Chapter 73

Qi Xu’s bed had a curtain. Once drawn, no one on the opposite bunk could see a thing.

But Xie Huai wasn’t in a rush to close it. With the light still on, he casually sat in bed replying to work messages on his phone.

Qi Xu, on the other hand, was already curled up comfortably, playing Snake on his phone. He’d just snatched a red envelope in their five-man group chat from Xu Yichen, and used the pocket change to buy a new skin for his snake in-game.

Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie were screaming at each other while duo-queuing in some game. In contrast, Qi Xu enjoyed his quiet little world.

After beating his own high score, he set the phone aside contentedly and started fiddling with his beaded bracelet like always, easing into sleep.

Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie eventually ranked up and glanced across the room—at some point, the curtain had been pulled closed.

Li Yan got up to use the bathroom, then turned off the lights. The dorm went dark.

Qi Xu felt his hand, resting beside him, get gently pulled over and placed on a warm stomach. He recognized the feel immediately.

This wasn’t the first time they’d shared a bed. Usually, it was innocent—just sleeping. Especially because Qi Xu had notoriously bad morning mood swings and would kick Xie Huai off the bed without hesitation if disturbed.

Fortunately, Xie Huai had always behaved himself.

Qi Xu’s feet were soon trapped too. Honestly, having someone help warm the bed didn’t feel bad. Especially when that someone was basically a walking heater—so warm all over.

With their bodies pressed so closely together in the cramped space, he could almost hear Xie Huai’s heartbeat.

Weirdly comforting.

Qi Xu started to doze off, letting Xie Huai move him around however he liked. When he got his chin cupped and stolen a goodnight kiss, he didn’t protest. He even parted his lips slightly, letting Xie Huai take control. He didn’t even notice the hand sneaking up under his shirt.

They kissed for a long time. Qi Xu held back any sounds the whole time.

A while after lights out, Li Yan was still scrolling on his phone under the covers when he suddenly read something in the class group chat and called out:
“Xu-ge, Huai-ge, heads up—fourth period tomorrow is a mini fitness test in P.E. Big one’s next week, get ready.”

Feng Zhenjie let out a groan. “Ugh, it’s gonna be 5°C tomorrow. Running in that cold’s gonna kill me.”

Li Yan tried again: “Huai-ge? Xu-ge?”

But the other bunk stayed dead silent.

Feng Zhenjie lowered his voice. “Probably asleep. This is Xu-ge’s usual bedtime.”

Li Yan muttered, “Huai-ge too? Guess good sleep habits are contagious.”

Inside the curtain, Qi Xu was trying to catch his breath from all the kissing. Xie Huai had finally stopped.

Just as Qi Xu thought he could finally sleep—he realized that was only the appetizer.

“Ugh—shit, don’t suck there…” he hissed, suddenly jolting awake. He grabbed the head pressing into his chest and gritted his teeth,
“Xie Huai, what the hell? Are you in your oral fixation phase or something?”

Somehow, Xie Huai had unbuttoned two of his shirt buttons and buried his face in Qi Xu’s chest. His hair kept tickling Qi Xu like crazy.

Qi Xu had no choice but to tug harder on Xie Huai’s hair—
This damn guy only seemed to get more excited, slowly tracing with the tip of his tongue, inching his way to the other side.

Qi Xu trembled again. If the mattress hadn’t been thick enough, he would’ve bounced clean off the bed.

Only then did he realize the bedding had been changed. The inner layer, originally just a duvet cover, had been swapped for a plush blanket. Even with all their movements, there wasn’t a single rustling sound.

How… considerate.

Qi Xu gripped the fabric of Xie Huai’s pajamas tightly, his hands trembling slightly, fingers soft and weak.

Xie Huai let go of his skin for a moment, only to nip at his collarbone next.

They hadn’t actually done anything before—hadn’t even crossed the line—but somehow, Qi Xu felt like Xie Huai already knew his body inside and out.

His breath, hot and heavy, spilled against Qi Xu’s neck. It made everything feel even warmer.

“Lie on your back,” Qi Xu muttered, pushing at him gently, careful not to make a sound. “You’re touching me.”

