The Mosquito Bite

The 8 AM alarm rang. An Ran reached out to turn it off, but the cold air made him pull his hand back.

He struggled to throw off the covers, turned off the alarm, then shrank back into the warmth of the bed. The weather was too cold—he couldn’t bear to leave his cozy cocoon.

As the year drew to a close, each day grew colder. Today it was only three degrees, and the weather forecast predicted a continued drop in the afternoon, with possible snow at night.

Ning City wasn’t far from Liu City, but it had never snowed. An Ran had never seen real snow in his life, so he was especially looking forward to the first snowfall.

Outside, the sky was gloomy, covered in thick, dark clouds that loomed over the entire city.

A biting wind swept in, carrying a bone-piercing chill that freely crept through the gaps in his clothes, deep into his marrow.

“So cold.” An Ran exhaled a puff of warm air, trying to heat his icy palms. Luckily, the school had 24-hour hot water. When the warm towel covered his face, he finally felt alive again.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror—a messy mop of hair like a bird’s nest—An Ran casually ran his fingers through his hair, trying to smooth down the stubborn cowlick. Instead, his gaze was caught by the small purple-red mark on the side of his neck.

At first, An Ran thought he had accidentally brushed against something, but when he rubbed it with his hand, he realized it wouldn’t come off.

What was this?

A mosquito bite?

He vaguely remembered that last night there had been a mosquito buzzing around him, no matter how hard he tried to shoo it away. It was incredibly annoying.

But now it was December—so cold. Could there still be mosquitoes?

An Ran checked his phone. He only received a cold message from H, just two simple words:

[Good night.]

An Ran stared at those two words, a sudden unease gripping his heart like a giant hand squeezing it—heavy, making it hard to breathe.

They had only been dating for a month. Had H already lost interest in him?

This cold, distant feeling reminded him of when they first met.

He used to think that wanting to chat with H was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Maybe it was also because he was physically exhausted lately, making him a bit sentimental.

For the first time, An Ran threw a little tantrum at H.

[AR: Are you giving me the silent treatment?]

After sending that message, An Ran felt uneasy. Maybe H had fallen asleep, worried that replying would wake him.

He always subconsciously made excuses for the other person, then comforted himself.

He thought for a while, then withdrew the message and proactively said: [Good morning.]

He was like that—a softie who wouldn’t say much even when wronged.

[H: Why did you withdraw it?]

An Ran was silent for a few seconds, then tentatively replied: [Typo.]

[H: What are you worried about?]

[H: Of course you can lose your temper with me.]

[H: It was my fault for not replying in time.]

[H: I apologize.]

[H: Baby.]

An Ran stared at the word “baby,” and the tips of his ears grew hot. His cheeks visibly reddened.

[AR: Don’t call me that.]

[H: Then what should I call you?]

An Ran pursed his lips. If he told H his name, that would expose his real identity.

[AR: Whatever you want.]

[AR: Feels like I’ve lost all ability and means.]

[H: Is baby still angry?]

[AR: I wasn’t angry in the first place…]

An Ran was easy to appease. Even if something upset him, a few words could cheer him up.

[AR: I can’t believe it’s so cold in Liu City and there are still mosquitoes.]

[H: Mosquitoes?]

[AR: Yeah, I just found a huge mosquito bite on my neck.]

[AR: Last night I could feel a mosquito biting me hard.]

Gong He, who was being mistaken for a mosquito, took a long time to reply: [That mosquito is really too hateful. I hope it doesn’t bite baby too badly.]

An Ran felt his face burning with embarrassment. He bashfully replied: [Don’t say such weird things!!]

[H: What’s weird about it, baby?]

[AR: .]

An Ran’s face was bright red, his heart pounding wildly. An irrepressible shyness spread through his heart.

Apart from his parents and Fu Zao, no one had ever called him “baby” before. To An Ran, this was a very intimate term.

Flustered, he turned off his phone, went back to his room to put on a jacket, and got ready to leave.

As he stepped out, he glanced at the bedside table and suddenly noticed that the application form he’d left there last night had vanished. He searched the room several times but couldn’t find it.

How could it just disappear?

An Ran even checked the trash can, but the form wasn’t there either.

