It was almost time for dinner, and Chi Dongting didn’t want to order takeout alone, so he followed Ye Wenyu with a pitiful expression, asking him where he was going to eat and if he could come with him.
Ye Wenyu couldn’t stand others begging him like that, and quickly gave in and agreed.
Then he thought, having more people could make it feel like a group dinner, so he told Yan Chen that his roommate was coming too, and casually asked if he wanted to bring his own roommates along.
Just like that, a dinner meant for two naturally turned into a dormitory group dinner.
Ye Wenyu had made the reservation in advance. The restaurant didn’t have private rooms, but it also wasn’t an open hall. Each space was separated by carved partitions into various-sized compartments. The five of them sat perfectly around a small table.
Neither of the two main characters liked to talk, but fortunately, the ones tagging along for a free meal had self-awareness.
Classmate Xiao Chi was a level ten social butterfly, Classmate Xiao Dong was a level ten social king, and Classmate Xiao Yang was a level ten good conversationalist. Before all the dishes were even served, the three of them had already become sworn brothers.
When the waiter brought out the crabs, Dong Xi picked one up and began untying the string while asking Chi Dongting, “So it’s just you and Wenyu in your dorm?”
Chi Dongting: “Sort of. The other two moved out to live with their girlfriends. They only come back occasionally.”
Yang Liang: “Wow, doesn’t that mean you two basically have a double suite? That’s proper postgraduate treatment!”
“It’s alright,” Chi Dongting sighed. “It’s quiet, yes, but really boring too. Wenyu doesn’t like to talk…”
The empty bowl in front of Ye Wenyu was suddenly replaced. The new bowl was filled with shelled crab meat, which was red and white and looked especially appetizing.
He was stunned and turned to look at Yan Chen, who was sitting beside him.
The latter was already peeling another crab. His movements were skillful, unhurried yet smooth. The discarded shells were tossed into a dish, while the clean, neat crab meat quickly formed a thin layer in the bowl.
‘So skilled,’ he thought. ‘All-rounder Yan Chen really lived up to his reputation.’
He picked up his chopsticks and slowly chewed the crab meat. When he saw Yan Chen about to give him the freshly shelled portion again, he quickly declined in a low voice, “No need, you eat. I can do it myself.”
Yan Chen: “These crab shells are hard and have barbs.”
Ye Wenyu didn’t understand why he said that. “I know.”
Yan Chen pushed the crab meat in front of Ye Wenyu and said in a light tone. “It’s easy to hurt your hand.”
Ye Wenyu understood what he meant and couldn’t help looking at him. “But your hand can get hurt easily too.”
“It’s fine,” Yan Chen said. “I have thick skin. It won’t get hurt.”
He was really good at taking care of others.
Ye Wenyu couldn’t help thinking of the time they went to his house and he refused to let him wash the dishes with the excuse that dish soap would hurt his hands. Adding that to this moment, he couldn’t help but ask, “Have you been in a relationship before?”
Yan Chen’s hands paused slightly and he looked up. “Why do you ask?”
Ye Wenyu had met the girlfriends of his other two roommates and had eaten with them too. In his view, Yan Chen’s behavior was very similar to how his roommates treated their girlfriends, maybe even more attentive.
He originally wanted to say outright that his roommates acted the same way with their girlfriends, but the words felt a bit off when they reached his mouth, so he rephrased, “You’re really attentive, and very patient. Among the guys I’ve seen, only those who have been in a relationship are like this.”
Yan Chen listened quietly, then lowered his eyes. “I’ve never been in one.”
Ye Wenyu nodded in understanding, and said sincerely. “Your future girlfriend will definitely be taken care of really well.”
To be able to reach this level without “training” meant that if someone like him actually dated, they’d definitely spoil the other person to the heavens.
Yan Chen gave a casual “mm” in response. When the waiter brought more dishes, he subtly moved all the less spicy ones closer to Ye Wenyu.
Chi Dongting was already talking about how he might have to move out of the dorm soon.
Chi Dongting: “My dad’s been really busy with work lately and is always on business trips. My mom’s bored and wants to come stay with me and have me take her around to play.”
Dong Xi: “So you’re going to rent a place off campus?”
“No.” Chi Dongting bit into a cream pineapple bun. “My mom bought me a small place near campus a while ago. The renovations have just ended, so it’s perfect timing to move in.”
