Serenade

Chapter 21

In Ma Zhe's class, Jin Xi was holding a pen and carefully outlining the key points in the book.

Lin Luo leaned over and asked her in a low voice, "Are you going home for New Year's Day tomorrow?"

"No, I'm staying for exam review," Jin Xi replied.

"Great! Chu Zhao and Tang Tang aren't going home either. Let's go downtown tomorrow night to celebrate New Year's Eve together!" Lin Luo said excitedly.

Jin Xi glanced at her and said, "Didn't the supervisor warn us not to go to crowded places during the holidays? Or were you the class monitor who was supposed to pass that message along?"

"They just suggested we don't go, they didn't set up checkpoints at the school gates to stop us. We can sneak out and have some fun," Lin Luo said.

Chu Zhao turned around and said, "It's better not to go. Those internet celebrity spots get so crowded during the holidays. I don't want to be squeezed like a zongzi. Some people went to Mount Tai during the last National Day holiday, but they didn't get to see enough butts!"

"Then what do you suggest we do for fun?" Lin Luo asked.

After thinking for a moment, Chu Zhao said: "Since none of us want to go out for New Year's Eve, let's buy some snacks and beer and invite the upperclassmen from the dorm room across the hall to celebrate New Year's Eve with us."

Jin Xi nodded in agreement: "Sounds good."

Lin Luo sneered, "Now you think of the upperclassmen across the hall. Too late, those precious national defense cabbages have already been plucked by others."

"What? By who?"

"Who else could it be? Those flowers at the end of the hallway made plans to party with them for New Year's Eve."

"Did they agree?"

Lin Luo sneered, "When there are beauties asking them out, how could they say no? Your instructor Xu was the most excited. I saw him laughing like a dog on the playground this afternoon when talking to the girls."

Chu Zhao cursed, "That big pig foot!"

Jin Xi bit her pen and stared silently out the window. The lush green leaves in the South were still vibrant despite the winter. A gust of wind blew, rustling the trees.

It looked like rain was coming.

"Ah!" she suddenly cried out, "I left my clothes drying on the rooftop!"

Her roommates remained calm, while only she was panicked.

"I need to go back and get my clothes," Jin Xi said hurriedly as she gathered her books, ready to rush out.

Lin Luo quickly grabbed her, "Knowing our Ma Zhe teacher's temper, he'll definitely take attendance next class. If you're not there, he'll definitely dock your final grade. You've made it through the whole semester without skipping any classes, it would be such a waste to skip now and lose your scholarship."

"But I can't just abandon my clothes either," Jin Xi said.

Chu Zhao suggested, "Why don't you ask one of your upperclassmen friends to help collect them for you if they're in the dorm?"

Jin Xi thought about it and sent a message to Bo Yan -

"Bo Yan upperclassman!!!"

In the boxing gym, Bo Yan had just finished an intense workout and was covered in sweat. His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Seeing the three exclamation points, the corner of his mouth curled up as he typed back: "Little butt Xi."

"Upperclassman, are you in the dorm? Could you help me collect my clothes if you're there? I'm still in class and can't get away."

Bo Yan looked back at the boxing ring where his opponents were sprawled exhausted on the floor after being beaten by him.

He replied: "I'm here."

Jin Xi: "Thank you upperclassman! [pleading emoji] [pleading emoji]"

Bo Yan: "It should be thank you Brother Bo Yan."

Jin Xi: "Uh..."

Just then, Lin Luo's head peeked over again, "He's going out in the rain to collect clothes for you. Calling him 'brother' once wouldn't hurt."

Jin Xi quickly covered her phone, "Peeping is shameful!"

...

In the moment she hesitated, Bo Yan had already taken off his guards and sleeveless outer vest, grabbed a jacket, and strode quickly out of the boxing classroom.

"Bo Yan, class isn't over yet. Where are you running off to?"

"Collecting clothes for my girl." With a smile on his face, Bo Yan walked out of the boxing classroom with big strides.

Jin Xi reluctantly called him "Brother Bo Yan" this once.

Shen Ping Chuan wanted to be her brother, and Bo Yan wanted to be her brother too. Xu Chaoyang's seniority was even higher, jumping directly to the teacher level.

Why did all these big pig feet like playing this kind of game? So annoying.

Lin Luo said that for a soft and cute little bunny like Jin Xi, not just boys, even girls wanted to lock her up in a little cage and raise her. They'd hug and squeeze her whenever they wanted.

Creeps!

