Chapter 58

Li Yan was the first one to notice something was off between Qi Xu and Xie Huai.

The two of them usually came back to the dorms together on Sundays. They weren’t exactly chatty, but they at least interacted. Now? They came back, sat at their own desks, and didn’t say a single word.

Xie Huai being cold was expected. But even Qi Xu was like that?

Li Yan exchanged a glance with Feng Zhenjie, and the two of them silently slipped into a private chat. No one dared make a sound in the dorm.

Later that evening, someone from the dorm next door dropped by to hang out. Qi Xu was back to his usual self—joking around and laughing like nothing ever happened.

Xie Huai threw in a few comments here and there. Qi Xu followed his lead and bantered right along. The guys from the other dorm didn’t suspect a thing.

But Fang Peining had sharp eyes. He noticed the marks on Qi Xu’s neck. “Xu-ge, what happened to your neck? There shouldn’t be any mosquitoes this time of year, right?”

Qi Xu didn’t bother hiding it. The marks were obvious and suggestive. Everyone had seen them—they just hadn’t said anything. Anyone close to them already had a good guess after what happened at the KTV.

He’d seen the marks that morning while brushing his teeth. Xie Huai really was a damn dog—almost broke the skin biting him. After a night, the bruises looked even worse, turning a deep purplish-red. You could clearly see the bite marks.

He’d originally covered it up with a bandage, but on the ride back, Xie Huai had ripped it off.

Qi Xu had gotten into a fight with him in the car. The space inside was tight.

Qi Xu insisted on teaching him a lesson. In the end, Xie Huai got shoved into the back seat—and at the same time, he grabbed Qi Xu around the waist. The two of them ended up toppling over in a tangled heap.

Normally, Qi Xu would’ve joked, “Huai-ge, my waist feel nice to hold?”
But now that he knew Xie Huai’s intentions, he wasn’t teasing anymore.

Unfortunately, Xie Huai was the one teasing him. His gaze slid to Qi Xu’s lips and he said bluntly, “Xu-ge’s waist is great—fits perfectly in one hand.”

Not even pretending anymore. Qi Xu had enough and rammed his head into Xie Huai’s chest. “Shut up.”

Which is how Li Yan got the idea they’d had a fight.

Qi Xu casually rubbed his neck and brushed it off. “A huge mosquito got in last night. Bit me. Might’ve been venomous.”

Everyone got worried at “venomous” and told him to go see the nurse.

Qi Xu waved them off. “It’s fine. Already checked. I’ll live.”

As he spoke, he gave a death glare to a certain “mutated mosquito.”

Fang Peining blinked. “Xu-ge, why’re you looking at Huai-ge like that? It’s not like he let it in.”

Xie Huai chimed in, “Didn’t help him kill the mosquito. Guess that’s my fault.”

Qi Xu laughed wordlessly. When did Xie Huai get this shameless?

Everyone figured things had smoothed over between them—after all, they joked about the mosquito before bed. Qi Xu even got up on time without needing Xie Huai to wake him, which made Li Yan suspect something serious.

On the way to breakfast, he pulled Qi Xu aside. “Xu-ge, did you and Huai-ge have a fight?”

Qi Xu asked, “Why do you think that?”

Li Yan was honest. “You didn’t wait for him to wake you. And you didn’t use the cleanser he gave you.”

Qi Xu raised a brow. “That’s it?”

“If I had to be more specific—it’s just a vibe. Something definitely happened,” Li Yan said, concerned. “If there’s a problem, we’ll all figure it out together.”

Yeah, no, Qi Xu thought. Instead, he reassured him: “We didn’t fight. Why, that scary?”

Li Yan nodded seriously. “If you two fall out, it’s like our parents divorcing. Me and Feng Zhenjie won’t know who to side with. Kids always suffer most.”

Qi Xu: “…”

“Dad doesn’t want you. Go live with your mom.”

Li Yan went straight to Xie Huai and relayed the message.

Xie Huai’s reply? “Make your Xu-ge happy and we’ll live as one big happy family.”

Qi Xu, walking behind them, rolled his eyes. This guy had no shame left.

After Gao Wenjun dropped out, the class monitor position was left open. The class rep had too much on her plate, so she suggested holding an election.

Their counselor organized a quick vote one afternoon, since midterms were coming and responsibilities would pile up.

Li Yan actually wanted the role. Qi Xu hyped him up for days and helped him prep a presentation. It was his first time running for anything.

When Li Yan got up to speak, Qi Xu clapped like a proud parent.

Li Yan blushed at the applause but gained confidence, ending with a heartfelt thank-you speech.

