Chapter 26
Shi Qingyu had another patient scheduled for the afternoon and had to hurry back to the hospital. Since he had driven there, he conveniently gave Xie Ning a ride back.
The hotel was not far from here.
In the passenger seat, Xie Ning glanced at the time. It was almost eleven. By the time they got back to the hotel, it would be a little past eleven—just in time for lunch.
“Do you want to have lunch together?” Shi Qingyu asked. “You hardly ate anything just now.”
“That’s because I already had breakfast,” Xie Ning said. “I already promised a friend we’d have lunch together. Sorry. Maybe next time, if there’s a chance.”
The fingers gripping the steering wheel slowly tightened. Shi Qingyu said, “Alright.”
Xie Ning was just thinking about whether he should send Pei Zhi a message when suddenly—
[System notification: “Childish Ghost” patted me]
Why had Pei Zhi changed his WeChat name again?
[Ning: What is it?]
[Childish Ghost: Nothing.]
[Childish Ghost: My hand slipped.]
Not long ago, Xie Ning had updated his Moments.
He liked this café, so he had taken a photo and posted it.
Xie Ning guessed that Pei Zhi had probably tapped on his profile picture to view his Moments, then either slipped or tapped too many times while clicking around, which was why it triggered the “pat.”
Resting his head on one hand, he thought for a moment, then changed his status message to: Who’s been secretly checking on me
Only a few seconds after he changed it, Xie Ning got patted again.
[System notification: “Childish Ghost” patted me]
Xie Ning opened Pei Zhi’s Moments and saw that under his profile picture, the status message now read: Me.
Suddenly, Xie Ning found it a little funny. And childish too.
But so what if it was childish?
It really was amusing.
The car slowly pulled up at the hotel entrance. Shi Qingyu got out and helped open the passenger door for Xie Ning. After they said goodbye, he said, “No matter what, protect yourself. If anything unusual happens, contact me anytime.”
“Okay. Thank you for the trouble, and thank you for driving me back.”
At this hour, the hotel was crowded. As soon as Xie Ning stepped through the revolving door, a boy dressed in streetwear immediately followed after him.
Su Nan walked at his side, keeping just the right amount of distance. He lowered his head and played with his phone, with the screen brightness turned up high.
As long as Xie Ning looked down even slightly, he would be able to see that familiar blue app on the screen.
But Xie Ning walked straight ahead without letting his eyes wander. His posture was perfectly upright. The entire way, he did not even glance sideways, much less lower his head.
At the corner, Su Nan grew impatient. He suddenly said, “That guy who dropped you off just now—was that your boyfriend?”
The abrupt question was incredibly rude.
Xie Ning ignored him. He did not know this person and had no obligation to answer.
Su Nan did not seem embarrassed at being ignored. “If he is, then what about Pei Zhi? Is he your boyfriend too? Or just a fuck buddy?”
“You slept together last night, right?”
Su Nan’s voice was not particularly loud, but not quiet either. This was still a public place, yet he did not bother to hide or soften the malice in his tone at all.
Xie Ning stopped walking. Su Nan was caught off guard and had to stop too.
He saw Xie Ning turn slightly toward him, his cold gaze drifting over without much force.
“What does that have to do with you?”
His expression and voice carried no emotion, but the still, pool-like calm in his eyes looked especially beautiful on that cool, elegant face.
Su Nan had originally come over to provoke trouble, but in that instant, his whole face flushed bright red.
Even after Xie Ning disappeared from view, the heat in his face still had not faded.
Su Nan had “chased” Pei Zhi for a long time. Even though Pei Zhi had explicitly rejected him and made it clear he was straight, Su Nan had never given up. If he could bend a straight guy of Pei Zhi’s level, it would be a real bragging point.
But he had not expected to run into such a hard case. Not only was Pei Zhi firm in his attitude, his temper was hard as iron too. Su Nan had almost gotten beaten up.
He had held a grudge over that for a long time and had always wanted to find a chance to get back at him. But he could never find one. Pei Zhi looked like he could punch him straight into the next life, and Su Nan could not beat him.
Once he heard about this event and found out that Pei Zhi and Xie Ning were coming and going together, even sharing a room, his gaydar instantly went off.
Su Nan wanted to find an opportunity to drive a wedge between them and vent some of his anger, but later he realized that Xie Ning was probably straight.
Around Xie Ning, the usually arrogant and cold Pei Zhi practically turned into a giant dog, wagging his tail madly at him, while Xie Ning’s attitude the whole time remained exactly the same—polite, proper, and measured.
Just now, Su Nan had tested him again.
If there really had been something between them, Xie Ning’s response would never have been that calm and straightforward.
Xie Ning was straight. Then what about Pei Zhi?
