Heartbeat Connection

2.Love eating hot pot

Lo Ye stretched lazily, glanced at the time, and realized he had been in the library for two hours. His writing task for the day was complete. Exiting the library, he found that it had begun to rain lightly once more. Is this what Southern weather is like? It would be nice if it rained every day during military training.

Lo Ye was about to head back to his dorm, umbrella in hand. Behind him, the attractive senior who had helped him with facial recognition also emerged from the library. Qin Yuwen glanced at Su Baizhou and then looked outside. The light rain seemed to be intensifying.

"Zhou Zhou, shall we wait in the library until the rain stops?" Qin Yuwen suggested.

"No need. There’s something at the new student registration that requires my presence," Su Baizhou replied, seemingly indifferent to the rain.

"Yuwen, please keep an eye on the computer," Su Baizhou instructed.

"Hey, Zhou Zhou, you’re really going?" Qin Yuwen followed her to the library entrance, watching her retreating figure.

At that moment, Lo Ye felt a shift behind him and turned to see the senior hurrying away. The light rain had escalated into a torrential downpour. The weather in Jiangcheng was so unpredictable; the heavy rain arrived suddenly.

Su Baizhou shielded her head with her hands, but the deluge rendered her efforts futile. The rain drenched her clothes, clinging to her form and revealing her figure. This was quite distracting, but that wasn’t the main concern. Lo Ye rushed after her.

"Senior."

He held the umbrella over Su Baizhou.

"Thank you." Su Baizhou, with her cool demeanor, didn’t even glance at him.

Suddenly, a thunderclap roared. Su Baizhou froze in place, visibly startled by the thunder.

"Senior?" Lo Ye noticed her hesitation and looked at her curiously. The beautiful senior was evidently afraid of thunder.

"Sorry," Su Baizhou said expressionlessly.

Another thunderclap boomed, and Su Baizhou tensed again. With the rain pouring even harder and lightning flashing across the sky, Lo Ye’s umbrella was small, and the distance between them left him partly soaked.

"Senior, let’s take shelter in that building over there," Lo Ye suggested, pointing to the nearest teaching building.

Su Baizhou nodded silently and followed him under the umbrella. They stood in the corridor on the first floor of the building. Silence prevailed.

Should he say something? Lo Ye pondered before asking, "Senior, what year are you in?"

"Junior year."

"Ah."

......

"Senior, what’s your major?"

"Computer Science."

"Mm."

......

"Senior..."

"......"

"Well..."

Lo Ye pointed to a nearby tree.

"That tree looks really sturdy, haha..."

An air of awkwardness enveloped them. Lo Ye was genuinely unskilled at conversing with women. At eighteen, he had never been in a relationship and was easily embarrassed.

He glanced furtively at the senior beside him. Her expression remained indifferent. Su Baizhou also felt uncomfortable, wishing she had stayed in the library with Qin Yuwen.

She was afraid of thunder, but hadn’t anticipated a thunderstorm. After all, the weather forecast hadn’t predicted thunderstorms.

Lo Ye instinctively picked up his phone, checking his chat with his crush. After a moment’s hesitation, he closed it and opened a chat with another person.

"Love eating hot pot."

This person was one of the friends his brother Gu Mingxuan had introduced to him, known for being excellent at gaming. Lo Ye had found this to be true and had added him for occasional games and casual conversation. Since this person was brought in by Gu Mingxuan, he was likely a friend of his, but Lo Ye didn’t mind. It was just an online relationship, and he wasn’t concerned about names or meeting in person.

Lo Ye typed: "I’m currently sheltering from the rain with a senior who looks like a fairy."

Moments later, Su Baizhou’s phone buzzed. She looked at the message.

Luoye: I’m currently sheltering from the rain with a senior who looks like a fairy.

Su Baizhou: …

She turned to look at Lo Ye and then silently activated silent mode, replying: How pretty is she? Send me a photo.

Ding! Lo Ye’s phone pinged, and he read the message.

Luoye: Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to take a covert photo?

Love eating hot pot: "Find an opportunity. Just don’t let her notice, and it will be fine."

Lo Ye did not reply. Su Baizhou turned her head compliantly, pretending to admire the scenery outside. Soon after:

Luoye: [Picture]

Luoye: Isn't it beautiful? (animated emoji)

Su Baizhou pondered over the photo. In this world, anything could happen. The boy she frequently gamed with, whom she knew to be Professor Gu’s younger brother, had been entrusted to her care by Professor Gu before he left for abroad. She never imagined their first encounter would be under such circumstances. She wasn’t prepared for this.

