Chapter 74
On the sixth day of military training, Chi Aibei collapsed. And it was the kind where he fell onto the ground with a “thud” in full view of everyone.
Because someone had pretended to be sick before, Chi Aibei was personally sent to the infirmary by Instructor Xue. The doctor at the infirmary said he had severe heatstroke and his fever had already reached 38 degrees. He should have had uncomfortable symptoms early on, but he persisted until he fainted.
Taking advantage of the instructor’s absence, Wang Yunmiao ran over to Lin Xiu’s side to tell him about Chi Aibei’s fainting. But Lin Xiu’s class hadn’t gone on break yet, so she was pacing around anxiously.
Lin Xiu had noticed her long ago. Hearing the instructor shout “Dismissed,” he walked over. “What happened?”
Wang Yunmiao said urgently, “Chi Aibei fainted and was sent to the infirmary…”
In the morning, Chi Aibei was a bit listless. Lin Xiu told him to ask for leave, but he refused. Before Wang Yunmiao could even finish her sentence, Lin Xiu had already run off.
Lin Xiu’s classmate called out to him, “Lin Xiu, where are you going? We only have a ten-minute break!”
After military training ended in the evening, Lin Xiu took Chi Aibei back to the dorm. Chi Aibei had a high fever. Lin Xiu forced a couple of bites of food into him and let him sleep on his bed.
When Wu Yue returned, he saw a camouflage jacket draped over his chair. He called out in disgust, “Whose is this?”
Chi Aibei gave a startled shiver in his sleep. Lin Xiu frowned and glanced at Wu Yue.
Zhuang Yuan had forgotten his jacket was on Wu Yue’s chair. When he came in just now and saw Chi Aibei was sick, he had placed it down casually. He said in a low voice, “It’s mine.”
Zhuang Yuan reached out to take it, but Wu Yue threw the jacket onto Zhuang Yuan’s chair. “So dirty.”
Just because Zhuang Yuan had a good temper didn’t mean he didn’t have one at all. This guy came in shouting—wasn’t it just a jacket on his chair?
He picked up the jacket and said with a smile, “Is it as dirty as your mouth?”
Zhuang Yuan had been annoying Wu Yue these past few days, yet Wu Yue’s counterattacks weren’t being received. That feeling of hitting cotton was more stifling than having a fight with him.
Wu Yue glared at Zhuang Yuan and pulled out his chair with force, making a loud noise. He mumbled foully, “Ugly freak, and a homosexual too. Looking at that face of yours would scare someone to death.”
These words seemed to hit Zhuang Yuan’s trigger. He suddenly hurled the jacket in his hand over, slamming it directly onto Wu Yue’s face.
Wu Yue stood up abruptly. “What are you doing?”
“Doing you!” Zhuang Yuan kicked out. The Zhuang Yuan who was previously leisurely and hid daggers in his smiles exploded in an instant. “If you look down on homosexuals so much, were you fucked by one before?”
Wu Yue was kicked into a stagger. He had been a top student since childhood and had never heard such filthy words. “You—”
Zhuang Yuan: “Me what? Was it me? Impossible, I’m a picky eater.”
Seeing he couldn’t win the verbal battle, Wu Yue raised his hand to hit Zhuang Yuan.
Zhuang Yuan didn’t back down, and the two scuffled together, shouting and cursing as they knocked over Zhuang Yuan’s table full of cosmetics. Several items fell to the ground and shattered with a ‘ping-pong.’
Chi Aibei was woken up by the noise. Opening his eyes groalily, he saw Lin Xiu kick the chair by his feet. The chair crashed toward the two people scuffling together. Zhuang Yuan dodged, and the chair hit Wu Yue’s leg directly.
Lin Xiu: “If you want to fight, go outside.”
The chair only hit Wu Yue but didn’t touch Zhuang Yuan at all. Wu Yue felt he was helping Zhuang Yuan and pointed at Lin Xiu. “You guys aren’t anything good either. Think you’re so great just because you got a Top Scholar title? Still just a dead faggot! This is a dormitory, not your home. If you have the energy to mess around, don’t you have the money to book a room? It’s disgusting seeing you being all lovey-dovey here all day!”
The thermos by the bed suddenly flew toward Wu Yue. The force wasn’t great, and the aim wasn’t very accurate. The thermos grazed Wu Yue’s shoulder and fell to the floor.
