54: Maybe Because I’m Good-Looking?
Qian Kun noticed that only the overhead light was on in the dorm, while Shen Jin was still writing without a care.
The bed was above the desk, blocking most of the ceiling light. Qian Kun leaned slightly forward and switched on the desk lamp.
Shen Jin was almost pressed against the desk. He only realized what the other was doing when he turned his head.
He warned himself silently that he’d better repeat it a hundred times in his head: Qian Kun has no interest in me.
Since he’d already asked, he couldn’t make this kind of elementary mistake again.
After crossing things out and revising again and again, Shen Jin finally finished a draft of the dating agreement and planned to print it the next day.
After he finished showering, Jiang Yifan called him over to their dorm to discuss sports meet arrangements. Some events still lacked participants, and as a part-time life committee member, Shen Jin needed to go door to door asking around.
When he came back, he saw Qian Kun carrying out a pile of his dirty clothes from the bathroom, both school uniform pieces and casual wear. They’d been stuffed into the laundry basket. Shen Jin immediately stopped him. “Put those down. I’ll wash them myself later.”
There was a laundry room downstairs, but the washing machines were shared. Just imagining Alpha dorms where socks and clothes flew everywhere and mold and mushrooms coexisted was enough to make Shen Jin give up on using them. Quite a few students thought the same way, which was why the sinks were always crowded with boys washing clothes by hand.
Most of the time, he washed his own clothes. It was more troublesome, but it avoided cross-contamination.
Qian Kun was on the phone as he walked out. “It’s been raining these past few days. Not suitable to hang things in the dorm. My family’s aunt is downstairs. We’ll send them to my place for dry cleaning.”
It wasn’t a big deal to begin with, but Shen Jin panicked and didn’t bother with explanations. He dug through the pile of clothes, found a small piece of fabric, pinched it, and yanked it out quickly. “This one I’ll wash myself!”
Shen Jin dashed back into the dorm in one breath. Looking at the triangular piece of fabric in his hand, he let out a low sound.
He’d run fast. Qian Kun probably didn’t see it, right?
Watching Shen Jin’s rabbit-like retreating figure, Qian Kun finally realized what Shen Jin had taken.
His gaze flickered with panic for a moment. Thinking about what he’d just been holding, he felt the air heat up. Even the cool breeze mixed with drizzle in the corridor couldn’t ease that restlessness.
When he reached the back gate of the school, a bright red sports car was parked there. A woman with braided hair and a straw hat leaned against it.
Qian Kun hung up and handed the packed laundry basket to Liu Manning.
Liu Manning shot her son an unhappy look. “I’m an aunt?” She heard the earlier call.
Qian Kun shrugged. “Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to keep your identity secret? Afraid teenage boys would pine after you.”
Liu Manning rolled her eyes. “You always have your reasons. I can’t argue with you.”
She spotted several items in the basket that clearly didn’t belong to her son and gasped quietly.
An Alpha who never allowed anyone to touch his territory usually only broke that rule when someone special appeared. Liu Manning hadn’t expected that her son, whose fortune readings always said he’d die single, would one day experience first love.
She thought it was better not to stifle this little sprout before it could grow.
She didn’t ask anything and simply placed the basket into the trunk.
“Why are you dressed like a country girl?” Qian Kun felt a bit uncomfortable looking at his mother, who resembled an eighteen-year-old girl.
“What kind of talk is that? This is retro fashion, okay?” Liu Manning rolled her eyes. If you had the guts, try talking like that to the person you like and see if they still pay attention to you. “Your dad and I picked these persimmons. Remember to share them with your classmates.”
Qian Kun took the bamboo basket, thinking no wonder she was dressed so pastoral. It turned out she was going on a date with his father.
He greeted her briefly and left.
Liu Manning seriously wondered whether her sharp-tongued, arrogant son could really win someone over.
If he couldn’t, that was fine too. It’d be good to knock down his ego a notch. Even as his own mother, she found it hard to watch sometimes.
In the elevator on the way back, Qian Kun ran into a senior from the third year. He remembered seeing him often around Ke Minghuai.
The senior was holding a huge insulated container. Qian Kun glanced at it a few times.
Yu Pingling noticed Qian Kun as well and smiled. “Which floor?”
Despite being a year apart, Yu Pingling had long heard of Qian Kun’s reputation.
