Ji Zhi wanted to grab the clothes on the bed, but it was already too late. Fu Huixu had beaten him to it, reaching out first.
Ji Zhi’s nerves were stretched taut. He wanted to slip away while Fu Huixu had his back turned.
He scrambled off the bed in a flash and bolted for the door.
But the moment he yanked it open and stepped out, he felt a strong grip seize his arm from behind.
Instinctively, Ji Zhi opened his mouth to shout, heedless of everything—but his captor had already dragged him back into the room by the arm.
With a resounding bang, the door slammed shut in front of him.
Ji Zhi stared at Fu Huixu standing there by the door, his heart plummeting to rock bottom.
Fu Huixu’s return to the dorm was pure coincidence.
Earlier, he had hurriedly packed his luggage and handed it off to the housekeeper, only to realize later that he had forgotten something. With classes today bringing him back to campus—and riding high from his meeting with Zhi Zhi the day before—Fu Huixu decided to retrieve it himself rather than bother the housekeeper.
The dorm room was spacious enough, but Fu Huixu’s eyes immediately locked onto the items on his own bed.
A few articles of clothing lay piled haphazardly there. Since he had no intention of staying anymore, he paid them little mind at first.
Until he noticed how familiar they looked.
One was a jacket he had worn before. The other was a black mini dress.
Fu Huixu knew that dress all too well.
Zhi Zhi had worn it just yesterday, after all.
So why were these clothes here?
A rare flicker of puzzlement crossed Fu Huixu’s face.
He was about to call out to the other person in the room when a glimpse from the corner of his eye caught movement—the figure bolting for the door.
Fu Huixu gave chase on instinct.
Catching Ji Zhi was child’s play for him. He looked down at the other man, who put on a puzzled expression and asked, “What’s up?”
“My takeout just arrived downstairs. I’m gonna grab it…”
Ji Zhi snapped back to reality.
His earlier flight had been pure panic. Now, with a clear head, he realized calling for help would be disastrous. It would draw a crowd, and the sight of women’s clothing on his bed would become campus legend—likely circulating until graduation.
He might save his skin, but his reputation would be trashed right here.
Running was off the table now anyway; Fu Huixu blocked the door. All Ji Zhi could do was play it cool, feigning casual impatience over delivery food.
Fu Huixu ignored the excuse. In a cold voice, he demanded, “Why do you have that skirt?”
Ji Zhi: “That skirt…”
He trailed off, at a total loss for a plausible follow-up.
As he waited for an answer, Fu Huixu turned the question over in his mind.
Was it because this guy was close to Zhi Zhi? Was that why Zhi Zhi’s clothes—and skirt—had ended up here?
Or…
A suspicion began to take shape in Fu Huixu’s thoughts.
Prior to this, Fu Huixu had paid the roommate no attention whatsoever. He had barely registered Ji Zhi’s name, much less studied his face.
The man before him wore thick black-rimmed glasses that obscured most of his features. His frame was far slimmer than Fu Huixu’s—slender enough to encircle with one arm, easy to pull into an embrace.
Just like…
Zhi Zhi.
After a beat of silence, Fu Huixu extended his hand toward Ji Zhi.
Deep in his own thoughts, Ji Zhi missed the sudden motion until the glasses lifted from his nose bridge. Too late.
Fu Huixu had taken them off!
Ji Zhi’s heart sank. His body recoiled on reflex, but Fu Huixu had already clamped down on his wrist, halting the retreat.
Fu Huixu stayed silent.
His gaze lingered on Ji Zhi, meticulously tracing the contours of his face. Beneath where the glasses had hidden, he recognized the familiar features.
Then Fu Huixu reached out with his other hand and tugged up the hem of Ji Zhi’s pajama pants.
Beneath them, a faint ring of red marks encircled each leg—undeniably left by the garter.
Fu Huixu let the fabric drop. His dark eyes bored into Ji Zhi, his voice firm and certain, the usual low timbre rising just a touch: “It’s you!”
Ji Zhi: “I…”
The evidence was irrefutable. He had no idea what to say.
But then he took in Fu Huixu’s brooding gaze—like a storm on the verge of breaking—and the way his left hand clenched at his side, veins standing out on the back. Ji Zhi remembered in a flash that Fu Huixu was the type to actually throw a punch.
And now he hadn’t even called him Baby. That spelled trouble.
Unable to wrench free, Ji Zhi inwardly cursed himself for never working out. Cautiously, he ventured, “I… I didn’t mean to trick you…”
To dodge a beating, he pitched his voice into the exact cadence of Zhi Zhi’s—the one Fu Huixu knew best—hoping to stir some mercy.
It worked, somewhat. Fu Huixu eased his grip on the wrist but kept staring him down. “Why lie?”
“You’re right here in A City. Right by my side.”
