Chapter 2779

Once the snow in North City began, it seemed to squander all the stillness accumulated over the entire autumn.

In such weather, staying home where the heating is ample when there's no class has become the ultimate winter enjoyment.

After that comics expo, the embrace and contact in the abandoned magic dark room felt like an overly dreamy encounter, mutually understood but never spoken of again and never repeated.

Jin Chen could still hug Cheng Lang whenever and wherever he liked, naturally tucking himself into his embrace for warmth.

Occasionally, on a whim, he'd still go over to kiss and nibble; Cheng Lang's chest was firm and full, leaving deep or shallow bite marks, yet he never refused—at most, when bitten hard, he'd grunt and ruffle Jin Chen's hair.

But Cheng Lang also observed a strange boundary, one he himself might not even be clear about.

The subtle, almost‑lover feeling between them eventually came to be valued by Cheng Lang.

Anyone who knew them could see how good their relationship was.

Xu Can once brought two dishes to mooch a meal, not knowing Jin Chen didn't eat cilantro, so Cheng Lang painstakingly picked out the bits for him; after eating, Jin Chen curled up on the sofa reading papers, stretching his feet under Cheng Lang's sweater for warmth, and Cheng Lang merely shuddered before tossing a nearby blanket over him.

Xu Can clicked his tongue then, his eyes darting between them with deep meaning.

Thus Jin Chen wasn't in a rush; the subtle feeling often appeared, and he just needed to go with the flow.

But Jin Chen never expected someone to preempt him and expose this ambiguous relationship.

——

One morning the snow stopped, the sky a washed‑clear, icy blue.

Before Cheng Lang went to school, he heard Xu Can shouting and yelling in a voice call.

"I really saw that Xu Qian kid yesterday—he came back to the dorm covered in dust, packed his bags, ignored anyone who spoke to him, and just walked out with his luggage!"

Xu Can: "I heard from their dormmates that his family's business ran into big trouble, they urgently called him back—he might not even attend his thesis defense… tsk, that blow looks serious."

Meanwhile, at the other end of the city.

In a room filled with expensive medical equipment, Hua Yu and a friend talked in low voices.

His face was pallid, his eyes unnaturally bright, his obsession pathological.

"Cheng Lang couldn't possibly be straight, and Jin Chen surely likes him too—I can tell."

Hua Yu's tone turned grim, resolute: "What I want has never been unattainable."

The friend on the other end of the line fell silent for a moment, speaking cautiously: "But Jin Chen… is a problem. I'd looked into it a little—your class is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; hardly anyone comes from a simple background, and Jin Chen's is even deeper than you might think."

"Dealing with Xu Qian is just a matter of words, but moving against Jin Chen won't be easy."

Hua Yu clenched the corner of the blanket, a flash of cruelty in his eyes: "So we need another approach—we can't move on Jin Chen directly… we'll make Cheng Lang himself push Jin Chen away."

The friend wondered, "What do you mean?"

Hua Yu: "What do you think is the best way to drive off someone who thinks he's straight?"

The friend sucked in a breath: "You mean… let Cheng Lang know Jin Chen's feelings? But… you're not afraid that doing so would make Cheng Lang despise and reject this even more, leaving you no chance?"

Hua Yu snorted coldly: "As long as Jin Chen stays out of the way and Cheng Lang has no one else, I have plenty of time and methods to make him accustomed to me."

"If… if it still doesn't work…" he paused, voice cold, "Then I'll simply cut off all of Cheng Lang's retreat, leaving him no choice but me."

The line stayed silent for a long time; finally only the friend's sigh came through: "Then go ahead and do it."

That afternoon.

A University's campus forum popped up a post that was pushed to hot status:

Heart‑breaking moment! The soon‑to‑graduate Computer Science Institute heartthrob seems to be taken—picture and truth included!

Main Building: Once also a fan of a certain Computer Science Institute senior, I thought he was truly handsome playing basketball; today I by chance got a video clip, and unexpectedly… it's yet another "give child" (heartbreak. jpg)—does that mean all the handsome guys are just consuming each other internally?

Below is a several‑second clip secretly filmed on a phone by a passerby.

The filming location is a small street outside University Town lined with Faguo plane trees.

On a winter afternoon, Jin Chen fiddled with his phone while Cheng Lang stopped, retied his loosened scarf, seemed to say something, the youth lifted his head and smiled at him.

