My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Keep the Call Active Even While Showering

The tone was a bit off. Sensing something, Lin Zhiyu looked up, but Lin Rangchuan wasn’t looking at him anymore. It seemed he was simply stating a fact.

It was hard not to feel that his relationship with Senior was quite poor. Did they have a fight?

They’re friends, right? Are they fighting lately?

It definitely has nothing to do with me, Lin Zhiyu thought. He wanted to get to the bottom of it, but it felt impolite; they weren’t that close. Besides, there was a high chance of accidentally achieving the “classic achievement” of driving a wedge between friends.

The atmosphere grew subtly stiff. Lou Chen, however, was eating heartily next to them. It smelled so good that he tearfully went back into the kitchen to scoop a third bowl of rice.

“Because I met you through Senior, I was just asking in passing. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Lin Zhiyu smiled naturally and quickly shifted the topic back to himself. “I also went to Ning County Primary School. Did you ever see me back then?”

Lin Rangchuan was silent, his eyelids drooping slightly. “I don’t know.”

His voice reminded Lin Zhiyu of Senior for no reason—deep and lingering like a drawn-out cello. It was pleasant, perhaps because of its strong resonance, making it feel as if he were whispering right next to his ear.

Lin Zhiyu unconsciously touched his ear.

Lin Rangchuan stared at him. “Who did you think of?”

Lin Zhiyu lowered his hand, grumbling internally. Brother Lin’s insight is way too sharp. It’s a little scary.

“I just think your voice sounds good, Brother Lin, so I was surprised. I feel like you’d be suited for voice acting or streaming. My voice is a bit too soft, but yours is quite nice.”

Lin Rangchuan asked tonelessly, “How does it compare to your Senior?”

Lin Zhiyu’s smile froze. “Each has its own style.”

Lin Rangchuan let out an “Oh.”

“…”

Tsk tsk, why on earth are these two brothers “turning against each other”!

Lou Chen was already finishing his soup by the time Lin Rangchuan picked up his chopsticks. Lin Zhiyu keenly sensed that the aura emanating from Brother Lin was even colder than before.

He got upset just because I mentioned Senior twice.

Lin Rangchuan was indeed unhappy. The way Lin Zhiyu looked at him felt like he was looking through him at someone else.

The time he spent chatting with Lin Zhiyu, the number of eye contacts they shared—these were hard-won treasures. He wanted Lin Zhiyu’s eyes to hold only him when they spoke. Even if it was just simple curiosity.

It should only be directed at him. Only him. Just like now—learning they had a past connection but remembering nothing, only being able to stare at him blankly, waiting for an answer with both expectation and confusion.

No one else should exist. Not even “Senior.”

However, when Lin Zhiyu stood up to get some soup, leaning forward slightly, a faint, clean fragrance wafted from him. It mingled with the scent of the food, soothing that restless, dark atmosphere.

“Finished! That was amazing.” Lou Chen put down his utensils. “My head doesn’t hurt, and my hands aren’t sore anymore. When you suddenly said you wanted to learn to cook, I was shocked. Looking back, it was a wise move.”

Lin Rangchuan: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Lou Chen: “?”

During the post-meal fruit session, Lou Chen still didn’t leave, staying behind to chat with Lin Zhiyu. Miraculously, Lin Rangchuan didn’t return to his room either. Instead, he sat on the side sofa with his head down, playing on his phone.

Lou Chen tutted, thinking Lin Rangchuan’s internet addiction had become severe lately.

“I don’t get it. He won’t chat with us, he’s just playing on his phone, but he insists on staying here. Go draw or something.” Turning around, he realized Lin Zhiyu was also on his phone. He was out of options.

Lin Zhiyu looked up. “What did you say?”

“Who is this Senior you’re chatting with? Do I know him?”

“I don’t know,” Lin Zhiyu said cautiously. “He’s Brother Lin’s friend.”

“I’ve met most of his friends. Lin Rangchuan, who is it? Is it that guy from your class?”

Lin Rangchuan didn’t even glance at him. “Leave if you don’t want dinner.”

Lou Chen made a “zipping his lips” gesture.

Just then, Lin Rangchuan’s phone rang. Frowning, he stood up and went back to his room to take the call.

The curtains were drawn in the room and the door was closed. It was dark, with only thin slivers of white light visible. Lin Rangchuan stood by the window, silent.

