CH 2

Suddenly hearing this question, Sheng Jianan's hand movements paused: "Why do you ask?"

Jiang Chi remained silent for a while, released his hand from Sheng Jianan's waist, leaned against the table, and looked at Sheng Jianan with a smile and said, "What do those people who are in a relationship think? In such a critical stage of college, isn't it more worthwhile to enrich one's resume and lay a foundation for the future? Is this not being responsible to our parents who worked hard to support us to study?"

Sheng Jianan "..."

Unexpectedly, the rich young master who spends money like dirt could also be so sensible and considerate. Uncle and auntie would shed tears if they heard this.

"Anyway, I won't be in a relationship in college, so what can I do with this time?" Jiang Chi said. "What do you think?"

Sheng Jianan lowered his eyes and didn't speak. Jiang Chi deliberately pinched his waist.

Sheng Jianan then responded and grabbed his hand, tilting his head to look at him: "Are you sure?"

Seeing him look skeptical, Jiang Chi felt amused and turned to him: "What do you mean, little Sheng Jianan, you don't trust me so much? Don't tell me you think I would be willing to abandon you to pursue a relationship?"

Seeing that Sheng Jianan still didn't speak, Jiang Chi didn't know whether to feel angry or laugh: "You really don't trust me? I've never met a girl who makes my heart flutter from childhood to adulthood."

Because the person who makes your heart flutter is a boy.

Sheng Jianan silently added a sentence in his heart, picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and said, "No one can say what will happen in the future."

Jiang Chi looked at him for two seconds, and approached him dangerously: "Is it that you want to be in a relationship?"

Sheng Jianan glanced at him and saw Jiang Chi staring at him tightly, as if afraid of seeing any sign of agreement from him.

"...No," Sheng Jianan gave him a reassuring answer. "I haven't thought about it yet."

"That's good," Jiang Chi breathed a sigh of relief. He was then in the mood to joke around and said, "You are going to become a great artist. Time is precious, and you cannot waste it on such mundane matters."

"...What about you?" Sheng Jianan asked.

"Me? Since I have you, why would I still want to pursue a relationship? Of course, I will protect and support you." Just thinking about this picture, Jiang Chi felt very happy and laughed, "You are responsible for being beautiful, and I am responsible for earning money to support you."

At this moment, there was a sound of the door opening outside, and their roommates, San San and Lu Yu, came back. San San's real name is Tan Jiashan, but because his name is too tongue-twisting and the character "Shan" is too feminine, he is called San San. Lu Yu took his parents' surnames.

When the two of them opened the door and saw the situation inside, they immediately started teasing.

"Did we come back at the wrong time?" Lu Yu said with a smile.

San San immediately followed up and joked, "I asked you to accompany me to the supermarket, but you didn't go. Look what happened, we came back and disturbed the lovebirds."

As they spoke, the two walked to their seats and saw the sweet snacks on the table. They knew that Sheng's mother made them and thanked Sheng Jianan with a smile.

San San picked up a piece of snowflake pastry and fed it to his mouth, then remembered something. 

"Oh, Jiang Chi."

He turned around and hesitated, "A younger schoolmate you know asked me for your phone number. He said he likes you very much and pestered me for a long time. I didn't agree, but he insisted that I pass the message on."

Lu Yu shook his head in silence at the news.

Jiang Chi had no reaction and was still flirting with Sheng Jianan in a gentle tone. "What does it have to do with me?"

As expected, San San subconsciously looked at Lu Yu. In fact, he didn't want to pass on the message. They had been roommates for more than a year, and who didn't know that Jiang Chi hated gays? His expression would become very ugly at the mere mention of the word. It was said that something had happened before.

But San San was easily persuaded, and as he looked at Jiang Chi's expression while flirting with Sheng Jianan, he suddenly remembered the words of the younger schoolmate: "Is Jiang Chi straight? Look at how he acts with Senior Sheng, and you believed him when he said he was straight? He's in the closet."

