Roommate, don't love me too much

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of "Roommate, Don’t Love Me Too Much"**

Duan Lin was sitting nearby, playing games with the dorm leader. Hearing that, he started to tease again. He grabbed the dorm leader's hand and threw flirtatious glances, saying, "Darling, save me a spot in bed later."

His tone was so suggestive it gave everyone goosebumps.

The dorm leader, Lu Changze, paused his game for a second and responded, "You said it, so don’t complain if the bed’s too small."

Shen Jinyan also overheard and turned his head, saying, "Dorm leader, make sure to deal with him properly later."

Duan Lin started making strange noises again.

Shen Jinyan quickly dried his hair and climbed onto the bed.

"Do you have class tomorrow morning?"

I responded while browsing through some materials on my laptop, "No class in the morning."

Shen Jinyan slid into the blankets and leaned close to me, "Then will you come to class with me?"

I glanced at the unfinished group project. "I probably can't make it tomorrow."

Shen Jinyan peered at the remaining slides of my PowerPoint, speaking in a wounded tone, "I told you I could help, but you wouldn’t let me."

"You have the nerve to say that? Did you forget what you wrote on my last project?"

At this, Shen Jinyan fell silent, guilty as charged.

Last time, my group project only needed some final bug fixes. But that day, Shen Jinyan insisted I go shopping for clothes with him, so I let him handle the final review.

I trusted his skills at first.

However, when I presented the project, every slide had a low-opacity watermark right in the center that read, "Milky-skinned Chen Xiaoruo, beloved by all, saranghaeyo Chen Xiaoruo."

That day, every minute I spent on stage felt like torture.

Since then, anyone who knew me couldn’t resist teasing me, saying, "Hey, milky-skinned Chen Xiaoruo."

Shen Jinyan tried to justify himself, "That was my default watermark, and I was using my laptop that day, so it just slipped through."

His explanation only made things worse. "You seriously turned that into a watermark?"

No wonder people in Shen Jinyan's class always smiled mysteriously whenever they saw me.

I raised my foot and kicked him in the waist, saying coldly, "I’ll give you three seconds to get off the bed, or else don’t blame me for what happens."

But Shen Jinyan quickly grabbed my ankle, smirking, "It's a long night. If I leave, who’s going to take care of you?"

He said that and scooted even closer with a grin.

Duan Lin, who was struggling to share a bed with the dorm leader, chimed in, "Shen, you're acting just like an ancient eunuch. Nowadays, you'd definitely be called a total simp."

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, "You’re right. He really does fit the part."

Shen Jinyan retorted, "This is called affection. You guys wouldn’t understand."

Duan Lin shrieked, "Ahh! Lu Changze! Get away from me! Stop breathing in my ear!"

---

Shen Jinyan had an early class, and when he left, I hadn’t woken up yet. "Chen Xiaoruo, don’t forget to meet me for lunch."

I pushed his head away sleepily, muttering an acknowledgment.

When I finally woke up, it was already 10 a.m.

After getting out of bed and washing up, I noticed Duan Lin and Lu Changze sitting far apart from each other.

What happened between them? Did their friendship fall apart after one night?

Seeing me all freshened up, Duan Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "Chen Xiaoruo, want to grab lunch together later?"

"Sure, but we’ll have to wait for Shen Jinyan."

Duan Lin quickly nodded.

I opened my laptop to finish my project, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lu Changze subtly moving his chair closer to Duan Lin, who promptly climbed back onto the bed.

What’s going on with those two?

At 11:30, the three of us headed towards the school gate.

I pointed in the direction of the teaching building. "Why don’t you guys wait at the gate? I’ll go find Shen Jinyan."

Duan Lin tugged at my sleeve. "How about we all go together? It won’t take long."

It was clear he didn’t want to be alone with the dorm leader.

I glanced at Lu Changze, silently asking, *What’s going on between you two?*

Lu Changze lowered his eyes.

I patted Duan Lin’s shoulder. "I’ll go by myself. Keep the dorm leader company."

Duan Lin grumbled, "Why does he need company? He’s a grown man."

I motioned toward the dorm leader. "He hurt his leg yesterday, so the less walking, the better."

Lu Changze nodded without blinking, "Mm."

Duan Lin exploded, "You hurt your leg? Who do you think you’re fooling? Last night, you were still…"

"Hey, Chen Xiaoruo!"

I seized the moment while Duan Lin was ranting and snuck away.

It seemed like something was definitely going on between the dorm leader and Duan Lin.

I should give them some space.

As I walked towards Shen Jinyan’s teaching building, I spotted him with another guy by the elevator.

I followed them and was about to call out when I overheard the guy confessing, "Shen Jinyan, I like you. Would you consider giving me a chance?"

My fingers unconsciously scratched at the dark spots on the white wall.

A moment later, Shen Jinyan's cold voice replied, "Sorry, I don’t like guys. I’m not gay."

The other guy's face turned as pale as a sheet.

I felt as though my heart had been doused with ice water.

---

I clenched my fists, feeling the cold sweat in my palms.

After the overwhelming sadness, a sense of relief mixed with embarrassment surged through me.

Just a few days ago, I was planning how to confess to Shen Jinyan. But it turns out he’s not gay, and judging by the way he rejected that guy, he’s probably homophobic too.

If I had confessed, we probably wouldn’t even be friends anymore.

Just as I was about to leave, Shen Jinyan spotted me. "Chen Xiaoruo! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Wait up!"

Hearing that, I started walking even faster.

Shen Jinyan, with his long legs, quickly caught up and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Why are you walking so fast?"

I looked up at him, hesitant to speak. Shen Jinyan seemed to sense my discomfort, growing uneasy. "W-What’s wrong?"

"You... You didn’t hear that just now, did you?"

Shen Jinyan suddenly panicked, visibly flustered, "No, listen, I’m not really familiar with that guy…"