Lin Xiu turned to look at Chi Aibei, who was propping himself up. He wasn’t very awake yet. Lin Xiu pressed on his shoulder and made him lie down. “Go to sleep.”
Chi Aibei didn’t have the strength to break free from Lin Xiu and could only lie back down.
In the novel, after Lin Xiu went to university and his relationship with He Chenjiang was found out by his classmates, he had been insulted with such words as well. So, upon hearing Wu Yue’s “disgusting,” he hadn’t even realized whether the scene before him was reality and grabbed the item nearest to him to throw.
Lin Xiu comforted softly, “It’s okay, go to sleep.”
Chi Aibei looked at Lin Xiu, who was close at hand, and closed his eyes again in a short while.
Seeing him asleep, Lin Xiu turned to look at the indignant Wu Yue. “Think I’m disgusting?”
Lin Xiu didn’t talk much normally, but the sense of oppression he gave off was never weak. Especially with that kick he just made—although Zhuang Yuan wasn’t hit, the sound made it feel like it must have hurt a lot.
It indeed hurt a lot. Wu Yue was currently enduring it. He felt as if his shin bone had been broken.
Lin Xiu had heard even harsher words and didn’t care what Wu Yue said. But Wu Yue hadn’t just insulted him. He said, “Since you think I’m disgusting, then stay away from me from now on. You’d better not go anywhere I am, lest it soil your eyes.”
These words sounded like a reminder, but Zhuang Yuan heard a hint of a threat.
Wu Yue didn’t hear it. He stiffened his neck. “No need for you to say that! I’ll definitely stay as far away from someone like you as possible!”
Lin Xiu got up and walked toward him. Wu Yue was so scared he quickly backed up several steps. Lin Xiu didn’t intend to do anything to him; he picked up the thermos Chi Aibei had thrown. “Better be that way.”
That night, Chi Aibei slept on Lin Xiu’s bed. It was unclear whether Lin Xiu was provoked by Wu Yue or just worried, but he didn’t go to the top bunk. Instead, he squeezed into the bed with Chi Aibei.
Lin Xiu’s words earlier were no different from admitting he was gay. Even if Wu Yue found it disagreeable, there was nothing more he could say.
Chi Aibei was muddled by the fever and slept somewhat restlessly. He murmured “don’t scold him” and similar things several times in the middle of the night.
Lin Xiu looked at the person leaning in his arms. He was as hot as a piece of charcoal, yet he didn’t forget to mutter these things. He lowered his head, his lips lightly pressing against the top of Chi Aibei’s head. “You’re so fierce, no one dares to scold me. Go to sleep.”
…
Chi Aibei hadn’t been sick for two years, and when he did fall ill, it was a major one. It took three days for the high fever to subside. By the time he was better, military training was almost over.
At noon, Zhuang Yuan returned to visit the patient. Seeing Chi Aibei had some spirit, Zhuang Yuan pulled over a chair and sat down. “You’re truly something. I told you to pretend to be sick to escape military training—who told you to actually get sick?”
Chi Aibei held the porridge Lin Xiu had bought him and smiled. “I didn’t do it on purpose either.”
Zhuang Yuan leaned back in the chair. “I really envy you for not having to do military training. You have no idea how miserable we’ve been these past few days. Ever since someone was caught pretending to be sick, anyone who pretends to be sick after that is dragged straight to the infirmary for an exam. It made me have to bake in the sun every day.”
Chi Aibei: “Fortunately, tomorrow is the last day.”
Zhuang Yuan stared at Chi Aibei for a while and suddenly let out a laugh.
Chi Aibei: “What are you laughing at?”
Zhuang Yuan said, “I didn’t realize it, but your temper is quite explosive. You actually used a thermos to hit Wu Yue for Lin Xiu.”
Chi Aibei wasn’t very clear about what exactly happened that day either. He only remembered Wu Yue had insulted Lin Xiu. As for how he threw the thermos or whether he hit Wu Yue, he didn’t remember.
Chi Aibei: “Did I hit him?”
“Probably not, I didn’t notice.” Zhuang Yuan was only busy being shocked at the time and indeed didn’t notice if it hit Wu Yue. “But even if it didn’t hit him, he’s definitely holding a grudge against you in his heart.”