That way Pei Zhi acted around Xie Ning—like he wanted to tuck him into his pocket and guard him there—did not look straight at all.
No straight man would constantly warm someone else’s hands on the spot. And no straight man would touch another man’s face for no reason.
So…
Was Xie Ning the one who was truly straight, while Pei Zhi was actually gay pretending to be straight, trying to slowly bend Xie Ning under the guise of being his roommate?
…
By the time Xie Ning reached the door to his room, Shi Qingyu had forwarded him a post.
Title: My straight male roommate fussed over me every day. Later I fell for him, and then he told me he was straight…
Xie Ning: “…”
He felt a little helpless, but still tapped it open.
1st floor: I just moved into this dorm not long ago. My roommate A is seen by everyone else as a total steel-straight guy, but he’s the only one who constantly checks on me, takes special care of me, and treats me with a lot of attention. He wakes me up every day, brings me breakfast, and when he doesn’t have class, he even comes to sit in on class with me. When I got sick, he stayed by my side. That’s when I started feeling something. Every night he would hold me while we slept, wash my underwear and socks for me, and buy me expensive gifts… I considered myself straight, but I bent. In that kind of situation, how could anyone not fall for him? I decided to bravely pursue love. Confessing first isn’t something shameful. But after I confessed to him, he told me he was straight. Now we can’t even be friends anymore and I had to switch dorms… Let me say this to everyone: never develop inappropriate fantasies about straight men. That species truly has no idea how ambiguous the things they do are.
2nd floor: Are you kidding me? He obviously isn’t straight.
3rd floor: Sure, I’ll sleep with my bros sometimes too, but definitely not holding them while sleeping… My god, why would anyone hold a man while sleeping? Isn’t that disgusting? [vomit jpg.]
4th floor: Isn’t the person above overreacting? Bros can hug, what’s wrong with that? Totally normal.
5th floor: Normal my ass. Do you and your bros sleep face-to-face in each other’s arms? Chest pressed against chest? What’s next, face-to-face kissing to deepen the brotherly bond? Maybe a tongue kiss for even more brotherhood?
6th floor: …
25th floor: Honestly, the OP should’ve noticed the signs long ago. Your relationship was obviously way too intimate, way beyond what friendship usually is. Men have strong territorial instincts. If he was willing to do all those intimate things and buy you so many expensive gifts, then subconsciously, he was never treating you like a brother.
26th floor: He was treating you like a wife.
27th floor: To be fair, I really do feel bad for the OP… The roommate is obviously one of those deeply closeted guys who doesn’t even realize he’s bent. No normal person makes friends like that… And buying gifts that expensive too—once or twice is one thing, but that often? He was obviously trying to win over the person he liked. He just hasn’t understood his own heart yet…
28th floor: No matter what, friendships still need some sense of boundaries. You can’t cross the line. Once you go past that limit, even if it’s “just friendship,” it’s easy for inappropriate feelings to start growing.
Before Xie Ning could finish reading, the post was deleted. The original poster had probably calmed down and realized that venting online would not solve anything, and would only leave behind a painful reminder.
Or perhaps the opening post had been too detailed, and the poster had become afraid that someone familiar might recognize him, so he deleted it.
Xie Ning agreed with some of the replies in the post. For example, every relationship needed some boundaries; you could not cross the line if you wanted things to stay healthy and last.
At first, he had approached Pei Zhi with exactly that mindset. But because of his skin hunger—and because sticking close to Pei Zhi felt far too good—and because in most cases Pei Zhi had been the one taking the initiative, Xie Ning kept unconsciously overlooking that point.
That didn’t seem very good.
If Pei Zhi did not know the truth, then naturally he would not know that in his ignorance, he had become Xie Ning’s soothing agent. That was a little unfair to Pei Zhi.
If Pei Zhi knew the truth, he probably would not be willing, right…?
Xie Ning’s eyes fixed on the balcony, full of surprise.
Pei Zhi was washing something out there. A faint drizzle had begun to fall outside, softening his tall, powerful figure with an almost domestic gentleness.
His sleeves were rolled up, exposing the solid, tight lines of his arms. As he scrubbed, veins rose faintly along the back of his hand, full of visible strength.
Washing clothes was not a big deal—except that Xie Ning had noticed the snowy white fabric in Pei Zhi’s hand.
It was the underwear and socks Xie Ning had changed out of last night.
And that made Xie Ning realize all at once—
Had his relationship with Pei Zhi crossed the line a little?
With a broad, elegant hand, Pei Zhi wrung out the fabric. He had just been about to hang it up when he suddenly realized there was someone else in the room. Xie Ning had returned at some unknown point and had been standing there silently the whole time. No one knew how long he had been watching.
Xie Ning did not say a word. He was looking at Pei Zhi’s hand—or more accurately, at what Pei Zhi was holding.
