Chapter 81: Occupying the Dormitory — Two Tops Chasing Their Wives
Walking out of that cramped little storage room, Jiang Yunian’s heart was still pounding wildly in his chest. The lingering sensation on his lips and the heat that hadn’t yet faded from the roots of his ears were constant reminders of what had just happened. He took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, before walking briskly to the restroom door and sliding open the small metal bolt.
The door was pushed open from the inside with a loud clatter. Qian Cheng stormed out furiously, his face red with anger. “Fuck! Which bastard did that?! I’m going to check the surveillance footage!”
Jiang Yunian felt a pang of guilt. He stepped forward and gently patted Qian Cheng’s back to soothe him, his chest heaving slightly with imperceptible pants. “Calm down, calm down… It, it might have been the cleaning lady who didn’t notice and locked it by accident…”
As he spoke, he half-pulled, half-dragged the still-cursing Qian Cheng toward the stairwell, wanting to leave this “crime scene” as quickly as possible.
When they passed the storage room with its tightly closed door, Jiang Yunian paused for a split second. Out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to sense a heavy gaze watching him from behind the narrow crack of the door. He didn’t look back, quickly averting his gaze and dragging the still indignant Qian Cheng away.
As luck would have it, just as they exited the stairwell, they ran into He Qing coming down from the second floor.
The moment Qian Cheng saw him, he scowled, pointing a finger at him and demanding, “Was it you playing tricks, kid?”
He Qing was stunned by this baseless accusation. His delicate brows furrowed, completely baffled. “?”
Jiang Yunian felt his head throbbing. He quickly pushed down Qian Cheng’s hand pointing at He Qing, feeling helpless. “He Qing wouldn’t do something like that. It must have been a staff member’s mistake, just an accident.”
He shot He Qing an apologetic look and changed the subject. “Where’s Xu Zhiyuan? Weren’t you guys together?”
He Qing glanced at Qian Cheng coolly, looking at him as if he were a childish ghost making a scene for no reason, and replied, “He had something to do and left first.”
Qian Cheng, however, remained skeptical. He crossed his arms and let out a cold sneer through his nose. “Sent him away to commit the crime? Hah.”
He Qing couldn’t be bothered to give him another look. He walked straight past them; out of sight, out of mind.
When they returned to the dormitory and pushed open the door, both Jiang Yunian and Qian Cheng froze.
During what should have been a quiet lunch break, there were two uninvited guests in the room.
Jiang Yan and Zhou Shu. These two “brothers” didn’t consider themselves outsiders at all, sitting in Jiang Yunian and He Qing’s chairs respectively. Zhou Shu leaned back with a relaxed posture, while Jiang Yan sat a bit more upright, quietly surveying the cramped space.
Xu Zhiyuan, who had returned earliest, was bustling about pouring water for the two distinguished guests. Usually cheerful and active, he now seemed somewhat at a loss, his face wearing an expression of careful reverence, his breathing lightened significantly. Seeing Jiang Yunian and Qian Cheng return, he looked as if he had seen his saviors and quickly mouthed: Here for you guys!
Seeing this lineup, Qian Cheng was first surprised, then the corners of his mouth curled up, clearly enjoying the chance to show off in front of his roommates. He walked over quickly. “Cousin, Ah Shu, what brings you two here? If you had said something earlier, we could have come together!”
Zhou Shu lazily lifted his eyelids and swirled the water cup in his hand. His tone was casual as he explained that they were day students and didn’t have a place to rest during the lunch break. They had forgotten to ask in the cafeteria earlier, so they wanted to find a place to sit. “Is it inconvenient?”
Hearing this, how could Qian Cheng dare say it was inconvenient? He couldn’t suck up fast enough. He hurriedly declared, “Convenient! Of course it’s convenient! Don’t just talk about sitting, you can sleep here! Come anytime, even at night!”
He spoke generously, completely failing to ask for the other roommates’ opinions. As soon as these words came out, question marks of varying degrees appeared on the faces of Jiang Yunian, He Qing, and Xu Zhiyuan.
Noticing his roommates’ gazes, Qian Cheng quickly winked and whispered rapidly, “Give Ge some face. I’ll send you guys red envelopes later.”
