AAUMOBIP C3

Chapter 3

How could anyone even spend twenty thousand…

Used to living frugally, Liu He stared at the balance on the family card and felt troubled; he had never spent money with such a free hand.

“Not sad anymore?” Yun Jingqiu’s voice had gentled noticeably.

Liu He couldn’t quite describe the feeling—his heart was as if soaked in warm water, comfortably heated, and even his slightly chilled body grew warm. It seemed like he liked Yun Ge even more than before.

“I’ll definitely pay this money back,” Liu He said.

Unable to out-stubborn him, Yun Jingqiu only grunted, “Do as you like.”

“Go to sleep early. I’ll sing to you.”

“Wait!” Liu He fished out his earphones and put them on. “Okay, now.”

“When my junior comes back, I don’t want him hearing you sing.”

“Junior?” Yun Jingqiu’s tone paused. “You’re sharing a room with someone else?”

Liu He didn’t think much of it. “Two beds. It’s fine.”

“Which hotel is it? Send me your ID details; I’ll book you a separate room.” Yun Jingqiu had no intention of accepting “it’s fine.”

Liu He refused to say. The two reached an impasse.

Beep—

The door was swiped open. Seeing the lights still on, the junior guessed Liu He hadn’t slept yet and called out right away: “Senior, why didn’t you come to round two? Senior Sister sings so well! We even went for barbecue afterwards—though it’s not as good as the place outside our campus gate, and way pricier!”

Liu He poked his head out from under the covers.

His hair was a bit messy, his eyes were rimmed with red, and his cheeks were flushed from being smothered under the quilt.

He said, “My partner wouldn’t stop clinging to me on the phone, so I came back early.”

“Heh—” A cold snort came through the headphones.

Liu He lied with a straight face: “Next time, when there’s a chance, we’ll go to KTV together. Go shower; we’ve got an early lecture to catch tomorrow.”

The junior suspected nothing. “How come all of you have partners?”

Taking his clothes, he headed into the bathroom. “Senior, when are you going to let me meet Sister-in-law? Since you look so good, Sister-in-law must be gorgeous too.”

How would he know what “Sister-in-law” looked like—he hadn’t even seen “her” himself. Liu He laughed and scolded, “Just go shower!”

Then he lowered his voice to say to Yun Jingqiu, “It’s fine. There are two beds, not like we’re sharing a duvet. It’s how we sleep in the dorm anyway.”

Yun Jingqiu remained displeased. “So you want to share a duvet with him?”

“I’m hanging up. Good night, Yun Ge.” After a minute of his unreasonable fussing, Liu He preempted any escalation and hung up.

—

Yun Jingqiu glanced at his phone. He turned the hot water back on, letting it cascade from above.

A chill lingered on his face.

Finding the hot water too hot, he switched it to cool.

The cool stream washed away the restlessness in his heart—and the heat in his body.

A muffled groan sounded in the bathroom. Yun Jingqiu’s breathing grew heavy, and he couldn’t help but murmur, “Xiao He…”

It wasn’t enough. Holding his phone in one hand, he opened the voice recordings, found the file named “Baby Acting Cute,” and tapped it.

The clip wasn’t long—only five seconds.

He set it to loop.

“Yun Ge…” The young man’s voice carried a hint of difficulty, the tail note drawn out with a touch of coaxing sweetness—yet not quite coquettish either.

It was the recording of the very first time Liu He had called him “Yun Ge.”

One “Yun Ge” after another echoed in the bathroom, the tiled walls returning the sound so that Liu He’s voice seemed to come from all sides, incessantly teasing Yun Jingqiu.

He took a deep breath, slid a finger across the screen, and opened his hidden album.

There was only one photo in it.

A handsome, mild-featured young man smiled into the lens.

His smile was shy, those almond eyes gently curving, and his hand was raised in a peace sign.

His skin was very fair, hardly sun-tanned; that face was clean and gentle, the sort that drew goodwill at first glance.

It was Liu He’s photo, sent to him by Xiao He—just this one image.

Yun Jingqiu had kept the photo all this time, opening it to look every so often.

Sometimes he paired it with Xiao He’s voice, doing such things in the bathroom.

He liked Xiao He—liked him very, very much.

