Luo Qingshan left without turning off his computer. When Pei Ran sat down, he casually glanced at it and saw that PUBG was still open in the taskbar.

Luo Qingshan always had this bad habit of being forgetful. When the two of them were roommates in high school, he often left without turning off the lights. Pei Ran moved his finger to open the game, intending to help him shut down the computer.

Opening the game interface, he realized that Luo Qingshan wasn't the only one waiting in the matchmaking lobby.

Su Nian was playing a female character. Both of them were wearing the newly released clown outfits in the game, standing quietly.

“Do you want some water?”

Pei Ran subconsciously let go of the mouse. He was stunned for half a second before turning around.

Yan Zhun had his back to him and was starting a game booster. “Your lips are very dry.”

Pei Ran pursed his lips and licked them. He had forgotten to buy water before getting in the car and was indeed a little thirsty.

He glanced at Luo Qingshan's cup. Although he and Luo Qingshan had been dating for a few years, he still wasn't used to drinking from cups other people had used. “No, thanks...”

“I have paper cups here,” Yan Zhun said. “Disposable ones.”

Half a minute later, Pei Ran was sitting next to Yan Zhun, holding a paper cup.

“It's a bit boring just sitting here. Can I watch you play?”

Yan Zhun said, “Suit yourself.”

When Yan Zhun played games, he was just like his usual self, stone-faced and silent. After a few rounds, Pei Ran hadn't seen him turn on his in-game mic, though he could see his teammates' mics flashing constantly.

Seeing Yan Zhun kill a player on the ground while he was still landing, Pei Ran couldn't help but say, “You're really good.”

Yan Zhun paused and looked at him in confusion. Just then, an enemy appeared from around the corner wall. Pei Ran subconsciously grabbed his clothes to warn him, “Someone's on the right!”

By the time Yan Zhun looked back at the screen, he had already turned into a loot box.

Pei Ran's brows furrowed, and he let go. “Did I disturb you?”

“No.” Yan Zhun took off his headset and returned to the matchmaking lobby. “I misheard the footsteps and misjudged the position.”

Yan Zhun unplugged the headset directly, and Pei Ran could hear the game's background music.

Seeing him start a new game, Pei Ran asked, “Without a headset, can you hear footsteps?”

“I can. It's a fish pond match,” Yan Zhun said. “With it on, I can't hear you clearly.”

Pei Ran was taken aback for a moment. “It's fine if you can't hear me.”

Yan Zhun was quiet for two seconds. “What did you just say to me?”

“It was nothing, I just said you're really good,” Pei Ran said. “It was the same when we played together before... You could totally go pro.”

Pei Ran was very serious. He had watched two PUBG International Tournaments with Luo Qingshan and felt that many pro players' moves weren't as clean as Yan Zhun's.

Yan Zhun turned his head to glance at him. In less than two seconds, he looked away and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Not good enough, can't make it,” Yan Zhun said, half-jokingly. “I can only stomp in the fish ponds.”

Pei Ran nodded. “Stomp me.”

“You're not bad,” Yan Zhun said seriously. “You just don't play much and aren't practiced. Aren't you really good at League of Legends?”

Pei Ran was a little surprised. “Yeah... How did you know?”

Yan Zhun was silent for a moment before saying, “I saw you and Luo Qingshan playing once.”

During the final clean-up phase in Pochinki, a girl on the team was killed. Yan Zhun, as usual, silently wiped out all the enemies, then turned to revive his nearby teammate, even tossing out a First-Aid Kit and some Painkillers.

“Thanks, little bro,” the girl thanked him. “Let's play together next round. I'll give you three kits back next round~”

Pei Ran waited for a long time before he couldn't resist poking his sleeve and reminding him, “I think your teammate is talking to you.”

“I know, but I don't want to queue with them,” Yan Zhun said.

But the teammates didn't seem to be giving up. Pei Ran felt they were probably on a separate voice chat, as every time they turned on their mics, it was to talk to Yan Zhun.

“Come on, play with us. Number Four has been clamoring for your WeChat,” came a teasing voice.

Soon, a voice came from the other side: “You're so annoying! Don't say that out loud...”

Yan Zhun said, “Change your gender, and I'll consider it.”

The person on the other end didn't understand. “Huh?”

Yan Zhun said while reloading, “I like men.”

Pei Ran: “...”

Pei Ran still hadn't fully come to his senses even when the words “Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner” appeared on the screen.

Just like that, so unexpectedly, Yan Zhun had come out of the closet in front of him?

The sound of a door opening interrupted Pei Ran's thoughts.

Luo Qingshan pushed the door open and entered. He was wearing a baseball cap, the brim slightly covering his eyes. He closed the door, turned back, and when his eyes met Pei Ran's, his expression froze for a moment.

Before Pei Ran could get a closer look, he had already composed his expression.

“Babe,” Luo Qingshan took off his hat, “tired of waiting?”

Pei Ran stood up. “No, I was watching Yan Zhun play.”

Luo Qingshan glanced at his roommate. Yan Zhun had already started a new game and didn't spare him a look.

But that was just Yan Zhun's personality, so Luo Qingshan didn't mind. He casually wrapped an arm around Pei Ran's waist and leaned in to kiss him, but Pei Ran blocked him with his palm.

