Online Dating Fiasco with the Campus Heartthrob (DATING)
Ji Su was pinned to the desk by a large hand, with the cold, hard wall behind him and Gu Zhao's strong, heated body in front of him, leaving him no room to escape.
Gu Zhao's gaze grew increasingly intense. "Are you ready?"
Knowing there was no way out, Ji Su simply closed his eyes and tilted his face up. "Then go ahead and kiss me back."
He had long known that Gu Zhao was the type who wouldn't let things slide easily. If he didn't get his kiss back, he would never let it go.
Gu Zhao leaned in until his tall nose brushed against the soft flesh of Ji Su's cheek, his warm breath fanned over the sensitive skin and his thin lips hovering close.
As the sound of breathing grew heavier in his ear, Ji Su's heartbeat quickened, almost to the point of suffocation.
He turned his face away, feeling restless. "Is this enough?"
The large hand gripping him tightened abruptly to force his face back, and a scorching kiss landed on the corner of his mouth.
"No…" Ji Su gasped as he was startled by the heat. "I only kissed your cheek…"
Gu Zhao stayed pressed against the corner of his mouth, unmoving with the fire in his dark eyes flickering.
After several seconds, Ji Su felt the fiery breath retreat slightly.
Before he could even sigh in relief, his cheek stung.
Gu Zhao had actually opened his mouth and bitten him, not too hard but not too gentle either.
The soft, tender flesh of his cheek was springy and elastic, like biting into a soft, fragrant glutinous rice cake, with a slight stickiness.
Ji Su instinctively covered his cheek and leaned back as a layer of mist formed in his eyes as he said in disbelief, "Gu Zhao, are you a dog or something?"
Gu Zhao stared at the faint mark he had left while licking his lips with lingering satisfaction. "Yes, I am a dog."
Ji Su glared at him, but with his flushed cheeks and shimmering eyes, there was no trace of intimidation.
Gu Zhao's voice was low and hoarse as he coaxed, "Alright, I'll reluctantly consider it repaid."
Ji Su muttered, "How is it 'reluctantly'?"
He had only given a light kiss earlier, and now he had to endure a bite. It was clear who was at a disadvantage here.
Gu Zhao raised his hand to pinch Ji Su's cheek in a soothing manner. "Let's tidy up first. I'll go make dinner."
Ji Su watched the tall figure leave the room, and when he jumped off the desk, he realized his legs were a bit weak.
He took out all the clothes he had brought and placed them in the wardrobe before also filling the bookshelf and desk to the brim.
Gu Zhao had even specially prepared a desktop computer riser for him, showing that he had considered every detail.
After tidying up, Ji Su walked out of the bedroom.
Gu Zhao was busy in the open kitchen with his movements orderly and his cooking quite a sight to behold.
Ji Su walked over and spoke softly, "Gu Zhao, don't you think we should make an agreement?"
Gu Zhao turned around. "What kind of agreement?"
"A roommate agreement." Ji Su organized his words. "Even though I'm only staying at your place temporarily, to ensure we can coexist harmoniously during this exam period, we might need to set some ground rules."
Gu Zhao looked at him with interest. "What do you want to agree on?"
"First, we can split the household chores evenly." Ji Su said earnestly. "I can't let you do everything alone."
Gu Zhao wasn't his hired housekeeper, so how could he live in someone else's home and do nothing?
"No problem." Gu Zhao turned back and said leisurely, "I'll take care of the cooking, and you can handle the dishes."
Ji Su pointed to the dishwasher: "But the dishwasher takes care of the dishes."
Gu Zhao replied, "Then you can just put them in."
Ji Su frowned slightly: "Isn't that a bit too easy for me?"
"I'll take care of cleaning the house," Gu Zhao continued assigning the tasks. "You can handle the laundry."
Ji Su: "Well, there's a washing machine for that."
Gu Zhao: "Then you can just put the clothes in."
Ji Su: "..."