Young Master Qian, who usually looked down on everyone in the dorm, actively took on the role of the leader in this situation. He pointed at Jiang Yan with pride. “This is the heir to Qi Sheng Group, my cousin, Qi Yan. You’ve seen him on the news, right?” Then he pointed at Zhou Shu. “This is the Eldest Young Master of Zhou Bank, also my brother.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the expressionless He Qing, his tone becoming somewhat ambiguous. “This one… Young Master Zhou should know him better than I do.”
He Qing kept a cold face and didn’t respond.
Xu Zhiyuan was dumbfounded. He originally thought Qian Cheng’s family just ran a company out of town and had a bit of money. He didn’t expect his background to be so hard, actually having ties to the Pingjing circle of young masters. He said nervously, “So… we’re all on the same side.”
He regretted it as soon as he said it, feeling suspected of social climbing. He touched his nose awkwardly, but fortunately, no one paid attention.
While they were talking over there, Jiang Yan was sizing up Jiang Yunian’s desk on his own. From the neatly arranged books to the ordinary thermos cup, and even the umbrella leaning against the wall—his gaze swept over everything one by one. His slender fingers tapped on the desk surface, and finally, he picked up the major course textbook spread open on the table.
Jiang Yunian didn’t notice at first. By the time he realized it, Jiang Yan was already flipping through the textbook. It was covered in notes, and if one looked closely, there were several unconsciously written characters for “Yan” (硯).
Jiang Yunian’s heart skipped a beat. He snatched the textbook back from Jiang Yan’s hand, hugged it tightly to his chest, and used his body to block the desk. “Don’t touch my things.”
Jiang Yan watched him hug the book to his chest like a cat protecting its cub, hiking up the hem of his clothes. That exposed waist was thin and white, and his legs stood straight from nervousness. The flush of mixed shame and indignation on his face fell into Jiang Yan’s eyes, holding a different kind of moving allure.
His Adam’s apple rolled imperceptibly.
This commotion, neither too big nor too small, aroused Qian Cheng’s vigilance. He wrapped an arm around Jiang Yunian, winking secretly. “It’s just some notes, what’s there not to see?”
He turned to Jiang Yan again, patting his shoulder with feigned familiarity. “Cousin, for the sake of me, your cousin, don’t hold it against…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yan glanced coldly at the hand resting on his shoulder and frowned.
Qian Cheng’s hand froze in mid-air, and he withdrew it sheepishly. “Uh… he’s timid and doesn’t know any better.”
Zhou Shu, having watched enough of the show from the side, spoke up slowly. “That’s only natural.” He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over He Qing with pointed meaning as he emphasized three words, “After all, we are all ‘on the same side’.”
He changed the subject, looking at the room full of people. “But, there doesn’t seem to be enough space to sleep? Will we be disturbing you?”
Qian Cheng immediately said how could that be and signaled Xu Zhiyuan with his eyes.
Xu Zhiyuan immediately picked up the cue. “No problem, no problem! There’s an empty spot in the dorm next door. I’ll go make do over there!”
Saying that, he slipped out of the dormitory as if escaping.
Qian Cheng expressed great satisfaction with his “tact.”
As for Jiang Yan… Qian Cheng asked tentatively, “Cousin, how about… you suffer a bit and squeeze in with me?”
Jiang Yan didn’t even lift his eyelids. “No need.”
Qian Cheng thought about it—of course. How could a real noble from a wealthy family squeeze into a small, broken bed with him?
However, the other party’s next sentence nearly made his jaw drop.
Jiang Yan raised his hand and pointed at the silent Jiang Yunian. “I’ll just squeeze in with him.”
Both of them were stunned.
Qian Cheng pointed at Jiang Yunian, thinking he had heard wrong. “Him?”
Jiang Yan’s face didn’t change, and he even gave a reason that sounded reasonable: “He’s thin, he doesn’t take up space.”
Since the man had proposed it himself, Qian Cheng naturally wouldn’t disobey. He winked at Jiang Yunian. “Ge will give you an extra red envelope later.”
Jiang Yunian was speechless. He needed money, and it was only right that he ran errands and worked when Qian Cheng paid him. But that didn’t mean he accepted any job. Sleeping with someone for a bit of money… what did Qian Cheng take him for?
