guy."

There was nothing romantic in those words, and much of Chen Yannan's tension dissipated. But when he thought of Shen Muwen's message, he still couldn't put his mind at ease.

"Li Shu, Pei Song'an isn't as good as you think. Other than your family, I'm the only one who truly wants what's best for you."

That sounded weird.

Li Shu wasn't quite sure how to respond, but fortunately, the phone in his pocket rang again just then. This was Pei Song'an's third call today. It was obvious he was worried Li Shu would ignore what he had said and go running around again that afternoon.

"What are you up to?"

The call connected, and Pei Song'an's slightly languid voice came through, catching Li Shu off guard with a sudden heat in his ears.

"At the dorm, at the dorm. Do you not trust me even a tiny bit?"

Li Shu's voice sounded a little hollow in the corridor, and Pei Song'an noticed something was off from the very first word.

"You're not lying to me?"

"Have I got nothing better to do? Why would I lie to you?" Li Shu was speechless. "Brother Yannan's here too. If you don't believe me, ask him."

Pei Song'an picked out the key detail. "Chen Yannan's there too?"

Li Shu didn't think anything was wrong. "Yeah, we're talking in the corridor outside my room."

Pei Song'an said, "Oh, then I'm interrupting you two."

Li Shu said, "..."

???

Pei Song'an said, "Give Chen Yannan the phone."

Li Shu sighed. "You really don't believe me."

Although it made him seem thoroughly unimpressive, Li Shu obediently handed over his phone anyway. Chen Yannan took it, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"Song'an, little Shu is with me. What's the matter?"

Pei Song'an tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Nothing major. Li Shu had a slight fever last night, and I looked after him all night. I didn't keep a close enough eye on him today, and he slipped out this morning to play with a dog. I'm a little worried his fever might come back."

A trace of darkness flashed through Chen Yannan's eyes. Whether it was being sick or walking a dog, he had known nothing about any of it.

"Thank you for looking after little Shu."

"You're welcome. Not everyone is available at two in the morning." Pei Song'an deliberately emphasized the time, delivering his reminder unhurriedly, every word stabbing mercilessly into a sore spot. "Li Shu calls me his big brother. I have to live up to his trust."