My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: It Would Definitely Feel Better to Lick…

After military training ended, a tidal wave of course schedules and activities followed.

From Monday to Friday, the pages were filled to the brim, making university life feel both fulfilling and agonizing. As the saying goes: “Choose your major well, and every year feels like the senior year of high school.” This was largely the case here.

Fortunately, there were freshman performances and the recruitment season for student unions and clubs—lively events that acted as a buffer, softening the blow dealt by the grueling timetable.

For the sake of credits, Lin Zhiyu planned to apply for the Publicity Department or the Extracurricular Development Department first, as these were the easiest places to earn points. He’d consider interest-based clubs last.

But to earn money, he was willing to sacrifice club activities. For instance, while Yu Hechang was off joining the recruitment frenzy, Lin Zhiyu was in his rental room trying to figure out how to voice-chat with the Senior.

To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

But he was mostly excited.

After they reached their agreement, Lin Zhiyu had asked what “chatting companion” meant and what a “playing companion” was supposed to play.

【Little Fish: I know what a playing companion is. I had a high school classmate who made money doing that. He ran eight games simultaneously every day. Very busy, but very profitable.】

But Lin Zhiyu wasn’t good at games. His fingers weren’t nimble, and he found game mechanics too complex. The one he played was a cozy, slow-paced farming sim that had actually shut down its servers long ago. Pro-level guides had to be found on Tieba, and the people hanging around the town square were always the same few faces. Only the official Weibo remained, occasionally “playing dead” and then posting an update—it was essentially a retirement home for gamers.

Lin Zhiyu had played it for ten years, from the Nokia days until now, and he couldn’t bear to quit.

【Little Fish: If you want to play other games, I can download them to accompany you. Just don’t judge me for being a total noob.】

【Senior: [Screenshot]】

【Senior: [Screenshot]】

【Senior: I play this game too.】

Lin Zhiyu froze, staring at the screenshots. He instinctively typed:

【Little Fish: Your level is so high!】

The other side replied quickly:

【Senior: I recognized you from this game’s Tieba forum.】

Lin Zhiyu’s head was filled with question marks. The Senior’s words gave him the feeling they had known each other for a long time, but Lin Zhiyu had no recollection of it. He responded somewhat foolishly:

【Little Fish: [Kitten Dazed & Shocked.jpg]】

【Senior: I applied to be your friend, but you ignored me.】

【Senior: I wanted to go into ‘cohabitation mode’ with you, but you ignored me.】

【Senior: Later, I found out you were also at H University, so I came looking for you.】

Lin Zhiyu was stunned by this string of messages. His fingers felt numb and hot against the keyboard.

In this game, usually only players of the same level or with similar resources would form a cohabitation bond to share assets.

The Senior’s account was clearly meticulously maintained—high effort and high spending. Lin Zhiyu, who just used it to pass the time, was a total mismatch.

Lin Zhiyu remained silent for a long while.

【…Is it because you thought I was so bad I was pitiable?】

【Are you doing charity work?】

There was a slight lag before the reply came.

【Senior: No. I just want to play with you.】

【Little Fish: Well, you can play with me now.】

【Little Fish: But we have to build up intimacy before we can cohabitate.】

【Little Fish: If you don’t have time to play, I can log in for you to do the daily check-ins and build the bond.】

The Senior readily sent over the account password. When Lin Zhiyu logged in, he realized it was a female avatar.

Like a mouse that had fallen into a grain bin, Lin Zhiyu scavenged through the inventory. He saw that the Senior even had limited-edition resources, making his eyes sparkle.

He sent a few screenshots over.

【Little Fish: You have so many things I wanted before, but the events expired and they never came back.】

【Senior: What do you want?】

【Senior: Take it yourself.】

“…” Lin Zhiyu was stunned.

What was with this overbearing CEO tone?

【Little Fish: No need, I was just saying.】

【Senior: Oh. Then I’ll give them to you after we cohabitate.】

“……..”

Lin Zhiyu’s polite refusal got stuck in his throat.

【Little Fish: Will there be a chance for me to be your model?】

【Senior: If there’s a need, yes.】

【Little Fish: Does being a model count as an extra bonus?】

【Senior: Yes.】

Yes!

