“Fu, Lin, Yi!”
Fu LinChen’s grip on his phone was so tight that the knuckles had turned white. His chest rose and fell sharply, eyes blazing as if they could spit fire.
The Fu parents had always been busy with work, leaving the two brothers to grow up mostly under the care of their housekeeper.
From a young age, Fu Linyi had been the quiet one, he rarely spoke, but every time he did, it was something that made people want to hit him. The two brothers’ personalities clashed completely.
Fu Linyi always called him short tempered; he, in turn, accused Fu Linyi of being sly and insidious. The result was mutual loathing and very little contact between them.
Not long ago, when Fu Linchen had offered to drive Fu Linyi to campus, the kid had repaid his good intentions with several days of cold sarcasm.
And now, as facts proved yet again, his instincts about his younger brother were as accurate as ever. Fu Linyi wasn’t just bad, he was rotten to the core! That little brat even dared to dig at the corner of his wall!
Fu Linchen: “Fu Linyi! I’m serious. Don’t you dare use him.”
A new notification popped up immediately:
[The other party has enabled friend verification. You are not yet friends.]
“Damn it!”
Meanwhile, the very same younger brother who had just blocked his own sibling was lying comfortably on his bunk, propping up his chin as he stared at the back of Bai Zhou’s head.
Even the back of that head was cute. He wanted to lean forward and steal a kiss.
Unfortunately, Bai Zhou was still angry. If he so much as got within arm’s reach, the boy would probably storm out of the dorm in a fury.
When Tang Mingyuan returned with takeout, he walked in on this exact scene: Bai Zhou was curled up tightly in his blanket, looking utterly deflated.
His small, round face was a shifting mix of emotions, and his eyes, half hidden by the blanket were fixed resentfully on the door.
If this moment were turned into an animation, Tang Mingyuan thought, there would probably be a tiny black rain cloud hovering over Bai Zhou’s head, drizzling pitifully.
And opposite him was their other roommate, chin in hand, gazing at Bai Zhou’s back with such intensity that he might as well have been feasting on the sight.
Who had made Bai Zhou angry? The answer was written all over that scene.
In his mind, Bai Zhou was once again petitioning the heavens for occupational injury compensation from his system.
He only moved when he saw Tang Mingyuan come in with the food, reluctantly climbing down from the bed to sit at the desk.
Fu Linyi followed suit. The moment he sat down next to Bai Zhou, the boy turned sideways, dragging his chair just far enough to avoid sitting too close.
Sensing the tension, Tang Mingyuan swiftly plopped himself down between the two of them.
Fu Linyi: “…”
Tang Mingyuan handed Bai Zhou the tomato scrambled eggs he’d ordered and then, as if remembering something, asked casually, “Hey, have you guys heard of the confession wall at school?”
Bai Zhou accepted the lunchbox, “I’ve heard of it. Why?”
He remembered that in his last life, the school had had something similar, but back then he’d been too busy just surviving to pay attention.
Fu Linyi froze with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, an ominous feeling creeping up his spine.
Sure enough, Tang Mingyuan continued with exactly what he didn’t want to hear.
“Someone secretly took pictures of you during military training and posted them on the confession wall with a public confession. I was even recognized in the cafeteria earlier. They asked me for your contact info.”
“Huh?”
Bai Zhou blinked, caught completely off guard. For a moment, he wondered if they had mistaken him for someone else.
He wasn’t the type of person others usually liked.
People online liked to say that children from unhappy homes grew up sensitive, insecure, desperate for affection.
For Bai Zhou, only one of those words ever applied, sensitive.
He had always been attuned to other people’s emotions, especially the negative ones. Sometimes, he could sense resentment or disgust even before the person themselves realized it and the moment he felt that shadow, his instinct was to run.
That was why he often vanished from his friends’ lives without warning. To others, he was that “bad friend” who ghosted people without explanation.
But Bai Zhou never saw himself as a good kid anyway. Bad kids made mistakes and bad kids didn’t change.
He hated it when people called him obedient or good. To be “good” meant to repent, to correct his flaws and he had so many of those, even his birth was a mistake. If he corrected them all, what would be left of him?
