Unexpected Roommate

Finally, the roommate turned to face him, the corners of his eyes distinctly flushed with irritation.

“All brawn, no brains,” he muttered, his voice barely a whisper, yet his tone carried the weight of a curse.

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch it,” Lu Xingyan feigned, a mischievous glint entering his eyes as he decided to playfully provoke his roommate.

‘So timid, yet so stubborn. Not cute at all.’

‘Unlike his Little Yi Baby, who, with just a few sweet words, could make him instantly forgive their flirtatious nature.’

The roommate, still seething and perhaps feeling a loss of face, was about to repeat himself when Lu Xingyan deliberately cut him off. “I’ll help you install it. Come down.”

This rather hot-headed roommate suddenly froze, a hint of bewilderment even crossing his face. He clearly hadn’t anticipated such a turn of events.

Lu Xingyan stepped back slightly, offering ample space for the other to descend the ladder.

Without a word, he silently climbed down the ladder. For a moment, only the creaking of the wooden steps filled the air.

“Hey, Brother Yan?” Li Yuan, fresh from a shower, pushed open the door, trailing a cloud of steam. “Is this our new roommate?”

Li Yuan immediately spotted the extra person in the room. He closed the door, wiped the fogged lenses of his glasses, and put them back on.

As his vision sharpened, he finally got a clear look at the new roommate’s face, which had instinctively turned towards him.

With skin as fair as snow and hair as black as night, the boy’s shallow pink lips, like cherry blossoms, were subtly pursed. His beautiful, almond-shaped eyes looked at Li Yuan with an innocent gaze.

The young man exuded an aura of pure harmlessness.

It made Li Yuan feel as though his heart had skipped a beat.

If Lu Xingyan was handsome enough to make other men envious, then this new roommate was so stunningly beautiful that even a straight man like Li Yuan couldn’t help but feel a flutter.

Yet, boys with such looks often disliked being called pretty.

Li Yuan paused only briefly before exclaiming, “Holy crap, this classmate is also so handsome? Are we destined to become the dorm of professional heartthrobs?”

Lu Xingyan glanced at the new roommate, a cool, faint smile playing on his lips.

Li Yuan sensed a strange tension between the two. He placed his belongings on the table. “I’m Li Yuan, and this is Brother Yan. You must be Xu Yi, right?”

Xu Yi nodded without further comment. The dorm roster clearly listed everyone’s names, and usually, someone would contact their roommates on the forum to create a group chat before school started.

He had actually seen the message but, due to his laziness, hadn’t bothered to add anyone.

‘However, that title, ‘Brother Yan,’ sounds somewhat familiar… Have I heard it somewhere before?’

Xu Yi pulled out his phone and checked the dorm roster, confirming the person’s full name was Lu Xingyan.

‘It seems I haven’t heard it anywhere else.’

Xu Yi put away his phone, just as Lu Xingyan deftly climbed onto his bed, then, as if it were the most natural thing, instructed him to hand over the tools.

Seeing Lu Xingyan’s actions, Li Yuan deliberately remarked with a touch of envy, “Brother Yan never helped me install mine.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yi looked up at Lu Xingyan, who continued working with his hands, yet his tone carried an unmistakable hint of disdain.

“He’d been at it for ten minutes and still hadn’t finished. I couldn’t read in peace.”

Xu Yi remained silent. ‘Indeed, I shouldn’t have assumed this person was a good guy, tough on the outside but soft on the inside.’

‘He’s very skilled, so it should be done quickly.’

‘Forget it. Free labor, no reason not to use it.’

Xu Yi retrieved his toiletries from his box. “I’m going to shower first.”

He stepped into the bathroom, where the steam had dissipated slightly, making it tolerable.

Xu Yi had brought his phone with him, intending to take some photos that he could send to his online dating partners whenever needed.

Upon opening it, he saw messages Starfall had sent earlier.

–Husband: Get some rest early.
–Husband: Just took some pictures of what you like. Want to see?

‘What I like?’

Xu Yi paused, then replied.

–Xu Yi: Yes, I’d love to see them, Big Brother.

–Husband: I also want to hear Baby’s voice.

Xu Yi’s mind inexplicably conjured the image of his roommate’s dazzling abs from earlier that day.

He admitted he hadn’t gazed long enough.

