The game results were out, and the former West High group chat exploded.
An old classmate popped up: [@Li Yan, @Liu Zi the First Handsome]
[What’s going on with you guys]
[How come you’re playing ball together?]
Li Yan responded: [Adults now, don’t make a fuss.]
Liu Zi was more direct: [Mind your own business.]
Someone commented: [It’s really scary. Who understands my feelings right now? You guys in university make me feel so unfamiliar…]
Li Yan thought: It’s not just you guys; we also feel very unfamiliar, okay?
…
After the game, no one stayed long on the court.
Before leaving, Yun Ci thanked Li Yan: “Thanks for helping out last minute. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”
Li Yan clenched his fist, wanting to pat Yun Ci’s shoulder to show brotherly affection, but seeing the jacket Yun Ci was wearing, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Midway, he changed direction and put his hand back in his pocket: “No problem, we’re all brothers.”
Li Yan politely asked: “What are you doing later?”
Yun Ci: “Going back to the dorm.”
Li Yan wanted to ask if he was going back alone but thought better of it. He would definitely be going back with that Yu guy.
With a bit of a toothache, he said: “Then hurry up and go.”
After they left.
Liu Zi gradually calmed down and remembered something from a while ago.
“Last semester, I was wondering why that Yun guy was wearing the same jacket as my brother and even said his tactics were dirty,” he finally understood, “I was a complete fool.”
Thinking about it, there were signs of this much earlier.
Li Yan: “Look on the bright side.”
Li Yan also recalled last semester: “I even asked my brother why he specifically bought the same jacket. You’re not the only fool.”
Liu Zi and Li Yan had always had a rocky relationship, but at this moment, Liu Zi genuinely felt like saying, “It’s good to have you.”
Next to them, other team members had changed clothes and were ready to leave.
“Liu-ge,” someone from Liu Zi’s team couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked before leaving, “…what’s really going on?”
Liu Zi didn’t want to continue the conversation: “Don’t worry about it. Just say we’ve all matured.”
“…”
But putting aside past grievances.
This game was indeed exhilarating.
It had been a long time since they’d played such a satisfying game, and it felt great to cooperate with the opponents just now.
–
After the game. In dorm room 608.
Luo Sifang was a homebody and had no interest in basketball, and the other roommates had classes.
But Luo Sifang mentally supported them and reminded them as they pushed the door open: “Did you see the notice downstairs when you came in? Our building’s water is off today.”
“…”
Covered in sweat and somewhat germophobic, Yun Ci was rare annoyed: “No water?”
Luo Sifang: “Yep.”
Yun Ci: “Until when?”
Luo Sifang: “Until tomorrow morning, I think.”
“Water’s off,” Yun Ci turned to ask Yu Xun, “Should we go out to shower?”
After he said this, Luo Sifang didn’t think anything was strange: “That could work. Wang Zhuang and the others were discussing this earlier. He was too lazy to wash his hair the past few days and now can’t wash it today—”
Yu Xun unusually fell silent.
After a while, he averted his gaze.
Emotions that couldn’t be hidden surged up, but he spoke lightly: “Alright.”
“Which place?” He swiped his phone, looking up hotels and hourly rooms nearby the school, then chose one with decent facilities and environment, “This one’s okay.”
Yun Ci packed a few clothes.
They didn’t have many things to wash or change, so they just packed their clothes together.
When he zipped the bag, he realized his face was a bit warm.
Although he usually found it inconvenient to date in the crowded dorm, he hadn’t considered other means.
There were plenty of hotels near the school, and when the two of them pushed open the lobby door, they saw many people had come to shower due to the water outage, carrying toiletries baskets as they came and went.
So the little bit of awkwardness he felt dissipated.
“One room,” the receptionist took their information, entered it, and handed them the key card, “Two hours, counting from now, return the key before 8 PM. The room is straight ahead, turn left at the end.”
All the way, the two fell into a tacit silence.
Until Yu Xun swiped the card and opened the door.
“You shower first.” He said as he turned on the light.
Yun Ci put down their things.
Then the door behind them closed, cutting them off from the hallway, leaving just the two of them in the small suite.
Boys shower quickly, so after both he and Yu Xun finished showering, they still had an hour and a half before checkout.
Yun Ci, impatient with drying his hair, roughly dried it a bit and then came out of the bathroom.
So when Yu Xun finished showering, he was holding something.
“?”
“Come closer,” he plugged in the power cord, and the hairdryer started running in his hand, “Dry your hair.”
Yun Ci sat on the edge of the bed as told, the power cord barely dragging over from the nightstand, and the warm wind blew through his slightly cool hair.
The hairdryer was too loud for anyone to speak.
But the sensations were amplified—for instance, Yu Xun’s hand pressed on his hair. Although his hair was almost dry, Yu Xun’s hand still pressed on his head, as if he simply wanted to touch it.
When the hairdryer stopped, Yu Xun’s hand slid down to grip his neck, and they both fell back onto the soft bed.
They had kissed many times.
Yu Xun’s kisses were no longer as awkward as the first time, skillfully prying open Yun Ci’s teeth with his tongue. But the one constant was the nervousness in his movements.
The veins on his hands were prominent, his voice low: “…Open your mouth, Xiao Ci.”
This time, unlike in the dorm where they’d part after kissing or just cuddle to sleep, the actions became more intense.
Yun Ci, who had just showered, felt his body heating up again.
After a while, Yu Xun stopped and said something out of the blue: “I heard it can hurt, I don’t want you to hurt.”
“?”
Yun Ci propped himself on the bed, flipped over, switching their positions: “I should be the one saying that.”
