My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: What’s the Reward if I Guess Right?

After making sure Lin Zhiyu finished every drop, Lin Rangchuan seemed to remember to answer his previous question: “What about the gloves?”

Lin Zhiyu’s back stiffened slightly. He felt that his question had been a bit redundant. The Senior and Brother Lin were friends and had known each other for a long time; it seemed perfectly fine for him to stop by and wash a pair of gloves. Their interactions didn’t need to be specifically reported to him.

However, he didn’t feel particularly great about it.

This person could meet Brother Lin openly and honestly, yet with him, it was all “cloak and dagger,” as if they couldn’t stand the light of day.

Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips unhappily and shook his head: “Nothing. I’m going to take a shower now.”

“Okay, I’ve prepared your clothes for you.”

Lin Zhiyu turned back in surprise. Lin Rangchuan still had that same paralyzed expression, appearing as if he didn’t think this was a big deal: “Just did it while I was at it.”

But Lin Zhiyu found it very eerie. Perhaps it was just his lack of experience with co-living.

After showering, he went back to his room to discuss the contract renewal with the Senior. There was no increase in the base salary, but out of the friendship from having met once, Lin Zhiyu renewed the chat and gaming companion services for the entire month of December.

The end of the year and final exams were the busiest times. Lin Zhiyu also had to work part-time at the milk tea shop; anyone could imagine how exhausted he would be.

[Xiao Yu: Don’t you dare let me down.] [Senior: Is that how you’re supposed to put it?]

Lin Zhiyu was actually hinting at the fact that he had secretly come to Brother Lin’s house today, but in the end, he didn’t say it aloud. After all, they had known each other for more years than he had; friendship usually followed a “first come, first served” rule.

[Senior: Video call?]

It was very late now, but he didn’t have to wake up early tomorrow. For students without competition tasks, the sports meet was essentially a holiday.

[Xiao Yu: I thought you’d want to play a game with me.]

He had been too busy lately, and gaming had been put on hold. He could only spare a few minutes to sign in and then log off immediately.

[Senior: Let’s video call.]

Lin Zhiyu had no objection. This time, he didn’t need to adjust the angle—he showed his face directly. He was still a bit shy, but he wasn’t as sensitive to the camera anymore; after all, he had been chased and photographed by Brother Lin all day today…

But the other side was still a black screen, and this time, he even used a voice changer, which made Lin Zhiyu inexplicably annoyed.

“I’ve already met you, why are you still using a voice changer?”

There was a pause on the other end: “I’m used to it.”

This time, it was actually a “Loli” voice (young girl voice).

Before Lin Zhiyu could speak, the Senior said: “I saw a girl confessing to you today. She looks even younger than you.”

After the high jump ended, Lin Zhiyu had a gathering with his classmates, and the girl who confessed had followed along. Of course, he had been maintaining distance—this was his principle as a gay man.

Lin Zhiyu couldn’t take it: “Change it. No Loli voice.”

“The ‘Big Sister’ type? Baby likes this kind of type.”

The Senior changed it again.

Lin Zhiyu was angry: “I want yours!”

The next second, the Senior switched back to the “Young Man” voice he used before, which was closer to his natural voice.

“I want to see your waist today.”

Lin Zhiyu paused, wondering if he should take his shirt off, and asked: “Is this for ‘inspiration’ again?”

“When you were running today, the hem of your shirt flew up and revealed a section of your waist. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

Lin Zhiyu couldn’t agree with that sentence. No wonder most artists are perceived as gay; this stereotype had some grounding after all.

“Why didn’t you meet me directly today? You came to Brother Lin’s house, didn’t you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Lin Zhiyu dug to the bottom of the question, determined to have an answer. He couldn’t let it slide; otherwise, he’d have insomnia all night.

“Inferiority complex.”

Lin Zhiyu’s hand, which was about to lift his shirt, paused: “I don’t even have abs. Compared to you, I have the physique of an elementary schooler. I’m not even feeling inferior, so why are you!”

