{"id":3215,"date":"2026-06-16T23:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T23:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/?p=3215"},"modified":"2026-05-09T20:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T20:33:10","slug":"after-transmigrating-into-a-beta-i-took-the-initiative-to-attack-the-main-characters-love-interest-49","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/chapter\/after-transmigrating-into-a-beta-i-took-the-initiative-to-attack-the-main-characters-love-interest-49\/","title":{"rendered":"After Transmigrating into a Beta, I Took the Initiative to Attack the Main Character’s Love Interest 49"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lately, Zhou Shiyi’s attitude toward him had grown considerably more forward.

He could feel that after he came in, Zhou Shiyi’s mood hadn’t been very good; he didn’t know what he was thinking. He assumed Zhou Shiyi was upset because Gu Sheng had secretly submitted his college applications without telling him.

But Zhou Shiyi didn’t think that far. When Gu Sheng was filling out his applications, they could be considered friends.

Although they lived and ate together, choosing where to apply was Gu Sheng’s own business. No one, regardless of who they were, had the right to interfere with his choice of school.

Besides, B University’s business and management program is also very famous\u2014it’s perfectly normal for Gu Sheng to consider applying there.

He just hadn’t expected that Gu Sheng would actually be his roommate.

In the original novel, Gu Sheng and the original self didn’t get into B University; instead they went to a well-known key university in H City, and the two became college roommates.

In the end the original self fell for Gu Sheng and willingly became Gu Sheng’s fuckbuddy.

And now, even if some details had changed, he still became Gu Sheng’s college roommate, and even\u2014he truly fell in love with Gu Sheng.

If all of this is the world’s consciousness forcing the plot back on track, then what about his fluttering feelings for Gu Sheng\u2014are those influenced too?

\u201cAh. You’re actually taller than me too!\u201d Wang Henian exclaimed. His hunch was right \u2014 he really was the shortest in Dorm 409.

Wang Henian is 1.78 meters tall; with shoes on he could tell people he’s 1.8, but he couldn’t compete with his roommates, who were all genuine 1.8 meters or taller.

When Gu Sheng arrived, he shattered Wang Henian’s fantasy.

Hearing Wang Henian’s clownish shout, the others in the dorm all chuckled.

They were the same age, so closing the distance between them was very simple.

Gu Sheng smiled faintly and turned his head back to look at Zhou Shiyi.

But he saw Zhou Shiyi shift his eyes away from him, his expression somewhat cold.

Zhou Shiyi, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with his indifferent gaze and a clean, striking profile, made Gu Sheng’s heart skip a beat.

From the moment they started talking, Zhou Shiyi had been standing nearby listening to them, as if there were an invisible wall between him and the others.

Even when Gu Sheng successfully blended in with his roommates, Zhou Shiyi remained the same as ever.

Gu Sheng wondered to himself whether this was going too far.

After tidying up a bit, everyone decided to head to the supermarket together to buy shared dorm supplies.

Gu Sheng had arrived a day earlier than them and had nearly finished getting everything ready.

Zhou Shiyi had already gone once before, so it was mostly done \u2014 only Wang Henian and Lu Qi were left.

Lu Qi was a local. He took the three of them to the supermarket together; he had written down the items they needed before coming, and now they were checking for anything missing.

After all, they\u2019d be roommates for four years, so everyone was pretty enthusiastic about sharing their backgrounds.

Wang Heni\u00e1n had bought a lot of things, and the other three all helped him carry some.

\u201cThanks, Brother Lu, thanks, classmate Gu, and thank you, big shot.\u201d Wang Heni\u00e1n had a baby face; when they asked his age in the dorm, they found he was a few months older than Zhou Shiyi and Gu Sheng.

Zhou Shiyi was home for winter break during the Chinese New Year, while Gu Sheng returned at the start of June.

“No need for formalities. Just call me Gu Sheng,” Gu Sheng said with a smile as he took some things from Wang Heni\u00e1n’s hands, and the two walked side by side at the front.

“Gu Sheng, where did you go to high school?”

“H City, how about you?”

Wang Henian: “I’m from W Province, so it’s quite far for you to come here to study.”

“Not bad.”

Wang Henian: “Where’s the big shot from?”

Zhou Shiyi still felt a bit awkward being called a big-name author: “Just call me by my name\u2014I’m from H City too.”

