A Hand on the Waist

Lu Xingyan refused to accept defeat. Deliberately, he fired off a message designed to tempt.

Starfall:Baby, I’m in the shower.

Wifey Baby: Let me see those abs.

Lu Xingyan was basking in sweetness again.

His baby definitely still loved him.

Starfall: [photo.jpg]

Wifey Baby: Looking a little soft. Skipping the gym lately?

Lu Xingyan glanced down at the photo. He’d eaten a bit too much popcorn at the movies. Probably bloated from the Coke he’d chugged afterward. It was barely noticeable, just the slightest puffiness.

And yet Xu Yi’s standards were this exacting.

Lu Xingyan’s brow furrowed. Without even showering, he walked out of the bathroom in silence, pulled on a sports tank, and headed out the door.

Li Yuan stared after him, baffled. “Brother Yan, it’s so late. The gym’s already closed.”

“I’ll go run a few kilometers.” Lu Xingyan didn’t look back.

His silhouette was nothing short of resolute.

On Sunday, Xu Yi seized the afternoon to grind ranked matches with Lu Xingyan before reluctantly dragging himself back to campus.

Truth be told, compared to his real-life roommate Lu Xingyan, Xu Yi found the handsome guy from last night—the one he could cuddle up against—far more agreeable.

He reached the dorm at five. Lu Xingyan glanced at him, an odd flicker in his eyes.

Xu Yi tensed for a split second.

But the anxiety passed quickly.

Lu Xingyan hated gay guys. The mere mention of the topic had set him off before. If he truly suspected anything, there was no way he’d still be online, fawning over the Xiao Yi persona like a devoted puppy.

“Want to hit the bathhouse outside campus? My treat.” Lu Xingyan was lounging at his desk, casual as ever.

Li Yuan hadn’t expected his new roommates to be this generous, one after another. He was more than happy to tag along. “For real? That new place? I heard it’s pretty pricey.”

“Mm.” Lu Xingyan smiled, utterly unconcerned, as if money were beneath his notice. “A friend told me their buffet spread is solid. We could grab dinner there too.”

“I’m out.” Xu Yi’s refusal came on instinct. Something about Lu Xingyan felt different from last week—he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

It was almost like the guy was deliberately radiating charm.

He’d been cooped up in the dorm all day, yet his hair was styled impeccably. And he wasn’t wearing the usual plain T-shirt either. Not as polished as that dress shirt from last night, but he’d rolled his sleeves just so, revealing a sandalwood and rose quartz bracelet at his wrist. That gleaming platinum chain still hung at his collar.

He looked like he was headed out on a date.

To a bathhouse, of all places.

And he hadn’t invited Xiao Yi. Could it be… Lu Xingyan had some other girlfriend?

The thought soured Xu Yi’s mood.

“The water’s getting shut off tonight. No showers in the dorm.” Lu Xingyan propped his chin on his hand, eyeing Xu Yi with amusement. “You sure you’re not coming? I was planning to get us an overnight stay. They’ve got scrubs and massages.”

“Wait, when did they announce the water shutoff?” Li Yuan blurted out, then seemed to catch himself.

He figured Lu Xingyan was trying to coax Xu Yi into coming along. A solid opportunity to build some dorm camaraderie.

“Oh yeah, I remember now. The dorm auntie mentioned it this morning. You weren’t here, Xiao Yi.” Li Yuan pivoted smoothly. “We could even do a three-man LAN party setup. It’d be sick.”

Xu Yi wavered.

He wanted to see whether Lu Xingyan really had some other girl on the side.

In the north, a bathhouse date wasn’t unusual. Aside from the actual soaking, all the other entertainment was co-ed.

If he caught Lu Xingyan cheating…

He would…

He would post Lu Xingyan’s selfies on the campus confession wall.

Damn him.

Xu Yi agreed to go. Young Master Lu summoned a business van to pick them up.

Just the three of them in the vehicle. If there really was a girl, she probably wasn’t from the same university.

They drove straight to the bathhouse without stopping.

It was newly opened but massive in scale—like a small amusement park, complete with outdoor hot springs. The decor was lavish yet tasteful.

And it wasn’t too crowded.

Overnight stays cost nothing extra, but a single entry ticket ran to a thousand yuan per person.

Li Yuan’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw the price.

A top-tier bathhouse usually capped out at three hundred per person.

