After the Online Romance with the Campus Beauty Roommate Went Wrong - Chapter 4

Sang Shi’an spent the entire night dreaming of her youth. When she woke up, Jian Chenyu’s words from the previous night lingered in her mind, leaving her somewhat dazed.

Who could have imagined that the misunderstanding she had harbored for four years would finally be resolved last night?

Jian Chenyu hadn’t deliberately abandoned her back then, and had repeatedly tried to explain herself later. It was Sang Shi’an herself who had refused to give her the chance. Sang Shi’an sighed deeply, thinking, What a mess this all is.

By the time Sang Shi’an got up, Jian Chenyu had already left. After confirming she was alone, Sang Shi’an selected a bottle of perfume from her room and walked to Jian Chenyu’s bedroom.

The door opened to reveal the room as impeccably tidy as always.

Sang Shi’an placed the unopened perfume bottle on the bedside table, turned, and left with a lightened heart.

When Sang Shi’an arrived at the school gate, Su Ningyue was waiting for her.

“If you’re sick, don’t push yourself. I’ll help you get excused,” Su Ningyue said, her concern evident as she noticed Sang Shi’an’s still-pale complexion.

“I’m just hungry from skipping breakfast,” Sang Shi’an replied, taking a bite of the rice ball Su Ningyue offered. She leaned her head against Su Ningyue’s shoulder. “You’re the only one who knows what I like to eat, Su Su. I love you to death.”

Sunlight streamed across Sang Shi’an’s tall, slender figure, her cream-colored jacket accentuating her pale skin, making her seem to glow with vitality. She looked genuinely refreshed.

Su Ningyue playfully pushed her away, unable to suppress a laugh. “When I went to find you last night, Senior Jian was radiating such an icy aura, I nearly froze to death! I thought today’s headlines would be about a woman hospitalized for domestic violence.”

At the mention of Jian Chenyu, Sang Shi’an instinctively felt a pang of guilt. Recalling the harsh words she had previously spoken about Jian Chenyu to Su Ningyue, she mumbled, “She’s not that fierce.”

Su Ningyue teased, “Oh? So it wasn’t domestic violence? Was it the ‘spicy fun’ the forum was talking about?”

“What domestic violence? What spicy fun?” Sang Shi’an quickly swallowed her rice ball and clamped a hand over Su Ningyue’s mouth. “What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Su Ningyue shrugged. “That’s what the forum posts said! They claimed you and Jian Chenyu are openly hostile, but secretly living together and dating.”

Sang Shi’an: “Are you out of your mind?”

Su Ningyue stammered, “…That’s what they’re saying!”

Moreover—

Sang Shi’an and Jian Chenyu’s dynamic was bizarre, like enemies yet strangely intimate. Since Jian Chenyu arrived at Yanjing University, Sang Shi’an had mentioned her almost daily, yet never had a kind word to say about her.

Given Sang Shi’an’s personality, she would completely ignore anyone she disliked, just like the pitiful men she had ruthlessly rejected, leaving them no room for negotiation.

Sang Shi’an’s attitude baffled Su Ningyue. This was the first time Su Ningyue had ever seen her act this way since they met.

Perhaps Sang Shi’an herself hadn’t even noticed.

Su Ningyue casually fabricated an excuse: “Anyway, the school forum has been dead lately. We should thank you two School Belles for providing the drama. Your admirers might even come asking for the truth in person later.”

The second-year schedule was packed. Yesterday, Wednesday, was a campus-wide afternoon break, but today, Thursday, was crammed with classes. The thought of so many short breaks between classes made Sang Shi’an feel suffocated. “It can’t be that bad, right?”

When the two arrived at the classroom, there was still half an hour before the bell rang. The room was nearly empty. Sang Shi’an chose a seat in the middle of the tiered lecture hall, where she could hear the lecture clearly without being called on to participate.

