Help, My Buff Roommate is Begging to Touch my Abs - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Touching the Small Hand

“Let’s sleep.”

The credits for the end of the movie had just jumped out.

Zhao Yuheng closed the laptop directly and unplugged the power cord with a casual tug.

He didn’t say anything like “go back to your bed to sleep,” and he even skipped the movement of flipping over to crawl into the covers.

He sprawled directly onto the bed in a “star” shape, buried his head in the pillow, and let out a long sigh of relief.

And one of his hands, at the moment it landed, seemed to have a mind of its own, naturally resting on Jin Bao’er’s waist.

Neither heavy nor light, it carried a meaning of “you stay right here, don’t think about going anywhere.”

Jin Bao’er froze instantly.

His body went as stiff as a rock; he even forgot to breathe.

In the darkness, the sound of Zhao Yuheng’s gradually steady breathing reached his ears, carrying the warmth of someone who had just bathed.

That powerful large hand didn’t stay still for long; it slowly slid down along his waist, finally landing on Jin Bao’er’s left hand, which was resting at his side.

A warm palm covered it, and rough finger pads unconsciously rubbed against it.

Then, that redundant sixth finger fell into Zhao Yuheng’s fingertips without any warning.

“Brother Heng…”

Jin Bao’er’s voice shook beyond recognition; his heart felt as if it were being gripped ruthlessly by an invisible hand.

This finger had been his nightmare since childhood.

In elementary school, classmates called him a “monster”; in junior high, friends were repulsed, saying it was “so disgusting.”

So he developed habits: eating with his right hand, writing with his right hand, and even trying his best to hide his left hand when picking things up.

This was his most secret, most unbearable inferiority.

But now, the person he cared about most was using those burning, heavily calloused large hands to meticulously stroke it.

Those callouses were marks left from years of playing basketball and lifting weights; they were a bit rough when brushing against skin, yet they carried a startling heat.

Jin Bao’er held his breath, waiting for the “Eh?” that might appear, or a disgusted withdrawal.

But nothing happened.

Zhao Yuheng acted as if he were playing with a rare treasure, or perhaps soothing a pampered child.

His fingers traced light circles around that extra digit; the movement was impossibly gentle.

In Zhao Yuheng’s subconscious, this was simply a part of Jin Bao’er.

He wasn’t touching some deformed freak; he was touching Jin Bao’er’s hand.

It was the hand of the Jin Bao’er who brought him hot breakfast, helped him save seats, and accompanied him to watch movies.

In this movement, there was no scrutiny, no probing, only a deep, instinctive liking.

As if to say: No matter what you are like, you are mine.

Jin Bao’er’s nose felt a sharp sting, and his eyes grew wet instantly.

It felt as if something had slammed hard into his heart, making it feel both sour and swollen.

Finally, it turned into a scalding warm current, flowing down his cheek and into the pillow.

It turned out that this wasn’t something shameful after all.

It turned out that in his Brother Heng’s eyes, this was even something worthy of being cherished like this.

Jin Bao’er closed his eyes, letting the tears slide silently.

He turned his hand over to lightly grasp Zhao Yuheng’s rough large hand and buried his face in the nook of his neck.

With a Zhao Yuheng like this, how could he not fall?

And what could he possibly use to repay him?

Probably, the only way is to give him all of himself.

…

Jin Bao’er had checked the weather forecast, which said there would be no rain the next day.

As it turned out, when school let out, it started pouring rain.

Jin Bao’er and Zhao Yuheng, like most people, waited on the first floor for the rain to let up a bit.

But after waiting for over ten minutes, the intensity of the rain still hadn’t decreased.

Thinking about the classes in the afternoon…

If they were delayed here, there wouldn’t even be time for a noon nap later.

Just as the two of them were preparing to dash into the rain like that…

Suddenly, a soft female voice sounded.

“Zhao Yuheng, don’t you have an umbrella? Use mine?”

Jin Bao’er and Zhao Yuheng looked toward the source of the sound.

They saw Yang Hui handing over a white umbrella.

