Desk-mate, Do You Like Me? - Chapter 83

Chapter 83

The hotel room door closed gently behind him, separating Xu Qing from the brief and peculiar calm between himself and Yu Wenxiu. Xu Qing stood in the corridor, took a deep breath, and the composure he had feigned earlier receded like a tide, revealing the genuine fatigue and uncertainty beneath.

He didn’t know how much effect his desperate honesty would have, but he had to try, for Li Mo and for their shared future.

He pulled out his phone and saw several unread messages and one missed call from Li Mo.

【Is your library visit taking this long?】

【What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll pick up groceries on the way.】

【Qing Qing? Call me back when you see this.】

A warmth mixed with a slight bitterness surged in Xu Qing’s heart. He quickly replied: 【Heading back now. Anything is fine for dinner.】

On the way home, Xu Qing watched the street scenes flashing past the car window, his thoughts in turmoil.

Yu Wenxiu’s final, somewhat complex look lingered in his mind—it held shock, scrutiny, and even a hint of extremely subtle, almost imperceptible wavering. Was this a good start? He didn’t know.

…

Pushing open the front door, the aroma of cooking food wafted out. Li Mo, wearing an apron, poked his head out from the kitchen, his brow slightly furrowed: “Why did you take so long?”

“Lost track of time reading,” Xu Qing put on a relaxed smile, walked over, and naturally took the spatula from his hand. “Let me help you.”

Li Mo didn’t move, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then suddenly asked: “Why do you smell of hotel aromatherapy?”

Xu Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten the distinct, strong fragrance of the five-star hotel Yu Wenxiu was staying at.

“Oh, I ran into a classmate on the way back. He happened to be working part-time at that hotel, and we chatted for a bit.” Xu Qing tried to make his tone sound natural, turning to run water and wash vegetables, avoiding Li Mo’s searching gaze.

Li Mo was silent for a moment and didn’t press further. He just hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his neck: “Don’t chat for so long next time. I worry.”

In that moment, Xu Qing almost spilled the truth. But he held back.

Until Yu Wenxiu’s attitude was clear, he didn’t want to give Li Mo unnecessary hope, nor did he want to worsen Li Mo’s relationship with his mother due to his “unauthorized action.”

…

The next few days were unusually calm.

Yu Wenxiu didn’t reappear, nor did she call Li Mo with any more reproaches. This strange tranquility made Xu Qing somewhat uneasy.

The time for Lin Yi and the others to gather for dinner finally arrived.

The name of the 315 dorm group was still “315,” and they had pulled Xu Qing back into it.

Lin Yi: 【Brothers, although I’m the one organizing the meal, let’s agree on something first. Nothing too expensive, I can’t afford it. (Heartbreak.JPG)】

Tang Dawei: 【Fine, tomorrow we’ll each bring a steamed bun, and the five of us can just squat on the roadside and gnaw on them.】

Lin Yi: 【You brat, did I say I was that stingy?】

Li Mo: 【Let’s go to the place where we celebrated my birthday. It’s near the school, and a private room is cheaper when there are many of us.】

Yang Di: 【Stop, stop. That place only gives discounts to high school students. We are glorious graduates now.】

Shen Shuyi: 【It’s still not expensive. For the five of us, a small room, eight dishes, about four or five hundred is enough.】

Lin Yi: 【Okay, listen to Grass Jelly. You should all learn from him and use your brains.】

Tang Dawei: 【(Contempt.JPG)】

Tang Dawei: 【You use your noble brain first.】

Li Mo looked at the phone screen, a faint smile unconsciously playing on his lips. These guys were largely the same as he remembered, still the rowdy bunch they were in high school when they got together. He tapped his finger.

Li Mo: 【So, settled on that one? Grass Jelly, send the location again.】

Lin Yi: 【Yes, sir! @XuQingQingQing, control your Li Mo. Why is he so eager? Is he missing his wife? (Smirk.JPG)】

Xu Qing had just finished cleaning the kitchen, wiping his hands as he walked over. He saw this message, his ears felt a little warm, and he picked up his phone.

Xu Qing: 【Got it. What time tomorrow?】

The topic was successfully shifted, and the group started arguing about the time, finally settling on 6 PM on Saturday evening.

Putting down his phone, Xu Qing looked at Li Mo: “Tomorrow… is your mom really okay with this?” That hanging, unresolved peace always made him feel uneasy.