“Wow, did you know each other before?” Wang Heni\u00e1n asked, a little surprised.

Zhou Shiyi nodded and said, “Yeah, we were classmates.”

When those words came out, even the taciturn Lu Qi turned his head to look at the two of them.

Their classmate got into B University and even became their college roommate\u2014what kind of fate is that? And yet these two were still pretending not to know each other in front of them.

“Didn’t you guys ask either?” Gu Sheng said lazily, his gaze flicking backwards the whole time.

Seeing Zhou Shiyi avoid his look, Gu Sheng found it a bit amusing.

In his previous life, even after four years of university, Wang Henian and Lu Qi never realized they had been high school classmates; they only said they were from H City.

The other two people weren’t gossipy types either; if someone didn’t want to talk about something, they wouldn’t go out of their way to pry.

Gu Sheng didn’t know what he was thinking then; seeing Zhou Shiyi act like he was avoiding him, he held his breath. If Zhou Shiyi didn’t bring it up, he wouldn’t take the initiative either.

Wang Henian’s gaze swept over the two of them: “You two are really fated\u2014three years in the same high school class, plus four years at university, it makes me so envious just thinking about it.”

Wang Henian was the kind of person who usually spoke in an exaggerated, goofy way; now he dragged out his vowels and had all three of them laughing.

“We’re meant to be.” Lu Qi switched the bag to his other hand and said.

The supermarket was a bit far from their dorm, so Gu Sheng slowed his pace and walked up beside Zhou Shiyi.

He asked as if casually, “Where’s my slowpoke son?”

“At home.” Zhou Shiyi answered without changing his expression.

A few days ago Gu Sheng had gone a little crazy and kept calling that turtle his turtle-son.

“Did Grandma take care of it?”

Zhou Shiyi: “Mm.”

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow. Zhou Shiyi acting like this made it seem as if they were strangers who had just met, even though he had just admitted to others that they were high school classmates.

Both hands were holding things and it was inconvenient, so Gu Sheng gently nudged Zhou Shiyi with his elbow.

Feeling the touch on his arm, Zhou Shiyi turned his head to look at him.

“Still mad? It’s my fault for not telling you I enrolled at B University. Before I came I filed a report saying my situation was special and it was best to room with a beta. The teacher let me pick a dorm; I just drew one at random\u2014I didn’t expect it’d be the same as yours.”

He was the one who filed the report, and the dorm wasn’t chosen at random. In his previous life he arrived a day later than the others and the management school’s dorms were already full, so when he arrived and saw Zhou Shiyi he was truly overjoyed.

This time he had deliberately chosen 409; he had even worried that by flapping his wings a bit he might have driven his roommates away. Seeing all three of them today genuinely delighted him.

“Mm.” Zhou Shiyi was a little surprised by Gu Sheng’s choice.

He is an alpha; the school has a dedicated dormitory building where each unit houses two people, each with their own separate bedroom.

The dorm fees are also considerably higher than those of the other dorms.

Gu Sheng gave up going to the alpha dorm and came to squeeze in with them; being in the same dorm as him might be an unavoidable juncture.

Zhou Shiyi just doesn’t know how to face Gu Sheng right now.

In his last life he was absorbed in the lab, and until he died he was single and alone; the first time he ever liked someone, it happened that the person liked him back.

But when he saw Gu Sheng appear in the dorm today, Zhou Shiyi was unusually perplexed.

He didn’t know whether his liking for Gu Sheng was his own inner feeling or the influence of the world’s consciousness.

If it was the power of the world’s consciousness, then he might truly, unknowingly, be treading the original path\u2014becoming an overreaching cannon fodder.

Could the world’s consciousness really be silently controlling his thoughts, even determining who he falls for as fate?

Seeing Zhou Shiyi still acting indifferent, Gu Sheng suddenly felt a knot of anger. He had finally managed to get Zhou Shiyi to take a step outside, but unexpectedly Zhou Shiyi retreated instead, retreating back into his shell.

Gu Sheng told himself inwardly that it was fine \u2014 he’d gotten through so many years already, a little more time wouldn’t hurt. He was waiting for Zhou Shiyi to see his own heart clearly.

He hoped this phase wouldn’t last too long; otherwise, he really didn’t know what he might do.

At the start of university, everyone was brimming with enthusiasm.

