Serenade

Chapter 17

"You seem to really like me."

"Yes."

The following conversation between Bo Yan and Jin Xi, overheard by Xu Chaoyang and Jing Chi, reached an astonishing level of shamelessness on Bo Yan's part.

"But you're still too young," Bo Yan said with a faint smile, reaching out to pat Jin Xi's head before placing his hand on his own chest.

"At this small size, we might not be compatible," he continued.

Confused, Jin Xi asked, "What do you mean by 'not compatible'?"

Bo Yan raised an eyebrow, his eyes dark and bright, carrying a hint of frivolity and seven parts seriousness. "Size," he said.

Xu Chaoyang clenched his fists in anger, gritting his teeth. "This is too much! How can my adorable student say such suggestive things!"

Jin Xi took a deep breath. "Size," she repeated.

Bo Yan decided not to pursue the topic further and instead asked, "How much do you like me?"

"Well... you're good to me, Senior," Jin Xi replied.

Leaning against the wall, Bo Yan placed his hand on her shoulder. With a slight curve of his thin lips, his dark eyes filled with a teasing smile as he stared intently at her.

"Do you want Senior to treat you even better?" he whispered in a low voice, his tone slightly husky and seductive. "To cherish you, love you, give you everything..."

Jin Xi's dark eyes blinked.

"No need, Senior. My feelings for you are the same as my feelings for Instructor Xu and Chu Zhao. You're all my friends." Bo Yan was about to kiss her when he heard her words. His movements froze, and he released his hand from her shoulder, his face wearing an expression of "Are you teasing me?"

"The same as them?"

"Yes."

Taking advantage of the situation, Jin Xi slipped away from under him, keeping a safe distance of a few steps. She turned around and said, "Senior, you're quite good at playing tricks."

"Hmm?"

"No wonder so many girls like you. My heart was racing just now."

With that, she entered her own dormitory, closed the door, and carefully locked it!

Bo Yan stood with his hands in his pockets at the end of the empty corridor, feeling a gust of cold wind blowing through, accompanied by a sense of foolishness. After all this time of hints and clues, he thought it was a sure thing, but he almost ended up as a rogue.

When he returned to the dormitory with a stern face, Xu Chaoyang gloated, "Did it backfire? You were fooling around blindly, and now she sees you as a scumbag. How does it feel to be unable to defend yourself?"

Maintaining the last shred of his manly dignity, Bo Yan casually replied, "I told you she's still young. What does a little kid understand?"

"Don't underestimate girls nowadays; they're formidable," Jing Chi said. "They understand a lot of things; they just don't want to admit it."

...

That night, Jin Xi let her head hang down, her long hair cascading, as she asked Lin Luo on the lower bunk, "Senior Bo Yan said that we're not compatible in size. Do you think he's just bragging?"

Lin Luo put down his magazine and glanced at the upside-down figure. "How would I know? But if you're curious, you can wait until he hangs his underwear to dry and see for yourself."

Chu Zhao chimed in, "Underwear doesn't necessarily reflect the true size. Every man has his own destiny."

Lin Luo replied, "Wow, you seem to know a lot!"

"Chu Zhao pushed his glasses up and said solemnly, 'Within books lies a golden house.'

Jin Xi lay on the edge of her bed for a while, murmuring, 'Well, he underestimates me. Just because of this, I can't agree. Does being short mean I'm not worthy of being a profound woman?'

Lin Luo: ...

Damn 'profound' woman. What kind of perverted demon is her roommate?

\*\*

Afternoon elective classes ended, Bo Yan walked out of the classroom and happened to see Jin Xi passing by with a small backpack on her back.

Her hair was pulled back behind her wind-catching ears, and her adorable little ears were always rosy, making people like them.

At first, Bo Yan thought her ears turned red whenever she saw him, but over time, he gradually realized that her ears turned red for no reason at all and had nothing to do with him.

You brought it upon yourself. It serves you right for being self-delusional.

Jin Xi was currently texting and arguing with Shen Ping Chuan, her head lowered. The cause of the argument was that Shen Ping Chuan kept stealing her pictures and posting them on his social media as if they were his own achievements. For example, if she carefully arranged a series of food photos, Shen Ping Chuan would steal them and post them on his social media, and people who knew her would praise, 'Little Cutie is getting prettier.'

Shen Ping Chuan would reply, 'It's mainly because she has a good-looking brother.'

Jin Xi commented, questioning, 'May I ask what contribution you have made to my genes?!'

