After I Cross-Dressed, Even My Roommate Kissed Me - Chapter 2

Qin Zhou hadn’t expected someone to be so frail that they’d trip just walking down the stairs. His original intent was to watch coldly from the sidelines, but his hands moved faster than his brain. With a swift stride, he caught the man, instinctively weighing him in his grip he was surprisingly light.

Looking down, he saw the crown of a head; the hair was round, smooth, and neat.

Pei Yisheng’s eyes were wide as saucers. A powerful chest was inches away, and the faint scent of tobacco washed over him. His first instinct was to lean back as far as possible to create distance, but since Qin Zhou was gripping him firmly, he could hardly budge. All he could do was tilt his head back, finding himself staring directly at Qin Zhou’s chin.

Of course, the very thing he feared had happened.

“Um, thank you,” Pei Yisheng said, flashing the gentle, harmless smile he had practiced in the mirror while his heart raced like a stampede.

From this angle, he couldn’t see the look in Qin Zhou’s eyes, making it impossible to fathom why the man had helped him.

Still, Qin Zhou was unfairly well-favored by genetics. Even from this “death angle,” one could tell his nose was bridge-high and straight, his features deep and defined, and his physique so well built it was enough to make anyone envious. Pei Yisheng often fretted over his own small frame; no matter how hard he worked out, he only ever managed a thin layer of lean muscle.

For some reason, Qin Zhou disliked the smile Pei Yisheng was wearing. He let out a mocking snort. “Weak.”

Weak in body, hypocritical in spirit.

Qin Zhou labeled him almost instantly. He released his grip, and seeing that the man could stand on his own, he turned back and sat in his chair. His phone lay discarded to the side; when he picked it up, the public chat was already filled with people cursing him for going AFK.

Qin Zhou’s expression didn’t flicker as he began maneuvering his character to clear the minion waves.

Pei Yisheng opened his mouth to speak, then stopped, then started again. After venting eight thousand sentences in his head to satisfy his ego, he finally squeezed his eyes shut and scurried off to the bathroom.

Only after finishing his business did Pei Yisheng’s courage fail him.

He hid sheepishly behind the door, biting his lower lip as he reflected on his behavior. Surely that tiny bit of silent resistance didn’t provoke Qin Zhou, right?

Besides, he wasn’t in the wrong. How could Qin Zhou call him weak!

Huffing with indignation, Pei Yisheng opened the door softly, closed it softly, and tiptoed past Qin Zhou. Catching a glimpse of the phone screen out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the man was playing ferociously he had just witnessed a Penta kill.

Gulping, he quietly climbed into his bed.

Qin Zhou flicked his gaze toward the swaying bed curtains. In his mind, he erased one of the labels. Not that weak, just a bit of a coward.

Kind of amusing.

The corners of Qin Zhou’s mouth curled slightly. The victory screen showed him as the MVP again. While a string of previously angry teammates lined up in his friend requests, he pulled up his actual friend list and invited Lin Jiahu to play.

Lying in bed, Pei Yisheng listened to the young master’s occasional, pithy commands and actually drifted off to sleep.

This sleep was long and refreshing. When Pei Yisheng opened his eyes, he felt rejuvenated, his bones popping with a satisfying stretch. He pulled back the bed curtains to find the sun generously splashing across the floor, illuminating the dorm like scattered gold.

The room was empty, with only a few dust motes dancing in the light.

None of the “protagonists” were there. Even Qin Zhou’s bed, despite him returning last night, was so neat it looked as if no one had slept in it.

Pei Yisheng felt a secret surge of joy. He rubbed his hands together and piously clasped them toward the heavens to make a wish:

Please, please, let the plot move faster.

He truly didn’t want any more intersections with the various “Lead Attackers.” It was exhausting!

Knock, knock, knock.

“Shengsheng, are you feeling better?” The door opened, and a stylish, chestnut colored head popped in. Seeing that only Pei Yisheng was in the room, Su Yiyi who lived across the hall swaggered inside. He raised the breakfast in his hand. “See? I’m the best one, aren’t I? I remembered to bring you breakfast. Come and eat.”

Pei Yisheng’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Thanks! I was just about to change and go grab something.”

Su Yiyi hummed proudly and plopped down next to him. “I knew those guys wouldn’t be reliable. Besides, I haven’t seen you all day and haven’t eaten with you in two. I missed you to death!”

Pei Yisheng took a sip of the porridge. “That’s a bit dramatic. You came to see me in the dorm yesterday.”

Su Yiyi pouted, looking annoyed. “Only for three minutes! Before I could even finish the gossip, your roommates were glaring at me like I was trying to kidnap you.”

Su Yiyi had known he was gay for a long time. When he first arrived, he’d had a crush on Wen Xiuyun and Song Wen because they were so handsome. But after interacting with them, he realized their personalities were worse than the last. Even the “campus idol” filter couldn’t save them. Seeing how obviously different they treated Pei Yisheng, Su Yiyi’s crush had vanished instantly.

He felt sorry for his friend, who was still stuck in the “fiery” attentiveness of those two beautiful men.

“Shengsheng, while you were sick this time, which of the two performed better?” Su Yiyi couldn’t help his gossipy nature; he wanted first hand info on his best friend’s drama.

Pei Yisheng calmly munched on a bun. “What ‘performance’? It was just the usual behavior of a roommate.”

“No way. My ‘gaydar’ is very sharp.” Su Yiyi was full of doubt. “They are clearly acting weird. Or are you just unable to receive the signal?”

Pei Yisheng reiterated, “You’re overthinking it. They’re just helpful and concerned for a classmate.”

