Ji Mian intentionally avoiding him was actually a good thing for Xie Heng.
Ever since Ji Mian openly admitted to liking boys in the dorm, Xie Heng couldn’t help but think of the scene he witnessed in the high school bathroom, making his hair stand on end.
He had wondered if he was overreacting, especially since Ji Mian seemed unfazed, cheerfully going out with friends from the club the next day and even remembering to lend Xie Heng some red ointment upon returning, acting as if nothing had happened.
Gently rubbing the band-aids on his elbow—given to him by Ji Mian last night—Xie Heng recalled how Ji Mian had gingerly handed them over, carefully avoiding any physical contact, his expression cautious as if he were the one uncomfortable with the situation.
Xie Heng remembered he had smiled then, though he wasn’t sure why he found it funny.
Thinking of this made him furrow his brow slightly.
It was just a difference in sexual orientation; after all, Ji Mian hadn’t done anything to provoke him...
Being gay isn’t contagious; maybe he was making a bigger deal out of it than necessary.
Ten minutes before class ended, the teacher announced the evaluation method for the final project, requiring groups to submit a course design with no more than five members each. The class representative was to submit the group lists next week.
The class group chat erupted with lamentations. The project content was too difficult for them at this stage; without strong programming skills among group members, progress would be tough.
But despite the complaints, a few minutes before class ended, voices could be heard calling for teammates.
Ji Mian also pondered over group formations and only started to pack his things when the bell rang.
"Lu Zhou, want to join our group?" a girl said, bouncing over to Ji Mian. She was Fan Tao, the study committee member from Class Three. Her roommate, also from Class Three, followed behind her.
Ji Mian had worked with Fan Tao in a few meetings organized by their advisor, so they were somewhat familiar.
He joked, "Are you sure? I'm not very skilled."
"It’s fine, come along!" Fan Tao invited him, "We have a big shot from the Computer Science department for the programming part." She pointed to a spot on the right.
Ji Mian looked in the direction she indicated and saw Han Ji, who was also looking at him and smiled.
Ji Mian said, "I don’t think it’s appropriate. I don’t have much ambition; I just want to pass. I wouldn’t want to hold you guys back."
Fan Tao replied, "What’s there to be afraid of?"
Han Ji walked over at this point, evidently having overheard Ji Mian's previous words. "You don’t have to do anything; just be a mascot for our group."
Ji Mian's eyebrows twitched, feeling something odd about that comment. He smiled and declined, saying, "Maybe not..."
He wasn't about to shamelessly freeload.
Seeing this, Han Ji changed his approach: "I was just joking. Our group actually needs someone to handle the reports, and we hope you can take on that responsibility. Plus, we can play ball together in our spare time."
“…”
With the conversation reaching this point and multiple invitations extended, it seemed quite sincere.
Ji Mian hadn’t yet found a team, and he couldn’t think of a suitable reason to decline. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded in agreement.
"Now we have four people. I'll pull my roommate in, and we'll have five," Fan Tao said, waving at Ji Mian.
Han Ji had a class in the Computer Science building, which would take him about ten minutes to reach, so he said a few words and left.
Ji Mian slung his bag over his shoulder and was about to head out through the aisle when a tall figure passed by him, intentionally slowing down.
Seeing Xie Heng appear beside him, Ji Mian initially intended to let him go ahead. However, after waiting a few seconds, Xie Heng stopped and turned back to look at him. "Aren't you leaving?"
"Uh, yeah." Ji Mian felt a bit puzzled but decided to catch up with Xie Heng and walked alongside him.
"Have you found a team yet?" he asked.
Xie Heng shook his head. "Teamwork is too troublesome. I’m doing it solo."
"?! You can handle it all by yourself?" Ji Mian was shocked.
"I can manage."
Hearing his confident tone, Ji Mian chose not to press further.
"Our group has a big shot from the Computer Science department, so I should be pretty free. If you need help, you can come find me."
Xie Heng looked at him with a complex expression. "Yeah."
Upon reaching Building Three and finding the classroom, Ji Mian picked a seat. He intentionally avoided sitting too close to Xie Heng to minimize contact, but unexpectedly, Xie Heng followed and sat right next to him.
"You—" Ji Mian was taken aback, looking at the person beside him.
"Yeah?"
Since there were others in the classroom, Ji Mian didn’t want to speak too loudly. He covered the lower half of his face with his hand and lowered his voice, asking, "Aren’t you... homophobic?"
Xie Heng glanced at Ji Mian's profile as he leaned closer. Ji Mian's long, fair fingers partially concealed his lips and chin, revealing only his brows and eyes. Ji Mian's eyelashes were long but not particularly curled, just slightly upturned at the tips. His hair had a hint of brown, but his eyelashes and the pupils under his double eyelids were jet black, making his eyes shine brightly when looking at others.
For the first time, Xie Heng noticed that Ji Mian's hands were also quite beautiful, the type that would make hand enthusiasts drool. The faint blue veins on the back of his hands were barely visible, and his fingers were well-defined with a longer nail bed, neatly manicured, and the tips had a slight rosy hue.
