Blue Cocktail chapter 8

Cheng Shuo stayed in a nearby hotel for one night.

Last night, when he left the bar, there were no public transportation or subway services available. The dormitory had restricted access, and most importantly, he was quite drunk and just wanted to find a place to sleep.

This morning, after returning the room key, he took the subway back to the school. He had over an hour to kill before returning to campus, but he had his phone for company.

He started by replying to a few fan comments on Weibo.

Then, he opened various housing and campus assistance groups.

His sleep schedule was often out of sync with his dorm mates. Not only did Jiang Yan like staying up late, but occasionally, He Lingqiu and his girlfriend would have late-night voice calls. Because of this, Cheng Shuo had long considered moving out.

He had contemplated it before but hadn’t acted on it. Accepting drawing commissions had earned him some good money. However, Cheng Shuo was thrifty and hoped to save wherever possible. Renting a new place would mean additional expenses, and his father would definitely not contribute a single cent. So, he had been waffling without making a firm decision.

Until his belongings were stolen.

He had considered switching dorms but knew that, based on his knowledge of the counselor, firstly, it would be a task that didn’t earn him goodwill from the leadership and, secondly, even if a switch were approved, he couldn’t be certain about the new roommates’ personalities.

So, he would take it step by step.

Exiting the group chat, Cheng Shuo copied a series of phone numbers.

An hour later, at the dormitory entrance, Cheng Shuo turned out all of his pockets, searching for his dormitory key. Unimportant items like rings, earrings, and necklaces were there, but his crucial dormitory key was nowhere to be found.

He had no idea where he might have dropped it; perhaps it was at the hotel, or the bar. Cheng Shuo wracked his brain, but he couldn’t come up with a single clue. He blamed that cocktail, which had blurred his memory for the entire night. Now, all he could do was call the hotel and bar owner one by one in a desperate attempt to recover the key.

But he needed to find a place to sit first.

Cheng Shuo knocked on the dormitory door for half a minute, but no one answered. The dormitory was empty.

He typically didn’t like bothering his roommates, but in this situation, it seemed he had no other choice. Among Jiang Yan, He Lingqiu, and Lin Han, Jiang Yan appeared to be the most straightforward and expressive.

So, Cheng Shuo messaged Jiang Yan: “I accidentally lost my dormitory key, and there’s no one in the dorm. When will you be back?”

Jiang Yan, who was known for being quick to respond, replied within seconds: “I’m currently out with friends, and I probably won’t be back until the afternoon. He Lingqiu had morning classes, and I don’t think Lin Ge is back yet. Maybe you can find him?”

Cheng Shuo replied: “Okay.”

But what he was thinking was that he would prefer to go to the library first.

As he turned around, he suddenly noticed Lin Han standing expressionlessly behind him.

Cheng Shuo was startled.

Lin Han asked, “Why aren’t you going inside?”

Cheng Shuo, brief as always, replied, “I lost my key.”

Lin Han lowered his head, used his key to open the door, and walked into the dorm. Cheng Shuo followed and closed the door behind him. Last night had been frustrating enough, and with the dormitory key missing, he was feeling quite agitated. He just wanted a quiet place to be.

But unfortunately, Lin Han decided to initiate a conversation, “Are you still planning to look for your key, or should we get the dormitory lock changed?”

Cheng Shuo, with his phone fidgeting in his hand, casually responded, “I’ll look for it.”

He thought to himself, Lin Han better not ask further questions, as it would become impolite. But Lin Han persisted, asking, “Where did you go last night? Maybe you can contact the staff to see if they found it.”

Cheng Shuo paused for a moment, then shoved his phone into his pocket, raised his head abruptly, and stared into Lin Han’s eyes. He couldn’t help but sneer, “Would you happen to know where I went last night? Don’t pretend.”

Lin Han, looking puzzled, furrowed his brow, “What are you talking about?”

Cheng Shuo narrowed his eyes and sarcastically said, “You’re the one who sent me messages, right?”

“What messages?”

Cheng Shuo couldn’t help but mock, “Don’t pretend, Lin Han, it’s quite boring.”

Lin Han remained silent for a few seconds and then said, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Cheng Shuo continued, his tone sharp, “I specifically said I was busy with a deadline on Saturday morning, and I didn’t check my phone. You handed me my phone, didn’t you? You wanted me to see your messages, didn’t you?”

He furrowed his brows, adding, “Oh, and let me clarify one more thing. I really dislike it when people touch my things without permission.”

“And,” Cheng Shuo continued, “Before I left, I only mentioned that I had something to deal with, and I didn’t say I wouldn’t be back in the evening. But you asked me if I would be back in the evening. When I said I lost my key, you asked where I went last night. Lin Han, if you admit it now, I might think you still have a bit of dignity.”

Lin Han remained silent.

Well, he’s a hard nut to crack.

Cheng Shuo’s mocking tone became more pronounced, “Many websites require you to link your phone number during registration, and they have a default setting that allows searching for accounts using the phone number. So, I used your phone number to search the entire internet.”

He sneered again, “Do you want me to continue, Lin Han?”

Since the start of his freshman year, Cheng Shuo had a vague sense that Lin Han’s facial expressions were often gloomy and menacing. Back then, he told himself not to judge people by their appearance. But at this moment, the gloom that once made him feel threatened was now undisguised on Lin Han’s features.

Lin Han answered a different question, “What do you like about Song Wenyuan so much? What makes him so unforgettable to you?”

In an instant, a horrifying suspicion surfaced, connecting the dots from earlier signs. Suddenly, Cheng Shuo felt as if countless maggots were crawling on his bones, a belated sense of disgust.

The next moment, his suspicion became a reality when he heard Lin Han ask him, “How am I inferior to Song Wenyuan?”

