The next morning, Ye Ran was half-asleep when the sounds of someone getting out of bed woke him.
He hadn’t closed his bed curtain last night. The faint morning light filtered through it, and outside, a fine drizzle still fell. The branches of old trees were bare and dry, and the whole world was wrapped in a hazy autumn rain.
Little Fatty was climbing quietly down from his bunk. Ye Ran looked over and noticed that his face was ashen, with cold sweat constantly beading on his forehead.
“…Little Fatty?”
“Ye Ran, sorry, I woke you,” Little Fatty rasped, holding his stomach. His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t slept all night. Within seconds he was frowning again. “I need to go to the bathroom… sorry.”
Ye Ran sat up, watching his back for a few seconds. His half-awake mind finally pushed through the morning fog and found a thought.
This reaction—looked just like the time he ate something bad.
He got dressed and climbed down.
By the time he had washed up quickly on the balcony, almost ten minutes had passed. The sound of flushing came from the bathroom, and Little Fatty came out looking completely drained, his eyes unfocused.
“Ye Ran?” He managed to focus his gaze. “You’re up too?”
“Mm.” Ye Ran asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Probably caught a chill in the rain yesterday.” Little Fatty gave a weak laugh.
Ye Ran frowned. “I’ll go with you to the hospital.”
“Hospital?” Little Fatty shook his head. “No need, I’ll just drink more hot water, sleep it off and I’ll be fine… ugh… bleh—”
Before he finished, he covered his mouth and rushed back into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, he came out pale and trembling, barely able to stand. He gasped between steps, stretching out a hand toward Ye Ran: “…Ye… Ye Ran, help… help me.”
Ye Ran: “…”
He immediately helped Little Fatty out onto the balcony. The moment he opened the glass door, he saw another figure standing in the middle of the dorm room.
“Click—”
Shen Shi zipped up his windbreaker, lifted his eyelids, and turned his dark, calm eyes toward them.
“Shen Shi?” Ye Ran called.
The scene felt strangely familiar—like something that had happened long ago.
“Yeah.” Shen Shi took the umbrella and raincoat hanging behind the door. His voice was rough from sleep as he said, “Let’s go. To the campus clinic.”
***
There weren’t many people at the Beijing University clinic at this hour.
Rain fell softly along the way. Halfway there, Little Fatty’s legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground. Shen Shi simply hoisted him onto his back and strode forward.
Ye Ran walked beside them, holding the umbrella high. The cold wind carried the drizzle into his face. His hair was damp, and water stung his eyes, blurring his vision so he squinted uncomfortably.
At the clinic, the doctor immediately arranged a series of tests.
Little Fatty was limp as a rag, supported by Ye Ran and Shen Shi from room to room.
The results soon came out: no fever—just diarrhea caused by eating spicy food and catching a chill. Because he was dehydrated, he needed an IV drip.
When everything was done, Little Fatty sat on a chair by the wall, wrapped in a jacket that Ye Ran had thought to bring along from the dorm.
The hospital’s heating wasn’t strong, a chill still hung in the air, but the jacket kept the cold wind out. As Little Fatty slowly came to, he saw Ye Ran’s back as he filled a paper cup with hot water. A few seconds later, his throat tightened, and a choked sob escaped him.
Shen Shi also turned his gaze away, frowning at him. “What’s wrong? Still in pain?”
Little Fatty shook his head, tears in his eyes. “No.”
He took a deep breath; his face shifted through a tangle of emotions. Under Shen Shi’s increasingly stern stare, he closed his eyes and muttered like a man walking to his death, “…I’ve decided.”
Shen Shi raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll just accept Ye Ran,” Little Fatty said tearfully.
Shen Shi: “…”
Once he said it, Little Fatty looked as if a great weight had been lifted; his tone grew steadier. “Ye Ran saved my life. In ancient times, that meant you had to repay it with your body.”
He managed to convince himself and even sought Shen Shi’s agreement: “Right, Shen Shi?”
Expressionless, Shen Shi stood up and looked toward Ye Ran, who was walking back.
