“Hmm?”
Qiu Ye noticed that Bai Yao seemed to have a bit of a guilty conscience today.
Especially when facing him, Bai Yao would always quietly shift his gaze, not daring to make eye contact at all.
Although Bai Yao was naturally introverted and usually wasn’t good at maintaining eye contact, they had known each other for so long that Qiu Ye could tell at a glance he was merely feigning composure to hide his flustered eyes.
Qiu Ye didn’t understand what was going on.
He scratched his head, wondering if Bai Yao had done something to wrong him.
He suspiciously opened his drawer to make sure his rolls of toilet paper hadn’t been used up, then checked his shampoo, body wash, and toothpaste.
Everything was perfectly fine.
So, what was this guy feeling so guilty about?
“Overruled! Modern dog!”
Qiu Ye finally looked at the screen in front of him.
Lin Mingxin had just suffered a mental breakdown playing *Street Fighter 6*.
He slammed his hand against his hitbox—a specialized gaming keyboard for fighting games.
This guy mainly played *Street Fighter 6* and was at the Silver rank; his skills were subpar, but he was fully equipped with the best gear.
Currently, he had attracted several roommates to watch from behind.
“My turn, my turn!”
Chen Zhilong pushed Lin Mingxin aside.
“One life each, alright?”
“Do you even know how to play?”
“My dad used to play 97. I played it when I was a kid.”
Qiu Ye rested one hand on his waist as he watched the little characters fighting on the screen, but his gaze involuntarily drifted back to Bai Yao nearby.
Bai Yao was playing *They Are Billions*.
He was more interested in strategy games like this, though they were mostly incomprehensible to anyone not playing them.
Noticing the stare, Bai Yao looked up and met Qiu Ye’s eyes.
His gaze immediately darted toward the ceiling, his cheeks flushing a faint scarlet.
He awkwardly and guiltily lowered his head to continue playing his game.
Even though Bai Yao figured Qiu Ye hadn’t realized he had been ‘violated’ while sleeping soundly that morning, his conscience was still screaming.
“Bai Yao.”
“Yeah!”
Bai Yao sat bolt upright almost as a reflex and responded instinctively.
“Want to go downstairs and buy some snacks?”
“Okay.”
It was the beginning of the month, and Qiu Ye had received his Living Expenses from home along with his Love Fund.
It added up to a full 4,000 yuan, which was more than enough for him to spend lavishly.
He watched as Bai Yao walked up to him, still looking pretty and delicate while avoiding his eyes.
Qiu Ye reached out and unceremoniously slung an arm around those slender shoulders.
“Let’s go! My treat!”
“I shouldn’t let you, right? I’ll pay.”
Qiu Ye had paid for all the cross-dressing clothes before, and Bai Yao always wanted to find an opportunity to treat him back.
But he was currently dead broke, and even completing a Task for 100 yuan was proving difficult.
“We’re bros, why be so picky about it?”
Qiu Ye brushed him off.
“You can treat next time we go out for a meal.”
“I guess that works.”
Lin Mingxin turned his head and shouted, “Bring me back a Coke!!”
“Get me a bag of sunflower seeds too! The ChaCha ones,” Chen Zhilong shouted immediately after.
“And a bottle of green tea, the large one.”
“Dad! I want chips!”
The two walked out of the Boys’ Dormitory with their arms around each other, having picked up their roommates’ shopping list.
With Qiu Ye’s arm around his shoulder, Bai Yao’s 165-centimeter height stood in stark contrast to Qiu Ye’s 180-plus centimeter frame.
It looked like a tiger cuddling a kitten.
Combined with his good looks and timid demeanor, Bai Yao looked like a young girl being held hostage by Qiu Ye no matter how you sliced it.
It also didn’t help that Qiu Ye looked a bit fierce, hardly like a “good guy.”
Students in the hallway cast inquisitive glances, probably wondering how a girl had sneaked into the Boys’ Dormitory building.
Bai Yao was still thinking about his Task.
On a whim, he asked, “Want to take a stroll in the Garden while we’re at it?”
“The Garden?”
Qiu Ye was stunned for a moment.
Wasn’t that a place only couples went?
Since the start of the semester, he hadn’t gone to the Garden even once.
“Sure.”
