Chapter 60: Zhang Shaoqing
“What’s going on?”
Ning Chu was anxiously pacing around the dormitory, talking to himself, occasionally glancing at his phone, hoping for a response from Wen Yang.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to chase after him; it was just that with his short legs, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t run fast. Following Wen Yang would only slow him down.
“There are so many hotels near the school; Shaoqing might not even run into him.”
“But what if he really catches them in bed…”
Zhang Shaoqing was the real third wheel; that term didn’t feel quite right.
Ning Chu paused for a moment but decided not to dwell on such minor details and continued to mumble as he walked back and forth in the dormitory.
“It was finally going well with Wen Yang, and now there’s a problem with Shaoqing.”
“If he really darkens…”
Recalling the actions of the villain in the plot, he involuntarily shivered.
“Why not just run away now? Even if I don’t study, working in a factory can still provide a decent life.”
Which transmigrating protagonist has such a rough life! Forget about the yacht and beautiful women; it shouldn’t resort to working in a factory!
“And this world is pretty dangerous too…”
While Small Royal Text maintained some societal order, the likelihood of encountering weirdos was much higher. Additionally, given some of the book’s settings meant to serve GHS, if Ning Chu stumbled upon one, it could lead to a messed-up fate.
In his dilemma, he suddenly halted and considered a critical point.
If it were half a month ago and there was a possibility of Zhang Shaoqing darkening, he would definitely have rushed out without a second thought rather than leaving Shaoqing to Wen Yang.
Before he could think any further, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from the corridor.
Ning Chu hurriedly opened the door and peeked outside, only to see Wen Yang and Zhang Shaoqing returning one after the other.
“Did nothing happen?!”
Ning Chu rushed out of the room, darting in front of Zhang Shaoqing, his little face tense as he nervously asked, “What happened? What’s going on?”
“……”
It was Wen Yang who turned back to explain: “Nothing happened; he contacted Ling Ling but didn’t get a reply.”
That’s good, that’s good~
Ning Chu let out a sigh of relief, observing Zhang Shaoqing’s expressionless face, seemingly devoid of emotions, as the three of them returned inside the dormitory.
Zhang Shaoqing still said nothing and silently sat in front of the computer. Ning Chu tiptoed over to Wen Yang’s side and whispered, “He looks really down. What should we do?”
His voice was so soft that Wen Yang didn’t catch it and leaned down, bringing his ear closer to Ning Chu’s lips.
“He looks really down…”
“Yeah, I can understand. Who would feel good after losing their first love?”
“The problem is he won’t talk; he’s just sitting there silently. It’s pretty scary.”
The gentle scent of girl mingled with her breath, entering Wen Yang’s nostrils, and he instinctively glanced at Ning Chu’s delicate lips before finally looking back at Zhang Shaoqing.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, “I’ll order takeout and get him a couple of boxes of liquor. Maybe he’ll feel better after venting a bit.”
“Yes, yes, hurry and order!”
Ning Chu nodded vigorously.
Hoping that his roommate’s concern combined with the stimulation of alcohol could help Zhang Shaoqing vent the pent-up frustrations inside.
Otherwise, darkening would be unavoidable!
He truly missed that brash, obnoxious rich kid.
Wen Yang helplessly began to order takeout, but kept sneaking glances at Ning Chu: “I’ve never seen someone care so much about their roommate.”
“We’re friends, after all~”
“To be honest, we’ve only known each other for a month.”
If they were lifelong buddies, it would make sense, but they had only been roommates for a little over a month since school started.
Ning Chu explained casually, “That’s just my personality. I tend to meddle a lot.”
“True, without you, I would have had a girlfriend by now…”
“Hmm? Sounds like you’re blaming me?”
Though his tone was quite neutral, mixed with a hint of confusion, Wen Yang instinctively felt nervous and quickly averted his gaze: “No way, how could that be?”
He immediately chose to change the subject: “Aren’t you going to comfort Shaoqing? The alcohol will take half an hour to arrive.”
Actually, drinking was not allowed in the dormitory—at least, the school shop didn’t sell alcohol.
But those takeout delivery guys always had their ways of getting alcohol upstairs.
Ning Chu looked at Zhang Shaoqing’s back, deeply pondering how to solve the problem.
Moreover, just drinking away the sorrows wouldn’t help; once the buzz wore off, Zhang Shaoqing still had to face the harsh reality caused by his childhood sweetheart!
Zhang Shaoqing suddenly moved and stood up, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his drawer, and headed toward the balcony. Moments later, the pop of a lighter sounded outside.
He’s smoking again…
Actually, this guy didn’t have much of a smoking habit, usually just two or three a day; he only smoked a lot when he was emotionally turbulent.
Ning Chu sighed after contemplating for a long time, still unable to come up with a solution, and braced himself to head out to the balcony.
The smoke made him cough a couple of times, and in no time, Zhang Shaoqing already had two cigarette butts under his feet.
“Don’t smoke so much…”
“Let me be quiet.”
His voice clearly carried irritation, leaving Ning Chu with no choice but to stand silently in the corner of the balcony.
He raised an eyebrow, observing Zhang Shaoqing’s expression.
For some reason, he saw him as a usually noisy and annoying little dog, now quiet and licking its wounded paw.
He heard some movement inside and turned back to see Wen Yang leaning against the window, arms crossed, gazing outside.
Wen Yang also caught his gaze, and they exchanged glances, both revealing a sense of helplessness.
What to do now?
Should he act like a caring older sister and console him? But Zhang Shaoqing seemed to reject that kind of behavior.
Ning Chu also knew that many people preferred to be alone when feeling depressed rather than being consoled—he was like that himself.
“Why not try playing a game?” he tentatively suggested to Zhang Shaoqing, “You can borrow my account to have some fun fishing?”
“……”
Having taken the first step, Ning Chu gathered courage to continue persuading: “Hey, Shaoqing, you’re handsome, and come from a good family. You’ll definitely encounter better girls who are a better fit for you.”
“With your qualities, it’s Ling Ling who didn’t cherish you. She’s the one missing out.”
“Let’s just play games; what’s better than women?”
Ning Chu looked at Zhang Shaoqing, hoping this guy would suddenly break into that shameless grin and proudly say: ‘You didn’t think I’d be sad over a girl, did you?’
However, there was nothing.
“The alcohol’s here, Shaoqing, come inside and drink.” The balcony door swung open as Wen Yang called out to Zhang Shaoqing, “I also bought some snacks.”
Only then did Zhang Shaoqing slowly step back into the dormitory.
So indeed, chatting and heartfelt talks weren’t suitable for comforting a man, were they?
Ning Chu pursed his lips in discontent. After saying so much, Zhang Shaoqing didn’t react at all, yet when Wen Yang shouted for drinks, he obediently followed inside.
The problem was, Ning Chu couldn’t use that method!
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