Chapter 1: Dormitory Livestream
“Victory!”
As the game’s victory sound effect rang out, the boy playing the game hooked a finger around his headset, letting it slide down to rest around his neck.
He was very fair, with a face so exceptionally good-looking that it almost seemed surreal through the screen.
With a slight curve to his lips, he stretched. His white T-shirt rode up slightly with the movement, exposing a glimpse of his chest—a dazzling patch of white that drew the eye. His elegant collarbones were partially visible, sparking a flurry of imagination.
The bullet comments instantly exploded with a wave of “predatory” remarks:
[Ahhhh! Xiao Yang, I want to eat you up! Who allowed you to make that kind of move at me! Get in the blankets with me right now, I’m going to have my way with you.jpg]
[Xiao Yang, Xiao Yang, Mommy’s little sheep, do you have any idea how dangerous you are?! You’re in the dorm today; those wolfish roommates of yours must be drooling! I hate it—why can’t we install 360° cameras all around our Xiao Yang?]
[Hubby is so handsome playing games, ahhhh! Hubby is even handsomer when he’s happy about winning, you’re killing me v]
[It’s impossible to put cameras around Xiao Yang. This naughty boy only rushes his streaming hours at the end of the month. Looking at his match history, he’s playing every day, and every day it’s with someone different. Hubby, just how many “good husbands” and “good wives” are you hiding behind my back? If I catch you, I’ll lock you in a little dark room!]
[Good heavens, my hubby’s roommates haven’t appeared in so long. Last night, I watched those edit videos and rolled around on my bed for two hours. Seeing my hubby’s stone-faced roommate wait on him hand and foot is just so satisfying, so satisfying~]
[What are you guys talking about? Our hubby said he’s straight. Stop gossiping about him and his roommates.]
[Yo yo yo, straight! Hubby, once you’ve been thoroughly “devoured,” you’ll know if you’re straight or not. Who knows how many pairs of dog eyes are coveting this straight man? I hope my hubby’s virginity can last a little longer. /Dog head emoji.jpg]
[LMAO, Xiao Yang is so handsome, he’s probably dated N-number of people already.]
[Nonsense! In our Xiao Yang’s heart, only games are his true love.]
[Xiao Yang really is straight. Did anyone see that time Xiao Yang took his idiot roommate to play Fireboy and Watergirl? His roommate died in every pit he walked into. Xiao Yang was so mad he just kept scolding him, and I swear, the roommate looked like he enjoyed the scolding. That roommate even spent the whole time coaxing him. Is this just how you guys act as roommates?]
Chu Yang took a few sips of water before glancing at the rapidly scrolling bullet comments. He narrowed his eyes; they were moving too fast for him to see clearly.
He only caught words like “straight man.”
So, he nodded and affirmed, “Yeah, I’m straight. I don’t do CP (couples).”
The viewers didn’t doubt him either, and the screen filled with:
[Got it, little straight man.]
Chu Yang chuckled, clicked back to the lobby, and spoke to the camera. “One last game before I log off. I’ll pick someone from the leaderboard.”
Chu Yang’s livestream had always been popular. He started streaming originally just to earn a bit of pocket money. Since others saw how much he loved gaming, they recommended he try game streaming.
At the time, there was one thing they didn’t say: even without the gaming, just by looking at that face, Chu Yang could attract a massive crowd just by saying a few words.
Chu Yang hadn’t intended to show his face. While setting up the stream, he didn’t realize it was already live.
He meant to point the camera at his hands, but with a forceful tug upward, it ended up pointing directly at his face from a low angle.
People flooded in instantly—
[Woah! That jawline is insane. To look this good even from this angle, is he an AI?]
[The eyelashes are so long too. Which family’s BJD (Ball-Jointed Doll) came out to stream? Don’t play with me…]
[This level of visuals streaming is truly a blessing to humanity.]
[Wait, why are you rotating the camera? Is the streamer possessed by a cat? Don’t mess around, baby.]
[Who wants to see hands?? I want to see the face! Turn it back, ahhhh!]
[But the hands are also gorgeous. Such sexy hands, slurp! Hand-fetish satisfied.]
It wasn’t until Chu Yang sat down properly that he realized the stream was on. The comments were all demanding he turn it back to his face, so Chu Yang simply adjusted it.
