"I'll take it back and have our technician replace the keyboard for you. I'll return it once it's fixed."

Pei Ran was taken aback: "No need, I can go to another repair shop."

"Can other repair shops be as good as ours?" Lin Xuhuan said. "Don't worry, I'll definitely get you a good one."

Pei Ran hesitated: "Thanks, then can you tell me the repair cost via WeChat?"

Lin Xuhuan waved his hand: "It's small money, we have sponsors."

"No," Pei Ran insisted. "I still have to pay the money."

Lin Xuhuan wanted to argue with him a bit more, but Yan Zhun cut in: "Yeah, I'll send you the price then."

Pei Ran said: "Okay."

Yan Zhun put on his hat, revealing only his eyes: "Going back to the dorm?"

"Yes." Pei Ran remembered something. "My computer password is feiyi."

Lin Xuhuan noted it in his phone's memo: "What's the meaning of this password? Your girlfriend's name?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." Pei Ran glanced at his watch: "Then I'll head back first? I still have homework to finish tonight."

"Alright, let's chat on WeChat when you're free," Lin Xuhuan said with a smile.

Just as Pei Ran turned around, someone tugged on his clothes.

"Wait." Yan Zhun scanned the surroundings, then said to him, "Stand here and wait for me."

A few minutes later, Yan Zhun came out of the pharmacy carrying a bag.

He stuffed the bag into Pei Ran's arms: "Three times a day. Don't scratch it even if it itches."

Pei Ran opened the bag. Inside were five full tubes of the same brand of ointment.

Pei Ran paused for a moment, looked at the ointment, then looked up at Yan Zhun.

He looked inexplicably dazed. Yan Zhun looked back at him, not speaking for a long time. It was a while before he finally said: "Scars don't look good on boys."

It wasn't until he was back in his dorm room that Pei Ran felt something was a bit off about that statement.

Isn't it normal for men to have a few scars? Girls are the ones who should worry about that, right?

He frowned as he thought about it, slowly changing his clothes. He washed an apple for a post-dinner fruit, then sat on his chair, bent his leg, and applied the ointment Yan Zhun had just bought for him.

-

Yan Zhun didn't go back to the Base with Lin Xuhuan. He had some things to get from his dorm room, and since it was too late, he was too lazy to go back again, so he decided to stay at the school for the night.

When the dorm room door opened, Yan Zhun had just detached the keyboard from his computer. He wasn't used to the equipment at the Base. There was a competition next month, and Yan Zhun had promised to help them with training matches for the next few days, so of course, he had to be in top form.

When Luo Qingshan saw him, he was startled for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses and tossed his basketball into a corner.

Neither of them spoke. The dorm room was silent as usual. Yan Zhun was a man of few words, and Luo Qingshan didn't usually try to chat him up, so this quiet was the norm.

But today was subtly different.

"Yan Zhun." After an unknown amount of time, his roommate's voice came from behind him. "Do you know if there's a laundromat near the school? I want to wash my shoes. I've been practicing running this whole time, the tops are all black."

Yan Zhun didn't turn his head: "Don't know."

"Tsk, they're so dirty." Luo Qingshan crossed his legs, glanced at Yan Zhun, then looked down at his own shoes. "If Pei Ran saw this, he'd think I don't cherish the things he gave me. What a pain."

Yan Zhun skillfully wrapped the connecting cable around the keyboard. After stuffing it into his bag, he finally turned his head to glance over.

The shoes were a black and white model, simple, without any complicated patterns. It was a style Pei Ran would choose.

"There's one to the right of the school's back gate," Yan Zhun said.

"Alright, thanks." Luo Qingshan smiled. "These shoes were a limited edition from two years ago. Pei Ran happened to be abroad at the time, and he queued outside the store for a whole night just to buy them for me."

Yan Zhun lowered his eyes and zipped up his backpack, making a crisp sound.

"He even caught a cold afterward, he was sick for two days when he got back." Luo Qingshan said, "Oh, I think these shoes were his first-anniversary gift to me."

Yan Zhun hung his hat in the wardrobe and took out a new black one.

"Don't you think all these artists are super into rituals? He always prepares a gift for me in advance for every anniversary."

Yan Zhun stuffed the hat into the side pocket of his backpack.

The phone on the desk vibrated at that moment.

[Pei Ran: You can drink a glass of milk in the morning, it's good for the stomach]

[Pei Ran: Thanks for your medicine.]

The tense line of Yan Zhun's mouth instantly relaxed.

He picked up his phone, grabbed a towel, and walked towards the bathroom. He took two steps before pausing to look at the person next to him, as if only now realizing he was speaking.

He asked: "I remember, didn't Pei Ran cash in everything he received from you and give the money back?"

He had overheard Luo Qingshan say this once when he was drunk.

Luo Qingshan was suddenly interrupted, his mouth hanging open without a sound.

Yan Zhun's face was clearly expressionless, but Luo Qingshan inexplicably detected a hint of ridicule. He blinked rapidly, just about to say something—

"In that case, it would only be decent to return what he gave you as well." Yan Zhun's lips quirked up, giving him an emotionless smile. "Of course, that's just my suggestion."