Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As the class was about to end, Pei Ran closed his textbook and pulled out a mask from his pocket, putting it on.

"Aren't you leaving early again?" his roommate asked.

Pei Ran nodded.

Roommate: "You've been leaving early for a few days now. People might think someone's waiting for you after school..."

Pei Ran smiled but didn't respond. The moment the teacher turned their back, he grabbed his books and slipped out the back door.

Only when he had walked a considerable distance from the academic building did Pei Ran relax.

He exhaled softly and checked his phone. As expected, there were several messages, all from Luo Qingshan.

Pei Ran quickly scrolled through their chat history from the past few days. It gave him an illusion of being back in high school.

"Luo Qingshan: Pei Ran, want to have lunch together?"

"Pei Ran: No, I've already ordered takeout."

"Luo Qingshan: Alright, which restaurant did you choose? I'll order the same."

"[Video Call, Unanswered]"

"Luo Qingshan: Sweetheart, I miss you."

"Luo Qingshan: I couldn't concentrate in class all day long."

"Luo Qingshan: I deleted Su Nian's contact. You can check whenever you want."

"Luo Qingshan: Want to have dinner together? I'll come find you in your classroom."

Back in high school, Luo Qingshan had pursued Pei Ran in a similar manner. He'd asked their teachers to switch seats so he could sit next to Pei Ran, moved into the top bunk of Pei Ran's dorm room, and even insisted on eating both lunch and dinner with him... No matter how much Pei Ran tried to discourage it, Luo Qingshan wouldn't budge.

Closing the chat window, Pei Ran also removed the notification bar setting that Luo Qingshan had set on his phone.

That evening, when Luo Qingshan entered the dorm, Yan Zhun was watching a replay of the PUBG International Championship.

With only one earphone in place, his legs casually spread apart, he seemed somewhat absent-minded, completely unaffected by the sound of the door opening.

Luo Qingshan slammed a pack of beer onto his desk and asked, "Want to have a drink together?"

The cans were damp, indicating they had just been taken out of the fridge. Yan Zhun glanced at the wet tabletop and faintly furrowed his brow before shaking his head. "No, thanks."

Thus, Luo Qingshan was left to drown his sorrows alone.

Halfway through his drinking, he picked up his phone and instinctively dialed a number to invite someone over. It wasn't until after the call connected that he realized his mistake and hastily hung up.

At two in the morning, Yan Zhun was awakened by his roommate's noise.

He slowly opened his eyes, revealing weary and irritated dark irises.

Luo Qingshan: "Pei Ran, can you really be so heartless…"

Yan Zhun instantly became alert.

The dorm room was already dark, with Luo Qingshan's phone screen the sole source of light.

With a despondent tone, Luo Qingshan said, "Three years… We've been together for three years. You have to tolerate my mistakes, Pei Ran."

Muttering to himself for a few minutes, Luo Qingshan's rambling became unbearable to Yan Zhun, who reached under his pillow to grab his earplugs. Just as he was about to put them on, he heard rustling sounds.

"—Luo Qingshan, it's late now."

Luo Qingshan had put the call on speaker.

Pei Ran's voice was raspy and laced with exhaustion. "Can we talk about it tomorrow, alright?"

"Liu won't talk to me tomorrow," Luo Qingshan stated.

Pei Ran rubbed his hair, taking a while to fully awaken from his daze.

Luo Qingshan spoke in staccato, occasionally stumbling over his words – a clear indication that he had been drinking again.

Feeling a dryness in his throat, Pei Ran took a sip of water before continuing, "Luo Qingshan, it's not just because of this issue that I'm breaking up with you."

Silence reigned on the other end of the line, void of any response.

Pei Ran: "We agreed to give it a try."

Back then, Luo Qingshan was lying on the hospital bed, his hands and arms wrapped in bandages. Both of them were only seventeen or eighteen, with unspoken emotions in their eyes.

Despite his excruciating pain, Luo Qingshan grinned and teased him, asking if he was touched and if he would dedicate himself in return.

Pei Ran fell silent for a long while before responding, Let's give it a try, Luo Qingshan.

Over the course of three years, Pei Ran came to understand that affection could grow over time, but not for everyone.

At least, his feelings for Luo Qingshan had yet to reach a point of greatness where he could overlook everything.

Luo Qingshan still didn't respond. Pei Ran lowered his gaze and said, "I'm sorry..."

"Ahh, he's asleep," came a soft voice from the other end.

Pei Ran was taken aback. "Oh."