For a moment, Su Yiyi didn’t know what to say. He scrutinized Pei Yisheng’s righteous and determined face, feeling the futility of “throwing pearls before swine.” He tutted. “Anyway, just be careful. Their eyes don’t look right to me.”

Pei Yisheng blinked, thinking, My friend, you are still too naive.

They were loyal followers of the “Lead Receiver.” How could they be interested in him just because they looked after him once or twice or said a few ambiguous things? At most, they were using him as a pastime. If he took it seriously, he’d be the real loser.

His self-positioning was clear: he just wanted to be a safe, healthy “Extra A.”

He wondered if the Lead Receiver had arrived yet or run into the Lead Attackers. Pei Yisheng worried for them in his heart, wishing he could play Matchmaker himself. He’d tie their red strings into a permanent knot so they could live happily ever after and stop bothering innocent bystanders.

After eating, Su Yiyi didn’t want to leave just yet. His own roommates were all “stinky straight guys,” and the hygiene crisis in his dorm was already apparent. As a refined gay man, living there was agonizing which was why he’d been so proactive in befriending Pei Yisheng on day one.

Su Yiyi sighed. “Shengsheng, I’ve only just started school and I can’t stand living in the dorms. I want to move out and rent a place soon. Do you want to join me?”

Pei Yisheng had considered this and had even looked up school policies. “But I heard you can only apply starting in the second year. Can we move out early?”

Su Yiyi slapped his chest confidently. “Guaranteed. I looked into it. Do you know Qin Zhou?”

Pei Yisheng thought, I know him all too well. I know his “outlaw” deeds by heart, and I slept in the same room as him a few hours ago. But what did moving out have to do with Qin Zhou?

Assuming Pei Yisheng didn’t know, Su Yiyi winked and quickly sent several photos to his phone. He was grinning widely, looking revitalized. “These are from my private collection. Don’t say I never think of you.”

Pei Yisheng opened his phone and holy cow. The screen was filled with photos of Qin Zhou playing basketball. His jersey was flying up as he dunked, revealing a large portion of his abs. He didn’t know how Su Yiyi had collected them so comprehensively. Between the bright jerseys and the dense pack of abdominal muscles, Pei Yisheng felt dizzy.

“This… maybe don’t think of me next time. I don’t really need this, haha,” Pei Yisheng joked awkwardly.

Su Yiyi looked shocked, as if his friend were a “mountain pig who couldn’t appreciate fine bran.” He said with frustration, “I hate that you’re such a block of wood!”

The “block of wood” just smiled without speaking. Su Yiyi pouted, but seeing Pei Yisheng’s bright, curious eyes, he continued.

“Qin Zhou doesn’t like living in the dorms. He moved out right at the start of freshman year. Since that’s against the rules, the Qin family donated two laboratory buildings. The school then issued a new policy: if you can complete all your first-year credits during the first semester, you can apply to live off-campus early. How about it? Want to try?”

Pei Yisheng was instantly tempted. He grabbed Su Yiyi’s hand and let out a sincere sigh. “Yiyi, you are my best friend!”

“Eww,” Su Yiyi squealed, getting goosebumps. He rubbed his arms in mock disgust. “Don’t seduce me! I’m never going to be a ‘Top’ for you.”

Pei Yisheng: “…”

His sincere gratitude vanished, replaced only by despair for the “gay world.”

Su Yiyi cackled. Teasing straight guys was just too much fun. “Then let’s go to the library this afternoon. We can check out the environment we’ll be fighting in.”

Pei Yisheng agreed, and after setting a time to head out, Su Yiyi finally left.

The September sun beat down. Pei Yisheng and Su Yiyi stuck to the shade of the trees. When they passed a long, leafy corridor, Su Yiyi refused to walk any further and dragged Pei Yisheng onto a bench to rest.

“Is our school really this big? Why do we have to walk so far?” Su Yiyi was already starting to lose his motivation.

Pei Yisheng felt fine in fact, he was full of energy. He encouraged him, “Resting in the middle of nowhere is just more uncomfortable. Hang in there. Once we get to the library’s cafe, I’ll buy you a drink.”

Su Yiyi perked up. “Okay, let’s go.”

As they walked and talked, Su Yiyi’s eyes wandered to distract himself from the heat. Suddenly, he reached out and stopped Pei Yisheng. “Shengsheng, look! Over there is that my husband?!”

“Who is your husband?!” Pei Yisheng asked in horror. He hadn’t heard anything about Su Yiyi having a husband!

Su Yiyi “ah-ed” sheepishly. “It’s Qin Zhou! Everyone’s ‘Cyber Husband.’ Look ahead, is that him? Who’s that pestering him? How brave.”

Pei Yisheng was speechless. Cyber Husband… He followed Su Yiyi’s finger. Qin Zhou looked utterly impatient. Another, slightly shorter boy with a suitcase was blocking his path. They couldn’t hear the conversation, but the radar in Pei Yisheng’s brain began beeping wildly.

Holy moly. Had he just stumbled upon the “First Encounter” scene between Qin Zhou and the Lead Receiver, Fang Xin?!

Was this something a mere “Extra” like him was allowed to watch? Pei Yisheng grabbed Su Yiyi. “Let’s go, let’s go. If Qin Zhou sees you gossiping about him, he’ll come over and deck you.”

“I doubt it…” Su Yiyi hesitated, unwilling to leave. After all, not everyone gets to witness live gossip. But when he looked up and saw Qin Zhou’s cold eyes fixing on them, he immediately lost his nerve. He grabbed Pei Yisheng’s hand and bolted.

In the midst of their retreat, Pei Yisheng glanced back. He saw Qin Zhou lowering his head to speak to Fang Xin, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

Great! Freedom is just around the corner!

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