“It will hurt,” Yun Ci bit his lip, his competitive nature flaring up at this moment, “You bear with it.”
Yu Xun: “…?”
Yu Xun’s fringe covered his eyes, his lazy gaze revealing a hint of danger: “Are you really going to fight me at a time like this?”
Yun Ci almost said he wouldn’t mind.
Yu Xun pulled him by the collar, dragging him down, causing him to fall straight onto Yu Xun, and the kiss turned passionate.
Yun Ci nearly fainted from the kiss.
Yu Xun didn’t give him a chance to breathe, and when he was almost suffocating, they switched positions again.
Yun Ci half-opened his eyes: “You…”
Yu Xun kissed him again: “Shall we try?”
“…”
However, in the end, he couldn’t bear to let him endure the pain and used his hand to help the one who wouldn’t submit.
Yu Xun’s fingers were long.
And very hot.
Yun Ci clearly felt the slightly rough pads of Yu Xun’s fingers moving.
All sensations converged into a blank.
After a moment of blankness, reason returned.
Afterwards, Yu Xun kissed the top of his head.
“There’s something I need to do.” Yun Ci suddenly pushed him away.
“?”
Yu Xun couldn’t think of anything left to do: “Homework? You finished it in class.”
Yun Ci: “Writing questions, West High’s midterms are coming up.”
“…”
Yu Xun’s face visibly darkened: “That little brat again?”
But that little brat hadn’t messaged him for a week.
yc: [？]
yc: [Did you write the questions?]
yc: [Are you dead?]
yc: [Reminder, even if you don’t attend class, you still have to pay.]
The messages sent seemed to sink into the sea without a trace.
Yun Ci sent a few more questions, but still received no response.
He decided to ignore Liu Jiayu, feeling a bit sticky, so he put down his phone: “I’m going to the bathroom for a quick rinse.”
Yu Xun cracked his knuckles, lazily lying on the bed, and said, “Go ahead.”
He added, “Next time you have class, I’ll go with you.”
Yun Ci, who had just opened the bathroom door: “?”
Yu Xun said, “It’s nothing special, I just want to see him. If I get the chance, I’ll give him a beating.”
Thinking about the brat not replying to messages, Yun Ci casually agreed: “Sure. I’ve been wanting to hit him too.”
“Next time we have time,” he said, “let’s call him out for a fight.”
After the joke, Yun Ci went into the bathroom.
Soon, the only sound in the suite was the running water.
Yu Xun, having nothing to do, wanted to check his phone. Just then, the phone lying on the side suddenly rang.
Both phones were black, and the fingerprints worked on both, making it hard to tell them apart at first glance. Plus, this being the first time finishing with his boyfriend in a hotel, his mind was a bit hazy, and he instinctively picked up the call—
“Hello?” His voice still carried a hint of satisfaction.
Until a familiar and stern voice came from the other end.
The person on the other end was clearly stunned for a moment, then recognized his voice with some confusion: “Yu Xun?”
“…”
For a moment, Yu Xun was shaken by this completely unexpected voice, unable to hear even the water running in the bathroom.
Then, the water sound seemed to be amplified inexplicably, making it sound loud enough to be easily heard by the person on the other end of the line.
However, in reality, Yan Yue couldn’t hear it at all.
He confirmed he hadn’t dialed the wrong number and then guessed: “Are you with Yun Ci in the dorm? Why isn’t he answering the phone?”
No.
They were in a hotel.
Yu Xun paused for a second.
For some reason, he couldn’t say this to Yan Yue.
Yan Yue assumed his silence meant agreement, and since they were in the same dorm, it wasn’t unusual to accidentally pick up each other’s calls. So he broke the silence, “Is he busy?”
Yu Xun gave a brief “Mm” and said, “He’s freshening up.”
He didn’t even use the word “shower.”
Yan Yue knew the dorms at Nanyang University had private washrooms, so he skipped asking why he was looking for Yun Ci and instead chatted with his former student: “You two getting along well lately?”
Yu Xun answered truthfully: “Pretty good.”
Yan Yue was surprised: “Yun Ci used to always pick fights with you for no reason. I talked to him about it many times, but he never changed his temper. Didn’t expect that after becoming dormmates in college, you two stopped arguing.”
His tone carried a sense of pride, as if the children had grown up and matured.
Usually chatty in the teacher’s office, Yu Xun was now unusually quiet.
He didn’t know if he should say anything.
Or how to say it.
What would Yan Yue’s reaction be?
Some things he didn’t dare to think about.
But no matter what happened or how Yan Yue reacted, he would face it.
Yan Yue asked about his recent life: “How’s your family doing?”
He almost mentioned “your aunt,” but swallowed the words, stopping short of asking too much.
Yu Xun said: “They’re okay, my aunt is doing better too.”
He was telling the truth.
The hospital treatment during the winter break was quite effective, possibly because “that person” had been gone for over two years, and without repeated agitation, her condition had improved.
Everything seemed to be slowly getting better.
After chatting for a bit more, Yan Yue said: “I’ll hang up now. Tell Yun Ci to call me back when he’s done.”
After the call ended.
Yan Yue listened to the busy tone on the phone, belatedly wondering why the dorm was so quiet.
A six-person dorm shouldn’t be that quiet.
But he didn’t think Yu Xun had any reason to lie about this, so the thought quickly passed, assuming the other roommates had gone out.
On the other side.
After a quick rinse, Yun Ci pushed open the bathroom door and came out.
The water temperature was a bit cool while he was showering, and he vaguely heard someone on the phone outside but couldn’t make out the conversation, so he asked: “Your aunt?”
“…”
“No,” Yu Xun said, “It was Lao Yan.”
