After the Beautiful Omega Was Targeted by His Straight Roommate - Chapter 5

Qi Yuxiao returned from disposing of the trash and sat back down beside Tao Ran.

It was late into the night, and Tao Ran, who was accustomed to an early schedule, quickly grew drowsy. The exhaustion caused his consciousness to haze over, and his eyelids began to droop bit by bit.

He figured he would be fine after this bottle of medicine was finished, but it would likely be the early hours of the morning before they could head back. Fortunately, he had no classes tomorrow morning, though he wasn’t sure about Qi Yuxiao.

Tao Ran was so sleepy that his head began to nod downward in a clockwise motion, eventually landing against a firm surface. His last shred of consciousness slipped away as he fell into a deep sleep against that support.

Qi Yuxiao’s thumb paused over his phone screen. He turned his head to look at the fluffy head resting on his shoulder. Moving his gaze downward, he saw Tao Ran’s small, palm-sized face. His thick eyelashes were lowered, his nose was delicate and petite, and his lips were a translucent pale pink, looking like tender flower petals.

Clearly, the boy had looked terrified of him before, speaking in a muffled, low voice, yet now he had fallen asleep against him so defenselessly.

A familiar scent of herbs mixed with fruit drifted into Qi Yuxiao’s nose. Their heads were very close; Qi Yuxiao lowered his chin slightly, stopping just a finger’s width away from Tao Ran’s hair. The scent grew more potent. It was indeed emanating from Tao Ran.

Due to his severe sleep disorder, Qi Yuxiao had always been extremely demanding regarding his sleeping environment; the slightest noise could keep him awake. A hospital filled with people passing by was never a place where he could have slept in the past. Yet today, for the first time, he felt a rare trace of sleepiness.

Immersed in that light, gentle fragrance, he leaned his head against the wall, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Tao Ran was still dreaming when he felt someone gently tap his right cheek with the back of a hand. He opened his eyes dizzily. Because his neck had been tilted to one side for a long time, it felt stiff and sore. He glanced sideways and realized he had actually fallen asleep on Qi Yuxiao’s shoulder!

Qi Yuxiao’s dark eyes were clear, though his voice carried the low rasp of someone who had just woken up. “It is three in the morning.”

“Ah, oh!” Tao Ran held his neck and quickly sat upright, his cheeks burning. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I fell asleep on you without realizing it.”

Qi Yuxiao looked down at Tao Ran’s right cheek, which was flushed red from the pressure, then retracted his gaze. “The nurse already pulled the needle. Take your temperature one last time. If it is fine, we will go back.”

Tao Ran bit his lip and nodded, feeling intensely ashamed. Not only had he taken advantage of Qi Yuxiao while sleeping, but he had also slept as soundly as a pig, failing to wake up even when the nurse removed the IV!

Finally, Tao Ran checked his temperature; the fever was completely gone. The two took a taxi back to school together.

The night was as cool as water. The campus was still slumbering in the early hours. Streetlights stood lonely along the road, their orange glow radiating through a thin mist. A gentle breeze blew past, bringing a hint of moist chill.

Back at the dormitory, Qi Yuxiao stopped at the door, fearing they would wake their roommates if they entered. He handed a transparent plastic bag containing several items to Tao Ran and said in a low voice, “This is the medicine the doctor prescribed. Three times a day. Remember to take it on time.”

“Okay.” Tao Ran reached out to take it. After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked up at Qi Yuxiao and said sincerely, “Thank you for taking me to the hospital and staying with me all night. Also, I am truly sorry for accidentally waking you up the day before yesterday.”

Qi Yuxiao looked at him for a moment before shifting his gaze away. “I wasn’t angry.”

Tao Ran insisted, “But I am still very sorry.”

“…”

Due to lack of sleep, the area around Tao Ran’s eyes was tinged with a weary red. He rubbed his eyes and said tiredly, “Let’s hurry back to sleep. Do you have an early class tomorrow?”

Qi Yuxiao didn’t answer. He unlocked the door with his phone and opened it. After washing up with minimal noise, they each climbed back into their respective beds. Having been through so much from the previous evening until dawn, Tao Ran was physically and mentally exhausted; he fell asleep almost as soon as he hit the mattress.

When he woke again, it was nearly noon. Tao Ran bolted upright, and after a thirty-second daze, he remembered he had no classes this morning. He breathed a sigh of relief, only for his stomach to rumble in protest.

Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang had already gone to their morning classes. Tao Ran climbed down and found that Qi Yuxiao’s bed was also empty; he had no idea when the man had left. After washing up and changing clothes, he headed to the canteen to find food.

The canteen worker asked, “What are you having, young man?”

Tao Ran studied the menu printed on the window. “A bowl of millet porridge, please.”

As he went to pay, he paused. He remembered that Qi Yuxiao had fronted the money for the taxi, the medical fees, and dinner the previous night. At the time, his brain had been scrambled by the fever, and he had completely forgotten about it. It was only right that he pay for those costs.

Tao Ran always hated bothering others, and he had already bothered Qi Yuxiao immensely last night. The more he thought about it, the more his conscience nagged at him. He pondered how to return the money. After a moment, he opened his phone, intending to transfer the funds to Qi Yuxiao directly.

As the WeChat page loaded, his fingertips suddenly froze. A few seconds later, Tao Ran silently put the phone back in his pocket and scratched his ear awkwardly. In his haste, he had forgotten—he hadn’t added Qi Yuxiao as a friend yet.

