You'd Look Good Even in a Sack

Neither Gu Cheng nor Lin Sen had returned to the dorm.

Bai Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing Gu Cheng isn't here, or he'd start spouting those domineering CEO lines again.

He had to get into bed and rest before Gu Cheng returned. Every encounter he could avoid was a win.

It wasn't that he was afraid of him. Mostly, he just found it too much trouble, and he hated troublesome things.

Before long, he drifted off to sleep.

Later, he vaguely heard the door open and close. Rather than get up to check, Bai Chen quietly cracked his eyes open.

It wasn't Gu Cheng, but the roommate opposite him: Lin Sen.

That made sense. Gu Cheng would never come in so quietly. He wanted everyone to know he was back.

Seeing that Gu Cheng hadn't returned, Bai Chen went back to sleep.

This time, he slept a little better than before.

Because he had figured things out.

Being with Gu Yun that day had made him feel relaxed and comfortable, even though they had barely spoken.

But he was happy that Gu Yun had shared his feelings with him. It meant that Gu Yun genuinely wanted to be his friend.

From their very first meeting, Bai Chen had felt that they got along well. But because he had transmigrated into a novel, there were so many things he couldn't talk about, and he couldn't truly commit to that friendship.

He felt that the two of them were a little alike, though not in looks or personality...

In fact, they were different in all sorts of ways, yet he still felt they were alike.

Perhaps it was because they were both lonely.

He didn't want to keep avoiding Gu Yun anymore, either. Rather than come up with ways to turn him down every day and make him suspicious, he might as well accept him openly.

We can be friends. I'll just let things take their course.

There were so many things in life that were beyond his control. As long as his conscience was clear, that was enough.

That evening, Bai Chen sought out Gu Yun himself.

"Gu Yun, let's go eat together in a bit," Bai Chen said.

Gu Yun paused, staring at Bai Chen's face in a slight daze.

Then a lovely smile appeared on his lips, and he immediately nodded. "Yeah, sure. Wait a moment. I'll go change."

...Huh? He needs to change just to go downstairs for a meal? Isn't it right downstairs? Bai Chen didn't understand.

He'd look good even in a sack, wouldn't he?

Two minutes later, Gu Yun emerged from the bathroom.

"Wow-"

Seeing Gu Yun's new outfit, Bai Chen couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.

He had already looked good in his plain white T-shirt and jeans, but now he had changed into a white button-up shirt.

It was enough to make anyone's eyes light up.

He stood a little over 170 centimeters tall, his tousled bangs partly covering his eyes. With his crisp white shirt, black jeans, and delicate, handsome features, he looked striking.

At Bai Chen's enthusiastic reaction, Gu Yun unconsciously lowered his head, the tips of his ears growing warm.

Bai Chen never held back his compliments.

"You look completely different in that outfit. You look great. Really handsome." With that, he gave Gu Yun a thumbs-up.

"Thank you." Gu Yun smiled too, but his ears were still red, and now his cheeks were flushed as well.

Bai Chen noticed how red his face had become and burst out laughing. "Hahaha-seriously, Gu Yun? You really can't handle a compliment, can you?"

"How did you get through childhood, then? Don't tell me you're like this every time someone compliments you."

At that, Gu Yun's face grew even redder. He hurried to his desk and, with his back to Bai Chen, haphazardly tidied his things.

"N-no," Gu Yun said.

What Gu Yun didn't notice, however, was that the more he tidied, the messier his things became. They had been better off before.

Watching all this from behind him, Bai Chen wanted to laugh even more, but he didn't dare. He held it in and reined himself in a little. "All right, I'll stop teasing you. Let's go eat."

"...Okay, let's go." Gu Yun quickly composed himself as well.

Without further delay, the two headed to the cafeteria together.

They chatted as they ate, and the atmosphere grew especially cheerful. It felt as though the barrier between them had shattered.

Things continued that way for many days afterward. Whenever they were free, they ate together; when they weren't, they ate separately.

Strangely, Gu Cheng hadn't shown up again over the past few days. Who knew what he was up to?