Before long, the drill instructors were teaching them how to behave.

The two-week military training snapped everyone out of the excitement of starting university.

Under the blazing sun, they stood at attention on the training field, sweat running down their cheeks.

The instructor, worried they’d all face the same direction and get uneven sun, had them change positions every so often.

Sometimes when he saw the senior students dressed neatly, walking past a patch of green squares with an ice pop in hand, he couldn’t help but feel very envious.

After half a month of military training, Wang Henian was surprised to find that he was the one who had tanned the most noticeably in the dorm\u2014Zhou Shiyi and Gu Sheng barely seemed to have changed at all.

As for Lu Qi, it was because during the break he went surfing out at sea and had gotten as dark as could be; after the military training he only looked about a shade darker than before, so it was actually Wang Heni\u00e1n who looked the most noticeably sunburned.

He used to be a fair, delicate little handsome boy, and now he’s darkened by several shades.

As for Zhou Shiyi, he was even chosen to join the performance squad; after going around in the sun, he actually ended up the palest among the crowd.

Wang Heni\u00e1n was so jealous.

Because they stood out as the fairest among the freshmen, people immediately noticed two big handsome guys among the newly tanned students; they were quickly posted on the confession wall, saying there are two handsome guys among this year’s freshmen.

During the military training period, each club was preparing for freshman recruitment, trying to bring in new blood.

Wang Henian had already been won over early by the senior girls and asked the other roommates what they thought.

“Big shots, have you decided which club you’re joining?”

After the military training ended, Zhou Shiyi also lay in bed resting for half a day; he flipped through the student handbook.

“I might try out for the student council.”

At university, for the sake of credits and personal interests, they\u2019ll choose to join one or more clubs.

In those clubs, they\u2019ll meet people from other departments and broaden their circle of friends. Many people find like-minded companions at this time, and it\u2019s not impossible they\u2019ll collaborate after graduation.

“Sheng-ge, what about you?”

“Sheng-ge” was heard when Gu Sheng and Qin Shu were playing a game. That day Gu Sheng and Qin Shu were teamed up, and Wang Henian happened to come back to pick something up. He overheard Qin Shu make a phone call, screaming out “Sheng-ge” in a howl\u2014and Wang Henian caught it.

After listening to Qin Shu’s unimportant complaints, Gu Sheng quietly turned off his phone’s sound and put on his headphones.

“Are you guys playing this game too? Let me join.”

Gu Sheng almost forgot that Wang Henian was a hardcore internet addict. The mobile game he and Qin Shu played had been out for several years, and even years later you’d still see people playing it.

Even if you hadn’t played it, you’d definitely heard the name somewhere. After that, Gu Sheng pulled Wang Henian into their team, and they often played together.

Playing games with Gu Sheng always put Wang Henian in a good mood; their teamwork felt as if they’d been honing it for years, perfectly in sync.

With Gu Sheng\u2019s deft handling and good sense, over time Wang Heni\u00e1n would also start calling him \u201cSheng-ge\u201d along with Qin Shu.

\u201cI might run for the student council\u2019s Organization Department, and maybe join the basketball club.\u201d

Just then Gu Sheng noticed Zhou Shiyi\u2019s cup was empty. He reached over and filled Zhou Shiyi\u2019s cup to the brim. Zhou Shiyi said thank you to Gu Sheng.

Wang Heni\u00e1n watched the two of them and felt like Zhou Shiyi and Gu Sheng were excluding him.

They were clearly sitting on opposite sides, eyes never meeting, yet the atmosphere between them felt impossibly hard to break into.

Gu Sheng was a bit helpless too\u2014military training and the start-of-term busyness left little free time.

He never had a chance to be alone with Zhou Shiyi; their dynamic became Gu Sheng stepping forward and Zhou Shiyi stepping back. Zhou Shiyi even put up a kind of boundary, forbidding Gu Sheng from coming any closer.

And frustratingly, Gu Sheng couldn’t find a reason for Zhou Shiyi to act like that. Just the night before school started, Zhou Shiyi had even taken a photo for him of the roses Zhou Nai-nai had planted.

Gu Sheng looked it up online: if someone knows you like them and yet treats you hot and cold, what are they thinking?

He saw several similar posts appear below shortly after.

