The sound of dripping water lingered in his ears, steam rising in the bathroom. Pei Xi let the hot water wash over him for a long time, until his skin began to turn pale and wrinkled, before reluctantly stepping out of the shower.
After careful consideration, Pei Xi felt that the two photos he had just sent were too impulsive.
He wondered if it was still possible to retract them now.
Wrapped in a towel, Pei Xi hurried into the dormitory, climbed the ladder, and opened his phone. Just as he was about to retract the two photos, he noticed the chat window showing the “Read” notification from the other party. Trembling, he withdrew his hand, his mind going blank.
Of course, the other person had been chatting with him just moments ago—how could they not have seen the two photos he sent?
But what he didn’t understand was why the person who usually replied to his messages instantly had not responded even after half an hour.
He had thought Lu Li would, as usual, generously praise his photos and then subtly confess his feelings.
Pei Xi looked at the chat history, biting his lips shyly. He held down the photos, but unfortunately, the two-minute window for retracting messages had long passed.
Lu Li’s silence made Pei Xi uneasy, and he began to overthink.
Could it be that Lu Li thought he was too promiscuous? Or had Lu Li discovered his true identity, which was why he hadn’t replied?
Pei Xi suddenly grew nervous, restless, pacing back and forth in the dormitory.
If Lu Li discovered his true identity, could they continue living peacefully without disturbing each other as they did now?
What kind of looks would Lin Shaojun and Zhai Jiarui give him?
Pei Xi’s face paled, a cold sweat breaking out on his back, and his unease gradually grew.
Perhaps he had been wrong from the start. When he found out that “User 10557880” was Lu Li, he should have tried to sever their connection. He shouldn’t have sent so many ambiguous messages, stringing Lu Li along without giving him a chance.
If he tried to end this relationship now, would Lu Li agree?
Pei Xi hugged his legs, sitting in a chair and staring blankly at Lu Li’s bed.
“Ding dong—”
[You have a new message. Please check.]
Pei Xi didn’t even dare to click and see what Lu Li had sent him.
It felt like waiting for Lu Li to deliver a death sentence.
“Ding dong… Ding dong.”
The notification sounds kept ringing.
Trembling, Pei Xi opened Lu Li’s messages. The moment he saw the chat window, he froze.
[User 10557880: Xixi.]
[User 10557880: You once said your ideal type is a guy around 188 cm tall, fair and clean-looking, who cares about his appearance, has good grades, a clean social circle, and is disciplined.]
[User 10557880: Although this might sound a bit narcissistic, I still want to recommend myself. I meet all the conditions you mentioned for your ideal type.]
[User 10557880: Photo.jpg]
[User 10557880: This is my student ID. My name is Lu Li, a freshman in the Computer Science department at Ningcheng University.]
[User 10557880: If you have a good impression of me, would you like to get to know each other better?]
Pei Xi stared at the barrage of messages on his screen, swallowing hard as he struggled to figure out how to respond.
Of course, Lu Li fit all his ideal criteria. After all, he had crafted those conditions based on Lu Li himself.
He had initially thought Lu Li hadn’t replied because he had discovered his true identity. Little did he expect that Lu Li was actually holding back, waiting to drop a bombshell.
When Lu Li mentioned “taking things further,” he probably meant meeting in person and starting a relationship, right?
But Pei Xi was nowhere near mentally prepared. He could meet Lu Li as “Xixi,” but that wasn’t a sustainable solution.
What if Lu Li eventually found out that the person he had been falling for was actually his own roommate? How on earth would he explain that?
Pei Xi felt like crying but had no tears left.
[Xixi: Can you give me some time to think about it?]
Lu Li replied almost instantly, saying he would give him two days to consider.
Pei Xi: “…”
Only two days? That was nowhere near enough.
Pei Xi lay awake all night, staring at the ceiling until dawn broke.
After much deliberation, he concluded that moving out of the dorm was his best option. That way, even if Lu Li eventually uncovered his secret identity, they wouldn’t have to continue living together, facing each other day in and day out, or putting their other two roommates in an awkward position.
So first thing in the morning, Pei Xi slung his backpack over his shoulder and scouted several neighborhoods near the campus.
Ningcheng City truly lived up to its reputation as a metropolis where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Even a tiny studio apartment, around thirty square meters, started at two thousand yuan a month. If it had a balcony, good ventilation, and ample natural light, the rent jumped to at least three thousand.
The landlord seemed to sense his hesitation and softened a bit. “You seem like a decent, honest kid, so I won’t tack on any extra fees. Let’s settle on three thousand five hundred. The lease has to be for at least six months, and you’ll need to pay two months’ rent upfront. After that, just pay on time each month.”
Gritting his teeth, Pei Xi decided to rent the apartment. He had spent most of the day searching the area, and this was the most cost-effective option he could find—about sixty square meters, with one bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen, and a balcony.
He was quite satisfied with the place. He planned to convert the living room into his streaming studio and broadcast from there.
After signing the contract, Pei Xi headed to a nearby supermarket to buy cleaning supplies, then spent the rest of the day scrubbing the apartment and dusting every corner.
By the time he returned to the dorm, it was already late at night. Exhausted, he took a shower and immediately fell asleep.
He completely forgot about his promise to Lu Li. He didn’t even have the energy to check his phone.
The next day, Pei Xi dragged his streaming equipment back to his new apartment. He had always worried about his roommates discovering his gear, but now he could finally stop hiding it.
By the time he finished tidying up the apartment and setting up his streaming equipment, it was already 5 p.m. on Sunday. Pei Xi trudged back to the dorm, utterly drained.
