Holding the Upper Hand

After finishing his afternoon classes, Su Ran went straight to Fu Qian’an’s place. By the time he sat down in front of the computer, it was exactly six o’clock in the evening.

Su Ran glanced at the mirror again, making sure his makeup and hairstyle were perfect. He then raised his hand to adjust the decoration around his neck. “Is this of good quality? What if it suddenly falls off? Won’t they see my Adam’s apple and that’ll give me away?”

Fu Qian’an, who was adjusting the camera angle for him, reassured him, “Don’t worry, it’s fine. Even if you don’t wear the decoration, it’s no problem. Some girls have Adam’s apples too, and yours is really small and delicate, so no one will notice. Just relax.”

“Alright…” Su Ran replied. Though he’d been reassured, he didn’t feel much better.

Last night, Pei Zhiyang had said he was too small, and now Fu Qian’an was saying his male features weren’t obvious. It was a bit annoying.

Finally, everything was ready. Fu Qian’an smiled and said, “Baby, just relax and chat with them normally. Don’t be too nervous. Try adjusting your voice a bit.”

Su Ran looked up at Fu Qian’an. Today, he had done a “cat-themed” makeup look, with slightly lifted eyeliner, thick lashes, and lips that looked like soft, pink jelly. The makeup wasn’t too heavy; it had a seductive yet pure charm. His makeup and face really matched.

“Gege, could you light up a little heart for me?” Su Ran’s voice, naturally soft, now had a little extra lilt, making it sound even gentler. Though it wasn’t as flirtatious as other girls’ voices, it was still pleasant and very fitting with his face.

At that moment, Fu Qian’an, watching him, felt his heart soften. He couldn’t help but feel a bit flushed. He cleared his throat and said, “Great, very good.”

“3, 2, 1, we’re live!”

Su Ran looked at the live stream room and, once it started, he actually wasn’t nervous anymore.

The number of viewers started increasing steadily.

“Wow, the streamer is so beautiful!”

“My new wife, is this your first live stream?”

“I have a wife now, wife, kiss me~”

Su Ran smiled and greeted the viewers, “Hi everyone, I’m a new streamer, Ran Ran.”

After just ten minutes, the number of viewers surpassed two hundred, boosting Su Ran’s confidence.

“Thanks for the hot air balloon, Dingdang Cat Baby!” Su Ran thanked the gift.

Dingdang Cat left a message: “Wife, can I send you a flying kiss?”

Su Ran immediately placed his palm on his lips, with a bit of lipstick on his fingers, and blew a kiss to the camera.

“Ahhh, wife is so tempting!!”

“So soft and beautiful!”

“While no one is watching, I’m taking my wife.”

Su Ran ignored the overly flirtatious messages. Some of the comments were a bit shy but cute, filled with a lot of girly emojis. These girls in the chat were letting loose.

Su Ran was getting more comfortable with the responses. He took a sip of water, the water droplets clinging to the corner of his mouth, which he instinctively licked.

“Dizzy, dizzy, my wife made me dizzy.”

“Wife’s lips look so delicious.”

“Can I take my wife? Can I, can I?”

“Even drinking water is so seductive~”

Su Ran glanced at the water cup, slightly puzzled by the viewers’ reactions. At that moment, a firework exploded on the screen. Su Ran immediately said, “Thank you to this lovely person named Xiang Chao… Ran Ran’s baby…”

It sounded a little awkward, but soon the chat was filled with compliments about how cute he was.

“Streamer, can you check your mouth?”

That was from the same person who had just given a gift. Su Ran was initially surprised at the request, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he realized what they meant. He quickly closed his lips again and looked at the screen.

“Wife, you’re so cute, haha!”

“Streamer, you’re not showing it? Can’t play along?”

“Let her do what she wants, you have no say!”

“Wife, don’t mind them, I’m watching you quietly!”

Su Ran thought to himself, sitting quietly won’t get anyone to send gifts, but since he was already streaming, no need to overthink. Besides, he wasn’t really a girl. He was a grown man, so what was there to be afraid of? He’d seen plenty of these old perverts.

“Ah…” Su Ran leaned closer to the camera, showing his soft mouth interior, which made the live stream room burst into excited screams.

But Su Ran quickly closed his mouth, looking a bit shy. Although he didn’t really feel much, at that moment, gifts started flooding in.

