SBS chapter 37

Ye Xi stood in front of the box, torn. Bai Yue had exaggerated—every chocolate inside was adorable. None were oddly shaped. They looked like maple leaves, seashells, and little cat paws—so cute that it was hard to bring himself to eat them.

Eventually, he picked up a cat paw and took a bite—orange flavor.

With the chocolate in his mouth, he lifted the curtain and peeked outside. The rain had stopped, but a fine, misty snow was still falling.

He checked his phone. It was 9 PM in Beijing time. Bai Yue’s side should be 11 PM.

Valentine’s Day wasn’t over for either of them.

Ye Xi hesitated for a moment but sent Bai Yue a voice message.

“Bai Yue ge, I got your gift. Thank you—I really like it.”

Bai Yue hadn’t replied to his earlier message that afternoon.

Ye Xi figured maybe he was out at a party with friends. Or maybe he was still writing their report and hadn’t returned to the dorm.

He decided not to bother him.

But just as he had that thought, his phone buzzed.

It was a video call request.

Bai Yue’s name and profile picture flashed across the screen.

Ye Xi nearly fell off the bed.

He scrambled to grab his phone and picked up the call.

Bai Yue appeared on screen.

He did look like he had just gotten back—he had just showered, his hair still wet, droplets sliding down his sharp features. He was wearing only a simple, oversized white T-shirt, which was damp and slightly transparent, hinting at the outline of his chest. He sat by the window, the lake glimmering in the background. In one hand, he held a gray towel, roughly drying his hair.

“I just got back and heard your voice message,” Bai Yue said with a smile. His lips, damp from the bathroom steam, looked especially red, and the water droplets on his face added a sensual touch. “It got there so fast? I thought Zheng Yang would delay it for a few days. Did you eat the chocolate? Was it good?”

Ye Xi didn’t know where to look. He just nodded blindly.

“I ate an orange one,” he said softly. “It was delicious.”

“That’s good.”

Bai Yue sat down and looked at Ye Xi through the camera.

It was summer in Australia—cicadas chirped loudly outside his window. But where Ye Xi was, it was deep winter.

Ye Xi sat on his bed, wearing a plush, oversized two-piece pajama set. The top had a loose silhouette embroidered with blue dandelions. The neckline was wide—if he moved a little, it would slip down, exposing his delicate collarbones.

But Ye Xi didn’t even notice.

And of course, Bai Yue had no intention of kindly pointing it out. A smile flickered in his eyes as he asked, “It’s Valentine’s Day. Did you go out with friends?”

“Mm.”

Ye Xi looked up. “I went out with Li Rui. We spent the afternoon at a café. Then he left to meet someone else, and I went to the bookstore.”

He answered honestly, without embellishment.

“Really?”

Bai Yue blinked, giving nothing away.

He had been enjoying Ye Xi’s nervous expression when his eyes landed on a bouquet of Ecuadorian roses by Ye Xi’s bedside—wrapped in beige paper and soft tulle, overflowing with tenderness and romance.

His smile faded.

Resting his chin on one hand, he asked in an indifferent tone, “What’s the deal with the roses by your bed? Did that Li Rui guy give them to you too?”

He had seen Li Rui at the last school festival, clinging to a tall young man in a gray jacket. Even a blind person could tell they were close—not someone who would be interested in Ye Xi.

So he guessed again, “Or… did someone else send you a Valentine’s gift?”

Ye Xi froze.

He had completely forgotten about the roses—only now remembered them because Bai Yue brought it up.

He looked toward the bed. “Ah, no… those weren’t from Li Rui.”

But he couldn’t quite say the next sentence.

Buying roses for himself… really did seem a bit embarrassing.

Actually, it wasn’t like no one had shown interest in him on Valentine’s Day. That morning alone, he had received several confession texts on his phone—but he had ignored them all.

Ye Xi’s lips moved slightly.

Although the dating coach said it was okay to pretend to have admirers to make your crush feel nervous, he still told the truth.

