Chapter 5

Acting cute?

Zhou Shiru furrowed his brows. “Why is it acting cute?”

In Cheng Yufei’s perception, Zhou Shiru, a renowned expert, was akin to Ultraman in his esteem. Seeing such a seemingly aloof figure display a more curious side, Cheng Yufei’s confidence soared. He patted his chest proudly, “Don’t you trust me?”

“You see, this is the downside of being single,” Cheng Yufei said earnestly. “When it comes to listening to your girlfriend, what she says is secondary. What matters most is the tone.”

“Look at this—forget what was said before. This expression at the end, it’s a hug, which actually means acting cute! If someone posts an emoji like this, they’re not really angry; they’re definitely still showing affection!”

Zhou Shiru’s expression was neither approving nor disapproving. “But he’s a guy.”

“Uh…” Cheng Yufei hesitated for a moment.

“Guys are the same,” Cheng Yufei quickly countered. “Boyfriends, girlfriends—aren’t they all the same? It’s all the same.”

“Hmm.” Zhou Shiru looked down at his phone again.

A subtle feeling lingered in his mind. It wasn’t exactly fondness, nor was it dislike.

It was similar to his feelings for Le Cheng at that moment.

And Le Cheng’s actions might have been just a passing whim.

“Show me what’s wrong with the model,” he said, changing the subject.

“Oh? Right, right… help me figure out what’s wrong…”

After dinner, Le Cheng got out of bed and dived into sketching.

He reviewed the requirements for several commission platforms; at least four pieces of work were needed to apply.

Le Cheng favored pseudo-thick painting and ink styles, but flat colors were the most in demand for commissions. So he brainstormed a few themes and started sketching.

The advantage of long-term commissioning showed now. He could brainstorm quickly and start sketching just as fast. After all, artists want to earn money, and efficiency is key.

Le Cheng hunched over his desk, sketching continuously. By the time he looked up again, it was already ten o’clock.

Le Cheng stretched lazily, his neck and back aching slightly. The current chair was not ergonomically designed—he needed to buy an ergonomic chair soon…

Le Cheng thought to himself, his long fingers swiping through shopping apps, checking prices, and then switching back to view his Alipay balance.

Haha 🙂

Sorry for the interruption.

Le Cheng had saved some money from drawing commissions in the past, and he hadn’t felt his pockets so empty in a long time.

Now he realized just how ridiculous it was—why not just reach into my pocket and take the money directly for a chair that costs three hundred? 😀

He laughed at his own financial predicament.

Feeling poor, Le Cheng quickly exited the shopping app.

However, this did remind him of something.

Since Zhou Shiru had treated him to a meal at noon, Le Cheng didn’t like to just take advantage of others. He decided he’d find a time to return the favor.

After all, a direct transfer didn’t seem very thoughtful.

Although treating him back wasn’t exactly thoughtful either, he could at least say some cute lines.

Having made up his mind, before going to bed, Le Cheng sent Zhou Shiru a good night message and didn’t check if Zhou Shiru replied, falling asleep himself.

The next morning, Le Cheng made it to the 8 AM class.

After two theory classes, at the busiest lunch hour, Le Cheng sent Zhou Shiru a message to join him for a meal, but Zhou Shiru hadn’t replied.

Arriving at the cafeteria on the second floor, his phone dinged in his pocket.

[Big Brother: You eat by yourself, don’t wait for me.]

The message was still very cold. Le Cheng glanced at it, didn’t have time to reply, and quickly moved forward, lining up at the beef noodle window. He cheerfully said, “Auntie, I want a bowl of sour soup beef noodles, with an egg, and I want the crispy skin!”

“Okay,” the lady at the window replied. “Will you be eating here or taking it to go?”

Le Cheng: “I’ll eat here.”

Le Cheng waited at the window while the lady efficiently prepared the noodles, added the crispy egg and beef.

Le Cheng carried his bowl to a nearby table, added plenty of vinegar, a pinch of cilantro, and some pickled radish.

He sat down, took a bite of the noodles, and then slowly unlocked his phone screen.

After a moment of gathering his emotions, he started typing furiously.

[Orange: What? Can’t you accompany me for a meal!]

[Orange: How can you do this]

[Orange: And you’re only replying now, I’m getting angry and crying.jpg]

After sending the message, Le Cheng took a piece of beef.

“Ding-dong—”

The phone vibrated.

[Big Brother: It’s busy here, I can’t leave.]

Le Cheng understood perfectly; Zhou Shiru might be helping out with something for the teacher.

But his typing didn’t reflect that understanding.

[Le Cheng: I don’t care, you still need to apologize.]

Zhou Shiru looked down at his phone and suddenly frowned. He felt inexplicably that Le Cheng was being unreasonable.

After sending the message, Le Cheng finished his crispy skin egg and glanced down to see Zhou Shiru typing with “[typing…]”

Le Cheng quickly sent an emoji.

[Orange: Line-drawing dog angry: Woof woof woof.jpg]

The “[typing…]” suddenly stopped.

Le Cheng: ?

[Big Brother: .]

[Big Brother: Sorry]

Seeing the word “sorry,” Le Cheng was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t actually expected Zhou Shiru to apologize.

After all, he had invited Zhou Shiru to a meal after class, and it was normal for him to decline if he had other commitments.

Le Cheng couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for a second.

Having already met his quota for acting petty today, Le Cheng decided to stop while he was ahead.

After some thought, he tapped on his phone screen.

[Orange: Did you skip lunch? I can bring you something.]

[Orange: What do you want to eat?]

Zhou Shiru replied quickly this time.

