TITCFRIBN 2

 Chapter 02

The dormitory was only two hundred meters from the cafeteria. The path was a straight one, paved with stone bricks, flanked by camphor trees.

The sunlight steamed through the leaves, and the cicadas' noisy buzzing was overwhelming. The road was sparsely populated, with An Cheng and Bai Qing walking among the shadows cast by the dappled sunlight.

As Bai Qing was unaware, An Cheng frequently glanced to the side.

Earlier, while Bai Qing had mostly been sitting in the dorm, An Cheng hadn't thought much of it. But now, walking side by side, he realized:

As the ultimate receiver in a slash fiction, Bai Qing seemed unusually tall—about the same height as An Cheng, at least 182 cm or more.

Bai Qing slightly turned his body, the light creating a striking circle on his white T-shirt.

"Thanks for helping me out earlier. Let me treat you to this meal."

"No need." An Cheng maintained a cold expression. "I was just looking for someone to eat with."

He remembered that Bai Qing’s family wasn’t wealthy, even to the point of being poor.

Bai Qing smiled and didn’t press further. "Are you in the Finance Department too?"

Most students in the same major would be placed in the same dorm, but there were exceptions.

An Cheng recalled, "Yes."

"Then we should be in the same class. Let’s meet up for course selection."

An Cheng agreed, as Bai Qing’s physique could easily attract unwanted attention. If he didn’t keep a close watch, the one hundred million he was aiming for might slip away.

An Cheng responded with an "Mm."

Upon entering the cafeteria, a wave of heat hit them, like stepping into a greenhouse for growing vegetables, making people instinctively hold their breath and frown.

The cafeteria aunt at the entrance was sweating, using a small booklet to fan herself. "The air conditioner is broken today. Please bear with it."

No wonder the place looked sparsely populated.

Bai Qing had already walked inside. His exposed skin was a cold white, seemingly unaffected by the heat.

He turned to An Cheng, who was still standing at the entrance. "Shall we go, An Cheng?"

Facing such harsh conditions for his first meal in this world made An Cheng's heart bleed.

Fortunately, the food was decent, with a variety of options and a flavor typical of the southwestern region.

In the cafeteria, payment was made directly by facial recognition rather than using a meal card. An Cheng swiped his face several times to pay, then started looking for Bai Qing.

Bai Qing had already found a seat and was waving at An Cheng.

An Cheng sat down at the table, casually glancing at Bai Qing’s bowl.

One meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of rice.

The meat wasn’t entirely meat; there were some strips of meat in the green peppers.

Compared to An Cheng’s heaping plate of colorful dishes, Bai Qing’s plate looked rather sparse.

An Cheng pretended not to notice and bowed his head to eat.

In his mind, the little cat appeared, looking somewhat mocking.

“Aren’t you going to serve him some food? After all, he’s your roommate. Such a tall guy, and he’s got barely enough to eat.”

As a cool guy, An Cheng only let his true nature out when facing the little cat, freely expressing himself.

"Offering excessive kindness is either deceitful or theft, and being too enthusiastic doesn’t fit my persona."

Across the table, Bai Qing had taken a few bites, then put down his chopsticks. He wiped his mouth, seemingly about to stop eating altogether.

An Cheng paused in picking out vegetables, raising his eyes to find Bai Qing’s face flushed red, with tears welling up in his eyes as if he was about to cry.

Noticing An Cheng’s gaze, Bai Qing quickly pulled out two pieces of tissue and dabbed at his eyes.

His voice was a bit hoarse. “It’s a bit spicy. I’m not used to it. You go ahead and eat, don’t mind me.”

An Cheng remembered that Bai Qing was from B City, where the cuisine is less spicy and some dishes even have sugar in them. Spicy food could indeed be difficult for him. However…

An Cheng glanced at the vegetables in Bai Qing’s bowl. Could the green pepper strips really be that spicy?

Bai Qing, feeling a bit embarrassed, added, “It’s just a physiological reaction. I’m fine.”

An Cheng was about to say something when someone patted his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a tall, buzz-cut guy standing next to him, with a familiar, casual tone. “Brother Cheng, is it really okay to make your classmates cry on your first day at school?”

An Cheng recognized this person from the original owner’s memories. This was Qi Le, An Cheng’s close friend since elementary school. They had grown up together, sharing everything from childhood to high school.

Bai Qing hurriedly explained, “No, I was just caught off guard by the spiciness.”

Qi Le laughed and shook his head. “Just kidding. Brother Cheng wouldn’t bully people easily.”

By the time they had finished their exchange, the aloof An Cheng hadn’t had a chance to say a word.

“Right!” Qi Le bent down and patted An Cheng on the chest.

An Cheng, who was trying to avoid getting involved, pushed him away. “Alright, which dorm are you in?”