Just then, the canteen worker called from the window, “Student, your millet porridge is ready.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.” Tao Ran took the porridge and found a random seat to sit down.

After eating and returning to the dorm, Tao Ran sat at his desk in a daze until the door opened again. He jumped slightly and quickly turned toward the entrance. Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang walked in, panting and dragging their heavy feet.

“Whew… it is boiling outside. Why is it still so hot even though it is autumn?” Zhuo Qiang complained. Looking up, he saw Tao Ran sitting in the room and immediately asked with concern, “Tao Ran, are you better?”

Su Jialiang also followed up, “Anywhere else feeling uncomfortable?”

“No,” Tao Ran shook his head. “Maybe just a lingering cold.”

“Only a little cold? How about your throat? Any coughing? Is your head dizzy or painful?” Zhuo Qiang looked ready to inspect every pore on Tao Ran’s body.

Tao Ran shook his head again. “I am fine now.”

Zhuo Qiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That is good. If anything happened to you, I would be a sinner for ages!”

Tao Ran explained seriously, “It wasn’t your fault. My constitution is just too weak.” Everything that had transmigrated with him was fine, except for this useless, medicine-pot of a body. Setting aside the gland defect, it had a mountain of other small ailments.

Tao Ran’s gaze drifted past Zhuo Qiang toward the door, which was empty. Su Jialiang put down his takeout and suddenly remembered something important. “Tao Ran, you didn’t reply to my message last night!”

“What message?” Tao Ran’s memory was a bit fuzzy. He thought he might have forgotten to check it while he was sick and was about to open his phone.

But before he could, he heard Su Jialiang say, “The one about Qi Yuxiao taking you to the hospital last night!”

“Right, right! Since when did you two get so close?” Zhuo Qiang said excitedly. He gave Tao Ran a sly nudge on the shoulder. “Spill it. Have you two been secretly building a bond behind our backs?”

“Huh?” Even though they were speaking Chinese, Tao Ran didn’t understand a word.

“You and Qi Yuxiao,” Su Jialiang said. “We never saw you guys talk much in the dorm before. We thought you didn’t get along.”

“Exactly. We were worried for nothing,” Zhuo Qiang added. “We didn’t even dare organize a group dinner because we were afraid it would be awkward between you two.”

“…” Tao Ran rubbed his nose. He realized that he and Qi Yuxiao had indeed been suspected of having a bad relationship.

Zhuo Qiang smiled and threw an arm around Tao Ran’s shoulder, gossiping relentlessly. “So, when did you two hit it off? You hid it so well that no one noticed.”

Tao Ran: “…”

Ignoring Zhuo Qiang’s strange choice of words, Tao Ran answered honestly, “Last night.”

Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang: “What?”

Tao Ran explained the details of the previous night to them. Su Jialiang wore an expression of disbelief but felt immensely relieved. “It’s a good thing Qi Yuxiao was there.” Otherwise, if they had waited until their evening classes were over, a dazed Tao Ran might have fainted in the dorm. Their hearts couldn’t handle a second scare like that.

“Come to think of it, for a cold ‘Bking’ like Qi Yuxiao to notice your fever immediately and take the initiative to bring you to the hospital…” Zhuo Qiang stroked his chin as he analyzed the situation, then patted Tao Ran’s shoulder. “It seems he likes you quite a bit. Otherwise, why would he care so much?”

L-like? Tao Ran was stunned by Zhuo Qiang’s words. Is that true?

In the dorm, Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang were both lively, outgoing “social butterflies” with networks that reached the entire dormitory building. There was no one they couldn’t get along with. When Tao Ran first arrived, the unfamiliar environment made him nervous and scared. Except for necessary activities, he spent his time like a tortoise shrunk into his curtained bed, staying silent. Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang often initiated long conversations with him, and it would take half a day for him to mumble a few words back.

But that didn’t stop their enthusiasm. They always thought of Tao Ran, asking if he wanted to eat with them or if he needed them to bring food back. If they shared a public class, they would save a seat for him. Knowing he was sensitive to the cold, they took special care when using the AC and checked on his health daily. They were basically acting like parents caring for a boy with social withdrawal. Gradually, Tao Ran had opened up and learned to integrate with them.

He remembered the first time he shared snacks with them; Zhuo Qiang and Su Jialiang had hugged each other, nearly moved to tears. They looked exactly like parents whose child had finally recovered. However, Tao Ran’s change in attitude was limited to them. Regarding Qi Yuxiao, he still didn’t dare to initiate contact.

Qi Yuxiao was cold, arrogant, and indifferent, but because of his extraordinarily handsome face and excellent grades, countless people were constantly trying to get to know him. At first, Tao Ran felt that in Qi Yuxiao’s eyes, he was nothing more than air. But now…

“Anyway, I’ve never seen Qi Yuxiao care about anyone like this. He’s usually cold to everyone.” At this, Zhuo Qiang paused, remembering a sad past event. “Remember when I had those mouth ulcers because I wasn’t used to the local climate? I was howling in pain in the dorm, and Qi Yuxiao only granted me a single glance!”

Su Jialiang shook his head. “Tragic. True heartbreak isn’t loud.”

Tao Ran: “…” He remembered that incident, but it seemed Zhuo Qiang had insisted on eating extra-spicy malatang despite the ulcers, which was why he was howling.

Tao Ran pondered, “So…”

“So?” Zhuo Qiang concluded. “Based on all that, Qi Yuxiao definitely wants to be friends with you. He’s just too embarrassed to take the lead because of his ‘Bking’ persona!”

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