RSK Chapter 19

“……”

Wasn’t it just a moment ago that he said he wasn’t afraid of the heat and didn’t mind going shirtless? And now he’s cold all of a sudden?

But thinking about it, it is midnight on a mountaintop. The temperature really would drop quite a bit. I may feel fine, but he doesn’t have a shirt on. Maybe he actually is cold.

So I said, “Cold? I’ve got a jacket…”

Yeah, if you’re cold, wear clothes. What’s with all the hugging?

“Hugging each other is warmer,” Wen Xu kept gently coaxing me.

But I wasn’t going to indulge him. “Nope. I’m super hot. I’ll go grab you the jacket.”

Right after saying that, I sat up. That’s when Wen Xu suddenly grabbed my hand. I jumped in surprise and turned to look at him. “Y-You—why are you grabbing me?”

There was something flickering in Wen Xu’s eyes, like he was holding something back. But the next second, he was back to his usual self.

“Nothing. I’ll do what you say,” Wen Xu let go of my hand as he spoke.

I gave a short “oh,” then dug into my backpack and handed him the jacket. I also stole a glance at his solid build. “Might be a little small on you.”

“It’s fine, I’ll just drape it over.” Wen Xu took the jacket and casually threw it over himself. “Ning Ran, good night.”

“Mm, good night.”

I turned my back to him again and lay down, trying to fall asleep quickly. But all I could think about were the scenes of us watching the stars together. They kept looping in my head, impossible to shake off.

It wasn’t until I was totally wiped out that I finally drifted off into a hazy sleep.

—

In the early morning, birds chirped nonstop. Cool gusts of wind flapped at the tent, making a constant whoosh whoosh sound.

Good thing it was still warm inside the tent. But for some reason, something hard kept poking at my lower back, and in my groggy state, I reached down to move it away. Before I could even touch it, I heard Wen Xu’s husky, sleepy voice by my ear: “Ning Ran, you awake?”

I turned my head and squinted my eyes open—his face was less than five centimeters from mine. I glanced down—

We were wrapped in the same jacket, his right arm was around my waist, and our bodies were snugly pressed together, no space at all between us.

What the hell? When did I end up in his arms?

So… that thing poking my back… was Wen Xu’s big guy?!

“……”

As the realization hit, I quickly pulled myself out of his embrace, flustered and furious. “Y-Why were you holding me?! I told you not to, didn’t I?!”

“In the middle of the night, you said you were cold, and then you scooted into my arms yourself,” Wen Xu sat up on his mat and explained slowly, word for word.

He didn’t look like he was lying… Was it really me who did that?

Once Wen Xu sat up, the bulge in his pants was super obvious. I couldn’t help sneaking a glance.

“It’s morning wood,” Wen Xu noticed my gaze and clarified.

Damn, doesn’t he have any shame at all? I’m a guy, obviously I know what that is. Did he really have to say it out loud?

“Oh.” I gave a quick reply and turned my eyes away. “It’s morning already. I’m gonna go check if everyone else is up.”

And with that, I escaped from the tent in a hurry.

—

Soon after, everyone gradually woke up and began packing to head back to University Town.

Since I barely slept last night, I passed out in the car on the way back. After lunch, I went straight to the dorm, showered, and crashed for an afternoon nap.

When I woke up, it was already past 4 PM. I lay in bed scrolling on my phone for a bit and saw there were new posts on the anonymous forum.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: Doctor, he slept with me last night.

“……”

Bro, can you not phrase it like that?

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: You mean you just slept in the same bed, right? Two guys sharing a bed isn’t a big deal. Don’t overthink it.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: But he said my name in his sleep.

What the—?!

[g5d6o4gpu1]: He even kept mumbling “no, no”…

???

What kind of nonsense is he spewing? I mean, there’s no way to confirm this kind of stuff.

Wait a second… I did dream about him. In the dream, he kept talking about homework problems, and I was saying “no” because I wanted him to stop talking about them.

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: This sounds like a misunderstanding. You should ask him directly.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: Doctor, why are you so sure?

Because I am the person in question! Who else would know better than me?! Hurry up and come ask me already, clear my name!

But unfortunately, that idiot Wen Xu didn’t come to ask me anything. Left with no choice, I had to reply to him using my “doctor” account.

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: Based on my professional assessment.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: Okay…

[g5d6o4gpu1]: When he woke up this morning, his face was so red. He was still half asleep, his eyes barely open, all dazed and confused. So cute.

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: ……

[g5d6o4gpu1]: And his lips were all pouty. I really wanted to kiss him. His voice was soft too, like he was being all clingy.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: Seriously, he’s too cute. I really really wanna push him down.

……

Bro, that filter you’ve got on him is hella strong.

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: Okay stop… You’re acting up again!

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: Control your emotions. Weren’t you saying things were getting better recently?

[g5d6o4gpu1]: Yeah, it’s gotten a lot better.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: But I like him. I want to snuggle up with him. Isn’t that normal?

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: That’s normal for most people. But not for you. If you keep this up, it’s just going to make your condition worse.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: [Tiny bean sad face sticker · System default]

Damn, he’s even using stickers now.

[First Hospital of City A – Senior Psychiatrist]: …Being cute won’t help. Just try to hold yourself back.

[g5d6o4gpu1]: Okay…

—

That evening, I got a WeChat message from my classmate Shen Zhugong.

[Shen Zhugong]: Ning Ran! I found out who that anonymous good Samaritan was!

Shen Zhugong is someone I hang out with a lot in class. The anonymous good Samaritan he’s talking about is the mysterious person who helped me last year by reporting Bu Yaolian for plagiarizing my work. I’d always wanted to thank that person.

[Ning Ran]: Huh? How’d you find out?

[Shen Zhugong]: A few of us treated Teacher Hao to dinner earlier. He had a few drinks and accidentally let it slip.

[Ning Ran]: Then tell me already! Don’t leave me hanging!

[Shen Zhugong]: A little suspense won’t kill you! [Playful sticker]

[Shen Zhugong]: Here’s a hint. It’s your current roommate. Take a guess.