***
The School’s garden was quite large, featuring small bridges over flowing water, pavilions, and towers.
As they walked along the pebble-paved path, the sounds of birds and insects echoed from the distant trees, and the nearby shrubs and flowers were lush and green.
The two walked side by side.
The pebbles were a bit uncomfortable through the thin soles of their slippers.
Qiu Ye caught a glimpse of Bai Yao beside him.
The short ponytail at the back of his head bobbed with every step, and the tips of his ears peeking through his hair were tinted a light pink.
Qiu Ye felt like this guy was plotting some kind of ‘conspiracy.’
When Bai Yao looked up and accidentally met his gaze, he flusteredly looked back down at his phone.
“You didn’t actually do something to wrong me, did you?”
“Huh? No, how is that possible?”
Qiu Ye thought about it.
“Did you secretly delete all the lewd photos on my phone?”
Bai Yao rolled his eyes at Qiu Ye, speechless.
“I’m not like you, acting all dignified on the outside,” Qiu Ye said righteously.
“You’re just a closet pervert.”
“I’m not interested.”
Bai Yao might have had some sexual interest in the past, but lately, he had truly been pure of heart and few of desires.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.
Before dawn this morning, when he was holding Qiu Ye’s hand, that strange feeling… anyway, his little brother hadn’t rebelled, he didn’t like men, and he certainly didn’t have a hand fetish.
Once the weekend arrived, The School became much quieter.
Students were either out having fun or huddling in their dorms.
Very few people were bored enough to wander through the Garden.
The sounds of chirping birds filled his ears, and above them, the bright, warm sunlight was just right.
They stepped over dappled patches of light, breathing in the fragrance of soil, shrubs, and trees.
Perhaps healed by the scenery of the Garden, Bai Yao was in a good mood.
Two days ago, he had been feeling miserable, but after an all-nighter of gaming and two sleeps, he had basically recovered.
After all, even though he had an extra organ in his stomach now, there hadn’t been any actual changes that affected his current life.
‘Unless I get my menstruation one day and it comes with cramps.’
Bai Yao stole a glance at Qiu Ye’s hand like a thief.
‘Holding hands… for 10 minutes. It’s normal for friends to hold hands, right? Qiu Ye puts his arm around my shoulder all the time—this guy has done far worse things! He tricks me into cross-dressing every single day!’
‘But it still feels a bit ambiguous! What if Qiu Ye misunderstands and actually gets angry?’
His heart began to thud faster from nerves.
His face deepened into a richer shade of crimson from shame, and his brain was a mess of conflict.
Bai Yao awkwardly lowered his head and picked at his fingernails.
‘It’s just a small Task for 100 yuan… but making 100 just by holding hands! That’s so much better than back in high school when I only made fifty for a whole day of handing out flyers!’
“Has your Living Expenses arrived for this month yet?” Qiu Ye chatted casually, sounding a bit smug.
“I got 4,000 last night!”
“I didn’t ask my family for any.”
“You already said you’re in a relationship. You need to treat her on dates and buy gifts.”
“Forget it… they’ll definitely nag me again.”
While they were talking, Bai Yao tentatively reached out and secretly touched the back of Qiu Ye’s hand with his finger.
He carefully observed Qiu Ye’s expression.
It seemed he hadn’t noticed?
‘Eh? This cautious testing makes me look more like a shy, lovesick girl with a crush on a guy, doesn’t it? I should just be open about it, grab Qiu Ye’s hand, and then say it was just a joke between friends afterward.’
While Bai Yao was spacing out, the distance between them unknowingly closed.
His shoulder suddenly bumped into Qiu Ye’s arm.
As if he had been burned, he quickly took a step to the side.
“Why do you keep crowding me?”
Qiu Ye complained first.
“I am not…”
Bai Yao’s eyes darted around.
He decided to just bump back into him and grabbed Qiu Ye’s hand in the process.
“I’m crowding you! So what?”
Qiu Ye was caught off guard and stumbled, nearly falling into the bushes.
“Hey, quit it.”
“No!”
Bai Yao gripped Qiu Ye’s hand tightly, putting on the facade of a prankster.
“I caught you! I’m going to squeeze you to death!”
“What kind of crazy phase are you going through now?”