Chapter 112: The Jealous Apocalyptic White Lotus · 9

Xu Youran watched 520’s reaction and knew the bird had understood his words but completely misinterpreted his meaning. He found it rather interesting. He’d spoken to the little parrot out of boredom, but he hadn’t expected it to be so intelligent—not only could it talk, but it could also grasp the nuances of human speech.

Xu Youran watched as the little parrot discreetly shuffled along the bedpost, putting distance between them. He raised an eyebrow. “Why are you running? Your owner is right here. You think I’d actually eat you?”

520 turned its head and gave him a look that answered his question perfectly. Why couldn’t he? Like Su Wenyu, 520 deemed this human named Xu Youran to be extremely dangerous, his mental state seemingly unstable. Eating a small parrot on a whim seemed perfectly in character.

520 could only chirp in alarm twice, summoning Su Wenyu from the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?” Su Wenyu emerged, dishcloth still in hand, hands dripping. His gaze flickered between 520 on the bedpost and Xu Youran in the chair. Even without 520 transmitting a telepathic explanation, and without Xu Youran saying a single word, Su Wenyu already appointed himself judge and addressed Xu Youran directly. “It’s easily frightened. Don’t scare it.”

Xu Youran was so indignant he almost laughed. “When did I scare it?”

Su Wenyu pointed at 520. “Look, it’s already scared. If you hadn’t scared it, it wouldn’t act like that.”

It was a logic Xu Youran truly couldn’t refute. He could only grind his teeth, suppress his ire, and defend himself with a cold face. “I didn’t scare it. It’s overthinking things. Scared itself.”

Su Wenyu looked confused. “What did you say to it?”

Xu Youran admitted, “I asked how much it weighed.”

Su Wenyu’s reaction immediately mirrored 520’s—alarm and shock. “It’s not even a mouthful for you!”

Xu Youran was furious and amused at the same time. “I was thinking we could train it to fly around and find food for us. It can fly, can’t it?”

Su Wenyu had never imagined that was Xu Youran’s intention. He immediately flashed an innocent smile and apologized without a shred of sincerity. “Oh, I see. Then I misunderstood you. So sorry about that.”

Xu Youran stared at him coldly, finding the apology utterly perfunctory. What kind of image did he have in the eyes of Su Wenyu and this parrot? He just asked how much the bird weighed, and both immediately assumed he wanted to eat it. Did he really seem that desperate and indiscriminate? His already bad mood darkened further.

Su Wenyu, reading his expression, wisely signaled to 520 to fly over to his shoulder and stay there—away from any solitary encounters with Xu Youran. Then, putting on his most obedient face, Su Wenyu approached him and said softly, “It’s so tiny. Even if it could carry food, it wouldn’t be much. When we run out of food, we’ll just figure out a way to charge out together and find a chance to survive.”

Xu Youran glanced at him, his face still grim. Su Wenyu could only dry his hands with a tissue, then walk up to Xu Youran and gently tug his sleeve, shaking it lightly. “Okay?” he coaxed.

Perhaps it was the act of drying his hands before touching his sleeve that mollified Xu Youran, or maybe it was the coquettish act itself. When his gaze fell on Su Wenyu’s fingers tugging his cuff, his expression did ease up.

“Aren’t you the one clinging to the food? Eating only half a pack for dinner—will that fill you?” Xu Youran shifted his focus back to Su Wenyu’s face, frowning like he was lecturing him. “You don’t know if someone else like me might climb in from the balcony, or if zombies will break through that door and devour us all. Instead of scrimping on food at a time like this, wouldn’t it be better to eat your fill now and maintain your strength, just in case? And in the meantime, we look for any hope of getting out alive?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Su Wenyu’s eyes as he listened to Xu Youran’s explanation. He hadn’t expected such a long explanation from him. And what did he mean by that first sentence? Had he thought eating only half a pack wouldn’t fill Su Wenyu, and that’s why he gave him half his own noodles?

Su Wenyu engaged in some self-reflection, realizing he had indeed been too prejudiced against Xu Youran. He knew that thanks to his Plentiful Stamina, even being hungry wouldn’t affect his ability to run for his life when the time came. But Xu Youran didn’t know that. Thinking about it from that angle, since the moment Xu Youran entered through the window, aside from his sometimes teasing, abrasive behavior, he hadn’t actually done anything bad to Su Wenyu. He’d given him all his compressed biscuits. He’d gone hungry himself to share half his noodles. At a time when food was more valuable than gold, Xu Youran had seemingly given Su Wenyu everything he could. Okay, yes, the noodles were Su Wenyu’s to begin with, but the compressed biscuits were definitely Xu Youran’s contribution.

His eyes filled with sincere apology. He tugged his sleeve again, shaking it gently. “Alright, I understand. I won’t be so frugal tomorrow. I was wrong.”

Xu Youran’s arm swayed with his shaking. His foul mood improved considerably thanks to Su Wenyu’s coaxing, soft attitude.

“It’s good that you’re willing to listen. And one more thing: I wasn’t going to eat it. There’s barely any meat on it. Even if I ate it, it’d just get stuck in my teeth,” Xu Youran pointed at 520, his face full of disdain. Without waiting for the parrot’s reaction, he turned and climbed onto the bed.

Su Wenyu watched him climb into his bed, opened his mouth to object, and then gave up with a resigned sigh. Whatever. Let him. It wasn’t like he’d never shared a bed with another guy before. He was practically used to it.