Her father, Shen Shi Shan, followed up with a comment, 'Wild stepbrother, stop seeking attention. The main thing is that your stepfather raised you well.'

Jin Xi: 'Love you \[kiss emoji\]'

Shen Ping Chuan: ...

Yes, you are a family, and I'm the wild one.

Bo Yan also saw Shen Ping Chuan's social media post. He saved the photo and caught up with Jin Xi.

'Pixi, where are you going?'

Jin Xi turned around and saw Bo Yan. Angrily, she said, 'I'm going to the School of Economics and Management to find Shen Ping Chuan and have a fight.'

'Accompany me to do something first.'

'What is it?'

Bo Yan faintly smiled and raised his eyebrows. 'You'll see.'

After saying that, he took hold of her wrist and led her away from the teaching building.

Jin Xi looked down at the pair of beautifully defined hands holding her wrist. Her phone kept vibrating in her pocket, and Shen Ping Chuan was still arguing with her. Jin Xi couldn't wait to fight back, so she said, 'Senior, I'm not a child.'

'Hmm?'

'You don't have to hold my hand. I won't fall.'

Bo Yan let go of her.

With both hands free, Jin Xi quickly took out her phone and started a rapid exchange of messages with Shen Ping Chuan, discussing their plans to go dancing at each other's graves in the future, arguing all the way."

Bo Yan brought Jin Xi to the entrance of a pet hospital, and Jin Xi finally put down her phone and looked around with curiosity.

A nurse came out carrying an orange cat and said to Bo Yan, "The surgery was successful. After you settle the bill, you can take the kitten home."

"Thank you."

Bo Yan took the orange cat, and it obediently nestled on his shoulder, seeming to really like him.

Jin Xi asked excitedly, "Bo Yan, is this your kitty?"

Bo Yan's eyes filled with tenderness as he gently brought the cat in front of her. "This isn't my kitty. It's a stray cat from our school. Do you want to hold it?"

Jin Xi nodded eagerly and carefully took the cat from Bo Yan's hands, cradling it in her arms. The orange cat rubbed against Jin Xi's hand, and she exclaimed, "It's so cute!"

"Be careful not to touch its wound."

"Where is it injured?"

"Its... its 'eggs' were removed."

"Oh."

After settling the bill, Bo Yan put the kitten into a space capsule carrier and wore it on his back.

The little kitten occasionally peeked out through the round glass window of the space capsule, curiously exploring the surroundings.

With the one meter eighty-seven tall Bo Yan carrying the space capsule on his back, the duo attracted a lot of attention as they walked down the street.

On campus, many girls couldn't help but stop and turn their heads, some even took out their phones to take pictures, filled with excitement.

"Bo Yan is too adorable!"

"I want to pet the cat."

"I want to pet Bo Yan."

Jin Xi curiously asked Bo Yan, "Senior Bo Yan, what does the Meow Meow Club do on a daily basis?"

As they walked, Bo Yan explained, "It's quite tedious. We regularly feed the cats, correct their bad behavior, and take the stray cats and dogs from the school to the pet hospital for sterilization."

Jin Xi pondered, "Sterilization, isn't that cruel? I mean, they probably wouldn't want it."

"Of course."

"Then why do it?"

Bo Yan's voice turned serious. "Controlling reproduction is to prevent more deaths. If they can't take care of their own offspring, it's better not to have them in the first place."

Jin Xi fell silent for a moment and then suddenly grabbed onto Bo Yan's sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Jin Xi felt a little uneasy. She gradually began to understand why Bo Yan took care of the stray animals at school.

He was also a child without parents.

At school, Bo Yan put the orange cat back into the bushes, patting its little head. "Stop thinking about having a girlfriend. You have limited energy, so just be a quiet and handsome guy."

The cat rubbed against Bo Yan's palm, meowed a few times, and then left.

Jin Xi insisted on treating Bo Yan to a milk tea.

While waiting in line at the milk tea shop, Jin Xi said to him, "If the cat could understand what you were saying, it would definitely be mad."

Standing beside her, Bo Yan smiled gracefully. "All the female cats in the school used to be Ah Huang's girlfriends. You think it wouldn't be mad?"

"Um..."

Now that it's lost its 'eggs,' it's definitely quite frustrating.

After receiving their steaming hot milk teas, Jin Xi handed one to Bo Yan, and the two of them sat down at a table by the window.

The sky had grown dark, and the street lamps were just starting to light up, bringing with them the cool breeze of early autumn.

