My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Copywriting Recovery

The chorus rehearsal didn’t break up until after ten o’clock. Lin Zhiyu took out his phone to contact Lou Chen, only to learn that he was still in City A, but would be rushing back the day before final exams.

Lou Chen asked him directly what was the matter.

In the end, Lin Zhiyu didn’t say it over the phone; it was clearly a very simple thing.

[Lou Chen: Oh, if it’s nothing urgent, you can also tell Lin Rangchuan. He can help you.]

Lin Zhiyu wasn’t sure if he really took that to heart. Lately, Lin Rangchuan’s end-of-term study load has been extremely heavy. On top of that, the shop manager had called him to help out at the milk tea shop because Jiang Xinran suddenly had to go on a trip for a while and wouldn’t be back until after the New Year; the shop was temporarily short-handed.

Thus, the two of them inexplicably became colleagues.

Wearing a mask and disposable gloves, with the broken hair on his forehead hanging down, Lin Rangchuan didn’t say a word as he vigorously smashed lemons. His movements were clean and agile, not looking at all like a novice.

“For you.”

During a break, Lin Zhiyu received a cup of lemonade hand-smashed by Lin Rangchuan.

As for Qin Rui? Nothing. At least, the three of them had just survived a battle of several hundred cups; “revolutionary friendship” did not exist for him.

He played dead—did they think he actually wanted one?

The boxed lunch delivery arrived. Qin Rui ate at the front desk while the other two went to the back. Lately, Lin Zhiyu’s opportunities to chat with Lin Rangchuan had decreased significantly, especially after he lost contact with the Senior.

It was as if the two had reverted to the period when they first met, except for the fact that Lin Rangchuan’s habit of feeding him hadn’t changed.

“No contact with him lately?”

Lin Rangchuan asked somewhat coldly.

It took Lin Zhiyu a moment to react: “No. Has he contacted you?”

“Mm, a word or two,” Lin Rangchuan said airily. In contrast, Lin Zhiyu’s heart leapt into his throat with tension; he couldn’t even finish his food.

“What did he say?”

Lin Rangchuan looked over, his eyes holding a double meaning: “I thought you weren’t talking anymore. Why are you so nervous?”

Lin Zhiyu didn’t quite understand: “Is he angry? It’s because he’s ignoring me.”

After all, he had taken the initiative to send an emoji. Speaking of this, who wouldn’t feel wronged? To cut ties without a single word, leaving only a confession before disappearing.

The meal was finished. Lin Rangchuan’s gaze drifted to Lin Zhiyu’s face; the boy looked a bit angry, his cheeks puffing as he chewed.

“When I was cleaning the room a few days ago, I saw the painting you tucked away.”

After swallowing, Lin Zhiyu gave a warning: “Don’t touch that painting.”

The light in Lin Rangchuan’s eyes grew dark and unreadable. Just because of a loss of contact, his emotions were fluctuating this much. He tore a tissue into strips and folded them into the empty, greasy lunch box.

“If… he deceived you, what would happen?”

Lin Zhiyu disliked deception. Naturally, he caught the underlying meaning, yet he still didn’t fully understand: “Block, delete, and never meet again.”

With a rip, several tissues were torn to shreds, filling the lunch box to the brim. Lin Zhiyu thought it was a waste.

Lin Rangchuan: “Oh, I see.”

Lin Zhiyu was still eating when the other man left. He found it all very bizarre. A few minutes later, Lin Rangchuan returned. He was tall, and since the rest area’s window had no curtain, he appeared in Lin Zhiyu’s line of sight backlit, his features obscured.

“You can block and delete, but don’t refuse to meet.”

The chicken nugget in Lin Zhiyu’s mouth dropped.

…

In the evening, there were even more orders, making Lin Zhiyu’s wrists ache. Qin Rui felt bored and started a live stream. Since the other two were wearing masks, he wasn’t afraid of them being recorded.

People had seen Lin Zhiyu before, but it was the first time for Lin Rangchuan. Tall with long legs, even with his face strictly covered, a sense of decadent lethargy radiated from his aura.

Handsomeness is a feeling; you don’t even need to see the face for it to trigger screams in the chat.

But gradually, some people began to feel dissatisfied.