They say it’s easy to earn money from the 2D subculture; in his view, it was also easy to earn money from art students.

…

The counselor messaged the group to go move books. Lin Zhiyu and Yu Hechang each dragged a suitcase over. Yu Hechang watched as Lin Zhiyu stacked book after book: Advanced Math, Probability, Discrete Math…

“Just looking at these makes me lose all my strength.”

“…”

To be honest, math was Lin Zhiyu’s weakest subject; he had only scored 125 on the Gaokao.

However, he had a perfect score in English and performed well in other subjects. Only math dragged him down, but he believed he could power through it.

Yu Hechang: “Bro, are you going home for National Day?”

“Yeah. I didn’t go back for Mid-Autumn, so I have to go for National Day. Aren’t you?” Lin Zhiyu asked.

“I am. Let’s go back together.”

Lin Zhiyu patted his hair: “Sounds good.”

He rolled his suitcase back home. Just as he opened the door, Lin Rangchuan unexpectedly appeared at the entryway. Lin Zhiyu was startled.

“Brother Lin, are you going out?”

Lin Rangchuan: “I heard movement at the door.”

Lin Zhiyu thought to himself: This house really isn’t soundproof. “Then your…” ears are really sharp.

“What are you doing over there?”

Lin Zhiyu then noticed there was a guest in the house. He changed his shoes and walked over, locking eyes with Lou Chen in the living room for a moment before Lin Rangchuan blocked his view.

Lin Rangchuan looked down at him: “What were you going to say just now?”

Lin Zhiyu quickly shook his head, gave a polite smile, and left the living room space to them, heading into his room without looking back.

Lou Chen crossed his legs and laughed: “I thought you two were close, but it’s actually just like that.”

Lin Rangchuan, with a dark expression, pulled out a cigarette: “No one would take you for a mute if you stayed quiet.”

Lou Chen swallowed. Why did his face change again?

For example, just now they were chatting fine when the silent Lin Rangchuan suddenly stood up and walked to the door. Lou Chen thought he’d been possessed.

Sure enough, a moment later, someone actually came in.

Lin Rangchuan smoked half a cigarette and, thinking of something, slid the balcony door wide open to let the air circulate.

Lou Chen lit one too; the pressure in this industry was too much. “Looking closely, he’s quite pretty.”

Lin Rangchuan lifted his eyelids and gave him a cold look. “Finished reminiscing?”

“That’s my roommate.”

Lou Chen’s lip twitched, but he remained lost in thought. “Why do I feel like he looks familiar? Like that painting hanging in your studio…”

Lin Rangchuan turned his head, the smoke drifting. He narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

…

It was the 30th, and the train station was crowded. The temperature had risen, and the sweltering air felt sticky.

Lin Zhiyu dragged his suitcase, replying with one hand to the Senior’s “travel safely” message. In his other hand, he clutched a bag containing orange peels, motion sickness patches, medicine, and sour plums. Brother Lin had given them to him as he left, saying the Senior told him to prepare them.

Warm and thoughtful.

By the time he boarded the train, Lin Zhiyu felt like he’d died a little death.

The phone vibrated in his palm.

Brother Lin had suddenly sent him the end-of-month food settlement—it was still only 100 yuan.

He hadn’t chatted much with Brother Lin the last few days; eating was their only real point of intersection. Most of the time, Brother Lin was silent to the point of being wooden.

Lin Zhiyu, on the other hand, provided emotional value—acting as a dining companion and handling the labor of putting the dishes in the dishwasher.

It felt like the traditional division of labor for a married couple, with Brother Lin being like a “mute wife” he had married.

“…”

That thought was incredibly weird.

Lin Zhiyu hesitated, then asked Yu Hechang: “What does it mean if the monthly food bill is only 100 yuan?”

Yu Hechang gripped his suitcase: “It costs me 500 yuan a month just to eat slop in the cafeteria.”

“…”

He wanted to ask for the bill, but Brother Lin never had one. He didn’t keep track. But Lin Zhiyu couldn’t exactly investigate the price of every single item; that would make him look like he was overthinking or being ungrateful after getting a good deal.