He decided to drop the issue of chore distribution for now and brought up a more important agreement: "Second rule for roommates: respect each other's personal space."
Gu Zhao: "For example?"
"For example, knocking before entering each other's rooms, not disturbing each other while studying or reading, and..." Ji Su pursed his lips as his voice trailing off, "and maintaining an appropriate social distance."
Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by appropriate social distance?"
Ji Su lowered his lashes: "You know exactly what I mean."
Gu Zhao had a habit of picking him up and placing him on various surfaces without warning, and Ji Su had no way to resist.
"Alright." Gu Zhao chuckled. "I promise not to touch you unless you touch me first."
Ji Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief and added, "I haven't thought of the third rule yet. If you have any additional agreements, feel free to bring them up."
Gu Zhao: "I have no issues."
Not long after, four delicious dishes were laid out on the dining table: sweet and sour spare ribs, stir-fried beef, sautéed seasonal vegetables, and a steamed egg with minced meat.
Ji Su took a bite of the sweet and sour spare ribs and couldn't help but praise, "This is really delicious."
Compared to the monotonous meals from the cafeteria, Gu Zhao's cooking was on par with that of a professional chef. No, some restaurants couldn't even make sweet and sour spare ribs that suited his taste this well.
Gu Zhao added another piece to his plate: "If you like it, eat more.”
After lunch, Ji Su returned to his room to work on his drawings.
The entire afternoon passed without any disturbances, and his productivity improved significantly.
After some time, there was a polite knock on the door: "May I come in?"
"Come in." Ji Su looked up and realized it was already dark outside.
Gu Zhao pushed the door open: "Take a break and get ready for dinner."
Ji Su stood up and walked toward the door: "Let me help you."
Dinner was another lavish meal.
After eating, Gu Zhao sat on the sofa and watching Ji Su load the dishes into the dishwasher.
Ji Su wiped his hands dry and joked, "Such a heavy workload."
Gu Zhao also laughed and patted the spot next to him.
Ji Su walked over and sat down beside him: "What were you doing this afternoon?"
Gu Zhao replied casually, "Reading and working out."
Ji Su was a bit surprised: "You still have the energy to work out during finals week?"
"Yes," Gu Zhao glanced at him and his tone unhurried. "I've always had plenty of energy."
Ji Su: "..."
Once again, he found himself inexplicably outshone.
It was truly impossible to compare.
The two of them chatted idly for a while before Ji Su got up from the sofa. "I'm going back to my room to continue studying. Good night in advance."
"Mm, good night." Gu Zhao replied indifferently. "Rest early and don't stay up too late."
"Okay, you too." Ji Su responded and returned to the second bedroom.
Just as he opened his textbook, his phone on the desk vibrated.
Opening WeChat, a new message popped up.
Qiao Jin: [Su Su, my darling, how does it feel living with Senior Gu on the first day?]
Ji Su: [It's not living together, just roommates.]
Qiao Jin: [Alright, alright, if you say it's roommates, then it's roommates.]
Qiao Jin: [So, has Gu Zhao been eager to do this and that to you...]
Ji Su: [No...]
Apart from the kiss he asked for when he first moved in, they hadn't had any physical contact all day.
Qiao Jin: [Really? I find that hard to believe.]
Ji Su: [Really, we even made a roommate agreement.]
Qiao Jin: [What's that all about?]
Ji Su was about to explain when another new message popped up.
Qiao Jin: [So, it seems I've misunderstood Senior Gu?]
Qiao Jin: [Is he really such a gentleman?]
Ji Su: [Anyway, don't worry about me and just focus on your studies.]
Qiao Jin: [Speaking of studying, I do have a question I'd like to ask you.]
Ji Su: [Send it over.]
After answering Qiao Jin's question, he continued with his own study schedule.
Around ten o'clock, Ji Su closed his book and took his pajamas to the bathroom in the living room to shower.
After showering, he came out feeling refreshed and ran into someone standing by the dining table drinking water.
