After Becoming Arch-Enemies with My Best Bro - Chapter 11

The moment they got back to the dorm, taking advantage of the split second He Chenshuang spent grabbing a change of clothes, Wen Huihan whipped out his phone.

He had recently stumbled upon a thread where people vented about their “roommates from hell.” At the time, he’d found the content mind-blowing and had promptly saved it to his bookmarks for future reference. Now, he intended to study it frame-by-frame to elevate his professional standards as a villain.

No one helps me reach my lofty goals, so I shall scale the snowy peaks alone.

With newfound confidence, Wen Huihan opened his bookmarks and reviewed the top entries one by one.

My roommate stays up every night talking to their partner on speakerphone. I can’t take it anymore! 

Roommates, help! My roommate keeps secretly bringing their partner back to the dorm. It’s severely affecting our lives. How do I tell them nicely?

 What should I do if my roommate keeps secretly using my shampoo and body wash?

****

Each post felt like a divine revelation.

He realized he’d been playing in the kiddie pool. These people were playing the “high-tier” game: not only polluting their roommates’ mental space but also fleecing them for material gain. After absorbing these nuggets of wisdom, Wen Huihan’s goals became clearer.

Even if he didn’t know the exact reason for their future fallout yet, since he and He Chenshuang were destined to be enemies, he had to rack up experience points now. Improving his villainous tradecraft while the “Protagonist” was still growing would ensure he could hold his own in the future.

So far, he felt he was doing a great job, but He Chenshuang was a seasoned player; Wen Huihan still couldn’t quite predict his moves.

As expected, anyone who can be my brother isn’t simple. Why do I feel weirdly proud of that?

In truth, if Wen Huihan couldn’t read He Chenshuang, He Chenshuang was equally stumped by him.

He Chenshuang had just emerged from the bathroom, having changed out of his soaked clothes and apparently taken a shower. As he walked past Wen Huihan, his pace faltered for a fraction of a second before he continued as if nothing had happened.

Just now, Wen Huihan had been looking at him again with that “meaningful” gaze. He’d felt it frequently over the last few days, but whenever he looked back, Wen Huihan would act perfectly normal.

Wen Huihan was still the same person, yet he seemed. sharper. He spent more time staring at He Chenshuang in a daze, and his behavior was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Did he find something out?

He Chenshuang lowered his eyes, his lashes fluttering slightly.

Wen Huihan, oblivious to his friend’s internal monologue, saw that He Chenshuang was done and decided it was his turn. After spending half the day at the gym, he was dying to get out of his sweaty clothes.

More importantly, the shower was the perfect time to implement his newly learned tactic: Secretly use He Chenshuang’s shampoo and body wash.

I’m so devious and wicked, he thought. He Chenshuang is going to be so annoyed.

Wen Huihan grabbed his change of clothes and marched into the bathroom. Their toiletries were kept on a floating shelf; He Chenshuang’s were on the top row. He didn’t recognize the brand it was all in French—but the scent was elegant and refreshing.

Must be expensive.

Knowing He Chenshuang had a CEO for a father and an artist for a mother, Wen Huihan figured it was probably harder for the guy to be poor than to be rich. In fact, he suspected He Chenshuang’s background was even more prestigious than he let on, though the guy was always low-profile about it. To this day, Wen Huihan didn’t know the specifics of his family’s wealth; he just knew the He family house was unnervingly large.

Cursed rich people. I’m going to stick my hand right into their pockets.

His “eat the rich” sentiment flared up, and he decided to use a massive, unrepentant pump of He Chenshuang’s premium body wash.

***

Wen Huihan stayed in the shower for a long time. When he finally emerged, He Chenshuang was at his desk working on math problems. He didn’t even look up at the sound of the door opening, asking casually, “What do you want for dinner? Xunshun messaged the group saying he could bring something back for us.”

“Really? My phone’s dead. Let me see what he said.”

Wen Huihan walked over, a towel draped over his damp head, and leaned right in next to He Chenshuang.

The moment he got close, He Chenshuang’s pen stuttered. He shot Wen Huihan a subtle, unreadable look.

Wen Huihan suppressed a snicker and leaned even closer. He looked down at the incomprehensible strings of characters He Chenshuang was writing, then patted his shoulder. “Show me the phone!”

“Mm.”

He Chenshuang unlocked his phone and showed him the four-person group chat. Wen Huihan remained leaned over, exposing his neck right in He Chenshuang’s line of sight. The latter lowered his gaze, appearing to stare at the screen, but his mind seemed to drift.

Ying Xunshun: What do you two want to eat? Zhao Zhao and I are at Cafeteria No. 2. @Wen Huihan @He Chenshuang

Wen Huihan replied directly using He Chenshuang’s phone.

He Chenshuang: I’ll have the steak and rice. He Chenshuang will tell you what he wants in a second. Thanks, Roommate-in-Chief.