[Why is the tall one always blocking the little cutie? I can’t see him at all. I’ve been waiting forever.]

[From this angle, it looks like the tall one is hugging the little cutie. Is it just me? Am I seeing things?]

[Aren’t they both guys? You guys are shipping them?]

Seeing this, Qin Rui felt a wave of disgust. He typed “No BL” in the comments section before things finally settled down.

When the stream ended, Qin Rui pulled the person away: “Make your milk tea, don’t touch other people.”

Lin Rangchuan was a bit taller than Qin Rui and didn’t lose out in terms of presence. His tone carried a faint trace of irritation: “You’re so annoying.”

It looked like he might hit someone the next second. Sensing the wrong atmosphere, Lin Zhiyu hurried to pull them apart, acting as the mediator.

When they finished work and clocked out, the sudden drop in temperature made stepping out of the milk tea shop a feat of courage.

“For you.”

Lin Zhiyu felt something in his palm—it was a cup of White Jasmine Ginger Milk.

Qin Rui, a person who dreaded the cold, immediately reached out: “I want one too.”

Lin Rangchuan happened to have made an extra one. He pulled up his payment QR code: “Eighteen yuan for yours.”

Qin Rui: “?”

Lin Zhiyu found this scene very familiar; it was roughly the same treatment he had seen with Lou Chen. But since he was the one benefiting and wasn’t exactly anyone to Lin Rangchuan, he couldn’t really speak up.

Fortunately, Young Master Qin didn’t care about eighteen yuan.

…

Lou Chen was due back in a week. The boy in charge of the posters asked about his progress. Lin Zhiyu calmly ate a small cookie and nodded: “It should be soon. How long does it usually take for Soren to draw a poster?”

“Three days.”

“So fast.”

“He’s a ‘talent monster.’ He didn’t even come from an art school background.” The boy glanced at his small box—those pretty flower-shaped cookies—and suddenly gave an ambiguous smile: “Sent by a girl?”

Lin Zhiyu was stunned: “No, my roommate baked them.”

“Does he have that much of a ‘maiden’s heart’? I think I saw a story about this on the confession wall a few days ago.”

Lin Zhiyu rested his chin on his hand: “What what?”

“Just some gossip. A couple from the Civil Engineering department next door had a fight. The girl went to the wall to announce a breakup. The boy explained his mistakes in the next post and attached a bag of cookies. But the girl still wasn’t appeased, so they started a dialogue directly on the wall.”

“It included, but wasn’t limited to, accompanying her to the hospital for an IV when she was sick, giving her a bag of handmade cookies every day, and knowing she had a habit of running, so he’d wait downstairs at the dorm to run with her. Even if she ignored him, he’d follow silently behind.”

“He even went to work with her at her part-time job.”

“They made up a few days ago. It’s considered quite a story.” The boy chuckled. “Though the gossip and complaining made up most of it.”

As soon as the boy finished, he saw Lin Zhiyu’s face turn pale. He was startled: “What’s wrong?”

Lin Zhiyu took a deep breath, his color returning: “Nothing. Ah, hearing it like that, it does seem… quite romantic.”

“You must be tired lately. Finals are like that.”

…

Lou Chen arrived on the morning train and wouldn’t be reachable until the afternoon. Lin Zhiyu needed to give him time to rest.

There was a subject exam this morning. Before Lin Zhiyu left, Lin Rangchuan stuffed a bag of cookies into his hand. There was a different design every day—sometimes flowers, sometimes little bears; he was incredibly skilled.

“Good luck on your exam.”

Lin Zhiyu couldn’t help but think of that story, but he still harbored doubts about the results of Qin Rui’s investigation. From what he had observed so far, there was nothing.

The probability of the Senior and Lin Rangchuan being the same person was nearly zero. After all, the Senior didn’t dare reply to him after confessing, like a turtle hiding in its shell. But Lin Rangchuan was still tirelessly and openly baking cookies.

He still entered and left with him every day, guarded the shower order, and regularly cleaned the room, just as before. This completely dispelled the last of Lin Zhiyu’s suspicions.

But the only new things were the cookies and the fact that he worked the part-time job with him. Why was he afraid of him being angry? Why did he want to coax him?