Gu Zhao's gaze fell on his bare calves, paused for a few seconds, and then slowly moved up to his face.
Fresh out of the shower, his fair skin had a lovely pink hue, and his damp bangs framed his eyebrows, making him look pure and beautiful.
Ji Su felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze and tugged at his pajama pants. "You're still up?"
"About to sleep" Gu Zhao put down the water glass. "Dry your hair before sleeping."
"Okay," Ji Su obediently replied and went back to his room to dry his hair.
After drying his hair, there was a timely knock on the door.
Ji Su walked to the door and opened it. "What's up?"
Gu Zhao handed him a glass of milk. "Have some milk, it'll help you sleep better."
"Thank you." Ji Su took the warm milk and said good night again. "Good night."
"Good night." Gu Zhao replied in a low voice.
Ji Su closed the door, hesitated for a moment, and then locked it.
The click of the lock was unusually clear in the quiet house.
Gu Zhao paused before he glanced back at the door, and let out a low, ambiguous chuckle.
…….
Over the next week, Ji Su woke up comfortably every morning, had breakfast, and could fully immerse himself in studying and drawing.
During the day, when he had to go to school for exams or final project reviews, Gu Zhao would drive him, and they would return home together in the evening.
So while everyone else was stressed out about final exams, he looked radiant and refreshed.
Ji Su knew very well that all of this was because of Gu Zhao, and he was thinking about how to properly thank him for his care during this time once all the exams were over.
As for how to thank him, he hadn't figured that out yet.
Another day of exams had come to an end, and after dinner that evening, Ji Su decided to take a little break.
He sat on the sofa and scrolled through videos, while Gu Zhao lounged beside him and played on his phone with his long legs comfortably stretched out on the floor.
Ji Su came across a funny video and couldn’t help but laugh while leaning slightly toward Gu Zhao. In the process, his leg accidentally brushed against Gu Zhao’s.
Gu Zhao glanced at him, then casually spread his muscular legs and pressed them against Ji Su’s.
Through the thin layers of fabric, the warmth from Gu Zhao’s leg was unmistakably transmitted.
Ji Su quickly pulled his leg back as if shocked. “What’s wrong?”
“You touched me just now.” Gu Zhao replied calmly. “So I touched you back.”
Ji Su was momentarily speechless and quietly scooted a bit closer to the edge of the sofa.
Gu Zhao asked, “How many exams do you have left?”
“Just one more,” Ji Su said before pausing the video with a tap on the screen. “It’ll all be over after tomorrow’s final exam.”
"And then?" Gu Zhao asked casually, "Are you planning to go home for the summer vacation?"
Ji Su remained silent for a moment before shaking his head, "Not for now."
"Alright." Gu Zhao responded, "Then just continue staying here during the summer. It saves you the trouble of applying to stay on campus."
During the summer, the dormitories at University A are usually cleared out. However, to accommodate students who are preparing for postgraduate exams or have other reasons to stay, one dormitory building is kept open, and students can apply to stay.
"That would be too much trouble for you," Ji Su politely declined, "Applying to stay on campus isn't that troublesome. I'll just fill out the form after the exams."
Gu Zhao stared at him, "I don't find it troublesome."
"I might take up a part-time job during the summer, so I might not stay on campus." Ji Su avoided his gaze, "We'll see when the time comes."
Gu Zhao didn't say anything more and looked away.
After scrolling through some videos, Ji Su received a voice call from Qiao Jin.
He stood up while holding his phone, and walked to the balcony, "Hey, Xiao Qiao."
"Ahhh, Su Su, my darling, we'll be free after the last exam tomorrow!" Qiao Jin was full of life, "Let's go for barbecue with our dorm mates tomorrow!"
Ji Su replied with a smile, "Sure, my treat."
"How can I always let you treat? Tomorrow's on me!" Qiao Jin said, then suddenly changed the topic, "After the exams tomorrow, you'll move out of Gu Zhao's place, right?"
