Chapter Twenty-One: Hoping the Junior Is Single

What does it feel like to fall in love for the first time?

For everyone, that feeling is different.

And dating different people brings its own unique experiences.

Xia Shu obediently did as Su Rouxue asked and returned to his dorm room. Looking at Lin Xiang’s empty bed, he felt a little guilty.

“Xiang-ge, I’m back at the dorm.”

“What’s going on?”

“My girlfriend made me come back, no questions asked.”

“Alright, alright. Did the dorm supervisor come by to check rooms?”

“Not tonight!”

“That’s great, then it’s all good.”

“Ok!”

Xia Shu still gave Lin Xiang a simple explanation, but luck was on his side tonight—no dorm supervisor came. Otherwise, he would have had to arrange for a classmate next door to cover for him, slipping between the dorms.

Fresh into university, the dorm supervisor wasn’t yet familiar with everyone’s faces.

Xia Shu had already planned: if he didn’t come back tonight, he’d asked some friendly classmates to let him sneak into their room once the supervisor finished rounds, then lie on their bed and pretend to be asleep.

Normally, the supervisors didn’t check too thoroughly.

Every night now, he set aside some time to write.

Only after finishing his scheduled updates would he move on to other matters.

But by the time he returned to the dorm, it was already late. By the time he finished writing for the day, it was well past midnight.

Still, as tomorrow was a day off, Liu Zhuang and Wang Yang hadn’t gone to bed yet.

The two of them were still teamed up, gaming together.

They kept losing, so they played into the early hours, determined to win at least once before calling it a night.

Perhaps this was one of the joys of being a single guy at university!

After washing up, Xia Shu lay down in bed.

As soon as he picked up his phone, a message from Su Rouxue popped up.

“Sweetheart, I’m a bit sleepy now. I’m going to bed. You should rest early too. Good night.”

“Mm, good night!” he replied, adding a heart emoji.

He was just about to go to sleep when another friend message came in.

“Xia Shu, are you still awake?”

He hadn’t set a note for this friend and couldn’t remember the profile picture, but the previous chat record was still there. Scrolling up, he realized it was the senior who’d interviewed him at the start of the school year.

What was her name again? Xia Shu frowned, unable to recall, but decided not to dwell on it. Calling her “senior” would suffice.

“About to sleep,” he answered.

He was puzzled why she was messaging so late.

“You have tomorrow off, right? If you’re free, want to hang out with me?”

“Haha, thanks, but I already have plans tomorrow.”

After seeing her reply, even Xia Shu could tell the senior was trying to strike up a conversation with him.

Elsewhere, Lin Wanwan lay in her dorm room, her roommates peering over her shoulder at the chat on her computer, growing inexplicably excited.

“Wanwan, I told you to ask out the freshman earlier! Someone as popular as him is bound to have a lot of invitations whenever there’s a holiday.”

“Looks like you won’t get to meet up with him this week.”

“But before you ask him out, shouldn’t you chat with him more? You two don’t really know each other.”

Lin Wanwan sighed, her voice full of regret. “You’re right. I should’ve asked a week in advance. Now that he’s gone viral, there must be a whole crowd chasing after him! If I’d known that video would blow up, I wouldn’t have sent it to the school’s official account.”

“Exactly—good things should be kept to yourself. Once everyone knows, there’s nothing left for you.”

“When I first met my boyfriend, I dove straight into a whirlwind of chats. I was determined—if I hesitated, there’d be no chance later. Now look, you don’t even have a topic to break the ice with him.”

Her roommates started teasing her from behind.

“So what do I do now?” Lin Wanwan turned to Shen Jiawei, the dorm’s resident love guru.

Shen Jiawei was considered an expert in these matters. She hadn’t dated much, but when it came to relationships, she always gave sound advice.

“First, don’t force conversation. If you try too hard, it just gets awkward, and that’ll lower your score in his eyes.”

“Second, stay confident. The content doesn’t matter as much as you think—after all, you’re at the same university. If you really like this freshman, why not do something practical, like bringing him water during military training?”

“Third, don’t rush. If you want him to be interested in you, let him gradually discover how interesting you are. Besides, you’re pretty, Wanwan. As long as you keep reaching out, your chances will only increase.”

Shen Jiawei folded her hands, frowning thoughtfully as she spoke.

Lin Wanwan forced a bitter smile, sighing again. “But doesn’t that just make me the one chasing after him? Is it really appropriate for a girl to act so eager?”

“Maybe not! But you’re the one who likes a freshman!”

“Yeah, he’s tall, handsome, and outstanding. If I’d added him as a friend, I’d want to chat him up too!”

The other two roommates shared their opinions.

“Mm.” Lin Wanwan nodded, staring at the computer screen. Biting her lip, she finally summoned her courage and started typing.

“Would you be free to hang out next time you have a day off?”

“We’ll see. It’s late—I’m going to sleep now.”

“Alright, good night!” she replied, trying to sound cheerful.

Seeing his answer, Lin Wanwan’s expression grew even more downcast. “Why is he so aloof?”

“Looks like he really isn’t interested,” Shen Jiawei remarked.

“But… it’s been so long since someone made my heart race like this. Wouldn’t it be a pity to go through college without a proper romance?”

Lin Wanwan looked utterly dejected. Ever since that first interview with Xia Shu, his handsome face kept popping into her mind.

“If you love someone, you have to be brave and confess! He’s only a freshman—there are still plenty of chances,” Shen Jiawei encouraged with a smile.

“But what if he already has a girlfriend?” one roommate suddenly asked.

“That’s true. Wanwan, you should find out if he’s single first,” Shen Jiawei added, noticing Lin Wanwan’s conflicted expression, the corners of her mouth curling in amusement.

“Ugh, well, even if he’s not single, I still like him. If these feelings are so strong, how could I just keep them bottled up?”

“Sigh, is this a dangerous thought?” Lin Wanwan propped her chin in her hands, silently wishing that Xia Shu would turn out to be single…