He clicked in to read other people’s answers and saw everyone was scolding, saying that person was likely treating you as a backup, a piece of trash.

Gu Sheng scrolled through; almost all the replies were the same, and he felt a bit irritated.

He didn’t think Zhou Shiyi was that kind of person.

If I can’t find the answer online, I might as well ask Zhou Shiyi himself.

“Sheng-ge, the game is starting, hurry up and get ready.”

Wang Heni\u00e1n was playing a game; seeing Gu Sheng hadn’t readyed up yet, he urged him.

“Alright, I’m coming.” Gu Sheng clicked Ready in the game; the game quickly loaded and they entered.

Their side was very quiet, not noisy; Zhou Shiyi finished a book nearby and wanted to take a sip of water.

The moment his hand touched the cup he realized someone had poured hot water for him.

Who that person in the dorm was goes without saying.

Zhou Shiyi stared at the steam rising from the cup, a little lost in thought.

If it really was the world’s consciousness, could it be so detailed, so realistic?

The hot water hit a perfectly suitable temperature as soon as it reached his lips, which showed that Gu Sheng had anticipated Zhou Shiyi would want a drink and had prepared it for him.

They didn’t seem to talk much to each other, but Gu Sheng had been paying close attention to Zhou Shiyi’s every move.

Zhou Shiyi thought that Gu Sheng’s confession that night was real, that the pounding heart he felt when he heard Gu Sheng confess was real, and that the hot water cup in his hand was real.

Then why should it be assumed that Zhou Shiyi’s liking for Gu Sheng is fake.

Once he figured that out, Zhou Shiyi seemed to have solved a problem that had been bothering him for a long time; his expression relaxed.

He closed the book, walked to the two who were playing games, and stood behind them, watching them play.

When he saw them return to the results lobby, Zhou Shiyi suddenly spoke.

“What game are you playing?”

His voice made Wang Henian jump: “Great player, you scared me to death. You’re interested too?”

“Mm.”

Wang Henian told him the game’s name; he was a bit surprised to see Zhou Shiyi actually go and download it.

Usually Lu Qi would occasionally play games with them, while Zhou Shiyi focused entirely on his studies\u2014rarely seen with a phone. Sometimes he might not touch his phone all day.

Such an expert actually wanted to play games with them today!

Gu Sheng watched Zhou Shiyi start the game on the side; once it loaded, he instructed Zhou Shiyi to finish the newbie tasks.

In this match they had a carry teammate, so Gu Sheng took the time to coach Zhou Shiyi a bit.

By the time their match ended, Zhou Shiyi had finished his newbie tasks.

In his previous life, Zhou Shiyi had been shown a similar game by his roommates, so he picked it up faster than the other newcomers.

“Then we’ll show you how to play\u2014get a feel for it,” Gu Sheng said, leaving the ranked queue and pulling Zhou Shiyi into a match.

Wang Heni\u00e1n and Qin Shu naturally had no objections; they were both acquaintances, so they stepped back and joined the game together.

When it came time to pick a hero, Zhou Shiyi didn’t know which one to choose.

Gu Sheng leaned over, glanced at his phone, and picked a support hero for him.

This hero is very simple to operate; using its abilities it can attach the character to other players\u2014so it’s basically perfect for someone new to the game.

When Wang Heniang saw Gu Sheng choose that kind of hero for Zhou Shiyi, he wanted to tease them.

The game they were playing was a 5v5 MOBA that required players to cooperate.

There were four of them in total, taking up four spots, and one of them was a random player who, seeing Zhou Shiyi pick that hero, first sent a \u201c?\u201d.

Then he sent: \u201cCouple of lovebirds?\u201d

Then he left the game screen and went idle.

Gu Sheng didn’t feel much; once the game started he helped Zhou Shiyi choose the build.

Zhou Shiyi didn’t understand: “What is he talking about?”

“Nothing, the game has started. Just follow me.”

Zhou Shiyi controlled his character to follow Gu Sheng, and when the character reached level three, Gu Sheng had him tag along on Gu Sheng’s quest.

Because it was a match, the players had differing skill levels\u2014one player on their side was AFK and another was a newbie\u2014so the mood while playing was relatively relaxed.

The support player on the opposing team showed up in the bot lane; neither of them were great at the game, but they were spectacularly showing off their relationship.

