Chapter 16: Caramel Pudding
Does CX330 have a bit of a crush on him?
Xie Yang was startled by his own thought.
How could he suddenly think that?
It was just adding a WeChat friend. How could CX330 like him?
Besides, the reason CX330 added him should be that they had agreed to play games together every night at 8 PM, and he had been AFK after logging in.
Previously, when they chatted in the game, Xie Yang usually replied instantly.
He had never tried staying logged in without saying anything or responding to messages before.
When he logged into the game earlier, he saw that CX330 had sent him many messages. So, CX330 probably asked for his contact information because he couldn’t reach him.
After all, besides chatting in the game, they had no other means of communication.
Despite knowing each other for so long, they hadn’t even added each other on WeChat.
Every day, they chatted while playing games. Occasionally, CX330 would use voice chat to teach him how to play, and their conversations mostly revolved around the game.
They rarely asked each other about their personal lives.
It was like they were intentionally avoiding those topics, respecting each other’s privacy.
Given this situation, how could they possibly develop any other kind of relationship?
CX330 didn’t seem like someone who would engage in an online romance.
On the contrary, Xie Yang had unknowingly developed a lot of affection for CX330.
He couldn’t remember when it started, but Xie Yang had gotten used to logging into the game every night at 8 PM, waiting for CX330 to come online.
Playing duo queue had become the highlight of his day.
His Moments on his secondary WeChat account were filled with memories of playing duo queue with CX330.
He wondered what CX330 thought when he saw those posts.
Did he feel happy or disgusted?
A normal person would probably feel disgusted.
Xie Yang hadn’t done anything explicitly, yet the other person might see it as ambiguous.
Xie Yang felt very melancholic. It seemed he had indeed transferred his feelings for Qi Xu onto someone else.
As Su Huai had said, he might have fallen into an online romance.
Did CX330 see the message he sent in the game chat explaining that he wasn’t a girl?
Did CX330 still think he was a girl?
If he knew Xie Yang was a boy, would he feel betrayed?
Would he get angry and delete him as a game friend, or block him on WeChat?
Sighing, Xie Yang realized he didn’t know how to handle these situations.
He should probably just come clean and deal with it directly.
Should he confess his feelings to CX330?
Feeling conflicted, Xie Yang put down his phone. Although he didn’t have early classes today, he needed to get up to take his medicine, so he couldn’t stay in bed.
His roommates were still asleep, so he quietly got up to wash, dressed warmly, and went to the school cafeteria for breakfast, buying an extra portion for a friend.
The biting cold wind made Xie Yang shrink his neck into his coat.
City S had officially entered winter.
The temperature was gradually dropping, getting colder each day.
The weather looked terrible, as if it could rain at any moment.
Seeing other students hurrying along the way, Xie Yang quickened his pace as well.
His phone kept vibrating in his pocket. He stopped to check the caller ID, hesitated for a few seconds, then cleared his throat before answering.
“Mom.”
Hearing his voice, Rong Man immediately sensed something was wrong. “Yang Yang, are you sick?”
Xie Yang’s throat was still a bit sore, his voice raspy and deep.
“Yeah, just a minor cold, nothing serious.”
He habitually chose to downplay his illness.
Rong Man said, “You need to take some cold medicine to get better quickly. Does the school have some medicine? Is there a school doctor? Do you need me to bring you some medicine?”
Xie Yang quickly replied, “No need, Mom. I saw the school doctor and got a two-day prescription.”
Rong Man: “That’s good. The weather is getting colder quickly, so wear more clothes to stay warm. By the way, I called to ask if you have enough blankets and winter clothes. I want to buy you some warmer clothes. Do you want to come home to get them, or should I bring them to you? Or I could mail them.”
Xie Yang: “I have enough clothes, Mom. You don’t need to worry, and there’s no need to buy more.”
Rong Man: “You stubborn child. How about coming home for dinner this Saturday? Xiao Hang is craving hotpot, so I’m planning to buy a lot of ingredients. Is there anything specific you’d like to eat?”
Xie Yang instinctively wanted to refuse. He didn’t want to go to his mother’s house anymore.
As an outsider, he didn’t feel the need to force himself into their family of three.
Xie Yang: “I have plans with classmates on Saturday.”
Rong Man didn’t think much of it. “How about next Saturday then?”
Xie Yang remained silent, unsure of how to refuse again.
His silence made Rong Man finally understand his meaning.
Recalling their last unhappy encounter, Rong Man opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to explain.
After a moment of silence, Rong Man spoke first: “Take care of yourself, and don’t stress too much with your studies.”
Xie Yang: “I know. I have to go now, I have class soon.”
Rong Man: “Alright, I won’t bother you any longer.”
After hanging up, Xie Yang sighed in relief.
He wasn’t used to his mother’s sudden concern. Perhaps a long time ago, he would have longed for this call.
But now, he preferred to keep minimal contact with his parents.
They didn’t need to care for or greet each other.
Xie Yang didn’t really like his half-brother. His arrival made Xie Yang feel even less significant in his mother’s eyes.
In unseen corners, his relationship with his stepfather was far from friendly.
However, they both covered it up well enough not to raise Rong Man’s suspicions.
Children are innocent, but people are not saints.
He couldn’t bring himself to view Xiao Hang as his brother without any reservations.
