IROAWTMTFL Chapter 13

The next day, apart from a slight nasal tone, there were no traces of the high fever from the previous day on Zhuang Yiyun. In fact, due to the previous extended period of taxing his body, resting for a day had actually invigorated him even more.

Yan Yan, who had been awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night, was still asleep.

He hadn’t closed the balcony curtains before sleeping, and the bright daylight was glaring, causing him to huddle under the blanket. Worried that Yan Yan might feel stuffy, Zhuang Yiyun subconsciously wanted to reach out and adjust the blanket for him. His hand extended and then hesitated, realizing that pulling the blanket for him felt a bit too intimate at this point.

Zhuang Yiyun straightened up again, gently pulling the curtains to block the light and trying not to disturb Yan Yan.

When Yan Yan woke up, he felt rather sluggish, and large dark circles hung under his eyes. Rubbing his temples, Yan Yan sat up. His spirits weren’t particularly high, and he had to go to school today, so he decided to take a shower to freshen up.

As he passed by the bedroom, he saw that the door was wide open, the bedding neatly arranged, as if no one had slept there. Yan Yan’s expression turned indifferent, and he chuckled with a touch of self-deprecation.

Having taken care of him for a whole day and night, only to wake up without even a trace of half a shadow, and not a single word spoken, it was hard to say whether Yan Yan felt disappointed or had a psychological letdown, but he felt rather uncomfortable. He had thought that the shell was cracking open a bit, but seeing this, it seemed he had overthought things.

Was it his own naivety? Did he really think the iceberg would melt so easily, like molten lava?

“Alright then, it just so happens that I don’t have the energy to deal with it.” Yan Yan was tried to console himself, his words coming out with a dragged-out tone, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.

Taking clothes with him, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower, but the thoughts in his mind were still spinning. Without Zhuang Yiyun around, he didn’t need to wear a wig, he could make any random meal, and he didn’t need to put in the effort to engage with him more. In short, it was relaxing. But the problem was, there was no handsome guy to look at… and what if this handsome guy was into women? Perhaps he was even a lolicon… how frustrating!

He felt refreshed after the shower. With a towel draped over his head, Yan Yan buttoned his clothes as he walked toward the dressing room. Zhuang Yiyun, who had just returned, witnessed this scene.

In his hand, Zhuang Yiyun carried a bag of steamed dumplings, fried dough sticks, and soy milk. He was dressed in sportswear, with beads of sweat still visible on his neck. It was obvious he had just finished his morning run.

Yan Yan didn’t expect this person to go for a run as soon as he recovered. He was caught off guard by this unexpected encounter, feeling a bit surprised.

His hands paused while buttoning his shirt. The loose-fitting casual shirt had its collar wide open, exposing his chest and abdomen. His lower half was clad only in underwear, and he stood barefoot on the long plush carpet outside the bathroom door. With straight, fair legs and well-proportioned muscle lines, Yan Yan’s appearance captivated Zhuang Yiyun at first sight. His hand that was clutching a breakfast bag tightened unconsciously, and his breath caught.

Zhuang Yiyun stared and took in more details.

Unwiped droplets of water trailed down Yan Yan’s chest. The clavicle was faintly visible, and a delicate pink hue adorned his neck and chest. Further down, the edges of the shirt fell gently, conveniently concealing his not overly exaggerated but distinct and robust abs. Long, slender legs exhibited well-toned muscles. While he appeared somewhat thin while clothed, there was a balanced fullness once he disrobed. Below, his ankles were delicate, his feet partially submerged in the plush rug, with slightly pointed and rounded toes on display.

The impact of colors on Zhuang Yiyun was immense. The hard-to-ignore black… underwear… contrasted with the soft white, flushed hues, and faint blue veins under the skin, creating an extremely striking scene. It felt like Zhuang Yiyun was ensnared by a spell, unable to differentiate whether the attack on his retina was delivered by skin or bone.

The moment their gazes met, Yan Yan suddenly lifted his hand and rushed towards the bedroom, clutching the towel atop his head. With this swift turn, what Yan Yan presented to Zhuang Yiyun was his back. The person involved couldn’t see, and the subconscious awareness stirred something within Zhuang Yiyun. His gaze towards Yan Yan became more unrestrained.

Every angle, every aspect, was seen with clarity. A gust of wind lifted Yan Yan’s clothing, breaking the modest barrier that had covered his rear. Wrapped in thin fabric, his contours emerged, sinuous and inviting. And then, Zhuang Yiyun noticed the birthmark on Yan Yan’s buttocks. Positioned near the inner thigh was a light brown heart-shaped mark about half a centimeter in size. It looked particularly conspicuous against his fair skin. It was as if he were heaven’s favored one, to the extent that even his birthmark seemed like a beautiful tattoo.

With a “bang”, Yan Yan slammed the door shut, cutting off Zhuang Yiyun’s sight completely.