“My wife smells so good, I can even smell it through the screen!”

“Her little tongue is so red, I want to suck it.”

“Where did that come from?”

“Streamer’s so good, showing what we want, no hiding at all.”

Su Ran became more and more relaxed, still a little shy. Off-camera, he still needed to make money. Though he had more than ten thousand on hand, enough for a while, it was still Pei Zhiyang’s money, and he owed him fifty thousand. He wanted to pay him back as soon as possible.

At 8 o’clock, the live stream ended. Fu Qian’an came over to show him the earnings for the day. “After the platform took its cut, you earned over a thousand.”

Su Ran’s eyes lit up. That wasn’t bad. After the cut, it would still be around five to six hundred, which, averaged out over a month, would be more than ten thousand. It was already more than his living expenses.

But Fu Qian’an didn’t seem completely satisfied. “Baby, you did great, no one else could get over a thousand viewers on their first day. The only thing missing is big-ticket gifts.”

From Fu Qian’an’s expression, it seemed like he had high expectations. Su Ran wasn’t sure what his standard was. “Why is that?”

Su Ran stood up, and Fu Qian’an sat down in the chair to look over the data. “Sixty percent of your viewers are younger girls. No wonder, most of them are students who don’t have much spending power. They won’t send expensive gifts.”

“I think it’s already really good,” Su Ran said.

Fu Qian’an pondered for a moment and then smiled. “Yes, it’s great already, and it’s only your first day. Once you meet the Big Brother, everything will be better.”

At that moment, Fu Qian’an’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and immediately his expression darkened, his brows furrowing.

Fu Qian’an stood up to answer the call and then went to the bathroom. Soon, raised voices could be heard.

“I told you I’m not going back! If you want me to go back, send me the money first!”

“And that person, Fu Linxuan, I don’t want to live with him at the old house. I can’t stand his face. He looks down on me!”

“Mom, don’t let them manipulate you. The Fu family has so few heirs, do they really think they can stop me from entering the door? If I don’t go back now, I can negotiate terms with them!”

From the conversation, Su Ran understood the situation. They were trying to convince him to return to the wealthy family, but he had issues with his stepbrother, Fu Linxuan. It sounded like a standoff.

Su Ran stopped listening, closed the bedroom door, and leaned back on the bed. At that moment, he was wearing a short skirt and thigh-high stockings. As he threw his long legs over the bed, he couldn’t help but admire them. No wonder Qin Yue had changed his attitude after seeing them yesterday.

Su Ran switched to his secondary account and opened the chat with Qin Yue, sending a message, “Gege, are you logging on?”

Qin Yue quickly replied, “Sure.”

Su Ran logged into the game. After playing a few rounds, he was still just as bad. He worried his clumsy moves might annoy Qin Yue.

“I’m not playing anymore, Gege. It’s so slow, I’m getting frustrated.” Su Ran said.

“Be good, take your time,” Qin Yue replied.

Su Ran clicked his tongue. It seemed like their conversation yesterday had worked; the tone felt much warmer now.

“Gege, could you help me level up to level 20? I’m still only level 5, and if I reach level 20, I can unlock the outfit I want. Please help me, Gege.”

Su Ran pouted, but Qin Yue’s response was still firm, “The faster you level up, the stronger your opponents will be. You won’t be able to keep up with the gameplay.”

Qin Yue was being reasonable, but Su Ran didn’t listen. “But I just want to get to level 20 quickly. The badge looks really pretty, and I can unlock the set I want. Please help me, Gege.”

Su Ran was being cute, but Qin Yue remained indifferent. “I can find someone online to level you up.”

Qin Yue was always focused on studying and didn’t want to waste time on the game. Su Ran could tell but didn’t press him further. He didn’t want to make Qin Yue upset.

“I just want Gege to help me. If you don’t, it’s fine.” Su Ran said, then suggested, “How about we watch a movie together, Gege? I want to watch it with you.”

Qin Yue, always one for planning, wasn’t easy to get to do things like this. Watching a movie was a time commitment, and he was clearly hesitant, especially when it came to spending money or time on something like this.

“What movie?” Qin Yue asked.