But Starfall wanted to hear his voice, and there was no way he could chat in a high-pitched voice in the dorm right now.

Xu Yi pondered this, realizing he was already in the bathroom.

He turned on the shower, and the sound of the water quickly muffled any noise from outside the bathroom.

Before his phone could completely fog up, he took a blurry, ambiguous video of his leg, glistening with water droplets, revealing well above his mid-thigh.

Amidst the sound of the water, Xu Yi’s deliberately husky, somewhat sleepy and seductive feminine voice could faintly be heard. “Big Brother, I’m going to wash up and go to sleep now.”

“Good night~”

He made sure to check that nothing identifiable was visible, save for the ubiquitous white tiles.

Soon, the chat box indicated that the video had been received.

–Husband: Baby is very beautiful.

It was that same blunt, frivolous language again.

Moments later, a picture of the other party’s abs was sent.

Xu Yi zoomed in on the image, and as soon as he saw it clearly, the expression on his face froze.

He abruptly shut off his phone and tossed it aside, then walked directly under the shower. Covering his chest with his hand, he silently rinsed himself for several minutes.

Xu Yi felt his heart pounding so fiercely it threatened to burst from his chest.

‘Such a good physique.’

‘The one I chatted with so intimately online.’

‘The frivolous netizen who called me ‘Baby’ every other sentence.’

‘It was actually my roommate.’

Xu Yi’s head felt hot and slightly dizzy.

He quickly rinsed himself, then changed into his pajamas and picked up his phone.

Xu Yi tapped the screen, casually wiping the moisture from it with his sleeve.

The chat box still displayed the photo the other party had sent.

Without a second glance, he tapped to save the original image.

–Xu Yi: Is Big Brother also at school?

After typing and ensuring his phone was on silent, Xu Yi walked out of the bathroom.

The dorm’s air conditioning vent was near the balcony, and he was immediately enveloped by the cool air.

His feverish mind finally began to calm.

‘Since he’s my roommate, I need to be even more careful not to expose myself.’

‘Or break it off early.’

‘Those selfies and voice messages I deliberately saved can be kept as leverage for now.’

‘But my own identity can’t be exposed either. What if it all blows up?’

‘Pretending to be a girl, taking suggestive photos, and chatting intimately with men online is not something to be proud of.’

When he emerged, he saw that his bed had been completely made, and Lu Xingyan was sitting in his own seat.

Their beds were adjacent.

Upon seeing Xu Yi exit, Lu Xingyan suddenly flipped his phone over, as if afraid of someone seeing something.

But Xu Yi, of course, knew what he was afraid of being seen.

Looking at the other’s demeanor, and recalling their previous conversations.

Xu Yi felt a flush spread through his body.

‘I never would have guessed.’

‘Lu Xingyan, who appears so popular with girls, is actually a pervert who sends abs pictures online and wants private photos from others.’

Amidst his fear, Xu Yi felt a subtle, dark sense of triumph.

As he passed Lu Xingyan, preparing to go straight to his own bed, he was suddenly called out.

“Didn’t anyone teach you to say thank you?”

Lu Xingyan frowned, looking rather fierce.

Xu Yi had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had indeed forgotten, and he was in the wrong.

But that tone was truly unpleasant.

He couldn’t help but compare it to the tone of Starfall’s voice messages from earlier, and he actually felt a hint of grievance.

‘Just because he’s a guy, his attitude is so bad?’

This made Xu Yi realize that he absolutely could not let the other party discover that he was the online ‘Little Yi,’ otherwise, he might literally be beaten to death.

“Well, thank you very much, sir,” Xu Yi sneered. He hadn’t asked for help; he could have managed it himself. Yet, Lu Xingyan had insisted on helping, only to then demand gratitude.

Naturally, Xu Yi wouldn’t offer a pleasant expression.

‘He was calling me ‘Baby’ on his phone just now, and now he’s scolding me.’

‘Just watch me mess with this hypocrite until he can’t take it anymore.’

Lu Xingyan admitted he was thoroughly annoyed.

This classmate Xu was very good at provoking people.

Li Yuan, sensing the awkward atmosphere, quickly intervened to mediate. “Brother Yan, why are you so fierce with Little Yi? It’s normal for him to be unhappy.”

Lu Xingyan shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing.

‘I was the one who got hit by the pole and then helped install it. How did it turn into me being in the wrong?’

