Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Xie Hang got back to the dorm first.

About ten minutes later, Ji Mian came in after him.

Knowing Xie Hang liked to shower after he’d finished everything, Ji Mian took a change of clothes and went into the bathroom first.

When he came out after showering, the desk by the second bed was nearly cleared off. Before they left, Xie Hang had only the desktop left to clean up, and now he’d finished it in half an hour.

Since the start of the semester, Xie Hang had picked up a lot more stuff, especially after his parents sent him many fall and winter clothes from home. The suitcase he’d brought at the start of the semester wasn’t big enough anymore. Ji Mian had loaned him a small empty suitcase that afternoon, but it still wasn’t enough, so he had to use an extra bag for the clothes.

Ji Mian, lazily towel-drying his hair, said, “I’m finished. The bathroom’s all yours.”

“Mm,” Xie Hang said flatly, not turning around.

“Finished packing?”

“Mm.”

Ji Mian’s eyebrow shot up.

That’s all you’ve got to say?

If this were Xie Hang from a few months ago, two ‘mm’s in a row would’ve been normal. But now, things were different.

“What’s up? You feeling down?” Ji Mian leaned in with a grin, his sharp canines showing, looking pretty charming. “Heh, already missing us?”

Xie Hang: …

What kind of moron is this?

He wasn’t in a bad mood, exactly, but since getting back to the dorm, he hadn’t felt like talking. It wasn’t so much a bad mood as a low-level annoyance.

So, what was bugging him, exactly?

“You’ll need to make two trips?” Ji Mian asked, looking at the packed suitcase.

Xie Hang’s bed was still made, so he only needed to grab the stuff underneath.

“Probably.”

Ji Mian’s suitcase was sitting to Xie Hang’s right. He leaned over and sat on it, checking out Xie Hang’s now-empty desk.

Just out of the shower, Ji Mian’s hair was still wet, and he smelled like shampoo.

The damp scent hung around Xie Hang, making him look over.

Ji Mian had a towel on his head, his hair half-dry and hanging down, looking somewhat docile.

Before showering, Ji Mian had also taken off his earring, and the shape of his left earlobe was quite attractive.

“I’ll go with you tomorrow, so you won’t have to make two trips,” Ji Mian said.

He didn’t notice that the moment he spoke, the other’s gaze shifted from his earlobe to his lips.

Ji Mian continued on his own, “And I’ll take a look at your new place too.”

Xie Hang took a few seconds to process what Ji Mian had said before replying, “Okay.”

*

Around noon the next day, Ji Mian and Xie Hang moved stuff to the latter's new apartment.

Xie Hang’s new place was really nice. It was airy, sunny, and had everything he needed. The place was simply and neatly decorated.

The area around the apartment had plenty of small supermarkets and restaurants, which made things super convenient.

After looking around, Ji Mian found the kitchen to be the best part—it was big and had all the pots and tools he’d need. The bedroom was nice too, with its own bathroom.

"By the way," he asked Xie Hang, "Why didn’t you rent a one-bedroom, two-room apartment since you're living alone?"

Xie Hang replied, "I’m using the other room as a study."

He liked keeping his work and chill spaces separate. Plus, their campus was kind of out of the way, and the rent was relatively low. A two-bedroom, two-room apartment was only about 200 bucks more than a one-bedroom, two-room one.

"Oh," Ji Mian nodded, "I figured you might be planning to live with a girlfriend."

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"I know, a future girlfriend, maybe."

Xie Hang paused, "That’s not on my radar."

Ji Mian didn’t say anything more. He could talk about dating with Chen Xu and Jia Wenbo, but with Xie Hang, he always felt like Xie Hang wasn’t into it, so he rarely brought it up.

Among the suitcases Xie Hang brought, one was Ji Mian’s. Since Ji Mian didn’t have anything else going on, he stuck around to help out. Once Xie Hang finished unpacking, Ji Mian would take the suitcase back.

For the next two hours, Xie Hang began organizing the items from the suitcases and setting up his new home.

Ji Mian helped mop the floor for a while, but as soon as he finished the living room, Xie Hang came out of the bedroom and caught him.

He grabbed the mop from Ji Mian and said, "You don’t have to do that."

After saying that, he tossed the mop into the master bathroom and locked the door.

Ji Mian: ...

Seriously?

Ji Mian wasn’t the type to look for extra work, so when Xie Hang said he didn’t need help, he just chilled on the couch and scrolled on his phone.

By around five o'clock, the living room and bedroom were filled with Xie Hang's belongings, and the place finally felt like home.

Ji Mian's suitcase was also emptied.

"All done?" He put down his phone, ready to get up and take the suitcase back.

"Yeah," Xie Hang said, "It’s dinner time. What are you in the mood for? I’ll cover it."

"No need."

Xie Hang continued, "Nah, I’ll cook."

"Huh? You can cook?"

"Yeah."

Ji Mian then remembered that the most well-equipped part of the apartment was the kitchen, clearly something Xie Hang had specifically chosen.

"Anyway, I have to cook for myself, and it's easier to cook for two," Xie Hang said, pausing for two seconds before adding, "You can have whatever you want. I'm a good cook."

Ji Mian: "Hah."

It was the first time he had heard Xie Hang praise himself like that. How shameless!

Xie Hang: "..."

Ji Mian thought for a moment and felt like eating fish. The fish at school was pretty bland, and when he went out with friends, we usually go for barbecue or hot pot, rarely having fish.

But cooking fish was too troublesome, and their campus was remote. The nearest supermarket where they could buy live fish was far away, and they would have to take a taxi to get there.

"Meat's fine, I’m not picky," he said.

Xie Hang headed downstairs to grab some groceries.

Since the kitchen was out of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, Xie Hang had to make two trips to buy these miscellaneous items, which took some extra time. Dinner wasn’t ready until after six.

Xie Hang wasn’t kidding; his cooking skills were really good.

Ji Mian couldn't help himself and ended up eating half a bowl more than usual. He was so stuffed he could barely move.

After dinner, it was getting dark outside.

Ji Mian lounged comfortably on the sofa and couldn't help but sigh, "It's so nice outside. I only got a quick look when I came over, but I saw so many food places. Especially the breakfast spots! So many options... our school’s breakfast is always the same old stuff."

Xie Hang: "Really? I haven’t really noticed."

"There’s a spot downstairs from your place that sells stuffed pies. I’ve gotten up early to grab them a couple of times. The squid and eggplant fillings are delicious; you’ve gotta try them."

"Want some? I’ll grab some for you after class the day after tomorrow."

"Wait, really?" Ji Mian sat up abruptly, "Brother Heng! You’re the best!!"

Xie Hang suppressed a laugh, "What kind do you want?"

"Teriyaki chicken leg."

"I thought you said the squid and eggplant ones were good?"

Ji Mian grinned sheepishly, "No, it's just that I've only tried those two fillings."

"..."

Ji Mian really had to leave now.

Before seeing him off, Xie Hang politely added, "If you don’t feel like heading back, you can crash in the other bedroom."

"Stay?" Ji Mian looked at him with a smile, "Nah. If I gotta use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I’d have to knock on your door."

Xie Hang imagined the scene and also smiled slightly.

"I’m heading out," Ji Mian said, dragging the empty suitcase and waving at him.

"Mm."

After closing the door, the house suddenly felt empty and quiet with just one person left.

Xie Hang frowned slightly.