Su Baizhou found the situation a bit awkward. The rain continued, accompanied by unending thunder and increasingly gloomy weather. A cold gust of wind made Lo Ye shiver.

Suddenly, it struck him. He turned to look at the senior. She remained in the same position, though she was now slightly shivering. Such beauty, suffering from the elements.

Lo Ye mentally chastised himself. In such cold weather, allowing the senior to remain wet and cold was inexcusable. Without hesitation, he removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Thank you."

After an indeterminate period, the thunder faded and the rain lightened to a gentle drizzle. The torrential downpour had lasted only twenty minutes; in Jiangcheng, heavy rains were as fleeting as they were sudden.

The misty rain danced in the wind. It wasn’t a significant problem to go outside now. Su Baizhou said nothing and left with an impassive expression.

Lo Ye gazed at the senior’s retreating figure, captivated. She was about 1.67 meters tall, but with Lo Ye’s height of 1.78 meters, his coat only seemed slightly large on her and fit quite well. The senior’s figure was striking, though her demeanor was somewhat aloof. A beauty like her must surely have a boyfriend by now.

Lo Ye sighed. He had never been in a relationship. For three years, he had harbored a secret crush, rarely speaking to any girl other than his crush. Recalling the senior’s appearance, Lo Ye felt a stir of interest but quickly shook his head. It was merely infatuation. If he were to be swayed merely by a chance encounter and physical beauty, that would be quite shallow.

Lo Ye walked out of the teaching building and returned to his dormitory, only to find someone had already arrived. A sturdy, dark-skinned boy, about 1.75 meters tall with a buzz cut, sat up immediately upon seeing Lo Ye.

"Are you my roommate? Hello, I’m Li Haoyang, a native of Jiangcheng."

"Hello, I’m Lo Ye, from Beijing."

"Beijing? A big city dweller, huh."

They exchanged contact information and began to chat.

"Why did you come early? Don’t you locals start classes tomorrow?"

"Ah, my home is nearby. With nothing to do, I thought I’d move my luggage into the dorm early, but then it started raining."

Lo Ye observed his somewhat damp clothes with a curious expression. Is getting soaked fashionable here?

Noticing Lo Ye’s gaze, Li Haoyang chuckled, "I did bring an umbrella, but I saw a young girl caught in the rain and lent it to her."

He continued, "Guess what? I thought she was just a small girl, maybe around 1.50 meters tall, but she turned out to be someone moving luggage into our school. I even helped her carry her bags."

"Ha ha ha, you can’t judge a book by its cover."

"I always thought people from the South were petite. Didn’t expect you, Brother Haoyang, to be so robust."

Li Haoyang flexed his muscles with a grin, "I work out every day."

As the four of them chatted and laughed, Lo Ye felt his mood lift. The next morning:

A knock sounded.

Lo Ye got up to open the door.

"Hello!"

A strikingly handsome man, roughly the same height as Lo Ye, stood at the door. This person... was extraordinarily handsome.

Lo Ye even felt as though he might be just as handsome...

It must be an illusion.

"Are you a celebrity?"

Lo Ye asked instinctively.

The man laughed, a situation he was accustomed to.

"I’m not a celebrity. I’m your roommate. I’m Shen Qiao."

Behind Shen Qiao, another boy, about 1.70 meters tall with a somewhat unsavory appearance, followed in.

"Hello, I’m Wang Dachui."

The name sounded surprisingly friendly. Lo Ye immediately put his arm around Wang Dachui’s shoulders and pulled him inside.

Meanwhile, Li Haoyang was still sound asleep, one large bare foot exposed and emitting a rather strong odor.

When Li Haoyang finally awoke, the four of them went to buy a trash can, broom, and other necessities, and then headed to the third dining hall. Jiangcheng University had three dining halls; the first was closest to the boys’ dormitory. Why go to the third?

Because it was nearest to the girls’ dormitory, offering plenty of eye candy.

"Military training starts tomorrow," Wang Dachui said with a frown.

"What’s there to be afraid of? Isn’t military training meant for improvement?" Li Haoyang flexed his muscles, drawing bemused looks from the others. The four settled in a corner of the third dining hall.