Xu Xing stepped out of the bathroom after his shower, threw his dirty clothes into the laundry basket, and used a towel hanging around his neck to dry his wet hair.

The ticking sound of the clock in the living room marked the time as exactly eleven o’clock.

Back in his room, Xu Xing saw Lu Che leaning against the headboard, his reactions a bit delayed as he turned his head slowly, looking at Xu Xing with a slightly dazed expression.

His dark, deep-set eyes reflected the room’s incandescent light, his pupils clear and bright, almost like glass. Lu Che’s lips were pressed into a thin line, with no curve at the corners, but a faint smile and a gentle warmth lay quietly in his eyes.

“I’ll go wash up.”

Lu Che’s voice was lazy, each syllable pronounced with a distinct rhythm. Xu Xing detected a hint of a drunken tone—casual, laid-back, with a trace of intoxicating warmth.

Fu Dai once remarked that Lu Che’s voice was wasted reading physics problems to Xu Xing; it was made for reciting love poems to girls, certain to leave them enchanted.

Xu Xing had agreed with Fu Dai at the time, happy to encourage Lu Che to read for the girls instead of bothering him.

Xu Xing still agreed with Fu Dai’s opinion, especially since Lu Che’s voice was truly captivating.

Xu Xing enjoyed hearing Lu Che speak like this.

Xu Xing stood by the door, absentmindedly drying his hair, as Lu Che passed by, bringing with him a faint scent of alcohol. Normally, Xu Xing didn’t like drinking or the smell of alcohol on people, but the scent from Lu Che didn’t repel him. Xu Xing turned his face slightly, lightly scratching the tip of his nose with his index finger.

Unfortunately, after freshening up, Lu Che climbed into bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep, saying no more. Xu Xing switched off the main light in the room, sat at his desk under a table lamp to do some homework, and, by midnight, turned off the lamp and went to bed.

The room was dimly lit, with a gap in the curtain of the balcony door. The night outside seemed brighter, casting a slanted strip of light through the gap onto the bed.

Suddenly, that strip of light shifted, and a faint rustling broke the silence in the room.

Xu Xing lay on his back in bed, unable to resist turning toward Lu Che. With his arm under his head, Xu Xing’s dark eyes and hair blended into the shadows. He quietly observed Lu Che’s serene sleeping face by the faint light from outside.

Lu Che’s profile was striking, his face softly outlined by the room’s dim light.

A high bridge of his nose, lips that were undeniably alluring.

Xu Xing remembered that night he brought Lu Che back from outside the bar. In the back seat of the taxi, Lu Che had smiled, promising, “Class Rep, I handle my alcohol well. If I get drunk, I just want to sleep—I won’t be a bother.”

Then he added, “But if Ke Di gets drunk, he starts hugging and kissing anyone he sees.”

Xu Xing suddenly felt a pang of regret.

Sigh…

Xu Xing rolled over, back to Lu Che, closed his eyes, trying to sleep. After lying awake for quite a while, he reached for his phone on the nightstand. Only ten minutes had passed.

Frustrated, Xu Xing stared into the darkness, pulling his hand back under the covers, unconsciously pressing his lower lip.

After some internal debate, Xu Xing wrestled with the idea of whether or not to kiss Lu Che.

Xu Xing was torn, resisting the urge to kick the covers and thrash on the mattress, pulling the thin blanket over his face as if hiding his unspeakable “shameful” thoughts.

But Xu Xing’s reasoning took an odd turn; he shifted from wondering why he should kiss Lu Che to deciding that, if Lu Che woke up tomorrow and regretted the night, he’d be sorry he hadn’t kissed him before going to sleep.

Yes, Lu Che would be the one most regretful tonight if there was no kiss.

With that thought, Xu Xing convinced himself: kissing Lu Che wasn’t because he wanted to kiss him, but to make up for him, especially since he had unjustifiably been in a bad mood with Lu Che a few days ago.

Xu Xing turned toward Lu Che again, whose breathing was steady, deeply asleep.

Feeling justified, Xu Xing leaned on the mattress with his arm, propping himself up. Xu Xing didn’t know what Lu Che had felt when he had secretly kissed him in the past; at this close distance, Xu Xing’s heart pounded like it would leap from his throat, his mind blank.

Just before he leaned in, Xu Xing instinctively swallowed.

Lu Che’s profile was soon obscured by the approaching shadow.

Xu Xing leaned in, his lips brushing Lu Che’s thin, sensual lips, retreating just as quickly upon the brief touch. His face flushed, and his heart raced wildly, thundering in his chest.

His propped arm tingled, yet he had no intention of lying back down.

Strangely, Xu Xing found himself competing with his own feelings, believing Lu Che kissed him with calm ease, while he, after just a quick kiss, felt his heart pounding like a drum—something that made him feel slightly indignant.

It seemed as though the one feeling guilty was the one who… liked the other more.

Xu Xing stayed still for a moment, then placed his other arm beside Lu Che’s pillow and kissed his lips again.

