Chapter 77: Angry

“Hmm? Huh!”

Bai Yao sat up with a start, his eyes still dazed.

He scratched the back of his head as memories of the previous night flashed through his mind.

He hadn’t actually been that drunk; his memories and thoughts from then were quite clear.

He even remembered reading two chapters of a novel, scrolling through short videos for a few minutes, and putting on a face mask after getting into bed.

But he had completely switched off his brain and done something he would never do under normal circumstances!

As a man, he had actually acted spoiled toward another man…

He had even intentionally put on a confused and innocent look because he knew it made him look cute.

He had almost even let the secret about his cross-dressing slip!

Bai Yao let out a sigh of relief.

‘It’s a good thing I didn’t say it.’

It was Sunday, just past 8:00 AM.

His roommates hadn’t woken up yet, and Wang Zuhao’s heavy snoring echoed in his ears.

Pulling back the bed curtain, Bai Yao poked his head out and glanced at Qiu Ye’s bed.

He found that the guy had been awake for a while and was lounging in bed, playing on his phone.

“Up so early?” Qiu Ye yawned.

“You really shouldn’t drink in the future. You insisted on eating lobster and steak in the middle of the night. Where was I supposed to buy that for you?”

“Uh…”

“When I didn’t give it to you, you even got mad and hit me.”

Bai Yao retorted weakly, “I didn’t hit you, did I?”

“Seems you weren’t that drunk after all. You remember?”

Qiu Ye sat up, his thin quilt sliding down to reveal his bare upper body.

He leaned against the wall and looked up at Bai Yao.

“Are you still eating the brisket fat? You took two bites last night and said it was too greasy.”

“I’ll boil some noodles then. Should I make it for breakfast?”

“Sure.”

Bai Yao’s gaze couldn’t help but wander over Qiu Ye’s body.

Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and wheat-colored skin that looked as smooth as chocolate.

The muscle lines on his arms were distinct, and his biceps bulged slightly…

Qiu Ye felt a bit awkward and silently pulled a T-shirt over his head.

“What? Jealous?”

“It’s just average. You don’t even have abs.”

“Who says?”

Qiu Ye lifted the hem of his shirt, held his breath, and flexed.

His abdominal muscles tightened.

“One big piece!”

Pfft!

Seeing Bai Yao laugh with his eyes curving into adorable crescents, Qiu Ye became even more energetic.

He rolled up his sleeve to show off his biceps, the muscles pulsing as he flexed and relaxed.

“Look at these muscles! I used to play ball every day, okay? It’s just inconvenient now because of the fracture.”

Bai Yao hesitated before asking, “Can I squeeze them?”

“Rock hard!”

Qiu Ye moved to the edge of the bed and stepped onto the ladder, extending his arm upward.

Bai Yao’s soft fingertips pressed lightly against the bicep, and he let out an exclamation of awe.

“Whoa! It really is hard! I can’t even push it in.”

“Naturally~”

Compared to a fitness enthusiast, Qiu Ye was definitely just average.

But compared to a thin, weak boy, his physique was practically invincible.

He reached out again, spreading his five fingers like he was showing off.

“My hands are huge too. I can palm a basketball with one hand.”

Bai Yao also reached out, pressing his palm against Qiu Ye’s to compare.

In comparison, it looked like the difference between an adult’s hand and a child’s.

However, Bai Yao’s hand was several shades fairer.

While it was small, his fingers were elegantly long, though his fingernails were bitten down to a sorry state.

They were soft and cool to the touch…

Just like a girl’s hand.

A slight ripple stirred in Qiu Ye’s heart.

He pulled his hand back awkwardly.

“What did you expect? You’re short and small-boned.”

It seemed that ever since he had slept in the same bed as Bai Yao, it was becoming increasingly difficult to view him as a man.

“I never got enough to eat during middle school.”

“What era is this that you couldn’t get enough to eat?”

Qiu Ye asked curiously.

“Is your family very poor?”

“It’s alright, I guess? It’s just that the school cafeteria was terrible, and I didn’t have money to eat out. Plus, there were a few seniors who were always shaking me down for money.”

Qiu Ye’s brow furrowed.

“You didn’t tell your teachers or parents?”

“What’s there to say? My parents just told me to fight back.”

Bai Yao stuck his leg out from the curtains and lightly kicked Qiu Ye’s foot.

“Move, I want to get down.”

Qiu Ye pulled his feet back from the ladder and watched as Bai Yao slowly climbed down from the bed.

Bai Yao’s movements were very quiet, as he was afraid of waking anyone up.

He put on his slippers and first looked at the leftover brisket fat sitting in a disposable bowl.

About half was left.

