Shoutout to Kari for the commission!
Zhou Shirui lowered his eyes and stared at the screen. His expression didn’t change, his brows slightly furrowed, but an inexplicable emotion suddenly rose in his heart.
Too intimate.
…Le Cheng toward him… seemed a little too intimate.
Such intimate, or rather, ambiguous words made it impossible for him to tell whether they were intentional or unintentional.
“Ding-dong—”
[Orange: You’re really good like this.]
[Orange: You’re very responsible, and you make people feel very safe. Everyone will like you!]
[Orange: So you don’t need to change it.]
[Orange: Line-drawn puppy making a heart.jpg]
Le Cheng’s explanation seemed to pull the atmosphere back. Zhou Shirui couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling. He closed his eyes, paused for a moment, and only then replied to him somewhat coldly.
[Big Brother: Mm.]
***
Early the next morning, Le Cheng was dragged by Tan Xiaobai and He Ziqing to the club to report in.
Le Cheng had already met the club president, Xu Yuan, before. The moment he entered, Xu Yuan stared at him for a while, then slapped his forehead and shouted, “Little Artist—!!”
Le Cheng: “…………”
He almost turned around and left.
“I didn’t have time to thank you for that painting you drew for me last time!” Xu Yuan said warmly. “Quick, quick, quick, come sit down. Ziqing, hurry up and pour Le Cheng a cup of hot tea.”
Struck by his enthusiasm, Le Cheng hurriedly waved his hands. “No need, no need…”
He Ziqing said honestly, “President, there’s no tea left. There’s only some tea stems…”
Xu Yuan looked at Le Cheng. “Ahem… tea stems…”
Le Cheng was very accommodating. “It’s okay, I can drink hot water too.”
“Great!” Xu Yuan patted Le Cheng on the shoulder. “This ability to endure hardship is exactly what’s needed for our knitting club, where conditions are so tough!”
“…” Le Cheng.
After drinking the tea, Xu Yuan showered Le Cheng with praise. “Look, look! I wanted to say this the last time I saw you. This face, this figure, there’s no need to say anything else. Next year, when we recruit new members, Le Cheng, you just stand right at the front. Are we still going to worry about not recruiting enough people?”
Tan Xiaobai pretended to wipe away tears from the side. “President, I’m no longer your only precious treasure?”
Xu Yuan smiled. “I’m sorry, you’re not anymore. Otherwise, why don’t you go to Korea and get some plastic surgery first—?”
Tan Xiaobai quickly said, “Then this treasure doesn’t want to be one anymore—”
They bickered for a few more lines, and Xu Yuan introduced Le Cheng to the other two club members.
Chu Yue—the only girl in the club, a knitting expert, and the second senior student to join the club after Xu Yuan.
Jiang Zhijie—tricked into joining the club by Xu Yuan and often didn’t participate in activities.
Jiang Zhijie didn’t come today. Chu Yue did, and to express her excitement about having a new member, she generously gave Le Cheng a DIY scarf-making material kit.
She also said enthusiastically, “If there’s anything you don’t know how to do, you can come ask me. Everyone I’ve taught has learned!”
Le Cheng hurriedly nodded.
The group went out to eat together, getting to know each other, and after returning to the dormitory, Le Cheng looked at the bag of knitting materials, thinking about how to use them.
…Otherwise, maybe he could knit a scarf for Zhou Shirui too. After all, they were going to break up. Should he give him something as a keepsake?
Mm, and Zhou Shirui had been very good to him during this time.
Okay, if he was going to do it, he’d do it!
Le Cheng quickly found several tutorial videos and began studying them painstakingly.
Based on his understanding of himself, Le Cheng chose the most basic and simplest one.
He opened the video and gestured in the air while watching. After gesturing for a long time, he confidently and spiritedly took out the materials—
It really was so simple!
Great, he’d learned it! Now he just needed to try it himself, and then it would be as easy as—
One hour later.