Jin Xi consciously distanced herself from them and lowered her head to type a message: "Brother Bo Yan, did you get the clothes? Do you recognize them? I wear those few pieces a lot."

Bo Yan: "I see them. There's not many pieces on the rooftop, they're all yours."

Jin Xi breathed a sigh of relief and sent a cute bunny emoji nodding gratefully: "Thank you."

Bo Yan sent an audio message. The wind sounded strong in the audio, and Bo Yan's voice was especially husky: "Let me check, two sweaters, gray and white, and the scarf I gave you."

Jin Xi: "Yes yes."

She noticed the screen showed he was still talking, but the audio didn't send for a long time.

After a while, Bo Yan finally sent a text message: "Also, the pink one..."

The pink one? Which one?

Jin Xi thought about it and quickly pressed her phone in realization.

"Crap!"

She had also hung out a pink bra to dry.

**

Soon after, light rain began to fall outside the window. The lush green leaves rustled noisily as the heavy rain washed over them.

A new message popped up on her phone screen.

Bo Yan: "Did you bring an umbrella?"

Jin Xi: "Nope."

The pen spun around her fingertips a few times, then nothing else came through.

Finally class ended. Anxious about her clothes, Jin Xi hurriedly left the classroom without waiting for her roommates who were slowly packing up their books.

A tall, thin male student called out to her in the hallway: "Jin Xi."

Jin Xi turned around: "Oh, class monitor, what's up?"

The class monitor was more than 10 cm taller than Jin Xi, around 1.7 meters tall. He wore nerdy black-framed glasses and had fair skin and delicate features, looking scholarly and cultured.

Faint traces of red crept up the class monitor's fair face as he stammered, "Tomorrow night, you...you...you..."

Jin Xi was in a hurry and the class monitor had been "you"-ing for half a day without getting to the point, so she said directly: "Class monitor, I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'll head off first."

"I wanted to ask if you're busy tomorrow night?"

The class monitor caught up to Jin Xi as they walked down the stairs together: "If you're free, I was hoping...to invite you to celebrate New Year's Eve together."

"I don't have anything going on, but..."

"Then it's settled!" Afraid of being rejected, the class monitor didn't let her finish her sentence and hurriedly took his leave: "The school's Eco Cafe is open all night tomorrow. We'll celebrate New Year's Eve there!"

Watching the class monitor's weak, scholarly back as he left, Jin Xi's brows furrowed slightly. Just then, a lazy, nonchalant male voice came from beside the wall -

"Looks like you have a date."

Jin Xi turned around to see Bo Yan leaning lazily against the railing in the hallway. Behind him, raindrops pattered like beads of pearls against the awning.

He had rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of fair wrist. In his hand he held a black umbrella, the prominent knuckles on the back of his slender fingers connecting to the tips glistened with moisture.

Backlit, he looked at her, the corner of his mouth curled up in a faint smile. He beckoned to her with his long, powerful fingers.

"I was just about to go find you, upperclassman," Jin Xi said, clutching the strap of her sling bag as she ran over to him.

With a "swish", Bo Yan opened the black umbrella. Shiny droplets rolled down the edges.

He glanced at Jin Xi, two feet away from him, his tone aloof yet matter-of-fact -

"Let's go."

Jin Xi hesitated for a moment, then still ducked under Bo Yan's black umbrella.

The umbrella wasn't very big, barely covering two people. Huddled so close to him, she could clearly feel the heat emanating from his body, searing her skin through their thin clothing.

She even took stiff steps from the proximity.

Bo Yan accused first, murmuring: "What are you doing?"

Jin Xi asked in confusion: "What am I doing?"

"You're crowding me."

Bo Yan's voice had a hoarse quality to it, low and magnetic.

Jin Xi moved a bit farther from him, thinking to herself that she was just trying not to get his clothes wet, which is why she moved closer. Ungrateful jerk.

For some reason, her petulant little expression seemed to amuse Bo Yan. The corner of his mouth quirked up and didn't fall back down. He tilted the umbrella towards her a few degrees.

"Little butt Xi, are you going to celebrate New Year's Eve tomorrow with that scrawny rooster?"

"Don't call him names, he's our class monitor."

Bo Yan raised his brows, "He likes you."

Jin Xi casually said, "He's very diligent and responsible with his work. I quite like him too."

Bo Yan made a light snort, "So is there anyone at this school that you don't like?"

Jin Xi thought it over carefully, and it seemed there really wasn't. Even the fierce dorm aunty, she still greeted pleasantly every day.