“I’ll be seeing you soon,” Yun Jingqiu told the photo, unable to help kissing the phone screen.

Droplets of water slid down the glass.

Leaning back against the bathroom wall, his hand moved without pause until he reached his peak.

Would Xiao He like someone as perverted as he was?

—

The academic conference lasted three days. On the first day they arrived in City A, they checked in and, after signing their names, had free time.

That was the day he’d gone out to eat with Senior Sister and the junior, each spending over a hundred, realized he didn’t have enough money, and asked Yun Jingqiu to lend him some.

The conference officially began on day two.

On day three, once it ended, they would take the high-speed rail back to City C that evening.

Between the end of the conference and boarding the train, there was free time again.

Senior Sister and the junior pulled Liu He along to tour City A’s famous sights and buy local specialties.

Liu He watched them buy, without any intention of making a purchase himself.

He was a penniless pauper now; with prices so high in City A, a few random items could drain what little he had left.

To this, the junior coaxed, “Senior, even if you don’t want to buy for yourself, you should think of Sister-in-law.”

“Since you’re out and about, you’ve got to bring Sister-in-law a gift, right?”

Get something for Yun Jingqiu?

Liu He was tempted.

He and Yun Jingqiu would meet tomorrow, but he still hadn’t decided on a present.

What would Yun Ge like?

“There’s a pastry shop in City A that’s super famous. Lots of people come to this city just for that place,” the junior chimed in. “Senior, want to consider it? You can’t buy it online—people pay high purchasing fees just to get a taste.”

Liu He thought of the fat-loss meals Yun Jingqiu often ate and felt a pang.

He nodded. “Okay.”

They found the shop. Sure enough, being the newly famed bakery it was, the front door was packed; the line even wrapped around a few corners.

“How long is this going to take?” The junior lost heart.

Liu He took a look. There were a lot of people, but the line moved quickly.

It would probably be about two hours until their turn.

He did the math and said, “We’ve got time.”

Their train was fairly late, and their advisor had left them plenty of free time.

“But I still want to go other places…” the junior lamented, shaking his head. “Forget it, I’ll come again next time.”

Liu He said, “Send me what you want to eat, I’ll buy it for you.”

The junior was glum. “Can’t. There’s a purchase limit.”

Liu He: …

Well, fine then.

Compared to the well-prepared junior, Liu He was basically wandering aimlessly, stopping whenever something caught his eye.

Now, he stopped at the shop front, joined the line, and prepared to buy tomorrow’s gift for Yun Ge.

I hope he doesn’t despise such a humble present.

He couldn’t very well buy a gift for Yun Ge with Yun Ge’s money, could he?

That wouldn’t be a surprise at all.

Yun Jingqiu could see every single expense made through Intimate Pay.

So his gift budget was just the three-hundred-something in his own pocket.

He couldn’t spend it all, either—he had to save some for himself, and shouldn’t blow through Yun Ge’s money before next month’s stipend arrived.

Liu He lowered his eyes slightly, stood in line, and fiddled with his phone.

【187-Boyfriend: [location pin]】

【187-Boyfriend: I’ve booked a place for dinner tomorrow. Just tell them the private room ‘Liuxi Pavilion’ was reserved.】

【187-Boyfriend: You should be able to get back today, right? I wish I could see you today.】

Unfortunately no. Xiao He would arrive in City C very late tonight; Yun had filming during the day tomorrow and only a little time in the afternoon.

He’d begged the director hard to get that half-day off.

【fon: Back tonight】

【fon: I’ll only get into City C around midnight. Get some rest.】

【fon: We’ll meet tomorrow.】

【fon: And you’d better explain what you lied to me about.】

Clearly, his online boyfriend intended to keep dodging the topic.

【187-Boyfriend: With Xiao He gone, no one plays games with me.】

【187-Boyfriend: You won’t even call me. Anyone would think you’ve fallen out of love.】

Liu He had indeed been busy these days and hadn’t called.

【fon: We’ll meet tomorrow.】

【187-Boyfriend: Yeah, yeah, I know.】

【187-Boyfriend: So you still won’t call me now?】

【fon: I’m outside. Inconvenient.】

【187-Boyfriend: Tch】

【187-Boyfriend: I’ll remember this.】

Sometimes, Yun Ge could be pretty childish.