Song Yaju spoke with a hint of irritation over the phone: “Why did you transfer so little this time? It’s not enough to pay back. And your brother’s hobby class fees—you stopped paying last month. I didn’t ask then, but you’re not paying this month either. What are you trying to do?”

Lin Rangchuan gripped the cigarette pack, his pale lips set in a thin line. “I don’t have that much money.”

He gave a mocking smile. “Did the debt collectors block the door?”

Song Yaju choked for a second. “As long as you know. You don’t care if I live or die, do you? Giving birth to you was a curse. Now that you can make money, you look down on us? You’re not going to care about your brother either?”

Lin Rangchuan’s emotions were sparse, bordering on cold. “First of all, I don’t have a brother. That’s a child you had with someone else. My father died long ago. Second, it’s not my debt. There’s no reason for me to rush to pay for it. You’d be better off asking your old man to cough up some gold coins.”

Song Yaju grew angry. “Your uncle gave you the money for your studies and food back then. He cared for you quite a bit. Is it necessary to act like an ungrateful wolf now? Do you think I won’t be able to find you just because you changed campuses?”

Lin Rangchuan stroked a photo of Lin Zhiyu on his screen, distracted. “I only give what I’m supposed to give. Once it’s paid off, that’s it.”

“Raising a dog would be better than raising you!”

That statement wasn’t entirely wrong. During the days he lived with Song Yaju after she remarried, he was on equal footing with a dog. Then, after his so-called brother was born, he was treated worse than a dog.

Luckily, she had married into a wealthy family. However, as an outsider, he was excluded in every way. Lin Rangchuan took on various part-time jobs, earning money to sign up for interest classes just to stay away from the family, learning skills to become self-reliant.

Until the family went bankrupt and fell into debt. Everything changed overnight.

Karma comes for everyone.

…

Back in the living room, Lin Zhiyu hadn’t received a reply from Senior. He put down his phone and looked at Lou Chen with a bright, smiling face.

Lou Chen was moved. “…”

He looks so kind—a stark contrast to that gloom-cloud Lin Rangchuan.

Lou Chen’s urge to complain surged. “You know, your Brother Lin has great culinary skills, right? We wanted to have a meal here once, and he charged us a hundred yuan each.”

Lin Zhiyu: “Huh? For one meal?”

“Yeah, one meal. When you signed the contract with him, you were probably scammed too. How much did he charge you?”

Lin Zhiyu: “A hundred yuan.”

Lou Chen slapped his thigh with an “I knew he was that kind of guy” look.

Lin Zhiyu added weakly: “Per month…”

Lou Chen: “???”

A sudden wail erupted in the living room. Lou Chen bolted upright. “No way! Is he sick in the head? Such blatant double standards?”

Lin Zhiyu reached out to soothe him, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to do.

Lou Chen said seriously: “Does he have a secret crush on you?”

At that moment, the bedroom door opened. The movement was slight, but a familiar voice suddenly appeared behind Lin Zhiyu. “What secret crush?”

Lin Zhiyu’s heart skipped a beat. He turned around. “Nothing! He’s talking nonsense. I’m not gay!”

The last sentence was particularly loud.

Lin Rangchuan glanced at him, pursed his lips, and remained silent.

Lin Zhiyu thought he was angry. His expression went blank for a second as he explained obediently, “He’s just talking nonsense.”

“I know.”

Lou Chen paced back and forth in the living room. “So? You have the nerve to charge us a hundred yuan?”

“If you have the ability to become my roommate, I can give you a discount too.” Lin Rangchuan sat down, his long legs spread. The tip of his shoe touched Lin Zhiyu’s ankle, seemingly by accident.

Lou Chen knew he had quirks, but he couldn’t quite pin down his deal. “So what are the criteria for becoming your roommate?”

Lin Zhiyu stood quietly to the side, ears perked up to listen openly. He was quite curious too.

Lin Rangchuan: “I like it.”

So what if he’s straight? It wasn’t like he didn’t know. Yet he still chose to actively provoke, still enjoyed this time, and still wore a mask to keep taking more.

The pressure from the shoe tip increased. Lin Zhiyu’s ankle felt itchy. He looked down, then looked up in a daze at Lin Rangchuan. His beautiful eyes were bright and clear, distinctly reflecting the murky thoughts of the man opposite him.

