Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jiang Tiao laughed out of sheer frustration, no longer bothering to hide his subtle sense of superiority.

“There’s no need to use that kind of joke to brush me off.”

Cheng Xun frowned at him, finding the guy increasingly eccentric and passive-aggressive. Seeing Cheng Xun’s reaction, Jiang Tiao’s pent-up annoyance vanished, replaced by his usual smiling facade.

“But thank you for the answer regardless. At least it lets me know that the two of you don’t actually have much of a relationship.”

Cheng Xun didn’t care to deal with him further. He pushed the door open to leave, not expecting Lu Xingchu to be standing right there. He nearly barreled straight into him.

“Are you in a rush for the bathroom too?” Cheng Xun looked up at him, exasperated.

Lu Xingchu: “…No.”

“?” Hearing the denial, Cheng Xun’s expression turned to shock. “Don’t tell me you wanted to peek at me wash—”

Seeing Cheng Xun’s words spiraling toward the ridiculous, Lu Xingchu moved quickly to stop him, instinctively reaching out to cover his mouth.

Cheng Xun didn’t react immediately. His round, cat-like eyes were wide with shock, but his breathing grew shallow and rapid without him realizing it. Against Lu Xingchu’s palm was the warmth of Cheng Xun’s breath and the softness of his lips.

“Mph… ugh.” Realizing the situation, Cheng Xun scrambled backward, hitting the glass bathroom door with a loud thud. “Crap, that hurts…”

Lu Xingchu pulled his hand back with a trace of fluster; even he didn’t quite know why he had made that move.

Watching the entire scene from the side, Liang Ziyan thought: … Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

To make matters worse, someone pulled the glass door open from the inside at that exact moment, causing Cheng Xun to lose his balance and tip backward. Lu Xingchu reacted instantly, reaching out to snag Cheng Xun. He managed to grab his collar.

Unfortunately, he used too much force. As he yanked the boy back, there was a sharp rip as Cheng Xun’s hoodie collar gave way.

Normally, autumn hoodies aren’t that fragile, but the quality of Cheng Xun’s was, frankly, mediocre. The collar was now jagged and torn, drooping all the way down past his collarbone.

The victim of a ruined shirt, Cheng Xun: “…” The awkward accidental destroyer, Lu Xingchu: “…” The witness once again, Liang Ziyan: “…” The cold observer, Jiang Tiao: “What are you doing?”

Unfortunately, no one felt like answering him.

Jiang Tiao was about to speak again when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, his face turning pale instantly, but he answered anyway. “Mom…”

Cheng Xun had no interest in eavesdropping on phone calls. He tugged at his ruined collar and walked back into the bedroom area. Lu Xingchu followed behind him, staring blankly at the hood of Cheng Xun’s sweatshirt.

“Cheng Xun,” Lu Xingchu called out suddenly. “The clothes?”

Cheng Xun checked his watch. It was nearly 11:00 PM; most malls would be closed by now. He shook his head and whispered, “It’s too late. Besides, it’s just a torn collar. Grandma can mend it for me. Let’s not waste money.”

Liang Ziyan looked at the frayed hoodie with shock. He couldn’t help saying, “How can you even wear it like that?”

“?” Cheng Xun was puzzled. “I’ll be wearing a down jacket over it anyway. No one will see.”

Jiang Tiao finally walked over with a heavy expression, looking visibly dejected after his call. Liang Ziyan was the one who understood his family situation best; Jiang Tiao’s parents were both teachers—extremely strict. His phone had tracking software, and he had a strict curfew.

When Jiang Tiao had originally said he wanted to stay over at the esports hotel, Liang Ziyan had doubted it would work. Sure enough, one phone call later, he had to go back.

Jiang Tiao bit his lip in disappointment, looking at Liang Ziyan pitifully. “My dad says he’s coming to pick me up. I’m leaving now. You guys have fun.”

Liang Ziyan gave him a helpless shrug, implying he had seen this coming. Before leaving, Jiang Tiao shot one last hesitant look at Lu Xingchu, hoping for a response. But Lu Xingchu had already put his headphones back on and started a game, not even sparing him a glance.

Finally, Cheng Xun had a comfortable shower and changed into the hotel’s pajamas, his cheeks flushed from the steam. He was exhausted after the shower. By the time it was past midnight, he was already lying flat on the massive bed watching a movie.

Lu Xingchu and Liang Ziyan were still playing games as a duo. This guy rarely plays games at home, Cheng Xun thought, how is he this wild when he’s with a friend?

A long time passed—long enough for Cheng Xun to drift into a daze—before he felt the mattress dip slightly. Someone was getting into the bed from the other side.

“Mmh?” Cheng Xun looked over with sleepy eyes and saw Lu Xingchu leaning against the headboard, calmly scrolling through his phone.

“?” Cheng Xun felt a bit of his sleepiness vanish. “Why aren’t you sleeping over with your friend?”

Since the bunk-bed rooms were sold out, Liang Ziyan had been forced to book this room with two king-sized beds.

Lu Xingchu looked equally confused. “Why should I sleep over there?”

