Yun Ci stared at the verification message in the dark for a long time before finally deciding to ignore it.
Two or three minutes later, another red dot popped up as he continued to browse his phone.
One red dot after another.
[New verification message]
[yx: I am Yu Xun]
[New verification message: Stop pretending to sleep]
[New verification message: You just turned over, Xiao Ci]
Yun Ci: “……”
He put down his phone and closed his eyes. Half an hour later, he suddenly opened them again.
Is he crazy?
***
The next day was also the last day of military training.
If Liu Zi’s transformer hadn’t malfunctioned, he could have held on for one more day and then “retired with success” from selling instant noodles. After all, once the military training ended, they could eat whatever they wanted without anyone restricting them. But many things just fall short of that one step.
The main activity on the last day of military training was some achievement displays. After attending the closing ceremony in the afternoon, the military training for freshmen officially ended.
“You got up so early,” said Li Yan groggily in his dorm room, looking at his uncle, who appeared beside his bed. “Six-thirty, it’s six-thirty! The dormitory building just opened, and you already snuck out.”
Yun Ci didn’t sleep well either.
With his hair uncombed and a pale complexion, he said, “New bed, woke up early.”
“Is it because of…”
Li Yan thought of Yu Xun but swallowed the rest of his words as his rationality gradually returned.
“Yeah, I’m used to my bed.” Li Yan said, “Indeed, it’s easy to feel uncomfortable in a new environment. But I slept just fine. I still want to sleep a bit more.”
“Alright, you sleep.”
With that, Yun Ci pulled over a chair.
Then he sat by Li Yan’s bed, staring down silently, showing every sign of staying in their dorm until he woke up.
Facing Yun Ci’s face, Li Yan really couldn’t go back to sleep: “Alright, I’ll get up too. How about we go to the cafeteria for breakfast?”
On the way to the cafeteria, they ran into Zhou Wenyu.
So the two turned into three.
The special military training breakfast at the cafeteria was still the usual: porridge, steamed buns, and boiled eggs.
After getting their meals at the window, the three found an empty spot and sat down.
Zhou Wenyu: “I went to pick up a package this morning. My mom sent me something. I didn’t expect you guys to get up so early too.”
Yun Ci: “Getting up early is healthy.”
Li Yan, with a mouthful of steamed bun, couldn’t bear to point it out: “…Uh-huh.”
Zhou Wenyu scratched his head: “You guys really have such a healthy routine.”
The conversation drifted, moving from the fruits Zhou Wenyu’s mom sent to the military training instructor.
Yun Ci was drinking his porridge when his phone on the table vibrated.
It was that black avatar again.
[New verification message: ?]
Then another one followed.
[New verification message: Out?]
[New verification message: Then bring me breakfast on your way back.]
Yun Ci clenched his spoon, having several things he wanted to say.
Does this black avatar have any self-awareness?
They hadn’t even added each other as friends yet.
Treating this like a chat window.
And how has this person adapted to the roommate role so quickly?
“Who is it?” Li Yan heard the vibration too.
Yun Ci flipped his phone screen-down on the table: “Don’t know, spam messages.”
After flipping it, he held back for a while.
In the end, he couldn’t hold back: “Got a question.”
The words were stuck in his throat, and Yun Ci struggled to say it.
“There’s a person whose WeChat avatar looks a lot like mine, and their name is similar too.”
He forced himself to continue, finally gathering his courage to be direct, “That black avatar.”
Yun Ci’s abrupt topic shift left Li Yan and Zhou Wenyu momentarily stunned.
But hearing the keyword “black avatar,” a familiar name flashed in both their minds, along with the surname Yu.
Li Yan: “You mean… Yu Xun?”
Yun Ci: “You know?”
Li Yan, in a “I thought it was something serious” tone: “Of course, everyone knows about it. You can ask Zhou Wenyu if you don’t believe me.”
Zhou Wenyu nodded: “I know.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Apparently, “everyone” did not include him.
Li Yan: “He’s been using that avatar for years. The whole West High knows. Let me think; I believe he started using it in his sophomore year.”