‘Annoying.’

Lu Xingyan picked up his phone and glanced at it. ‘Little Yi Baby’ and ‘Xu Yi’ shared a character, yet their personalities were so vastly different.

‘However, Little Yi is so promiscuous, they probably wouldn’t have such an innocent face.’

At this thought, his mind involuntarily recalled Xu Yi, fresh from the shower, looking at him with moist, angry eyes.

His pale skin was flushed pink from the stagnant bathroom air.

He had to admit, Xu Yi was very good-looking.

And his temper was truly awful.

Lu Xingyan snapped back to reality. In the chat box on his phone, Little Yi was asking if he was also at school.

–Husband: I’m at school.
–Princess: Big Brother, why are you replying so slowly? Are you chatting with another girlfriend?

Xu Yi watched the chat history on his phone with keen interest. He, of course, knew what Lu Xingyan had been doing just now.

‘He was arguing with me.’

‘Saying this is naturally to annoy him a bit.’

–Husband: Yeah, she has a bad temper and is hard to coax.
–Princess: …?

–Husband: Just kidding. It’s my roommate.

Xu Yi frowned. He felt that not only had he failed to disgust the other party, but he himself had been disgusted.

Yet, at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder a little more.

–Xu Yi: You wouldn’t happen to like your roommate, would you?

He sent this message with a slight ulterior motive…

‘What if the other person is bisexual?’

Lu Xingyan had a great physique, and his appearance matched Xu Yi’s aesthetic.

‘If he didn’t mind that I’m a guy, he might be a good offline ‘practice’ partner.’

–Husband: How could I??? He’s a guy.

Xu Yi looked at the three exclamation marks above, feeling the other party’s disgust as if it were palpable through the screen.

Though not entirely surprised, he instinctively tightened his grip on his phone.

‘Indeed, those who look down on niche sexualities are the majority.’

‘I was still too naive.’

****

Lu Xingyan had only meant to tease casually, never expecting Little Yi to say such a thing.

‘He would like that ill-tempered Xu Yi??’

‘Could that foul temper really find a girlfriend? Even if he did, she’d surely just be deceived by that innocent face.’

Lu Xingyan had no dating experience and had never liked anyone, but he was certain he was straight.

After all, the first time he felt such strong desire was for the photos Little Yi had sent.

He definitely liked someone like Little Yi—a little bit playful without being truly harmful, both cute and sexy.

Therefore, Little Yi’s words had caused him to overreact.

‘Even if I liked men, I wouldn’t like a pretty boy like Xu Yi.’

After saying that, Lu Xingyan didn’t receive a reply from Little Yi for a long time.

He found it strange. ‘Did Little Yi get angry too?’

Lu Xingyan irritably scratched his hair.

He never coaxed anyone.

The number of times he’d coaxed someone in the past two days was more than in his entire life.

Lu Xingyan returned to his bed and waited a while longer, still receiving no reply.

Despite it being just an online acquaintance he’d chatted with for two days suddenly going silent, he found himself tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Lu Xingyan took a deep breath, suddenly sat up, jumped off the bed, and walked straight out of the dorm.

Xu Yi actually hadn’t fallen asleep.

He watched Lu Xingyan get up and leave, then, as if by some strange impulse, picked up his phone.

‘It’s so late, and there’s a bathroom in the dorm. Why is he going out? He doesn’t need to go out to send me messages, does he?’

‘Is he making a video call?’

Soon, he knew the answer.

A voice message popped up on his phone.

Xu Yi deliberately put on his headphones, and only after confirming the Bluetooth connection did he tap to play it.

“Baby, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so fierce.”

Lu Xingyan’s voice was low and hoarse, tinged with a hint of grievance, making it hard to connect with the person who had been so fierce towards Xu Yi in the dorm earlier.

‘Hmph, acting so arrogant on the surface, yet he’s still Princess Little Yi’s dog.’

Xu Yi sneered, typing with a touch of malice.

–Princess: Is that how you apologize? Just saying it verbally?

Xu Yi’s original intention was to mess with the other party, to make him lose face.

But the other party remained typing for a long time without sending anything.

Xu Yi grew impatient and exited the chat box.

However, a message suddenly popped up at the top.

–Husband transferred 520 yuan
–Husband transferred 1314 yuan
–Xu Yi: ???