The tricycle finally stopped by the roadside, and the three of them sat there for a while, watching the fireworks. The spot they chose was perfect—spacious and empty, with a wide view and no obstructions.
Looking up, they could see a whole expanse of colorful sky.
As Yu Xun watched the fireworks, he commented, “Good spot.”
Liu Zi, panting, told the truth, “I didn’t choose it, I just couldn’t pedal anymore.”
“…”
Yun Ci said lightly, “People who only play half a basketball game have poor stamina.”
He was referring to a time when Class One played against Class Seven, and because Class Seven changed their tactics, Liu Zi only played half the game. Li Yan kept calling him “Half-Game Liu.”
Liu Zi guessed he would bring that up. “…Damn it, the urban management officers are gone, get off my tricycle.”
He was trying to chase Yun Ci away.
But after Yun Ci got off, his brother followed suit, jumping off the tricycle too.
“Why are you jumping off?” Liu Zi was no longer out of breath. “I meant him!”
Liu Zi added, “Are you both going back together?”
“The account isn’t settled yet,” Yun Ci said. “Planning to find a place and have another fight.”
Liu Zi: “…”
He looked at Yu Xun and immediately, very unethically, declared, “I can stay, he’s alone now, we can take him two on one.”
Yu Xun, drawing out his words, pretending to be competitive like in high school, retorted, “—Are you saying I don’t stand much of a chance alone?”
“…”
To show off his brother’s combat prowess, Liu Zi immediately pedaled his tricycle away. “You stand a great chance. You could pin him to the ground and hammer him alone. I still have to return the tricycle, not talking anymore, call if you need anything.”
After Liu Zi left, the deserted street was left with just the two of them.
Talking about fighting, Yun Ci had just pulled his hand out from his sleeve. The one who talked about fighting held his hand amidst the sound of fireworks.
The two of them held hands, walking along the street for a while.
Yu Xun asked him, “Any New Year wishes?”
Yun Ci instinctively thought of the “future” he mentioned while chatting with his aunt before.
But the wish of working and living together in the future was something he couldn’t say.
After a while, he lowered his voice and said, “Watching fireworks together next year.”
Yu Xun’s first reaction was surprise. He raised his eyebrows slightly, “What kind of wish is that?”
Yun Ci: “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“That kind of wish, which doesn’t need to be made and will naturally come true,” Yu Xun tightened his grip on his hand, interlocking their fingers, entwining them, and said, “doesn’t count.”
Just as he finished speaking.
A burst of fireworks rose, lighting up the entire night sky.
After the New Year, the winter break quickly ended.
After more than a month of silence, Nanyang University University became lively again, with students returning to campus one after another.
Luo Sifang was the first to return to the dormitory, carrying large bags of New Year’s goods. He distributed them in the dormitory. “My mom told me to bring these. They’re things we eat during the New Year in our hometown. Marinated duck, here, one for each. Happy New Year, friends.”
Yun Ci took a bag.
Wang Zhuang: “Dorm leader, you’re too kind.”
Luo Sifang had never been a class monitor or committee member from childhood to adulthood, so his craving for a position was greatly satisfied at this moment. “In the new semester, we still need to work together and strive for an excellent dormitory award.”
However, Yu Xun returned the marinated duck in his hand to him. “I appreciate it, but I can’t accept it.”
Luo Sifang: “?”
“No need to be polite, it’s very cheap.”
Yu Xun, with his hands in his pockets, said, “I’m not being polite, it’s not about the price—just got the news that the wall at the back gate of the school has been torn down again. They said it was too high and unsightly, affecting the school’s appearance, so this semester I should be climbing over the wall often, which might lose points.”
Luo Sifang: “…………”
After Yu Xun finished, Yun Ci also returned his bag to him.
Luo Sifang had a bad premonition: “…?”
Sure enough, Yun Ci said, “I’ll be climbing too, might lose points.”
Luo Sifang was just about to ask “why you too,” when Yun Ci explained, “Starting a part-time job.”
“…”
One after another, it was hard not to make some connections.
Luo Sifang put away the two bags of marinated duck and sent a message in the dorm group chat.
[608 Brothers Group (Without Yu Xun and Yun Ci Edition)]
Luo Sifang: [After the winter break, it seems the conflict between those two has escalated.]
Luo Sifang: [They’re even competing in part-time jobs… Both of them will be climbing over the wall frequently this semester for their part-time jobs. I guess Brother Ci felt he lost to Brother Yu in terms of independence and earning money last semester, so he quickly found a new job over the break.]
Wang Zhuang: [I think your guess is pretty close.]
Luo Sifang: [But didn’t Brother Ci post a red rose on his Moments? Wasn’t that the one Brother Yu folded? Brother Yu also posted a white one.]
Wang Zhuang: [Who said it was the same rose? I bet Brother Ci folded it himself, just to show that he can fold these things too.]
Luo Sifang: [Would you be that bored?]
Wang Zhuang: [I wouldn’t, but they would.]
[…]
Peng Yiyuan, completely out of the loop: [Guess how much lucky money I got this year.]
Wang Zhuang replied to Peng Yiyuan: [Get lost, I don’t want to talk to a rich second generation.]
The conversation gradually veered off-topic.
Only Liu Sheng weakly offered a different opinion: [Why do I feel it’s not like that…]
But he couldn’t articulate what exactly was going on, so he just sent that one message and didn’t send any more.
The two people in the “escalating conflict” were messaging each other on WeChat at this moment.
yx: [Go to the washroom.]
Yun Ci received the message while sitting at the desk browsing his phone, mainly tutoring the kid Liu Jiayu with holiday homework.