Chi Aibei let out a sigh. He had actually been looking forward to a harmonious dormitory life, but unfortunately, it had fallen apart just a few days after school started. “Why did he have to scold Gege?”
Zhuang Yuan: “Blame me. He looks down on homosexuals. It was also because I couldn’t hold back that day that I implicated you and Lin Xiu. It was mainly because he called me an ugly freak—how the fuck could I endure that?”
Chi Aibei hadn’t noticed that Wu Yue had insulted him as well. Looking at Zhuang Yuan’s indignant expression, Chi Aibei couldn’t help but smile. “You didn’t mind his usual bad attitude, but you’re so angry just because he called you ugly?”
Zhuang Yuan pursed his lips. “Can’t help it. It’s a fact that I’m ugly. Can I not be angry when he pokes my sore spot?”
Chi Aibei: “But you’re not ugly.”
Zhuang Yuan: “Thank you for comforting me. I’m only not ugly after applying makeup.”
Chi Aibei: “This isn’t called makeup; this is called restoring your own beauty. At most, you just did some skin smoothing.”
When Lin Xiu entered, he saw Zhuang Yuan hugging Chi Aibei and rubbing against him. “Honey, if you know how to talk, then talk more. I love hearing it.”
Chi Aibei was nearly strangled to death by him. Fortunately, Lin Xiu came over in time and rescued him from Zhuang Yuan’s hands.
Lin Xiu pulled Zhuang Yuan away. “What are you doing?”
Seeing Lin Xiu’s face full of dissatisfaction, Zhuang Yuan said, “Don’t be jealous of me. There’s no need.”
Lin Xiu frowned and glanced at Chi Aibei.
Chi Aibei didn’t focus on the words ‘being jealous.’ He looked at the spilled porridge. “Zhuang Yuan, you made me spill my porridge.”
Zhuang Yuan said, “You weren’t eating it anyway. You were holding it like a mascot holding a sacred vessel. People who didn’t know better would think you were going to set up an altar to pray for rain.”
“You’re the mascot.” Chi Aibei: “You got it all over my pants!”
The porridge spilled in a very specific place. Fortunately, it wasn’t hot anymore; otherwise, Little Aibei would have been burned.
Lin Xiu took the pants Chi Aibei had changed out of to wash. Zhuang Yuan came in from outside complaining, “Lin Xiu’s jealousy is just too much. He won’t even let me see you change your pants.”
Hearing Zhuang Yuan say Lin Xiu was jealous for the second time in a row, Chi Aibei found it inexplicable. “He didn’t see either.”
“Are you two this pure?” Zhuang Yuan leaned in with a smirk, fishing for gossip. “Have you two made out yet?”
Chi Aibei gave him a push. “What nonsense are you talking about? He’s my brother!”
Zhuang Yuan was stunned. “Not the ‘darling brother’ kind?”
Although there were many rumors outside, Chi Aibei hadn’t expected even Zhuang Yuan to misunderstand. He said, “Of course not. Don’t talk nonsense!”
Zhuang Yuan pointed at himself. “…I’m the one talking nonsense?”
Looking at the anxiously defending Chi Aibei, Zhuang Yuan suddenly realized who was actually talking nonsense.
When Lin Xiu returned after washing the pants, Zhuang Yuan gave him an eerie smile. Lin Xiu ignored him and walked past him to the balcony.
The balcony door was open. Chi Aibei craned his neck to look out. Zhuang Yuan suddenly asked, “Chi Aibei, do you like men or women?”
Thinking he was going to say those things in front of Lin Xiu, Chi Aibei said warily, “Why ask this?”
Zhuang Yuan rested his chin on his hand and looked at him with a smile. “Just asking casually. Now I’m the only one in the dorm who isn’t single; it’s quite lonely. What type do you like? I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
Chi Aibei: “I don’t want that.”
While speaking, Zhuang Yuan kept glancing at Lin Xiu on the balcony. Seeing Lin Xiu’s movements stiffen, Zhuang Yuan curled his lips and continued asking Chi Aibei, “Don’t say it so certainly. You’re in university now. Not finding a partner is equivalent to wasting time. What type do you like? Tall or short? Fat or thin? Humorous or quiet?”
Lin Xiu glanced at Zhuang Yuan through the balcony door. Zhuang Yuan returned a raised eyebrow.
