SYU 36. Extra 1: Kinda Cute

Less than a week into the semester, one evening, Wu Jinshan walked out of the veterinary building and ran into Chen Xiucheng on the way back to the dorms.

Chen Xiucheng was walking a few paces ahead, hands in his pockets, strolling along with a relaxed air. He looked like he was in a good mood.

Wu Jinshan slowed his steps, quietly approached from behind, and said, “You got a haircut?”

Chen Xiucheng jumped in fright, swerved left to dodge, and instinctively reached up to cover the back of his neck, his expression tense. “Yeah. Got it done this afternoon. Just… one of the nearby salons.”

Wu Jinshan simply stared at him, then reached out to sling an arm over his shoulder again.

“What are you doing?” Chen Xiucheng yelped, trying to dodge.

But he didn’t manage to get away. Wu Jinshan’s arm locked around him, dragging him along.

“Didn’t you say new semester, new look? Why’d you cut it already?” Wu Jinshan asked in a calm tone, nothing like the startled guy beside him.

Right before school started, Chen Xiucheng had gone to a salon, dyed the tips of his hair a shade of deep-sea blue, and proudly showed it off to Wu Jinshan. He declared that he’d be the flashiest guy on campus, and said once it grew longer, he’d tie a little tail with it like a fish fin.

But barely a few days into the semester, Chen Xiucheng had chopped off the tail.

“So you wouldn’t mess with my hair anymore.” Chen Xiucheng pried at the arm hooked around his neck, trying to break free. When that failed, he jabbed a hard elbow into Wu Jinshan’s waist and shoved him away, thinking that guy should be the one reflecting on his behavior. After all, this was his fault to begin with.

Ever since they returned to campus, Wu Jinshan had been glued to him, always finding excuses to walk with him whenever they left or returned to the dorm. He would drape an arm over his shoulder just to play with the little blue streak at the back of his neck.

He would twirl the tail between his fingers, slide his hand into Chen Xiucheng’s hair to ruffle it, brush his earlobe, and stroke that sensitive patch of skin behind his ear. Whether it was in the club office or on the field, Wu Jinshan would seize every opportunity to touch him, regardless of time or place.

Chen Xiucheng kept getting turned on by it, pitching a tent between his legs, completely scandalized by himself.

Even worse, Wu Jinshan often waited until no one was around, then pressed up against his back and groped his ass or pinched his waist like some kind of sex-crazed creep.

Chen Xiucheng had scolded him. “Do you not care about the setting when you’re horny?”

Wu Jinshan had even thought about it seriously before replying, “I only get horny for my boyfriend.”

Of course, he couldn’t chop off his ass, but he could at least cut his hair and eliminate the problem at the root. He wasn’t used to keeping it long anyway. Cutting it back was cleaner, easier to wash, and gave him a sharper look overall.

“I don’t need your hair to mess with. I can play with plenty of other parts.” Wu Jinshan leaned in and whispered into his ear. He didn’t care what kind of hairstyle Chen Xiucheng had. He liked all of them.

His hand was already itching again. Those sinful fingers started creeping from Chen Xiucheng’s shoulder down toward his waist…

But Chen Xiucheng saw it coming, kicked him hard, and shoved him into the bushes. “It’s the middle of the damn day. Stop with the sneaky touches.”

Wu Jinshan stumbled a few steps but immediately fought back, cornering Chen Xiucheng against a nearby wall, grabbing his arm, and threatening, “Then I’ll save the big moves for tonight.”

Their bickering showed no signs of stopping. Word around campus was that the two most incompatible guys in school were still going at it after an entire semester. Whenever they crossed paths, they ended up wrestling or hurling insults all the way back to the dorm. Most students steered clear to avoid getting caught in the scuffle.

It was only nine o’clock, but Wu Jinshan had already dragged Chen Xiucheng back from the party. Now, he was in the bathroom taking a shower.

Chen Xiucheng had definitely not wanted to leave so early. He hadn’t had enough fun yet. But Wu Jinshan said that if he didn’t come back on his own, he would go to the party himself and drag him back.

And knowing Wu Jinshan, he really would do it. The man had no shame, but Chen Xiucheng still had some.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Wu Jinshan was lying on his bed, one leg crossed over the other as he read. He hesitated when he heard the sound.

But the knocking didn’t stop. Whoever it was clearly didn’t know when to quit. Wu Jinshan glanced at Zhuang Ming, who nodded toward the door, signaling that he’d go open it.