Immediately, the two stood on the cold winter street, embraced silently for a few seconds, then let go and walked on shoulder‑to‑shoulder, steps in sync, occasionally lowering their heads to talk.

The filmer was clearly far off, the video not especially clear and without sound, yet the figures and side profiles of the two were enough for anyone who knew them to recognize at a glance.

1L: Holy shit, I'd seen them eating together in the cafeteria before and thought the vibe was weird… sure enough!

2L: Ahhh my Cheng Lang senior! My Jin Chen junior! Although heartbreaking, they seem kinda suited.

3L: That scarf‑adjusting move is way too natural, and that hug! I and my best friend would never hug like that!

4L: Only I think it's cute how Jin Chen junior leans on Cheng Lang's shoulder? Usually he looks so aloof.

5L: I've long felt their relationship isn't ordinary—Jin Chen junior often comes to the Computer Science Institute to wait for Cheng Lang after class, and Cheng Lang always goes to the Finance Department to pick him up, even carrying his bag!

6L: Hasn't Cheng Lang publicly rejected a junior's confession and still claimed he's straight? This video… could it just be another one‑sided obsession, clinging desperately?

7L: Upstairs +1, I also think it might be Jin Chen one‑sided… Senior Cheng Lang looks like the type who's really enthusiastic and caring—could it be that he's being hassled and can't say no?

8L: I'm from the Finance Department, Jin Chen has a ton of pursuers in our department, right? But he's cold to everyone, only different with Senior Cheng Lang. If this isn't mutual, I'll do a headstand and wash my hair!

9L: Am I the only one wondering who filmed this video? The angle looks like a covert shot—this is an invasion of privacy!

The post quickly popped up in the feeds of more people who knew them; this semester Jin Chen has gained quite a following within the college, and as soon as the video came out, it thrust both of them into the spotlight.

——

The multimedia classroom in the Training Building, used as a workspace for the graduation project teams.

Cheng Lang was debugging a complex simulation program with his team members.

The air‑conditioning was blasting, so he took off his jacket, wore only a thin sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and stared at the scrolling code on the screen.

Xu Can sat beside him, clacking away on the keyboard.

The male student wearing black‑frame glasses, sitting on Xu Can's other side, saw the video finish after a dozen seconds and nudged Xu Can beside him.

"Can! Look at this!" Zhou Lou shoved the phone screen toward Xu Can.

Xu Can, not understanding why, leaned over and also sucked in a breath of cold air.

The two turned their heads in unison, looking at Cheng Lang—who was still hunched over debugging parameters—with an expression that said, "As I suspected."

Cheng Lang sensed the overly intense gazes, finally lifted his eyes from the code world, and asked, "What's up, Louzi? Did your program run into an error?"

Oh, of course not! It runs smoother than Dove! Zhou Lou adjusted his glasses, feeling as if he'd discovered a new continent, "Langzi ah…… I was still wondering before, your godlike little junior, why do you favor our graduation project team so much, buying coffee and milk tea every few days, and occasionally feeding us high-end snacks…… Now I get it! Now I get it!"

Their graduation project team had five people total; besides Cheng Lang, the other three members also curiously gathered around, crowding onto Zhou Lou's phone.

After watching the video, they all exchanged subtle, knowing smiles.

"I told you! My coffee wasn't wasted after all!" one member clicked his tongue, "These are all gifts of love!"

"What else is there to say!" another member laughed at the screen, patting Cheng Lang's shoulder, "Langzi, we brothers respect and understand, bless you! We'll definitely not waste the coffee and snacks the little junior sent!"

Cheng Lang's brow tightened the more they chatted back and forth, a bad premonition settling in.

He reached over and took Zhou Lou's phone; from the stranger's covert angle, what had seemed perfectly natural intimacy to him was inexplicably tinged with ambiguity.

Cheng Lang's ears felt hot. "Me and Xiao Chen are just good brothers—he's my roommate; what's wrong with me looking after him? This video…… what does it even prove?"

"Good brothers?" Zhou Lou pointed at the phone, exaggerated expression, "Langzi, tell me, which pair of good brothers acts like that?"

He mimicked the video's actions of adjusting the scarf and hugging, "These motions, this atmosphere…… when my girlfriend and I were most lovey‑dovey in the honeymoon phase, it was exactly like this!"

