Chapter 21

Bai Chen raised his wrist again to check the time.

It was Seven o’clock.

The door in front of him suddenly opened with a swoosh, and a warm breeze mixed with camellia fragrance blew out.

It ruffled a few strands of Bai Chen’s hair at his forehead.

Bai Chen was wearing loose sportswear, a very conservative style with long sleeves and pants, in black and white. His broad physique stretched the logo on his shirt, and the fabric perfectly highlighted the solid muscles on his chest.

Zhu Yu, upon opening the door, was immediately struck by the impact of the sight.

But Zhu Yu had no intention of admiring it this time.

His knees went weak, and he just wanted to kneel on the floor and beg for forgiveness.

“Senior Brother, I’m sorry…” Zhu Yu lowered his head, his hands fidgeting in front of him, breathing heavily, his heart pounding.

It wasn’t because of attraction, but fear.

From childhood to now, Zhu Yu had made countless mistakes, but none had ever frightened him as much as this one. He knew Bai Chen definitely wouldn’t punish him by making him kneel like his dad did.

Nor would Bai Chen criticize him like his mom would.

Because, at his core, Bai Chen was a gentle person.

But Zhu Yu was still afraid, genuinely afraid of an angry Bai Chen.

God knows how terrified he was when he opened his eyes and saw the time and several missed calls.

From waking up to leaving the house, it only took Zhu Yu two minutes. In those two minutes, beads of sweat had already begun to form on his forehead and neck.

His hair was messy, his pajamas were loose, and one of his earrings had fallen out while he slept. He truly looked like a messy Samoyed right now.

Bai Chen thought he should act angry so that Zhu Yu wouldn’t be late for the next ten days or so.

But should he really be angry at Zhu Yu?

Not really.

“It’s fine.” Bai Chen shook his head.

Zhu Yu touched his head, his little hair sticking up again after being flattened, “I swear, I will definitely not be late tomorrow!”

He raised his hand, extending three fingers as a promise to Bai Chen.

In modern society, this gesture no longer holds much weight, but Zhu Yu’s act was still quite cute.

A kind of cute that lacked credibility.

Bai Chen lightly arched his brows, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smile. “Alright, I believe you. But are you really going for a morning jog dressed like that?”

Zhu Yu’s pajamas were a fleece style, off-white, with one pant leg rolled up from sleeping, and before he could fix it, the other pant leg had already started to curl up.

With his messy pink hair, he looked like a Samoyed just back from scavenging.

No one could bear to be angry with Ye Ye, and Bai Chen was no exception.

“Senior Brother, can you give me five more minutes? I need to change clothes and brush my teeth…”

Bai Chen tightened his lips. “You don’t have class in the morning, right?”

Zhu Yu shook his head, his tone apologetic. “It’s because I only remembered I don’t have class, that I forgot the thing we discussed last night.”

“Then there’s no rush, take your time,” Bai Chen said in a calm tone.

Zhu Yu couldn’t tell what Bai Chen’s mood was right now.

He pulled Bai Chen’s wrist and led him into the room.

“Senior Brother, I’ll be done soon, just sit and wait here!” Zhu Yu led him to sit by the sofa.

Then he got him a glass of warm water.

“Drink some water to calm down,” Zhu Yu acted all attentive, which made Bai Chen smile.

Bai Chen gently took hold of Zhu Yu’s wrist with his other hand, his voice soft as he reassured him, “I’m not angry.”

“Go change your clothes, I’ll wait here for you,” Bai Chen’s eyes were as deep and calm as ever, carrying the steadiness and tolerance of someone older.

He tolerated every mistake Zhu Yu made.

Zhu Yu’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally relaxed.

“Love you, Senior! I’ll go right now.” He made a heart gesture toward Bai Chen before grabbing the pants on the sofa and heading to the bathroom.

Liu Bo squeezed out of the bedroom, hopping onto Bai Chen’s lap as if following a scent. Bai Chen picked him up and, as if second nature, walked over to the cupboard to fetch a can.

He opened the can with one hand, set Liu Bo on the floor, and Liu Bo obediently stayed there eating.

The student apartments were the same size in every room, but for some reason, Bai Chen always felt that Zhu Yu’s home was a little smaller.

