Chapter 4: An Unpleasant Encounter
Long Xing, drunk and unsteady, leaned against the wall. When he turned his head, his eyes met the big, bright eyes of the girl standing a few steps away.
He froze, staring in shock.
For a moment, the air between them was strangely quiet.
His gaze naturally fell on the girl’s face. Maybe because she had just been running, her cheeks were flushed under the streetlight, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead, dampening her bangs and making her look unexpectedly soft and charming.
Her chest rose and fell quickly as she caught her breath, and there was a hint of caution in her eyes, like a wary stray kitten.
An Han forced an awkward, polite smile.
Great... I’ve been recognized.
Brother Long had gone to a club gathering earlier that evening and left the dorm around sunset. An Han thought he would have gone back by now. Who would’ve thought he’d bump into him in the middle of the night and get recognized at first glance!
The more you fear something, the more likely it’ll happen, that had always been the story of his life.
Being caught cross-dressing by a roommate he’d lived with for almost three years made his face burn with shame, but for the sake of the mission, he had to swallow that embarrassment for now.
Trying to stay calm, An Han put on a straight face and walked toward Long Xing. Since he had already been recognized, there was no point hiding anymore, better to bribe him into keeping quiet.
“You—”
Before he could finish, the drunken Long Xing suddenly perked up. He straightened his back, puffed out his chest, ran a hand through his hair, and put on his best “charming guy” smile.
“Hey, pretty girl, what a coincidence! You heading back to the dorm too?”
“???”
An Han, who had just walked up to him, was completely confused.
He stared blankly at Long Xing, his mind coming to a stop.
Wait, what? What did he just say? What girl?
He stood there frozen as Long Xing stepped closer. “Hey, pretty girl, what’s your name? I’m Long Xing, but my friends call me Brother Long.”
So... you didn’t recognize me at all?!
Then why the hell were you staring at me for so long?!
Now An Han didn’t even dare to speak. The moment he opened his mouth, his identity as a man would be exposed.
So instead, he crossed his arms, stepped back, and shook his head firmly, pretending to be cautious.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m not a bad guy,” Long Xing said with a bright, friendly smile.
An Han’s eyes dropped to the large tattoo peeking out from under Long Xing’s short sleeves, then up to his close-cropped buzz cut that made him look more like a convict than a college student.
Sure, Long Xing’s face and build were handsome and athletic, but his whole vibe screamed troublemaker.
When they first met back in freshman year, An Han had actually thought he was some ex-gangster trying to turn his life around by going back to school. That’s why he’d started calling him “Brother Long” in the first place.
Long Xing ran a hand through his hair again, flashing his big white grin in what he probably thought was his most harmless expression.
Even though his features were sharp and decent-looking, that grin just made him look more like a thug from a movie.
Doesn’t your spiky hair hurt your hand when you touch it?
An Han silently took two steps back, sidestepped him, and continued walking toward the back gate of the school.
It was late at night, and all the main entrances to the campus were locked. The only way back in was to climb the wall.
He went straight to the back gate fence, looking around for the usual stepping stone he used to get up.
“That rock got moved,” Long Xing said, still following behind him, refusing to leave him alone.
When did that happen? Why don’t I know about it?
An Han looked back in confusion, only to see Long Xing helplessly spreading his hands. “Otherwise, I would’ve gone in already.”
The school’s iron fence was over two meters tall. With An Han’s jumping ability, he couldn’t even reach the top. Even if he did, he didn’t have the strength to climb over it.
Long Xing probably could, but he was drunk.
“Miss, how about we work together?” Long Xing leaned closer with a shameless grin. “I can lift you up first, then you pull me over after?”
No wonder he was so proactive tonight. Usually, this guy was quiet and shy around girls, he hadn’t had a single female friend in years.
An Han looked up at him, silent, not knowing what to do.
To complete his mission, he had to return to the dorm. But to go back, he needed to cooperate with Long Xing, which meant risking his disguise being exposed while climbing the wall together.
He must not speak!
An Han quickly realized how sensitive this situation was.
As long as he kept quiet, even though his disguise wasn’t perfect, the dark night would help him hide the truth, and besides, Long Xing was drunk.
But if he spoke, Long Xing would definitely recognize his voice.
So he pressed his lips together and nodded firmly.
“Miss, why aren’t you saying anything?” Long Xing asked in confusion. “You’re not mute, are you?”
Can you not talk nonsense?!
An Han had actually thought about using that excuse, but now that Long Xing said it himself, using it would sound too suspicious.
Without saying anything, he took a small step back, still keeping his cautious and wary expression. His eyes moved back and forth between Long Xing’s tattooed arm and his buzz-cut hair.
He tried his best to imitate how a frightened heroine in a drama would look when meeting a dangerous man, even secretly pinched the soft flesh at his waist so that his eyes turned slightly red.
“I’m really not a bad guy!”
Long Xing grew anxious.
“You want to go back to your dorm, right? I can’t get back either. If we climb together, it’ll be easier for both of us!”
He slurred his words, swaying unsteadily as he stood there.
An Han hesitated, then nodded.
He really did need Long Xing’s help to get back, and the school guards definitely wouldn’t open the gate this late.
“An Han?”
He looked up instinctively, only to see Long Xing studying him curiously. Startled, he quickly turned his head away, hiding his face in the shadow of the streetlight.
His heart was pounding wildly, his toes curled tight inside his shoes, and his throat was dry. He was already thinking about how he’d explain this to his roommate later.
Maybe he should just admit he was a pervert? At least they wouldn’t be surprised.
“The moment I saw you, I thought you looked just like my roommate. For a second, I thought he ran out here in women’s clothes at midnight.”
Long Xing scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. “You’re not his relative or something, are you?”
“......”
“Why don’t you ever talk?” Long Xing muttered, then walked toward the fence. “Come on. Step on me first, then pull me up.”
An Han hurried over and saw Long Xing squatting with his back against the fence.
“This...”
Maybe he was getting old, but it felt dangerous. When he was a kid, he would’ve jumped off a three-meter wall without hesitation.
“Hurry up,” Long Xing urged.
An Han grabbed the bars and carefully stepped onto Long Xing’s bent thigh.
Not bad, pretty stable...
Long Xing’s eyes were immediately drawn to the girl’s small leather shoes, then followed the line upward. Her delicate ankles, smooth and shapely calves, and then her well-proportioned, soft-looking thighs.
His arm inevitably brushed against An Han’s leg. The smooth touch of the black stockings made his single-for-life heart tremble.
While distracted, Long Xing suddenly felt lighter. He looked up and realized An Han had already climbed to the top of the fence and was sitting on it, looking down.
“Pull me up!”
Long Xing stood up, jumped, and grabbed the top of the fence, but drunk as he was, he didn’t have the strength to pull himself up.
An Han, however, didn’t even look back before jumping down the other side.
“Hey! Help me!” Long Xing shouted, staring at the figure walking away on the other side of the fence. “You can’t just abandon me like this!”
Help you? Yeah right! If I help you over, how am I supposed to sneak back to my dorm!