His kisses were clumsy, soft and light, landing only on Lu Che’s lips. Maybe it was because Xu Xing was nervous, or he was worried that a more passionate kiss might accidentally wake Lu Che up.

He parted his lips slightly and, leaning down once more to kiss Lu Che’s lips, suddenly felt them respond, gently returning the kiss.

Xu Xing froze.

The room fell into a dead silence.

After a long pause, Xu Xing whispered, “Are you awake?”

His voice was barely audible.

But as soon as he said it, he quickly covered Lu Che’s eyes with his hand, demanding, “You’re not allowed to be awake!”

It was unreasonable and entirely unfair.

After this declaration, Xu Xing kissed him again, sealing Lu Che’s lips with his own.

As their lips met once more, their tongues intertwined, deepening into a heated kiss.

An arm wrapped around Xu Xing’s waist, and a hand pressed gently on the back of his head, but he didn’t resist. After all, with both of them tacitly aware of each other’s feelings, as long as Lu Che didn’t open his eyes or say a word, Xu Xing could chalk it up to Lu Che’s drunkenness.

The position Xu Xing held—propped up on either side of Lu Che—soon shifted as he found himself lying sideways, entangled with Lu Che in a long, passionate kiss. When he came to, Lu Che was pressing him down on the bed.

The change in position wasn’t the problem. What Xu Xing couldn’t stand was Lu Che’s hands moving from his waist to his backside, one hand over the blanket and the other slipping underneath. Just as things were getting intense, Lu Che’s hands on his backside completely shattered the mood.

And—

Xu Xing started worrying that Lu Che might try to take off his pants any second.

He wanted to call it off immediately, but given that Lu Che was “supposedly” in a drunken stupor and non-communicative, Xu Xing bit down on his lip instead. The other man hissed, and as their lips parted, Xu Xing quickly pushed him away.

Lu Che tumbled to the other side of the bed, making the mattress creak as he landed.

The bedroom quieted once more, the only sound in the still night being their heavy breathing.

Xu Xing lay there for a while, unable to calm himself. He threw off the blanket, slipped on his slippers, and tiptoed out to the bathroom.

As the bathroom light flickered on, Xu Xing squinted, locking the door behind him. He leaned against the wall, silently taking care of himself.

In the mirror over the sink, he caught a glimpse of himself—head slightly bowed, hair disheveled, eyes hazy, with his lower lip still a bit swollen, and his tongue barely visible between his lips, muting his breathing.

·

Xu Xing took his time in the bathroom, partly to calm himself, partly to give Lu Che some time, and, honestly, partly to maintain his pride by pretending he could last longer.

When he returned to the room, Lu Che was still lying there, seemingly fast asleep. Xu Xing climbed back into bed, turned his back to Lu Che, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning.

Xu Xing naturally woke up around six, only to find himself wrapped in Lu Che’s arms. As he turned his head, Lu Che’s peaceful sleeping face was inches away.

Xu Xing had never resisted Lu Che’s affection, especially when Lu Che was still asleep.

He stayed in bed for a while, until he faintly heard his parents speaking outside. He carefully removed Lu Che’s arm.

Sitting up slowly, he ran his hand over his face to gather himself.

Suddenly—

Xu Xing felt a light scratch on his nose, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a red thread in his palm.

“…”

His first reaction upon seeing the thread was to freeze, feeling guilty.

The room was still, and Lu Che lay peacefully on the bed, still fast asleep.

Xu Xing held his left hand and glanced back at the red thread under him, extending into the blanket. Though hidden, he knew that the other end was tied to a bow around Lu Che’s waistband.

With Lu Che still asleep, it seemed like the perfect time to untie it…

But Xu Xing sat frozen, unable to move.

What if—

What if Lu Che suddenly started crying uncontrollably, like Fu Dai once had?

What if Lu Che cried without even knowing why?

What if he untied the bow, and Lu Che stopped liking him?

The thought of that possibility tightened something inside Xu Xing’s chest, making his heart ache. Just picturing Lu Che looking at him without that warm glow in his eyes, or without that gentle smile meant only for him, was unbearable.

Xu Xing had to admit defeat.

He didn’t want to untie Lu Che’s bow.

He didn’t want to see Lu Che crying uncontrollably.

He wanted…

Quietly, he admitted to himself—

He wanted Lu Che to always like him.

Because…

He was done avoiding the question. Looking at the man beside him, Xu Xing mouthed silently to Lu Che:

“Because I like you.”

Xu Xing sat there in silence for nearly ten minutes. When the red thread finally disappeared from sight, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

---

Author’s Note: Congratulations to Xu Xing for earning the titles of “Xu Not Waking,” “Xu Pretending to Sleep,” and “Xu Pretending to Be Drunk.” Let’s all stand and give a round of applause! 😀

*

Lu Che’s inner monologue this chapter: You pretend to sleep, I pretend to sleep, I pretend to be drunk, Xu Xing’s man never loses!