[Chen Junjie: Affection 50]
This affection level matched Wang Sheng's toward An Han—meaning Chen Junjie currently posed no real threat.
But the problem was…
The next morning, the moment An Han woke up, he immediately leaned over to check the bunk below.
The lower bunk was still empty—just as it had been the night before. Yet today was the first official day of classes, and Wang Sheng still hadn't returned or even sent a message.
That made An Han uneasy. He seriously worried Wang Sheng might have fallen into a pyramid scheme, or worse—been detained by someone.
Wang Sheng loved gaming, sure, but he'd never skipped classes before. If he hadn't come back from the break, something must have happened.
"Xiao Han, hurry up and get up," Long Xing called, stepping back into the room after finishing his morning wash. "Class starts in just over ten minutes."
"But Wang Sheng…"
"Maybe he asked the counselor for leave and just forgot to tell us?"
An Han immediately pulled out his phone and sent a message to Ren Chi to check.
When no reply came, he reluctantly set aside his worries for now, climbed down from bed, and began getting ready for class.
Ever since receiving the system, everything around him had grown increasingly chaotic.
He stepped onto the balcony, brushing his teeth with foam still in his mouth. Between rinses, he'd peek through the window at Long Xing inside, then glance over at Su Peng, who was also brushing his teeth on the neighboring balcony.
"Still riding with me today?" Su Peng greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"No, thanks."
*If I ride with you and your affection increases, I'd basically be giving it away for free!*
Just then, Wu Dongming burst out from the adjacent dorm. The moment he spotted An Han, his face darkened. From across the balconies, he yelled, "An Han! NMSL!" (*"Ni Ma Si Le!"—a vulgar insult*)
An Han was so startled he froze mid-brush, staring blankly at him.
"What kind of idiotic advice was that?! 'Rent a fake girlfriend to get your parents off your back'? Because of you, I nearly got beaten to death!"
"You were the one trying to scam extra allowance! How's that my fault?"
Su Peng burst out laughing—literally cackling like a goose. These two idiots were clearly a match made in chaotic heaven.
Mid-argument, Wu Dongming suddenly stopped, squinting at An Han. Bathed in the morning sun, An Han's skin looked porcelain-white with a delicate pink flush, practically glowing.
"Why do you keep getting more girly-looking?" Wu Dongming scratched his head, genuinely puzzled.
"Screw off!"
An Han grabbed his rinsing cup and flung water straight at him.
But the balconies were too far apart—Wu Dongming dodged it easily.
*Why did this cursed system latch onto me instead of Wu Dongming?!*
*This guy's barely 170 cm, skinny as a rail, and honestly—if anyone's a candidate for crossdressing, it's him!*
An Han spat out the last of the toothpaste foam, wiped his face, and turned to head back inside.
"An Han! Your butt's gotten really perky!"
He didn't respond—just flipped Wu Dongming the middle finger over his shoulder.
Back in the dorm, An Han found that Ren Chi had finally replied:
> "He took a day off. Family emergency."
"What'd the counselor say?" Long Xing suddenly leaned in close, peering over An Han's shoulder.
An Han nearly jumped out of his skin, clutching his phone and stepping backward. "You're still here?!"
"We're going to class together."
*This guy…* An Han frowned inwardly. *He's always been impatient—usually bolts out alone to grab a seat before anyone else even finishes brushing! Why's he suddenly so patient today?!*
"What's up with Wang Sheng?"
"The counselor said he took leave. He'll probably be back tonight or tomorrow."
An Han deliberately dragged his feet while putting on his socks and shoes. If time hadn't been so tight, he'd have taken a page from Chen Junjie's book—gone back to the bathroom to wash his hair and blow-dry it, just to make Long Xing wait another ten minutes.
"How about you go ahead first?"
Long Xing leaned casually against the wardrobe door. "It's fine. I'm not in a rush."
"Bro Long, you're being so double-standard!" Chen Junjie, fresh out of the shower with damp hair, strode in and complained. "You always get annoyed waiting for me, but now that An Han's gotten prettier, you're happy to wait for him?"
"Waiting for An Han takes like two minutes. Waiting for you? That's at least fifteen," Long Xing defended himself.
Chen Junjie turned on his hair dryer, raising his voice over the whirring noise: "By the way—Bro Long, any progress with that girl you said you liked? Over National Day, I mean?"
"…"
"I'm telling you, it's gotta be An Han! Though, An Han really *is* better-looking than that girl in your photo…"
"Bro Long?"
Chen Junjie turned—and found Long Xing suddenly very absorbed in the view outside the balcony. He glanced at An Han, but An Han was still focused on his shoes, acting like he hadn't heard a word.
*Something's definitely off between these two!*
Chen Junjie's instincts tingled. In fact, the moment he'd returned last night, he'd suspected something had happened between them.
Abandoning his hair, he padded over to Long Xing with dripping wet locks and whispered, "Bro Long… it really *is* An Han, isn't it?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Long Xing shot him a glance, straightened up, and headed for the door. "An Han takes forever just to put on shoes. I'm going ahead to class."
The second Long Xing left, An Han's sluggish pace instantly quickened. He yanked on his shoes, grabbed his textbooks, then hesitated for two full minutes—making absolutely sure Long Xing was far enough ahead—before finally stepping out of the dorm.
"Hey, An Han—what's really going on between you and Bro Long?" Chen Junjie called after him.
An Han had zero intention of feeding Chen Junjie's curiosity. If this guy found out, the whole class would know by lunchtime.
Though class started in just ten minutes, and most students were sprinting down the hallway toward the stairs, An Han wasn't rushing at all.
He physically couldn't run—his ankle still ached.
And if he was late? Getting an excused absence from Ren Chi for one period would be effortless.
Actually, his mood wasn't bad at all. Even though his "lower affection" operation had failed somewhat, he hadn't triggered a single new task since yesterday.
"Who even knows what's going on in Long Xing's head…"
"I just need to keep up this 'good guy' image. That way, even if he *does* like me, he'll never actually confess."
"Unless he throws shame out the window."
With no one around, he muttered quietly to himself, his gait still slightly awkward from the pain.
"Same with Su Peng—he's clearly treating me as someone he 'likes' once affection hits 80+. If I can't reduce his affection, I'll just have to maintain this 'upstanding young man' persona."
"But… a man?"
He glanced down at his chest. Even under his jacket, the gentle curve was unmistakable.
Even without the system's "Body Enhancement" attribute actively applied, his modest "buns" were slowly but steadily growing. In a month, half a year, or a year… they'd likely swell into full "steamed bao."
Just as he reached the dormitory entrance, he hadn't even taken two steps before Su Peng suddenly appeared—bicycle in hand—out of nowhere.
"Get on. You're gonna be late."
"I'll walk."
"Since when did you start being so polite with me?" Su Peng looked genuinely confused. "You've never held back before."
*Acting distant out of nowhere would just look suspicious—and make my guilt obvious.*
An Han hesitated for a beat… then swung onto the back seat.
"Hold on tight! Let's go!"
Su Peng was getting gentler and kinder toward him by the day.
And that… wasn't a good sign at all.