Bo Yan leaned on the table, holding a straw in his mouth, and asked, "Why did you invite me for bubble tea?"

"Just because," Jin Xi replied.

Jin Xi made an effort to find the pearls in her drink, positioned the straw, and carefully sucked them in. Then she crushed them between her molars and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

"There's always a reason for everything," Bo Yan said, the sweetness melting on his tongue as he looked at her, refusing to let the matter go. "So, why?"

A thin layer of mist started to form outside the window.

Jin Xi exhaled a mouthful of mist and glanced sideways. "It's a happy thing to drink a cup of hot bubble tea when the weather is cold. I also like it when you, Senior, can feel that happiness."

Happiness.

This elusive thing. Since the day when his parents were killed in a drug raid, their bodies never to be found, Bo Yan had never thought about what shape happiness could take.

His gaze fell on Jin Xi's hand, holding the bubble tea cup, her translucent and perfectly shaped fingernails with a crescent moon at the base.

He raised an eyebrow, took her hand, and tapped his fingertip gently on her nail. "Drinking bubble tea that Little Pippi Jin treats you to in winter is a happy thing."

That crescent moon was probably the original shape of happiness in his heart.

\*\*

After the long National Day holiday, both Room 410 in the girls' dormitory and Room 409 in the boys' dormitory welcomed new roommates.

A tall and handsome girl named Chu Tang moved into Room 410.

With short hair and a faint air of elegance between her eyebrows, she had a very handsome appearance and a rather cold personality.

In Room 409, a trendy and fashionable guy named Xia You moved in. He was dressed in popular brand-name clothes, and even his Nike shoes seemed to shine in the darkness of the night.

As soon as this delicate boy moved in, he filled the table with bottles and jars of skincare products from his bag, leaving all the other guys in the room amazed.

He also prepared gifts for the girls next door, giving each of them a box of ex-boyfriend face masks, which caused the girls to scream with excitement. In just a few days, he became very close with the girls across from him, making him the enemy of all the boys on the entire floor.

The members of Rooms 410 and 409 couldn't help but feel that the new members who moved into the boys' and girls' dormitories respectively were completely the opposite of what they had expected.

In early December, the temperature became even colder. The winter in City B was damp and chilly, and the use of high-power electrical appliances in the dormitory increased.

The Student Union and the Security Department jointly organized a large-scale inspection of the student dormitories, aiming to visit every room and eliminate any electrical safety hazards.

As always, Shen Ping Chuan, the scumbag that the boys loved to hate, led the team. When they arrived at Room 410, everyone gathered outside, thinking that he would go easy on his little sister.

But that wasn't the case.

Shen Ping Chuan knew his little sister Jin Xi all too well. He walked in without saying a word, flipped over her blanket, and found a high-power hair dryer; then he turned around, opened her wardrobe, and pulled out an electric kettle. With a quick sweep of his foot, he even found an electric hot pot in her suitcase.

Jin Xi lowered her head, on the verge of tears, and tugged at Shen Ping Chuan's sleeve, pitifully calling out, "Brother..."

Shen Ping Chuan looked at her with annoyance. Normally, she would address him as "Shen Ping Chuan, you bastard," but now she obediently called him "brother."

He was somewhat irritated and grumbled, "Fine, let's forget about the hairdryer, but what's the deal with this pot? Can't three student cafeterias sustain you?"

"It's not about that. It's... it's scalded... scalded milk." She pleaded softly, "Brother, please spare me. I truly know I made a mistake."

He could let others slide, but Jin Xi was his own sister. He couldn't let personal feelings cloud his judgment, otherwise, he didn't even want to think about the consequences if there were an actual safety accident.

He confiscated everything from Jin Xi and, as he was leaving, Shen Ping Chuan warned, "However many prohibited electrical appliances you buy, I will confiscate the same amount. If you cause trouble again, I'll tell Uncle Shen and cut off your allowance!"

Helpless and with no way to turn the situation around, Jin Xi dropped his sleeve and turned her face away, ignoring him.

After searching the female dormitory, Shen Ping Chuan directly entered the neighboring male dormitory, Room 409.

Jing Chi and Xu Chaoyang, the two dormitory guards, stood upright at the entrance, like they were welcoming the Jade Emperor himself, nodding and bowing, "Sir Shen, you've worked hard. Please come in, Sir Shen, please feel free to search."

Shen Ping Chuan glanced suspiciously at them and entered the room.