This rhetorical question was very “Lin Zhiyu.” The person on the phone couldn’t help but laugh. Because the laugh was so magnetic and pleasant, Lin Zhiyu found himself laughing along, but then immediately straightened his face when he realized what he was doing.

Senior: “Why do you want to meet me?” “Aren’t you straight?” “Or do you just want to be friends? You have so many friends, you don’t lack one like me.” “I’m not the only one, and I’m not special to you.” “So, why?”

Those few ordinary sentences suddenly struck the bottom of his heart. Lin Zhiyu didn’t like dealing with overly complex emotions; being direct and frank was his way of interacting.

“I just wanted to meet you.” “No other reason.”

Purely wanting to know you as a person, purely wanting to interact with you, a pure meeting.

It wasn’t because of any other emotional desire—just the meeting itself.

The other person remained silent for a long time. Then, the black screen in the small video box suddenly flashed once, like an abrupt light during a night of thunder and lightning. Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips and stood there.

After about a minute or two, the other person began to speak, followed by the rustling sound of paper. Previously, the other side had been like a pool of stagnant water, but today there were many small movements.

“I haven’t finished drawing.”

Lin Zhiyu turned his back to him, revealed his waistline, and performed a few movements according to his guidance.

Actually, the Senior simply wanted to look at him. If it was about being a model, it would definitely be more accurate in person.

Lin Zhiyu understood his little schemes but wouldn’t expose them.

“The belly button is very pretty. You’re so white.”

Lin Zhiyu awkwardly pulled his shirt down. What was so great about that large patch of white?

“I want to see your chest.”

“What?” Lin Zhiyu suspected he had misheard.

“Not allowed?”

“What’s so great about a flat chest? Don’t you have your own?”

“I want to see yours.”

The Senior insisted, but Lin Zhiyu couldn’t bring himself to do it. No, pointing his chest at the camera—was that right? Even though he was a guy, this was very embarrassing, okay?

“No.”

“Well, okay.” After a while, he said, “Is it okay if I see it in person then?”

Lin Zhiyu thought for a moment: “Does my body spark creative desire for you?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll talk about it after we meet.”

He cast the bait into the sea, enticing the big fish to bite.

If the other person’s reluctance was due to a psychological issue, he would fight for it.

…

At ten o’clock the next day, Lin Zhiyu wore a white T-shirt and a pair of striped athletic pants, which made his proportions look very good—vibrant, youthful, and sunny.

Like a tender green bamboo, upright and eye-catching, his skin had the cleanliness of a “lotus emerging from the water.”

“Xiao Yu is so handsome.” “So tender, so young! Let me give you a hug.”

Lin Zhiyu was praised and blushed as he was pulled and hugged by several senior girls, nearly being squeezed to death: “No, no.”

He changed into the volunteer uniform to help at the playground. During his break, he leaned against a tree trunk drinking watermelon juice, crossing one leg, lazily listening to the gossip of a few girls nearby.

Only then did he find out that a major event had happened near the school’s North Gate last night. The protagonist was a sophomore CS student who had a girlfriend but was “stepping on two boats”—he also had a… boyfriend on the side.

Lin Zhiyu subconsciously glanced over and pricked up his ears: “…”

“It’s not just a boyfriend; the other guy is a bit of a ‘street’ type, but extremely rich. The two met through online dating. He bought the guy many gifts, but the guy turned around and gave them to his girlfriend.”

“Yue, that kind of person is so disgusting.” “I have a question, I don’t know if I should ask…” “That guy was the one ‘on the bottom’.” “Crap, so he was being a ‘Zero’ behind his girlfriend’s back?” “He was basically a ‘duck’ (male prostitute)!” “Filthy gay lying about feelings; when he gets old, he won’t even be able to hold his sh*t.”

Lin Zhiyu couldn’t listen anymore. Just as he stood up straight, he heard them say:

“In the end, he was caught. The girl brought a group of brothers, and the guy’s side also called a bunch of people. They beat him into the hospital. No one reported it to the police, but the counselor is busy enough to have their head spin.”

