After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 27

Perhaps because it was a rare opportunity to travel, Tao Ran’s mind remained high-strung all day. Lying on the bed with Qi Yuxiao, eyes closed, sleep eluded him for a long time.

After about half an hour, Tao Ran finally resigned himself to fate. He opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

He really couldn’t sleep.

Tao Ran tilted his head slightly, his scalp just barely brushing against Qi Yuxiao’s chin. He immediately held his breath. After a few seconds of stillness, once he was certain the person sleeping beside him showed no signs of waking, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he hadn’t woken Qi Yuxiao.

Tao Ran blinked in the dim light. He realized that by lifting his head, his face had moved even closer to Qi Yuxiao’s. His fluttering eyelashes lightly swept against the tip of the other’s nose. He could hear Qi Yuxiao’s steady breathing, and his eyes traced the sharp, clean contours of Qi Yuxiao’s features.

Feeling the temperature under the covers suddenly rise, a flush of heat spread across Tao Ran’s face. Fortunately, his hand resting outside the blanket was still cold. He quickly used the back of his chilled, reddened hand to cool his face while tilting his head to think.

The reason he couldn’t sleep was likely his posture.

Based on his own observations, Tao Ran usually only slept in one position: lying flat on his back with his hands resting on his lower abdomen. Because of this, he believed he was a very quiet sleeper; he always fell asleep on his back and woke up the next morning in the exact same position.

He suddenly remembered a conversation he’d had with Xu Jia Li about this.

Upon hearing it, Xu Jia Li hadn’t been convinced. He had held Tao Ran’s head to examine it closely. “That doesn’t seem right. Your head is quite round, and with your dark hair, you look like a little mangosteen from afar. People who always sleep flat on their backs usually have flat heads.”

Still, Tao Ran didn’t doubt himself.

He concluded that the current insomnia was due to the change in posture. Or perhaps, it was partially because Qi Yuxiao was holding him too tightly.

Tao Ran shifted his body, trying to slip out of Qi Yuxiao’s embrace to attempt sleeping on his back again. He gently lifted the arm draped over his lower back. Just as he was about to move, the other party’s hand instinctively snapped shut, gripping his wrist with alert precision.

Thinking he had woken Qi Yuxiao, Tao Ran looked over, only to find the other’s eyes still closed. Even in deep sleep, Qi Yuxiao carried an air of dangerous vigilance. He began to twist Tao Ran’s hand behind his back.

The pressure on his wrist finally eased, but before Tao Ran could breathe a sigh of relief, that same arm pulled him forward by the waist again. The force nearly caused Tao Ran’s lips to collide with Qi Yuxiao’s chin. Fortunately, he checked his movement just in time to avoid an accidental kiss.

Tao Ran’s heart pounded, and his ears rang. He swallowed nervously. Raising his eyes again, he collided with a pair of dark, profound orbs. Qi Yuxiao had woken up at some point.

Startled again, Tao Ran immediately whispered, “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

“No.”

Qi Yuxiao closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the irritable haze of someone newly awakened had vanished. His voice carried a low rasp. “Why are you awake so early?”

“I’m not,” Tao Ran murmured, glancing at Qi Yuxiao’s face. Noticing that he wasn’t as cold as the last time he’d been woken in the dorm, Tao Ran continued, “I haven’t fallen asleep yet.”

Qi Yuxiao: “You can’t sleep?”

“Yes. I think it’s because of my sleeping position,” Tao Ran said. “I usually only like sleeping flat on my back. I’m not used to a different posture.”

Tao Ran hesitated. He felt it was better to speak up now; if he waited until Qi Yuxiao made it a habit, it might be impossible to change. He stole a careful glance at Qi Yuxiao and summoned his courage. “Qi Yuxiao, I think you hold me too tightly sometimes. It makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.”

Qi Yuxiao froze, seemingly surprised by the thought. “Is it too tight?”

“Yes,” Tao Ran nodded honestly. “Sometimes I find it hard to breathe, like right now.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuxiao quickly released his grip on Tao Ran’s waist and apologized with a sincere attitude. “I’m sorry. I never considered that. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Feeling physically liberated, Tao Ran’s mood brightened. This was the first time he had tried to actively state a preference in a social interaction. He was glad Qi Yuxiao wasn’t overbearing or unreasonable.

Taking advantage of the momentum, he gave a small smile and continued softly, “So, when we sleep together in the future, can we stop hugging? I feel like we’re already close enough on the bed that you can still smell the scent, right?”

Qi Yuxiao: “…”

The response time was much slower than before. After a long silence, Tao Ran finally heard him reply, “Alright. I’ll try.”

For some reason, the air suddenly went still. It was a bit awkward.

Seeing that the other man didn’t say anything else, Tao Ran began to worry that he had asked for too much and made Qi Yuxiao unhappy. To change the subject, he racked his brain. “Um… are we going straight back to school tomorrow after we come down from the mountain?”

Qi Yuxiao: “No rush. I bought tickets for the afternoon train. If you want to keep exploring, we have the whole morning. If we’re tired, we can catch up on sleep at the hotel.”

“Okay.”

Qi Yuxiao sat up. “Are you hungry? There’s a food street near the hotel. Want to go check it out?”

“Yes, definitely!” Tao Ran grew interested. “Let’s ask Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang if they want to go.”

He took out his phone and tagged them in the dorm group chat to see if they were awake. However, by the time they were ready to head out, there was still no reply.

