Xie Lanzhi kissed him for a long while, then pulled back just a little—the two of them suspended in that almost-but-not-quite-a-kiss state. Qin Shu hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath when he heard Xie Lanzhi say: “Why didn’t you kiss me back?”
Qin Shu was so flustered by his own boyfriend’s teasing that he felt dizzy, his face burning bright red. Pressed against the fence with nowhere to run, he could only turn his head away and mutter:
“I… I got nervous and forgot. Next time for sure.”
Xie Lanzhi couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay.”
“Brother Lan, Qin Shu!” Chu Cheng, who had already walked some distance, turned back and shouted at them, “Let’s go get skewers!”
The four of them headed to a night stall near campus for barbecue. Basketball had drained their energy; even Qin Shu, who’d barely played, felt his legs weak—his stamina had all gone into Xie Lanzhi. Chu Cheng took charge of ordering: beef skewers, lamb skewers, chicken cartilage, pork belly, grilled pig skin—fifty of each—plus fried rice noodles and fried rice as staples. They sat at an outdoor table, each of them good-looking enough to raise the entire street’s attractiveness level.
Halfway through eating, Chu Cheng put down the grilled pig’s trotter in his hand and said slowly: “Did we forget something?”
Qin Shu: “What?”
“I feel like there’s someone missing.”
The other three: “…”
Back at the dorm, Qin Shu and Chu Cheng knocked on room 418’s door with takeout skewers in hand. No one came to open it. Chu Cheng started to panic: “Brother Yun didn’t do anything stupid, did he?”
Qin Shu froze, then hammered on the door like crazy: “Brother Yun, open up! Don’t hide in there pretending you’re not home, I know you’re inside!”
Chu Cheng shouted too: “Brother Yun, don’t do anything rash! You’re still the last line holding up the ‘straight guys don’t bend’ banner!”
The moment 418’s door opened, the single dog’s resentment burst out as a dark aura, swirling toward Qin Shu and Chu Cheng. Both were forced to stumble back. Qin Shu even raised a hand to shield his eyes, pretending he couldn’t keep them open under the attack.
“Waaah, so much dog aura!”
Lu Rulu lost his patience and roared from the depths of his soul:
“Get the h*ll out!!!”
“Don’t be like that, Brother Yun!” Chu Cheng wedged a foot in the door so it couldn’t close. “I know I was wrong! Can’t I still have a chance?”
Qin Shu and Chu Cheng shamelessly begged forgiveness, swearing never again, one handing over skewers, the other massaging shoulders. Their little friendship boat barely patched itself up. Lu Rulu’s anger level dropped to 50%, and the other 50% was taken care of when Xie Lanzhi sent him a new game skin.
Munching skewers and admiring his new skin, Lu Rulu still sounded resentful: “Sure, it’s lively now, but come New Year’s, I’ll be all alone again.”
Chu Cheng sighed sympathetically. “So tragic.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t be alone,” Qin Shu said. “Brother Lan’s going home, so we can spend New Year’s together.”
Lu Rulu said coolly: “Oh, so I’m just the backup.”
Qin Shu grinned. “Well, it’s not like you have other options.”
Lu Rulu clutched his chest as if struck by an arrow, voice trembling: “Cruel.”
***
Before heading home, Xie Lanzhi took Qin Shu in the morning to pick up his car from the 4S dealership.
Because Qin Shu’s sports car was imported, repairs had dragged on for months. Finally fixed, he circled around it, inspecting, then sighed.
A staffer asked, “Mr. Qin, is there something unsatisfactory?”
Qin Shu shook his head. “Don’t you think my vibe doesn’t match this car at all?”
Sure, sports cars are every guy’s dream, but Qin Shu wasn’t into it. In his view, the car guzzled gas, was hard to handle, and was basically just good for showing off.
Xie Lanzhi said, “It’s your car.”
Qin Shu put on a serious face. “Who hasn’t had a chuunibyou phase?”
Xie Lanzhi smiled. “So what kind of car do you want now?”
Qin Shu gestured. “Like the one Dr. Agasa drives in anime, a Beetle or something?”
Xie Lanzhi made a note. “What do you think of my car?”
Qin Shu laid it on thick: “Low-key, luxurious, full of depth—one word: professional.”
“We’ll swap.” Xie Lanzhi took the keys from Qin Shu’s hand. “You keep driving mine.”
“This…” If Qin Shu didn’t match the flashy red sports car, then Xie Lanzhi matched it even less. “Brother, aren’t you afraid of breaking character?”
Xie Lanzhi raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t I broken character for you enough already?”
Here we go again—the god-tier boyfriend lines. Qin Shu’s heart sped up in respect. “You can break it more, I don’t mind.”
“…Thanks,” Xie Lanzhi said dryly.