Yang Liang clicked his tongue. “Awesome. Buying a place next to the university just like that.”
Chi Dongting waved his hand. “Nah, it’s really small, just enough for two people. Besides, it’s considered an investment. The resale value won’t drop, so it doesn’t really count as spending money.”
“It’s still amazing. Anyway, I can’t afford it,” Yang Liang said. “But if you move out, doesn’t that mean Wenyu will be the only one left in the dorm?”
When it came to this point, Chi Dongting immediately frowned. “Exactly! That’s why I’ve been trying to tell my mom not to rush over yet, let’s wait a bit.”
Ye Wenyu had only heard the first part from Chi Dongting and hadn’t expected he was part of the consideration. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Chi Dongting: “How is it fine? I already feel like the dorm is a bit too empty with just two people. Wouldn’t you be even more bored alone? I can’t leave you behind!”
Dong Xi suddenly thought of something and sighed. “If only Wenyu could come live in our dorm.”
Yang Liang added, “Exactly, now the bed space is taken up by some trash. I’m not exaggerating when I say I really get annoyed just seeing his pillow and blanket.”
Chi Dongting smelled the scent of melons from those two sentences and perked up. “Come on, tell me, tell me! Can you share?”
Yang Liang: “Of course I can. Why not?”
And so, over the course of one meal, the story unfolded…from how Liu Bingran grew jealous and turned against Yan Chen, to how Zhen Lin persistently chased after him, and finally, how the two of them dramatically got together.
The two “victims” told the story with such vivid emotions that it was a real rollercoaster ride, captivating everyone.
Chi Dongting listened with great interest, but Ye Wenyu furrowed his brows the moment he heard that Yan Chen had been stalked and secretly photographed by Zhen Lin, who even blocked him in public multiple times to confess to him.
That kind of obsessive pursuit was different from the usual ones he’d heard of. Just imagining it made his scalp tingle.
Fortunately, that guy had shifted his target now and let Yan Chen go.
Near the end of the meal, Yan Chen got up to take a phone call.
Chi Dongting went to the fruit section to get a cantaloupe. Ye Wenyu asked Dong Xi and Yang Liang worriedly, “Zhen Lin didn’t do anything to hurt Yan Chen, did he?”
“No, not really,” Dong Xi said. “Honestly, the main issue is that he’s just annoying. If you’re talking about harm, emotionally it’s impossible…after all, Yan-ge doesn’t like him. As for physically, that’s even more unlikely. Yan-ge has an aversion to physical contact so he won’t even let others touch him.”
Ye Wenyu: “An aversion to physical contact?”
“Yeah, so even though Zhen Lin’s been pestering him for so long, he’s never managed to touch Yan-ge even once,” Dong Xi said. Then he asked, “But Wenyu, you’ve been with Yan-ge for a while now, and you didn’t notice?”
Ye Wenyu shook his head blankly. Not at all.
Dong Xi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
Yang Liang reached out with his chopsticks to get some food. “Of course Wenyu wouldn’t have noticed. I already told you, when they first met with Yan-ge they just….hey? Weren’t you getting fruit? Why are you carrying so many desserts?”
The passerby he questioned looked completely confused. “Huh?”
Dong Xi immediately apologized and said he had mistaken him for someone else. At the same time, he calmly grabbed Yang Liang’s arm. “That’s not Xiao Chi. The guy just happened to be wearing a blue jacket too and happened to walk by.”
Yang Liang: “Oh.”
Chi Dongting, who had been walking behind the passerby: “?”
Chi Dongting: “No way, buddy. You can even mistake people like that? What are your eyes even doing?”
At that moment, Ye Wenyu’s head was still full of what Dong Xi had said about Yan Chen’s aversion to physical contact, and he didn’t pay attention to what the others were saying.
The seat next to him had been empty for a while now, and Yan Chen hadn’t returned since making the call.
Ye Wenyu couldn’t sit still any longer and simply stood up. “I’m going out for a bit.”
It was peak dining time, and every small compartment was packed. Waiters in matching aprons came and went constantly, each one moving with the kind of rushed urgency that wouldn’t allow a pause.
Ye Wenyu found Yan Chen in front of the emergency exit.
