He took out his phone and snapped another picture of me, smiling brightly.

“When I look at you like this, you don’t seem as fierce. You actually look pretty cute.”

“…”

I never thought in my life that anyone would associate me with the word “cute.”

As two people walked by us, they stopped and mumbled.

“Isn’t that that effeminate guy?”

“Yeah, has he got a boyfriend now? I knew it! He’s definitely gay!”

Their voices weren’t too loud, but enough for people around us to hear.

I looked up and realized it was Chen Yu’s former roommates.

They were about to throw in a few more insults, but I suddenly stood up.

“Why don’t you try saying that again?”

“…”

They must’ve thought I looked too fierce because they glared at me sheepishly and quickly left.

Chen Yu tugged at my sleeve. “Liang Yi, don’t bother with them.”

After we finished eating, we walked back to the dorm.

Chen Yu couldn’t hold back and asked me, “So… if I really were gay, would it bother you?”

“Why would that bother me?”

I mean, I am too.

He smiled, visibly relieved.

---

I got back to the dorm, and it was pitch black inside; everyone was already asleep.

Carefully, I placed the gift in a safe spot and quietly went to take a shower.

Just as I laid down on the bed, a shadow moved like a panther, leaping over and pinning me down.

I struggled for a moment, almost shouting out.

My wrist was grabbed tightly, filled with the other person’s anger.

In the darkness, Ji Huai’an stared at me, smelling the alcohol on me, clearly unhappy.

“Where were you? Were you with him the whole day?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s your relationship with him?”

I could feel the intensity of his gaze, so I deliberately turned the question back on him.

“What do you think?”

Ji Huai’an gritted his teeth, his grip on my wrist becoming almost painful, but I didn’t cry out.

“How long has it been since we broke up, and you’re already seeing someone else? Did you ever even like me?”

His voice was low, filled with coldness.

I tried to act calm as I looked at him, though my heart was already racing.

“Why do you care so much? Do you still have feelings for me?”

“…”

He stayed silent, just staring at me without saying a word.

I don’t know how long we stared at each other before the pressure on my wrist eased.

Ji Huai’an’s voice grew colder. “Liang Yi, you really are heartless.”

My heart twisted, as if someone had stabbed it hard.

Heh, if I were really heartless, would I have worked so hard to get here?

Ji Huai’an returned to his bed, and the room fell silent, as if nothing had happened.

I touched the lingering sensation on my wrist, but I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried.

---

I drank a few bottles of alcohol for my birthday.

The next morning, I woke up, and it was already noon.

I got up groggily with a headache, noticing that my roommates had all left.

Thankfully, it was Saturday, or I would’ve lost some attendance points.

I climbed out of bed and saw a blue box on my desk, next to a few packets of hangover tea.

Curious, I opened it, and inside was a keyboard I had been wanting for a long time.

A small note was clipped to it, wishing me a happy birthday.

I froze in place, instantly recognizing Ji Huai’an’s handwriting.

I had casually complained before that my keyboard was getting old, and I never expected him to remember.

It was just a small gift, yet somehow, the frozen river in my heart began to crack, and something warm started to grow.

I rubbed my eyes, which were starting to sting, and opened my phone, only to see that Zhou Ke had tagged me in the dorm group chat.

I clicked on it, and it was a post from the school forum.

Someone had anonymously posted that their former roommate was gay and wouldn’t admit it, with a picture of me and Chen Yu having dinner, looking pretty close.

In the photo, Chen Yu was taking a picture of me, smiling like a fool.

【Zhou Ke: Wow, I thought you were chasing after girls, but turns out you’re chasing guys?】

【Lu Yan: He’s pretty cute though, no wonder you two are always hanging out.】

【Zhou Ke: ?】

【Zhou Ke: Are we talking about the kind of “hanging out” that I’m thinking of? Did I miss some juicy gossip?】

【Lu Yan: Can you put something decent in your head for once?】

【Me: ……】

【Me: That’s just his roommate stirring up trouble. We’re just friends.】

Zhou Ke and Lu Yan responded with playful emojis, clearly not buying it.

I felt frustrated and was about to send the forum post to Chen Yu, only to find that the post had already been deleted.

Later in the afternoon, Chen Yu came to me, apologizing over and over about the situation.

I told him to relax—it wasn’t enough to affect me.

---

Ji Huai’an hadn’t said a word in the group chat.

I spent the whole day on edge in the dorm, worrying that he might misunderstand.

I should’ve cleared things up last night, but I was a little drunk and just wanted to get under his skin.

Damn it.

It wasn’t until the evening that Ji Huai’an came back.

It seemed like the student council had been busy organizing activities for the school’s centennial celebration.

When he entered the room, he didn’t even spare me a glance. His whole demeanor was cold enough to freeze the room.

I hesitated, then cautiously approached him and softly said, “Thank you for the gift. Yesterday, Chen Yu did celebrate my birthday, but he and I…”

“I don’t want to hear about you two.”

Ji Huai’an said coldly, his eyes still glued to his phone.

I was at a loss. Everything I had planned to say suddenly vanished.

Feeling deflated, I returned to my bed and quietly mocked myself.

He doesn’t care about me anymore, so why am I so eager to explain?

It’s not like I want to get back together with him.

I tugged at my hair, forcing myself to go to sleep.

But for some reason, tears slipped down, soaking my pillow.

Damn it.

---

Ji Huai’an had been incredibly busy lately. I hardly ever saw him in the dorm.

Whenever I passed him on campus, he was always with the class president.

We had reverted back to being strangers, and neither of us made any effort to speak.

On Friday night, after playing basketball with my roommates, we walked past the student activity center and heard music coming from inside.

“Hey, I think they’re rehearsing for the school anniversary performance. Ji Huai’an is probably there. Let’s check it out.”

Zhou Ke eagerly headed inside.

I trailed behind, stopping by the window. I could see Ji Huai’an rehearsing with the class president—they were co-hosts.

Both of them were dressed in white shirts, looking like they fit the part.

There were two male and two female hosts, and every time a girl passed by, they’d sneak a glance at the guys.

“Wow, being good-looking really does make a difference. It seems like Ji Huai’an looks good no matter who he stands next to,” Zhou Ke said enviously.

“Isn’t the person next to him the class president? He looks pretty refined. Yeah, they do match well,” Lu Yan chimed in, both of them leaning by the window to gossip.