Voice in the Next Stall

As he spoke, Lu Xingyan got up and stepped outside.

He was giving Xu Yi space to take the call.

Little Liar: Wait for me to call you.

Lu Xingyan headed to the restroom at the far end of the corridor, guessing Xu Yi would retreat to the lounge restroom.

Sure enough, the voice call ringtone came through moments later. Lu Xingyan hooked in his earbuds and drank in that sweet, feminine voice on the other end.

“Why the sudden call?”

“What did I say? I missed you.” The words came without the slightest weight. Honestly, he’d much rather hear Xu Yi speak those coquettish words in his own real voice.

“Can baby call me from the dorm too?”

He knew the answer perfectly well. He asked anyway.

“Yeah. Hiding in the bathroom for this.”

At least that part wasn’t a lie.

A low laugh rumbled from Lu Xingyan’s throat. “So, baby… can I see your legs?”

Silence stretched for a few seconds. Probably figuring out how to deliver.

“Aren’t you at a bathhouse? No one around?”

Lu Xingyan caught the faint hoarseness creeping into Xu Yi’s voice. Little glutton. So easy to stir up. A single sentence and he was already hooked.

“No one’s here,” Lu Xingyan murmured, voice dropping. “That’s what makes it exciting, baby.”

Xu Yi didn’t answer. He was likely working out how to take the shot without the bathhouse restroom giving him away.

“You can’t exactly get the photo if you stay on the call.”

At last, Xu Yi managed to squeeze out a reply.

Lu Xingyan hummed in agreement, ended the call, and headed toward the lounge restroom. He kept his eyes on his phone. A few moments later, a video clip of only a few seconds arrived.

In it, Xu Yi sat on the toilet. The bathrobe was hiked high, not a scrap of fabric visible. Those long, slender legs pressed together, the toilet seat’s edge pressing a hint of soft flesh outward. Incredibly erotic. The narrow space between his thighs was even more maddening to imagine.

Clever, though. He’d made sure only the white toilet and white floor tiles showed. That could be anywhere.

Lu Xingyan returned to his seat, took a sip of water. His throat had gone dry.

Then he headed back toward the lounge restroom.

The lounge had multiple small rooms, each with only four beds. This one’s restroom had just two stalls. Lu Xingyan knew the stall on the right was occupied. He knocked anyway.

“Occupied.”

Xu Yi’s voice came through muffled, strained—like he was holding something back.

Lu Xingyan had already guessed what was going on inside. From the very first day, from that initial phone call after adding each other, he’d recognized Xu Yi as someone with strong appetites. He just hadn’t expected him to lose control at a bathhouse, of all places.

Absolutely adorable.

Lu Xingyan entered the neighboring stall. The stalls here had showers. He turned on the faucet, letting the water run as if he were rinsing off, creating a screen of sound. Buying Xu Yi more time.

On his phone, he sent Xu Yi a photo of his own.

He had no intention of hiding the fact that he was right next door.

Then he pressed close to the dividing wall, straining to catch any sound from Xu Yi’s side.

Their chat on the phones spiraled into obscenity. Lu Xingyan didn’t hold back either, deciding to take care of himself while he was at it. He made sure to let out some noise of his own—amplifying Xu Yi’s thrill.

“Mn…”

The moment that faint, barely-suppressed whimper drifted through from the other side, Lu Xingyan deliberately shut off the shower at the exact same time.

Xu Yi’s stall went deathly silent.

Teasing his baby like this, just a little—so thrilling.

Lu Xingyan dried himself off at a leisurely pace and stepped out. He was breathing slightly harder than usual. He drew a few deep breaths to steady himself before sinking onto the bed.

“You two were in the bathroom forever,” Li Yuan remarked, baffled.

“I took a shower,” Lu Xingyan replied, face perfectly smooth.

Xu Yi emerged a while later. Lu Xingyan noted the slightly awkward gait, the lingering flush on his cheeks. Took him that long to recover.

…He really wanted to try with his own hands someday.

Feeling Lu Xingyan’s gaze on him, Xu Yi hurried his steps and burrowed into his bed with a hint of fluster.

The two of them had essentially duo-queued a mutual release. Both were more than a little drained afterward. It wasn’t long before they both drifted off in front of the TV.

That one sleep carried them straight through to the next morning.

The three were jolted awake by alarms, threw on their clothes, and scrambled to catch a taxi back to campus. As freshmen, classes like Advanced Math were all pre-assigned—everyone had the same 8 a.m. slot. Racing back from off campus, they still ended up late and were forced into the front row.

First class of freshman year. Extraordinarily unlucky.

Most people flooded into clubs that first week. Xu Yi had zero interest in any of them—even though a part of him really did want to join the music club. But meeting a whole new group of people? He didn’t have that kind of courage.

The weekend arrived in a blink. Xu Yi found himself torn over whether to meet Lu Xingyan.

Doing makeup was exhausting. The wig made his scalp itch. He had to stay in character constantly, keep his voice pitched. For him, meeting up felt like clocking in for a shift.

But he craved that body.

Even just some touching would scratch the itch.

Xu Yi rolled back and forth in bed, unable to decide.

“Xiao Yi, Brother Yan—there’s a mixer this weekend. Can you guys come with me? I’m nervous going alone.” Li Yuan pushed open the dorm door, hopeful. “I know you two are taken. The organizer said you can bring your partners.”

Xu Yi rejected it almost before the thought could form. He simply didn’t like being around people he didn’t know.