From his high school memories, Li Yan remembered that Yu Xun joined several class and grade groups. Due to his popularity, he was often added to various random groups. Although he rarely spoke in those groups, his distinctive black avatar was quite prominent in the member list. Moreover, West High had an online confession wall where a bunch of boys and girls often confessed with their WeChat avatars. His uncle’s white avatar and Yu Xun’s black one frequently topped the list.
But his uncle probably didn’t pay much attention to that confession wall.
Zhou Wenyu caught the key point: “So you two never had each other’s contact information all these years?”
The next second, he felt that, given their relationship, it seemed normal not to have it.
So he asked: “Then how did you contact each other these three years? Even if it’s to arrange a fight, you need to ‘arrange’ it, right?”
At this, Li Yan put down his chopsticks: “Good question. Let me demonstrate. At first, they mainly communicated through me and Liu Zi.”
He played both roles, first mimicking ‘Liu Zi’: “Our Yu-ge told me to tell you to meet at the basketball court after school.”
Then mimicking ‘Yun Ci’: “You tell him I’m not available.”
Still as ‘Yun Ci’: “Go tell him, for this basketball game, he better surrender early, and his dad will let him off.”
‘Liu Zi’: “Our Yu-ge said surrendering is impossible. He’s waiting for you to beg for mercy.”
“…”
After the demonstration, Li Yan continued eating: “That’s how they communicated. But later on, for some reason, Yu Xun stopped using Liu Zi to relay messages and started coming himself, often wandering around our class. He even got complained to Lao Yan by my uncle several times.”
As Li Yan said this, he thought this might be what Yun Ci mentioned before about changing tactics.
To be fair, this new tactic was indeed quite cunning.
“…”
The focus of these two people was clearly off.
“Doesn’t anyone find it…” Yun Ci felt that every word he was about to say was exceptionally difficult, “find it very strange?”
Li Yan: “?”
Zhou Wenyu: “Strange how?”
Everything was strange.
Yun Ci: “Why would a normal person, under normal circumstances, use an avatar that is almost identical to someone else’s?”
This… highly similar avatar.
He had only seen people use them when they were in an online relationship.
But the word “online relationship” was too ambiguous for him to say out loud.
Li Yan: “It’s normal, one black and one white, representing the opposing sides of black and white, essentially provoking you and declaring war. Plus, not changing the avatar for so many years shows their firm attitude.”
Finally, he summarized, “Anyway, everyone at West High has understood it this way for years.”
Li Yan: “Do you have another interpretation?”
Yun Ci: “…”
He didn’t.
***
The sun was still scorching, and at the closing ceremony, the principal gave the final speech: “On this last day of military training, all of you have performed well during this period, especially in the final formation display, which I think represents your attitude towards studying at Nanyang University.”
“As the principal, I hope you will have a pleasant academic experience at Nanyang University. After leaving home, Nanyang University is your home.”
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Yun Ci, standing at the end of the line, started to daydream after listening for a while. The vibration in his pocket pulled him back.
Feeling the vibration, his heart almost skipped a beat.
When he opened his phone, his eyes instinctively looked down, but there was no red dot on the contact icon.
The message was from Yan Yue.
Dad: [Missed call]
Dad: [Has the closing ceremony not ended yet? Call me back when it’s over.]
After the closing ceremony, when Yun Ci returned to his dorm room, no one was there.
Luo Sifang said in the group chat that they had gone to a nearby shop to buy clothes, as they didn’t bring many and didn’t know what to wear without their military training uniforms. They would be back later.
He casually replied, “Got it,” and then called Yan Yue.
It was Friday.
School ended early, so Yan Yue answered relatively quickly.
The first two calls were busy, and the third was answered.
Yan Yue: “A parent was just looking for me. Is your military training over?”
Yun Ci responded with a yes.
Yan Yue: “What’s this about your violation over there?”
Yun Ci: “…It’s exactly what it sounds like.”
He could already guess the tirade Yan Yue was about to unleash.
After speaking, he held the phone away from his ear, waiting for about three minutes before putting it back.
Yan Yue’s rant had already entered the next phase: “You need to do your homework and prepare before formal classes start. Since you have time on the weekend, make sure you prepare well. Logical thinking skills are very important, so find some good study methods.”
Yun Ci still responded with an “Mm.”
Yan Yue: “Is that all you have to say?”
