He Yuxuan had been working for a week now.
He remembered it so clearly because the pay was weekly. He was quite excited, experiencing earning a part-time wage as a student for the first time. On the night he was supposed to get paid, half his attention was fixed on Brother Li.
It made Li Xu wonder if he had suddenly gotten more handsome. Being stared at by such a good-looking young guy actually made him a little shy…
“Little He, you worked a total of 28 hours this week. That comes to 840. Check if that’s correct, and I’ll transfer it to your bank card.” Brother Li showed He Yuxuan the schedule.
He Yuxuan glanced at the densely packed timetable. He couldn’t quite remember all the details, but he figured Brother Li wouldn’t make a mistake.
Averaging it out, it was about 4 hours of part-time work a day, which was already quite a lot.
It was tiring, truly, but manageable. In his past life, He Yuxuan’s work schedule had always been packed with the same high intensity, so he wasn’t afraid of hard work.
“Little He, do you have more free time next week? Want me to schedule you for more shifts?” Li Xu asked eagerly.
He had hired two more students afterwards, both decent, upstanding young men, but their popularity was clearly nowhere near Little He’s.
At first, he could still fool the students who came after hearing the news, but soon the students from the nearby universities got clever and started asking directly what times the super handsome guy usually came in.
He Yuxuan’s freshman course load wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either. His schedule was already quite packed, especially since he also had club activities.
“Probably not. If I get more free time later, I’ll arrange a shift swap with you.” He Yuxuan looked at the 840 yuan deposit notification on his bank app, feeling utterly delighted inside.
“Alright, then see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.” He Yuxuan returned to his dorm with a spring in his step. It was already 9 PM.
After washing up back at the dorm, he didn’t go straight to bed as usual. Instead, he took out a small notebook, turned on his desk lamp, and focused intently on writing something down.
He Yuxuan planned to give Chu Ci a full-size bottle of Dior Sauvage. It cost 1060 yuan at the official flagship store, already added to his shopping cart.
He had just received 840 yuan in wages. These past days, food and the health certificate had cost him 80 + 188 = 268 yuan. He still had 150 left on WeChat. So now he had a total of 990 yuan on hand.
He Yuxuan meticulously recorded every detail in his notebook, handwriting round and neat, no different from a middle schooler’s.
By his calculations, working another day or two would be just about enough. He’d see if he could ask Brother Li for a daily payout to make up the difference.
He’d be able to buy it soon.
“What are you doing?” Jiang Lu walked over to his only roommate he could really talk to, watching him write and scribble, and asked.
Initially, he thought He Yuxuan seemed quite aloof and hard to approach after coming back from the hospital. But he soon discovered that was a complete misperception. Although the other guy rarely initiated conversation, as long as someone else started it, he replied quite a bit.
“Are you putting together a Double Eleven cart?” Jiang Lu asked curiously, seeing all those numbers.
“Huh?” He Yuxuan looked up, puzzled.
“No, I want to buy a cologne. I’m just calculating the money.”
It took Jiang Lu a while to understand, and then he said in surprise, “Dude, you’re pretty hardcore. You only have a thousand bucks left, and you’re gonna drop it all on a thousand-buck item? Are you gonna live off air after that?” Guys could be unrestrained with spending, but someone like He Yuxuan was truly rare.
Especially since it was money He Yuxuan had earned through hard part-time work. Jiang Lu was well aware that these days, his roommate didn’t come back until nine or ten every night.
And he was just going to spend it like that? On a bottle of cologne? What a madman.
He Yuxuan paused, clearly having overlooked that point. But he quickly relaxed. He’d still have a few dozen yuan left, enough to eat for two days, and then it would be payday again!
“Besides, Double Eleven is almost here. You can take part in those cross-store discounts or order-combining deals, then you won’t have to buy at full price,” Jiang Lu suggested.
He Yuxuan had never participated in any Double Eleven before; he always bought things whenever he felt like it. Hearing Jiang Lu’s explanation, he thought it made a lot of sense.
“Has the promotion started already? I’ll go check it out.” He Yuxuan picked up his pen again, started searching online, making strategy guides and taking notes. After a whole round of that, his head was spinning. He was never good at math, and these discounts were completely beyond him.
Then he watched some bloggers’ calculation videos, still completely lost.
“I’ll have my girlfriend keep an eye out for any streamers selling this cologne later,” Jiang Lu said. He was quite loyal to this one roommate he could actually talk to, especially since his girlfriend usually liked following these kinds of things anyway.
And if she knew it was for this ridiculously handsome roommate, she’d probably be more than happy to help—he thought, not without a little jealousy.
“Okay, thank you.” He Yuxuan looked up and gave a sincere smile, then furrowed his brows again to calculate the discounts.
It exhausted him. Combined with a night of part-time work, he slept like a log that night.
Since He Yuxuan and Jiang Lu were the only ones in the dorm dealing with Double Eleven matters, they were in contact a bit more often.
“This streamer currently has the lowest price. You can get it for over 900, plus freebies,” Jiang Lu shared with He Yuxuan, who saved it to his favorites while on his break at the milk tea shop.
“ok”
“Let me tell you, girls these days have so many tricks. Now there’s this trending thing, ‘The First Cup of Milk Tea in Autumn.’ My girlfriend just sent me that thing,” Jiang Lu idly complained to He Yuxuan.
He didn’t really get the concept, thinking it was purely marketing. If you want milk tea, you can just buy it; no need for the gimmick.
“Then buy it for her and deliver it to her dorm building, make her happy,” He Yuxuan replied instinctively, not even realizing Jiang Lu was complaining.
