#81: Extra #1

Su Cheng had just returned to the dorm when he received the call.

There were four people in their dorm, all from different parts of the country and initially strangers. However, after spending three or four days together, they quickly became familiar with each other.

Ranked by age, Su Cheng happened to be the third oldest.

B University boasted excellent teaching facilities, and the dorms weren’t bad either—bunk beds above and desks below, newly constructed buildings that were bright, clean, and sunny.

Lin Jinxu, who lived on the right side of the door, said, “Hey, I heard there are a lot of pretty girls in this year’s freshman class. Are you all single?”

He had been quite the flirt in high school, and now that he was in college, he was completely letting loose. He was practically itching to dive into the liberal arts department.

Lin Jinxu continued, “If you’re single, we should organize a mixer. We can find a dorm full of great girls. After all, our dorm is above average in terms of looks—just look at Number Three here.”

The mentioned Su Cheng glanced over at him.

Just then, the phone on his desk vibrated, its screen lighting up with a familiar name flashing across it.

Su Cheng pursed his lips and answered, “What is it?”

The other three in the dorm seemed to have been muted, sneaking glances his way and speculating who could be calling.

“Su Cheng, Mom told me to ask you to help me carry my luggage,” Su Hui’s crisp voice came through the line. “Hurry up!”

Su Cheng replied calmly, “She’s your mom too now.”

The girl on the other end huffed, “Are you coming or not? If not, fine. I’ll let Mom talk to you later—I’m not helping you.”

It seemed someone else was speaking to her at that moment because Su Hui’s voice drifted off slightly, “…Thanks, senior…”

After a while, Su Hui came back on the line, “I’m hanging up.”

She was unbearably hot and currently catching her breath in the shade. Just as she was about to hang up, his deep, steady voice came through the receiver, low and quiet, “Where are you?”

Su Hui replied, “At the freshmen registration area.”

Su Cheng already knew her major because their families had insisted they enroll in the same university. Thankfully, they weren’t in the same program; otherwise, Su Hui felt she’d be compared to him for all four years.

Blended families sure brought a lot of complications.

Su Hui’s dad constantly preached, “Learn more from Brother Su Cheng.” Meanwhile, Su Cheng’s mom would say, “If anything happens, go to Brother Su Cheng for help—he’ll take care of it, or I’ll discipline him.” The two parents worked in perfect harmony.

But Su Hui didn’t think much of all this studying business. When it came to academics, Le Ya was slightly better than her, though the difference wasn’t significant. As for friends, Su Cheng’s circle of buddies could be counted on one hand.

To this day, Su Hui had only called Su Cheng “Brother” once, and that was during his first visit to her house when she was trying to project an amiable personality.

That same night, Su Cheng ended up catching a cold because of her.

Her dad made her take care of him, much to Su Hui’s reluctance. She had to feed him medicine and change his towels.

During that time, Su Cheng, in his feverish haze, had gripped her wrist so tightly it turned red. She still remembered it vividly and thought of him as a creep.

This impression reached its peak shortly after their third year of high school when Su Cheng started making her drink papaya juice every day.

In truth, Su Hui didn’t see her parents’ divorce as a big deal—it was a common occurrence these days. Her dad was genuinely happier now.

And Su Cheng’s mom wasn’t bad either—she didn’t act one way in front of them and another behind their backs like those TV drama stepmothers. She was just overly enthusiastic, which Su Hui found hard to handle sometimes.

The registration days for economics and English majors weren’t the same. Su Cheng had arrived at school several days ago, but Su Hui was only arriving today.

Su Cheng tightened his grip on the phone and said in a low voice, “Don’t let me see you leave with anyone else, or you know what will happen.”

Su Hui shot back impatiently, “You’ve got some nerve bringing that up.”

Back in high school, someone had confessed to her, but somehow Su Cheng had found out. Although he had promised not to tell their parents, her dad eventually learned about it anyway.

Their romance hadn’t even begun before it was squashed.

Thinking about it still made Su Hui angry, so she hung up without further ado.

Seeing her sour mood, the senior standing in front of her immediately sensed an opportunity. Among the freshmen this year, this girl was clearly the most attractive.

He offered eagerly, “Let me help you with your things.”

Su Hui waved him off, uninterested. “No need, my brother is coming soon.”

The senior’s eyes lit up. It seemed he needed to get on good terms with the older brother. He asked casually, “Was that your brother just now?”

Su Hui replied nonchalantly, “Yeah.”

Since Su Cheng couldn’t hear her confirm it, she figured she could twist the truth however she wanted.

When Su Cheng arrived at the foreign language department’s freshmen registration area, several boys were gathered around the tables, smiling broadly.

His expression darkened.

Su Hui was busy filling out her information, muttering to herself, “Do I really have to fill in all these numbers? There are so many—anything else I need to write?”

The seniors chimed in enthusiastically, “There’s more here, and here too. All of this needs to be filled out—it’s required.”

Su Hui responded with an “Oh.”

Once she finished, she quickly tossed the pen aside. It was unbearably hot despite the air conditioning—the crowd diluted the cool air, making it feel sparse.

A bespectacled senior said, “Junior Su Hui, let me escort you to your dorm. Your building this year just happens to be opposite ours.”

He reached for the suitcase Su Hui had placed beside her chair.

Before he could touch it, a long, slender hand suddenly appeared and moved the suitcase away.

The bespectacled senior looked up to see a handsome guy standing there. Instinctively sensing danger, he realized this was the era of judging by appearances—and the junior sister was definitely slipping away.

Su Cheng’s expression remained impassive as he said, “No need to trouble yourself.”

At the sound of his voice, Su Hui immediately turned around and complained, “Why did you take so long? Do you see how sweaty my face is?”

