Su Qianyi stood there, dazed, as the two of them walked past her and then away into the distance.

Her hand tightened a little more, and then she continued to walk in the direction they had left. An Tian couldn’t bear to watch any longer and finally pulled her aside.

“Qianyi, although I don’t know what you and Xie Shu talk about in private, judging by his attitude now, you should know the answer. He won’t like you just because you force yourself on him.”

“Who’s forcing themselves on anyone? I… I’m just going to the cafeteria, isn’t this the way there?”

An Tian was at a loss for words. Sure, this was the way to the cafeteria, but could you stop fixating your gaze on Xie Shu? It’s too obvious.

“Nianxi, your department must have received the notice about the lecture too, right?” On their way to the cafeteria, Xie Shu suddenly remembered this and asked her, “I didn’t expect it to be Uncle Ruan’s lecture. I haven’t seen him in a long time. Has he been less busy lately?”

Hearing this question, Ruan Nianxi’s body stiffened, then she slowly replied, “Yes, we got the notice. He must not be too busy, otherwise he wouldn’t be doing things outside of work.”

In her eyes, lectures were indeed outside of work.

After all, her father was a businessman, not someone who regularly gave lectures.

And in her memory, she couldn’t recall her father ever giving a lecture at any school. She was completely baffled when she received the message from her advisor today.

Her father had been on a business trip out of town, and it was only yesterday that she got the news he had returned to the local area. She didn’t expect that the next day there would be a lecture…

Was he really that free now?

Whatever the lecture was about, she didn’t care.

As long as he finished and left, so he wouldn’t disturb her time with Xie Shu.

Since they had to attend the lecture in the afternoon, Xie Shu didn’t plan to go anywhere. He and Ruan Nianxi each went back to their dormitories to rest, preparing to head to the gymnasium when it was time.

Dates and such could wait until after the lecture.

After returning, Xie Shu used his rest time to add someone on WeChat who was already working hard at their job, and then started chatting with them.

What about?

Of course, about money!

He already had a preliminary idea of what he wanted to do in the future. Now, what he lacked was money.

And as an ordinary student, how much money could he have?

Ask his family for it?

Or rely on the money from his part-time job twice a week?

He couldn’t bring himself to do the former, and the latter was too little.

So, he decided to start with his old profession.

His old profession was, of course, design.

In his past life, he had worked in this industry for a few years. Although it wasn’t a long time, he had worked tirelessly, and the experience and knowledge he accumulated were real.

In short, he planned to earn some extra cash during this relatively leisurely time while still in school.

He chatted with others online while also bantering with his roommates.

As the time for the lecture drew closer, his three ‘sons’ wailed on their beds.

It was torture!

They had no classes in the afternoon, yet they were being forced to leave their homebody comfort to attend a lecture. They felt nothing but agony!

Xie Shu was no stranger to this situation. Having shared a dorm with them for three years, he was the most active among the four. In the past, wherever Su Qianyi went, he would follow. Sometimes, even when Su Qianyi didn’t want to go out, he would get bored and take a walk.

Xie Shu never used to comment on their behavior, but today, he unusually spoke up.

“You guys should really get out more when you have the time. Who knows, your luck in love might just turn up one day. If you keep staying indoors, you’ll never meet anyone.”

Liu Ping immediately spat out in response, “Now that you’re off the market, you’ve got the nerve to mock us? Planning to get beaten up with a sack tonight?”

Xie Shu cleared his throat, “No, I was just suggesting.”

Liu Ping retorted, “My suggestion is that you suggest less. Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed!”

Li Da chimed in, “Exactly! You don’t understand us at all, so save your suggestions. Like me, I don’t even like women.”

Xie Shu looked shocked, “You like men?!”

Before he could finish, a pillow flew towards him. Catching it steadily, Li Da’s irate voice followed, “I mean I like 2D wives!”

Xie Shu: “Aren’t they also female?”

Li Da: “It’s not the same!”

The group argued back and forth for a while, and Zhao Lin remained silent throughout. Eventually, Xie Shu noticed his unusual demeanor and asked what was wrong.

Zhao Lin sighed deeply, “I don’t want to date anymore, I’m tired.”

Everyone: “!!!”

So he had dated before?

Why hadn’t he mentioned it?

Now that he brought it up, everyone started to inquire.

Zhao Lin sighed again before he began to share his past.

“I liked a girl in high school and chased her for several months. I bought her breakfast, gave her gifts, and showed her all kinds of care. Finally, she agreed to date me.”

Liu Ping: “Isn’t that good? Or did something happen later?”

Li Da: “Did she dump you or what?”

Zhao Lin shook his head, “No, I was the one who broke up with her.”

Everyone was even more curious now. Zhao Lin didn’t want to elaborate, but the guys’ gossiping skills were strong, and after relentless questioning, they finally got him to talk.

Zhao Lin: “Don’t laugh at me after I tell you.”

Xie Shu: “Hey, that’s like saying you don’t trust us. We’re brothers, why would we laugh at you?”

The other two nodded.

Seeing their earnestness, Zhao Lin continued with his story.

“The third day after we got together, which was a weekend, I went out to buy groceries for my mom in the morning. Then, on the street, I saw a couple holding hands on a date. I thought how nice it would be if my girlfriend and I could go on a date like that. Guess what? When I took a closer look, it really was my girlfriend.”

Liu Ping: “……”

Li Da: “……”

Xie Shu: “That’s truly a sad story.”

“I know you want to laugh. Go ahead if you want.”

“We said we wouldn’t laugh at you, and we won’t. Why don’t you believe us?”

All three maintained serious expressions, which moved Zhao Lin a bit.

After feeling touched for a moment, he suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom and stepped out onto the balcony.

The air conditioning was on in the dorm, so they had to close the door every time they went in or out. As soon as he closed the door, he heard the three in the dorm burst into duck-like laughter.

Zhao Lin’s face darkened. He reopened the door, ready to confront them.

But as soon as the door opened, the duck laughter stopped instantly.

The three of them went about their business as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Lin, with a stern face, stepped back onto the balcony, and the duck laughter resumed.

He opened the door again, and the laughter vanished in a flash, with the three still doing their own things.

Zhao Lin: “Tonight, when you sleep, you’d better take turns keeping watch with both eyes.”