The phone screen was pitch black, and the starlight in the night sky was faintly visible.
Another long silence followed.
He didn’t know where Yu Xun had walked to. Yun Ci heard the creak of a door opening and guessed he was back in the dormitory building.
After entering the building, the camera flipped back, refocusing on that face.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t return to the dorm, so I wanted to call you.”
Then Yun Ci heard another sentence: “Have you started to hate me?”
After Yu Xun asked this, Yun Ci realized that he seemed to have all kinds of emotions, including familiar irritability, but he couldn’t find any feelings related to “hate.”
Yun Ci wanted to say “no.”
But Yu Xun quickly, in a voice that seemed to compromise, said, “…It’s okay if you don’t reply to my messages.”
In the video call, Yu Xun didn’t seem as confident as he did in texts; the hidden nervousness still showed in his voice, eyes, and every subtle movement.
“Just don’t hate me, Xiao Ci.”
After the video call ended, Yun Ci stood in the corridor for a while, unconsciously pinching his ear.
Until Li Yan came out to get some water: “Why are you standing here? By the way, where are you sleeping tonight?”
Yun Ci often stayed in their dorm, and Li Yan had figured out the pattern. Based on how long Yun Ci was lingering today, he was probably going to sleep in their dorm tonight.
Li Yan said, “The weather is so cold, and the flu is going around. I think you should…” should kick that Yu guy out and sleep in your own dorm.
Before he finished, Yun Ci put away his phone, his tone still cold, but his expression somewhat unnatural as he said, “I’ll sleep in my dorm.”
*
When he got back, Yu Xun had already finished washing up and had just come out of the bathroom. Yun Ci didn’t expect anyone inside and bumped into him as he entered.
Their eyes met briefly in the air.
It was the same face that had appeared in the video call half an hour ago.
His bangs were slightly wet, and he was also startled when he saw Yun Ci.
“Move.” Yun Ci said.
Yu Xun stepped aside.
After stepping aside, he said, “The water heater has a problem; you have to adjust it several times.”
“?”
“Not sure,” Yu Xun added, “The dorm leader reported it for repair. Someone should come to fix it tomorrow.”
Yun Ci responded with an “oh.”
A very ordinary conversation.
No crossing the line.
As Yun Ci adjusted the water heater, he reminded himself: just like he said on the phone, they were just ordinary acquaintances, former enemies, roommates.
…
Even if this person was pursuing him.
After washing up, Yun Ci saw Yu Xun working on homework at the long table. Yu Xun glanced at him and casually asked, “Is there hot water?”
The more Yun Ci feared others would notice anything unusual between him and Yu Xun, the more “proper” his answers became: “Yes, it worked.”
Yu Xun shook the book in his hand, saying, “Have you finished writing? Let me copy it.”
“Since I sleep in the bunk below you,” Yu Xun brought up an old topic with a new answer, “It’s not too much to let me copy it, right?”
Yun Ci rummaged through his stack of books and tossed one to him.
Yu Xun said, “Thanks.”
Luo Sifang, listening from the side, nodded in satisfaction, saying, “… You two are getting along well today. That’s how roommates should be, living harmoniously.”
“…”
Yun Ci didn’t respond.
But if you had to call it “harmonious,” there was nothing wrong with that.
After that, Yu Xun behaved normally—more normal than before. The previous confrontations and straightforward passion seemed to be meant to make Yun Ci believe and force him to face it. All the space Yun Ci might use to avoid and not think deeply has been removed.
Early Sunday morning.
Yu Xun left early. Before leaving, he leaned against the door and asked, “Does anyone want me to bring back food? Call me ‘big brother,’ and I’ll do it once.”
The other dorm members responded enthusiastically.
Peng Yiyuan said, “I do, big brother. I want some fried noodles.”
Luo Sifang said, “Eating such greasy food early in the morning, huh? I’m different. I’ll call you ‘dad’—”
Wang Zhuang, who had been snoring a moment ago, woke up and said, “What food? Who’s bringing food?”
Yu Xun noted it all down, his gaze naturally falling on Yun Ci: “What about you?”
“No need.”
Yun Ci had just gotten up, sitting halfway, and after saying this, he didn’t want Yu Xun to think he was avoiding something, so he added an explanation, “I’m going out to eat with Li Yan.”
In the end, Yun Ci didn’t have the meal he had planned with Li Yan.
For some reason, after returning from Li Yan’s dorm, he felt groggy and didn’t get up after waking up in the morning.
He only woke up briefly in the afternoon to reply to Li Yan’s message.
Li Yan: [You’re not eating?]
Li Yan: [What kind of discomfort are you feeling? Don’t tell me you have the flu. I didn’t want you to sleep in our dorm last night because one of our roommates was diagnosed with it.]
Li Yan: [Where are you?]
“…”
Yun Ci pressed his slightly hot forehead and stared at the line “one confirmed case” in silence.
