Ye Ran got up in the middle of the night, stepping softly toward the bathroom.
The dorm was pitch-black. It was almost three in the morning. Little Fatty and Brother Shu were both fast asleep, snoring one after another. Ye Ran passed by their beds, frowning as he covered his mouth to suppress a wave of nausea.
They’d gone out for a dorm dinner that evening — a late-night barbecue. Little Fatty and Brother Shu loved spicy food and had ordered the “extra insane” level of heat.
Ye Ran only ate two skewers before stopping. He’d even taken stomach medicine before bed — but the pain still woke him in the middle of the night.
His stomach churned violently.
The discomfort only worsened.
……
After coming out of the bathroom, he turned off the light gently. The bathroom was next to the balcony; Ye Ran stood by the door for a while, waiting for the dizziness and black-and-white spots in his vision to fade before slowly stepping back inside.
“You okay?”
A low male voice suddenly broke the silence.
Ye Ran looked up.
Moonlight slanted into the room. Shen Shi was sitting on the edge of his bed, already dressed, putting on his shoes. He glanced up at Ye Ran. “Let’s go.”
Ye Ran barely interacted with his famous roommate and froze at the words. “Uh? …Go where?”
“The hospital,” Shen Shi said. “You’ve got a fever.”
*
The hospital was bustling even in the early hours.
In the first-floor lobby, children cried while parents complained. The lights were bright; nurses pushed carts through the crowd, calling out loudly: “Please make way, make way—don’t block the path!”
Ye Ran sat with his head lowered, exhaustion heavy on him. A needle was inserted into the back of his hand, cold liquid slowly dripping through the tube into his body. After dozing a bit, he forced himself awake and murmured, “Thank you, Shen Shi.”
If not for Shen Shi, he probably would’ve just brushed it off as food poisoning and endured it.
“It’s nothing.” Shen Shi sat beside him, one leg bent. When a mother carrying her little girl came over, he immediately stood and gave her his seat. “You sit.”
The woman, pale and tired, thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you.”
“Thank you, big brother,” the little girl whispered from her mother’s arms.
The hall was overcrowded; even the corridor seating was full. Ye Ran sat in a corner chair, people passing by constantly. Every so often, a nurse came to check on his IV, asking if he felt any discomfort. He answered each time, polite and patient.
Early autumn, and the hospital’s air conditioning was still on.
The temperature was set a little low. The vent was right above his head, and the cold air made his throat dry. He couldn’t help but lick his lips.
“Want some water?” Shen Shi asked.
Ye Ran was startled. He didn’t want to trouble him any more. “It’s fine, I’m not thirsty.”
Shen Shi only gave a noncommittal hum in reply. From the corner of his eye, Ye Ran saw his long legs stride away, and within moments, he had disappeared into the crowd.
The boy’s figure was tall and lean. The night air was cool, so he wore a black jacket — a jacket that probably cost Ye Ran two months’ living expenses. It looked stylish, accentuating Shen Shi’s naturally upright build.
The woman sitting beside him smiled. “You two brothers get along really well.”
“Brothers?” Ye Ran turned to her.
The young mother nodded. “Sure. It’s the middle of the night and he still brought you to the hospital… you’re not brothers?”
“No, we’re roommates.” He laughed, not expecting anyone to mistake him and Shen Shi for siblings.
How could anyone think he looked like Shen Shi — that dazzling, impossibly handsome face?
“Oh, my mistake,” the woman said, embarrassed but still smiling. “Then your roommate’s a good one. That’s what a real friend should be.”
Ye Ran thought of Shen Shi taking him to the hospital, registering for him, paying, finding him a seat… he nodded seriously. “Yeah. He’s really nice.”
He hadn’t expected Shen Shi to be so considerate, so reliable.
It had been nearly two months since the semester started. There were four of them in the dorm, and the one he was least familiar with was Shen Shi.
Shen Shi had entered with a halo over his head — a top student, a sensation from the moment he arrived. Senior sisters and freshmen from the surrounding universities all wanted to know who he was, what department this “Beijing University” boy belonged to.
For a while, people were always loitering by their dorm door. Sometimes, camera flashes even went off.
Ye Ran, being quiet and mild-tempered, had grown increasingly hesitant to talk to Shen Shi, afraid that one day his own picture would end up on some online forum, being gossiped over.
He never would’ve guessed that tonight, it’d be Shen Shi who first noticed his fever — and personally took him to the hospital.
… Truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
He really didn’t know Shen Shi at all.
Turns out, the guy was actually a very kind person.
“What are you talking about?” Shen Shi’s voice suddenly came from above his head. Ye Ran looked up, squinting against the glare of the lights.
“Nothing,” he said awkwardly.
Shen Shi looked at him for two seconds, then handed him a disposable cup. “Warm water. Don’t drink too much.”
He passed the other cup in his hand to the young mother beside them.
The woman blinked, surprised to receive one too. It took her a moment to react, and then she thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you so much, young man.”
“It’s fine,” Shen Shi replied coolly, his tone as indifferent as ever.
Then he took a folded newspaper from his pocket, spread it out on the floor next to Ye Ran, crouched down, and sat. His long legs folded loosely, and under Ye Ran’s incredulous gaze, he said, “I’ll nap for a bit. Wake me if something happens.”
Ye Ran stammered, “O-okay.”
Seeing Shen Shi actually close his eyes to rest, Ye Ran’s heart couldn’t calm down.
What was this?
What was this?!