[Big Brother: No need]

Le Cheng still owed Zhou Shiru a meal, so based on his usual habits, he would normally just say “okay” when refused.

But being petty had its advantages.

Le Cheng immediately insisted:

[No way, you have to accept it. How can you refuse me? Is noodle okay? Which classroom are you in?]

Zhou Shiru hesitated, typing “[typing…]” for a while.

[Big Brother: Experimental Building, A-319]

[Big Brother: Thanks]

It was still a bit cold, but polite.

Le Cheng ordered an extra-meat braised beef noodle from the same window and headed to the Experimental Building.

As he had guessed, Zhou Shiru was helping out with a competition.

According to Tan Xiaobai, it was some kind of computer design competition.

Teachers sometimes ask their top students to assist with competitions to save time and effort.

The door was slightly ajar. Le Cheng knocked a few times. Zhou Shiru was leaning on the table with one arm, his long, elegant muscles slightly tensed, bending sideways as he spoke with a junior. Le Cheng could only see a small part of his well-defined profile.

This pose was actually quite useful for drawing references, and Le Cheng stared for a couple of seconds, feeling a bit tempted.

He wanted to sketch it.

As a seasoned artist, Le Cheng would usually look for inspiration and references on dedicated material websites before starting a drawing.

He frequently used a human model software that could pose in various positions, with details so fine that even each finger could be adjusted into different shapes.

This had led to a bit of a professional habit.

Whenever he saw a pose he liked, he always wanted to capture it.

He had been staring for quite a while, and when Zhou Shiru glanced over, Le Cheng felt a bit embarrassed and his ears reddened.

He was naturally pale, with round, fair earlobes, so when they turned red, it was particularly noticeable. Le Cheng awkwardly stepped back a couple of steps, and Zhou Shiru walked over, closing the door behind him.

With the door shut, the noise from the outside was cut off, and it was quiet in the corridor during meal time.

“This is the food I brought for you,” Le Cheng quickly handed over the noodles, “Braised beef flavor. I’m not sure if you like it.”

Zhou Shiru asked, “What is this?”

“Hmm?” Le Cheng was taken aback, and then explained carefully, “These little packets—since I didn’t know your exact taste, I packed some pickles, vinegar, and cilantro separately for you…”

After speaking, Le Cheng glanced up at Zhou Shiru and stood still.

Maybe it was the wind on the way here, but a tuft of his fluffy hair was sticking up with a slight curl.

Zhou Shiru remained silent, his gaze lowering to Le Cheng’s slightly flushed, fair earlobes.

They were small and rounded.

He didn’t say anything, and Le Cheng, holding the noodles, stood there with big eyes, looking at him blankly.

It was oddly dazed.

Zhou Shiru’s fingers moved, and he took the noodles, “Thank you.”

Le Cheng responded in a serious manner, “You’re welcome.”

A quiet atmosphere enveloped the two of them. Le Cheng, who was most afraid of awkwardness, was about to say something to break the silence when Zhou Shiru’s deep voice came to his ear.

“How much?” Zhou Shiru asked. “I’ll transfer you the money.”

“Huh?” Le Cheng waved his hand, “No, no…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Le Cheng said, “It’s on me. It’s the least I can do.”

Zhou Shiru asked, “Hmm?”

The statement did seem a bit ambiguous, so Le Cheng added, “It’s just… we’re a couple, so it’s normal.”

He hadn’t noticed before, but Zhou Shiru realized that Le Cheng spoke quickly, sometimes swallowing his words, making the last syllable sound light, almost like he was acting coy.

Le Cheng was being coquettish again.

Zhou Shiru was silent for a moment, then said, “Okay.”

Le Cheng felt he had completed his task and was ready to leave. “Then go ahead and eat your noodles. Otherwise, they’ll get cold and won’t taste as good.”

His tone remained light and airy. Zhou Shiru responded with a neutral “Mm.”

Le Cheng glanced at Zhou Shiru’s chest.

Zhou Shiru was wearing a loose black hoodie today, and paired with black jeans, it accentuated his tall and slender frame, making him look quite striking.

But there was no visible muscle definition.

Le Cheng felt a bit disappointed.

He wasn’t a perverted creep, but although he usually referenced muscle images online for his drawings, seeing a perfect real-life male model up close made Le Cheng really want to observe the muscle structure in person.

Of course, this was just a thought—mischievous Le Cheng thought to himself.

Having come this far without seeing anything, Le Cheng felt a bit regretful but didn’t linger. He gave a slight nod, “I’ll be going then.”

“Wait.”

Le Cheng stopped in his tracks, and Zhou Shiru lifted his chin slightly, “You have something on your forehead.”

“Huh?” Le Cheng raised his phone to use as a mirror, but couldn’t find it after a quick look. He then asked for help, “Where is it? Can you help me see?”

“Here.” Zhou Shiru stepped closer and reached out.

The sudden closeness brought a clean, fresh scent to Le Cheng’s nostrils. Since Le Cheng was slightly shorter than Zhou Shiru, at this distance, he could almost touch Zhou Shiru’s lightly colored lips with a slight turn of his head.

It felt like being wrapped in warmth, and Le Cheng’s face temperature quickly rose. Just as he was about to speak, Zhou Shiru had already pulled back his hand and stepped away.

“Alright.”

Le Cheng was slightly taken aback, looking at Zhou Shiru’s fingers, which had a tiny piece of fluff on them. He said softly, “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome.” Zhou Shiru lowered his gaze to Le Cheng, who was nervously biting his lip. It looked slightly reddish and plump, like a berry with a bit of white core showing through.

At that moment, Zhou Shiru was certain.

Le Cheng seemed even more lively in person than on the screen.