Chapter Thirty-Four: On Short Films

Almost as a reflex, Lin Feng immediately brushed away that hand, then swiftly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Before she could react, he just as quickly let go.

“Yang Xiaohai, are you trying to scare me to death?” Dong Yanyan’s face was pale as she glared at the culprit behind her, still shaken.

Yang Xiaohai grinned shamelessly at them. “Yanyan, aren’t you delivering newspapers tomorrow? Lin Feng, don’t you have a game? Come on, let’s head back to the dorm and get some sleep!”

Hearing this, Dong Yanyan couldn’t help but feel a little flustered: That’s the man I like! And you’re telling him to sleep with you!

“I’ll go first, you should head back soon too,” Lin Feng moved his chair aside and stood up, offering her a gentle smile.

“Wait, Yang Xiaohai, here’s your car key!” Dong Yanyan tossed the key to Yang Xiaohai with an accompanying eye roll.

“No need? You’re going to deliver newspapers on foot?” Yang Xiaohai teased, smiling cheekily.

“No need! The newspaper office has assigned me a car, thanks anyway!” Dong Yanyan replied with a forced smile.

Lin Feng left just like that, leaving her feeling dissatisfied. Horror movies were both her love and her fear—she couldn’t resist watching them, yet was terrified, caught in a tormenting dilemma. Fortunately, the classroom was still bustling with students, which gave her some reassurance.

Xu Cheng and Liu Qiang gradually came down from upstairs, settling at the back of the classroom, chatting as they watched the movie.

Dong Yanyan suddenly recalled something Xu Cheng had mentioned once: back in their school days, the boys would wait until all the girls had returned to their dorms, then sneak back to the classroom to watch romantic action films. She had felt so disillusioned at the time—no wonder she was clueless when dating, while he seemed so experienced. Turns out he’d been ‘educated.’ Seeing so many girls still in the classroom, she felt justified in staying. After all, the DVD was rented with class funds—why let those lechers enjoy it for free?

The terror of Japanese films lay in the eerie atmosphere they created; even the quietest scenes exuded a chilling strangeness. Dong Yanyan clutched the desk leg tightly, trembling with fear.

“I’ve never seen anyone hide under a desk while watching TV. Aren’t you afraid someone will step on you? Hmm? Isn’t this a Japanese film? Not patriotic to watch it!” Accompanied by this mocking remark, Dong Yanyan felt the desk above her head knocked lightly twice. She peeked out and saw two incredibly long, beautiful fingers. As a hand enthusiast, she was instantly smitten! With stars in her eyes, she glanced upward and saw Ren Jiaxuan’s lightly mocking expression, which immediately killed her infatuation.

“Senior, you’re early. The ‘little film’ hasn’t started yet!” she grumbled, gathering her things from the desk, preparing to return to the dorm. The boys rarely had time to relax—she certainly couldn’t stay and be an eyesore.

As she stood to leave, she noticed the amusement and ridicule in Ren’s gaze, realizing she’d spoken out of turn. She instinctively covered her mouth and dashed out of the classroom without looking back. Ren Jiaxuan followed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

“To clarify, I’m not here for the ‘little film’—I came to find you,” Ren Jiaxuan adopted a refined and gentle demeanor, smiling calmly. “Just so you know, your roommate Lu Tian won’t be coming back tonight, so there’s no need to leave the door open for her.”

Dong Yanyan finally understood why he seemed so displeased. Just as boys were annoyed when girls stayed overnight in their dorm, girls staying in the boys’ dorm would irritate the other residents. But since they were all brothers in the same dorm, he couldn’t just kick someone out, so he used her as a messenger.

“Where’s Tian Tian now?”

“She just went upstairs.”

“Could you call her down for me? Tell her I’m waiting in the classroom and I’m anxious and unhappy!” Dong Yanyan spoke each word deliberately, face stern with displeasure. “Also, please tell that lecher in your dorm: my Tian Tian is underage. If he wants to have fun, he should restrain himself. If a teacher finds out, he’ll be in big trouble.”

“Such a little girl, how dare you say anything? Hey, do the boys in your class never hide anything from you?” Ren Jiaxuan laughed.

“What’s it got to do with the boys in our class?” Dong Yanyan muttered, slamming the door shut. In those days, shutting the door like that was considered cool and unique, so ninety percent of the class had developed the bad habit of slamming doors.

However, the door was immediately kicked open. Ren Jiaxuan stormed in, bristling with hostility, pointing at her forehead and shouting, “A few days of kindness and you start acting like you’re one of us, huh? I’m warning you—watch your tone with me from now on!”

Dong Yanyan pouted, glancing at him without a trace of fear, quietly muttering, “If anyone bullies me, I’ll tell the teacher.”

Ren Jiaxuan paused, then laughed as if suddenly enlightened. “No wonder you’re not afraid to offend anyone now—turns out you’ve got the teacher on your side. You really are something!”

Dong Yanyan knew that students who got along well with teachers rarely had good relationships with classmates, but popularity was cultivated over time—just like she was now, and it was fine.

“I get along well with your homeroom teacher, but that hasn’t affected you, has it? Why so indignant?” she yawned, speaking lazily.

“Little sister, you misunderstand me. I’m genuinely complimenting you. I’ll go call your friend,” Ren Jiaxuan patted her shoulder and left.

Dong Yanyan was left there, racking her brains: her memories of this classmate seemed different from now. She didn’t recall talking to him much back then, let alone arguing. So what was going on now?

Thinking carefully, she remembered that Ren had a good reputation among the girls—he only bullied boys, never girls. He’d even helped her fetch hot water and pick up basketballs. What troubled her most now was fetching hot water; those taps were so fierce, spraying hot water everywhere and making her shriek. Fortunately, after she got together with Xu Cheng, she never had to fetch hot water herself again.

“Dong Yanyan, are you okay?”

Hearing the voice, Dong Yanyan looked up to see Xu Cheng’s concerned face. Her ex-husband was almost supernatural—how did he always appear just when she thought of him? Was he really so sensitive to her thoughts?

“I’m fine, just a bit sleepy,” she didn’t want to say more, resting her head on her arms atop the desk, taking a nap while waiting for Tian Tian.

Soon, Lu Tian bounced in lightly, playfully hopping over to her and covering her eyes with a laugh. “Darling, guess who I am?”