CH 15

C Dormitory.

Lin Yuxing’s hand trembled, almost dropping his worn-out phone to the ground.

Just now, what did Gu Zhongyi call him?

Yuxing?

He called him Yuxing?

Were they that close already?

Lin Yuxing overwhelmed himself with four consecutive questions, caught off guard by Gu Zhongyi’s sudden affectionate approach. His ears turned red, and he unconsciously bit his lower lip. He pressed the screen for a long time but couldn’t figure out what to reply.

He took the initiative to find an excuse for Gu Zhongyi—maybe there was someone else by Gu Zhongyi’s side, otherwise why would he come to find him so late at night for a bag of butterfly pastries?

Lin Yuxing concluded, “That’s right!”

Since that was the case, he should play the part completely; he wouldn’t miss that opportunity to earn three thousand yuan in wages.

With the mindset of giving his all to his work, Lin Yuxing placed his finger on the voice message key and sweetly called out, “Alright, Brother Zhongyi~”

A “clang” sounded behind him.

Su Li, who had just come out of the bathroom, was dumbfounded, with a basin of dirty clothes at his feet.

Lin Yuxing turned and said, “Work, this is work…”

Su Li pushed his chin up, “Didn’t you say yesterday that it was popular to call each other ‘darling’ in relationships? Did you forget that you spent most of last night practicing how to say ‘darling’ ? Now you changed?”

Lin Yuxing tried to justify himself, “Well, there are different ways of addressing each other when in a relationship. I’ve thoroughly researched it since I’ve received my salary. There will be many more terms to call each other in the future, so you should get used to it in advance.”

Su Li got goosebumps all over and admired Lin Yuxing by giving him a thumbs up.

In a blink of an eye, Su Li sat down at the table and sent a message to Liang Xie: [Brother Liang Xie~ I’ve finished showering~]

Liang Xie: [Don’t talk like this, it’s weird.]

Su Li: [Oh.]

Forty minutes later, Lin Yuxing received a message.

Gu Zhongyi: [I’m here.]

Before Lin Yuxing could reply, he was about to leave but remembered the scarf on the balcony. He turned back to retrieve the scarf, neatly wrapping it around himself, not missing any opportunity to show off.

The phone rang again.

Gu Zhongyi: [Are you asleep?]

Lin Yuxing looked at it. Wasn’t it only three minutes ago?

[No, I’m coming.]

In the winter night, Gu Zhongyi stood sideways under a street lamp. The bright light fell on his hair and shoulders, and his slender figure was wrapped in a dark coat, appearing particularly deep and mysterious in the night.

Lin Yuxing stopped in his tracks.

Gu Zhongyi saw him and said, “Yuxing.”

Calling him face-to-face sounded a hundred times better than in a voice message.

But Lin Yuxing was abruptly awakened by the cold wind, realizing that sometimes reality and fantasy were only a second apart.

He jogged over, his nose turning red from the cold.

“Senior.” Lin Yuxing handed him the butterfly pastries, and a white breath dissipated in front of his eyes.

Gu Zhongyi asked, “Why aren’t you calling me ‘Brother Zhongyi’ anymore?”

with no one around, Lin Yuxing couldn’t help but show an embarrassed look. “I thought you wanted me to play along with you before but there’s no one here…”

Gu Zhongyi’s eyelashes seemed to be dusted with snow.

Lin Yuxing said, “Actually, I’m the same age as you. I had some family matters in high school and repeated a grade. I should have been in the same grade as you, so It’s not necessary I call you ‘senior’.”

Gu Zhongyi lowered his head slightly. “Then just call me by my name.”

“No, I’m used to calling you senior.”

“Mm.” Gu Zhongyi didn’t tease him anymore. He also handed over something in his hand—it was a bag of tea eggs wrapped in a transparent plastic bag.

Lin Yuxing remembered the warm milk tea from last time and pinched the warm tea egg, realizing something.

“Is it for warming my hands?”

“I haven’t eaten yet. Do you want to eat together?” Gu Zhongyi found a flower bed on the roadside, patted it a bit, and sat down casually. “I saw it on the way here. It’s been a long time since I had tea eggs.”

Lin Yuxing followed and sat down. The bag of tea eggs was placed on the cement slab between the two of them.

“I thought you didn’t eat street food.” Whatever Lin Yuxing thought in his heart, he said it out loud. Every time he said it, he would regret it.

But Gu Zhongyi had never been angry. “I indeed haven’t eaten it before. Yang Qing bought it for me once last year.”

As Gu Zhongyi spoke, he picked one up and put it in Lin Yuxing’s hand. “It’s under 100 yuan.”

“Senior, it’s just tea eggs. I know how much they cost…” Lin Yuxing muttered, “I won’t refuse.”