Someone who could walk sideways even at private schools, yet was unbelievably low-key after transferring here. Up close, he really did have the capital to be arrogant. Tall, outstanding presence, far superior physical conditions compared to most Alphas.
Seeing that the eighth-floor button was already pressed, Qian Kun said, “Same as you.”
Yu Pingling hadn’t expected that this so-called crown prince, rumored to be close with Shen Jin, actually lived in the same dorm.
Yu Pingling was here to deliver hairy crabs. His family definitely didn’t have such means. Ke Minghuai had asked him to deliver them.
He was honestly relieved that his friend had finally decided to pursue someone actively. He had a feeling that Shen Jin might be the only one who could truly move Ke Minghuai. If he missed this chance, he might never find a replacement.
When Shen Jin opened the door and saw Yu Pingling, he asked, “Senior, are your family matters settled? You can do gate duty tomorrow, right?”
Yu Pingling nodded awkwardly. Wasn’t that all just to cooperate with his friend?
He could only change the subject and explain why he was here.
Shen Jin glanced at the insulated container filled with hairy crabs and guessed they were from Ke Minghuai.
He found it strange. Even when the engagement was still in place, Ke Minghuai hadn’t been this attentive. What was this for now?
Qian Kun was slowly approaching from behind. Watching their interaction, he frowned and looked at the persimmons in his basket.
Persimmons shouldn’t be eaten together with high-protein foods, or they could cause diarrhea. Hairy crabs were one such example.
Qian Kun didn’t want to put Shen Jin in a difficult position. As he tried to hide the basket behind him, a thought struck him.
He suddenly remembered that times had changed. He was no longer just a roommate and deskmate. Now he had an additional identity!
At a time like this, why hide anything?
So Qian Kun held the basket openly and confidently.
They were already fake boyfriends. Didn’t that mean he could have a bit more authority?
He looked over, fingers tightening on the bamboo handle. “My auntie brought these persimmons. Want some?”
Shen Jin nodded. Looking at the basket, he saw it filled with plump, round persimmons.
He then turned to Yu Pingling. “Senior, I’ll just eat persimmons. You can share those with your dorm.”
Seeing that Shen Jin firmly refused, Yu Pingling sighed. Thinking of Qian Kun’s meaningful smile when the dorm door closed, he called Ke Minghuai.
Given how Qian Kun had lived growing up, adapting to dorm life wasn’t easy. It wasn’t that the dorms were bad, but some people were born with higher standards and had no need to lower themselves.
For Qian Kun to choose to live there, regardless of the reason, his motives seemed impure.
“Yeah, he didn’t take it. His roommate sent persimmons, and those two can’t be eaten together, so he refused.”
Shen Jin’s refusal was reasonable, yet Ke Minghuai caught onto something unusual. “Who’s his roommate?”
Ke Minghuai remembered checking the registration. It should’ve been Gu Yue from the advanced class.
Yu Pingling looked out the hallway window at the fallen leaves lining the path.
He felt his earlier worries might be coming true. Qian Kun might’ve had his eye on Shen Jin for a long time.
“Qian Kun.”
Ke Minghuai was in the lab. Hearing that name, he removed his insulated gloves and froze for a long while.
A faint ache spread across his chest. It wasn’t intense, but it felt endless.
He sat down in a daze and took out his phone to message Shen Jin, only to realize that Shen Jin had even changed his WeChat name.
His fingers trembled slightly. He felt as though Shen Jin was drifting farther and farther away.
Back in the dorm, Shen Jin picked the plumpest persimmon. Qian Kun washed it and handed it to him.
The two of them bit into the soft, sweet fruit. The sandy texture made Shen Jin eat another without realizing it. Under his roommate’s disapproving gaze, he withdrew his hand when he reached for a third.
“Don’t eat too much.” If I don’t stop you, you’ll start a dye shop.
“Oh.” You manage so much.
They tacitly avoided mentioning the earlier incident. When it was time, they turned off the lights and climbed into their beds. The heavy rain had eased. With no air conditioning on, Qian Kun opened a few windows, letting in the damp night breeze.
Shen Jin glanced at the opposite bed. Becoming fake boyfriends didn’t seem to have changed much between them.
The initial tension gradually settled into calm through such natural interactions.
He checked his phone and saw a message from Shen Xie’an, mentioning that the copyrights for Snowball and Beika had been bought by an animation company. They might be made into an animated film next year, which would make the plush even more famous.