Of course, she was handing it to Zhao Yuheng.

She looked up at Zhao Yuheng, her eyes smiling and adorable.

Seeing this, a sense of bitterness sprouted in Jin Bao’er’s heart once again.

Yang Hui was in their class.

He knew she had added Zhao Yuheng on WeChat and said she wanted to pursue him.

Zhao Yuheng hadn’t deleted her either, and he chatted with her from time to time.

Just as Zhao Yuheng was about to take it, Jin Bao suddenly spoke: “No need, thank you.”

Jin Bao’er’s words immediately caused both Zhao Yuheng and Yang Hui to freeze in awkwardness.

Zhao Yuheng had already reached out his hand; seeing this, he abruptly pulled it back.

Actually, he hadn’t thought that much just now; someone was willing to lend him an umbrella, so he’d just take it.

After all, it’s not that he didn’t have a good impression of her.

He was over twenty years old and had never met someone he clicked with.

It was rare to find someone who caught his eye, so he was trying to get to know her.

But it was limited only to the level of wanting to get to know her.

“Do you really not need it?”

Yang Hui didn’t look at Jin Bao’er; she only looked up at Zhao Yuheng, her eyes carrying a hint of grievance and expectation.

The scene was extremely awkward.

Especially for Jin Bao’er; he didn’t even know how he could say such a thing.

She was lending the umbrella to Zhao Yuheng, not to him.

What right did he have to refuse?

But…

He saw Yang Hui smiling at his Brother Heng.

Looking at that white umbrella…

His heart felt as if it were soaked in aged vinegar, bubbling with sourness.

It also felt as if someone had ruthlessly seized his heart, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Most importantly, he had no right to speak.

He was a gay man who couldn’t see the light of day, while Yang Hui was a bright and generous female classmate.

What right did he have to stand between them?

Just as he didn’t know how to end the situation, Zhao Yuheng spoke: “No need, we’ll just dash back in a bit.”

Having said that, without waiting for Yang Hui to speak again…

Zhao Yuheng pulled Jin Bao’er and walked out.

Jin Bao’er was pulled by Zhao Yuheng the whole time, following him throughout without any thought.

Just as they were about to exit the main door, he saw Zhao Yuheng take off his black jacket.

Then he held it directly over both their heads.

And just like that, they rushed into the rain.

Because he was taking care of Jin Bao, Zhao Yuheng didn’t run very fast.

During the process of running, Zhao Yuheng’s arm was draped tightly over Jin Bao’s shoulder.

It was exceptionally hot.

At this time, Jin Bao’er didn’t feel any better in his heart.

Because he knew that Zhao Yuheng was protecting him.

He would rather get soaked in the rain than take Yang Hui’s umbrella.

At the same time, he was afraid Zhao Yuheng would ask him why he didn’t accept Yang Hui’s umbrella.

Why?

Because I’m jealous.

Because I’m envious.

Because I’m hurting.

Every reason was hard to voice; every word was enough to destroy their current relationship.

Fortunately, his Brother Heng didn’t ask.

But he was also afraid that he wouldn’t ask.

Afraid that he would overthink, afraid that he would discover his abnormality, and even more afraid of the disgusted look in his eyes after he learned the truth.

“It’s just… I might not like Yang Hui very much, so I didn’t really want to use her umbrella.”

Jin Bao’er could only go against his conscience and messily fabricate a reason.

“Okay, then we won’t use her umbrella in the future.”

From his right ear came the man’s low, raspy voice.

It was still so warm and powerful.

He didn’t ask why; he didn’t say no.

He stood resolutely on his side.

Jin Bao’er felt even worse in his heart.

Tears slid down his cheeks and fell to the ground; it was impossible to tell which drop was rain and which was a tear.

He had been keeping his brother Heng deceived all along.

Every day, the man was being “taken advantage of” by a gay person he would normally despise.

Every day, he had to laugh and joke with a gay person he would normally despise.

Every day, he kept being good to a gay person he would normally despise.

If it were himself, Jin Bao’er didn’t know how much he would break down after finding out the truth.

He was a sinner.