Shocking News

Several days had passed since Zhao Qingshi's birthday party. This afternoon and evening, there were no classes, and the weather was exceptionally stifling, making it impossible to muster the will to go outside. For once, all four of us in the dormitory stayed in.

I lay on my bed with a book resting open on my stomach, enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioner that filled me with a serene contentment. I was on the verge of drifting off to sleep.

"Chen Xiao, want to go to the library together?" A voice sounded beside me.

"Huh?" I responded groggily, still half-asleep as I turned my head to see Li Luyou standing by my bed, already with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

Most students who got into Qingming College were academically strong, but after the grueling effort of getting into university, it was natural for people to slack off. Li Luyou, however, remained diligent, even braving the sweltering heat to head to the library today.

"So, are you coming?" Li Luyou asked again, noticing my dazed state.

Li Luyou went to the library whenever he had free time. As for Luo Suohui and Bai Mao, they were the epitome of slackers, treating studying like a plague. They only got into a top-tier institution like Qingming College because of their families' wealth and influence.

Though I wasn't particularly studious either, I did enjoy reading miscellaneous books, so I was a regular at the library. Whenever Li Luyou went, he'd usually ask if I wanted to join him.

"Li Luyou, don't bother asking Chen Xiao. Now that Zhao Qingshi is someone else's girlfriend, what's the point of him going?"

The speaker was Luo Suohui, who was in the middle of gaming.

Li Luyou suddenly looked enlightened and laughed. "So that's why you're always at the library. I thought you were actually reading, but you were just there to see your crush."

"No way! Li Luyou, have I ever gone to the library with you and not read?"

Thankfully, my face was thick enough to remain unfazed even after being exposed.

Zhao Qingshi occasionally appeared at the library, and in the past, that was indeed why I went so often. If I was lucky enough to run into her, I could sneak glances at my beloved under the cover of a book, feeling as sweet as if I'd eaten honey.

Luo Suohui let out a long, exaggerated scoff. "Stop lying. Every time you go to the library, you're just secretly staring at Zhao Qingshi."

I fired back defiantly, "Shut up! Do you really think I'm that pathetic? We're classmates—if I wanted to see her, why would I need to sneak around in the library?"

That said, while we were indeed classmates, the truth was that outside of class, Zhao Qingshi and I rarely had any normal encounters.

Even during lectures, most of the time I could only sit behind her, gazing at her back from afar. It was only in the library that I could deliberately sit across from her under the guise of coincidence, using my book as a shield to steal glances at her face from the corner of my eye.

Zhao Qingshi would sit there quietly, her demeanor serene and elegant as she turned the pages. That tranquil, timeless scene was like a vine rooted deep in my heart, entwining itself around my flesh and blood, growing unchecked.

"You're not pathetic? I doubt Zhao Qingshi has even spoken ten words to you since freshman year."

It was true—she probably hadn't... Luo Suohui had struck a nerve. I grabbed the book from my stomach and hurled it at him, hitting his mouse-wielding hand dead-on and sending the mouse flying off the desk.

"Damn it, Chen Xiao, what the hell are you doing?"

Luo Suohui scrambled to pick up the mouse while cursing. "I was about to get my first kill of the day, and now I've been taken out again because of you!"

I shot back, "Luo Suohui, you noob. You've been playing all afternoon and still haven't gotten a single kill?"

Realizing he'd accidentally exposed his lack of gaming skills, Luo Suohui's bravado instantly deflated. He muttered a few more curses under his breath before picking up the mouse and resuming his game.

"Luo Suohui, look at you—what can you even do? You're terrible at gaming. Last time I took you street racing, you didn't even dare hit 100 mph."

The speaker was Bai Yishan. While he was hopeless at academics, he excelled at everything else, especially street racing. Last time, he'd taken Luo Suohui along for a race, only to lose because of him—a fact Bai Yishan still held a grudge over.

"Bai Mao, you little punk, come down here and fight me!"

Luo Suohui jumped up in a rage, rolling up his sleeves, ready to throw down.

But Bai Yishan refused to take the bait. "No way. What era is this? Being good at fighting is useless."

Seeing the situation escalating, Li Luyou stepped in as peacemaker. "Alright, alright, we're all dorm brothers. No need to fight. Chen Xiao, are you going to the library or not?"

Since the birthday party, I hadn't seen Zhao Qingshi at school—maybe she'd taken leave. Part of me did want to go to the library on the off chance of running into her.

But then again, as Luo Suohui had said, Zhao Qingshi was now someone else's girlfriend. What good would seeing her do? Her image was already etched into my heart. Seeing her again would only deepen my sorrow.

I replied, "Li Luyou, you go ahead. I've got something to do today."

Luo Suohui, unable to focus on his game, couldn't resist stirring the pot. "Chen Xiao, what could you possibly have to do? It's not like Zhao Qingshi is even at school."

As I was trying to come up with an excuse, Bai Yishan cut in, changing the subject. "I just got some major news. You guys wanna hear it?"

Bai Yishan's mysterious tone suggested this wasn't some trivial gossip. Luo Suohui immediately perked up. "What major news? Spit it out, Bai Mao."

Bai Yishan deliberately dragged it out. "Do you know why Zhang Muqian wasn't in class today?"

Zhang Muqian, whom Bai Yishan mentioned, was from the dorm next door. He served as the class's discipline committee member, responsible for tracking absences.

