Shoutout to Kari for the commission!
Le Cheng decided to move in and live with Zhou Shirui on a very ordinary afternoon.
The reason was also very simple.
After summer vacation came winter vacation. Le Cheng went home, but throughout the entire winter break, Zhou Shirui continued staying at a hotel near his home.
Le Cheng would go see him during the day, then return home at night. Occasionally, Zhou Shirui would come to Le Cheng’s house for dinner and spend the night.
During yet another one of their meetings, Le Cheng noticed a faint dark shadow beneath Zhou Shirui’s eyes.
He asked in confusion, “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
Zhou Shiru: “No.”
Le Cheng then reminded him, “Go to bed early when you get back today. We shouldn’t stay on the phone so late anymore.”
Zhou Shirui neither agreed nor disagreed. That night, Le Cheng forcibly hung up the phone.
But the dark circles beneath Zhou Shirui’s eyes showed no sign of disappearing.
One time, by chance, Le Cheng saw melatonin in a drawer. Only then did he realize that Zhou Shirui’s dark circles were not because he had slept poorly for one night, but because he had slept poorly for many nights.
Ultimately, it was because they were too intimate at school. Le Cheng would return to the flat every Saturday and Sunday, which meant that, calculated out, Zhou Shirui could hold him and fall asleep with him in his arms eight times a month.
That had already become a habit for Zhou Shirui. Once the habit was broken, both his body and mind began showing reactions similar to withdrawal.
After learning everything, Le Cheng felt extremely sorry for him. He wrapped his arms around Zhou Shirui’s neck and asked, “Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Zhou Shirui stroked his back and lied, “It’s nothing.”
“Why is it nothing?” Le Cheng climbed out of his arms and poked him with his finger. “Do you know that not being able to sleep is a very serious matter? It can affect your physical health, make you lethargic, increase the strain on your heart and liver, slow down your metabolism…”
Le Cheng went on and on, and Zhou Shirui simply caught his hand, gathering all his fingers into his palm. “I know.”
His expression looked very serious, but he was clearly unmoved.
Zhou Shirui was the kind of person who, if there was no ideal solution to a problem, would simply choose not to bring it up. Having spent so much time with him, Le Cheng had noticed this long ago.
Looking at him like this, Le Cheng thought for a while, then suddenly tilted his head and said, “It can also cause kidney deficiency and reduced s*xual performance.”
The hand clasping his suddenly tightened.
Le Cheng wanted to laugh, but he tried hard to hold it in. He only wanted to find a good reason, but for the sake of his own butt, he could not actually provoke Zhou Shirui too much.
“So we need to get plenty of sleep.” Le Cheng struck while the iron was hot. “Got it?”
Zhou Shirui’s dark eyes were deep and unreadable. He merely nodded slightly. “Mm.”
That night, Le Cheng did not go home. He made sure to tighten the lid on Zhou Shirui’s melatonin bottle and put it in the bottom drawer, then hugged him and had a pure, wonderful night of sleep.
Zhou Shirui was indeed in much better spirits afterward.
Once winter vacation ended, both Le Cheng and Zhou Shirui arranged to live off campus and moved into the flat together.
The day before they officially moved in was a Saturday, so they went grocery shopping together.
Le Cheng was a romantic at heart. He loved placing little decorative items around the house to create a certain atmosphere. When Zhou Shirui asked him what kind of atmosphere he wanted, Le Cheng replied, “The atmosphere of a warm life.”
Zhou Shirui loved listening to him talk about things involving the two of them together, so he deliberately asked, “What is the atmosphere of a warm life?”
At that moment, Le Cheng was struggling to decide whether a giraffe plate or a little bunny plate would be better. He answered somewhat perfunctorily, “The atmosphere of living people!”
Zhou Shirui’s lips curved with amusement, and he looked at the plates with him.
Before this, Le Cheng had already done things like putting magnetic decorations on the refrigerator and placing fresh flowers on the table. But back then, considering that Zhou Shirui did not often stay at home, he had restrained himself quite a bit.
Now, however, things were different. He and Zhou Shirui had explicitly decided to live there together, staying there every day except during winter and summer vacations. Le Cheng was finally free to do as he pleased.
After choosing the plates, Le Cheng dragged Zhou Shirui over to pick out cups as well. He seemed to have been dissatisfied with the drinking glasses in the flat for quite some time.
But because of the limitations imposed by the flat’s interior design, the cups Le Cheng chose were also quite simple. They were nevertheless beautiful, and the craftsmanship covering their surfaces made them look especially cool.
A couple was also choosing items nearby. When the woman noticed the cup in Le Cheng’s hand, she said in a very friendly, familiar manner, “Wow, the one you picked is so pretty.”
