A busy tone echoed from the receiver.

Wen Ruyu’s heart skipped. Unwilling to give up, he dialed three more times.

Each call went unanswered.

His pale, slender fingers tightened around the phone. His heart sank uncontrollably, and a trace of unease surfaced on his delicate face.

In the original host’s memories, no matter how indifferent Fu Qingfeng had been, he had never deliberately ignored his calls.

It was not class time.

Nor was it Fu Qingfeng’s part time job hours.

There was no reason for him not to answer.

Had something happened?

The car had only just stopped at the university gate, barely steady, when Wen Ruyu pushed the door open and hurried toward Fu Qingfeng’s dormitory building.

The wind brushed past his pale, refined face. He ran urgently, his slender frame betraying barely concealed panic and anxiety.

The dorms were different buildings.

In order to remain inseparable from Fu Qingfeng, the original host had chosen the same major as him. Yet they had not been assigned to the same class.

Their dormitories, however, were separated only by a single wall.

Wen Ruyu passed his own dorm without hesitation and stopped outside Fu Qingfeng’s door. He raised his hand and knocked urgently.

Because he was too anxious, he did not control his strength. His knuckles turned faintly white, and the knocking rang out sharp and harsh.

An irritated voice soon came from inside.

“Who is it?”

Footsteps approached, and the door creaked open.

It was Fu Qingfeng’s roommate who answered. He had been gaming when the knocking interrupted him. Annoyance was written all over his face.

But the moment he saw the person standing at the door, all that irritation vanished.

His eyes widened slightly. He froze in place, as if someone had pressed pause.

The boy before him had skin so fair it seemed translucent. His features were exquisitely refined. He had likely run too fast and was breathing lightly, yet he did not appear disheveled. Instead, there was a fragile, disordered beauty to him.

The roommate opened his mouth but failed to produce a single word.

“Is Fu Qingfeng here?”

Wen Ruyu paid no attention to his stunned expression. His gaze slipped anxiously past the doorway into the dorm. There was a faint, barely perceptible tremor in his cool voice.

The roommate snapped back to reality.

“He is. He is.”

“He’s taking a shower.”

The boy’s ears reddened slightly. He stole a glance at Wen Ruyu, his voice noticeably awkward.

“Do you… need him for something?”

At the words “taking a shower,” Wen Ruyu’s suspended heart finally eased. His tense body relaxed slightly.

Good.

He was just showering.

Nothing had happened.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to check.”

“Sorry for the disturbance.”

After speaking softly, Wen Ruyu turned to leave.

But the moment he did, a sudden loud bang erupted from inside the bathroom.

It was sharp and abrupt.

Like something had exploded.

Wen Ruyu’s heart jolted. He instinctively pushed past the roommate and rushed inside.

He stood before the bathroom door. The interior was dark. He raised his hand and knocked urgently.

“Fu Qingfeng!”

“Are you alright?”

His voice was clear and pleasant, but anxiety made the final syllables tremble slightly, enough to make one’s heart skip.

There was silence for nearly three seconds.

Then came the faint click of a lock turning.

The next moment, Fu Qingfeng pulled the door open and stepped out.

His clothes were neatly worn. Only his hair was still dripping water, indicating he had already dressed before the noise occurred.

Relief washed over Wen Ruyu.

He glanced past Fu Qingfeng and saw shattered pieces of a light on the floor.

The bathroom light must have exploded.

It was positioned directly above the shower area. If it had burst earlier, it could have struck someone. Fortunately, Fu Qingfeng had just finished showering and moved away from the most dangerous spot.

Still, fragments had grazed him.

A shallow cut marked his clean, handsome profile. A faint thread of red blood slowly seeped out, contrasting against his damp hair and cool brows, adding an unexpected fragility.

He looked up and saw Wen Ruyu standing at the door, clearly startled.

After confirming that it was only a minor scratch, Wen Ruyu finally relaxed. His voice still carried the lingering tremor of tension.

“It’s good you’re fine.”

“It’s good you’re fine.”

He turned to leave.

But before he could speak, Fu Qingfeng spoke first, his voice as cold as ever.

“Help me apply some medicine.”

He walked to his chair and sat down.

The words Wen Ruyu had intended to say lodged in his throat.

Given the original host’s infatuation, even a minor scrape would have made him anxious for a long time. Refusing was impossible.

He would have been delighted.

Fu Qingfeng’s dorm always kept first aid supplies.

Wen Ruyu glanced at him, then at the medicine on the table, and finally stepped forward.

Not wanting to sit on someone else’s chair, he remained standing. Leaning slightly, he dipped a cotton swab into alcohol and carefully approached the cut.

They were so close they were nearly touching. Their breaths intertwined subtly, and an indistinct tension spread in the air.