Just as Lin Zhiyu was about to leave, he heard someone behind him spit, “He deserved it!”

He turned around, and a shadow fell—it was indeed Qin Rui. Seeing the wound at the corner of his mouth, Lin Zhiyu was surprised: “You were beaten up!”

Qin Rui corrected him: “It was a mutual fight.”

Yesterday, Qin Rui had left in a hurry and didn’t watch the high jump competition. After chatting with Jiang Xinran for a while, he found out that Qin Rui had a man who had been chasing him; the two were childhood friends, but then one day the childhood friend “turned bent.”

The story was simple; the blanks were complex.

The two of them walked further away to chat. Nearby was the publicity headquarters, with only a few people present. Qin Rui took a sip of ice water. “Gays really are all trash.”

Lin Zhiyu felt a bit stifled hearing that: “Every group has bad people. Aren’t there scumbags among straight men too?”

Qin Rui didn’t say anything but glanced at him. Lin Zhiyu met his gaze fearlessly: “Am I wrong?”

“You’re right, but I have a double standard.”

“…”

Lin Zhiyu was a bit worried about his overly extremist attitude: “If—I’m saying if—a male friend of yours pretended to be straight and you found out, what would you do?”

“Gays who are also liars.” Qin Rui clenched his fist. He had been beaten yesterday and felt the lingering frustration of being stifled, which instantly erupted: “I’d cut him into ten thousand pieces.”

Lin Zhiyu turned his head, deeply worried that he would be “cut” one day.

Seeing his unnatural look, Qin Rui suddenly thought of something. “Did you break up?”

“…” “Huh?” “Don’t play dumb. I’m asking about your weird Senior.”

Lin Zhiyu stammered: “I renewed the contract.”

Qin Rui didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, he only had one sentence: “What were you thinking?”

“I met him yesterday.”

Qin Rui scoffed twice, his expression darkening slightly as he spat out words like peas: “You met him? What does he look like? Which Law class is he in? Does he have any other contact info besides WeChat? Is he a local or from out of town? Where does he live? How’s his family situation? Have you met any of his friends? Why is he being good to you for no reason?”

Lin Zhiyu’s expression was blank.

“If you were just strangers on the internet chatting, that would be one thing. But he has permeated into your real life. You should be a bit more vigilant. He knows everything about you, yet you know nothing about him.”

Lin Zhiyu actually didn’t understand, because it wasn’t just Qin Rui who felt this way; even Yu Hechang thought the Senior was abnormal.

The whole world thought it was abnormal, but Lin Zhiyu thought it was quite normal. He was even very tolerant of him. Why?

He didn’t continue discussing the Senior with Yu Hechang, but he could share with Qin Rui. This was because if Yu Hechang felt the situation was serious, it might reach Xue Rong’s ears. Qin Rui, however, was a new friend of a few months, allowing him to speak more freely.

Lin Zhiyu said solemnly: “He’s shy.”

“I bah!”

Lin Zhiyu wiped the spit off his face and continued solemnly: “He needs creative inspiration.”

“That kind of excuse only fools you. Do you look like… you’re over twenty?”

Lin Zhiyu shook his head: “I started school quite early. My mom didn’t have time to take care of me when I was little, so she sent me to school early.”

Qin Rui felt something was faintly wrong: “Then how old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

Qin Rui suddenly felt like he needed oxygen. “You’re a year younger than my brother.”

Lin Zhiyu tucked his hands into his pockets and innocently took a sip of watermelon juice.

Seeing that he seemed a bit unhappy, Qin Rui fell silent for a moment: “Do you think I’m meddling too much?” He gave a reason to save face: “I’m actually a bit of a ‘brother-con,’ but my brother doesn’t like me controlling him too much.”

Lin Zhiyu shook his head: “I think you’re a reliable and mature adult.”

The people around him were usually younger than him, or even if they were a year or two older, their mental age was younger. Qin Rui was a special “big brother” figure in his life, and he liked it.

