Cross-dressing to Seduce My Straight Roommate - Chapter 7

The food stall was bustling with noise, the air thick with the mingled scents of oil smoke and savory dishes.

 

Lu Li took the bill to the front counter to pay. As he passed by, several tables of customers couldn’t help but glance at him a few extra times.

 

Lin Shaojun and Zhai Jiarui were stuffed, slumped in their chairs to rest.

 

“I can’t go on,” Lin Shaojun said, patting his slightly bulging stomach and letting out a burp. “I’m way too full. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything tomorrow.”

 

Zhai Jiarui nodded in deep agreement, glancing at the table where they had polished off every dish. “It was just the two of us devouring everything. Their appetites are seriously lacking. If we ever went to an all-you-can-eat buffet, we’d definitely lose money.”

 

Pei Xi and Lu Li hadn’t eaten much, just sampling each dish, while the rest had ended up in Zhai Jiarui and Lin Shaojun’s stomachs.

 

Lin Shaojun wholeheartedly agreed. “Last time I took Lu Li to a buffet that cost over six hundred, he only took two bites.”

 

Listening to their conversation, Pei Xi couldn’t help but smile slightly. “You two rest up. I’m going outside to get some fresh air.”

 

Lin Shaojun: “Sure.”

 

Zhai Jiarui: “Go ahead.”

 

The entrance was crowded with people coming and going, the lively atmosphere of the night market washing over him.

 

Standing on the steps, Pei Xi took a deep breath of the smoky, murky air and watched the bustling crowd. A sense of loneliness washed over him.

 

Ningcheng City’s nights were bright, unlike Qiaochuan Island, where even the streetlights were dim. Ningcheng City was filled with towering buildings and endless excitement, unlike Qiaochuan Island, where the night market closed early and the old neighborhood where his family lived was quiet and peaceful. The night sky in Ningcheng City had only a few scattered stars, unlike Qiaochuan Island, where you could see vast stretches of the starry sky.

 

He glanced down at his phone screen. It was only eight in the evening. His parents had probably just finished dinner and were watching TV.

 

He had only been away for half a day, and he was already homesick. How was he going to make it until National Day?

 

There was still a whole month to go.

 

Pei Xi leaned tiredly against the wall, staring blankly at the tips of his shoes.

 

Just as he was feeling utterly dejected, his phone suddenly vibrated.

 

[You have a new message. Please check.]

 

It was a notification from Douyin.

 

[User 10557880: [Douyin Red Envelope] Happy Year of the Horse]

 

Pei Xi was taken aback.

 

Why had [User 10557880] suddenly sent him a red envelope?

 

He typed back a few confused question marks.

 

The other person replied quickly.

 

[User 10557880: You worked hard today. Treat yourself to a little cake.]

 

Pei Xi stared at the words, momentarily stunned.

 

A little cake.

 

So, he remembered that Pei Xi liked sweets. He also remembered Pei Xi saying that when he was tired, he craved something sweet to recharge.

 

Pei Xi’s heart softened, touched by the gesture.

 

The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, a faint dimple appearing at the edge of his lips.

 

[Xixi: Thank you for the red envelope, big brother~ But I’m so full right now, I couldn’t possibly eat a little cake QAQ]

 

He didn’t open the red envelope. [User 10557880] already gave him plenty of tips and gifts. Pei Xi wanted the other person to feel that he was genuinely and sincerely maintaining their relationship, not constantly trying to squeeze money out of him.

 

The amount [User 10557880] had tipped him was truly enormous—enough to buy an entire cake shop.

 

…

 

…

 

The proprietress was calculating the bill while smiling, “Young student, how’s the taste at our shop?”

 

Lu Li nodded.

 

The proprietress said, “That’ll be 720 yuan in total, but you can just give me 700. If you enjoyed it, feel free to come back next time.”

 

“Thank you.” Lu Li promptly transferred the money. Just as he was about to leave, a message popped up on his screen. After reading it, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

 

“Brother Lu, are you done paying? Is there a problem?” Lin Shaojun’s voice came from behind, interrupting his contemplation.

 

Lu Li shook his head, “No problem, let’s go.”

 

Lin Shaojun walked over, slung an arm around his shoulder, and leaned in to look at his phone, “Why have you been staring at your phone so much lately? You never used to be into it. Is there something going on?”

 

With a flick of his finger, Lu Li instantly turned off the screen.