While waiting for class to start, Sang Shi’an opened WeChat. The latest message in the Student Union’s freshman group chat mentioned her name.

Frowning slightly, she clicked to read it.

iSo, Senior Sang and Senior Jian—is there some hidden truth, or are they really living together?

You guys actually believe that rumor about them being a couple?

It’s not about believing or not. My roommate fell head over heels for Senior Sang during military training. Yesterday, when he heard they were together, he came back to the dorm and started crying. Can you imagine a 1.9-meter-tall hulk sobbing like a baby in front of me?

To be honest… my roommate went out for a run last night to vent his frustration, all because he thought he had no chance with her.

Hahaha, you kids who believe they’re dating are killing me! @Sang Shi’an, hey, come out and debunk this nonsense!

Sang Shi’an: Single. Don’t @ me.

The freshman group chat was now flooding with messages. Sang Shi’an, too lazy to keep up, rubbed her throbbing temples in exasperation. “Why are they all so gossipy?”

Su Ningyue grinned. “They’re just freshmen! They haven’t been beaten down by university life yet, so it’s normal for them to be enthusiastic and lively, right?”

Sang Shi’an shot her a sidelong glance. “So, are there really that many people who believe Jian Chenyu and I are living together and dating?”

Su Ningyue explained, “Well, you two were both voted School Belle, so tons of guys have their eyes on you. Most aren’t even serious about pursuing you—they just have this ‘if I can’t have you, no one else can’ mentality. When they suddenly hear you’re off the market, it’s bound to pique their curiosity, right?”

Sang Shi’an listened, only half understanding. Su Ningyue leaned closer and showed her the forum comments. “See? It’s not so bad. It’s not hurting your reputation or anything. Just let people enjoy their shipping fantasies for a few days, and it’ll die down soon enough.”

Sang Shi’an didn’t even look up. “I’m being rumored to be a lesbian. That’s just spreading lies.”

Su Ningyue fell silent.

Despite Sang Shi’an’s strikingly beautiful face, which made her the center of attention wherever she went, she held some surprisingly old-fashioned views.

Su Ningyue still remembered during their freshman year military training when she stumbled upon news of two female celebrities in the entertainment industry promoting a romantic relationship. The drill instructor’s overly muscular physique had been so visually jarring that she impulsively shared photos of her newly discovered couple with Sang Shi’an to “cleanse her eyes.”

Sang Shi’an remained silent for a long time, perhaps not wanting to dampen Su Ningyue’s enthusiasm. Finally, she forced out, “It’s all fake anyway. There’s no such thing as homosexuality in real life.”

Su Ningyue nearly compiled a list of all the same-s3x couples at Yanjing University and wanted to shout into Sang Shi’an’s ear with a megaphone, “You old fossil!”

Sang Shi’an wasn’t just skeptical about homosexuality; she seemed equally immune to heterosexual romance. When Su Ningyue would sob uncontrollably while watching idol dramas, Sang Shi’an would hand her tissues and comfort her with, “It’s all fake anyway. There’s no such thing as love in real life.”

In short, Sang Shi’an treated all forms of romance equally.

Heterosexual relationships were fake, and homosexual relationships were fake.

This world didn’t deserve love—a perfectly closed loop.

If you mentioned Sang Shi’an’s parents, she would simply say, “That’s just familial affection.”

“And before family?”

“Just a really close friendship. They got together because they shared common interests and benefits.”

Su Ningyue turned to Sang Shi’an. “Didn’t you always insist there’s no such thing as homosexuality? So how is this even a rumor?”

Sang Shi’an put down her phone, thought for a moment, and then looked back at Su Ningyue. “Still, we can’t let people misunderstand, right? What if Jian Chenyu thinks I’m spreading rumors about her behind her back?”

Su Ningyue sighed. “Miss Sang, do I need to remind you how many ‘ships’ this forum has paired you with since freshman year? Why didn’t you ever insist on clarifying things so vehemently before? These people are just having some fun; it’ll blow over in a few days.”