Ever since Fu Hexi had moved out, their four-person dorm had become a three-person one. And because of Wu Jinshan and Chen Xiucheng’s notoriously bad relationship, no one wanted to move into the empty bed. It had long since become a dumping ground for their junk.

“Who are you looking for?” Wu Jinshan stood up, all six-foot-whatever of him looming in the doorway, nearly brushing the frame and completely blocking the view inside the room.

The guy at the door wasn’t short either, but seeing someone that tall emerge out of nowhere startled him. And with the light behind Wu Jinshan casting shadows across his face, he looked downright menacing.

“Um… Senior Cheng. He said he lives in dorm 502. I just joined the soccer club and wanted to ask him how to fill out the application form.”

“He’s not here.”

A breeze drifted through. Wu Jinshan didn’t give him a chance to say another word and shut the door in his face.

After a short wait, he heard the sound of footsteps fading away. Just as he turned to go back to bed, Chen Xiucheng came out of the bathroom, still damp with steam and carrying a faint clean scent. He asked, “Who was that? Who were you talking to just now?”

Wu Jinshan didn’t answer, and Chen Xiucheng didn’t press. He went straight to his bed and picked up his phone. A moment later, he suddenly burst out laughing.

“Hahahahaha, he said you were so fierce.” He laughed so hard he rolled across the bed, then jumped up and shoved the phone screen in front of Wu Jinshan.

On the screen, a contact saved as “New Freshman” had sent him several crying emojis, complaining about getting shut down at the door.

“See? You scared him off,” Chen Xiucheng said with a grin, scrolling through the messages. “He’s kind of cute.”

Kind. Of. Cute.

“You smell like something. Did you not wash properly?” Wu Jinshan asked, pretending to sniff him seriously.

“What smell?” Chen Xiucheng was too focused on replying to the freshman to notice the warning signs in Wu Jinshan’s tone.

So, that night, Wu Jinshan personally demonstrated the consequences of calling someone else cute.

The undergrad dorms at Qinhai Medical University weren’t exactly soundproof. The acoustics in the bathrooms, in particular, were just clear enough to hear something, but not enough to tell exactly what.

So, with all the thumping, stomping, pan-clanging, bottle-throwing, and towel-snapping noises, plus a few of Chen Xiucheng’s colorful curses, the students in the surrounding dorms all sat frozen in silence, sweating nervously on behalf of whoever was in there.

The next day, Chen Xiucheng’s buddies, ever loyal, couldn’t sit still after the chaos they’d overheard the night before. They were determined to stand up for him.

“Brother Cheng, don’t worry. If that guy goes nuts, just call us. We’ll beat the crap out of him for you.”

Chen Xiucheng was walking down the road when his legs suddenly gave out, nearly tripping. He immediately raised his voice to cover the panic. “Me? Afraid of him? Are you kidding? I’m the one beating Wu Jinshan every time, alright?” He told them to open their eyes and take a good look, even citing last semester when he supposedly gave Wu Jinshan a black eye. The guys were stunned speechless.

No matter what happened behind closed doors, out here he was the one man in school who could tame Wu Jinshan. That image could not be ruined.

As for the soccer club, once Chen Xiucheng took over, he got things in proper shape. Not only did he rope in a few of his own brothers to fill up the roster, he also promoted the club and invited several new freshmen from Qinhai University to join.

“This one’s out.” Wu Jinshan picked up an application and tore it to pieces before tossing it in the trash. It was from that same freshman who had shown up at their door that night, sent crying emojis to Chen Xiucheng afterward, and was later called “kinda cute.”

“Why?” Chen Xiucheng had thought he had a good eye. He had spotted this particular freshman at the orientation event. Physically fit, great athleticism, and genuinely interested in soccer, yet Wu Jinshan vetoed him instantly.

“Bad intentions,” Wu Jinshan said, firm and final.

Chen Xiucheng frowned. “What, he gambles? He’s into prostitutes?” Then added, “Hold on, you’ve only met him once. How could you tell?”

“Stay away from him,” Wu Jinshan said with quiet displeasure. His expression stayed calm, but he clearly meant it. After a pause, he added, “You’re not allowed to have any contact with him.”

“That serious?” The way Wu Jinshan said it only made Chen Xiucheng more curious. “What kind of ‘bad intentions’ are we talking about?” He joked, “Did he kill someone? Burn something down? Steal money? Join a cult?”