 

“???” Lin Shaojun missed his chance, his eyes widening in disbelief, “Damn! Are you really seeing someone? Did you ditch your bros and get a girlfriend behind our backs?!”

 

Lu Li frowned at him but said nothing.

 

His near-silent admission only made Lin Shaojun more excited, “We agreed whoever gets a girlfriend first is a dog! Are you giving up on being human now?”

 

Lu Li ignored him, slipped his phone into his pocket, and strode toward the exit.

 

Lin Shaojun followed closely behind, muttering incessantly, “Something’s off, really off. Lu Gou, did you really start dating? We just started school—where did you even meet a girlfriend? Someone from our old school? Which girl in our class? The class beauty? Or that girl from the neighboring class who’s been chasing you? Are you really that easy to win over?”

 

Zhai Jiarui watched with amusement, calling out to Pei Xi as he slung an arm around his neck again, laughing, “See that? When ordering food, he calls him Brother Lu, and now he’s calling him Lu Gou. Talk about a quick change of face.”

 

Pei Xi smiled but didn’t respond.

 

By the time the group left the food stall, it was almost 8:30 p.m.

 

The dazzling neon lights illuminated the entire street, casting colorful glows on everyone’s faces.

 

The night market was bustling. The aroma of barbecue drifted through the alleyways, and bowls of sweet soup for three yuan each attracted crowds of passersby.

 

The streets were packed with people, most of them, like them, out to stroll around the school area and pick up some daily necessities.

 

To welcome the new students, the supermarket was running a promotion. An archway was set up at the entrance with a banner, and anyone who spent 59 yuan or more got a chance to enter a lucky draw.

 

Pei Xi glanced inside—the supermarket was packed, with a long line of people pushing shopping carts waiting to check out.

 

“Excuse me, coming through!”

 

Zhai Jiarui volunteered to lead the way. Being tall, he quickly carved a path through the crowd, with Lin Shaojun pushing a shopping cart behind him.

 

Lin Shaojun steered the cart toward the daily necessities section, “Just put whatever you’re buying in my cart. I’ll pay for it all, and you can transfer me the money later. It’s too crowded in here to bother splitting up.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“No problem.”

 

None of them had brought many daily necessities with them—things like shampoo, body wash, and laundry detergent were too heavy. To avoid adding to their luggage, they had decided to buy them after arriving at school.

 

Pei Xi mentally made a list. He had quite a few things to buy.

 

Lin Shaojun pushed the shopping cart through the aisles, tossing whatever he saw into it.

 

Lu Li followed silently behind, buying nothing.

 

Lin Shaojun turned to look at him. “Lu Gou, aren’t you buying anything? Didn’t you bring nothing with you?”

 

While helping Lu Li make his bed earlier, he had noticed that Lu Li’s suitcase contained only a thin blanket and a bed mat, with just two sets of clothes and nothing else.

 

Lu Li glanced at his phone and replied casually, “My family packed everything for me and sent it to the school.”

 

Lin Shaojun nodded. “That makes sense. I was wondering why you suddenly became so down-to-earth and came shopping with me.”

 

Pei Xi stood not far from them, carefully comparing the prices of two washbasins.

 

He was also meticulously selecting body wash, taking the time to smell the fragrance of each bottle.

 

Before he knew it, Lin Shaojun’s shopping cart was completely full.

 

Lin Shaojun glanced at the items in the cart and chuckled. “Washbasin, towels, body wash, shampoo, hangers, slippers, tissues… Did we forget anything?”

 

Zhai Jiarui replied, “Probably not. If we missed something, we can always come back and buy it later.”

 

Lin Shaojun said, “Alright, let’s go check out. Lu Li is already waiting in line. He just texted me saying it’s almost our turn.”

 

After paying, each of them carried an oversized shopping bag.

 

By the time they returned to the dormitory, it was already past nine. Several cardboard boxes were piled up at the dormitory entrance, blocking the door.

 

Lin Shaojun said, “Lu Gou, your stuff is here.”

 

Lu Li, who was following behind, nodded.

 

The group helped him move his belongings inside.

 

Zhai Jiarui slumped into a chair and let out a long sigh. “I’m exhausted.”

 

Pei Xi organized his own things—placing the washbasin on the balcony, hanging up the towels, and arranging the shampoo and body wash in the bathroom.

 

After tidying up, he sat on his bed, finally able to catch his breath.

 

The dormitory remained quiet for a while before Lin Shaojun poked his head out and asked, “Anyone here play League?”

