Sunlight streamed into the room, casting light on the messy sheets.

A figure slowly moved under the covers, a head with disheveled hair drowsily emerging. Lin Shiyu woke, sat up in a daze, and stared blankly as the blanket slipped off, revealing a vivid red mark on his neck.

He picked up his clothes from the floor, put them on slowly, and sluggishly made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. He was brushing his teeth when he glanced down at the dirty laundry basket, where outerwear and underwear were mixed together.

Lin Shiyu was very neat and clean, ingrained with the habit of frequently washing and changing his underwear under his mother’s strict guidance since childhood. Zhong Qi, on the other hand, looked presentable but was completely clueless about household chores. Before, a housekeeper took care of cleaning at his home, they ordered takeout when they didn’t have food, and even washing clothes was something Lin Shiyu taught him after they got together.

Lin Shiyu glanced disdainfully at the underwear in the basket. He finished brushing his teeth, washed his face, then bent down to pick out all the underwear from the dirty laundry basket, placing them in a small basin filled with water, and began scrubbing with laundry soap.

The sound of plastic bags rubbing against each other and footsteps came from the living room. Zhong Qi appeared at the bathroom door, holding a youtiao in his mouth.

He glanced at the underwear in Lin Shiyu’s hands.

Lin Shiyu quickly pushed the underwear into the soapy water. “What are you looking at?”

Zhong Qi: “These are mine, right?”

“Yes, so what?” Lin Shiyu felt embarrassed and sternly said, “I’ve told you several times to wash underwear and outerwear separately. You never listen, you’re so lazy.”

Zhong Qi smiled, took a bite of the youtiao, tore the rest into two pieces, and held one piece to Lin Shiyu’s mouth. Lin Shiyu happened to be hungry, so he opened his mouth and ate.

Zhong Qi leaned against the bathroom door, watching Lin Shiyu wash clothes for him while feeding him the youtiao.

After washing the underwear, Lin Shiyu took them to the balcony to dry. Zhong Qi followed behind him, observing as Lin Shiyu hung up the clothes. The balcony was bathed in abundant sunlight, and Lin Shiyu stood in the light, his skin emitting a warm glow.

Watching him, Zhong Qi reached out and stroked the hair on Lin Shiyu’s ear. Lin Shiyu twitched sensitively, looking up at him. His amber eyes were clear and bright, as clean as a lake unseen by anyone in the mountains.

“What do you want to do in the future?” Zhong Qi suddenly asked.

Lin Shiyu was puzzled by the question. “In the future?”

“After graduation.”

“I… want to… maybe… try to get into university,” Lin Shiyu hesitated. 

“Which one do you want to apply to?”

“Of course, in our province.” Lin Shiyu didn’t hesitate on this point. His mother and sister were here, and he couldn’t be far from them.

What about Zhong Qi? Thinking of this question, Lin Shiyu felt a bit lost. Zhong Qi’s grades were so good; he should go to a better university farther away.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Qi said, “Well, then we can rent a place together in the future.”

Lin Shiyu was taken aback. “You’re going to study in Wuhan?”

“Can’t I?”

“Your grades should get you into universities in Shanghai or Beijing.”

Zhong Qi looked at him for a moment. “Are you willing to let your boyfriend go so far away?”

Lin Shiyu certainly wouldn’t say he wasn’t willing. In his heart, he thought, I can go see you no matter how far away you are. I’ll visit at least once a month, for birthdays, holidays, and even New Year’s. Besides studying, working, and taking care of my sister, all my free time will be spent visiting you. What’s the big deal?

Yet when Lin Shiyu thought about Zhong Qi staying in Wuhan for school, he couldn’t help but long for it. Living together every day would certainly be much better than long distance. They had only been together for a few months, but Lin Shiyu was already used to spending weekends at Zhong Qi’s place.

“If you really stay,” Lin Shiyu hung the clothes to dry and said softly, “we could live together.”

Zhong Qi understood his shy expression very well, and couldn’t help but smile at his words.

“Let’s eat.” Zhong Qi had bought soy milk, youtiao, and small wontons, and they sat down at the table to eat. Suddenly Zhong Qi remembered something. “Oh, today is Er Mao’s birthday.”

Lin Shiyu almost spat out his soy milk. “Why are you only telling me now?”

“I’ve already bought the gift, a set of Wade’s jersey. They’re meeting at a KTV this afternoon and having dinner together in the evening.”

Lin Shiyu was puzzled. “How come I didn’t know you had plans?”

Zhong Qi calmly replied, “Because your phone has been off since nine last night until now. Your mom called me this morning asking why your phone was off. I told her you stayed up late doing homework and were still asleep.”

Lin Shiyu choked on his youtiao, his face turning red.

Clearly, he wanted to scold Zhong Qi for being shameless, but Zhong Qi finished breakfast calmly, cleaned up the dishes, and slipped away.

