That night, after all their struggles, the group finally made it back to the dorm.
Brother Shu, drenched in sweat, threw Little Fatty onto a chair, feeling like he’d been reborn. “D*mn… this kid’s totally lying about his weight. How can a ‘hundred and eighty pounds’ feel like this?”
Little Fatty slurred drunkenly, “…Wash… wash…”
“Wash what?” Brother Shu asked warily. “You’re not thinking about a bath, are you? Don’t even dream of it!”
“Wash… feet…” Little Fatty mumbled.
Brother Shu blinked. Ye Ran, who had just stepped in, also froze.
Shen Shi closed the door, looking up with casual indifference. “What did he say?”
“Uh,” Brother Shu replied, “he said he wants to wash his feet. But tonight’s definitely not a lucky day for that… maybe he should wait till tomorrow.”
But Little Fatty seemed to understand. He suddenly lurched up, waving his fists in drunken excitement.
“Wash feet! If you’re brothers—then come wash feet together!”
“D*mn you… you really can’t stop making a fuss!”
Brother Shu was caught off guard and almost got hit by him. He quickly took two steps back, too tired to move any further. The day had drained all his energy—honestly, soaking his feet didn’t sound like a bad idea.
Sweat it out, get a little massage… what a perfect way to end the day.
The more he thought about it, the better it sounded. So he went to the balcony and found a baby-bath-sized foot basin, rummaging noisily through some foot soak packets while asking casually, “Ye Ran, want to join?”
At those words, Shen Shi immediately lifted his head from his phone.
Ye Ran had just taken off his hoodie, his hair ruffled from the collar. He turned his head at the question, remembering he hadn’t bought a foot basin, and was about to refuse.
The next second, Little Fatty suddenly started acting drunk.
“Ye Ran… my brother Ye Ran… of course you’re joining!” He slumped in the chair, legs twitching as he mumbled, “Come on, Ye Ran, let’s soak together!”
“It’s my basin, have some respect,” said Brother Shu. “We’ll all soak together, three of us.”
After saying that, he turned on the tap and started scrubbing the basin.
With the sound of running water filling the air, Ye Ran froze a little.
“…Soak together?”
Could you even soak feet together?
His understanding of foot baths was that everyone had their own basin—sit separately, sip tea, chat a little… Why did it suddenly sound like they were all going to put their feet into the same tub?
“Yeah,” said Brother Shu, “my basin’s big enough, don’t worry, it can fit us.”
Ye Ran paused again. He could somehow feel a gaze on his back, faint but there, waiting for his response.
“I’ll pass,” he said. “…I’ll just take a shower instead.”
“Eh? Don’t say no! You said earlier this week you’d try it,” Brother Shu hurried to persuade him. “Science proves that foot baths help with circulation, improve sleep, and drive out dampness. Look at Lin Feipeng, why’s he so fat? Too much internal dampness! And you—”
He turned around mid-sentence and went on, “Why’re you so thin? Also too much dampness.”
“The benefits of soaking your feet, you won’t understand until you try. I promise, once you do—”
Carrying the basin, Brother Shu headed to the bathroom to fill it with hot water, still lecturing earnestly as he went.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across him.
He looked up, straight into Shen Shi’s dark, emotionless eyes.
A few seconds later, Shen Shi quietly withdrew his gaze and took a step back. He hadn’t taken off his jacket; tall and broad-shouldered, the outdoor chill still clung to his windbreaker, lending him an oddly intimidating air.
Brother Shu: “…”
Instantly, he went quiet. Whatever drunken haze Little Fatty had passed on to him evaporated at once.
“Foot baths truly are… a vast and profound art,” he said solemnly. “But since it’s getting late, everyone should probably just shower and sleep.”
Little Fatty blinked drowsily. “Huh? …No soaking?”
He mumbled in a daze, “Then gimme the basin, I’ll soak! Come, Ye Ran—”
Brother Shu nearly lunged to cover his mouth. “Scientific research says you can’t soak your feet after drinking!”
Little Fatty: “Huh?”
Brother Shu: “You might burst a blood vessel!”
Little Fatty: “Hiss—”
Brother Shu: “With your size, one pop and it’s over! Boom boom boom!”
