The moment those words came out, Lin Wangye froze. He yanked the popsicle out of his mouth, blinking as his eyes darted left and right, shock written all over his face.
“You two… know each other?”
Lin Shen and his new roommate exchanged a look. After a beat, both of them broke into a smile and, almost at the same time, said—
“Yeah, we do.”
“Small world, huh?”
That kind of perfect timing left Lin Wangye dumbfounded.
First meeting, and no one expected to bump into something this coincidental.
“What’s going on? Seriously, what’s going on here?”
With a face full of gossip, Lin Wangye barged into the room, grabbing Lin Shen by the arm and pestering him for answers.
But Lu Chengxuan just gave the two of them a quick glance, silent as ever, pulled out his key, and swung the door shut behind him.
Once inside the dorm, Lin Shen casually dragged out his chair, swung one leg over, and leaned his arms against the backrest. Grinning at his new roommate, he said, “It’s a long story. You could call it… an unexpected reunion after years apart.”
The new roommate lowered his eyes with a faint smile. “Yeah.”
Wasting no time, Lin Wangye grabbed Lu Chengxuan’s chair and planted himself right beside them, itching to hear the story.
“Come on, don’t keep us hanging! Make it short!”
Lin Shen paused to organize his words, then began, “If I really cut it short… I first met him back in middle school.”
As Lin Shen pieced together the short version, Lin Wangye finally caught on.
Back in middle school, Lin Shen’s rebellious streak was even worse. He fought with his family more than he does now. His dad, Lin Pengcheng, worried he’d waste his life on games, so he even cut off his internet cable.
At that time, Lin Shen hadn’t met Yang Qingsen yet. After a few trips to shady internet cafés, he got fed up with how awful they were and decided to just wander around outside, refusing to go home.
One day, caught in a sudden downpour, he ducked into the nearest shop for shelter—only to realize it was a bookstore.
And the owner of that bookstore… was none other than his new roommate.
Lin Shen wasn’t the reading type—at best he’d flip through a comic now and then.
But this bookstore was nothing like the usual ones. Its décor was clean and elegant, the shelves lined with literary biographies, exam prep books, cultural classics, and modern novels. Not a single comic in sight.
There was even a reading corner set up. People sat quietly flipping through books, while others tapped away at laptops, the whole place filled with a calm, steady vibe.
Lin Shen was not the type who could sit still.
If not for that twist of fate, he probably would’ve gone his whole life without stepping into a place like this.
But outside, rain was pouring in sheets, and there was no way he’d be leaving anytime soon.
Since he was already there, he figured—why not? So he pulled a book off the shelf. Its title: ‘The Three-Body Problem’.
He hadn’t read it before. The only reason he even picked it up was because he’d once noticed it was Lu Chengxuan’s go-to book between classes. Seeing it on the shelf, he figured—why not give it a try?
But less than five minutes in, his head dropped onto the table, and he was out cold.
He ended up sleeping straight through until closing time. The shop owner had to wake him up, telling him they were shutting down for the night.
By then it was already late, and outside the rain was still coming down in sheets.
Thinking the place wasn’t far from home, Lin Shen bought the now-wrinkled copy of ‘The Three-Body Problem’, planning to hold it over his head and dash through the rain. But the owner, who had long since seen through his excuse—that he wasn’t here to buy books, only to get out of the storm—stopped him and handed him an umbrella instead.
And that’s how the two of them got to know each other.
After that, whenever Lin Shen had a fight at home, he’d hide out at the bookstore. He even read some of the books the owner recommended, and to his surprise, discovered that reading really could calm him down. Before long, he started dropping by whenever he had nothing better to do.
Sometimes the owner wasn’t around, but most of the time he was.
Once Lin Shen started high school, though, he barely had time anymore.
One day, passing by again, he realized the bookstore had been replaced by a snack shop. No one could tell him where the old place had moved.
And with that, his story wrapped up.
But Lin Wangye wasn’t buying it—not completely. He knew his dad’s taste all too well. His old man was picky as hell and only ever got flirty with people who looked good. Deep down, he was definitely a sucker for a pretty face, even if he’d never admit it out loud.
And Lu Chengxuan, along with Yang Qingsen, were both perfect examples of that.
So when he caught the way his dad and this new roommate looked at each other, his sixth sense kicked in like radar. Something was off.
This guy? He totally fit his dad’s type.
There had to be more to this story.
Still, despite Lin Shen’s insistence that they ‘just knew each other,’ the new roommate didn’t let slip even the slightest hint of anything else. He simply sat there, smiling quietly as he listened. And only when Lin Shen finished did he finally speak.
“Funny thing—I never did ask your name back then.”
“Lin Shen.” Grinning, Lin Shen stretched out his right hand. “As in ‘deep waters, raging fire.’”
The roommate lifted his arm and shook his hand. “Xu Ziqian.”
They smiled as their hands clasped, eyes fixed on each other.
The look they shared seemed to spark in the air, subtle but charged, a flicker of something almost too vague to name.
And that kind of back-and-forth? Lin Wangye knew it all too well.
