The Boyfriend Label

The call, of course, never went through.

Lu Xingyan clicked his phone off with a look of practiced regret. “No answer.”

He’d been hoping to watch Xiao Yi fumble in a panic to silence his ringtone.

But Xu Yi had learned his lesson. Before the date, he’d specifically set Lu Xingyan to Do Not Disturb. No WeChat call pop-ups. No message notifications. Flawless.

The three of them finished dinner and headed their separate ways home.

Xu Yi hadn’t even made it through his front door when Lu Xingyan’s message arrived.

Starfall: Baby kept calling herself my girlfriend today.

Heat rushed to Xu Yi’s face. He’d completely forgotten about that. In the heat of standing up for Li Yuan, those details had slipped right past him.

Xu Yi: Don’t read into it. It was just for show.

Starfall: Baby’s so cold now. You weren’t like this during the day.

Xu Yi watched Lu Xingyan’s petulant words spill across the screen. An unbidden smile tugged at his lips.

Xu Yi: What exactly are the perks of being your girlfriend?

Starfall: Baby still can’t see my good points?

Xu Yi had expected Lu Xingyan to brag about his physique, his money, his gaming skills—something along those lines. This reply caught him off guard.

What kind of tone was Lu Xingyan using? Disappointment?

Xu Yi frowned slightly.

Truth be told, what they had now wasn’t far from an actual relationship. If they made it official, Lu Xingyan might lose interest all the faster. This way, Xu Yi could keep enjoying the emotional highs and the abs photos from Lu Xingyan online, and if they broke up cleanly, they could still be normal friends in real life.

Before he could type a reply, another message came through.

Starfall: I must not be doing enough yet.

Xu Yi: …Get on the game.

The moment the words were out, Xu Yi logged in. Before Lu Xingyan’s icon could even light up, he sent the relationship binding request.

He sat there biting his lip, nerves coiling in his stomach.

He wondered how Lu Xingyan would react.

Xu Yi didn’t open a game room. He waited on the main screen. The first time they’d met, no team invitation had ever come. He refused to believe it wouldn’t come now.

Your friend Starfall has come online.

One second. Two. Three.

Relationship request accepted.

Your friend has sent a team invitation.

Xu Yi’s lips curved.

Ha. Hooked on his fishing skills after all.

He entered the room. Lu Xingyan, uncharacteristically, had his mic open from the start. The tiny icon beneath his avatar flickered. All Xu Yi could hear was ragged, urgent breathing.

“Baby.”

Lu Xingyan’s voice was hoarse, as if he were straining to hold something back.

“I like you more and more.”

Xu Yi curled up in his chair before the screen. The voice in his earbuds stirred him just as deeply.

Maybe this was the moment Lu Xingyan would like him most. Feelings always faded with time, after all.

“Baby, baby, let’s start.”

“I want to play couple heroes with my baby, out in the open.”

“Baby, our couple badge looks so pretty.”

By the end of the night, Xu Yi had lost count of how many times he’d heard the word “baby.” But Lu Xingyan’s mind seemed to be anywhere but the game. Before midnight even hit, he was already logging off, almost impatiently.

“Baby, can we stay on a call while we sleep?”

Xu Yi felt a flush of triumph.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Thanks to his entanglement with Lu Xingyan, his fishing pond had gone completely dry lately. And even when a fish did swim his way voluntarily, Xu Yi just found them… dull. A nice voice? No match for Lu Xingyan’s gameplay. Good at the game? Nowhere near Lu Xingyan’s physique. A hot body? Usually attached to a face he couldn’t stomach.

He kept catching himself comparing everyone to Lu Xingyan.

It had been so long since Xu Yi had done a proper, full-immersion online romance.

That night, for once, their call didn’t veer into filthy territory. They just pottered around, tidying their rooms, talking about nothing in particular.

So innocent. A genuinely novel experience in the world of online dating.

Xu Yi climbed into bed after his shower and burrowed under the covers. Right on cue, Lu Xingyan’s lazy, drowsy voice filled his ear.

“Baby, I wish I could hold you.”

Xu Yi pulled the blanket tighter. The memory of sitting in Lu Xingyan’s arms that afternoon surfaced unbidden.

If it were just being held while falling asleep… that actually sounded kind of nice.

“Goodnight.”

“Baby… can you say goodnight, *laogong*?” Lu Xingyan pushed his luck.

Xu Yi hesitated for a few seconds, then muttered, “So cringey.”

In all his time dating online, he’d never once said something like that. Calling someone *husband*—it was just too weird.

“Alright. Goodnight, laopo.”

“Mwah~”

Xu Yi caught the flying kiss and nearly laughed out loud. How could Lu Xingyan be this childish when he was in love? And so corny.

With Lu Xingyan’s company, Xu Yi slept deeply.

His mood was good. Returning to campus, he found himself less resistant to doing things with Lu Xingyan and Li Yuan. To fit in better, he’d even bought a smurf account specifically for dorm trio queues.

During their dorm gaming sessions, Lu Xingyan looked out for him quite a bit—always swooping in to save him at the critical moment. The treatment was so attentive that Xu Yi occasionally forgot which identity he was using and nearly slipped into his female voice to shower Lu Xingyan with praise.