Pei Zhi explained, “It started raining a little just now, so our clothes got damp. I rewashed them. I messaged you on WeChat, but you didn’t reply, so I figured since I had to wash mine anyway, I could wash yours too… Don’t get angry. Next time I won’t touch your clothes without asking first.”
Xie Ning checked his phone. Pei Zhi really had sent him a message, and what he said there matched exactly with what he had just explained.
“It’s fine… The rain outside is getting heavier, though. Let’s dry the clothes indoors.”
After a pause, he added, “But things like this—I can do them myself from now on.”
Pei Zhi agreed quickly. “Okay.”
[Is wife angry…?]
[What do I do, what do I do, wife really seems angry. How am I supposed to coax him… But wife really doesn’t need to be so polite with me. I can wash his clothes for him.]
[The washing machine isn’t clean, and room service definitely isn’t as reassuring as washing them myself.]
Pei Zhi thought Xie Ning was angry, but he wasn’t.
Earlier, because of how good the relief from his skin hunger had felt, Xie Ning had ignored a lot of details. Now that someone else had reminded him, he realized he really had mishandled some things.
If he was going to choose to build a normal social relationship, then the level of closeness in that relationship should stay within normal boundaries—not keep expanding just because he craved the pleasure brought by satisfying his skin hunger and wanted more and more physical contact with Pei Zhi.
Also, there were many things he could do by himself. He should not keep troubling Pei Zhi over and over again. Even if Pei Zhi offered to help of his own accord, adults should know how to consciously maintain proper boundaries—and should know how to refuse when appropriate.
He could not treat Pei Zhi’s kindness as something that should simply be expected.
“I’ll handle it myself next time,” Xie Ning said. “Are we going to the restaurant later? Or now?”
Pei Zhi hung up the clothes, washed and dried his hands, then quickly shut the balcony door so the cold air would not blow onto Xie Ning.
He wanted to test the temperature of Xie Ning’s face the way he usually did, but his own hands were still cold, so he did not touch him.
Instead, Pei Zhi opened the gift box on the sofa. Inside was a scarf. He helped wrap it around Xie Ning, making sure he was bundled up completely before finally saying with satisfaction, “Let’s go now. I already reserved a table.”
It was prime lunch hour, yet the restaurant was not crowded. A server waited attentively nearby to lead them.
When they reached the table, Xie Ning looked at the champagne and flowers already set there, along with the surrounding decorations of balloons and roses, and fell into brief silence.
There was no need to say anything. This had obviously been Pei Zhi’s doing again.
Although Pei Zhi sat opposite him without a word, Xie Ning could clearly feel the signal of please praise me radiating off him.
Like a giant dog, wagging its tail madly and waiting for petting.
Xie Ning said, “We’re just having a meal. There’s no need to make it this extravagant…”
Pei Zhi said, “It’s not extravagant. The restaurant is doing a promotion today.”
He turned to the server at the side and asked, “Right?”
The server had great instincts. “That’s right. Today is our anniversary celebration. The champagne, flowers, and balloons are all complimentary.”
Xie Ning asked, “And the private booking is complimentary too?”
The server did not even blink. “It’s not a private booking. There just happen to be fewer reservations during this time slot today, so it only looks like a private booking.”
Xie Ning looked at Pei Zhi and suddenly smiled. “You really did think this through.”
Even the server had clearly been briefed.
Pei Zhi seemed as if he had no idea what Xie Ning meant. He handed over the menu. “These are the restaurant’s signature dishes. If we order all of them, we probably won’t finish. You can look through it. Also check if there’s anything you don’t eat.”
“There’s nothing I avoid. Just order what you said.”
Whether Pei Zhi had deliberately arranged the setting and atmosphere or not, Xie Ning could not deny that the environment really was very comfortable.
There was no noisy chatter, no people constantly walking back and forth. Xie Ning disliked eating in the cafeteria precisely because it was too loud. He preferred quiet environments for meals.
“You, today…” Halfway through the meal, Pei Zhi picked up a towel to wipe his hands, his gaze falling on Xie Ning as if casually. “The café you went to today looked pretty nice.”
“It was quite nice. The atmosphere was good.”
“Why didn’t your friends stay and eat too?” Pei Zhi said. “I was originally thinking maybe the three of us could just make do and have lunch together.”
“One of them has class later, and the other still has work, so it wasn’t convenient.” Xie Ning slowly set down his utensils and met Pei Zhi’s gaze directly with those clear, unguarded eyes. “Besides, didn’t you say it yourself? You prefer just two people.”
“Only the two of us,” he emphasized.
Pei Zhi’s fingers slowly tightened, and his heartbeat stuttered.
Xie Ning’s voice was bright and pleasant, his words clear. The phrases he emphasized felt like they had been steeped in old wine; just drawing near was enough to smell the intoxicating richness.
