Chapter 9
The next morning, Lin Zhiyan had no classes. He groggily opened his eyes and sent a message to Lu Ze, asking when would be a convenient time for him to return the clothes.
Unexpectedly, the moment the message was sent, he received a reply:
【I’m downstairs at your dorm.】
Lin Zhiyan’s eyes widened instantly, and he was wide awake. He hurriedly climbed down the ladder, threw on a jacket, grabbed the clothes he had washed yesterday, and rushed outside.
It was still early, and there were only a few scattered students downstairs at the dormitory building. Because of this, Lu Ze’s tall figure was particularly conspicuous.
The moment Lin Zhiyan rushed out of the dormitory door, Lu Ze seemed to sense it. He looked up, his eyes brightening, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. The unapproachable aura around him instantly melted like the first thaw of spring.
Lin Zhiyan’s steps slowed down unconsciously. He pulled his jacket tighter, a softness in his eyes that he himself was unaware of.
He stood in front of Lu Ze and looked up at him. His usually cool cat-like eyes were slightly curved at this moment as he asked, “Why are you here so early?”
“Just came back from a morning run,” Lu Ze said. He lifted the hand hanging by his side, revealing the things he was carrying. “I had breakfast at the cafeteria and brought some for Senior.”
Lin Zhiyan looked down and saw steamed buns, an egg, and soy milk—a very simple breakfast combination. He could still see the steam rising from the opening of the bag, and his heart felt warm.
Lin Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, then didn’t refuse. “Thank you.”
He handed over the folded clothes. “Your clothes.”
Lu Ze took them, his nose twitching slightly, and smiled. “They smell nice.”
He asked Lin Zhiyan, “Did Senior use scent beads?”
“What?” Lin Zhiyan didn’t understand for a moment and subconsciously shook his head. “No, I just used laundry detergent.”
Lu Ze smiled. “Senior’s laundry detergent smells nice.”
Lin Zhiyan pursed his lips, seeming a little embarrassed. “It’s a very common brand. If you like it, I can recommend it to you.”
The smile in Lu Ze’s eyes was fleeting. He said, “Okay.”
As Lin Zhiyan listened to him speak, his brows slowly furrowed, as if he had confirmed something. “Why does your voice sound a bit hoarse?”
“Does it?” Lu Ze asked back in confusion. He cleared his throat. “Maybe it’s because I just finished running. My voice might be a little off.”
In his mind, 777 was screaming, “No, Host, your voice is really a bit hoarse! You’re really getting sick!”
Lu Ze’s smile remained on his face, and he pretended not to hear it.
Lin Zhiyan was a little hesitant. “Is… that so?” He paused. “Then you should wear more clothes and drink more hot water. It’s easy to catch a cold during this change of season.”
Lin Zhiyan’s own health wasn’t the best, and he would get sick, big or small, every time the seasons changed.
Lu Ze readily accepted his concern and nodded in agreement.
The two stood in silence, and it seemed there was nothing left to say between them.
Lin Zhiyan held the bag of buns, faintly feeling the warmth they emitted.
Lu Ze’s attitude hadn’t changed. He was actually very happy, but he was naturally clumsy with words. No matter how happy he was, he didn’t know how to express it.
He looked down at the buns and said, “You should go back. It’s quite cold outside.”
Lu Ze looked at him, a smile in his eyes.
The young man had clearly rushed down. Not only had he not changed his clothes, but his hair was also in a just-woke-up state, messy and with a few tufts sticking out randomly.
He casually agreed, but took a step forward and pressed down on those few disobedient tufts of hair. Then, he watched with satisfaction as the young man looked up in astonishment, stared at him for a long time, and said with a mix of accusation and helplessness, “Why do you always like to touch my head?”
But there was no trace of anger.
Lu Ze put his hands behind his back and smiled a little roguishly. “I don’t know either. It’s just so disobedient. I can’t help but touch it whenever I see Senior.”