Becoming famous took only half a day. Platforms immediately contacted him to sign a contract. Chu Yang didn’t understand the specifics very well, so he didn’t reply immediately; later, his roommates looked over it for him.
Many people tipped him gifts, some even spending a fortune, but Chu Yang was casual. When he picked someone for a duo queue, it wasn’t based on who spent the most. Instead, he would input the number of people on the leaderboard and let the system pick randomly.
Most people picked were normal, but he’d also encountered some weirdos. Some started with a confession of love, and after being rejected by Chu Yang, they turned to “gloomy and damp” remarks.
One got so angry they said they wanted to “f*ck” him, and Chu Yang kicked them from the team immediately. The moderator banned the account from the room instantly.
The bullet comments back then were also strange. First, they comforted the angry “little straight man.”
Then, while the little straight man was playing the next game, people started saying they felt excited—especially when Chu Yang’s ears turned red from anger and he cursed a few times…
Immediately, others jumped in saying they felt the same, that their hearts were about to explode, and they were “sprouting wings,” but since the little straight man was angry, they had to coax him first. The key was that more than one person felt this way, as if some hidden fetish had been awakened.
Someone even edited that segment later, though Chu Yang didn’t know about it.
This time, the person picked was a girl. She spoke to Chu Yang with a mix of restraint and excitement. Chu Yang had put his headset back on and was listening intently, giving an occasional response.
Perhaps because he was talking to a girl, his voice dropped a bit, sounding quite gentle. His long lashes drooped, and his slender fingers tapped on the screen. When the girl got too distracted talking, he reminded her:
“It’s time to pick a hero.”
It was devastatingly charming. The girl on the other side almost dropped her phone. Her eyes were fixed on the stream on her tablet; how could she remember the game screen?
Watching Chu Yang talk to her felt like they were on a video call. How was this any different from a “girlfriend’s perspective”?
Chu Yang was unaware of her inner monologue. The girl picked Yao and attached herself to him as soon as she hit level four.
She even died twice to protect him. While waiting to respawn, the girl kept saying, “Gege is so amazing.”
Chu Yang was indeed skilled, but he clearly enjoyed being called Gege. His smile carried a hint of shyness and indulgence.
The bullet comments were truly salty now, and they all started spamming:
[Gege.]
Before the “Gege” trend could pass, a hand suddenly reached out from Chu Yang’s left. The comments stopped for a split second.
Then, half a figure appeared in the stream, holding a bowl of fruit. The viewers all knew this was Chu Yang’s roommate.
[I thought it was so quiet today because Xiao Yang’s roommates weren’t around. Could it be that seeing the chat call him Gege made “Little Yang Gege” shy, and he couldn’t hold back anymore?]
[LMAO, I wonder if it’s the “Gloom King.”]
Chu Yang thought Lin Zhiheng needed something, so he gave a quick, questioning glance.
Lin Zhiheng said nothing. He picked up a piece of watermelon with a fork and fed it to Chu Yang’s mouth.
Chu Yang bit into it naturally. The watermelon was cut to the perfect size, fitting into his mouth in one go.
Lin Zhiheng looked down at him, catching a glimpse of a small, red tongue darting out briefly. His throat bobbed. He then forked a plum and held it to Chu Yang’s lips.
Without looking, Chu Yang took it into his mouth with a flick of his tongue. The next second, his whole face contorted. He let out a sharp hiss.
Whether Lin Zhiheng truly didn’t know or was just pretending, he immediately reached out his hand to catch it. “Spit it out, quick!”
The sourness almost brought tears to Chu Yang’s eyes. Seeing the hand in front of him, he spat it out directly. Lin Zhiheng then handed him his water cup. Chu Yang took it, gulped down several mouthfuls, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
The corners of his eyes and his lips were flushed red. Lin Zhiheng stared fixedly at his face, but Chu Yang didn’t notice.
The chat flashed with another round of cheers and “shipping” comments.
Once Chu Yang recovered, he immediately grabbed his phone to continue playing. Fortunately, he had been hiding in the brush to ambush someone, so he wasn’t discovered or killed during the delay.
After a while, he realized Lin Zhiheng was still standing stiffly beside him, the spat-out plum resting in his palm.
