Chapter 16: Zhang Chulan is Very Annoying
Chi Wu frowned and pondered Wang Yuechu’s question for a while, swallowing the chewed edamame before saying, “No.”
He didn’t fight with Zhang Chulan this time. It was just that today, when Zhang Chulan poked his waist, he dodged it, because it was really a bit…
Should he let him poke back?
But it was really ticklish.
When Zhang Chulan came out with wet hair, Chi Wu had already finished that small bowl of edamame and was reading a book, picking up his phone to reply to messages whenever the screen lit up.
The undried hair tips still carried some moisture.
Zhang Chulan frowned and stared for a while, but said nothing. He didn’t blow-dry the other’s hair like he usually did.
Wang Yuechu watched with fearful palpitation, thinking, Chi Wu, you kid, get a clue. He’s obviously angry with you and wants to distance himself.
However, Chi Wu’s hair dried even without the hairdryer. It was as if he really didn’t need Zhang Chulan, making Zhang Chulan’s past attentive care seem insignificant.
This time, he didn’t climb into Chi Wu’s bed.
Chi Wu finally sensed something was wrong about Zhang Chulan not sleeping with him.
Maybe Zhang Chulan missed his own bed?
So, Chi Wu prepared to climb into Zhang Chulan’s bed.
They had slept together for so long. When he went out for competitions, he was a bit unaccustomed to it, but fortunately, those times were short.
But now the person was right beside him. Chi Wu didn’t like insomnia. He hadn’t slept well last night; it felt like something was constantly chiseling at his nerves, very painful.
“What are you doing?” Zhang Chulan sat up and propped his hand against Chi Wu.
“Sleep together.” Chi Wu said as a matter of course.
“Ei, it’s too crowded.” Seeing Chi Wu’s ignorant and innocent look, Zhang Chulan felt his change was too abrupt. He paused and added.
“There’s light over here. Wubao, go back to your own tent.”
Bright silver light from outside drilled into the room. The hallway lights were ever-burning lamps; they would drill into the room through the top of the door, the cracks, and the windows, lingering on people’s eyelids and refusing to leave.
Chi Wu disliked light when sleeping. This was truly a difficult problem.
At this moment, he felt Zhang Chulan’s blunt rejection. He thought about it; maybe the other person was really in a bad mood, but he really didn’t want to poke Zhang Chulan’s waist.
To get a good sleep, Chi Wu thought silently for a second, then leaned close to his ear and whispered.
“Don’t be mad at me. I’ll let you poke.”
Zhang Chulan, hiding a pile of worries in his heart and terrified that he might actually be turning gay, trembled inside. Without thinking, he shoved Chi Wu.
This action was subconscious, with no control over the force.
Chi Wu stumbled from the push, nearly losing his balance and falling headfirst off the bed.
The war-like commotion thoroughly woke up the other two who were obsessed with their phones. They turned their heads to look.
Tian Jiahui immediately threw his phone aside and jumped off his bed, seemingly wanting to break up the fight just in case.
“Don’t fight, don’t fight. If you have something to say, say it nicely.”
Wang Yuechu saw the atmosphere was wrong and immediately cracked a joke: “Domestic violence is a no-no!”
Zhang Chulan thought, Just now when I wanted you two to say something, your mouths were shut tight. Now that I don’t want to hear you yapping, you get enthusiastic.
“So you really are mad at me.” Chi Wu sat at the foot of Zhang Chulan’s bed, looking as if he had suddenly realized the truth.
Then he asked in confusion, “You really won’t poke?”
“What kind of dogshit are you talking about?” Zhang Chulan was about to die of anger, his tone sounding a bit flustered and exasperated.
“Go back to your bed and sleep!”
Chi Wu sighed. Okay, Zhang Chulan is indeed very angry.
He went thump thump thump down the ladder, then climbed up to his own bed. He flipped the blanket and wrapped himself up like a silkworm baby.
There was still Zhang Chulan’s scent on the thin blanket. He pulled it up to cover his lips. The familiar smell drilled into his nose. Although he felt it wasn’t enough, the very angry Zhang Chulan definitely wouldn’t sleep with him tonight.
