Sponsored chapter (3/5)
Hua Wu dropped Yu Baihan off at the entrance of University C.
It didn’t take long for Yu Baihan to locate the dormitory building. Xue Qin had arranged for him to stay in a postgraduate dormitory on the fifth floor. He climbed up the stairs with his luggage, swiped his access card, and the door swung open. As he flicked on the lights, a tidy dormitory appeared before him.
The room appeared designed for two occupants, complete with an attached washroom. One of the beds had a fresh set of bedding neatly arranged.
Yu Baihan decided to make his bed first before unpacking his belongings. As he busied himself arranging his school materials in his bag, his hand suddenly brushed against something—a pair of cat ears.
“…”
Oh no, he had unintentionally packed them along with his schoolbag.
Not that it mattered, though. If Lu Huan were to spot them at home, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Yu Baihan was quite pleased with how everything was fitting together so neatly.
Initially, he had planned to stow the cat ears back into his bag, but he paused again. Staring at the fluffy pair for a few moments, he couldn’t resist placing them atop his head—jingle, jingle.
Who could resist the allure of a kitten’s charm?
After arranging the cat ears on his head, Yu Baihan looked at his reflection in the glass window in front of his desk. A pair of upright, fluffy cat ears adorned his equally fluffy head, nearly completing the transformation.
He couldn’t help but chuckle softly to himself.
Where had this little mischievous side of him come from?
After a brief moment of contemplation, he realized that it was a facet of himself.
Yu Baihan soon regained his composure and took out his phone to snap a few selfies as mementos.
After capturing the perfect shots, he switched back to WeChat to check his messages.
However, there were no new messages on WeChat. The conversation with Lu Huan remained at the point where Lu Huan had mentioned he would return home very late.
Understandably, at this hour, Lu Huan was probably still engrossed in social activities.
Content with the situation, Yu Baihan closed WeChat, unperturbed. It was no issue; when Lu Huan returned after his evening commitments, there would be an expectedly classic “bird call back” waiting for him.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Uncle Feng would accurately and vividly convey his message.
Lost in his thoughts, Yu Baihan couldn’t stifle a series of giggles. His laughter caused the bells atop his head to chime merrily.
As he continued to chuckle, he suddenly heard voices from outside his door:
“What the heck, is this place haunted?”
“What nonsense, since when did this dorm have ghosts?”
“But that laughter and the strange bell sounds…”
The laughter ceased abruptly.
Yu Baihan, “…”
He gingerly removed the cat ears and settled down for a peaceful night’s rest.
…
The next day, the morning class was scheduled for eight o’clock.
Yu Baihan’s dormitory was conveniently located just a ten-minute walk from the Academy of Arts. He woke up at 7:30, leaving him ample time to grab some breakfast on his way.
While strolling through the boulevard with a breakfast burrito and a carton of soy milk, he unexpectedly bumped into Sun Yiqing.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Yu Baihan blinked in confusion.
Sun Yiqing appeared radiant as if he had just successfully raided someone else’s virtual farm in the early morning hours, reminiscent of his own past exploits.
Just as he was pondering this, Sun Yiqing broke his reverie. “Why are you up so early?”
Yu Baihan snapped back to the present. “I have a morning class today.”
“I see.” Sun Yiqing’s gaze shifted to the breakfast in Yu Baihan’s hands. “Is that from the second cafeteria? I thought you had it at home.”
Yu Baihan explained, “I went home yesterday to pack up and then moved to the dormitory.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Yiqing’s previously calm eyes seemed to widen in astonishment.
A rare crack appeared in Sun Yiqing’s usually composed demeanor.
Yu Baihan cocked his head slightly, “What’s the matter?”
It was like witnessing the aftermath of a decisive chess move in a game.
Silence fell upon the tranquil boulevard for about ten seconds.
Eventually, Sun Yiqing adjusted his glasses and responded, “It’s nothing.”
Yu Baihan observed the slight quirk at the corner of Sun Yiqing’s mouth. “You’re not smiling anymore.”
Sun Yiqing mustered a faint, weary smile in response.
