A Master of Lies and a Glimpse of Skin

Lu Xingyan treated him so poorly. If he ever found out Xu Yi was Xiao Yi online, there was no telling what kind of retaliation he’d unleash.

Xu Yi was absolutely determined to keep that from happening.

After all, as a master of time management—adept at navigating multiple online romances and weaving casual lies—a small deception like this posed no real challenge.

Back in the dorm, Xu Yi spotted Lu Xingyan sitting alone, clutching several little cakes and a cup of tea, looking intent on devouring the entire haul in one sitting.

He paused, then pulled out his phone with a touch of concern.

Xu Yi: You don’t have to force yourself to finish all that. Share some with your roommates.

Husband: I’ll devour every last crumb of baby’s love.

An involuntary blush crept up Xu Yi’s cheeks.

The guy probably hadn’t meant anything suggestive. He was just in the habit of overthinking things.

Still.

This man’s appetite is insane.

Is it going to ruin his physique?

Even if Xiao Yi and Lu Xingyan broke up someday, as roommates, Xu Yi would still get to admire those muscles for the next four years. At the very least, they’d be pleasing to the eye.

Xu Yi: If you lose your abs, I won’t like you anymore.

The moment the message sent, Xu Yi watched Lu Xingyan’s hand freeze mid-cake.

Then—he resumed eating.

A little while later, Lu Xingyan changed into a tank top and athletic shorts, grabbed his phone, put on his headphones, and headed out.

Xu Yi could guess exactly where he was going. The gym.

Tch. Kind of wish I could watch.

Muscles look especially gorgeous while working out.

And I heard that if the shorts are soft enough…

You can see the outline.

Ugh, what the hell am I thinking?

Xu Yi rubbed his burning face.

Just then, a voice call invitation lit up his screen. To his own surprise, he accepted it with a flicker of anticipation.

“I’m at the gym, baby.”

Lu Xingyan’s voice, edged with a subtle breathlessness, was so sensuous that Xu Yi instinctively clutched his blanket tighter.

This man. Online dating truly is the superior format.

Having him right beside me in person is almost annoyingly distracting.

Hugging his phone, Xu Yi rolled happily across the bed and typed out a reply.

Xiao Yi: Let me see.

The other side didn’t hesitate. The video call switched on immediately.

Since the semester had just started, the school gym wasn’t particularly crowded. Bright, sharply defined arm lines flooded Xu Yi’s screen, making his head spin.

“Why isn’t baby saying anything?”

“I want to hear baby’s voice.”

The moment Xu Yi couldn’t see Lu Xingyan in person, his infatuation spiraled completely out of control.

Bewitched by all that beauty, he tugged on his headphones and shoes, then slipped out and dashed toward the small grove behind the dorms.

Couples passed through the grove now and then, but the dim lighting made faces hard to distinguish. No one would find it odd—they’d just mistake him for a girl.

“My roommate was right there just now. I got shy.”

“I’m so happy, baby. Did you come out here just for me?”

“Mm.” This innocent exchange stirred something in Xu Yi, a sensation dangerously close to what a real relationship might feel like.

Even though Lu Xingyan called everyone “baby” every single day.

But knowing Lu Xingyan’s real-life image—combined with being called a “first love” earlier—it created a genuinely strange, unfamiliar feeling.

Then again, Lu Xingyan had never actually made any explicit declaration.

Xu Yi sobered up in an instant. This was nothing more than flirting. A game.

His voice came out somewhat distant. “Do you video call like this with a lot of people?”

****

Lu Xingyan had been in a buoyant mood all day, the screen glowing between them. The atmosphere had felt especially right. If he could just naturally bring up the idea of meeting, they could finally solidify things.

He wasn’t someone who obsessed over appearances. Most of the time, he was free-spirited and followed his gut.

But Lu Xingyan believed that proposing a meeting was serious. Important.

When he and Xiao Yi first met, both of them had been a little frivolous. Confirming a relationship so casually online would only make the other person think it was all for fun.

He actually wanted to be serious about this.

Besides—with his looks and skills, it shouldn’t be impossible to make Xiao Yi stop thinking about other men.

Yet for reasons he couldn’t fathom, Xiao Yi’s tone had suddenly turned cold again.

Had he said something wrong?

Lu Xingyan couldn’t figure it out.

He could only reply, pitiful. “No. Baby is the first. The only one.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the call disconnected.

Lu Xingyan stared at the “call ended” screen. A hollow ache bloomed in his chest.

He posted a thread on an anonymous forum.

#Why does my fling get mad at me every single night?

1L: Every night? Sounds like they’re angling to move things to the next stage.

2L: Maybe they went off to entertain another partner.

Lu Xingyan got out of the shower to find his post flooded with replies. These two had the most likes.

Both comments made a certain amount of sense. He subconsciously dismissed the second one.

He replayed Xiao Yi’s final words from today. Could it be jealousy?

Did Xiao Yi actually want to date him? To become his one and only?

If that was the case, he couldn’t let Xiao Yi keep misunderstanding him.

Lu Xingyan tossed and turned in bed.

Only after Xu Yi grumbled at him to sleep quietly did he finally steel his resolve and type out a long message.

Xu Yi was still simmering with irritation at Lu Xingyan when, a moment later, a wall of text landed in his inbox.

Husband: Baby, I really like you, and I really want to be with you, but I feel like talking about this online is too childish. I want to be serious with you.

Husband: If you’re willing too, we can meet.

It wasn’t the first time Xu Yi had been asked to meet up. After so many online entanglements, there were always people who wanted to skip straight to the physical part. He wasn’t sure if Lu Xingyan had the same thing in mind.

Yet the message sounded sincere. And it just so happened to address the exact thing that had soured his mood earlier.

