Falling Off the Horse!

Su Ran was applying makeup at Fu Qian’an’s place, and while he was halfway done, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t talked much to Qin Yue lately. In fact, Qin Yue hadn’t been sending many messages in the past few days. Picking up his phone, Su Ran checked Qin Yue’s chat history and realized that although Qin Yue had sent several messages, he had either forgotten to reply or was simply too lazy to do so. Recently, Qin Yue had stopped messaging him altogether.

It seemed like the dynamic of a devoted follower and a goddess, where the follower was now losing heart. Su Ran noted to himself that Qin Yue seemed a bit off these days, and the normally quiet dorm had become somewhat oppressive.

After thinking it over, Su Ran replied, “Sorry, Gege, I’ve been busy with a part-time job lately and have neglected you. I’m really sorry.”

It took a while before Qin Yue responded, “Do you have no intention of meeting me? If that’s the case, let’s not contact each other anymore.”

Surprised by such a direct message, Su Ran quickly replied, “Gege, I’m just not ready yet. I do want to meet you, but I think it’s better to wait a bit longer.”

Su Ran waited for a while, but Qin Yue didn’t reply. This spoiled his mood for makeup, wondering how their chat had broken down so quickly.

Looking towards the door, Su Ran called out to Fu Qian’an, “Baby, can you bring me the makeup brushes from the bathroom?”

The brushes had been left drying in the bathroom the night before. Soon, Fu Qian’an came in with the brushes. As Su Ran took them from Fu Qian’an, his fingers brushed against Fu Qian’an’s palm, causing a slight curl of his hand. Su Ran, with his half-done makeup, looked used to seeing Su Ran as a short-haired boy, not like the early days when it felt somewhat off.

Sitting on the bed with a small mirror, Su Ran was checking his makeup when he noticed Fu Qian’an still staring at him. He looked up, “What’s up?”

Fu Qian’an snapped back to reality and quickly said, “Nothing, continue with your makeup, I’m heading out.”

After finishing his makeup and putting on a wig, Su Ran video-called Qin Yue. It seemed that Qin Yue might not answer, but then he surprisingly accepted the call.

Su Ran’s eyes lit up. Seeing Qin Yue sitting on his dorm bed, he put on a pitiful expression, “Gege, please forgive me, I really didn’t mean to neglect you.”

Qin Yue, unmoved, said, “I want to be in a serious relationship. If you just want to play around online, then I can’t accept that. We better not contact each other anymore.”

Startled by the seriousness, Su Ran thought, “Damn, he’s serious!” But regardless, he had to stabilize the situation, “Gege, I do want a serious boyfriend too. It’s just that I’m working part-time and really don’t have time for a boyfriend right now. Plus, I’m not feeling well; I just want to earn some money first to get treated.”

Playing the sympathy card, Su Ran made himself appear vulnerable, which Qin Yue couldn’t easily dismiss, especially since Qin Yue could see from the photos that Su Ran’s home environment was poor and that he was struggling with illness.

As expected, Qin Yue’s tone softened significantly, “What kind of part-time job? Is it very tiring?”

Su Ran made up a job at a coffee shop, nodding, “I’m so tired every day that I don’t even want to talk…”

After a pause, Qin Yue fiddled with his phone and suddenly, Su Ran saw that Qin Yue had sent him a transfer of 100,000 yuan, marked as a gift!

Being a student himself, Su Ran wondered how Qin Yue could be so wealthy!

“Dear, quit your job. I’ll send you living expenses every month. Use this for now, and ask for more if it’s not enough,” Qin Yue said.

Su Ran was shocked that Qin Yue would send him money directly; it seemed he was really serious and cared about him, otherwise, he wouldn’t suggest Su Ran quit his job as if he intended to support him.

Su Ran declined the transfer, continuing to build his persona, “Gege, I can’t take your money, I can support myself.”

Qin Yue frowned slightly, “You should be resting and recovering, not working so hard.”

“I’m actually doing well, Gege, don’t worry. This job is also a way for me to build resilience. Staying at home all the time isn’t good for my recovery,” Su Ran said coquettishly.

Being strong and independent—what man wouldn’t love that?

Qin Yue was reluctant but didn’t push further, “If you run into any trouble, tell me right away.”

“Okay, Gege,” Su Ran flirted, blinking at him.

Having smoothed things over with Qin Yue, Su Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief. He suspected Qin Yue’s stern talk was more about wanting a commitment than cutting off contact, considering how he acted today.

The thought of Qin Yue wanting to take care of him felt quite serious.

Returning to the dorm around ten at night, Su Ran settled in and then lay on his bed to browse on his phone.