Li Mo pulled him closer, settling him by his side, his fingers unconsciously tracing the back of Xu Qing’s hand: “No news from her is the best news. Don’t worry about it. Just relax tomorrow. We haven’t seen them in a long time.”

Despite the words, the string in Xu Qing’s heart was not entirely relaxed.

…

The next evening, the two arrived at the reserved private room on time. They weren’t the first to arrive. As they pushed the door open, the room was already a chaos of noise.

“Oh my gosh! You’re finally here! We were just waiting for you two!” Lin Yi was the first to shout, immediately making a move to hug Li Mo’s neck, which Li Mo playfully dodged.

Tang Dawei was still his boisterous self, winking at Xu Qing: “Qing Qing, looks like Brother Mo is taking good care of you.”

Shen Shuyi adjusted his glasses, smiling as he greeted them: “Li Mo, Xu Qing.”

Yang Di also looked up from his phone screen and waved.

Familiar noise and teasing instantly enveloped the two of them. The air was filled with the mixed scent of beer, grilled fish, and the unique combination of sweat and youthful vitality—a stark contrast to the cold, strong fragrance of the hotel from the other day. Xu Qing took a deep breath, and his constantly tense nerves seemed to relax slightly.

“Order, order! I’m starving!” Lin Yi slapped the menu onto the center of the table.

Heads huddled together, with everyone chiming in, making the menu pages rustle loudly.

“Grilled fish! Absolutely grilled fish!”

“Get the drool-inducing chicken, goes great with beer!”

“Grass Jelly, what do you think of this dry-pot pig intestines?”

“Buzz off, I don’t eat that.”

Li Mo watched them scramble, leaning back in his chair, his arm resting naturally on the back of Xu Qing’s chair, a rare look of ease on his face. Xu Qing also smiled, his gaze sweeping over his familiar friends, feeling a warmth inside.

The dishes quickly arrived, and the glasses were filled. After a few beers, the atmosphere became even more lively. Topics flew around everywhere, from hellish high school teachers to new game dungeons, then turning to some old classmate’s confusing love life.

Tang Dawei chugged a mouthful of beer, suddenly brought the conversation back, looking at Li Mo and Xu Qing, a note of emotion in his voice: “Speaking of which, you two are amazing, staying together from high school until now, without breaking up.”

Lin Yi immediately chimed in: “Definitely! Brother Mo and Brother Xu were basically the spiritual sustenance that kept me alive during that miserable school life. Tsk tsk, not even a little discreet…”

“Big Lin Zi!” Li Mo cut in, with a warning tone, his ears a little red.

Xu Qing smiled, not saying a word, but his hand under the table quietly clasped Li Mo’s.

Yang Di deftly changed the subject, asking about Li Mo’s major, and Li Mo smoothly took over the conversation.

After a few rounds of drinks, and the food mostly cleared, Lin Yi and Tang Dawei started playing finger-guessing games, almost raising the roof with their noise. Shen Shuyi remained quiet, occasionally interjecting, mostly listening. Yang Di was responsible for mediating when the other two were about to start fighting.

Xu Qing stood up to go to the restroom. Li Mo instinctively started to follow but was held back by Xu Qing’s look: “It’s just outside. I’ll be right back.”

He walked out of the private room, the noise sealed behind him, the hallway much quieter. He splashed cold water on his face, looking at his slightly tipsy reflection in the mirror, letting out a long sigh.

This feeling of being surrounded by friends, relaxed and unrestrained, was wonderful. It was as if the pressure from Yu Wenxiu, and from reality, was temporarily sealed off outside this small restaurant.

He gathered himself and turned to head back. Just as he reached the door of the private room, before his hand touched the doorknob, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He instinctively took it out to check.

It was a text message from an unknown number, containing only one succinct sentence:

【Tomorrow at 3 PM, Blue Bay Coffee. We need to talk. — Yu Wenxiu】

Xu Qing’s fingers instantly tightened, the tips turning slightly white from the force.

His recently relaxed mood vanished entirely. The perpetually hanging heart seemed to have finally found the moment to drop, but he didn’t know if the ground beneath was solid or a cliff edge.

He stood outside the private room door. Lin Yi and Tang Dawei’s laughter was clearly audible inside, and Li Mo’s smiling voice faintly emerged, stopping the two from having a drinking contest.

A single door separated two worlds.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, his finger hovering over the screen for a moment. He ultimately didn’t reply, simply slipping the phone back into his pocket. He adjusted his facial expression, forcing a hint of a relaxed smile back onto his lips, then pushed the door open.