It felt somewhat cramped.

Perhaps it was because there were too many things, too cluttered.

Bai Chen stood up and began folding the cotton blanket and clothes on the sofa.

Just as he picked up the last piece of clothing, the door to the room opened.

Zhu Yu looked at the clothes in his hand. “No wonder I couldn’t find it, it was tossed here.”

He had finished washing up, a thin layer of water still on his face, with droplets falling from the tips of his hair, running down his neck, and landing between his collarbones. The hot water had turned his fair skin a light pink.

His pink hair was also neatly styled, soft and smooth. Bai Chen still remembered the feeling of his hand when he touched it that time.

For some reason, Bai Chen’s fingertips felt a little itchy.

Zhu Yu had only changed his pants, his top was still his pajama shirt.

Bai Chen handed over the clothes, and Zhu Yu thanked him, then turned around to take off his shirt.

It revealed a slender, well-proportioned body, one of the slimmer figures among his peers. His shoulder blades moved with his motions, like the wings of butterflies fluttering, beautiful and captivating.

His waist was so slim that it seemed one arm could wrap around it. His lower back was concave, with not an ounce of extra flesh, and the lines of his back were smooth.

Zhu Yu’s movements were too sudden, too quick. By the time Bai Chen reacted, the loose orange sports top had already covered that beautiful, fair back.

Bai Chen abruptly turned away, his lashes trembling. He quickly lowered his eyelids, letting his lashes shield his view.

His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and for some reason, his eyes felt a bit warm.

Zhu Yu draped the pajama shirt over the back of the sofa and turned around. “Senior Brother, let’s go!”

Bai Chen only turned around when he heard the voice, seeing Zhu Yu smiling gently at him with a slight curve to his pretty brows and eyes.

Obviously, Zhu Yu didn’t think his actions were inappropriate.

Bai Chen wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he only managed to say one word: “Alright.”

His voice was husky.

The elevator only had the two of them. Zhu Yu didn’t forget to reassure Bai Chen, “Senior Brother, I swear, I will definitely, definitely not be late tomorrow!”

He stressed the two “definitelies” heavily.

Bai Chen gave a slight nod. “Alright.”

Then he couldn’t help but add, “Xiao Yu.”

“Mm?” Zhu Yu looked up when Bai Chen called his name as they walked out of the elevator.

Zhu Yu was looking down, replying to a message. When Bai Chen called him, he raised his head to meet his gaze.

Just as the words were about to leave his mouth, Bai Chen gently reminded him, “Look at the road, don’t play with your phone while walking.”

“It’s dangerous.”

Zhu Yu obediently put his phone into his pocket and responded with a cheerful, “Okay!”

“Also,” Bai Chen said again.

Zhu Yu tilted his head slightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Next time, tell me when you’re changing clothes.”

Zhu Yu was still wondering why Bai Chen had said nothing since coming out of the dorm and seemed a bit off. It turned out he was thinking about this matter.

He put his hands on his hips and said confidently, “What’s the problem? I’m not losing any flesh. Just like how you won’t lose any by me looking at you, and we’re both guys, what’s there to be afraid of?”

The morning breeze downstairs swept in, lifting Zhu Yu’s hair and revealing his fair forehead. The black earrings gleamed with a cold, unusual light.

Bai Chen sighed deeply and asked helplessly, “Is this how you are with everyone?”

Zhu Yu followed him outside, and hearing Bai Chen’s question, he looked up and thought for a moment, “My friends back home… they’re all like this…”

Bai Chen nodded. “I see.”

“Are you saying that good friends should avoid these things?” Zhu Yu caught up with Bai Chen’s pace, asking him with a confused expression.

Bai Chen answered honestly, “I don’t have friends that are close enough for that.”

Zhu Yu stared at Bai Chen with his bright round eyes. Although he had suspected this before, hearing Bai Chen admit it himself still made him feel strangely uncomfortable.

He thought that someone like Bai Chen shouldn’t be without friends.

He reached out and grabbed Bai Chen’s shirt, saying, “No, no, no, you need to change your lines from now on. You have me now!”

“Our relationship now? It’s fine if we sleep on the same bed!”