Gu Zhongyi continued to smile, “Okay.”

The warm tea eggs were cooked well, and Gu Zhongyi seemed hungry as he quickly finished two.

Lin Yuxing often ate them to save money, so he wasn’t that hungry and ate slowly.

Under the streetlamp, their shadows overlapped.

Gu Zhongyi’s expression was stiff, but he would show a faint smile only when Lin Yuxing looked at him. His movements seemed mechanical, as if he was trying hard to disguise his solemn emotions.

Normally, Gu Zhongyi’s disguise was flawless, but  Lin Yuxing keenly sensed that something was off. Apart from his fake smile, the other thing that gave away Gu Zhongyi was the pheromones emanating from him—a faint bitter orange scent that he usually wore. It carried a subtle hint of bitterness

Others might not be able to smell it, but Lin Yuxing could clearly detect it.

Lin Yuxing hesitated to speak. “Senior.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Yuxing looked at the half-eaten tea egg in his hand, wanting to comfort Gu Zhongyi but not knowing what to say.

Aside from the image Gu Zhongyi presented to the outside world, Lin Yuxing knew nothing about him. Strictly speaking, they were strangers who were bound by a contract, and they shouldn’t go beyond the boundaries to care about each other’s personal affairs.

Lin Yuxing stumbled over his words. “It’s nothing.” His chin brushed against the soft scarf, the first gift Gu Zhongyi had given him after the contract took effect.

Even though they were just cooperating partners, the gift Gu Zhongyi gave him was so in line with his preferences.

Gradually, accompanied by the bitterness in the bitter orange scent, a thought silently took root in Lin Yuxing’s mind.

Thinking that Lin Yuxing was feeling cold, Gu Zhongyi stood up to end the impromptu dinner. But Lin Yuxing grabbed the hem of his clothes. “Eating too many eggs is hard to digest. I know a night market stall near the school gate that has delicious snacks. Would you like to go? My treat.”

Lin Yuxing spoke hurriedly, but every word seemed carefully weighed, without a single mistake. He raised his head, his eyes harboring a gentle galaxy, enough to make Gu Zhongyi’s heart flutter.

Gu Zhongyi’s eyelashes trembled slightly. “I’d like to go.”

Lin Yuxing smiled, tidying up the eggshells and the remaining tea eggs, and said upon careful consideration, “But I can only treat you to something that costs less than 100 yuan.”

When a person has a monthly salary and money in their account, they have the confidence to treat others.

Bringing Gu Zhongyi to a fly-infested restaurant near the school gate, the owner recognized Lin Yuxing and asked warmly, “Hey, how many orders are you taking today?”

“We’re not doing takeout today. I’m bringing my… ” Lin Yuxing pondered for a moment, considering that they were near the school, “I’m bringing my boyfriend here for snacks.”

The owner congratulated him on finally being in a relationship.

The noise and the smell of fireworks from the night market stall excited Lin Yuxing. He couldn’t help but nudge Gu Zhongyi with his elbow and said generously, “Take a look at the menu and order whatever you want.”

Gu Zhongyi looked at the spicy crawfish priced at 138 yuan.

Lin Yuxing lightly coughed twice, leaned closer with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and lowered his voice, repeatedly saying, “Less than 100 yuan, less than 100 yuan.”

“I’ll make up for the difference.”

“No, we agreed that I would treat you to snacks. Besides, you just ate four eggs. Eating crawfish definitely won’t digest well. It’s not that I’m stingy, I’m doing it for your own good.” Lin Yuxing lied with his eyes wide open.

Gu Zhongyi wasn’t actually that hungry; he just wanted to tease Lin Yuxing. He raised the corners of his mouth and pointed to a few inexpensive items on the menu. Lin Yuxing immediately placed the order.

They ordered a plate of barbecue, two bowls of minced meat vermicelli, totaling 40 yuan.

Although it was only 40 yuan, it was a rare display of generosity from Lin Yuxing.

Gu Zhongyi didn’t say it out loud, but he felt content in his heart. He could tell that Lin Yuxing had probably noticed his dull mood.For that, he felt ashamed. He had actually transferred those negative emotions to Lin Yuxing. At the same time, he was happy that Lin Yuxing cared for him.

That night, the stars filled the sky.

Gu Zhongyi, who had never eaten at a cheap restaurant, sat on a small stool by the roadside with Lin Yuxing, slurping his noodles.

That scene was truly a rare sight.

Looking at the down-to-earth Gu Zhongyi in front of him, Lin Yuxing felt like he had brought a rare flower to the mud. And precisely because of that, he felt that the distance between him and Gu Zhongyi had faded significantly that night.

Gu Zhongyi noticed Lin Yuxing’s gaze and raised his head. “What’s wrong?”

