After the Online Romance with the Campus Beauty Roommate Went Wrong - Chapter 12

Invite Jian Chenyu to eat with us?

It was one thing not knowing Jian Chenyu’s sexual orientation before, but now that she did, how could Sang Shi’an act normal around her?

While she could be friends with Su Ningyue, with Jian Chenyu… it just didn’t feel right.

Yet, deliberately avoiding Jian Chenyu while living together, and then being photographed entering and leaving their apartment together… Sang Shi’an thought that if this weren’t happening to her, she’d assume they were having a secret affair.

Half of Sang Shi’an’s body stiffened. She couldn’t explain to her friends what she’d seen on Jian Chenyu’s computer last night, so she simply said, “Their graduate student building isn’t even in this area. Why bother calling her over just for lunch?”

The crowd surged out of the lecture hall as classes ended, drowning out Su Ningyue’s protests.

Sang Shi’an pretended not to hear, pushing her way forward until she was outside the building. Then she heard Su Ningyue suddenly call out, “Senior Jian!”

Sang Shi’an looked up and saw Jian Chenyu, wearing a soft knitted sweater, walking out of the library with two other girls. She turned her head in the blinding midday sun.

Her serene expression betrayed no emotion as the sunlight brushed across every strand of her hair. The aloofness that kept others at arm’s length softened with each step she took toward Sang Shi’an, greeting her friends one by one.

Su Ningyue then repeated Sang Shi’an’s earlier refusal to join Jian Chenyu for dinner. Before Sang Shi’an could protest, Jian Chenyu interjected, “It’s no trouble at all. Let’s all go together.”

Su Ningyue instinctively moved to Sang Shi’an’s other side, her smile radiant. “Great! Let’s head to the Third Cafeteria. Their boiled fish is extra spicy—perfect to wake Sangsang up!”

Jian Chenyu raised an eyebrow. “Wake her up?”

Su Ningyue suppressed a laugh. “Yeah, she nearly got points deducted for dozing off in tax law class earlier. I wonder what she was up to last night?”

Jian Chenyu had been half-listening until he noticed the faint dark circles under Sang Shi’an’s eyes. He paused, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

“I slept fine,” Sang Shi’an replied, sandwiched between the two girls. Su Ningyue, however, kept nudging her insistently, making her ears burn.

Not from embarrassment, of course.

After taking screenshots of those browsing history entries last night, just looking at the search terms had sparked endless fantasies. Now, at the slightest touch from Jian Chenyu, those images flooded back uncontrollably.

Seeing Sang Shi’an’s lowered head, Jian Chenyu slowed her pace. “Then how did you manage to doze off in class and get called out by the professor?”

Sang Shi’an had never felt so miserable. She flatly refused to speak to Jian Chenyu. “Jian Chenyu, mind your own business.”

“Alright,” Jian Chenyu replied, her expression unchanged.

Beside them, Su Ningyue was practically vibrating with excitement, itching to record every word and send it to the forum’s fanfic writers.

In terms of pure facial features, Jian Chenyu couldn’t compare to Sang Shi’an. But her innate air of refined nobility, cultivated since childhood, was irresistibly captivating. The stark contrast between her and Sang Shi’an, especially when they walked together, was so striking that even those normally indifferent to same-s3x couples couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.

Jiang Xinqi dropped out midway to join her girlfriend, leaving the remaining four to fill a table perfectly.

After they sat down, Xu Taotao nudged Sang Shi’an. “You’re usually so talkative. Why were you two so quiet on the way here?”

Sang Shi’an didn’t react. Jian Chenyu spoke up for her, “She didn’t sleep well last night. She’s still sleepy.”

Xu Taotao grinned and leaned against Su Ningyue’s shoulder. “But you two didn’t say a word! Anyone would think you were a couple having a lovers’ quarrel.”

Here we go again, Sang Shi’an thought, using the ‘you’re dating’ card to pressure me.

But she felt that the lack of conversation between her and Jian Chenyu wasn’t entirely her fault.

Jian Chenyu shook her head. “I’m just used to being alone.”

Sang Shi’an turned to look at Jian Chenyu.

Xu Taotao glanced at Jian Chenyu and chuckled. “I get it, I get it. Senior Jian is our universally acknowledged ice queen.”

“Since you don’t like talking…” Xu Taotao pressed, “then showing a little more intimacy shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

She even leaned closer to Su Ningyue, tilting her head to rest against her shoulder, demonstrating the casual affection between friends.

Sang Shi’an, who was drinking water, nearly choked.

She coughed and rummaged through her bag, but Jian Chenyu immediately offered her a handful of tissues.

Sang Shi’an took one and murmured, “Thank you.”

Then she heard Jian Chenyu say, “Okay.”

