My Roommate is a Gloomy, Sensitive Guy Who Cries Over Everything - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: You and That Senior are Cyber-dating…

Lin Zhiyu took a hot shower. His limbs felt weak and limp, and taking advantage of the fact that Brother Lin wasn’t around, he drifted in and out of the kitchen like a wandering spirit.

Perhaps the Senior had told Brother Lin about the time he “exploded” a kitchen in the past, leading to Brother Lin strictly forbidding him from using the stove. Initially, he wasn’t even allowed near the kitchen at all.

Talk about an exaggeration.

Having no appetite, he ate something simple, popped his medicine, and headed to the bathroom to blow-dry his hair while fumbling with his phone with his free hand.

[Senior]: Baby took a long shower. [Senior]: Did you scrub your skin until it turned red?

Lin Zhiyu was about to explain that he had also eaten, but he stopped mid-thought. He subconsciously glanced at his exposed skin. It wasn’t red, but his temperature was still unusually high; he felt hot and soft to the touch…

Lin Zhiyu couldn’t help himself. People who rarely exercised didn’t have much muscle. Even that “skinny monkey” Yu Hechang had some vague abdominal outlines, not because he worked out, but because he was thin.

Lin Zhiyu had nothing—he was like a little white pig, only knowing how to eat and never losing weight.

[Senior]: Baby is ignoring me again.

Only then did Lin Zhiyu quote the previous message; he never let the Senior’s words fall to the ground without a response.

[Xiao Yu]: Not very red. [Senior]: People with a fever have very red lips.

Lin Zhiyu clicked off the hair dryer and checked the mirror. It was true. His lips were vivid, as if he were wearing lipstick.

[Xiao Yu]: They are a bit too red. [Senior]: Will Baby let me see?

Lin Zhiyu felt a surge of playfulness and actually raised his phone, but then silently put it back down.

[Xiao Yu]: I can’t. It’s too weird. [Senior]: Why is it weird? [Senior]: Is Baby shy, or do you dislike me? [Senior]: Do you hate me that much?

Lin Zhiyu felt a pang in his heart. He typed softly.

[Xiao Yu]: No, it’s not that. I’ll show you next time. [Senior]: Okay. I’ll wait for you.

Lin Zhiyu’s face flushed with heat. Ever since he had confirmed his orientation, he hadn’t met any other gay men; it was all too easy for another man to tug at his heartstrings. This wasn’t good.

He didn’t reply further. He finished drying his hair, changed, and headed out.

…

After a night of sleep, he had sweated out the fever, but he still had that lingering lethargy.

It was Saturday, and the orders were piling up. He wished he could use a shadow-clone technique. By the end of the afternoon, he was drenched in sweat, but he felt refreshed. Earning money felt great…

As closing time approached, Lin Zhiyu instinctively looked toward the window seat. No one came. When he left this morning, Brother Lin hadn’t been home either, and the Senior seemed busy as his replies were slow.

He ended up chatting with the highly excited Yu Hechang, who was coming over tomorrow.

[Xiao Yu]: I’ll go pick you up. You might get lost. [Pooping Smoothly]: Please don’t forget my nickname, ‘The Little Prince of Amap (Navigation),’ thank you. [Pooping Smoothly]: And you better change my contact name.

Lin Zhiyu looked at the name in his contacts.

[Xiao Yu]: I think the one I gave you fits you better. [Pooping Smoothly]: What is it? [Xiao Yu]: You can come see it for yourself on my phone. If I tell you now, there’s no surprise.

When he got off work, the sky wasn’t dark yet. Entering the apartment, he saw Lin Rangchuan was already home, just coming out of the kitchen in dark pajamas, drinking water.

The water in the glass was clear, and the fingers holding it were long and elegant like bamboo.

Lin Zhiyu stared for a long time before realizing Brother Lin had very beautiful hands; the red agate beads were smooth and lustrous.

Lin Rangchuan’s fingers suddenly moved, his thumb rubbing against the rim of the glass with a touch of sexiness.

Lin Zhiyu’s emotions momentarily stalled in confusion.

For some reason, even as a social butterfly, he always felt a bit constrained around Lin Rangchuan, unable to fully be himself.