Liang Ziyan was currently in the shower, so one bed was occupied by two people while the other sat empty.

“No, I mean…” Cheng Xun’s head hit the soft pillow again, his brain turning to mush as his filter disappeared. “Haven’t you slept with me enough yet?”

Lu Xingchu: “…” He couldn’t help but look at Cheng Xun with a look of pure doubt. This guy’s brain really did stall at the worst times. Does he have any idea how suggestive and weird that sounds?

Lu Xingchu pursed his lips and didn’t answer. It didn’t take long for Cheng Xun to fall completely asleep; the hotel bed was indeed very soft and comfortable.

When Liang Ziyan came out after drying his hair, he saw Lu Xingchu already lying flat on the other side of the bed. It seemed Lu’s relationship with his new friend was indeed quite good.

“Old Lu, I didn’t expect you to be willing to squeeze into one bed with someone?”

In his memory, Lu Xingchu was cold and rigid. He was the type to skip class on a whim or pull an all-nighter at a net cafe and sleep through the next morning on his desk. Any contact within his personal social distance usually made him uncomfortable. But now…

“And?” Lu Xingchu looked at him, his voice low.

“I originally planned to let you have the big bed to yourself,” Liang Ziyan said. He had intended to “reluctantly” squeeze in with Cheng Xun himself—after all, what could happen between two guys?

Lu Xingchu gave him a cold look. “Weren’t there originally supposed to be four of us?”

Liang Ziyan laughed awkwardly and rubbed his nose. “To be honest, I only said that to appease Jiang Tiao. I knew he’d have to go home; the chance of him staying the night was zero.”

“Cheng Xun isn’t familiar with you,” Lu Xingchu added coldly.

“Got it, got it.” Liang Ziyan felt increasingly speechless. “He’s only familiar with you. I get it, I totally get it, okay?”

Seeing that Lu Xingchu was ignoring him, Liang Ziyan began his usual self-muttering mode. “Old Lu, you’ve really changed. Since when did you have someone’s name constantly on the tip of your tongue? ‘Cheng Xun’ this, ‘Cheng Xun’ that… people would think he’s your wife, haha!”

Liang Ziyan thought he was making a funny joke, but Lu Xingchu didn’t bite, leaving the atmosphere uncomfortably chilly.

After a long silence, Lu Xingchu finally replied, “It’s late. Sleep.” “Fine, fine.”

Cheng Xun’s sleeping posture was actually quite poor. When they were forced to share a tiny bed before, the space was too narrow for him to move. After switching to bunk beds, his blanket was always twisted and he’d wake up in a tangled mess. Now, on a sprawling hotel bed, the stage was set for him to perform.

Lu Xingchu didn’t sleep soundly. His dreams were fragmented and unpleasant.

When the morning light hit, Lu Xingchu woke up naturally, only to find his entire arm numb and aching. He turned his head and saw Cheng Xun using his arm as a pillow, sleeping peacefully. His delicate features looked gentle in sleep—so innocent and harmless. How does he turn into such a handful when he’s awake?

Lu Xingchu looked down past Cheng Xun’s sleeping face and discovered the boy’s arms were wrapped around his waist, with one leg slung over Lu’s own.

Lu Xingchu: “…” Is he treating me like a human body pillow?

His arm was numb and his back was aching, but because he didn’t want to wake Cheng Xun, his movements were extremely careful. He slowly extracted his arm, unpeeling Cheng Xun’s arms and moving the long leg…

Even then, Cheng Xun didn’t wake up. He just rolled over and continued to sleep sprawled out, perfectly content.

When Liang Ziyan woke up and went to wash up, he saw Lu Xingchu reclining in an automatic massage chair, looking deeply relaxed. One of those scan-to-use things.

“?” Liang Ziyan asked. “Why are you acting like an old man? Getting a massage first thing in the morning?”

Lu Xingchu’s expression was dark. He flicked his eyes toward him but said nothing. Liang Ziyan took the hint. “Fine, I won’t ask.”

Cheng Xun finally woke up when the sun was high in the sky. His short hair was a bird’s nest of bedhead, with cowlicks sticking out in every direction. Despite sleeping for ages, he still looked bleary-eyed, as if he could never get enough rest.

He sat on the bed yawning and realized Lu Xingchu was already at the computer playing games.

Cheng Xun shuffled toward the bathroom in his slippers. As he passed Lu Xingchu, he couldn’t help but grumble, “Why are you up so early playing games?”

Lu Xingchu wasn’t wearing his headset. He turned around and saw Cheng Xun’s chaotic “bird’s nest” head. “It’s 12:30 PM,” he pointed out ruthlessly.

“?” Cheng Xun’s drowsiness vanished. “How did I sleep through breakfast?!”

The hotel provided free breakfast on the second floor; Cheng Xun felt like he’d lost a fortune. “I’m so hungry.”

“We’ll go eat once we check out,” Lu Xingchu added.

Cheng Xun’s eyes widened as it dawned on him—he had forgotten the checkout time. He’d almost made Liang Ziyan pay for another whole day