He wasn’t sure if it was still edible after sitting out all night, so he picked it up and sniffed it.

‘Hmm, no weird smell.’

When his roommates woke up, they could use it as a topping for instant noodles.

As Bai Yao was thinking, his hip accidentally bumped into a chair.

The iron leg let out a sharp screech against the tile floor, causing him to freeze in terror.

He didn’t dare move a muscle.

After a second or two, Wang Zuhao’s snoring continued unabated.

Only then did Bai Yao cautiously put the chair back in its place and tip-toe out to the balcony.

Watching him act as cautious as a thief, Qiu Ye almost burst out laughing from his bed.

Over by the sink on the balcony, a dirty pot was soaking in water.

“He doesn’t even know how to wash a pot…”

Bai Yao grumbled under his breath as he picked up the sponge on the windowsill.

He squeezed a bit of dish soap onto it and began briskly cleaning the pot.

These roommates were lazy to the bone! But he couldn’t exactly let Brother Long, the one who paid for everything, wash the pot, right?

Speaking of which, wasn’t there supposed to be a hygiene inspection today?

The toilet needed scrubbing too… and it happened to be Qiu Ye’s turn, right?

Just then, Qiu Ye walked out of the room, yawning as he headed for the bathroom, but Bai Yao called out to him.

“Is it your turn to scrub the toilet this week?”

“Me? Oh, right, it should be.”

Qiu Ye finally remembered.

“Why? Was there an inspection notice in the group chat?”

“They sent it last night. Apparently, some leaders are coming, and the floor needs to be mopped.”

Bai Yao wiped his wet hands on his pants twice and checked his phone.

“The counselor said we need to fold our quilts, put away any contraband, and make sure the trash cans are empty.”

“Stupid school,” Qiu Ye cursed.

Then, he leaned in toward Bai Yao with a flattering smile.

“Brother—”

Bai Yao’s expression turned cold, and he looked down to continue washing the pot.

“You know I have a fracture. I just had surgery, so I can’t move.”

“You seemed pretty good at playing games just now.”

“That’s just moving my fingers! I don’t dare move the joints.”

Qiu Ye knew Bai Yao was soft-hearted, so he acted spoiled despite being a grown man.

“Please… I’ll do whatever you want from now on. Look at how well I’ve been treating you lately.”

Looking at it this way, acting spoiled toward Qiu Ye last night while drunk didn’t seem so shameful anymore.

After all, this guy was even more shameless!

Bai Yao still valued his dignity, but he couldn’t withstand Qiu Ye’s whining. With a face full of reluctance, he said, “Fine.”

“Ayy! Thanks, Brother! You’re basically my own mother! Even my mom doesn’t treat me as well as you do!”

“Tch.”

If it weren’t for the fact that Qiu Ye had been treating him to meals often… He knew the guy was broke.

Aside from the occasional snack or drink, he usually just lived on instant noodles.

A man who only had ten yuan but was willing to spend five on you—that was a bond forged in life and death!

Bai Yao asked, not quite feeling at ease, “Give me your phone?”

“What for? Keeping it as collateral?”

Qiu Ye handed over the phone with a grin.

“Password hasn’t changed, and the fingerprint is still the same.”

“Wait…”

Bai Yao’s voice suddenly rose an octave. “You already owe 300 on your credit app!”

“I’ve been spending a lot lately.”

Bai Yao despised the idea of spending money one didn’t have.

His brow furrowed deeply, and he stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at Qiu Ye accusingly.

“And you still insisted on treating everyone like some big shot?”

In his eyes, borrowing money always started small and grew until it was unpayable.

He had seen a relative go over 100,000 in debt.

‘It’s my own money, so it shouldn’t matter how I spend it…’

Besides, it was just a credit app.

He would pay it back once his allowance arrived next month, and there wasn’t even any interest.

Qiu Ye argued back in his mind, but facing the fierce-looking Bai Yao—who looked like a tiny kitten hissing—he took a step back and muttered submissively, “Don’t be angry.”

He looked like a child who had done something wrong, hanging his head.

However, his gaze drifted to the slender waist Bai Yao was clutching.

‘So thin… it makes his butt look extra perky.’

“I have a cousin who ended up owing over 100,000 exactly like this!”

If Qiu Ye was just spending his own money on credit, that would be one thing, but he had used it to treat Bai Yao to dinner too.

It made Bai Yao feel like he was the culprit encouraging Qiu Ye to go into debt, filling him with guilt.

But why was he so angry?

They were just roommates.

“I’m not talking to you.”

Bai Yao turned and ducked into the bathroom.

Seeing that he was truly angry, Qiu Ye scratched the back of his head in a panic.

“Wait, it’s not like that…”