Yan Zhun tossed the empty beer can on the table into the trash. "He had a bit to drink and is now sleeping. This is Yan Zhun."

Pei Ran: "..."

Did that mean Yan Zhun had overheard everything he and Luo Qingshan had just discussed?

An awkward sensation crept up from the soles of his feet, and Pei Ran swallowed, finally managing to say after a long while, "Did I disturb your sleep?"

"No," Yan Zhun replied, unperturbed. "I was staying up late."

Pei Ran let out a soft "Oh."

A brief silence ensued.

"Go to bed then," Yan Zhun said. "Remember to turn on the mute next time you sleep."

Pei Ran: "Okay."

Right before Pei Ran hung up, Yan Zhun hastily added, "Good night."

After the WeChat call ended, Yan Zhun's gaze fell inadvertently upon Luo Qingshan's chat history.

The first one was Pei Ran, and the second was Su Nian.

"Su Nian: You called me? Is it convenient for you? I'll call back..."

After that, the message was truncated.

Yan Zhun recalled Luo Qingshan's earlier mutterings, which included a line about how he had already blocked the person, so what else did they want him to do?

At that moment, Luo Qingshan's face, which had been resting on the table, suddenly flipped over. He mumbled incoherently, "Darling..."

Yan Zhun casually draped one of Luo Qingshan's jackets over him. "Don't call out randomly."

Luo Qingshan, with his eyes closed, instinctively muttered, "Huh?"

"We've broken up," Yan Zhun said patiently, uncommon for him, reminding Luo Qingshan, "He's not your darling anymore."

Pei Ran sat on the bed, staring fixedly at his phone screen.

Did he hang up too quickly? Yan Zhun seemed to have more to say.

After the disturbance, Pei Ran was no longer sleepy. Fortunately, his roommates had been staying elsewhere for the past few days, leaving him alone in the dormitory; otherwise, he would have had to rush to the balcony to take the call.

He sat down in front of his computer, staring at the half-finished manuscript, contemplating whether or not to complete it.

In the end, laziness triumphed, and Pei Ran grabbed his phone to crawl back into bed.

Lying on his side, he mindlessly scrolled through his social media feed and stumbled upon a post from just a minute ago.

"Yan Zhun: Offering gaming companionship, proficient in all games, available anytime."

Pei Ran casually tapped into Yan Zhun's Moments, only to discover that the post had been swiftly deleted.

To be precise, Yan Zhun had re-posted something:

"Yan Zhun: Offering gaming companion services, proficient in all games, always online, skilled in pleasing clients, ready to do anything. Interested bosses, please DM. Running out of money for food [Website Link]."

After spending ten minutes browsing through today's social feed, Pei Ran couldn't resist clicking on that web link.

It was a highly professional gaming companion platform. Yan Zhun's account seemed new, with zero completed orders. He was charging twenty yuan per hour, which was the lowest rate on the website.

Pei Ran read through the order several times before finally placing a ten-hour request. After paying, he promptly closed the webpage.

Just as he was about to switch his phone to silent and go to sleep, a WeChat message popped up.

"Yan Zhun: Boss."

"Yan Zhun: When do you want to play?"

Pei Ran's eyes widened, and it took him a few seconds to compose a reply.

"Pei Ran: What are you talking about?"

"Yan Zhun: You placed an order for my gaming companion services, for ten hours."

"Pei Ran: ...How did you know it was me?"

"Yan Zhun: Your WeChat profile picture is on the order."

Pei Ran covered his eyes, realizing that he had overlooked this detail.

Here comes the question: Would it be disrespectful to confess just to support Yan Zhun with a bit of living expenses?

"Yan Zhun: ?"

"Pei Ran: Ah, it's quite late today, let's play another time."

"Yan Zhun: How about tomorrow?"

"Pei Ran: These few days... I have a part-time job to attend to."

"Yan Zhun: Next week, there's a seven-day break at school. I'll accompany you then."

"Yan Zhun: It feels uncomfortable to owe you."

He had laid his cards on the table.

"Pei Ran: Alright."

"Pei Ran: I hung up too quickly earlier and didn't catch your last words. My apologies."

Yan Zhun: "It's fine, he didn't say anything important."

"Pei Ran: Sure. By the way, could you kindly pour a glass of water and place it next to Luo Qingshan?"

Yan Zhun: "Now, you are my boss."

"Pei Ran: ?"

Yan Zhun: "You could even force water into his mouth, and I wouldn't mind."

"Pei Ran: ..."