But Wu Jinshan kept his mouth shut. Even after two days of Chen Xiucheng pestering him, he refused to explain, and Chen eventually forgot about it.

Days passed as usual. After the training field application was approved for the semester, Chen Xiucheng brought his guys and Wu Jinshan over to run regular practices.

But over time, he started to notice that the so-called crybaby freshman really might have some “bad intentions.”

“Hey, watching the game?” Chen Xiucheng spotted an opportunity. He climbed two steps at a time and sat down beside the freshman, who was watching from the stands.

“Yeah.” The guy gave a flat reply.

“You sure you’re watching the game? Not watching someone?”

Even if Wu Jinshan refused to say anything, Chen Xiucheng believed in his own instincts. He’d figure out what was going on himself.

The freshman glanced at him, all wide-eyed and innocent.

That look only made Chen Xiucheng more sure. “Forget it. He’s taken.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t believe me?” Seeing that the guy was still playing dumb, Chen Xiucheng pulled out his phone. He was going to crush that freshman’s hopes right now.

Still practicing on the sidelines, Wu Jinshan caught sight of the scene. Using a water break as an excuse, he walked over to the bench, picked up his bottle, took a sip, and kept his eyes fixed on their direction.

He saw Chen Xiucheng raise his phone to his ear, and right then, his own phone began to ring. When Wu Jinshan looked down and saw “Hubby” flashing on the screen, he answered calmly.

“Hello, wifey.”

Chen Xiucheng’s flirty voice came through at once. Wu Jinshan froze.

“Say ‘hubby’ for me.”

Wu Jinshan had no idea what Chen Xiucheng was up to, but he played along and called out, “Hubby.”

“Make it sweeter.”

So Wu Jinshan adjusted his tone into a gentle, affectionate lilt and said it again.

Delighted, Chen Xiucheng ended the call. When he turned around, he found the freshman sitting beside him slack-jawed, mouth wide open as if his jaw had come unhinged.

Wu Jinshan watched it all from the bottom of the stairs. Before long, he saw that poor freshman get up and run off in tears.

“What did you do to him?” he stepped forward as Chen Xiucheng came back.

Having just solved a major headache, Chen Xiucheng looked pleased with himself. “Didn’t you say he had bad intentions? I’ve been observing him, and turns out he really is bent.” Then he shot Wu Jinshan a glare. “And it’s all your fault. What’s with that face of yours? Even freshmen aren’t safe.”

“Me?” Wu Jinshan was caught off guard.

“You bewitched him. He’s shown up to every practice just to watch you. First you reeled in Song He, and now you’ve got some freshman crushing on you.”

“Huh?” Wu Jinshan stared at him, stunned.

“Who else could he be watching? Me? Zhao Xi? Please. We can’t even score a goal. What’s there to watch?” As he spoke, Chen Xiucheng picked up a ball that had rolled across the grass and kicked it hard. No one knew where it ended up.

“So I gave him a hard dose of reality on the spot,” Chen Xiucheng said, continuing his lecture on emotional intelligence. “You, with your cold fish attitude, not saying anything, not rejecting anyone clearly, you’re just stringing him along. You get that?”

“A clean break hurts less than dragging it out. I did it for his own good.”

“Probably did hurt…” Wu Jinshan muttered. He took another gulp of water to calm himself, screwed the cap back on, and pressed a hand to his chest. Now even he started to feel sorry for the guy.

“You’re feeling bad for him now?” Chen Xiucheng shrieked.

Wu Jinshan rushed to explain. “No, I meant my chest kind of hurts.” He pulled Chen Xiucheng’s hand over and pressed it to his left pec. “Feel it.”

Chen Xiucheng couldn’t help but give it a squeeze.

Yeah. Solid pecs.

“Now feel this one too.” Wu Jinshan grabbed his other hand and moved it down to his crotch.

Chen Xiucheng froze. That was definitely bulging.

“Feel your ass. You’re asking for a kick!”

When the others heard the arguing and turned to look, they saw the two of them going at it again. As always, it was Wu Jinshan on the receiving end of the kicks.

Chen Xiucheng landed two solid kicks, and Wu Jinshan dropped to the turf, holding his stomach as he sat there laughing.

He couldn’t tell whether Chen Xiucheng doing it on purpose, or just trying to put his mind at ease.

But one thing Wu Jinshan knew for sure was that he liked Chen Xiucheng more and more.