So when Chi Shuyi had sent those “sweet” messages of praise, Bai Zhou hadn’t replied. He didn’t plan to either. Compliments like that were poison.
In his previous life, no one had ever confessed to him. Barely anyone had even spoken to him, aside from that hopelessly naïve Chu Yanchen, who’d insisted on being his friend.
“You didn’t give it to them, right?” Fu Linyi asked, expression unreadable as he reopened his laptop.
“Of course not! People who ask for contact info casually are the least trustworthy kind, right, Bai Zhou?”
Bai Zhou nodded absently, though his mind was already racing through a dozen conspiracy theories, perhaps someone had seen Chi Shuyi dropping him off that day and mistaken him for another rich kid?
Fu Linyi’s fingers moved quickly. In no time, he had hacked into the school’s confession wall, deleted the post about Bai Zhou, and quietly saved the attached photos before closing the page.
When he turned back, Bai Zhou was still lost in thought. With a touch of jealousy, Fu Linyi nudged his calf under the table.
The faint friction against his leg snapped Bai Zhou out of his thoughts. He didn’t need to look to know who it was.
He shot a glare in Fu Linyi’s direction, but that was exactly what the other boy wanted, his attention. Satisfied, Fu Linyi immediately behaved again, sitting up straight like a model student.
Bai Zhou picked at his food distractedly, occasionally replying to Tang Mingyuan’s chatter, while Fu Linyi seemed to have developed a terrible habit: every few minutes, he would poke or tap Bai Zhou in some way, only stopping when Bai Zhou glared daggers at him.
Each dorm member had been issued two sets of military training uniforms. After his shower that night, Bai Zhou changed into his pajamas and was about to wash the sweat soaked uniform when a mischievous idea crossed his mind.
He looked toward Fu Linyi, who was sitting at his desk staring into space, and smiled faintly.
“You kicked me during dinner today,” he said casually. “My pants got dirty because of you.”
Startled that Bai Zhou was suddenly speaking to him, Fu Linyi almost jumped out of bed. After studying Bai Zhou’s expression for a few seconds, he stammered, “Sorry… Do you want me to wash them for you?”
Bai Zhou was very pleased by how quickly Fu Linyi caught on. With exaggerated reluctance, he stuffed the uniform into Fu Linyi’s arms.
Fu Linyi clutched the clothes like treasure, still in shock that such good fortune had literally fallen from the sky. Then his eyes drifted upward, just in time to see the lingering droplets at the tips of Bai Zhou’s damp hair.
A single bead of water trembled there for a long while before finally falling, landing right on the pale curve of Bai Zhou’s collarbone.
From there, it slid down the smooth skin and disappeared beneath the neckline of his creamy yellow puppy print pajamas.
Bai Zhou, sensing that unwavering stare, grew uncomfortable. He pushed Fu Linyi’s shoulder lightly, trying to sound fierce, “What are you staring at? Don’t want to do it anymore?”
“No,” Fu Linyi’s throat bobbed, his voice a little hoarse, “I’ll do it.”
Before Bai Zhou could say anything else, he had already darted off the bed, clutching the uniform tightly as if afraid Bai Zhou might change his mind.
Bai Zhou frowned slightly. He had been trying to provoke disgust, yet Fu Linyi still didn’t seem to dislike him. In fact, he looked almost happy.
If Fu Linyi didn’t hate him… how could he bring himself to hate Fu Linyi back?
Frowning in confusion, Bai Zhou was still mulling over this paradox when that sneaky brat struck again, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on his cheek before sprinting out of the room with the clothes in hand.
“Fu! Lin! Yi!”
Bai Zhou swore silently that from now on, he would treat Fu Linyi even worse. Only when Fu Linyi hated him could he finally justify hating him in return. And only then could he finally run away.
Completely unaware of the labyrinth inside Bai Zhou’s head, Fu Linyi was currently in the bathroom, striking poses for his phone as he washed the clothes.
He even reopened his brother’s number from the blacklist, just long enough to block him again.