But—Xie Ning had gone to meet two friends?
[Were they men or women?]
[I’m not at ease if they’re women. I’m not at ease if they’re men either. No matter which they are, I’m stressed. Wife won’t get lured away, right…?]
[Best case, they’re a couple. Then next time wife goes out with friends, he can bring me too, and we’ll be two pairs. ^v^ Happy.]
[What if both of them like wife?]
[Huh? Then wouldn’t I suddenly have two rivals at once?]
[Though I guess that’s normal. Such a good wife must have a lot of people who like him. Anyone who doesn’t like wife is an idiot…]
Pei Zhi’s inner thoughts began wandering all over the place again.
By now, Xie Ning could selectively block out part of them. Even with Pei Zhi right beside him and the noisy stream of thoughts going on, he could still concentrate on what he was doing.
At the moment, Xie Ning was wiping his fingers with a hot white towel. The heat left a soft pink flush over the back of his hand.
His movements were slow and meticulous. His long, well-proportioned fingers looked like carefully sculpted pieces of art, naturally drawing the eye.
The server nearby watched almost in a daze. In all his years working here, this was the first time he had seen someone so exceptional in every aspect.
Even sitting there and doing nothing, Xie Ning looked like he belonged on a movie poster. His features were exquisite enough to outshine top stars—perfect to the point of being untouchable.
Pei Zhi, too, was staring in a daze.
Only after Xie Ning had put the towel aside and the server had taken it away did Pei Zhi snap back to himself. Before Xie Ning could pick up his utensils again, Pei Zhi took out a phone case from somewhere and set it on the table, gently pushing it across.
Xie Ning: “?”
“For me?”
“It’s for you. Didn’t your phone get bumped? With a case on it, it should be less likely to get damaged.”
“Thank you.”
Even though he preferred the feel of a phone without a case, he did not reject Pei Zhi’s kindness.
That morning, Pei Zhi had noticed the tiny dent on his phone. Just a few hours later, he had already prepared a phone case for him. That kind of attentiveness really did move people.
Xie Ning tried putting the case onto his phone, but after snapping it on, there was still a gap between the case and the phone. The size seemed wrong.
Maybe he bought the wrong model?
Xie Ning’s phone was a two-year-old model. He had bought the top-spec version, and the storage was more than enough, so he had used it until now.
He also did not chase after new releases. In some ways, he was even rather sentimental. Not long ago, his parents had bought him the newest model, but he had left it sitting unused at home and eventually gave it to his younger sister, who had just started high school and needed it for online classes.
Over the past two years, the phone line had released new models, and although the official promotions always said this or that feature had been upgraded, in terms of outward appearance they all looked more or less the same. At least Xie Ning could not tell any obvious difference between the older and newer ones.
So the chances that Pei Zhi had bought the wrong model were pretty high.
“The model seems wrong.” Xie Ning tried several times but still could not fit it properly. He put down the case. “What a pity. My phone can’t use it.”
“If this phone can’t use it, then—”
As if he had expected exactly this, Pei Zhi brought out another box and pushed it over again. He said, “What about this one?”
Reflected in a decorative glass centerpiece on the table was the outline of a phone box. Xie Ning looked at the brand-new, unopened phone box now in front of him and froze.
He looked up at Pei Zhi in surprise. Pei Zhi sat there with one arm draped casually on the table, the knuckles of his other hand resting under his chin. “Now the phone case should fit.”
It was the official newest model, and the top-spec version too. Xie Ning shook his head. “This is too expensive.”
Pei Zhi did not think it was a big deal. Under the crystal chandelier, something almost indulgently tender flickered in his sharp, handsome eyes. “Just treat it as a Christmas gift.”
Indulgent.
That word startled Xie Ning for a second.
Pei Zhi had bought the highest-spec version. The official price was over ten thousand, and resellers had pushed it to nearly twenty thousand. He had just handed it over casually. To him, maybe that amount of money was nothing, but for Xie Ning, receiving it felt like a burden.
Especially because they had not known each other for very long, not nearly long enough to have built a friendship that deep.
But if he thought about it from another angle—if Pei Zhi were giving this kind of gift to someone he was pursuing—then it would seem completely reasonable…
Xie Ning pushed those chaotic thoughts away. Not long ago he had just read that forum post, so now his way of looking at things had become a little biased from the outset. That was not right.
He looked at Pei Zhi very seriously. “Are you this good to all your friends?”
“More or less.” Pei Zhi’s original intention had been to avoid making Xie Ning feel pressured, but then he suddenly thought—would that make him seem too indiscriminate? So he added, “I don’t really have many friends, but I want to be good to you.”
