Chapter 10: It’s Over

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The room was eerily quiet.

All that could be heard was the sound of the clock’s hands moving on the wall.

“Cough, cough…” Zhu Yu struggled to lift his heavy eyelids.

“Liu Bo, you’re going to crush me…” A hoarse voice rang out in the room.

Immediately, a slender arm painfully emerged from under the covers, lifting the fat cat that was sleeping on his chest and tossing it to the end of the bed.

Zhu Yu pressed his hand to his chest, exhaling the breath that had been trapped in his lungs by Liu Bo’s weight. “Hoo—”

He then stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to recall last night.

He got drunk, and then what?

Then, Fu Wenyu brought him back?

Was that how it went? Zhu Yu wasn’t sure himself. He rolled over, sat up, and yawned, feeling his nose a little dry and his throat uncomfortable.

Zhu Yu wasn’t really into drinking, he’d just wanted to taste the drink. But Fu Wenyu had spent money on a bottle of high-proof liquor, and Zhu Yu barely had any before he was out of it.

Drinking really messes things up.

Zhu Yu slapped his forehead in realization.

He then habitually reached for his phone on the nightstand, but this time, it was missing—he had no idea where he’d tossed it.

So, Zhu Yu threw off the covers, got out of bed, and slowly walked toward the living room in his slippers. Liu Bo jumped off the bed with a kick and followed Zhu Yu out of the room.

Maybe it was because he had drunk last night, or maybe it was because Liu Bo had compressed his brain’s blood supply, but as soon as Zhu Yu stepped out of the bedroom, he completely forgot he had come out to find his phone.

He stared blankly at the living room for a moment. What was he supposed to do again?

He couldn’t remember.

Zhu Yu simply turned around and walked straight to the bathroom.

He rinsed his mouth with cold water, which helped clear his head a little, then stuck his toothbrush in his mouth and began brushing his teeth slowly. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, feeling confused, as if he had lost some significant memory.

Liu Bo was rubbing against his feet.

Zhu Yu looked down at him, realizing that the cat was probably hungry. “I’ll give you some cat food after I finish brushing my teeth.”

He said to Liu Bo in a muffled voice.

Just as he finished speaking, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the trash can next to Liu Bo.

Inside were a few blood-stained tissues.

In an instant, memories surged like a tide, racing to flood Zhu Yu’s mind.

“Clink.” The blue electric toothbrush, covered in toothpaste foam, fell into the sink with a splash of bubbles.

It all came back.

Zhu Yu remembered everything.

It’s over.

Zhu Yu, you’re really done for this time.

He raised both hands to grab his hair, the pink color of his hair contrasting against his pale hands, his face full of despair.

Drunk, occupying someone else’s bed, nosebleeds, and then… he wasn’t sure if it was a dream or real, asking Bai Chen to touch him…

This time, it’s really over. The revolutionary friendship he had just built with the other person was now at its end.

His image had collapsed so quickly.

Help, help, help…

Who will come to save him?

“Ding-dong.”

“Ding-dong.”

—

The WeChat notification sound came from the living room, startling Zhu Yu so much that his whole body shuddered, fearing it was a message from Bai Chen.

He quickly rinsed the foam out of his mouth, wiped his face with a towel, and left the bathroom.

“Siri, where are you?” Zhu Yu called.

Siri responded from the sofa.

Zhu Yu grabbed his phone, intending to check if Bai Chen had sent him a message, but the pop-up WeChat notifications were only from his friends.

With Fu Wenyu’s help last night, everyone had been removed from Zhu Yu’s blacklist, so this morning, his phone had received many condolence messages.

Zhu Yu didn’t find Bai Chen’s message, but he did find one from Fu Wenyu.

【Fu Wenyu: I’m about to board the plane.】

【Fu Wenyu: After you wake up from the alcohol, remember to thank your roommate properly. I left you at the door last night, and everything after that was taken care of by him.】

【Fu Wenyu: By the way, your roommate has a great physique.】

【Fu Wenyu: Can you ask him how he trains? Like his diet habits, what kind of protein powder he uses, and which brand?】

【Fu Wenyu: I’m boarding the plane now, goodbye, don’t think about me.】

【Fu Wenyu: Crying with tears.jpg】

—

So none of this was a dream!