But Xie Huai only held him tighter, a strange satisfaction in the possessiveness of it all. His voice came lazy and low:
“Don’t worry. It’ll pass.”

Qi Xu scoffed, half annoyed: “This is something that passes?”

“Mhm.” Xie Huai didn’t explain, just slowly stroked Qi Xu’s back.

Qi Xu hadn’t really been sleepy to begin with—probably because of a message he’d received just before bed. Zeng Yun had texted, asking if he’d come home for New Year’s.

After a full month of silence, it was like nothing had ever happened.

Qi Xu didn’t know if Xie Huai had seen the message—he probably had. And now, thinking about Xie Huai’s “accidental flood” earlier, Qi Xu wondered if it had something to do with what was said about him on the forums.

So he leaned in and whispered near Xie Huai’s ear:
“Do you think I’m upset about that stuff, and you’re just trying to distract me?”

Xie Huai didn’t give a straight answer. Instead, he nibbled at Qi Xu’s ear and said,
“Nope. I just purely want to sleep with you.”

Qi Xu: “…”

Then he heard Xie Huai say,
“We’re going back to the old house for New Year’s.”

Yep. He definitely saw the message.

Qi Xu didn’t say anything. He just gave Xie Huai’s palm a little squeeze.

Xie Huai gently squeezed his hand in return, then nestled back into the crook of Qi Xu’s neck.

Qi Xu: “…”

Silently cursing him in his head.

By the time they got to the next day’s physical fitness assessment, Qi Xu was yawning nonstop behind his face mask. The cold wind might’ve been blocked, but the redness at the corners of his eyes definitely wasn’t.

“Xu-ge, didn’t you go to bed early last night? Why are you still so tired?” Li Yan asked, puzzled.

Qi Xu yawned again, the corners of his eyes damp with the kind of tears you get from fatigue:
“Yeah, I did sleep early. Who the hell knows what happened.”

As he said it, he shot a glare at the culprit.

Feng Zhenjie chimed in, “Huai-ge went to bed the same time as you. Look at him—he’s fresh as ever. Xu-ge, maybe it’s time to get back on your herbal medicine.”

Qi Xu adamantly refused to drink any more traditional Chinese medicine. If anything, it was Xie Huai who needed it to regulate his over-healthy system.

After the fitness test, it was time for group presentations. December came to a close in a whirlwind of work.

For New Year’s, they had three days off. Students who lived far away didn’t bother going home—winter break was only a few weeks away. It was finals season, so most stayed on campus to study and planned to ring in the new year at school.

On the first day of the break, Dorm 314 had their first official group dinner. The four of them went out for hot pot and drinks. Li Yan and Feng Zhenjie ended up drinking a bit too much, and Qi Xu, not trusting them to get back safely, asked Chen Wei to escort them.

He himself got into Xie Huai’s car and headed back to the old family estate.

Grandpa Shen was already used to seeing his grandson every weekend. He wasn’t even fazed by the scent of alcohol on them—he just had Uncle Li prepare some hangover soup.

After finishing the soup at the Shen estate, Xie Huai went back to the Xie family home.

It was late, but Old Master Xie was still awake. Xie Huai had just taken off his coat and entered the study when his grandfather caught a whiff of alcohol.

The old man opened his mouth to ask the butler to prepare hangover soup, but Xie Huai beat him to it:
“I already had some at Grandpa Shen’s.”

Old Master Xie looked up and studied his pride of a grandson. For years, he believed he fully understood the boy he had raised himself. With the combined support of the Xie and Qin families, he thought there was no path Xie Huai could stray from.

But now the boy had grown up—able to shoulder the responsibilities of a publicly traded company on his own.

“I heard from your father that you plan to study abroad after college.”

Xie Huai replied calmly, “I used to plan on that. But now I want to stay here.”

When Xie Huai was younger, his parents were busy with their careers. They’d entrusted his upbringing to the elders of the Xie and Qin families. All three of those elders were formidable, the type to lead by strict, elite example.

It got to the point where, as a child, Xie Huai was unnaturally mature—like a little old man before the age of ten. It was Qin Yue who first noticed something was off and insisted on raising him a while herself. If not for that, he might never have grown into someone who could laugh, cry, or feel joy.