He snapped a few photos: one of his hand scrubbing the shirt, another of the basin full of suds, and a third of himself in the mirror, smiling faintly. Then he uploaded them to his social feed with a caption:
[Helping baby wash his clothes ❤️
Three pictures attached.
A few minutes later, his phone buzzed with a call from Fu Lin Chen. Fu Linyi hung up without hesitation and blocked him again, this time permanently.
The next morning, Bai Zhou had planned to wake early to buy breakfast for the dorm, setting his alarm half an hour earlier. But when he opened his eyes, breakfast was already there and Fu Linyi was back from the cafeteria.
Tang Mingyuan was fully dressed as well, standing in the corner, quietly punching the wall in frustration.
Fu Linyi looked up just in time to see Bai Zhou’s sleepy head peeking out from the blankets, soft hair tousled, eyes hazy with drowsiness. His heart melted instantly.
“It’s still early,” he whispered, leaning close to the bed, “Want to sleep a bit longer?”
Bai Zhou’s expression darkened. So you do know it’s early!
“Why are you even up this early?” he grumbled.
“I don’t sleep much,” Fu Linyi replied smoothly.
In truth, he’d had a very inappropriate dream last night and had gotten up early to go running, hoping to burn off some energy but outwardly, he was calm as ever.
Not to be outdone, Bai Zhou lowered his eyes and turned his alarm back another thirty minutes.
For the next week, the dormitory of Computer Science 356 fell into an absurd cycle. Every morning, the boys woke earlier than the last, each trying to beat the others to breakfast.
After seven days of this madness, Bai Zhou, bleary-eyed and staring at his 4 a.m. alarm, dragged himself out of bed, only to meet two equally lifeless gazes staring right back at him.
He collapsed immediately, “I can’t. I’m done. No more.”
The battle for breakfast was over. Tang Mingyuan exchanged a look with Fu Linyi and said hoarsely, “One person, one day. Deal?”
“Deal.”
They both fell back onto their beds in unison.
When the weekend arrived, Chi ShuYi, who had been ignored for nearly a week, finally couldn’t wait any longer and came to pick Bai Zhou up himself.
Ever since he had sent that impulsive, overly affectionate message, Bai Zhou had barely talked to him. Every conversation was one-sided, Chi Shuyi asking, Bolai Zhou replying curtly.
He regretted his recklessness, yet at the same time, he couldn’t stop looking forward to seeing Bai Zhou again.
“ShuYi ge.”
When Bai Zhou spotted the man waiting by the school gate, he ran up to him with a smile.
Fu Linyi and Tang Mingyuan had both met Chi Shuyi before and greeted him politely as well.
Only Chen Feng hesitated for a moment before echoing their greeting. He’d assumed Bai Zhou’s “brother” would be some middle-class guardian living in an old apartment, not Chi Shuyi, the newly-risen elite of the capital’s business world.
Chi Shuyi smiled warmly, taking Bai Zhou’s backpack and placing it on the passenger seat, “Get in, Fu Linchen will be here soon.”
Fu Linyi nodded faintly, watching Bau Zhou hop happily into the front seat. As he moved to help him buckle the seatbelt, he took the opportunity to gently pinch Bai Zhou’s hand.
He received a sharp glare in return but that single glance was worth it. Satisfied, Fu Linyi followed the others into the back seat.
Bai Zhou hadn’t returned to the apartment for a week, but when he stepped inside, it was as if time had frozen. Every detail was exactly as he’d left it, even the little bear plushie on the sofa was in the same spot.
“Make yourselves at home,” Chi Shuyi said with an easy smile, “Zhou Zhou and I will go buy some groceries.”
He was just reaching for the door when someone knocked.
“There’s no need,” said a calm voice from outside. “I already bought them.”
Chi Shuyi turned and there stood Fu Linchen, holding several bags of fresh vegetables. He raised them slightly, stepped inside, and smiled pleasantly at Bai Zhou.