It took Ying Xunshun a few moments to process that it was Wen Huihan using the account.

Ying Xunshun: Got it. We’ll be back in twenty minutes.

Wen Huihan handed the phone back. “There. Your turn. Think about what you want.”

“Same as you.”

He Chenshuang replied to the group and went back to his math problem. His hands were steady, and every digit he wrote was precise and beautiful. He looked perfectly normal.

Wen Huihan was confused. Did I not use enough? Did he not smell it?

That shouldn’t be right. He’d sniffed himself before coming out; he smelled exactly like He Chenshuang usually did, and the scent was quite strong. He refused to give up.

“Don’t you notice anything different about me after my shower?”

He Chenshuang didn’t even stop writing. “What’s different?”

He really didn’t notice!

Wen Huihan couldn’t understand how the guy’s nose could be so sensitive one day and so dull the next. Or maybe the scent was so familiar to him that he simply didn’t register it?

Wen Huihan figured that was likely the case, but he couldn’t let his efforts go to waste. He’d done a lot of mental preparation in the bathroom to convince himself to use someone else’s stuff. To get the full “villainous” effect, He Chenshuang had to notice.

He cleared his throat and asked solemnly, “Bro. do I smell good?”

Only then did He Chenshuang finally deign to look at him.

His cool gaze landed on Wen Huihan’s neck and traveled downward. The boy’s skin was flushed from the heat of the shower, making the faint pulse in his neck more visible.

Wen Huihan stayed close, completely exposed and defenseless. He Chenshuang didn’t even have to try to smell him; the fragrance was already filling his lungs, striking deep.

He knew immediately. Wen Huihan had used his body wash.

The scent was incredibly familiar. He Chenshuang wasn’t someone who changed his habits easily; once he liked a product, he used it forever. He was the same with everything he liked—he was so focused and observant that even the slightest change was instantly obvious to him.

He’d known the second Wen Huihan walked over, but he simply said, “It’s fine. Why?”

Wen Huihan nearly crumbled.

I spent all that time preparing for this showdown, and all I get is “It’s fine”?!

He expected He Chenshuang to mock him with his usual lazy, toxic wit. At the very least, he should have asked about it. This felt like punching a cloud of cotton.

Is he just so rich that he doesn’t care if people use his stuff?

“I used your body wash. Didn’t you notice?”

“I smelled it. So?”

“Don’t you find it weird?”

They were so close that their identical scents seemed to blur together, becoming one. It was a perfect fit for him.

He Chenshuang looked at him quietly for a moment. “What’s weird about it?”

Wen Huihan: 

Everything is weird!

He had clearly seen He Chenshuang’s fingers stiffen for a second!

“I have my own body wash, yet I’m using yours. You don’t find that strange at all?”

“Then why use mine instead of someone else’s?”

Wen Huihan blinked, stumped for two seconds. “Uh… because I wanted to. Because I felt like it.”

“If you’re happy, I have no problem with it.”

“Fine! Then I’m going to use your body wash every single day!”

“Okay, go ahead,” He Chenshuang said lazily. “If you like the scent that much, I’ll buy you a few more bottles. You can use it for your laundry and shoes for all I care.”

Wen Huihan nearly fainted from rage.

The point isn’t that I like the smell! The point is that I’m provoking you!

He’d used it without asking, yet He Chenshuang wasn’t even annoyed? Was the guy a saint?

Fine. Maybe to He Chenshuang, a bit of body wash wasn’t worth falling out over with a “brother.” If He Chenshuang used his stuff, Wen Huihan wouldn’t be mad either—they were bros, after all.

But Wen Huihan was operating under the assumption that He Chenshuang didn’t actually like him. Whatever, he thought. If this doesn’t work, I’ll try the next thing.

Plan A was a bust, but Plan B was ready.

Since He Chenshuang was in the middle of a high-intensity math problem, Wen Huihan decided to disrupt his train of thought by having a loud conversation on the phone. Naturally, if that phone call was with a “partner,” the damage would be doubled.

The only problem was that Wen Huihan was single. Having a fake, awkward conversation for twenty minutes would just make him look insane.

He pondered for a few minutes until a spark of inspiration hit him.

He opened the app store and downloaded a trending AI assistant app called “Meatbun.” It featured voice chat, text chat, and data search functions. It was perfect.

He’d have the AI pretend to be his girlfriend. That way, he didn’t have to find a real person to talk to, and he could still get a rise out of He Chenshuang. Two birds, one stone.

Once the app was installed, he opened the voice chat. You didn’t need to be subtle with AI. Wen Huihan gave a direct command: “Meatbun, Meatbun. From now on, you’re my girlfriend. Let’s start chatting.”

He Chenshuang: 

What is Wen Huihan doing now? Is this a warning that he only likes girls?

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