Bo Yan sighed helplessly.

Just then, a black sedan drove past on the roadside, splashing the accumulated rainwater and sending water flying everywhere.

Bo Yan quickly wrapped his arm around Jin Xi's shoulders and lifted her entirely to his other side, shielding her.

Jin Xi felt like a cat, easily picked up and swung around by him.

If she got into a fight with him, she'd definitely be pinned to the ground and smothered.

Jin Xi shivered at the thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Bo Yan saw her change expressions and wondered what ideas were running through her mind.

Jin Xi admitted honestly, "I was thinking Shen Ping Chuan definitely doesn't have your skills."

He chuckled lightly, "That's the truth."

"Shen Ping Chuan can't even beat me," Jin Xi said. "He's super weak."

Bo Yan gazed down at her. A few strands of damp hair fell across her forehead. Her jet black eyes and fair complexion created a crisp, vivid luminosity, making her features exceptionally distinct.

"He may be weak, but daring to smash someone's head with a wine bottle, Shen Ping Chuan is not weak. You're his soft spot," Bo Yan said gently.

Jin Xi nodded thoughtfully, "Then...I won't bully him anymore."

"Good girl."

Perhaps it was from all the milk he drank, but Jin Xi seemed to catch a hint of light milk scent on him.

So boys could have this kind of sweet, soft smell too.

For the second half of their walk, Bo Yan's hand naturally settled onto Jin Xi's shoulder, casually putting his arm around her.

Jin Xi didn't feel uncomfortable, perhaps because the rain was so chilly.

Bo Yan, a male student living in room 8 of the dormitory building, folded up his black umbrella and led Jin Xi back to his own dorm room.

Jin Xi leaned against the door and watched as he took out her clothes from the closet.

Her clothes were folded into neat little tofu cubes.

Jin Xi was incredulous and exclaimed admiringly, "What magic is this?!"

"I can teach you if you want to learn."

Jin Xi shook her head vigorously like a bobblehead doll. "No thanks!"

Having to fold clothes and bedsheets like this every day would just make her want to die.

Finally, Bo Yan took out her pink bra.

Jin Xi's face flushed red and she reached out to grab it, but Bo Yan raised his hand out of her reach.

"What are you...doing?"

The corners of Bo Yan's eyes curved up slightly as he smiled silently. His beautiful fingertips brought together the two cups of the bra, then he tucked it into the middle layer between the folded clothes.

"Eat more, little grade schooler."

Jin Xi's cheeks and ears were burning now, she huffed indignantly, "I'm not a grade schooler!"

Grade schoolers wear crop tops, she was wearing a real bra okay!

Bo Yan's dark gaze lingered on her chest for a moment, then he grabbed her by the collar and pushed her out the door, "From now on, don't let others see that hanging outside."

"There's no one on the rooftop anyway. Besides, there's no place to hang stuff in our dorm room." Jin Xi said as she turned back.

"You can hang it in my room." Bo Yan casually suggested, "I'll put up some hooks for you."

Jin Xi: ......

Nevermind, no need to trouble Young Master Bo.

That night, as expected, Bo Yan brought tools like hammers, ropes and hooks to knock on the door of room 410.

He hammered some iron hooks into the wall of the girls' balcony and hung up some clothes lines.

After he left, Lin Luo asked Jin Xi in confusion, "What was that about?"

Jin Xi awkwardly explained, "He means...for us to hang our bras indoors."

The girls simultaneously widened their eyes, "Whoa!"

Jin Xi said, "Isn't it super awkward?"

Chu Zhao, "But it's so thoughtful!"

Lin Luo, "Mom, I want to marry him!"

**

In the evening of the 31st, Xu Chaoyang walked into the dorm room.

"How strange, I just ran into the girls from the dorm room across the hall downstairs. I greeted them but they all gave me the cold shoulder."

On Jing Chi's bed there was a pile of unopened condoms, he was taking inventory while making a list. "That's because you ran your mouth yesterday promising those four flowers from room 401 that we'd do a New Year's Eve mix with them."

Xu Chaoyang was puzzled, "Just because I agreed to celebrate New Year's with some girls, our neighbors aren't talking to us anymore?"

"They're not talking to you, Bo Yan and I didn't invite them."

"Then are you guys not going tonight?"

Jing Chi stretched lazily, "I'm not going. It's obvious that celebrating New Year's with those girls would offend all the guys in the dorm building. How can I continue my condom business afterwards?"

Xu Chaoyang looked towards Bo Yan again, "Are you going?"