On Er Mao’s birthday, the weather was hot, with waves of heat rolling through the streets. No one felt like roasting themselves under the hot sun, so they all headed to the KTV and decided to stay until sunset.

On the way, Lin Shiyu bought a cake and took it to KTV. As soon as he opened the door to the luxurious suite, a deafening scream hit him; everyone was already having a great time inside, singing loudly and playing cards, with tables piled high with popcorn and drinks.

“I want to take you to romantic Turkey, then to Tokyo and Paris—Hey! Big Qi! Brother Shiyu!”

Gao Jie shouted loudly into the microphone, then rushed over to hug the two of them enthusiastically. Lin Shiyu almost suffocated and pushed him away in a hurry.

Mao Silu waved to the people in the room, and Zhong Qi and Lin Shiyu sat down to give their gift to Mao Silu. Mao Silu’s favorite basketball player was Wade, and he was ecstatic to receive the jersey, almost wanting to take off his clothes and put it on right there, but was stopped by Shen Ziyi. After that, he opened the cake Lin Shiyu gave him and cut it for everyone to eat.

Mao Silu was popular among his classmates, and the room was packed. Even Zuo Xiang came and sat aside, chatting with Zhong Qi. Just as Zhong Qi finished his slice of cake, his phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was his dad calling.

Zhong Qi stood up and went outside to a quieter place to answer the phone. It wasn’t anything important—his dad just asked him to go to his grandmother’s house for dinner if he wasn’t busy and reminded him not to stay isolated in his rented apartment without contacting family. He also asked if anyone from his mom’s side had called recently, and advised him to limit contact with them, among other things.

Bored, Zhong Qi listened, gave perfunctory responses, and hung up. He put away his phone and was about to turn back when the door of the adjacent private room suddenly swung open, accompanied by deafening music and a strong smell of alcohol, causing Zhong Qi to furrow his brow.

A girl in a floral spaghetti strap dress opened the door and lifted her head, meeting Zhong Qi’s gaze.

It was Senior Sister Wang Hejun.

Wang Hejun seemed surprised to see Zhong Qi here. Her expression briefly showed shock before turning into delight. Her face flushed red as she smiled. “Oh my, junior brother!”

Immediately behind her, a boy rushed out as if chasing after Wang Hejun. He shouted, “Hejun!” and when he looked up and saw Zhong Qi, his eyes widened.

Zhong Qi recognized him too—it was the sophomore boy who had bumped into Lin Shiyu in the cafeteria before and later got into a fight with him.

Wang Hejun, with a tipsy demeanor, leaned closer. “Junior brother, what are you doing here—”

The boy glared angrily at him. “What are you doing here?!”

I should have ignored that call, Zhong Qi thought to himself.

Mao Silu drank too much and needed to use the restroom. He had intended to grab Ruan Zhikai to accompany him, but Ruan Zhikai was busy playing cards and couldn’t attend to him at a crucial moment. Mao Silu had no choice but to pull Lin Shiyu, who was sitting nearby and still eating his second piece of cake, out of the private room.

Lin Shiyu waited outside the restroom door, holding a plate of cake. “Does going to the restroom alone make you feel lonely or something?”

Mao Silu stood by the sink, washing his hands, and smiled foolishly at his words. “I just like dragging you guys along to play with me.”

“Do you need someone to go to the restroom with you too?”

Mao Silu washed his hands, put an arm around his shoulder, and said seriously, “But on the way to the restroom together, we can talk more and bond.”

“As if I need you for that time–”

Before he could finish, they heard a sweet, coquettish female voice from around the corner: “Zhong Qi, come with me~”

Lin Shiyu: “…”

Mao Silu: “What? What did I just hear?”

The two of them leaned against the corner to peek, seeing Zhong Qi leaning against the wall in the hallway. A pretty girl in a spaghetti strap dress was holding his arm, blocking his way and smiling at him. Beside her, a boy looked anxious, continually trying to persuade her, hesitating to touch Zhong Qi, glaring at him as if he were a neighbor stealing his wife.

The girl, clearly drunk, couldn’t stand steadily and kept leaning on Zhong Qi. Zhong Qi had no choice but to gently move her aside, and tried to pass and return to the private room. However, the girl wouldn’t let go, and held onto his arm, muttering, “Zhong Qi, don’t go, stay with me.”

She was slim and wore a cool spaghetti strap dress, making it awkward for Zhong Qi to push her away. He got a bit annoyed and glanced at the frustrated boy beside her. “Why don’t you help her away?”

The boy angrily questioned him, “What’s your relationship with Hejun?”

Zhong Qi had no response. Wang Hejun pushed the boy aside, looking displeased. “Go away, stop bothering me.” Then she reached out to grab Zhong Qi’s hand again. “Junior brother, I’m drunk, will you take me home?”