Wen Ruyu lowered his gaze quietly, focusing entirely on the shallow wound. His touch was light, as if handling something priceless.

Fu Qingfeng’s gaze, however, drifted to Wen Ruyu’s face.

The boy was extremely beautiful.

Long lashes trembled softly, casting shifting shadows beneath his eyes. His lowered gaze made him appear gentle and obedient. Beautiful enough that one could not look away.

Fu Qingfeng’s gaze slowly moved lower, settling on Wen Ruyu’s pale lips.

Perhaps because he had been running earlier, they retained a faint warmth and moisture.

They looked very kissable.

And he was leaning so close.

It almost felt like an invitation.

As Wen Ruyu carefully tended the wound, Fu Qingfeng’s voice sounded beside him, cool and direct.

“I’m not gay.”

Wen Ruyu: “...?”

What was he talking about?

The dorm had grown quiet. The roommate and others pretended to read or play games, though their eyes kept drifting toward them.

Specifically toward Wen Ruyu.

They had recognized him long ago as the one who followed Fu Qingfeng around daily.

But they had never realized he looked like this.

With a face like that, how had Fu Qingfeng managed to reject him?

The moment Fu Qingfeng said, “I’m not gay,” the roommates felt their hearts tighten and instinctively glanced at Wen Ruyu.

His reaction was swift.

Confusion flickered for less than a second before his gaze dimmed.

He pressed his lips together, eyes misting faintly. Even the hand holding the cotton swab trembled slightly.

He looked as though he might shatter.

Anyone rejected by the person they liked would not remain unaffected.

Yet he forced himself to appear composed, murmuring a quiet “Mm,” and continued applying the medicine.

But anyone could see the disappointment in him.

It was heartbreaking.

Even Fu Qingfeng felt it.

He had rejected Wen Ruyu countless times. He truly did not like him.

Each previous rejection had left him unmoved.

But this time, an inexplicable discomfort bloomed in his chest.

He averted his gaze.

As he did, he noticed a glimpse of a watch strap peeking from Wen Ruyu’s pocket.

As if to suppress that discomfort, he spoke for the first time of his own accord.

“Is that watch for me?”

Wen Ruyu’s hand paused.

He had just finished applying the medicine.

He set the swab down and took the watch from his pocket, holding it out.

It was the one Chu Junheng had given him.

Wen Ruyu forced a faint smile. His voice still trembled from the earlier rejection.

“Your birthday is coming up.”

“Consider it a birthday gift.”

Fu Qingfeng had never accepted his gifts before.

He would always refuse coldly, sometimes even with irritation.

But this time, looking at the watch held out before him, at Wen Ruyu’s reddened eyes and the cautious anticipation in them, his throat moved slightly.

After two seconds of silence, he reached out and took the watch.

Wen Ruyu had not expected that.

He had only been following the character’s established behavior.

His lashes trembled slightly.

He pressed his lips together, unable to suppress the faint joy in his voice.

“It’s getting late. You should rest.”

“I’ll head back.”

He turned and left quickly. This time, nothing happened.

When the door closed, the dorm fell silent.

The roommate’s eyes flickered with gossip as he leaned closer.

“Nice one, Brother Feng. You actually accepted something from him today?”

“Weren’t you the one most annoyed by him following you around?”

Fu Qingfeng lowered his gaze to the watch in his hand. His fingers paused slightly.

His expression remained neutral.

“Shut up.”

—

In a luxury car driving outside campus.

Chu Junheng sat alone in the back seat, holding a tablet. A video played on its screen.

He Tianwu’s voice echoed from it.

“I’ll ask you one last time.”

“Wen Ruyu… do you have even the slightest bit of feeling for me?”

The footage showed the stairwell of the hillside villa.

The angle clearly came from a surveillance camera in the corner, recording everything.

Chu Junheng’s long fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the tablet. His tone was casual, almost lazy.

“Tell me… why didn’t he directly say he doesn’t like He Tianwu?”

Secretary Han had already watched the footage.

He Tianwu, immersed in emotion, had not noticed Wen Ruyu’s hesitation.

But from an observer’s perspective, it was obvious.

He had not directly said he didn’t like him.

He had chosen silence.

As though afraid that saying “I don’t like you” would hurt He Tianwu.

It almost seemed like he truly had feelings for him.

But Secretary Han did not dare say that aloud.

He chose his words carefully.

“Perhaps he was afraid He Tianwu would lose control.”

Afraid he would lose control?

Chu Junheng let out a faint, ambiguous laugh.

It was soft.

Soft enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

“He was afraid He Tianwu would go after Fu Qingfeng.”

Even after being kidnapped for three days.

Even when his own safety had not been guaranteed.

He had still thought of Fu Qingfeng first.

What unwavering devotion.

Chapter 52

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