WFY 12

After a stretch of shameless, depraved daily life, a small holiday finally arrived. Qin Xuan from the next dorm came over with a bowl of instant noodles in hand and asked, “We’re putting together a group to go hiking. You two wanna come?”

Pan Hao had his huge headphones on, gaming like his life depended on it, not even bothering to look up. Xu Ran was leaning against his back, practically draping himself over Pan Hao’s shoulders like a koala.

When he heard that, Xu Ran turned his head and blinked. “Huh?”

Qin Xuan repeated the question. Xu Ran thought for a second and said, “I’ll let you know later. I gotta ask this guy first.” He pointed at Pan Hao with his thumb.

Qin Xuan rolled his eyes and slurped some noodles. “Then ask already. What’s with the drama?”

Xu Ran stepped back with a flourish, grinning as he gestured politely. “Please. Be my guest.”

Qin Xuan was probably already a bit annoyed. He stomped over to Pan Hao, yanked off the headphones, and said, “Hey, I’m saying—”

“Fuck off.”

Qin Xuan’s hand trembled around the bowl of noodles. He turned around slowly, eyes blank, and looked at Xu Ran.

Xu Ran was doubled over, laughing like a damn mutt, barely able to talk. “Told you.”

On his way out, Xu Ran called after him. “Hey, where’d you get that instant noodle? Smells kinda good.”

Qin Xuan gave him a look that screamed punch me and shouted, “Eat shit.”

That pissed Xu Ran off instantly. He slapped Pan Hao on the shoulder and yelled, “Pan Hao. Get him!”

Pan Hao took off his headphones and stood. That alone, with his build and presence, was enough to make Qin Xuan duck halfway out the door.

“Think you’re so tough now just because you’ve got backup?”

Then he was gone, leaving behind nothing but the lingering scent of cup noodles.

Xu Ran snickered. “Wanna eat some? I’ll go steal a couple of packs.”

Pan Hao shook his head and tossed the headphones onto the desk.

Xu Ran headed to his locker and quickly changed into a pullover hoodie. By the time he slipped on his sneakers, Pan Hao was already waiting at the door.

Black windbreaker from some trendy brand. Grey sweatpants. Matching sneakers. No expression whatsoever. He looked like a mannequin straight out of a store display. Xu Ran froze for two seconds.

Damn. Pan Hao really hit his weak spot.

But he didn’t show it. He just casually walked downstairs with Pan Hao and, halfway down, remembered something.

“Oh right. Qin Xuan asked earlier if we wanna join them for a hike tomorrow.”

A game-addicted recluse like Pan Hao would definitely say no. Xu Ran had already accepted he’d probably have to go alone.

But to his surprise, Pan Hao asked, “You want to go?”

Xu Ran nodded. “I guess. I mean, I haven’t really gone anywhere since coming here.”

When they stepped out of the school gate, the topic had already shifted. Out of nowhere, Pan Hao said, “If you wanna go out, I’ll take you. Anywhere you want.”

Xu Ran immediately cursed him in his mind.

Bastard. Can’t even leave me alone during a holiday. This pervert is totally after my ass.

Out loud, though, he kept a straight face. “Huh? That’s too much. I’d feel bad.”

Pan Hao glanced down at him. This idiot’s ears had turned red, and his eyes kept darting away like he couldn’t meet his gaze.

Of course Pan Hao knew exactly what was going through that little head. But he didn’t call him out on it. This kind of rare, shy reaction from Xu Ran was something worth preserving.

The two of them, moving like they shared a single brain cell, walked into the restaurant, sat down, and glanced at the menu.

Xu Ran, after barely skimming it, raised the menu up to cover his face, leaving just his eyes peeking over as he stared straight at Pan Hao.

The guy across from him didn’t even lift his head. “Spit it out if you’ve got something to say.”

By the time they finished ordering, Xu Ran had already stuffed the thing he wanted to say deep back down into his throat. His reaction time had always been slow, and now he was just starting to realize the full meaning of what Pan Hao had said earlier. Honestly, deep down, a little sliver of joy crept in.

Their relationship was messy, undefined. One thing led to another and somehow, they ended up in bed together. Whether it was the classic case of young hormones raging or just mutual lust, each time had left both of them more than satisfied.

Xu Ran had always thought of it like that too. Even went as far as to label Pan Hao as a fuck buddy. Their interactions boiled down to sex, nothing more. Definitely not the kind of thing you’d call making love. And while he was all tied up in knots over it, he had no idea where Pan Hao stood either.

But when he heard something from Pan Hao that sounded dangerously close to what a boyfriend might say, Xu Ran couldn’t help but crave a little more. Not just eating hotpot face to face like this. He wanted the kind of closeness where you hand your whole self over to someone without holding anything back.

Thoughts tangled in his head like a messy drawer. While his mind spun, Xu Ran kept pretending to play on his phone, didn’t even bother picking up his chopsticks. Pan Hao scooped food into his bowl with a strainer. Xu Ran took it like it was natural, only to scald his tongue and start panting with his tongue stuck out like a fool.

Pan Hao caught the whole thing.

They ate until their stomachs were full and tight. With the campus half-deserted because of the holiday, Xu Ran briefly considered going home. But by the time he made up his mind, all the tickets had been snapped up. Quietly, he started wishing Pan Hao would just go back to his own place, give him some space to cool off. If they kept sharing a room like this, he was going to die from overuse.

Of course, things never went the way he hoped.

Back in the dorm, Xu Ran stopped by the room next door to drop a line.

“What’s wrong with you guys? It’s a holiday. Don’t you know how to laze in bed or play on your phones? Who the hell hikes for fun? You’re just a bunch of lonely, snow-covered single mutts.”

Before he got collectively whooped, he ran back to his room.

Pan Hao looked at him, amusement tugging at his mouth. Xu Ran had no idea why, but his heart skipped a beat. Shit. Why was this guy named Pan Hao? He should be called Pan An with that face.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” Xu Ran snapped, forcing himself to swallow whatever flutter that was. He refused to let it show.

Pan Hao looked at him. This kid looked too damn innocent sometimes. Made him want to tease. So he said, “You’re not a single dog anymore?”

So he had heard every damn word back there.

Xu Ran was technically single. But hearing it phrased like that, something in him cracked.

It was like picking out a delicate piece of porcelain, only to fumble and watch it shatter on the floor, pieces scattering everywhere, impossible to put back together.

“Yeah… I guess I am.”

Xu Ran smiled, then quietly walked to his locker.

“You wanna shower first, or should I?”

Pan Hao replied without looking up. “Whatever.”

He pulled out the chair at his desk and sat down. Xu Ran didn’t say anything else. He grabbed a change of clothes and walked into the bathroom.

The sound of the door closing wasn’t loud, but it signaled to the brain that it was safe. On either side of the door, the two people, separated by that single door, were lost in their own thoughts.