Dormitory Building
Wang Feng's footsteps echoed down the empty corridor as he walked toward the room the three of them shared. His heart was filled with questions — what exactly had happened? Why had their reactions been so intense?
And more importantly — how could he fix this?
Wang Feng let out a soft sigh, then steeled his expression. Enough. I'd better talk to them first. Only then can I figure out how to make them forgive me.
His hand slowly reached for the doorknob. Wang Feng knocked gently, but there was no answer.
He knocked again, this time louder. Still no response.
Wang Feng stood upright in front of the room door, his fingers still resting on the cold doorknob. The sound of his knocking echoed through the empty corridor, emphasizing the deepening silence.
Carefully, he tried turning the knob. Click.
The door was locked.
Inside, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong exchanged glances from their respective beds as they heard the sound of the doorknob turning.
"Aren't you going to open it for him?" Huo Yuhao whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
Wang Dong clutched his blanket tighter. "Let him suffer a little first!"
Wang Feng knocked a third time. "Yuhao? Wang Dong? I know you're in there. Could you let me in first? I want to apologize, but I don't even know what I did wrong."
Huo Yuhao shifted his position on the bed, his eyes turning to Wang Dong, who still had his back to the door. "Dong'er... maybe we should hear him out. If Wang Feng really has someone he's seeing, our current relationship with him doesn't really give us the right to interfere."
"Even so..." Wang Dong was still upset after seeing another woman with Wang Feng.
"Wang Feng doesn't even know why we're angry. If it stays like this, he might just distance himself from us."
Wang Dong hesitated and let out a long sigh before finally walking to the door. With a harsh motion, he unlocked it and pulled the handle.
CLICK!
The door opened, revealing Wang Dong with a sour expression. "Come in."
Wang Feng stepped inside and quietly closed the door behind him.
Wang Dong went back to sit on his bed, arms crossed, while Huo Yuhao looked at Wang Feng from his bedside with a questioning gaze.
"You... what's your relationship with that woman in red you were hugging earlier?"
"Oh, you mean Senior Ma Xiaotao?" Wang Feng nodded. "She's the patient I told you about yesterday."
"What exactly is she sick with?" Wang Dong sneered, still in disbelief.
"It's not an illness, really," Wang Feng sighed, "but her Martial Soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix, has unstable energy. I just happen to be able to help her balance it."
Wang Dong still acted cold, but his expression softened slightly. "So... you two are just senior and junior? Not... lovers?"
"Of course not!" Wang Feng replied firmly. "I'm only helping her as a fellow Shrek Academy student. Nothing more."
Huo Yuhao, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. "But, Wang Feng, this afternoon we saw you hugging her in public."
Wang Feng blushed. "That... I wasn't expecting it either. Senior Ma Xiaotao suddenly hugged me to say goodbye. I was honestly surprised!"
Wang Dong remained skeptical. "Then why didn't you push her away?"
"Well... to be honest, I kind of enjoyed it when Senior Ma Xiaotao hugged me." Wang Feng answered truthfully. "Besides, I didn't want to... erm, I couldn't really push her away when she did that."
Wang Dong immediately glared, his arms that were once folded across his chest now clenched into fists. "What?!"
Huo Yuhao, who had remained calm at first, was also shocked, his eyes widening. "Wang Feng, are you serious?!"
Wang Feng looked at the two of them with confusion. "What's wrong? Wouldn't any guy be happy to get a hug from a girl—especially one as pretty as Senior Ma Xiaotao?"
Wang Dong jumped off his bed, his face flushed red. "So you do like Senior Ma Xiaotao?!"
Huo Yuhao tried to calm him. "Dong'er, wait—"
But Wang Feng just scratched his head, still puzzled. "I never said I liked her. I only meant that anyone would enjoy being hugged by a pretty girl, right? Why are you getting so angry about this?"
Wang Dong took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "So... you really don't have any special feelings for Senior Ma Xiaotao?"
Wang Feng shook his head. "No. I only helped her because it's my duty as a fellow Shrek Academy student."
Huo Yuhao, who had remained quiet for a while, finally spoke in a soft voice. "Then... why didn't you tell us earlier? We thought..."
"Thought what?" Wang Feng looked at them curiously, his eyes shifting between the two, who now appeared visibly uneasy.
Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao exchanged glances. A silent conversation passed between them—Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow slightly, while Wang Dong bit his lower lip, clearly conflicted.
"Nothing," Wang Dong finally sighed. "We were just worried you... got into some trouble."
Wang Feng smiled in relief. "So you were mad because you were worried about me?"
"Yeah, you idiot!" Wang Dong turned away, but the redness in his ears betrayed the truth.
Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. "We just didn't like seeing you get close to someone unfamiliar without any explanation."
Wang Feng nodded, then suddenly stepped forward. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll tell you first next time."
He held out his hand, waiting for their reaction.
Wang Dong still looked annoyed, but eventually let out a sigh and shook Wang Feng's hand roughly. "Fine! But next time someone tries to hug you, just refuse!"
"But—"
"NO BUTS!"
Huo Yuhao laughed at the sight of them. "It's fine. What matters is that everything's cleared up now."
Wang Feng nodded, then without warning, pulled them both into a hug. "Thank you for caring about me."
Wang Dong panicked. "H-Hey! Let go!" But his hands only twitched, not really trying to break free.
On the other side, Huo Yuhao didn't resist. In fact, without realizing it, he leaned in a little. The warmth of Wang Feng's hug gave him a strange sense of comfort he couldn't explain. His eyes, now closed, hid the storm within his heart: I don't know whether to be grateful or frustrated with how dense you are, Wang Feng. Even with all the signs Dong'er and I gave you... you still don't see it…
Without realizing it, his arms tightened around the hug.
"Stupid Wang Feng... always making us worry," Wang Dong mumbled, his voice barely audible, his face buried in Wang Feng's shoulder.
"But you guys were the ones who chose to be friends with me," Wang Feng replied with a light laugh, completely unaware of the way both of their hearts were pounding.
"We regret it now!" Wang Dong snapped—but the anger in his voice had already faded.
Behind those words, the atmosphere in the room slowly turned warm again. The cold tension from the misunderstanding melted away, replaced by the closeness they had built over time. The three figures hugging each other cast a harmonious silhouette on the wall, illuminated by the soft light of the setting sun streaming through the window.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you'd like early access to over 10 advanced chapters and want to support the continuation of this story, please consider subscribing to my Patreon.
Your support means a lot to me and will greatly help in continuing to deliver high-quality content for all of you!
👉 Patreon Link: patreon.com/Xeons
Thank you so much for your understanding, and happy reading! 💙