They finished at the dealership, then each drove off in the other’s car—one heading home, the other back to campus. Qin Shu dawdled, reluctant to part. Xie Lanzhi opened the car door for him. “Get in.”
Qin Shu looked up at him with puppy eyes. “Don’t forget me once you get home.”
Xie Lanzhi suppressed a laugh. “I’ll try.”
“Will you text me?”
“I will.”
Reluctantly, Qin Shu got in, fastened his seatbelt, started the car—and of course, stole one last glance in the mirror.
In it, Xie Lanzhi was saying something to a staffer, who nodded and went inside. Then Xie Lanzhi knocked on his window.
Qin Shu rolled it down, curious. “Brother, what did you just say to him?”
Bending down, Xie Lanzhi replied, “I told him not to bother seeing us off.”
“Huh?” Qin Shu blinked, confused. The next second, Xie Lanzhi kissed him.
“…Ah. Got it.”
It couldn’t go deep here, just a brush of lips before Xie Lanzhi pulled away. He tugged Qin Shu’s flushed ear. “Remember to miss me.”
***
When Xie Lanzhi got home, his parents had just finished packing to leave for his grandmother’s 70th birthday. His mother froze at the sight of him stepping out of a flashy red sports car.
“Honey, did you buy our son a new car?”
His father: “No.”
She asked Xie Lanzhi, “Whose car is that?”
“My junior’s.”
She thought for a second. “That junior—the one who called me ‘Mom’ at the wedding?”
Xie Lanzhi’s lips curved. “Mm.”
Surprised, she said, “That adorable boy actually likes driving a car like this?”
“He doesn’t like it, so we swapped.” Xie Lanzhi said, “I’m going to change clothes.”
She watched him go, thoughtful. Their son had always been low-key, not showy. For his 18th birthday, his father had given him a sports car, which had been sitting in the garage gathering dust for two years. For him to drive his junior’s car instead, just to accommodate someone else—that wasn’t the kind of thing her son normally did.
“Dear,” she said, “don’t you think Xie Lanzhi is…”
Her husband nodded. “I do.”
She covered her mouth, whispering, “…Wow.”
Xie Lanzhi followed his parents to his grandmother’s house. Before getting out of the car, he sent Qin Shu a message: I’ve arrived, then put his phone away to focus on greeting the elders.
When Qin Shu received the message, he was helping Chu Cheng blow-dry his hair. Chu Cheng’s hair was ridiculously short, but since tonight he was spending New Year’s Eve with Xu Ning, Qin Shu insisted on styling it anyway. After a flurry of operations fierce as a tiger, Chu Cheng looked in the mirror, eyes wide: “This looks different from before?”
While replying to Xie Lanzhi, Qin Shu said, “Of course it does. Don’t you feel your head a lot lighter? Way less water in there, right?”
“Don’t feel it.”
“Impossible. My blow-dryer cost over three thousand.”
“Three thousand?! That’s daylight robbery!” Chu Cheng touched his hair. “Wait… actually, maybe it is a little different.”
Qin Shu smiled at the brat. “You’re not coming back tonight, right?”
Chu Cheng muttered, “We’ll see.”
“No seeing! I’m telling you, I’m locking the door from the inside tonight. Even if you want to come in, you won’t!”
“You… what are you even after?”
“My happiness—you wouldn’t understand. By the way, did you buy props?”
“…What props?”
Qin Shu thought for a moment. “Forget it, hotels have all that stuff.” He fixed the hood on Chu Cheng’s jacket, patted his shoulder, and said with solemn gravity: “May you grow up in one night.”
After sending off Chu Cheng, Qin Shu checked his phone—still no reply from Xie Lanzhi. He gathered up a pile of snacks and went to find Lu Rulu.
After all, it was the last day of the year. The two decided to give it some ceremony: play a few rounds of games, and after winning one, go out. But by the time they got their first victory, night had already fallen.
Lu Rulu said earnestly: “Little Love Letter, you can’t go on like this. You can’t even defend a tower—how are you going to defend your love with Brother Lan?”
Qin Shu replied just as earnestly: “But when I’m with my Brother, all I need to do is push towers, not defend them.”
Lu Rulu gave a fake laugh: “Hahaha, well, that’s true.”
At that moment, Xie Lanzhi sent Qin Shu a video. Against the dark night sky, brilliant fireworks bloomed one after another. A man and woman—looked to be Xie’s father and mother—stood hand in hand before the floor-to-ceiling windows. Just a screenshot could make a romance novel cover.