Xie Ning could not help asking, “What about Gu Nian and Chen Xi? Did you buy them anything?”
Pei Zhi looked genuinely unable to understand the question. “Why would I buy anything for them?”
“Try it on?” Pei Zhi said. “I bought the white one for you, and I bought a black one for myself. The two of us make a matching pair.”
Gu Nian and Chen Xi should count as Pei Zhi’s friends too. They were not only classmates, but teammates and roommates, and they had known him longer than Xie Ning had…
So why had Pei Zhi only bought something for him, but not for the other two roommates?
In Pei Zhi’s eyes, was their friendship really that significant?
Pei Zhi clearly had not even considered the cost. He had simply wanted to give it, so he bought it.
Just like he had said before: he wanted to be good to Xie Ning, so he acted on it. It was not something he needed to calculate or think over deeply.
For a long time, Xie Ning stared at the phone on the table without moving. At that moment, even Pei Zhi suddenly realized that the phone really was rather expensive.
“Xie Ning.”
Xie Ning looked at him.
“To me, you’re different. You’re the only one. I want to be good to you, even though I know you don’t need it.” Pei Zhi organized his thoughts a little. “But you don’t need to feel burdened, and you don’t need to repay me for anything.”
“I’m doing all of this willingly.”
…
The phone could no longer be returned, because Pei Zhi had casually thrown away the receipt. If Xie Ning refused to accept it now, that would feel awkward too.
Xie Ning thought that as long as he prepared a gift of equal value for Pei Zhi before Christmas, that should be enough, right?
He was not switching phones because of the device itself, but because the old phone contained a lot of data. Pei Zhi helped him do a one-click transfer, though it would take a while.
After lunch, they prepared to return to the room for a nap. Pei Zhi held both phones in his hands, waiting for the transfer to finish.
As they passed through a corridor, a delicate-looking boy suddenly appeared.
“Student Pei Zhi, do you have a moment right now?” the boy asked with visible nerves.
Pei Zhi did not even glance at him. “No.”
The refusal was direct, without a shred of room for mercy. The boy looked embarrassed. “I-I’m in charge of attendance… and collecting some receipts. The hotel bill doesn’t match the total we recorded. You upgraded the room afterward, right? Could you give me a payment screenshot?”
The boy seemed very thin-skinned. In just a few short sentences, his face had already reddened, and tears had even started gathering in his eyes.
Pei Zhi did not soften because of that. On the contrary, his attitude stayed indifferent. His sharply defined brows were full of irritation at being bothered, making him seem very cold and inhuman.
“Does he just need a screenshot of the bill?”
The strange silence was broken by Xie Ning. The boy immediately looked at him gratefully. “Yes, yes, just a screenshot.”
“Then it should only take a minute, right?” Xie Ning said. “Your phone still has battery, doesn’t it?”
Pei Zhi was still annoyed, but in front of Xie Ning he lowered his head and answered obediently, “It has battery.”
“Wait for me a second. I’ll go take a screenshot for him.”
This guy had better really only want the payment screenshot.
It was not that Pei Zhi was being overly sensitive or suspicious—he had encountered too many situations like this. Under the pretense of “work,” clubs, or similar excuses, people would ask him for his contact information, when in fact they had ulterior motives.
And that boy did indeed have flirtatious intentions. Pei Zhi had outstanding looks and physique, a good family background, and almost no flaws other than his bad temper. It was only natural to be attracted.
He had heard the rumors that Pei Zhi had a terrible temper and was a steel-straight man. But after seeing how well he got along with Xie Ning, how gentlemanly and attentive he could be, the boy had thought perhaps he himself might also become an exception.
Only after seeing Pei Zhi up close did he realize just how naive that idea had been.
Pei Zhi’s temper was exactly as bad as the rumors claimed. The occasional gentleness only appeared in front of Xie Ning.
Still…
The boy stole a glance at Xie Ning. Xie Ning was cold too, but it was a different kind of cold. He was more like a snow-covered mountain high above reach, mysterious and captivating. Even though he felt distant, he made people want to draw nearer to him.
And he was so polite.
The boy was practically staring holes into Xie Ning. Pei Zhi, who had not even wanted to deal with him in the first place, became visibly more irritated. “Didn’t you say you needed the bill? Then take the picture.”
Then, turning his head, he softened his voice completely. “You wait over there. It’s warmer there, and there’s a place to sit. The wind is strong here. Don’t let yourself catch a cold.”
The difference in treatment was like heaven and earth.
The boy clenched his fist. Pei Zhi really had no manners at all.
“Alright. I’ll sit over there and wait for you. You can keep my phone for now too.”
He still needed Pei Zhi’s help with transferring the data. He did not understand that kind of thing very well himself.
“Mm.” Then Pei Zhi said, “Wait.”
