Chapter 12 A-12

Chapter A-12

The four people in Room 10529 all had different majors. Apart from returning to the dormitory, there was pretty much no chance of running into each other outside.

Yun Xiu searched the original host's memories but couldn't find any friends from the same major, so he ended up attending classes alone for a week.

Friday afternoon.

After finishing his last class, Yun Xiu returned to the dormitory and found Jiang Tinghan tidying up.

Not his own things, but Yun Xiu's.

Since he needed to catch a high-speed train that evening, Yun Xiu had asked Jiang Tinghan to help him take down the swimming trunks he'd already bought, washed, and dried in advance on the balcony to save some time. But judging by the bulging backpack, it didn't seem like it only contained a pair of swimming trunks.

Jiang Tinghan said slowly, "Time is a bit tight. I took two sets of change of clothes from your wardrobe for you. I hope you don’t mind."

"Not at all, not at all!" Something flashed through Yun Xiu's mind, but he didn't dwell on it, especially since time was really pressing. "I don’t need to bring anything else. Let’s hurry up and go."

There was only an hour left before the high-speed train departure. With the rush hour traffic, neither taking a taxi nor driving would make it in time. Taking the subway was the fastest option.

What Yun Xiu didn’t expect was that he would encounter the most difficult task in this world at the subway station—

Persuading Jiang Tinghan to get on the train.

The subway was packed with people, like sardines in a can. Even without going inside, you could smell all sorts of unpleasant smells.

Jiang Tinghan couldn’t bear the thought of strangers' skin touching his or germy sweat transferring onto him. He resisted, saying, "Let’s skip the high-speed train. I’ll call someone to pick us up. We can still make it to City B before midnight."

Yun Xiu had rushed out right after class just to catch the high-speed train. Having come this far, he couldn’t allow any mishaps in the plan.

"Since we’re already here."

Jiang Tinghan shook his head firmly and wouldn't let Yun Xiu board either, gripping his wrist tightly with his right hand.

Yun Xiu had no choice. After thinking it over, he decided to take a chance.

Another train arrived at the station. Passengers exited first before others boarded, pouring out like a tide. Yun Xiu pretended to compromise but seized the moment when the first warning chime for the closing doors sounded. He grabbed Jiang Tinghan’s hand and dashed onto the train!

Jiang Tinghan thought he was still trying to persuade him. Coupled with the fact that he wasn’t standing very steadily to avoid the crowd, he was caught off guard and dragged inside.

Jiang Tinghan’s face turned green, but he didn’t dwell on his germophobia. Instead, he pulled Yun Xiu close and scolded him in a low voice, "What were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous that was? What if you got caught in the doors?!"

Though he lowered his voice, it was still loud enough for those around them to hear, making it sound like an older brother scolding a younger one.

Most people at this hour were tired workers heading home after a long day, too exhausted to pay attention to others’ business.

If you upset someone, an apology is in order.

Yun Xiu felt a belated embarrassment. He tugged at Jiang Tinghan’s sleeve, his face flushed, and said, "Don’t be so loud… Sorry, I was wrong!"

Seeing Yun Xiu’s ashamed expression, as if he wished he could dig a hole and hide, Jiang Tinghan collected himself. Realizing where he was, his body gradually tensed up.

Yun Xiu stood very close to him and patted his hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry. Just stand in the corner. I’ll protect you."

Unexpectedly, the young man took his hand and lowered his head, resting his forehead on Yun Xiu’s shoulder. "Then I’ll leave it to Xiu Xiu."

This show of vulnerability instantly pumped Yun Xiu up, as if he had downed three liters of energy drink. He puffed out his chest and stood as tall as he could, letting his roommate lean on him more comfortably.

His cleanliness-obsessed roommate was actually leaning on him!

It was worth noting that Jiang Tinghan usually avoided physical contact with others almost entirely.

On Monday, when Yun Xiu took the meal from him, he accidentally brushed against Jiang Tinghan’s hand. Jiang Tinghan then washed his hands for ten minutes, scrubbing them until they turned red.

