Zhou Huaixu’s heart sank. He had considered the reasons she might reject him—perhaps because of Wu Nianke, or because they weren't a good match—but he had never once imagined that she might have fallen for someone else.
A heavy tightness gripped his chest. After a long silence, he managed to force a smile. "May I ask, who is he?"
Li Susu’s mind flashed with the image of Bo Junyi, standing tall with that characteristically lazy, elegant look. She shook her head instinctively, her eyes flickering away. "I’m sorry, but I’d like to keep it private for now."
After a brief pause, she added, "He is very important to me."
Zhou Huaixu’s eyes darkened. His fists tightened inside his trench coat pockets, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain. He tried to appear calm, but the disappointment was still faintly visible in his gaze. "Fine, I won't ask."
Li Susu looked up at him, her eyes filled with apology.
Perhaps not wanting to make things harder for her, he suddenly grinned when their eyes met. He reached out to pat the top of her head—a motion so quick that Li Susu couldn't even dodge it—before pulling his hand back. "Don’t look at me like that. If nothing else, I can wait another two years. I can afford the wait."
Li Susu pursed her lips, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but Zhou Huaixu spoke first. "Susu, no matter what you choose, I don't blame you. As long as you're happy, that's enough."
"Senior..." Her eyes reddened abruptly, but she didn't know what to say to comfort him.
Zhou Huaixu gave her a radiant smile, turned around, and walked a few paces away before waving at her without looking back.
A breeze brushed past, carrying a hint of chill. The young man’s tall, slender silhouette looked exceptionally lonely under the setting sun. Li Susu stood still, watching the figure gradually fade into the distance along the long flight of stairs, her heart heavy with complex emotions.
The buzzing of her phone snapped her back to reality. Seeing it was Bo Junyi, she immediately pressed answer while heading down the stairs toward the dormitory building.
"Mr. Bo—"
As soon as the call connected, Li Susu felt an involuntary wave of nervousness.
Bo Junyi got straight to the point. "Aside from the books you need to read, don't bring anything else."
Li Susu gave a soft, "Mm."
"Are there many books?" Bo Junyi still seemed uneasy.
Li Susu understood his concern; just a moment ago at the hospital, the doctor had repeatedly warned Bo Junyi not to let her lift heavy objects.
"Just a few books, they're quite light," Li Susu said with a smile in her voice. "Don't worry, I will protect the baby well."
Perhaps infected by her laughter, the man on the other end was silent for a moment before speaking in a gentle tone: "Mm, be careful. Call me anytime if you need anything."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Li Susu tucked her phone into her bag and entered the dormitory building. Just as she reached the landing on the third floor, she vaguely heard the voices of Wu Nianke and Zhang Shumeng talking inside the room.
Li Susu’s footsteps faltered. She took a quiet breath, then walked into the room.
The conversation inside ceased abruptly.
Li Susu walked to her spot as if no one were there, put her bag on the upper bunk, and began to pack. She hadn't followed Bo Junyi’s instructions completely; besides her textbooks, she packed some daily necessities like pajamas, skincare products, slippers, and towels, fearing that if she arrived late at night, she wouldn't have anything to use.
Since there were quite a few items to take, she thought for a moment and pulled her suitcase out from the locker.
Just as she was about to unzip the case, she saw from the corner of her eye that Zhang Shumeng was quietly closing the dorm door. She heard a click as it locked, and a bad feeling rose in her chest.
Wu Nianke walked over, crunching on sunflower seeds, and kicked Li Susu’s suitcase out of the blue. "Are you planning on moving out?"
Li Susu ignored her and continued to pack her things methodically.
"Do you need this?"
Just as Li Susu was about to close the suitcase, an orange package fell from above.
It was a box of contraceptives.
Although she had never paid attention to them, she recognized what they were from seeing them on supermarket shelves and in pharmacy windows. She picked the item up and threw it directly at Wu Nianke, her lips pressed into a thin line and her cheeks flushed with anger.
After a long pause, she squeezed a single word through her teeth: "Get out." She crouched down, quickly packed her suitcase, gripped the handle, and headed toward the door.
Just as Li Susu reached for the doorknob, Zhang Shumeng threw her bag of potato chips onto the table and stepped across to block her path. She crossed her arms and stared at her with a calm, smug expression. "Li Susu, you really are ungrateful. Nianke is doing this for your own good. You’re such an adult, how can you have zero safety awareness? It’s fine to go out and have your fun, but it’ll be a huge mess if you get pregnant."
Wu Nianke immediately chimed in, "What do you know? Living with Zhou Huaixu, she’s probably dying to get pregnant! Someone like her can only climb the social ladder by selling her looks and relying on her belly!"
Zhang Shumeng added, "Zhou Huaixu must be blind to have fallen for a poor wretch like you!"
Wu Nianke curled her lip. "Isn't it because she pulled every trick in the book to seduce him!"
As she spoke, she looked at Li Susu and continued with a sour, mocking tone, "Though, men's passions burn out fast. In a few days, Zhou Huaixu will kick you to the curb! I advise you to stay in the dorm honestly, lest someone reports you and you lose your student registration—that wouldn't be worth it."
Thinking of Bo Junyi waiting for her, she fought back the urge to lash out. She explained calmly to Wu Nianke, "I have no relationship with Zhou Huaixu. If you don't believe me, you can go ask him yourself."
"Give it a rest. I just saw you two going to the gym one after the other. What were you two being so sneaky about over there?" Zhang Shumeng pointed at Li Susu’s nose with a look of utter disdain.
Li Susu slapped her hand away. "What is it to you? Move aside immediately, or I'm calling someone!"
"Who are you planning to call? Go ahead, do it!"
Just as Li Susu pulled out her phone, Wu Nianke snatched it away.
*Bang!*
The phone was smashed heavily onto the floor, the screen shattering.
"Wu Nianke!"
Li Susu’s volume rose sharply, her voice sounding like it was squeezed through gritted teeth. "Pick it up!"
"Why are you shouting! Do you think Tang Yixin is here to stand up for you, huh?"
Wu Nianke gave Zhang Shumeng a look, and the latter immediately lunged forward, grabbing Li Susu by the hair from behind.
Li Susu felt her scalp tear with pain, but her first reaction was to protect her stomach.
Wu Nianke was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Seeing that Li Susu wasn't really fighting back, she became even more arrogant and backhanded Li Susu across the face. She used all her strength; Li Susu felt her ears ringing, and half of her face went numb.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz~*
The phone on the floor continued to vibrate.