Normally, skipping class in college wasn't a big deal, but Zhang Muqian was a stickler for rules. Our dorm's Luo Suohui and Bai Mao were chronic skippers, and every time, Zhang Muqian dutifully reported them to the teacher, earning the two young masters' ire.

Luo Suohui clapped his hands in delight. "Holy shit, I didn't even notice. Oh wait—I didn't go to class today either. Li Luyou, isn't your girlfriend the class monitor? Tell An Zhishui that little punk Zhang Muqian skipped too!"

Li Luyou sighed. "Shuishui is the class monitor. Why would she care about who's absent?"

Bai Yishan interjected, "I asked if you know why Zhang Muqian wasn't in class. Stop changing the subject."

Luo Suohui immediately guessed, "That guy must've pulled an all-nighter gaming, just like me!"

Li Luyou thought for a moment. "No, Zhang Muqian isn't into gaming. Bai Mao, just tell us."

Only then did Bai Yishan reveal, "You'd never guess—two nights ago, this guy actually sneaked into the girls' dormitory alone at night. But he got caught, and now he's stuck at the police station. The school hasn't made it public because the incident is too scandalous."

Luo Suohui gasped. "Holy shit! Old Zhang's got some balls! That's insane!"

Li Luyou frowned. "You said it wasn't publicized. How do you know, Bai Mao?"

Bai Yishan smirked smugly. "Have you forgotten about my way with women? With all the girlfriends I've had, I'm always the first to know about any gossip in the girls' dorm.

"Two nights ago, Zhang Muqian sneaked into Zhang Yiyu's dorm. Before he could even get inside, the dorm supervisor caught him. The school was notified immediately, and he was hauled off to the academic office, then handed over to the police. Not many people know about it—I only found out because Zhang Yiyu told me."

"Damn, damn, damn! Even I haven't dared to sneak into the girls' dorm. Old Zhang seemed so quiet—who knew he had such guts? Too bad his plan sucked. If you're gonna break in, at least bring sleeping pills and rope, right? Gotta knock out a few hotties to make it worth it."

Luo Suohui clicked his tongue, sounding almost admiring of Zhang Muqian's daring, though he seemed more regretful that he'd been caught.

Li Luyou lowered his head, thinking it over. He was more level-headed, picking up on the oddities in the story. "Zhang Muqian's usually so honest. Why would he suddenly sneak into the girls' dorm?"

Bai Yishan waved it off. "Li Luyou, don't let Old Zhang's quiet, dull appearance fool you. What man isn't horny? The girls' dorm is forbidden territory for guys, and our school is full of beauties—all living there. Take Zhang Yiyu's dorm, for example—every girl there is a knockout.

"You've all seen Zhang Yiyu—pretty as a little fairy. But you'd never guess—in her dorm, she's not even the prettiest one!"

"Exactly! What guy doesn't like pretty girls?"

For once, Luo Suohui agreed with Bai Yishan. He nodded emphatically. "Li Luyou, you act all saintly, but even you managed to snag our beautiful class monitor, An Zhishui. If Ning Yingxue weren't pretty, I wouldn't have chased her either.

"As for Bai Mao, it goes without saying. Just among the ones we know, apart from the famously enchanting Zhang Yiyu, there's Qi Mengni from the Chinese department—her chest is huge! And Qiao Xi'er from the arts department, with her long legs—both are on the school's beauty rankings.

"Even Chen Xiao, who's been single all this time, only has eyes for Zhao Qingshi because she's just that unbelievably gorgeous."

Bai Yishan grinned smugly. "Luo Suohui, your background's even stronger than mine. If you put a little more effort into chasing women, beauties would be lining up for you."

Luo Suohui scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'm not like you. I'd rather not die under some woman's skirt."

"Hey, Chen Xiao, what's up with you?" Li Luyou noticed that ever since the topic of Zhang Muqian sneaking into the girls' dorm came up, my expression had been odd.

His casual question startled me. I replied, a bit guiltily, "Nothing, just surprised, I guess."

Inwardly, though, my mind was reeling. What... what the hell was going on?

"Alright then. I'm off to the library. You guys chat."

With that, Li Luyou left for the library.

Bai Yishan stood up and walked to the mirror, fixing his hair. "I'm heading out too. Qiao Xi'er invited me for dinner. She barely has time to come back to school—tomorrow she has to return to her film set. Can't miss this chance. Looks like I won't be back tonight."

"Damn it, Chen Xiao, are you leaving too? That means I'll be the only one here. Screw that—I'll ask Ning Yingxue to watch a movie. I don't know what's up with her lately—she's been acting all mysterious."

With that, Luo Suohui stormed out too.

In an instant, the dorm was empty except for me, my thoughts still drifting.

Zhang Muqian, due to his rigid personality, had never gotten along well with most classmates and had almost no friends. But because I always greeted him when we crossed paths, over the past year, he'd become somewhat friendly with me.

Just two days ago, Zhang Muqian had told me he'd discovered a secret. At the time, I'd thought he was joking. But for someone as timid and rule-abiding as him to actually sneak into the girls' dorm—that was insane.

Getting caught would undoubtedly mean expulsion from Qingming College, a top-tier institution whose diploma was the dream of countless students.

My heart pounded uneasily. After a moment's hesitation, I put on my shoes and walked out of the dorm.

As I stepped through the door, I glanced back at the empty room, a strange feeling creeping over me. Perhaps the days of the four of us chatting idly in the dorm were over. Maybe, starting from this small step, all our fates were about to change irrevocably.