060. Zhang Shaoqing
“What’s going on?”
Ning Chu paced nervously in the dormitory, talking to himself, stealing glances at his phone, desperately hoping for a reply from Wen Yang.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to chase after things; it was just that with his height and short legs, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t be able to keep up. Following Wen Yang just meant he’d be dragging him down.
“There are so many hotels near the school; Shaoqing might not even cross paths with him.”
“But what if they’re caught in bed together…”
Wait, isn’t that a bit off? Zhang Shaoqing is the third wheel here.
Ning Chu paused for a moment, deciding it wasn’t worth worrying about such minor details. He kept mumbling to himself as he paced back and forth.
“I finally almost got Wen Yang sorted, and now there’s a problem with Shaoqing.”
“What if he really has darkened…”
Recalling the actions of the villain in the plot made him shiver involuntarily.
“Should I just run away while I can? Even if I don’t study, working in a factory would still be pretty cushy.”
What kind of cross-world protagonist has it this rough? Not even a super yacht or beautiful women, just straight into a factory!
“And this world is pretty dangerous too…”
Although Little Emperor Wen maintains some social order, the likelihood of encountering perverts is higher here. Plus, with certain plot devices meant to cater to ghs, if Ning Chu randomly runs into one, it could end badly for him.
In his hesitance, he suddenly stopped his pacing, realizing something.
If it had been half a month ago, and he found out about Zhang Shaoqing possibly going dark, he would’ve rushed out recklessly instead of handing Shaoqing off to Wen Yang like he was now.
Before he could think more on it, he suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway.
Ning Chu hurriedly opened the door and peeked outside, only to see Wen Yang and Zhang Shaoqing walking back, one after the other.
“Nothing happened, right?!”
Ning Chu rushed out of the room, darting to Zhang Shaoqing’s side, his little face tense with anxiety as he asked, “What happened? What’s going on?”
“…”
It was Wen Yang who turned back to explain:
“Didn’t run into him. He contacted Ling Ling but didn’t get a response.”
Well, that’s a relief~
Ning Chu breathed a sigh of relief, observing Zhang Shaoqing’s expressionless face, as if he had no emotions at all, and followed the two of them back into the dorm.
Zhang Shaoqing still didn’t say a word. He silently sat down at the computer, and Ning Chu tiptoed over to Wen Yang, whispering, “He seems really down. What should we do?”
His voice was so soft that Wen Yang blinked in confusion, didn’t catch it, and leaned down to press his ear closer to Ning Chu’s lips.
“He’s really down…”
“Yeah, of course. How can he feel good when his first love gets stolen?”
“The problem is he won’t talk now. He’s not crying or throwing a fit, just sitting there looking blank and it’s scary.”
A gentle whiff of girl’s perfume wafted over with her breath, making Wen Yang glancing at her near-perfect lips. He then directed his attention back to Zhang Shaoqing.
After a brief hesitation, he suggested, “How about I order him a couple of cases of wine? Maybe a drink will help him vent?”
“Yes, yes, yes! Hurry and order!”
Ning Chu bobbed his head eagerly.
He hoped that the combination of his roommate’s concern and the stimulation of alcohol would coax Zhang Shaoqing into letting out all the pent-up frustration inside him.
Otherwise, darkening was absolutely inevitable!
He was missing that obnoxiously cheeky golden-haired rich kid right about now.
Wen Yang resignedly started ordering takeout, but occasionally glanced at Ning Chu. “I’ve never seen someone care so much for their roommate.”
“We’re friends, after all~”
“Let’s be real, we’ve only known each other for a month.”
If it were a best friend of several years, it’d make sense, but they had just a little over a month since college started.
Ning Chu naturally explained, “That’s just my personality; I like to meddle a bit.”
“Right, if it weren’t for you, I’d have had a girlfriend by now…”
“Hmm? Sounds like you’re blaming me!”
Though his tone was casual and a bit confused, Wen Yang felt a bit flustered, quickly looking away. “No way, not at all.”
He quickly changed the subject. “Aren’t you going to comfort Shaoqing? The wine won’t arrive for another thirty minutes.”
Technically, drinking was prohibited in the dorm, at least the convenience store on campus didn’t sell alcohol.
But delivery guys definitely had their little ways to sneak the booze upstairs.
Ning Chu stared at Zhang Shaoqing’s back, struggling to figure out how to solve the problem.
Besides, just drowning sorrows in alcohol wouldn’t help. When the buzz wore off, Zhang Shaoqing would still have to face the harsh reality of his childhood friend being unattainable.
Suddenly, Zhang Shaoqing stood up, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, and walked to the balcony. Before long, the sound of a lighter sparked outside.
He’s smoking again…
To be fair, this guy doesn’t have a strong smoking habit—just two or three a day—only when he’s really angry does he smoke more.
After endless deliberation, Ning Chu still couldn’t come up with a solution. With a sigh, he steeled himself and followed Zhang Shaoqing to the balcony.
The smoke made him cough twice, and soon there were two cigarette butts at Zhang Shaoqing’s feet.
“Cut back a bit…”
“Let me be quiet.”
There was obvious irritation in Zhang Shaoqing’s tone, which forced Ning Chu to silently retreat to the corner of the balcony.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, studying Zhang Shaoqing’s expression.
For some reason, he felt like he was looking at an ordinarily rambunctious and annoying puppy that had injured its leg today, utterly still as it licked its wounds.
He heard some movement from inside and turned around to see Wen Yang leaning against the window with his arms crossed, peering outside.
Wen Yang also noticed Ning Chu’s gaze, and they exchanged a mutual look of helplessness.
What do we do?
Should he play the comforting big sister role? But Zhang Shaoqing seemed quite resistant to that.
Ning Chu knew plenty of people preferred solitude when they were feeling down instead of comfort from others, and he was one of those people.
“How about playing a game?” he tried tentatively. “You can borrow my account to fish and have some fun?”
“…”
Having only gotten the first words out, Ning Chu gathered his courage and continued, “Hey, Shaoqing, you’re pretty handsome, and your family is well-off; you’ll definitely meet someone even better suited for you, right?”
“With your traits, it’s Ling Ling who’s not cherishing you; she’s the one losing out.”
“Let’s just play the game. Women can’t be as entertaining as games…”
Ning Chu gazed at Zhang Shaoqing, hoping for the guy to suddenly break into a cheeky grin and say something like: You don’t think I’d be upset over a girl, do you?
But nothing like that happened.
“The wine’s here, Shaoqing, come inside and drink some.” The balcony door swung open as Wen Yang called out, “Got some snacks to go with it too.”
Only then did Zhang Shaoqing sluggishly head back into the dorm.
So, it really is true that talking things out isn’t the way to comfort a man?
Ning Chu pouted in disappointment; after saying all that, Zhang Shaoqing didn’t react at all, but the moment Wen Yang called him for drinks, he shuffled back inside.
The problem is, Ning Chu had no way to use that method!