Le Cheng was delighted by the compliment and replied politely, “Yours is pretty too.”
The two of them chatted for a while before the woman smiled and said goodbye to him.
Le Cheng lowered his head and glanced at the cup. Only then did he belatedly realize that Zhou Shirui was nowhere to be seen.
He turned around and saw Zhou Shirui standing behind him, one hand in his pocket, looking at him with an utterly calm expression.
Le Cheng grabbed his arm and pulled him over. “Why did you go stand behind me?”
“To give the two of you more room,” Zhou Shirui said evenly.
It sounded rather sarcastic, but Le Cheng did not catch it at first. While continuing to pick out cups, he said, “That makes sense, but you could have stood on my left.”
Zhou Shirui said nothing. After a moment, Le Cheng finally caught on. He pinched Zhou Shirui’s fingers and said, “Are you really jealous over something like that?”
Zhou Shirui was not actually angry. He had merely wanted to make a little fuss over the situation. Hearing this, he asked, “Am I not allowed to be?”
“You are, you are, you are,” Le Cheng said. “You absolutely are.”
When Zhou Shirui saw him have two cups wrapped up, he asked, “Are those for me?”
“No.” Le Cheng corrected him. “These aren’t a gift for you. We bought them together.”
Zhou Shiru: “What’s the difference?”
Le Cheng glanced at him and said with great seriousness, “There’s a huge difference. Giving someone cups sounds like giving them a tragedy in Chinese. The homophone is bad luck, understand?”
As he said this, his eyes remained fixed on the cups. His thick, long lashes lowered, and Zhou Shirui stared at the puffed-up curve of his cheek. His heart gave a little flutter. They had been together for so long, yet he was still moved by these little details. He took Le Cheng’s other, empty hand, thinking to himself, so cute.
“Mm.” Zhou Shirui cooperated. “I understand.”
They spent nearly two hours wandering around the supermarket. Halfway through, Le Cheng even went to get a shopping cart, which they barely managed to fill with everything.
It was not until they reached the checkout that Le Cheng realized he had bought far too much. He could not help worrying. “Will it all fit in the trunk?”
Zhou Shirui glanced at his little expression and deliberately asked, “You’re only thinking about that now?”
Le Cheng immediately turned the blame back on him. “Why didn’t you remind me?”
Zhou Shirui put on a thoughtful expression. “So it’s my fault after all.”
Le Cheng’s face turned a little red. He said softly, “I never said that!”
Only then did Zhou Shirui put an arm around his shoulders. “It’s fine. It’ll fit.”
Le Cheng believed him and carried the things outside. The trunk really could fit everything, but it was quite a struggle.
After getting into the passenger seat, Le Cheng was quiet for a while before asking again, “We bought so much stuff. It feels like there won’t be enough room at home. Why didn’t you remind me earlier?”
Zhou Shirui drove, keeping his eyes on the road. “As long as you’re happy.”
Le Cheng did not entirely agree with that. Zhou Shirui continued, “We’ve only just started living together, and there are still so many things we’ll have to do together in the future. If we can’t tolerate even something this small, you’ll only be more unhappy later on. But I want you to be happy.”
His tone was very calm, yet Le Cheng felt as though something had gently poked his heart.
He could not help rubbing Zhou Shirui’s hand with his own. “I want you to be happy too.”
“So if you’re unhappy with something, you can remind me next time.”
Zhou Shirui said, “I’m not unhappy. When it comes to things you like, I’m rarely dissatisfied.”
Le Cheng was deeply touched and wanted to hug him, but he also really wanted to tease him. So after a brief pause, he said, “Actually, I quite like living a more quiet and desire-free life.”
Zhou Shirui was silent for a moment, then answered without the slightest hesitation, “I’m not particularly fond of that.”
Le Cheng burst into laughter beside him, practically tipping sideways. His intention was obvious.
Zhou Shirui kept one hand on the steering wheel and freed the other to pinch Le Cheng’s cheek, squeezing his mouth into a pout.
“You’re learning bad habits,” Zhou Shirui said.
After they got home, Le Cheng and Zhou Shirui arranged everything they had bought. As expected, quite a bit was left over, so they piled it in the storage room.
Le Cheng took out the decorative items he had given Zhou Shirui and placed them in front of the TV cabinet.
Tan Xiaobai had also specially given the two of them a pair of decorative ornaments, which Le Cheng put down alongside the others.
While organizing everything, Le Cheng also discovered that Zhou Shirui had bought several boxes of melatonin.
Le Cheng asked in confusion, “Why did you buy this again?”