Tao Ran looked at his phone. “Huh, they haven’t replied.” Qi Yuxiao: “They’re probably still sleeping.” “Probably.” Qi Yuxiao: “We’ll go first and check in with them later.” “Okay.”

The two left the hotel and walked for ten minutes before reaching the food street Qi Yuxiao mentioned. This street was specifically developed for tourists, featuring heavy commercial vibes and neat rows of uniform food carts. From a distance, it looked incredibly lively, overflowing with the atmosphere of daily life.

Tao Ran rarely visited such places, and his eyes were full of wonder as he looked at the stalls.

Qi Yuxiao: “Is there anything you want to eat?”

Tao Ran’s gaze scanned the stalls one by one, a conflicted expression appearing on his face. “Everything looks so delicious. I want to try it all, but I can’t eat that much.”

“It’s fine,” Qi Yuxiao said. “Eat whatever you want.” Seeing Tao Ran still hesitating, he added, “We’re already here.”

That phrase carried a powerful persuasive energy. Tao Ran was instantly convinced and smiled. “You’re right.”

“Then I’ll eat…” Tao Ran’s eyes landed on a takoyaki stall a few steps away. He pointed it out to Qi Yuxiao. “I’ll get this first. I’ve never had it.”

“Okay.”

The two walked over together. The vendor, a middle-aged man, saw them and smiled broadly. “Would you two handsome young men like some takoyaki? A large original is 20 yuan, small is 15. Other flavors are on the sign.”

Tao Ran looked at the plump, round octopus balls and swallowed hard before studying the menu. “Boss, I’ll take a small original portion.”

“Coming right up!”

Tao Ran was about to open his phone to scan the QR code for payment, but in the blink of an eye, Qi Yuxiao had already stepped forward, scanned the code, and finished the payment.

Tao Ran started to speak, but the boss had already packed the takoyaki and handed it over. “Here you go, a small portion of takoyaki.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, boss.”

The aroma wafted through the air, and Tao Ran’s attention was immediately captured by the food. Holding the paper box, he felt a surge of hunger and eagerly poked one with a skewer. The ball was fresh from the pan, steaming hot.

Qi Yuxiao warned: “Careful, it’s hot.”

“Okay.” Tao Ran blew on the ball several times. Once it had cooled, he popped it into his mouth.

The ball was soft, savory, and fresh. He could clearly taste the chewy piece of octopus inside. Combined with the pork floss and seaweed toppings, his taste buds were fully awakened. Tao Ran’s eyes lit up. “It’s delicious!”

Qi Yuxiao watched him squint with satisfaction, his own lips curling into a faint smile. “As long as it’s good.”

“You try some too.” Tao Ran held the box out to Qi Yuxiao.

“Alright.” Qi Yuxiao took the box, but didn’t eat immediately. Instead, he asked, “What else do you want to try?”

“Let me look.” Tao Ran began a new round of searching.

As they followed the crowd, Tao Ran was drawn to a chef publicly tossing dough in the street. “Banana pancakes,” Tao Ran read the sign. It looked good. He turned to Qi Yuxiao. “I want to buy this.”

“Sure.” Qi Yuxiao handed the takoyaki back. “It’s not as hot now. Want some more?”

“Oh, right.” Tao Ran took them back. While he ate, Qi Yuxiao ordered and paid for the banana pancake. Just as Tao Ran finished two more octopus balls, he was handed a steaming hot banana pancake.

With his phone in one hand and the takoyaki in the other, Tao Ran suddenly didn’t know how to take it. Qi Yuxiao naturally reached out, gesturing for him to hand over the takoyaki.

“Thank you.” Tao Ran handed them over, then remembered. “You didn’t have any yet. Try them; they’re really good.”

“Okay.”

While eating his pancake, Tao Ran stole a glance at Qi Yuxiao and saw him eating the takoyaki. Even in a crowded snack street, eating while walking, his manners remained elegant.

Tao Ran looked away and spotted a sauce-brushed pancake stall, unable to resist buying some. By the time they had finished four or five different snacks, Tao Ran was starting to feel full.

However, they soon came across a Xinjiang BBQ stall. Seeing the meat sizzling over the charcoal fire, Tao Ran felt another craving. He was conflicted about whether to buy it since he hadn’t finished the previous items and didn’t want to waste food.

When he turned to look at Qi Yuxiao, he discovered that Qi Yuxiao had quietly finished almost everything Tao Ran had abandoned after a few bites! He realized that throughout the walk, Qi Yuxiao hadn’t proactively bought anything for himself; he had just been sharing Tao Ran’s portions. Since Qi Yuxiao could eat it all, it meant he must be hungry.

Tao Ran’s eyes darted around as he asked tentatively, “Qi Yuxiao, do you want some mutton skewers?”

Qi Yuxiao glanced at him. “Sure.”

Aha!

I knew it!

Qi Yuxiao was just too embarrassed to buy things for himself. Was this part of the “male god” burden? Tao Ran didn’t understand it, but he respected it. Feeling a newfound mission to keep Qi Yuxiao fed, he said to the vendor, “Boss, give me five skewers.”

After that, they bought stinky tofu, tiramisu, pork tenderloin patties, and several other items. Tao Ran was actually quite full, so he would only take a few light bites before handing the rest to Qi Yuxiao to “try.”

Qi Yuxiao accepted them calmly and finished them all with elegant poise, looking as though he could still keep going. Tao Ran was genuinely shocked and couldn’t help but frown.

How is Qi Yuxiao never full?

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