Cough, cough, cough… Bai Chen coughed.

He was choked by Zhu Yu’s words, and even the back of his neck turned red.

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.”

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, then what are we having for breakfast?”

Bai Chen chuckled, “You’re thinking about breakfast before your morning jog?”

“This is the only motivation I have for jogging this morning QAQ…”

“How about some scallion oil noodles?”

“I also want a fried egg!”

—

Since Zhu Yu could remember, he had never woken up early for a morning jog. He had already prepared for the worst, which was running two laps around the park and not being able to continue. But the worst case scenario would be that Zhu Yu wouldn’t even manage one lap before begging to rest for a while.

Sweat dampened his light-colored hair, sticking to his face, and his thick eyelashes were dotted with tiny beads of sweat.

In the morning light, the drop of sweat sliding down Zhu Yu’s forehead sparkled.

His entire face was flushed from running.

It made him look even more delicate and refined.

Zhu Yu grabbed Bai Chen’s wrist and shook it a couple of times, pleading, “Senior Brother, please, just let me rest for one minute, just one minute.”

He looked so pitiful.

Bai Chen sighed, then held his hand and pulled him to keep running. He adjusted his breathing and said, “We agreed to rest only when we get to the fountain.”

“But I’m so tired, Senior.” Zhu Yu was being dragged by Bai Chen as he ran. “My legs don’t feel like mine anymore.”

“We’re almost there,” Bai Chen ignored Zhu Yu’s whining.

Zhu Yu was gasping for breath, feeling as though he might be flying to the heavens. A white light flashed in front of his eyes, blinding him and making it hard to see the road ahead.

“Senior Brother, it’s over. I see heaven,” Zhu Yu said.

In the next moment, a large hand appeared above his head, casting a shadow over his eyes. He heard Bai Chen’s helpless voice, “Just don’t look at the sun.”

“Ugh—” Zhu Yu lowered his head.

Bai Chen sighed again, finally softening. He pulled Zhu Yu to a large tree to rest.

“Take a break,” Bai Chen said.

Zhu Yu’s stray hair immediately stood up. He was about to sit on a bench but was stopped when Bai Chen pulled him back to his feet. “Don’t sit yet, we just finished running.”

“My legs are weak.” Zhu Yu frowned.

Bai Chen said, “Then lean on me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two hands wrapped around his arm, and a warm body pressed against him. Zhu Yu leaned halfway into him, feeling like he had no bones, and Bai Chen instinctively reached out to support him.

Zhu Yu spoke in a weak tone, lacking any energy, “Senior Brother, how come you’re not sweating at all…”

Bai Chen replied, “Because we didn’t run for long, and the pace wasn’t that fast.”

“I’m holding you back, Senior. You go ahead first,” Zhu Yu pretended to be sad, covering his face.

Bai Chen’s expression didn’t change. He looked as if he had seen through Zhu Yu’s intentions. “Don’t think you can use this excuse to skip this morning’s jog.”

Zhu Yu straightened up, “Is it that obvious?”

Bai Chen pulled a tissue out of his pocket and handed it to Zhu Yu. “Wipe off your sweat.”

Zhu Yu took it and wiped his face vigorously, his damp light hair sticking out in all directions.

“Just hold on a little longer, once we get to the fountain, you don’t have to run anymore,” Bai Chen said.

Zhu Yu replied, “I never realized the park was this big…”

“Xiao Yu, break time is over.” It was hard to imagine that such a gentle voice could say something colder than London’s winter.

Zhu Yu retorted, “Senior Brother, your mouth is colder than your heart.”

Bai Chen replied, “Stop being cheeky.”

With that, he grabbed Zhu Yu’s hand and continued running.

Zhu Yu was behind, desperately wailing, “I need two fried eggs for breakfast this morning…”

—

By the time they finished running and returned, it was almost 8 o’clock.

The sweat on Bai Chen’s forehead was all because of Zhu Yu’s efforts.

From the moment they finished running until they reached the bottom of the dorm building, Zhu Yu had hardly exerted any effort” it was Bai Chen who was pulling his hand the entire way.

The shade of the trees covered them both, and the golden sunlight was fragmented by the tree branches, casting tiny, fragmented patches of light on them both.