Liu Jiayu sent a long string of roars: [I don’t understand! I really can’t understand!!!]
Yun Ci ignored him and replied to Yu Xun.
yc: [?]
Most of the people had already returned to the dormitory, and the things they brought back filled the whole room. In the six-person dormitory, there were all sorts of conversations, making it very chaotic.
Yun Ci put away his phone and squeezed into the washroom while no one was paying attention.
Once the door was closed, it became a private space for just the two of them, the only place in the dormitory where they could be separated from others.
Yun Ci wanted to ask “what’s wrong.”
Yu Xun didn’t give him time to speak, his hand pressing the back of Yun Ci’s head as he brought him into a forceful kiss.
When this person kissed seriously, he liked to squeeze Yun Ci’s waist with his hand. The heat of his palm passed through the sweater fabric, not only feeling hot but also a bit ticklish.
“Nothing,” Yu Xun let go of him and said, “I just suddenly wanted to kiss you.”
From then on, “going to the washroom?” became an unspoken code between them.
However, going too frequently would draw attention.
After Luo Sifang’s computer ban was lifted, he went back to gaming and continued to dominate. During a break, he asked curiously, “Why do you two always run to the washroom?”
They both answered almost simultaneously.
Yun Ci: “Brushing our teeth.”
Yu Xun didn’t say anything.
“…”
Out of Luo Sifang’s sight, Yun Ci tugged at Yu Xun’s sleeve to prevent him from saying something shocking.
Yu Xun, who indeed wanted to speak bluntly, compromised after being tugged: “Me? Washing my face.”
“The climate is a bit dry recently,” he leaned back slightly as he spoke, saying casually, “My face gets a bit oily. Guys like me, who are handsome, pay a lot of attention to skincare.”
Luo Sifang: “…”
He felt like checking himself in the mirror to see if he was living too rough.
In a six-person dormitory, it’s inconvenient to have an obvious relationship.
That night, the dormitory lights were turned off as usual.
Peng Yiyuan wailed, “After over a month of vacation, I forgot about the lights-off rule here, and my phone isn’t charged.”
Wang Zhuang threw a power bank to him: “No need to thank me, just treat me to a meal tomorrow.”
The noise continued for quite a while.
It wasn’t until nearly midnight that the sounds gradually died down.
Snoring started all around.
Yun Ci was on his phone for a bit, finding it strange that Yu Xun hadn’t messaged him. Just as he was about to poke the black profile picture to say goodnight, he heard some movement from the lower bunk.
It didn’t sound like someone turning over.
After a while, the noise became more distinct.
Just as he was about to get up to take a look, a hand grabbed the edge of his upper bunk, and then a shadow climbed up directly.
After Yu Xun climbed up, he put a finger to his lips, silently signaling him to keep quiet: “Shh.”
“?”
“Can’t sleep,” Yu Xun said, half-closed his eyes, “Let me hold you for a while.”
It’s hard to say which was more nerve-wracking, kissing on the back seat of Liu Zi’s tricycle or secretly sleeping together in the dormitory.
Yu Xun wore very casual clothes to sleep, with thin clothing and clear outlines—there wasn’t enough space in the upper bunk for two people, so they had to lie on their sides.
Yun Ci felt like he was sneaking around doing something bad.
Yu Xun didn’t mind: “You know how well these guys sleep. Even if there’s a fire alarm in the middle of the night, they might not wake up.”
“…”
It’s true.
Yu Xun was a bit sleepy, his voice lowering, his breath warm against Yun Ci’s ear: “If they really wake up, just say it directly. My boyfriend is sleeping in my upper bunk, and I can’t hold him?”
Yun Ci’s weak rationality extinguished.
He turned over, trying not to make any noise, and then faced Yu Xun in the dark.
Getting closer, he waited for his vision to adjust, and the contours of Yu Xun’s face gradually became clear to him.
“You can hold me.”
Yun Ci’s voice also lowered.
Yu Xun climbed up like this for several nights.
Since the other roommates were indeed heavy sleepers, the two of them relaxed their guard a bit.
One night, after lights out.
Yu Xun climbed up in a few moves, supporting himself on the bed sheet, leaning down, just about to kiss.
However, on the other side, Luo Sifang, who had drunk too much water before bed, woke up groggily.
He heard slight movements from the upper bunk on the opposite side, and in his half-asleep state, his brain couldn’t process it, so he simply turned on his phone’s flashlight.
A beam of light shone directly over—
Illuminating the upper bunk. Lighting up two figures squeezed onto the same bed.
Luo Sifang was stunned for a few seconds before he found his voice: “What are you two doing?”
“…”
Damn.
For a moment, all was silent.
The wait for a response felt incredibly long.
After a while, Yun Ci blurted out, “Fighting.”
Yu Xun, nonchalantly: “Sleepwalking.”
“…”
Under Luo Sifang’s gaze, Yun Ci felt numbness spread from his fingertips to his scalp.
He glanced at Yu Xun, hinting for him to unify their excuse: “Which one are we sticking with?”
Yu Xun, having been interrupted before he could kiss, was a bit impatient but still cooperative. He straightened up, cracked his knuckles in front of Luo Sifang, and asked with a lazy but somewhat threatening tone: “Is it that hard to understand?”
Luo Sifang, hearing “fighting” in one ear and “sleepwalking” in the other, and with the current scene being quite shocking, honestly said: “It’s completely incomprehensible.”
Yu Xun pondered how to combine these two unrelated statements.
“Basically, it’s—”
He finally combined it in a simple and crude way: “I was sleepwalking and went to him to fight.”
“…”
Hhahaha two of them are so eager for alone time but it’s a six person dorm…