50 : Coldness

 The two were facing each other. Chen Zhoumu saw that Song Shi was engrossed in his phone, so he handed him a tissue and casually glanced at his phone. However, Song Shi's phone was also fast, and he didn't have time to see what it said, and he forgot about it.

As usual, he warmed a cup for Song Shi, filled it with water, and placed it next to him. Song Shi didn't move, but just took out his phone again because the landlord had sent him some photos.

Actually, for him, the size of the house or the lighting was a minor matter, so he quickly scheduled a viewing. Both parties had no concerns and set the time for tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately, he had nothing to do these few days, so he needed to use this free time to get everything settled.

Breakfast was served one by one. Perhaps Chen Zhoumu hadn't eaten much of this before, or perhaps he had a big appetite, so the two of them ordered a table full of food.

Song Shi had eaten these things since childhood, and for him, they tasted just as good as before. But for Chen Zhoumu, it was a different story. He casually picked up some of the colorless food and put it in his mouth, finding it surprisingly delicious.

Although the portions in each basket weren't large, they had ordered a fair amount, so they managed to eat their fill eventually. However, eating too much of the same kind of food at once left their mouths and stomachs feeling a bit greasy.

Chen Zhoumu gulped down a lot of tea, only putting the cup down after his mouth was filled with its flavor. Song Shi, sitting opposite him, was still eating shrimp dumplings, his tea untouched. Chen Zhoumu propped one hand up and watched him eat.

Song Shi looked up and met his gaze. He wasn't sure if Song Shi had seen the things Zhang Su had sent him. He had thought about it for a long time this morning and realized that the screenshot of the chat Zhang Su had sent him last time didn't show any reply from Song Shi.

So he didn't know if Chen Zhoumu had seen it, or if the other party hadn't even noticed the unfamiliar text message. Otherwise, he wouldn't be treating him the same way as usual. The more Song Shi thought about it, the more likely it seemed, but then a choice formed in his mind.

Should he steal the other party's phone and delete the message?

Delete it? But it was the other party's phone, and Chen Zhoumu should have the right to know. Anyway, you can't hide forever; secrets will always come out eventually.

Don't delete it? If the other party found out, would there be any chance of getting it back? Would those eyes show a look of disdain?

He was stunned for a moment, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the table in front of him. The other party's phone was placed not far from him, within easy reach.

The other party's voice slowly pulled him back: "I'll go pay the bill first. Take your time eating."

Song Shi watched the other party's retreating figure, then looked closely. The other party hadn't taken the phone. His hand, which was lying to the side, slowly clenched. Now the choice was between taking it or not.

There was a short queue at the checkout counter. The person paid and returned, giving Song Shi enough time to unlock their phone and delete the message.

He watched their back, then looked away, expressionlessly reaching for the nearby phone as if it were his own.

He swiped to unlock the screen, revealing the lock screen wallpaper: a group photo, or rather, a photo of shadows. One person was tall, the other short; the taller one was undoubtedly Chen Zhoumu. The

shorter one, about ear-length, had their head resting slightly on Chen's shoulder. While the other person wasn't clearly visible, the shape of the shadow suggested it was a woman.

Song Shi noticed the woman's long hair falling as her head tilted to the side. He stared at the photo for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and unlocked the phone to the password lock screen.

He first tried the other person's birthday, but the password was wrong. He went back to look at the photo. Since it was a girl, Song Shi hadn't seen Chen Zhoumu get close to any girl.

Finally, in desperation, he tried Tan Qi's and Zhang Xiaojing's birthdays, but without exception, they were all wrong. Seeing that the other person was about to return, Song Shi quickly turned off the screen and put the phone back where it was.

He watched the other person approach, pull out a chair and sit down. Only then did Song Shi's mind process it: Chen Zhoumu seemed to have someone he liked. And it was

a girl.

Song Shi's hand unconsciously tightened on the cup beside him, slowly rubbing it. Who was that girl? Why did he never know? Even He Xi and the others hadn't mentioned her. Was it a childhood sweetheart or a girl he'd grown up with?

That message seemed less important in this matter. Perhaps Chen Zhoumu didn't care at all. He didn't care about that message, nor did he care whether he liked boys.

He didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

So the next second, he casually blurted out his thoughts: "Ahem, do you have someone you like?"

The person sitting opposite him was drinking water. Upon hearing this, he coughed violently as if he had choked on the water, took Song Shi's tissue, and casually wiped the water stains from his mouth: "Hmm?"

Then he crumpled the tissue in his hand into a ball and looked at him again: "You...you knew, didn't you?"

Chen Zhoumu was indeed a little confused by the question, because hadn't he confessed everything to the other person yesterday?

"I know?" Song Shi lowered his head and whispered in shock. The voice came from the other person again: "What's wrong with you?"

When he looked up again, his face was expressionless, and he just shook his head slightly: "Let's go."

The two walked outside one after the other. Chen Zhoumu looked at the gap between the other person's shoulders, and then at the other person's hand hanging by his side. When they walked, their shoulders would sometimes touch slightly and then immediately separate.