After a stalemate, Jiang Yunian really couldn’t stay any longer, afraid he would be forced to sleep with the man soon. “I still have some books I haven’t finished reading. I’m going to the library.”
This was retreating to advance, giving both parties a way out. Qian Cheng nodded approvingly. “Right, right! Studying is the most important thing. Go ahead, go ahead.”
So, under Jiang Yan’s glaring gaze, Jiang Yunian quickly packed his backpack, stuffing in the major textbook and the scratchpad from earlier. After packing, his footsteps paused. With his head lowered, he whispered a sentence to Jiang Yan at a volume only the two of them could hear:
“…You aren’t allowed to touch my things.”
Jiang Yan spread his hands, indicating he hadn’t done anything, his expression looking somewhat innocent.
Jiang Yunian didn’t stay any longer, grabbing his bag and walking quickly out of the dorm. The gaze behind him followed his back until he disappeared through the door, but Jiang Yan didn’t get up to chase him.
To the side, He Qing watched the subtle interaction between these two who acted as if no one else was around, then looked at Zhou Shu occupying the nest, feeling a wave of annoyance. He turned to leave.
“Why is everyone leaving one by one? Should we not have come? Seems we aren’t very welcome by the roommates,” Zhou Shu said, seemingly casually.
He successfully stopped someone in their tracks.
How could Qian Cheng not hear the meaning in those words? He quickly smoothed things over. “How could that be, Young Master Zhou! They just haven’t seen the world and are shy with strangers! Come a few more times and get familiar, and it’ll be fine! Jiang Yunian is just timid, but He Qing, this isn’t right of you.”
He turned to He Qing, his face carrying a hint of threat, whispering in an angle others couldn’t see, “Anyone with eyes can see Young Master Zhou is here for you. Don’t be ungrateful. Do you want everyone to offend people because of you?”
A trace of sarcasm flashed across He Qing’s cold face. He snorted lightly. “Threatening me?”
He reached out to pull the door.
Qian Cheng pressed his hand against the door panel, his tone softening, acting a bit helpless. “Alright, alright. I was wrong about the toilet thing earlier. I was blind and accused a good person, okay?”
He glanced behind him and kicked the ball back. “Anyway, you attracted the person here, you deal with it yourself.”
Zhou Shu watched the two whispering so close together, feeling inexplicably irritated. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is there something we can’t hear?”
Qian Cheng quickly let go, urging He Qing with his eyes.
He Qing stiffened his neck, clenching his fingers. “Restroom.”
At least he knows what’s good for him.
Qian Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and explained out of nowhere, “He has frequent urination, he’ll be right back.”
“Perfect. This Young Master drank too much water; I want to go too.” Zhou Shu stood up, stretched, and smiled like a fox. He walked up to He Qing in a few steps, extended his hand naturally, and placed it on He Qing’s shoulder with a force that allowed no refusal. “Let’s go together.”
Sensing the weight on his shoulder, He Qing frowned and glared at him, his eyes full of resistance.
Zhou Shu acted like he didn’t see it. Applying slight force with his arm, almost semi-coercively, he embraced his shoulder and marched him out of the dormitory.
Once the idlers were mostly gone, Qian Cheng turned around, only to find the dormitory was empty. Aside from the curtain on Jiang Yunian’s upper bunk moving imperceptibly before returning to stillness—as if it were just an illusion—there was no movement.
That Eldest Young Master Qi had just laid down, “condescending to such a low position,” without the slightest disdain. Qian Cheng raised his eyebrows in surprise, sensibly shut his mouth, and lightened his footsteps, afraid of disturbing this master’s nap.
In the narrow space, Jiang Yan’s tall body lay on this bed that was obviously too short for him, his legs forced to bend slightly. He lay on his side, burying his face in Ge’s pillow, which was neither too soft nor too hard. The tip of his nose was surrounded by the scent that belonged exclusively to his Ge—the scent he had dreamed of for six months.
In just an instant, a heat flow rushed up uncontrollably in his body.
He was hard.
Translator’s Note:
- Gong/Top: In the chapter title, the term “Lao Gong” is a pun on “Husband” (Laogong), often used in BL to refer to the Top partner.
- Dove Occupying the Magpie’s Nest: A Chinese idiom meaning to take over someone else’s place or home.
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