Lin Xiu sighed. Entering from the balcony, he saw Chi Aibei looking at Zhuang Yuan with a serious face, as if he were contemplating his questions. Lin Xiu walked up to him. “Are you still eating the porridge?”
Chi Aibei looked up at Lin Xiu. Just now, he had indeed been led astray by Zhuang Yuan and unconsciously considered his questions. but upon seeing Lin Xiu, he didn’t want any ‘tall, short, fat, or thin’ people.
Who says one must date in university? Wasn’t it good for him to stay by Lin Xiu’s side?
Chi Aibei: “I don’t want to eat anymore.”
Lin Xiu: “Then what do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
Chi Aibei just wanted Lin Xiu to sit and rest for a while. He had to take care of him during the short break at noon; it looked exhausting.
Chi Aibei reached out and pulled on Lin Xiu’s clothes. “I don’t want to eat.”
Lin Xiu: “No. You have to take your medicine after eating. I’ll go check the cafeteria.”
Lin Xiu was a bit angry—angry that the little fool told people everything, and also angry that he was actually considering answering Zhuang Yuan’s questions just now. But what he was even angrier about was the helplessness after his lie was poked through.
Zhuang Yuan stood up too. “I’m also going to the cafeteria. Let’s go together.”
Seeing both of them about to leave, Chi Aibei wanted to follow. “I’m also going.”
Zhuang Yuan pressed on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t go. You’re a patient; stay put.”
…
On the way to the cafeteria, Lin Xiu ignored Zhuang Yuan.
Zhuang Yuan’s playful gaze kept glancing at Lin Xiu. Seeing him looking serious, Zhuang Yuan asked, “Need help?”
Lin Xiu didn’t want to know how he intended to help at all. “No need.”
Zhuang Yuan put both hands in his pockets and glanced at him leisurely. “You sure?”
Lin Xiu didn’t speak.
Zhuang Yuan turned and walked backward, looking at Lin Xiu while saying, “Although school hasn’t been in session long, many people have their eyes on him. Aren’t you afraid he’ll actually be pursued by them one day?”
Lin Xiu: “He won’t be.”
Zhuang Yuan: “How do you know he won’t be? Unless he doesn’t like men, everything is possible.”
Lin Xiu: “Impossible.”
Zhuang Yuan didn’t know where his confidence came from, especially since he only dared to mark his territory silently by himself. “Are you overestimating yourself, or underestimating others? There are so many people in the school—are you that certain he won’t fancy a single one?”
Lin Xiu took a step sideways and walked past him. “He said it. He doesn’t want to.”
Zhuang Yuan stood in place. “You actually believe the words of someone who hasn’t even had his ‘enlightenment’ yet?”
Lin Xiu turned back and glanced at him. He didn’t say a word, only giving him a look before leaving.
Zhuang Yuan: “…”
Arrogant—too arrogant!
Zhuang Yuan thought he was usually quite arrogant, but he hadn’t expected someone to be even more so. That look Lin Xiu just gave was clearly saying—
“His enlightenment? I’ll be the one to open it!”
Translator’s Note:
A few terms to know:
- Zhuangyuan (状元) Pun: This was such a clever part of the original text. Zhuang Yuan’s name (庄原) sounds exactly like the term for Top Scholar (状元). It’s a classic web novel trope to have roommates with pun-worthy names!
- “Opening the Altar to Pray for Rain” (开坛求雨): Aibei was holding his porridge so seriously that Zhuang Yuan compared him to a Taoist priest performing a ritual. It highlights just how much Aibei treasures anything Lin Xiu gives him.
- “Opening the Enlightenment” (开窍 – Kaiqiao): This is a very important term in Chinese romance novels. It refers to the moment a character finally understands romantic love. Lin Xiu is basically declaring that he will be the one to teach Aibei what love is.
- Dorm Culture: Dorm fights and cliques are very common in C-novels. Wu Yue represents the typical “arrogant academic” who looks down on others, while Zhuang Yuan is the “sassy but loyal” friend.
- CP (Coupling): You can see the “shipping” culture in full effect with Wang Yunmiao. She’s basically the representative of the readers in the book!
I’m so glad Aibei stood up for Lin Xiu with that thermos! Our little fool isn’t so foolish when it comes to protecting his “Gege.” See you in the next update! (つ≧▽≦)つ
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