Lin Zhiyan unconsciously pouted. He looked up at the young man’s handsome face, but his gaze slowly fell on his short hair, and he felt an itch in his heart.
Lin Zhiyan raised his hand. Lu Ze seemed to sense it and tilted his head to dodge.
The scene was quiet for a moment.
Lin Zhiyan’s face was a little tense. He slowly withdrew his hand, his voice a little weaker. “I can’t?”
His eyelashes trembled, and he explained, “You said before that you’d let me touch your hair when I had the chance.”
“No,” Lu Ze said, “I just finished running and sweated a little.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyan’s expression relaxed slightly. He looked up at him and said, “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Lu Ze looked at his insistent appearance and couldn’t help but feel helpless.
This person probably doesn’t even realize what it means to touch a man’s head.
Lin Zhiyan’s lips were slightly pursed, his expression natural, but he was also visibly nervous and tense.
Lu Ze couldn’t bear to see him like this. He bent down, lowered his head, and said with a smile in his voice, “Senior, you can’t dislike it.”
Lin Zhiyan’s cat-like eyes instantly curved.
He raised his hand and placed it on Lu Ze’s head. The touch was slightly hard, clearly pricking his palm, with a subtle itch that went straight to his heart.
Lin Zhiyan’s fingers curled unconsciously. Meeting Lu Ze’s smiling gaze, he felt a little uncomfortable in hindsight.
He cleared his throat and calmly withdrew his hand. “Okay.”
He clenched his fist, the residual warmth from Lu Ze still inside. He averted his gaze, the tips of his ears behind his hair turning a little red, and said, “You should go back.”
Lu Ze looked at him and, out of kindness, didn’t tease him anymore. After saying goodbye, he turned and left.
System 777 watched the whole process in his mind and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Host, you’re really good at this.”
The Host had clearly noticed Lin Zhiyan’s nervous attitude yesterday but hadn’t pointed it out. 777 had been wondering why the Host would miss such a perfect opportunity to accelerate their relationship. It was only now that it understood that the Host was indeed the Host.
Lu Ze smiled. “Thank you for the compliment.”
.
But Lu Ze’s smugness didn’t last long.
He had no classes for his major in the morning, but during a class in the afternoon, he felt his head was a little groggy and his nose was a little stuffy.
777 said worriedly in his mind, “Host, your condition is not right. You have signs of a fever.”
Lu Ze hummed in a muffled voice, “I know.”
777 said, “Do you need me to exchange for special cold medicine for you, Host?”
Lu Ze rested his head on his hand and half-closed his eyes. “Not for now.”
777 didn’t understand, but it obediently listened.
After class, his roommates were all clamoring to go for dinner. Lu Ze said he wasn’t feeling well and went back to rest first.
.
The moon was high in the sky. Lin Zhiyan was in his dorm room, processing the final data from an experiment, when the phone he had placed on the side suddenly rang.
Lin Zhiyan glanced at it casually and was stunned.
Lu Ze.
Lin Zhiyan was a little surprised. Although they often sent messages and said goodnight to each other, this was the first time they had called.
The sound of his other roommates playing games in the dorm was extremely noisy. Lin Zhiyan walked to the balcony, closed the sliding door, and answered the phone. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end was muffled and hoarse, with some restrained coughing. It came through the phone, a little distorted:
“Third Bro, bring me some cold medicine and fever reducers when you guys come back…”
Lin Zhiyan’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t care if he had called the wrong number and quickly said, “Lu Ze?”
There was a long silence on the other end, with heavy breathing. After a while, a muffled “hmm?” came through.
His voice was drawn out and slurred. “As soon as possible…”
With that, the call was unconsciously hung up. Lin Zhiyan opened his mouth to say something, but felt that Lu Ze might not be able to speak clearly in his current state. Anxious, he grabbed a jacket, changed his shoes, and was about to run outside.
A roommate casually asked, “Going out?”
