If You Don’t Go To Hell, Who Will? - Chapter 42

In the end, Zhongyuan didn’t make his move. I coaxed him for a while before he finally agreed to return to the dormitory. To be honest, I still held a certain awe towards the act of rolling in bed. I was a bit curious but too afraid to try it. Besides, Zhongyuan and I had only recently confirmed our relationship, so it would be too fast to head in that direction.

As for whether Zhongyuan was actually drunk, it remained a mystery to me. Judging from his gaze, he seemed a bit unclear, but his words and actions didn’t show any signs of being intoxicated. I knew he used to pretend to be drunk sometimes, but there was no need for him to pretend in front of me.

If he was truly drunk, then his drunken state could be considered quite unique.

When I returned to the dormitory, Eldest, Second, and Fourth were all there. The eldest and fourth girls were watching the second girl’s fierce battle in a game. I approached to take a glance at her screen and saw a character named “Chen Xingshi” standing still on the ground while a girl named “Bawang Bu Houdao” fiercely attacked him, releasing various dazzling skills. They were surrounded by several layers of people.

Every half a minute or so, a sentence would appear above Chen Xingshi’s head: “Lady, spare me…”

The most common sentence appearing above the onlookers’ heads was: “The top player’s account got hacked!”

Amidst the flood of “top player’s account hacked” discussions, I unexpectedly saw someone continuously saying, “a hundred times, a hundred times.” That was probably the guy named Lu Ren Yi, who loved to stir up trouble.

I couldn’t help but wipe away my sweat. It turned out that the world in the game was quite exciting.

At that moment, the second girl received a message from Chen Xingshi: “Lady, has the third junior sister returned to the dormitory?”

Bawang Bu Houdao: “She’s back. What’s the matter?”

Chen Xing Shi: “After that bully Zhongyuan came back, he went to sleep. He’s lying on the bed and humming, saying something like, ‘Wife, I’m here.’ He looks deeply possessed. I’m just curious and want to ask the third junior sister what she did to that guy…”

As soon as this message arrived, the eldest, second, and fourth girls stopped paying attention to the game and all turned their heads to stare at me with meaningful smiles.

Oh my God, Zhongyuan, what have you done? Even while sleeping, your charisma is so strong.

The second girl said with a sly tone, “Third Junior Sister, care to explain?”

I scratched my head and dismissed them with a single sentence: “Zhongyuan wants to make a forceful move, but I would rather die than comply.”

The three wolves immediately burst into cheers, and the second girl hastily said to passerby A, “What else can you do? Just forcefully go for it, like a king taking charge.”

And at that moment, a mishap occurred.

You see, Second Girl accidentally closed the private chat window with Chen Xingshi, and now this sentence is posted in the current status, which means that everyone in the game can see it. Of course, that’s not the crucial part. The crucial part is that just before this sentence, passerby A, in order to express the intensity of the battle, convincingly said, “What exactly do you want?”

So…

Chen Xingshi: What exactly do you want?

Bawang Bu Houdao: What else can you do? Just forcefully go for it, like a king taking charge.

And thus, the gossipy spirits of the onlookers ignited…

The Eldest, third, and fourth girls patted the second girl on the shoulder and said, “Take it easy.”

The second girl stared at the records on the screen, her hand trembling as she held the mouse. She pounded the keyboard and sighed to the heavens, “What a tragic fate!”

…

The next evening, Zhongyuan and I found a secluded corner in the self-study room to study. The final exams were approaching, and I had a few challenging courses this semester. Being a chemistry idiot, I needed to start reviewing early. I didn’t possess the eldest girl’s brilliant study abilities, the second girl’s stroke of luck, or the fourth girl’s highly developed brain. All I had left was my determination to work hard, despite being a slow learner.

The winter weather was cold and dry, and it was essential to take good care of my lips. After reading for a while, I took out my lip balm and gently applied it. Just as I was about to put it away, Zhongyuan unexpectedly took it from me without my notice.

He held my lip balm and examined it, murmuring, “Milk-flavored? Apple-scented?”

I momentarily didn’t grasp his intentions. “Huh?”

Zhongyuan raised an eyebrow, looking at me teasingly. “Can I give it a try?”

