My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Canvas is All Messied Up

No one paid attention to this small corner. Even Yu Hechang had been pulled away by several seniors to “socialize,” since most of them were in the same major.

Lin Rangchuan held Lin Zhiyu’s head with both hands to steady it. The boy was now at a stage where no amount of noise could wake him.

Lin Zhiyu’s skin was very tender, and his face was chubby; because of the alcohol, he was flushed deep red. Lin Rangchuan stared at him fixedly, looking as if the entire world had come to a standstill.

It was only when Lin Zhiyu was asleep that he dared to steal such blatant glances.

Lin Rangchuan’s palms grew warm. Lin Zhiyu seemed a bit uncomfortable and knitted his brows slightly, his lips pressing together. It was then that Lin Rangchuan felt something hard in his cheek.

It should be a cherry pit.

Lin Rangchuan’s fingers were very long; his two hands could completely cover Lin Zhiyu’s small face with room to spare. At this moment, he used his index finger to gently press the protrusion on the cheek, trying to get Lin Zhiyu to spit it out.

Instead, the boy bit down even harder.

“What are you doing?”

Lou Chen took advantage of a break from the main group to find Lin Rangchuan, only to see him cradling a young boy’s face. The movement and expression carried an air of ambiguity that Lou Chen couldn’t quite place.

As he got closer, he saw the boy was unconscious.

“Did you knock him out?” Lou Chen was accused in disbelief.

Lin Rangchuan had nothing left to say to this man. He wrapped one arm around Lin Zhiyu, shielding most of the boy’s body with his own to hide him from view. His tone was slightly cold: “Did you drive here?”

“Yeah…” Lou Chen hadn’t drunk precisely because he was the driver. “So…?”

“Take us back.”

Lou Chen looked at his bandaged hand and didn’t object: “Fine.”

The car was parked outside. Lou Chen glanced through the rearview mirror; Lin Rangchuan’s hand was resting against the boy’s face. He had never seen him this intimate with anyone.

“Is he your roommate?”

Lin Rangchuan looked out the window, his fingertips unconsciously playing with the stray hairs by Lin Zhiyu’s temple. “Un.”

Seeing him like this, Lou Chen chuckled: “Scared me. So he’s just a roommate. I thought he was your wife.”

Lin Rangchuan said nothing.

Lou Chen’s smile vanished instantly. He wanted to turn back to look, but he was driving and couldn’t move. “I’m telling you serious business. The lead has been asking about the progress. You better submit the draft by the beginning of the month.”

After a few minutes, a light “un” finally drifted from “Lord Lin.”

“They pay well, and there will be plenty of collaboration opportunities in the future. Don’t you want to make money?” With a unique style and many fans, Lin Rangchuan had the capital to be a bit arrogant, but many artists in this circle were just products of hype.

The waters were deep.

Thinking of this, Lou Chen, as Lin Rangchuan’s self-appointed manager, clicked his tongue: “You haven’t stepped into the studio once this month. You’ve gotten lazy.”

The person in his arms shifted. Lin Rangchuan frowned: “Lower your voice.”

Lou Chen: “…”

Once they reached the door, Lou Chen didn’t get out; he had to head back. Looking at Lin Rangchuan’s back, he called out softly, “Remember what I said, my ‘father’!”

Lin Rangchuan didn’t turn back, merely waving a hand.

Lou Chen stayed in the car for a moment. That cool, aloof gesture reminded him of the Lin Rangchuan from high school. He had worn two sets of school uniforms for three years; even in winter, they were thin. His books and stationery were almost all given to him by teachers or previous students. He avoided spending money whenever possible. His grades were always first, crowning the school’s bulletin board.

In his photo, he was expressionless, and his motto was: “Advertising Space for Rent.”

So, Lou Chen’s impression of him had always been that he was very short on cash.

…

After entering the small courtyard, before the lights were even turned on, Lin Zhiyu was peacefully sleeping against Lin Rangchuan’s shoulder. No noise could wake him.

Lin Rangchuan straightened his body and cupped his face with one hand, his tone incredibly gentle: “Don’t sleep with something in your mouth.”

Lin Zhiyu’s breathing was steady and long.

“You drank.” Lin Rangchuan lightly stroked the rounded, flushed corner of Lin Zhiyu’s eye with his thumb, his voice softening. “Bad kids don’t keep their promises.”