Could it be that the Senior had deceived him about something, and Lin Rangchuan, out of the goodness of his heart, wanted to make amends?

Hmph, in your dreams!

Lin Zhiyu glared at him and stuffed the cookies into his backpack: “This amount is a bit small.”

“Aren’t you trying to lose weight?”

“Who loses weight by eating cookies? Make me more!” Having said that, Lin Zhiyu ran off, his figure disappearing into the distance.

Lin Rangchuan: “…”

He stood at the door, staring in the direction where the figure had long since vanished, until the phone in his pocket rang, pulling his thoughts back.

“I’m back from cleaning up your mess! I say, you’ve got a perfectly good game to run, but you suddenly had to go to a milk tea shop. You left me there all by myself—do you have no shame…”

After three solid minutes of complaining, Lou Chen got tired and remembered something: “By the way, Ning Xingzhou said he wants to come over to our place. Are you hosting?”

Lin Rangchuan frowned: “You host. I’m not dealing with people.”

Lou Chen was prepared for this: “OK, I want a big red envelope this month!”

“Mm.”

Lou Chen added: “Also, Xiao Yu is looking for me this afternoon. Do you want to come along?”

Lin Rangchuan entered the room, blocking out the light: “I’m not going. If he asks where I am, tell him.”

“I’m at home.”

…

Lou Chen had always believed Lin Rangchuan was exceptional because of his high talent and intelligence; he could carve out a path no matter how difficult the conditions. But he never expected that he could even predict exam questions so accurately.

They met at a café next to the school library, in a small corner shaded by greenery. The voices weren’t too loud or soft, enough not to disturb others.

Lou Chen, exhausted from his travels, ordered an Americano: “So you’re saying your publicity department wants to commission Soren for a poster.”

Lin Zhiyu nodded.

“Then go for it.” Lou Chen put down his coffee. “Why don’t you just ask him directly?”

“I did. He didn’t reply on WeChat or Weibo.”

“Oh, the man is right in front of you. Why go online?” Lou Chen stared into his eyes, with a hint of confusion and encouragement: “What I mean is…”

“Ask Lin Rangchuan directly. He is Soren.”

Lin Zhiyu’s brain went boom. The plain water in his mouth wasn’t swallowed; it trickled down his chin. His tongue even caught a faint lingering taste of the cookies he ate this morning.

“Holy shit, what are you doing?” Lou Chen pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, raising an eyebrow in confusion: “He treats you better than he treats me. If you ask, anything is possible.”

Lin Zhiyu’s lips moved slightly, his mind a total blank. His neck moved like a machine, inch by inch, making a cracking sound.

“Where is he?”

Only then did Lou Chen slowly sense the eerie atmosphere. His face turned slightly pale: “He’s at home.”

As soon as the words fell, Lin Zhiyu stood up with a whoosh. The movement was so sudden that the chair toppled backward with a clatter, drawing stares from nearby students. Lou Chen, as usual, began cleaning up the mess.

To get back to the rented apartment from the school, he had to cross a road. A new traffic light had recently been installed. When Lin Zhiyu arrived, it was red, and the color flickered in his eyes.

Trembling, Lin Zhiyu took out his phone to send a message. He didn’t even know if he was sending it to the Senior or Lin Rangchuan; he just knew it was sent.

[Xiao Yu: Where are you?]

The long-lost Senior suddenly came online, his answer as concise as ever.

[Come over.]

Seeing this reply, Lin Zhiyu suddenly felt like laughing. Almost the moment the light turned green, he bolted home.

Entering the living room, he saw the door at the very end of the hallway. Lin Zhiyu had never intentionally pried before, but now he was suddenly drawn to it. Actually, it was very obvious; you could see the door’s position as soon as you entered. The door even had some words and unrecognizable symbols carved on it.

Back then, his thoughts were entirely on that invisible, untouchable Senior who only existed in his mind. Now, the image of the “Senior” began to take physical form, gradually overlapping with this door.

It was indeed hard to accept, but this hypothesis had crossed Lin Zhiyu’s mind before—he had just dismissed it. At this moment, the original suspicion was restored, turning from doubt into certainty.