Old Master Xie had once been a ruthless man in his youth, a powerful figure with blood on his hands. But as he aged, not once had that ruthlessness turned inward toward his own family.

“Go abroad. You’ll have more opportunities out there. Don’t you like AI? Follow what you’re passionate about. The Xie Group doesn’t need you right now—your father will handle it.”

He was talking about going abroad after graduation, not breaking things off right now. Xie Huai could hear the softening in the old man’s tone.

“I’ve still got four years here. I can do everything I need to in that time. If you want me to leave the country after that, what would be the point? Distance isn’t a problem—it’s just a matter of hopping on a private jet. If he doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to him.”

Old Master Xie leaned on his cane, expression stern.
“I care deeply for that child. He went through a lot, growing up outside of all this for 18 years. Since you two are already together, I’m not going to play the stubborn elder. But four years for a lifetime of legitimacy—that’s what matters.”

Xie Huai stood tall, refusing to sit.
“Legitimacy? As in marriage and kids? That’s not something I can do—or will do. He’s the only one I’ll ever want in this life. Grandpa, you wouldn’t want me growing old alone, would you?”

Growing old alone—what a cruel curse. But he wasn’t saying it about someone else.

He was saying it about himself.

Old Master Xie was furious, gripping his cane so tightly it seemed like he might snap it in two.
“Ah Huai, don’t test my limits. If you won’t back down, then even these four years won’t be yours to control.”

“I do have control,” Xie Huai said, undaunted despite his youth, standing tall before the family patriarch. “If he can sever ties with the Shen family, then so can I.”

Those simple four words—‘so can I’—felt like a slap in the face to all the years of effort Old Master Xie had put into raising him. Like everything the Xie and Qin families had invested was now for nothing.

Suddenly, the old man clutched his chest in pain.

Xie Huai rushed forward, quickly found the emergency heart pills his grandfather always kept with him, and helped him take one, while calling for the medical team.

Old Master Xie’s face had turned a purplish shade—it was clearly a heart attack. Thankfully, the emergency team was always on standby and arrived quickly. After some urgent care in the study, they stabilized him and loaded him into the ambulance.

Over in the neighboring Shen estate, Old Master Shen was roused by the commotion. He threw on a robe just as Uncle Li came knocking.

“What happened?” the old man asked.

“Old Master Xie was taken to the hospital,” Uncle Li replied gravely. “Heart issue.”

At their age, with past bypass surgeries behind them, emotional stress was the worst thing for the heart.

And he knew Xie Lao’s temper well—very little could truly anger that old man. Unless it had something to do with Xie Huai.

Old Master Shen recalled how not long ago Xie Lao had invited him over for tea. Their entire conversation had revolved around how to raise a grandson, especially about marriage and children—when they could expect to have great-grandchildren.

At the time, Shen had tactfully said he didn’t care about that. All he wanted was for his grandson to find true happiness.

He had even gently tried to convince his old friend to start letting go.
“The kid’s grown up. You can’t hold on so tight anymore. Let him live his own life.”

But clearly, Xie Lao had figured out the truth between those two kids. And now, it had pushed him into the hospital. God knows what had been said between grandfather and grandson that night.

“Ah… I tried to talk him into letting go,” Shen muttered in deep worry. “Why is he so much more stubborn with age? I just pretended to clutch my chest. He actually landed himself in the hospital.”

He sighed deeply.
“I should’ve warned him sooner. That’s my fault—I thought he’d see things more clearly.”

Uncle Li tried to console him:
“Sir, don’t be too hard on yourself. When Young Master told you he was in love with Young Master Xie, you didn’t sleep the whole night either.”

Old Master Shen looked pained. Ever since stepping down from his position, it had been a long time since he’d felt this uncertain and anxious.

“If something ever happens to me,” he said quietly, “there’ll be no one left in this world to stand firmly on that brat’s side. What would he do then?”

After a pause, he added, “Wrap up the tea cakes I’ve been saving. I’ll go visit him in a few days.”

Late at night, the two grand estates—side by side—seemed like entirely different worlds. One was always lit up, full of life. The other, cloaked in darkness and silence. A wall separated not just their grounds, but the divide between two very different hearts and homes.