This typhoon wasn't particularly fierce—more like just a day of heavy wind and rain—but even so, An Han had no intention of going to the cafeteria for dinner.
The food delivery came from a nearby shop, but due to the storm, the barbecue didn't arrive at their dorm until 6 p.m.—an hour late.
A foldable table had already been set up in the center of the dorm room. An Han sat on a plastic chair, legs pressed tightly together, holding a greasy grilled chicken leg and nibbling small bites of meat.
After a moment, he suddenly realized something. He looked up at Su Peng sitting across from him, stared blankly for a few seconds, then abruptly tore off a large chunk of meat with his teeth, chewing with cheeks bulging.
Ugh! Why have I become so damn delicate and cute while eating?!
"Su Peng, transfer me sixty yuan later," An Han said, still chewing, his speech slightly muffled. "We're splitting the bill—this barbecue cost over a hundred."
"I thought you were treating me."
"If you're that rich, I'm already being generous by not taking advantage of you."
Su Peng chuckled helplessly. "Since when did I become rich?"
"Your laptop costs twenty thousand! Mine was only three thousand."
An Han's family wasn't exactly poor, but his parents believed computers were only for gaming, so they'd never buy him a high-end laptop.
Of course, he really did just want a better laptop to game more conveniently in college.
"Alright, I'll send you the money."
An Han's hands were too greasy to check his phone, so he grabbed another skewer and deliberately ate with exaggerated, rugged motions—chomping down large bites of meat.
He'd never cared before whether his manners were refined or crude, but now he was doing his best to lean as far toward "crude" as possible.
"Here's your beer," Su Peng said, opening a bottle for him. "Don't drink too much."
Sharing drinks and barbecue with An Han felt distinctly different from hanging out with other friends.
Su Peng felt oddly restrained—and strangely worried that An Han might get too drunk. With anyone else, he wouldn't have cared at all about how much they drank or whether they got wasted.
"Don't worry, my alcohol tolerance is pretty good."
An Han finished an entire bottle in just a few gulps, his face showing no signs of intoxication, and casually opened another.
Beer alone could never get him drunk.
Come to think of it… why haven't I gotten any "affection points increased" notifications lately?
Could it be because Su Peng dislikes drinking? But at class gatherings over the past two years, Su Peng always drank plenty…
Maybe it was because An Han had ulterior motives this time—this meal felt stiff and awkward. Normally talkative, he now couldn't think of a single good topic to bring up.
But Su Peng spoke first: "How's the situation with Long Xing going?"
He grinned teasingly. "Already 'conquered' him?"
"No way!" An Han slammed the table, protesting vehemently. "I'm only interested in pretty girls! I've already thrown away my girl clothes—I'll never cross-dress again!"
"Threw them away?"
"In the trash bin."
"No wonder people from other dorms mentioned seeing a set of girl clothes in the bin today…"
An Han shrugged dismissively. "Whatever—they don't know it was mine."
"As for Brother Long…" He lowered his head with a sigh. "He found out it was me. Luckily, he went home for the National Day holiday, or I'd be too embarrassed to face him."
"How'd he find out?"
"No idea. He suddenly added me on WeChat using his phone number. If I'd known, I'd have used a burner account."
He rarely used WeChat anyway, so it hadn't occurred to him at the time.
Frowning in distress, An Han tilted his head slightly. "Su Peng, what should I do now? Brother Long said it's all in the past, but next time I see him… it'll be so awkward…"
Su Peng handed him another skewer with a smile. "He'll be just as awkward seeing you."
"True…"
After all, falling for a roommate in drag wasn't exactly something easy to brag about.
"If you two have any mutual understanding, just never mention it again—as if it never happened."
An Han wasn't sure if he and Long Xing had that kind of unspoken understanding, but he knew for certain that Chen Junjie—the drama-loving busybody—would do everything to make him suffer social death.
"As for Chen Junjie…" An Han started, but his words were cut off by garbled characters: "Ling(\Meng-[Shou#%fa...."⑵Lin[⑻⑸,Liu⑼,③⒍〒⑼
Su Peng, aware of the tension between An Han and Chen Junjie, nodded. "I'll make sure he keeps his mouth shut."
"Beat him up?" An Han's eyes lit up.
"Just talk to him clearly."
Chen Junjie would probably give Su Peng some face—and even if he didn't, he'd at least respect Long Xing.
With that, the whole mess stemming from the first task could finally be put to rest.
"Cheers!" An Han's mood lifted instantly. He raised his beer bottle to clink with Su Peng's.
Great! No more cross-dressing ever again!
The two quickly polished off an entire case of beer. Though An Han prided himself on his tolerance, drinking so fast left him flushed and slightly dizzy.
Su Peng fared even worse—right after finishing his last bottle, his head dropped heavily onto the table with a thud, his breathing deep and steady.
"What's with the kowtow?" An Han teased, never missing a chance to take advantage.
He pushed himself up from the table, swaying slightly as he walked. Shaking his head to clear the fog, he paused the video still playing on his computer, then headed to the balcony to splash some cold water on his face.
The cold water sharpened his mind.
"Now I'll take good care of drunk Su Peng~ When he wakes up and realizes how nice I was to him, his affection points will definitely shoot up~"
He happily plotted the scene in his head, his voice rising with glee—so sweet and melodic it almost sounded girlish.
After rinsing the towel again, An Han returned to the room and gently tapped Su Peng's shoulder. "Time for bed. Don't sleep slumped over the table."
I'm being so gentle—affection points must be skyrocketing!
"Mmm…"
"Come on, lift your head. Let me wipe your face." An Han beamed. "I'll clean your face, help you undress, and tuck you into bed. You'd better remember how good I was to you tomorrow~"
"Huh?"
Still half-asleep, Su Peng lifted his head and gazed at An Han's face, now inches away.
"Here, let me wipe your face."
Under the influence of alcohol, he reached out and pinched An Han's cheek.
Soft… tender… even better than last time.
"Stop messing around. Let me wipe your face so you can go to sleep," An Han laughed, swatting his hand away. He pressed the towel onto Su Peng's face and scrubbed a few firm strokes. "There! Take off your shoes and get to bed!"
An Han draped Su Peng's arm over his shoulder and tried to help him stand—but the guy was much heavier than he'd expected.
"You seriously need to lose weight."
"Mm." Su Peng's hand instinctively found An Han's waist.
His body radiated heat—his palm so hot An Han could feel it through his clothes.
Staggering unsteadily, An Han struggled to drag him over to the bed. Just as he was about to lower him down, Su Peng suddenly lurched forward, pulling An Han down with him onto the mattress.
"Ow!" An Han winced in pain—but then remembered this was all for Su Peng's affection points.
Stay calm!
"Alright, just go to sleep already."
He arched his upper body, trying to pry Su Peng's arm off his waist—but failed. At the same time, Su Peng's soft snores filled his ears.
"Hey! Seriously? At least let go of me before you pass out!"
"Su Peng! You little—!"
[Su Peng's Affection +5]
"I forgive you!"