But now he was leaning on Yun Xiu’s shoulder—even though there was clothing between them, it was still a huge step forward!!

However, from an angle Yun Xiu couldn’t see, a faint smile touched Jiang Tinghan's lips before quickly returning to a neutral expression.

Sometime after they began interacting, Jiang Tinghan noticed something.

When he touched Yun Xiu, he could briefly forget his fastidious criticism and disgust for his surroundings. It felt like returning to that summer before his sexual orientation was discovered, when he was still seen as "normal" in his family’s eyes.

Perhaps it was because Yun Xiu completely met his "hygiene standards," convincing him on a deep level that Yun Xiu was clean. Or perhaps it was because Yun Xiu completely met his… criteria for a partner.

Jiang Tinghan took a deep breath and caught a faint scent of gardenia—elegant and refreshing—which overpowered the mix of sweat and air conditioning in the subway.

Yun Xiu shrunk his neck slightly, feeling the other’s hair tickling him. He couldn’t help but laugh. "Why are you acting like a puppy?"

Jiang Tinghan lifted his head and whispered by Yun Xiu’s ear, "You don’t smell like sweat. You smell very nice."

Logically speaking, Jiang Tinghan was the one who had showered before going out. Yun Xiu had attended classes all afternoon; even with air conditioning, he shouldn’t have been completely sweat-free, smelling only of gardenia.

Yun Xiu also raised his hand to sniff himself. "My body temperature is relatively low, so I don’t sweat easily."

Even walking under the sun in summer, he would feel hot. But with so much shade along the way, he wasn’t foolish enough to walk directly under the sun, so he didn’t sweat much.

Jiang Tinghan looked satisfied and buried his face back into Yun Xiu’s neck to breathe in the scent.

It was as if a switch had been flipped. By the time they reached the high-speed rail station, Jiang Tinghan no longer resisted. Whenever he had the chance, he stuck close to Yun Xiu, inhaling deeply.

Yun Xiu couldn’t shake the feeling that Jiang Tinghan’s behavior resembled someone sniffing a cat—only the object of affection was a person.

If he weren’t certain this world lacked fantastical elements, Yun Xiu would have almost believed he was a catnip spirit and Jiang Tinghan was a cat demon.

By "sniffing" Yun Xiu, the two successfully arrived in City B.

Fang Zicheng had already been picked up and settled by the Jiang family and was waiting to reunite with them at the Jiang residence.

At 1 a.m., after getting into the Jiang family’s car, Yun Xiu was so drowsy he could barely keep his eyes open.

He grabbed whatever was nearby and ended up clinging to one of Jiang Tinghan’s arms, too tired to open his eyes. "I’m going to nap for a bit. Wake me when we get to your place."

Jiang Tinghan, worried he might catch a chill, draped a jacket over him and said softly, "Alright, sleep well."

The driver picking them up was the Jiang family’s butler. He glanced back through the rearview mirror and saw the two leaning against each other. His eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost.

Then, meeting Jiang Tinghan’s warning gaze, he quickly straightened up and focused on driving, though inwardly he was anything but calm.

Yun Xiu had a clear understanding of himself: he couldn’t be scolded or forced, as he was prone to rebellion, nor could he be indulged, as he would take advantage.

If he had seen the butler’s expression, he would have been more cautious to avoid behaving inappropriately. But recently, living on campus and influenced by Jiang Tinghan’s routines, his schedule had become very regular. At this time yesterday, he would have already been fast asleep.

His eyelids drooped open and closed. He held on for a while but eventually couldn’t fight it anymore. Gradually, his head tilted, and he fell asleep leaning on the young man’s shoulder beside him.

*

Saturday.

The sun rose, painting the sky with brilliant clouds.

Yun Xiu woke up sun-drenched on a 2.8-meter-wide large bed. As his memories slowly returned, the cheerful morning scenery outside starkly contrasted his inner world, which felt bleak and gloomy.

He rolled over twice on the bed, screamed silently, and buried his head under the quilt like an ostrich.