Ji Zhi: “I really was in other cities before. I only came to A City for school. I didn’t tell you because the agency seniors said to protect my personal info—and yeah, some obsessive live stream fans had been harassing me.”
“I only figured out it was you yesterday, and that you’re my roommate. But my online persona and real-life look are night and day. I was scared you’d hate me…”
Nerves jangling as he eyed that balled fist, words tumbled out of him in a rush.
He had no clue where half of it came from. These past few days, his “studies” had all been about taking the initiative, after all.
But midway through, realization dawned.
Wait—this was his golden opportunity to make Fu Huixu drop him!
The guy had to be livid right now. Disgusted, even. A few punches to vent, and then Fu would never want to see him again. That could actually work…
The thought hit like lightning. Ji Zhi looked up at Fu Huixu, voice tentative: “I get it—you’re furious, and you won’t like me anymore.”
“I’m really sorry. If it’ll help, just hit me…”
Worst case, if it hurt too bad, he’d play dead. No one kept punching what looked like a corpse, right…?
Ji Zhi ducked his head, bracing to curl up—protecting the vital spots, minimizing contact area.
He waited. And waited. No pain came.
Peeking at Fu Huixu’s hand, he saw the tight fist had unclenched.
Was he off the hook?
Dodging a beating was always a win.
He had steeled himself for it, but Chen Xingwen’s stories had instilled a deep wariness of those fists. Ji Zhi had zero doubt one swing could send even that Douyin streamer Amu packing from the scene—let alone himself, who wouldn’t enjoy the pain one bit.
Ji Zhi started to exhale in relief—only for Fu Huixu’s slow voice to cut in: “Baby, don’t be scared.”
Even with his suspicions, the moment confirmation hit—that the man before him was truly Zhi Zhi—Fu Huixu’s mind blanked out for a second.
The one person he’d been hung up on had been right there beside him all along.
He was in A City the whole time. Why lie about being elsewhere?
Even without knowing each other’s identities, yesterday’s meeting should have blown it open. Why keep silent?
Questions swirled through Fu Huixu’s head. But before he could voice them, the other started explaining.
He listened throughout. It lined up with what he’d heard of Zhi Zhi’s past troubles—the privacy warnings, the harassment from stalker fans, the fear of rejection over his male clothes…
Staring at that face—familiar, yet somehow altered by context—Fu Huixu’s emotions tangled. On reflex, he clenched his fist, welcoming the sting to yank himself clear.
Until Ji Zhi’s tone shifted. That cautious, tension-laced glance snapped him back.
If it were anyone else deceiving him, Fu Huixu would have swung without a second thought. But this was Zhi Zhi.
The one who had gotten him through his darkest days.
The anger from the lie had already ebbed with the explanation. Now Ji Zhi’s words snuffed it out entirely.
After a heavy pause, Fu Huixu finally spoke—to reassure him, don’t be afraid.
Ji Zhi froze at Fu Huixu’s words.
This wasn’t how he’d scripted it. Why was he calling him Baby again?
Bewilderment showed on Ji Zhi’s face, but Fu Huixu genuinely seemed ready to move past it.
After soothing him, Fu Huixu pivoted smoothly, asking for the man’s real details.
With them standing face-to-face in the same dorm, Ji Zhi had no choice but to stammer out his true name and major, then scramble to patch the story: “That’s why I gave a fake name yesterday. I was afraid you’d clock me as your roommate…”
Fu Huixu stayed quiet.
Truth be told, he hadn’t remembered his roommate’s name before this.
But something clicked. “You have two WeChat accounts?”
He hadn’t dwelled on it earlier, but Ji Zhi’s words dredged up details.
Fu Huixu recalled the transfer he’d sent to Ji Zhi’s WeChat—it wasn’t the same as Zhi Zhi’s. Otherwise, he would have connected the dots ages ago.
Ji Zhi’s pulse spiked. He admitted it was for convenience with the streaming agency.
Fearing Fu Huixu might demand to check his phone on a whim, Ji Zhi hurriedly distracted him: both accounts could add Fu Huixu, no problem.
Luckily, Fu Huixu’s focus shifted. No phone inspection followed, and Ji Zhi let out a silent breath of relief deep inside.
Now that they had, in a sense, met anew, Fu Huixu eyed Ji Zhi—still visibly on edge—and spoke calmly: “Baby, don’t be afraid.”
“As long as you don’t cross my bottom line, I’ll forgive you for this.”
This was the first time Ji Zhi had heard Fu Huixu mention his bottom line. Curiosity sparked within him, along with a faint temptation to test it. “What bottom line?”
Fu Huixu’s voice remained calm, but the content of his words stood in stark contrast to his steady tone. “You being with someone else.”
“I’d go mad.”
