Chapter 67: Go Back and Take a Shower

Lin Hexi was speechless for a long time, not knowing what to say.

“What are you shouting about?” You Chong was the first to walk over, his tone carrying a faint hint of warning.

Zhou Xuan followed from behind, unceremoniously teasing him, “There are no outsiders here. If you two are dating, just date. Why always hiding it?”

You Chong lifted his eyelids to look at him, his tone somewhat inexplicable, “Always?”

Thinking that You Chong was just unwilling to admit it, Zhou Xuan snorted lightly and shifted his gaze to Lin Hexi. “I heard you can play basketball too?” There was a hint of undisguised provocation on his face. “How about we play a game?”

Lin Hexi remained seated on the bench, raising his face with a slight smile, “Just the two of us?”

“Just the two of us.” Zhou Xuan’s expression was cold, and he deliberately tried to provoke him, “You’re not afraid, are you?”

Lin Hexi put away his smile and stood up, his demeanor calm and relaxed as he lifted his hand to take off his jacket. “What’s there to be afraid of?”

He tossed the jacket to You Chong and did some warm-up exercises on the spot, mentally giving Zhou Xuan a bit more credit.

Zhou Xuan was You Chong’s friend, and now You Chong was his boyfriend. From now on, at school, he and Zhou Xuan would inevitably run into each other often. Keeping a strained relationship wouldn’t make much sense, and resolving things with a game of basketball was a way that both sides could appreciate.

Including You Chong, everyone else stood on the sidelines watching the game. Lin Hexi finished his warm-up and walked toward Zhou Xuan, who was waiting for him on the court.

Zhou Xuan, likely having disliked him for a long time, played aggressively from the start, not giving Lin Hexi any time or chance to set up his defense.

Lin Hexi’s reactions were quick as well. After Zhou Xuan dribbled past him, Lin Hexi swiftly caught up and intercepted him.

However, Zhou Xuan had anticipated this, leaping directly over him and tossing the ball toward the hoop.

The basketball suddenly hit the backboard, circled the rim twice, and then dropped precisely into the basket.

Zhou Xuan scored the first point, but Lin Hexi remained calm. After getting the ball, he attacked Zhou Xuan’s defense with strength and speed that matched his opponent’s, then faked him out with a feint and made the shot.

Zhou Xuan finally started to take the game seriously.

Within just ten minutes, the two of them went back and forth, neither giving an inch, with their scores closely tied.

The game ended with Lin Hexi leading Zhou Xuan by two points.

Lin Hexi dribbled the ball to the hoop, suddenly pushed off with both feet, leaping off the ground, aiming to dunk the ball into the basket.

At the same moment, Zhou Xuan jumped up from his spot, stretching out his arm to block Lin Hexi’s shot.

The two of them pressed their palms against the basketball, competing fiercely. Lin Hexi slightly outmatched him, forcing the ball into the hoop. As he landed, he stumbled slightly and sat down on the ground, breathing lightly.

Zhou Xuan landed steadily, glanced at him, paused for a moment, and then, unusually, extended a hand toward him.

Lin Hexi’s gaze flickered briefly over Zhou Xuan’s face before he reached out to take the offered hand.

But Zhou Xuan abruptly withdrew his hand, leaving Lin Hexi’s movement hanging in midair.

Lin Hexi’s expression remained unchanged, but the emotion in his eyes gradually faded.

Zhou Xuan showed an expression of annoyance, looking at Lin Hexi as if he were some kind of ancient troublemaker. “It’s not that I won’t help you up; I’m just afraid You Chong would get jealous.” He clicked his tongue in displeasure, “When a man gets jealous, it’s always the friends who suffer.”

Half an hour later, You Chong took Lin Hexi back to the dorm to shower and change clothes.

The dorms of the International College shared a balcony with the neighboring building, while the main campus dorms had private balconies.

The other two were still at the library, so the four-person dorm room was empty. After Lin Hexi entered, he casually sat at You Chong’s desk, browsing the items on the desk and the books on the bookshelf.

Since You Chong no longer frequented the dorm, the items on his desk were neatly arranged and minimal, and the bookshelf was filled with books related to his major. Lin Hexi, lacking interest and understanding, wasn’t particularly engaged.

You Chong stood beside him, opening the wardrobe to find a clean undershirt and pants for him.

Lin Hexi tilted his head to peek into the wardrobe and reminded him, “Underwear too.”

You Chong turned around and tossed a new, unopened pack of underwear into his lap. “It’s been less than three months, and you’ve already taken two pairs of my underwear.”

As he caught the underwear that You Chong threw over, Lin Hexi’s eyes flickered slightly. “Then I’ll buy two pairs to give back to you.”

By now, whenever Lin Hexi started a conversation, You Chong could almost always figure out where he was headed. He didn’t care about the two pairs of underwear, and Lin Hexi’s offer was certainly not a genuine intention to return them.

Keeping a straight face, You Chong played along and continued, “When do you plan to return them?”

“Anytime is fine. But,” Lin Hexi lifted his legs, placed them on the crossbar between the chair legs, put his elbows on his knees, and propped his face on his palms. And said with his voice tinged with amusement, “I don’t know your size. What if I buy the wrong one?”

You Chong paused what he was doing and turned around. “You don’t know my size?”

Meeting his gaze, Lin Hexi’s tone instinctively lifted, “I haven’t measured it, so how would I know your size?”

“You haven’t measured it, but you’ve worn my underwear.” You Chong chuckled, walked closer, bent down, and stretched his arms along the armrests on either side of Lin Hexi, trapping him in the chair. “Just compare your size with my underwear, and wouldn’t you know?”

Lin Hexi sighed, half-seriously, half-playfully, “That’s not very accurate.”