He shouldn’t be that unlucky.
yc: [Sleeping]
yc: [Just woke up]
But he really had no appetite. The dorm was empty, as the group had likely gone to the internet café for their weekend bonding. After getting out of bed, he sat at his desk for a while, then unknowingly fell asleep on the desk.
He regained some awareness because of a hand.
That hand was lightly placed on his forehead, having just come in from outside, the back of the hand was cool.
Then the hand moved slightly, the fingers curled up, tapped his forehead lightly, trying to wake him up: “What’s wrong with you?”
Then came two familiar words.
“Xiao Ci.”
Yun Ci half-opened his eyes.
Yu Xun was standing there, looking down at him: “Do you have a fever?”
Yun Ci barely sat up. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking that the downside of sharing a dorm was that every move was under someone’s watchful eye: “Flu, probably.”
The flu was indeed prevalent recently. Notices were even posted downstairs in the dormitory buildings. The large flow of people in the university town made it easy to spread.
After speaking, he watched Yu Xun turn around to rummage through the cabinet, then pull out a very delicate little box.
A specially bought storage box. Judging by its size and the timing of taking it out, it should be a medicine box.
But Yun Ci, staring at the intricate patterns on the box, briefly doubted: “…What is this?”
Yu Xun: “Medicine box.”
Yun Ci mocked: “You bought such a fancy medicine box.”
Just after mocking, Yu Xun opened the box. Inside, several familiar-looking boxes of medicine were neatly arranged.
“Antipyretic,” “Cough suppressant.”
Apart from these two types of medicines, there was nothing else in the box.
Yu Xun: “These are the medicines you bought for me last time.”
Yun Ci: “…”
“Not sure if they work for flu,” Yu Xun picked one up and read the instructions, “this one doesn’t.”
He put one box down and picked up another.
After checking several boxes, none were for the flu.
But there was a box of antipyretic medicine in the corner that he hadn’t touched.
Yun Ci repeatedly reminded himself of the term “ordinary friends” and pointed to the box in the corner: “What about this one?”
Yu Xun casually said: “It’s empty.”
Yun Ci: “?”
Yu Xun: “Used it all up, didn’t throw the box away.”
Yun Ci’s mind was a bit foggy and he blurted out: “Then why didn’t you throw it away?”
Yu Xun put the medicine box away and asked him back: “Why do you think I didn’t throw it away?”
“…”
The answer was tacitly understood.
Although he didn’t say it directly, Yun Ci knew the real answer very well—it was because he gave it.
Sure enough, Yu Xun’s voice was lazy: “Because someone who currently considers me an ordinary friend gave it to me.”
He added, “I’m a sentimental person. When someone gives me medicine when I’m sick, I cherish it.”
His tone made it feel like old times.
Despite feeling annoyed, Yun Ci found his cheeky demeanor somewhat endearing.
Since the medicine in the box was useless, Yu Xun took his newly hung clothes and left the dorm. He came back about ten minutes later with a few items in his hand.
“Guessing you haven’t eaten,” he said, putting the things down, “drink the porridge first before taking the medicine.”
The porridge was still hot, plain rice porridge, something he could manage even without an appetite.
Next to it was a cup of warm water.
Yu Xun, as if having taken care of him many times before, did everything skillfully, hitting the right notes without overstepping: “Sleep some more after eating.”
Yun Ci belatedly remembered that Yu Xun often took care of his aunt like this.
They didn’t say much after that. Yun Ci drowsily went back to the top bunk. He slept for about an hour, half-awake, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Yu Xun had pulled a chair close to him.
Yu Xun was sitting there with his head down, folding something.
Square paper.
His fingers pinched the paper, folding it casually as if passing the time.
Yun Ci didn’t see clearly what else was going on, closed his eyes, and fell asleep again.
He slept until evening, woken up by Wang Zhuang’s voice: “—Is this for me?”
Wang Zhuang sounded a bit embarrassed: “This is so awkward; it’s the first time I’ve received something like this.”
Then came Peng Yiyuan’s voice, surprised: “I got one too? Does everyone in the dorm have one?”
Luo Sifang: “Seems like it. This is so romantic, I’m embarrassed.”
…
What on earth.
Yun Ci, propping himself up, still groggy from sleep, had no idea what they were talking about.
His palm pressed against the bed, and his little finger’s pad touched something hard and thin at the edge.
He turned his head and saw a paper-folded rose by the bed.
Red. Perfectly folded.
Someone suddenly looked up and saw the top bunk, so everyone’s eyes shifted to Yun Ci. Peng Yiyuan, holding a blue rose, asked: “But why is Ci-ge’s flower a different color from ours? Ours are all blue, only his is red.”
Though Yun Ci’s mind was foggy, his heart skipped a beat, realizing what had happened.
Yu Xun’s voice was calm: “Ran out of paper.”
“Switched to another color midway.”
Luo Sifang, holding a blue paper rose, nodded: “Makes sense.”
He added: “But why the sudden gift?”
Yu Xun: “Oh, because today is—”
“…”
“The 110th anniversary of our school’s founding,” he glanced lightly at the top bunk, “so I’m celebrating it.”