Feeling a bit guilty seeing Gu Zhongyi’s expensive sleeves touching the greasy table, Lin Yuxing asked, “Is it delicious?”

“It’s not bad.”

Lin Yuxing handed him two tissue papers. “Be careful not to dirty your clothes.”

“Okay.” Gu Zhongyi acted refined and sincerely praised, “You have a good taste. Whether it’s the cafeteria food or this bowl of noodles, they’re all delicious.”

Lin Yuxing felt a bit embarrassed by Gu Zhongyi’s compliments and intended to brush it off with a laugh.

But then he thought, since he couldn’t ask Gu Zhongyi about his troubles, chatting might at least relieve some of his own sadness.

“Of course, although I haven’t tried many places, I’ve been to all the good food places around our school. I’m not bragging, but there’s no gourmet restaurant in this area that I don’t know about.”

Gu Zhongyi liked the way Lin Yuxing talked confidently and smiled. “Can you take me to try them all in the future?”

“Sure.”

With a few words, the bitter taste in the air surrounding Gu Zhongyi truly disappeared.

Lin Yuxing deeply felt the charm of late-night snacks. He lowered his head and took a sip of the soup, sighing, “When I used to deliver minced meat vermicelli for others, I always wanted to buy a bowl for myself.”

A bowl of vermicelli cost five yuan, and Lin Yuxing couldn’t bear to spend it.

But this seemingly ordinary bowl of vermicelli, which Gu Zhongyi regarded as nothing special, made Lin Yuxing experience the taste of a delicacy. It was because he had never had anything good since he was little, whether it was in the welfare institution or in his later “home.”

The words were unintentional, but they sparked thoughts in Gu Zhongyi.

The vermicelli in Gu Zhongyi’s bowl lost its taste, and he said, “We can come here often in the future.”

Before Lin Yuxing could reply, the owner brought a large plate of fried peanuts to their table. “Alright, young man, you have good taste. This plate is on the house. Come here often!”

Lin Yuxing was amazed by the owner’s generosity and flattered Gu Zhongyi in a low voice, “He must have given it because he found you handsome. Look, no one else got anything.”

Only they did.

Gu Zhongyi paused and asked, “Do you like it?”

“Yes.” Lin Yuxing replied without hesitation.

They say a peanut is a drop of oil, and Lin Yuxing was in dire need of oil, so how could he not like it?

Gu Zhongyi smiled, “Hmm.”

Two bowls of vermicelli soup and a plate of fried peanuts were finished by the two of them. That was the most delicious meal Gu Zhongyi had ever had in his life, surpassing all kinds of delicacies.

After eating and drinking to their heart’s content, a plate of grilled skewers remained untouched on the shabby table.

Since Lin Yuxing was treating, the grilled skewers had to be packed for Gu Zhongyi to take away, otherwise, it wouldn’t count as a treat.

Lin Yuxing also packed a portion of minced meat vermicelli, intending to bring back to Su Li.

Realizing it was getting late, Lin Yuxing walked back to the dormitory with Gu Zhongyi’s company. “It’s not far from my dormitory. You should hurry back, no need to accompany me.” He didn’t know that Gu Zhongyi didn’t live on campus.

“Alright.” Gu Zhongyi raised the take-out bag in his hand. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Compared to you treating me, this is nothing.” Lin Yuxing waved his hand, showing no reluctance to part with the campus heartthrob, and entered the dormitory without looking back, ready to wash up and sleep.

However, Gu Zhongyi kept watching Lin Yuxing’s figure until it disappeared ahead before returning to the parking lot.

As soon as he sat in the car, Yang Qing sent him a message: [I have some materials from the teacher. Let’s meet tomorrow morning.]

Gu Zhongyi had something to do the next morning, so he replied: [I’ll be at your dormitory building in ten minutes.]

Yang Qing: [Huh?]

Yang Qing: [Then hurry up! The curfew is about to start!]

In fact, it only took Gu Zhongyi five minutes to drive there.

Yang Qing was already waiting downstairs.

As soon as Gu Zhongyi rolled down the car window, he smelled the aroma of grilled skewers. “I told you to come, and you actually brought a gift!”

“It’s not for you.”

“You’re having a late-night snack?”

“Yeah.”

“When did you start having late-night snacks?”

“Today.”

Yang Qing wasn’t clueless and said sourly, “Let me tell you, you’re late. Omega Dormitory has a curfew five minutes earlier than Alpha Dormitory. You won’t be able to deliver it to Lin Yuxing.”

He reached out his hand, implying, “Just give it to me.”

Gu Zhongyi swatted his hand away and said, “Go to bed early, or you won’t grow a beard.”

He closed the car window, being stingy for the first time.