Le Cheng lowered his eyes and looked at the small, loosely knitted section in his hands, a “scarf”-like creation whose knots and loose threads he had no idea where they had come from, and fell into deep thought.
Le Cheng: “。”
He had underestimated it.
He really had underestimated it.
Although he was very good at drawing and had nimble fingers, the clumsy little Le Cheng still obediently went to seek Tan Xiaobai’s help.
“Xiaobai, I think I hooked this part wrong.” Le Cheng frowned in distress, his slender, beautiful five fingers stiffly fiddling with it.
Tan Xiaobai instantly became a master and began teaching him attentively.
After learning from a real person for an hour, Le Cheng mastered the basic techniques and began proceeding slowly.
“Bzz-bzz—” The phone placed to the side rang twice. Le Cheng raised his dizzy, blurry head and glanced at the screen. It was Zhou Shirui.
[Big Brother: Where are you?]
Le Cheng remembered. Usually around this time, he would go eat with Zhou Shirui.
But after crocheting for several hours, Le Cheng’s back and waist ached, and he had absolutely no interest in going anywhere.
He carefully put down the crochet hook and positioned it properly to prevent the stitches from getting messed up, then poked at the screen to reply.
[Orange: In the dorm. I can’t go eat with you today.]
[Big Brother: Mm.]
[Big Brother: Something going on?]
[Orange: Something qwq]
He thought the conversation would end there, but another message from Zhou Shirui popped up.
Le Cheng glanced at it.
[Big Brother: What is it?]
Le Cheng found it inconvenient to type. He glanced at his roommates, who were all wearing headphones and playing games. He connected his Bluetooth earphones and simply called Zhou Shirui.
The phone rang once before being answered.
“Mm?” Zhou Shirui’s deep voice entered his ears.
While crocheting, Le Cheng said softly, “I just don’t want to go out. I’m a little tired today.”
Zhou Shirui asked, “What are you doing?”
Le Cheng stammered for a moment and played dumb. “I’m not doing anything.”
“I’m just making a handicraft…” Le Cheng lowered his head and crocheted. “This handicraft is relatively difficult, and relatively troublesome, so… um…!”
Zhou Shirui frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Le Cheng had accidentally poked his hand. The stick was very blunt, so aside from being a little painful, it was completely fine. He laughed it off. “It’s nothing, nothing.”
Zhou Shirui was silent for a moment before asking with uncanny accuracy, “Are you knitting something?”
Le Cheng slightly widened his eyes. Was this what a smart man was like? He could even guess that?
“Mm…” Le Cheng struggled for a moment before obediently admitting, “Yes.”
“A scarf?” Zhou Shirui’s voice was very flat, as if asking casually. “…Who are you giving it to?”
Le Cheng was vague. “No one.”
He didn’t want to tell Zhou Shirui now. Wouldn’t that ruin the surprise? He would give it to Zhou Shirui as a breakup gift on the day they broke up.
The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent.
Le Cheng wanted to say something else to change the subject, when Tan Xiaobai, who had been fiercely battling the enemy in his game, suddenly pulled off his headphones and looked at him. “Oh, right, Le Cheng, I suddenly remembered. We’re having our social gathering the day after tomorrow. Are you coming?”
Le Cheng pursed his lips. “Is everyone from the club going?”
“Pretty much. And I heard the robotics club has a really good-looking girl! Oh… you don’t seem interested in girls… The robotics club also has some really handsome guys. Their physiques are super good. Even I’m jealous and envious.”
“Really good physique.” Le Cheng quickly caught the key phrase and couldn’t help asking happily, “Really?”
Tan Xiaobai nodded emphatically. “Of course it’s true.”
Le Cheng coughed lightly, reminding himself to restrain himself, absolutely restrain himself. He was someone who had a boyfriend now! After barely calming himself down, he finally remembered to ask Zhou Shirui, who hadn’t said a word since earlier, “Mm… um, will you be going?”
Through the phone, Zhou Shirui’s voice seemed to have turned eight degrees colder. After a pause, he uttered a single word, extremely briefly and coldly:
“Going.”