On the balcony, Bo Yan put down his paintbrush and picked up some chalk powder, replying lightly, "Blocking the money path of others is like killing one's parents. I'm not going."

Now Xu Chaoyang was a little anxious, "But I already promised them! I can't be the only one going right?"

Bo Yan looked back, glancing at him coolly, "Young men going out should protect themselves. It's best not to participate in mixed gender dorm activities with impure motivations."

Xu Chaoyang: ......

Just then, the door of the girls' dorm room across from them opened and the girls came out dressed up beautifully.

Xu Chaoyang called out, "Where are you girls headed?"

Jin Xi: "The supermarket to buy some snacks. We're going to a cafe to celebrate New Year's."

"Oh, that sounds nice!"

"Aren't you going to the mix with room 401? Shouldn't you get ready?"

Xu Chaoyang said helplessly as he scratched his head, "We're not going anymore."

"You're not going again?"

"Your Bo Yan said that young men should protect themselves and not recklessly participate in mixed gender activities with impure motivations."

Jin Xi raised her eyebrows and laughed, "Then you guys have fun playing games or whatever in your room."

Xu Chaoyang: "Yup, video games."

"Does senior want to come with us to the cafe then?"

"Let's not go. Mainly your Boss Jing and Boss Bo don't really want to hang out with girls..."

Before he could finish speaking, his foot was viciously trampled on by a certain someone passing by.

Bo Yan lazily walked past Xu Chaoyang, hung up his painting to let it dry on the wall, his idle gaze falling on Jin Xi as he murmured, "We'll go."

**

Xu Chaoyang closed the dorm room door and pointed at Bo Yan yelling, "You, you... Didn't you just say to be chaste and protect ourselves? Now how did you end up agreeing to go with the girls again?"

Jing Chi laughed, "Have you heard of the 'smells delicious' principle?"

Bo Yan opened the closet and started trying on clothes, saying casually, "I was planning to spend tonight with assCi* anyways, no 'smells delicious'."

Xu Chaoyang: "Come on, little assCi is not a girl anymore?"

Bo Yan: "It's different."

Xu Chaoyang: "How is it different?"

Bo Yan glanced at him coolly: "Others are others, she's my girl."

Xu Chaoyang: ......

Have some shame!

The cafe was very big. When the class monitor saw Jin Xi come in, he immediately stood up, extremely nervous as he adjusted his black framed glasses.

"Jin Xi, you're here. Please have a seat."

"Good evening, senior."

However, when he saw that Jin Xi had brought three dormmates with her, his expression was a little unnatural. "You...also brought friends?"

"Yeah, more people more fun right?"

Seeing the monitor's displeased expression, Lin Luo asked, "Mr. Monitor, do you not welcome us?"

The monitor forced a smile. "Of course not, please sit, please sit."

After sitting down, they started some awkward small talk.

Half an hour later, Jin Xi went out again and came back bringing a few more guys.

The monitor's face went from green to black.

"These are...also your friends?"

"Yup, they said they wanted to join us for board games, so I brought some more friends over. These guys live in the dorm across from us."

When she called them "guys" in her sweet sticky voice, it sounded very nice.

Bo Yan chuckled softly, flicking his tongue against his teeth as he silently mouthed it.

Because there were so many people, they changed to a private room.

Originally the monitor had booked a romantic table for two in the corner just to spend the night with Jin Xi, but more and more people kept coming. They went from a table for two, to a medium table, to finally a big one.

Jin Xi sat in the innermost spot of the private room with three girls on one side of her.

Bo Yan saw the situation...it would be hard to get close to her.

Luckily, Jin Xi went out again and came back bringing Shen Ping Chuan.

The monitor's face darkened even more. "Who is this again?"

Jin Xi explained, "Shen Ping Chuan, my registered brother."

After Shen Ping Chuan greeted everyone, he found a seat and sat down.

Jing Chi was about to let Jin Xi through, but Bo Yan lightly coughed.

Men understood men's thoughts the most. Jing Chi immediately stood up and said to Jin Xi, "Junior sister, you sit in my spot next to your Bo Yan. I'll sit inside."

Jin Xi simply said "Oh" and didn't think too much before sitting down next to Bo Yan.

She wore a fluffy white sweater. Above the round neckline, the skin of her neck was especially fair and flawless. She had a pair of mittens hanging around her neck, and sewn onto the mittens was a little bunny cartoon.

Bo Yan pinched the soft fur on her mittens. Jin Xi asked, "Are your hands cold?"