“Then will you listen to me?”

“Not at all.”

“…”

Not long into their chat, Lin Zhiyu was called over to help move equipment to prepare for the next event: the group jump rope.

He took two steps and then looked back: “Why did you come to see me today?”

“Today is my birthday. I made plans with Jiang Xinran to go out to eat, and I came to pick you up.” Qin Rui said it very casually, as if it weren’t a big deal: “Are you coming?”

Lin Zhiyu was very happy: “I’m coming! Then wait for me, I’ll ‘get off school’ early today.”

Qin Rui waved him off to go get busy.

Lin Zhiyu joined the main group and hadn’t expected Lin Rangchuan to be there too; he had even put on the volunteer uniform. Qin Rui kept staring from behind.

Seeing Lin Zhiyu talking with others, Lin Rangchuan’s gaze remained fixed on him, and they were standing very close. Lin Zhiyu didn’t seem to think anything was wrong.

The next second, Lin Rangchuan seemed to sense something and turned his head to glance at Qin Rui. Then, he reached out to put his arm around Lin Zhiyu’s shoulder and whispered in his ear.

Lin Zhiyu nodded, still noticing nothing.

Qin Rui: “???”

…

What Lin Rangchuan said was that he had saved some dessert for his late-night snack. It had become a habit; if he didn’t eat it one day, Lin Zhiyu would get hungry in the middle of the night.

But he had been leaning too close just now; his breath brushed against his ear. The pleasant scent of sandalwood surrounded him, making him shrink back—it was itchy, and Lin Zhiyu suddenly found it very funny.

Quickly, Lin Rangchuan straightened up indifferently and stood a bit further away, maintaining his distance.

Lin Zhiyu secretly glanced at the tight veins on his arm, wondering what he was enduring. It seemed as if getting close just now had been a forced effort. Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips, feeling unhappy after all.

It had been several months, yet their relationship as roommates living together remained so cold. Lin Zhiyu, a social expert since childhood, felt a sense of defeat.

After the equipment was ready, Lin Zhiyu continued his break. He couldn’t find where Qin Rui was, so he went to play with Yu Hechang. He sat on the side, switching between apps on his phone.

One moment it was Douyin, then QQ, then Weibo. Yu Hechang asked what he was doing: “Do you really have that many online friends?”

“No, I’m maintaining the ‘Spark’ with the Senior. He wanted all my social media accounts.”

“…”

Lin Zhiyu put his phone away: “You’re going to say I’m abnormal again? This is work.”

“No, I feel like he’s about to steal my spot…” Yu Hechang pulled out his phone. “Quick, let’s restart the Spark that died hundreds of years ago.”

“…………”

Lin Zhiyu spent some time with him and then went to the bathroom again. Yu Hechang warned: “Don’t take an hour again.”

“…I won’t!”

“I~ won’t~!” Yu Hechang mimicked him.

After coming out of the bathroom, Lin Zhiyu went outside to wash his hands and face. He subconsciously walked toward the abandoned research building. Seeing the desolate and dilapidated scene, he stood there for a few minutes. As he was preparing to leave, he saw a figure ahead wearing black leather gloves.

Lin Zhiyu’s eyelids twitched, and he ran to catch up. As he reached the person and saw their face, it was a classmate from the neighboring class. He stopped abruptly and transitioned into a natural walk.

The classmate gave him a strange look.

Before he had walked far, his back collar was pulled. He looked back to see Qin Rui.

“What are you running for?”

“…Uh, I thought it was the Senior.”

Qin Rui narrowed his eyes: “Didn’t your family teach you not to just run off with men?”

Lin Zhiyu looked up innocently: “I’m from a single-parent home. My mom doesn’t think I’d run off with a man.”

Qin Rui was rarely at a loss for words. He felt a pang in his heart and couldn’t say anything, so he just ruffled his hair and softened his tone: “I misspoke.”

Lin Zhiyu didn’t think much of it, although many people found him pitiable.

He changed the subject: “Actually, the Senior is quite good to me, except for making me be a model—the kind where I take off my clothes.”

