A Sudden Chill and Unexpected Kindness

Overnight, a sudden chill descended upon the city.

An Ran, curled snugly in his bed, slept soundly, clutching his quilt.

A tendril of autumn wind snaked through a crack in the window, dispersing the faint, lingering scent of peaches in the air.

Streaks of sunlight pierced the room, falling directly onto An Ran’s face. The dazzling brightness made him frown, and he instinctively pulled the quilt higher, burying his face deeper to block out all external light and sound.

Ten minutes later, An Ran inevitably stirred awake.

He remained seated on the bed for a long while, slowly emerging from the hazy depths of sleep into full consciousness.

A damp chill permeated the air, its cool touch prompting An Ran to rub his arms. Rising, he rummaged through his wardrobe for a jacket and put it on.

Just yesterday, the temperature had been a mild twenty-six degrees; today, it had plummeted to a crisp sixteen.

Last night’s rain had officially ushered in the heart of autumn.

Winding trails of rainwater still clung to the glass panes.

An Ran pushed the window open, and a cool breeze, laden with the scent of damp earth and verdant foliage, swept into the room.

“What a refreshing scent,” he murmured.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp air, An Ran only then realized his voice sounded a little hoarse.

He took out the thermometer and checked it, relieved to see that his fever had broken.

However, his throat felt scratchy, and he still had the congested feeling of a lingering cold.

He surmised he must have caught a chill yesterday evening while waiting for the rain to stop outside the library.

That would explain the fever he’d developed last night.

Thinking back, he really ought to properly thank Gong He for bringing him medicine.

An Ran realized that despite having only recently moved in, he had already accumulated a considerable debt of favors to his roommate.

Favors, he knew, were the hardest debts to settle.

And he hadn’t even managed to repay a single one yet.

As An Ran walked past the living room, he noticed a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee on the table, accompanied by several boxes of cold medicine and anti-inflammatory tablets.

He paused, momentarily stunned, then glanced at Gong He’s tightly shut door. After a moment of hesitation, he approached and gently rapped on it.

There was no reply.

Of course, he thought. It was Sunday, and Gong He rarely remained on campus during weekends.

Could this breakfast be from Gong He?

An Ran touched the meal container; it still retained some warmth, suggesting Gong He had left the dorm quite early.

Lacking Gong He’s contact information, he would have to wait until his roommate returned to express his gratitude.

An Ran was utterly surprised by Gong He’s thoughtful gesture.

He had expected Gong He to be displeased by being disturbed so late last night, yet, unexpectedly, he had even prepared breakfast for him.

As An Ran ate his congee, he messaged H.

[AR: Sleepy.jpg]

[AR: Stood outside the library for a bit yesterday, and developed a fever last night.]

[AR: I feel like my body is becoming increasingly fragile.]

[AR: Helpless orz]

[H: Are you feeling better now?]

[AR: My fever’s gone down, but I still have a cold and a sore throat.]

[AR: I realized yesterday, when I got sick, that I’d run out of fever reducers.]

[AR: You wouldn’t believe how much courage it took for me to knock on my roommate’s door and ask if he had any fever reducers he could spare.]

[AR: Plus, it was pouring rain last night, and I was so sleepy I wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t go to the hospital, nor could I leave the dorm to pick up takeout.]

[AR: Otherwise, I never would have dared to ask my roommate.]

[AR: Soybean crying.jpg]

[H: And then?]

[AR: He didn’t say anything, didn’t blame me for disturbing his rest, and even gave me an entire box of fever reducers!]

[AR: *sniffles* So touched.]

[H: That’s good.]

[AR: He’s truly a good person, you know? He even bought me breakfast!!]

[AR: Besides breakfast, he also left me a bunch of cold medicine and some anti-inflammatory pills.]

[AR: I can’t believe he accurately predicted I’d have a cold and a sore throat.]

[H: .]

[AR: Don’t you think he’s a good person?!]

[H: You’re right.]

Gong He stared at An Ran’s messages with a wry smile, finding it amusing given that it was An Ran himself who, just yesterday, had claimed he was anything but a good person.

‘So,’ he mused, ‘he’s just bouncing back and forth between calling me good and bad, isn’t he?’

[H: Why were you afraid to ask him for fever reducers?]

[H: Does he look that scary?]

[AR: Of course! He looks absolutely fierce!]

[AR: He could knock me out with a single punch.]

[AR: Scared.jpg]

[H: .]

[H: He doesn’t hit people.]

[AR: Well then, he could scare me to death with just one look.]

[H: .]

****

An Ran had originally planned to read that afternoon, but the cold medicine had made him incredibly drowsy. Though he fought against it for a while, the overwhelming sleepiness proved too powerful, and he soon drifted off to sleep, sprawled across his bed.

He was still fast asleep even when Gong He returned.

The weather was pleasantly cool now; a jacket was necessary in the mornings and evenings, with only the midday sun bringing a touch of warmth.

The dorm was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Gong He could barely sense An Ran’s presence.

An Ran usually replied to his messages instantly, but looking at the chat history, Gong He saw the last message was from three hours ago.

The conversation had halted after An Ran messaged him, mentioning he felt unwell and wanted to get some sleep.