“Thanks to Xu-ge for encouraging me—once a dad, always a dad. Thanks to Huai-ge for helping polish my slides—my future resume’s in your hands. Thanks to my little bro Feng Zhenjie…”

Qi Xu felt secondhand embarrassment, propped his head on his hand, and looked away. What a clown.

A notebook slid across the desk.
“Heading home later?”

Yeah. Home.

Qi Xu stared at those two words—“go home”—and spaced out for a moment.
It made him mistakenly think of a home that belonged to him and Xie Huai.

He picked up the pen and replied:
Not going. Gonna study in the dorm this afternoon. Li Kaixing’s coming over later.

Xie Huai replied with a single period.

Qi Xu turned sideways and added a question mark above it.

Then Xie Huai sent back a heart.

Qi Xu responded with:
……

Looking at this ridiculous string of punctuation, Qi Xu could only think—how childish can you get? Feels like I’m dealing with a fifth grader.

Li Yan’s thank-you speech didn’t end on a sentimental note—just sent the whole room into laughter. Even the counselor couldn’t help cracking up.

Unfortunately, Li Yan didn’t win. The position went to a girl who had come prepared and had experience as class monitor back in high school.

After the results were announced, Li Yan slumped back to his “dad’s” side, only to see Qi Xu grinning ear to ear.
“Xu-ge, why do you look so happy? I lost!”

Qi Xu cleared his throat. “You’re imagining things. Why would I be happy? Don’t get discouraged. Just… don’t bring up your ‘dad’ next time you’re on stage.”

Feng Zhenjie chimed in, “Yeah, leave my name out too. Sounded like you were at the Oscars or something. So embarrassing.”

Li Yan looked miserable. “I just wanted people to know how tight Room 314 is. Helps with our bid for ‘Model Dorm.’”

Later that day, Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie went to the library to study. They couldn’t focus in the dorm—they needed that external pressure to get into the zone.

Qi Xu, on the other hand, hated crowds. He didn’t feel comfortable in the library, so he chose to study in the dorm.

He and Xie Huai left the classroom together, splitting ways with the others.

The bite mark on Qi Xu’s neck was finally healing. Xie Huai really might’ve been poisonous—Qi Xu had started to feel an itchy sting there. He kept reaching up to scratch it unconsciously.

Just as he raised his hand again, Xie Huai grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
“Don’t scratch. Put some lotion on when we get back.”

Qi Xu gave him a not-so-polite look. “What, are you poisonous? That bite stings and itches.”

Xie Huai replied calmly, “Dry weather. Just dry skin.”

Qi Xu narrowed his eyes. “Then why is it only itchy where you bit me?”

Xie Huai shot back, “Did you maybe scratch it in your sleep?”

Qi Xu snapped, “What the hell is wrong with you? Not everyone’s a pervert like you, touching themselves for fun.”

Xie Huai glanced at him and, dead serious, said,
“I don’t touch myself. I’d rather let you do it.”

Qi Xu: “…”

His mind—traitor that it was—flashed back to that night, Xie Huai grabbing his hand to touch his abs.
Yeah… this guy definitely had some kind of kink.

Qi Xu lowered his voice. “Can you chill a bit? We’re in public.”

There were people everywhere. Not even a flicker of shame on that guy’s face.

Xie Huai just shrugged. “So what—you’re saying if we’re alone, I can do whatever I want?”

Qi Xu gave a sharp laugh. “Wow. You’re really good at reading between the lines.”

Xie Huai only smirked and said nothing.

It had already been two days since that confession, and honestly, nothing seemed to have changed between them—on the surface.
Except for the lingering, unspoken tension. The kind both of them were too aware of.

Qi Xu tried to steer clear of it. But Xie Huai always managed to drag him right back, no matter what they were doing. Over and over, subtly and shamelessly.

Like he wanted to remind Qi Xu of one thing, every single day:

Xie Huai liked him.

Just as they were heading downstairs, Qi Xu heard someone call his name—it was Xiao Jieqi, one of their group project teammates. They had just finished their presentation in class yesterday, and the teacher had given them the highest grade in the class.

“Qi Xu.” Xiao Jieqi smiled at him, then after a pause, looked over at Xie Huai. “Xie Huai.”

Chen Xiaohua came trailing behind them, slow and lazy. “You two and your long-ass legs, we blinked and you were already downstairs.”

Qi Xu asked, “What’s up?”

Xiao Jieqi handed him four small gift bags. “Xiaohua and I went to the little town over the weekend. Got these for you guys. Just a little thank-you—for helping us ace that project.”