Ji Zhi jolted inwardly.
Was it that serious?!
Though Fu Huixu often brought up the topic, Ji Zhi had previously assumed they would never cross paths again. So he’d only thought that getting caught would force a face-to-face meeting.
Moreover, he just wanted to shake off the man—he had no intention of driving Fu Huixu into a mental institution!
Fu Huixu continued, “Deal with the person you’re with, then lock you away…”
That was exactly what he’d thought back when he’d called, mistakenly believing Ji Zhi was with someone else.
He wanted to track down Ji Zhi’s address, eliminate the person with him, and then lock Ji Zhi away completely—so that only he could see him…
He could tolerate Ji Zhi’s little lies and deceptions, but this was the one thing he absolutely could not abide.
Ji Zhi blinked in confusion.
Though Fu Huixu hadn’t finished speaking, Ji Zhi didn’t press him. His instincts told him that ignorance would bring greater happiness; otherwise, he probably wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight.
Fu Huixu raised his hand. His slender fingers brushed through Ji Zhi’s soft hair before sliding down to his long neck, caressing it tenderly.
Before seeing Ji Zhi in men’s clothing, Fu Huixu had wondered if he preferred him dressed as a woman. He’d hoped Ji Zhi would show up in male attire for the hike to confirm it, but Ji Zhi had refused.
Now that he’d seen him like this, Fu Huixu realized he felt no aversion at all.
He hadn’t said those words earlier just to scare Ji Zhi. The other man had simply asked, so he’d answered plainly.
As for the more detailed plans, Ji Zhi would never learn of them as long as he didn’t cross that line.
With these thoughts in mind, Fu Huixu lowered his gaze, not wanting Ji Zhi to glimpse the chill flickering in his eyes.
Oblivious to it all, Ji Zhi was breaking out in a cold sweat over Fu Huixu’s earlier words.
He completely extinguished any impulse to test the man’s bottom line. In his heart, he also felt grateful that Fu Huixu’s cousin had only seen him alone back then, and not walking alongside Duan Zhao.
He resolved to keep that incident buried deep. Otherwise…
Snapping back to the present, Ji Zhi heard Fu Huixu speak. “Move in with me. I’ll help you submit the off-campus living application.”
…This escalation was happening way too fast. And living together with Fu Huixu would be far too dangerous.
Alarm bells rang in Ji Zhi’s head. He quickly replied, “I’ve gotten used to the dorms. I don’t want to leave here…”
Fu Huixu didn’t push him on the matter. Instead, he calmly said, “Then I’ll have the housekeeper send my luggage back.”
Ji Zhi hesitated. “…You’re moving back into the dorms?”
Fu Huixu nodded. “You’re here.”
He might not like the school dorms, but he wanted to live with Ji Zhi even more.
Ji Zhi pressed, “…Does the school allow that? Can the paperwork go through so quickly?”
For now, he could only hope the school would firmly reject Fu Huixu’s whims.
Fu Huixu replied, “It will. The school doesn’t encourage off-campus living anyway.”
Ji Zhi sighed inwardly.
His days of having the dorm room to himself were over. He had to share this terrifying news with Chen Xingwen—but probably after his stream…
Wait, his stream!
In the chaos of his identity being exposed, he’d nearly forgotten he still had a stream to do.
But Ji Zhi quickly realized a crucial problem.
He had three streams scheduled for today.
The one in women’s clothing was fine, but what about the other two?
Unsure of Fu Huixu’s plans, Ji Zhi asked, “Are you heading to class later, or to the company?”
Fu Huixu answered, “I was planning to go home and watch your stream, but now there’s no need.”
Ji Zhi argued, “I’m not used to streaming with anyone else around…”
Fu Huixu looked at him steadily. “Then I can watch from the car and come back after you’re done.”
Ji Zhi’s mind reeled.
That meant he still couldn’t do the other two streams!
Realizing he couldn’t complete all three today no matter what, Ji Zhi decided to request leaves of absence for the latter two.
But thinking of Duan Zhao and Jiang Yaolin made him worry.
After all, to milk the platform and guild for all they were worth, he’d streamed punctually without ever taking a break before. Duan Zhao and Jiang Yaolin watched his streams regularly, so they’d definitely notice if he requested leave.
Worried they might call to ask, Ji Zhi hurriedly switched to his alternate WeChat account, planning to notify them privately first.
However, ever since learning that Ji Zhi was Zhi Zhi, Fu Huixu no longer treated him like air. His gaze stayed fixed on Ji Zhi and quickly noticed the switch to the alt account.
Recalling that Ji Zhi had said the alt was mainly for contacting him and the guild, Fu Huixu understood. He extended his hand toward Ji Zhi, taking the phone. “Baby, get ready for your stream first. I’ll handle the replies for you.”