Ye Ran was still wearing yesterday’s clothes; the black jacket set off his fair skin. He held a steaming cup of water, vapor curling up into the air. When he approached and lifted his eyes, he met Shen Shi’s dark, heavy gaze.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Ran asked hesitantly, stopping in place.
Why did he look kind of scary?
“Nothing.” Shen Shi took the warm cup from his hands and pressed it into Little Fatty’s waiting ones. “You rest too. Yu Ting will sign us in for morning class—don’t worry.”
That reminded Ye Ran that they had class this morning. Still, attendance for University English wasn’t strict; the professor liked to call on students, but plenty of classmates volunteered for participation credit.
After a long morning, Ye Ran was tired too. He glanced at the four-seat bench; there were empty spots beside both Little Fatty and Shen Shi. Just as he was about to sit next to Little Fatty, Shen Shi suddenly called out, “Ye Ran.”
“Mm?” Ye Ran looked over.
Holding his phone, Shen Shi said, “Yu Ting’s asking for your student ID number.”
Ye Ran was about to answer when Shen Shi sat down and handed him the phone. “Just type it in yourself.”
“Okay.”
Ye Ran sat beside him and started typing.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cup of warm water being handed toward him—it was the same one he’d just fetched for Shen Shi. Shen Shi held it out, his long, pale fingers around the cup.
“Drink something warm.”
“No need,” he said with a small smile. “I just drank some water from the dispenser before coming over.”
It was Shen Shi, on the other hand, who had been carrying Little Fatty and standing in the cold wind all morning — he was the one who should have something warm to drink.
After a while, Shen Shi replied softly, “Alright.”
——
Gradually, more people filled the school infirmary.
The air conditioner temperature rose. Little Fatty, who had tossed and turned all night, was groggy with sleep. Ye Ran held out for a bit, then also drowsily closed his eyes. Voices blurred around him, muffled as if separated by a thin wall.
At some point, something was draped over his head — a coat, the hood shielding his face from the hospital’s harsh lights. Leaning against the solid shoulder beside him, his breathing deepened.
People came and went through the hospital corridor.
Shen Shi looked down at his phone. The faint glow of the screen cast light on the sharp, cool lines of his face. Around them, strangers whispered; a few girls excitedly took out their phones to snap pictures.
Expressionless, Shen Shi lifted a hand to press down the brim of Ye Ran’s hood — incidentally also blocking the sight of Little Fatty drooling in his sleep — and calmly continued scrolling.
Halfway through, a young nurse came by to check the IV.
Little Fatty woke, rubbing his eyes. “I feel better now. My stomach doesn’t hurt as much.”
“These next few days, watch your diet,” the nurse said. “Eat light — millet porridge, plain congee, that sort of thing. Drink plenty of water, and avoid spicy or greasy food. You were eating that… super spicy snail noodles before, right? If your stomach’s weak, don’t. Be a bit more responsible for your own body.”
Little Fatty nodded sheepishly. “Okay, okay, I know. I won’t eat it anymore.”
From now on, only medium spicy.
When the nurse left, he was fully awake. Sitting around bored, he suddenly remembered his phone was in the pocket near his IV drip. “Shen Shi, hand me my phone.”
No answer. Little Fatty turned his head and froze.
On the bench beside him, Shen Shi was leaning against the wall, Ye Ran resting against his shoulder. Both were fast asleep.
In the wall was a square window.
Outside, beneath the dim gray sky, fine rain fell in endless threads. Pedestrians hurried past, their feet crunching on yellowed leaves.
Little Fatty slowly withdrew his gaze, thoughtful.
***
They spent the whole morning at the hospital. Around eleven, the three of them went from the cafeteria back to the dorm.
Inside, Brother Shu was watching a variety show, laughing so hard his voice filled the room. Hearing the knock, he turned his head. “Eh, how come you three came back together?”
“Lin Feipeng, why didn’t you go to English class today? Good thing I signed you in, or you’d have been marked absent.”
Brother Shu and Little Fatty shared an English class, and the teacher was strict about attendance.
Little Fatty stared silently at him.
Brother Shu burst out laughing again at something on screen. “Hey, I’ve got to recommend this show, I binge-watched three episodes this morning. It’s called ‘Walking—’ Wait, Lin Feipeng, what the h*ll are you doing?!”