Little Fatty: “Wuu—”
Hearing this, Ye Ran couldn’t help but laugh a little. He climbed onto his bed, changed into his sleepwear behind the curtain, and had barely finished when Shen Shi’s voice came.
“There’s a new hot spring inn in the southern district,” Shen Shi said casually as he scrolled his phone. “They’ve got private foot baths. I already booked for next Friday. Want to go?”
Ye Ran lifted the curtain—Shen Shi was standing by his bed, looking straight at him.
After a brief pause, Shen Shi put his phone away and leaned in closer. He reached out to brush the strands of hair that had fallen over Ye Ran’s forehead, his voice low and calm: “Mm? You want to go?”
Ye Ran’s ears burned uncontrollably.
He instinctively wanted to retreat, but when he met Shen Shi’s deep black eyes, his movements stilled. Rigidly, obediently, he let the other smooth his hair.
“…Yeah,” he murmured after a few seconds.
Shen Shi made a quiet sound of acknowledgment, then turned toward Brother Shu and Little Fatty. “What about you two?”
They hadn’t expected to be included.
Brother Shu froze for two seconds, then shot his fist in the air: “Go go go! Of course we’re going!”
Little Fatty, still tipsy, hiccuped. “Hic… go, go… o-of course go… hic…”
And so, the 211 dorm’s very first group trip was set—destination: the new hot spring inn in the southern district.
***
The following week was midterm exam week. Each department had its own schedule; the finance students had to take written exams, while those in fine arts only needed to hand in their paintings on time.
Another elective course finished its open-book exam. Some students turned in their papers early and left the classroom.
Leaving through the back door, Ye Ran spotted Shen Shi waiting outside.
Shen Shi walked forward and took his backpack. “What do you want for lunch?”
Ye Ran’s mind was still half on the exam he’d just taken.
After a few seconds, he replied, “Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles.”
Students trickled out one after another.
Soon, Shen Shi’s hand found his, leading him down the stairs.
His palm was warm and broad. Unlike before, when it was just a casual hold, now Shen Shi would idly play with Ye Ran’s fingertips, half teasing, half habitual.
Ye Ran’s lashes trembled slightly, but he didn’t say anything.
…Ever since that night they’d kissed, Shen Shi had been getting more and more forward, his touches more frequent, his closeness more natural.
Holding hands had become their new normal.
Sometimes Ye Ran would remember, they were only pretending to be boyfriends.
But now, it felt like things had gone beyond just pretending to be boyfriends.
He hesitated for a long time, yet in the end, he didn’t ask Shen Shi anything.
It was strange— He didn’t quite dare to.
And somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling… that Shen Shi was waiting for him to ask.
That gaze that often rested on him—dark, deep, and quiet—carried a lazy sort of indifference that made it all the more impossible for him to meet those eyes.
Heat spread from his fingertips through his whole body; a fine sheen of sweat dampened Ye Ran’s back.
He steadied his quickened heartbeat, took a slow breath.
Maybe… he was just overthinking it.
…Shen Shi probably didn’t mean that much by it.
***
[Today’s Sweet Moment: Hand-in-Hand Sighting!]
OP: Same department as Ye Ran! Just saw Shen Shi come pick him up after class—ahhh it’s so sweet I can’t take it! Let me fangirl first!! [image.jpg]
1L: Wait, wasn’t Shen Shi supposed to be having his exam at Zhiyuan Building today?
2L: Isn’t it Friday already? Finance still has exams going on?
3L: Yeah, their department’s room got double-booked earlier this week, so they postponed to Friday.
4L: Off-topic! Am I the only one who thinks Ye Ran is sweet too? He finished class early but still waited obediently by the door for his boyfriend to pick him up!
5L: Please—if Ye Ran dared to leave first, Shen Shi would not let him off.
6L: Every time I see the way Shen Shi looks at Ye Ran, I start blushing for him… That gaze is too much, it’s so charged. How long have they even been dating? It’s too hot!
7L: Dunno how long, but I’ve seen Shen Shi kiss Ye Ran.
8L: !
9L: !!!
10L: Spill, 7th floor! Details!
11L: Not like that kind of saw, okay! It was that night by Lover’s Lake. Shen Shi was holding Ye Ran’s hand, and it looked like he was kissing him. Couldn’t see clearly, but Ye Ran was standing and Shen Shi was leaning down—it looked like they kissed for a while. When I turned back, they were still there.