Su Ran told him the movie title. It was an assignment for his elective course, requiring a review of no less than 500 words. But this film was nearly three hours long, and a literary film at that. It would be torture to watch alone, but if he dragged Qin Yue into it, he might as well enjoy it.

Qin Yue must have searched for the movie, as he soon replied, “I have some data to work on, can we do this tomorrow?”

Su Ran sent a cute, pitiful emoji and asked, “Gege, is the data really that important? I’m home alone, so lonely… If I could just watch the movie with you and hear your voice, I’d feel so much better. If you really have things to do, I’ll be good and not disturb you.”

Su Ran gave himself an imaginary applause. If he were the one receiving this message from such a beautiful and understanding girl, he would surely comply with all her requests.

And surely Qin Yue wanted to hear his voice too?

Sure enough, the next second, Su Ran saw Qin Yue’s reply, “The data isn’t urgent. Let’s watch the movie.”

Heh, men.

Su Ran told Qin Yue to download an app where they could create a room to watch the movie together and talk through voice chat.

Soon, Qin Yue downloaded the app and asked him to join the room.

Su Ran saw the number in the top-right corner change to 2 and locked the room so no one else could join. He gently asked, “Gege, can you hear me?”

This voice, who could listen to it without getting tingles?

Qin Yue cleared his throat, “Yeah, I’m in.”

Su Ran couldn’t help but smile, hearing Qin Yue deliberately lower his voice. He quickly praised, “Wow, Gege, your voice sounds so good.”

Su Ran heard Qin Yue’s soft chuckle and the raspiness in his voice as he responded, “Your… voice is nice too.”

It sounded like the first time he’d given a compliment, his tone still a bit stiff.

Su Ran let out a laugh he had practiced, then hit play on the movie. They were both watching it in sync. If one of them hit pause, the other’s screen would pause as well.

“I’ve been wanting to watch this for a while. They say this film won a lot of awards at the festival and the reviews are great. I don’t usually watch these kinds of films, though. I’m afraid it’ll be boring. But with you here, Gege, I’m not worried at all. Let’s watch it properly,” Su Ran said.

Qin Yue simply replied, “Okay.”

Su Ran wasn’t happy with his short response. Playing hard to get, huh?

Thirty minutes later, Su Ran yawned, grateful he had dragged Qin Yue into it. Otherwise, the next two and a half hours would’ve been unbearable.

“Gege, are you watching seriously?” Su Ran asked, worried Qin Yue might have gotten distracted and was doing something else.

“I’m watching,” Qin Yue said.

“Why isn’t the heroine going with the hero? If she stays, she’ll be married to the second-rate guy.” Su Ran innocently asked.

Qin Yue explained, “At the time, the hero’s future was uncertain. If the heroine went with him, it would have been considered running away, and given the feudal context, she probably feared that.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is,” Su Ran said. Looks like Qin Yue had been paying attention.

Nice, he wasn’t just brushing off Ran Ran.

“Gege, I want to take a shower now,” Su Ran said.

“Then we won’t watch anymore?” Qin Yue asked.

“But I still want to keep watching…” Su Ran said, then suddenly added, “I’ll watch while I shower. Gege, you’re not allowed to exit. You have to stay with me.”

Qin Yue paused before responding, “Okay.”

Su Ran rolled his eyes. Playing the cool, distant guy.

Hearing the pretty girl shower, you won’t let me hear it? I’ll hook you in.

Su Ran raised the volume a bit, then went into the bathroom. The lighting wasn’t great, but at least the water heater worked.

Su Ran took off his wig and started undressing, adjusting the phone’s angle to ensure it still had a good view while he showered. “I’m taking my clothes off now.”

His voice made Qin Yue respond with a “hmm.”

Such a stiff guy, Su Ran thought. If he were really that annoyed by the idea, would he even ask?

Su Ran stood under the shower, turned the water on, and smirked. Qin Yue must think a beautiful girl was showering, but little did he know, it was a man!

The sound of the water mixed with the film’s audio, but after a while, the water stopped. Soft rubbing noises filled the silence.

Su Ran turned off the water and started applying shower gel, walking toward the phone without even realizing that his actions were making “squish-squish” sounds.

At that moment, the movie showed the heroine marrying the second-rate man, but then the hero came back, wealthy and successful, and they clearly still had feelings for each other.