Okay to act a little closer, she thought, and shifted slightly in Sang Shi’an’s direction.

Sang Shi’an immediately coughed harder, her voice growing hoarse.

The fish slices cooked quickly in the boiling broth, and the aunt called out their order number. Sang Shi’an’s hands were slightly greasy from the soup, so she set down her chopsticks, grabbed a napkin to wipe them, and turned back to find her bowl had been replaced with clear broth.

Meanwhile, Jian Chenyu’s bowl now contained Sang Shi’an’s original spicy broth.

I remember Jian Chenyu used to hate spicy food, Sang Shi’an thought.

“If your throat hurts, you shouldn’t eat anything spicy,” Sang Shi’an said.

She had been coughing quite uncomfortably, but she still asked, “This is medium spicy. Can you handle it?”

Jian Chenyu didn’t reply.

Perhaps truly hungry, Su Ningyue and Xu Taotao temporarily lost interest in watching the two of them and focused on their meals.

But as it turned out, four years in England hadn’t changed Jian Chenyu’s palate. Within minutes, her face and the base of her neck began to flush red, and her chewing slowed.

The spiciness softened Jian Chenyu’s usual aloofness, her forehead creased with suppressed discomfort, her eyes and cheeks flushed crimson.

Vibrant and alluring.

Eventually, Jian Chenyu seemed to have had enough and got up to buy milk tea from a nearby stall.

“Have you been binge-watching idol dramas lately?” Su Ningyue suddenly asked. “Is that why you were acting like that just now?”

Sang Shi’an glanced up coldly.

Su Ningyue explained, “You were deliberately giving Senior Jian the cold shoulder, waiting for her to come and coax you, right?”

Sang Shi’an was speechless.

“…You’re overthinking things.”

Su Ningyue ignored Sang Shi’an’s denial. “Am I really overthinking it? But your pouty, spoiled act just now was exactly like the female lead in that wildly popular drama!”

Sang Shi’an bit down hard on a piece of fish cake in frustration.

What exactly is Jian Chenyu trying to do?

She clearly likes girls, yet she’s playing along with this ambiguous relationship.

Don’t lesbians need to avoid suspicion?

Sang Shi’an glanced at Su Ningyue, who was being clung to by Xu Taotao.

Oh, right. Apparently not.

Sang Shi’an shook her head. Ever since uncovering Jian Chenyu’s secret, she’d been as skittish as a frightened bird, unable to relax.

Yet she could get along so well with Jiang Xinqi and Su Ningyue, even to the point of being close.

A gust of wind swept past the window, swirling golden maple leaves into the air, leaving scattered branches strewn across the road. Beneath the window, a branch of fiery red early plum blossoms slowly unfurled, swaying gently in the late autumn breeze.

Before the plum blossoms’ fragrance could fully disperse, another faint scent, uniquely Jian Chenyu’s, quietly preceded it.

Jian Chenyu handed Su Ningyue one of the milk tea bags. “I wasn’t sure about your preferences, so I ordered according to An’an’s taste.”

The boiled fish today was a bit too salty, and Su Ningyue and Xu Taotao, who had been eagerly anticipating it, thanked her warmly.

Sang Shi’an glanced at the other bag Jian Chenyu had placed on the table. Judging by its shape, it seemed to contain two cups.

But Jian Chenyu didn’t mention it, and Sang Shi’an didn’t ask.

Let her die of thirst then.

The meal between Sang Shi’an and Jian Chenyu quickly made its way onto the school forum. From the photos alone, it was impossible to tell they were just normal friends.

It really did have that “acting” vibe Su Ningyue had described.

When they left, the cafeteria was still crowded, likely due to students rushing over after finishing their meals to see what the commotion was about. The corridors were nearly impassable.

Sang Shi’an and Jian Chenyu walked side by side, with Xu Taotao and Su Ningyue trailing two steps behind, slowly making their way down the stairs.

Suddenly, someone called Jian Chenyu’s name. Jian Chenyu turned to see Sang Shi’an, jostled by another student coming up the stairs, nearly lose her footing and fall.

Fortunately, Su Ningyue, who was right behind her, reacted quickly and pulled her back.

An excited freshman girl watching the scene excitedly slapped her friend’s hand. “This Senior Sister is such a good match too!”

Jian Chenyu stopped and casually draped an arm around Sang Shi’an’s shoulder, pulling her closer. It wasn’t a tight embrace, just a natural, friendly gesture.

“Crowded. Stay close to me.”

The Third Cafeteria was on the third floor. By the time they reached the second floor, Sang Shi’an felt awkward and whispered, “That was just an accident. I can walk steadily on my own.”

Jian Chenyu’s hand, which had been loosely resting on her shoulder, now pressed down firmly. “The floor’s slippery.”

