AAUMOBIP C11

Chapter 11

Liu He was startled the moment he heard Yun Jingqiu’s voice, his whole body giving a shiver.

Once he came back to his senses, he calmly said: “I’ll be right there.”

What nonsense had he been imagining just now? Yun Ge only came over to help him put on the bed sheet.

Liu He braced himself mentally and opened the door.

At the doorway, Yun Jingqiu had already changed into pajamas. His plastered hand hung motionless, while the other hand was holding the bed sheet single-handedly, looking a little strained.

Liu He took the bed sheet from him. “Let me do it.”

Yun Ge was already fully dressed, so Liu He asked: “How did you put on your clothes?”

Yun Jingqiu lowered his gaze and said softly: “I dressed myself.”

His voice carried a trace of grievance.

“It took me quite a long time, I couldn’t get it on with just one hand.”

Previously, Yun Jingqiu had played a character with only one arm. During that time, he had studied how to live one-armed, so dressing himself was no challenge for him.

But Liu He didn’t know that.

Yun Jingqiu had been in the industry for several years, acting in many works. Liu He had only just started catching up on them and hadn’t reached that particular show yet.

While spreading the bed sheet, hearing Yun Jingqiu’s words made Liu He’s heart jolt.

He had to admit—he’d been completely taken in by Yun Jingqiu.

Perhaps this pitiful appearance was all just an act, yet Liu He still couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

“Next time I’ll help you get dressed,” Liu He blurted out in a rush of heat, making a promise.

“Really!” The voice behind him suddenly lifted in joy. “Xiao He is truly such a good person.”

“Let me help you.” Yun Jingqiu strode forward, grabbing one side of the sheet, while Liu He tucked the other end beneath the mattress.

With three hands working together, the sheet was quickly set.

“Xiao He, go shower first. I’ll handle the rest,” Yun Jingqiu said.

When he had been helping Yun Jingqiu bathe earlier, Liu He had also gotten his own clothes wet. Now the damp fabric clung uncomfortably to his body.

He nodded, agreeing with Yun Jingqiu’s suggestion.

“Go use the bathroom in my room. I’ve prepared pajamas and toiletries for you there, everything’s in that bathroom.”

Liu He responded with a simple: “Okay.”

He left the guest room and went to the master bedroom.

On the neat bathroom shelf, he saw folded pajamas stacked carefully, with a white towel placed neatly on top.

At the sink, there was a brand-new toothbrush and cup, still unopened.

Liu He entered the bathroom and locked the door.

Hot water poured down from above, washing away the chill.

After everything that had happened, Liu He no longer felt the drowsiness he’d had upon first arriving here—he was now wide awake.

Alone in the bathroom, his mind filled with thoughts of Yun Jingqiu.

He recalled how, from the moment he arrived, he had been led along by Yun Ge, step by step. He knew he’d walked straight into Yun Jingqiu’s schemes, and he knew Yun Jingqiu was acting.

Next time he had to be harsher, more resolute!

Liu He firmed his resolve.

After showering, he put on Yun Jingqiu’s pajamas.

They were a size too big, hanging loosely on him.

Liu He had a slender waist; the pajama pants slipped downward with every step he took.

He folded the elastic waistband over once to keep them from sliding down, also making the pant legs a bit shorter so they wouldn’t drag and hinder his steps.

After washing up, Liu He opened the bathroom door and saw Yun Jingqiu sitting at the desk, a small lamp glowing, his eyes fixed on a script. The stern resolve Liu He had just built softened again.

“Yun Ge, I’m done,” Liu He said.

Yun Jingqiu looked up, his lips curving into a smile. “Good. Hurry and go to bed.”

“No.” Liu He walked over toward him.

“Yun Ge, lend me your computer for a bit. I need to work on my thesis.”

Yun Jingqiu hadn’t expected it. Before dinner, Liu He had nearly dozed off at the table, yet now—after a shower—he was alert and intent on writing his thesis.

But this was rare time living together, and Xiao He’s head was filled only with writing!

Yun Jingqiu was annoyed, yet he knew he couldn’t stop him, so he brought out his laptop.

“The internet is connected, but it might not reach your school’s intranet,” Yun Jingqiu said.

Liu He: “I’ll use the off-campus VPN to log into the intranet.”

He carried Yun Jingqiu’s computer back to the guest room.

There was a small desk in the guest room, just right for work.

Liu He knew he couldn’t finish his thesis in one night, so he wasn’t too anxious.

When he opened the guest room door, he saw that the bed was already fully made—blankets and pillows in place.

Liu He was puzzled.

He remembered that before his shower, only the sheet had been spread. How had everything been prepared already?

Could Yun Ge really have done all that with just one hand?

He didn’t dwell on it too much. There were many things one could do with a single hand—it was inconvenient, but not impossible.

Still, Yun Jingqiu had gone through the trouble to set up the blanket for him.

Liu He had planned to do it himself after showering.

Now the heart he’d hardened in the bathroom melted once again.

He couldn’t help but smile as he sat at the desk, plugged in the laptop, and powered it on.