Lin Zhiyan hurriedly dropped a sentence and left. “Something came up…”
Lin Zhiyan guessed that Lu Ze’s cold was probably caused by catching a chill. At the pharmacy, he bought one of each type of medicine. After asking the pharmacist how to take them, he rushed to the South District, Building Four.
He was about to go up when he suddenly remembered that he didn’t know Lu Ze’s dorm number. He stood downstairs for a moment, then took out his phone and called.
The call went unanswered, and Lin Zhiyan’s heart slowly rose. From what he had said, it seemed like no one was in his dorm, and he was all alone. What if…
Lin Zhiyan’s heart grew tighter and tighter. Fortunately, just as the last ring was about to end, the call was answered.
The person on the other end seemed to have woken up a little. He deliberately cleared his throat, his tired voice still holding a faint smile. “Senior?”
If he hadn’t received that call just now, Lin Zhiyan probably wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual.
His heart couldn’t help but swell. He controlled his emotions and said, “Which dorm are you in?”
Lu Ze was a little surprised, accompanied by the sound of him sitting up. “What?”
Lin Zhiyan said, “I’m downstairs at South Building Four. I bought you some medicine.”
There was a rustling sound on the other end, probably him checking who he had called just now. Lin Zhiyan was worried that a prolonged fever would be bad for him and urged, “Which dorm are you in?”
“Senior…” There seemed to be the faint sound of him getting out of bed on the other end, accompanied by Lu Ze’s nervous voice.
Lin Zhiyan wanted to tell him not to come down, that he would go up directly. Just then, someone passed by and greeted him with a smile, “Zhiyan? Waiting for someone here?”
Lin Zhiyan looked up at him. It was a classmate from the same major whom he had met before. He nodded. “Yes.”
The sound of the wind whistling came from the other end of the phone, which didn’t sound like it was inside a dormitory building. Lin Zhiyan suddenly seemed to realize something and said to his classmate, “I’m looking for… Lu Ze.”
“Lu Ze?” That person raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Then you’re in the wrong place. Lu Ze isn’t in this building.”
Lin Zhiyan’s hand holding the phone tightened. “Is that so?”
That person smiled. “Yes. Someone found out his dorm building right after school started, and someone even confessed to him downstairs at his dorm. I forgot which building it was, but it’s definitely not this one.”
He paused. “Zhiyan, if you want to find him, I can help you ask around?”
Lin Zhiyan opened his mouth. “No need.” His eyelids trembled, and he said in a low voice, “Thank you.”
That person saw that his expression was off and didn’t say anything more. He scratched his head and went up.
The call was still connected, and Lin Zhiyan could hear the whistling wind and the man’s rapid breathing from the other end.
He stood there without moving.
Until a voice came from both the phone and behind him at the same time, mixed together, a little distorted:
“Senior.”
Lin Zhiyan turned around.
The young man had clearly rushed over. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, and his face was flushed, whether from the fever or from running.
He was only wearing a thin set of pajamas with a windbreaker over them, and his hair was a little messy. His usually smiling eyes were now fixed on him, his expression nervous and apprehensive:
“Senior,” he called out again.
Lin Zhiyan blinked, and after a long time, he said softly, “You don’t live in South Building Four?”
Lu Ze paused, then nodded.
Lin Zhiyan asked again, “Then where do you live?”
Lu Ze answered obediently, “South Building Seventeen.”
South Building Seventeen was not far from South Building Four, but it was still a good five-minute walk.
Lin Zhiyan’s hand holding the bag of medicine tightened. He lifted his eyelids, looked at Lu Ze, and said softly, “Why did you lie to me?”
Lu Ze looked at him. The evening wind was cool, and the young man had clearly come out in a hurry. His fair neck was exposed, and his small earlobes were red from the cold.
He sighed. “Does Senior really need me to be so explicit?”
Lin Zhiyan’s fingertips unconsciously dug into his palm.
Lu Ze’s gaze was fixed on him, his expression serious, and he said, word by word:
“Senior, I’m pursuing you.”