Even if one character died, the other wouldn’t leave \u2014 they’d stay right beside them, waiting for the teammate to respawn.

With matching pink couple IDs, the two of them put on a melodramatic performance in the public chat.

\u201cYou died, I’m taking them down with you.\u201d

After Gu Sheng killed the opposing jungler, he leapt out of the brush and, seeing that player, casually took their head.

The account with the couple-style username posted in the public chat: “Brother, I’m here to die for you.”

Another ID posted above: “Why are you doing this to yourself?”

Wang Henian uttered a “damn” over there.

Qin Shu also looked completely impressed: “The thing I hate most while gaming is running into these dog couples who just love to flaunt their romance.”

Hearing that familiar phrase again, Zhou Shiyi belatedly realized that the AFK teammate had misread him and Gu Sheng as a couple.

Players on the public chat on the other side had already started cursing; Zhou Shiyi frowned as he watched them insult each other.

\u201cAre they arguing?\u201d

Gu Sheng leaned over to look at Zhou Shiyi\u2019s game screen and helped him block the public chat.

\u201cIt\u2019s nothing, don\u2019t worry about them.\u201d

Wang Henian had meant to join them in mocking the couple across the way, but when he turned and saw the scene he couldn’t say why\u2014he just felt like he’d been shown up right in the face.

The couple across from them didn’t hurt him; it was his two roommates showing off that did.

But they clearly didn’t interact much, and in the game they were seriously teaching each other \u2014 maybe because they were so familiar, it gave off that impression.

Seeing the enemy D\u00e0 Y\u011b taking Baron, W\u00e1ng H\u00e8ni\u00e1n hurriedly signaled his teammates and tossed that thought aside.

In this match, the enemy team also had someone carrying a newbie, plus a couple who weren’t taking the game seriously, so the game turned into a stubbornly close fight.

It wasn’t until Baron spawned and minions pushed the enemy Nexus that the match finally ended.

Back in the post-game lobby, Zh\u014du Sh\u00edy\u00ec noticed a pink effect between that couple.

“What is this?”

Gu Sheng went out and reported the AFK player, then came back and saw what Zhou Shiyi was talking about.

“It’s a couple effect. If you register as an in-game CP, you’ll get this effect.”

“Oh.” Zhou Shiyi thought for a moment and said, “I want it too.”

Gu Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up to see Zhou Shiyi’s expression, but Zhou Shiyi was completely straight-faced, as if he hadn’t just said anything.

“Sure.”

Wang Henian was about to say that this was for two people only, when he saw Gu Sheng nod, and the two of them went to the hall to register as a gaming CP.

“Fuck!”

Even after the announcement that the two of them had become a gaming CP came out, Wang Henian still wore an expression of disbelief.

He looked at the two of them plaintively, saying that clearly all four of them had been playing the game together, but two of them had quietly become a couple behind his back.

Lu Qi, who was lying on the bed, poked his head out from above, his gaze flicking back and forth between Gu Sheng and Zhou Shiyi, and in the end he seemed to have figured something out.

Zhou Shiyi showed no expression; you couldn’t tell at all that he was the one who had just said those words.

Gu Sheng stared, somewhat dazed, at the couple’s effect between the two characters in the game.

He couldn’t help but wonder what Zhou Shiyi meant by it\u2014did he simply want that in-game effect, or was it really a hint directed at him?

“It’s starting.”

Seeing Gu Sheng standing motionless inside the crystal, Zhou Shiyi reminded him.

“Oh, coming.” Gu Sheng moved his character to the bottom lane, and Zhou Shiyi trailed right behind him.

Zhou Shiyi wasn’t a total gaming noob, and with this character’s simple skills, they coordinated pretty well in this match.

The random players they matched with saw they weren’t feeding at all and sent them a few “666” in the game.

After this match, they were about to turn out the lights, so everyone hurried to exit the game and go to the balcony to wash up.

Gu Sheng exited the game interface and looked at the couple skins in the game.

Zhou Shiyi’s hero pool is shallow right now, but Gu Sheng still wanted to buy it. He had meant to ask Zhou Shiyi if he wanted it too, but then he saw Zhou Shiyi had already logged off.

Gu Sheng felt a bit annoyed, not sure what Zhou Shiyi meant.