In fact, when they first entered school, many people thought Jiang Chi and Sheng Jianan were a couple, and even caused a stir at Xia University because of their outstanding looks. At that time, someone took a picture of their backs and submitted it to a blogger who specialized in collecting pictures of beautiful and handsome college students across the country:

[Among the freshmen in our school, there is a pair of boys who both look really good. They go in and out together every day and are never seen apart. One evening, I happened to run into them, and the taller one smiled and kept leaning against the cold and aloof handsome guy beside him, with his eyes fixed on him the whole way, hugging him as they walked. I stared at them the whole time and forgot to walk. The sunset had just fallen on their shoulders, casting a slightly orange glow on their hair tips. The picture was so beautiful that I thought at the time, novels come from reality, and I'm grateful that I worked hard to get into Xia University and witnessed this beautiful scene. I will remember it for the rest of my life.]

At that time, this post received hundreds of thousands of likes and attracted countless netizens to comment, including Xia University students.

However, over time, as everyone became familiar with their interaction patterns, they gradually believed that they were really just good brothers who could wear the same pants. But since learning that they were not a couple, their respective pursuers had become increasingly unable to hold back.

Noticing San San's gaze, Jiang Chi's eyes glanced over, and then he said indifferently, "No, ignore him."

San San knew that he had given him enough face and smiled, "I know, I've already refused."

After speaking, he immediately turned to Sheng Jianan with a smile, "Jianan, don't ask us to pass messages for you in the future. You don't know what certain people are like when you're not around."

As expected, when Sheng Jianan was mentioned, Jiang Chi became especially easy to talk to. He smiled and threw a piece of snowflake pastry at him, saying, "If you can talk, then say a few more words." 

San San took it and said, "Okay." 

Lu Yu also smiled, turned around and teased, "Yes, in the future, when you go out alone, you have to appease this person at home first. We can't handle this kind of thing.'" As he spoke, his teasing gaze turned to Jiang Chi, who was smiling and listening to their teasing, seeming quite happy with what they were saying.

In the evening, the two of them ordered stir-fried dishes in the canteen. One plate of boiled fish and four plates of small stir-fries. 

Jiang Chi searched his large bowl for a few pieces of the tenderest fish meat and put them in Sheng Jianan's bowl. Sheng Jianan has always had a small appetite since he was young, so he has to be watched by Jiang Chi. 

Although in most cases, Sheng Jianan still can't finish his food, and the leftovers can only be consumed by Jiang Chi.

"As expected, when Sheng Jianan was mentioned, Jiang Chi became especially easy to talk to. He smiled and threw a piece of snowflake pastry at him, saying, 'If you can talk, then say a few more words.' San San Yi took it and said, 'Yeah.' Lu Yu also smiled, turned around and teased, 'Yes, in the future, when you go out alone, you have to appease this person at home first. We can't handle this kind of thing.' As he spoke, his teasing gaze turned to Jiang Chi, who was smiling and listening to their teasing, seeming quite happy with what they were saying.

In the evening, the two of them ordered stir-fried dishes in the canteen. One plate of boiled fish and four plates of small stir-fries. Jiang Chi searched his large bowl for a few pieces of the tenderest fish meat and put them in Sheng Jianan's bowl. Sheng Jianan has always had a small appetite since he was young, so he has to be watched by Jiang Chi. Although in most cases, Sheng Jianan still can't finish his food, and the leftovers can only be consumed by Jiang Chi.

"The spicy chicken today is cooked well." Jiang Chi picked up a piece of chicken thigh and fed it to Sheng Jianan's mouth. "It's good, not too spicy." 

Sheng Jianan took a bite and gave his evaluation, "Hmm, it's better than before."

Jiang Chi fed another piece to him, and he seemed to enjoy doing this kind of thing. Since he was a child, Sheng Jianan had a particularly poor appetite. After he started attending kindergarten, Sheng's mother couldn't watch him all the time, so she could only ask Jiang Chi to look after him. This monitoring lasted for more than ten years.