“That was something I bought myself. I… I passed by a flower shop, and the owner was a really enthusiastic girl. She said she’d give me one for free, but I felt bad accepting it without paying, so I bought a bouquet instead. It’s weird, right?”

He spoke haltingly, turning his face slightly to the side out of embarrassment, which only exposed the fair, fragile line of his neck to Bai Yue.

Bai Yue stared at that snow-white swan neck and at Ye Xi’s slightly shamefaced expression. He could tell that it was the truth.

“Not weird,” he said softly. “Roses aren’t bound by season—if you like them, you can buy them anytime.”

But he still didn’t let Ye Xi off the hook.

He asked again, “So this Valentine’s Day… you only received my gift?”

“That can’t be,” he continued gently, coaxingly, “You’re probably quite popular at school. I’d imagine some girls would want to ask you out on Valentine’s Day, give you gifts and chocolates. Maybe even boys…”

He chuckled lightly, like he was genuinely teasing. “I’ve heard before… wasn’t it two years ago you got cornered outside school by a guy?”

Ye Xi’s ears felt like they were about to catch fire.

He hadn’t expected Bai Yue to know about that.

He had indeed received a confession from a male student outside the school. The guy had stammered out an explanation—he’d seen Ye Xi cosplaying at a comic con and had fallen for him at first sight. He’d asked around for ages to find out which school Ye Xi attended. Even though Ye Xi was a boy, he didn’t care—he was willing to bend his orientation for him.

But staring at the guy’s face, Ye Xi couldn’t even remember what he looked like anymore.

Nothing ever came of it, of course. But since it happened just outside the back gate—and involved two boys—it spread like wildfire. Ye Xi, already somewhat known for his looks, became a hot topic. The gossip got so bad it started to bother him.

What he hadn’t expected was that even Bai Yue, a year above him, had heard about it.

A faint, defeated expression crept across Ye Xi’s face.

Just die. Don’t bring this up.

“It was just…” Ye Xi didn’t know how to describe it. But he was also faintly annoyed, because Bai Yue’s light teasing tone made it feel like he was an older brother teasing his younger sibling. He muttered, “It was just an accident. I rejected him a long time ago. It’s not like no one asked me out on Valentine’s Day, but I turned them all down.”

“I see,” Bai Yue’s smile deepened slightly, but he still deliberately asked, “Then why didn’t you accept any of them? Was it because you didn’t like them? But if you never date in high school, won’t you regret it later?”

He expected Ye Xi to deny it.

Of course. He had stayed close to Ye Xi for so long, watching him quietly from the building opposite the school, seeing him sunbathe in the corridor, drink milk, even get punished to stand in the hallway. He knew how empty Ye Xi’s love life was.

But Ye Xi pressed his lips together.

He looked at Bai Yue. He didn’t need to ask to know that countless people must have confessed to him on Valentine’s Day. Back in school, Bai Yue had received so many love letters and gifts he could probably pack them in a suitcase.

Having a crush on Bai Yue wasn’t news. It was always met with a warm, understanding smile—like it was to be expected.

Who wouldn’t like him?

Tall and handsome, refined and elegant, the student council president. Even though he was approachable, there was always a subtle sense of distance. When he gave speeches on Monday mornings, with his white shirt, upright posture, standing in the sunlight—his very hair seemed to glow.

Falling for him was way too easy. It wasn’t much different from liking a celebrity. You didn’t even need to be serious—he could just be a bright highlight in a dull life.

But Ye Xi genuinely liked him.

When he stood beneath the stage, looking up at Bai Yue, he sometimes had dark, selfish thoughts. He wished Bai Yue were a little less dazzling, not so gorgeous and perfect—so he wouldn’t feel so out of reach.

Now, faced with Bai Yue’s question, Ye Xi felt a sudden, inexplicable frustration.

He thought, It’s not like I’m that bad. I’m pretty good-looking too. Standing next to Bai Yue, I don’t look totally out of place.