Just then, Su Ran spoke up, “Check, Gege, are you still watching?”

Immediately, a loud “bang” rang out on the other side, followed by a brief flurry of sounds, like something had fallen.

Su Ran heard Qin Yue’s voice, “I’m watching.”

Su Ran felt pleased with himself. After finishing, he turned the water back on to rinse off the soap.

When Su Ran finished and turned off the shower, he heard a strange sound. He looked at the phone and was shocked to see the main couple on-screen getting together!

Wasn’t this supposed to be a tragedy in a feudal setting?

On screen, the hero and heroine were passionately entangled, their sweaty backs and shaking legs hidden under the sheets.

Su Ran took a moment to adjust, ignoring the awkwardness of watching this kind of scene with his roommate. He imagined himself as Su Ranran and hit pause on the film.

“Gege, I just finished showering and saw this. I’m so shy…”

Qin Yue’s voice was low and dry, “Ran Ran, have you ever done this kind of thing with someone else?”

“Of course not! Gege, is it bad to ask that?” Su Ran replied.

Though he sounded shy, Su Ran had already slid out of the app and was only on voice chat. He snapped a photo of his wet, glistening legs and sent it directly to Qin Yue, then snapped another of his flat waist. “Gege, I scrubbed too hard, now my skin’s red.”

The pictures showed his long, white legs covered in beads of water, red marks on his thighs, and his waist similarly flawless and white. Water droplets trailed down like a beautiful line, sure to drive anyone wild.

Qin Yue didn’t reply for a while. All Su Ran could hear was his increasingly heavy breathing. He smiled smugly, then said, “Gege, are you still there? Why aren’t you talking?”

“It really is red. Next time, go easy,” Qin Yue said seriously.

Su Ran sneered in his heart, then replied, “Mm, it feels a bit spicy.”

“Have you sent this kind of photo to anyone else?” Qin Yue asked.

“Of course not! Ran Ran only sends them to you,” Su Ran said.

“Mm,” Qin Yue acknowledged. “Don’t send it to anyone else. You don’t know how disgusting some men’s minds are. When they see your waist, they probably imagine what it would be like to shake it. When they see your legs, they’re wondering if they’ll wrap around their waist or be thrown over their shoulder.”

Su Ran froze. Wasn’t that what he himself had been thinking earlier? In that movie… Had he already imagined them as himself and Qin Yue?

He felt a little strange but still said, “Gege, you’re so perverted. I won’t send it to anyone else, only to you.”

“Good,” Qin Yue said.

Heh. Su Ran said, “Gege, I’m getting someone to help me level up my game account. Let’s talk later.”

Su Ran pretended to hang up the voice chat, but immediately heard a slightly anxious voice from Qin Yue, “Who are you getting?”

Su Ran said, “A friend I met in the game. He’s been pestering me for selfies. I’ll tell him to level me up to level 20 in exchange for the pictures. Don’t worry, I’ll only send selfies, nothing else.”

“No selfies either,” Qin Yue said, his voice firm. “Send me your password, I’ll level it up for you.”

Su Ran pretended to be surprised. “Really?”

“Mm, give it to me. Delete him and come to me for anything related to the game from now on,” Qin Yue said.

“Awesome, Gege, you’re the best,” Su Ran said.

After hanging up, Su Ran sent his account details and a kiss emoji. Not long after, Qin Yue sent a “kiss” back.

Heh, I’ve got you in the palm of my hand.

Half an hour later, Su Ran arrived at the dorm and saw Qin Yue playing the game seriously, just as expected. He had his game set up and was preparing for a late night, all to help a beautiful girl break his biological clock.

At exactly 10 PM, Su Ran thought to himself that Qin Yue would probably stay up late tonight. Surely, for a beautiful girl like him, he’d be willing to break his biological clock.

Su Ran took off his outer clothes and changed into his pajamas. He was only wearing his underwear, facing away from the desk. As Qin Yue looked up while waiting for the game to start, he was momentarily dazzled by the sight of Su Ran’s fair skin.

Just like Ran Ran’s skin…

As the game began, Qin Yue quickly lowered his head again.

Su Ran had just finished changing into his pajamas when his phone began to buzz incessantly. It was a series of frantic messages from Pei Zhiyang. He had gone out for dinner with some of his basketball teammates and had just returned, so they were missing each other.