Xu Yi could only interpret Lu Xingyan’s overly friendly behavior as a side effect of his newly official relationship with the Xiao Yi persona. The guy was just in a good mood.

That worked fine.

“I’m grabbing a package. Send me the pickup code.” Lu Xingyan rapped on Xu Yi’s bed rail as if this were an established routine—as if he’d always been the one fetching Xu Yi’s deliveries.

Xu Yi hesitated. For a normal package, he’d have fired off the code without a second thought.

But…

“I ordered a whole case of drinks. You probably can’t carry it.” He’d been planning to borrow the delivery station’s hand truck and drag it back himself. Their dorm was only on the third floor. He could haul it up bit by bit.

Lu Xingyan arched an eyebrow. “Don’t underestimate me. Code.”

Xu Yi relented and messaged it over.

About half an hour later, it finally dawned on him that Lu Xingyan had gone to fetch his package. Could he really not manage it? Xu Yi might be terrible with people, but he wasn’t heartless. Too lazy to change out of his loungewear, he shoved on his slippers and headed down to help.

He’d barely reached the stairwell when he ran into Lu Xingyan coming up. The man was carrying a massive box with a small parcel perched on top—probably the thing he’d meant to pick up for himself. And in both hands, dangling from his fingers, bags of takeout.

Xu Yi’s gaze transformed on the spot.

Superman. Godfather.

Lu Xingyan spotted Xu Yi coming out to meet him. Touching—but he couldn’t stand the thought of Xu Yi wandering around looking this cute. What if someone else noticed him?

He frowned. “What are you doing out here? Get back inside.”

“Let me help.” Xu Yi reached out, but found nowhere to usefully lend a hand. He settled for plucking the small parcel off the top.

Lu Xingyan’s lips curled. He kept walking toward the dorm. “There. Baby’s already helped.”

The teasing tone sent a flush straight up Xu Yi’s face. But with his delivery in the man’s custody, all he could do was clutch the tiny box and scurry after him.

Lu Xingyan didn’t even let him lift a finger. The case of drinks was deposited neatly. The takeout was already on both their desks. That was when Xu Yi finally saw the group chat message: “Class is out. What do you two want to eat? Your godfather will bring it back.”

Xu Yi typed back, “We’ve already got ours.”

Li Yuan:”??? I was in one extra class and you two already had a baby?”

It was a joke, obviously, but Xu Yi’s brain still conjured up Lu Xingyan calling him little baby earlier. Were all straight guys this uninhibited?

The drinks Xu Yi had ordered were electrolyte waters—healthier, just a faint hint of fruit juice. He grabbed a bottle and held it out to Lu Xingyan. “Drink.”

Lu Xingyan was pleasantly surprised. He had a fitness habit, but a whole case of drinks was no joke. He took it, tipped his head back, and drained half the bottle in one go. Only then did he pause and grin at Xu Yi. “Baby’s all grown up. Finally showing your old man some love.”

Xu Yi rolled his eyes. “Do you call everyone ‘baby’?”

The guy had started throwing around *baby* the very first time he’d spoken to his alt account. It rankled him. Total fuckboy behavior.

Lu Xingyan’s eyes held a smile, but he didn’t answer. Knowing Xu Yi’s real identity, he could only find this pouty little accusation unbearably cute. Still, to keep suspicion at bay, he added, “Nah. Aside from my girlfriend, just you.”

Xu Yi gave a cold humph and returned to his desk to eat.

Lu Xingyan was the helpful type. He’d probably never been on the receiving end of anyone’s malice. Xu Yi simply chalked up his roommate’s attentiveness to a general do-gooder nature and settled into enjoying it without guilt.

And so he coasted along, maintaining his double life—a passionate online romance, a placid, steady offline existence.

Until the short holiday arrived.

Li Yuan invited them to try out a murder mystery parlor that had been blowing up lately. The place had a gimmick: random role assignments, plus professional stylists and makeup artists for a fully immersive role-play experience.

Xu Yi had been interested in murder mystery games ever since the trend emerged years ago. But no one had ever invited him to play. And with his personality, joining a table of strangers was simply out of the question.

So when Li Yuan brought it up, Xu Yi agreed with barely a pause.

It was the first time he’d ever gone out with them during a break as their roommate—not disguised as Lu Xingyan’s girlfriend. Far more relaxed.

The murder mystery venue was sizable, each scenario built out in its own dedicated soundstage. The whole session was recorded from each character’s perspective, and afterward, players could keep a highlight reel of their best moments.

When drawing roles, they were allowed to submit a preference.

Xu Yi didn’t want to be stuck playing anyone too idiotic. He wrote his request in the wish box.

“Hoping for a character who’s aloof and doesn’t talk much.” Lu Xingyan read Xu Yi’s note aloud.

He slung a casual arm over Xu Yi’s shoulder. “Guess I’ll make a wish too.”

Lu Xingyan plucked a slip of paper and scrawled a quick line. Before Xu Yi could catch a glimpse, the paper was already rolled up and handed to the staff member.

The staff member unrolled it, read it, then clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh. Her gaze darted between Xu Yi and Lu Xingyan.

Curiosity burned.