"Oh, this apple pie is quite good."

"Shen Yuan-ge sounds surprised."

"Well, yeah, I don't really like apples. Or any fruit really."

The expression on Luo Binghe's face turns to the expression Luo Binghe always makes when he learns something new about Shen Qingqiu.

"Oh, I didn't know that."

Shen Qingqiu shrugged.

"But Shen Yuan-ge has very nice skin, I would never guess you don't like fruits."

"I don't. But it doesn't mean I don't use them," Shen Qingqiu muttered.

Luo Binghe: "...?"

Shen Qingqiu: "I told you that I have two dormmates, right?"

Luo Binghe nodded vigorously, "Yeah! And how you always tripped over one of your roommates' stuffed fox."

Shen Qingqiu grimaced. He continued, "Well, my other roommate is obsessed with natural skincare. He'll make us try on face masks he made from fruits along with him. I supposed the face masks actually work." Shen Qingqiu's left eye twitched as he remembered Shi Qingxuan, Xie Lian, and him laying in the living room, on the carpet or the couch, with cream smeared across their faces and two slices of cucumber for their eyes. While listening to the theme song of So Funny Youth. Very fitting.

Luo Binghe's eyes turned round. "They sure did work! Shen Yuan-ge's skin is amazing! Maybe I should try it sometimes."

"..." Shen Qingqiu tried to imagine Luo Binghe wearing a face mask with cucumber slices placed over his eyes, and his hair wrapped in a pink towel.

Shen Qingqiu snorted out loud.

Shen Qingqiu: "!"

Shen Qingqiu veered his head away from Luo Binghe.

"..." Shen Qingqiu looked back at Luo Binghe. Luo Binghe's eyes were twinkling.

"Ahem," Shen Qingqiu awkwardly coughed. He felt his face heating up. "I don't think you need any face mask, your skin is already so... um nice," Shen Qingqiu finished lamely.

Luo Binghe smiled. He reached for Shen Qingqiu's head from across the small round table. "Shen Yuan-

I neVer wanNa hear- you sayyy

Iiii want it that- waY~

Luo Binghe: "...."

Shen Qingqiu: "...."

Shen Qingqiu retracted his hands and Luo Binghe reached for his phone.

Click.

Luo Binghe: "Hello?"

The shout over the phone almost made Luo Binghe fall out of his chair.

"LUO-XIONGGGG-! Lan Zhan never came to pick me up! Am I abandoned?! After all this time???"

Shen Qingqiu: "..."

Luo Binghe: "Um..."

Luo Binghe: "Wei Ying, are you alright?" Luo Binghe turned to the side, lowering his head and cupping his hand over his phone.

"Nooo, I'm not. :( I've been abandoned! Luo-xiong, where are you? Let's go buy some spicy food-!"

"..." Luo Binghe snuck a peek at Shen Qingqiu. He turned back to the phone. He replied in a whisper, "Wei Ying, I'm sort of busy right now, why don't you call Hua-xiong?"

"I tried, but Hua-xiong's phone is turned off. :("

"Oh..."

"Heyyy, why are you busy, Luo-xiong?? My guts are telling me it's because you are on a date! Is that why???"

"Uh-

"Oof, I'm so sorry, Luo-xiong! That ringtone I put in your phone was supposed to be a prank. I hope I didn't interrupt your date! I'll go now! Byeee heheh. (6u6)/"

Wei Wuxian hung up.

Luo Binghe: "......"

Shen Qingqiu spoke up. "Binghe, that was Wei Wuxian, wasn't it?"

"Eh-? How did Shen Yuan-ge know??" Luo Binghe's eyes widened in surprise.

"I met him before."

Luo Binghe: "Really?? Where?"

"..." Shen Qingqiu thought back to the chapter with him, Xiao Jiu, the cucumber, and Wei Wuxian.

Shen Qingqiu looked at Luo Binghe and said, "Turns out he's a friend of a friend."

"Oh," Luo Binghe said.

Then something clicked in Shen Qingqiu's head. "Wait, that tuna sandwich was yours??"

Luo Binghe cocked his head to the side. "Tuna sandwich?" Luo Binghe then remembered something. "Ah, I remember making Wei Ying some tuna sandwiches two weeks ago for his picnic with friends." Then Luo Binghe's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! You were one of Wei Ying's friends on that picnic!"

Shen Qingqiu: "As I said, a friend of a friend. But yeah, I was there." Shen Qingqiu smiled.

"So how was it?" Luo Binghe leaned forward at the table.

Shen Qingqiu looked confused. "What?"

"The sandwich! How was it?" Luo Binghe pressed. "Did Shen Yuan-ge like it?"

"..." Shen Qingqiu stared at Luo Binghe blankly.

Then the vision of a tuna sandwich flying out of the alleyway by Xiao Jiu flashed through his eyes.