"Exactly, Langzi," Xu Can interjected, this time dropping the joking tone, "Don't blame the brothers for speaking up—think about it: do you really treat Jin Chen the same way you treat me and the rest of us guys?"

Cheng Lang was left speechless by the question.

Of course not.

Jin Chen is special, one of a kind.

He'd feel heartache for Jin Chen's night blindness and fear of the dark, indulge his various boundary‑crossing intimacies, grow jealous when Jin Chen was kind to others, panic at the thought of him leaving…… but isn't all that simply because he's someone he wants to take care of?

Being close, being affectionate—what's the problem? Does it have to be that kind of relationship? You've been led astray by the forum.

Cheng Lang grew a little annoyed; just as his words fell, the multimedia classroom door was knocked.

Xu Can, nearest the door, shouted, "Come in."

The door was pushed open.

It was Hua Yu, looking frail and delicate; seeing Cheng Lang in the classroom, her eyes dimmed.

And following close behind him was Jin Chen.

Jin Chen hadn't expected to run into Hua Yu here.

This person seemed to have been waiting outside, only knocking when he saw him—very suspicious.

【Zero Egg.】

Ling Gun Gun began, "【Host, the forum's been circulating that video of you guys on the street that day—super high traffic! Hey? The bottom in this…… what are you trying to do? Help you come out?】"

A flash of realization crossed Jin Chen's eyes. Now I understand.

He just stood there, watching Hua Yu's performance.

Hua Yu's accusatory gaze locked directly onto Cheng Lang.

Cheng Lang, senior…… I came today just to ask you this in person." His tone was hurt, "You say you're straight, you don't like men…… so why are you doing those things with Jin Chen?"

He said this, pulling out his phone, unlocking it, opening a video and turning the screen toward Cheng Lang.

The footage showed Cheng Lang and Jin Chen's small balcony at home.

The filmer was Jin Chen; in the frame, Cheng Lang leaned against the single sofa with eyes closed, the video switched to a selfie angle, Jin Chen came into view, slightly tilting his head to gaze at Cheng Lang's sleeping profile, his eyes filled with extreme tenderness, just staring quietly for several seconds before leaning in to kiss the corner of Cheng Lang's lips.

The video ends here.

【"Oh! No wonder the host said this morning not to worry about the hacked computer," Ling Gun Gun realized, 【"The bottom is quite ambitious."】

Jin Chen also saw the clip, his narrow eyes suddenly narrowing.

The original plan was for Cheng Lang to discover it himself by chance, but fate twisted things—unexpectedly, Hua Yu made it public in this setting.

From a certain perspective, Hua Yu actually did him a big favor.

Hua Yu watched Cheng Lang's dazed state and kept pouring oil on the fire, "Cheng Lang, senior, do you see clearly now? Jin Chen likes you—are you really going to keep pretending you don't know, using the 'good brothers' excuse to fool yourself?"

Jin Chen's mouth twitched faintly as he lifted his gaze to the stunned Cheng Lang rooted in place.

Xu Can and the three team members stared at each other, too shocked to speak.

Cheng Lang felt an unprecedented embarrassment and awkwardness, unconsciously clenching his fists, his throat dry and sore, struggling to keep his voice steady.

That doesn't prove anything—maybe Xiao Chen……

Silence stood at the door as Jin Chen walked in.

He walked up to Cheng Lang, stopped, and gazed straight into his flustered, lost eyes without evasion.

Brother, I just like you.

Cheng Lang shuddered all over, his pupils constricting, his expression unreadable.

Hua Yu watched Cheng Lang's changing complexion, knowing her goal was achieved, she didn't linger—after all, she couldn't explain the video's source—and hurried out of the classroom.

Xu Can's eyes darted between Cheng Lang and Jin Chen, his palms sweating from tension.

Cheng Lang remained silent, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, striking his ribs, bringing an unfamiliar, suffocating dull ache and panic.

Jin Chen lowered his lashes slightly, hiding the dark glint in his eyes, showing just the right amount of apology.

But I never expected you to see this video in this way, causing trouble for you, senior…… I'm really sorry.

Jin Chen had never spoken to Cheng Lang in this tone before.

Carefully, with a sense of distance, his apology.