With earphones in, he watched other streamers to learn their speaking techniques. His viewer numbers were excellent; a stable audience of over ten thousand ensured that financial freedom post-graduation was almost guaranteed, barring any accidents.

Unknowingly, it was already half-past one. Su Ran snapped back to reality, startled by how long he’d been engrossed in watching a funny streamer.

Just as he was about to rest, Fu Linxuan messaged him. Apparently, Fu Linxuan had just finished his work and, seeing Su Ran online, asked if he was still awake.

Mutual followers on Banana can see each other’s online status, and Fu Linxuan had noticed his.

Su Ran replied, “I was just watching a video. Gege, you’re still up so late, you must be tired.”

Keeping Fu Linxuan as a priority was crucial since he was his top supporter.

The next moment, his phone rang. Su Ran took the call and glanced at Qin Yue, who was sound asleep. Su Ran tiptoed to the bathroom to talk.

“Gege, I’m in the dorm, now in the bathroom to chat with you,” Su Ran said.

“I just wanted to hear your voice,” Fu Linxuan replied.

Su Ran smiled and cooed, “Gege missed me.”

Though he said this, Su Ran felt a bit awkward. Currently, he wasn’t in his Su Ranran persona; he looked down at himself—shorts, slippers—and now had to use a softer voice to call someone Gege. It felt quite strange.

Fu Linxuan “Hmm”ed, then asked, “Can I see you?”

“Nope, I’ve already removed my makeup, not showing,” Su Ran said.

While talking, Su Ran noticed something on the floor. Their small items like underwear and socks were usually hung on a small drying rack, and something had fallen off because it wasn’t clipped properly.

Su Ran went over to pick it up and casually placed it on the washing machine. At that moment, Fu Linxuan asked, “What time is your stream tomorrow?”

“Probably around eight in the evening, I have classes in the afternoon, so around that time,” Su Ran replied. “Gege, I’ll let you know when I’m about to start.”

“Okay,” Fu Linxuan responded.

Su Ran heard the sound of water running, “What are you doing, Gege?”

“Running a bath,” Fu Linxuan said.

Su Ran heard rustling, probably Fu Linxuan undressing, and he flirted adeptly, “Is your bathtub big? Can it fit two people?”

Fu Linxuan chuckled softly, “It’s big, and I also have a pool.”

“Wow, that’s great, I bought a cute bikini and haven’t had a chance to wear it yet,” Su Ran said.

“Whenever you want to meet, wear it in front of me,” Fu Linxuan suggested.

“Okay, I haven’t forgotten you promised to let me touch your abs,” Su Ran said.

Their conversation deepened, but back in the dorm, Qin Yue slowly woke up. He lifted his head and saw a faint light coming from the bathroom.

Sitting up, he decided to go to the bathroom, but after waiting a while with no sign of Su Ran coming out, he approached the door and heard a deliberately lowered voice inside.

Though the voice was soft and somewhat indistinct, he could still make out a few words—Gege… can I touch anywhere… Gege…

The frequent mention of “Gege” and the familiar feeling it evoked made him suspicious. He stared at the frosted glass door, unable to see inside.

Qin Yue was fairly certain that Su Ran was talking to a man, and it sounded quite intimate.

Realizing this, he furrowed his brow, feeling a subtle discomfort because he had long suspected that Su Ran was gay, especially given his ambiguous relationship with Pei Zhiyang. He had even seen Su Ran sniffing the clothes he left in the washing machine, so he had been particularly cautious around him since then.

Now feeling irritable, Qin Yue knocked on the door, startling Su Ran. Seeing the silhouette reflected on the door, Su Ran quickly told Fu Linxuan, “Gege, I can’t talk now, my roommate needs the bathroom.”

After hanging up, Su Ran opened the door and saw Qin Yue’s displeased face, unsure if it was because he was woken up by a full bladder or had waited too long.

Su Ran didn’t ask for details, and just as he was about to leave, Qin Yue asked, “What was that about?”

Su Ran looked back inside, saw the underwear and socks he had picked up, and explained, “I just saw these fall off, so I picked them up and put them back.”

Seeing Qin Yue’s suspicious look, Su Ran finally closed the bathroom door. Stunned, he watched the door shut right in front of him, thinking to himself, if only he hadn’t bothered picking up that damn laundry.

Back in bed, the more Su Ran thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He pulled out his phone and switched to his alternate account to send a message, “Gege, I almost forgot, there’s an event in the game tomorrow at 8 AM. Players level 28 and above can participate in a draw. I really want the costume in the prize list, it’s not sold in the shop, and I’m only level 22. Can you help me reach level 28?”