When they arrived at the Jiang family home in the early morning, Jiang Tinghan woke him as promised, his voice gentle and soothing, like a sleep-stream host. Yun Xiu was so exhausted that, faced with such a lulling tone, he naturally couldn’t bring himself to get up. And then…

He!

Actually!

Had Jiang Tinghan carry him to bed right in front of Jiang’s parents! Not only that, he even complained that the guest room bed wasn’t soft enough and ended up taking over Jiang Tinghan’s bed!!

#What to do when visiting a classmate’s house for the first time, not only failing to greet their parents but also taking over his classmate’s room?#

Life is short, but the shame lasts forever.

If all else fails, it might be time to move to another planet. Starting today, he would invest in spaceship R&D, aiming to relocate to outer space by next week.

As the sun rose higher and his scheduled meeting with his second brother drew nearer, time no longer allowed him to wallow in regret.

Since he hadn’t showered the night before, Yun Xiu cleaned up and dawdled before heading downstairs.

Jiang’s parents and his two roommates were already there. The first to speak to him when Yun Xiu came down wasn’t either of his roommates, but Mrs. Jiang.

Mrs. Jiang was an elegant and gentle woman, warm without being overwhelming. She smiled softly and said, “I heard Xiao Han and Zicheng call you Xiu Xiu—may I call you that too?”

Yun Xiu, who always acted obedient in front of elders, nodded and said, “Of course, Auntie.”

Between “Auntie” and “Madam,” Yun Xiu decisively chose the former, feeling it sounded more affectionate.

Mrs. Jiang’s smile deepened, her tone growing even warmer. “Xiao Han may seem cold, but he’s a gentle soul. He doesn’t have many friends, and since you’re roommates, I hope you can look out for him in the future.”

Yun Xiu, recalling how he rarely left his bed unless he had class and relied on Jiang Tinghan to bring him meals daily, flushed with embarrassment and said guiltily, “I haven’t really taken care of Brother Tinghan at all—it’s always been him taking care of me!”

At some word in his response, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang beamed with joy. “It’s his blessing to be able to take care of you. Practicing care now will make him more skilled after marriage!”

Yun Xiu found the comment a bit odd and instinctively turned to seek help rather than respond.

Fang Zicheng also felt it was an awkward line to follow—after all, Jiang Tinghan’s future spouse was not even on the horizon, and as outsiders, it wasn’t their place to speculate.

Jiang Tinghan put down his chopsticks and said calmly, “Mom, Dad, don’t scare Xiu Xiu. We’re heading out soon—you should get to work.”

The couple, being experienced, could tell Yun Xiu hadn’t yet caught on. They gave their son a look of frustration but, conscious of their past failures in his upbringing, had never intended to interfere in his love life. They obliged, grabbing their bags and heading to work, leaving the house to the youngsters.

After Mr. and Mrs. Jiang left, Yun Xiu visibly relaxed and scurried over to Jiang Tinghan to get food.

During their week in the dorm, whenever mealtime came, it was either Jiang Tinghan bringing food back for him or Yun Xiu inviting Jiang Tinghan to eat together. Asking Jiang Tinghan for food had become a habit, and the easy dynamic between them left no room for anyone else to intrude—neither found it strange.

Fang Zicheng remarked, half-jokingly and half-seriously, “Five days ago, Xiu Xiu and I were the closest. Who knew I’d go on a business trip only to have my spot stolen?”

Jiang Tinghan paused mid-action, lifted his gaze to meet Fang Zicheng’s, and lifted the corner of his mouth slightly—not quite a genuine smile, more of a taunt. “Feelings don’t follow a first-come-first-serve rule.”

In an instant, the air grew tense.

The butler brought Yun Xiu a small bowl of fruit mix as a pre-meal dessert. Yun Xiu, poking at a cherry tomato with his fork, suddenly looked up with a serious expression.

Both men tensed, thinking Yun Xiu was about to take sides, only to hear him say, “Do you have a spoon? I can’t scoop up the cherry tomatoes with this fork.”