Lin Rangchuan’s lips curved slightly, as if he had obtained a rare treasure. I love it. He looked at me again.

Lin Zhiyu shifted his position.

The look Brother Lin gave him felt exceptionally deep, as if he were a target being locked on, creating a sense of restraint. But looking closely, Brother Lin’s face was the picture of indifference, with no emotion leaking out.

Lin Zhiyu wasn’t actually good at getting along with people like this, but he later discovered that this bone-deep coldness in Brother Lin was applied equally to everyone.

Lou Chen gave up. “Fine. The chef is just headstrong.”

…

After dinner, Lou Chen left, saying he’d be back next time and was determined to eat back all the money he’d spent previously.

Lin Zhiyu cleared the dishes, showered, and went back to his room. He logged onto the game to organize the warehouse and arrange furniture.

Just as he logged in, Senior seemed to have timed his arrival perfectly. A voice call invitation came through, still using the voice changer.

Senior: “Baby got on the game very late today. Was the trip tiring?”

Lin Zhiyu was immersed in arranging furniture; his mouth and brain were working separately. “It was okay. I did pay attention to you today though.”

Senior: “I know Baby is very professional.”

Lin Zhiyu hummed a few times. Once the furniture was organized, he noticed the female character “Bubbles” had been standing next to him the whole time, watching.

Senior: “That bed isn’t a double bed. You can’t sleep on it. Switch it for the one in my warehouse.”

Lin Zhiyu frowned slightly. “But the colors of that bed don’t match. If we switch it, we’ll have to redo the whole decoration.”

“Then I’ll go buy one. I want to sleep with Baby tonight.”

Lin Zhiyu didn’t mind, but he felt it was a waste of money. He added, “We don’t have to sleep tonight. I can try the gacha for a double bed here. Let’s be thrifty.”

Those words were like heavenly music to the ears. “Okay.”

As soon as he said that, “Bubbles” changed outfits in the game.

Lin Zhiyu was surprised. He knew Senior had countless beautiful outfits in his wardrobe, some even limited editions. “Senior, your new dress is so pretty. Is that why you chose a female character?”

It was a long, white lace dress with a veil and flowers. Looking back at his own male character’s outfit, he looked like he’d just come back from a war—though it was a limited set from an old event that was now out of print.

Senior: “Because Baby is a male character.”

Lin Zhiyu fell silent for a moment, not quite understanding. In the next second, he heard Senior say: “Baby is straight. Do you hate it when I’m this clingy when we talk?”

Lin Zhiyu shook his head, then realized the other person couldn’t see him and spoke up immediately: “I don’t hate it. People are diverse; there are all sorts of personalities. You can’t judge someone by their gender.”

“Baby is so good.”

Lin Zhiyu only then noticed that even with the voice changer, Senior’s voice was several degrees huskier than usual, as if his throat and vocal cords were stuck together.

“Is the Senior in a bad mood today?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit hard. It feels like a hole has been punched through my body.”

Lin Zhiyu thought: People who do art really talk in such an ‘artistic’ way.

“Professional Xiao Yu” went online. He cleared his throat and said: “Is there anything I can help with?”

“The baby is so cute.”

Lin Zhiyu’s face turned red, and his “professional” persona crumbled. “I’m actually not very good at comforting people. If there’s something you want me to do, you can just say it.”

“I want Baby to lick me…”

Lin Zhiyu’s eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his phone.

“…lick my wounds.”

Lin Zhiyu felt it was very strange. Not ashamed to ask, he said: “How do I lick them?”

“Can you keep the voice call active every day after you finish class? I’m so happy and satisfied every time I play with you. If the baby finds it difficult, then forget it.”

After a pause, the Senior added: “I can pay extra.”

The extra money was tempting, but unnecessary. However, Lin Zhiyu really felt Senior’s mood was too poor. Especially the way the voice trailed off at the end of “can you”—he instantly imagined the other person was crying.

Lin Zhiyu thought seriously. He felt the logic was a bit weird, but he didn’t refuse. “Sure. Do we have to keep the call active even while eating and showering?”

“Everything, Baby.”

“…”

No, this is too much.

“Is it really not okay?” The person on the other end’s voice grew even huskier.

Lin Zhiyu’s heartbeat thundered in his mind, so clear it felt as if someone had carved his heart out and placed it, bloody, right next to his ear.

He considered it for a few seconds.

“Mmh… alright then.”