Consequently, Gong He was unsure if An Ran was merely asleep or if he had passed out again, as he had during his previous fever.

Unease gnawing at him, Gong He stood by the door and gently knocked.

Receiving no response, a familiar wave of anxiety spread through him.

Pacing back and forth outside the door, Gong He hesitated repeatedly before finally opening An Ran’s room.

He cautiously approached An Ran’s bed, gazing at his flushed, sleeping face. Still feeling a pang of worry, he gently touched An Ran’s cheek with the back of his hand.

The cool touch made An Ran shiver slightly, and he frowned, burrowing deeper into his pillow before settling back into sleep.

Gong He slowly withdrew his hand, a blank expression on his face.

Once he confirmed An Ran was merely sleeping, he didn’t linger, quietly closing the door behind him.

The moment he closed the door, he thought he caught a faint whiff of peaches again.

Gong He’s footsteps faltered. His Alpha instincts surged, urging him to seek more.

Standing by the door, his thoughts churned, a restless agitation stirring within him. He licked his canine teeth, but ultimately, he turned and left the dorm.

In his sleep, An Ran registered the sound of a door closing. With bleary eyes, he briefly glanced at his own door, dismissed it as a trick of his imagination, and drifted back to sleep.

****

The eight o’clock alarm blared.

An Ran struggled to pry open his eyelids, the deep darkness of night greeting his gaze. Sleeping for too long had left him feeling disoriented and uncomfortable.

Unbeknownst to him, it had become a habit: the first thing he did upon waking each day was to check his phone for H’s replies.

H had messaged him two hours prior, asking if he was asleep.

[AR: The cold medicine made me a bit drowsy.]

[AR: I didn’t realize I’d slept for so long. I wonder if I’ll be able to fall asleep tonight.]

[AR: I’m starving to death right now.]

[H: It’s raining.]

[AR: !!!]

[AR: The landlord’s granary is empty (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘dìzhǔ jiā méi yú liáng,’ meaning one has run out of supplies or money, often used humorously).]

[AR: I’ve already finished all my instant noodles.]

An Ran had been planning to venture out for food, knowing many shops and the cafeteria would still be open at this hour.

However, the rain immediately dampened his desire to leave the dorm.

Gong He, who was nearing the school, saw An Ran’s message and frowned deeply.

[H: Why are you eating instant noodles when you’re sick?]

[AR: It’s raining, so I really don’t want to go out. Soybean crying.jpg]

[AR: The school cafeteria is a bit far from the dorms, so I’ll just go down to the convenience store later and buy some instant noodles.]

Gong He walked past a dumpling restaurant, then turned back.

“Boss, one large serving of corn and lean pork dumplings.”

“To go.”

“Please make it quick.”

H didn’t reply to his message, likely because he was busy.

It was only when An Ran went to the balcony to retrieve his clothes that he noticed his potted plant, battered by the rain, looked wilted and lifeless. He had forgotten to bring it inside.

[AR: My plant looks like it’s dying.]

[H: That just means you’re better suited to growing cacti.]

[AR: No way.]

Just as An Ran was about to retort, Gong He returned.

Remembering the congee Gong He had bought him that morning and the boxes of medicine he’d left behind, An Ran poked his head in from the balcony, then hesitantly made his way back into the living room.

“Thank you for the breakfast this morning, and for the medicine. How much was it all? I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Gong He’s steps faltered, his expression instantly hardening.

He shoved the box of dumplings he was holding into An Ran’s hands, his voice low and constrained as he fought to suppress the turmoil within him. “Here,” he said.

An Ran looked at him, bewildered. “Have you eaten yet?”

Gong He didn’t answer his question, instead pointedly adding, “It’s free.”

“Ah? Oh, okay.”

An Ran sensed Gong He was angry. Had he said something wrong?

He cast a cautious glance at Gong He, then hugged the box of dumplings to his chest and quietly murmured, “Thank you.”

Gong He merely gave a faint hum in response before turning and retreating into his room.

A mixture of surprise and bewilderment flooded An Ran’s mind.

He opened the dumpling container to find a generous eighteen plump, white dumplings neatly arranged inside. The shop had even included a small bowl for dipping vinegar and soy sauce.

As An Ran looked at the name of the shop displayed on the container, it struck him as incredibly familiar, as if he had seen it near the school before.

The dumplings were piping hot, and An Ran, taking a bite, nearly burned his tongue.

Had Gong He packed these for him from nearby?

How had he known An Ran hadn’t eaten yet?

Why would Gong He bring him dumplings?

An Ran was puzzled, but he lacked the courage to ask Gong He why.

[AR: No need for instant noodles!]

[AR: Thank you, roommate!! He actually brought me dumplings when he came back!]

[AR: A super big portion, super satisfying ovo]

[AR: What’s strange is, why would my roommate bring me dumplings?]

[AR: I don’t have his contact info, and even if I did, I wouldn’t dare ask him to pack food for me. Soybean crying.jpg]

[H: Hehe.]

[H: Maybe he’s a good person.]

[AR: You think so too?!]

[AR: He’s been getting nicer lately.]

[AR: And he didn’t even charge me!]

[AR: That means he’s really doing good deeds!!]

Gong He looked at An Ran’s messages and laughed, exasperated.