Xie Ning had only just turned his head when a hand reached toward his neck and adjusted his scarf for him. The thick, comfortable scarf covered half his chin, making his already small face look even smaller.
“Xie Ning.” Pei Zhi suddenly said very seriously, “Your face is really small.”
Xie Ning: “…”
The scarf was a little too warm and stuffy. He turned his head away. “Go take the screenshot first. I’m going to sit down for a while.”
“Wait for me.”
Taking up the bill so the boy could photograph it was not a complicated matter at all. It did not even take a minute. But Pei Zhi disliked the way the boy had been looking at Xie Ning.
He was sure that if he had not intervened, the boy would already have been asking Xie Ning for his contact information.
Even Pei Zhi himself did not know where this possessiveness came from. If someone wanted Xie Ning’s contact, he got irritated. If someone talked to Xie Ning, he felt unhappy. If Xie Ning went to meet “friends,” he would worry whether those so-called friends were actually dangerous people with bad intentions.
But he did not think that was strange.
Wasn’t it normal to feel a little possessive over a friend?
The moment Xie Ning sat down on the sofa, the seat beside him sank.
Near his ear, someone said in a deliberately lowered voice, “That boy just now is gay. He’s in the same club as me. He definitely took a liking to Pei Zhi and came over to ask for his contact.”
“I chased after Pei Zhi before, too.”
The vague, unexplained comment made Xie Ning turn his head slightly. Then he withdrew his gaze and said, “Pei Zhi is straight.”
If he remembered correctly, this was the Su Nan Gu Nian had mentioned before—the one who had pursued Pei Zhi for a long time and eventually crossed into harassment.
Xie Ning assumed Su Nan still had designs on Pei Zhi, so he reminded him once again of Pei Zhi’s orientation.
Unexpectedly, Su Nan did not seem to care whether Pei Zhi was straight or not. Instead, he stared right at Xie Ning. “What about you?”
“Me?”
“Are you straight?”
Xie Ning froze.
Honestly, he did not know what his orientation was. He leaned more toward being asexual, or perhaps simply frigid. Neither men nor women stirred desire in him, nor did they provoke fantasies.
“You definitely look straight. But Pei Zhi definitely isn’t.” Su Nan answered the question for him. Imitating the way Pei Zhi had spoken just now, and injecting a mocking tone into it, he rolled his eyes and said, “Xie Ning, your face is really small. Ugh, I stopped using that old-fashioned pickup line eight hundred years ago. Pei Zhi really is such a rustic mutt…”
Then he added, “Even if you’re not gay, you could still try things with me. I’ll make you feel good.”
“What nonsense are you saying to him?!”
A furious voice rang out from nearby. In a protective stance, Pei Zhi stepped in front of Xie Ning, his expression dark and vicious, his gaze full of warning. “I’m warning you. Stay away from him.”
Su Nan flared up instantly. He and Xie Ning had been talking just fine, so where had Pei Zhi popped out from? Had it really been that fast just to pull up a bill page? Well, okay, it was pretty fast. But on what grounds was Pei Zhi saying these things?
“I just want to pursue Xie Ning, and you’re trying to block that too? You’re only Xie Ning’s friend—since when do you get to control so much? What are you, his dad or his boyfriend?” Su Nan had long been fed up with Pei Zhi. “We’re all single. What’s wrong with me pursuing Xie Ning? Is it illegal or immoral?”
For a moment, Pei Zhi couldn’t find a reason to refute him. After a long pause, he said calmly, “Xie Ning is still young. He should focus on school, not dating.”
And Xie Ning had said before that he didn’t want to date and wanted to concentrate on his studies for now.
That line hit Su Nan so hard he went silent. His face was full of disbelief. “What the fuck are you, some exchange student from the Qing dynasty? My god, we’re already in college and you’re still saying he’s too young? If he doesn’t date now, then when? When he’s seventy or eighty and drawing a pension? You want him to date then? In a wheelchair after square dancing?”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
Pei Zhi kept a tight grip on Xie Ning’s wrist, his palm already damp with sweat.
Su Nan’s eyes wandered over Pei Zhi for a moment, then he suddenly laughed. “I used to think you were just some straight guy with no idea how romance worked, but now I’m pretty sure you’ve been acting. Would a real straight guy act like this around another man? Do you know what you look like right now? Like some husband terrified his wife is about to be stolen away. It’s hilarious. You should carry a mirror with you every time you’re around Xie Ning. You’re practically drooling.”
“Bro, are you one of those gay guys pretending to be straight? Trying to use sweet talk and the roommate identity to slowly bend Xie Ning? Damn, you’re manipulative.”
Two pairs of eyes turned toward Pei Zhi. Under Xie Ning’s cool gaze, which also held a trace of genuine confusion, Pei Zhi suddenly felt inexplicably guilty and uneasy. His expression darkened immediately, his voice full of icy menace. “Say one more word of that nonsense and see what happens.”