She leaned her face closer to him.

Her delicate makeup was flawless, so fine that even the peach fuzz on her skin was visible. Her lashes fluttered slightly.

But there wasn’t a single drop of sweat.

This girl loved to exaggerate.

Her cherry-red lips parted as she spoke: “It’s all your fault I had to stand in the sun for an extra hour. Su Cheng, wait till Mom calls you tonight.”

Su Cheng shifted his gaze away from her face and pulled out a tissue, handing it to her. “Isn’t it hot? Are we leaving or not?”

Su Hui took the tissue without hesitation and urged him, “Let’s go, let’s go.”

The seniors standing by the table exchanged glances, feeling utterly defeated.

Their relationship was clearly close—it was obvious at a glance. These days, most female juniors already had boyfriends, and their bond resembled that of family members.

There was simply no room for them to intervene.

It was 2 p.m., the hottest time of the day.

The campus was bustling with freshmen reporting for registration, each accompanied by one, two, or even three parents, dragging multiple suitcases. The scene was chaotic.

Su Hui opened her umbrella and tossed it to Su Cheng. She then bought an ice cream from the convenience store and happily munched on it, enjoying the cooling sensation as it melted in her stomach. Feeling much better, she suddenly remembered something and said, “Mom told me today that she wants to buy a two-bedroom apartment off-campus. We’re not staying in the dorms.”

Su Cheng glanced at her and replied indifferently, “Mm.”

“Can’t you say more than just one word?” Su Hui pouted. She had always thought his personality was strange—sometimes he was completely uncommunicative.

Su Cheng furrowed his brows slightly and said, “If she wants to buy it, then buy it. I have no objections.”

Su Hui quickly seized the opportunity: “Then I’ll take that as your agreement. I’ll call Mom later to confirm it. I don’t want to deal with the hassle of living in the dorms.”

Living in their own place would be far more convenient.

As for living with Su Cheng, she didn’t think much of it. They had practically lived together throughout high school anyway. With two separate rooms, what could possibly go wrong?

The foreign language department was housed in the old dormitory this year, located opposite the male dormitories and also across from Su Cheng’s dormitory building.

From their side of the balcony, they could see the other side.

Su Cheng subtly withdrew his gaze and escorted Su Hui to her dorm room. Inside, two girls—one with short hair and one with long hair—were chatting about food. When they saw Su Cheng and Su Hui enter, they immediately stopped talking.

Su Hui took her suitcase and said, “Alright, you can go now.”

Su Cheng glanced inside the dorm room. The old dormitory was noticeably more run-down than the new ones. He frowned slightly and reminded her, “Call me if anything happens. My dorm is right across from yours. Don’t argue with anyone.”

It seemed they needed to move out sooner rather than later.

Su Hui urged impatiently, “You’re so annoying. I’m not the type to pick fights with people. Why do you always badmouth me, Su Cheng?”

She pushed him toward the door.

Since it was summer, he was wearing only a thin shirt. Her hand rested on his waist, and even through the fabric, the sensation was unmistakable.

Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly and stepped back.

Su Hui didn’t notice anything amiss. Smiling brightly, she waved goodbye. “Thanks for helping. See you later.”

By the time she finished unpacking, she had already become familiar with the two other girls in the dorm. The fourth roommate hadn’t arrived yet.

The short-haired girl, Zhou Kexin, was a typical southerner, her speech carrying a slight accent. “Was that handsome guy who brought you here your boyfriend?”

Su Hui casually hung up the last dress in her wardrobe and replied, “How could that be? He’s my brother.”

Zhou Kexin nodded thoughtfully.

From her mosquito net on the upper bunk, the long-haired girl Zhang Ranran poked her head out. “Your brother is really good-looking, and he seems to treat you very well. But you two don’t look alike at all.”

Su Hui thought inwardly: Of course they didn’t look alike.

If they did, it would make for a scandalous family drama—way too horrifying.

Su Hui said nonchalantly, “He may seem nice, but appearances can be deceiving.”

She felt certain that Su Cheng wouldn’t hesitate to strip her skin if he could.

Zhou Kexin and Zhang Ranran exchanged glances, both seeing the same thought in each other’s eyes: Does this girl have some kind of misunderstanding about the word ‘nice’?

Meanwhile, the male dormitory was filled with noise.

Su Cheng pushed open the door, drank some cold water he had left earlier, and enjoyed the air conditioning for a while. Finally, his mind cleared.

“Where were you just now?” Lin Jinxu asked nosily. “I heard a girl’s voice. Nice work—you already have a girlfriend? Did you start dating in high school? It’s surprising to find out one of us isn’t single.”

Sun Quanwen asked, “Is it strange to not be single?”

Lin Jinxu replied, “Not strange, but having a girlfriend is surprising. It means he started dating in high school. I never expected our third roommate to act so fast.”

Well, that was fine. At least he wouldn’t compete with him for girls.

Su Cheng paused briefly before saying indifferently, “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my sister.”

Lin Jinxu repeated, “Sister?”

Suddenly, he remembered something. Looking at Su Cheng’s handsome face, he reasoned that if the older brother was this good-looking, the younger sister must be a stunning beauty as well.

Lin Jinxu immediately understood and quickly tried to build rapport. “Third Brother, it wouldn’t hurt to introduce me, right? Look at my qualifications—they’re not bad. I used to be on the school basketball team, and my physique is excellent.”

He flexed his arm, showing off his muscles.

Su Cheng half-closed his eyes, his gaze shifting away from Lin Jinxu’s arm. In a tone that dashed all hope, he said, “Don’t even think about it.”

Never in this lifetime.