Chi Wu lay on his side as usual, as if Zhang Chulan were still in that spot. He took another breath and closed his eyes.
Perhaps because he hadn’t slept at all the previous night and was too tired, Chi Wu sank into a new world after a short while.
“Fuck.” Zhang Chulan, still awake at 3 AM, turned over in frustration.
The bed wasn’t crowded, but he seemed to have caught the same sleeping problem as Chi Wu.
He felt the cricket sounds outside were noisy as always, the sound of wind blowing leaves was noisy, the hallway light was too bright, and the water dispenser’s occasional gurgle gurgle heating sound was ear-piercing.
Really fucking annoying.
Tossing and turning until 4 AM, Zhang Chulan still hadn’t fallen asleep.
With eyes incredibly sore, he climbed down from his bed sneakily, as if accepting his fate. Then he stealthily climbed onto Chi Wu’s bed. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the empty space left for him.
Zhang Chulan bent over at the foot of the bed, staring at Chi Wu, who had covered his mouth, and let out a long sigh. He carefully pulled the blanket down for him, lay down蹑手蹑腳 (tiptoeing/stealthily), and reached out to hold the person in his arms.
Resting his head against Chi Wu’s back, he closed his eyes.
“Goodnight, Wubao.”
When Chi Wu woke up again, he felt refreshed. He wondered if Zhang Chulan had slept well. If he slept well, his mood would be good. If his mood was good, maybe he would forgive him.
When he got up, he smelled the familiar scent, stronger than before he fell asleep last night.
Chi Wu crawled out of the bedding and curiously poked his head out toward Zhang Chulan’s direction. He saw Zhang Chulan still in his own bed, facing the wall, seemingly sleeping soundly.
Oh, an illusion.
He got out of bed, washed up, took his phone, and went out to call his teacher.
“Understood, go ahead,” the teacher’s gentle voice continued. “The leave slips are with the monitor. Just go find him.”
Chi Wu nodded, thought about how the teacher couldn’t see, and hummed an “Mn.”
He walked out, planning to eat a bowl of noodles at the cafeteria before finding the monitor at his dorm building.
Today’s sun wasn’t very intense. A pale blue sky was dotted with a few gray clouds eager to try something.
Chi Wu ordered a bowl of beef noodles. As he sat down and was tying his hair, a figure appeared in front of him.
Also holding a bowl of beef noodles—Wang Zhenqiu.
“Wubao, long time no see.”
“…We just saw each other yesterday.”
“One day apart is like three autumns.” Wang Zhenqiu propped his chin on his left hand and stirred the noodles with chopsticks in his right, his gaze landing on Chi Wu seemingly inadvertently.
“Why eating noodles alone? Where’s your roommate?”
“Sleeping.”
“Oh.” Wang Zhenqiu reached up and grabbed his hair, as if the question was insignificant. He looked at the small rubber band on Chi Wu’s hand, looking like he had coveted it for a long time.
“Wubao, lend me your rubber band?”
Chi Wu looked down at the rubber bands on his hand. He usually wore two, because sometimes Zhang Chulan would need one.
“This is saved for Zhang Chulan.” At certain times, Chi Wu had a strong sense of ownership. In his heart, this item already belonged to Zhang Chulan. Giving it to someone else felt weird.
“Saved for him?” Wang Zhenqiu found Chi Wu’s strange way of thinking incredible.
“But he’s not here. It’s not like I won’t return it to you.”
Chi Wu felt Wang Zhenqiu’s reasoning seemed to make sense, but also didn’t.
But he prepared to ignore it.
Wang Zhenqiu found pleasure in Chi Wu’s passive resistance. Wasn’t Chi Wu’s feigning deafness and muteness a sight to behold in itself?
He had always been someone who appreciated beauty and loved beauty.
“Aiyaya, what to do? Since you disagree, I want it even more.”
“Is that so?” After all, Chi Wu was someone who hated trouble. He had a flash of inspiration. “I know what to do.”
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