Dragging his weak, recovering body, Little Fatty violently shook his shoulders.
“Do you have any idea what I went through this morning? Do you?!”
“Huh? No idea! You guys had a group outing without me, didn’t you? Excluding me again? I’m gonna post this on the dorm wall to expose you all!”
“Yeah! We went to the school hospital for our team-building trip! Go ahead, expose us!”
……
Ye Ran took off his jacket, smiling as Brother Shu and Little Fatty bickered.
He found some clean clothes and went to shower.
When he came back out, the dorm was peaceful again.
Brother Shu and Little Fatty were sitting together watching the show, laughing like nothing had happened.
Hearing the balcony door open, Little Fatty turned. Seeing Ye Ran in a casual T-shirt and shorts, he froze for a moment, then looked away, his expression turning oddly firm.
Ye Ran’s hair was still damp, the tiny mole at the corner of his eye standing out against his pale skin. He looked fresh and clear as if rinsed in water. While towel-drying his hair, he noticed Shen Shi’s expression had gone cold.
Following his gaze, Ye Ran saw Brother Shu and Little Fatty sitting shoulder to shoulder, heads almost touching.
His hand stilled. A flicker of confusion and unease crossed his face.
What’s going on?
Did something happen in the twenty minutes he was gone?
After hesitating, he sat back down, opened his tablet, found the funny show Brother Shu had mentioned, and turned to ask, “Shen Shi, want to watch together?”
At once, Little Fatty looked over, eyes complicated.
Shen Shi was silent for a few seconds. Then he stood — his tall, lean figure casting a long shadow. Within that shadow, he lazily withdrew his gaze and nodded.
“Sure.”
Sensing his mood soften, Ye Ran nodded inwardly.
As expected — Shen Shi wanted to be part of dorm life too.
***
Room 211 had no classes that afternoon.
Everyone usually napped. At 1:30 sharp, the lights went out. Ye Ran, who hadn’t slept well that morning, fell asleep quickly.
Vaguely, he heard typing sounds from the neighboring bunk — Little Fatty hadn’t gone to sleep yet, the glow of his phone bright as he chatted.
[I made a mistake. I think I misunderstood Ye Ran.]
Inside the pitch-dark curtain of his bunk, Shen Shi stared at the message on his screen.
– What do you mean?
Little Fatty: [I realized Ye Ran’s straight.]
– .
Little Fatty: [It’s my fault. He’s just considerate by nature, and I completely misread him. I should apologize to him!]
Shen Shi’s eyes lowered slightly.
[No need.]
Little Fatty: [?]
[Don’t make him uncomfortable.]
Little Fatty thought for a few seconds, then quickly sent a long string of messages.
– You’re right!
– When it comes to being a decent person, I’ve got a lot to learn from you.
– If I hadn’t seen you two sleeping with your heads together this morning, I probably still wouldn’t have come to my senses.
– As expected, there’s no such complicated drama in a straight man’s world.
– You two had your heads practically touching, and there wasn’t even the slightest atmosphere! Ye Ran’s face didn’t even turn red—he’s definitely straight! It’s pure brotherly affection, that’s all. My mindset was too narrow!
– Oh, and Ye Ran even brought me an extra jacket today. I was too embarrassed to wear it at first, but now that I think about it, it actually smells kind of nice… should I ask him what laundry detergent he uses?
……
Shen Shi closed his phone expressionlessly, his eyes dark and cold.
He suppressed the urge to delete Little Fatty from his contacts. After a few seconds, he pulled open the bed curtain, planning to get down and grab his charger.
As the curtain opened, he lifted his gaze—and happened to see Ye Ran on the opposite bunk.
Ye Ran was fast asleep, half his face buried under the blanket, hidden behind the thin white mosquito netting. His dark, soft hair was spread messily over the pillow, his whole being quiet and still.
Even without seeing his face, Shen Shi could already picture the droop of those crow-feather eyelashes—casting faint shadows that veiled his clear and gentle eyes.
For some reason, Shen Shi’s hand tightened on the bed curtain, his knuckles pale and distinct. After a long, silent moment, he lay back down, his dark phoenix eyes staring at the ceiling. The curtain above him was pitch black, letting in not a trace of light. His throat bobbed slightly, and he slowly closed his eyes.