Plus… the guy had been restlessly turning over and over in bed, genuinely distressed about being ignored. It didn’t sound like someone who was only thinking about *that*.

Even if their first impressions of each other had probably been fairly lewd.

Xu Yi: We’ve known each other for a few days and you already want to get me to a hotel?

Husband: I don’t mean it like that, baby. We can meet during the day. I’ll send you back to school after.

So he said. What the actual situation would turn out to be was anyone’s guess.

Besides, Xu Yi wasn’t confident he wouldn’t be recognized in female attire. If they were going to meet, it could only be somewhere with very dim lighting.

Xu Yi: I’m a girl. How can I go out with a man I’ve only known for a few days? It’s dangerous.

Husband: I’m sorry, baby. I was thoughtless.

Husband: I’ll prove my feelings, slowly.

Xu Yi didn’t reply. He buried his face in his pillow.

Aaaaaah. This is so embarrassing.

No one had ever spoken to him this earnestly before.

He lay rigid on the bed, body trembling faintly. A few seconds later, he finally rolled over, face beet-red.

Xu Yi’s expression was somewhat stiff as his fingers flew across the screen.

Xu Yi: I’m not that easy to fool.

Xu Yi: Going to sleep.

Husband: Goodnight, baby.

Xu Yi read the reply and tossed his phone aside.

Baby was truly a good word. It fit their unconfirmed yet eager online relationship perfectly.

His head felt warm.

Once he’d calmed down, he started worrying again about what would happen if he were ever recognized as Xiao Yi.

..Mm. It really is better not to meet.

Anyway, if I just don’t give in, Lu Xingyan will give up fast.

He doesn’t look like a patient person at all.

****

The first day of school demanded an early start.

Everyone was to gather at eight in the morning in the classroom assigned by their counselor, where the drill instructor would be introduced.

Xu Yi had hated military training since childhood. His skin never tanned—it just peeled under the sun. And boys who applied sunscreen always got mocked.

So Xu Yi woke up more than ten minutes earlier than his roommates, carefully applying sunscreen to his exposed arms, neck, and face. He’d specifically bought a highly effective brand with a subtle scent, though a faint fragrance still lingered.

Li Yuan, being the sociable type, urged them all to head to the classroom together. Xu Yi deliberately kept some distance. Lu Xingyan stood somewhat apart, neither too close nor too far.

They’d eaten breakfast and weren’t particularly early, so they ended up stuck in the front rows.

When the hour came, the counselor said a few words and introduced the instructor. The instructor was a tall, slender young man—dark-skinned, gleaming, with a stern set to his features. His self-introduction was brief. He barely said a thing beyond his name.

Instructor Wang casually pointed at Lu Xingyan, who happened to be nearby, and tasked him with registering everyone’s sizes for the military training uniforms. After registration, they were to leave the classroom and assemble at the designated spot on the parade ground.

Lu Xingyan found it troublesome but couldn’t be bothered to complain. He took the registration booklet and sat by the door, sneaking glances at his phone in the gaps while others wrote down their names.

Xu Yi, meanwhile, also received a message from him.

Husband:Baby, I miss you so much. I’ve been roped into manual labor.

Husband: [pitiful-face-emoji.jpg]

Xu Yi: …

He still preferred the defiant attitude the guy had shown two nights ago.

“Xiao Yi, you don’t have a girlfriend, do you? You’re smiling kind of suspiciously.” Despite his words, Li Yuan didn’t try to peek at Xu Yi’s phone.

So Xu Yi didn’t feel put on the spot. He hated explaining himself too much, and being mistaken for someone with a girlfriend could actually spare him a lot of trouble. He nodded in affirmation.

Li Yuan’s face contorted into an exaggerated grimace. “Eh? So I’m the only single dog in the dorm? You know that roommate who hasn’t shown up yet—apparently they just rented an apartment off campus with their partner.”

“I’m so miserable. You guys have to look after me.”

“Okay.” Xu Yi had a fairly good impression of Li Yuan. He allowed a faint smile.

Soon it was his turn to fill in his information.

Xu Yi walked up to the doorway. There were no chairs, so everyone was leaning over the table to write. Lu Xingyan pushed the booklet toward him, then watched as Xu Yi bent down like the others, slender pale fingers gripping the black pen.

“I didn’t expect your handwriting to be quite nice.” As Lu Xingyan spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept over the collar of Xu Yi’s shirt, which had loosened open with the motion.

The sunlight at the doorway was a little dazzling. The delicate collarbone that lay exposed was so white it seemed to catch the light.

So thin.

The boy’s dark lashes fluttered as he quickly scanned the information on the page. Lu Xingyan’s own details sat on the very first line, easy to find.

He considered his handwriting far from ugly—even quite dashing. He tapped the table with his index finger, a touch smug.

“Peeking at my measurements?”

Xu Yi’s hand paused. He dropped the pen and straightened up.

The shift in position put Xu Yi looking down at Lu Xingyan. His tone carried a mocking edge. “I was looking at your handwriting. It looks like an elementary school kid’s.”

With that, he turned and walked off without a backward glance.

Lu Xingyan was left rubbing the bridge of his nose, somewhat awkward.

Yet his mind kept replaying the brief glimpse he’d just caught. For some reason, he couldn’t stop thinking of Xiao Yi.

Their genders were different. And yet—every time he caught sight of some part of Xu Yi’s body, his thoughts veered straight to Xiao Yi.

Lu Xingyan realized his thoughts were straying into dangerous territory. He’d already decided to pursue Xiao Yi. So why was he fantasizing about his roommate?

Had puberty just hit him, to be this impulsive?

Besides, Lu Xingyan didn’t believe for a second that he could ever like men.