Chapter 55: Soft and Fluffy Again
The spring rain drizzled down gently as March arrived as scheduled.
The roads, refreshed by the rain, looked completely renewed, with moist mist lingering in the air.
A cool breeze followed the rain, bringing a chill. Xie Yang wore an oversized hoodie, sitting on a suitcase while Qi Xu pushed him along.
Their journey back to the dormitory attracted the attention of many students.
Xie Yang, belatedly aware, quietly pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head, covering his face.
But it seemed futile, as Qi Xu had such an ostentatious face.
He wondered if it was just his imagination, but moments ago, he thought he heard the click of a camera shutter.
He hoped whoever was trying to photograph Qi Xu remembered to crop out or blur him accidentally appearing in the shot.
But these were just his psychological comforts.
In reality, without surprise, he and Qi Xu would likely appear on the forum’s front page again tonight, becoming the topic of discussion among their classmates.
At this moment, Xie Yang earnestly hoped that sophomore year would arrive sooner, so these onlookers could shift their focus to the incoming freshmen.
Having been away for two months, the dorm had accumulated quite a bit of dust. Just as he opened the door, dust billowed out and nearly choked him.
Qi Xu quickly grabbed his waist and pulled him back, closing the door again.
Xie Yang coughed uncomfortably a few times; he hadn’t expected so much dust.
Qi Xu fetched a bottle of milk from the suitcase for him and settled him back on top.
“Sit for a while. I’ll open the windows and let some air in,” Qi Xu said.
Xie Yang nodded, surprised to find the dorm empty. He hadn’t expected to be the first one back.
He had thought he was already quite late.
When Qi Xu returned and saw Xie Yang sitting on the suitcase, obediently drinking milk while holding the suitcase handle, he teased, “Can I have a sip?”
Xie Yang hesitated and replied, “I’ve already used the straw.”
Qi Xu glanced at the milk stain around his mouth, his eyes darkening slightly, his voice husky, “And then?”
Caught off guard by his gaze, Xie Yang shivered slightly and said, “I’ll get you a new one.”
He was about to get a new bottle of milk from the suitcase for Qi Xu when Qi Xu pinched his cheek and kissed him on the lips.
The sudden kiss disrupted Xie Yang’s thoughts. He closed his eyes and let Qi Xu’s kiss descend upon him.
Until a sudden exclamation from afar snapped him back to reality, and Xie Yang quickly pushed Qi Xu away.
Only then did he realize they were still in the dormitory corridor.
Blushing, he hurriedly got off the suitcase and dashed back into the dormitory.
Qi Xu leisurely dragged the suitcase and followed him into the room, casually closing the dormitory door behind him with a loud “bang.”
Xie Yang jumped in surprise at the sound.
Glancing at Qi Xu, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
There was a faint scent of danger emanating from Qi Xu. Xie Yang quickly fetched a basin of water from the balcony and started tidying up the dorm, wiping down the dusty tables and chairs, trying to please Qi Xu as he said, “It’s all clean now. Why don’t you sit down first? I’ll tidy up the bed.”
“No rush,” Qi Xu replied, sitting on a chair and pulling Xie Yang into his arms with a tug on his arm.
“Ah,” Xie Yang exclaimed in surprise, falling uncontrollably into Qi Xu’s lap.
In the next moment, Qi Xu embraced his waist firmly, imprisoning him in his arms.
Before Xie Yang could say anything, Qi Xu impatiently kissed his lips again. His slightly parted lips offered easy access.
Qi Xu’s warm tongue ventured in, beginning an assault.
Xie Yang was kissed until he was out of breath. Qi Xu finally let him go, licking away the milk stain from his lips bit by bit.
“So sweet,” Qi Xu remarked with a grin.
Xie Yang’s heart raced wildly. Avoiding his gaze, feeling uneasy, he tried to push Qi Xu away.
Qi Xu looked down at him, a lazy smile in his eyes. “I was talking about the milk.”
Xie Yang didn’t believe a word he said.
Qi Xu held him close, seemingly about to kiss him again.
Suddenly, Su Huai and Xia Heng’s voices came from outside, seemingly engaged in conversation.
As their footsteps approached, Xie Yang snapped back to reality, struggling to push out of Qi Xu’s embrace and jumping off his lap, standing beside him, and letting out a shallow breath.
“Weren’t we supposed to have lunch together at noon? What are you…” Su Huai’s voice abruptly cut off.
He thought he was the first to arrive and didn’t expect to see Qi Xu and Xie Yang in the dormitory.
The atmosphere between the two seemed rather strange.
Looking at Xie Yang’s slightly swollen lips, the lingering blush on his face, and his wandering gaze, he appeared shy as if caught in an intimate moment.
Qi Xu, with an indifferent but slightly displeased expression, also noticed.
Suddenly, Su Huai realized: had he and Xia Hang accidentally interrupted something between them?
Su Huai smirked ambiguously.
Xie Yang nervously greeted him.
Xia Heng, standing beside them, glanced at Qi Xu, then at Xie Yang next to him. Suddenly, he recalled the recent gossip buzzing in their circle.
Xia Heng: “Long time no see.”
Qi Xu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Doesn’t seem like it’s been that long.”
Taking advantage of their conversation, Xie Yang and Su Huai slipped out onto the balcony, cleaning up while discussing whether to have dinner together.
Su Huai complained quietly to Xie Yang, “Is Qi Xu always this clingy to you? I’m going crazy. Xia Heng is like a clingy puppy, always wanting me to hang out with him.”
Xia Heng’s possessiveness seemed unusually strong.