As for whether Xu Youran was gay… he probably was. He just might not be fully aware of it himself. A normal straight guy wouldn’t just cool down because Su Wenyu tugged his sleeve and acted cute. A normal straight guy hearing that deliberately soft, coaxing voice Su Wenyu had faked should’ve been disgusted, goosebumps rising.

Su Wenyu took 520 back to the bathroom to finish washing the dishes. He reflected on Xu Youran’s expression when he’d acted coy, noting he seemed to quite like it, his anger dissipating instantly. Good. He’d found Xu Youran’s weakness: he was susceptible to softness, not force.

–

After washing, Su Wenyu also grabbed a change of clothes and took a quick shower. He’d read enough apocalypse novels to know survivors out in the wild barely had time to relieve themselves, let alone bathe. So, he cherished every moment still in this dorm, scrubbing himself clean, getting into fresh clothes, and blow-drying his hair. Then, he looked over at Xu Youran, already sprawled on his bed. After a brief hesitation, he still climbed up onto his own bed.

Xu Youran wasn’t asleep, though his eyes were closed. He only opened them when he felt the bed shake. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Su Wenyu was dumbstruck by his brazenness. “It’s my bed!”

Xu Youran’s response was a flat, “Oh. So?”

Su Wenyu nudged his ankle. “Scoot over. I’m sleeping on the inside.”

Xu Youran raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you not want to sleep with me? There are three other beds right there. Why aren’t you using them? You really that keen on squeezing in with me?”

Su Wenyu was struck speechless by this masterclass in turning the tables. All of Xu Youran’s questions could be countered with a single line: Wasn’t it his bed?! Wasn’t Xu Youran the one insisting on using his bed? How could he lie on someone else’s bed and have the gall to ask those questions?

But Su Wenyu knew arguing this with Xu Youran was pointless. It would probably end with him being the one apologizing. Again. So he didn’t answer. He just nudged Xu Youran’s foot again—which was blocking the foot of the bed due to his stupidly long legs—and asked, “Are you going to move or not?”

Xu Youran watched him, thoroughly amused, for a moment. Then, he slowly pulled his legs back, making just enough room for Su Wenyu to squeeze through. Xu Youran pillowed his head on his arm, his gaze following Su Wenyu as he crawled on all fours into the inner space against the wall. Su Wenyu’s frame was so slender. Because his T-shirt neckline was too loose, as he crawled, it gaped open, revealing a sweep of pale skin and the faint pink of two small points. Xu Youran couldn’t help but stare a few times longer. Then his eyes traced down to Su Wenyu’s waist, so narrow Xu Youran felt he could encircle it with one arm. He reached out and measured it against the air. So thin.

Once Su Wenyu settled down facing the wall, back to him, Xu Youran shifted. He lay on his side, facing Su Wenyu’s back. His hand reached out and lifted the hem of Su Wenyu’s shirt. A large, warm palm settled directly on Su Wenyu’s waist, stroking it. “Don’t you ever get enough to eat? Why is your waist so tiny?”

Su Wenyu nearly shot straight up and slammed his head into the wall. “What are you doing?!” He slapped Xu Youran’s hand twice with loud “pap pap” sounds. “Let go! What is wrong with you?!”

Xu Youran’s hand was smacked red, but his nature was innately rebellious. He’d only meant to touch out of curiosity about its size. But Su Wenyu’s huge reaction immediately triggered a mischievous urge to tease. “What’s the matter? We’re both guys. Afraid of a little touch?” Not only did he not pull his hand back, he doubled down, moving it upwards.

Su Wenyu grabbed his wrist with both hands, but couldn’t stop his upward advance. How was this guy so strong?! Su Wenyu’s face was burning with panic as Xu Youran’s big hand roamed everywhere.

When it brushed over one of those pink points, Su Wenyu nearly exploded. He thrashed in Xu Youran’s hold like a fish on a chopping block. Xu Youran hadn’t expected such a violent reaction. The strange sensation when his palm brushed against that spot made his own movements stutter.

“Are you… Are you going to let go or not?” Su Wenyu ground out through clenched teeth, turning his head to glare at him. He would bite if he had to!

Xu Youran was propped up on his upper body, trying to pin him down. When he looked down and met Su Wenyu’s furious, red-rimmed eyes that were glistening with unshed tears, his heart did something strange—it sped up. With one hand still feeling Su Wenyu’s racing heartbeat, he used his other to press against his own chest. Puzzled, he remarked, “Seeing you like this… I think it’s kind of exciting.”

Su Wenyu thought he’d misheard. “What?”

Xu Youran abruptly pulled his hand out from under Su Wenyu’s shirt. Then, he lifted his own shirt, grabbed Su Wenyu’s hand, and pressed it firmly against his bare chest, right over his heart. He looked down at Su Wenyu. “Feel that?”

“It’s beating this fast because of you.”

Su Wenyu’s hand was trapped against Xu Youran’s pectoral muscle. In an instant, his face went from mildly flushed to beet red. “You… you…” He felt like he was getting dizzy from the sudden exposure to all that chest. But his hand was pinned; he absolutely could not pull it free. In the end, all he could do was blush furiously, his mind reeling, and sputter out the worst insult he could think of.

“You have no male virtue!”

“You’re shameless!!”