After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 3

Why was Qi Yuxiao in the dormitory?

Had he been sleeping in bed this entire time?

He looked as though he had been startled awake, and his expression was even fiercer than usual. Tao Ran thought back to the sequence of his actions since returning: the sound of pulling the curtains, the noise of opening the takeout box, and finally, the crashing of the mug.

In an instant, the phrase “I’m dead” cycled through Tao Ran’s mind ten thousand times.

“I… I am so sorry. Did I disturb you?” Tao Ran’s expression was frantic as he hurriedly explained and apologized. “I really didn’t know anyone was in the dorm.”

“I didn’t see anyone when I came in. I thought you were all still in class.”

“I am truly sorry for waking you up.”

Tao Ran’s nervous speech system was in shambles; he could only mechanically repeat “I am sorry” like a broken record. This caused Qi Yuxiao’s sleep-deprived brain to throb with pain.

His brows furrowed tightly, and he couldn’t help but interrupt. “Stop talking.”

His voice was deep. When his expression was blank, the atmospheric pressure around him dropped significantly. Even though his tone was calm, it still conveyed coldness and impatience.

“…” Tao Ran fell silent instantly. He lowered his head, not daring to look at him, and his face turned slightly pale.

Now he was truly finished. His relationship with Qi Yuxiao was already awkward enough, and now he had made him angry. Every Wednesday afternoon from now on—no, every time he returned to the dorm—he would have to double-check if anyone was sleeping.

Although the atmosphere was tense, leaving the shards of the mug scattered on the floor was not an option. Tao Ran prepared himself to be scolded again, but his voice still trembled slightly as he asked timidly, “Um… may I clean up the broken cup first?”

Seeing that Qi Yuxiao remained silent, he quickly added, “I promise I will be very quiet. I won’t disturb your sleep again.”

Qi Yuxiao gave him a faint glance and tossed out a single word. “Whatever.”

Then, with another “shhh” sound, he pulled the bed curtains shut again.

The dormitory fell back into silence, though Qi Yuxiao’s somewhat heavy, frustrated breathing could still be heard. Tao Ran picked up the shards of the mug with extreme care, even placing them into the trash can with caution. He didn’t dare use a broom for the remaining small pieces; instead, he used several tissues to wipe them up.

Qi Yuxiao was likely trying to fall back asleep, and any further noise might trigger his annoyance. After a moment of thought, Tao Ran picked up the pajamas he had changed out of this morning. He squeezed his body through the small gap in the glass door and moved onto the balcony with slow, wriggling motions.

He even kept the shower water pressure low, fearing the noise would wake Qi Yuxiao. Tonight, Tao Ran took a hot bath. When he emerged from the bathroom, his skin was steaming and water was dripping from his wet hair. He dried it a few times with a towel and was about to pull open the glass door to find his hair dryer when he suddenly halted his movements.

His mind was slipping again; he had almost forgotten Qi Yuxiao was still sleeping inside. He wriggled back into the dorm just as he had left, then sat upright in his chair with his hair still damp.

After playing on his phone out of boredom for a while, Tao Ran’s gaze shifted to his own arm. He suddenly leaned in and sniffed. For some reason, he felt that his pheromone scent was a bit strong tonight. Was it because his heat had just ended yesterday and the concentration hadn’t had time to drop? Or was it because of the hot water? Heat made scents dissipate more easily.

Qi Yuxiao lay on his bed with his eyes closed. The curtains blocked the light well, the room was dark enough, and his roommate had settled down without making a single sound.

Yet, he still couldn’t fall asleep.

In fact, he had been awake even before Tao Ran returned. He had only opened the curtain because he heard something shatter and wanted to check the situation, but his roommate seemed to have misunderstood something.

Severe sleep disorders made it very difficult for him to drift off. Even though his brain was sending signals of exhaustion, his nerves remained excited, making him hyper-sensitive to his surroundings. Initially, he thought he just wasn’t used to dormitory life, but even after moving out, his insomnia had not improved.

Last night in the dorm had been the most stable sleep he’d had since the start of the semester. He thought it might be the environment, so he had returned to the dorm to catch up on sleep during his break. But as it turned out, he couldn’t sleep here either.

If it wasn’t the environment, then what was it?

Suddenly, Qi Yuxiao captured a very faint sound of water from the balcony. After a while, the sound of footsteps approached from a distance. He could tell the owner of the footsteps was walking very carefully, but wet slippers inevitably made a slight noise.

Being unable to sleep for so long made his nerves tense and irritable. At that moment, Tao Ran must have finished his shower and walked back to his seat. As he passed under Qi Yuxiao’s bed, a familiar fragrance drifted upward.

It was a faint herbal scent wrapped in the mellow, sweet aroma of fruit. Qi Yuxiao usually disliked overly sweet things, but this scent was neither too thick nor too thin. The freshness and sweetness were balanced perfectly, gently lingering in his breath. As it entered his body with his breathing, it smoothed out his tense and restless nerves. His mood gradually grew peaceful.

