Sunlight had been streaming through the window for a long time before I groggily opened my eyes, let out a huge yawn, and picked up the phone beside my pillow to check the time.
"Shit!"
It was already almost ten o'clock. I hurriedly threw off the blanket covering my stomach, sat up, slipped on my slippers, and walked to the mirror in the washroom. Cupping a handful of cold water, I splashed it on my face, finally shaking off some of the drowsiness.
In the mirror was a somewhat delicate face, looking around nineteen years old, still carrying a trace of youthful innocence face. However, the dull, listless eyes suggested a haggard appearance, clearly from irregular daily routines that left the whole person looking listless.
After a quick wash, I looked more attentive, finally resembling a sophomore student. My name is Chen Xiao, a sophomore at Qingming College, 1.78 meters tall, with an appearance slightly above average. In other places, a guy like me might have no problem finding an ordinary girlfriend, but in Qingming College, a place overflowing with handsome men and beautiful women, I was destined to be just a obscure existence.
At the moment, I was alone in the dormitory. Of course, it wasn't that I had the privilege of a single room; my three roommates had just all stayed out last night. The four of us - Li Luyou, Luo Suohui, Bai Yishan, and I had been roommates since freshman year, and we were extremely close.
Before leaving the dorm, I paused, turned back, and pulled a book from the shelf. Glancing at a photo carefully, it showed an incredibly beautiful girl, truly a peerless beauty. Dressed in a white dress, she looked ethereal and flawless, with a perfectly graceful figure, there was not a single part of her that was not beautiful.
This girl's name is Zhao Qingshi, the class beauty. Even in Qingming College, a place teeming with beauties, she was the undisputed top campus belle. From the first moment I saw her when entering Qingming College, I fell hopelessly in love with her, sinking into an obsession from which I could not extricate myself. Of course, this feeling had to remain hidden in my heart. Zhao Qingshi was not only stunningly beautiful but also came from a noble background—her father was the mayor of Hengjun City, where Qingming College is located. Although she was not arrogant like many wealthy young ladies, I knew deeply that a girl as perfect as her would never look at an ordinary guy like me. I didn't even have the courage to confess my feelings, let alone pursue her.
Today was the weekend, usually is a day to relax. According to my usual habits, I would probably spend the day goof off in the dorm. But today was a special day, which is Zhao Qingshi's 19th birthday. She had invited all classmates to her birthday party, and I was naturally on the list. I had almost overslept.
Since Zhao Qingshi's home was quite far from the school, and my three roommates had all bought cars early after entering college, I had arranged with Li Luyou, the most helpful among them, to catch a ride with him to the party.
I left the dorm and headed out. We had agreed to meet at the school's main gate. From a distance, I saw two figures waiting. On the left was a tall, handsome guy—my good friend and roommate, Li Luyou. Despite the bustling crowd at the gate, with many beautiful girls passing by in summer shorts and skirts, Li Luyou stood upright, his gaze fixed ahead, not even glancing at them. He was clearly a rare gentleman.
Beside him was his girlfriend, An Zhishui, a leggy beauty with a graceful figure, our class monitor, and one of the two class belles alongside Zhao Qingshi. With her long hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a white T-shirt, a pleated skirt, and canvas shoes on her fair legs, she stood there prettily, a feast for the eyes.
Although I was a bit late and didn't know how long they had been waiting, Li Luyou didn't mind at all due to our close relationship. Seeing me approach, he teased, "No wonder it took so long to get ready—you're going to your crush's birthday party."
While my crush on Zhao Qingshi wasn't public, my roommates had noticed some signs due to our daily life together. I replied, "If I knew Monitor An was waiting here, I wouldn't have dared to be late even if I had three guts."
An Zhishui's pretty face flushed. "I wasn't waiting for you. I just happened to meet Li Luyou at the gate this morning."
Looking at her blushing face, I teased, "So it was just a coincidence? I thought you two got up from the same bed this morning."
Luo Suohui and Bai Yishan often stayed out, but Li Luyou was usually the most disciplined. The fact that he hadn't returned last night and was with An Zhishui early this morning made it obvious what had happened.
"No, don't talk nonsense, Chen Xiao," Li Luyou said, but a hint of pride that couldn't hide from his face.
As I guessed, Li Luyou must have spent the night with An Zhishui, claiming the first time of our beautiful monitor. An Zhishui shyly and angrily reached out to pinch Li Luyou's waist, but he didn't care about my presence and boldly pulled her closer. After a slight resistance, An Zhishui leaned softly into Li Luyou's embrace, her blushing face pressed against his chest.
The two of them flirted openly in front of me. Fortunately, being at the school gate, Li Luyou didn't go too far. An Zhishui was the daughter of the An Group's chairman, An Dongyang, a legendary self-made billionaire who had never fallen out of the top ten richest lists. Li Luyou's family was much more ordinary—his father, Li Xuejiu, was said to be a researcher of some kind, sounding like an ordinary, hardworking scholar, vastly different from An Zhishui's background.