“…”
Chu Yang looked at the plum, a flash of horror crossing his face. He grabbed Lin Zhiheng’s wrist and pushed it toward the trash can. “Why are you still holding it? That’s gross.”
Lin Zhiheng’s palm even closed for a moment. His heart had skipped a beat when Chu Yang grabbed his wrist, but seeing that the other was just pushing him to throw the plum away made him less happy.
“…I’m going to throw it in the balcony bin.” He loosely cupped the plum and walked out.
Chu Yang found it bizarre. If it were him, he would have grabbed the trash can for someone to spit into; he definitely wouldn’t have caught it in his hand and kept it there for so long.
Could it be he didn’t want Chu Yang to feel awkward?
But he didn’t pay attention to whether Lin Zhiheng actually threw the plum in the balcony bin. He continued the game, which ended in about fifteen minutes.
Leaning back in his chair, Chu Yang exited the game to check his messages.
The chat was entirely focused on him and Lin Zhiheng.
[I knew it was the Gloom King. This gloomy guy never speaks; he just stares at his wife and keeps feeding him.]
[Gloom King, speak up! Are you trying to fatten my baby up so you can have him all to yourself? Come out and get hit; I want to feed the baby too.]
[The Gloom King just wants to see how Xiao Yang chews and eats, right? He always feeds him while the baby is gaming. Despicable! Our straight man Xiao Yang doesn’t understand these tricks at all; he eats whatever anyone feeds him. The Gloom King must be loving this.]
[Oh my god, I couldn’t even stand it if my bestie spat in my hand. If this isn’t true love, what is? But with that “silent until death” attitude, a confession would probably just get him punched by hubby.]
[I don’t know if the Gloom King will get punched, but he’ll definitely end up fighting the other two roommates. I’m looking forward to that.]
After replying to his messages, Chu Yang planned to end the stream. Seeing the chat talking about the “Gloom King,” he was confused and asked directly, “Who’s the Gloom King?”
Lin Zhiheng, just walking back from the balcony, stiffened. “What?”
“Hmm?” Chu Yang turned around at the sound. “Oh, I saw the chat talking about a ‘Gloom King,’ so I was asking.”
He then scanned Lin Zhiheng from head to toe. “Why did you even wash your face?”
Lin Zhiheng stared at him for two seconds before looking away. “I’m hot.”
“Oh. Turn the AC down two degrees. I’m not cold.”
“Okay.”
Chu Yang turned back. He still didn’t understand who the Gloom King was, and the chat didn’t give him an answer, only teasing him. He wasn’t particularly curious, so he said goodbye to the viewers and prepared to log off.
After sitting for hours, he was exhausted. He stood up, massaged his legs and back, and headed to the balcony to wash his face.
Lin Zhiheng sat right next to him, watching him through his peripheral vision.
Despite saying he was hot, he made no move to lower the AC. Chu Yang was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, his skin glowing white.
Lin Zhiheng watched Chu Yang through the desk mirror as he walked behind him toward the balcony. Chu Yang walked carelessly, his hands swinging, and Lin Zhiheng could even see his small lower-back dimples.
It was… suggestive. He suddenly felt even hotter.
Chu Yang splashed a couple of handfuls of water on his face at the sink, then grabbed a face towel to dry off. Just as he stood up, he heard a few whistles.
“Baby, washing your face?”
“Die!”
Chu Yang cursed at him and crumpled the face towel into a ball, throwing it. His aim was perfect; it flew through the railing toward the other side.
However, the towel was light, so it didn’t hit the person’s face. But the man leaned forward, caught it in his palm, and even brought it to his nose to sniff. “Baby smells so good.”
“Get lost.” Chu Yang glared at him and stomped back into the dorm, slamming the door shut.
Translator’s Note: Hi everyone! Welcome to the start of this chaotic dorm life. “Xiao Yang” (小羊) literally means “Little Sheep,” hence why the fans call him that—he’s just too cute to resist. Also, Gege (哥哥) means older brother, but it’s often used flirtatiously. Our Chu Yang thinks he’s just being a friendly “bro,” but clearly, the internet (and his roommates) has other ideas! The “Gloom King” is a hilarious fan nickname for Lin Zhiheng because of his intense, silent staring. Stay tuned to see how “straight” Chu Yang actually is!
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