In the short time that Pei Huan sat next to Yan Zimi, several people in the front row kept turning around to look.

But the two of them acted as if they didn’t notice and continued their conversation.

“Have you recovered from your cold?” Pei Huan asked, returning the water bottle.

“Keep it,” Yan Zimi said, pushing it back. “I’ve had this cold for a few days.”

Pei Huan tilted his chin slightly, seemingly in thought.

Yan Zimi helped him out, “It’s been three days.”

Yan Zimi added, “I haven’t drunk any cold water.”

Pei Huan looked down at the water in his hand, as if confirming that it was indeed not cold water.

Then he twisted off the cap again and finished the last bit.

After drinking, Pei Huan said, “I’ve drunk two bottles of your water.”

In such situations, the standard social response would usually be something like, “It’s okay, just two bottles” or “Go ahead, it’s no big deal.”

But Yan Zimi responded with, “Yeah, what should we do about that?”

He turned to look at Pei Huan, pressing his lips together as if he really expected an answer.

Pei Huan seemed momentarily taken aback.

But it wasn’t long before someone called out to him.

“Pei Huan.”

It was time to go on court.

Pei Huan stood up. “I’m going to play basketball now.”

He also picked up the clothes that were folded on Yan Zimi’s lap.

He grabbed the clothes by the edge, and as he lifted them, they unfolded. Then he draped them over his shoulder.

Yan Zimi thought he was leaving, but the next moment, Pei Huan turned back.

Yan Zimi was looking up, and Pei Huan immediately caught his gaze.

Pei Huan asked, “Are you free later?”

…

More than half an hour later, Yan Zimi was sitting in Pei Huan’s dormitory chair.

After finishing his game, Pei Huan needed a shower, so Yan Zimi had come back with him.

To avoid making Yan Zimi wait too long, Pei Huan told him to sit for a while and immediately headed to the bathroom.

So now, Yan Zimi and Pei Huan’s three roommates were all looking at each other in silence.

Yan Zimi hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

But it wasn’t a problem.

“Do you want some water?”

Zhao Di was the first to break the awkward silence.

Yan Zimi waved his hand. “No, thanks.”

The dormitory fell silent again.

“Haha,” Yu Nan also tried to save the situation. “Were you guys playing basketball just now?”

Yan Zimi replied, “He was playing.”

Yu Nan responded with an “oh.” “So, you were watching.”

Yan Zimi nodded. “Yes,” then thought for a moment before adding, “I don’t play.”

Yu Nan nodded understandingly. “Right, you’re into drawing.”

Yan Zimi nodded.

Yu Nan licked his lips and gave Xiao Dong a look.

Xiao Dong squeezed back.

Yan Zimi noticed their interaction, but he didn’t let it show. So he took out his phone, pretending to be busy even though he wasn’t.

Meanwhile, Pei Huan’s phone, which was left on the table, started buzzing with a flurry of messages from his dorm group chat.

A message from Handsome Dog Di: “What’s going on with you two? The guest came all the way here, and you’re not even making an effort to entertain him! Why is it so silent? He might think our dorm is like this all the time.”

Handsome Nan Da: “Why don’t you entertain him? Aren’t you usually full of things to say?”

Handsome Dong: “Let’s talk about something, guys. Stop making it so awkward.”

The three of them looked up, took a deep breath, and then looked down again.

Handsome Dog Di: “You guys should start the conversation.”

Handsome Nan Da: “You guys should start the conversation.”

Handsome Dong: “You guys should start the conversation.”

Handsome Nan Da: “I have to say, Yan Zimi is really handsome. It’s a different kind of handsome compared to our Huan Ge.”

Handsome Dong: “He’s handsome in a very refined way.”

Handsome Nan Da: “Exactly, that’s the perfect word.”

Zhao Di looked up at the group messages but quickly looked down again, holding his breath.

Handsome Dog Di: “Damn, the guest’s presence is making me anxious.”

Handsome Dong: “You’re feeling anxious too?”

Handsome Nan Da: “Aren’t you usually so confident? Show us that smooth-talking charm you used on those junior girls!”

Handsome Dog Di: “I really can’t do that.”

“Yan, Yan Zimi.” Zhao Di gathered his courage.