The first word that sprang to his mind upon seeing Ji Mian's hands was not just "pretty," but also "clean."
This person had a bit of a cleanliness obsession. Xie Heng had sensed it ever since moving into the dorm; Ji Mian’s space was always exceptionally tidy, with every corner dusted clean, and he kept a bottle of alcohol on his desk for cleaning things and his hands.
Xie Heng watched Ji Mian's hands for a while, knowing that alcohol evaporates easily, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that those hands smelled faintly of alcohol.
All the last remnants of his resistance melted away.
After pondering for a moment, he answered Ji Mian's question, "It’s fine with you."
Hearing this, Ji Mian froze for a moment before chuckling softly, his eyes curving into a lovely arc.
Xie Heng couldn't help but slightly lift the corners of his lips at the sound of his laughter.
During the class, Ji Mian received a message from Jia Wenbo.
【Jia Wenbo】: Xiao Zhou, have you found a team for the business management class?
【Lu Zhou】: Yeah, Fan Tao invited me into their group.
【Jia Wenbo】: Oh, okay.
Ji Mian could tell that Jia Wenbo probably hadn’t found a team yet.
School had only just started, and everyone was still getting to know each other; suddenly requiring teams was indeed a bit of a stretch. Especially for someone like Jia Wenbo, who was introverted and socially anxious, finding people to form a group was torture.
In the first year, most students teamed up with their dorm mates. If Fan Tao hadn’t invited him, Ji Mian had also intended to group up with Jia Wenbo and bring in a few familiar faces.
【Lu Zhou】: No rush. It’s only the beginning of the semester, and most people don’t know each other well. The ones who have already formed teams are in the minority.
【Jia Wenbo】: Yeah, true.
【Jia Wenbo】: By the way, how come you and Xie Heng are sitting together again? Isn’t he homophobic?
【Lu Zhou】: It just means fear can’t stop our revolutionary friendship.
At the back of the classroom, Jia Wenbo, who had a low threshold for laughter, found that amusing.
【Jia Wenbo】: By the way, Xiao Zhou, has Xie Heng formed a team?
Ji Mian glanced at the person beside him and replied:
【Lu Zhou】: He planned to do it alone.
【Jia Wenbo】: Alone? That’s impressive!
【Lu Zhou】: Yeah. You might as well ask him if he needs teammates. Xie Heng is a good guy; I think he would agree.
Ji Mian guessed he was right.
If Jia Wenbo approached Xie Heng, he would likely accept.
As a dorm mate, anyone who didn’t have any major issues could be considered part of Xie Heng's "in-group." Moreover, having one more person or one less didn’t make much of a difference for him.
Of course, that was only if Jia Wenbo was proactive in asking.
Xie Heng really disliked trouble and would never take the initiative to invite someone to join his group.
Jia Wenbo looked up, glancing at the location where Ji Mian and Xie Heng were seated, and sighed.
Xie Heng was indeed a good person, but he had a cold demeanor. Whenever Jia Wenbo returned to the dorm, he struggled to find something to talk about with him. Only Ji Mian seemed to find Xie Heng approachable.
However, it was quite surprising to him that Xie Heng was so close to Ji Mian and didn’t mind that Ji Mian liked boys.
He had always felt that Xie Heng wasn’t the type to easily join forces with others, yet for some reason, he was very special toward Ji Mian.
【Jia Wenbo】: No need for that. I’ll find someone myself.
【Lu Zhou】: Oh, okay.
At noon, as soon as the bell rang.
Ji Mian had already packed his bag early, but since his seat was in the middle, he couldn’t get out right away, so he decided to wait a bit longer by resting his head on his desk.
Xie Heng didn’t have a habit of eating with others; under normal circumstances, he would have left first.
He wasn’t someone who was afraid of awkwardness, nor did he care whether others felt awkward.
He lingered for a moment, glancing at Ji Mian, who was resting on the desk, with his ear stud facing him and looking blissfully unaware and relaxed.
Xie Heng felt an unusual and subtle sense of guilt.
The person in front of him was a bit too good, sometimes even good to the point of being foolish. It seemed almost sinful to make him show an awkward expression.
Xie Heng paused for a moment but ultimately decided not to let himself commit any wrongdoing.
“...Want to have a meal together?”
Ji Mian agreed immediately without a second thought: “Sure, what do you want to eat?”
“I don’t know,” Xie Heng replied, then asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Ji Mian got up, adjusted the straps of his backpack, and turned to walk ahead of Xie Heng.
“Hmm... I want to eat... I don’t know.”
This utterly unnutritious conversation inexplicably made Xie Heng want to laugh.
He looked at Ji Mian's glowing white nape and suddenly couldn't understand why he had previously avoided this person just because they were classmates.
He looked as exquisite as a finely carved piece of white jade, and after being soaked in alcohol, what was there to be afraid of?
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