Zhu Yu dropped his phone, his gaze blank, his expression stiff. Grabbing his hair, he collapsed to the floor in despair.

It’s over.

—

Half an hour later.

Zhu Yu stood behind the door, taking two heavy breaths.

He was wearing a thick brown woolen sweater, a white knitted hat, and a mask. He wrapped himself up tightly, leaving only his eyes visible, which gave off a very suspicious look.

If his look weren’t so suspicious, he might look like those celebrities going out.

Zhu Yu raised his hand, taking a deep breath to calm his chest, encouraging himself. It’s okay, Zhu Yu!

He hadn’t run into anything like this during all the other times he went out, so it wouldn’t happen this time, right?

After reassuring himself like this, Zhu Yu visibly felt more at ease. He quietly opened the door just a crack and peeked outside. Seeing that the door to the opposite dorm room was tightly shut, his anxious heart finally relaxed.

He quickly stepped out, turning to lock the door behind him.

“Bang.” The next second, he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.

Zhu Yu, who was crouching to lock the door: … I’m done for.

He desperately closed his eyes.

“Zhu Yu, you’re awake? How do you feel?” Bai Chen’s gentle voice came from behind, and Zhu Yu trembled in shock.

“Ah, right! I’m awake! I feel pretty good!” Zhu Yu pulled out the key, turned around to face Bai Chen, his tone awkward, his gaze dodging. He really couldn’t bring himself to look Bai Chen in the eyes.

“Thank you for last night.”

“No need to thank me.”

Bai Chen was likely heading to class as well, carrying a black shoulder bag and wearing a thick white hoodie.

“Why are you wearing a mask? Did you catch a cold?” Bai Chen noticed something different about Zhu Yu today and began to ask about his health.

Zhu Yu shook his head and nervously explained, “No, it’s just the wind outside is cold.”

Bai Chen nodded. “Are you going to class? Do you want to go together?”

He invited Zhu Yu again.

Zhu Yu immediately grabbed the strap of his backpack. He actually didn’t have the courage to walk with Bai Chen anymore, but at the same time, he had no reason to refuse.

“Okay, okay,” Zhu Yu responded awkwardly, his voice filled with guilt.

So the two of them walked side by side toward the elevator.

Zhu Yu kept his gaze fixed on his toes, feeling extremely anxious inside.

The real problem was whether the things he said last night were a dream or real? The main issue was that Bai Chen wasn’t saying anything, and Zhu Yu didn’t dare to bring it up.

“Watch where you’re going, Zhu Yu,” a soft voice came from his side, and a warm hand suddenly pressed against his forehead, preventing him from bumping into the wall in front of him.

“Thanks, I wasn’t paying attention,” Zhu Yu stepped back a little. He still felt guilty and didn’t dare look at Bai Chen’s face.

Bai Chen frowned and asked with concern, “What’s wrong with you? You seem a little off today.”

“I just…” Zhu Yu looked at him. “I just want to ask about last night…”

Zhu Yu wasn’t the kind of person to shy away from things, and he couldn’t keep his thoughts bottled up. Even if Bai Chen didn’t bring it up, he would ask eventually. “I didn’t say or do anything weird, right?”

Bai Chen paused after hearing Zhu Yu’s question, deep in thought.

“You have to believe me, everything I did last night was because I was drunk, I’m not really like that!” Zhu Yu quickly raised his hand and held up three fingers. “I swear!”

His eyes were sincere and determined, as if he were swearing an oath.

Bai Chen looked at him, his eyes curving into a smile, his dimples forming a soft curve on his cheeks. “I understand.”

“Huh? So I didn’t do anything last night, right?” Zhu Yu hurried after Bai Chen’s long strides, almost running to keep up.

Bai Chen, noticing, slowed his pace. “No.”

He first gave Zhu Yu a dose of reassurance, and seeing him exhale in relief, Bai Chen changed the topic. “But…”

“But what?!” Zhu Yu quickly asked, his eyes showing his urgency.

