The sun blazed high; cicadas droned noisily.
It was golden September, and the lingering summer heat was fierce, the asphalt on the road shimmering and distorted in the waves of warmth.
A new batch of college freshmen had just arrived on campus. Their faces were full of freshness and curiosity, brimming with excitement for their new life.
Only, right now, they were facing the very first obstacle of university life.
——Military training.
The vast field and wooded paths of Beijing University were filled with students in camouflage uniforms.
It was 2:50 in the afternoon, the sun blazed overhead, too harsh to bear. Even the instructors, out of mercy (and a bit of fear these pampered kids might actually collapse), allowed each formation to retreat beneath the shade of the plane trees to cool off.
Even so, the students were wilting, drenched in sweat, barely able to lift their heads.
“Dou Ran, aren’t you hot?” someone from the first formation of the Computer Science Department whispered to the tall boy sitting ahead of him.
Under the scorching sunlight, the boy a little ways in front sat with his long legs stretched out, tall and well-built. His black hair had streaks of bold silver, his eyes half-closed in lazy ease, he gave off a nonchalant, careless air.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering across his face. The pattern of light and shadow traced out a pair of long, dark eyes like ink bleeding into water. His features were sharp, his looks striking, by all rights, the kind that drew attention. But his aura was so cold and detached, as if nothing around him held the slightest interest, that anyone wanting to strike up a conversation found no opening.
Fang Ziyan, his roommate, knew this guy’s temperament well. Those three studs on his right ear had only just been taken out recently. Though he seemed reckless and unrestrained on the surface, he actually had his own sense of measure.
Quite unlike the arrogant, impatient young man he’d seen in the dorm a few days ago.
Fang Ziyan was observant by nature, and for some reason, the quiet version of Dou Ran before him felt even more intimidating, someone to tread carefully around.
“Dou Ran”—no, Shen Shi, turned back lazily to glance at him, his tone heavy with the drowsiness of someone who hadn’t slept well. “Not hot.”
Catching the signal that the other didn’t want to keep talking, Fang Ziyan shut his mouth awkwardly. “Oh. That’s… good.”
He went quiet, but his gaze flickered restlessly.
Before college, his father had spoken to him for hours one night, stressing that college is college, but connections are connections.
Beijing University was full of hidden talents; he was to stay on good terms with everyone, make friends wherever possible: more friends, more opportunities. It was how the Fang family had survived through years of financial turbulence.
That was why, on the first day of school, even though Dou Ran’s arrogance had rubbed him the wrong way, Fang Ziyan didn’t pick a fight. He went out of his way to ease dorm tensions instead, naturally becoming the dorm head and securing a good relationship with the faculty advisor.
But now—
He couldn’t help glancing again at the boy sitting diagonally in front of him.
Across the field, the formation of girls kept sneaking looks their way. Their faces flushed, eyes darting, whispering among themselves.
Clearly, they weren’t looking at the rest of this bunch of ordinary guys.
Fang Ziyan looked away.
… Somehow, Dou Ran seemed different. He didn’t remember him being this handsome, this magnetic—but his memories felt blurred, smudged at the edges. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t recall it clearly.
Now, the boy just sat there silently, and even so, it was impossible to ignore him. There was something quietly commanding about him: a calm, unhurried nobility that spoke of someone born to privilege.
Fang Ziyan took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his chest, already beginning to make quiet calculations in his mind.
——
Shen Shi, of course, couldn’t care less what some kid thought of him.
He was twenty-eight this year. Through his own skill and steady maneuvering, he’d finally ousted his father, Shen Hanqing, from the board and taken the chairman’s seat for himself. Barely had he settled into the position when the supposedly “retired and content” Shen Hanqing started pushing him into blind dates.
His mother had also joined in, unable to bear seeing her grown son still single, without anyone she could approve of, so she’d gone along with his father’s wishes and found him a few well-bred, well-mannered women from respectable families.
He had been on his way to one of those blind dates when the accident happened.
A car crash, then, when he opened his eyes, he was back in a familiar yet strange dormitory.
Voices buzzed around the room; a whistle blew somewhere outside.
His roommates were hurrying about, not sparing him a glance as they ran downstairs to assemble. Though Shen Shi had no idea what was happening, he kept his face calm, hiding the waves roiling in his chest.