Li Mo looked over at him, his eyes questioning.

Xu Qing walked over, sat back down next to him, picked up his glass, took a sip of the now-cooled tea, and said softly: “Nothing, carry on.”

His voice was calm, as if the text message that had just agitated his entire being had never appeared. Only he knew that beneath the calm surface, a strong undercurrent had begun to surge.

Xu Qing settled back, his smile impeccable, and even proactively picked up the beer bottle to pour some for Lin Yi, who was clamoring for more.

“Wow, Qing Qing is on fire tonight!” Lin Yi was pleasantly surprised.

Li Mo glanced at Xu Qing. The momentary pause outside the door and the overly natural enthusiasm now sparked a fleeting suspicion in his mind, but it was quickly interrupted by Tang Dawei’s loud calls for a drink.

The dinner party approached its end in a flurry of noise. Lin Yi and Tang Dawei, arms around each other’s shoulders, planned to continue partying. Shen Shuyi resignedly tidied up the knocked-over glasses. Yang Di was already quietly putting on his coat.

“We won’t join you,” Li Mo put his arm around Xu Qing’s shoulder and told the others. “We have something to do tomorrow.”

“We know, we know. Couple time!” Lin Yi waved a teasing hand.

In the taxi heading home, the two sat side by side in the back seat. The colorful neon lights outside the window flashed across Xu Qing’s face. He quietly watched the view, more silent than when they arrived.

“Tired?” Li Mo asked softly, his fingers gently hooked around Xu Qing’s.

“Yeah, a little,” Xu Qing turned his head, smiled at him, leaned his head on Li Mo’s shoulder, and closed his eyes. “A bit dizzy.”

He needed this excuse to mask his inner turmoil and the brief darkness to organize his thoughts. Yu Wenxiu’s text message was like a cold stone pressing on his heart.

She had finally reached out. The location was Blue Bay Coffee, a quiet and formal setting, unlike the temporary oppression of the hotel room, or the intimate warmth of home. This felt more like a negotiation.

…

The next day, when Xu Qing woke up, Li Mo was already gone. There was a faint sound in the living room. He walked out and saw Li Mo talking on the phone on the balcony, his brow slightly furrowed, his tone calm and concise.

Seeing Xu Qing, Li Mo quickly ended the call and walked over: “Did I wake you? I was previously studying at Uncle Ye’s friend’s company, and something came up. I need to go over there.”

Xu Qing’s heart sank, but he didn’t show it: “It’s fine. Go ahead.”

“Sort out lunch yourself. I might be back late,” Li Mo hurriedly changed his clothes and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.”

The door closed behind him. Xu Qing stood still, listening to the footsteps fade until everything was completely quiet. He checked the time: ten in the morning. There were five hours left until the 3 PM meeting.

These five hours felt especially long. He mechanically tidied the room, tried to read a book, but couldn’t focus on a single word.

For lunch, he just cooked a bowl of noodles, but it was tasteless. He repeatedly ran through Yu Wenxiu’s possible attitude—interrogation, sarcasm, or calmly stating the terms for him to leave Li Mo… Every possibility made his stomach clench.

At 2:30 PM, Xu Qing stood in front of the wardrobe, finally choosing a simple white shirt and casual trousers—clean, decent, neither overly formal nor too casual. He needed all the confidence he could muster, even if it was just from his appearance.

Blue Bay Coffee was not far from where they lived. Xu Qing arrived ten minutes early. A waiter led him to a quiet booth by the window. Yu Wenxiu hadn’t arrived yet.

He ordered an Americano. The bitter liquid helped him stay alert. Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting dappled light on the polished tabletop. He watched the bustling traffic outside, his fingers unconsciously tracing the warm rim of the cup.

At 2:58 PM, an elegant figure appeared at the coffee shop entrance. Yu Wenxiu was wearing a champagne-colored suit, her makeup flawless, her stride composed. She spotted Xu Qing immediately, her gaze calm and unruffled, and walked straight over.

A waiter pulled out her chair. She sat down, placed her handbag aside, and motioned for the waiter, ordering a Geisha coffee.

A brief silence stretched between the two, broken only by the soft jazz music playing in the background.

Finally, Yu Wenxiu raised her eyes. Her gaze fell upon Xu Qing’s face, no longer the shock and scrutiny of their last hotel meeting, but a collected, distanced calm.

She spoke, her voice not loud, but clearly audible to Xu Qing:

“I’ve looked into you, Xu Qing.”