After lights-out that night, Gu Sheng lay on his side in bed playing with his phone, staring at Zhou Shiyi’s avatar, not sure what he wanted to ask, until a message popped up in the chat between him and Zhou Shiyi.

“Go to bed early.”

Gu Sheng poked his head out and saw a bit of light, unusually leaking through Zhou Shiyi’s curtain.

“Good night.”

Zhou Shiyi sent another message, and Gu Sheng felt like a cat\u2019s paws were gently clawing at his heart; he wanted to ask what Zhou Shiyi was thinking.

For the sake of keeping the dorm atmosphere harmonious, Gu Sheng could only reply, “Mm, you too. Good night.”

When Gu Sheng poked his head out, he found the light behind Zhou Shiyi\u2019s curtain had already gone out.

By this time it was already past Zhou Shiyi\u2019s usual bedtime, as if he were deliberately waiting for him, just to say good night.

Gu Sheng thought about Zhou Shiyi’s odd behavior today, turned over several times in bed, and wished morning would come immediately \u2014 he had to grab Zhou Shiyi and ask what he meant.

The next morning he woke up groggy, glanced at his phone, and the drowsiness vanished instantly.

He had tossed and turned last night and only fallen asleep around midnight.

He knew Zhou Shiyi had a habit of exercising early, so he planned to ask him what he meant in the morning.

There were no early classes this morning, so Gu Sheng’s alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but when he lifted the curtain he saw that Zhou Shiyi was no longer in bed.

A message from Zhou Shiyi popped up on his phone.

“Good morning.” It wasn’t even seven o’clock yet.

Over the next few days, they never found a chance to get together and clear things up.

At the start of freshman year, things were chaotic and irregular.

By the time the two finally had free time, it was the day after Zhou Shiyi and Gu Sheng had both attended the student council’s welcome party.

\u2026\u2026

He and Gu Sheng both successfully joined the student council.

But one was in the Academics Department and the other in the Organization Department.

The day after the welcome party, they agreed to go out for a meal together, also giving the freshmen a chance to get to know each other.

It was a Saturday, and they reserved a private room for the afternoon.

Gu Sheng didn’t have class that day and happened to run into their club leader on the sports field; the leader invited people to play ball together.

It had been a long time since he’d played, and Gu Sheng’s hands were itching, so he swapped out a teammate and stepped forward to join the game.

Because it was Saturday, there were basically no classes, so everyone had agreed to go out together. Passing the sports field, when they saw some good-looking guys playing, they’d stop to take a look.

Especially this handsome guy\u2014good-looking and skilled. Before long, a lot of people had gathered on the field to watch.

Posted on the school forum, I found out this handsome guy is the campus heartthrob of the School of Economics and Management this year\u2014an alpha, and very likely single.

Zhou Shiyi also saw the post the minister made. They were meeting at the basketball court, and when he arrived he saw quite a few people gathered outside the court.

He watched on the court as Gu Sheng sprinted, received a pass, and was immediately double-teamed. At that moment Gu Sheng had no chance to pass; he jumped on the spot and chose to shoot.

The basketball traced a parabolic arc through the air and landed steadily in the hoop.

The spectators in the stands cheered for Gu Sheng.

A goal had been scored. Gu Sheng lifted the hem of his shirt on the field and wiped the sweat from his face.

As he moved, his abs flashed for a moment, and those watching from the sideline clearly saw them.

“Ahhh, so handsome.”

“Yeah, seriously, does he really not have a partner? If not, I’m going to go for him \u2014 I’ll bring him some water in a bit.”

Zhou Shiyi stood to the side, overhearing the two girls talking; the object of their discussion was clearly Gu Sheng, who was currently the center of attention on stage.

“What are you thinking? Someone like him, an alpha \u2014 even if he’s single now, he’ll definitely marry an omega someday. Alphas and betas are doomed to nothing; just look and forget it.”

Another girl said with some regret, “Yeah, it’s a shame \u2014 why wasn’t I an omega the first time?”

They sounded a little regretful as they spoke.

Some people didn’t care: “If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t. He’s so handsome\u2014you’d be wasting it not to try. Even if you don’t end up married, you can still show him off.”

Zhou Shiyi watched Gu Sheng on the field; almost everyone in the stadium was staring at him. During the break, when Gu Sheng came off the field, a slender, soft-featured omega went up to bring him water.