Lin Zhiyu quickly transferred 100 to him.

【Little Fish: Is there anything Brother Lin wants to eat? The local specialties in my hometown are quite abundant. I’ll bring some back for you.】

【Brother Lin: Strawberries.】

【Little Fish: Okay!】

【Brother Lin: Ning County strawberries are very good.】

【Little Fish: Yes, yes! ^^】

【Brother Lin: Miss them.】

【Little Fish: Okay, okay! I’ll bring you plenty.】

Just as he finished replying, Yu Hechang ended a video call with his dad and touched his face gloomily: “Am I very dark?”

“What?”

“My old man said I’m as dark as a coal.”

Lin Zhiyu looked him up and down. “A little bit. I shouldn’t be, right? I’m still fair and chubby.”

However, once he got home, Xue Rong looked him up and down, put down her rag, and said, “You’re dark and thin—just like a monkey!”

Lin Zhiyu: “…………”

Xue Rong made a lavish dinner and prepared a bowl of strawberries. Lin Zhiyu ate happily, saying there’s no place like home.

Xue Rong served him food and soup. “The money I gave you isn’t enough.”

Lin Zhiyu said muffledly, “It’s enough, it’s enough.”

“I heard from Xiao He’s dad that 1,500 a month isn’t enough for Xiao He. How can it be enough for you? Don’t try to save money for me out there.”

“No way, and I’ve actually gained weight.” Lin Zhiyu pinched his cheeks to show the fleshiness. Xue Rong reached out to feel them and nodded. “You have gained a bit. You’re just dark.”

The number one beauty of the village was finally satisfied. “Being dark is cool. You look like your dad.”

“…”

Lin Zhiyu didn’t like being dark. Right after military training in high school, back when he had no concept of sunscreen, an old man had told his fortune. The man said that being fair and chubby brought luck and wealth, while being dark was unattractive, changed his facial features, and led to financial loss.

Sure enough, that week, he took Yu Hechang to climb a tree, fell, broke his arm, and spent a fortune on medical bills.

He hadn’t taken it seriously then, but now every word felt like a prophecy.

Am I really that dark?

After showering, Lin Zhiyu looked in the mirror. He wasn’t dark, but his hands were.

【Senior: You should be done with your shower by now.】

【Little Fish: Yes.】

【Senior: Do you want to try a voice call tonight?】

【Little Fish: Okay!】

The other side paused, then sent:

【Senior: Is Baby unhappy tonight?】

Lin Zhiyu froze, fiddling with his fingers uncomfortably.

【I got a tan. I wonder if it’ll lead to financial loss. Probably not, right?】

These words sounded superstitious and silly. Lin Zhiyu didn’t think the Senior would believe them—he might even call him childish—but he said it anyway.

【Senior: No. Baby is still very fair.】

【Little Fish: My mom said I got dark.】

【Senior: I don’t know how dark you are.】

Lin Zhiyu opened his camera. Words couldn’t express it as clearly as a photo.

He only took a picture of the back of his hand, but the lighting made it look bright white, which didn’t feel realistic.

Lin Zhiyu thought for a moment. He was wearing shorts today, and his thighs were currently his palest area. So he placed his hand on his thigh for comparison. The back of his hand immediately looked several shades darker.

The effect was clear—he really was darker!

Lin Zhiyu clicked send.

In the photo, his fingers were slender and elegant, with a delicate luster under the light, contrasting against the smooth, creamy skin of his thigh—like a large dollop of cream melting.

【Little Fish: See? It is dark. No wonder my income at the milk tea shop was so low during military training. There’s a reason!】

About ten minutes passed without a reply. Lin Zhiyu curiously “nudged” the other side.

Still no reply. Lin Zhiyu stayed at his post and decided to log into the game for his check-in.

An hour later, a new message popped up at the top.

【Senior: It’s not very dark.】

【Senior: Baby is so fair.】

The next message was a voice note.

Lin Zhiyu instinctively felt he shouldn’t play it on speaker. He held it to his ear.

“Very beautiful.”

It would definitely feel better to lick.

The voice was low, raspy, and muffled—he couldn’t even make out the words clearly, yet it made Lin Zhiyu’s ears burn.