After the Online Romance with the Campus Beauty Roommate Went Wrong - Chapter 15

When they started reminiscing about the past, Jian Chenyu asked, “Do you remember how we became friends?”

When Sang Shi’an was in elementary school, Sang Shiyue was studying abroad. One day, her mother brought an older sister home, saying she would be staying with them for a while.

Sang Shi’an picked out the prettiest lollipop, knocked on Jian Chenyu’s door, and declared she wanted to be friends with her.

Sang Shi’an avoided Jian Chenyu’s gaze. “How could I possibly remember that?”

Jian Chenyu’s eyes followed her. “Well, you were too young back then. It’s understandable you wouldn’t remember.”

Hearing Jian Chenyu’s nonchalant tone, Sang Shi’an felt a pang of discomfort. She recalled Jian Chenyu mentioning her ‘very dear friend’ earlier.

“It’s not because I was too young,” Sang Shi’an retorted deliberately. “It’s because I only remember people who are truly important to me. Don’t act like I matter so much to you. Go reminisce about your ‘very dear friend’ instead.”

After a brief silence, Jian Chenyu asked, her tone ambiguous, “Are you bothered that I have a close friend?”

Sang Shi’an looked away, feigning indifference. “Why would I be bothered?”

Jian Chenyu nodded. “True.”

Sang Shi’an: ……

Sang Shi’an found the air in the lab stifling and quickly made an excuse to leave.

Back home, she ordered dinner from a newly popular online restaurant. The takeout was a far cry from the dine-in experience, lacking the artful presentation and fresh-from-the-kitchen warmth.

The moment she opened the container, it reeked of pre-made meals.

Sang Shi’an immediately lost her appetite. Just then, a heavy rain began to fall outside. With winter approaching, each downpour brought a wave of bone-chilling cold. Living on a high floor, the wind howled fiercely. Thinking of the delivery drivers braving the storm, she reluctantly put her phone down and forced herself to eat.

Midway through her meal, her mother called on WeChat, asking her to come home for dinner that Saturday. She mentioned an important guest would be visiting. When Sang Shi’an tried to ask for more details, the signal cut out.

Originally planning to watch a movie to pass the time, Sang Shi’an noticed Jian Chenyu still hadn’t returned. On a whim, she pulled out the browsing history she had photographed from Jian Chenyu’s computer.

First, she connected the computer to a VPN. Then, she searched for the first term in the history: “#lesbian high-H yuri films.”

Perhaps due to using a different browser than Jian Chenyu’s, she only found a website link at the very bottom of the first page of search results.

Ignoring the film titles, she clicked on the first one and started watching. The video was only half an hour long.

The film opened with the protagonist knocking on the door of a villa. The mistress who answered saw her nervous expression, and a series of threats ensued. The dialogue was entirely in English, without subtitles, and the pronunciation was rather muddled. In essence, it was a story about a younger sister-in-law forcing her brother’s wife into an affair while he was away.

Within a minute of dialogue, the two protagonists were already grappling and getting down to business. Sang Shi’an propped her chin on her hand, staring at the computer screen as the arguing voices faded, gradually replaced by the sounds of intense kissing.

As a palpable sense of dampness seemed to emanate from the screen, Sang Shi’an felt a sudden tingling in her scalp, her mouth went dry, and her breathing quickened.

This inexplicable physiological reaction made her deeply uncomfortable. Glancing at the time, she realized twenty minutes had passed unnoticed, startling her into slamming the laptop shut.

She got out of bed and took a shower.

Later, when she tried to sleep, she tossed and turned all night, plagued by chaotic dreams. In these dreams, the bodies of the film’s two protagonists kept appearing, their faces blurring as they turned toward her.

Sang Shi’an strained to see them clearly. As the mist obscuring their faces dissipated, one of the faces transformed into her own, while Jian Chenyu pressed down on her, kissing her cheek with a heat that felt like sparks igniting wherever her lips touched.

The kisses grew bolder, moving closer to her mouth, brushing her lips, and finally landing on them—the dampness of the kiss so vivid it felt real.

It was truly a nightmare.

The next day, Wednesday, was the afternoon off, and it was the Sophomore Business Administration students’ turn for physical fitness testing.

The sit-up and other minor events posed no difficulty, but the 800-meter run was a real headache.

Right after lunch, Xu Taotao was wailing in the dorm room, “It’s been a whole year! I’ve been lying around like a corpse since high school. How am I supposed to run now? I heard they make you re-run if you fail. Do you think I can still find someone to run for me?”

Sang Shi’an, who hadn’t slept well the night before, listlessly pushed Xu Taotao’s head aside. “Stop leaning on me. If you crush my legs, how am I supposed to run the 800 meters?”

Xu Taotao let out an exaggerated “Aww!” and threw herself at Jiang Xinqi. “Jiang Jiang, look at her! I knew she’d ditch me as soon as she got Senior Jian. I’m as light as a feather, yet she says I’ll crush her legs!”

Sang Shi’an’s teasing voice was weak and tired. “Aren’t you worried Jiang Jiang’s girlfriend will get jealous if you hug her like that?”

Xu Taotao quickly withdrew her arms, her tone indignant. “What are you talking about? When did I hug her?”