When he first met Shi Yuan, this was exactly how it started—those sneaky glances, sending silent signals of interest!
Lin Wangye glanced at his dad, then at the new roommate, Xu Ziqian. Sneaking a peek at Lu Chengxuan’s blank face from the corner of his eye, his brain spun like crazy. Then, scooting his chair over, he jumped in to snatch a handshake with the new guy.
“Lin Wangye! ‘Wang’ as in stopping short, ‘Ye’ as in wild ambition! Thanks for the cherry tomatoes. Nice to meet you—let’s look out for each other!”
After that little performance, he slapped his own chest, then patted Lin Shen’s shoulder.
“Little Lin, Old Lin!”
Xu Ziqian blinked quickly, then curved his lips into a small smile.
“Nice to meet you. So you guys already knew each other, huh?”
“Yeah. This is Lu Chengxuan. The three of us go way back—we’re tight.” Lin Wangye nodded hard, doing his best wingman act to finish Lu Chengxuan’s self-introduction. Then he quickly added, “But don’t worry, we’re definitely not the kind to shut outsiders out.”
Honestly, what were the odds? Even if three people knew each other before the college entrance exam, landing in the same department and the same dorm was way too coincidental.
Clearly, fate had its hand in this.
Xu Ziqian understood that perfectly well, but he wasn’t nosy about it. With that easygoing smile of his, he just nodded politely, showing he was someone who’d be easy to get along with.
Meanwhile, Lin Shen finished off his ice cream, twirling the stick between his fingers. “So, why’d the bookstore move?”
A hint of helplessness flickered across Xu Ziqian’s face. “The landlord wanted to raise the rent. The price he asked for was too much, so I had to move.”
“Where’d you go?”
“Pretty far from the old spot, but it’s close to my place now—on Changjiang Road.”
Lin Shen propped his chin on one hand, flicked the ice cream stick into the trash, and said, “Changjiang Road… yeah, that’s far. No wonder I couldn’t find it.”
“You went looking?” Xu Ziqian turned to him, lips tugging in a faint smile.
“Of course.” Lin Shen admitted easily, teasing, “You promised to give me a copy of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’. Then you disappeared before keeping your word.”
Maybe it came from running a bookstore, being surrounded by that calm atmosphere day in and day out, but Xu Ziqian carried himself with an elegance that seeped into his words. His tone was steady, unhurried, and every response landed just right, making people feel comfortable around him.
He held Lin Shen’s gaze, his eyes steady and deep, like ripples spreading endlessly across a quiet lake. “You stopped coming for a long time, and then the move happened so suddenly… Without any way to reach you, I was a little regretful. But lucky for us, fate worked things out. That copy of ‘Red Chamber’ is still at my place. Next time, I’ll bring it to you.”
Knowing how to really listen and respond—it’s no small skill. Every sentence he spoke tied things up neatly, and that kind of attentiveness was moving in itself.
Lin Shen quietly met his gaze, but after a moment, looked away.
“…Alright.”
Watching the two of them slip back into a private one-on-one conversation again, Lin Wangye swore he could hear the warning siren blaring from the little antenna on top of his head.
He quickly turned his head and noticed that Lu Chengxuan was no longer in his previous spot. Now he was sitting at the desk, fiddling with the computer network. After a moment, he stood up and said to Lin Shen, “The internet’s fixed.”
“Oh, got it.”
Lin Shen responded and stood up from his chair, walking back to his own spot to sit down. But his mouth kept moving, chatting with Xu Ziqian without missing a beat.
“When we first got here today, you weren’t around. What were you up to?”
“Went out to take care of a few things.” Xu Ziqian said, then gestured subtly toward the window. “I checked in right at the start of the semester. After staying a couple of days, I realized the curtains didn’t block light well, so I had a blackout curtain custom made and just installed it. Also put up a clothesline on the balcony—no more worrying about where to hang clothes.”
Lin Shen peeked out the window and, sure enough, saw the extra layer of curtains. He clasped his hands in admiration. “I hate it when it’s too bright to sleep. Sir, you are truly noble!”
Now even Lin Wangye had nothing to say.
Whether it was preparing a small snack for the new roommate who just arrived or carefully adding little improvements to the dorm, it was clear Xu Ziqian was a genuinely thoughtful person.
But…
Just from watching Lin Shen and Xu Ziqian interact, even someone with eyes could tell there was more going on beneath the surface.
Lin Wangye stole glances at Lu Chengxuan, who since returning to the dorm hadn’t said more than a word except for helping Lin Shen get online. Something about him seemed… quieter, lower-energy than usual.
If even he could sense the faint, almost tangible spark in the air…
What about Lu Chengxuan?
Lin Wangye inwardly groaned at all the messy romantic trouble Lin Shen had gotten himself into outside. He couldn’t even imagine having to deal with this constantly for the next few years. If his dad stirred up any nonsense, his college life would be pure chaos.
Xu Ziqian seemed to notice that he’d been chatting with Lin Shen almost exclusively, leaving the other two roommates a bit out of the loop. He turned toward Lin Wangye, whose attitude wasn’t so cold.