Bai Chen smiled, then advised, “But you should drink less in the future.”

“You get nosebleeds when you drink,” Bai Chen said seriously, his expression sincere.

Zhu Yu realized that Bai Chen definitely didn’t know the reason behind his nosebleed last night.

The moment he heard Bai Chen finish speaking, Zhu Yu’s fair face instantly turned bright red.

The flush spread to his cheeks, and his ears became one with his hair, making the two earrings on his earlobes appear even darker.

“Oh, I… I understand now.”

“You never noticed before?”

“No, this is the first time. Maybe… it’s just the change in environment.”

Zhu Yu lied without a change in expression.

Bai Chen looked at him with a half-understanding expression. “I see…”

“Mm-hmm!” Zhu Yu nodded vigorously.

The two of them walked side by side, and since both were good-looking, they attracted a lot of attention as they passed by.

“By the way, Senior, should we find a time to meet with Professor Mayra?” Zhu Yu suddenly asked.

Bai Chen asked, “Why?”

“Because the professor hasn’t told me yet how I can help you.”

“Alright, I’ll email the professor later.”

The wind in London today was a bit strong, and the sky was filled with swirling fallen leaves. The people passing by also looked a bit sluggish. Zhu Yu yawned, as he never had a day when he wasn’t hungry or tired.

“Senior, I want to ask, why do you lose your creative inspiration? Is there… something affecting you?” Zhu Yu was still very curious.

Because in Zhu Yu’s eyes, Bai Chen was a very capable and perfect person, yet he had this troubling issue.

Bai Chen wasn’t wearing a hat, and the wind had messed up his hair, but his expression remained calm as ever.

Zhu Yu suddenly noticed a mole behind Bai Chen’s right ear.

He stared at it for a few seconds before quickly looking away.

Bai Chen seemed to be thinking, and after a moment, he said, “No.”

“I don’t think anything has affected me,” Bai Chen added.

Zhu Yu pressed his lips together, frowned, thought for a moment, and then spoke, “That’s strange.”

“Never mind, let’s see what the professor and the others say,” Zhu Yu thought to himself. He didn’t want to use his brain any more than necessary.

But even though he said that, he was still thinking about how to help Bai Chen.

“Zhu Yu, you don’t have to worry too much about my matters…” Before Bai Chen could finish his sentence, Zhu Yu immediately interrupted him, “I told you, I don’t like it when you say things like that!”

Zhu Yu angrily grabbed Bai Chen’s wrist, making him stop and look him in the eye.

“You’ve helped me so many times, and now it’s finally my turn to help you, yet you always say things like this.” Zhu Yu was so angry that both his hands instinctively went to his hips.

“I’m going to lose it!”

From this angle, Bai Chen thought Zhu Yu looked like an angry Samoyed, a pink Samoyed at that.

He chuckled again, the smile lines at the corners of his lips faint. He hurriedly reassured him, saying, “Don’t be angry.”

“Don’t be angry,” Bai Chen repeated.

“If you want me not to be angry, then you need to promise me.”

“Promise what?”

“Promise you won’t say things like that again!”

“I promise I won’t say things like that again,” Bai Chen mimicked the way Zhu Yu had sworn earlier, raising his hand and holding up three fingers.

“That’s how it should be.” Zhu Yu turned and walked ahead. “By the way, my part-time job at the café is having an event tomorrow. You can come find me in the afternoon. I’ll treat you to cake.”

Bai Chen took long strides to catch up, remembering that Zhu Yu had also mentioned his part-time job at the café yesterday.

But since Zhu Yu had left in a hurry, Bai Chen hadn’t asked any further.

“Do you earn your living expenses with your part-time job?”

Zhu Yu shook his head. “No.”

“I told you before, right? I made a mistake and was sent here,” Zhu Yu explained. “Also, my living expenses are controlled.”

“My expenses are a little on the high side,” Zhu Yu said, pinching a small distance between his thumb and pinky.

“The most important thing is!” Zhu Yu raised his voice, emphasizing, “White people’s food is really awful! That’s why I often go to Chinese restaurants, but Chinese food is expensive, and I still have Liu Bo to take care of…”