She put down the kettle and sat back down before speaking.
"Actually..."
"Holy crap, you don't need to say anything." Yi Yi had already moved closer. "I didn't expect Lingzai to be so quick."
Before Shi Ling could answer, her phone on the table vibrated again.
Lu Xinyan pointed to her phone, "Turn on the volume."
Not wanting to spoil their fun, Shi Ling opened the app and told Chi Cheng, "My roommate is next to me and wants to hear you talk."
Chi Cheng chuckled softly; his voice was low, and the microphone vibrated slightly.
He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I've run off with Shi Ling, and I'm only reporting for duty now."
Yi Yi and Lu Xinyan suppressed their laughter, "It's alright, when are you going to treat us?"
Chi Cheng naturally gave Shi Ling face, "That depends on what my darling says, I'm available anytime."
Chi Cheng was indeed eloquent. Despite the fact that the group had never met before, they did not feel awkward at all, but instead chatted and laughed.
After saying a few words, Chi Cheng asked, "When are you going to return Shi Ling to me? I don't want her to get angry, otherwise I'll have a hard time."
The two mocked Shi Ling for a while before she turned off the loudspeaker.
Shi Ling was not a talkative person, but the two slowly went through a question-and-answer session, and she also talked about her boring day of rushing to finish her thesis.
There was some noise coming from Chi Cheng's side, and Shi Ling then remembered to ask him where he was.
Chi Cheng smiled and said, "Come out for a smoke."
After a while, Chi Cheng asked her, "Honey, can you give me your dorm address?"
Shi Ling frowned. "What?"
"I'll order you some milk tea, and invite your roommate too."
Shi Ling responded and said she would send it to him after hanging up the phone.
When Shi Ling hung up the phone, the two of them rushed over to gossip.
Yi Yi exclaimed, "His voice is so nice! What does he look like? Is he handsome?"
Shi Ling was too embarrassed to praise him, but she had to admit that Chi Cheng was extremely handsome.
Her answer was ambiguous: "It's alright."
Yi Yi asked, "Are there any photos?"
Shi Ling thought about it and realized that the two of them had never taken a selfie together.
He just shook his head.
Yi Yi was even more excited when she found out he was from Guangzhou, saying that next time she called, she wanted to hear Chi Cheng speak a few words of Cantonese.
Shi Ling could already imagine the smug look on his face, and she pursed her lips.
When Chi Cheng called again, Shi Ling wasn't surprised. "Baby, come downstairs."
Shi Ling hurriedly went downstairs in her pajamas.
As she pushed open the dormitory building door on the first floor, she wondered if she had fallen ill.
The person standing there with a smug look on his face was none other than Chi Cheng.
This is the girls' dormitory. There are many people coming and going. A few girls walking together were talking, "Whose boyfriend is that? He's so handsome."
Shi Ling couldn't quite describe her feelings. This time, she understood how he felt knowing she had left without saying goodbye—angry that he had come without informing her. But when she found him actually standing in front of her, her joy outweighed her anger. Even though it had only been a day since they last met, which she had previously thought would be months, seeing him suddenly was a pleasant surprise.
Shi Ling stood there, stunned.
Chi Cheng went up to her and hugged her. He was cold, but his breath was hot. He gently kissed the top of her head.
Shi Ling frowned and looked up at him. "Isn't this takeout?"
Chi Cheng held up the milk tea bag in his hand. "I'm also ordering takeout."
Shi Ling then raised her hand to hug him back, her tone dissatisfied, "You lied to me."
Chi Cheng clicked his tongue, "This is also a case of tit for tat."
Shi Ling glared at him and then said nothing more.
The two hugged for a moment, then Shi Ling got out of his arms. Chi Cheng ruffled her hair and said, "Then you can take it upstairs first."
Just as Shi Ling was about to turn and go into the building, Chi Cheng grabbed her again, giving her a thorough once-over. Shi Ling knew he was looking at her pajamas.
He gave her a suggestive look and lowered his voice, "Remember to change your clothes before coming down."
Author's Note: A belated update.
Love you all every day.
The first 30 people to receive a small red envelope today!
Chapter 25
The milk tea that Chi Cheng brought clearly boosted his popularity.
When Shi Ling opened the wardrobe to change clothes, she felt a chill down her back. When she turned around, she saw that Yi Yi and Lu Xinyan were both looking at her strangely.
She wanted to explain, but felt there was nothing to explain, so she paused and then said, "I... am going to stay out tonight."
Yi Yi and Lu Xinyan reacted in a few seconds and then pushed her out together.
A cup of milk tea betrayed her.
Shi Ling was both amused and exasperated.
