In the midst of Mengran's confused expression, Zhou placed the bag in the living room and said:
"Just stay here. When you have somewhere else to go, then you can leave."
Upon hearing this, Mengran immediately snapped out of it, walked over quickly and said,
"No, no… I'll leave right away, I…"
Before she could finish, Zhou suddenly looked up at her. His gaze wasn't fierce or frightening,
but it carried a kind of undeniable authority, making her instinctively shut her mouth.
Looking at Mengran, Zhou said in a deep voice,
"Either you stay here, or I call the police to look after you. Your choice."
Mengran sobbed a few times, blinking her teary eyes, and looked at him with a slightly reproachful gaze, quietly asking,
"Is this how you talk… to Tong too?"
"Huh?"
Zhou opened his mouth, staring blankly, speechless for a long time as he looked at Mengran.
Her expression seemed to say: no wonder your confession failed!
Zhou knew he wasn't good at talking — his lack of emotional intelligence was his biggest flaw.
If he struggled even with guys, then dealing with girls was even worse.
He lowered his head silently, unable to respond. At that moment, he looked like a disappointed little puppy,
with none of the imposing air he had just moments ago.
"Pfft—"
Zhou looked up and saw Mengran covering her mouth, laughing. Her eyes curved, though tears still clung to the corners.
Zhou smacked his lips awkwardly and said, "Just stay, I'm begging you, okay?"
It was the most sincere thing he could say out loud. He tried to make a kind expression,
but no matter how he twisted his face, it felt all wrong — he nearly gave himself a cramp.
Seeing this, Mengran laughed out loud again. At this point, it was hard to tell whether her tears were from crying or laughing.
Zhou, misunderstanding it as ridicule, turned his head away, his face full of frustration.
Realizing she might've gone overboard, Mengran let her laughter die down and said softly,
"Okay… I'll stay. Thank you. But… why are you helping me?"
"No real reason. If I had to say one… I guess I just don't want my reputation in class getting any worse."
"Huh?"
Mengran blinked in surprise, paused, and said,
"But I haven't heard anything bad about you in class? The only thing people say is about you confessing to Tong."
"To me, that is a bad reputation."
"Oh— aren't you afraid Tong would be upset if she heard that?"
"Let her. It has nothing to do with me anymore."
Zhou shrugged, looking completely indifferent — not even the slightest change in his expression.
Mengran was a little surprised and asked tentatively, "You… don't like her anymore?"
Zhou shook his head. "If something doesn't get a response, there's no point in holding on to it."
"I see… maybe that's for the best."
After deciding to stay, Mengran hung up her wet clothes to dry.
She sat on the sofa, unsure of what to do, glancing around restlessly.
She hadn't expected she'd actually agree to stay — and in a classmate's house, no less…
But now, her impression of Zhou had changed.
She never knew he was this kind of person.
Looking at him still studying, she felt a little admiration.
To live alone and still be this self-disciplined — whether it was exercising or studying —
he clearly had strong willpower.
"Tsk—"
After a while, Zhou began pulling his hair and sighing impatiently — clearly stuck on a problem.
Mengran got up and slowly walked over, standing beside him.
She saw that he really was stuck on a question, though the part he was struggling with seemed simple to her…
Still thinking of the earlier moment, she didn't dare say anything too critical.
She just pointed at the question on the paper and started explaining it to him.
Zhou listened carefully, nodding now and then.
Finally, with Mengran's help, he got through the question.
Soon, he finished the whole test and checked the time — it was already past 2 a.m.
He regretted spending time earlier gaming with Tang — now there were only a few hours left to sleep before school.
Zhou packed up his stuff, looked at Mengran on the sofa, and said:
"Go sleep in the bedroom. I'll take the sofa."
Even if his EQ wasn't great, he still knew better than to let a girl sleep outside.
But Mengran repeatedly refused. She was already incredibly grateful to be staying here —
how could she have the nerve to take the bedroom and make Zhou sleep on the sofa?
"No, no, the sofa is fine. Really…"
"No way. The sofa's uncomfortable. Go take the bedroom."
Zhou was firm. He knew that sofa wasn't fit for sleeping — you'd roll off or wake up sore.
"That's even more reason you shouldn't sleep on it… you're bigger than me. It'd be worse for you…"
"Enough. This is my house — just listen to me."
"Precisely because it's your house, and you're the host, I shouldn't take your bedroom…"
The two of them kept arguing like that, pushing back and forth from the living room to the bedroom.
Zhou turned on the bedroom light, and Mengran finally saw what it looked like inside —
neat and tidy, nothing like a stereotypical bachelor's room.
And the bed was huge — enough for two with room to spare.
Seeing how persistent Zhou was, and not wanting to back down herself, Mengran finally suggested:
"Then… how about we both sleep in here? I'll take the floor…"
"Why should you sleep on the floor? I'll do it."
"You…"
They bickered for another five minutes.
Mengran found out just how stubborn Zhou was, and realized she couldn't win.
Time was getting late, and they both knew they shouldn't keep arguing over something like this.
In the end, they settled on a compromise they were both barely okay with —
they split the bed in two, with a blanket dividing it down the middle.
A faint blush crept onto Mengran's face — she had actually agreed to this.
She was going to sleep in the same bed… with a boy from her class.
She sat on the left side, hugging her knees, feeling uneasy.
Earlier, she hadn't fully grasped the situation.
But now that Zhou had gone to change into sleepwear, the reality hit her —
she was a girl, after all. And Zhou was a boy. Was it really safe to just sleep here?
What if he tried something? With his strength, she'd be helpless…
A moment later, Zhou came in, wearing a thin ice-silk pajama set.
Normally, you couldn't see his physique through his clothes,
but in this outfit, the muscle definition beneath was clearly visible.
Mengran only glanced once before quickly turning her eyes away,
her ears quietly reddening…