Chapter 3: Baby, Baby

Top Fan No.1: “I want to get even closer to you.”

“Baby doesn’t like receiving gifts from afar, so I want to deliver it in person and put it around Baby’s neck…”

Lately, the other man had been bringing up meetings more and more often, but Ji Zhi had brushed them all off with various excuses. After all, he had already decided to quit live streaming once his contract expired. He had no intention of developing things further with this fan.

Not to mention what the guy might try once they met—it definitely wouldn’t be anything good.

Ji Zhi could already imagine the collar from the photo fitting snugly, almost cruelly, around his neck. The cold metal would creep along his skin like invisible fingers pinching his pulse, as if even his breathing were under the man’s control.

The mere thought of it sent chills down Ji Zhi’s spine.

But he quickly pulled himself together. “We can talk about that later.”

“I’m a bit tired today. I want to rest. You should get some sleep early too.”

Top Fan No.1: “Baby, rest well.”

“You mentioned earlier that the apartment’s soundproofing is poor. Why not move to a new place? I’ll cover the cost. A standalone villa would have much better soundproofing…”

Ji Zhi hadn’t expected him to still be dwelling on that. “No need. It’s just the occasional sound leakage.”

“I’ve been living here for a long time. I have a lot of memories attached to the place. I really don’t want to move…”

Ji Zhi racked his brains and finally managed to make the other man drop the idea.

Top Fan No.1: “I’m almost at the school. They have mandatory dorm living for the next few days, and there are other people in the dorm. I might not be able to voice chat with you as often.”

There was a hint of irritation in the man’s tone, but Ji Zhi perked up with delight.

Great news!

He had been worried earlier about what would happen if Fu Huixu moved in and Top Fan No.1 wanted to voice chat. Now it seemed the fan had limitations too.

From the looks of it, the guy was a student as well, which explained the mandatory dorm policy.

Did any other schools besides A University do that?

Ji Zhi hung up the call while lost in thought.

The moment he did, Chen Xingwen immediately apologized again. “I specifically noted no chilies, but the boss still snuck one in. I didn’t notice when I ate it. I really couldn’t help it…”

Ji Zhi had been wearing earphones, so Chen Xingwen hadn’t heard the other end of the conversation. But seeing Ji Zhi’s expression change abruptly, he realized he’d messed up.

Ji Zhi waved it off. “It’s fine. It’s handled for now.”

Chen Xingwen let out a relieved breath. “Good.”

Though he had no interest in Ji Zhi’s live streams, living together meant he knew a bit about Ji Zhi’s troubles. He offered some comfort. “Just hang in there a little longer. Isn’t your contract up in a few months?”

Ji Zhi nodded.

He had tried distancing himself from the fan before, but the man had noticed and grown more obsessive in his messages and voice chats, even hounding him in the live stream chat. So Ji Zhi figured he’d cut ties completely after the streaming ended.

He rarely shared real-life details anyway, and his stream background was always a virtual one. Without the streams or WeChat, the guy would have a hard time tracking him down.

Ji Zhi glanced at the time and saw it was time for Chen Xingwen’s club activities.

Chen Xingwen had joined the anime club and was now the vice president, often organizing events.

At the reminder, Chen Xingwen jumped up in a hurry. After reluctantly bidding farewell to the AC, he gathered the takeout trash they’d generated and left.

Not long after Chen Xingwen departed, Ji Zhi heard the door lock turning.

His heart tightened. He already knew who was on the other side.

At this hour, Chen Xingwen was in a meeting, and Ji Zhi had given the spare key to Fu Huixu’s housekeeper, who must have handed it over by now.

Ji Zhi hopped off the bed and headed to the door, hoping to make a good first impression on his new roommate.

Sure enough, as the door swung open, a familiar face appeared before him.

It was late, and the hallway lights were on.

The lighting sharpened Fu Huixu’s features even more. The shadow from his brow bone made his dark eyes seem unfathomably deep. His straight nose divided his already sharp profile into stark contrasts of light and shadow, exuding an oppressive intensity.

He was tall—something Ji Zhi hadn’t paid much attention to before. Now he realized Fu Huixu towered over him by half a head. The man’s indifferent gaze swept over the dorm, taking in the space as if Ji Zhi weren’t even there.

Ji Zhi spoke first. “Hey, classmate. I’m Ji Zhi.”

As the words left his mouth, he clearly sensed Fu Huixu pause, then turn to look at him.

Since Ji Zhi was shorter, Fu Huixu had to lower his gaze slightly. That faint mole at the corner of his eye became the sole flaw—a thin crack in an ice-covered lake, rippling with subtle danger.

Feeling the weight of that indifferent stare, Ji Zhi sensed some pressure.

Fortunately, Fu Huixu spoke soon after. “I’m Fu Huixu.”

His voice was a low, magnetic drawl, calm on the surface but hinting at undercurrents—like a lake still above but churning below.