Just then, the phone screen lit up faintly—
Yu Ting: [You there?]
***
Yu Ting tossed and turned on his bed.
His roommate had come back earlier with gossip — said he’d seen Shen Shi at the school hospital. Someone had even posted photos of him online, and there were already tons of comments on the forum.
Yu Ting had looked at the photo too and since then, he hadn’t been able to sit still.
Shen Shi was always the distant type. Forget having someone sleep on his shoulder — even back when Yu Ting ran a thousand meters and was panting like a dog, desperate for support, Shen Shi had just looked away in disgust because he was sweaty.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. What, Ye Ran doesn’t sweat or something?
He’d seen the rain in Ye Ran’s hair! And that didn’t bother Shen Shi?
Still, the real issue wasn’t Ye Ran’s sweat, but rather this strange new state Shen Shi seemed to be in — something felt off.
Even worse, Shen Shi now had this alarming habit of calling straight guys gay. That alone was enough to wake Yu Ting up at night in fear — terrified that one day he might suddenly be “expelled from the ranks of straight men.”
No. Unacceptable.
As one of Shen Shi’s few friends, Yu Ting felt it was his duty to protect his own rights.
After wrestling with the thought for a long time, he rubbed his sore thigh and nervously sent a message.
– You there?
Just like yesterday, Shen Shi’s reply was as cold as ever.
–.
Yu Ting cautiously leaned against the wall and typed: [My roommate said he saw you at the hospital. Is that why you skipped English class this morning?]
Shen Shi: [Mn.]
Yu Ting: [Were you sick?]
[No,] Shen Shi replied. [I was taking a roommate there.]
Yu Ting: [……Was it that gay roommate of yours?]
This time, there was a long silence.
Yu Ting waited, getting increasingly nervous. Finally, Shen Shi sent another message.
– I misunderstood him.
Yu Ting: “!!!”
Tears nearly sprang to Yu Ting’s eyes. Finally, my brother, you get it!
That chubby guy didn’t look gay at all!
There’s only one non-straight person in dorm 211, okay?!
He took a deep breath, careful not to celebrate too soon.
– Hm? What do you mean, misunderstood?
Shen Shi: [He’s not gay.]
Yu Ting’s tears flowed freely now.
The sky over the land of straight men is blue again! The chubby guy’s name had finally been cleared!
Shen Shi: [He’s just… not very bright.]
Yu Ting: “……?”
The tears stopped instantly.
In the span of two seconds, the blue sky over that poor guy’s head was covered by a dark cloud named “Not Very Bright.”
Yu Ting: “?”
He tried to come up with a defense — after all, not everyone could be a top scholar. There weren’t many people like Shen Shi—
But before he could finish typing, Shen Shi sent another message.
[Like you.]
Yu Ting: “?”
Yu Ting: “???”
What the actual h*ll?!
So now it wasn’t just calling straight people gay — he was launching indiscriminate attacks!
Grinding his teeth in fury, Yu Ting threw down his phone and climbed out of bed to go to the bathroom.
As soon as his feet hit the ground, all three other bed curtains in the dorm suddenly flew open — his roommates stuck their heads out, peering at him. Then, in unison, they all sighed in relief.
Yu Ting: “……What?”
Roommate #1: “Scared us to death. Thought you were gonna fall again.”
Roommate #2: “Yeah, yeah. Once is fine, twice is fine, but three times? I heard people with underdeveloped cerebellums tend to fall for no reason.”
Roommate #3: “Nah, I don’t think that’s it. Feels more like he’s just… not that smart.”
Roommate #1: “Wait—doesn’t ‘underdeveloped cerebellum’ mean ‘not that smart’?”
Roommates #1, #2, and #3: “……”
Roommates #1, #2, and #3: “Oh yeah, hahahahahaha!”
Yu Ting: “……”
Please. Just destroy this world already.
——
Author’s Note:
Brother Shu: “Huh? I got expelled from the straight club too?”
Author: “No, you just don’t have enough screen time.”
After all, it can’t be called Dorm 2111, right? Ovo
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