Bo Yan sat at the table, holding a sketchbook in his slender, fair hands, sketching away.

Curiosity got the better of Shen Ping Chuan, and he moved closer to Bo Yan, only to discover that Bo Yan was drawing a portrait of Jin Xi, who had just been crying while gripping his sleeve.

Bo Yan casually tore the drawing off and patted it onto Shen Ping Chuan's chest. "Sir Shen, you're sacrificing your own family for the greater good. I admire you and offer my respect to you."

Shen Ping Chuan knew that this guy was mocking him, and he was about to tear up the drawing. However, the portrayal of Jin Xi in the sketch was incredibly charming and cute, capturing her eyes and brows with remarkable accuracy. He found himself growing somewhat reluctant to destroy it. He neatly folded the drawing and tucked it into his pocket, clearing his throat. "The boys' dormitory is even tidier than the neighboring girls' dormitory."

Jing Chi quickly replied, "There's no way we would have any prohibited or banned items in the dormitory of our National Defense Academy. Sir Shen, please search for yourself. If you find anything, I'll eat it."

Shen Ping Chuan had heard this line more than eight hundred times, and he didn't believe it for a second. These guys were too cunning. He didn't even bother searching places like the bathroom cabinets and went straight to checking under each person's bed. As expected, he made a discovery.

Under one of the beds, he found several bottles of aged vinegar.

In a tone reminiscent of a CIA special agent, Shen Ping Chuan pushed the vinegar bottles in front of everyone. "Tell me, what's this vinegar for? Are you drinking it like a beverage?"

Bo Yan chuckled lightly. "I don't have that habit, but there are stickers on them. Take a look for yourself."

Sure enough, there were labels on the back of the vinegar bottles, with several neatly written characters that read: For Foot Soaking.

Shen Ping Chuan:...

Damn it, foot soaking!

However, they had a valid reason, and Shen Ping Chuan couldn't really find any grounds to fault them.

He searched through the area again but found nothing. As he left, he grumbled at them in frustration, "Don't forget to sprinkle some cumin when you soak your feet."

Jing Chi chuckled, "Sure thing. Take care, Master Shen!"

...

Jin Xi had her hairdryer confiscated, so at night, she had to go to the corridor to let the natural breeze dry her hair.

The door of the opposite dormitory opened, and Xu Chaoyang sat on the table in his underwear, shaving his legs. He was taken aback when he saw Jin Xi's dark deer-like eyes.

He panicked and quickly covered his chest, shouting loudly at Bo Yan, "Hey! Who told you to open the door? Close it, close it! I'm not wearing any clothes!"

Bo Yan came out and saw Jin Xi in her cozy winter pajamas, standing by the corridor with slightly damp hair hanging over her shoulders, making her face appear even smaller.

The two of them silently locked eyes for a moment. Jin Xi continued to lower her head and text Uncle Shen to complain, while Bo Yan turned and walked towards the hallway.

As his footsteps faded away, Jin Xi looked up and saw Bo Yan from behind. His black pencil pants made his legs appear long and straight, making his entire lower body seem like nothing but legs—a straight and tall figure that evoked envy.

Jin Xi sighed softly as she looked down at her own short legs.

When Bo Yan reached the corner of the stairs, he glanced back at her and casually said, "There's hot milk in my dorm. Let your instructor Xu get it for you, properly warmed up."

Jin Xi exclaimed, "Huh?" She was about to say something, but Bo Yan turned and went downstairs, leaving.

So cool, not even allowing others to finish their sentences.

Jin Xi stood in the corridor for a few more minutes, then knocked on the door of the dormitory opposite. The door wasn't closed properly, so it swung open as soon as she knocked.

Seeing that no one was in the dorm, she walked over curiously. A group of boys were crowded by the balcony, looking down at something happening downstairs.

She walked over and peered down, her head and neck sticking out.

Underneath the dormitory building, Bo Yan leaned against a lamppost, playing with a steel lighter, exuding a somewhat carefree and casual aura.

In front of him stood a tall and beautiful girl with long hair and bangs, fair and lovely.

Faced with the girl's sincere confession, Bo Yan remained calm, without the slightest ripple in his heart.

"I have something to do, so I'll go first."

"Bo Yan!" The girl called out to him desperately, seemingly ready to perform a melodramatic scene, "I really like you! Please give me a chance."

Bo Yan smiled faintly, a hint of a playful and unreliable aura in the corner of his eyes—

"I don't know you well, so why should I give you a chance?"