Chapter Thirty-Eight: Natsuki, Show Yourself

That night, I wrote my wife a letter, and this is what it said:

I was captivated by you from the moment we first met.

When we met again, my desire was reignited.

The sweetness lingered as before.

No matter how many times I close my eyes, I see you—see you in that deep red dress like a firework.

The night and the sea, the swing and the beer.

This feeling is visibly real.

Even though I caught you being a little fox spirit,

I still want to prove something.

I want to prove our encounter on that beach was right.

I want to prove that, for both of us, it was a meeting one might call fate.

I want to prove it’s possible for a girl like you to be my lover.

I want to prove you could accept a guy like me as your boyfriend.

I will always love you.

After finishing the last word, Natsuki was very satisfied and published this chapter.

Today, he boldly announced he had a girlfriend, which finally helped him breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, every day he’d still get countless requests from strangers wanting to add him as a chat friend.

There were still some requests coming in, but things had improved a lot compared to before.

Back in the dorm, Natsuki chatted briefly with Su Rouxue and learned she’d gone out shopping with her good friends.

“I… confessed too!” Su Rouxue messaged him.

“Hm?”

“I introduced you to my best friends. They want me to bring you along to my birthday party next week.”

“Alright, that’s fine.”

“Nervous?”

“How could I be? Shouldn’t I be proud to let the whole world know I’m your boyfriend?”

“‘Sneaky laugh’ You really know how to talk!”

“It’s all true…”

“You really are something, little brother. No wonder our Xue’er is so taken with you.”

“What’s going on? ‘Startled’”

“Just a little test, don’t panic, little brother. We’re off to keep shopping. ‘Smile’”

“Okay…”

Sitting before the computer screen, Natsuki frowned at the chat conversation, sighing softly with a hint of helplessness.

So this is the best friend defense squad?

Could it be they’ve read all his chats with Su Rouxue?

Wait…

At this thought, a look of terror flashed across his face.

His chat history with Su Rouxue… is that really something others can see?

Sometimes, when they flirted, he couldn’t help but send messages with a bit of spice.

Some were even a bit risqué, and then…

More crucially, Natsuki had sent Su Rouxue some personal photos—like after showering, wearing only his underwear, shyly showing off his abs for his girlfriend…

He started to imagine Su Rouxue’s friends seeing those photos, their expressions through the screen, and Natsuki’s own mouth twitched in embarrassment.

It was mortifying. Why would Su Rouxue let her friends see their chat history?

“Sigh…”

Natsuki scratched his head, making his hair stand on end.

Now, they were gradually opening up about their identities in their little circle. In a few days, it would be Su Rouxue’s birthday, and he’d really have to meet her good friends as her boyfriend. To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

After finishing today’s update, Natsuki got up and went to shower.

His college had its own private bathroom—a privilege many envied.

The weather was still hot. At first, he and his roommates were more restrained, maybe stripping down to their underwear only after the dorm supervisor had checked the room.

But lately, they’d gotten used to it. The dorm supervisor had seen everything over the years, so when night came, everyone relaxed as usual.

Of course, they always kept to the final line of decency.

Natsuki only stripped down when showering, walking back to his dorm in just his underwear.

But…

“Where’s Natsuki? Where did he go?” said Auntie, checking the dorm.

“He’s in the shower, Auntie,” Wang Yang replied, smiling at the kindly, plump, gold-haired middle-aged woman.

“Alright.”

The dorm supervisor nodded and walked to the bathroom, knocking on the door: “Natsuki, please show your face.”

“Huh?”

Natsuki was bewildered, in the middle of lathering up and shampooing. The sudden dorm inspection caught him off guard.

Hearing Auntie’s words, the others in the dorm burst out laughing in silence.

They exchanged glances, each with a mischievous sparkle in their eyes.

Natsuki, helpless, turned the handle and opened the door a crack, steam rising around him as he looked at the supervisor’s motherly, warm smile. “Auntie, I’m here, it’s me.”

“Good, good, that’s all then.”

Satisfied, she nodded and left the dorm.

Natsuki let out an annoyed sigh, closed the door, and quickly finished his shower.

Returning to his spot, his roommates seized the moment for some fun.

Liu Zhuang, the veteran, burst out laughing: “Auntie said to show your face—so which face did you show? I didn’t catch it, Natsuki, which one did you use?”

“Get lost!”

Natsuki smiled helplessly, realizing how absurd the situation was.

“I think Natsuki showed his upper face! Next time, show the other one and scare Auntie!”

Lin Xiang chuckled, his laughter sounding particularly lewd.

“You guys are hilarious. Luckily I always wait for Auntie to finish her rounds before I shower,” Wang Yang grinned foolishly.

“But honestly, you’ll run into this a lot. In winter, when hot water is scarce, Auntie will have everyone take turns showing their face.”

Natsuki was thoroughly frustrated—no one could imagine how he felt just now. He wished his roommates could experience that embarrassment.

He dreaded the thought that Auntie might not care and just open the door herself. That would be truly terrifying.

“Auntie’s a veteran. She’s seen it all. She probably didn’t overthink it—though the way she does things is pretty funny. Haha, just picturing it makes me lose it. Sorry, Natsuki.”

Lin Xiang lay on his bed, tears nearly streaming from laughter.

Liu Zhuang and Wang Yang still had games to play. After their banter, they turned back to their keyboards.

Natsuki sighed again, quietly taking his phone and climbing onto his bed.

Yet as he unlocked his phone, Lin Wanwan messaged him again.

“Junior, are you interested in joining our university’s art troupe?”