The dorm was pitch dark. Lin Shaojun and Zhai Jiarui had mentioned in the group chat that they wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Lu Li hadn’t said anything, so Pei Xi assumed he wouldn’t be returning either.
Slumping into his chair, Pei Xi nervously opened the Douyin app and clicked on his chat window with Lu Li.
[User10557880: Have you made up your mind?]
The message had been sent at 10 a.m. on Saturday. When Pei Xi didn’t reply, Lu Li sent another message at 4 p.m.
[User 10557880: It’s okay if you haven’t decided yet. We can take our time.]
Pei Xi remembered that he had been cleaning the bathroom in his apartment at the time, with his phone left on silent in the living room. Besides, he hadn’t had a moment to spare to reply to Lu Li’s message.
[User 10557880: Baby, let’s keep our streak alive.]
Seeing this message, Pei Xi felt a sting in his eyes. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about replying to Lu Li—he was just avoiding it. He had planned to wait until Sunday, after telling his roommates about moving out, before giving Lu Li a proper response and having a good talk with him. But unexpectedly, none of his three roommates had returned today.
He had promised Lu Li an answer, and even if he were to reject him, he couldn’t keep dragging it out forever.
[Xixi: I’m sorry.]
[Xixi: I’m not really ready for a relationship right now.]
[Xixi: I’m truly sorry.]
Pei Xi typed out these words with trembling hands, tears spilling uncontrollably from his eyes.
Even though he was the one rejecting Lu Li, he felt overwhelmingly sad, as if his heart had been torn open, the pain making it hard to breathe.
[User 10557880: It’s okay.]
These three words from Lu Li hit Pei Xi like a heavy blow to the chest.
It hurt so much.
He didn’t know how to reply.
Clutching his change of clothes, he cried for a long time.
Only when his eyes were dry and sore did he finally pick up his clothes and slowly make his way to the bathroom.
The bathroom was filled with steam. Having cried for so long, Pei Xi felt a bit lightheaded from lack of oxygen. As he was getting dressed, he lost his balance and nearly slipped. His pants fell to the floor, soaking up a large puddle of water. They were now drenched and unwearable. With the weather so cold, wearing wet clothes would surely lead to a cold.
Wearing only his shirt and underwear, Pei Xi braced himself and opened the bathroom door, only to be startled by a familiar figure on the balcony.
He gripped the balcony door tightly, his eyes wide with shock.
Why was Lu Li back?
Pei Xi swallowed nervously, his hands trembling.
Lu Li glanced at him briefly, but just as he was about to look away, he froze.
This was the first time he had seen Pei Xi without his glasses, and the first time he had seen him without his bangs covering his forehead.
“You… why are you back?”
Lu Li’s gaze lingered on Pei Xi, especially after hearing his voice. The sweet, adorable face in his memories slowly overlapped with the panicked face before him.
Feeling Lu Li’s probing and uncertain gaze, Pei Xi grew increasingly flustered. He instinctively touched his face and realized with a start that he hadn’t brought his glasses into the bathroom. He had assumed he would be alone in the dorm tonight.
Pei Xi was too preoccupied to care about the embarrassment of not wearing pants. Frantically, he messed up his hair, letting his long bangs cover most of his face, before darting back into the dorm room.
As Lu Li’s gaze inadvertently swept over Pei Xi’s lower body, it froze when he spotted the red mole on the inside of his thigh.
Watching Pei Xi flee, Lu Li tentatively called out, “Xixi.”
Pei Xi felt his secret was on the verge of being exposed, his thoughts in complete disarray. Hearing Lu Li call his name, he instinctively responded, “Hmm?”
Thud— The pants in Pei Xi’s hands fell to the floor.
He stiffly turned around slowly, looking at Lu Li as he walked step by step toward him.
Pei Xi didn’t dare to breathe, his expression utterly panicked. He opened his mouth several times but couldn’t figure out what to say to ease the tense situation.
Every step Lu Li took toward him, Pei Xi retreated one step, until he bumped into the handrail, with nowhere left to escape.
Pei Xi took a deep breath, his lips trembling as he spoke, “Y-you were calling my name just now, right? My nickname—my nickname is Xixi. I thought you were calling me.”
He forced a smile, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.
Lu Li stopped half an arm’s length away, looking at his pale, frightened face, and spoke calmly, “Why are you so nervous?”
His gaze slid down from Pei Xi’s face, sweeping over his snow-white shoulders and neck, his chest still dotted with water droplets. The loose pajamas covered his slender waist, barely reaching the top of his thighs, followed by his straight legs and the faintly visible red mole on his inner thigh.
Pei Xi wanted to defend himself—he wasn’t nervous, but his legs were weak.
Lu Li’s presence was too overpowering, making Pei Xi feel as though he had come to demand an explanation. He was certain that Lu Li had already suspected he and “Xixi” were the same person the moment he saw his face, and that call of “Xixi” was meant to test him.
Pei Xi felt like crying but had no tears left. How could he have agreed to this?
Sensing Lu Li’s gaze sweeping over his legs, Pei Xi shyly wanted to retrieve his pants, but Lu Li had him cornered, blocking his movements.
Pei Xi tugged at the hem of Lu Li’s clothes, trying to cover his legs. “I… I think there might be some misunderstanding between us?”
They were too close. The faint scent of mint from Lu Li’s body seemed to wrap around him, making him feel as though he, too, was covered in the fragrance.
He forced a smile, trying to appease him. “I can explain.”
Lu Li’s gaze returned to his face, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Explain? Explain what? That you’re the streamer I love, or that you want to dump me?”