After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 21

After more than half a month of night running, Tao Ran’s physical fitness had significantly improved, and he completed the 1000-meter test with relative ease.

Tao Ran reached the finish line just a few steps behind Qi Yuxiao.

“You ran very fast.” Qi Yuxiao unscrewed a bottle of water and waited for Tao Ran to catch his breath before handing it to him.

“Thank you.” Tao Ran took the water and took a sip to soothe his throat.

“Rest for a bit. Shall we go for the indoor fitness tests this afternoon?”

“Okay.”

However, remembering the remaining items to be completed, Tao Ran lost his energy before he could even celebrate passing the 1000-meter test.

Aside from the long-distance run, there was another test that was quite a headache: pull-ups.

Tao Ran recalled his results from his third year of high school.

They were simply disastrous.

Seeing Tao Ran’s small face almost wrinkled in worry, Qi Yuxiao guessed what he was fretting about and said, “Do not worry. As long as you complete the other items well and ensure your total score is a passing grade, it is okay to give up on the pull-ups.”

He wondered if such a clever plan actually existed.

Being a good student, Tao Ran did not quite dare to take the risk. He sighed and said, “I think I should still try to do a few.”

After waking up from their nap, Tao Ran and Qi Yuxiao went to the indoor fitness testing center together.

The first item was measuring height and weight.

Tao Ran took off his shoes and stood on the scale. Qi Yuxiao stood nearby and glanced at the display. When his eyes swept over the weight and BMI value, his brow furrowed.

“Too thin,” he commented.

“I think I am okay.” After the measurement, Tao Ran stepped off the machine and rubbed his nose. “I usually eat quite a lot.”

After putting on his shoes, he leaned over to take a look and discovered with surprise: “I actually grew taller!”

“By how much?”

“One and a half centimeters!” Tao Ran said happily. “It must be because I have been eating a lot lately, so I grew taller.”

“Then you can eat even more in the future,” Qi Yuxiao said.

“I might not be able to eat that much more,” Tao Ran said casually. “I have been eating at the school cafeteria for two months straight, and I am getting a bit tired of it.”

“The auntie at my house is a great cook. She can make different meals for months without repeating a dish,” Qi Yuxiao said. “If you do not want to eat at the cafeteria, I can have her prepare lunch and dinner every day to be sent to you.”

Tao Ran: “!!!?”

Tao Ran had anticipated that the other man might complain about the cafeteria food being monotonous with him, or perhaps recommend a good restaurant.

He had never expected Qi Yuxiao to come out with something so eye-opening.

Qi Yuxiao was someone who could move out to live on his own shortly after the semester started, so his family background was likely quite well-off.

But the fact that he had an auntie who could cook for him at any time even while he was at university…

Tao Ran found it extraordinary.

The gap between people was truly wider than the gap between humans and dogs.

But how could Tao Ran feel comfortable with that? He hurriedly declined: “I think it is better not to. It is too much trouble.”

“It is no trouble,” Qi Yuxiao said indifferently.

He had rarely returned to his house outside of school lately. When he went back a few days ago, he even heard the auntie complaining. She felt unsettled because she received such a high salary every month but rarely got to cook a few meals for him.

“I still think it is better not to,” Tao Ran refused again.

Qi Yuxiao did not insist further, and Tao Ran assumed he had listened.

The two of them soon completed the simpler fitness test items.

Only the pull-ups remained.

There were three machines for pull-ups. People were already using the ones on the left and right, while the middle machine was vacant.

As they walked closer step by step, Tao Ran felt a surge of nervousness, as if he were about to be escorted to an execution ground.

He decisively took a step back and hid behind Qi Yuxiao.

Qi Yuxiao looked at him curiously. Tao Ran yielded politely: “You go first.”

“Fine.”

Qi Yuxiao was in a relaxed state, looking as if he could do them at any time.

When he walked under the bar, he took off his jacket.

Seeing this, Tao Ran obediently stepped forward to take the jacket and then stepped aside.

Qi Yuxiao was wearing a solid grey T-shirt. His dark pupils were calm and ripple-free, and his thin lips were slightly pursed.

As he gripped the horizontal bar with an overhand grip, the muscle lines of his exposed arms appeared sleek and powerful, and his finger joints were well-defined. As he exerted force, the veins on the back of his hands suddenly bulged.

Tao Ran’s pupils dilated slightly, and he blinked dazed.

The way Qi Yuxiao looked… he looked so…

Tao Ran swallowed hard and began to brainwash himself.

I must treat Qi Yuxiao as a Beta or an Omega. Beta, Omega, Beta, Omega…

Pull-ups required twenty for a perfect score. Qi Yuxiao stopped when he reached twenty.

He was too lazy to do even one more.

When he walked back and saw Tao Ran clearly spacing out, he lightly patted the boy’s cheek with the back of his fingers. The contact felt soft and hot.

Tao Ran snapped back to his senses, his hollow gaze gradually focusing.

Qi Yuxiao asked with a light laugh: “You haven’t even started yet. Why is your face so red?”