Sang Shi’an frowned. She didn’t care about those old, random shipping threads, but the thought of Jian Chenyu seeing this post and lecturing her made her head buzz.

Sang Shi’an let out a long sigh. “You’d think Yanjing University would have higher standards. These are top students from every province, they barely have time to study, yet they’re wasting their energy on gossip threads?”

Su Ningyue messaged her friend who managed the school forum while typing a reply to Sang Shi’an: “Everyone says freshmen are the rowdiest. Look at our class—hardly anyone’s here for the drama.”

Sang Shi’an nodded in agreement, finding her point valid, and said no more.

Today’s class was unusually crowded, not just with students from their class but also with students from other majors who had apparently checked her schedule to witness the spectacle.

As Su Ningyue had pointed out, there were plenty of freshmen boys clearly here for the spectacle—their freshly shaved heads from military training hadn’t even grown back yet.

A knot formed in Sang Shi’an’s stomach. She nudged Su Ningyue. “Do you have a mask? Give me one.”

Su Ningyue, noticing the encircling gazes, suppressed a laugh. “They look like they want to eat you alive.”

Sang Shi’an snatched the mask Su Ningyue pulled from her bag, tore open the packaging, and turned to glare at her. “You’re just enjoying my humiliation, aren’t you?”

Xu Taotao leaned in from the side. “How long has it been since we’ve seen a scene like this?”

Jiang Xinqi nodded in agreement. “The last time was during freshman military training, right?”

Su Ningyue concluded with a teasing remark, “Fairy, how does it feel to be back in Pansi Cave?”

Sang Shi’an’s face was numb.

Xu Taotao and Jiang Xinqi, Sang Shi’an’s other two roommates, often stayed off-campus with Su Ningyue but hadn’t moved their belongings from the dorm. On afternoons with classes, they would return to the dorm together for a midday nap.

The fact that these two didn’t ask about Jian Chenyu suggested Su Ningyue had already explained the situation. Now, they were joining Su Ningyue in watching the spectacle unfold.

Sang Shi’an pleaded with a mix of laughter and desperation, “My dear older sisters, please have mercy and let me off the hook today.”

The three roommates exchanged knowing glances, as if they had planned this in advance, and shook their heads in unison. “We even skipped our 8 a.m. class just to see you. Can’t you satisfy our curiosity?”

Satisfy their curiosity?

Answering whether she was dating someone would be manageable, but how could she respond if they asked if she was living with Jian Chenyu?

If she admitted it, they would undoubtedly twist it into something else entirely.

Just kill me now.

Xu Taotao, laughing hysterically, continued to fan the flames, even gesturing as if she were about to stand up and offer her seat. “Yeah, just satisfy us!”

If we let those people sit here, who knows what they’d do?

Sang Shi’an quickly pulled them back. “I’ll treat you to dinner at that new Japanese restaurant.”

Su Ningyue remained unsatisfied. “Just dinner?”

Sang Shi’an: “They don’t do nightlife, remember? I can’t exactly take them to a bar and order pole dancers, can I?”

“Who said anything about that?” Xu Taotao leaned closer, lowering her voice. “I just think it’ll be a bit dull with just the three of us.”

Sang Shi’an pondered for a moment. “You want one of those geishas from TV to dance for you?”

Though she wasn’t a fan of geisha makeup, she’d settle for that.

Xu Taotao poked her head. “I meant more people to eat with! Why don’t we bring some family members or something?”

Sang Shi’an grinned, her eyes narrowing, and looked up with an air of haughty pride. “Fine, not content with freeloading off my treat, you want to bring your boyfriend too? Bring as many as you want—I’ll pay for everyone.”

Xu Taotao remained unsatisfied. “Our family members aren’t important. It’s you—”

Su Ningyue winked mischievously. “Why don’t you bring Senior Jian to give us a glimpse of the real deal?”