“A scheming gay, my ass. Xie Ning, don’t let him fool you. He’s totally hitting on you. He’s probably already taking advantage of you under the excuse of being your friend. I’ve seen shameless guys like this a million times. Though to be fair, Pei Zhi’s not bad-looking, worth sleeping with. You can fool around with him if you want, and after you two fall apart you can come find me anytime—”
Pei Zhi stepped closer with a dark face. Su Nan was so frightened he immediately retreated, ducking behind a stone pillar and sticking his head out from behind it.
“Pei Zhi, are you jumping the gun because I called you out? You want to hit me? You really are a violent maniac. Xie Ning, I’m leaving first! Be careful around him!”
“I’ll find a chance to come see you later! Let’s add each other on WeChat!”
And with that, Su Nan ran off in a flash, leaving only Pei Zhi and Xie Ning where they stood.
Pei Zhi’s whole body was stiff. He didn’t even dare look at Xie Ning’s face.
He didn’t know what exactly he felt guilty about. The truth wasn’t what Su Nan said at all, yet he still felt a kind of panic, as if some deeply hidden thought buried in the very center of his heart—one he hadn’t even fully recognized himself—had been dragged out and exposed under bright sunlight for everyone to examine.
“Is the data transfer finished?”
Xie Ning broke the silence first.
“It’s done. Take a look.”
Xie Ning accepted the phone. He still wasn’t used to the new screen size or the interface. It would take some time to adjust.
But it wasn’t as bad as he had imagined. The layout and icons were cleaner, and the new model had added several more convenient features. There were a few little details he liked very much.
Xie Ning seemed not to care much at all about what had just happened. To him, Su Nan’s words were just like a grain of sand on the road—noticeable, perhaps, but not enough to stop him from continuing forward.
It was Pei Zhi who couldn’t hold back first. “Don’t add him.”
“What?”
“He isn’t a good person.”
Pei Zhi looked him straight in the eyes with complete seriousness. “Don’t add him.”
Xie Ning felt a little helpless.
Su Nan had said so much just now, and a lot of it had been directly attacking Pei Zhi. But was this really the only thing Pei Zhi had heard in all of it?
For a moment, Xie Ning didn’t even know what to say. “If he’s approaching me because he wants a relationship, then I definitely won’t give him my contact info. I’m not interested in him.”
Pei Zhi’s expression improved. “Mm.”
Then his internal alarm went off again.
Xie Ning’s meaning was that he wouldn’t give Su Nan his contact information because he wasn’t interested in him. So if someday someone appeared whom Xie Ning was interested in, would he then give them his contact information and naturally move toward dating?
The expression that had only just improved darkened again, and Pei Zhi sank once more into a troubled, gloomy mood.
Some of what Su Nan had said was unfortunately true. He was only Xie Ning’s friend. He had no right to interfere in Xie Ning’s love life or relationships. Even though Xie Ning had said that he didn’t want to date for now, if Xie Ning suddenly did start dating, that would be perfectly normal.
It wasn’t that Pei Zhi didn’t want him to date.
It was that not a single one of those people was any good.
He was afraid Xie Ning would get hurt.
If only romance didn’t exist in this world at all…
On the way back to their room, Pei Zhi saw two men holding hands. Halfway down the hall, the taller one suddenly lowered his head and kissed his companion on the lips.
Both of them looked very happy.
Pei Zhi froze.
Between friends… could it also be like that?
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
As soon as they got back to the room, Xie Ning took off his scarf and spoke to him, only to find that Pei Zhi seemed lost in thought again, so he called him once more.
Pei Zhi snapped out of it. “I was thinking about something just now. What is it?”
“Nothing. I was just going to tell you not to take what happened earlier to heart. I didn’t take it seriously.” Xie Ning’s nose had gone a little pink from the cold, and under his long lashes were those clear, bright eyes. “I know you’re straight.”
Xie Ning’s eyes were very beautiful. Even when they held little emotion, they were still hard to look away from.
When he spoke, the cold air made soft white clouds puff from his lips. If someone leaned in a little closer, they could probably catch the faint scent clinging to him.
Pei Zhi stared fixedly at his lips and suddenly, for no clear reason, wanted to kiss him.
It wasn’t even that he had any particular further thought. He just felt that Xie Ning’s lips were very beautiful, and looked perfectly suited for kissing.
Pei Zhi didn’t really hear the rest of what Xie Ning said. Very calmly, he gave an “Mm” and asked, “Are you taking a nap later?”
Xie Ning sat down beside him. “I am. I’m a little tired.”