Cheng Lang's brows knotted tight as he watched Jin Chen's lowered profile, hesitating to rise—but before he could speak, Jin Chen had already pulled open the door and walked out.

Cheng Lang instinctively took two steps forward, but his feet slammed to a halt at the classroom doorway, hand gripping the frame as he watched Jin Chen's silhouette disappear down the hall.

He just left like that.

Just like that, he straightforwardly admitted it, straightforwardly left, leaving him alone to face the inner tsunami.

Jin Chen walked down the corridor, Ling Gun Gun fittingly playing sad BGM in his mind.

Jin Chen: 【...】

Ling Gun Gun asked, "【Host, what are you planning to do next?】"

Jin Chen: 【Go back to sleep, you need to give him some buffer time.】

In the multimedia room.

Team members: "……"

No way, after eating all those snacks, coffee, and milk tea from that junior, I have to say something!

Xu Can scratched his head, "Langzi, you're really a straight guy!"

Cheng Lang turned his head, his gaze still somewhat unfocused.

"What else?"

"No…… I mean," Xu Can, rendered speechless by his reaction, spread his hands and said, "Forget the past, but now your relationship…… eating, living, and going together, you're so close it's like…… look at his gaze, the way he looks at you……"

"Honestly, Langzi, where exactly are you straight? Would you act like that with us guys?"

Zhou Lou pushed his glasses, "Brother Lang, my friends wouldn't just show up every day to ask how I'm doing, bring coffee and snacks, and pick me up after class rain or shine because I'm working on my thesis—this kind of brotherly bond, I'm ashamed to say I've never seen anything like it."

The female team member observed Cheng Lang's grim expression, thought for a moment, and spoke more gently, "Brother Lang, I know you might not be able to turn this around right away. How about… we look at it from another angle?"

"Imagine, if your future partner wasn't Jin Chen but another girl, how would you feel?"

Cheng Lang remained silent, his brows furrowed tighter, feeling an inexplicable resistance and confusion.

"Why do you have to think like that?" Cheng Lang's voice was a little hoarse, yet he stubbornly insisted, "I'm close with Xiao Chen, but……"

He wanted to speak but stopped, his mind a tangled mess, unable to find a clue, somewhat confused about how things had come to this.

The female team member looked at him, let out a soft sigh, "Alright, then let's try another angle, Brother Lang—your junior likes guys, right?"

"That's what he himself admitted, so even if it's not you, he might someday have another boyfriend, someone could take your place—thinking about that, how would you feel?"

Cheng Lang: "……"

Even though he was still confused and hadn't fully sorted out his feelings, hearing that sentence made his chest burn with agitation.

"He doesn't have a boyfriend." Cheng Lang blurted out, almost obsessively denying, "How could he have one?"

The female team member saw through but didn't say, "You don't like that junior, but you can't stop him from finding love, right? He'll have someone someday—maybe not now, but possibly in the future."

Cheng Lang didn't respond further.

He slowly sat back in the chair, his back slightly hunched, his whole person shrouded in an indescribable weariness and bewilderment.

——

In North City's winter night, darkness falls early.

Cheng Lang unlocked the door with his key, and what greeted him was silence.

The living room had no lights on, it was cold and empty.

Usually at this time, Jin Chen would be lounging on the sofa, hugging the controller and playing games; hearing Cheng Lang come back, he'd proudly toss aside whatever he was holding and squeeze into his arms.

Cheng Lang stood in the entryway, stunned for a while before taking off his coat and putting on slippers.

He casually dropped his bag on the floor, glanced at the tightly shut door of the second bedroom, and saw a thin line of warm yellow light seeping from the gap beneath.

Jin Chen was still in the room.

Cheng Lang felt a little more at ease, though he was still uneasy.

Cheng Lang scratched his head, deciding to first calm himself down.

After washing up and drying his hair, he returned to his own room and closed the door.

Lying in bed, yet feeling no sleepiness, Cheng Lang stared at the ceiling, his mind a tangled mess.

After who knows how long, he suddenly seemed to recall something, sat up, grabbed the laptop from his bedside, and logged into Wind and Moon Martial World.

In the second bedroom, Jin Chen had been awake for a while.

He leaned against the headboard, the laptop screen lit, hearing the sounds of Cheng Lang returning outside and the sounds of him finishing his shower.