“By the way, what’s your major?”
“Management. The three of us are all in it.” Lin Wangye responded cordially and returned the question. “What about you?”
Xu Ziqian smiled. “Visual Communication.”
Ningchang University’s campus was huge, divided into four main zones: A, B, C, and D. Each zone had its own teaching buildings and dormitories. Usually, your core classes were held near your dorm in the same zone, but electives could be elsewhere.
Among these four zones, B was widely regarded as the best in terms of scenery and facilities.
The reason was simple: the Visual Communication major belonged to the Art College, which was in B. The school prioritized the college, and both faculty and students made sure to maintain and improve the surroundings. You could think of it as extra aesthetic training outside class.
So the Economics and Management College, also in B, benefited from this by association.
Mentioning the Visual Communication department made Lin Wangye immediately think of Shi Yuan, the one who had once planned to apply to Ningchang University’s Art College with him.
If only he hadn’t gone abroad…
Lin Wangye was already trying hard not to think about these things, but the moment the thought popped up, he just couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
Noticing his mood dipping, Lin Shen quickly figured out what was going on and hurried to change the subject.
“Visual Communication, huh? That’s actually a pretty solid major—super easy to get a job afterward. Xiao Lin, you better latch onto this big shot—then you’ll never have to worry about finding someone to design your promotional posters again.”
Xu Ziqian raised an eyebrow, curious. “Posters?”
“Yeah.” Lin Shen smiled. “Don’t be fooled by Xiao Lin’s age. He’s already running his own business—a small chain of hotels, actually.”
Hearing that, Xu Ziqian was genuinely surprised. Lin Wangye looked more like a pampered rich kid than a budding entrepreneur—hardly what you’d expect.
He shook his head in disbelief and said, “That’s impressive.”
Lin Wangye straightened himself, smiling lightly. “Ah, it’s nothing. Just a bit of luck—can’t really call it impressive.”
Just then, someone knocked on the dorm door.
It was the dorm supervisor. She said everyone in the room had already picked up their keys, but she was there to remind them to elect a dorm leader, so it’d be easier to handle future communication, and to hand out water cards.
Xu Ziqian had already done a lot for the dorm before the others arrived, so it was obvious he could handle the responsibility. Both Lin Shen and Lin Wangye thought he was the perfect choice, and Lu Chengxuan had no objections.
After a quick vote, Xu Ziqian readily accepted.
Since Xu Ziqian had done so much already, Lin Shen felt a little bad leaving him to go downstairs alone to register and pick up the items. He was about to close the computer and stand up when Lin Wangye, sensing something was going on between the two of them, couldn’t bear to leave them alone in the room. Reacting instantly, he shot out of his chair and dashed to the door.
“I’m coming too! I’ll go with you!”
Xu Ziqian had no objection, smiling as he said, “Alright, let’s go.”
Seeing this, Lin Shen, who had already been feeling lazy, felt completely justified to stay seated.
Before closing the door, Lin Wangye didn’t forget to show a little loyalty to Lu Chengxuan. He shot him a cheeky wink and a playful glance before heading out. Lin Shen watched the whole scene, his expression complex once Lin Wangye was gone.
“What’s gotten into Xiao Lin? Has he lost his mind or what?”
Lu Chengxuan probably had a good idea of what was going on, but he kept his face calm, saying neutrally, “He’s off to latch onto the big shot, I suppose.”
“Quick on the uptake,” Lin Shen muttered, impressed. “No wonder he’s making money.”
Meanwhile, Lin Wangye and Xu Ziqian walked down the stairs side by side.
Along the way, Xu Ziqian tried to make conversation, sneaking in a question: “Mind if I call you Xiao Lin?”
Lin Wangye nodded vigorously. “Sure, sure! Everyone calls me that.”
Xu Ziqian asked curiously, “People studying management usually have pretty clear future plans. You running a hotel at your age is impressive. I guess the other two are pretty amazing too. What do they do?”
“Oh, it’s nothing really,” Lin Wangye said modestly, waving his hand—but his face betrayed a mix of pride and confidence.
“As for future plans… you can think of it this way: I run the kiddie rides, and the other two drive sports cars—every now and then they throw a few coins my way.”
*
Footnotes / Side notes:
P.S.: The bookstore owner mentioned in the synopsis has appeared! Some clever readers probably guessed it, haha.
For those who followed the story early, the original synopsis included, besides the mischievous IT guy and gentle bookstore owner, a ‘short-tempered school bully.’ This character was initially meant to have some plot function, including teasing Lin Shen ambiguously to confuse Lu Chengxuan, intervening when Fu Xuexue got bullied, and causing trouble for Xu Shengrong. But because of strict restrictions on the campus section of the story (the term ‘school bully’ couldn’t appear in the title), this character was removed.
Just clarifying in case anyone remembers—doesn’t affect the story, so no need to worry.
Also, regarding the comments about being young but running a business: it’s pretty normal to help out with a family shop at that age.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