Out of politeness, Lin Zhiyu knocked: “It’s me, Lin Zhiyu.”

“I know you intentionally told Lou Chen to lead me here. I’m here. Open the door.”

“Are you planning to hide in there forever, Lin Rangchuan?”

“Open the door.”

“If you’re like this, I won’t like you anymore.”

The door creaked open a crack. Lin Rangchuan’s breathing was heavy; his forehead was almost pressed against the gap. His features were blurred, and from his towering stance, his expression looked somewhat terrifying.

Lin Zhiyu peered through the crack. It was very dark inside; despite it being broad daylight, there wasn’t a sliver of light.

“Let me in.”

Just as the door was about to close, Lin Zhiyu stuck his hand in. The door stopped and even opened a bit further. When the gap was wide enough for half his body to fit, Lin Zhiyu’s wrist was suddenly jerked by a fierce force.

The door slammed shut. He was in the darkness, breathing deeply.

The person in front of him let go and sat on a chair, head lowered. Tall and thin, even at home he wore black clothes and pants. His hair was a bit long, hanging down to cover his eyes. His fingers were long, resting obediently on his thighs.

His entire posture was quiet and tense, as if waiting for a sentence to fall upon his neck.

Lin Zhiyu’s attention was on him, but the atmosphere was so quiet that his eyes couldn’t help but wander. At first, he only noticed the photos on the door panel, but then he discovered that several walls of this small bedroom were densely pinned with photos, postcards, graduation pictures, and memos.

From his lowered gaze, Lin Rangchuan could only see “Baby’s” legs move toward the side wall and stop.

Lin Zhiyu was looking at a pieced-together family photo, and next to it, a photo of himself making a peace sign at a sports meet. They were all kept together.

“You…”

Lin Zhiyu’s gaze circled the room, finally settling on several portraits. Where there were no photos, drawings had taken their place. His superb skills had been honed right here, day and night, over and over, until some of the papers had yellowed. Some of the photos were wrinkled, their surfaces worn from who-knows-what.

Though Lin Rangchuan kept his head down, the corners of his mouth curled in a faint, mocking sneer. See? You just had to open Pandora’s box.

Baby was likely so scared he couldn’t speak. What now? Would he get so angry he’d slap him? Would he? Probably.

“This…” Lin Zhiyu didn’t know how to express it.

A weak glimmer of light flashed in Lin Rangchuan’s eyes, but the smile didn’t fade—it was shallow and mocking. He was just that extreme. He wanted extreme love, extreme embraces; he wanted the world to consist only of the two of them, even to perish together.

At the same time, he was “filthy.” In places where others couldn’t see, he did whatever he wanted to release his desires. Yet he was also a contradiction; he was a neat freak. He would rather hide in a humble, “dirty” corner to find happiness for himself. He gained pleasure from self-restraint and searched for his lover’s silhouette in the void.

He was just lucky to have a chance to get close to Baby, and he didn’t even dare show his true face. After all, his personality was so eccentric; in the eyes of outsiders, how was he any different from a crazy pervert? He couldn’t even be a normal friend, yet he fantasized about having the identity of a normal lover.

He could only present himself with a different face, creating the character of the Senior to walk in the sunlight in his stead, thereby creating another Lin Zhiyu. But he knew it was all just a reflection in the water.

Like now, the magic mirror was shattered, the phantom had vanished, and reality had arrived like the Sword of Damocles, waiting for the final verdict.

“This is wrong.” Lin Zhiyu stared at a certain memo. It contained notes about his own hobbies and information. Because it was next to a notebook, it was in a large, bold font. Next to it was the menu for the following day; it even recorded how many clothes Lin Zhiyu had changed into.

But that wasn’t the point.

“You wrote this part wrong. I don’t like girls.” Lin Zhiyu’s scalp felt numb from the walls around him—it felt like countless eyes of his own were staring back—but he still spoke with a dry mouth.

Lin Rangchuan’s eyelids trembled. Just as he was about to look up, he heard Lin Zhiyu walk up to him and whisper: “I like men.”

While Lin Rangchuan was stunned, Lin Zhiyu cupped his face, saw the red glimmer of tears in his eyes, and said:

“You’re not ugly at all.”