I was just fed up with you

Yu Nian had never wanted to get tangled up with him in the first place, and hearing that only made his blood pressure rise. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Did you come here to pick a fight with me?"

Qin Yu looked puzzled. "Why would you think that? You haven't spoken to me in days. I came to see if you'd cooled off."

Yu Nian laughed in disbelief. Even someone as mild-tempered as he usually was couldn't stand being provoked over and over. "Qin Yu, am I bad at expressing myself, or are you bad at understanding me?"

"I said we're breaking up. Breaking up. Do you understand?"

Qin Yu stiffened, then stepped forward to take his hand. "Nian Nian, don't be like this."

Yu Nian pushed him away. "There are security cameras in this classroom."

Qin Yu withdrew his hand awkwardly, then said, "I've thought about it these past few days. What I did that night was wrong. I hurt you."

He pulled a necklace out from under his collar. "Look, Nian Nian. I haven't forgotten. I've been wearing this necklace all along."

Yu Nian looked at the gleaming silver chain without saying a word.

"I really do want to be with you." Qin Yu took out his phone and showed him his contacts. "Look, I deleted everyone I added that day."

"There was this really pretty girl at a dinner a few days ago, too. Her family runs a luxury brand, and her dad wanted me to get to know her better, but I didn't even give her the time of day. I..."

Yu Nian's face remained expressionless. "Are you done?"

Qin Yu paused, thinking he hadn't understood what he meant. "I'm saying that no matter how good-looking those people are or how well-off their families are, I don't like them. I only like you."

Yu Nian gave a cold laugh. "Oh, should I praise you for that? Or should I be so touched that I get down on my knees?"

Qin Yu rubbed his nose. "That's not what I meant."

"Can you honestly say it isn't? Aren't you telling me all this because you want me to know you turned down people better than me for my sake, so I should know what's good for me and be eternally grateful?"

"Do you think being liked by you is some great honor for me?"

Qin Yu's lips moved. That was what he thought, after all. Surely Yu Nian couldn't find anyone better than him?

But he had a feeling that saying it now would only make Yu Nian angry with him again.

"I told you a long time ago that I didn't get together with you because of any of those things you keep talking about."

Qin Yu hurried to say, "I know."

Yu Nian cut him off. "No, you don't."

"I liked you because I thought you were loyal to the people around you, and you treated me well, too. You were warm and generous..." Yu Nian lowered his eyes, then looked straight at him again, his gaze resolute. "But I don't think that anymore. Your flaws outweigh the things I liked about you, so I don't like you anymore. I want to break up with you. Please stop bothering me."

Qin Yu stared at him in a daze. After a moment, he said resentfully, "Who doesn't have flaws? If that's how you think, who would dare date you in the future?"

Yu Nian said evenly, "That's my business. You don't need to worry about it."

Qin Yu gritted his teeth and snapped, "Do you really have to take it this far? I've already apologized for what happened that night. Haven't I been good to you otherwise? I bought you all those gifts. You said you didn't like too much physical intimacy, and I haven't fucking touched you all this time. You said you wanted to earn money by livestreaming, and didn't I let you do that in peace? You're writing off everything I've done because of this one thing?"

"Yu Nian, did you ever really like me? Or have your feelings always been this cheap?"

Yu Nian's lips twitched into a faintly mocking smile. "One thing?"

"Every time you come to my place, you leave the whole living room smelling of smoke. You leave your takeout trash on the table and never clean it up, and you expect me to cook for you."

"All those expensive sneakers you gave me, and that basketball-they were just things you liked."

"Whenever we're around other people, you act like you can't get far enough away from me. You're terrified of being associated with me in any way, terrified of anyone finding out you're gay."

"You accept water from other people right in front of me, and you even openly talk about finding someone who's your ideal type. Where does that leave me?"

"When I wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest at home, you said you'd already booked somewhere for our date and insisted on taking me there. Then you acted like I was embarrassing you by not going along with it."

Yu Nian took a deep breath and turned his face away. "I didn't want to bring any of this up, but you never seem to realize what your own problems are."

Qin Yu had never known he was nursing so many grievances. He was speechless for a long while before saying, "You could've told me..."

"Didn't I?" Yu Nian looked steadily at him. "I told you I hated the smell of smoke. I asked you to clean up your own trash. I have to study and work, and I'm tired, too. I don't want to cook. I told you I had my own plans and didn't want to go out with you."

"Did you ever listen?"

Qin Yu felt guilty. He remembered now. Yu Nian had told him all those things, but he'd always thought they weren't a big deal and hadn't taken them to heart.

Yu Nian stepped back twice. "I didn't suddenly stop liking you. I was just fed up with you."

"Nian Nian..." Qin Yu reached for him, but his hand caught only air.

Yu Nian was already far away from him.

"Please leave me alone. Can you do that?"

Yu Nian walked out of the classroom and was startled to see someone crouching by the door.

"Bian Yan?"

The icy look faded from Yu Nian's face, and he suddenly felt a little at a loss.

Bian Yan was wearing earphones and looking at his phone. Only when he heard Yu Nian call his name did he look up and smile at him. "Finished talking?"

He got up from the floor and bounced on the spot to loosen up, looking Yu Nian over. "You okay? Did he get physical with you?"

Yu Nian watched him for a moment, his expression softening slightly.

"I'm fine. It's still early. Let's go back to the dorm and rest for a bit, then head to the dining hall later."

Bian Yan slipped his phone into his pocket and glanced at Qin Yu, who was leaving through another door. He smiled. "Sure. Let's go."

Fang Xu wasn't in the same major as them and was still in class, so they had the dorm room to themselves.

The moment Bian Yan came in, he slumped into his chair as though half his soul had left his body. "Who invented eight a.m. classes? They're torture."

Yu Nian closed the door, put down his books, and stood beside the desk. With a calm expression, he asked, "Did you... hear us?"

Bian Yan stiffened, then sat up and looked at him awkwardly. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to tell the truth. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I was just worried he might do something to you."

"How could you tell?" Bian Yan scratched his head.

Yu Nian gave a soft laugh. "You can't hide what you're feeling."

Frustrated, Bian Yan grabbed his hair with both hands instead. "Yu Nian, I really had no idea you and him..."

Yu Nian picked up the cup beside his desk, lowered his eyes, and said quietly, "Sorry for keeping it from you guys all this time. But I..."

"I get it, I get it." Bian Yan stood up. "It's your private business. Whether you tell us is up to you. Why should you apologize?"