With Li Yan and the others not around, Qi Xu had to handle the socializing himself. And at times like this, Xie Huai suddenly turned into a piece of wood—completely mute.

Qi Xu didn’t want to turn down a girl’s thoughtful gesture in front of her, so he took the bags with both hands and offered a polite smile, smooth as ever with his social graces.

“Thanks for the gifts. But don’t give us all the credit—you guys were amazing too. I was just saying yesterday, if you hadn’t pulled together such complete research and made a perfect PPT, we wouldn’t have scored that high. It was a team effort—every one of us mattered.”

Chen Xiaohua laughed. “Qi Xu, you should’ve run for class monitor. I think you’d be great at it.”

Qi Xu immediately waved it off. “God no, I’d be terrible. Power might go to my head—I’d probably end up corrupt.”

At least he was self-aware.

The two girls burst into laughter. Then Xiao Jieqi asked if they were headed to the library.

Qi Xu said they were going back to the dorm.

And with that, they went their separate ways.

Outside, a light drizzle had started to fall. It wasn’t heavy, but enough to get soaked walking from the classroom building to the dorm.

Xie Huai had brought an umbrella. Qi Xu hugged the four gift bags to his chest and waited for him to open it.

Once the umbrella was up, Qi Xu naturally stepped beside him. The two walked in sync under the same umbrella.

Two guys over six feet tall trying to share one umbrella—“cozy” was an understatement.

Back at the dorm, Qi Xu noticed the whole right side of Xie Huai’s jacket was misted with water. Luckily, the outer layer was waterproof.

Qi Xu set down the gift bags, and—out of basic human decency—offered, “Your hair’s all wet. Wipe it off or you’ll catch a cold.”

Silence behind him. Qi Xu turned to look—and jumped a little.

At some point, Xie Huai had walked right up behind him, holding a handkerchief. Qi Xu recognized it—it was the one he always used.

Qi Xu blinked. “What, you want me to wipe it for you?”

“I didn’t say that,” Xie Huai said, stepping even closer. “But now that you offered… I’m kinda tempted.”

Qi Xu: “…”

“Don’t push it. What are those two hands of yours for?”

Outside, it was cloudy, and the dorm lights weren’t on, so the room was dim. Xie Huai looked straight at Qi Xu—no hiding, no pretending. Qi Xu could catch the flicker of amusement in his eyes with perfect clarity.

“Huai-ge, seriously,” Qi Xu finally gave in and asked, “How’d you even realize you liked guys?”

Xie Huai didn’t hesitate. His eyes traced Qi Xu’s face, inch by inch. “I didn’t. I just knew I liked you.”

Qi Xu latched onto the words, frowning slightly. “So… you’re not actually sure about your orientation, are you?”

Qi Xu mimicked Old Man Shen’s tone and said, “How about I get you a therapist? Talk some sense into you?”

Xie Huai found that funny. He leaned a hand on the ladder beside Qi Xu, crowding in even closer, eyes locked on him. “You’re the one who needs therapy. Qi Xu, who messed with your heartstrings in your last life?”

Qi Xu had nowhere to retreat, so he gave in and half-sat on the edge of the desk, long legs relaxed and crossed at the ankles—until the next second, when Xie Huai’s knee easily nudged them apart.

A droplet of water landed on Qi Xu’s hand—cold and sharp—it had fallen from Xie Huai’s hair.

Qi Xu sighed and took the handkerchief from Xie Huai’s hand, hooked an arm loosely around his neck, and began gently wiping the water from his head as he muttered, “Just pretend I don’t have that thing, alright?”

The words were cold and detached, like a jaded 28-year-old man giving life advice to an 18-year-old kid on the verge of stepping into something dangerous.

Xie Huai, at eighteen, wasn’t as composed or smooth as he’d be at twenty-eight. But once he decided on someone, not even hitting a wall would make him turn back.

He lowered his head willingly, the tip of his nose brushing Qi Xu’s, and said calmly, “No can do.”

That kind of stubborn teenage intensity—it burned hot enough to scorch whoever stood too close. And right now, Qi Xu was the one catching fire.

Qi Xu turned his face away to avoid the warm breath on his skin. “I’ve never thought about dating at this stage in life. I don’t even have my own future figured out. You think I’d be thinking about romance?”

Ever since his rebirth, everything Qi Xu did had one goal: to avoid repeating the same path. To steer clear of his past mistakes. He told himself he wanted to live for himself this time, but deep down, he knew—he was kind of checked out.

The emotional fatigue that lingered from his previous life hadn’t gone away. It wasn’t something he could ignore—it clung to him like trauma.