Zhou Shirui had no intention of hiding it from him. “I bought some to keep at home, in case of emergencies.”
Le Cheng thought what he said made sense, though not entirely. He burrowed against him, wriggling around. “But I’ll always be by your side. You don’t need to take medicine anymore.”
Zhou Shirui caught him and adjusted him so that he could lean more comfortably. “That’s why it’s just a precaution.”
Only then did Le Cheng agree.
But when he turned around, Zhou Shirui discovered that Le Cheng had bought an enormous plush bear pillow online.
It was huge, approximately 1.8 meters tall.
Zhou Shirui assumed he had picked up yet another new hobby and did not pay much attention. It was only when he saw Le Cheng dressing the plush bear that he asked, “Why are you putting your own clothes on it?”
But Le Cheng said, “Because this is for you.”
Zhou Shiru: “For me?”
Le Cheng said with great seriousness, “If I’m not here, just put my pajamas on him and hug him to sleep.”
Zhou Shirui was defeated by his bizarre train of thought. He reached over and pinched the stuffed bear’s face, then pinched Le Cheng’s face.
Le Cheng was kneeling beside the bed, half-hugging the stuffed bear. He obediently let him pinch him, looking a little confused. “What are you doing?”
Zhou Shirui calmly said, “Seeing if the texture feels the same.”
Le Cheng asked, “So does it?”
Zhou Shirui seemed to have a perfectly reasonable suggestion. “I need to hug you first and see.”
Le Cheng immediately smiled and burrowed into his arms.
But before the vacation even arrived and Le Cheng left, the melatonin came in handy.
Because of work, Zhou Shirui worked nonstop for many days. Sometimes, when Le Cheng woke up in the middle of the night and wandered into the study, he would see Zhou Shirui still sitting in front of the computer.
Le Cheng would walk over and ask if he was finished. If he was not, Le Cheng would prop up his chin and wait beside him for a while. Once Zhou Shirui finished, Le Cheng would take his hand, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he led him to bed.
Sometimes Zhou Shirui would not let him stay with him, and Le Cheng would simply say that he would wait until Zhou Shirui finished.
Once they finally had some time to rest, Le Cheng began supervising Zhou Shirui’s sleep. But since it was still the game’s update cycle, staying up late was unavoidable.
Because his previous excuse had worked so well, Le Cheng still said, “Lack of sleep can cause kidney deficiency.”
Zhou Shirui was clearly already desensitized to this argument and remained unmoved. Le Cheng had no choice but to bring out his ultimate weapon.
“Besides, high school students have the most energy. You’re a university student now, so you’re already starting to lose some of that. For the sake of your future life, you can’t keep staying up this late without restraint.”
He had only meant it as a warning, but Zhou Shirui looked at him with his pitch-black eyes. Instead of responding to what he had said before, he asked a particularly tricky question. “High school students are better?”
Le Cheng immediately felt a little guilty and coughed twice. “I’m just telling you not to stay up late, and there’s scientific evidence for it… Of course, I’m only telling you not to stay up late.”
Zhou Shirui did not say anything on the surface. Le Cheng watched him for a long time, and when he saw that he seemed normal, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, coming up with this excuse had involved a huge risk.
Fortunately, Zhou Shirui really did start going to bed early.
After getting several good nights of sleep, one morning when neither of them had class, with the curtains drawn, Le Cheng was pinned down on the bed, covering his eyes as he cried miserably.
He wanted to get away, but Zhou Shirui refused to let him, deliberately grinding against that spot. And because Zhou Shirui was on top of him, there was nowhere for him to escape. Tears kept falling, half of them from embarrassment.
Yet at that moment, Zhou Shirui was still dissatisfied enough to ask him, “Why are you crying?” His tone was light, as though he genuinely did not know.
Le Cheng did not answer. Zhou Shirui had already answered his own question. “Are you dissatisfied?”
“Then I’ll try harder.” Zhou Shirui slowly whispered into his ear, “…After all, we’re not high school age anymore.”
When they were almost finished, Zhou Shirui even asked him, “Do you want to see me wearing my high school uniform?”
Le Cheng was so embarrassed he wanted to die. He said no, but Zhou Shirui wore it anyway.
The next day, when he was finally completely awake, Le Cheng saw the clean school uniform hanging out to dry on the balcony, and his face instantly flushed red.
By coincidence, Zhou Shirui saw him. Le Cheng immediately said that he had two ulterior motives: one was bad intention, and the other was being petty.
Even after being scolded, Zhou Shirui was not angry at all. He simply stared at Le Cheng.
Thinking to himself how cute he was even when he was insulting someone, Zhou Shirui concluded that he really was innocent.
