Help, My Buff Roommate is Begging to Touch my Abs - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Time to Watch a Movie

After school in the afternoon, Jin Bao’er didn’t return to the dormitory; instead, he went straight to the convenience store for his shift.

He stayed busy until eight o’clock in the evening before the flow of customers finally thinned out.

Jin Bao’er slumped onto the small stool behind the checkout counter, took out his phone, and opened that familiar PPT file.

It required a presentation, so he had to take advantage of this gap to memorize his script a few more times to avoid stuttering on stage.

The light from the screen reflected on his focused face when suddenly, just as he reached a critical point, a massive shadow fell over him.

Before he could look up, his extremely short-cropped hair was rubbed by a warm, rough, large hand.

The strength was neither too heavy nor too light, carrying a certain unquestionable sense of possessiveness.

With this familiar touch, who else could it be but his big galoot of a roommate?

“Stay away from the phone; it hurts your eyes.”

A raspy, low voice sounded above his head, like the deep notes of a cello, vibrating until Jin Bao’er’s ear drums felt a bit itchy.

Once that hand finally pulled away, Jin Bao’er looked up.

He saw Zhao Yuheng grinning, revealing a row of neat, white teeth, smiling at him like a big dummy.

The collar of his T-shirt hung open because of his downward gaze, faintly revealing the rising and falling outlines of pectoral muscles beneath his collarbones.

“Brother Heng, why are you here?”

Jin Bao’er’s eyes lit up, and most of his fatigue vanished in an instant.

“Buying a bottle of water.”

As Zhao Yuheng spoke, he took a bottle of iced Mizone from the shelf with practiced ease.

Jin Bao’er skillfully scanned the code, watching Zhao Yuheng pull out his phone to pay.

“Oh, right,” Jin Bao’er suddenly remembered something and hurriedly reminded him, “There’s a Higher Math quiz tomorrow morning, don’t forget. I heard them saying this afternoon that they’re going to the internet cafe tonight to play games; if you stay out all night and don’t come back, you definitely won’t be able to get up tomorrow.”

“Mm, I know,” Zhao Yuheng replied nonchalantly, opening the Mizone and taking a gulp.

“Work hard, no slacking off.”

Before leaving, Zhao Yuheng acted like a great lion patrolling his territory again, giving Jin Bao’er’s head another rub.

After confirming the texture was still the same, he turned and left, satisfied.

Jin Bao’er touched his hair, which had been rubbed into a mess, feeling somewhat helpless.

This hair was as short as a hedgehog’s and quite prickly; why did this big guy love rubbing it so much?

…

Exiting the convenience store, Zhao Yuheng met up with several brothers waiting at the door.

“Zhao Yuheng, we detoured this big circle just for you to buy a bottle of water?” One of the brothers looked at Zhao Yuheng and his single bottle of water, completely bewildered. “Wasn’t that supermarket over there closer?”

“That place didn’t have Mizone,” Zhao Yuheng lied through his teeth without blushing. “If I die of thirst, are you going to be responsible?”

The brothers exchanged glances, their eyes saying: This tall guy, his brain probably grew entirely into his muscles, right?

Only Zhao Yuheng knew in his own heart.

He simply felt that if he didn’t see Jin Bao’er for an evening, his heart felt a bit empty, so he wanted to come see him.

After all, he’s the younger brother I’m looking out for; showing some concern is fine, right?

…

The next morning.

Because of the exam, Jin Bao’er woke up exceptionally early.

The dormitory was quiet; Zhao Yuheng was still asleep, his snoring thunderous.

After Jin Bao’er finished washing up, he checked his phone; it was only 6:30.

He thought about it but still didn’t wake Zhao Yuheng, taking his breakfast to the classroom first to save a seat.

According to past experience, Zhao Yuheng always arrived at the last second and was never late.

But today, things went weird.

The breakfast was almost cold and the preparatory bell for the exam rang, yet there was no sign of Zhao Yuheng.

Jin Bao’er couldn’t sit still.

This was a Higher Math quiz!

It counted toward the participation grade!

He took out his phone, sent a WeChat, no reply; made a call, it rang for a long time then was hung up.

Usually, if Zhao Yuheng didn’t answer, he might be busy, but today…

Jin Bao’er’s heart skipped a beat. He grabbed his backpack and rushed out.

The teacher on the podium, preparing to hand out the papers, looked in surprise at this student who had been sitting perfectly fine a moment ago and was now rushing out like a gust of wind.

“This student… is forfeiting the exam?”

…

Fortunately, the classroom wasn’t far from the dormitory building.

Jin Bao’er rushed up to the fourth floor in one breath. The moment he pushed open the dorm door, he nearly fainted from frustration.

That guy Zhao Yuheng was actually still sleeping!

The quilt had been kicked to the foot of the bed, revealing sturdy calves and ankles.

“Zhao Yuheng! The exam! Get up, quick!”

Jin Bao’er rushed over and gave his arm a violent shake.

“Holy crap!”

Zhao Yuheng woke up with a start. Catching sight of the alarm clock by the bed, he instantly cursed, “Fuck, I overslept!”