You Chong raised his eyebrow slightly, and said with an ambiguous tone, “Do you want to measure it now?”

Caught off guard, Lin Hexi hesitated for a moment, “Now?”

You Chong confirmed, “Now.”

The roles between them reversed instantly, and Lin Hexi couldn’t help but feel the urge to retreat. He quickly shook his head, saying, “I’m going to take a shower.”

You Chong showed no intention of letting him leave, lowering his voice, “Measure first, then shower.”

Lin Hexi’s expression froze slightly.

Seeing the change in Lin Hexi’s expression, You Chong lifted the corners of his lips, planning to step back and let him go shower.

But in those brief seconds, Lin Hexi seemed to have made up his mind. He lifted his face, and said with a relaxed tone, “Alright, let’s measure first, then I’ll shower.”

After saying that, he actually reached out towards You Chong’s pants.

Clean clothes, along with pants, were tossed over, landing on his head as You Chong stepped back, seemingly amused and exasperated. “Measure what? Go take your shower already.”

Lin Hexi laughed, grabbed the clothes that had slipped into his lap, and got up to go shower.

Showering didn’t take long; within a few minutes, Lin Hexi stepped out, the room filled with steam, and You Chong went in to take his turn.

When You Chong finished and came out, he sent a text message to Zhou Xuan, telling him to come back and shower.

After sending the message, You Chong saw Lin Hexi leaning on the desk, playing on his phone. He walked over and gently touched the ends of Lin Hexi’s hair.

Although Lin Hexi hadn’t washed his hair, the ends had gotten wet from the shower.

You Chong grabbed a dry towel and began to dry the ends of Lin Hexi’s hair. Lin Hexi cooperatively lowered his head, revealing his slender nape.

After staring at it for a moment, You Chong’s hand slipped from the towel, resting on the back of Lin Hexi’s neck, and squeezing it gently.

As he noticed the movement of You Chong’s hand, Lin Hexi put down his phone and turned his head to look at him.

You Chong didn’t say anything. He removed the towel from the back of Lin Hexi’s head and casually draped it over the back of the chair behind him.

Lin Hexi scooted over a bit and patted the chair under him, asking, “Want to come sit together?”

You Chong glanced at the chair and said, “There’s not enough space for two people.”

Lin Hexi thought for a moment, then moved back to the center of the chair, straightened his legs, and said, half-joking and half-serious, “There’s enough room right here.”

You Chong’s gaze lowered slowly, his eyes lazily falling on Lin Hexi’s legs. “Aren’t you getting something mixed up?”

Lin Hexi didn’t catch on immediately. “What?”

You Chong pulled him up from the chair, then sat down himself. Finally, he patted his own legs with a faint smile appearing in his eyes. “You sit here.”

Lin Hexi snorted with a laugh and ignored him, turning around and sitting directly on You Chong’s desk instead.

The phone placed at the edge of the desk emitted a brief vibrating sound. You Chong picked it up, glanced at the screen, and started typing, seemingly replying to someone’s message.

Lin Hexi sat on the desk, and while waiting for You Chong to finish replying to the message, his gaze fell on the dry towel draped over the chair back. He reached out to touch the ends of You Chong’s hair, and felt the slight dampness at his fingertips.

You Chong’s hair had also gotten a little wet.

Lin Hexi stretched his arm over You Chong’s shoulder, grabbed the towel, and began to dry the ends of his hair.

After pressing the send button, You Chong put his phone back in place. When he looked up, Lin Hexi’s elegantly contoured profile and jawline instantly came into view.

A small stir rose in You Chong’s heart as he pressed his fingers against Lin Hexi’s chin, took the towel from his hand, and casually tossed it onto the desk, then gently turned Lin Hexi’s face toward him.

Their gazes met softly, and Lin Hexi quickly realized what You Chong intended to do. He took the initiative and leaned in, kissing You Chong on the lips.

You Chong slightly lifted his chin, pressing his palm against the back of Lin Hexi’s neck as he returned the kiss.

The subtle scent of the same body wash lingered between them, stirring their emotions. You Chong nibbled on Lin Hexi’s lips gently. His tongue brushed against his teeth before skillfully slipping into his mouth, and entwined tightly with Lin Hexi’s soft tongue.

Unable to maintain his balance any longer, Lin Hexi slid off the desk, and his body caught by You Chong’s legs.

You Chong’s hands moved down, guiding Lin Hexi back onto his lap, positioning him comfortably.

Lin Hexi kept his head lowered, eyes slightly closed, letting out soft and rapid breaths.

You Chong stopped pressing forward, giving him some time to catch his breath. While sucking and nibbling on Lin Hexi’s lips, he squeezed the back of his neck, kneading the flesh with a pressure that was neither too light nor too heavy.

Lin Hexi inhaled gently with his eyes closed, and his hands seemingly unsure where to rest. They slid from You Chong’s shoulders and pressed against his chest through the fabric.

The heart beneath his palms pounded rapidly. You Chong’s hand, which was resting on Lin Hexi’s waist, moved down along his waistline. His fingertips deftly slipped under Lin Hexi’s shirt, skillfully and precisely exploring inside.

Lin Hexi’s lower back tensed momentarily, then quickly relaxed, softening against You Chong.

His hands, which were pressed against You Chong’s chest, slowly slid down, and his fingertips brushing against the belt at You Chong’s waist. Lin Hexi’s fingers curled slightly, effortlessly hooking onto the belt and pulling it out.

Lin Hexi’s hand was already gripping the buckle of You Chong’s belt.

The next second, a loud knocking sounded at the door.

They both snapped their eyes open, their gazes clear, but their expressions were anything but pleasant.