Lin Han suddenly took a big step forward, casting a tall shadow, and pushed Cheng Shuo against the wall, leaning down as if to kiss him forcibly.

Cheng Shuo responded by delivering a swift kick to Lin Han’s legs between his own.

He didn’t like physical contact with unfamiliar people, and if it was someone he disliked, it was even more repulsive.

Lin Han stumbled backward a few steps after the kick but then suddenly burst into laughter.

Cheng Shuo thought Lin Han was a little crazy.

“Song Wenyuan goes for one-night stands every week; he’s just a scoundrel. Why do you like him so much? Why don’t you look at me, Cheng Shuo?” Lin Han’s emotions, rarely this intense, were now obvious. “Why don’t you look at me? I’ve been with you all this time!”

“Whether Song Wenyuan is good or bad doesn’t change the fact that I find you disgusting,” Cheng Shuo sneered. “Did you also steal my underwear? At first, I couldn’t figure out why you would steal my underwear. But now, I finally understand. You’re truly disgusting.”

He emphasized the last two words with a biting tone.

But Lin Han seemed unperturbed. “I stole it because I like you. I really, really like you. Do you know that? I’ve been enduring it for over a year. I can’t hold it back anymore.”

As soon as the words left Lin Han’s mouth, he rushed at Cheng Shuo as if he’d gone mad, attempting to overpower him.

Cheng Shuo reacted instantly and delivered another harsh kick to Lin Han’s groin. He had no mercy.

This kick was even harder than the previous one, and it left Lin Han in pain, bending over at the waist. Cheng Shuo seized the opportunity to punch him in the cheek, sending Lin Han tumbling to the ground. Cheng Shuo then pushed open the door and ran down to the ground floor of the dormitory building.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly.

Though the sunlight was glaring, it carried a comforting warmth. Surrounding him were fellow students. Cheng Shuo glanced back to make sure that Lin Han hadn’t followed him, and then he dared to slow down, bending at the waist, placing his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

After a moment of rest, he took out his phone. The phone was still recording.

Cheng Shuo pressed the stop button and then uploaded the recording to a cloud service for backup.

While confronting Lin Han directly may have seemed aggressive, Cheng Shuo had not come out empty-handed.

Soon, Cheng Shuo retrieved his academic advisor’s contact information and sent a message, “Teacher, do you have some time now? I’d like to talk to you about something.”

As he waited for the advisor’s response, he couldn’t help but think that not only his underwear but all of his belongings in the dorm room, especially items in the common area like his toothbrush and toothpaste, had likely been tampered with by Lin Han. This thought made Cheng Shuo feel queasy.

Advisor’s office.

The recording played for a full four minutes and twenty-three seconds, automatically stopping at the end.

Cheng Shuo retrieved his phone from the advisor’s desk, looked him in the eye, and spoke firmly, “So, I want to change my dorm room.”

The advisor, a middle-aged man in his fifties with a touch of gray hair, sighed, “I understand your desire to change dorms.”

“Stealing is indeed a serious offense, and I will talk to Lin Han separately and give him some guidance on his actions.”

He paused and sighed again but then changed his tone to persuade Cheng Shuo, “I think, though, that the chance to attend the same university and be assigned to the same dormitory is a rare opportunity. We’re all fellow students, and if you encounter some minor friction, changing dorms might strain relationships.”

Cheng Shuo thought that having Lin Han as his roommate was like being cursed by eight generations of bad luck.

“Of course, Lin Han will certainly have to face the consequences of his actions,” the advisor continued, “but I believe that changing dorms may not be necessary.”

As he patiently listened to the advisor, Cheng Shuo began to argue, “He admitted in the recording that he stole my underwear, and he said he liked me. The sounds of a fight afterwards were him trying to force a kiss on me. So, I don’t consider this to be a ‘minor friction.’ It has crossed my boundaries.”

Considering the advisor’s age, he might not be aware of the existence of same-sex relationships, and even if he were, he might not understand.

“He said he liked you, but the word ‘like’ has many meanings. For example, I have my favorite authors. He was probably joking with you. It’s not what you think. I understand that boys might sometimes take their jokes a bit too far,” the advisor reasoned. “I will certainly talk to him about it and provide some guidance.”

“Let’s do this,” the advisor said, his throat dry. He took a sip of tea from a glass on his desk. “I’ll call him in one day and have him explain in front of you. I’ll also make him apologize. Would that be acceptable to you?”

Who knew if, at that time, Lin Han would follow the advisor’s line of thought and retract his statement, saying it was just a joke, leading to a resolution of the matter.

Cheng Shuo suddenly lost patience and interrupted the advisor’s words for the first time, saying, “Okay, Teacher, I understand what you’re saying, and you don’t need to say anymore. I don’t want to take up too much of your time with my issues.”

“But on a matter of principle,” Cheng Shuo spoke with determination, “I won’t back down. You classify this incident as a roommate’s joke, but I consider it attempted assault. If I couldn’t overpower Lin Han, who knows what could have happened in the dorm this morning. That’s the main reason I’m requesting a room change.”

“Teacher, I hope you can respect my choice. I don’t believe this is an issue that can be resolved with an apology.”

Cheng Shuo concluded by saying, “But don’t worry, I don’t need you to seek signatures from college or university leaders to approve my room change. I will move out on my own.”

Author’s Note:

In theory, living off-campus also requires an application, and the application process may not be simpler than changing dorms. However, generally speaking, university dorms are rarely checked at night, so it’s unlikely that one would be discovered if they occasionally stayed off-campus. In this scene, Cheng Shuo is resisting the advisor’s inaction and making a strong statement. He’s basically saying, “You want me to continue living with Lin Han, but I refuse.”

Just a note: it’s not promoting staying off-campus without proper approval, as it could have its consequences.