With no time to wash his face or brush his teeth, Zhao Yuheng scrambled to pull on his pants, threw a T-shirt over his head haphazardly, stepped into his slippers, and rushed out the door.

“What about those other guys?” Jin Bao’er asked as they ran.

Zhao Yuheng’s close brothers were in the same class; they were likely dead to the world too.

“Forgot which room they live in, forget them, run!”

Zhao Yuheng grabbed Jin Bao’er’s wrist. His grip was incredibly strong, leading Jin Bao’er in a wild dash.

When the two burst into the classroom, only two minutes had passed since the official start of the exam.

Though the teacher’s expression was poor, seeing the two of them panting for breath, they waved them to their seats.

The two slumped over their desks, gasping for air, hearts nearly jumping out of their chests.

After resting for a while, Jin Bao’er pulled out that still-warm jianbing guozi (savory crepe) and soy milk from his bag and handed them to Zhao Yuheng.

“Eat, it’s still hot.”

Zhao Yuheng took it, bit a large chunk out of the crepe, and asked indistinctly, “Eh? Bao’er, how is this crepe still hot? Did you hold it against your chest to keep it warm?”

“Put it in my bag,” Jin Bao’er said casually.

To his surprise, as if he had discovered a new world, Zhao Yuheng suddenly set down the soy milk, grabbed Jin Bao’er’s bag from the floor, and pulled the zipper open.

Jin Bao’er was startled, but it was too late to stop him.

Zhao Yuheng reached in, felt around for a bit, and pulled something out.

A thick, grey scarf.

It was September, and the weather was still hot; who would carry a scarf around?

Zhao Yuheng pinched the scarf, felt it, and his eyebrows shot up.

“Woah… why do you have a scarf in your bag? To keep the crepe warm?”

On the scarf, besides the scent of laundry detergent, there truly remained a faint smell of jianbing guozi and the sweet fragrance of soy milk.

Jin Bao’er’s face turned red instantly.

This big dummy, why does he have to expose everything!

“I… my stomach isn’t great, I don’t like eating cold food, so I just threw it in there,” Jin Bao’er explained through gritted teeth, his eyes darting around.

“Oh.”

Zhao Yuheng nodded as if he half-understood and didn’t ask further.

He simply folded the scarf carefully, tucked it back into the bag, and zipped it up tightly for Jin Bao’er.

“Thanks, Bao’er.”

Zhao Yuheng finished his breakfast in a few bites, put the trash in a plastic bag, and with a beautiful arc, accurately tossed it into the trash can.

“If you hadn’t come back to get me, those participation points would be gone. I really don’t know how to thank you.”

“We’re close, aren’t we?” Jin Bao’er smiled. “If I don’t call you, who will?”

A straight man’s flirting is always like this—understated, yet most lethal.

Zhao Yuheng felt comfortable hearing that. He threw an arm around Jin Bao’er’s shoulder, his solid muscles making Jin Bao’er’s arm ache slightly from the impact.

“Good brother! It wasn’t in vain that I treat you so well normally. To reward you, when we get back to the dorm tonight, I’ll watch a movie with you!”

Jin Bao’er’s heart skipped a beat.

He naturally knew what Zhao Yuheng meant by “watching a movie.”

It meant Zhao Yuheng sitting in his chair with Jin Bao’er sitting on the small stool beside him, or simply squeezing together on one bed.

In the past, Jin Bao’er often fantasized about resting his head on Zhao Yuheng’s broad chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat.

Sometimes his hand would unconsciously rest on his waist, feeling the lines of those hard abdominal muscles through the thin T-shirt…

That was the unique scent belonging to Zhao Yuheng: warm, with a pleasant smell of soap and sun-dried clothes.

Just thinking about it made the tips of Jin Bao’er’s ears start to burn.

…

After school in the afternoon.

Zhao Yuheng followed Jin Bao’er directly to the convenience store.

Before Jin Bao’er could even speak, Zhao Yuheng had already scanned the snack section with practiced ease.

Large bags of potato chips, dried fruit, two-liter bottles of Coke…

“Anything else you want to eat?”

Zhao Yuheng placed a pile of items on the counter and looked at Jin Bao’er.

“Then… how about a few more bags of chips?” Jin Bao’er pointed to the cucumber-flavored ones on the shelf.

Without a second word, Zhao Yuheng grabbed two of the largest bags and also took two tomato-flavored ones.

“Is that enough?”

“Enough, enough!” Jin Bao’er quickly stopped him. If they bought any more, they wouldn’t need dinner tonight.

After paying, Zhao Yuheng carried two large bags of snacks and tilted his chin at Jin Bao’er: “Come back early; I’ve got the computer ready.”

“Mm!”

Watching Zhao Yuheng’s retreating back, Jin Bao’er leaned on the counter, feeling delighted.

What kind of movie would it be tonight?

An action movie? Or a horror movie?

If it’s a horror movie… would it be possible to naturally burrow into his arms?

Jin Bao’er’s fingers tapped unconsciously on the counter, his mind already beginning to rehearse the scenes for tonight.

Time, please move a little faster.