SBAB Chapter 51

Cheng Shiyin had only just begun to feel a bit bothered by the rapid progress of their relationship when her mind was plagued by thoughts that lacked any sense of shame, tormenting her for half the night. Eventually, she managed to escape those thoughts from her mind. As for Lin Xin, these dissonant voices had been a constant companion, as long as he’d known Cheng Shiyin. He had long since gotten used to them, even developing a state of near-detachment where he could ignore their presence at all times. Of course, his body still did as it pleased.

After watching Cheng Shiyin leave through the gap in the curtains, Lin Xin turned and looked at the desolate, empty dorm room. For students without a permanent position or triple wages, it was rare for anyone to be back at school at this time. Lin Xin was the lone outcast in their dorm.

One hand resting on the ladder, he used the other to wipe away the dust that had accumulated on the bed frame during the winter break. After finishing, he climbed onto the bed, holding the mattress that Cheng Shiyin had packed for him. He laid it out along with the sheets, making sure everything was in order. The comforter, bed sheets, pillow, and pillowcase were all set up properly.

Once the bed was made, Lin Xin lay down on it, savoring the softness of the mattress. He took a deep breath, his nostrils filled with the scent of Cheng Shiyin.

Of course, it was impossible.

The bedding that Cheng Shiyin had prepared for Lin Xin was a brand-new set, unopened. However, since it had been stored at her home for a while, the only noticeable scent was that of mothballs.

Perhaps it was because Lin Xin still longed for the days spent at Cheng Shiyin’s house. Lying on the pillow she gave him, resting on the mattress she had prepared, he sank into deep comfort and was soon lulled into a peaceful sleep.

It had been a long time since he had slept so well.

Lin Xin wasn’t sure whether the growling of his stomach or his increasingly bloated bladder woke him, but when he finally woke up, he squinted at his phone. The time was the same as before, but the date had shifted by one day—he had missed the day he had planned to confess.

Thirty-eight hours later, after three days of sleeplessness, he had finally caught up on his rest.

Now, he could no longer greet Cheng Shiyin with a “good morning” face-to-face, and the playful morning antics in bed were gone. Heaven knows, Lin Xin had only enjoyed that brief period of domestic bliss once. He opened QQ and sent Cheng Shiyin a “good morning.”

Within a second, Cheng Shiyin replied with her own “Good morning.” But before Lin Xin could chat with his dear, the small amount of good mood she had just started to feel disappeared entirely.

He then saw a message in a group chat—a message from the student council, sent by Gu Nian.

“Tomorrow at 6 PM, all student council members currently in town must come to school for an important announcement. If you can’t make it, please request leave in advance.”

Lin Xin frowned deeply as he read the message. He didn’t want anything to do with the student council anymore. At first, he had been deceived by Gu Nian’s appearance into joining this thankless group, and after a year of contributing to the school, he had rarely even seen Gu Nian. Let alone, now he couldn’t stand the sight of that scumbag.

But Lin Xin also felt that Gu Nian probably didn’t want to see him either. Although his secret affair with Gu Nian’s girl was still hidden, the fact that he had exposed Gu Nian’s affairs was mostly his doing, and there was no way Gu Nian didn’t know about it.

So, Lin Xin found Gu Nian in the group and privately messaged him: “President, I can’t make it tomorrow. Please excuse me. I’m still in my hometown and won’t be able to make it. Sorry.” It was the typical excuse for requesting leave during summer and winter breaks—there was no way Gu Nian would expect him to rush back from his hometown.

To his surprise, Gu Nian replied quickly: “Lin Xin, I saw you at the school gate yesterday. If you don’t come tomorrow, don’t even think about asking for student council credits this semester. I won’t approve them.”

“Shit!” Lin Xin threw his phone onto the bed, swearing in English from frustration.

Seeing Gu Nian’s reply made Lin Xin regret not shamelessly ordering a custom Gu Nian-sized doll from Taobao so he could punch it repeatedly like the Hulk pounding Loki. Then he could hang it up like a punching bag and hammer it until it was destroyed, tossing the remains into a trash bin labeled “hazardous waste” for good measure.

But it was probably for the best that he hadn’t, or else the dormitory supervisor would have pulled him out and reprimanded him at the door while making him help with trash sorting for the rest of the day. If other students knew what he had thrown away, it would have been too embarrassing.

Lin Xin wanted to casually reply to Gu Nian, “I don’t need those credits. Just go away and stop bothering me.” But in reality, he couldn’t afford to.

After joining the student council, Lin Xin didn’t join any clubs to lighten his load, as the credits for student council participation were the same as those for clubs. By participating in just one, his extracurricular mandatory credits for the year were covered. However, if he lost those student council credits this year, he would have to join both the student council and a club in his sophomore year to graduate smoothly. Though Gu Nian would no longer be in the student council by then, Gu Nian’s close friend, Yun Lun, would still be around, continuing to make trouble.

Lin Xin thought it over—one day of concentrated torture or a year of slow suffering—and ultimately chose the former. He gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll go.” After all, with his current physical condition, if Gu Nian tried anything, he’d have to check with his fists first to see if they agreed.

With that, Lin Xin punched the wall.

“Ugh…” It hurt more than hitting a tree.

Gu Nian had been waiting for Lin Xin’s chat window, watching his status change from “typing…” to disappearing entirely. When there was no further reply, he knew his move had worked. After all, not graduating was every college student’s Achilles’ heel. As the student council president, he often made sacrifices, but in crucial moments, he still had a bit of leverage, the kind that could control life and death. Plus, next semester, he could use this same tactic to toy with Lin Xin for another six months.

Although Gu Nian wasn’t typically a petty person—after all, breaking up was breaking up, and it wasn’t a big deal—fate had decided that he would return to school yesterday and witness something quite interesting.

The wallpaper featured two trees, both of which remained lush and green even in winter. Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, shining through the gaps and casting scattered light spots on the ground. This made up about eighty percent of the wallpaper’s content, but that wasn’t the focus.

These weren’t just any ordinary trees. Their tops intertwined, forming a triangular space in the middle, completely unobstructed by leaves. It was a natural frame, one of the favorite spots for photos among graduating girls during the season.

At that moment, inside the frame stood two people—two people Gu Nian knew all too well.

One was his recent ex-girlfriend, and the other was the younger student he had secretly admired—her affection for him more obvious than even his own.

Gu Nian wasn’t surprised, given that they had already become friends before the breakup. He simply thought the angle, the lighting, and the scene itself was aesthetically pleasing, so he couldn’t help but take a photo, as a memento.

However, the moment captured by his camera pierced Gu Nian’s heart deeply—they were kissing.

Cheng Shiyin and Lin Xin—they were together. And they were doing it so carelessly, so boldly, showing off right in front of him.

Well, that was… that was great!

What stabbed Gu Nian’s heart wasn’t a sword, but a love arrow from Cupid.

As Gu Nian replayed the scene in his mind, he couldn’t help but shudder. He was too excited, more so than the first time he was with a beautiful woman under the roses and peonies.

How could this happen? They’re together! My ex-girlfriend and my secret crush are together?!

“Hahaha,” he laughed maniacally. “This is too funny.”

It was like inviting a cute girl over for a night, only to realize she was his sister.

…Actually, maybe that would be better.

If he could have both of them at the same time, chatting about life and ideals in bed, that would be the most beautiful thing in the world.

Gu Nian took out his phone again and sent Cheng Shiyin a message. It was rich in content, with a detailed apology, a sincere tone, and just short of asking to meet up.

But that would come soon after he dealt with Lin Xin.