 

Zhai Jiarui immediately sprang up from his bed. “I do! I’m grinding the new season! What rank are you?”

 

Lin Shaojun replied, “Just hit Master.”

 

Zhai Jiarui said, “Nice, you’re already that high. I’m only Diamond I.”

 

Lin Shaojun glanced at Pei Xi and Lu Li. “What about you two? Want to join?”

 

Lu Li said, “Yeah, I placed Diamond IV. Haven’t started climbing yet.”

 

Pei Xi regretfully replied, “I don’t know how to play League.”

 

Zhai Jiarui asked, “What about Honor of Kings? I can play that too.”

 

Pei Xi quickly shook his head. “I haven’t played that either. I’m not really good at competitive games like these.”

 

Lin Shaojun said, “Alright, then the three of us will queue up.”

 

Zhai Jiarui asked, “How do I add you? Speaking of which, we haven’t exchanged WeChat contacts yet. Why don’t we add each other and create a group chat? That way, we can easily notify everyone if anything comes up.”

 

Lin Shaojun agreed, “Sounds good to me.”

 

The two quickly exchanged WeChat IDs.

 

Pei Xi took out his phone and let Zhai Jiarui scan his QR code. The next moment, he was added to the group chat, followed by a friend request from Lin Shaojun.

 

Not receiving a friend request from Lu Li, Pei Xi instinctively glanced over. Lu Li was leaning back in his chair, his thin lips slightly pursed, his expression unreadable.

 

It was clear that neither he nor Lu Li were the type to actively add others as friends.

 

After a brief moment of hesitation, Pei Xi took the initiative and sent a friend request to Lu Li.

 

Within seconds, Lu Li accepted his friend request.

 

Pei Xi instinctively clicked on his profile. Lu Li’s profile picture was a simple image of a kitten, his nickname just a single letter “L,” and his personal signature was blank. His Moments were set to visible for only the past six months, but even those were empty.

 

Such a minimalist style suited him well.

 

Lin Shaojun: “Lu Li, why haven’t you logged in yet? Zhai Jiarui and I are waiting for you.”

 

Lu Li: “Coming.”

 

Pei Xi browsed through the Moments of all three of them. Lu Li fit his stereotype perfectly—aloof and sparing with words. Lin Shaojun loved posting on Moments, often sharing snippets of his daily life. Zhai Jiarui didn’t post much, mostly just screenshots from games.

 

After getting a general sense of his roommates, Pei Xi turned to his own tasks. He still hadn’t posted his daily content, and his fans were eagerly waiting.

 

After uploading a few photos from his backlog, he began his routine fan interactions.

 

Opening the pinned chat window, he saw the latest message from the other person.

 

[User 10557880: Then keep it for tomorrow.]

 

It was clear the other person intended for him to accept the red packet. Pei Xi thought about it. If he refused again, it might come off as insincere or even annoy the other person, which wouldn’t be worth it.

 

He clicked on the red packet. It was the maximum amount allowed—two hundred yuan.

 

Pei Xi couldn’t help but smile. He had a feeling that if it weren’t for Douyin’s two-hundred-yuan limit on red packets, he might have received an even larger one.

 

[Xixi: Thank you, gege, for the red packet! Wow! I can treat myself to the dessert shop tomorrow!]

 

[Xixi: Let me say thank you, because of you, the seasons are warm.jpg]

 

From time to time, excited voices from Lin Shaojun and Zhai Jiarui echoed in the dorm.

 

“The enemy jungler is heading top, Zhai Jiarui, be careful. I don’t have lane priority mid, so I can’t move for now.”

 

“Got it, I’ve placed a ward.”

 

“Damn, how did our ADC die again?”

 

“The enemy is playing Draven. Are they feeding a monster?”

 

Although Pei Xi didn’t understand the game well, he couldn’t help but chuckle at their complaints. He placed his phone on the bed, picked up his pajamas, and headed to wash up.

 

While the others were still engrossed in their heated gaming session, the shower room was empty. This was the perfect time to avoid the rush, so he wouldn’t have to wait in line later.

 

He didn’t notice that his phone screen lit up shortly after he entered the shower room.

 

“Lu, what are you doing?!” Lin Shaojun glanced toward Lu Li’s bed and said, “Why are you standing still in the jungle? Lagging?”

 

Lu Li swiped his finger across the screen, switching back to the game, and replied calmly, “Just replied to a message.”

 

Lin Shaojun: “Come, we’re grouping for the dragon fight.”