After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 12

After walking out of the playground, Tao Ran felt the weight on his shoulder lift as Qi Yuxiao removed his hand.

Qi Yuxiao unscrewed the cap of the mineral water he had bought and handed it to Tao Ran. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Tao Ran took the water, tilted his head back, and took a few sips.

The cool water moistened his dry throat, making his body feel much more comfortable. Tao Ran blinked and voiced the confusion he had felt earlier.

“Qi Yuxiao, why do I get the feeling that that guy is a bit afraid of you? Did you know each other before?”

“We’ve met a few times; he is a classmate of a friend of mine.” Qi Yuxiao’s expression was cool and indifferent. “I’ve run into him a few times outside as well.”

As for Zhao Kaiyun, the mere mention of him felt like a breath of foul air. He paused for a moment and reminded Tao Ran with a serious expression, “In the future, it is best if you stay away from him. He is not a good person.”

“I try to avoid him every time.” Tao Ran’s eyes drooped, and his voice sounded low. “But he always persistently comes over and says strange things to me.”

Qi Yuxiao paused slightly and asked, “What does he say to you?”

“He… he said that he and I are the ‘same kind’.”

Tao Ran had racked his brain but couldn’t figure out which “kind” they were supposed to share. With a look of curiosity, he tilted his head slightly to look at Qi Yuxiao. “Do you know what that means?”

Qi Yuxiao came to an abrupt halt, his brows knitting tightly. “What else did he say?”

“Um… He also said that he wasn’t before, but after seeing me, he is.” Tao Ran stopped beside him, looking bewildered. “I really don’t understand what he’s talking about.”

Qi Yuxiao’s eyelashes lowered, casting a gloomy shadow. He said in a deep voice, “Don’t spend a single second thinking about anything he says. Just treat him as if he has a mental illness.”

Although he didn’t know the specific reason, Tao Ran felt that if Qi Yuxiao said so, there must be a good reason for it. Besides, Tao Ran quite agreed—that Zhao Kaiyun really did seem to have something wrong with his head.

So, without giving it another thought, he nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

Suddenly remembering something, Tao Ran felt a bit of a headache. “But I still have to go running.”

Everyone had their own business to attend to, and Tao Ran had no reason to force others to accompany him.

“In the future, when you want to go running, tell me. I will go with you.” Qi Yuxiao turned his gaze toward Tao Ran.

Under the bright streetlights, one could see the fine, soft peach fuzz on Tao Ran’s porcelain-white face. His eyes were dark and clear, his facial lines soft and harmless, and the aura around him was quiet and pure.

Zhuo Qiang had mentioned that Tao Ran rarely went to school in the past due to illness. Having had little communication with the outside world, he had developed his current dull and introverted personality.

He was simple-minded and innocent, and coupled with his beautiful appearance, he was exactly the type to attract the attention of creeps.

Qi Yuxiao’s eyes darkened as he instructed in a low voice, “If anything happens in the future, call me anytime.”

A bleak autumn breeze blew past, swirling a few withered yellow leaves. The moon hung high in the sky, scattering a layer of clear silver light over the ground.

“Re… really?”

Tao Ran’s heart skipped a beat at Qi Yuxiao’s words. He felt it was almost unbelievable, his eyelashes trembling. “Will this… be too much trouble for you?”

Qi Yuxiao said, “It is no trouble.”

“Mm.” The corners of Tao Ran’s lips curled up, a dimple appearing on his cheek as he thanked him sincerely. “Qi Yuxiao, you are so kind.”

Qi Yuxiao stared at his smile for a few seconds before saying calmly, “Let’s go, back to the dorm.”

“Okay.”

Halfway back, the phone in Qi Yuxiao’s hand vibrated. It was a message from Jiang Zhao.

Jiang Zhao: [Holy crap, where did you sneak off to?!] Jiang Zhao: [We agreed to go to class together, but you disappeared without a word while I was sleeping. Luckily I woke up in time to sign you in.]

Qi Yuxiao looked down and replied: [Had something to do.]