“Brother Lin, a friend is coming over tomorrow to visit. Do you mind?”

He was the landlord, so Lin Zhiyu felt it was necessary to report it to avoid causing trouble.

Lin Rangchuan: “Staying the night?”

“Probably not, he’s also an H University student.” Lin Zhiyu added a disclaimer: “But he might stay for one night. Is that okay?”

Lin Rangchuan was silent for a long time. “Okay.”

He set the glass down on the table with a crisp clink.

Lin Zhiyu watched him enter his room before walking over to look at the glass. The glassware in the house was all transparent, heavy, and of the same brand and shape.

There were no personalized cups; there were only two glasses in total, and they were washed together every day. So… how did they tell whose was whose?

And, perhaps it was just psychological, but he had a feeling that the one Brother Lin had just used was actually his glass.

On Sunday morning, Lin Zhiyu took a leave of absence from the shop. At noon, he ordered takeout. He spent his time in his room browsing the school forums, joining the major’s class group, adding the counselor and some friendly classmates on WeChat, and checking into his game… he was busy. The takeout was brought into his room by Lin Rangchuan.

Lin Zhiyu, wearing pajamas, peeked out from behind the wall, revealing a fluffy head and a pale face tinged with pink.

“Thanks, Brother Lin. What are you having for lunch? I’ll order some for you.”

Lin Rangchuan said indifferently: “No need.”

Lin Zhiyu: “Okay then. Remember to eat something!”

The door closed again. Lin Rangchuan’s dark pupils stared at it for a long time. Shortly after, another delivery person knocked.

He had ordered the exact same meal as Lin Zhiyu.

…

Lin Zhiyu was supposed to wait in the apartment for the arrival of the “Little Prince of Amap,” but the Prince got lost. Left with no choice, Lin Zhiyu changed and went out to play hide-and-seek with him.

He found Yu Hechang squatting at an alley entrance. Wearing a T-shirt and long pants, Yu Hechang lunged forward into a bear hug the moment he saw Lin Zhiyu.

Lin Zhiyu knew his friend’s pride was wounded, so he let him hug as much as he wanted before handing him a bubble tea.

Lin Zhiyu: “Now you know how good I am to you.”

Yu Hechang took a sip and felt his soul return. “I could call you ‘Dad’ right now.”

“Good son, haha.” Lin Zhiyu patted his head.

He didn’t notice that a few hundred meters away, at the mouth of the alley, a shadow was watching them.

…

Yu Hechang had only finished a bit of his tea by the time they reached the apartment. He let out a “Holy crap!”

“Is it this close? What was I doing circling around over there for ten minutes?”

Lin Zhiyu: “Being talented at getting lost.”

Yu Hechang paced between the living room and the balcony. He didn’t go into the bedrooms, just peeked from the outside. “Your roommate isn’t here?”

“He went out. He’ll be back soon.”

Lin Zhiyu entered the kitchen hesitantly. After searching for a while, he realized that besides the two glasses, there were only paper cups. His mouth twitched as he poured water for Yu Hechang and scrounged up some snacks from the fridge and cupboard.

The two scurried into the bedroom to chat. Yu Hechang was stunned by the furnishings.

Look at this comfortable bed—a major brand. Look at this ergonomic chair, the large monitor, and the wall-to-wall bookshelves.

“Ah, they’re all computer science books. You bought these?”

If Yu Hechang hadn’t mentioned it, Lin Zhiyu wouldn’t have known. He said confusedly: “I didn’t buy them. These aren’t mine.”

“What about the furniture?” Yu Hechang pointed.

“It was all here when I arrived.”

Yu Hechang’s brow furrowed in deep, solemn thought.

After a long pause, he said: “To prepare everything so perfectly for you… is he your father or your mother?”

“………..”

“You two aren’t… cyber-dating, are you?!” Yu Hechang felt this was the most likely possibility.

Cyber-dating? Lin Zhiyu froze with a red face, not responding for a long time. He was a fool when it came to romance; everything showed on his face.

Yu Hechang was slightly surprised. “Really?”

“That’s not even a thing, okay?” Lin Zhiyu snapped back to reality and rubbed his face, trying to friction-rub the heat away, forgetting that friction actually creates heat.