That omega was a new underclassman from the Conservatory of Music; he caused a sensation as soon as he arrived.

He was in the Dance Department, and on the school forum people called him the cool, beautiful one.

The cool, aloof beauty now had flushed cheeks and mustered the courage to bring water to Gu Sheng; the two of them standing together looked perfectly matched.

The others started teasing them, because the sight of the two standing together was just too delightful\u2014like a couple made in heaven.

Standing too far away, Zhou Shiyi couldn’t hear what Gu Sheng and the others were saying, but he kept feeling that the sight of the two of them together was unusually piercing.

When the second round began, Zhou Shiyi saw that Gu Sheng hadn’t taken the omega’s water; he went onstage, and Gu Sheng raised his arm to wipe his sweat several times.

After one pass ended, Gu Sheng suddenly glanced over at Zhou Shiyi; when he saw him he paused for a moment, then smiled in his direction.

On the court, Gu Sheng looked radiant\u2014putting aside the fact this is a novel, Gu Sheng is the kind of person who stands out no matter where he goes.

Zhou Shiyi listened to the chatter by his ear about whether Gu Sheng had glanced over here just now, and didn’t notice his own mouth twitching slightly.

After all, it was only a friendly match, so everyone was playing casually; as more people showed up, they all stopped to rest.

Once the players on the field dispersed, the others crowded around them and handed out water, with the largest cluster gathering around Gu Sheng.

Zhou Shiyi was a step behind and saw Gu Sheng surrounded by people. Unexpectedly, Gu Sheng smiled and said something to them, then gradually made his way toward Zhou Shiyi.

Gu Sheng walked toward him in the sunset, still flushed and smiling from the heat of battle on the basketball court.

“Let’s go, wash your hands first \u2014 we’re heading to the dinner soon.”

“Mm.”

The washbasin sat past a small bamboo grove. After washing his hands, Gu Sheng licked his lips; Zhou Shiyi saw it and handed him a bottle of water.

Seeing the bottle, Gu Sheng felt unexpectedly flattered \u2014 he hadn’t expected Zhou Shiyi to bring him water.

He was as surprised as when Zhou Shiyi came to the court to watch him play.

These past few days, Zhou Shiyi sent him good-morning and good-night messages every day; sometimes when their classes didn’t line up, he’d remind Gu Sheng to have breakfast on time.

Sometimes, afraid that he might oversleep and miss breakfast, he even brought him breakfast so that after Gu Sheng got up and washed, he could eat right away.

Gu Sheng had noticed Zhou Shiyi’s recent behavior and had no idea what had finally clicked in his mind.

Their eyes met, and each could read the other’s thoughts at a glance. Gu Sheng was no longer as restrained as at the start\u2014no longer worried that Zhou Shiyi might be scared off by him.

Gu Sheng took a big swig, holding the bottle of water and asked, “Why didn’t you give it to me earlier?”

Zhou Shiyi watched him sipping small mouthfuls and said, “I thought you already had some.”

Gu Sheng thought about it and felt like Zhou Shiyi’s words might have a deeper meaning.

Not getting anywhere, he added, “I came looking for you as soon as I left the court\u2014when would I have had a chance to drink?”

“The department heartthrob from the conservatory\u2014didn’t you drink with him earlier?”

Gu Sheng suddenly stopped walking, a flash of surprise in his eyes: “You were there just now? Watching me play?”

“No. Just passing by.” Zhou Shiyi looked at the path beneath his feet.

The expression on his face gave off the impression that whatever he said, he was undoubtedly telling the truth.

Gu Sheng thought about Zhou Shiyi’s two sentences from just now, and when he connected them, something felt off.

He chased up to Zhou Shiyi’s side, looked at his profile and said, “Zhou Shiyi, you aren’t jealous, are you?”

Zhou Shiyi suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and looked at him.

When he stopped, Gu Sheng naturally stopped too.

Zhou Shiyi said, “Mm, I’m jealous.”

Gu Sheng blinked, hardly daring to believe those were Zhou Shiyi’s words. Seeing Zhou Shiyi still with a calm expression, Gu Sheng froze for a moment and said, “Huh?”

Zhou Shiyi watched him without any reaction, quietly staring.

Gu Sheng felt a bit guilty under his gaze. He leaned in front of Zhou Shiyi: “Sorry, I didn’t register that\u2014do you know what it means to be jealous?”