Yun Ci switched to another word: “Ah.”
“…”
Yan Yue: “Don’t think I’m nagging. Four years of college will fly by, and time is precious. Also, write a weekly report on your learning progress and submit it to me.”
Yun Ci said: “Got it.”
Yan Yue had a serious case of occupational habits, and Yun Ci often felt that, besides being his son, he was more like his student.
Yan Yue continued to talk about various study methods. While listening, Yun Ci heard a slight noise in what he thought was an empty dorm room.
It was the sound of the bathroom door handle turning.
A very light click.
Then the door opened, and someone walked out of the bathroom.
Yu Xun had a towel draped over his shoulder, wearing an extremely loose black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. His hair was wet, making the color appear even darker. Ink-like black. The boy’s jaw was thin, and water droplets ran down the side of his face, finally disappearing into his collar.
The next moment.
His drooping eyes casually lifted, with the corners slightly raised, glancing at Yun Ci.
“…”
Yun Ci was stunned. He didn’t expect anyone to be in the dorm, let alone Yu Xun.
He had “escaped” the dorm early in the morning.
Now, facing the fact that he had to share the dorm with this person, he still felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Xiao Ci, are you listening?” Yan Yue reminded him over the phone.
Before Yun Ci could respond, Yu Xun, who had just come out of the bathroom, coughed heavily several times.
Leaning against the bathroom door frame, he coughed as if he had suddenly fallen seriously ill overnight.
Then, without Yun Ci even asking, Yu Xun casually explained himself: “It’s nothing; I’m Yu Xun, just a bit of a scratchy throat.”
Yun Ci: “…?”
Talking to himself was one thing.
Why did he need to announce his name?
Yun Ci: “Nobody asked you.”
Almost at the same moment he spoke, Yan Yue caught the keyword over the phone: “Yu Xun—?”
…Damn.
Yan Yue: “Let Yu Xun take the phone. I have a few words for him too. Coincidentally, Mr. Gao was just telling me last night about some students changing dorms.”
Yun Ci wanted to say, “Can’t you just call him directly?”
But he didn’t say it.
He didn’t want to argue with Yan Yue, so he reluctantly handed the phone to Yu Xun.
The phone was only halfway handed over.
Yu Xun didn’t take it; instead, he took two steps closer, bent down, and called out, “Mr. Yan.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Yan Yue: “Did you receive the book set I sent last time?”
Yu Xun: “Finished it. Flipped through it during breaks in military training.”
Yan Yue: “When you guys have a break next time, I’ll have Xiao Ci bring a few more books from home.”
Yu Xun smiled and said, “Thank you, Mr. Yan.”
The relationship between Yu Xun and Yan Yue was quite peculiar. When Yu Xun was at West High, he was the kind of student teachers had mixed feelings about. He had good grades and an engaging personality, and even while being punished to stand in the office, he could chat with teachers from other subjects and help grade papers. But he also caused enough trouble to be a concern.
For some reason, Yan Yue took special care of him.
As Yun Ci thought about this, his mind began to drift.
Yun Ci’s gaze inevitably fell on Yu Xun’s loose collar.
Although the word “thin” had nothing to do with this person, his collarbone was very pronounced.
The scent of Yu Xun’s body wash gradually wafted out.
As he leaned closer, his wet hair brushed against Yun Ci’s hand.
Very cold.
…
Too close.
Although Yan Yue would occasionally bring Yu Xun home, he never stayed overnight.
When Yu Xun was at his house, he would just do homework or write a reflection, then have a meal, and before leaving, Yan Yue would call him to the balcony for a private talk.
The distance between them now.
It was a distance that was impossible before they went to college.
He subconsciously wanted to pull his hand back. Or simply smash the phone into Yu Xun’s forehead.
Fortunately, before his patience completely ran out, Yan Yue ended the call.
But the person in front of him still didn’t move away.
Yun Ci: “?”
Yu Xun remained in the same position as when they shared the phone, leaning over with one hand reaching behind Yun Ci, resting on the back of the chair, and asking with a bit of pressure: “When do you plan to accept my friend request?”
Author’s note:
How can our Xiao Yu’s secret crush not be considered a kind of chaos!!!!!!!
