EAY Chapter 56

The Magical Dormitory

The Magical Dormitory

56

After the winter break, the day to return to school quickly arrived. Qi Ye and Shi Ran discussed it and decided to take a taxi back to school.

Qi Ye packed his things and went to Shi Ran’s house first. The taxi they booked was still half an hour away, and Shi Ran was talking to his grandfather.

Honestly, Shi Ran was a little worried about the old man. Although his dad had promised to come and see him every day, Shi Ran knew he definitely wouldn’t be able to do it. Being able to take him to the hospital for check-ups on time would be good enough. And even if his dad came every day, Grandpa Shi was stubborn, and the father and son didn’t get along. They might just argue every day.

“Stop nagging, I’m getting calluses on my ears from listening to you,” Grandpa Shi said helplessly, covering his ears and looking at Qi Ye. “Your friend is laughing at you.”

“No, Shi Ran is worried about you, Grandpa,” Qi Ye said with a smile.

It was an excessive amount of worry that caused these concerns. Objectively speaking, Grandpa Shi’s condition had improved, and he could get out of bed and move around without any problems. He just needed to go for check-ups on his head injury on time. As for the father and son not getting along, that was just their unique way of interacting. After all, his dad spent more time with his grandpa than Shi Ran did.

But Qi Ye understood Shi Ran’s concerns. As the saying goes, concern breeds confusion. As the old man got older, his family would gradually treat him like a child.

Shi Ran didn’t know when he had become so naggy. He used to be so carefree. He and his grandfather each had their own lives and never asked too much of each other. But ever since his grandfather went to the hospital once, Shi Ran had been worried about him.

Grandpa was getting old, not just in age, but his body was starting to fail as well.

“Anyway, I’ll come back from time to time. If I find out you’re tinkering with this and that again, I’m definitely going to blow my top.”

Shi Ran’s expression was serious, like a strict parent, which made Qi Ye’s heart soften.

Grandpa Shi sighed, “What are you doing, doing spot checks on me? Just study hard. Why are you so worried about me? I know my own body. And don’t you have a part-time job? If you’re so busy, don’t come back so often. I don’t miss you that much.”

“Hey, old man, you’re hurting my feelings,” Shi Ran said deliberately. “You’re not happy that I’m coming back to see you?”

“Happy, happy. I was just saying. Anyway, you just study hard and don’t worry about me. Look at your friend, kids your age, who’s like you, so tired all the time? I just want you to relax—” As he spoke, Grandpa Shi’s voice got softer and softer, and he choked up.

Shi Ran was touched, but he said, “You’re really doing this, giving me the emotional routine right before I leave.”

“You’re such a pain,” Grandpa Shi urged them. “Has the taxi arrived yet? Go check, don’t be late.”

Finally, they got into the taxi. Because his grandfather wasn’t well, Shi Ran insisted that he stay at home and not come out to see them off. But when he turned his head out the car window, he saw him on the balcony looking over at them. Shi Ran quickly waved and then sank back into his seat.

“My grandpa is such a pain,” Shi Ran couldn’t help but say the same thing as the old man, pressing his forehead. “He’s like this even though I live so close to home. What about those who can only come back once a year?”

Qi Ye said softly, “Grandpa feels a lot gentler than before.”

Shi Ran said, “That’s to you. He’s still the same to me.” He paused, then said, “Looking closely, it’s still a little different.”

Although Shi Ran’s grandfather was old, he had always refused to admit it. It was only after the injury that he felt that his body was really not as good as before. He was also willing to gradually show the gentle expressions that he used to feel awkward about.

But Shi Ran thought this was only temporary. When the old man recovered, he would take back this gentleness without any politeness.

Although Qi Ye also loved his grandparents very much, they didn’t live together after all. Qi Ye had more of the tender nostalgia for them from his childhood. Unlike Shi Ran and his grandfather, who had grown up relying on each other, his grandfather was probably always ranked first in his heart.

Like last time in the hospital, Qi Ye saw Shi Ran almost broken by despair and pain for the first time. Just thinking about it made his heart ache, and he couldn’t help but grab his hand from under the seat and squeeze it tightly.

Shi Ran felt puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m here,” Qi Ye said simply and firmly.

Shi Ran was stunned for a moment before he understood what he meant. He smiled relaxedly, “You too.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, it’s like that.”

When they arrived at the dormitory, Meng Nan’s luggage had already arrived, but he wasn’t there. Li Tianyi probably hadn’t arrived yet either. The beds were empty.

Shi Ran looked around and sighed, “I miss our dormitory.”

Qi Ye deliberately asked, “Who do you miss the most?”

Shi Ran clicked his tongue. “It’s the environment, the atmosphere of us all being together. I think I’m really lucky to have met such good roommates, and you.”

“I’m a roommate too.”

“You have other identities besides being a roommate.”

“That’s true.” Qi Ye originally wanted to organize his schoolbag, but when he heard this, he couldn’t help but go up and hug him.