Ji Su replied softly, "I'm not sure yet."
Qiao Jin raised his voice, "What do you mean? You're not planning to keep living with Gu Zhao, are you?"
"No, I'm planning to stay on campus during the summer, and Gu Zhao said I could continue staying at his place," Ji Su explained briefly, "But I haven't made up my mind yet."
"Su Su, I think it's too dangerous for you to keep living at his place." Qiao Jin advised earnestly, "You have to believe this truth: carnivores don't easily turn into herbivores."
Ji Su was somewhat confused, "Are you saying that Gu Zhao is just pretending now?"
During this time, Gu Zhao had strictly adhered to their roommate agreement and never crossed any boundaries, so Ji Su had indeed become more relaxed.
"I didn't say that," Qiao Jin paused, "What I mean is, before Senior Gu's true colors show, you'd better retreat in time."
Ji Su instinctively turned around and unexpectedly met a pair of dark, amused eyes.
Gu Zhao had somehow appeared behind him, and it was unclear how much he had heard.
Ji Su's heart skipped a beat, and he interrupted the ongoing conversation, "Xiao Qiao, I'm going to rest now. See you at the exam hall tomorrow."
This time, Qiao Jin reacted quickly and stopped talking, "Alright, alright, see you tomorrow!"
After hanging up, Ji Su spoke with a hint of guilt, "I'm going to take a shower. You should rest early too."
Gu Zhao stepped aside and not stopping him, but watched him with an indescribable look in his eyes.
Ji Su felt an inexplicable chill and quickened his pace to leave the living room.
……
After showering, Ji Su returned to his room and found a glass of warm milk and a bowl of washed and cut strawberries on his desk, as usual.
He unconsciously smiled, drank the milk in one go, and then took the strawberries out of his room before knocking on the master bedroom's door.
"Come in." a deep, magnetic voice came from inside.
Ji Su opened the door, "Gu Zhao, I can't finish the strawberries."
Gu Zhao was sitting by the head of the bed reading a book with his tall nose bridge adorned with gold-rimmed glasses. Hearing the sound, he lifted his gaze and looked at him: "Bring it over."
Ji Su walked in and placed the strawberries on the bedside table: "They're already washed, have a few."
Gu Zhao casually picked up a strawberry and brought it to his lips: "Try one."
Ji Su lowered his head and bit into the tip of the strawberry from his hand.
Gu Zhao's knuckled fingers exerted a slight force to push the strawberry into his Ji Su’s mouth.
Ji Su's tongue curled around the strawberry and accidentally brushed against that finger, causing him to immediately pull back a little.
Gu Zhao's eyes darkened: "Sweet?"
Ji Su swallowed the strawberry flesh and nodded: "Very sweet."
Gu Zhao knew he liked strawberries, so every time he picked them for him, they were big and sweet.
Suddenly, Gu Zhao stretched out his arm large hand to scoop him up and pulled him onto the bed.
Ji Su was startled as his eyelashes fluttered: "What's wrong now?"
Gu Zhao pinched Ji Su's chin with one hand before slowly smearing the strawberry juice from his fingers onto his wet, red lips and his Adam's apple kept bobbing: "I want to taste it too."
Ji Su's crow-feather-like eyelashes trembled, and he struggled slightly: "Then I'll get you another strawberry..."
"I don't want to eat anything else," Gu Zhao chuckled. "I want to taste what's in your mouth."
Ji Su instinctively tightened his lips, as if actively holding onto the slender fingers.
Gu Zhao's brow twitched as his fingertip prying open the tightly closed lips and probing inside: "Is this an invitation?"
Ji Su shook his head and mumbled a denial: "No..."
Gu Zhao withdrew his wet finger then pinched the pointed chin, his voice hoarse as he reminded him: "Ji Su, you can push me away."
In the next moment, he reached up to remove his glasses and fiercely kissed the lips he had been longing for.
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