He’d say he felt insecure, demand video calls if they didn’t meet, and spent almost every day together over the Spring Festival.
Xie Yang silently wiped the balcony railing, finding Su Huai’s complaints eerily similar to his current situation.
Glancing at the two still chatting inside the dorm, Xie Yang quietly closed the balcony door and whispered, “Yeah, a little.”
Actually, more than just a little.
Qi Xu was incredibly clingy.
He just couldn’t bring himself to tell Su Huai the truth.
But unlike Su Huai, he rather enjoyed being stuck to Qi Xu.
Maybe it was because during his secret crush on Qi Xu, he rarely had the chance to interact with him. Even catching a glimpse from afar was satisfying.
Now that he was with Qi Xu, being stuck to him all day, though uncomfortable at times, was something he liked.
He didn’t have many friends to begin with. When Qi Xu wasn’t around, he’d retreat into his own little world, playing alone.
The world he saw was like shades of black, white, and gray.
But with Qi Xu around, his world became vibrant and colorful.
Although sometimes it felt like a sweet trouble, it was much better than being alone.
Su Huai scrutinized Xie Yang carefully, his gaze lingering on the faint kiss marks on his neck, and chuckled, “Your clothes seem ill-fitted. Is this Qi Xu’s?”
Xie Yang nodded. It had been chilly when he left in the morning, and his own clothes were too thick.
So he rummaged through Qi Xu’s wardrobe, finally finding a slightly undersized shirt. It was loose on him, making him feel like a kid wearing adult clothes.
Su Huai leaned closer, eyes gleaming with curiosity, “Do you two live together? Separate rooms?”
Xie Yang replied dryly, “Yes, I stay in the guest room.”
Sometimes when they stayed up late and Qi Xu was too lazy to tidy up, he’d carry Xie Yang to the guest room to sleep.
How wasn’t that considered living in separate rooms?
Su Huai asked, “Really?”
Xie Yang nodded firmly.
Su Huai: “Alright, how about we have dinner together tonight?”
Xie Yang: “Aren’t you supposed to have dinner with Xia Heng?”
Su Huai grumbled discontentedly, “Who wants to have dinner with that guy?”
After dinner, would he still be able to return to the dorm?
Xia Heng had just tried to coax him back home. If Xie Yang hadn’t been so resolute, he might have fallen for some handsome guy scheme.
Su Huai: “We have early classes tomorrow, and I don’t want to struggle to get up.”
With that, Su Huai gave him a meaningful look: you know what I mean.
Xie Yang: “…”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to understand, but Su Huai did have a point.
Although Qi Xu agreed for him to return to the dorm tonight, he hadn’t agreed for him to stay there for the night. It seemed like Qi Xu was just helping him move his luggage back to the dorm.
If Qi Xu also planned to take him back to the apartment after dinner, he probably wouldn’t be able to wake up in time for class tomorrow.
Thinking quickly, he nodded, “Sure, let’s have dinner together tonight. It’s been a while since we’ve eaten together.”
Su Huai glanced at him teasingly, “Qi Xu agreed to let you come with me for dinner?”
Teased by him, Xie Yang shyly pursed his lips, not directly addressing the question, “It’s cold today, how about hot pot?”
Su Huai smiled, “Sure, should we go to the cafeteria on campus or eat outside?”
Xie Yang: “Either works for me, up to you.”
The two leaned on the balcony railing, their backs to the door, discussing what to eat and chatting happily, unaware that the balcony door behind them had quietly opened.
“Your stomach isn’t good, eat less spicy food.”
Qi Xu suddenly spoke up, startling both of them.
Xie Yang looked up at the man standing beside him and whispered, “When did you arrive?”
Qi Xu: “Just a couple of minutes ago.”
Su Huai glared at Xia Heng standing next to him, embarrassed and angry, “You shameless person, eavesdropping on my conversation with Xiao Xie!”
Xia Heng clicked his tongue and swept Su Huai off his feet.
His long legs hooked the balcony door with a “bang,” closing it and cutting off Xie Yang’s and Qi Xu’s line of sight.
Xie Yang looked bewilderedly at the suddenly closed door, then glanced up at Qi Xu, “What’s going on?”
Seeing his puzzled expression, Qi Xu gently flicked his forehead and chuckled, “They have some private matters to attend to; we shouldn’t disturb them.”
Xie Yang seemed to understand something and his face quickly turned red.
He felt embarrassed for his own awkwardness.
Suddenly, Qi Xu spoke again, “What if Xia Heng and I switch over to your dorm? How would that be?”
Xie Yang was taken aback, quickly interrupting Qi Xu’s idea and looking at him with wide eyes, swallowing nervously, “That wouldn’t be appropriate, would it? Xi Rui and Song Xingyu wouldn’t agree, right?”
Qi Xu: “What objections could those two have?”
Taking a deep breath, Xie Yang advised, “But it wouldn’t be very convenient.”
Qi Xu couldn’t help but chuckle, “I just thought it would be easier to take care of you that way. Where did you think I was going with this?”
Xie Yang: “…”
He was overthinking.
Qi Xu reached out and hugged his waist, looking down from the balcony at the bustling crowd, the bustling traffic, and said, “We still have three years until graduation.”
Xie Yang: “Graduation?”
Qi Xu chuckled softly, “After graduation, we can live together all the time.”
Xie Yang understood the deeper meaning behind his words, blushing like a ripe persimmon, feeling soft and tender.
Qi Xu pinched his cheek, his voice tinged with a hint of coaxing, “So, are you coming home with me tonight?”