“Long time no see, Zhou Zhou.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The coffee spirits are watching. 👁️☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Green Tea Bun (1)Chapter 2 · Green Tea Bun (2)Chapter 3 · Green Tea Bun (3)Chapter 4 · Green Tea Bun (4)Chapter 5 · Green Tea Bun (5)Chapter 6 · Green Tea Bun (6)Chapter 7 · Green Tea Bun (7)Chapter 8 · Green Tea Bun (8)Chapter 9 · Green Tea Bun (9)Chapter 10 · Green Tea Bun (10)Chapter 11 · Green Tea Bun (11)Chapter 12 · Green Tea Bun (12)Chapter 13 · Green Tea Bun (13)Chapter 14 · Green Tea Bun (14)Chapter 15 · Green Tea Bun (15)Chapter 16 · Green Tea Bun (16)Chapter 17 · Green Tea Bun (17)Chapter 18 · Green Tea Bun (18)Chapter 19 · Green Tea Bun (19)Chapter 20 · Green Tea Bun (20)Chapter 21 · Green Tea Bun (21)Chapter 22 · Green Tea Bun (22)Chapter 23 · Green Tea Bun (23)Chapter 24 Part 1 · Green Tea Bun (24)Chapter 24 Part 2 · Green Tea Bun (24)Chapter 25 · Green Tea Bun (25)Chapter 26 · Green Tea Bun (26)Chapter 27 · Green Tea Bun (27)Chapter 28 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (1)Chapter 29 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (2)Chapter 30 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (3)Chapter 32 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (5)Chapter 33 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (6)Chapter 34 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (7)Chapter 35 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (8)Chapter 36 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (9)Chapter 37 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (10)Chapter 38 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (11)Chapter 39 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (12)Chapter 40 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (13)Chapter 41 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (14)Chapter 42 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (15)Chapter 43 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (16)Chapter 44 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (17)Chapter 45 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (18)Chapter 46 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (19)Chapter 47 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (20)Chapter 48 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (21)Chapter 49 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (22)Chapter 50 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (23)Chapter 51 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (24)Chapter 52 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (25)Chapter 53 · The Fake Young Master in an ABO Novel (26)Chapter 54 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (1)Chapter 55 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (2)Chapter 56 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (3)Chapter 57 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (4)Chapter 58 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (5)Chapter 59 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (6)Chapter 60 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (7)Chapter 61 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (8)Chapter 62 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (9)Chapter 63 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (10)Chapter 64 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (11)Chapter 65 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (12)Chapter 66 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (13)Chapter 67 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (14)Chapter 68 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (15)Chapter 69 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (16)Chapter 70 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (17)Chapter 71 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (18)Chapter 72 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (19)Chapter 73 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (20)Chapter 74 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (21)Chapter 75 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (22)Chapter 76 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (23)Chapter 77 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (24)Chapter 78 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (25)Chapter 79 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (26)Chapter 80 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (27)Chapter 81 · The Poor Little One at the Noble Academy (28)Chapter 82 · Apocalyptic Lord (1)Chapter 83 · Apocalyptic Lord (2)Chapter 84 · Apocalyptic Lord (3)Chapter 85 · Apocalyptic Lord (4)Chapter 86 · Apocalyptic Lord (5)Chapter 87 · Apocalyptic Lord (6)Chapter 88 · Apocalyptic Lord (7)Chapter 89 · Apocalyptic Lord (8)Chapter 90 · Apocalyptic Lord (9)Chapter 91 · Apocalyptic Lord (10)Chapter 92 · Apocalyptic Lord (11)Chapter 93 · Apocalyptic Lord (12)Chapter 94 · Apocalyptic Lord (13)Chapter 96 · Apocalyptic Lord (15)Chapter 97 · Apocalyptic Lord (16)Chapter 98 · Apocalyptic Lord (17)Chapter 99 · Apocalyptic Lord (18)Chapter 100 · Apocalyptic Lord (19)Chapter 101 · Apocalyptic Lord (20)Chapter 102 · Apocalyptic Lord (21)Chapter 103 · Apocalyptic Lord (22)Chapter 104 · Apocalyptic Lord (22)Chapter 105 · Apocalyptic Lord (24)Chapter 106 · The Real World (1)Chapter 107 · The Real World (2)Chapter 108 · Extra 1