Shen Jin had kept using the [Snowball] profile picture for two reasons. First, he had used it for so many years that it felt natural and had nothing to do with Ke Minghuai. Second, it was his own design. Using it felt right.
However, after Shen Xie’an mentioned it, he glanced at Qian Kun, changed his profile picture to a blank image, and left it empty for now. He also changed his WeChat name to a single character: Jin.
Qian Kun was replying to classmates’ messages in bed. When he switched apps, he immediately noticed that the pinned profile picture and name had changed.
He sat up at once, checked several times, and the smile in his eyes grew wider.
He sent Shen Jin a message. [The new name suits you really well.]
In the dark, Shen Jin glanced toward the opposite bed. There was only a faint light, and he couldn’t see the other’s expression clearly.
Jin: [cat snorts disdainfully.jpg]
Shen Jin dismissed the fake boyfriend with a sticker. It wasn’t for you anyway. Why are you liking it?
As he drifted toward sleep, Shen Jin remembered something important he’d forgotten to say, something to free his fake boyfriend from future worries.
“Once I’m sure I’m safe, we’ll end the relationship.”
The last thing Shen Jin wanted was to hold Qian Kun back. Getting his help already surprised him.
Before Qian Kun could respond, Shen Jin was already too tired and closed his eyes.
Listening to the steady breathing from the opposite bed, Qian Kun confirmed he was asleep. He turned over and stared at the ceiling, dimly lit by streetlights.
“No.”
“Stop dreaming.”
Won’t end it.
You won’t get that day.
*
The next morning, the rain that had fallen all night finally stopped.
You Jia lived in a basement apartment. Half of his home had flooded, furniture soaked in water. He and his mother hadn’t slept all night, busy scooping water out, yet the filthy water seemed endless.
His mother told him to go to school first. Today was his first day at his new school. He couldn’t be late or it would leave a bad impression on the teachers.
He got on his slightly rusty bicycle, checked the map on his phone, and rode toward the new school.
He had transferred again. This time, he felt as if a new world was opening up to him.
At a traffic light, he noticed a boy on a mountain bike ahead who looked especially familiar.
The boy had an elegant air, fair skin, and a gentle presence.
You Jia couldn’t help pushing his bike forward a few steps. The more he looked, the more certain he felt he’d seen him before.
He wanted to call out, but the light turned green. The boy pushed off with his long legs and sped away, leaving only a wind-like silhouette behind.
You Jia unconsciously touched his vivid red lips, his expression extremely shy.
Pedaling his squeaky bike, he chased after him with all his strength.
That morning, Shen Jin was woken by a call before he was fully awake. Yu Pingling said that Ke Minghuai had overslept and couldn’t make it for duty.
When Shen Jin arrived, the discipline director was already lecturing Yu Pingling. “What’s going on with your student council? We trust you with managing the school gate. Where’s your president? He’s late, so shouldn’t someone fill in? Is there no one left in the student council?”
Seeing Shen Jin, the director softened his tone and patted Shen Jin’s shoulder. “Shen Jin’s here. You’re always reliable.”
The director was an Alpha. That pat nearly knocked the wind out of Shen Jin. He could only nod awkwardly.
Yu Pingling felt utterly speechless. Did the teachers really need to treat people so differently?
“What’s with Old Feng? He yells at me the moment he sees me, but when he sees you, it’s all spring breeze.”
The director’s surname was Feng. Shen Jin remembered Luo Ying saying that Old Feng treated good-looking students better. After thinking about it, Shen Jin replied uncertainly, “Maybe because I’m good-looking?”
Yu Pingling: …You weren’t like this before. When did you go bad?
Just as Shen Jin put on the duty badge, he saw Ke Minghuai in the distance, pushing his bike and staring at him intently, his gaze carrying complicated emotions.
Before Shen Jin could make sense of that look, he saw a familiar-looking Omega catch up to Ke Minghuai.
It was the one he’d seen outside the bookstore. Such a coincidence. That Omega didn’t seem to be from their school.
At first glance, Shen Jin hadn’t remembered him.
But seeing him together with Ke Minghuai, a scene flashed through his mind.
This Omega… wasn’t he the one from the kissing contest?
Oh wow.
Author’s Note:
An alternative shura field, hehe. The original novel’s shou won’t affect our QianJin at all. QianJin, go forward boldly!
Ke is starting to develop feelings and is trying to break free from plot control.
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