Xie Ning wasn’t??, but merely tilting his head slightly let him see that on the browser of the new phone, Pei Zhi had seriously typed in the search bar:
Can friends kiss?
In stunned silence, Xie Ning watched as Pei Zhi revised the search to:
Can close friends tongue kiss?
Xie Ning: “…”
He immediately stood up, the small stretch of ear he exposed slightly red. “I’m a little sleepy. I’m going to sleep first.”
Pei Zhi looked at how hurriedly Xie Ning moved, his expression a little strange. After a moment’s thought, he followed after him.
When Xie Ning said he was going to sleep, he really did mean it. He wouldn’t keep scrolling on his phone. The new phone was placed on the bedside table, the curtains were tightly drawn, and only a faint yellow night lamp dimly lit the room.
Xie Ning lay flat on the bed, his sleeping posture neat, his pale and slender fingers resting lightly on top of the blanket, looking very soft.
The blanket lifted, and the bed dipped beside him. Another person’s presence came close. Pei Zhi asked softly, “What’s wrong today?”
“What?” Xie Ning had been zoning out. “Nothing’s wrong. Why would you ask that?”
Pei Zhi leaned over slightly, his fingers lifting a strand of Xie Ning’s hair. “I feel like you’re unhappy.”
“Am I?” Xie Ning opened his eyes in surprise. “What gave you that impression?”
Maybe unhappy wasn’t exactly the right word. It was just… different. Different from before. Pei Zhi had sharply noticed that Xie Ning no longer acted as naturally close with him as he used to.
“Instinct.” Pei Zhi said. “Mr. Xie Ning, I’m not only very good at waiting—I’m also very good at observing.”
Pei Zhi stretched out his arm to pull Xie Ning into a hug. Xie Ning reflexively tilted his shoulder away, but that only made it easier for Pei Zhi to slide his arm under his neck.
Although Xie Ning did struggle faintly, it was completely ineffective. In front of Pei Zhi, with his frame, he was like some herbivore—he simply had no room to resist.
Once again, Xie Ning was pulled into a warm embrace. Pei Zhi’s broad, heated arms wrapped securely around him, making him feel very comfortable. Pei Zhi’s touch gradually relaxed his body, and drowsiness quickly returned.
Pei Zhi’s fingers curled, his knuckles gently brushing against Xie Ning’s face. “Did someone make you feel wronged?”
Su Nan hadn’t actually said anything that excessive to Xie Ning. Most of the harsher words had been aimed at Pei Zhi. That part didn’t matter to him. If he got insulted, then he got insulted. Plenty of people talked badly about him behind his back already. One more didn’t matter.
As long as they didn’t insult Xie Ning.
So if Su Nan wasn’t the source, then the only possibility was that one of Xie Ning’s friends had said something to him, and that was why his mood seemed off.
The timing made sense too. Ever since Xie Ning came back from meeting his friend, his attitude had felt a little strange—less naturally close with Pei Zhi than before.
Xie Ning didn’t answer. He simply leaned against Pei Zhi and listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart.
That familiar presence, that familiar warmth, made him want uncontrollably to bury his face in him, to rub against him, cling to him, and seek even more soothing physical contact.
In the past, Xie Ning would have followed his instincts.
But this time, he restrained himself.
Relationships had to be moderate, and the same was true for physical intimacy. He couldn’t keep taking advantage of Pei Zhi’s kindness by simply touching and leaning whenever he wanted.
Pei Zhi didn’t notice the inner struggle or the tiny restrained movement. He just took Xie Ning’s silence as confirmation—that he had indeed been wronged by something elsewhere.
Since Xie Ning didn’t want to say what had happened, Pei Zhi wouldn’t press.
They had a very obvious size difference. In Pei Zhi’s arms, Xie Ning was like a smaller doll, something he could easily envelop entirely.
Pei Zhi tightened his arms around him, giving a silent signal of comfort, telling Xie Ning that he would stay by his side no matter what.
Pei Zhi didn’t know how to comfort people. He searched his mind for some way to do it. At last, he remembered his distant cousin on his wedding day, soothing his crying bride after she got emotional.
One broad hand patted Xie Ning’s back lightly, while the other slowly rubbed the back of his head.
Warmly, Pei Zhi coaxed, “Don’t be unhappy. Want to go out tomorrow and have fun? We won’t go with the others—just the two of us. You can go anywhere you want, and whatever you want to buy, I’ll get it for you.”
Xie Ning’s lashes trembled. His voice, heavy with sleep, carried a trace of confusion. “Why are you so good to me?”
“Why?” Pei Zhi repeated the word. In the end, he said very calmly, “Does wanting to be good to someone need a reason?”
That was true. Many things didn’t need a reason.
But—
“Pei Zhi.” After hesitating for a long time, Xie Ning still chose to speak. “Do you think… we’re a little too close?”