Despite their huge difference in status, An Zhishui didn't care at all. Li Luyou was upright, a top student, and the class's number one scholar whom everyone relied on for exams. Most importantly, he was tall, handsome, and the most popular guy in our dorm. No one thought their relationship was mismatched.
To be honest, I had always had some feelings for An Zhishui. She was a rare beauty, only slightly inferior to Zhao Qingshi. Any normal guy in class would secretly admire her. But she was Li Luyou's girlfriend, and I knew the rule: "Don't covet a friend's wife." Besides, a young lady like her would never look at someone like me, so I only harbored silent thoughts, never daring to show them.
Watching Li Luyou hold An Zhishui, I couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy, thinking that this beautiful girl, almost as stunning as Zhao Qingshi, had given her first time to Li Luyou last night.
Since we needed to hurry to Zhao Qingshi's home, Li Luyou and An Zhishui didn't linger. We got in the car and arrived at Zhao Qingshi's house about half an hour later. This was my first time visiting. Although I knew her father, the mayor, must live in a large house, I was shocked by the villa that seemed to stretch endlessly.
Hengjun City was the country's economic hub, second only to Tiandu City as a political center, with sky-high property prices. An ordinary family could barely afford a few square meters here, but the Zhao family owned what was practically a manor. The area occupied by just a single small tree in this villa was probably worth more than a lifetime's earnings for an ordinary student like me.
The three of us got out of the car. In front of the villa was a lawn, with a red carpet laid between the gate and the house. Li Luyou immediately took An Zhishui's hand—naturally for a couple, though An Zhishui blushed slightly, perhaps because of their new physical intimacy from last night.
Before we reached the villa, two people came to greet us. On the left was another roommate, Luo Suohui, who looked ordinary with black-rimmed glasses, giving off a nerdy vibe. But this was just a front—those who knew him well knew he spent all day gaming. If not for his father, Luo Batian, the vice mayor of Hengjun City, he would never have gotten into Qingming College.
Next to Luo Suohui was a very pretty girl with a soft oval face and delicate features, large eyes with long, fluttering lashes. But more eye-catching than her face was her figure: a white T-shirt contrasting with her snow-white skin, like a princess, and black jeans hugging her curvy hips. Her tall frame, full chest, and slender waist exuded an elegant, sexy aura that made people want to embrace her and caress her curves.
This girl was Ning Yingxue, the top beauty of the law department. Though not in our class, she was Luo Suohui's girlfriend and had been brought to the party.
"Finally, you two showed up! We've been waiting ages," Luo Suohui said with a laugh, punching Li Luyou and me in the chest.
"What, with such a beautiful girlfriend by your side, you still miss us bros?" I joked.
"Ugh, don't mention it. I was talking about Yasuo (game character) earlier, and she didn't even know who that is and thought it was a sneaker brand! All these women care about are clothes and shoes; they don't understand anything. So boring," Luo Suohui complained.
Ning Yingxue, hearing her boyfriend's criticism, showed no anger, just smiled awkwardly and apologized: "Okay, don't blame me. I just don't get that stuff. Now that your friends are here, you can talk about games all you want."
Looking at Ning Yingxue, who smiled despite the unfair criticism, I sighed inwardly. It was perfectly normal for a beautiful girl like her to like fashion and not understand games. Most girls would've snapped back or lectured him about modern feminism, but not her.
Back then, because of her humble background, Ning Yingxue was seen as an "easier" target, so despite ranking only mid-tier in the campus beauty list, she had more admirers than anyone and countless guys who thought they had a chance just because she wasn't from a wealthy family. But in the end, she chose Luo Suohui, the least romantic guy of all. Perhaps she was drawn to his background.
"You're no better—always gaming. Don't you dare talk about others," An Zhishui retorted, listing luxury brands like Gucci, Dior, Armani, and LV. She and Ning Yingxue weren't close friends, but they had bonded through their boyfriends. Seeing Ning Yingxue picked on, the justice-loving An Zhishui couldn't help but intervene.
Luo Suohui argued back: "I bet no guy knows these weird things! Li Luyou, do you know them? I'll bet your boyfriend doesn't either, An Zhishui."
To his girlfriend's face, Li Luyou didn't hold back: "Gucci is an Italian brand known for high-end, luxurious—"
"Stop, stop! Li Luyou, you've gone soft since getting a girlfriend, turning into a poser like Baldy over there! 'Italian,' 'high-end luxurious'—ugh, so annoying!" Luo Suohui grumbled, then turned to me: "Chen Xiao, do you know these things?"
"Not really, just heard of them," I hedged, trying to defuse the tension before changing the subject: "Where's Baldy? Isn't he here yet?"
