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Join the ServerJi Xu stood inside the dormitory for a short moment.
He took another look at the freshly made bed and the newly wiped desk.
The feeling of novelty in his heart grew stronger and stronger, making it impossible for him to sit still.
He slipped his campus ID card into his pocket, brought his phone along, and walked out the door.
Shangnan University was far larger than he had imagined.
He walked forward along the main plane-tree-lined avenue below his dormitory building.
The dense crowns of camphor trees on both sides of the road almost covered the sky into a canopy of fragmented light spots.
Sunlight leaked through the gaps between leaves, drawing flickering golden dots on the ground.
Road signs were erected every few dozen meters.
They pointed out the locations of the East Campus academic building, library, gymnasium, cafeteria, and student activity center.
He followed the signs for about ten minutes until he saw a row of metal racks by the roadside.
Dozens of light blue self-balancing scooters were parked neatly on the racks.
The bodies were narrow and long, with anti-slip patterns on the footplates, charging sockets on both sides, and the Shangnan University crest printed on the sides.
There was a table nearby with a sign reading “Campus Scooter Rental.”
A member of the student council wearing a red vest sat behind it, with a stack of registration forms and a card reader placed before him.
Ji Xu walked over to ask, and the member enthusiastically explained the process to him.
A five-hundred-yuan deposit allowed unlimited use for all four years of university.
There were no limits on frequency or duration, and the deposit would be fully refunded upon graduating and returning the scooter.
Ji Xu calculated it in his head—five hundred for four years meant just a little over a hundred yuan a year.
It was even more cost-effective than renting shared bicycles outside.
He pulled out his campus card from his pocket and handed it over, filled out a registration form, and paid the deposit.
The member pushed out a blue-and-white self-balancing scooter from behind him and handed it over, giving a brief lesson on how to use it.
Leaning your center of gravity forward moved it ahead, leaning back engaged the brakes, and slightly bending your knees controlled the turns—it was very easy to pick up.
Ji Xu pushed the scooter onto an open space, stepped one foot onto it, firmly planted the other, and leaned his body slightly forward.
The wheels made a faint humming sound, and the entire vehicle glided smoothly forward.
He wobbled slightly at first, but quickly mastered his balance.
The scooter carried him all the way along the plane tree avenue.
The wind blew past his ears and the ends of his hair, sending strands fluttering behind him while his view opened up comfortably.
He used his toes to control his center of gravity for a gentle turn.
The scooter smoothly veered into a small lane.
The old academic buildings on both sides featured blue bricks and gray tiles, with Boston ivy covering half the walls.
The sunlight turned those leaves into a crisp, bright emerald green.
Ji Xu felt that this five-hundred-yuan deposit was worth every penny.
He could rely on this little blue scooter to zip across the entire campus for the next four years.
He rode around a large portion of the school, cutting from the East Campus to the West Campus.
He passed by the library, gymnasium, swimming pool, administration building, and a small pond planted with lotus flowers.
Lotus leaves covered the entire pond, with pinkish-white lotus blossoms peeking out from between the leaves.
After riding past the lotus pond for a few more minutes, he arrived at the cafeteria area.
Shangnan University had four cafeterias distributed across different sections of the campus.
Ji Xu happened to be near Cafeteria No. 3 right now.
As it was right at noon, many people were bustling in and out of the cafeteria entrance.
Freshmen wore all sorts of clothing, while upperclassmen mostly wore departmental uniforms or graphic tees, walking inside in small groups while chatting.
Ji Xu parked his scooter in the designated area at the cafeteria entrance, locked it, and followed the crowd inside.
Cafeteria No. 3 was a very modern dining hall.
The serving windows were lined up in a row, with price lists and colorful photos of various dishes posted on the glass.
He carried a tray and walked from one end to the other.
Braised pork was twelve yuan, sweet and sour pork ribs were ten yuan, stir-fried seasonal vegetables were six yuan, steamed rice was eighty cents, and a bowl of daily soup was two yuan fifty.
Ji Xu ordered a serving of braised pork, a serving of water spinach, and a bowl of rice.
When swiping his card, he saw the total price on the screen pop up as just over eight yuan.
He froze for a second, stood at the window for two extra seconds, and then carried his tray to find a seat by the window.
He picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
It had a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, with the soy sauce and sugar glaze reduced just right.
It tasted rich and savory, no worse than dish offerings from restaurants outside charging twenty or thirty yuan.
He took another couple of bites of the water spinach, which was stir-fried with minced garlic, crisp, and perfectly seasoned.
Ji Xu lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth, feeling completely content.
He had read the phrase “the school cafeteria is high-quality and inexpensive” countless times in various upperclassmen advice posts.
Now that he had personally verified it, it truly lived up to its reputation.
After finishing his meal, he carried his tray to the return station and went downstairs to fetch his scooter.
Instead of going straight back to the dorm, he rode to the supermarket.
The supermarket was located on the first floor of a low gray building in the living area.