He got out of bed, washed up quickly, and glanced in the mirror.
The face staring back wasn’t too different from his own just younger, like he’d shrunk back to eighteen or nineteen. Yet it wasn’t quite him. There was a faint layer of haze over it, a distance.
He studied the reflection: the silver-dyed hair he’d had in his second year of high school, the three earrings in his right ear.
He understood. This was his face but also not his face.
What the h*ll…?
Shen Shi descended the stairs, his mind unnervingly calm.
Back to eighteen?
He had no great regrets in life. For heaven to send him back, wasn’t that a little unfair?
——
After quietly observing his surroundings for two days, he finally confirmed it: he had really crossed over, back to Beijing University, ten years in the past.
Here, his name was Dou Ran, age nineteen. Arrogant, self-absorbed, convinced of his own brilliance, and on terrible terms with everyone in his dorm except one boy named Fang Ziyan, who tried to smooth things over.
From Fang Ziyan, Shen Shi carefully gathered information. What he learned sent shockwaves through him again.
——There was also a Shen Shi in this world.
A senior in the finance department. Fourth year. A campus celebrity.
…and he had a boyfriend.
Shen Shi: “…”
Everything else matched—age twenty-two, same name, same background.
Except that.
A boyfriend?
His expression was unreadable. He tried to dig for more details, but the kid didn’t know much only that he seemed to look down on such things, showing faint disgust when the topic of homosexuality came up.
So Shen Shi stopped asking.
His thoughts drifted back to the present as chatter rose around him again.
Ahead, the girls’ formation had spotted someone, their excitement barely suppressed as they whispered to one another.
The instructors, more lenient with the girls, teased lightly: “What’s the fuss? See your parents or something?”
—A bold girl cupped her face, eyes sparkling: “No, it’s Senior Ye from our department!”
“Wow, from your department? He’s so good-looking… When he looked over just now, my face totally turned red.”
“Senior Ye is really nice,” the girl continued confidently, unfazed by being questioned. “On the first day of school, I couldn’t find my classroom, and he personally led me there. Our class advisor seems to know him, too, they talked for a bit.”
“Did you get his number?” someone teased.
The girl shook her head. “No, Senior Ye already has a partner.”
“Ah?”
Hearing that the handsome guy was already taken, the girls’ chatter dimmed slightly, sighing and murmuring.
“Of course, all the handsome ones are taken.”
“Don’t be discouraged. I heard that the Finance Department has another senior—”
“Hahaha, you mean Senior Shen Shi, right?”
The girl smiled broadly, winking at a few like-minded friends, and whispered mysteriously: “Senior Shen Shi… I’d already heard rumors about him before I even entered the school.”
“Ah? What rumors? Tell us!”
“All I know is that this senior is handsome… and now he has gossip?”
“Come on, come on! I love hearing this!”
Across from them, Shen Shi raised an eyebrow, amused, catching the hidden meaning in their voices.
If he remembered correctly, during his college years he’d been busy with investments and studies; even if rumors had circulated, they wouldn’t have been discussed in such a gossipy, exaggerated way.
Thinking of this, he paused abruptly.
The “himself” in this world… had deviated somewhere from the normal track.
That is—
“Lovesick!”
Shen Shi: “?”
The students: “?”
…Huh? What “sick”?
Amidst confused and shocked stares, the girl and a few others who’d clearly heard something before burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs, and repeated: “Senior Shen Shi —he’s the famous lovesick guy at Beijing University!”
“He’s famous for dating! Everyone in the school knows hahaha!”
Twenty-eight-year-old, deep-thinking, straight, CEO-type Shen: “???”
What?
His expression froze briefly; for a moment, he found it absurdly funny.
…Lovesick.
Who?
The “himself” in this world?
Meanwhile, during a break in the laughter, the girl seemed to remember something, wiped tears from her eyes, and exclaimed loudly: “Oh! Did I tell you who Shen Shi senior’s partner is?”
Before anyone could ask, she pointed down the tree-lined path someone had just walked past and casually said:
“It’s Senior Ye from our department—Ye Ran.”
***
Dorm 211.