Lu Xingyan pulled out his phone. “Let me ask.”

Soon enough, Xu Yi received an invitation from Lu Xingyan.

Before Xu Yi could even finish typing a reply, he heard Li Yuan’s voice again. “Though I heard there’s this senior who’s really into Brother Yan. I figured if he brought his girlfriend, it’d shut that down.”

“I’ve told her so many times he’s taken, but she keeps asking for his contact info.” Li Yuan sounded genuinely annoyed.

Honestly, Lu Xingyan wasn’t the only one getting hounded for contact details. Plenty had been asking about Xu Yi too. Being roommates with two good-looking guys kept a person busy.

Xu Yi frowned. He had no interest in attending a party just to fight some stranger over a man. Far too beneath him.

He typed out his refusal.

At the same time, he waited to see: would Lu Xingyan decline simply because Xiao Yi wasn’t going?

From outside his curtain, Lu Xingyan’s polite refusal drifted over.

Xu Yi was satisfied. He’d barely passed the test. Reward: a weekend date.

And so it was settled.

Given the different objective this time, Xu Yi saw no need for such complicated makeup. But he still couldn’t risk being recognized.

Xu Yi ruffled his own hair, then chose a new date location: a KTV.

It had been a long time since he’d sung properly. Doing it at home never felt fully satisfying.

****

Saturday.

Lu Xingyan brought a box of handmade chocolates. After all their time together, he’d developed a fairly solid grasp of Xu Yi’s tastes.

This time, Xu Yi wasn’t late. Lu Xingyan barely waited a few minutes before spotting him.

Xu Yi wore a Roman-curled wig and an elaborate, beautifully detailed dress. He looked like a porcelain doll stepped straight out of an anime. Lu Xingyan had heard of this fashion style before—Lolita, they called it.

It suited Xu Yi perfectly.

A swell of sweetness filled Lu Xingyan’s chest. One day, once everything was out in the open and they were truly together, would Xu Yi wear all kinds of little dresses for their dates?

In truth.

Xu Yi had simply realized that the light blonde wig demanded heavy makeup. He could justifiably cake it on, radically reshaping his features so he wouldn’t be recognized.

The two followed a server toward their private room. But passing by one of the larger rooms, through the clear glass panel in the door, they spotted Li Yuan.

“They’re here too?” Lu Xingyan stopped in his tracks.

Li Yuan was mid-song, the off-key wailing leaking through the door unmistakable.

Xu Yi turned to look at Lu Xingyan, a flicker of suspicion in his gaze. “They? Who?”

Xiao Yi’s identity shouldn’t know Li Yuan.

The way Lu Xingyan had spoken just now—it felt like he was talking to his roommate.

“My roommate. The one we trio-queued with before. Said he was coming to a mixer.” Lu Xingyan’s expression was perfectly natural, no trace of guilt.

Xu Yi let it drop.

Before Li Yuan’s song could finish, someone cut it off abruptly. His face crumpled into visible embarrassment. He set the mic down and headed for the door.

Head hanging low, clearly in poor spirits, Li Yuan pushed the door open and only then noticed Lu Xingyan and Xu Yi standing outside.

“Brother Yan?” Li Yuan blinked in surprise, the flush still not faded from his face. He pulled the door shut behind him, then his gaze fell on Xu Yi. A flash of astonishment crossed his features. “And this is… my sister-in-law?”

“We’ve gamed together before.” Lu Xingyan’s eyes swept over the lively room beyond the glass, then returned to Li Yuan. “We’re here to sing. Want to join us?”

Li Yuan rubbed his ear. “I sing pretty terribly…”

In that single gesture, Xu Yi understood exactly what had just happened to Li Yuan.

Bullying took many forms. This kind—mocking someone collectively under the guise of a joke—was the type Xu Yi had witnessed most often.

The memory surfaced unbidden: Li Yuan, during military training, jumping to his defense without a second thought.

“How about we go play in your friend’s room for a bit?” Xu Yi said, his tone deliberate.

Lu Xingyan had seen the videos of Xu Yi singing. He’d already guessed his aim.

His lips curved. Cloyingly sweet, he murmured, “Whatever baby wants.”

Li Yuan felt goosebumps prickle all the way down his arms.

Brother Yan really was ridiculously whipped.

Originally, Li Yuan had planned to fake a bathroom trip and escape this stifling situation. He’d never expected Brother Yan and his girlfriend to show up. That senior had already been pestering him to drag Lu Xingyan over anyway. A mid-party addition wouldn’t seem too forced.

And somehow, Brother Yan and his sister-in-law gave off an inexplicable sense of security.

Li Yuan pushed the door open. The rowdy, laughing crowd inside instinctively glanced over. On the small stage, clutching the standing mic like the lead of a one-woman show, the senior’s eyes landed immediately on Lu Xingyan behind Li Yuan—and the flamboyantly dressed woman beside him.

She rose, a bright, poised smile spreading across her face.

“Li Yuan, I thought you said he wasn’t coming?”

“Come sit, junior.”

She reached out to touch Lu Xingyan’s arm.

Lu Xingyan’s expression barely flickered. He was about to sidestep when, in a flash, Xu Yi wrapped both arms around the limb in question, clinging tight.

Lu Xingyan couldn’t help glancing down at the face nearly buried in his chest.

The doll-like features flickered with a trace of wicked delight.

“Sis, why are you touching my boyfriend?”