“You're all sweaty,” Pei Ran said, taking a step back. “Go take a shower, then we can go eat?”

Luo Qingshan pouted slightly. “Fine, I'll go. Wait for me.”

While Luo Qingshan was in the shower, his phone, which was charging, suddenly pinged.

Pei Ran subconsciously looked down.

[You have received a new message]

Luo Qingshan had set his phone so that message previews were hidden.

A few days ago, before leaving school, he had used Luo Qingshan's phone to play Tetris. He remembered that this setting wasn't enabled back then.

After his shower, Luo Qingshan put his hat back on. “Let's go, Babe.”

As Pei Ran closed the door, he couldn't help but glance at the person playing the game.

Yan Zhun had already put his headset back on.

Pei Ran opened his mouth, but in the few seconds he hesitated, his wrist was gently grabbed by Luo Qingshan.

“What are you spacing out for? Let's go, or we won't get a table.”

The dorm room door closed. The running character in the game came to a sudden halt. Yan Zhun turned his head and stared deeply in the direction the two had left.

-

Luo Qingshan came back very late.

When he returned, Yan Zhun was still playing. The enemy was brutally gunned down by his wild spray.

Luo Qingshan was on the phone with someone. “I just got back to the dorm... Dinner? We ate at that new restaurant next door. It wasn't good, the food was bland. Not going back... I didn't shut down the game. It must have been Pei Ran who saw my computer was on and helped me close it.”

After hanging up, Luo Qingshan climbed into bed and pulled the covers over his head, his mind filled with the events of the afternoon.

In the afternoon, Su Nian had confessed to him.

Su Nian was a completely different type from Pei Ran. When Su Nian confessed, his eyes were welling up with tears, on the verge of crying, and even his lips were red.

“I thought you weren't coming back tonight.”

Not expecting Yan Zhun to speak to him, Luo Qingshan was stunned for a moment, then he pulled back the covers. “How could I not? The school is in this crappy suburb, and Pei Ran thinks all the nearby hotels are dirty, so he'd never stay in one.”

Yan Zhun walked to the washstand on the balcony and said nothing more.

But Luo Qingshan's mind was a mess right now and he just wanted to talk to someone. So after Yan Zhun turned off the light and got into bed, he finally couldn't help but turn over.

“Yan Zhun, what did you and Pei Ran talk about today?”

“Nothing much.”

“You didn't say anything bad about me, did you?”

“What bad things?”

“Ah, like not washing my socks or whatever...” Luo Qingshan put a hand behind his head. “Tsk, don't all guys have this problem? It's mainly that Pei Ran is a bit of a clean freak.”

“Didn't say.”

Luo Qingshan asked a lot of questions, and surprisingly, Yan Zhun answered them all, although his replies were very brief.

“So, who do you think is better, Pei Ran or Su Nian?”

After he said this, the dorm room fell silent for a moment.

Luo Qingshan then realized he had spoken without thinking and quickly said, “I was just saying...”

“Pei Ran.”

“Huh?”

Yan Zhun closed his eyes in the darkness and repeated, “Pei Ran.”

Annoyance and a certain indescribable sense of stimulation tangled in Luo Qingshan's heart. In his mind, Yan Zhun was like a block of wood—not good with words, didn't like to chat, and definitely not one to gossip.

That was why he was less measured when he spoke.

“Right? Pei Ran is the best-looking guy I've ever seen in my life,” Luo Qingshan murmured. “You should have seen him in high school, wearing a white shirt. His face was handsome, his hands were handsome, even his neck was handsome. Did you see his legs? Long and straight. He learned to dance as a kid, so his figure is especially beautiful.”

“Mhm.”

Luo Qingshan was lost in his own world and didn't realize that when Yan Zhun responded, his tone was one of agreement.

“He's also very clean, his whole person is just so clean... So when I found out he liked guys, I went after him without a second thought.”

Pei Ran was hard to pursue, the type that couldn't be coaxed into happiness no matter what. In the end, Luo Qingshan beat up the guy who was spreading rumors about Pei Ran's sexuality, almost beating him half to death, before he finally won him over.

A sharp ringtone interrupted Luo Qingshan.

Luo Qingshan was snapped back to reality and answered, “Hello, Su Nian?”

His mind was still full of Pei Ran, so his initial tone was very cold. “I was just about to fall asleep, let's not talk... What? Your foot is hurting again?”

After talking for a while, Luo Qingshan threw off his covers and got up. “I'll come to your dorm to check on you. Open the door.”

As Luo Qingshan opened the dorm door, he heard the person behind him say coolly, “Going to treat a classmate's leg this late at night?”

Luo Qingshan laughed. “Alright, stop teasing me. I'm going to the dorm upstairs to check. Leave the door unlocked for me.”

After Luo Qingshan left, Yan Zhun got out of bed, took a cigarette, and went to the balcony.

In the darkness, Yan Zhun exhaled a puff of smoke. The haze cast a white veil over the moon, making it seem even more ethereal and distant.

After a long while, Yan Zhun stubbed out the cigarette.

He lowered his eyes, hiding the surging gloom and unwillingness within them.

“Fuck...”