Smiling, Liu He kept chatting with him.

The line moved faster than he’d expected; it was their turn in about an hour and a half.

“Hi, could you give me some of your signature items?” Liu He hadn’t tried anything before and didn’t know what was good, so he left the recommendations to the clerk.

He bought five boxes in total; the purchase limit was five per person. Two of them were the shop’s signature specialty—butterfly pastries.

One box for himself, the rest for Yun Ge.

【fon: Let me see your dinner.】

【187-Boyfriend: [image]】

【187-Boyfriend: Awful.】

Another fat-loss meal that killed one’s appetite on sight.

【fon: You’re not going to order only fat-loss dishes for our dinner tomorrow, are you?】

【fon: I don’t want to eat grass.】

Liu He was a little worried about the next evening’s meal.

【187-Boyfriend: Fat-loss meals are delicious. [smile]】

Liu He couldn’t find any joy in his boyfriend’s message.

Clearly, Yun Ge made plenty of money and had such enviable body stats—why was he always eating fat-loss meals?

Was the point of earning money to torment himself? What a strange quirk.

Liu He didn’t get it. He’d asked before and never gotten an answer.

After mulling it over, he felt the thing Yun Ge had lied about was most likely his body stats.

—

They reached City C at ten-thirty at night. The dorm curfew was eleven-thirty, and a taxi to campus took thirty to forty minutes, so they’d make it in time.

Entering the dorm, Liu He sent a message to let Yun Jingqiu know he was safe, then messaged Jiang Yi about the dinner plans for tomorrow, and finally packed up to shower and sleep.

He’d already been excited in the shower; now, lying in bed with the small night light glowing softly behind the curtains, he could hear his own heart thudding—fast and nervous.

It was a sleepless night. He only drifted off in the latter half.

Too eager for the evening meetup, he woke early.

All told, he’d slept only six hours the night before.

By noon, Jiang Yi had arrived. He sat next to Liu He playing games, grumbling, “Your boyfriend has taste. Do you know how expensive the restaurant he booked is? Average spending is four digits per person. A stir-fried seasonal green is 188. I’ve never eaten somewhere this pricey!”

“He even booked a private room. I hear they charge separately for those. Tell me the truth—did you bag yourself a rich second generation?” Jiang Yi pressed.

Liu He: “Huh?”

He’d thought it was just an ordinary place with private rooms, so he hadn’t looked it up.

Judging by Jiang Yi’s description, that price point… only a sucker would eat there?

And his boyfriend was apparently that sucker.

Liu He felt distressed on Yun Ge’s wallet’s behalf.

But the meetup spot had been chosen yesterday; asking to change it now felt wrong.

After a moment’s thought, Liu He told Jiang Yi, “Maybe that’s just what he likes.”

Jiang Yi was excited. “I’ve never been to a restaurant that fancy! Don’t worry, I won’t fleece your boyfriend.”

“To a place that upscale, we ought to dress up, right? How about renting a suit?” Jiang Yi babbled on. In his game, his character died; while waiting for respawn, he leaned over to peek at Liu He’s screen and got a headache.

He turned his attention back to the game on his phone.

“You’re about to meet your boyfriend in person and you’re still working on your paper? Don’t be such a grindset guy, okay?”

His character revived; Jiang Yi charged into battle.

Liu He saved his paper and responded, “The deadline’s coming up. I have to send it to my advisor in a couple of days.”

Jiang Yi shrugged indifferently and dove back into his game.

“No need for formal wear. It’s just a meal,” Liu He said.

Even so, he had still dressed up that morning.

He had the kind of clean, approachable looks. He wore a gray inner layer with a thin, coffee-colored trench on top, and loose, light-blue jeans below.

He looked very neat and fresh overall.

Usually, he’d just throw on a hoodie and a random pair of pants to go out.

This counted as him making an effort.

“Good enough.” Liu He saved his paper, shut down his computer, and stood up.

Barefoot, he was 1.78 meters tall; with shoes, an even 1.8.

That was tall among men.

He was on the slim side, and the long trench gave him an air of elegance.

Jiang Yi looked at himself, then at Liu He, full of question marks.