At one o’clock that afternoon, the group headed downstairs to the sports field.

The standing long jump and sit-and-reach tests were completed effortlessly. But when it was time for sit-ups, Su Ningyue, who had promised to hold down Sang Shi’an’s legs, was nowhere to be seen after a yawn.

Sang Shi’an sat on the soft mat where the teacher had called her name and asked Xu Taotao beside her, “Where did Su Ningyue go?”

“She was just here. Should we find someone else to help you?” Xu Taotao frowned at Sang Shi’an’s exhausted appearance. “You weren’t this tired even when you didn’t sleep well before. What’s with you today? You look like someone’s drained all your energy. Are you feeling unwell?”

Sang Shi’an pressed her temples, thinking, Well, isn’t that exactly what happened? Jian Chenyu drained my vitality in my dream.

She mumbled vaguely, “I’m fine.”

Since their class had an even number of girls, they had originally paired up perfectly to help each other with the leg presses. With Su Ningyue gone, they would have to find a boy.

Someone immediately volunteered, sounding quite excited, “How about I help?”

The impatient gym teacher, stopwatch in hand, looked like he was about to lose his temper. Sang Shi’an reluctantly agreed, just as Su Ningyue burst through the door, dragging someone behind her. “My hands aren’t strong enough to hold your legs down, so I grabbed someone from outside!”

Sang Shi’an looked up, her listless spirit instantly jolting awake.

The person Su Ningyue had dragged in was Jian Chenyu.

Su Ningyue leaned in close to Sang Shi’an’s ear and whispered in a voice only they could hear, “See how loyal I am? You’re not sleepy anymore, are you?”

Sang Shi’an: ……

Sang Shi’an was numb.

Her friend might actually be an idiot.

Jian Chenyu seemed oblivious to the situation. “What are you all doing?”

The others hadn’t even gotten into the sit-up position yet. Sang Shi’an droned on mechanically, like reciting scripture: “You probably don’t have fitness tests at Oxford, but as you can see, we’re doing sit-ups now. I just need someone to hold my legs down. Remember how you used to help others with sit-ups in high school?”

Jian Chenyu nodded, looking slightly surprised.

Sang Shi’an sighed, her expression conveying, “I knew you’d find this absurd too.” She tilted her chin. “You’d better hold my legs down properly. If I fail, I’m dragging you to the retake with me. We’ll both be humiliated together.”

Jian Chenyu remained silent, simply nodding again.

Sang Shi’an suddenly hesitated. “You haven’t actually forgotten how to help someone with sit-ups, have you? Then… then forget it. I’ll just ask Su Ningyue—”

Just as Sang Shi’an was about to stand up and call Su Ningyue, Jian Chenyu’s hands suddenly wrapped around Sang Shi’an’s legs, pressing her palms down toward herself like a soft, fluffy kitten. Caught completely off guard, Sang Shi’an was pulled back down.

Barely managing to steady herself, Sang Shi’an glared at Jian Chenyu. “What are you doing?”

Jian Chenyu gestured to the other students, who were already in position. “They’re all ready.”

Before they could exchange another word, the stern-looking P.E. teacher called out, “All groups, get ready! We’re starting now!”

Sang Shi’an held her breath and reluctantly lay down on the mat.

The sunlight overhead was blinding, blurring Jian Chenyu’s face into a hazy halo. Students hurried past, drawn by the commotion near the P.E. teacher.

She heard Jian Chenyu ask, “Is this pressure enough?”

Sang Shi’an shifted her leg, testing the firmness of Jian Chenyu’s knee pressing down. Just as she was about to nod, her gaze met Jian Chenyu’s.

Running into Jian Chenyu on the track during the annual physical exam? I should buy a lottery ticket.

“Don’t hunch up,” the P.E. teacher said as he walked by. “You won’t be able to do sit-ups like that.”

Sang Shi’an pressed her lips together, her face burning hot even without touching it.

Then, in the next instant, she felt Jian Chenyu’s hand grip her waist, shifting her upward. The scent emanating from Jian Chenyu filled her nostrils. “Nervous?”

Jian Chenyu’s voice was so low that even Xu Taotao, lying beside her, might not have heard. The hand on Sang Shi’an’s waist retreated to her knee. “The passing mark isn’t hard. Just relax.”

The gym teacher’s whistle blew. Sang Shi’an, her hands behind her head, used her core strength to sit up, closing the distance between herself and Jian Chenyu. Before she could complete a proper sit-up, she collapsed.

The gym teacher seemed to have her eye on Sang Shi’an. “Blue-shirted girl, your form is incorrect. That rep doesn’t count.”

Sang Shi’an suddenly felt like a coward. With so many people doing sit-ups, it wasn’t like they were actually touching faces—just getting close. What was the big deal?

Even if Jian Chenyu was into girls, she wasn’t going to eat her, was she?

So, when she sat up again, Sang Shi’an put extra force into her core.

This time, her lips brushed against Jian Chenyu’s neck.

As her lips grazed past, the hands gripping her calves tightened abruptly, the heat of Jian Chenyu’s fingers seeping through her pants.

It was exactly the same force she’d felt in her dream last night, when her calf had been grabbed and yanked back.

Sang Shi’an’s vision swam.

I’m going to die, she thought.