He had never been in a relationship, but he knew that if you had a significant other, you should treat them well. What was so hard about fulfilling such a small wish?
“Wait, I get off early today. I’ll mix a cup of milk tea to bring back for you to give her. Don’t bother ordering delivery.” He Yuxuan practiced mixing milk teas in his free time, with Brother Li’s full support.
He had made a really good one a couple of days ago; he could try again today.
He Yuxuan figured he was working at the milk tea shop anyway; it was an easy favor. Delivery was slow anyway.
“Haha, thanks, man.” Jiang Lu thought it over and found it reasonable, dropping his complaint. He suddenly felt a bit guilty—what kind of guy with a girlfriend had thoughts like his?
He hadn’t expected his roommate, who looked like that, to have such values. Generally, the more handsome the guy, the more of a player he was, and not without reason—too many beautiful women threw themselves at them.
The ones throwing themselves at He Yuxuan were probably no fewer. Jiang Lu had always been envious. The girls willing to buy He Yuxuan milk tea could form a line across the entire Jinghai University, yet the guy was actually quite innocent and sincere.
So he figured popularity and all that were just superficial. Even a guy like He Yuxuan knew to value the people close to him, not some unknown strangers.
“You’re welcome.” He Yuxuan made a mental note of this.
Near the end of his shift, he received another message. He tapped it open—it was Chu Ci.
“I’m coming back to the dorm tonight. Are you there?”
The other guy didn’t message him often, and neither did He Yuxuan. After all, they each had their own lives and were both busy. But the moment he saw Chu Ci’s message, even while occupied, He Yuxuan thought of bringing a cup for him too. After all, it was handmade. The meaning was a little different.
This should be the treatment reserved for a friend.
“Going back soon. Why the sudden visit back?” He Yuxuan asked.
“Work’s done. Can’t let the dorm fee go to waste.” Chu Ci didn’t quite like the way he asked that, as if he didn’t want to see him.
“Okay, wait for me then.” He Yuxuan acknowledged.
Chu Ci’s mood inexplicably lifted again.
“Yeah, hurry up.”
He Yuxuan had initially considered bringing one for the Academic God too, but he figured the Academic God was definitely at the library at this hour, so he dropped the idea. Besides, it wasn’t great—he shouldn’t use shop resources for personal things too much.
So He Yuxuan made two cups of an innovative Raw Coconut Series drink, hot, perfect for this season, and carried them back to school.
He walked quite fast, worried the milk tea would get cold and lose its taste.
When he reached the dorm entrance, He Yuxuan spotted a familiar car. He wondered, were there that many rich kids at Jinghai University? Everyone driving a Maybach?
But as he got closer, he saw a young man in black leaning against it, looking right at him.
Who else but Chu Ci.
“Why are you standing out here? Aren’t you cold?” He Yuxuan asked.
The night had a bit of a chill. He felt cold in his short sleeves walking outside, and Chu Ci was only wearing a black sleeveless tank top. He must be freezing.
Still, he looked quite handsome, and his muscles were quite nice to look at.
“Here, warm up.” He Yuxuan handed Chu Ci his cup, leaning against the car next to him, staying to keep him company as he drank.
Chu Ci spoke only then: “You brought this for me?” He was quite surprised.
The Young Master had never thought to ask anything of He Yuxuan. He took his own giving as a matter of course. In his eyes, He Yuxuan was a poor kid who couldn’t give anything, so accepting everything was simply normal.
“Yeah, it’s quite good.” He himself didn’t dare drink too much of it; the sugar content wasn’t low, so drinking it once a week was about his limit.
Chu Ci had no particular concept of food. He found most things edible, had no strong favorites, and wasn’t picky.
But something brought by He Yuxuan was entirely different, even if it was just a cup of milk tea costing a bit over ten yuan.
He poked the straw in, took a sip, and a third of it was gone.
“Yeah, it’s good.” Chu Ci kept his gaze fixed on He Yuxuan.
The other still looked the same, every angle practically perfect, utterly serene.
He Yuxuan, on the other hand, looked at Chu Ci and noticed slight dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept well.
“Been having insomnia recently, Chu Ci?” he asked, as a concerned friend.
“Yeah, that’s why I’m coming back to the dorm to sleep.”
He Yuxuan found this logic a bit strange. The Young Master, who would lose sleep on some large, comfortable bed, expected to sleep here on a dorm bed? He’d probably be up all night…
“Won’t it get worse?” he asked.
“No, if you sleep with me.” Chu Ci finally voiced the thought he’d been turning over in his mind all these sleepless nights, speaking in a calm tone.
At first hearing, He Yuxuan was still a bit startled, but he quickly recalled the scene from last time and put his heart back at ease.
Anyway, even if they shared a bed, it wasn’t in that sense. So what was there to worry about?
“But the dorm bed is small, even more uncomfortable,” He Yuxuan fretted.
“It’s fine. We’ll just squeeze a bit,” Chu Ci said. This time, the roommate’s reason wasn’t something about bad sleeping posture; it seemed he wasn’t treating him as a stranger anymore.
Chu Ci’s heart felt a numb, tingling sensation.
He gulped down the rest of the milk tea in two more mouthfuls, tugged at He Yuxuan’s arm, and pulled him into the dorm building: “It’s windy outside.”
Chu Ci naturally ran warm; his palms were hot. He Yuxuan had been worried for nothing—he himself was colder than Chu Ci.
During his internship these days, Chu Ci left early and came back late, working extremely hard. His face hadn’t shown any other expression.
But miraculously, the moment he saw his roommate, he instantly relaxed, as if he’d found a place to belong.
Maybe it was because of that milk tea.
Chu Ci pondered, he must treat this friend even better.