"Feel for yourself and see."

Jin Xi touched the back of his hand with hers. It was warm, but not very hot.

Thinking that he'd just recovered from a serious illness, she didn't want him to catch a cold again. Jin Xi simply took off her mittens and handed them over, softly saying, "Wear these."

Xu Chaoyang really wanted to say that Boss Bo wasn't that delicate. He did naked pushups every day in their dorm room. How could he get sick from just a gust of wind? What was this, Daiyu Bai?

But Bo Yan seemed adamant on not losing face. He actually put on the little bunny mittens finger by finger.

The girls' mittens couldn't fit over his large, long hands at all. He only got them halfway up his palms before the poor girl's mittens were stretched full.

Inside the mittens, the lingering warmth from the girl's body enveloped him. He suddenly liked this soft fuzzy feeling from girls.

Xu Chaoyang rolled his eyes at him while Jing Chi just smiled without comment. Shen Ping Chuan stared enviously at Jin Xi's mittens, saying they really were too cute and he wanted a pair too.

The class monitor watched with stunned disbelief. Were they demons?

More and more students gathered at the cafe as they waited to celebrate the new year, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Lin Luo took out a deck of cards and they played Werewolf together.

Bo Yan was quite good at this game that required pretending with a straight face, no matter if he was the werewolf or villager, he could lead his team to steady victories. Unexpectedly, Jin Xi was also adept at disguising herself, playing possum then ambushing people. She especially excelled at tricking a bunch of idiots when partnered with Bo Yan as fellow werewolves, becoming practically unstoppable.

The usually refined monitor lost miserably in the end and took his leave in frustration.

They had all been eagerly waiting for Bo Yan to be killed off so they could properly punish him and avenge their earlier crushing defeat.

"Truth or dare?"

Bo Yan raised his brows and fearlessly chose "truth."

If truth was chosen, then three questions had to be asked to equal one dare.

Bo Yan was frank and had nothing to hide.

Jinxi was about to speak when Xuchaoyang quickly bent over and whispered a few words in her ear.

Boyan saw his sly and sinister look and knew he was up to no good. He said to Jinxi, "Don't listen to him, ask what you want to ask."

Jinxi couldn't think of a question for the moment, so she went with the tactic Xuchaoyang had fed her:

"Xuchaoyang asks, why were you in the bathroom for half an hour at 1am last night?"

The boys immediately exchanged meaningful glances.

Shenpingchuan exclaimed, "Hey hey, how could we let our little sister ask such an unhealthy question!"

Before Jinxi could react, thinking that making Boyan publicly admit to doing his business in the bathroom was embarrassing enough to prank him.

But she didn't expect Boyan to smile faintly and frankly say, "I was jerking off, so what."

When the girls understood what Boyan meant, they giggled behind their hands.

Xuchaoyang relentlessly pursued, "There seemed to be light coming from the bathroom too. Were you looking at someone's photo while you did it?"

Boyan: "None of your damn business, you ask."

Xuchaoyang nudged Jinxi, and Jinxi responded, "It is my turn to ask, so were you looking at someone's photo?"

Jingchi and the others were already laughing and slumped over the table.

Boyan hesitated for a moment before finally giving a low "Mmm" with red cheeks.

There was only one question left, and it was obvious what it would be: "Whose photo were you looking at?"

Boyan's phone was clearly on the table, so who else's photo could it be? The girls were very curious, scratching their heads.

Shenpingchuan, who had initially found it unhealthy, was now the most excited, shouting hoarsely, "Whose photo were you looking at? Tell us, tell us!"

Boyan glanced at him contemptuously. "Why should I tell you?"

The last question should still be asked by Jinxi.

Shenpingchuan urged Jinxi, "Little sister, just ask whose photo he was looking at."

Jinxi felt that pursuing this was going too far, it was almost stripping someone's privacy bare. Even if it was truth or dare, they shouldn't play someone like this.

But everyone was so expectant.

She thought for a moment, and asked, "The person in the photo, she wasn't among us, right?"

This question was relatively mild. As long as Boyan admitted she wasn't here, the matter would be settled.

Shenpingchuan was greatly disappointed. "What kind of question is this? Do you even know how to ask? Let me do it if you don't."

Jinxi glared at him, then looked expectantly at Boyan. "She wasn't here, right?"

Unexpectedly, the corners of Boyan's lips curled up slightly. His narrow, aggressive phoenix eyes looked meaningfully at her, and his voice was low and rich.

"She was."