The hallway was quiet. Freshmen were at military training; sophomores and juniors were in class. Ye Ran had just returned from the teaching building, carrying a sketchpad, and drained a cup of ice water from exhaustion.
Soon, footsteps came directly toward the dorm.
Clatter, clomp, obviously Little Fatty and Brother Shu.
The door opened quickly.
Little Fatty and Brother Shu, drenched in sweat from the heat, paused briefly at seeing him. “What’s up? Weren’t you with Shen Shi today?”
“Hm, the department temporarily asked me to deliver water to the freshmen. I’ll leave after finishing.”
Three years had passed; Little Fatty had gained some weight but grown into a fairly handsome chubby guy. Brother Shu’s literary vibe was stronger than ever; he had arranged an internship at a publishing house starting in a few days.
For this final year of college, they all felt reluctant to part. Even though the school had relaxed off-campus rules, they still maintained their Monday-Wednesday evening chats habitually.
Brother Shu, parched, poured a full cup of ice water. “Where’s Shen Shi?”
“He was called away by a professor in their department,” Ye Ran lifted damp hair off his forehead. Feeling drained, he leaned back, eyes half-lidded, a faintly lazy and teasing glimmer at the corner of his gaze.
Unfortunately, Little Fatty and Brother Shu were oblivious, focused on their own chatter.
“Our department’s done well this year. There’s a kid called Dou Ran, really handsome. I think he can even compete with Shen Shi,” Little Fatty said with a mischievous grin.
Brother Shu pushed up his glasses seriously. “Lin Feipeng, don’t judge by appearances. I heard Dou Ran is arrogant, looks down on people, and has offended everyone in the department.”
Little Fatty: “Huh? Really? Why didn’t I know… And why are you calling me ‘comrade’ all of a sudden?”
Brother Shu: “The publishing house has me studying regulations closely, so my mind is full of righteous discipline… But yes, it’s true. That kid’s character isn’t great. I heard he even badmouthed Shen Shi privately, mocked him for being gay, called him a plastic surgery face, and cursed a lot.”
The dormmates were close enough that Brother Shu could speak freely, also subtly warning Ye Ran.
Ye Ran looked up, and the soft smile on his face dimmed a little.
“Don’t worry,” Brother Shu comforted him. “Every year when freshmen arrive, Shen Shi gets dragged around. Today, this freshman compares, tomorrow, another… none of them can match him. Honestly, it’s exhausting to watch.”
Little Fatty frowned. “I don’t know about this kid… Anyway, let’s not talk about such a buzzkill. Ye Ran, when Shen Shi comes back, want to go out for dinner together?”
“Alright.” Ye Ran finished speaking just as his phone buzzed, it was the class monitor, Nie Anrou, calling him to help carry water.
Before leaving, he suddenly turned back, as if remembering something, and asked Little Fatty, “I heard the computer science and art departments are training together this year?”
“Huh? Yeah, our two departments don’t have many people, so they combined us into two formations: one for guys, one for girls,” Little Fatty replied, puzzled. “Why are you asking—”
Before he could finish, the doorway was already empty.
Little Fatty scratched his head. “He left that fast?”
“Of course,” Brother Shu immediately pulled out his phone, typing out a message to Shen Shi: ‘Alright, don’t worry, someone’s on it.’
“Huh? On what?”
Little Fatty thought for a few seconds, and then realization hit him so hard his jaw nearly dropped.
“Sh*t—don’t tell me Ye Ran got mad?”
“Mad isn’t quite the word,” Brother Shu said, having a fair idea of how Ye Ran was. “At most, he just wants to see what that loudmouth kid actually looks like.”
Little Fatty snorted. “No way he’s better looking than Shen Shi.”
Brother Shu chuckled too. “That punk’s been badmouthing Shen Shi for a while now. I’ve wanted to tell Shen Shi about it ages ago, but you know how he is, couldn’t care less. Now that Ye Ran’s going, there’s no way Shen Shi won’t follow.”
“Wow, you really can’t stand that guy, huh?”
“D*mn right,” Brother Shu admitted readily. Thinking of how Ye Ran and Shen Shi’s relationship had been twisted into some ridiculous rumor, he couldn’t help but sneer. “If you’d seen the kind of garbage he posts on the forum, you’d hate him too.”