He was used to backing up his files, so he downloaded them from the cloud and started working right away.

Fully immersed in thesis writing, Liu He forgot the passage of time.

Whenever he focused entirely on one task, he lost track of everything else.

It was the same during experiments—once he began, he wouldn’t notice the time until he finished, often finding it was already past four in the afternoon.

He logged into the school’s intranet through the VPN, searching for references in CNKI.*

It wasn’t until someone knocked on the door that Liu He snapped out of it.

He glanced at the bottom-right corner of the computer screen: 23:13.

It was already past eleven.

Liu He saved his thesis, sent it to his phone, then backed it up in the cloud, before standing to open the door.

His face carried a hint of guilt. “Yun Ge, what are you doing here so late? I was about to sleep.”

He wasn’t good at acting, and his clumsy performance couldn’t possibly fool Yun Jingqiu.

Yun Jingqiu: “Really asleep?”

“The light in your room was shining through the crack in the door.” His right hand braced against the half-open door as he forced his way in.

The laptop was shut down.

He placed his hand on the computer, smirking lightly. “If you were about to sleep, why is the laptop still hot?”

“I was just getting ready to sleep!” Liu He replied quickly.

“Alright, go ahead then.” Yun Jingqiu didn’t call him out.

He knew Xiao He often forgot about time when immersed in something, which was why he normally sent messages and called him—to remind him to eat and sleep.

Yes, every nightly phone call had also carried the purpose of reminding Liu He to sleep.

“Good night,” Yun Jingqiu said with a smile, closing the guest room door.

After a moment’s thought, Liu He locked it.

He lay down on the bed, only a wall separating him from Yun Ge.

The mattress was soft, far more comfortable than the small bed in his dorm.

Closing his eyes, his body’s fatigue soon dragged him into sleep.

Perhaps it was because of the intense events during the day, but Liu He’s dreams that night were restless.

Yun Ge appeared in his dream.

It wasn’t the first time.

Before they met in real life, Yun Ge had often appeared in his dreams too, though his face was blurred and his body imagined.

After meeting in person, dream-Yun had gained a real face and body—and naturally, the dreams became more vivid.

But no matter how vivid they’d been before, none compared to that night’s intensity.

Troubled by a spring dream, Liu He let out low moans now and then, rolling restlessly on the bed.

Outside the door.

The hallway was unlit. The guest room lamp had long since been switched off, leaving only faint light seeping from the master bedroom.

Yun Jingqiu stood at the guest room door, his arm still in plaster, leaning against the wall. At his ears came faint, indistinct murmurs.

Was Xiao He having a beautiful dream?

Was Yun Jingqiu in it?

Was Xiao He’s dream the same as his own?

Yun Jingqiu kept his gaze fixed on that closed door.

He lingered in the hallway for a long time, until late into the night, before returning to his room.

He didn’t do anything—only stood outside Liu He’s door.

He never tried to enter, never acted upon the sleeping boy.

Though he was perverse, he wasn’t that far gone.

The alarm rang, and Liu He groggily fumbled for his phone, shutting it off before collapsing back into the pillow.

With such a comfortable sleeping environment, his quality of sleep improved drastically.

Yesterday had been exhausting, leaving him both physically and mentally drained, so the rest had come even deeper.

Normally, his biological clock woke him before the alarm. But today, not even the alarm could fully rouse him—he still wanted to stay in bed.

“Mm…” Liu He buried his face into the pillow, nearly suffocating himself.

He tilted his head back, gasping for breath, forcing his eyes open and barely waking up.

This bed was far too comfortable. No wonder Jiang Yi had chosen to rent an off-campus apartment.

Liu He lingered on the mattress for a while before reluctantly rising.

Out of habit, he walked into the shared bathroom, staring blankly at the empty sink and at his own reflection in the mirror.

If he remembered correctly, weren’t his toothbrush and towel in the master bedroom’s bathroom?

Had Yun Ge woken up yet? Would he disturb him if he went in?

Liu He hesitated at the master bedroom door, knocking lightly twice to make a small sound, then pressed his ear against the wood.

Inside, there was no sound. Yun Ge seemed still asleep.

He slipped inside, careful to keep quiet so as not to wake him.

Resolving to move lightly, he slowly pushed the master bedroom door open.

The door creaked, and Liu He froze, his whole body stiff, immediately looking toward the bed.

The figure on it turned over, showing no signs of waking.

Relieved, Liu He tiptoed to the bathroom door, slipped inside, and shut it gently before starting to wash up.

The habit of moving silently, trained from living with roommates, proved useful now—

though he now lived alone in his dorm.

Liu He’s movements were soft, barely making a sound.

Once finished, he opened the bathroom door quietly, intending to leave without disturbing Yun Jingqiu.

But as soon as he opened it, the man who had been lying in bed was now sitting against the headboard. His gray-black pajamas cast a cold air over his expressionless face.

Yet upon seeing Liu He, warmth lit his features.

“You snuck into my room?”

Footnote:

• CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure): A large academic database widely used by Chinese students and researchers for theses, journals, and papers.