Gradually, a heavy wave of sleepiness swept over him. At the moment his thoughts cut off, Qi Yuxiao fell into a deep sleep.

This sleep lasted unexpectedly until ten o’clock at night. Qi Yuxiao was woken up by the sound of the door opening. His other two roommates were likely back.

“Damn those useless classes! They take up the whole evening and waste my beautiful youth!” Zhuo Qiang complained as he took off his backpack. He paused, sniffing the air for that familiar fragrance. “Tao Ran, you must have showered already.”

Tao Ran kept his mouth shut, but his expression was frantic as his bright eyes constantly darted toward the other side of the room. Zhuo Qiang found it strange and followed his gaze, just in time to see Qi Yuxiao pulling back his bed curtain.

He said in surprise, “Oh! Qi Yuxiao, you’re here too? I thought it was just Tao Ran.”

“Were you sleeping just now?” He looked at Qi Yuxiao’s expressionless face. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

Qi Yuxiao said, “I woke up naturally.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Judging by Qi Yuxiao’s tone, he seemed satisfied with his sleep, and Tao Ran also breathed a sigh of relief. Su Jialiang returned shortly after, entering with the same level of resentment as Zhuo Qiang. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the ends of Tao Ran’s hair were still wet.

Like a father who worked hard all day and still had to worry about his child, he said, “Tao Ran, why haven’t you dried your hair again? Be careful not to get sick!”

Tao Ran realized it late. “Sorry, I forgot.” He reached up to touch his scalp and found the roots were already dry.

“The ends are still wet. Go dry them quickly,” Su Jialiang said earnestly. Then he caught himself. “Gosh, I sound like an old lady. But you really need to be careful.”

“I shouldn’t get sick that easily,” Tao Ran muttered, rubbing his nose.

At that moment, a figure descended the ladder. It was Qi Yuxiao. Tao Ran instinctively peeked over, only to find the other man looking down at him with a lazy expression. He didn’t look as cold or fierce as he had earlier.

Still, Tao Ran was startled and immediately turned his head away, not daring to make eye contact. Zhuo Qiang hummed a song while gathering his clothes, wanting to shower. He suddenly remembered Qi Yuxiao had returned before him. Seeing Qi Yuxiao off the bed, Zhuo Qiang asked, “Yuxiao, are you staying in the dorm tonight? Have you showered?”

Qi Yuxiao glanced at him. “You go first.”

“Will do!” Zhuo Qiang entered the bathroom happily.

Halfway through, Zhuo Qiang’s head popped out from the door gap. He shouted loudly, “Brothers! Can anyone lend me some body wash? Mine is empty!”

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed. No one answered him. Because the AC was on, the glass door was shut tight. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, and no one heard his call.

Zhuo Qiang angrily called out names one by one. “Su Jialiang! Qi Yuxiao! Tao Ran!”

Hearing his name, Tao Ran shifted his gaze from his phone to the balcony and saw Zhuo Qiang’s head peeking out. He stood up to open the glass door and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhuo Qiang looked almost moved to tears. “Tao Ran, save me! Can I borrow some body wash? Mine is out.”

“Sure, wait a moment.” Tao Ran nodded, went back to his desk, and brought the bottle of body wash from his cabinet to Zhuo Qiang.

Qi Yuxiao, leaning back in his chair looking at his phone, paused slightly. His gaze swept over the bottle of body wash.

Zhuo Qiang took the bottle with immense gratitude. “Ugh, my Tao Ran is the best to me. Love you!”

“…”

After drying his hair, Tao Ran felt sleepy. He climbed into bed and covered himself with the quilt. Before he could even think about anything, he drifted into dreamland.

He stayed asleep until the alarm rang on time. Tao Ran woke up with a start, fumbling on the bed to find his phone and turn off the alarm. It was already the next day.

Just like yesterday, he was the only one in the dorm with a full morning of classes. 8:00 AM classes were numbing, both physically and mentally. Tao Ran lay on the bed like a corpse for a few minutes before slowly climbing down like a tortoise.

The moment his feet touched the ground, a wave of dizziness hit his brain. His vision blurred, the world seemed to spin, and his temples throbbed with pain. Tao Ran gripped the ladder tightly, waiting for a long time before he felt slightly better.

In the classroom, the teacher spoke incessantly on the podium. Below, Tao Ran was drowsy and couldn’t process a single word.

“The student in the white shirt in the third row by the window, please stand up and answer this question.”

The students in the classroom turned to look at him simultaneously. Only then did Tao Ran realize the teacher had called on him. The drawback of attending class alone was evident now; he hadn’t heard the question, and there was no one beside him to remind him.

Under the gaze of the entire class, Tao Ran hesitated, unable to say a word for a long time. His cheeks and ears turned red at a visible speed. Fortunately, the teacher didn’t want to make things too difficult. “Sit down and listen to the lecture properly.”

Tao Ran sat down and touched his face with the back of his hand. It was burning hot. However, he didn’t suspect anything and forced himself to continue listening to the lecture.

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