Chapter 36: This Size Doesn’t Fit Me

Cheng Xingye stared at the box of underwear, lost in thought. What kind of thought process could possibly lead someone to give their own brother a box of underwear as a gift?

However, the serious look on his face was interpreted quite differently by Lu Qingyue—she thought he seemed to want a pair himself.

Lu Qingyue was generous by nature, and besides, the two pairs of underwear had only cost her twenty yuan, ten each at most. She immediately handed the bag to him with an air of magnanimity, inviting him to choose one for himself.

“If you like them, you can take a pair too.”

Cheng Xingye: “???”

Cheng Xingye: “...”

Did he look like he was in desperate need of a new pair of underwear?

He was speechless for a few seconds, then suddenly threw his head back, his shoulders shaking as he tried to stifle his laughter. It took a strenuous effort to suppress his amusement and regain a calm expression before facing her again.

Yet when he looked down and met Lu Qingyue’s clear, unguarded eyes, he was suddenly tempted to tease her.

Leaning lazily against the railing, arms folded, a crooked smile curling at his lips, he drawled, “Forget it, I can’t fit into this size.”

He was simply stating a fact. At 1.88 meters tall and broad-shouldered, there was no way he could squeeze into a small.

Lu Qingyue gave a little “Ah,” clearly surprised by the issue of sizing, and instinctively glanced down.

This time, Cheng Xingye reacted quickly. He immediately lifted her chin with his hand, half amused, half exasperated. “Hey, little girl, where do you think you’re looking?”

It was the same at the hospital last time, and now again outside the boys’ dorm. Did she really understand the meaning of propriety between men and women, or the concept of not staring at what she shouldn’t?

His fingertips carried a faint scent of tobacco, and as he gently tilted her chin up, the crisp, masculine aroma enveloped her senses.

Lu Qingyue sniffed unconsciously, thinking to herself, inexplicably, that she quite liked the way he smelled. If there was a word for it, she supposed it would be “manly.”

In truth, Lu Qingyue felt a bit wronged. She hadn’t even seen anything before he forced her to look up. With her chin held in his grasp, she had no choice but to tilt her head back to meet his gaze, her round eyes shimmering slightly with moisture, innocence written all over her face. “I just wanted to check if it was really too small for you, that’s all!”

They were standing right at the entrance of the boys’ dormitory, with students from the medical school coming and going. Spotting the academy’s famously stoic “eternal iceberg” holding a girl’s chin and murmuring something, a few busybodies assumed he’d gotten himself a new girlfriend and whistled raucously at the scene.

Hearing the commotion, Cheng Xingye withdrew his hand with a lazy air and shifted his body to shield her from the curious, knowing looks of his classmates.

He drew her closer, using his height to block her from prying eyes, then couldn’t help but ask, “What were you thinking when you bought these? Why did you pick the smallest size for your brother?”

Lu Qingyue’s answer was straightforward. “The salesgirl said this size sold the best.”

Cheng Xingye looked at her as if she’d sprouted a second head. He almost felt like kindly reminding her that her brother probably couldn’t fit into them. He hadn’t paid attention to whether Lu Yi had a big build, but they were of similar stature. As long as Lu Yi was built normally, he wouldn’t fit into this size either.

But seeing Lu Qingyue’s eager, earnest little face, he couldn’t bring himself to dampen her spirits, so he swallowed his words.

Students returning from the cafeteria kept passing by, each greeting Cheng Xingye. He seemed born to be the center of attention—there were few in the medical school who didn’t know him.

Lu Qingyue began to feel uncomfortable being the object of so many looks, so she whispered, “Why don’t you take this up to my brother for me? I won’t go up.”

Cheng Xingye agreed. He didn’t want her going into the boys’ dorm anyway, to be ogled by a bunch of restless young men.

He accompanied her to the school gate, watched her board the bus, then turned back toward the dorms, gift bag in hand.

...

Upstairs in the boys’ dormitory.

Lou Zhao leaned against the balcony railing, watching the couple flirting below, clicking his tongue in amazement. “Wild Bro’s something else—he goes down for a smoke and manages to chat up another girl. But why does she look a little familiar?”

Chen Shujie emerged from the bathroom, glanced outside at Lou Zhao’s words, and his eyes went wide.

Damn!

He’s got his hand on her chin, about to kiss her right there under the dorm, and he claims he’s not interested in girls? In broad daylight, too—publicly making out without a care!

Shocked, Chen Shujie clung to the railing, craning his neck for a better look, determined to see if the scoundrel would actually go in for a kiss.

But before he could find a good angle, Lu Yi—who never joined in on gossip—suddenly walked over. “She looks familiar? Is she from our school? Let me see if I know her...”

Before he could take a step, the balcony door slammed shut in front of him like a bolt of lightning.

Chen Shujie braced himself against the door, blocking Lu Yi’s view with all his might. “Just the campus Casanova chatting up a girl—nothing worth seeing.”

Caught off guard, Lu Yi frowned in confusion. “Are you nuts?”

Reacting quickly, Chen Shujie started steering him back toward the desk. “How did you know? Got any meds? Give me one if you do.”

Lu Yi: “???”

What was wrong with him today? Why was he so determined to keep him from looking?

People are naturally contrary: the more you forbid them, the more suspicious they become.

Lu Yi stared at Chen Shujie’s guilty expression, then darted forward, swiftly sliding open the balcony door and poking his head out for a look.

Chen Shujie’s heart leapt into his throat—he braced himself, expecting a bloody scene, and quickly covered his eyes.

Just as he thought Lu Yi would storm downstairs and tear Cheng Xingye to pieces—

Instead, outside, Lu Yi’s puzzled voice floated in. “What Casanova? Are you two blind?”

Chen Shujie let out a sound of surprise and rushed out for a look. The bare branches were dusted with snow, and the ground below was empty—Cheng Xingye and Lu Qingyue were nowhere to be seen.

Lu Yi, having failed to witness whatever he’d expected, assumed he’d been played and muttered, “You two really have too much time on your hands.”

Lou Zhao protested, “But I just saw Wild Bro with a girl in a high school uniform—” He was cut off as Chen Shujie clapped a hand over his mouth.

Lou Zhao: “...?”

He struggled to say more, but Chen Shujie kept a firm grip, refusing to let a sound escape.

In that moment, Chen Shujie felt utterly exhausted.

Who could possibly know how much he’d sacrificed behind the scenes for the sake of peace and harmony in this dormitory?