However, when Fu Qian’an had dropped him off earlier, he’d been sending one message after another, asking where Su Ran was, almost like he was worried he might have gotten lost.

Now, it looked like he had to go over there again, which meant he’d be spending the night there.

After checking his dorm room, Su Ran was about to head over to Pei Zhiyang’s place. But when he saw Qin Yue so focused on the game, he decided to tease him a little.

He walked over and said, “Oh, you’re playing this game? I happen to play it too. Could you take me with you?”

Without looking up, Qin Yue flatly replied, “No time.”

Su Ran suppressed a laugh. He thought, typical. No time to play with a roommate, but willing to stay up all night upgrading a girl’s account.

At this point, Su Ran wasn’t really mad at Qin Yue anymore. The situation had already made him lose any anger.

When he arrived at Pei Zhiyang’s dorm, he opened the door and saw Pei Zhiyang sitting on the bed. His eyes looked a little dazed, but his sharp, chiseled features gave off an aura of someone who wasn’t drunk.

Pei Zhiyang smiled when he saw Su Ran and said, “Ran Bao, come on, let’s shower together.”

Su Ran, “…”

He wasn’t going to shower with him. Last night, Pei Zhiyang had nearly made him lose his balance in the bathroom.

“I’ve already showered,” Su Ran said.

Pei Zhiyang paused for a second, then stood up and pulled Su Ran closer. “Where did you shower? Didn’t we come back together?”

Su Ran’s heart skipped a beat, but he quickly responded, “I just came back and quickly rinsed off. I didn’t wash my hair. It’s not oily.”

Pei Zhiyang seemed a little disappointed. “Okay, fine.”

Su Ran didn’t understand why he was disappointed. He grabbed Pei Zhiyang’s arm and said, “Hurry up and go shower, then sleep quickly afterward.”

“Ran Bao, you’re not hiding anything from me, right?” Pei Zhiyang asked again.

Su Ran looked into his dark eyes, swallowed nervously, and quickly replied, “No, there’s nothing I’m hiding.”

Pei Zhiyang might look carefree, but he seemed quite observant. It seemed like Su Ran would only be able to come back here to shower in the future.

Su Ran lay down on the bed, facing the wall, lying on his side. No matter what, he knew that when Pei Zhiyang climbed into bed, he would inevitably be squeezed.

Just as Su Ran was about to drift off to sleep, Pei Zhiyang, with the fresh scent of shower gel, climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around him.

Su Ran ignored him, but Pei Zhiyang’s hand started to wander, rubbing his stomach and doing things just like last night.

Finally, Su Ran couldn’t take it anymore. He turned over, slapped his muscular chest, and said, “What are you doing? Are you not going to let me sleep?”

“Ran Bao, haven’t you noticed? Ever since you started your part-time job, we’ve been seeing each other less. Now, we can only sleep together. You’re turning your back on me like this, is it because you have someone else behind my back?” Pei Zhiyang’s voice carried a tone of accusation.

“I…” Su Ran felt a little guilty but still thought Pei Zhiyang was being unreasonable. “How could I have someone else behind your back? I’m just sleeping, okay?”

Suddenly, Su Ran let out a soft “Hmm,” pressing his body harder against Pei Zhiyang. He glared at him and said, “Take your hand off, what are you doing?”

Being controlled like this didn’t feel good, but Su Ran couldn’t make any rash moves. He didn’t dare to act out of line.

Pei Zhiyang smiled, “Ran Bao, your hands feel amazing. It’s so much fun.”

“Fun?!” Su Ran nearly exploded. “What did you say to me last night?! No more fun!”

Pei Zhiyang knew Su Ran was upset and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Ran Bao, I won’t say it again. You’re amazing, Ran Bao.”

Su Ran’s voice became a little whiny, “Well, I’m definitely better than you.”

“Mm-hmm,” Pei Zhiyang’s other hand began massaging his shoulder. He was a little drunk, his voice full of affection. “Ran Bao’s reactions last night were so cute. I want to see them again.”

Su Ran arched his back and buried his head in the blanket, biting his lip. After a while, he felt the blanket lift, and Pei Zhiyang bit his soft shoulder.

“Let me look at your face.”

Su Ran, “…”

I’ll deal with you later!