Yan Zimi looked up. “Hmm?”

Zhao Di laughed. “Can I call you Yan Zimi? How do the others call you? Or should I just use Zimi?”

Yan Zimi replied, “Both are fine. You can use whichever you prefer.”

Zhao Di said, “Then I’ll call you Zimi. I’m not used to addressing people by their last names.”

Yan Zimi nodded. “That’s okay.”

Zhao Di asked, “What do you usually do after class? Do you play games?”

Yan Zimi nodded. “Yes, I do play games.”

At the mention of games, Yu Nan became enthusiastic. “What games do you play?”

He didn’t just ask; he even moved his chair closer, blocking Zhao Di’s view.

When he learned that they played the same game, Xiao Dong got excited too. “I play it too! Oh, and Pei Huan does as well.”

Xiao Dong followed suit, moving his chair to join in. “What’s your position in the game?”

Zhao Di, standing to the side: “…”

He should have known better than to bring up games.

Before Yan Zimi could respond, the bathroom door swung open with a splash.

Yu Nan seized the moment to add, “Our Huan Ge plays as the jungler. He’s amazing—he’s the king of the jungle.”

Yan Zimi might have only heard half of that, as his attention was entirely on Pei Huan.

Pei Huan was shirtless.

The bathroom was next to the balcony door, and with the sunset casting golden light through the floor-to-ceiling windows, half of Pei Huan was bathed in the warm glow.

At that moment, Yan Zimi was entirely covered in Pei Huan’s shadow.

This was the first time Yan Zimi had seen Pei Huan like this.

“Junior, hey?”

The senior named Yu Nan called out to him.

Yan Zimi responded with an “oh” and quickly averted his gaze.

What was the question again?

Oh, what position he played.

Yan Zimi thought for a moment and said, “Support.”

Pei Huan’s three roommates were probably used to this and didn’t react unusually to seeing Pei Huan come out like that.

Yan Zimi also wanted to fit in as much as possible.

But it seemed he was struggling a bit.

Pei Huan had an impressive physique, with lots of muscle.

“Support is great!” Yu Nan exclaimed. “We’re just missing a support player.”

Yan Zimi was a bit distracted. “But I’m not very good.”

Xiao Dong waved his hand. “It’s okay, you’re playing support, and we have our jungler here.”

The jungler had already retrieved some clothes from the wardrobe. Even though Yan Zimi didn’t look directly at him, he could tell Pei Huan had put on a white T-shirt.

“Have you arranged this already?” Pei Huan quickly put on his clothes.

Yu Nan smiled. “Oh, let’s all play together. I’ll call up the others, and we can do a five-man team.”

Pei Huan walked over to Yan Zimi. “So, have you asked him if he wants to join us?”

Yu Nan responded with an “oh” and then asked Yan Zimi, “Do you want to play with us?”

Before Yan Zimi could answer, Pei Huan spoke again, “Given how things are now, would he dare to refuse?”

Yu Nan added, “It’s fine. You probably have your own team, right? I’m just asking. It’s all good.”

Pei Huan continued, “He can think about it. He’ll give you an answer when he comes back tonight.”

Yu Nan, exasperated, asked, “What are you doing? What’s your relationship with him?”

Back and forth, Yan Zimi ended up laughing.

Pei Huan picked up his phone and gave Yan Zimi a look, signaling that they could leave. But Yan Zimi pointed to Pei Huan’s wardrobe. “You should take a jacket.”

Pei Huan shook his head. “It’s fine, no need.”

Yan Zimi insisted, “No, it’ll be cold tonight.”

Pei Huan said, “I’m not afraid of the cold.”

Yan Zimi didn’t say anything, but he didn’t move either.

Pei Huan smiled, turned back to the wardrobe, and took out a jacket. “Is this okay now, Classmate Yan Zimi?”

Yan Zimi finally stood up. “Yes, that’s good.”

The two of them then walked out, one following the other.

Back in the dormitory, Zhao Di raised his eyebrows slowly.

Pei Huan and Yan Zimi were heading out for dinner.

Pei Huan loved spicy food, but no one in his dorm could handle it, so he hadn’t found anyone to join him at the new Sichuan restaurant that had opened off-campus last week.