The narrow corridor was empty and unlit. Only half of the outside light made its way in. Yan Chen leaned against the window, holding his phone but doing nothing with it. It was unclear whether he was thinking about something or just zoning out.
Ye Wenyu paused for two seconds before stepping forward.
Yan Chen heard footsteps and turned to see it was him. “Why did you come out?”
“I came out to wash my hands.” Ye Wenyu stopped beside him and asked, “Why didn’t you go back in after finishing the call?”
Yan Chen squinted his eyes and looked toward the outside. “It’s too stuffy inside. I wanted to get some more air.”
That was what he said, but Ye Wenyu could clearly feel that his mood had changed from before.
The window was half open, and the sound of car horns from far away reached them faintly.
Ye Wenyu stood with him for a while before asking softly, “Did something happen?”
“Nothing much, just that my family wants me to go back when I have time.”
Yan Chen brushed over it quickly, then asked Ye Wenyu instead, “This place is quite far from school. Why did you guys choose to eat here?”
“A classmate who came here before said the food is really good,” Ye Wenyu said. “And it’s also very lively.”
Yan Chen tilted his head slightly. “Lively?”
Ye Wenyu nodded. “You said you like lively places, so I thought you might like it here.”
Yan Chen was a bit surprised he still remembered. “I thought you wouldn’t believe me.”
Ye Wenyu looked puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I believe you?”
He said it so naturally that it left Yan Chen silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
He tried to digest some complex emotions in silence, but they swelled into a mass in his chest, soft yet stubborn, neither dispersing nor melting away.
The boy standing in front of him was clean and pure, like a cluster of tender bamboo that had sprouted after a heavy rain. His clear, direct gaze was so transparent it felt like one could see right through it.
Yan Chen’s fingers twitched unconsciously. He suddenly really wanted to hug him.
After a long while, Yan Chen closed his eyes and then opened them again, his tone back to being relaxed. “Are you still curious why I know how to do so many things?”
Ye Wenyu nodded honestly.
“Because I had too much free time growing up. With nothing to play with and no one to play with me, I had to find ways to kill time.”
He brought up the topic casually and spoke just as casually, as if those long years were just a few days of a child’s games.
“I started school late. Before that, it was all private tutors coming to teach at home. There were no adults around. As soon as class ended, the tutor would leave immediately. I was left alone with nothing to do, in a big empty house where I couldn’t hear anyone or see anyone and I could only space out to pass the time.”
“Eventually, I got so bored I started signing up for all sorts of classes. It was still the one-on-one tutoring style, but at least it filled up my time.”
“When I got a bit older, I finally started attending school. But I was late, so I didn’t fit in with anyone. I didn’t know how to get along with them, didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what I was supposed to express. In the end, I just didn’t bother saying anything at all.”
“But compared to home, I still preferred being at school. Being around people, being in a place with more sound and activity…it made me feel less bored.”
As for why he chose a major in sports, the reason was simple. He liked the feeling of releasing all his energy completely. Only when sprinting with everything he had did he truly feel that the exhilarating freedom he craved really existed.
He spoke lightly and glossed over a lot, but Ye Wenyu could still clearly sense how deeply those seemingly insignificant things had affected him.
Not just because of what he said.
But also because of the posts on his Moments that had only photos and no captions; the cold and sparse furnishings at home; his taciturn and shy personality; and because he had once told him personally that he liked lively places.
He couldn’t imagine what it felt like for a small child to be trapped in an empty house all day, with nothing to do, just staring out the window from morning to night.
His chest felt tight all of a sudden.
He pressed his lips together, and after a long time, asked clumsily, “So that magic trick…did you specifically take a class to learn that too?”
Yan Chen couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “That was something my French tutor randomly taught me during a class.”
Ye Wenyu: “He only taught you that one trick?”
Yan Chen: “He only gave me two lessons in total.”
Ye Wenyu: “Why?”
Yan Chen: “Because my parents saw through the surveillance that he was doing things unrelated to teaching during class time. He was fired that very night.”
Ye Wenyu: “…”
A suffocating sense of being trapped in a cage washed over him, and Ye Wenyu fell silent again.
Yan Chen: “Don’t make that face, it’s not a big deal.”
Ye Wenyu pursed his lips, unsure what to say.
