"Hold up, what’s with that face? What are you so hyped about?" Zheng Wenxuan couldn’t help but groan at Xu Yecheng’s expression.

"N-nothing! Just... remembered something," Xu Yecheng replied, turning back to his computer with feigned indifference. "What’s that shop even for?"

Zheng Wenxuan chuckled. "Knew you’d be curious." He cleared his throat. "It’s a super high-end coffee shop. Probably won’t let broke students like us in."

"Oh?" Xu Yecheng let out a doubtful sound, instantly intrigued.

"Drop it. Even with plastic surgery and a dress, I’d still spot you’re a guy," Zheng Wenxuan said, clicking open a game.

Xu Yecheng froze for a moment—Zheng had guessed half his thoughts.

He really wondered what stories this guy had.

"Since when are you so open-minded? Did you try this before?" Xu Yecheng shot back teasingly.

"Once, I accidentally clicked a BL comic," Zheng Wenxuan sighed. "The male lead worked at a café in drag, and the other guy forced himself on him. Adult world’s deep, man. Glad I quit before hitting paid content."

Xu Yecheng snorted. "Took you that long to notice?"

"Damn author drew the uke so damn hot—I didn’t know he was male till he stripped!" Zheng Wenxuan’s voice rose. "That cross-dressing scene danced right on my kinks."

A sly smile spread across Xu Yecheng’s face. "Admit it—you’re totally gay."

Zheng Wenxuan didn’t snap back as expected. He paused thoughtfully. "Honestly? If they’re hot enough, I might... give it a try."

"Bravo," Xu Yecheng praised dryly.

"I mean, if they look enough like a girl, gender shouldn’t matter," Zheng Wenxuan added, suddenly relaxed.

"......."

"Anyway, baby Cheng, ganbatte!"

"Ew, stop grossing me out," Xu Yecheng shuddered, covered in goosebumps.

*Girls only...?*

Xu Yecheng’s expression turned serious.

His mask might actually be useful.

But its effect was so half-baked.

*Sigh.*

Ignoring body shape, his voice alone would give him away.

Then a horrifying thought hit him:

If he got in, would he need to wear women’s clothes?

*Holy crap—a grown man in a dress?*

Mostly, he just found the idea cringy...

But with the mask on, no one would know it was Xu Yecheng. He could try a dress at home, just for himself.

Self-amusement was fine—he had no clue what else the mask was for.

Even if ugly, he’d only see himself. No harm to others.

With such a rare item, skipping the experience felt wrong.

After half-watching two MOOC lectures—really just multitasking Bilibili and course videos—he jotted down some CET-6 vocab to ease his guilt.

Next came the intense campus run. Xu Yecheng had worked a late shift yesterday, so today he owed double the distance.

Eighty kilometers per semester wasn’t much if run daily. But except for He Xiaohan’s strict two-km routine, the other three avoided it whenever possible.

Xu Yecheng didn’t hate exercise; he just hated walking from his dorm to the field.

When he returned, Zheng Wenxuan was still slacking off in bed.

Exhausted, Xu Yecheng slumped into his chair. His fitness was barely passable—around 70 on physical tests—but doubling the run drained him.

"Hey, baby Cheng, my birthday’s soon. Our dorm’s eating out—my treat," Zheng Wenxuan announced.

"Sure," Xu Yecheng panted, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Saving you a meal," Zheng Wenxuan grinned.

Xu Yecheng scoffed—he did say that when others treated him.

"Thanks, really," he said sincerely.

"Pfft, dads spoil sons. It’s my duty," Zheng Wenxuan added.

"Then this ‘dad’ should hand over cash. Your ‘son’ is starving," Xu Yecheng shot back.

"Broke too. My allowance hasn’t come this month."

"LOL." Xu Yecheng opened his computer to browse Bilibili.

Once rested, he grabbed fresh clothes and headed to the shower.

Maybe the centipede bite or lack of exercise left him utterly drained.

After showering, he dumped his dirty clothes into a bucket.

Too tired—he’d wash them tomorrow.

But as he scrolled videos in bed near midnight, he suddenly remembered tomorrow’s double shift...

After that chaos, tomorrow night’s Xu Yecheng would definitely slack off again.

He sighed, then heard Zheng Wenxuan’s steady snores.

*Asleep?* Xu Yecheng frowned, got up, and walked over. Zheng had tangled all his blankets around his legs.

A good Chinese roommate couldn’t ignore this. Xu Yecheng carefully tucked the covers back.

*Sweat to death.*

After "caring" for his roommate, Xu Yecheng dragged himself to the bathroom to wash clothes.

Rummaging through the pile, he found the mask still in his pants pocket. Yawning lazily, he glanced at the waterlogged shelf and grimaced.

Spotting the ceiling clothesline above the toilet stall, he hung the dripping mask there.

As he scrubbed, a thought struck him: if it fell, it’d land straight in the toilet.

He spun up to check—but something flashed before his eyes, and an icy chill brushed his face...