Yu Baihan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy. Sun Yiqing seemed fatigued from all that early-morning brainstorming, much like the fatigue he used to feel when raiding virtual farms.
Realizing he needed to hurry to class, Yu Baihan exchanged pleasantries with Sun Yiqing and bid him farewell. “You should head back and rest your mind. I’ll catch my class.”
Sun Yiqing nodded softly. “Okay.”
—
After bidding farewell to Sun Yiqing, Yu Baihan hurried off to his class.
Following his morning class, he devoted his time to self-study. In the evening, He Yue accompanied him to the archery club for a practice session, blending work and leisure seamlessly.
After returning from archery practice, thoroughly fatigued, Yu Baihan took a refreshing shower and hit the sack. He continued his early morning routine of rising for class the following day.
These two days were indeed quite packed and productive. It wasn’t until noon on Friday that he finally had a bit of downtime. Lying on his dormitory bed, he casually scrolled through his phone.
On WeChat, there was still no message from Lu Huan.
Yu Baihan understood the situation well; their classmate Lu was preoccupied with work to support his family. It was best not to disturb him unnecessarily.
After all, he was returning home tonight, so they could catch up when they met in person. A reunion of sorts, perfectly timed for the presentation of the belated “gift.”
Yu Baihan planned it all out.
He had already arranged for Hua Wu to pick him up at five in the evening, so he decided to stay in the dormitory for the time being, opting for a quiet read instead of bustling about.
…
On Yu Baihan’s end, the days passed by serenely.
Meanwhile, over at the Lu residence, the afternoon unfolded pleasantly.
For the butler, Uncle Feng, the time between three and four in the afternoon was often the most leisurely. Today was no different; he reclined comfortably on the living room sofa and continued to immerse himself in his latest novel collection via an app: “Madam has been away for three days!”
The font size of the novel app proved to be too small for his aging eyes, so Uncle Feng habitually opted for the audiobook version.
With his eyes gently shut, he basked in the warm afternoon sun, fully absorbed in the world of the novel.
Sometime later, a soft sound of a door being opened reached his ears. The noise blended seamlessly with the lively voice narrating the story, which didn’t interrupt the elderly butler’s state of relaxation on the sofa.
In the foyer, Lu Huan was just entering the house.
It was Friday, and he had finished work a bit earlier than usual. Lu Huan had made a simple arrangement, allowing employees who had been working overtime all week to leave an hour ahead of time. He decided to come home early and take some rest.
As the front door closed behind him, he discerned a faint noise emanating from the living room.
The sounds were fluctuating between silence and animated commentary, with a range far exceeding the ten meters that typically separated rooms.
His initial thought was that Yu Baihan had returned.
Lu Huan gripped the door handle, changed his shoes, and headed directly to the living room.
When he reached the living room’s entrance, he realized that the source of the noise was none other than his long-time butler, Uncle Feng.
Simultaneously, the content of the novel being narrated became discernible:
“He once believed that no matter how much he ignored her, she would remain by his side.”
“He thought that, despite the three days of absence, she would always return because she loved him so.”
“Yet, she really did leave this time.”
“She departed, and he lost his sanity. He stared at her seated in another man’s car, eyes burning with rage and red from crying: ‘You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?'”
“…”
The reading trailed off into silence.
Lu Huan stood in the doorway of the living room, his eyes like deep, dark pools.
Perhaps because Uncle Feng hadn’t anticipated Lu Huan’s early return, he remained engrossed in his audiobook, failing to notice Lu Huan’s presence.
Absorbed in the narrative, he even occasionally thumped the sofa beneath him, exclaiming, “She hasn’t been home for three days—go and chase your wife, chase your wife!”
“…”
“Uncle Feng.”
Finally, the cold voice jolted the butler from his audiobook-induced stupor.
Uncle Feng snapped his eyes open in shock, discovering Lu Huan standing before him, his expression as chilly as ice.
Swiftly shutting off his phone, Uncle Feng rose to his feet, asking, “Why are you back so soon, sir?”
Lu Huan replied impassively, “Work finished early.”