Qin Rui’s temples throbbed at the mention of taking off clothes. He couldn’t help asking: “You showed him? You took them off?”

“I only took off the top half. I have principles.” Seeing his dark face, Lin Zhiyu softened a bit. “Do you think it’s bad?”

Qin Rui felt that his eighteen-year-old principles would sooner or later be “cut” by the Senior. His tone was a bit urgent: “Don’t just believe people on the internet. How can you be so naive!”

He was angry and got scolded; the fish’s head shrunk back.

Qin Rui softened his tone.

“Do you want to stay at my place?”

“Huh?”

“I won’t charge you rent.”

Lin Zhiyu immediately raised his guard: “You sound even more like you have ulterior motives.”

Qin Rui took a deep breath: “I just see you as a younger brother.”

Lin Zhiyu’s face was a kaleidoscope of expressions as he spoke slowly: “The Senior said the same thing to me back then.”

Qin Rui: “…”

This guy’s intentions are clear as day!

They only spoke a few words before they heard Yu Hechang’s call from afar: “You! You brat! Is the bathroom your summoning circle? Every time you go, you vanish!”

Lin Zhiyu waved to him. Qin Rui and Yu Hechang had met a few times but weren’t close: “Are you coming?”

Yu Hechang gasped: “What?”

“Today is Brother Qin’s birthday. Are you coming?”

Yu Hechang became slightly awkward: “That… might not be good…”

Qin Rui didn’t care: “Just come. You’re all little brothers.”

Lin Zhiyu spread his arms wide: “Thank you, Brother Qin!”

Yu Hechang raised both hands and cheered, mimicking him: “Thank you, Brother Qin!”

The two of them reminded Qin Rui of an emoji: the two little blue figures with their hands raised, cheering and jumping together.

Qin Rui burst out laughing.

After five o’clock, Qin Rui drove out his most low-profile Mercedes-Benz from the garage. “Xiao Yu, sit in the passenger seat. Come.”

Yu Hechang had never sat in such a luxury car; his heart was racing with excitement.

Of course, when it came to motion sickness, no matter how luxurious the car was, you’d still get it. Lin Zhiyu was silent the whole way.

Qin Rui took them to a high-end venue, driving right out of the mountains to the city center of City H. It was a member-only, reservation-based restaurant where levels were determined by floors—very “elite.”

Qin Rui’s level allowed them to go to the second-highest private room floor. Aside from Qin Rui, the other three were like little quails who had never seen the world, huddling together as they went upstairs.

Once everyone was seated, the manager brought the menu for Qin Rui to review. Qin Rui looked up: “See if there’s anything else you guys want to add.”

Everyone shook their heads, so Qin Rui said it was fine.

A moment later, the manager pushed in a cake cart. It was a classic Black Forest cake.

Lin Zhiyu looked at Qin Rui: “You said earlier you didn’t order a cake.”

The cake was ordered by Jiang Xinran at the last minute because Qin Rui told her to. Jiang Xinran said: “He doesn’t eat it, but you do. Don’t you like eating it?”

Lin Zhiyu smiled—the kind of suppressed, secret, triumphant smile.

He took a photo and sent it to the Senior.

[Senior: You guys are pretty close, even celebrating birthdays together.] [Xiao Yu: One is a mature and reliable big brother, one is a gentle and kind big sister, and one is a clever and quirky childhood friend.] [Senior: What am I?] [Xiao Yu: A crazy, perverted artist!]

But the erratic-thinking Xiao Yu immediately moved on to the next topic.

[Xiao Yu: My birthday is coming up soon too. Guess when.] [Senior: What’s the reward if I guess right?]

Lin Zhiyu paused. The probability of guessing a birthday correctly was very low. There were only thirty-five days left in the year; surely he wouldn’t hit it right away.

[Next time we video call, you can look at whatever you want.] [Senior: Christmas.]

“…”

Total silence.

[Senior: I guessed right, didn’t I?] [Senior: Good baby.]