Sang Shi’an: ……

As they stepped off the stairs, Jian Chenyu released her arm. Su Ningyue caught up from behind. “Was that guy doing it on purpose?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. It’s already 12:30. I want to go back to the dorm for a nap,” Sang Shi’an said, feeling the meal had been a chaotic blur. Now, the way people were looking at her and Jian Chenyu seemed to imply something inappropriate, completely undermining her original intentions.

Just then, Jian Chenyu gently tugged her wrist. “Milk tea,” she said softly.

Jian Chenyu opened the insulated milk tea bag and slowly retrieved one of the cups. Her slender fingers deliberately peeled open the straw, the movement seeming to take an unusually long time.

With a soft crack of plastic, the milk tea was brought directly to Sang Shi’an’s lips. “Here.”

Sang Shi’an: ……

Sang Shi’an’s ears flushed crimson almost instantly, not from shyness, but from a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

She told Su Ningyue and the others to go ahead. She needed to talk to Jian Chenyu.

“Our schedules don’t really align. Whether you’re with me or not, those gossipy people will still assume we’re dating. So, there’s no need to bother…”

“It’s no bother,” Jian Chenyu interrupted. Just then, the campus broadcast system blared to life, drowning out her voice.

Sang Shi’an asked uncertainly, “What did you say?”

Jian Chenyu replied, “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I’m not eating with you to prove we’re just friends. I want to be with you.”

Her tone was utterly natural. “You said before that I’m too cold, right? I think I’m a bit lonely too. Eating with you is nice.”

Sang Shi’an’s grip on her milk tea suddenly tightened, squeezing the cup until the liquid overflowed. She immediately released her hand, but not before some of the tea splashed onto her skin.

Jian Chenyu offered her a tissue from her bag.

Sang Shi’an accepted it and silently wiped her hand, suddenly at a loss for words.

Perhaps sensing Sang Shi’an’s prolonged silence, Jian Chenyu asked hesitantly, “Or… do you not want to spend time with me?”

Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of melancholy, a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor. When she looked at Sang Shi’an, the usual coolness in her pale eyes softened, revealing a flicker of vulnerability.

Caught off guard by the direct gaze, Sang Shi’an found herself unable to say “no.”

She thought of Jiang Xinqi, whose girlfriend had been too afraid to join them for dinner last time, fearing their disapproval. Jian Chenyu, three years older but also a woman with a less common sexual orientation, must have faced similar anxieties about rejection.

Her constant refusals suddenly felt excessive.

Sang Shi’an pressed her lips together and said, “I don’t.”

Jian Chenyu tilted her head, as if trying to gauge the sincerity of Sang Shi’an’s words. Sang Shi’an forced a dry, friendly smile. “Really, I don’t.”

Seemingly convinced, Jian Chenyu turned her head back.

Sang Shi’an ventured, “Have you not made any other friends since the start of the semester?”

For someone who had spent four years abroad and was now preparing to take over the family company, Jian Chenyu had no intention of making friends at school. Perhaps because she faced a different reality, she had already outgrown the age of enjoying campus life. The topics her classmates discussed seemed somewhat naive to her. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was simply that, due to complex familial and business interests, she had been exposed to the cutthroat realities of society far too early.

Sensing Sang Shi’an’s genuine concern, Jian Chenyu replied, “When I’m not in class, I spend almost all my time in the lab.”

Sang Shi’an offered, “What kind of friends do you like? Tell me the type, and if I meet anyone like that, I’ll introduce them to you.”

“No need,” Jian Chenyu said. “I already have friends I really like.”

“Oh, I see,” Sang Shi’an said, her curiosity piqued. “Is she a friend from England or someone outside of school? Is she also going to take over her family’s company, so you have more to talk about?”

Jian Chenyu’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

Sang Shi’an assumed she hadn’t heard properly.

Leaning closer, she asked, “What was that? Could you say it again?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jian Chenyu turned around, her cool, composed face suddenly looming close. The crisp, woody scent of her perfume filled the air, and their breaths mingled briefly before she pulled away.

“I said,” Jian Chenyu said, taking Sang Shi’an’s outermost hand and pulling her closer, “can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Sang Shi’an stumbled toward Jian Chenyu, her chin lightly bumping against Jian Chenyu’s shoulder. Glancing back, she noticed several steel bars lying on the ground ahead, indicating road construction.

A moment later, Jian Chenyu released her and pointed in another direction. “Your dorm is in Block C, right? I’ll walk you there.”

Sang Shi’an watched Jian Chenyu’s retreating figure, her heart still racing from their close encounter. She suddenly remembered that Jian Chenyu hadn’t answered her question.

So, who was this friend Jian Chenyu liked so much?