He felt that Yan Chen probably wouldn’t need any comfort over such a thing. He was just about to suggest going back when his foot stepped on something. Looking down, he saw several cigarette butts.
He immediately looked up at Yan Chen.
Yan Chen: “…It wasn’t me.”
Ye Wenyu said seriously, “Smoking really harms the body. Even if you’re in a bad mood, you should still smoke less.”
Yan Chen sounded helpless: “It really wasn’t me. You can smell me if you don’t believe it.”
He had meant for Ye Wenyu to smell his clothes or his hands to see if there was any smoke, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Wenyu leaned on the window sill and brought his nose close to the corner of his mouth, carefully sniffing.
The distance instantly closed to just centimeters. Feeling the warm breath gently spraying on his lips, Yan Chen looked at the boy right in front of him and his eyes darkened.
Ye Wenyu didn’t notice anything unusual.
After confirming there was no smell of smoke, he was about to pull back when a hand suddenly reached around from the side and pressed firmly against the back of his neck, stopping him from retreating.
He looked up at Yan Chen in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
The latter closed his eyes, hiding all the complex emotions, and lightly squeezed the back of his neck. “I got dust in my eye.”
‘Dust in the eye?’
Ye Wenyu didn’t doubt him and asked hurriedly, “Which eye?”
Yan Chen: “Right one.”
Ye Wenyu immediately raised his hands to his face, carefully opened his right eyelid with both thumbs, then leaned in and gently blew twice. “How about now? Can you open it?”
Yan Chen’s fingertips rested against the spine at the back of his neck. “No.”
Ye Wenyu searched carefully for a while but couldn’t find any foreign object, so he could only blow again a few more times. “Try opening it now, is it okay?”
Yan Chen slowly opened his eyes and took in the entire face of the boy in front of him.
“It’s fine now,” he said, but his hand still didn’t let go.
Meeting Yan Chen’s gaze, Ye Wenyu only then became aware of the warmth beneath his palm and the distinct touch at his neck suddenly became more prominent.
He finally remembered why he had come out looking for him in the first place.
“I heard from Dong Xi that you have an aversion to physical touch, and you don’t like people touching you.”
His eyes became evasive and he pulled his hand back uncomfortably, asking for confirmation, “Is that true?”
Yan Chen didn’t deny it. “Yeah.”
Ye Wenyu’s heart tightened, and he began to quickly recall how many times he had touched Yan Chen since they met, and what expression Yan Chen had each time…was there resistance or patience he hadn’t noticed?
No wonder the other day when he’d asked Yan Chen in a roundabout way, Yan Chen had responded by asking whether he only needed to look and not touch.
It turned out he didn’t like being touched.
But he’d already touched him so many times without knowing, even helped him bathe…did Yan Chen already feel annoyed with him but just didn’t say anything out of politeness?
In that case, would Yan Chen still want to be friends with him?
Even if they became friends, would Yan Chen accept his requests?
What if he brought it up and Yan Chen immediately turned against him?
What if…
“What are you daydreaming about?”
Suddenly, his earlobe was gently pinched, and Ye Wenyu’s train of thought broke. The nervousness in his brows faded into confusion.
“I was wondering if you’d get annoyed with me,” he answered reflexively.
Yan Chen: “Why would I?”
Ye Wenyu snapped back to his senses, but unfortunately, there was no way to take back what he’d said, so he could only admit honestly, “I didn’t know you disliked being touched. But I’ve touched you so many times… I’m sorry.”
“Wenyu,” Yan Chen looked at him, “do you know what touch aversion really is?”
Ye Wenyu answered guiltily, “Yeah, I do.”
Yan Chen: “Then you should also know that physical contact is contact, whether it’s active or passive.”
Ye Wenyu was stunned, not quite sure what he meant. “You mean…”
“Wenyu, I’m probably not as polite as you think I am. If I didn’t want it, there wouldn’t be ‘so many times’ like you said.”
Yan Chen’s tone was slow and calm, and each word was clear, “I do have a serious aversion to physical contact. I can’t stand people touching me, and I definitely wouldn’t take the initiative to touch anyone.”
“But Wenyu, you’re the exception. I don’t mind any kind of contact with you. What others can’t do, you can.”
“Wenyu, you can touch me however you want. No matter who I get annoyed with, it’ll never be you.”