“Brother Yan, maybe we should reconsider. This is way too steep.” Li Yuan wasn’t the greedy type. A few hundred for three people was manageable, an occasional splurge. Three thousand was his entire monthly living allowance.

Xu Yi stayed silent beside him. He already knew Lu Xingyan was a rich kid. This kind of pocket change meant nothing to him. Right now he only cared about one thing: whether a fourth person was about to show up.

“No need.” Lu Xingyan produced three vouchers printed with the bathhouse logo. “I won these during their opening promo. Three free tickets. Felt boring going alone.”

Xu Yi exhaled in quiet relief.

So if there was no fourth person, why had Lu Xingyan shown up to a bathhouse—where they’d be changing clothes anyway, hair getting soaked—so deliberately put together?

Absolutely baffling.

“Damn, Brother Yan, that’s insane luck.”

Li Yuan actually bought the story. Xu Yi suspected it was just to spare them any sense of obligation. Lu Xingyan was more considerate than he’d expected.

The three of them swapped their shoes, collected locker numbers, and fanned out to find their sections.

Li Yuan’s locker turned out to be quite far from theirs, a gap of about a hundred numbers.

Lu Xingyan’s and Xu Yi’s, however, were right next to each other.

Xu Yi didn’t read into it. Lu Xingyan hadn’t made any special request at the counter. It was probably just coincidence.

Still, changing together made him uneasy.

For one, Lu Xingyan’s physique held an undeniable pull for him.

For another… he had the sinking feeling his own body would look downright unimpressive next to it. He might get laughed at.

Xu Yi deliberately positioned himself in the corner. He swapped his pants first, then pulled his arms inside his shirt, threading them through the bathrobe sleeves in an attempt at a seamless, no-skin-shown costume change.

Just as the shirt covered his head, blinding him—

A scorching-hot touch landed on the ticklish spot at his waist.

And squeezed.

“Ah—” Xu Yi flinched so fast he nearly folded. The sudden jolt of sensation made his voice break at the tail end.

Unmasked, unguarded, it came out sounding almost feminine.

Even… disturbingly similar to certain sounds from certain videos.

Xu Yi yanked his shirt down, face flooding crimson, and smacked Lu Xingyan’s hand away. “What the f*ck is wrong with you?!”

Lu Xingyan examined his reddening knuckles with an air of innocence. “Why are you blushing? We’re both guys.”

“I just saw how skinny you were and couldn’t help pinching.”

Xu Yi clutched his waist. That hypersensitive touch still lingered in his mind, vivid as an afterimage, like scratching an itch through a boot.

“Don’t be such a creep.” Xu Yi huffed, venomous.

“What’s the big deal?” Lu Xingyan plopped onto the changing bench, grinning shamelessly. “You’re too skinny. I’m gonna stuff you full tonight.”

Xu Yi’s mind was already a sewer. He veered off a cliff straight into the gutter.

But he also knew perfectly well that Lu Xingyan was straight. There was no other explanation for how ravenously he’d gone after Xu Yi’s female persona.

Xu Yi bit his lip. At least he’d already been blushing. Getting red at that line would’ve made everything a thousand times more awkward.

“None of your damn business.” Xu Yi shot him a glare and turned to leave.

Then he felt his heel slide forward. Wet floor. Slipper skidding. His body pitched backward.

“Careful—” Lu Xingyan reacted in a flash, grabbing him and pulling.

Xu Yi’s mind went white.

He squeezed his eyes shut. But the anticipated crack of bone against tile never came.

Instead, he felt himself land on something warm. Something solid. Something that seemed to envelop him entirely.

He opened his eyes, still shaken.

Lu Xingyan’s handsome face hovered inches from his own, wearing a look of pure teasing delight. “Classmate. How are you going to thank me?”

He… he was sitting on Lu Xingyan’s lap.

“What’s the matter? Can’t bear to leave your gege’s broad, manly embrace? Still not getting up?”

Xu Yi scrambled, desperate to stand—but unwilling to brace against the other man, he found no leverage and promptly dropped right back down.

His brain felt like it had overheated past the point of coherent thought.

And then.

Xu Yi looked up.

There, frozen at the edge of the lockers, stood Li Yuan. Jaw on the floor. Eyes bulging.

“Bro… bros… am I, uh, interrupting something?”