【Xie Love Letter: Brother, did you get force-fed dog food? Hahahaha.】
【Boyfriend: Not a dog. Don’t eat dog food.】
【Boyfriend: What are you doing.】
【Xie Love Letter: Went to King’s Canyon with Brother Yun for half a day, he stole my blue buff three times. (me not daring to speak.jpg)】
【Boyfriend: Noted.】
【Xie Love Letter: Looks like there’s a New Year’s countdown event at the library entrance, we’re gonna check it out.】
【Boyfriend: Mm.】
【Boyfriend: Remember to bring your phone.】
Qin Shu put on his coat and went to the library with Lu Rulu. The square was crowded, and they ran into many acquaintances. Everyone asked why Xie Lanzhi wasn’t there. Qin Shu had repeated “his grandma’s seventieth birthday” so many times that he was sick of it. With more than an hour left until midnight, Lu Rulu suggested grabbing some coffee nearby.
The café was packed too, but luckily they caught a couple leaving and immediately took the seats. Qin Shu waved him over: “Brother Yun!”
“Sh*t,” Lu Rulu cursed, pulling up his hood and hiding half his face with his turtleneck like a thief before sitting opposite Qin Shu.
Qin Shu: “What, you cosplaying Assassin’s Creed?”
Lu Rulu muttered low: “Bad luck. My ex is here.”
“Oh?!” Qin Shu’s eyes darted around. “Which one, which one?” He’d heard from Chu Cheng that Lu Rulu’s ex was a “Neptune”—a sea king with countless fish.
“F*ck, don’t look around! Follow my lead.”
Qin Shu stiffened his neck. “Okay, you lead.”
“Don’t move your eyes. Tilt your head forty-five degrees left. That wavy-haired b*tch—that’s her.”
Qin Shu followed the instructions and indeed spotted a long-haired girl with big waves. She wore a plaid coat over a short skirt, with long, slender legs. Qin Shu sighed sincerely: “A beauty.”
Lu Rulu gritted out: “No sh*t. If she weren’t, how would she hook so many? Two seconds of silence for the poor guy sitting across from her.”
As a true Sea King, of course the ex wouldn’t be alone on New Year’s Eve. A guy sat across from her. Qin Shu couldn’t see his face, but even from the back he looked handsome.
“Should we warn him?”
“Forget it.” Lu Rulu shrugged. “Even if we did, the guy would just think he’s different from her other fish. And I’d have to take a hate hit from my ex. Why bother?”
Qin Shu thought that made sense. If the guy was a friend, maybe they’d say something. But a stranger? Better not meddle.
He quietly observed them. They didn’t seem like a couple—no physical contact at all. The ex kept chattering, smiling that smile that could kill any straight man. But before long, the guy slung on his sports bag and left. The ex-girlfriend’s smile froze, replaced by anger and unwillingness.
Qin Shu said, “I think your ex just got dumped.”
“This is a f*cking blessing,” Lu Rulu said gleefully. “I’ve gotta find out who that guy is and send him flowers!”
“…Duck not necessary.”
Thanks to this anonymous good brother, after days of swallowing dog food, Lu Rulu’s mood soared. Near midnight, they returned to the square for the countdown.
Numbers were projected onto the library façade. When only a minute was left, everyone formed a circle, waiting quietly for the new year.
Ten, nine, eight, seven… three, two, one!
Qin Shu’s phone vibrated in his hand. He instantly picked up: “Brother, Happy New Year!”
Xie Lanzhi’s voice sounded distant in the sea of cheers. “Happy New Year.” He chuckled softly. “Please take care of me in this new year, boyfriend.”
Qin Shu was just about to reply when someone slammed into his back, nearly making him drop his phone.
“Little Love Letter, Happy New Year! Come here, give me a hug!”
“F*ck, Brother Yun, don’t squeeze so hard, you’re gonna kill me!”
Xie Lanzhi’s laugh carried a cold edge: “Noted.”
After the countdown, the two joined classmates for a late-night meal. By the time they returned to the dorm, it was already two in the morning. Luckily, the damn school was considerate for once and hadn’t set a curfew.
Outside room 419, Qin Shu clasped his hands in prayer: Heaven above, earth below as witness, I’m willing to trade Brother Yun staying single another year in exchange for Baby not coming back tonight.
If he and Xie Lanzhi didn’t progress, so be it. But with Baby and Ning Ning—right timing, right place, right people—if they still didn’t make progress, then this year really was a waste.
Qin Shu took a deep breath, steadied his heartbeat, and opened the dorm door.
He first cracked it open. Inside, all was dark. Excited, he called out: “Chu Cheng?!”
No reply! Baby wasn’t here!!!
At this hour, where else could he be?
No need to ask—definitely off with Ning Ning exploring the mysteries of the human body.
Qin Shu braced against the wall, tears of bittersweet relief flowing down his cheeks—Heaven does not disappoint those who strive. The pig he raised had finally learned to root out cabbage!
Author’s note: Here it is, here it is! Get ready! (dog-head emoji)