"Baldy's having a rough time—you'll see when we get inside. Let me lead the way," Luo Suohui chuckled.
He turned to lead the group, with Ning Yingxue trailing half a step behind. Li Luyou held An Zhishui's hand beside Luo Suohui, and I followed. Comparing Li Luyou and Luo Suohui's attitudes toward their girlfriends was night and day: Li Luyou doted on An Zhishui like she was made of glass, while Luo Suohui ignored Ning Yingxue's feelings. I wondered if one day Ning Yingxue would lose patience with him.
We reached a guest room on the second floor, where a guy our age—our last roommate, Bai Yishan, nicknamed "Baldy"—sat. When we first met as freshmen, Luo Suohui had blurted out "Baldy" upon seeing Bai Yishan's dyed yellow hair with a white streak in front. Despite later dying his hair all black, the nickname stuck.
Bai Yishan was the heir to Hengjun City's largest enterprise, Yunsi group, a wealthy playboy who spent money freely at school. Bad at studying but a pro at gaming, sports, and racing, he was popular with girls. If not for Li Luyou's better looks, he might've been the class heartthrob. He was also a ladies' man, often juggling multiple girlfriends.
Today, though, he kept his left hand over his face. When he saw us, he stood to greet us but didn't move his hand. Just as I wondered why, Luo Suohui suddenly yanked his hand away—revealing a bright red slap mark on Bai Yishan's handsome face. The person who hit him must have been furious.
Bai Yishan always presented a dashing, polished image, so the slap mark shattered his usual facade. Luo Suohui and Ning Yingxue, already in the know, stayed calm, but Li Luyou, An Zhishui, and I burst out laughing—especially An Zhishui, who had always disliked Bai Yishan's playboy ways, and now laughed until she could barely stand.
Bai Yishan sighed helplessly: "What's so funny? It's just a slap."
"Who dared to hit Young Master Bai? They must be tired of living," I asked, curious. Bai Yishan was no pushover—usually the one causing trouble, not the victim.
Before he could answer, Luo Suohui chimed in: "Hahaha, who else? Baldy here was too, a playboy, so his girlfriends got jealous and fought!"
"No way," I said. "His girlfriends seemed to get along fine. Why would they fight?"
Bai Yishan cut in: "Don't listen to Luo Suohui. There's a new transfer student, a cold beauty. I managed to charm her easily, but since we just started dating, I didn't plan to tell her about my other girlfriends yet, so I didn't bring her today."
"But guess what? She came anyway and caught me with Zhang Yiyu. She stormed up and slapped me," Luo Suohui laughed, clearly having witnessed the scene.
Zhang Yiyu was the second-ranked campus belle after Zhao Qingshi, a stunning beauty on par with An Zhishui. She was Bai Yishan's first official girlfriend and familiar to us all.
"Alright, enough about this mess," Bai Yishan snapped.
"We must talk! You deserve it, playboys should get slapped," An Zhishui retorted, then turned to Li Luyou: "You'd better not ever cheat like Baldy, or I'll never speak to you again."
Li Luyou quickly pulled his girlfriend close to avoid her wrath: "I wouldn't dare. You're the only one in my heart, forever."
"Ugh..." Bai Yishan, Luo Suohui, and I rolled our eyes in unison.
"Where's Yiyu? Was she hit?" An Zhishui asked, concerned for her friend.
Ning Yingxue replied: "No, she just got scolded and left upset."
Relieved, An Zhishui said cheerfully: "Good, as long as Yiyu's okay. Baldy deserved that slap." She even stuck out her tongue at Bai Yishan.
This triggered Bai Yishan: "Monitor An, I'm your classmate! Do you have to be so happy seeing me get slapped?"
"Yep, very happy!" An Zhishui stuck out her tongue again. "I hate playboys who flirt everywhere. If a man can't love one woman wholeheartedly, he has no reason to exist."
Watching the usually elegant An Zhishui act like a playful girl, I felt a stir of attraction. Maybe because she had lost her virginity last night, she now exuded a new, alluring charm.
It would be a dream to win her heart, but her strict stance against infidelity meant being with her would require giving up all other fantasies—no more dreaming of Zhao Qingshi, Zhang Yiyu, Ning Yingxue, or other beauties. Was it worth it?
'Stop it, Chen Xiao! An Zhishui is Li Luyou's girlfriend, Zhang Yiyu is with Bai Yishan, Ning Yingxue with Luo Suohui—they're all taken. Zhao Qingshi is single, but what chance do I have with her? These stunning girls are all out of my league.'
Noticing his girlfriend and roommate about to argue, Li Luyou intervened: "Okay, both of you, stop. The party's starting. Let's go out. What about you, Baldy?"
Bai Yishan glared at Li Luyou, as if blaming him for choosing his girlfriend over friends, and said, "How can I go out like this? I'll just stay here."