He only hoped that soon, he would have the courage to lay everything out in the open.
To tear off the fake mask they all tried so hard to maintain.
The oppressive clouds in the sky mirrored his current mood.
It was terrible.
Xie Yang had to hurry to the school cafeteria, buy various breakfast items, and rush back to the dorm.
Raindrops fell on Xie Yang’s face, and he didn’t dare linger, fearing it would worsen his condition.
He wore an oversized hoodie, pulled up the hood, and completely covered himself.
At the entrance to the dorm, he bumped into Qi Xu.
Qi Xu gave him a slightly surprised glance before turning and stepping into the elevator.
Qi Xu kept his head down, staring at his phone, as if waiting for a message.
In the past, Xie Yang would have overthought the situation and let his gaze linger on Qi Xu.
But now, with his hands full of food containers, he couldn’t check his phone to see what messages CX330 had sent. He had to rush back to the dorm to free his hands and check.
When Xie Yang opened the door, he bumped into Su Huai, who was just about to leave.
“Hey, Xie Yang, you’re back. I saw it was raining and was about to go out to get you.”
“Did you get wet? You’re still not fully recovered, what if you catch a chill…?”
“Come in and have a cup of ginger tea to warm up!”
Su Huai took the food containers from his hands as he spoke.
Listening to Su Huai’s nagging made Xie Yang feel warm inside.
Xie Yang changed his clothes and used a hairdryer to dry his damp hair.
His phone chimed again with a WeChat notification.
Xie Yang quickly checked his phone.
CX330: Are you awake?
Ten minutes later, seeing no reply, another message arrived.
CX330: Have you had breakfast?
At that time, Xie Yang was still packing breakfast and couldn’t check his phone.
CX330: Little support.
Xie Yang hurriedly replied: I’m here. I was buying breakfast, so I didn’t reply right away.
Caramel Pudding: Sorry.
CX330: Why are you apologizing?
CX330: You’re so obedient.
Seeing those words, a wave of embarrassment washed over Xie Yang, making his face flush and his ears turn red.
Caramel Pudding: I’m eating breakfast now.
CX330: What are you eating? Send me a picture.
The request was a bit sudden, but Xie Yang could never refuse others, especially over something so small.
He obediently took a picture of the porridge he had packed and sent it.
One corner of the photo also showed the ginger slices Xie Yang had picked out.
After adding the little support on WeChat, Qi Xu meticulously went through his Moments.
The little support’s life was simple: studying, part-time work, and gaming.
Sometimes, he would post snippets of his daily life.
Everything matched Qi Xu’s image of the obedient little support.
So obedient it made Qi Xu feel a pang of heartache.
He really wanted to take care of him.
He wondered if he would get the chance.
The desire to share is the first step toward deepening a relationship.
Xie Yang didn’t understand this.
But Qi Xu understood it better.
In the following days, Qi Xu often coaxed Xie Yang into sharing snippets of his life, sending various photos of his daily activities.
When they weren’t gaming, they chatted on WeChat.
They talked more about their lives than about the game.
Caramel Pudding: The roasted sweet potatoes sold by the old lady near the school smell so good, but they are so expensive QAQ.
CX330: [Transfer] Please accept.
Xie Yang was dumbfounded when he saw that CX330 had transferred him 520 yuan.
He returned the transfer.
Caramel Pudding: Confused soybean.jpg
CX330: Have you heard of eating on behalf of someone? I want to eat it but don’t want to move. You buy it and eat it for me, so it’s like I ate it.
Caramel Pudding: ???
Can you even do that?
CX330: Will you take the job?
Caramel Pudding: No, QAQ.
Caramel Pudding: I bought a small one.
Xie Yang peeled the skin off the roasted sweet potato and took a picture, sending it to CX330.
Caramel Pudding: Let you have the first bite!
CX330: So sweet.
Xie Yang looked at those two words, bit his lower lip, and blushed.
Given how CX330 had been teasing him lately, those words probably weren’t describing the sweet potato but rather…
Xie Yang didn’t know how to respond, so he decided to play dead and not reply.
This was a skill he had recently learned.
CX330 sent another message.
CX330: What are you having for dinner?
Xie Yang: I’ll just have some instant noodles later.
The sweet potato was quite filling, so Xie Yang wasn’t hungry yet.
Besides, he had some instant noodles he ordered online, and now he could try the new flavor.
It was also because he needed to go downstairs to pick up the package that he ended up buying the sweet potato.
Qi Xu frowned when he heard about the instant noodles.
Since he had known the little support, he often coaxed him into sending daily photos, and instant noodles appeared the most frequently.
From what he remembered, Xie Yang hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time.
He ate very little, with an appetite like that of the cat he raised.
His cat was picky and wouldn’t eat properly, but the little support wasn’t picky.
Qi Xu had wanted to ask for his address more than once to send him takeout.
Xie Yang carried his package back to the dorm.
Recently, S City had been experiencing continuous rainy weather. In just the short time he was outside, it started raining again.
Xie Yang ran back to the dorm in a sorry state.
His phone chimed a few times; it was messages from CX330.
Since he only had CX330 as a friend on this account, it couldn’t be anyone else.
CX330: Little support.
CX330: It’s raining in my city.
CX330: How about yours?