Yu Hechang looked at his increasingly red cheeks and sighed. “Well, chatting every day is bound to create feelings. Cyber-dating is just like that—once there’s a spark, you’re together. Then, two handsome guys meet, see eye-to-eye, and start ‘clapping hands.'”

“You seem to know a lot.” Lin Zhiyu sat in his chair, drinking water incessantly. He drank the entire glass he had prepared for Yu Hechang.

“That’s how it is in dramas.” Yu Hechang stopped there. “Hey, so your roommate—wait, he’s your landlord, right? Who is he?”

“What do you mean, who is he?”

“What’s his name?”

Lin Zhiyu had a look of ‘I haven’t told you?’ and Yu Hechang replied with a look of ‘No, you haven’t said a word.’

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Yu Hechang finally learned the name of the famous roommate.

Yu Hechang jumped off the bed instantly. “Ah! It’s him? I know him!”

“What about him?” Lin Zhiyu propped his chin up, his cheek flesh squished as he looked at him with interest.

“It’s hard to summarize. Anyway, he’s quite the big shot. He transferred into this major as a sophomore. You know everyone cares about looks now; he’s very handsome. I’ve seen photos—they’re blurry, but he’s not exactly ‘popular’ because almost no one in the forums dares to discuss him.”

“Why?”

“He’s a genius at computer science. He can dig people up from three feet underground and then threaten them into deleting posts.”

Yu Hechang summarized: “You’re studying CS; your luck has arrived.”

Lin Zhiyu finally felt the reality of that bookshelf. It seemed it wasn’t prepared for him, but had been there all along.

“But you still have to be careful.” Yu Hechang was being mysterious, hooking Lin Zhiyu’s interest.

“Careful of what?” Lin Zhiyu coaxed.

“Based on my research of various ‘documents,’ I have concluded that your roommate is homophobic.”

“………..”

“Senior Lin used to study design at the main campus. Back then, a guy from the same department and dorm was chasing him. He stole his clothes, confessed grandly in front of everyone, and even stalked him when he went home.”

Lin Zhiyu frowned. “That’s a pervert, isn’t it?”

Yu Hechang: “I’m not done. Senior Lin couldn’t take it anymore. While that guy was stalking him, he led him into an alley and beat him up. Afterward, he threw his phone at him, told him to call the police, and then transferred him money for medical expenses.”

Lin Zhiyu: “Then what? Did he call the police?”

Yu Hechang pounded the pillow excitedly. “Here’s the kicker: the guy didn’t call the police. He grabbed Senior Lin’s leg and said if he was still unhappy, he could beat him up again.”

Lin Zhiyu: “…No wonder he transferred majors.”

“So, for safety, stay away from him. I’m afraid you’ll get exposed.”

Lin Zhiyu laughed. “I’m not a pervert.”

It was only 2:30 PM. Yu Hechang hadn’t eaten lunch because he was rushing for the bus. Their conversation was interrupted by the continuous growling of Yu Hechang’s stomach.

Fortunately, Lin Zhiyu had earned some money recently. He lifted his head like a little landlord: “What do you want to eat? My treat.”

“When I was lost, I passed a rice noodle shop. It smelled amazing. Let’s eat there.”

Lin Zhiyu thought for a moment. “Oh, I know which one. Let’s go, I’ll treat you.”

The bedroom door opened, and Yu Hechang was startled by the black figure in the living room. For a moment, he felt like a religious ceremony was being performed in his brain. Senior Lin truly lived up to being a Law major (though he had transferred to CS)…

Yu Hechang stammered: “Hello, Senior Lin. I’m Xiao Yu’s friend.”

Lin Zhiyu peeked out from behind Yu Hechang. “Hi, Brother Lin.”

Lin Rangchuan looked at the spot where their shoulders were touching, then looked back at his phone, asking nonchalantly: “Where are you going?”

Lin Zhiyu fully stepped out from behind Yu Hechang, smiling softly: “My friend hasn’t eaten yet. I’m taking him out to eat. Have you eaten, Brother Lin?”

Lin Rangchuan: “Where are you eating?”

“The noodle shop on the street opposite.”

Lin Rangchuan said without changing his expression: “Perfect. I haven’t had lunch either. Let’s go together.”