Zhou Shiyi wore an ascetic expression, as if anything said about love and romance would be a waste of his time.

“I know.” Zhou Shiyi looked at Gu Sheng very seriously.

Gu Sheng looked at him too, hearing his own rapid heartbeat; it seemed he already knew what Zhou Shiyi was about to say.

In the little bamboo grove, a breeze stirred, lifting the last warmth; the only sounds were the rustle of bamboo leaves and the two of them’s uncontrollable heartbeats.

“Gu Sheng, actually I\u2014”

“Junior classmate, you’re all here, hurry up and go, your senior has nagged you in the group chat several times already.”

The head of the organization walked out from the back; his surname was Li, and he was a very enthusiastic senior.

What Zhou Shiyi was about to say was suddenly interrupted; he felt a flash of annoyance that he hadn’t finished the sentence.

“I’m here.” Gu Sheng felt a bit regretful too, thinking about what Zhou Shiyi had meant earlier\u2014surely it wasn’t what he feared.

But of all moments, Senior Li’s appearance had cut them off. Zhou felt like a thousand cat paws were scratching him all over; he was ill at ease everywhere. He desperately wanted to hear what Zhou Shiyi would have said next.

Unaware at all, Senior Li had no idea what he had interrupted.

He had his arm around Gu Sheng’s shoulders and suddenly felt a chill in the small bamboo grove; he lowered his hand again and rubbed the gooseflesh on his arm.

“Is it already this cold? Let’s go quickly\u2014don’t keep them waiting.” Senior Li had been sent on orders, coming to inquire about Gu Sheng’s situation.

Seeing that he finally moved his hand away from Gu Sheng, Zhou Shiyi’s frustration at having his confession interrupted finally eased a little.

Senior Li is very talkative and well-liked, so everyone kind of liked him. Gu Sheng used to think so too, but now with Zhou Shiyi silently trailing behind them, Gu Sheng suddenly felt a bit unwilling.

But later on, Gu Sheng still never managed to find an opportunity to be alone with Zhou Shiyi.

Zhou Shiyi was in the Academic Affairs department, and Gu Sheng was in the Organization department. On the way there, Zhou Shiyi had been called over by the head of Academic Affairs to discuss something.

Because there were so many people, they had to reserve several tables before they could sit down.

Gu Sheng and Zhou Shiyi ended up sitting even farther apart.

Gu Sheng kept glancing toward where Zhou Shiyi was, almost yearning, but Zhou Shiyi never looked his way\u2014perhaps embarrassed\u2014he hadn\u2019t glanced over even once.

“Underclassman, it’s your turn.” The senior girl beside him called, and Gu Sheng quickly snapped back to attention, seeing a bottle with its mouth pointed at him in front of him.

They had just finished dinner, and since it was still early, someone suggested playing Truth or Dare first.

The main idea was to give the younger students a chance to show themselves so everyone could get to know the new faces.

Gu Sheng didn’t expect to be picked; he randomly chose a “truth.”

The senior from the organization opened the punishment card and, smiling, asked, “Is there anyone here you like?”

Gu Sheng’s ears flushed red; he nodded, “Mm.”

No one else expected that Gu Sheng actually did have one. It was only just the beginning of the semester\u2014who had made their move so quickly? Judging by Gu Sheng’s expression, it was obvious he was about to be caught.

“Who is it, who is it?”

They jeered, but Gu Sheng didn’t say.

He just told them to hurry up and move on to the next round. When at last no one was paying attention to him, Gu Sheng went to look for Zhou Shiyi.

Seeing Zhou Shiyi’s seat empty and him walking toward the front, Gu Sheng suddenly became alert.

He told the person next to him he was going to the restroom, stood up, and hurried after him.

Around the corner, he saw Zhou Shiyi washing his hands.

Someone sitting next to him had accidentally spilled a little sticky cola on his hands, fortunately not on his clothes.

He rubbed a few times, and that sticky feeling was washed away with the flow of water.

Zhou Shiyi saw Gu Sheng, who had followed him, in the mirror above the sink.

“Want to wash your hands?”

Zhou Shiyi turned off the faucet and made room for Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng leaned against the wall, watching Zhou Shiyi dry his hands.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3215","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3216,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3215\/revisions\/3216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}