Um…

Although sharing lip balm with someone is not recommended, considering that Zhongyuan and I were already… well, it didn’t really matter…

So I nodded, saying, “Sure, go ahead.”

However, Zhongyuan suddenly lowered his head and swiftly gave me a peck on the lips. I didn’t anticipate his action, and by the time I realized it, he had already withdrawn, sitting up straight as if the person who just initiated the act had no relation to him.

Zhongyuan smiled playfully, licked his lips with the tip of his tongue, and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Sweet?”

Me: “…”

I felt like an exploding beaker, my face on the verge of collapsing… Oh my, how can there exist such an audacious person in this world…

Yet, Zhongyuan remained calm and composed. He reached out, clasped the back of my head, and leaned down as if he were about to kiss me once more.

I raised my finger to block his lips, panicking as I said, “Brother, we’re in the self-study room!”

Zhongyuan lowered my hand, holding it in his own, and casually remarked, “What’s wrong with the self-study room? We’ve already done it, haven’t we?”

Suddenly, I recalled the time when we rehearsed a movie scene in the elective class’s classroom. But that was just acting, alright? We did it for the sake of professionalism.

Zhongyuan held onto my shoulders, and without a word, he lowered his head again to kiss me.

“No, we might be seen,” I said, turning my face away and presenting the back of my head to him.

Zhongyuan remained silent for a while. I found it strange because it wasn’t his usual style. So I turned my head to look at him and saw that he was staring at the entrance of the self-study room. I followed his gaze and spotted someone.

Su Yan was standing at the doorway, looking in our direction with a somewhat unclear expression.

I felt a bit unsure and lowered my head, afraid to look at him. I didn’t know how to interact with someone who claimed to like me but whom I didn’t have any feelings for. Apart from avoiding him, I couldn’t think of any other way.

Su Yan quickly approached our seats and asked me in a low voice, “Mu Er, can I talk to you alone?”

I didn’t know whether to nod or shake my head. Actually, I hoped to clarify everything with him in one go, but I was afraid that Zhongyuan would get angry.

After a brief stalemate, Zhongyuan spoke up first, saying, “Go ahead; it’s best to clear things up in one conversation.”

Su Yan and I sat on a bench outside the teaching building, with Zhongyuan looking at us through the window. Whenever I raised my head, I could see his somewhat blurry face due to the distance. Although it was blurry, I could sense his smile.

After a moment of silence, Su Yan spoke first: “Are you… really decided to be with him?”

I nodded. “I like him, so…”

Su Yan said, “So you want me to stay away from you?”

“Well,” I scratched my head, not accustomed to this suddenly irritable Su Yan, and said, “That’s not what I meant. You’ve seen it too. Between me and Zhongyuan… well, we can’t be together. It would only complicate things and add more troubles…”

Su Yan forced a bitter smile. “Do I really have no chance anymore?”

I shook my head and replied, “There will be girls who are suitable for you, but I’m not one of them.”

Su Yan glanced at the windows in the distance and said, “I really want to know: what is it about Zhongyuan that I lack?”

“It’s not that you lack anything compared to him, but… he managed to make me fall for him, and you couldn’t.” I knew my words were hurtful, but when you’re indecisive, it’s better to say something heartless and cut off everyone’s thoughts.

Su Yan seemed somewhat dejected. “So, if I had met you earlier than him?”

I scratched my head again and replied, “That assumption doesn’t hold, and it’s pointless to discuss.”

Su Yan hesitated for a moment and asked, “Then… can I still continue to like you?”

“Well, um… it’s better not to,” I said.

Su Yan became a bit irritable. “That’s my business; you don’t need to worry about it!”

I said, “…”

Then why did you ask me in the first place >_<

…

After Su Yan left, Zhongyuan suddenly came over and sat beside me. He raised his hand to rub my head, pulled me into his embrace, and then grabbed my hand, holding it. My hands were always cold in the winter, but Zhongyuan’s were as warm as a stove. Life is so unfair.

After a moment of silence, Zhongyuan said, “My birthday is coming soon.”

I nuzzled against him in his embrace and replied, “I know.”