“Next time, don’t date two people at once; it’s tough for me to cover for you!”

I thought my sister would admit her mistake, but unexpectedly, she replied with a, “?“

I was puzzled as to why she wasn’t apologizing, but then I saw her send a sheepish emoji with the message: “Brother, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have used your photo for an online relationship! 🐶”

Me: “!!!“

What? Using my photo?

Doesn’t that mean…

I was dumbfounded.

But then, memories of everything Xu Yang had done recently flooded my mind: buying gifts in pairs, having lunch with only me, standing up for me, paying debts…

And when he’d looked at me strangely after I was caught—it all made sense now. He must have known it was me all along but chose not to say anything.

Realizing this, I suddenly wondered: could the person he admitted to liking earlier have been me?

For a moment, I stood there, stunned, with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

But my roommates were still ranting.

“If I were Xu Yang’s girlfriend, I’d never break up with him!”

“Yeah, Xu Yang’s probably still drunk and heartbroken at the Karaoke bar… Poor guy.”

Hearing that brought me back to reality. I hurriedly put on my clothes, not even noticing I’d put the wrong shoes on.

Surprised by my rush, one roommate called out, “Mu Yu, where are you going?”

Without looking back, I replied, “To make up with someone.”

I had to clear things up with Xu Yang.

I quickly hailed a cab to the Karaoke bar, found our previous room, and went in without hesitation. The others had already left, leaving only Xu Yang slumped on the sofa, clutching a bottle of alcohol.

I crouched down in front of him, tapped his handsome face, and tried to sound serious, “Hey, about the money I owe you…”

Xu Yang squinted at me. Recognizing me, his gaze dimmed when he heard me mention money, and he waved me off, saying, “Forget about it.”

I snatched the bottle from him, keeping a straight face. “But I just told my sister you lent me 60,000 yuan because of her. I can’t pay it back.”

Xu Yang seemed annoyed that I was still talking about my sister and blurted, “What sister? It was you I liked all along!”

Seeing Xu Yang drop his usual cool demeanor, his cheeks flushed, and his feelings fully revealed, I couldn’t help but smile.

Noticing my reaction, Xu Yang tried to cover up what he’d just said, stumbling over his words, “No, um…”

I took his hand and, smiling, finished what I had meant to say.

“And my sister said, if I can’t repay you, I should just offer her brother as collateral. So, Xu Yang, would you accept that?”

Xu Yang froze for a full thirty seconds.

Then, he pulled me into his arms, exclaiming, “Of course I would!”

---

After Xu Yang and I officially got together, I wanted to keep things low-key, so we didn’t announce it publicly.

My roommates hadn’t noticed anything; they just kept checking Xu Yang’s daily updates, filled with three posts of lovey-dovey content every day, each one different. They’d read them out to me, grumbling.

“‘Are you a puppy, a baby, or a big bad wolf?’ – ‘I’m the one who loves you.’”

“‘The box for a ring is called a ring box; what would you call a box holding you and me? – A match made in heaven.’”

“‘Humans have 206 bones, but when I’m with you, I have 207. Without you, life’s like hot dry noodles without sesame paste—tasteless.’”

“…”

One roommate frowned, exasperated after reading it all aloud, and then commented to me, “Mu Yu, don’t you think Xu Yang is a total love struck fool?”

I just smiled without saying anything.

Then, I mischievously sent Xu Yang a message repeating what my roommate had said: “Xu Yang, someone thinks you’re a love-struck fool. Time to go pick wild vegetables.”

He replied quickly: “But my dear, what do you think? 😞”

I smirked and messaged back, “Time to go pick wild vegetables.”

After that, he didn’t reply for a long time. I thought I might have upset him, and I enjoyed a brief moment of smugness.

Ever since we started dating, Xu Yang had become even bolder, and my back could barely keep up. It was nice to finally get back at him.

But my joy didn’t last long, as that evening, our dorm welcomed an unexpected visitor.

I was just about to go shower when I saw my roommate happily invite Xu Yang in.

Startled, I almost dropped my washbasin and didn’t dare turn around.

But then, a strong hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to see Xu Yang’s face right next to mine.

With a sly grin, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I haven’t showered either. Want to join me?”

Me: “…”

Too reckless. I’d forgotten how much he holds grudges.

---

After a moment of chaos, Xu Yang and I finally came out of the bathroom.

Back in the dorm, the atmosphere had turned awkwardly quiet.

After a moment, one of my closest roommates finally spoke up.

“Mu Yu, you and Xu Yang seem pretty close…”

With a strange look, he scanned us both and then pulled me aside, whispering to me, “But let’s be honest here: being a third party isn’t right! Xu Yang’s got someone he really likes; you’ve seen those cheesy love quotes he posts every day.”

I smiled and was about to explain that I was the one he liked.

But before I could, Xu Yang pulled me back from his grip, declaring, “He’s the one I’m in love with.”

After that, the room fell silent.

I was a little nervous, thinking my roommates might be uncomfortable with the news that their friend and the one they Idolized were in a relationship.

But to my surprise, the next moment, my roommates’ eyes lit up, and they all crowded around, chattering excitedly.

“The campus idol from the Literature Department paired with the law school’s heartthrob? Count me in on this ship!”

“See? I knew there was something going on between them; you all didn’t believe me!”

“Xu Yang can’t take his eyes off Mu Yu; it’s like they’re glued together.”

Did he? I never noticed.