But Bai Yue would give him Valentine’s Day gifts, gently care for him—yet never fall in love with him. He really only saw him as a younger brother.

Now he was even encouraging him to go date someone else.

Infuriating.

Maybe because Bai Yue had been spoiling him lately, Ye Xi changed moods faster than flipping a page. He completely forgot the excitement of receiving the gift and was itching to throw a mini tantrum.

He said slowly, a little sulky, “I don’t know… Among the people who confessed, there were some I thought were nice. I just never really thought about dating before.”

“But what you said kind of makes sense,” he muttered. “I’m eighteen already. Never dated… that might be a little sad. Maybe I shouldn’t have rejected them so quickly.”

As he spoke, he was unconsciously playing with the chocolate-scented perfume Bai Yue had given him.

He didn’t notice how Bai Yue’s face darkened.

The perfume rolled off the bed, landing in the blanket. Ye Xi was still lowering his head, fully focused.

Then he heard Bai Yue ask, “So? Just because I said one thing, now you’re inspired? Thinking of dating someone?”

Ye Xi hadn’t sensed anything wrong yet and absentmindedly replied, “Yeah, maybe it’s not a bad idea.”

He had already made up his mind. If he couldn’t sleep with Bai Yue, he wouldn’t waste his youth.

He couldn’t be a tragic, lifelong secret admirer. If Bai Yue truly didn’t like him at all, he’d just pack up and go abroad—escape this heartbreak. After a few years, once he healed a bit, maybe he’d meet some foreign hottie who could mend his wounds.

Thinking that, Ye Xi even smiled. Though he doubted any foreign guy could match Bai Yue, a person had to have something to hope for.

He looked up, just about to say something to Bai Yue—when he froze.

Bai Yue was staring at him coldly through the screen, smile gone, looking completely pissed.

Ye Xi had never seen Bai Yue like this before. It startled him.

“Bai-ge, what’s wrong?”

He tilted his head in confusion. How had Bai Yue’s expression changed in just two minutes?

Bai Yue’s lips were pressed into a tight line, his eyes simmering like a volcano. At first, he’d just been teasing Ye Xi. It was Valentine’s Day, and he’d wanted to hear some sweet words from him.

Something like, I don’t like anyone else.

I never planned to date in high school.

It would’ve given him the illusion that Ye Xi had always been waiting for him.

That they were destined for each other. That until he kissed Ye Xi, Ye Xi wouldn’t belong to anyone else.

But what had he heard instead?

That pretty mouth of Ye Xi’s didn’t say anything obedient at all—instead, he went on and on about wanting to try dating.

Infuriating.

Bai Yue lowered his eyelashes to hide the gloom in his eyes.

He thought, Date who? If Ye Xi dared to hold someone else’s hand, he’d snatch him up and carry him away that very second.

But looking at Ye Xi’s innocent face—completely unaware of how outrageous his words were—he even waved at the camera like a little cat.

…Forget it.

Who could stay mad at a kitten?

Even if this kitten was a bit dense and a little disobedient, he just needed to hold on tight.

“You wish.” Bai Yue spat out two cold words.

“You haven’t even taken your college entrance exams—what date?” He flipped faster than Ye Xi, completely contradicting what he’d just said a minute ago. “You finally improved your grades a little. Dating now would ruin everything. I was just joking earlier. How could you take it seriously? Even Zheng Yang and I didn’t date in high school, and we turned out just fine.”

“Stop dreaming,” he said, flashing a wicked smile at Ye Xi. “I’ll be back to tutor you soon enough.”

Ye Xi was stunned.

How can he be like this? Isn’t this basically entrapment?

He had really believed Bai Yue had meant it just now.

But Bai Yue looked so stern, even through the screen—his sharp eyes and cold expression made him look just like a school disciplinarian catching someone sneaking out to play games.

Thinking about how hard Bai Yue had worked to tutor him lately…

Ye Xi didn’t dare argue. He could only nod pitifully.

“…Okay.”