Chapter 218 - 216: Void Tryst

Chapter 218: Chapter 216: Void Tryst

Lin Yanwan slowly pushed open the dorm room door. No one was inside; she was the first to arrive.

The room’s layout was similar to that of other universities—a traditional four-person room with loft beds above desks.

There was a dedicated shoe rack, a vanity mirror, and even a small staircase between two of the beds. A wooden panel on it could be lifted to reveal a storage space inside.

Jiang Xia took a look around. The door on the balcony led to a small living room that connected to the adjacent dorm room. As far as basic setups went, it was quite nice.

Lin Yanwan found her bed number. It was the one closest to the balcony, and a soft coir mattress was already on it. It was still summer, so she’d need to go out and buy a bamboo mat later. With a blanket on top of that, it would be ready for sleeping.

"You go ahead and get settled. We can go out and buy anything you’re missing later," Jiang Xia said.

"Mhm."

Lin Yanwan glanced out the window. The dormitory across the way had to be Building 6. Thinking of his room number, if all went as expected, their rooms should be facing each other.

’Does this mean they’ll be able to greet each other from across the way every day?’

"I should hurry over and see if my room is opposite yours," Jiang Xia said with a smile.

"It should be."

"Well, I’m heading out then. That guy Su Qing is still waiting for me downstairs."

Just as he was about to leave, the door was suddenly pushed open by a girl. She wasn’t tall and wore round glasses, her forehead hidden by thick bangs. Behind her, the doorway was packed full of luggage.

The girl froze, looking at Jiang Xia, then up at the room number. It was correct. ’Isn’t this a girls’ dorm? Why is there a guy in here?’

Her thoughts were instantly a jumble.

"Uh, hi. You’re in 520A too, right?" Jiang Xia asked.

The girl nodded blankly, her brain still not fully processing the situation.

"Senior... did I go to the wrong room?" she asked timidly.

’Senior?’

Jiang Xia had a strange expression. He figured the short girl in front of him must have mistaken him for an upperclassman. And based on her behavior, she was probably a bit socially anxious and not very talkative.

"No, no, I’m a freshman this year too. I was just dropping my girlfriend off," Jiang Xia explained.

"Oh, okay."

She silently breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn’t gone to the wrong place.

Her gaze then shifted to the girl behind him, and her first thought was, ’Wow, she’s so beautiful!’

"Stop blocking her way."

Lin Yanwan had already realized this must be her first roommate. She quickly went to greet her, helping Jiang Xia bring all the luggage into the room.

"Hi, I’m Lin Yanwan."

Looking into her sincere eyes, the girl was a little flustered. "Um, I... my surname is Tang. I’m Tang Qiuting. Th-thank you."

"Well... I’ll let you two talk. I’m heading out," Jiang Xia said with a laugh.

After all, he had promised the dorm matron he’d be down in ten minutes. If he stayed too long, she might just come upstairs with the rulebook to bust him.

"Okay, see you in a bit."

Lin Yanwan nodded lightly and watched Jiang Xia leave before slowly closing the door.

Tang Qiuting let out a huge sigh of relief. Having a guy in the room just now had been really stressful for her.

Coming from her hometown to a strange, big city... she really wasn’t used to it yet.

Lin Yanwan could see she seemed very introverted. If she didn’t initiate a conversation, Tang Qiuting seemed like the type who would stay silent until someone spoke to her.

"By the way, Qiuting, where are you from?" she asked in a gentle voice.

◇

Enduring the gazes of many female students along the way, Jiang Xia walked downstairs with a straight face. After saying goodbye to the dorm matron, he ambled out the main entrance of the dormitory.

Outside, Su Qing was standing ramrod straight under the shade of a tree. His handsome posture made even the girls passing by unable to resist a second glance.

When he saw Jiang Xia emerge, a slow smile spread across his face. "All settled so soon?"

"Why do I get the feeling there’s a hidden meaning in what you just said?" Jiang Xia’s tone was odd. Ten minutes was longer than most guys lasted, okay?

"Huh?"

Su Qing froze for a moment before he understood. "I really wasn’t thinking anything like that," he said, exasperated.

"Ha, let’s go. Time to check out our dorm," Jiang Xia said, taking his own suitcase from Su Qing’s hand.

"So, what are the girls’ dorms like?"

"Not bad. See those two windows that stick out in the middle of the dorm building? They connect to the room next door, forming a small living room."

"That’s pretty nice."

The two of them chatted and laughed as they made their way to Building 6 behind them. They first registered with the dorm manager, then dragged their suitcases and easily found Room 620B.

After unlocking and opening the door, they found no one inside. It seemed the two of them were among the early arrivals.

According to the bed assignments, their beds were on the same side. Su Qing’s was near the door, and Jiang Xia’s was by the window.

Jiang Xia walked out onto the balcony. Looking at the dormitory opposite, he immediately spotted the towel he had placed on the railing earlier.

He felt that shouting for his girlfriend across the open space would be pretty embarrassing, and it might also incite the fury of every single person around. So, he took out his phone and called Lin Yanwan.

"Baby, come out and see where I am."

Lin Yanwan was currently chatting with Tang Qiuting. After a few minutes of conversation, the young woman who had just arrived in the big city from the mountainous region of Qianzhou was no longer as nervous as before.

At the very least, Lin Yanwan gave her a very friendly impression and didn’t look at her strangely.

"...From Qianzhou? That’s pretty far, but it’s about the same for me. I’m from Yu Du," Lin Yanwan said with a small smile, continuing to wipe the dust from her bedframe with a damp towel.

Just then, the phone she had placed on her desk suddenly started to vibrate.

After several seconds, seeing that Lin Yanwan didn’t seem to have noticed the call, Tang Qiuting pursed her lips and said timidly, "Um, Yanwan... your phone."

"Oh, right."

Climbing down from her bed, Lin Yanwan picked up her phone and saw it was a call from Jiang Xia. She was still wondering why her ringtone hadn’t gone off.

"Baby, come out and see where I am."

Jiang Xia’s light laughter came through the receiver.

Lin Yanwan walked out and saw Jiang Xia standing on the balcony of the dorm opposite them. He was holding his phone in one hand and waving with the other, greeting her with a wide smile from across the distance.

"It really is right across from me."

"Hahaha, yep. So you girls will have to be careful when you’re showering, hanging laundry, and all that from now on."

Jiang Xia knew very well that some guys had strange hobbies. Perverts who bought binoculars specifically to peep into the girls’ dorms were not unheard of.

"You think everyone’s like you!" Lin Yanwan said, embarrassed and annoyed.

"Hey, I’m just worried, that’s all. Anyway, I’m hanging up. I’m going to tidy up over here, and then we can go out for lunch and buy some stuff," Jiang Xia chuckled. "Love you, baby."

"Love you too."

After hanging up, Jiang Xia was quite satisfied.

Even if he and his girlfriend had different class schedules, they could still see each other every day. They could even blow kisses to each other across the way every morning when they woke up.

’This,’ he thought, ’is what you call a virtual affair.’