The alarm rang again, and An Ran couldn’t care less about the missing form. He wasn’t planning to change dorms anyway. If the form was gone, so be it. It didn’t matter—the dorm supervisor wouldn’t ask him to return it.

In the dormitory.

Gong He.

“Uh—ah!” An stumbled back, nearly falling, but Gong He caught him by the waist and pulled him upright.

“Careful.”

They were very close.

An hurriedly pushed himself out of Gong He’s embrace, embarrassed, and pursed his lips in thanks.

When he was about to leave the dorm, Gong He grabbed his hand and pressed an umbrella into it. “It’s really dark outside. Take this umbrella.”

An nodded dumbly. “Okay.”

Gong He also placed a paper bag in his hand. “Take this too.”

Seeing the McDonald’s logo on the bag, An looked at Gong He in surprise. He was about to refuse, but Gong He had already quickly returned to his room, so An had no choice but to accept his kindness.

He had mentioned to H yesterday that he hadn’t had McDonald’s breakfast in a while and missed it.

There was no McDonald’s near the school—only downtown.

An glanced inside the paper bag and saw his favorite pineapple burger, hot soy milk, fries, and a red bean pie—all things he loved. He didn’t expect Gong He to have the same taste.

But…

Why would Gong He suddenly treat him to breakfast?

Oh, right—Gong He didn’t know he hadn’t agreed to switch dorms.

An trotted toward the classroom, absentmindedly clutching the paper bag. Before he had gone far, it started to rain.

If Gong He hadn’t pressed the umbrella into his hand before he left, he would definitely have been caught in the rain.

Thinking about the dorm supervisor’s suggestion to switch rooms yesterday, and that Gong He had overheard, An felt a twinge of awkwardness that he couldn’t shake.

[AR: Do you think I should tell my roommate that I didn’t agree to switch dorms?]

[AR: After all, when we were eating BBQ last night, my roommate overheard my conversation with a friend. He probably thinks I’m moving out, right?]

[AR: But how do I tell him that I don’t want to switch dorms?]

[AR: No matter how I say it, it sounds forced.]

[AR: Can he just magically know that I didn’t agree with the dorm supervisor?]

[H: Yes.]

[AR: ???]

[AR: Help me think!]

An Ran sat in a corner of the classroom, took a huge bite of his burger, and drank the hot soy milk, feeling perfectly content.

[AR: My roommate treated me to breakfast!]

[AR: I don’t know why he suddenly did, but it was unexpected and nice.]

[AR: I got to eat the burger I’ve been craving for so long!]

[AR: Good people have a peaceful life.]

Gong He read An’s messages and lowered his eyes with a wry smile.

So he already knew.

And hadn’t An given him too many “good person” cards?

So that was why An hadn’t agreed to switch dorms?

Gong He leaned against An’s door, greedily breathing in the lingering pheromones in the air.

[H: Maybe he already knows, so he’s buying you breakfast to curry favor.]

[AR: !!!]

[AR: How could he know?]

[AR: My application form is gone.]

[AR: I searched the whole room just now and couldn’t find it. Wasted so much time, almost made me late!]

[AR: Angry Soybean.jpg]

[H: Pat head.jpg]

[H: It’s raining… Did you bring an umbrella?]

[AR: My roommate shoved an umbrella into my hand when I left.]

[AR: Didn’t expect it to rain so soon!!]

[AR: Good thing I had it, or I’d be soaked.]

[H: So your impression of your roommate is better now?]

Just as An was about to send “Yeah,” he paused while typing. He realized that recently, many of his conversations with H revolved around his roommate. He didn’t know when it started, but the word “roommate” kept popping up in their chats.

Was H bothered by how often he mentioned his roommate?

Was this a test to see if he might develop feelings for his roommate?

Alarm bells rang in An Ran’s head!

He quickly tried to remedy the situation.

[AR: Not really!]

[AR: My roommate is just kind—a daily good deed!]

[AR: But rest assured, we barely talk. We’re just strangers sharing a room.]

[AR: There’s absolutely no way I could fall for him.]

So he’d received another “good person” card from An?

A daily good deed?

Reading An’s words, “absolutely no way I could fall for him,” Gong He let out a cold laugh. Truly, no good deed goes unpunished.