Apart from the first day of military training, when he fainted from exhaustion because he’d skipped breakfast, Ning Chu got through the following days without much trouble.
His stomachaches finally stopped on the fifth day of military training, too.
He suspected it was because he’d stopped Wen Yang from going to the bar with a three-person group last time, triggering some kind of punishment mechanism. That had to be why his stomach kept hurting until today.
“Just hang in there for one more hour, then we get the weekend off.” Wen Yang lay on his back on the field’s grass, staring at the sky like his soul had left his body. “Why is it sunny every single day of military training? I haven’t even seen one cloud.”
Ning Chu wasn’t as carefree as he was. Sitting cross-legged, he gulped down half a bottle of water, then hugged the bottle and zoned out.
He was slowly getting used to the intensity of training. It was just that being out in the sun all day had darkened his skin by a shade.
A little darker was fine. At least he’d look more manly.
He glanced around at his classmates. Almost everyone had gotten darker to some degree, and a few people had even started peeling.
“Got any plans for the weekend?” Ning Chu looked down at Wen Yang. “Gonna stay in the dorm and play games?”
“You and Wang Jie should get out for a bit, too. You’re cooped up every day—still want to stay in all weekend?”
“How about a group outing? We could go check out a scenic spot.”
As long as he could claim Wen Yang’s weekend, those vixens wouldn’t get the chance to seduce his male lead.
Wen Yang hesitated, then turned toward Zhang Shaoqing and called across the few meters between them. “Shaoqing! Wanna go out with us this weekend?”
“No. I’ve got something to do.”
“Wang Jie! What about you?”
“Military training’s already wiped me out...”
Only after asking his two roommates did Wen Yang shake his head at Ning Chu. “Forget it. They’re both out.”
Ning Chu rubbed the bridge of his nose, troubled. He wasn’t Wen Yang’s dad or mom, and he couldn’t tie Wen Yang to the dorm and keep him from going out. But if he let Wen Yang leave, he was genuinely worried the plot he’d been trying to avoid would catch up with him.
Should he just follow Wen Yang everywhere he went?
With him there as a giant third wheel, surely those female side characters lusting after Wen Yang wouldn’t go too far, right?
After about ten minutes of rest, the instructor urged everyone back to their feet to train again.
University military training lasted half a month. Two weeks was enough for them to get the hang of marching in formation. Apparently, there’d even be a performance on the final day.
By evening, the sun had lost its bite, and the wind blowing across the field no longer felt warm. The final hour of training was much easier than the ones before it.
At long last, it was over. Ning Chu let out a breath, stretched, and looked over at Zhang Shaoqing and Wang Jie.
He wanted to try convincing the two of them to join a weekend outing.
After a whole week of military training, all he wanted was to spend two days sprawled in bed. But this was about his future gender and position, after all.
He really didn’t want a man pinning him beneath himself...
That was terrifying!
Ning Chu jogged over to his roommates, hope in his eyes. “Let’s go out this weekend! I haven’t gone anywhere since school started.”
Zhang Shaoqing glanced at him and refused coolly. “I told you. I’ve got something to do this weekend.”
“I just wanna lie around in the dorm and be a couch potato all weekend.”
“Didn’t I already ask them?” Wen Yang shrugged. “They both said no.”
Ning Chu frowned, unsure what to do. Wang Jie was easy enough to deal with. He was a homebody, sure, but he had a mild temper. Ning Chu could drag him out if he had to.
But Zhang Shaoqing, who was usually laid-back and all smiles, was unusually cold today, looking weighed down by his thoughts. Clearly, he really did have something important to take care of this weekend.
Ning Chu couldn’t help letting his imagination run wild again.
Had this guy already gotten some twisted idea in his head, planning to go mess with some girl this weekend?
In the book, Zhang Shaoqing’s first short arc went like this: His childhood sweetheart, whom he’d always had a crush on, kept dropping hints that she liked him, but he never took them seriously. Then she turned around and started dating Wen Yang. A few days later, she made the first move and pushed Wen Yang down. Zhang Shaoqing’s possessiveness and anger both hit their limits, so he drugged his childhood sweetheart and took her by force.
Ning Chu’s mouth twitched. If he could, he’d travel back in time and slap the version of himself who’d written that smutty little novel to death.
Couldn’t he at least have written some pure romance?!
“Shaoqing...”
There was no time to regret the past. Ning Chu could only figure out how to deal with the problem in front of him.
He had to stop Zhang Shaoqing’s perverted behavior if he could!
“What is it you have to do this weekend?” He studied Zhang Shaoqing’s expressionless face and cautiously probed, “You don’t seem to be in a very good mood.”
“What’s it to—” Zhang Shaoqing turned his head. When he saw Ning Chu’s cautious, yet concerned gaze, he swallowed the rest of his words. After a pause, he muttered softly, “It’s family stuff. I have to go home.”
“Shaoqing, your family seems pretty strict, huh?” Wen Yang came over too and asked curiously. “I often see you calling home at night.”
Now that he mentioned it, that did seem to be the case.
Every night, Zhang Shaoqing would light a cigarette and head out to the balcony. Ning Chu couldn’t stand the smell of smoke, so he’d never paid much attention to what Zhang Shaoqing did out there.
With Wen Yang bringing it up, Zhang Shaoqing couldn’t help complaining. “They are strict. I don’t want to go home this week. My family’s been arguing with me a lot these past couple of days.”
No wonder he’d seemed so troubled these past few days.
Now that he knew Zhang Shaoqing wasn’t plotting anything twisted, Ning Chu finally relaxed. “Then just don’t go home.”
“I didn’t go last week, either.”
“You’re an adult. What can your family do if you don’t go back?” Wen Yang advised him. “I used to live at home, and my parents were strict, too. Before college, I’d never even held a girl’s hand. Look at me now—I’m far from home, and nobody can stop me from going on dates with girls...”
He paused, suddenly finding it hard to go on.
Someone still could stop him.
He turned to look at Ning Chu. Who knew why this roommate was so against him going on dates? It had happened twice now. Every time, Ning Chu came up with all kinds of excuses to make him turn a girl down.
Maybe this weekend, he could sneak out...
Wen Yang furrowed his brow, suddenly realizing Ning Chu was only his roommate. Why should he have to sneak around to go on a date, as if he were cheating?
“We’ll see.” Zhang Shaoqing sighed deeply. The others’ attempts to comfort him had lifted his spirits a little, and his tone turned as flippant as usual. “Let’s skip it this time. We can go together when we get the chance. How about bungee jumping?”
“Bungee jumping?!”
Seeing Ning Chu’s mouth fall open in shock and his almond-shaped eyes widen, Zhang Shaoqing suddenly felt the giddy pleasure of picking on a kid. His mood improved a little more.
But he had to admit, this roommate of his was wickedly good-looking. His small, slightly parted red lips really could be described as cherries.
“What? Scared? You’re a grown man and you’re afraid of bungee jumping?”
“Isn’t that a little too extreme?” Ning Chu nervously drew his neck in. “Pick something else.”
“It’s the middle of summer. How about white-water rafting?”
“I can’t swim. I’m not going!”
Zhang Shaoqing thought for a moment, then suggested, “How about paragliding? There’s an instructor, so it’s perfectly safe.”
“...”
Seeing Ning Chu at a loss, Wen Yang joined in with a grin. “How about getting a massage at a club?”
Wang Jie’s eyes lit up, and he nodded rapidly. “Now that’s an idea. I’m not tired anymore!”
“That’s even worse!” Ning Chu shook his head as emphatically as he could. “Absolutely not!”