Luo Binghe looked at Shen Qingqiu hopefully.

"It was..."

Shen Qingqiu decided to start being a new person. He should tell Luo Binghe the truth this time.

"I don't know. I'd never tried it."

Luo Binghe blinked. "Oh."

Then Luo Binghe smiled. "It's okay, I'll have plenty of opportunities to cook for Shen Yuan-ge because we are going to see each other often!"

Luo Binghe grinned at him.

Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but smile back.

。。。

。。。(Now u shall take this time to vote 🐥)

。。。

"Welcome to my humble dorm room, San Lang!"

"Wow, Gege! It is... um, very humble."

Hua Cheng and Xie Lian stepped inside the dorm, their shoes put against the wall.

"Oh, I think this dorm is quite big."

"For one person maybe, but Gege, didn't you say you live with two other people?" Hua Cheng glanced around.

"En, I do! Shen-xiong and Shi-xiong. They are quite nice. You should meet them sometime soon," Xie Lian answered.

Hua Cheng smiled. "Mhm. Is that your room, Gege?" the boy pointed at a door.

"Yep, that's the bedroom! Wanna take a look?" Xie Lian asked.

Hua Cheng nodded. They walk in.

"...."

Xie Lian forgot what a mess the bedroom was.

It wasn't really his fault, they left in a hurry this morning! (because they overslept.) If one was to point fingers, it really ought to be Shi Qingxuan. (because he's the reason they overslept.)

But the top bed of the bunk, which was Shi Qingxuan's, was neat and made, with a life-size stuffed baby panda bear laying on the pillow.

"Uh-"

"Did you hear that?" Hua Cheng asked suddenly.

"Hm? Hear what?"

"Someone's at the door," Hua Cheng frowned.

"And they're opening the door-!" Xie Lian hurried out of the bedroom.

Just in time for Mu Qing and Feng Xin to burst in.

"XIE LIAN!"

"Gege, who is it?" Hua Cheng poked his head out of the bedroom.

Xie Lian walked a step back toward Hua Cheng, "Ah, it's just-"

Feng Xin's eyes bulged. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Mu Qing pointed at Hua Cheng. "Who the heck are you???"

Hua Cheng looked at Mu Qing's accusing finger and raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Ah, Mu Qing, Feng Xin, stop it! It's just Hua Cheng, he's my pen pal!"

"Gege, San Lang's a bit hurt by that."

"Huh?? What do you mean?"

"Is San Lang just your penfriend? San Lang thought that after all this time, maybe San Lang was closer than that. Guess not."

"...eh?" Xie Lian was confused.

Hua Cheng glanced at Mu Qing and Feng Xin. Then he took a step closer to Xie Lian. He smiled. "Aren't Gege and I best friends?"

Mu Qing and Feng Xin: "....."

Xie Lian: "Ah, that's what you meant!"

Feng Xin: "That's utter bullsh-

"Feng Xin!" Xie Lian turned to Feng Xin and Mu Qing. "And you, Mu Qing! Why are you two butting into my business? No, how did you even get in here?? You don't have the dorm keys!"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing: "..."

Xie Lian: "Wait a second, you do have my dorm keys! I lost them a few days ago! And how could you, you guys found it and didn't return it to me!"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing: "..."

Feng Xin: "We actually came to give it back to you."

Mu Qing: "Right."

Xie Lian blinked. "No, you didn't."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing glanced at Hua Cheng. The boy smirked at them behind Xie Lian.

"..."

Feng Xin grabbed Xie Lian's hand and the three of them huddled in the corner of the room. "I don't trust him," Feng Xin said in a quiet tone. "He's giving off weird vibes."

Xie Lian: "What are you talking about?"

Mu Qing: "I hate to admit this, but I agree with Feng Xin. Just looking at him makes my head hurt." Mu Qing frowned angrily, rubbing the top of his head.

Xie Lian had enough. "That's it, I can't have you two being so disrespectful. You haven't even gotten to know San Lang yet! So get out, I'll talk to you guys tomorrow." Xie Lian declared, ushering Mu Qing and Feng Xin out the door. Then he slammed the door in their faces.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing: "..."

Mu Qing: "This is all your fault."

Feng Xin: "Shut up."

Back in the dorm, Hua Cheng was sitting on the couch.

"I am so sorry about that," Xie Lian apologized.

Hua Cheng smiled at Xie Lian. "It's all good, Gege. But they were a little mean."

Xie Lian frowned. "I know, I know. They aren't usually like that, though. I don't know what had gotten into them today."

Hua Cheng smiled. "Hmm. Gege, I'm hungry."

Xie Lian: "...ah."

Is it time to show off his cooking skills??

I have gotten my hands on TGCF book 4. About time! 🤩

Thank you for reading!

('▽')/✨

Comments and votes will be (highly) appreciated! As usual!

Word Count: 1623