After a brief pause, he inquired, “Has he returned yet?”
Uncle Feng cast a glance at his phone’s screen, responding, “Not yet, sir.”
It was only 4:30, so Hua Wu was probably just on his way to pick up Yu Baihan.
With those words, the living room plunged into a brief silence, the only sound being the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze outside.
Uncle Feng opened his mouth to speak once more, but before he could, Lu Huan turned and walked away, uttering a casual remark as he exited the living room, “Dinner will be for two.”
With that, he strode through the house and out the front door, which he closed with a resounding slam.
Uncle Feng remained rooted in the living room, still a bit dazed.
…Dinner was meant for two, right?
The faint hum of a car engine starting outside reminded Uncle Feng of something:
Didn’t he, in his excitement yesterday, forget to mention to his employer that Master Baihan was only staying in the dormitory for two days?
—
Yu Baihan was in his dormitory at C University.
He was busy making his bed and packing up his things, preparing to head home later. Ten minutes ago, he had received a message from Hua Wu, informing him that he was on his way to pick him up. Considering the smooth traffic conditions, Hua Wu estimated he’d reach the university in about half an hour.
Once he’d finished making the bed, Yu Baihan’s phone buzzed on the table.
He glanced at the screen, which displayed a message from “Fish.”
[Fish]: Where are you?
[Yu Er]: I’m in the dormitory at school. What’s up?
[Fish]: Send me your location, and I’ll pick you up on my way.
Oh, it seemed that Lu Huan was planning to swing by. Yu Baihan quickly shared his location, then sent a message to Hua Wu.
[Yu Er]: Cancel the pick-up, I’ll be heading out myself!
Hua Wu, likely driving, responded with a voice message filled with surprise, “What?”
[Yu Er]: Just head back. [Swiftly ties a shoelace.jpg]
Hua Wu: “??? Alright.”
After informing Hua Wu, who was clearly puzzled, Yu Baihan remained in the dormitory, awaiting Lu Huan’s arrival.
Approximately thirty minutes passed, and Yu Baihan checked his phone. There was still no message from Lu Huan, instructing him to come down.
He wondered if it should take this long for Lu Huan to travel from his workplace to the university.
Contemplating whether to call and inquire, Yu Baihan suddenly heard two gentle knocks on his dormitory door. A familiar voice followed, saying, “It’s me.”
Yu Baihan was surprised. Why had Lu Huan come directly to his dormitory to find him?
Lu Huan, he thought, was really…
It seemed like Lao Gong had entered the honeymoon phase of his new marriage.
Yu Baihan chuckled coyly, and as he was about to stand up to open the door, he glanced at the cat ears resting on the table.
His eyes lingered on them for a moment, and then he couldn’t help but smile.
…
Meanwhile, outside the dormitory door, Lu Huan had been waiting for more than ten seconds without a response. He frowned, preparing to knock again, when he heard a soft “click” of the door unlocking.
The next instant, the door swung open, and light from the room streamed out into the dim corridor, bathing Lu Huan in sudden brilliance. In this intensified light, he heard a distinctive “jingle bell” sound.
Lu Huan’s eyelashes fluttered, and his breath caught.
In front of him, he saw an unexpected sight—a pair of fluffy cat ears.
Instinctively, he held his breath.
His gaze lowered, and there, before him, was Yu Baihan’s fair face. Those eyes gleamed darkly and the lips, initially held in a demure purse, quickly curled upwards.
“Did Senior Lu come to personally open the gifts?” Yu Baihan asked, a playful twinkle in his eye.
Translator’s Notes:
The master wingman’s plan kinda fell through for once! Look at how shocked he is hahahaha
The crack in sun yiqing’a expression, uncle feng’s ‘runaway wife’ audio book and lu huan running to pick up his wife directky at the dormitory sent me 💀 this is too funny 😂😂😂
+1
!2
111
Pat’s SY on the shoulder we understand. We feel your pain.
I love uncle Feng so, so much….
Wingmen unite: Sun Yiqing and Uncle Feng. Lu Huan go get your cat! 🐱😁
Thanks for the chapter 💞
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