At first, Sheng's mother would make some delicious snacks to thank Jiang Chi. Later, Jiang Chi became more and more proactive. At every meal, he always watched Sheng Jianan eat first. If there was something delicious at home, he would share it with him first, and he would never take a bite himself.

Sheng Jianan couldn't eat well and had health problems, so he had to go to the doctor. Jiang Chi insisted on going with him, but in the end, his family didn't allow a young child to cause trouble, so he didn't even eat. He waited until Sheng Jianan came back in the evening, and he was so hungry that he almost fainted in front of him.

Later, Aunt Sheng came to understand that she didn't need to say anything - as long as it was related to Sheng Jianan, Jiang Chi would always prioritize it. As they grew older, Jiang Chi took over the responsibility of regularly checking and maintaining Sheng Jianan's health, which had originally been Aunt Sheng's job. Aunt Sheng was happy to relax a bit.

Sometimes she thought to herself that it would be nice if the two kids were a boy and a girl. She couldn't imagine anyone treating Sheng Jianan better than Jiang Chi did, not even herself as a mother sometimes.

"Jiang Chi, you're eating here too?" A surprised voice came from beside them.

Sheng Jianan looked over and saw a younger student from Jiang Chi's department. Jiang Chi was focused on something, not even lifting his head. The younger student waved to Sheng Jianan and said goodbye to the two girls beside him before walking over to their table under their envious gazes.

After greeting Sheng Jianan, the younger student sat down in the empty seat next to Jiang Chi and glanced over at him. He saw that his usually aloof and handsome senior was carefully picking out a plate of spicy chicken and paid him no attention.

The talkative younger student chatted with Sheng Jianan for a bit, having gotten to know him a little bit because he often went to dorm 508 to hang out with San San.

After a while, the younger student couldn't hold back any longer and propped his chin up with one hand, glared at Jiang Chi, and said lazily, "Jiang Chi, you didn't even say hi when you saw me? That's so rude."

Sheng Jianan immediately understood what the younger student was thinking. He had already guessed it when he heard San San talk about it this afternoon. But Jiang Chi was different - he had no sense of love before he met him.

As expected, Jiang Chi glanced at him indifferently and said, "It's you."

It was a casual remark, as if he didn't care at all. After speaking, he picked up a piece of chicken leg and complained, "This place is too stingy. One plate of spicy chicken and there aren't many chicken legs."

Sheng Jianan had already eaten several pieces and was about to say that he could have this one, but before he could speak, Jiang Chi directly stuffed it into his mouth with chopsticks.

As they looked at each other, Jiang Chi triumphantly raised his eyebrows and watched as Sheng Jianan ate the meat.

After finishing, Sheng Jianan pushed his bowl aside and said, "I'm really full this time, don't give me any more."

Jiang Chi glanced at his bowl and saw that there wasn't a single grain of rice left. He then picked up a piece of fish and said, "Eat a little more, I can't finish all of this by myself."

Sheng Jianan reluctantly took a small bite of the fish, and Jiang Chi smiled and finished the remaining half of the fish without hesitation.

The atmosphere between the two was so harmonious that Jiang Chi only had eyes for Sheng Jianan, as if the others didn't exist. The younger student didn't know how to speak up for a moment and could only stare at Sheng Jianan for a while.

It was true that Sheng Jianan was a little more attractive than him, the younger student couldn't deny that. But it wasn't like the rumors outside made it seem like he was a god; after all, they both had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.

When Sheng Jianan glanced over, the younger student showed him what he thought was a friendly expression and lowered his head to eat.

Sheng Jianan looked at him and silently averted his gaze.

Jiang Chi finished quickly and picked up his plate, ready to leave with Sheng Jianan. He only noticed the presence of the younger student by his side belatedly.

"Let's go." Jiang Chi said to the younger student.

The younger student, who had been contemplating whether to confess or not, was encouraged by this greeting and mustered up the courage to call out to Jiang Chi: "Senior, wait."