He’d actually let “the beloved treasure of the entire university town’s female population” sit on the floor — this was practically a crime against humanity!
Ye Ran swallowed hard, already imagining his name appearing on the front page of the campus joint forum tomorrow, pinned to the top, with the “Protect Our City’s Heartthrob Association” publicly condemning him.
Anxious and unsure, he hesitated, thinking to offer that Shen Shi share his chair — but when he looked at Shen Shi’s tall, 1.8-meter frame, he sat back down silently. Then he thought again — Shen Shi was slim; maybe they could squeeze a little — and sat up halfway again.
He repeated this awkward dance three times before Shen Shi finally spoke.
“What’s wrong?” He lifted his eyelids slightly. “Need to go to the bathroom?”
Ye Ran: “…”
Ye Ran fell completely silent. “Sorry, did I wake you?”
“No,” Shen Shi said, glancing at his hand. “Don’t move around. You might bump the needle.”
Ye Ran followed his gaze and looked down at the back of his hand, where two bluish puncture marks stood out.
It was crowded that night. The nurse who inserted his IV was an intern, and after missing twice, she had nearly burst into tears. Ye Ran hadn’t minded — he’d even comforted her gently: “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”
On the third try, the needle went in properly. Out of guilt, the little nurse had come back every few minutes to check on him, her cheeks still flushed.
Ye Ran stared at the back of his hand.
The two punctures were evenly spaced, the bruises the same size — strangely, it looked kind of funny.
“What are you laughing at?” Shen Shi asked.
Startled, Ye Ran quickly wiped off his smile. “Nothing. I won’t move. You can sleep.”
*
The night deepened, and the crowd slowly thinned. Parents whispered to soothe children; the doctors, exhausted after a long night, finally found a moment to drink some water.
Sleep crept up on him in fine, thin threads. Leaning back in his chair, the wide brim of his hat shaded half his face. His whole body was sore, his breathing heavy, his mouth slightly open as he exhaled.
At some point, voices came faintly through the haze. “One more bottle. Watch… his condition…”
“Okay.” A cool, low male voice answered.
He tried to open his eyes, but after the night’s ordeal, his body was too drained. Before long, he drifted off again.
He didn’t know how much time passed before a pressing discomfort in his lower abdomen jolted him awake.
Ye Ran opened his eyes, his foggy mind slowly clearing — and then his expression tightened.
… Oh no.
Where’s the bathroom?
He sat up, and his hood naturally slid down. The skin around his eyes was still flushed from sleep.
Just as he moved, before he could think of what to do, Shen Shi — who had been leaning against the wall — also opened his eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ye Ran didn’t dare to answer.
Shen Shi became more awake and asked again, “What—”
He stopped mid-sentence. His gaze followed Ye Ran’s line of sight and landed on the sign above their heads.
“You need the bathroom?” After a few seconds of silence, he said.
Ye Ran replied, “…Mm. I can go by myself.”
“I’ll go with you.” Shen Shi stood up, took the IV bottle off the stand, and held it in his hand. “Let’s go.”
…What had he done in his past life to deserve this kind of punishment now?
Ye Ran closed his eyes briefly, dazed, and followed Shen Shi toward the restroom.
The women’s restroom had a long line. The men’s restroom was nearly empty and quite clean — well, this was Beijing University’s First Affiliated Hospital, famous and reputable, both professional and convenient.
The faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air. There were four urinals on one side. At this point, Ye Ran couldn’t keep up his composure anymore. His ears burned hot as he tried to act calm, taking the IV bottle from Shen Shi’s hand. “I can do it myself.”
Shen Shi glanced at him, paused, then said, “I’ll wait outside.”
“…Mm.”
When Shen Shi turned and walked away, and Ye Ran heard his footsteps fade into the distance, he tucked the IV bottle under his arm and awkwardly began pulling down his pants.
In the process, he happened to lift his head. Next to him was the mirror above the sink — in it, he saw himself pursing his lips, his ears red, looking completely guilty and suspicious.
Ye Ran: “…”
What kind of man blushes while using the men’s room?
He looked like some kind of pervert.
Just to be sure, he glanced again.
Holding in his embarrassment, Ye Ran finally finished his business.
Outside, Shen Shi was sitting on a chair, resting. His head was slightly lowered, short black hair a little messy. Half of his face was hidden in shadow where the light couldn’t reach, outlining sharp, handsome features — cool and striking.
No wonder he was the “Campus Heartthrob.”
That face really was perfect.
Sensing Ye Ran’s gaze, Shen Shi lifted his eyes. Seeing that Ye Ran had finished, he simply said, “Wait a moment.”
“Oh.” Ye Ran nodded.
Shen Shi brushed past him into the restroom, and only then did Ye Ran realize — right, Shen Shi was a normal man with normal bodily needs too.
Faint sounds of running water came from inside.
Ye Ran stepped back a few paces to put more distance between himself and the bathroom. The noise softened slightly.
He: “…”
This was taking… quite a while, wasn’t it?
After waiting some time, Shen Shi finally pushed the door open, drying his hands. His long, slender fingers were clean and well-defined, the joints prominent. Under the fringe of his hair, his eyes — narrow and dark — lifted slightly as he said, “Let’s go.”
He took the IV bottle from Ye Ran’s hand. Ye Ran silently followed behind, watching the tall figure in front of him.
No wonder he was the campus’s heartthrob, Ye Ran thought.
…Perfect in every way.
Author’s Note:
A “hidden depths” teasing top × gentle, mild-tempered bottom.
