Chapter 25

Yan Zhun had been drinking. His lips were cool, his tongue a little astringent. Pei Ran wasn't thinking about anything else; he only felt that his neck, ears, and cheeks were burning, that his head was about to explode.

He had never felt like this before. He even held his breath, his eyes half closed as he gazed hazily at Yan Zhun's lashes, his back pressed against the sofa, not daring to move.

His heartbeat nearly shattered his eardrums.

At the end, Yan Zhun lowered his eyes and gently, patiently nipped at his lips.

Pei Ran's breathing was unsteady when he spoke. "Just... how much did you drink?"

Yan Zhun stopped and looked up at him, his eyes reddened by alcohol. "I'm not drunk."

Pei Ran asked, "Why were you having a drinking contest with him?"

The liquor was too strong, and Yan Zhun's head had been aching the whole time. At that, he tugged at the corner of his mouth.

It had hardly been a drinking contest.

When he saw Luo Qingshan's expression in the private room, he had nearly smashed the bottle over his head.

A phone suddenly rang. Their movements earlier had been too big, and Pei Ran's phone had slipped out of his pocket. It now lay on the sofa.

Lin Kang had sent two messages, asking where Pei Ran was and whether he needed someone to come out and get him.

Yan Zhun's back tensed, his face expressionless.

Smash the phone. Lock him in here, Yan Zhun thought.

Warmth against his abdomen interrupted his thoughts. Yan Zhun froze, his body stiffening for a moment.

Pei Ran held his palm over Yan Zhun's stomach, his eyes lowered without looking at him. "Does your stomach hurt?"

Only then did Yan Zhun seem to regain sensation, the pain surging up in waves.

Since growing up, Yan Zhun had never voiced his suffering to anyone. During his training, he had never even complained of being tired. If he hadn't suddenly collapsed in front of his computer back then, no one would have known his condition was so serious.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he said hoarsely, "...It hurts a lot."

Pei Ran frowned. His face was still red, but his expression grew much more serious. "I'll call a car. Let's go to the hospital first."

Receiving no answer, Pei Ran looked up in confusion, only to discover that Yan Zhun had been watching him the whole time.

Yan Zhun's gaze shifted slightly, and he asked as though seeking confirmation, "The hospital?"

"Yes," Pei Ran asked. "Or did you bring medicine?"

Yan Zhun asked, "...You're not picking him up?"

"Picking who up..." Pei Ran paused before realizing. "Luo Qingshan? He has plenty of friends there. He doesn't need me to pick him up."

Yan Zhun was silent for a moment, and something changed in his low voice. "Then who did you come to pick up?"

Pei Ran: "..."

"Who did you come to pick up?" Yan Zhun asked again. "Me?"

Pei Ran moved his hand away from Yan Zhun's abdomen and pressed his lips together. Finally, he gave a vague "Mm." "Does it still hurt here..."

Before Pei Ran could finish, Yan Zhun suddenly leaned his whole body against him. His sweater was loose, leaving much of his shoulder and collarbone bare. Yan Zhun buried his face in Pei Ran's shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut.

Their position was like an embrace, yet not quite. Pei Ran could feel his warmth and heartbeat, which were little better than his own.

Startled, Pei Ran thought he had passed out and patted his back twice. "Yan Zhun? Do you feel that bad? Hold on. I'll call an ambulance..."

"Don't."

Yan Zhun's breath brushed the base of Pei Ran's ear. His right ear suddenly tingled, and he sat still, not daring to move.

"Let me breathe you in for a bit." Yan Zhun relaxed completely, his voice languid.

Pei Ran blinked twice. Only after a long while did he say, "I'm not a cat."

Pei Ran carried a cool, clean fragrance, like shower gel.

Yan Zhun thought that if he were a cat, he would hold Pei Ran's paws in place and bury his face in his belly all night.

Yan Zhun didn't breathe him in for long. His head was too heavy, and his stomach really did hurt. He even swayed when he stood. Worried he would fall, Pei Ran instinctively reached out and grabbed his clothes.

Yan Zhun raised his hand and put Pei Ran's mask back on, then rubbed the outside of the mask with the back of his hand, over the spot he had bitten.

Yan Zhun said, "There's a pharmacy outside. Let's buy a new one."

"No need. I have some in my dorm," Pei Ran said. "Let's go back to campus."

Across the corridor, Room 103 was still lively.

Luo Qingshan had been slumped on the sofa for a long time. He turned his head and frowned. "Why isn't Pei Ran here yet?"

"No idea. He hasn't answered my messages," Lin Kang said, cracking sunflower seeds.

"Call him," Luo Qingshan said. "Hurry... call him."

Unable to argue him out of it, Lin Kang put down his snacks. "Fine, fine, I'll call, I'll call... Hey, where are you going?"

"Taking a piss," Luo Qingshan said.

"Can you manage? I'll go with you."

"No need. I've barely had anything... I can walk." Luo Qingshan waved a hand. "Just call Pei Ran."

Luo Qingshan stumbled out of the room, leaning against the wall as he inched toward the restroom. Hearing a phone ring, he instinctively turned to look.

He saw two boys walking side by side. The shorter boy was supporting the other, the distance between them intimate. Neither paid any attention to the ringing phone, and a few steps later, they disappeared around the corner.

After using the restroom, Luo Qingshan came out and washed his face. He braced both hands on the sink and silently lowered his head.

After a moment, he took out his phone and made a call.

The other person answered quickly. "Qingshan, what's wrong?"

Luo Qingshan's throat was dry. "Su Nian, come get me. I'm drunk."