“In Zhiyuan Building A, on the third floor. We should be in the same building.”

An Cheng nodded.

“Want to play basketball tonight? We won’t have time once military training starts tomorrow.”

An Cheng did enjoy basketball. In his previous world, which was set in ancient times, he hadn’t touched a basketball for over thirty years.

Hearing this, he felt a bit of an itch to play but was concerned about what might happen between Bai Qing and Chen He in the dorm.

Fortunately, Qi Le spoke up for him. “You must be Brother Cheng’s roommate, right? Join us tonight!”

Bai Qing had dried his tears and smiled brightly, his eyes sparkling. “Sure, I’ll join you with Brother Cheng.”

Seeing that Qi Le always referred to An Cheng as Brother Cheng, Bai Qing inadvertently followed suit. It seemed more natural than calling him An Cheng.

After Qi Le left, An Cheng turned to Bai Qing. “Do you know how to play basketball?”

There was no hint of mockery in his voice, just a plain question. An Cheng asked this because the novel hadn’t mentioned Bai Qing’s skill in basketball.

Bai Qing nodded. “I know a bit, but I’m quite amateur.”

An Cheng smiled, “Who isn’t an amateur?”

Realizing his character might be going off-script, An Cheng quickly repressed his smile.

“You’re going to play basketball tonight and you’re eating so little?”

Bai Qing acknowledged the point, “But I really can’t eat any more of this. Never mind, I’ll go get another serving.”

An Cheng stopped him with a wave of his hand and offered him the sweet and sour pork ribs from his own plate. The ribs were served in a separate small bowl, looking delicious and tasting quite good.

“I don’t like sweet flavors much, so I only took one bite. You can have this.”

Bai Qing was a bit surprised and wanted to say something but saw An Cheng had already started eating again. He swallowed his words and said, “Thank you.”

In An Cheng’s mind, the little cat rolled around, its tone sarcastic.

“Didn’t you say this would ruin your image?”

An Cheng kept a cold face. “Does my icy demeanor really ruin my image?”

At seven o’clock in the evening was the class meeting. Instead of going back to the dorm, An Cheng and Bai Qing went straight to the classroom.

The classroom was large, with rows of seats extending backward, estimated to accommodate three hundred people.

Many people were already seated in the central area, most of them being female students.

It was easy to understand, as the finance major had a high enrollment rate among women.

As soon as An Cheng and Bai Qing entered, many eyes turned towards them, their expressions filled with surprise, as if they had seen a rare species.

An Cheng glanced around and chose a seat in the back row.

Bai Qing smiled at the girls who were looking over and followed An Cheng to sit next to him.

An Cheng chose this position for a reason. If any male student tried to gaze back frequently, he would keep a close watch and ensure they did not get too close to Bai Qing.

On the blackboard, the clock’s hands approached seven o’clock, and people began to gather.

Chen He and Wang Qimeng arrived together.

As soon as Chen He saw Bai Qing, he walked over and sat beside him. “You guys came early.”

An Cheng cursed silently for missing this chance to keep Bai Qing’s space clear!

Wang Qimeng sat next to An Cheng, carefully maintaining a polite distance, sitting very quietly.

After sitting down, he didn’t care whether An Cheng looked his way, giving a friendly smile as a greeting.

An Cheng didn’t want to offend the well-meaning Wang Qimeng and replied with a couple of neutral words, “Here.”

Wang Qimeng seemed a bit surprised and nodded, “Yes, we came right after dinner.”

At the door, a casually dressed young man strode into the classroom.

He went up to the podium, his manner relaxed yet commanding, showing a good grasp of the situation.

“Hello everyone, I’m Li Yu, your student assistant and also a senior two years ahead of you. I’ll be with you for the coming year.”

Li Yu looked at the young faces in the audience and announced the theme of today’s class meeting. “Our task today is very simple: play some games to help everyone get to know each other better.”

Bai Qing saw through the intention and whispered to An Cheng, “It’s basically an ice-breaking activity.”

An Cheng knew that for someone with an E-level background, this wasn’t a big deal, but for someone who had to maintain a cold and aloof persona, it was a bit challenging.

Li Yu tapped the blackboard. “Alright, now let’s each say our birth month, starting from the first row.”

When it was An Cheng’s row, Chen He went first, “January.”

Bai Qing said, “August.”

An Cheng, without changing his expression, said, “August.”

Nobody would separate him from Bai Qing.

Wang Qimeng said, “March.”

Chen He seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation. “Bai Qing, I’m a bit older than you. You can call me Chen Ge from now on.”

Bai Qing didn't respond immediately; instead, he subconsciously glanced at An Cheng, his mind racing.

"I'll call you Brother He," he said.