Jiang Chi turned his head and, due to his superior height, inadvertently conveyed a sense of distance between them: "What's the matter?"

The younger student had just finished eating a piece of meat and licked his lips, feeling a little nervous.

He pretended to look at Sheng Jianan casually, smiled at Jiang Chi and said, "Senior, I added you on WeChat several times, why didn't you accept?"

Jiang Chi frowned and stood a little further away from him, picking up a half-used pack of tissues that Sheng Jianan had left on the table and throwing it at him: "Oh, I don't use WeChat."

The younger student could tell that he had not only failed to seduce him but had also been rejected. He could only silently take out a piece of paper to wipe his mouth.

Jiang Chi was actually quite fastidious, and their mutual friend, Ling Mo, had scolded him many times for it. For example, if he saw someone with a little sauce on their face, he would be very disgusted and think it was dirty. The next time they ate, he would have to stay away. Ling Mo had been hit in the face with tissues by him before.

But it would have been different if it was someone else...

Jiang Chi's gaze flickered, and he reached out to Sheng Jianan: "Don't move, you have a piece of chili on your lips."

He used his finger to gently brush it away from Sheng Jianan's lower lip, and after wiping off the chili, he even showed it to Sheng Jianan to prove he wasn't lying.

After comparing the two, the younger student was so angry that he couldn't eat his food. "Is there anything else?" Jiang Chi asked.

The younger student hung his head and continued, with a brave face: "But I saw that you changed your profile picture these past few days. You changed it to a picture of your back."

At this point, Jiang Chi had something to say: "That's not my back. It's someone I took a photo of. How about it? My photography skills aren't bad, right?"

He looked at Sheng Jianan, the corners of his mouth turning up, and even his tone of voice carried a hint of laughter, but it wasn't clear who he was addressing.

Sheng Jianan looked back at him for two seconds before looking away with indifference.

At this moment, he didn't know whether to pity the younger student or himself. If he didn't already know how things would turn out, he might not have been able to control himself and confess to Jiang Chi. What would happen then? Would Jiang Chi hate him and stay away from him early?

After all, he was just a supporting character with a relatively heavy role in his world.

The younger student felt like he was making a fool of himself, his neck turning red. He really didn't understand these two people. Neither of them looked straight, but they were so intimate that it made others unable to resist their foolish desires.

The younger student decided to stop talking and looked at Sheng Jianan, silently indicating that he should leave for a while.

Sheng Jianan was very considerate, picked up his tray, and said to Jiang Chi, "I'll wait for you outside."

Jiang Chi instinctively frowned and followed Sheng Jianan's figure with his gaze as he walked away, suddenly losing his patience. "What's the matter? If there's nothing, I'll leave first."

As he spoke, he turned and left.

This kind of opportunity was really rare. The younger student hurried to catch up and said, "Senior."

It was at this moment that Jiang Chi stopped in his tracks. The younger student thought he was willing to stop and listen to him speak, so he braced himself and said in one breath, "Senior, I really like you. I liked you from the moment I saw you. At first, I thought you and Sheng Senior were a couple, so I kept this feeling hidden in my heart. Later, I heard Sheng Senior say that you're just good friends and that he'll never be with you. That's why I..."

"What did you say?" Jiang Chi interrupted suddenly.

The younger student instinctively lifted his head and saw Jiang Chi's pitch-black eyes staring at him without any emotion. The younger student nervously swallowed and his voice became quieter as he said, "I said I like you..."

Jiang Chi's eyebrows furrowed even deeper, as if he was reminded of something from the past, and his face showed undisguised disgust. "What did Sheng Jianan say?"

"...Senior Sheng said that you are just good friends, and you will always be in the past, present, and future, and there will never be any change."

Seeing that Jiang Chi was absent-minded, the younger student followed his gaze and saw two girls standing in front of Sheng Jianan, chatting and laughing happily.

When the younger student wanted to say something else and looked back at Jiang Chi, he had already disappeared.