Humph, leveling up that much would keep him busy all night. Annoyed with him? Let Ran Ran get back at him!

The message sent, Qin Yue’s notification tone sounded. He even had a unique ringtone for him; now he had to level him up willingly.

Qin Yue, who had just come out, picked up his phone, saw the message from Su Ranran, and quickly unlocked it to reply, “Okay, don’t worry, I’ll try.”

Su Ran received his reply and smiled, “Thank you, Gege, mwah~”

Qin Yue also replied with a “mwah~”

Su Ran felt secretly delighted, then set his phone aside, rolled over, and saw Qin Yue holding his phone horizontally, the light casting serious shadows across his face.

Su Ran then turned over and closed his eyes to sleep.

•

Qin Yue began messaging him more frequently. Su Ran initially responded promptly but gradually reverted to his previous sporadic replies, although he made sure to set aside specific times to chat after learning his lesson.

One day, after an outdoor shoot, tired, he and Fu Qian’an found a coffee shop. He took a photo of his coffee and shared it with Qin Yue.

Qin Yue responded quickly, “Aren’t you at work?”

“Yeah, just taking a break to taste some coffee elsewhere, I’ll go to work soon,” Su Ran replied.

Qin Yue didn’t reply immediately, and Su Ran set his phone aside, used to Qin Yue’s usual prompt responses or him mentioning if he was busy.

When the phone lit up again, Su Ran picked it up and saw Qin Yue’s question, “Who’s that man next to you?”

Nearly jumping at the message, Su Ran looked at Fu Qian’an and then scanned the surroundings and entrance but didn’t see Qin Yue.

Is he spying on me?

After calming down, Su Ran replied, “What man?”

Qin Yue sent another message, this time a screenshot that shocked Su Ran. He had worn sunglasses today, and now they were placed beside his coffee cup. The screenshot showed Fu Qian’an’s striking yellow hair reflected in the sunglasses.

He must be using a magnifying glass! Sherlock Holmes in person!

Rapidly brainstorming, Su Ran replied, “How did you know there’s a man next to me? That’s our boss, he brought me out to taste competitive coffee.”

“Why only you?” Qin Yue asked.

“Probably because I have a sensitive tongue,” Su Ran said.

“He owns a coffee shop? That hair is so noticeable, doesn’t quite seem like it…”

“How can you tell from a photo?”

“I’m just worried, he doesn’t look like a good person,” Qin Yue replied.

Seeing this, Su Ran was taken aback—Fu Qian’an was his boyfriend, and he couldn’t tolerate someone speaking ill of him.

“He doesn’t look like a good person? I think you’re the one who’s not a good person, judging people by their appearance. I was wrong about you.” Su Ran replied indignantly, adding, “His yellow hair is beautiful, okay? I like yellow hair, it’s very stylish!”

Qin Yue quickly said, “It’s not about judging by appearance, I’m just worried about you.”

Su Ran didn’t reply. According to his character, he really couldn’t tolerate others speaking about his boyfriend this way. Based on the plot, Qin Yue wouldn’t easily break off their relationship now.

After a while, Qin Yue messaged again, “Why are you so upset because of him?”

Su Ran still didn’t reply, and after resting enough, he and Fu Qian’an walked back together.

Half an hour later, Qin Yue sent another message, “Ran Ran, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have spoken about your boss.”

Su Ran smiled at the screen, then slipped the phone into his pocket.

After his stream that afternoon, it was almost five, and he had an evening class to rush to. He hurriedly pushed open the dorm door and froze because he saw a blond Qin Yue.

That almost scared him silly.

He remembered their noon conversation; in a fit of anger, he had said that yellow hair looked good and that he liked yellow hair!

Now, with Qin Yue like this, it couldn’t be to appease him, could it?

Thinking about it, Su Ran suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt.

But while the yellow hair added a roguish touch to Fu Qian’an’s appearance, on Qin Yue, it looked quite beautiful.

Moreover, the color of his hair wasn’t exactly yellow but a golden, almost transparent gold that complemented his pale complexion and even softened his usually cold demeanor.

Under Su Ran’s stunned gaze, Qin Yue furrowed his brow, “Why are you staring at me?”

His tone suggested he wanted to ask if it was weird. Su Ran immediately shook his head, “Nothing.”

He then began searching for his textbooks, feeling uneasy. Oh God, if Qin Yue discovered that his Ran Ran was him, would he beat him up? It certainly seemed possible now…

Qin Yue was the first to leave, and Su Ran, with his books, followed him out. Their appearance in the hallway turned heads.

