567. Terrifying Indeed【2/20】
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The next morning, Xiong Da climbed out of bed with a face as emotionless as a brick wall.
He had pulled an all-nighter, and now dark circles had taken up residence under his eyes, his back bent over like a wilted flower. He looked utterly defeated, devoid of any of his usual vigor.
Sitting at the edge of his bed, he glanced at Tu Junhui, who was blissfully snoring on the other side. Then he turned to see Chen Yao and Lin Nan snuggled up together on the opposite bed, and his heart jolted painfully.
Great, while I’m dealing with my heartbreak, these two are flaunting their love in my face.
Perhaps sensing Xiong Da’s gaze, Chen Yao cracked his eyes open. The sky outside was still pitch black, barely past five in the morning. Last afternoon, he had a drink and crashed, so he hadn’t slept well either.
Carefully withdrawing his arm from under Lin Nan’s head, Chen Yao grimaced but stayed silent; his arm had lost all sensation after being squished for an entire night.
He tiptoed out of bed, tucked Lin Nan back in, and then climbed down the ladder to pour himself a glass of water.
Worried about Xiong Da’s well-being, he and Lin Nan had decided to stay in the dormitory last night.
However, Lin Nan’s belongings had been nearly packed up, leaving only a summer air-conditioned blanket that she had tossed on the floor for the four drunken guys.
No choice, so Chen Yao had to share a bed with Lin Nan.
His back ached.
A single bed in school was already cramped for one; two people sleeping meant they had to stay sideways all night without moving much.
Plus, they were in the dormitory with two other roommates nearby. Holding his soft, fragrant girlfriend felt nice, but it was pure torture because nothing could happen.
By morning, Chen Yao even fancied sneaking a late-night gaming session.
“Smoke?” Chen Yao asked quietly, picking up a pack of cigarettes from Tu Junhui’s desk as he turned to Xiong Da, who was sitting at the edge of his bed.
Without much hesitation, Xiong Da climbed down and followed Chen Yao to the balcony.
Though summer was stuffy, the early morning air was still refreshing. Stepping onto the balcony felt like a breath of fresh air.
Chen Yao handed Xiong Da a cigarette and lit it, putting one in his mouth but not actually smoking.
Leaning on the balcony railing, he looked out at the silent dormitory building across from them and asked, “So, feeling better?”
“Not really.” Xiong Da took a puff, only to cough violently, tears streaming down his face.
The whole dormitory didn’t really smoke; Lin Nan hated it, and Chen Yao and Tu Junhui only smoked when out with friends. Xiong Da had never been into smoking either.
His body wasn’t ready for this morning’s smoke, leaving him feeling queasy.
“If you can’t handle it, just don’t,” Chen Yao teased, snatching the cigarette from Xiong Da’s hand and tossing it into the toilet.
Xiong Da didn’t protest, just stared blankly at the now sunnier sky.
It looked just like yesterday; that little breather yesterday did nothing for him.
Chen Yao frowned, about to say something when Xiong Da beat him to it: “Actually, I woke up pretty early yesterday afternoon.”
“……” Chen Yao paused, meaning he heard the magic talk?
“I think it’s good to have something to do,” Xiong Da sighed, “Otherwise, my mind is just a mess.”
His head was clouded with images of his ex-girlfriend, their moments together, the things she had said, and the more he thought about it, the deeper he sank into painful nostalgia.
“Let’s go running downstairs?” Chen Yao proposed.
After a moment of silence, Xiong Da replied, “If we’re running, let’s wake up Tu Junhui too.”
“Dude! Why drag me into this!”
Tu Junhui had long been awakened by their chatter, and upon hearing Xiong Da, he roared from inside the dorm.
Chen Yao shot back, “Lin Nan is still sleeping! Why shout so loud?!”
Of course, the next second, they heard Lin Nan’s sharp voice: “Tu Junhui! What on earth are you making noise about so early?!”
Then came a loud bang. Chen Yao rushed back inside to find Tu Junhui’s face drained of color, his wall now sporting a long charging bank embedded deep.
It’s embedded in there…
Shaking, Tu Junhui yanked the power bank out of the wall. Thankfully, it was small, just one corner lodged in there to about the depth of half a finger.
Absolutely terrifying! I could’ve been seriously injured!
He cradled the power bank he had lent to Lin Nan, his face a picture of despair as he turned to Chen Yao: “Seriously, it’s that dangerous…”
If that thing had hit me, I’d at least need a bone reset!
Chen Yao looked at him with tragic eyes: “What do you think happened when I got smacked and flew through the air?”
“I thought you were joking…” Tu Junhui winced as he looked at the cracked power bank, heartbroken, “I just bought it at the station the day before yesterday, hardly used it.”
As he spoke, he suddenly felt a fine texture in his hand. Lifting it, he saw sand stuck to his palm.
Upon breaking the power bank apart completely, he discovered it was packed with nothing but sand and a couple of batteries.
He was completely dumbfounded.
Chen Yao was just as shocked; he had heard of sand-filled power banks but had never seen one until now.
“So, are we going running?” Xiong Da leaned against the door frame, coldly asking.
“Let’s go; if we don’t, Lin Nan will get mad again.” Chen Yao looked up at Lin Nan, still buried under her covers, only her fierce big eyes peeking out, shooting daggers at them.
The three of them had managed a few hours of sleep the previous afternoon, so of course, they were up early. Lin Nan had been busy tidying everything up for them, and finally getting to rest was rare, but being woken up at five in the morning?
Not a chance to get a good night’s sleep—how could she not be upset?!
Tu Junhui took one look at Lin Nan’s d*ath stare that could rival a wolf’s and shivered, “Hold up, I’ll wash my face; you guys go down first.”
Chen Yao was amused to see Tu Junhui flustered, happily wrapping his arm around Xiong Da’s shoulder as they headed out the door.
Lin Nan yawned, covering her head completely with the blanket. Exhausted, she glanced at her phone and noted the time, her fury flaring up, but her tiredness made her shrug it off.
After Tu Junhui finished washing up, he had planned to wash his hair too, but thinking of the “dormitory guardian,” he instantly chickened out, careful not to make too much noise as he tiptoed back to the dorm from the balcony.
As he slipped into his sneakers, he glanced over at Lin Nan.
She didn’t seem this intimidating when they lived together two years ago.
Back then, Lin Nan was all sweet and demure. Now that she’s a girlfriend, why has she turned into a tigress?
“Talk about terrifying.”
He muttered a sly jab at Lin Nan before hastily making his way out.
“Bring me back breakfast, and remember to lock the door.”
“Are you still awake?” Tu Junhui froze, uncertain if Lin Nan was serious about her intimidating aura.
But thankfully, she didn’t say anything more, allowing him to exhale in relief, practically sprinting out of the dorm like he was escaping a den of monsters.
It was too frightful.
He initially thought Chen Yao’s story about Lin Nan knocking him around was just a joke, but today he finally understood its truth.
They won’t expect me to repair that wall, right?