In the car back to campus, Pei Ran lowered his head to reply to his messages, telling Lin Kang he wasn't coming.

[Lin Kang: Then why did you ask me for the room number just now...?]

[Pei Ran: I was picking someone else up.]

[Lin Kang: ???]

The taxi was dim inside, with only the streetlights shining in.

Yan Zhun had been resting against the window. Hearing the constant WeChat notifications, he pushed himself upright and lowered his head to look at the person beside him. "I didn't bring my dorm key."

Pei Ran was replying to messages. "Hm?"

Yan Zhun pressed his shoulder against his. "Put me up for the night."

Back in the dorm, Pei Ran settled him into a chair, then went into the bathroom.

Enduring his discomfort, Yan Zhun looked up and scanned the objects on Pei Ran's desk one by one.

It was neatly arranged. The computer's standby light was on, with a drawing tablet beside it and a gray insulated mug farther over.

Yan Zhun stared for a while, then suddenly noticed something and reached out to turn the mug.

A charm hung on the other side of the insulated mug. A tiny white sneaker swayed in the air.

The sound of running water stopped in the bathroom, and Yan Zhun put the mug back where it had been.

A hot towel covered his face, warm and comforting. Pei Ran's touch was light. After wiping his face, he took his hand.

Yan Zhun let him do as he pleased as the towel wiped between his fingers, one by one.

Pei Ran had pushed his sleeves up to his elbows. The insides of his arms were dazzlingly white; it was obvious he had been well cared for since childhood.

"Why did you come pick me up?" Yan Zhun broke the silence.

Pei Ran's movements paused, then continued. Looking at his hand, he said, "You have a bad stomach."

"Worried about me?" Yan Zhun asked.

Pei Ran said, "Yes."

Yan Zhun asked again, "Do you like me?"

"..."

Yan Zhun felt his touch grow a little firmer.

After a long time, Pei Ran said, "I don't know."

He didn't know what counted as "liking" someone.

He had once thought he liked Luo Qingshan. He wanted to be good to Luo Qingshan, didn't dislike being with him, and sometimes felt happy because of him.

But after learning Luo Qingshan had cheated, honestly, he hadn't been very upset.

Someone suddenly hooked his finger. Pei Ran instinctively looked up, and their eyes met.

"Stop thinking." Yan Zhun's voice was very low, his eyelids half lowered. "Try liking me."

Pei Ran stared at him in a daze, his hooked finger feeling a little warm.

Yan Zhun waited for a while, until his stomach began to cramp.

"...Okay." Seeing him furrow his brows, Pei Ran hurriedly blurted it out. Then, before Yan Zhun could react, he let go, turned around, and opened the wardrobe.

"Do you want to change? I'll get you some pajamas. I haven't worn them."

Yan Zhun's eyelids were terribly heavy, and his head had been spinning all along. He froze for two seconds, then said, "Ones you've worn are fine too."

For comfort, Pei Ran always bought his pajamas two sizes too big. They fit Yan Zhun perfectly.

When he came out after changing, Pei Ran had produced a small box from somewhere. A closer look revealed that it was full of medicine.

"What stomach medicine do you usually take?" Pei Ran studied the instructions on the medicine boxes intently.

Yan Zhun asked, "Does your family run a pharmacy?"

Pei Ran smiled. His mother placed great importance on health, and they kept a medicine chest in every one of their homes.

Yan Zhun actually found his usual medicine inside and swallowed two pills. With hot water in his stomach, the drowsiness brought on by the alcohol finally washed over him.

There was only one bed in the dorm. The other three had nothing but a few wooden boards across their frames and couldn't be slept on.

The bed smelled entirely of Pei Ran. Yan Zhun buried half his face in the pillow for a moment, then poked his head out to ask the person below, "When are you going to bed?"

Pei Ran's heart skipped. He answered calmly, "I have a cold. I don't want to pass it to you. Go to sleep. I can stay up all night finishing my drawing."

He was lying. The subject of the drawing he was working on was sleeping right above him; there was no way he could draw it.

"If you were going to pass it on, you already have." Yan Zhun's voice was slightly hoarse. "Come up and sleep."

"..."

The dorm bed wasn't big, and it was a little cramped with two boys in it.

Pei Ran lay on his side with his back to Yan Zhun. Listening to his own heartbeat in the dark, he thought he might be ill. His heartbeat was a little irregular.

There was no more movement behind him. Yan Zhun was probably fast asleep.

Pei Ran had thought he would have trouble sleeping, but the cold medicine was too strong. Before long, he closed his eyes, his breathing slow and steady.

Late that night, Yan Zhun opened his eyes in the dark.

The person in front of him had already changed positions. Pei Ran had turned over, his hand resting lightly on him, warmth flowing steadily from the back of his hand through the pajamas.

Pei Ran's hand wouldn't stay still, moving again and again as though searching for a comfortable spot.

Yan Zhun held his hand still, took it, and interlaced their fingers. Only after making sure he wasn't moving around anymore did he close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

Pei Ran slept soundly without a single dream, so soundly that he was still a little dazed when he woke in the morning and met Yan Zhun's gaze.

They were extremely close. Either one could touch the other with the slightest lean forward. Pei Ran froze for a few seconds, then instantly came fully awake.

Yan Zhun's eyes were sleepy, and he looked a little tired. Seeing that Pei Ran was awake, he spoke languidly, his voice terribly hoarse. "Morning."

Hearing his own voice, Yan Zhun raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "Looks like... I caught it."

Pei Ran: "..."