Jiang Zhao: [Just keep fooling me! What kind of massive event is worth you cutting class?] Jiang Zhao: [Where are you now? I just finished class. Hurry up and drive over to pick me up, then tell your housekeeper to make more late-night snacks. I’m going to crash at your place for a meal. Then, open up that game I saved in your media room last time. Since we both don’t have class tomorrow, how about staying up all night with me to clear the game?]

After scanning Jiang Zhao’s long and tedious message, Qi Yuxiao was about to reply when he heard Tao Ran call his name in a soft voice.

“Qi Yuxiao, will you be staying at the dorm to sleep tonight?”

Qi Yuxiao’s thoughts stirred. After half a second of consideration, he replied, “I will.”

Half a minute later, Jiang Zhao, who had just walked out of the teaching building, received a reply.

Qi Yuxiao: [Staying at the dorm tonight. You know my front door code; if you want to eat, go over yourself.]

Jiang Zhao was petrified on the spot, slowly typing out a single: What?

Jiang Zhao: [Didn’t you say before class that you were going home!]

Failing to get a shared meal, Jiang Zhao could only head back to his own dorm while grumbling.

He was the only “single dog” in his room; everyone else was out on dates at this hour.

Jiang Zhao came out after a shower and was about to start a game when he heard a knock on the door.

“Brother Zhao, open up.” The voice sounded like Zhao Kaiyun from the room next door.

Jiang Zhao opened the door, and sure enough, it was Zhao Kaiyun. “What’s up? Something on your mind?”

“Brother Zhao, is anyone else in your room? I’ll come in and then we can talk.”

Zhao Kaiyun was a regular guest in their dorm. After entering and closing the door, he naturally pulled up a chair, rubbed his hands, and asked, “Brother Zhao, when are you going to help me get Tao Ran’s WeChat?”

Jiang Zhao gave an “oh.” “I’m still looking into it. A friend of mine is his roommate, but that guy never likes to mind other people’s business. His lips are sealed; you basically can’t get anything out of him.”

Zhao Kaiyun’s expression became complicated. “Is that friend you’re talking about Qi Yuxiao?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Zhao gave a curious “hey.” “How did you know?”

“Uh, actually…” Zhao Kaiyun hesitated. “It seems like the whole school knows by now.”

He immediately opened a hot thread on a school forum and handed the phone to Jiang Zhao.

Title: [Have you guys noticed that a new little hottie has been hanging around the school hunk lately?]

I noticed a guy sitting with the school hunk during the elective class, and someone even posted photos in the group chats. At first, I thought they were just classmates, but I’ve seen them walking together in lots of places lately.

I want to get some info on this cutie.

I was there during the elective class!! I saw him up close; he is really beautiful. His skin is so white and his face is so small, he looks like he walked out of a manga. [Image][Image][Image]

I thought they weren’t close at first, but I saw them chatting during the break. Later, they even went back to the dorm together. I took photos of that too. [Image][Image][Image]

A handsome guy next to another handsome guy!!

What??? It’s been two months since the freshmen started, and I’ve been active in all the academies and clubs, yet I never noticed this level of beauty!

@RoommateSecretary, give me all the info on this new hottie in three seconds.

Info is here. This is Tao Ran from Fine Arts Class 2, and he is Qi Yuxiao’s roommate! Roommate!

I ran into him in the cafeteria once. It was so crowded that I accidentally bumped into him. It was my fault, but he apologized to me first. It made me feel so embarrassed. His voice is so nice, he has a great temper, and he smells so good, hehehe…

Updated one hour ago:

Spotted! Spotted! I finally ran into them!

Saw Qi Yuxiao running with him on the playground. [Image][Image][Image]

Off-topic, but is it just me, or do these two look really good together? They are so well-matched. [Drooling][Drooling]

Replying to the above: Finally found my people.

Found my people +1

I’ve come home +1

Feels good to be home +10086

“!!!”

Jiang Zhao squinted, almost thinking he had seen it wrong.

What was he looking at? The photo of them running together was updated just an hour ago.

Wasn’t that exactly when Qi Yuxiao was cutting class?

Thinking there might be some extenuating circumstances, Jiang Zhao calmed the storm in his heart and continued reading. An instant later, his eyes widened.

