His parents hoped he’d get a good job one day, support the family, buy a big apartment for them, get married early so they could hold a grandchild…

Whenever Xuye Cheng thought about all that, a heavy sense of powerlessness pressed down on his chest.

He didn’t exactly hate those things. But did his parents really not care that he had things he wanted to do too? He’d had dreams once. They’d just been slapped with labels like “not doing serious work” and “hurting your grades,” then buried.

Maybe his life was just meant to go like this—get into some average university, muddle through for a diploma, then, like everyone else, find an ordinary job, get married, have kids, and support his parents.

He wanted to run from it, but aside from that path, what ability did he have to change anything?

His mom said she gave him a full thousand yuan every month just for his expenses. Wasn’t that… kind of too much, in her eyes?

Xuye Cheng didn’t want to know what she really thought, and he was too tired to guess.

He listened to her complain for a few minutes. His eyes went dull as he stared at the distant high-rises under construction. His mother’s soft, broken-up chatter in his ear might as well have been a language he didn’t speak.

“Let’s leave it at that, Mom. I’ve got stuff to do,” he said once she’d mostly finished venting, planning to put an end to this whole, in his eyes, completely meaningless conversation.

“Okay, go do your thing,” his mom said, then hung up.

Xuye Cheng let out another breath. His mood dipped a few notches in that instant.

He hated this kind of life.

It was comfortable, peaceful even, but there was nothing bright about it. He kept telling himself to be content, yet every day felt the same, and somehow, each one left him more tired than the last.

These past few days had been… off. The reason was that he’d somehow, out of nowhere, gotten that mask.

But it felt like everything had just gotten more complicated.

Once he adapted to it, he’d just fall back into the same dead loop: part-time job – classes – cramming for exams.

How was he only twenty and already living like some corporate drone? That so‑called energetic college vibe? He didn’t have it. He didn’t have the money to be energetic.

Better to stay in the simple, happy world of that “little broken site.”

He took a moment to steady his mood, then sat down in front of his computer.

Time rotted away quickly when you were just lying flat in the dorm. He lay there for a while, then checked the time and saw it was already around dinner.

He had an 8 a.m. tomorrow…

Glancing at his schedule, he dragged himself up from the bed, climbed down, and got ready to go for a run.

He’d come back, do some laundry, then go eat.

Headphones on, he jogged from the dorm all the way to the track. The small field was full of couples strolling arm in arm. Xuye Cheng chose to ignore them, adjusted his headphones. He had Kana Hanazawa running with him—those guys with girlfriends were the lame ones.

The afternoon was overcast. In theory, that should’ve made it cooler, but as he ran, he just felt stifled and heavy.

His physical condition wasn’t bad, but he’d barely hit the one‑kilometer mark and he was already panting like a dog.

His usual pace was just over six minutes a kilometer. Now it had slipped straight to six‑thirty.

What the hell, was it the late nights catching up to him?

He honestly felt more than just “a bit” tired. It was like his whole body had been drained of strength.

He slowed to a walk at the edge of the track, pacing a few steps to recover.

Sweat kept sliding down his cheeks. His throat burned. His lungs felt jammed up, and even breathing took real effort.

He slowed his pace and forced himself to finish the second half of the distance.

Looked like he needed to get some supplements or something. He was way too weak like this.

Drenched in sweat, he walked back to the dorm. As he pushed the door open, he saw Zheng Wenxuan and Liu Xianlin both glued to their monitors, staring without blinking. Every now and then, a few amazed little exclamations slipped out of them.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he sat down and took a long drink of water. He leaned over to look—and sure enough, it was a full-on “romantic action film.”

He glanced at the screen—the bare waist, the back‑and‑forth movements—and the exhaustion flooding his body actually managed to wash away the dirty thoughts that were about to rise up next.

“Xuan, didn’t you say you were quitting this stuff? How come you’re at it again?” Xuye Cheng flipped open his suitcase to grab clean clothes while he talked.

Zheng Wenxuan coughed awkwardly. “I’m just watching, not… doing anything. Relax, trust my self‑control.”

Xuye Cheng let out a chuckle, grabbed his clothes, and headed into the bathroom.

Zheng Wenxuan glanced at Liu Xianlin beside him. Liu Xianlin noticed the look and turned to him, confused.

“You think Xiaocheng’s been so… ascetic lately because something happened?” Zheng Wenxuan asked under his breath.

“You literally said yesterday he spent half an hour in the bathroom. Him being cold today is pretty normal,” Liu Xianlin said, clearly amused. “You think everyone’s like you, with your brain full of porn 24/7?”

Zheng Wenxuan smacked a hand down on his shoulder. “Coming from a fellow pig in the same sty, you’ve got no right to preach.”

“Just watch. Whoever jerks off is the other’s son.”

“Deal.”

By the time Xuye Cheng came out, He Xiaohan was already at his desk, reading.

He Xiaohan lifted his eyes to him. “Did you sign up for the event?”

Xuye Cheng nodded and ran a hand through his still‑damp hair. “Yeah.”

“In a couple days, come with me to do some fieldwork. No rush these two days, I’m taking a bit of a break,” He Xiaohan said, flipping a page.

“Doesn’t matter, just pick a time when we’re both free,” Xuye Cheng replied. He grabbed the hair dryer and slipped back into the bathroom.

…

The stuff he’d ordered arrived the next day.

He scarfed down dinner, then rushed straight to the school’s delivery station to pick up his packages.

Obviously, this was to keep anyone from noticing anything weird.

He followed the numbers to find his parcels—shoes, clothes, and the clay mask he’d bought for Zheng Wenxuan. Big and small packages piled up in his arms.

He didn’t know why he felt a little excited. None of it was really important.