This was because An Cheng was also called Brother Cheng. Although the nasal sounds were different, it was easy to get confused.

Chen He didn't mind at all. "Whatever works."

After everyone introduced themselves, Li Yu clapped her hands, saying, "Alright, now everyone born in the same month, sit together."

Chen He hadn't expected this, so he had to separate from Bai Qing, while An Cheng continued to stay with Bai Qing.

The spot they were sitting in happened to be designated for people born in August. A number of people gradually gathered around, but since they weren't familiar with each other, they sat awkwardly together—some played on their phones, others picked at their fingers.

A bolder girl sat in the spot Chen He had vacated and quietly asked for Bai Qing's WeChat. Bai Qing shared his QR code, and several girls took the opportunity to add him.

An Cheng didn't care; his mission was to protect Bai Qing, not anything else.

As for studying for the graduate exams, that was three years away. He couldn't exactly stop someone from having a girlfriend, could he?

The girl sitting next to An Cheng initially wanted to ask for his WeChat, but when she saw his cold demeanor, she decided against it.

Once everyone was seated, Li Yu said, "You have three minutes to memorize the names and hometowns of your group members. Later, I'll quiz you, and if you can't answer, there will be a penalty, so do your best!"

An Cheng saw that there were over ten people born in August and gave up immediately, slumping in his chair to meditate.

The atmosphere felt strangely tense.

Bai Qing noticed this and found it amusing. He leaned over considerately and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll remind you."

But when An Cheng was actually called on, they realized it wasn't that simple.

Li Yu stood beside An Cheng, holding a microphone, and pointed to a girl. "What's this girl's name?"

An Cheng: ...

Bai Qing whispered, "Her name is Lin..."

Li Yu smiled and teased, "No helping, please."

An Cheng coldly replied, "I don't know."

Li Yu pointed to another person. "What about this one?"

"Don't know."

"And this one?"

"Don't know."

Li Yu laughed, then finally pointed to Bai Qing. "And what about this guy?"

An Cheng answered, "Bai Qing, from City B."

Li Yu patted An Cheng's shoulder. "Such a handsome guy, but only remembering the names of the guys isn't enough."

"If you can't answer, there's a penalty: you have to add every classmate as a friend."

An Cheng: ...

By the time the class meeting ended, it was already 9 p.m.

At 8 p.m., Qi Le had started sending frantic WeChat messages to An Cheng, but in the end, he still had to wait in the hot summer night for an hour.

An Cheng and Bai Qing planned to go straight to the basketball court instead of returning to the dorm.

The dorm and the court were on the same route, so as they were about to pass the dorm, Chen He noticed they weren't going back and asked, "Where are you guys headed?"

Bai Qing replied, "We're going to play basketball."

Chen He immediately said, "I can play too. Mind if I join?"

"This is Brother Cheng's game. Not sure if we need more people," Bai Qing said.

An Cheng, walking ahead, said, "If you want to play, come."

Alright then, if you come, I'll make sure you experience what it feels like to get crushed.

Across all these worlds combined, the time he's spent playing basketball is longer than Chen He's entire life.

On the court, Chen He originally wanted to show off a bit in front of Bai Qing. After all, in high school, he had been on the school team, and his skills were quite good.

But things didn't turn out as he had imagined. An Cheng, with his height advantage, blocked several of his shots, and when he dribbled, it felt like he was toying with him.

An Cheng was usually cold and distant, but on the court, he played aggressively.

The more Chen He played, the heavier his breathing became. Finally, he asked for a break and retreated to the sidelines.

Bai Qing had stayed on the court the entire time. His skills were a bit lacking, but since no one targeted him, and he was on the same team as An Cheng, he played comfortably.

An Cheng passed the ball to Bai Qing, who bent his knees, jumped, and made a beautiful three-pointer.

Qi Le patted Bai Qing on the shoulder. "Hey, man, didn't know you were such a sharp shooter."

Bai Qing wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was exhausted but happy. Smiling, he replied, "Compared to you and Brother Cheng, I'm still far behind."

On the other side of the court, the ball landed in An Cheng's hands. He dribbled a bit and then suddenly said, "I'm done."

Qi Le was taken aback. They were just getting into the game.

"Brother Cheng, what's up?"

An Cheng shook his head. "It's hot."

Qi Le protested, "What kind of excuse is that!"

Of course it was a weak excuse, because the real reason An Cheng wanted to stop was Chen He.

When they were on the court, Chen He kept "accidentally" bumping into Bai Qing. That was one thing. But even off the court, he kept staring at Bai Qing, especially when Bai Qing jumped to shoot, causing his shirt to lift slightly and reveal his slim, pale waist. Chen He’s eyes practically turned green with envy!

An Cheng was seething. At this rate, he was going to explode!

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