"Su Peng! Help! Help! Help! They’re coming for me again!"
"Coming! Coming!"
"I turned the tables! Three on one—and I wiped them out! Do you even know how to play?"
"Chase them down and finish it!"
Inside the dorm, An Han was fully immersed in his game, muttering under his breath, when his character suddenly froze.
Confused, he looked up. "Lost connection?"
A long *beep* echoed—then the AC fell silent.
Su Peng corrected him calmly, "Power outage."
The dorm building was nearly empty during the National Day break, yet the moment the lights died, groans erupted from every corner.
They exchanged a silent glance. The laptop wouldn’t die instantly, but no internet? That hurt.
Fuming, An Han snatched his phone to message counselor Ren Chi—only to spot the class group notice already posted:
"Power maintenance: 12 PM to approx. 3 PM. Service will resume afterward."
He read it aloud, then groaned, "There goes half my life!"
"What now?"
"No AC~"
Su Peng chuckled, tossed him a pamphlet. "Fan yourself. DIY style."
After returning his laptop to his room, Su Peng came back to find An Han dragging a bamboo mat from the closet and spreading it on the floor.
"What’s this for?"
"Sleeping on the floor. Nap time. Power’ll be back when I wake."
"You’d be better off at the internet cafe."
"Too lazy. Those places are smoky and stuffy."
True, cafes were cleaner now—but smokers still lingered.
An Han had zero interest. He flopped onto the mat, cheek pressed to the cool weave, savoring the last traces of AC chill.
"Once the cool’s gone, open both doors for airflow."
Su Peng sat sideways on a chair, legs crossed, shooting him a look. "Open them yourself. I’m heading out."
"Not even staying with me?"
An Han yawned, slumping back onto the mat.
Wrapped in the fading coolness, he drifted into a hazy doze. Vaguely, he felt Su Peng’s gaze hovering above—and the whisper-light weight of a thin blanket settling over him.
*He actually cares for me?*
Before the thought fully formed, darkness pulled him under.
...
"Su Peng, what time is it?"
Eyes still shut, An Han mumbled the question the second he woke.
Silence. He blinked open his eyes, scanning the empty room from the mat.
Both doors stood open; a breeze carried away some heat, but sweat still clung to his skin.
He sat up, stretched arms high with a lazy yawn.
"Wonder where Su Peng went."
He grabbed his phone. Thirty minutes till power returned.
He hated stepping out—jacket on, heat hitting like betrayal.
But outside wasn’t much cooler. Might as well stroll.
As he shrugged on his jacket, a thought struck him: *Lately, I haven’t really hidden my androgynous side around Su Peng.*
He froze, then let out a wry sigh. "Hope he doesn’t think I’m some weird creature..."
*Like a cross-dresser or something...*
*Or maybe he’s just blind and never noticed?*
A quiet unease settled in. He was starting to get why Su Peng sometimes avoided him.
If *he* were the one faced with an enthusiastic, androgynous-looking guy clinging close… well. Who knows? Might just go bi.
Afternoon campus was quiet during the holiday—An Han’s usual tension eased slightly.
He headed to the campus supermarket for snacks and essentials.
*That bastard Chen Junjie used up my shampoo!*
The two-story store was massive. An Han browsed half-heartedly—then stopped dead.
Sanitary pads lined the shelf.
"I wonder when I’ll need these too..."
A wave of sorrow washed over him. He sighed, turning to leave—when a voice called out.
"An Han?"
*An acquaintance?*
He tightened his jacket before turning.
An Kexin?
"Kexin," he smiled, then leaned in with playful curiosity. "Heard you and Su Peng have been getting close lately?"
"Huh?!" She flinched back, flustered. "N-no! Not at all!"
"But he went to the movies with you."
Her face flushed. "He… just happened to want to see it too."
"Claims he’s got a crush on you," An Han teased with a wink.
"R-really…?"
Same surname made them vaguely familiar—An Kexin was his only female classmate he actually knew.
Her cheeks burned crimson. Head down, she murmured, "But he stood me up this morning."
*Teasing even a slightly plump girl beats messing with dorm mates. Way cuter too.*
"Yeah. Came back to my dorm to game."
*Wait—why do I feel like the other woman? And playing mistress?!*
He shook the thought off. "Has Su Peng mentioned me lately?"
"You?" She glanced up, thinking. "Yeah… said you’ve been acting weirder."
Her eyes swept over him. *Wait—he looks different.*
*Prettier?*
An Han caught her stare, hands on hips, grinning. "Don’t I look way more handsome now?!"
"Huh?"
"A little fuller-faced! Not so scrawny! See?!"
"Now that you mention it…"
"Handsome, right?"
Dazed, she nodded slowly. "Yeah… handsomer."
"Exactly!"
"But Su Peng always says you’re… girly."
An Han stiffened, muttering, "That jerk badmouthing me as ‘girly’?! I’ll murder him!"
"You’re so full of yourself. You can’t even compare to him."
*This girl’s gotta go! Who speaks truth like that to your face?!*