Although the door was closed, this was not a private space after all. Shi Ran was still a little scared, and he patted Qi Ye’s back and said, “Not here.”

Even so, he didn’t rush to get out of the hug.

“Just for a moment,” Qi Ye said softly, closing his eyes slightly and resting his chin on his shoulder. “This winter break was really magical.”

Just hugging wasn’t anything, so Shi Ran relaxed a little and put his arms around his waist. “Yeah, a magical winter break, I got a boyfriend.”

“I still can’t believe it,” Qi Ye said quietly. “You’re really with me.”

Shi Ran laughed at him, “You’re too slow. I’m much better than you. Two days after we got together, I was sure you were really my boyfriend.”

“Then, will you change your mind quickly in the future?” Qi Ye said jokingly. Unexpectedly, Shi Ran took it seriously. His eyes changed, and he immediately pushed him away hard. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

“I was just kidding, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Qi Ye apologized immediately.

Shi Ran was still glaring at him, “You, I can never guess what you’re thinking. I think you’re the one who’s most likely to change your mind!”

“How is that possible?”

“So you mean I’m more likely to change my mind?”

Qi Ye said weakly, “I didn’t mean that.” He just felt that his thoughts were always easy to guess. He only had one secret, which he originally thought was impossible to achieve, but now God was taking pity on him.

In the future, if Shi Ran really changed his mind and fell in love with someone else, he would let go no matter how painful it was. To him, having been with Shi Ran was already an incredible memory.

Shi Ran looked at him with a smirk, “I feel like I’m going to bully you often in the future.”

“So you’re not angry?”

“I was, but it came and went quickly.” Shi Ran took his hand and said, “Seriously, sometimes you feel easy to bully, sometimes you’re very reliable, and sometimes, I can’t guess what you’re thinking. My boyfriend, how can you be such a complex person?”

“Are you talking about me?” Qi Ye was confused.

“Who else? Do I have another boyfriend? But,” Shi Ran leaned closer and said, “Even the complex parts of you, I like very much.”

Qi Ye looked down at him. His eyes were bright and clear, full of love. Only at this time did Qi Ye have a real feeling that he really had his treasure.

Qi Ye lowered his head to kiss him. Just as he was about to kiss him a second time, there was movement at the door. The two of them immediately became nervous, quickly separated, and hurriedly did their own things.

Qi Ye had just unzipped his schoolbag, and he zipped it up and unzipped it again, aimlessly rummaging through it. Shi Ran was pushing and shoving his suitcase, and it took him a few tries before he realized he should put it on the ground, open it, and take things out.

The other two roommates walked in. Meng Nan was pulling a suitcase and carrying three bags in his other hand. It turned out he had gone to pick up this young master. Li Tianyi was only carrying a backpack and complaining that it was heavy. Meng Nan rolled his eyes at him and threw down the things, ignoring him.

“You guys are here,” Meng Nan greeted them. “How was your winter break?”

“It was good,” Qi Ye and Shi Ran said in unison, their eyes meeting for a few seconds before they quickly got busy with their own things.

“You guys came early. I thought you lived close and would come later. If I had known you were here, I would have had you pick me up,” Li Tianyi glanced at Meng Nan. “This guy only knows how to pour cold water.”

Meng Nan said, “I was being nice not to beat you up. Who wants to hear about how cute your girlfriend’s pet dog is?”

“I didn’t just talk about the pet dog.”

“I’m not interested in anything related to your love life,” Meng Nan said with a big X.

“You guys all disappeared during the break. Besides ‘Happy New Year,’ what else did you post in the group chat? I’ve been holding it in for the whole winter break!” Li Tianyi was full of resentment.

Shi Ran said, “Didn’t you have anyone around you to show off your love to?”

“Those people are too close to my family. If they know, my parents will definitely know too. I don’t want to be asked questions by them, it’s annoying.” Li Tianyi currently wanted to enjoy the freedom of love, but he was also a person with an excessive desire to share. If there was no audience for his love, the joy of being in love would be greatly reduced.

Meng Nan raised his hand and said, “You should say less in the future, really, we’re annoyed enough listening to it.”

Li Tianyi immediately went up and wrapped his arm around his neck, “You have to listen even if you’re annoyed! You have to!”

Qi Ye and Shi Ran smiled at each other. The familiar feeling of the dormitory was back.

After fooling around, Li Tianyi clapped his hands and distributed gifts to everyone. “My mom made some snacks for you to eat. Qi Ye, you’re allergic to peanuts, right? Your share doesn’t have any peanuts in it.”

“Thank you,” Qi Ye said.

Shi Ran said, “Wow, being in love has made you so considerate.”

“It’s mainly because your reaction last time scared me. Anyone who didn’t know would have thought I was poisoning Qi Ye,” Li Tianyi said.

Shi Ran rubbed his nose a little embarrassed. “It wasn’t that exaggerated.”

The few of them then exchanged gifts they had brought from home, which were mostly food. The dormitory was a magical place. Snacks that they might have been tired of or disdainful of at home became popular items in the dormitory. The dormitory always made people feel hungry.