The consequence of her being hastily pushed out like this was that Shi Ling only realized she hadn't brought her ID card when they reached the nearest small gate to the school.
However, Chi Cheng had already arrived late, and Shi Ling came out just as closing time was approaching. If she went back and came out again now, she would probably attract even more attention from the old man.
This was the first time Chi Cheng had ever seen Shi Ling so confused; it was truly a rare sight. He wasn't in a hurry at all, watching the show with amusement, and even took the opportunity to ruffle Shi Ling's hair.
Shi Ling glanced back at the dormitory. There were still several couples reluctant to part in front of the dormitory door, being yelled at by the old man, "Are you coming in or not?" The boy, thick-skinned, didn't forget to look up and shout back, "Coming!"
Shi Ling deliberately put on a stern face, "Then I'll have to go back to my place."
Chi Cheng knew she was joking, so he played along, saying, "Then I'll call the little card the hotel slipped in tonight."
Shi Ling smiled and said, "Okay, then go ahead."
Chi Cheng squeezed her hand, "You'll regret this."
While the two of them were dawdling, the old man had already separated the several couples. "Alright, alright, are you done yet? If you don't come in, you'll be sleeping in the park." The girl hurriedly ran into the apartment building, and the old man locked the door.
They exchanged a glance and couldn't help but chuckle.
Shi Ling thought for a moment, "I'll have them throw my ID card down. Our dormitory is at the back of the building."
Shi Ling called Yi Yi, making it seem like a rendezvous.
Let Chi Cheng continue below.
He looked lazy and listless, but he was surprisingly agile.
The ID card was thrown down in a wad of newspaper. Before it even hit the ground, just above his head, Chi Cheng caught it.
The people near the apartment had gradually dispersed, and they walked hand in hand along the campus path. A gentle evening breeze created a tranquil atmosphere. Walking along the path, one could almost feel that they were a couple who had walked together for four years during university.
While Shi Ling was replying to Yi Yi's WeChat messages, since their apartment wasn't on a high floor, Yi Yi, after a fleeting glance, showered Shi Ling with compliments about Chi Cheng and asked if she could introduce him to another guy from Guangdong.
Shi Ling nudged Chi Cheng's arm to show him.
Chi Cheng smiled, "What do you think of Fang Ze?"
Shi Ling shook her head. "Not very good."
She glared at him. "Have you forgotten what Fang Ze said last time?"
Chi Cheng thought for a moment before realizing that she was referring to the time in the bathroom when Fang Ze said he was in a hurry to masturbate.
It's perfectly normal for boys to talk about these things, but Shi Ling just happened to overhear it.
Shi Ling knew he hadn't done many good things in the past, so when she mentioned Fang Ze, she said to him with a veiled remark, "You're just like him."
Chi Cheng downplayed the issue, saying, "That night I was just looking at a few teachers."
After he finished speaking, he teased her again, "If you want to watch it, we can watch it together later."
Shi Ling naturally didn't respond, glared at him a few times, and led him towards the street of accommodations.
This area is known as "Degenerate Street." The accommodation options around the school are very limited; whether it's guesthouses, hotels, or budget chains, they're all geared towards couples spending the night together.
Interspersed among them are various adult product stores that gleam with strange lights, most of which are 24-hour unmanned stores. If you look closely, you might even spot one or two couples inside.
And a few barbecue restaurants, bars and convenience stores.
Shi Ling didn't expect to run into an acquaintance here. She didn't recognize him at first and was talking to Chi Cheng when someone called her name. She then squinted and tried to recognize him.
The other person looked surprised when they saw Shi Ling holding Chi Cheng's arm.
Fortunately, they weren't very familiar with each other, and the other person was also with a girl, so Shi Ling greeted him briefly and then let it go.
The two made a last-minute decision. The budget hotels were all booked, and they didn't want to stay in poor guesthouses, so they searched several places before finally finding a hotel that was reasonably decent.
Chi Cheng's already limited patience was almost completely worn out.
Especially after taking the room key and entering the corridor, probably due to poor soundproofing, there were people watching TV in one room and watching adult movies in another, with noise rising and falling.
Chi Cheng recalled how Shi Ling would only bite her lip and call his name each time.
"Chi Cheng".
If she frowns, it means she's in pain; if her face is as beautiful as a peach blossom and her eyes are filled with autumn water, it means she's in love.
Chi Cheng felt his blood boil at the thought, and without a word, he pulled her hand away from his and put his arm around her waist.
Upon entering the room, it was still pitch black. Before the door could even be closed, Chi Cheng had already pinned her against it.
Chi Cheng truly experienced the dryness of northern cities today.
He felt hot just looking at her, and seeing her moist lips and affectionate eyes, he kissed her one by one.