Chen Zhoumu slowly stretched his hand forward, his eyes glancing at the other person's face, seeing that the other person was looking straight ahead without any reaction.

Just as Chen Zhoumu was about to grasp Song Shi's hand, Song Shi put it back in his pocket, forcing Chen Zhoumu to slowly retract his outstretched hand.

"It's alright, maybe next time."

He escorted Song Shi to the dormitory door. To be honest, he felt uneasy last night, only later realizing it was because someone was missing from the room. It seemed he'd have to find a room outside the school and coax Song Shi in.

He was about to follow Song Shi inside when Song Shi stopped him at the door: "You go back first, I didn't sleep well last night, I'll catch up on some sleep."

Chen Zhoumu stopped at the doorframe, forcing a smile: "I'll go with you."

But Song Shi's hand remained on the door, just watching him. Chen Zhoumu had no choice but to withdraw his foot: "Then get some sleep, text me when you wake up."

The only response was the sound of the door closing.

Today, Song Shi seemed unusually quiet, not just in words, but his mood and emotions seemed gloomy. Although he wasn't usually very expressive, today was certainly very unusual.

Chen Zhoumu couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the other person seemed very cold, just like the indifferent look he had when they first met.

Even colder than before, the person who seemed to have warmed up had now plummeted to freezing point. Chen Zhoumu didn't know what to do. He could only attribute it all to the other person not yet adapting to their new relationship, not yet accepting the fact that they were together.

It didn't matter, he'd wait a little longer; he wasn't afraid of waiting.

Chen Zhoumu didn't return to his floor. After the other person closed the door, he paced outside, thinking they would message him, but he received no messages. He slowly went from walking to standing at the station to squatting outside Song Shi's door.

He held his phone in his hand, checking it every now and then for new messages. There were new messages, but they weren't from Song Shi.

Time slowly passed, from the midday sun to the slow twilight. Chen Zhoumu stared at the trees swaying in the wind outside the window for a long time.

Until his legs started to go numb from holding that position for so long, the door behind him clicked open, and a figure emerged.

Before Song Shi could fully open the door, he was forcefully pushed open from the outside and then pulled tightly into a hug. He was stunned by the other person's actions, and then he heard breathing on his neck.

He realized that the other person hadn't left at all, and had been waiting at his door all along. How long had they been waiting? He didn't know.

Before he could think, the other person's muffled voice came out: "Why are you ignoring me?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so cold to me? Please don't treat me like this. I would have accepted it even if it was like before."

Song Shi was a little unsure how to answer this barrage of questions, and could only blankly ask in confusion: "Hmm?"

Chen Zhoumu's head was buried in his shoulder, very heavy, as if it wanted to bury itself into his body. Then he heard the other person exhale deeply, and then sit up and cup his face in his hands.

"Are you playing me?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Zhoumu looked at the other's puzzled face, then, as if he had given up entirely, said, "It's okay, if you're really playing me, I'll accept it. Maybe I did something wrong, I'll learn slowly, so can you not give up on me so quickly?"

Song Shi still couldn't grasp the point of what the other was saying after listening to so much rambling. He didn't understand what the other was talking about, so he had to take Chen Zhoumu's hand away from his face. "What's wrong with you?"

Before he could pull his hand away, it was grabbed and he couldn't break free. He also felt a tight grip on his waist, and his shoulder was pressed down again. Chen Zhoumu exerted a little force, and the two of them switched positions.

"Bang." Chen Zhoumu leaned towards Song Shi step by step in this position. The other couldn't withstand his strength. It was as if the other was pressing down with all his strength. Even though he was only a few centimeters taller than him, the strength was something Song Shi couldn't bear.

So he backed away step by step, leaning against the door and closing it. Song Shi was going out anyway, so the lights weren't on, and the room was dim, making it hard for him to see clearly. He

only knew that the hand he was holding was lifted and pressed against the door.

"Song Shi?"

"Hmm?" He felt a little dizzy from the heat emanating from Chen Zhoumu.

"Song Shi?"

"Hmm. What are you doing?"

Chen Zhoumu raised his head: "Nothing, just think of me as not getting used to the environment here yet."

That night, Chen Zhoumu looked at apartments online. Too small, no good; too dark, no good; too damp, no good; too close to the street, no good... He finally found a room very late. He put his phone down, thinking about how to tell the other person about the idea of ​​living together.

In the morning, Song Shi texted him saying he might have something to do today. Chen Zhoumu spent the morning and afternoon with Zhang Qianyi and the others. While they were eating together, one of them was scrolling through his phone when he suddenly knocked over the milk on the table.

He then flipped his phone onto the table: "Holy crap! Look at this!"

It was a post from this forum, and in less than half an hour it already had thousands of comments. It was the weekend, and students loved reading these kinds of posts for entertainment.

The post's title was—"Former Yangcheng No. 1 High School's heartthrob, Song Shi, actually likes boys? Pictures and proof included."

Chen Zhoumu's brow twitched, and then his phone vibrated. It was a message from Zhang Jingxiao:

"Brother Mu, is Song Shi moving out?"

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