Wang Jie’s snores filled his ears, and he could feel Wen Yang tossing and turning through the bed frame.

Ning Chu lay flat on his bed, staring lifelessly at the dorm ceiling, his mind a tangled mess.

“A bunch of horny foxes are still trying to seduce Wen Yang. If this doesn’t get sorted out, he could end up giving himself away for free at any moment.”

“Zhang Shaoqing went and confessed on his own, only to get rejected. Who knows when he’ll turn evil? Then we’ll really never have a moment’s peace.”

He muttered under his breath, rolled over, and tucked his forearm beside his head as he watched Zhang Shaoqing gaming at the computer.

The plot involving Wen Yang was manageable, at least. The guy just fought girls endlessly. As long as the story didn’t get to the point where Ning Chu turned into a girl and became Wen Yang’s ally, the dorm would only have one more womanizer in it.

But Zhang Shaoqing... If this guy really turned into a villain, then some girl would probably get abused by him one way or another every week.

As his roommate, Ning Chu probably wouldn’t escape the fallout either.

That was terrifying.

As for calling the police or whatever, it probably wouldn’t do a damn thing for the main characters in an erotic novel.

His worries kept Ning Chu wide awake. He closed his eyes, but scenes from the novel kept filling his mind—especially those moments where he was caught between two men.

His drowsiness faded along with his worries. The longer he lay there, the more awake he felt, even as his eyelids drooped so heavily he could barely keep them open.

He suddenly sat up and stared blankly ahead, irritably running a hand through his hair.

“You’re still awake?”

Zhang Shaoqing’s voice came from below. Ning Chu looked down and saw him lounging with one leg crossed over the other as he played on his phone.

“Can’t sleep. I’m annoyed.”

Wang Jie and Wen Yang were both already asleep. One was snoring, and the other breathing heavily. There was no way Ning Chu was going to fall asleep now.

“Then come down and play a game?”

“Sure, I guess.”

Zhang Shaoqing watched Ning Chu climb down from his bed at a slow pace. It felt like, in just a week, his roommate had somehow become a little different.

That delicate, boyish face had taken on a hard-to-describe quality. The corners of his eyes were red from exhaustion, lending his face a hint of casual allure.

As he climbed down, his short pajama bottoms stretched tight over his full butt and thighs, tracing their curves. His slender, pale calves swayed gently.

His once-flat, ironing-board figure had made quite an impression. Now, his fuller build made the change obvious to Zhang Shaoqing at a glance.

“Put on a few pounds?”

“Huh?”

Ning Chu had just climbed down from his bed. He froze for a moment, then looked down at his shorts and muttered with some annoyance, “I guess I have put on a little weight. These shorts are a bit tight.”

He should order another set of pajamas online.

He wiped his face with a damp towel, sat down at the computer, and turned to ask, “What are we playing? Just so you know, I don’t know how to play anything.”

“Then what do you know how to play?”

“Pretty much... nothing.”

Since coming to this world, Ning Chu had barely touched a game. But Zhang Shaoqing assumed he’d simply never played games before college.

“Then I’ll find something that suits you.”

Ning Chu acknowledged him and rested his chin in one hand as he watched the computer screen. But less than two minutes later, he couldn’t hold back his restlessness. He dragged his chair over and plopped down beside Zhang Shaoqing.

Like a breeze carrying a faint, sweet fragrance, Ning Chu came over. Zhang Shaoqing didn’t even look back; he just shifted over a little to make room.

He glanced at Ning Chu out of the corner of his eye. Seeing him look conflicted, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t, Zhang Shaoqing asked, “What is it?”

“Um... I’m saying this, so don’t get mad.”

“Okay.”

“If Lingling isn’t into you, is there another girl you like?” Ning Chu asked cautiously, afraid his words might upset him. “Or do you have a type?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wen Yang’s really popular with girls. Do you like the same type of girl as him—”

Ning Chu suddenly trailed off. Seeing Zhang Shaoqing’s expression darken, he awkwardly tried to change the subject. “I like action games.”

Why had those two suddenly fallen out? Zhang Shaoqing and Wen Yang had gotten along pretty well before.

Could Lingling’s rejection have made Zhang Shaoqing think that the girl he liked was one Wen Yang had rejected?

Trying to put himself in Zhang Shaoqing’s shoes, Ning Chu could only make a rough guess at what he was thinking.

“Here, I think this game looks good.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

Ning Chu hurriedly looked up at the screen. It was a pink-colored game that looked nothing like an action game and much more like a dating sim.

He hesitantly clicked Start, then played on, confused but curious.

Less than ten minutes later, his face turned bright red. The uncensored action on the screen left him at a complete loss.

He was definitely a horny bastard—otherwise, he couldn’t have written erotic fiction. But this was the first time he’d played an eroge in front of someone else!

“Th-this...”

He stiffly turned to the person beside him, stammering, unable to think of what to say.

Zhang Shaoqing saw Ning Chu’s face turn so red it looked ready to start smoking, and finally let out a quiet laugh. “You wanted an action game.”

“That’s not...”

I meant an action-combat game like Monster Hunter, not a game where I’m the one doing the action!

“How come you get embarrassed so easily? You were the same when we watched a movie together last time.”

I’m the normal one here, okay?!

Was this world really so open about sex? The movie they’d watched last time had production values on par with a theatrical release, and this eroge was practically AAA quality! Both times, it had caught him completely off guard!

A world where horny bastards could rejoice.

If he weren’t trapped in the story, Ning Chu figured he’d be pretty happy about it.

He’d wanted to play games and chat with Zhang Shaoqing to take his mind off things and soothe his roommate, who seemed on the verge of turning evil. But after being pranked like this, all he felt was irritation.

He angrily closed the game, glanced at its title, then turned and went back to his own desk.

“Want some milk tea?” Zhang Shaoqing shamelessly came over. “They only deliver if the order’s at least twenty yuan. Want to get a cup too?”

“Get lost!”

Grinning, Zhang Shaoqing leaned his shoulder against the wardrobe and pointed at his own face. “Do I look like the kind of guy who’d get rejected by a girl and mope for days or months? Why would I need you to comfort me?”

“No, I’m worried you’ll turn into a creep!”

Zhang Shaoqing froze, looking completely baffled. “How am I a creep?”

Ning Chu rolled his eyes and ignored him.

What this guy did in the novel went way beyond just being a creep.

“All right, stop messing around.”

What was with that tone, like he was placating a little girl?

Zhang Shaoqing simply handed over his phone, being exceptionally generous. “You pick. It’s on me.”

“Really?”

“You think I’m short a few yuan for milk tea?”

Ning Chu’s eyes lit up, but he still looked annoyed as he took the phone with obvious reluctance.

“If something happens next time, you should tell me.” As he browsed the milk tea options, Ning Chu gently ventured, “Keeping it bottled up isn’t good. At least talking about it lets you vent.”

“?”

But Zhang Shaoqing’s expression turned a little strange.

“Why are you being so coy about it? What are you, my big-sister confidante?”

“You really are better off taking a trip to Thailand after all.”