A sign reading “Shangnan University Logistics Living Supermarket” hung at the entrance.
The interior scale was much larger than it looked from the outside.
Items ranging from toiletries to snacks, drinks, stationery, and small appliances were all readily available, filling over a dozen shelves in a dazzling display.
Ji Xu pushed a shopping cart and started browsing from the innermost daily necessities section.
He bought two new towels, a bottle of shampoo, a tube of toothpaste, and a rinsing cup.
Then he turned into the snack aisle and grabbed a few bags of potato chips, a box of cookies, and two bottles of beverages.
After a moment’s thought, he picked up a bag of small bread rolls and a few packets of instant coffee.
In the stationery area, he selected a notebook and a black gel pen.
When checking out, the cashier scanned his items, and a modest figure popped up on the screen.
Ji Xu carried a large bag of items out of the supermarket.
The bulging plastic bag rested on the footplate of the scooter.
He stabilized it using his legs and slowly rode back to the dormitory building.
He was the only person in the elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor.
The plastic bag handles dug a deep mark into his fingers, leaving several crisscrossing red imprints on his wrist.
The elevator doors opened, and he walked along the corridor to the door of 404.
When he pushed the door open, the scene inside the room was different from when he had left.
The empty bed opposite his was now fully made with bedding.
It had light gray bedsheets, a navy blue duvet cover, and a black plush teddy bear placed beside the pillow.
On the desk stood a laptop, a very cool black desk lamp, a storage box, and a few books.
A dark green jacket was draped alongside them.
When Ji Xu walked in, a tall figure was standing in front of the wardrobe organizing clothes.
Hearing the sound of the door, he turned around.
When Yuan Hanfei caught his first glimpse of the person entering the doorway, the clothes hanger in his hand paused.
Ji Xu stood by the doorframe.
His left hand held a large plastic bag tight enough that his knuckles turned white.
His right hand held his campus card and phone.
A few strands of loose hair were blown askew beside his forehead from the wind while riding the scooter.
His cheeks bore a subtle layer of pink—tanned by the thirty-plus-degree sun outside.
There was a hint of sweat on the bridge of his nose, and his lips glisten faintly from drinking two gulps of beverage on the way back.
His eyes and brows were delicate, his skin fair and clean.
His eyebrows curved smoothly into a handsome arc.
His facial features sat just right on that palm-sized face.
He looked like a flower washed by morning dew, slowly opening beneath the sun.
The word “peony” inexplicably popped into Yuan Hanfei’s mind.
He was not someone good at describing people’s appearances.
Yet at that moment, he genuinely felt Ji Xu resembled a blooming peony.
Layer upon layer of petals unfolded outward from the center, every single one soft, smooth, and lustrous.
“Hello,” Yuan Hanfei hung the clothes hanger in his hand back into the closet, took two steps forward, and reached out his hand with a smile.
“I’m Yuan Hanfei from the Finance Department.”
Ji Xu switched the plastic bag to his left hand, freeing his right hand to shake his.
Yuan Hanfei’s palm was very large.
When wrapping around his hand, it almost enveloped his entire fingers.
The palm was dry and warm.
The grip strength was not heavy, yet the firm muscle contour underneath could be felt.
When Ji Xu withdrew his hand, he looked up at him.
Only then did he notice how tall this roommate of his was.
Standing in front of him, he was probably more than a head taller.
Visually estimated, he was at least one meter eighty-five or taller.
His shoulders were broad, his chest solid.
The forearm contours exposed outside his short sleeves were distinct.
Standing there, his whole presence felt like a walking wall.
A surge of pure envy, free of any petty competitiveness, welled up in Ji Xu’s heart.
This was how an Alpha should look, alright?
Tall stature, broad shoulders, clean and attractive muscle lines.
Standing in a crowd, he didn’t even need to say a word to make people feel that “this is an Alpha.”
He looked down at his own physique—slender and small.
Standing in front of the guy, he looked like a middle school student.
“I’m Ji Xu from the Literature Department.”
He withdrew his gaze, set the plastic bag by his desk, bent over, and began pulling out the items inside one by one to arrange them on the shelf.
Yuan Hanfei watched his movements.
His gaze swept over Ji Xu’s back, falling upon the suppressant patch on his nape.
The edge of the white gel patch curled up slightly.
It was likely because he had just walked around outside and broken into a light sweat, causing the adhesive edge to lose its stickiness.
Yuan Hanfei withdrew his gaze without lingering.
He turned to sit back in his chair, picking up his phone to pretend he was looking at something.
Yet his peripheral vision couldn’t help drifting toward Ji Xu’s direction.
Ji Xu squatted on the floor to fold his towels neatly and place them into the cabinet.
When he stood up, he stretched lazily.
The hem of his T-shirt hitched up a section, exposing a narrow slice of his waist.
Yuan Hanfei lowered his head.
His thumb unconsciously swiped twice on his phone screen before swiping back.
The two exchanged contact information.
