It started with a photo.
Just one.
Taken from behind a vending machine by a girl in the science department Chi Cheng and Wu Suo Wei walking together across campus. Chi Cheng was holding a drink, and Suo Wei was laughing softly beside him, eyes bright, fingers barely brushing as they walked shoulder to shoulder.
The caption on the anonymous university forum read:
"Chi Cheng's mystery roommate or partner? šš #softboysighting"
No one expected it to explode.
The next day, it was everywhere.
Screenshots. Comments. Zoom-ins. More photos started popping up, Chi Cheng handing Suo Wei a water bottle after practice, Suo Wei waiting outside the locker room, the two of them leaving the cafeteria together, just a little too close.
Some comments were playful:
"They're so cute together omg š I KNEW Chi Cheng wasn't into girls!"
"Protect this soft couple at all costs ā¤ļøš”"
Others were... less kind:
"What a waste of a man."
"Disgusting."
"Chi Cheng must be just pitying that weird kid."
Suo Wei saw it during lunch.
Jiang Xiao Shuai had tried to block the screen, but it was too late. The headline glared at him from a girl's tablet at the next table:
"Chi Cheng's Roommate... Or Something More?"
His blood turned to ice.
That evening, back at their apartment, Wu Suo Wei couldn't sit still. His hands kept fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie, heart pounding too loudly in his ears.
Chi Cheng was on the couch, scrolling through his phone like nothing had happened.
But Suo Wei was shaking.
"Chi Chengā¦" he finally said, voice quiet.
"Hm?"
Suo Wei swallowed. "WeāWe shouldn't be seen together in public anymore."
Chi Cheng looked up slowly, brows slightly furrowed.
Suo Wei tried to smile, but it wobbled. "I mean, people are starting to notice. And remember what you said before? That no one could know? You warned me not toā to say anything about us. You were right. I wasn't careful and now..."
"Xiao Wei."
Chi Cheng stood.
He walked over, stopping just in front of him. His gaze wasn't angry it was calm, but steady.
"I told you that because I didn't want you getting hurt," Chi Cheng said quietly. "But hiding like you don't matter? That's not what I meant."
Suo Wei looked down, voice small. "I'm just scared."
Chi Cheng exhaled softly, then reached out his hand warm on Suo Wei's head, fingers gently ruffling his hair.
"I'm scared too," he admitted. "But I'm not going anywhere."
Suo Wei blinked, stunned.
Chi Cheng looked away, ears pink. "Besidesā¦ I already blocked half of those girls. I don't like them taking pictures of you."
"You blocked them?" Suo Wei echoed, eyes wide.
"They were posting your face without asking. That's not okay."
A small silence fell between them.
Suo Wei hesitatedā¦ then stepped forward and lightly bumped his forehead against Chi Cheng's chest. "You're too much sometimes."
Chi Cheng smirked. "And you're still soft as tofu."
Suo Wei mumbled, "Not in public, okay?"
Chi Cheng raised an eyebrow. "We're at home."
Still, Suo Wei blushed and turned away.
Outside, the campus buzzed with gossip and whispers. But inside their little apartment, for now, it was just the two of them hearts tangled, secrets exposed, and love growing stubbornly in the light.
***
Campus, the next day
The university quad buzzed louder than usual. Students gathered in small groups, whispering and side-eyeing their phones like they were holding live grenades.
Guo Cheng Yu lounged against the outdoor bench, a lollipop tucked into the corner of his mouth, scrolling through the university forum on his phone. His brows lifted with mild amusement as he flicked past yet another blurry shot of Chi Cheng and Wu Suo Wei walking side by side.
"Well, well," he drawled, voice light with mischief. "Looks like our campus golden boy has a scandal."
Jiang Xiao Shuai dropped beside him with a loud sigh and a bubble tea. "You mean Chi Cheng and his clingy little roommate?"
Guo Cheng Yu grinned. "Clingy? You jealous?"
"I'm annoyed," Xiao Shuai said flatly. "These forums are a mess. Everyone suddenly thinks they're dating."
Guo Cheng Yu turned his head slowly, smirking. "Don't you?"
Xiao Shuai blinked. "W-What?"
"You heard me. I mean think about it," Cheng Yu said, now spinning the lollipop stick lazily between his fingers. "They're always together. Suo Wei waits for him after class, brings him snacks, and Chi Cheng has literally shoved a guy once for bumping into Suo Wei."
Xiao Shuai opened his mouth, then closed it. "Okay, yeah. But that doesn't mean they're, like, dating dating."
"Oh, baby Shuai," Cheng Yu teased, voice dropping to a whisper, "You really are innocent."
Xiao Shuai glared. "I'm not innocent!"
"You blush too much for a tough guy," Cheng Yu said, eyes glinting. "You're kind of like Suo Wei, actually. All bark, no bite."
"I will bite you."
"Looking forward to it."
Xiao Shuai turned away, ears burning, stabbing his straw angrily into the boba.
Still, his gaze drifted toward the direction of the student commons just in time to see Chi Cheng walk by with Suo Wei trailing quietly beside him. They weren't touching, weren't even speaking, but their steps matched exactly. It looked natural. Familiar.
A little too familiar.
"...Do you think it's real?" Xiao Shuai asked, almost reluctantly.
Guo Cheng Yu bit into his lollipop, smiling like he knew something. "I think they've been hiding it for a long, long time."