“It is not. It might just be that there are many people here, so it is a bit stuffy,” Tao Ran explained in a muffled voice. In a corner no one noticed, his ears also turned a shade of pale pink.

However, he soon had no mind to overthink things.

“Qi Yuxiao, how can you do so many?” Tao Ran sighed, his gaze toward Qi Yuxiao carrying a hint of resentment.

Qi Yuxiao getting a perfect score right away undoubtedly put pressure on Tao Ran.

If he was the only one who performed poorly, would it not be very embarrassing?

Qi Yuxiao patted Tao Ran on the shoulder: “Your total score is already a passing grade. Just do a few casually.”

Despite those words, Tao Ran took several deep breaths and found he was still a bit nervous.

Seeing him hesitating in place and not daring to step forward, Qi Yuxiao said considerately, “If you feel nervous, you can do them later.”

Tao Ran nodded.

So the two of them began to secretly observe the people taking the test nearby.

Tao Ran’s attention was soon drawn to a boy at the leftmost bar. The boy’s face turned bright red, and he strained his neck, panting heavily just to barely pull his body up.

When the time was up, the boy let go of the bar and ran to check his score. He instantly lost his temper and cursed: “Damn it! What a piece of junk machine! I struggled to do ten, but it only recorded five!”

A boy with him said: “Are you serious? But the school machines are indeed poor. It missed some of mine when I was doing them too.”

“It is a lie,” Qi Yuxiao whispered to Tao Ran. “He ran out of strength toward the end, and his height was too low, so the machine did not capture it.”

Tao Ran: “…”

A few minutes later, another group of people came for the pull-up test.

After each boy finished and saw the score on the display, they all burst out in curses in unison.

“Holy crap! How is it only three!”

“Six. It is all because that bar was too slippery; I did not perform well.”

“I did it over again, but how is it one less than the first time!”

“The 1000-meter run this morning ruined my pull-ups this afternoon!”

“…”

After observing several groups of people, Tao Ran suddenly realized that this was the true average level of college students.

People with powerful physiques like Qi Yuxiao were the rare exceptions.

It turned out everyone was quite weak.

Tao Ran completely relaxed his mind.

In the end, Tao Ran exceeded his normal level and did six pull-ups.

The physical fitness test thus came to a successful conclusion.

On the first night after stopping the night runs, Tao Ran did not experience any withdrawal symptoms. He could eat, drink, and sleep well, and his mood was very pleasant.

From Sunday to Tuesday, Tao Ran took three days off and booked a hotel room outside the school, staying alone for three full days.

On the night he stopped using the scent blocker, Tao Ran’s pheromones erupted, filling every corner of the room.

It was not until three days later that only a few wisps of lingering fragrance remained in the air.

Tao Ran sniffed his arm and felt the pheromone scent was appropriate; it was at a concentration that could only be smelled when up close.

Just as he was about to pack his things and check out, Su Jiali sent a message.

Su Jiali: [Tao Ran, are you finished visiting your relatives? Are you returning to school tonight?]

Tao Ran’s reason for taking leave was to visit a seriously ill relative. When he saw the message, he stopped packing and replied: [Yes, I am heading back now.]

Su Jiali: [Zhuo Qiang and I, along with a few guys from the next dorm, are going to an internet cafe to play games all night. We will not be in the dorm tonight.]

Su Jiali: [As for Qi Yuxiao,]

Su Jiali: [He hasn’t been back since you took your leave. I do not know if he is coming back today. Be prepared to be a ‘left-behind child’ tonight.]

Tao Ran understood: [No problem. Go ahead and have fun.]

It was already night when Tao Ran returned to the dormitory. The first thing he did was take a shower.

He changed into a new set of pale yellow pajamas. The warm color made his skin look delicate and white. When he emerged from the steamy bathroom, he looked like a piece of mutton-fat jade that had been soaked in warm water.

Tao Ran rubbed his hair and was about to grab the hair dryer when the dormitory door made an unlocking sound.

Someone was back.

Tao Ran was slightly stunned. According to Su Jiali, he was supposed to be a left-behind child tonight.

The door was pushed open after a few seconds. Tao Ran looked over curiously and his eyes met the person who entered.

“Qi Yuxiao?” Tao Ran’s eyes widened in surprise.

After the fitness test, Qi Yuxiao had taken a phone call and left. Since Tao Ran had been on leave, they had not seen each other for several days.

But Qi Yuxiao tonight was different from his usual self.

Beneath the dark, messy hair on the young man’s forehead, his cheeks were flushed with an unusual faint red. His eyes lacked their usual calm and clarity, and he walked in with somewhat sluggish steps.

Tao Ran watched his movements. He saw the tall figure sway slightly and then suddenly bump into the bed frame next to him with a loud “clang.”

“Qi Yuxiao!” Tao Ran was so startled that he dropped the hair dryer and ran over to support him. “Are you okay?”

As he supported him, he clearly smelled the scent of alcohol on Qi Yuxiao.

Tao Ran asked hesitantly: “Qi Yuxiao, are you drunk?”

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