12L: Lover’s Lake that night? Then you saw wrong—I was there too. Shen Shi was just talking to Ye Ran. Still don’t get why he had to stand that close though… poor Ye Ran, having such an impatient boyfriend.
13L: disappointed.jpg
14L: What’s to be disappointed about? They’re so sweet it’s like free romance therapy. Who needs to date when you can watch them?
15L: +1, but uh… doesn’t Shen Shi have admin rights on this forum? Won’t this post get deleted?
16L: Relax. As long as it’s saying they’re sweet, have you ever seen a post like that get deleted?
17L: …
18L: …
19L: …
20L: D*mn, that’s true.
21L: I’m feeling a bit conflicted now.
22L: Guess Shen Shi just can’t resist showing off anymore, huh?
23L: Forget “cold campus heartthrob,” give that title to Ye Ran. The real unshakable one here is him.
24L: Seconded.
25L: Shen Shi: certified love-brain.
26L: Alright everyone, say the code phrase—Zombie, Shen Shi, love-brain.
27L: I got this one.
28L: The zombie took a bite of Shen Shi’s brain and said, “Ugh, love-brain.”
29L: Ugh, love-brain.
30L: Ugh, love-brain.
31L: Ugh.
32L: Ugh.
…
— [This post contained inappropriate content and has been deleted by admin 777.]
OP: …
OP: …Ugh, Shen Shi, can’t take a joke huh.
***
Friday, 5:00 p.m.—the four members of Dorm 211 had all gathered.
Shen Shi had booked an all-access pass; they caught a taxi from the campus gate and headed straight south of the city.
Ye Ran hadn’t napped at noon and was dozing, eyelids heavy.
His hands were tucked in his pockets, head resting lightly against Shen Shi’s shoulder. He could see the dimmed glow of Shen Shi’s phone screen, turned down deliberately low.
The light outside was faint. Winter days grew dark early, and the sky was overcast. By five, dusk had already fallen.
The taxi windows were tinted, making the interior even dimmer.
After more than an hour, the car stopped, right in front of the hot spring inn.
Little Fatty and Brother Shu gasped in awe. “This is a hotel? Are you sure it’s not some fancy manor or private club?”
The place was enormous and brilliantly lit.
Built against the mountain and beside the water, it had elegant, classical Chinese architecture like a Suzhou garden, refined and serene. The entrance opened to rockeries and flowing water, carved beams and painted eaves. The terrain rose gradually, with both private and communal hot spring pools—priced accordingly.
At the front desk, after confirming Shen Shi’s phone number, the receptionist smiled politely. “Sir, you’ve booked four all-access passes. For the rooms—how many would you like?”
At that, Ye Ran lifted his head slightly.
Shen Shi stood ahead of him—tall, lean, his shadow stretching across the floor. His tone was calm as always, his side profile sharp under the light. “Four rooms,” he said.
Ye Ran relaxed a little, just about to glance around, when Little Fatty suddenly blurted out in surprise, “Eh? You’re not rooming with Ye Ran? Brother Shu and I can share, no need to book that many!”
Brother Shu also looked puzzled. “Yeah, we can share one. Aren’t you two staying together?”
Then he looked at Ye Ran, eyes full of unspoken meaning—
Did you guys fight?
Why aren’t you glued together today?
No need to be shy in front of us, man.
Ye Ran’s eyelid twitched. He opened his mouth to explain, “Uh, because—”
“—Then two rooms,” Shen Shi’s voice cut in smoothly.
He turned slightly toward Ye Ran, lowering his voice, “Is that alright?”
Ye Ran swallowed, feeling the others’ curious stares. He nodded.
“…Alright.”
The next second, his fingers, hanging at his side, were gently hooked and caught.
Shen Shi held his hand, and for some reason, Ye Ran felt that he seemed to be in a particularly good mood, his expression was relaxed, almost casual. When the front desk clerk asked, he said, “Mm, a double bed.”
Ye Ran’s heartbeat, which had been racing, finally calmed.
He let out a small breath of relief.
Thankfully, a double bed wasn’t much different from their dorm situation, right?