When Yuan Hanfei scanned Ji Xu’s profile, he checked his avatar—a cartoon little honeybee crouching on a leaf.
It had round eyes and a chubby belly, bearing a uncanny resemblance to Ji Xu himself from certain angles.
After saving the contact note, Yuan Hanfei raised his head and glanced at Ji Xu.
“Are you going out again this afternoon?”
“No,” Ji Xu stuffed the last item—that bag of potato chips—into his drawer.
“I’ll clean up, and then head to the classroom tonight.”
The counselor had things to announce, and it was also a chance for classmates to gather and get to know one another.
Yuan Hanfei nodded.
He had originally planned to stay out tonight.
His family lived locally in Haicheng, and driving home took only forty minutes.
His original plan for today was to drop his things off at the dorm, find a nearby hotel to stay for the night, and move in to sleep once military training officially began tomorrow.
Yet at this moment, watching Ji Xu squatting on the floor straightening a pair of new slippers, then picking up his phone to snap a photo of the view outside the window to send to someone, he changed his mind.
He unhooked the hotel room card from his keychain, tossed it into his drawer, and shut the drawer.
He might as well sleep in the dorm tonight after all.
The gathering time for the first day of military training was seven-thirty.
Ji Xu pulled himself up at six-forty.
After washing up, he changed into the military training uniform.
It was the kind of oversized camouflage T-shirt and baggy trousers.
It hung loosely on his body.
The pant legs had to be rolled up twice to prevent them from dragging on the ground.
Even when pulled to the tightest notch, the belt still struggled to catch on his hipbones.
He pulled at his hem in front of the mirror and smoothed his hair.
He tied his medium-length hair into a low ponytail behind his head, securing it tightly with that pink hair tie.
He checked whether he had missed anything—hat, belt, water bottle, sunscreen.
He packed them one by one into the small satchel issued for military training.
When he slung it over his shoulder, it looked stuffed and bulging, and he prepared to head out.
“You’re leaving already?” Yuan Hanfei’s voice came from behind him.
He had just finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom.
His hair was still wet, carelessly wiped with a towel resting on his shoulder.
He had woken up even earlier than Ji Xu.
When Ji Xu got up, he saw Yuan Hanfei’s bed was already empty.
His duvet was folded into a neat square, and his washed camouflage uniform hung beside his desk.
Ji Xu paused at the doorway, turned around, and dubiously checked the gear on his body.
“Did I forget something? Hat, belt, water bottle…”
“Sunscreen.” Yuan Hanfei walked up in front of him and extended a hand toward him.
Ji Xu froze for a moment.
Yuan Hanfei had already reached out himself and plucked the hat off his head.
The shadow of the brim shifted away from his face.
The morning sun outside the window made him subconsciously squint his eyes.
“It’s very sunny outside.” Yuan Hanfei held Ji Xu’s hat in his left hand while taking a bottle of sunscreen spray from his desk with his right.
With a click, he twisted off the cap and tilted his chin toward Ji Xu.
“Close your eyes.”
Ji Xu blinked, feeling a bit confused, but obediently closed his eyes anyway.
He felt Yuan Hanfei’s palm approach his face, very close without touching the skin.
Then, with a “pssh—” sound, a cool mist sprayed evenly onto his forehead, bridge of his nose, cheeks, and chin.
The sunscreen spray carried a faint, fresh fragrance.
The moment the liquid sprayed onto his skin, it felt a bit chilly.
The fine mist droplets dried very quickly, leaving behind a thin protective film.
Yuan Hanfei’s fingers gently spread the mist across his cheekbones over that film to even it out, moving swiftly and casually.
“All done,” Yuan Hanfei said.
Then he bent down, pushed Ji Xu’s rolled camouflage sleeves up another notch, and sprayed twice toward his two exposed arms.
With two pssh sounds, a cool mist covered Ji Xu’s forearms and the backs of his hands.
Yuan Hanfei’s palms smoothed up and down his forearms to spread the sunscreen evenly.
His fingertips brushed past Ji Xu’s elbow crease and wrist bones, applying light yet thorough pressure.
Ji Xu stood in place letting him work, opening his eyes to look down at Yuan Hanfei’s hands busy on his arms.
This roommate of his seemed quite refined.
“Okay,” Yuan Hanfei stood straight up, pressed the hat back onto Ji Xu’s head, and adjusted the brim.
“Now you can go.”
Ji Xu raised his hand to adjust his hat.
The lingering fresh scent of the sunscreen spray hovered around his nose.
The sprayed skin on his arms felt smooth to the touch.
He looked at Yuan Hanfei.
Yuan Hanfei himself picked up the sunscreen spray and sprayed twice toward his own face, then sprayed his neck and arms with practiced, natural movements.
Standing at the doorway, the corners of Ji Xu’s mouth curled up.
“Thanks!”
“Don’t mention it.” Yuan Hanfei stuffed the sunscreen spray into his satchel.
“Let’s head out together.”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Madam, Please Behave Yourself! is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Madam, Please Behave Yourself!
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