Grasping the towel on his head, he ruffled his hair a couple of times. That was a close call, the golden head nearly got revealed. It probably wasn’t , since he ran pretty fast. He was the one who requested the man to be around more, but at this moment, Yan Yan realized that along with the benefits, there came burdens and uncertainties.

Wearing a wig all the time was actually quite tiring.

His feet on the floor felt a bit cold, so he sat on the bed nearby, his two long fair legs stretching straight into view.

“Huh?” At the time, he hadn’t reacted properly and had given up the chance to eat the other person. He just ran back into the room like that?

Yan Yan immediately got up and went to the dressing room to look at the mirror. ‘Such a pure beauty,’ he scolded himself when he saw his own reflection – why didn’t he try to make the situation more ambiguous and intriguing? This wasn’t an opportunity he created himself; it was a chance to be natural.

He sighed while putting on his clothes, sighing all the way. But at the end of his thoughts, he realized that maybe there wasn’t much reason to sigh. They would be living together officially from now on.

However, opportunities like this would be rare. This time it was a coincidence, but next time he could “coincidentally” create another opportunity. He did need to address the issue with his hair, though. Yan Yan thought as he put on his wig.

Once he was dressed neatly, he walked out.

Zhuang Yiyun was already at the dining table. They exchanged glances and immediately averted their eyes. Yan Yan pretended to be “bashful,” while Zhuang Yiyun was genuinely embarrassed. His heart’s rhythm refused to slow down. Even though Yan Yan had put on a down jacket and only exposed the white shirt collar, what Zhuang Yiyun saw was the partially hidden appearance from before.

He had originally intended to say that he didn’t know what Yan Yan liked to eat, so he bought some random stuff. However, when the words reached his lips and Yan Yan glanced at him, he forgot what he was about to say.

H was still wearing his damp workout clothes, and was very uncomfortable. But in front of Yan Yan, he didn’t even dare to walk in the direction of the bathroom. Doing so would remind him of just before, and even Yan Yan’s birthmark appeared vividly in his mind. Doing so would remind him of what happened earlier, and even Yan Yan’s birthmark appeared vividly in his mind.

The two of them sat in silence like this. Yan Yan hastily ate a few steamed dumplings and drank the soy milk before taking his leave.

“I’m off to class now, see you later.” He deliberately kept his voice soft, his words brushing against Zhuang Yiyun’s ear, creating a feather-light sensation. He played the role of being guarded and retreating after their unexpected encounter to perfection.

“I…” Zhuang Yiyun suddenly stood up, took a step towards Yan Yan, then stopped. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing, gege. You didn’t do it on purpose. It’s just that I thought you had already gone to work. Besides, we’re both men, so it’s not a big deal.”

Zhuang Yiyun didn’t say anything further and Yan Yan wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Yan Yan kept his head down the entire time, arms wrapped tightly around himself. It was only towards the end that he finally lifted his head, revealing a smile. When Zhuang Yiyun saw Yan Yan smile, a bit of the weight in his heart lifted.

Seemingly sensing his nervousness, Yan Yan walked to the door and suddenly turned back. “Gege, you should wash up quickly. You might catch a cold if you’re all sweaty in winter. Your body is in a delicate condition.”

“Okay.”

The door closed, and inside and outside, their gazes clashed through the door. Yan Yan grinned cunningly, and Zhuang Yiyun, though expressionless, seemed like he was looking at something, yet also like he wasn’t looking at anything.

Senior year didn’t have many courses, but there were still some, especially for someone like Yan Yan who had average grades and had failed a few courses. He had to retake the required courses before the end of the senior year.

He had failed two courses; he had retaken one in junior year, and the other… it was his second time retaking it. This course was called “Tourism Project Planning”. The instructor was known as one of the “Four Great Detectives” of the university, and not only were her classes strict, but so were her exams. She was also the wife of their department head.

The courses in the Tourism Management Department were all relatively easy to pass, except for the courses taught by the wife of the department head, the renowned “Detective Li.” These courses were extremely difficult.

In this class, Yan Yan had failed for the first time during his sophomore year because he hadn’t submitted an assignment. Missing one assignment got him a direct fail from Detective Li. During his junior year retake, he had been absent once when attendance was taken, and he had been killed by the second strike. This was his second time entering the “prison.” It was also his last chance. Yan Yan didn’t dare to fool around anymore; he was on time for every class and even got picked to sit in the front row by Professor Li.

Under the teacher’s watchful eye, cheating was not an option. But even so, in Professor Li’s class, there was no such thing as “cheating” – it simply didn’t exist. Yan Yan didn’t dare to check his phone during the entire class, he took notes diligently, and he even answered a question when called upon.

Finally, it was after the class and he could breathe again. He took out his phone and on seeing a new message from Zhuang Yiyun, he opened it with anticipation.

Zhuang Yiyun: [When are you free to go check out some houses?]

Zhuang Yiyun: [It’s not very convenient for us to live together like this.]

Zhuang Yiyun: [How about today?]

Disaster had struck! To the point where he was dumbfounded!

What was the saying? Finding happiness only to be met with sorrow? This was exactly it!