But just holding all that, his arms started to ache.

When he finally got back to the dorm ahead of the others, he realized he’d forgotten his keys…

He sighed helplessly, set everything down, and stood at the door scrolling short videos.

Clothes were supposed to be washed before wearing, right?

He mulled it over. Underwear couldn’t be sent to the off‑campus laundry anyway. He’d just wash it in the dorm, then blow‑dry it inside with the hair dryer.

He could at least try things on in the room. If they didn’t work, he could still return them.

As he was thinking that, he saw He Xiaohan walk up beside him.

“Why’d you buy so much?” He Xiaohan asked, pulling out his key and unlocking the door.

“Eh, just a bunch of random stuff.” Xuye Cheng kept his tone casual, bent down to gather everything off the floor, and carried it all inside.

Naturally, He Xiaohan didn’t ask further.

Still feeling a bit guilty, Xuye Cheng shoved all the packages into his wardrobe. He checked his messages and set Zheng Wenxuan’s birthday present on the desk.

He Xiaohan sat down to do math homework. Xuye Cheng honestly thought the guy was a beast.

Who starts doing assignments right after class? Aren’t you supposed to wait till the deadline is breathing down your neck?

It was ridiculous. In his eyes, there was nothing about He Xiaohan that looked “average.” So how had he ended up at the same generic uni as him?

He was curious, but not bored enough to bother poking.

The afternoon was a perfect chance: Zheng Wenxuan and Liu Xianlin both had class, which meant Xuye Cheng could mess around with his stuff in peace.

He Xiaohan picked up his water cup to go fill it, then noticed a stray package left by the door.

Just as Xuye Cheng finished stuffing a parcel into the wardrobe, a small plastic-wrapped package appeared in front of his eyes.

He froze for a second, then heard He Xiaohan say, “You dropped this by the door. Your package.”

He took it. Right after that, he heard He Xiaohan let out a soft laugh.

“‘Xiaocheng Sleeps Forever.’ Kinda cute as a nickname.”

Xuye Cheng blinked. His face went red in an instant, ears and all.

“Could you not read that out loud…” He looked absolutely mortified, completely at a loss.

He Xiaohan gave a small cough. “I was just telling the truth.”

“Then why don’t you write ‘Xiaohan Sleeps Forever’ on your next package?” Xuye Cheng shot back on reflex.

A spark of amusement lit up in He Xiaohan’s expression. “I could. We’d even make a matching set.”

“God. You seriously have social over‑confidence issues.”

“I’m pretty sure you understand that ‘condition’ better than I do,” He Xiaohan replied, sitting back down. “Right, still sleepy, Xiaocheng?”

A wave of intense shame crashed through him. “There’s gotta be a limit to your jokes.”

He Xiaohan nodded. “It’s just the two of us anyway. I’m just teasing.” He chuckled again. “You can wait for a chance to catch me slipping and tease me back. I won’t mind.”

As far as Xuye Cheng was concerned, there was something wrong with this guy.

Sure, he and Zheng Wenxuan made fun of each other too. But when it was He Xiaohan, it just rubbed him the wrong way for no reason.

One day, he was definitely going to grab hold of something on He Xiaohan’s side and turn it around on him.

After that, He Xiaohan fell quiet and went back to working on his math paper.

Xuye Cheng stuffed the package into the wardrobe. The dorm fell silent, leaving him replaying that mortifying scene over and over in his head.

He didn’t want to think about it at all, but he couldn’t stop.

That punchable little smile on He Xiaohan’s face, the joke that had completely wrecked his dignity—it all just kept looping in his mind.

That was just how he was. Sad moments, embarrassing moments, his brain replayed them on endless repeat, draining him from the inside.

He let out a helpless breath, trying to calm down.

Time to distract himself.

With that thought, he sat down and opened a game.

Across from him, eyes on his math questions, a hint of doubt slipped into He Xiaohan’s mind.

What had Xuye Cheng bought? That soft, springy, foam‑like feel he’d gotten through the packaging—he instantly thought of that kind of thing.

Was it really what he was thinking?

No way. Based on what he knew of Xuye Cheng, the guy wasn’t twisted enough to buy women’s underwear… right?

He shook the thought off and focused on his homework again.

As Xuye Cheng played, a test paper suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

He looked up to see He Xiaohan already setting it down on his desk.

“I’m heading out. When you finish, just leave it on my table,” He Xiaohan said.

Xuye Cheng paused, then nodded. He hesitated a moment, then, right as He Xiaohan reached the door, said a soft, “Thanks.”

He Xiaohan’s steps faltered for just a second. Xuye Cheng heard him chuckle again.

He still didn’t really get it.

After the door closed, he checked his phone. At this time, both Zheng Wenxuan and Liu Xianlin would still be in class.

And now that He Xiaohan had gone out too, it was the perfect time to try on the girl’s clothes.

He sighed, pulled the packages out of the wardrobe. For some reason, his heart started beating faster. His palms went hot. Even his breathing grew quick.

What was with this strange sense of anticipation?

He tore the packages open quickly. When he pulled out the bra inside, his face went stiff with embarrassment.

He seriously felt like such a damn pervert.

The next package—panties, skirts, that kind of thing.

Xuye Cheng took a deep breath and felt his breathing hitch a little.

It was just a piece of clothing, nothing more. Get a grip, Xuye Cheng.

He shot a slightly guilty look toward the door, then stuffed the wrapping trash into the bin.

It was still hot in the south, even in October, but Xuye Cheng felt there was no rush to add more layers.

He dug out the mask and put it on. That same familiar texture brushed his skin, and his body started to grow slender again.

So he’d finally taken this step after all.

If the test run went fine, he’d go talk to the manager.