Zhao Kaiyun added fuel to the fire from the side. “Brother Zhao, you have no idea how people are spreading rumors now. Some are even saying Qi Yuxiao and Tao Ran are a couple.”

“What the hell?” As if he had seen something filthy, Jiang Zhao muttered, “How unlucky, unlucky, unlucky.”

He nimbly reported every single comment that shipped them while cursing, “Are they sick, spreading this kind of stuff?”

Seeing Jiang Zhao’s reaction, Zhao Kaiyun’s heart settled slightly, but he still asked tentatively, “Brother Zhao, is what they’re saying true?”

“Of course it’s false,” Jiang Zhao said. “You don’t know—given Qi Yuxiao’s level of homophobia, if he saw these comments, he’d probably be in the bathroom throwing up for ages.”

A flash of joy crossed Zhao Kaiyun’s eyes. “Qi Yuxiao… is homophobic?”

“Back in high school…” Jiang Zhao’s mouth almost slipped, but he caught himself in time. “Anyway, let’s not mention it; it’s bad luck. In short, he doesn’t like that group of people. He avoids them like the plague.”

“But you saw the post too. He and Tao Ran seem to have a very good relationship.” Zhao Kaiyun sighed, sounding worried. “I’m losing confidence in pursuing Tao Ran. He’s clearly gay. Qi Yuxiao is so handsome and they spend every day together; it’s hard to say if…”

Jiang Zhao instantly dropped his expression and interrupted him. “It’s just a surface-level relationship. Qi Yuxiao rarely returns to the dorm; how could they be together every day? If they were really that close, Qi Yuxiao would have introduced him to me.”

“But since you put it that way, I really should give him a reminder.” Jiang Zhao looked at Zhao Kaiyun and gave a solemn guarantee. “Don’t worry, there is no way those two are possible.”

A homophobic straight guy and a naturally pure gay guy? Even if the sky fell, there would be no result.

“Alright, thanks Brother Zhao.”

Mission accomplished, Zhao Kaiyun felt refreshed and was about to leave. Just then, a call came in, and he answered it right in front of Jiang Zhao without hesitation. “Hello? Xiao Mei.”

“You say you’ve had a breakup? Where are you now? Oh, the Tianyun Hotel, king-size room. Don’t cry, I’m coming to stay with you now.”

Zhao Kaiyun hung up and saw Jiang Zhao staring at him with a look of utter disbelief. He gave an embarrassed smile.

Jiang Zhao: “…” Jiang Zhao: “Haven’t you been pursuing Tao Ran lately?”

Zhao Kaiyun seemed puzzled. “What does pursuing Tao Ran have to do with me going to stay with a heartbroken friend right now?”

Jiang Zhao sneered. “A hotel king-size room, a man and a woman alone—are you sure it’s just ‘staying’?”

“Sigh, I thought you’d understand me, Brother Zhao.” Zhao Kaiyun put on a disappointed face. “I’ve been ‘playing single-player’ for a week just to chase Tao Ran. If I don’t go resolve this, I’m going to explode.”

Jiang Zhao was speechless and let out a scoff. “Hearing you nag me every day for Tao Ran’s contact info, I thought you were actually serious.”

Zhao Kaiyun argued righteously: “Tao Ran is beautiful, and failing to catch him truly makes one’s heart itch. But he is a guy after all; how can he be as comfortable to sleep with as a girl, right?”

“…”

Jiang Zhao felt his worldview being severely twisted. He often felt that he wasn’t “distorted” enough to fit in with these classmates.

Zhao Kaiyun, however, took it as normal. “By the way, Xiao Wu in the room next door said there’s a club downtown where the girls are beautiful and sweet-talkers. We want to go play there this weekend; do you want to join?”

Jiang Zhao waved him off. “I’m not going.”

Zhao Kaiyun kept trying to persuade him: “Sigh, Brother Zhao, you’ll know how wonderful it is once you go.”

Jiang Zhao remained unmoved, gloomily reminding him, “Careful you don’t catch a disease.”

“Stop popping pills, there’s training next week,” Jiang Zhao said. “And be careful you don’t get caught.”

“I won’t,” Zhao Kaiyun said dismissively.

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