Weren’t they not dressing formally? Why did this guy look so polished?

Forget it—he was going to see his boyfriend; dressing a bit sharper might hook the man immediately.

If it were Jiang Yi, he always dressed up when going out with Xu Yi.

Even if they were practically an old married couple by now and had dated for years.

The two broke students, of course, didn’t take a taxi. They rode the subway to the city center.

The restaurant was easy to find, housed in a siheyuan courtyard compound in the city center.

“This is it?” Jiang Yi hesitated. “Looks expensive.”

Liu He checked the sign, then the location Yun Ge had sent.

After careful confirmation, he nodded. “This is the place.”

With the confirmation, Jiang Yi cleared his throat; confidence surged and he strode inside.

Liu He smiled and followed.

“Hello, we have a reservation—Liuxi Pavilion,” Liu He said.

The front desk checked and smiled. “Are you Mr. Yun? Phone ending in 0419.”

Liu He: “Yes.”

“Please follow me.” A server immediately stepped forward to guide them through the courtyard and into a somewhat secluded private room.

“Shall we start serving now?” the server asked.

The private room was neither too big nor too small, suited for gatherings under ten people.

There was a small side room within, suitable for resting.

Liu He walked into the side room, sat down on the sofa, checked his messages, and said, “Hold on, we’re waiting for one more friend.”

“Of course. When you’re ready for the dishes, just let us know.” With a smile, the server withdrew.

Jiang Yi blinked and sat on the sofa as well, lowering his voice to ask, “We don’t need to order?”

“Yun Ge probably already ordered.” Liu He had planned to save him some money by picking cheaper dishes.

The two broke students looked at each other, then pulled out their phones to game.

【187-Boyfriend: Are you there yet?】

【187-Boyfriend: I’m almost there—about ten minutes.】

【187-Boyfriend: If you’re hungry, you can start without me.】

【187-Boyfriend: I can’t wait to see you.】

【187-Boyfriend: The driver’s a bit slow. [aggrieved]】

【187-Boyfriend: Next time, don’t bring a third wheel on our date.】

Yun Ge had sent quite a few messages.

Liu He and Jiang Yi were duo-queueing in a battle royale; the notification banners kept popping up.

Jiang Yi leaned over for a glance, then sat up straight and burped.

“Full already before eating?” Liu He asked doubtfully.

“The third wheel is full from all the public displays of affection.”

Liu He didn’t reply. He picked up two guns in-game and, seeing Jiang Yi unmoving, asked, “Why aren’t you moving?”

“Huh?” Jiang Yi seemed to snap back and wiggled his thumbs. “I thought you were going to chat with your man and stop playing.”

Was he that kind of person!

They were about to meet—ten minutes wouldn’t make a difference.

But they’d already started this match—he couldn’t ditch Jiang Yi mid-game; that would be griefing his teammate.

Ten minutes certainly wasn’t enough to finish a match.

They made it to the final circle, their packs overflowing with loot.

“Gunshots on the left. Do we ‘mediate’?” Liu He asked.

Jiang Yi: “Mediate!”

When Yun Jingqiu followed the server to the private room, what he heard was the sound of two people inside playing a game—heatedly, at that.

He stood at the door in silence for a moment, then turned to the server and said, “You can start serving.”

“Right away,” the server said with a smile, stealing a second glance at Yun Jingqiu.

She was well-trained and would never comment on a guest’s attire.

The man wore a black mask and a black baseball cap pulled low, so only his eyes were barely visible.

But judging by his outfit, he was someone of means; his physique was excellent, and his looks were likely just as good.

Footnotes:

1. Family card (亲属卡) and Intimate Pay (亲密付): In major Chinese payment apps, users can authorize close contacts to spend from their account up to a set monthly limit. The “family card” is a card-like authorization; “Intimate Pay” is a partner-oriented feature. In BL/danmei contexts, this often symbolizes trust/intimacy. 
2. Siheyuan (四合院): A traditional Chinese courtyard residence, often indicating a historic, upscale, or atmospheric venue when used commercially. 
3. “Mediate” in battle royale slang: A joking term for charging toward gunfire to “mediate” a fight—i.e., third-partying to disrupt or capitalize on others’ battle.