“Yo… Yue Ge, you dyed your hair.”

“Yue Ge, looking sharp.”

Not many dared to tease him, given Qin Yue’s usually cold demeanor and the limited circle of friends he played with.

Su Ran kept his head down, shoulders slightly hunched, feeling guilty about the stir he’d caused…

Just then, a heavy arm landed on Su Ran’s shoulder; turning his head, he saw it was Pei Zhiyang.

Pei Zhiyang’s bright smile was fully on display as he gestured towards Qin Yue’s retreating back and then whispered in Su Ran’s ear, “What’s with your roommate, blooming late?”

Su Ran’s head dropped even lower as he guiltily responded, “Looks good, huh.”

Pei Zhiyang chuckled, “Didn’t say it didn’t, but there’s definitely something going on. Watch, in a few days, he’ll probably have a girlfriend by his side.”

At that moment, Su Ran felt particularly tormented inside. No girlfriend was possible, not Ran Ran, only Su Ran.

After the evening class, it was past nine when he got back to the dorm. Qin Yue had arrived before him and was sitting on his bed looking at his phone, appearing very solemn.

Su Ran sat on his bed, occasionally glancing at him, then noticed him typing on his screen.

It dawned on Su Ran that Qin Yue might be messaging him. He picked up his phone, looked at Qin Yue, and was about to sneakily log into his alternate account. Given Qin Yue’s mood, he dared not log in openly, fearing a violent reaction if discovered.

Sure enough, he had received several messages from Qin Yue that afternoon, which he hadn’t yet seen. The latest asked, “Off work yet?”

Before he could reply, he heard Qin Yue’s phone play a message.

“A person often doesn’t reply or disappears in the middle of a conversation, you’re probably just one of many fish in his pond…”

Su Ran looked over just as Qin Yue unplugged his headphones and turned his phone to portrait orientation.

“Get some rest early tonight,” Qin Yue replied.

Looking at the screen, Su Ran sensed a downturn in his mood, perhaps believing what the relationship blogger had said…

Though the reality was worse than described—all of it was a sham.

Anxious about the situation, Su Ran pondered how to reply when there was a knock on the dorm door followed by Pei Zhiyang’s voice, “Baby Ran, open up.”

Su Ran held his phone and went to open the door, leaning against the doorway, “What’s up?”

“Baby Ran, come sleep at my place tonight, you haven’t come over in a while,” Pei Zhiyang complained, his gaze carrying a hint of reproach.

Since discovering Pei Zhiyang’s strong aversion to homosexuality, Su Ran had maintained some distance.

Like now, he would definitely refuse an invitation to sleep together.

“No, I want to sleep alone; you always crowd me, and you’re as hot as a furnace,” Su Ran said.

“You’re avoiding me,” Pei Zhiyang held Su Ran’s wrist, “You don’t love me anymore.”

Qin Yue was waiting for a message from Su Ranran, inevitably glancing over at the two. At that moment, his phone buzzed.

He immediately looked down but didn’t need to check to know it wasn’t Su Ranran; it wasn’t her unique ringtone. He opened the message and stared at it for a long while, unable to pull himself back.

“Student Su Ranran, who has not taken a year off from school.”

It felt like thunder had struck, and there in the background, Pei Zhiyang and Su Ran were still heatedly debating whether to sleep together.

“It’s because I don’t like you, I’m not going,” Su Ran asserted, only daring to be so forthright with Pei Zhiyang because he usually indulged him.

At that moment, Pei Zhiyang’s gaze turned threatening, “Baby, Ranbao, Ranan, Su Ran…”

Each name sounded more menacing than the last. Meanwhile, the listening Qin Yue’s mind suddenly sparked as if electrocuted, watching the two who seemed to be flirting or just chatting.

“Ranran… Su Ran,” Qin Yue chewed on the names, “Ranran, Su Ranran…!”

His gaze fell on Su Ran’s legs, exposed in shorts, those long, pale limbs, and the voice he had heard that day, that familiar voice…

The more he thought about it, the more obvious his agitation became. He held his phone in front of him, his hands trembling as he sent a video call request to Su Ran.

Just then, the screen of the phone in Su Ran’s hand lit up—silent, but suddenly active!

Su Ran finally managed to send Pei Zhiyang away and breathed a sigh of relief. He closed the door, but as he turned around, he bumped into Qin Yue’s chest.

Looking up into his eyes, he was startled by the murderous look.

“What are you doing…” Qin Yue gritted his teeth, “Student Su Ranran, how are you going to explain this?”