Jin Chen lowered his gaze, lightly tapped the touchpad, and turned off the game interface's invisibility mode.

At the same time, He Liangyue's avatar lit up in the guild channel.

As Christmas and New Year approached, the officials launched a brand-new limited-time event.

This event's theme is "Love·Fate", requiring players to bind an in-game love CP, then team up to tackle a high-difficulty duo instance, with rankings across the server based on clearance time and performance.

The rewards are extremely generous—not only rare items and limited-edition skins, but more importantly, the points from this event will count toward the guild leaderboard, directly reshuffling the rankings of all major guilds.

Moreover, it's said that the monster mechanics and level design have been completely overhauled, making the challenge extremely high.

【Leisure Abode】 Sweet Bun: "No need to say! Our guild will definitely be the top expert and the moon warrior teaming up—they're invincible together, they'll surely take first place!"

【Leisure Abode】 Shadow Wave: "Of course! Isn't this event tailor-made for our top expert and the moon warrior? The expert flies bravely, and we of Leisure Abode hold the peak—it's up to you!"

【Leisure Abode】 Glutinous Rice Ball: "Agreed! Aside from the top expert and Yueyue, I can't think of anyone else worthy of taking this first clear!"

Cheng Lang felt a wave of headache; the love event, binding a CP, felt like a crowd poking straight at his heart.

He stared blankly at the screen, then saw Jin Chen's reply.

【Leisure Abode】 Xun Chen: "I'm not taking part in this event^^ Guild members who need to bind the Symbiotic Covenant code can private chat me."

Leisure Abode members: "???"

【Leisure Abode】 Cai Yangliu: "Why, top expert!? You weren't looking forward to this new instance's mechanics before, and you even went hunting on the world channel at 007 for pricey shards of divine items—we all thought you were gunning for the leaderboard!"

【Leisure Abode】 Ming Yuejiang: "Yeah, top expert, this event's rewards include an exclusive dual-person flying mount—you did mention wanting one before, didn't you?"

Cheng Lang's heart sank heavily, a dull ache, he didn't want to see Jin Chen give up on something he'd been looking forward to.

He typed a line and sent it.

【Leisure Abode】 He Liangyue: "I can."

He can join, if Jin Chen wants that mount, if he looks forward to this event.

【Leisure Abode】 Xun Chen: "No thanks^^"

【Leisure Abode】 Xun Chen: "Senior's been busy with his thesis lately, time's tight, moreover…… there's no need to cause any more misunderstanding."

No need to cause any more misunderstanding.

Cheng Lang stared at the reply so polite it made his scalp go cold; his breath hitched slightly, as if being poked repeatedly with a blunt knife, feeling panicked and at a loss.

When had Jin Chen ever been this polite and this distant in front of him?

He would rather Jin Chen act as before—shameless, coquettish, even unreasonably clinging to him—than be like now, polite and aloof.

Members in the guild channel also sensed this unusual atmosphere.

Xiao Tianbing quietly changed his ID to Xiao Kubing.

〖Leisure Abode〗 Jian Wuxiao (Guild Leader): Xunchen, if you don't want to team up with Heliangyue, I'll accompany you in this event? Guild ranking is very important.

〖Leisure Abode〗 Xunchen: Let's see, I'm logging off first.

After saying that, his avatar instantly turned gray.

Cheng Lang stared at the grayed-out avatar; the tangled mess in his heart seemed drenched in gasoline, igniting into a raging fire that scorched him, leaving him unable to sit or stand still.

Anxiety, regret, loss—various emotions surged wildly in his chest.

This cannot continue.

Cheng Lang threw off the blanket, got out of bed, walked to the door of the secondary bedroom, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to knock.

Knock knock.

After a few seconds' wait, the door was pulled open from inside.

Jin Chen stood behind the door, his hair somewhat disheveled as if he had just gotten out of bed; warm yellow light streamed from behind him, lacking the usual smile when seeing him, he slightly tilted his head to look at Cheng Lang outside the door, saying nothing, silently waiting for what comes next.

Cheng Lang looked at him like that, his throat feeling tight.

The countless words from this afternoon in the classroom now clogged his chest, yet he didn't know where to begin.

He opened his mouth, hoarsely uttering a few words: "... Xiao Chen."

Cheng Lang avoided Jin Chen's gaze, resting on the door frame: "We... should talk."