Lin Zhiyu’s lashes fluttered slightly; he was having a bit of a reaction. His pale red lips were slightly parted, giving the illusion of a pout—they seemed very soft and suitable for kissing.

Lin Rangchuan pulled out a wet wipe, cleaned his fingers, and parted the lips, attempting to reach inside. However, Lin Zhiyu bit down too tightly, leaving no gap.

Lin Rangchuan frowned slightly and switched to pinching his cheek. Suddenly, swish, Lin Zhiyu flipped his eyelids open, revealing eyes misted with a watery haze.

His expression held the displeasure of being woken up.

The next second, Lin Zhiyu puffed out his cheeks and, with a whoosh, spat the pit out. The force wasn’t great; it hit Lin Rangchuan’s cheek softly, wasn’t caught, fell to the ground, and rolled a few times.

After spitting it out, Lin Zhiyu grabbed Lin Rangchuan’s wrists with both hands and unconsciously rubbed against his palms. He muttered something indistinguishable and fell back asleep.

He was using Lin Rangchuan’s hands as a pillow.

There was a faint glint in Lin Rangchuan’s eyes; he held him as carefully as if he were cradling a heart, silently feeling the sound of the tide rising in his veins.

Feeding him water afterward was much easier. No matter what happened, Lin Zhiyu wouldn’t wake up.

However, based on Lin Rangchuan’s understanding of him, this post-drunk sleep usually wouldn’t last too long.

Lin Zhiyu’s innate sense of order started with sleeping and waking early. It was only past eight o’clock—too early. He would definitely wake up. As for when…

Lin Rangchuan stood up and went to his room, returning with a tablet and a stylus.

He didn’t turn on the living room light, only a small, non-glaring desk lamp, which greatly reduced the clarity.

Lin Zhiyu was half-sprawled on the sofa, a blanket covering his stomach and trailing to the floor. His sleeping face was obedient and tranquil. Not knowing what he was dreaming about, he had a soft smile.

He was completely unaware of how much impact his current appearance had on the person before him.

Lin Rangchuan had very few ways to obtain photos of Lin Zhiyu. Secretly taking photos was unethical, but drawing him… that wasn’t secret photography.

It was about to be a brand new, never-before-seen Lin Zhiyu. At the thought of this, the hand Lin Rangchuan used to hold the pen began to tremble.

…

Lin Zhiyu woke up at 10:30 PM. His whole body felt sore and limp. He tossed and turned on the sofa before slowly arching up, sitting there lost in thought.

He smacked his lips; there was a faint taste of plain water.

He had drunk that unknown beverage from Yu Hechang. It was probably fruit wine, and the aftereffects were huge. Then he was brought back by someone unknown—likely Brother Lin.

Lin Zhiyu had no memory of it. He knelt on the sofa, cupping his heated face with both hands. Did Brother Lin carry him back in his arms or on his back?

“Awake?”

Lin Zhiyu jerked his head around. Lin Rangchuan had come out of the bathroom, covered in moisture, a cold aura wafting from him.

He had taken a cold shower.

Lin Zhiyu let out a dazed “uh” and asked softly, “I accidentally got drunk. I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.”

Brother Lin was usually very slow with his showers; sometimes it was eleven or twelve, or even midnight. Today it was only 10:30. It couldn’t be that he had vomited all over the guy, right?

Lin Zhiyu’s mind was filled with embarrassing tropes from TV dramas.

Brother Lin went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of ice water: “No.”

So wet. Not dried properly. The tank top had a large water stain, sticking tightly to his back.

Lin Zhiyu licked his lips.

Lin Rangchuan turned around and took a sip of water expressionlessly.

Lin Zhiyu lowered his head again, kneeling there with his hands gripping his knees, looking like a tiny ball.

The two were silent for a moment. Lin Zhiyu’s legs had gone numb. He stepped off the sofa barefoot, clutching the blanket: “Then I’ll go shower first. I’ll return the blanket after I wash it.”

“Supper.”

Lin Zhiyu looked back, “Eh?”

“Still eating?”

Lin Zhiyu shook his head. He pulled the blanket away, awkwardly revealing his stomach: “I’m really full this time… you eat.”

With that, he fled in a panic.

Only after Lin Zhiyu’s figure disappeared into the bathroom did Lin Rangchuan squeeze the water bottle tight and slowly let out a breath.

So cute. It’s the ’embarrassed’ version of Lin Zhiyu.