Yan Zimi happened to run into him.

“We can play games together,” Yan Zimi said as they walked out of the dorm.

Pei Huan nodded. “You play support?”

Yan Zimi answered hesitantly, “Yes.”

“We really do need a support,” Pei Huan said, “When do you usually play games?”

Yan Zimi replied, “In the evening.”

While this conversation was going on, Pei Huan’s phone in his pocket kept vibrating.

He took it out to check, and saw messages from the group chat.

He had already chatted a bit while showering, and now the messages continued.

Handsome Nan Da: “With both the guest and Pei Huan gone, life suddenly feels like it’s missing something.”

Xiao Dong: “Why don’t you go out for a meal too?”

Handsome Nan Da: “Never mind, if I eat, I’ll be constipated for three days.”

Handsome Dog Di: “How come all these handsome guys can handle spicy food so well?”

Handsome Nan Da: “The junior actually withstands the chili’s torture.”

Handsome Dog Di: “But on another note, Zimi looks so good when he smiles.”

Fire: “Zimi?”

Fire: “Are you two close?”

Handsome Dog Di: “He asked me to call him that.”

Handsome Nan Da: “You’re the one who wanted to call him that.”

Handsome Dog Di: “Bring Zimi along more often; we all welcome him.”

Handsome Dong: “Ask the junior if he wants to play games tonight.”

Handsome Dong: “We’ll call up the others too.”

Pei Huan put away his phone and asked Yan Zimi, “Are you free tonight?”

Yan Zimi hesitated for a moment. “Yes, why?”

“Play games,” Pei Huan said with a smile. “What did you think I was going to say?”

Yan Zimi shook his head. “Nothing, that’s fine. I’m available.”

Pei Huan turned to say something else but, seeing Yan Zimi’s reaction, he swallowed his words and smiled gently.

Why was he blushing again?

When they reached the ground floor, a burst of laughter and commotion from outside caught their attention. Before they could figure out what was happening, someone suddenly rushed toward them.

The person charged straight at Yan Zimi, but before he could react, Pei Huan pulled him behind himself.

The person collided with the door.

“I can’t outrun you,” the person said with a laugh, but upon turning to see who was nearby, his smile faded abruptly.

Yan Zimi also paused.

He didn’t know this person well, but he resembled Lin Sheng a lot.

The person glanced at Pei Huan, who was shielding Yan Zimi, as if he wanted to say something, but Pei Huan spoke first.

“Let’s go.”

The two of them turned and walked away without looking back.

On a Tuesday evening, the Sichuan restaurant was quieter than usual. The two of them quickly found a good table.

Yan Zimi scanned the QR code, taking in the sea of red on the screen, and took a deep breath.

“You order,” he said.

Yan Zimi put his phone down. “I’m fine with anything.”

Pei Huan didn’t hesitate; he ordered a signature dish and a few of the usual favorites, then submitted the order.

Yan Zimi checked his phone, noting that Pei Huan had chosen spicy dishes with extra heat.

Um…

Ten minutes later, Yan Zimi was drinking his third glass of water, feeling a sense of self-inflicted misery.

Pei Huan finally noticed something was off.

“Can you really handle spicy food?” Pei Huan asked.

Yan Zimi hesitated between two answers for a moment, then decided to be honest.

He took a deep breath to briefly ease the burning sensation on his tongue and shook his head. “Not really.”

Pei Huan sighed.

Yan Zimi hadn’t eaten much; only two dishes had arrived, and he had just picked a few pieces of meat, but his lips were already extremely red.

Not only his lips, but the area under his eyes was also flushed.

His fair complexion made the contrast particularly striking.

Pei Huan picked up a large empty glass from the table and stood up. “Why did you say you could handle spicy food if you can’t?”

Yan Zimi looked up at Pei Huan and murmured, “I thought you wouldn’t take me if I said I couldn’t.”

Pei Huan choked on his words.

With a resigned sigh, he lightly tapped Yan Zimi’s forehead with the large glass. Yan Zimi instinctively blinked.

Pei Huan asked, “What do you want to drink?”

Yan Zimi replied, “Just water is fine.”

Pei Huan tapped his forehead again. “Are you being foolish?”