A cool breeze blew gently.

“Zhu Yu, you’re really amazing!” In the elevator, Zhu Yu looked at his sweaty reflection in the mirror and couldn’t help but give himself a thumbs up.

Bai Chen smiled, his dimples appearing, and his gaze at Zhu Yu was filled with a soft smile, though the meaning was unclear. “Hmm, you’re actually quite impressive.”

After returning to the dorm, Bai Chen told Zhu Yu to go take a shower first, saying that since he was sweating so much, if he didn’t wash up and change his clothes, he’d catch a cold once the wind hit him.

Zhu Yu didn’t refuse.

“Make sure to get two fried eggs,” Zhu Yu didn’t forget to show two fingers to Bai Chen before closing the door.

Bai Chen nodded, “I won’t forget.”

Only then did Zhu Yu feel at ease and head off to take a shower.

Just after finishing his shower and before he could even put on his clothes, Fu Wenyu called.

Zhu Yu hung up the phone.

Fu Wenyu called twice more, and Zhu Yu, helpless, finally answered.

“Yu, do you miss me?!” Fu Wenyu’s surroundings were noisy, and Zhu Yu could hear many familiar voices.

“You guys are together?” Zhu Yu asked while getting dressed.

Fu Wenyu replied, “Oh, you recognized it?”

“What are you all doing in the middle of the day?” Zhu Yu asked.

Fu Wenyu said, “It’s not daytime here.”

“…” Zhu Yu picked up the phone, casually placed a clean towel on his head, and walked out of the bathroom.

“Is there something up?” Zhu Yu asked.

Fu Wenyu replied, “It’s not a big deal, we’re just getting together tonight to hang out. Without you, no one’s bringing the energy.”

“Exactly, we all miss you.” Xiao Yang’s voice came through the phone.

Zhu Yu put the phone on the back of the sofa, wiped his hair, and said, “Miss me? If you miss me, go talk to my mom and say a few words for me.”

“I did, but it didn’t help,” Fu Wenyu said with a sigh of helplessness.

Zhu Yu replied, “Well, looks like I’m sentenced to life imprisonment.”

Fu Wenyu asked cautiously, “You don’t want to… appeal to your mom, soften up, admit your mistake?”

“…” Zhu Yu didn’t respond.

Brother Zhou, who was leaning over the phone, punched Fu Wenyu and muttered, “Why bring up that topic?”

“Yu, we won’t mention that anymore,” Brother Zhou said as he took the phone.

“We called to ask how you’re doing, if you’re getting used to life over there.”

Zhu Yu chatted casually with them for a while.

It wasn’t until Zhu Yu received a message from Bai Chen telling him to go eat that he said he was going to hang up.

Not wanting them to overthink, he didn’t mention that he was going to eat.

At the end, Zhu Yu suddenly remembered something, “By the way, do you guys have any tips for waking up early? Like waking up around six in the morning?”

Fu Wenyu replied, “Doesn’t your school not have early morning classes?”

“I need to wake up early to run,” Zhu Yu said.

Fu Wenyu said, “Unbelievable.”

The three people around him shook their heads in amazement, “Unbelievable.”

Zhu Yu knew it was pointless to ask them, “I’m hanging up, I’ll figure it out myself.”

“We have a solution, we have a solution!” Fu Wenyu quickly called out to him.

Zhu Yu added, “Setting an alarm clock won’t work.”

“Then should we call you at the set time to wake you up?”

Zhu Yu replied, “What’s the difference between a phone call and an alarm clock? I’ll turn off the alarm, and I’ll hang up the phone.”

Fu Wenyu suggested, “How about having your roommate wake you up?”

Zhu Yu frowned, “What roommate?”

Fu Wenyu was confused, “The one I sent you back to your dorm, the one who opened the door for us.”

Thinking about it made Zhu Yu upset, but he couldn’t blame Fu Wenyu—after all, he hadn’t clarified things back then. He sighed and didn’t bring it up again, “Forget it, I’ll figure it out myself.”

With that, Zhu Yu hung up the phone.

Fu Wenyu was right” if someone woke him up, he would definitely get up on time.

The problem was, would it be too much of a hassle to have Bai Chen come over every morning to wake him up?