…

Inside the bathroom, Lin Zhiyu remembered he had unfinished business. He made several calls, and after many rings, someone finally picked up.

“Are you Yu Hechang’s friend?”

“Yes, I’m his friend, Lin Zhiyu.”

“He’s drunk. I’m his roommate; he’s already asleep in the dorm.” The person paused and added, “He was just a bit hard to pin down. He kept saying he wanted to find you a husband.”

Lin Zhiyu: “…” Yu Hechang, you’ve made me lose face big time.

By the time he finished showering, it was past eleven. The living room light was still on. Lin Zhiyu slipped out to turn it off and quickly scurried back to his room, as agile as a small animal—vanishing in a flash before anyone could catch him.

【Senior: How much did you drink?】

Lin Zhiyu froze. The dim screen light reflected in his eyes; for a moment, he felt hesitant and guilty.

【Senior: You’re not asleep. Why aren’t you replying to me?】 【Senior: Aren’t you quite energetic after your shower?】 【Senior: Going to continue pretending to be drunk?】

“…”

Lin Zhiyu looked around from under his covers, feeling like he was walking down a deserted alley, being followed step-by-step… it made his scalp crawl.

The Senior was amazing. He knew exactly when he woke up from being drunk and took a shower. He knew him too well.

He originally thought about how to reply so the Senior wouldn’t be too angry, but sleepiness hit him. He pulled up the covers and fell fast asleep, completely unaware of his phone screen flashing while it charged.

【Senior: So Baby doesn’t reply when he feels guilty.】 【Senior: So cute. You must be delicious.】

“Senior” withdrew a message.

【Senior: Are you sleeping?】 【Senior: Goodnight, Baby.】 【Senior: You owe me a goodnight.】

2:30 AM.

【Senior: I can’t sleep.】 【Senior: I can’t draw anymore either.】 【Senior: The canvas is all messied up.】

When Lin Zhiyu woke up and saw these messages, he was startled. He sat dazed for a long time, scratching his messy hair, deleting and retyping in the chat box.

【Little Fish: Good morning, Senior. I accidentally drank a bit; my tolerance is too low.】 【Little Fish: How did it get messied up? Did you get frustrated with the drawing?】

【Senior: Messied in the literal sense.】

Lin Zhiyu didn’t understand the threshold of this “disorder.” After all, what they considered messy might be art…

But the Senior didn’t explain much more.

【Senior: School starts for Baby today. You’ll be very busy.】 【Senior: Remember to find me when you’re done.】

【Little Fish: Okay! (^～^)】

The entrance of H University was swarming with people and cars, blocked to a standstill. The student union was orderly directing traffic. At a glance, it was a sea of people; the first day of school was always busy with dorm organization.

Lin Zhiyu only had to register. Once done, he went to the milk tea shop for his shift. There were too many parents, students, and teachers. He just ate some bread for lunch and didn’t even eat dinner. Jiang Xinran was so hungry she could barely stand, so Lin Zhiyu helped her to the back to sit and have a snack.

The shop manager had already come to help.

By the time they finished, it was 9:00 PM. The crowd had thinned out. Lin Zhiyu was in a great mood because he got overtime pay. He could earn 500 yuan today, paid daily—even better.

He hadn’t eaten all evening and was too hungry to walk. He drank two cups of milk tea in the shop before returning to the rental.

Before leaving, he even told the manager that while he wouldn’t have time during the day, he would come in the evenings, begging the manager not to fire him.

The manager, busy looking for tissues to wipe sweat: “…”

…

Back at the rental, Lin Zhiyu was too hungry to even bounce around.

Lin Rangchuan had cooked him supper, and he finished three bowls of rice in one go.

Lin Zhiyu’s face was buried in the bowl. When he looked up and saw Lin Rangchuan watching him eat, he licked his lips. Remembering how Lin Rangchuan had fought him to clean the dishes several times before, he instinctively gathered the bowls and chopsticks into his large hands, looking at him expectantly.

Lin Rangchuan paused: “…”

Lin Zhiyu let go again, his oily lips pursed. “Brother Lin, you haven’t settled the food expenses with me yet. Don’t pity me, tell me how much it is.”

Lin Rangchuan looked at his phone and said casually, “One hundred.”

Lin Zhiyu pulled out his phone: “How much?!”

Lin Rangchuan said: “Fifty.”

Lin Zhiyu: “…?”