Beyond admiring how good it sounded, Ji Zhi felt a nagging sense of familiarity, as if he’d heard it somewhere before.

Especially that cold tone… it was too much like…

Top Fan No.1.

The thought popped into his head, reminding him of the chill in the fan’s earlier words.

But Ji Zhi dismissed it just as quickly.

Coincidences like that aside—even if Fu Huixu was his roommate—the man’s aloofness was obvious to everyone. Ji Zhi couldn’t picture him cooing “Baby” at another guy.

The familiarity must come from overhearing him at a school event or public class.

After the brief greeting, Ji Zhi kept smiling. “I’ve been living here a while, so I’m pretty familiar with everything. Feel free to ask me if you need anything.”

Fu Huixu didn’t respond. Instead, he said coolly, “I’ll be staying here for a while.”

“I don’t like noise, and I don’t like us being too close. Keep your distance.”

Ji Zhi instinctively took a step back.

He had expected the coldness, but the blunt words still stunned him. His mind went blank, and the words he’d prepared died in his throat.

An awkward silence settled in, so thick it felt like the air had stopped moving.

When Ji Zhi snapped out of it, Fu Huixu was already heading toward his luggage.

The silence didn’t faze the man at all, leaving Ji Zhi to stew in embarrassment alone.

Fortunately, Ji Zhi recovered quickly. He’d dealt with plenty of trolls back when he started streaming.

Unsure what to say, he simply climbed back into bed and pulled out his phone to distract himself.

He switched to WeChat and saw a message from Chen Xingwen.

【Chen Xingwen: I figured out what Fu Huixu likes.】

The message came too late. Ji Zhi had been curious earlier about how to bond with him, but now he just wanted to stay as far away as possible.

【Chen Xingwen: One of the new members in our club was Fu Huixu’s high school classmate. Says he likes quiet.】

Ji Zhi sent a question mark.

【Ji Zhi: So the best gift I could give Fu Huixu is a bottle of mute potion for myself?】

【Chen Xingwen: Heh heh heh】

Thinking back to Fu Huixu’s words, Ji Zhi realized the intel was legit—no joke.

Then something occurred to him. 【By the way, Fu Huixu just showed up at the dorm.】

【Chen Xingwen: AC TAT, AC TAT】

Ji Zhi forwarded Fu Huixu’s exact words to Chen Xingwen. Though Chen hadn’t interacted with him directly, he’d heard the rumors and offered reassurance that it was normal for Fu Huixu.

He also warned Ji Zhi not to clash with him. According to the latest scoop, back in high school, someone had deliberately provoked Fu Huixu and brought in some street thugs to corner him. In the end, those guys ended up hurt the worst. They turned pale at the mere mention of him and transferred schools overnight.

【Ji Zhi: His voice sounds really familiar. Like that Top Fan No.1 I mentioned to you before.】

【Chen Xingwen: ???】

【Chen Xingwen: No way. Leaving everything else aside, your Top Fan No.1 is gay, right? Fu Huixu isn’t. Tons of guys and girls have chased him, and he’s turned them all down. No way he’s gay.】

Ji Zhi had thought it was a stretch too, and Chen Xingwen’s words made his earlier suspicion seem even more ridiculous.

【Ji Zhi: Yeah, I think I was overthinking it. That close call earlier spooked me into seeing gays everywhere.】

【Chen Xingwen: Totally. You’re seeing gays in everyone these days. But I’m straight.】

【Ji Zhi: Me too.】

【Chen Xingwen: No worries. The AC keeps you comfortable—it won’t let you fade away tragically. And it looks like Fu Huixu won’t be sticking around the dorm long. Maybe skip streaming for now till he leaves?】

Ji Zhi reconsidered the issue.

Live streaming would definitely be noisy, and it could lead to conflict.

By the time he and Chen Xingwen finished their bro chat, Ji Zhi looked up to see Fu Huixu had gone into the bathroom.

But instead of running water, a lowered voice came from inside.

Fu Huixu was on the phone.

Ji Zhi wasn’t in the habit of eavesdropping, so he paid it no mind and kept scrolling on his phone.

In the bathroom, Fu Huixu was speaking with his housekeeper on the phone.

A few minutes earlier, he’d gotten a call from the man.

After dropping off the luggage and handing over the key, the housekeeper had left ahead of time.

Fu Huixu knew the housekeeper understood his temperament well and wouldn’t call unless it was important, so he picked up promptly.

Sure enough, once connected, the housekeeper reported something crucial.

Housekeeper: “The collar you had your eye on—one of them has been bought by someone else. We don’t have the buyer’s info yet.”

“The designer says all his pieces are one-of-a-kind. Even when I offered to pay more for a duplicate, he refused and recommended a few alternatives instead.”

Fu Huixu frowned. “Send them over first.”