Zhong Qi raised his hand to avoid her grasp. “I have something to do.”

“Why are you always so cold to me?” Wang Hejun, had been standing firmly when she left the room, but was now so drunk she could barely walk straight. She looked up at him with a beautiful face, drunk and smiling. “Won’t you hold my hand? I can’t walk.”

Zhong Qi put both hands in his pockets. “No.”

“Why not?”

“I have a lover.”

Everyone present, including Lin Shiyu and Mao Silu, who were eavesdropping from the corner, were shocked.

Wang Hejun was dumbfounded for a moment, murmuring, “You have a girlfriend?”

Zhong Qi calmly replied, “Yes, she’s a celestial beauty.”

With a “smack,” Lin Shiyu’s cake plate was squeezed into a lump.

Mao Silu exclaimed in shock, “Sh-Sh-Shiyu, your cake got squished!”

His exclamation made the three people in the corridor immediately turn to look at them. Zhong Qi saw Lin Shiyu and immediately retreated, creating distance between himself and Wang Hejun. However, Wang Hejun stubbornly held onto him, almost stumbling into his arms. Zhong Qi’s reflexes were sharp, reaching out to hold Wang Hejun’s shoulders and pushing her towards the boy behind her with precision.

The boy protested, “Hey! You–”

Ignoring him completely, Zhong Qi turned and walked towards Lin Shiyu and Mao Silu. Mao Silu thought Zhong Qi was angry at them for eavesdropping and hurriedly explained, “We didn’t mean to eavesdrop, we just happened to overhear—”

Zhong Qi approached and stood in front of Lin Shiyu.

Lin Shiyu glared at him coldly, “What are you doing?”

Zhong Qi inexplicably cleared his throat, looking down to see the cake in Lin Shiyu’s hand had been smashed. “Should I buy you another cake?”

“I’m not eating.”

“Tomato-flavored chips? I’ll go buy them downstairs now.”

“I’m not eating!”

Zhong Qi adopted a serious expression, “Listen to my explanation.”

Lin Shiyu glared furiously. “What explanation? I don’t want to hear it!”

Mao Silu: “?”

Lin Shiyu tossed the cake into the trash can angrily and turned to leave. Zhong Qi immediately reached out and grabbed him. As Lin Shiyu struggled, Zhong Qi held him tighter, then turned to Mao Silu and said, “You go back first.”

Mao Silu was completely bewildered. “Huh? Th-Th-Then what about you two..?”

What were they going to do? Mao Silu had no idea. He stood there dumbfoundedly for five minutes before his brain finally clicked: it must be because Shiyu accidentally squashed the cake, so Zhong Qi was taking him to buy a new one to eat. That’s right, Zhong Qi is really thoughtful!

With a bang, the door to an unopened KTV private room was closed.

Lin Shiyu stumbled into the dark, empty room pushed by Zhong Qi. “Get lost… mmm.”

Before he knew it, he received an unexpected kiss, and pressed against the wall. In the darkness, Zhong Qi’s voice was low, calm, and there was a faint hint of a smile as he approached Lin Shiyu’s ear. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!”

“Not jealous? Then why did you squish the cake?”

“It didn’t taste good, so I squished it, what about it?!”

“You seemed pretty happy eating it.” Zhong Qi suppressed a laugh, and couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss Lin Shiyu again. It was as if he couldn’t resist the cuteness of his little boyfriend and had to kiss him a few more times to relieve himself.

Lin Shiyu struggled like an angry little tiger in Zhong Qi’s arms, almost showing his fangs to bite him. “Talking about celestial beauties…”

Zhong Qi hugged him, letting him struggle, and laughed. “You’re handsome.”

“I’m a guy!”

“You’re handsome, regardless of gender.” Zhong Qi lifted Lin Shiyu onto the back of the sofa, leaning down to kiss his neck and earlobe, coaxing softly, “Don’t be angry anymore.”

Lin Shiyu initially resisted and pushed him away, but gradually, he quieted down in Zhong Qi’s arms. However, he still looked disgruntled and said awkwardly, “You let her hold onto you for so long.”

“I couldn’t get free.”

“What’s so hard about getting free!”

Zhong Qi knew any explanation would be futile at this moment, so he focused on the main point: “I was wrong.”

In the dark, the private room was silent, with deafening music outside and occasional people passing by. After a while, Lin Shiyu’s unhappy voice broke the silence. “So many people like you every day–”

Zhong Qi didn’t let him finish, lowering his head to kiss his lips again.

The two kissed secretly in the secluded corner, the faint sound of their lips meeting in the dim light. Zhong Qi held Lin Shiyu’s slender waist, pressing him against the wall. Lately, he liked teasing Lin Shiyu like this, either gently rubbing him or kissing him intermittently.

“But I only like you.”

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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