Chapter 42: Taken Advantage of by the Senior Sisters

Fortunately, the thing Li Sicheng worried about did not happen.

When the dormitory supervisor aunt approached him, she did not plant a kiss on his cheek like Mo Ke, Liu Wei, and the other girls had done. Instead, she raised her hand and gave his shoulder a hearty slap, grinning broadly as she praised, “Good lad, well done!”

The force behind that slap was no joke; it nearly knocked Li Sicheng off his feet.

He opened his mouth, just about to modestly deflect the praise, when the supervisor aunt suddenly waved her hand and declared, “I’ve decided, from today onward, this dormitory building will always be open to you. Whenever you want to come in, you’re welcome... Oh, wait, not at night. No overnight stays allowed in our dormitory, especially since you’re a boy.”

Her words instantly set off a wave of laughter among the surrounding girls.

There were still a few boys in the crowd. They had slipped into the girls’ dormitory after the recent incident, taking advantage of the chaos. Normally, trying to get into the girls’ dormitory was a Herculean task for any boy—the supervisor aunt alone was a formidable gatekeeper. But today, she was in no mood to keep watch, giving them a rare chance to “sightsee” inside the building.

Earlier, when they saw the spectacular scene of girls lining up to kiss Li Sicheng, envy had already taken root. Now, hearing the supervisor aunt’s words, their jealousy and resentment soared to new heights.

One of the boys immediately protested, “Aunt Zhang, you’re giving Li special privileges! This is so unfair!”

“Privilege? Fairness?”

The supervisor aunt turned around, glared at the protesting boy, and curled her lip in disdain.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you boys are up to, hanging around outside the dorm all day—flowers, guitars, the whole show. And for what? Hmph, just trying to sweet-talk a few naïve girls, aren’t you? You act all attentive, but when real trouble happens, how many of you actually step up? Few enough. And someone like Li Sicheng, who’s willing to risk his life to save others? Even fewer! You want special privileges? Fine. Next time danger strikes, if you can be as brave as Li Sicheng, I’ll give you all the privileges you want. But can you do it?”

Her words dripped with scorn, but not one of the boys dared argue, nor did anyone have the nerve to beat his chest and claim, “I can do it!”

For a moment, their embarrassment was palpable, and they silently cursed the protester who had spoken up and brought this on them.

Why did you have to open your mouth? Now look—thanks to you, not only are you in trouble, but you’ve dragged us all down with you...

Surprisingly, though the boys were embarrassed, not a single one blamed Li Sicheng. His actions had been too moving, too admirable. No matter how envious they felt, there was simply no way to resent him.

Noticing the boys’ discomfort, a few girls couldn’t help giggling, while the supervisor aunt twisted the knife: “See? It’s not that I won’t give you a chance—it’s you who lack the courage. Don’t blame anyone else!”

This time, the girls who had been stifling their laughter let loose, their bright peals filling the room. Even those who hadn’t laughed before joined in wholeheartedly.

After the laughter died down and the supervisor aunt made sure Li Sicheng and Liu Wei were unharmed, she returned to her duties. First, she shooed the boys who’d sneaked into the dormitory back outside. Then, she arranged for a few people to help clean up the shattered glass, and immediately called the school’s maintenance department to replace the broken window.

Li Sicheng, meanwhile, returned to Dorm 415 with Mo Ke, Liu Wei, Zhao Ya, and the others. After waiting for more than ten minutes and seeing Mo Ke finish washing and drying his jacket, he prepared to leave.

After all, he was a boy, and lingering in the girls’ dorm was hardly appropriate. Especially now, when girls kept coming to Room 415 with all kinds of excuses, asking for his contact information, seizing the chance to pinch his arm or thump his chest, laughing, “No wonder you’re so strong!”—and taking liberties with him without the slightest embarrassment.

It had to be said—when women decide to be bold, they can be far more audacious and unrestrained than men.

For other boys, such attention might have been thrilling, even intoxicating. But for Li Sicheng, it was nothing but awkward and torturous.

His face was already as red as it could possibly get from all the teasing.

Yet he had no idea that this bashful, flushed look only fanned the girls’ playful enthusiasm, making their teasing even bolder and more outrageous.

For these reasons, the moment his jacket was ready, Li Sicheng made up his mind to leave—lingering was simply not an option.

Of course, before he left, he didn’t forget to remind them of something important: “Senior Liu Wei, you should move the mirror at the foot of your bed. Don’t keep it there. In fact, any mirror in this dorm—no matter where it’s placed—should never face the head of your bed.”

“Why?” Mo Ke, Liu Wei, and the others stared at him, baffled.

They were genuinely surprised that, as he was leaving, Li Sicheng would bring up something as trivial as the mirror’s position.

Who ever heard of fussing so much over where a mirror is placed?

But Li Sicheng didn’t answer them directly. Instead, he asked, “Senior Liu Wei, tell me, how long has that mirror been facing your bed?”

Liu Wei frowned, thinking hard. “How long? I can’t remember exactly—since the start of this semester, I think. It’s been over two months.”

Li Sicheng pressed, “In these past two months, have you had frequent symptoms of nervous exhaustion? Things like depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and fatigue?”

“I have... How did you know?” Liu Wei’s eyes widened in astonishment.

So far, only the girls in Dorm 415 knew about these things. Until today, Liu Wei hadn’t even known Li Sicheng, so how could he possibly know all this?

Li Sicheng pointed at the mirror at the foot of the bed. “I learned it from that. When a mirror faces the head of your bed, it disrupts the balance of the body’s vital energies, disturbing your emotions. In fact, your impulsiveness today, your urge to jump out the window, is also connected to the way this mirror is positioned!”

“This... That’s too far-fetched!”

Not just Liu Wei, but all the girls in Dorm 415 stared at him in shock, their mouths agape.