Avoiding the Shen family and staying away from their power struggles—that was the plan. All he had left was Yun Rui, the old man, and unexpectedly… friendship with people like Xie Huai.

He never expected to get this close. Never planned for it.

Going from strangers to friends had already caught him off guard.

But Xie Huai didn’t flinch or back down. He softened his voice in a rare moment of comfort. “You can take your time. There’s no deadline. I’ve already written you into my future.”

Qi Xu’s throat tightened. It was like someone had dropped a heavy stone into his chest—something that couldn’t be ignored.

Then, suddenly, he asked, “Are you planning to go abroad after college?”

Xie Huai answered honestly, “I’ve thought about it.”

Qi Xu said, almost absently, “I haven’t.”

Xie Huai gave a light laugh. “Worried our relationship won’t survive long-distance?”

Qi Xu hadn’t even thought that far ahead. But Xie Huai’s teasing helped lift some of the tension between them.

“What I mean is, we’re not on the same path. You’ve got your sights set beyond this country. Me? I just want to build a small tech business here.”

Xie Huai braced both hands on the desk, essentially caging Qi Xu in his arms. “That’s not a dealbreaker. What, your company’s never gonna go public? I believe in you. And yeah, my future may not be here, but my future is you.”

Qi Xu could sense himself being cast as the guy who ruins young talent. He reached up and grabbed Xie Huai’s chin, looking him dead in the eye. “Don’t lose your damn head over love. Be responsible for yourself. Whatever dreams you’ve got, chase them. I’m just an ordinary guy. Don’t pour your whole life into me. Live for yourself.”

What he feared most was becoming the reason Xie Huai got sidetracked. What would be the point in that? This guy was destined to build an empire. If he threw that away, Qi Xu didn’t know how he’d live with himself.

Xie Huai stepped back a bit. “Damn, that was a real motivational speech. By the way, who copied whose notes again? If I’m not living for you, maybe hand those notes back.”

Qi Xu pressed his lips together. “You’re killing me. Midterms are coming up—just let me take a photo first.”

Xie Huai reached up and gently flicked his earlobe. “Fine. Live on, then.”

Then he walked over and flipped on the dorm light.

Qi Xu stepped down from the desk and took a moment to observe Xie Huai’s mood. To his surprise, the guy didn’t seem bothered at all—he was already back to reviewing his textbooks.

Qi Xu then quietly placed a small gift bag on each roommate’s desk. Xie Huai didn’t even glance at him.

The two of them coexisted peacefully, studying for hours without disturbing each other.

It wasn’t until Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie returned with takeout that the dorm finally came back to life with a bit of noise.

“It’s freezing outside! Xu-ge, Huai-ge, did you guys order food?”

Li Yan had asked in the group chat earlier if they wanted takeout. Qi Xu had said no.

Resting his chin in one hand, Qi Xu slid his bracelet back on and replied, “Yeah, I ordered.”

Li Kai Xing had come by to talk about something, so Qi Xu asked him to play delivery guy while he was at it.

Qi Xu went downstairs and got in the car. They talked for barely five minutes before Qi Xu cut it short: “Let’s talk on the phone.”

Li Kai Xing looked at him, speechless. “You made me drive thirty minutes just to talk for less than five?”

Qi Xu replied, “The food’s getting cold.”

Grumbling, Li Kai Xing handed him the thermal bag from the back seat. “Fine, fine, food comes first. By the way, when do you have time? I’m swamped over in S City, I can’t manage it alone.”

“After midterms,” Qi Xu said. “I’ll assign you another person. If worst comes to worst, I’ll take a few days off myself.” The company was finally on track, but they were short-handed. Qi Xu wondered if it was time to poach some talent—might as well take advantage of his second life.

Li Kai Xing waved it off quickly. “Don’t you dare take time off. Midterms are crucial. Zhong Aiming and I will just lose a few hours of sleep at most.”

Qi Xu patted his shoulder. “Thanks for holding down the fort. I’ll give you guys a raise.”

That finally made Li Kai Xing crack a smile. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

Qi Xu got out of the car and made it back to the dorm five minutes later. He placed a dinner box and a packet of cold medicine on Xie Huai’s desk.

Just as Li Yan finished eating and went to toss the trash, he asked, “Huai-ge, you coming down with something?”

Qi Xu, now back in his seat, replied casually, “He got caught in the rain earlier—just being cautious.”

Xie Huai stared at the box of cold medicine, silent. He rubbed the center of his forehead, unsure how he was ever supposed to let go of this person.