CH 15

He Xun shot a glance at Peijin, “What are you smiling so dumbly about now?”

She touched her face, “Ah? I’m smiling?” After patting her face she realized the corners of her lips had slightly raised.

“I’m in a good mood right now, so I’m smiling more.”

He Xun chuckled.

The two were chatting when the sound of rhythmic knocking came from the door.

Once she opened the door Peijin discovered Zhang Chen standing there. She instinctively took a few steps back.

After He Xun walked over he gestured at Zheng Chen with his chin and spoke calmly, “Let’s talk outside.”

Zhang Chen appeared to look submissive and meek, with not the tiniest bit of attitude on his face, “Okay, Brother Xun.”

Peijin didn’t know what He Xun and Zhang Chen were talking about. She stood on the inside of the door, separated from them by a wall.

The sound coming from between the crack of the doorframe faded in and out.

“Zhang Chen, during middle school….the uproar from that pregnant high school girl who committed suicide…in the end I paid a large price to help to straighten this out….these past years, have I only helped you out a few times? Do you still remember what you promised me before?”

“Brother Xun, I’m sorry.”

“Zhang Chen, for two years you haven’t asked me to help you wipe your ass (1), I had even thought you had grown and improved. I hadn’t expected the more you lived, the more you would get worse.”

(1) clean up his messy situations

“Brother Xun, I was wrong, right now I really do understand what I did wasn’t right…”

Peijin didn’t want to hear anymore.

She felt that her demon king roommate was also going through a difficult time.

He needed to personally educate his own brother on how to be an upright person, and when they were in trouble, he also needed to come forward and deal with their problems.

He Xun and Zheng Chun chatted for a long time and He Xun returned half an hour later, surrounded by a chilly aura.

Peijin didn’t ask him what he talked about with Zhang Chen and he didn’t bring it up, saying nothing but “It’s fine now.”

After He Xun came back to the dorm he twisted his neck several times, once Peijin saw this she curiously asked, “Brother Xun, what’s up with your neck?”

“It’s been stiff since yesterday morning. Earlier I stood outside for too long, so my neck is a little sore.”

Peijin hurriedly stood up and asked, “Brother Xun, can I massage it for you?”

He Xun gave her a look of suspicion, “You know how to do this too?”

She nodded her head, “I’ve briefly learned a bit, would you let me have a try?”

“Then you do it.”

Peijin had technically really hadn’t lied, she had briefly learned how to massage. Although it was her knowledge was pretty basic, it typically was enough.

She placed her hand on He Xun’s shoulder. The pressure in her hands weren’t too heavy nor too light and went at an appropriate pace, her skills weren’t all that bad.

Feeling the comfortable pressure on his shoulder, He Xun thought to himself for a moment and unexpectedly said, “I’m straight.”

“Ah?” Peijin was taken aback by this comment. What made him say this all of sudden.

He Xun covered his lips with his hand, afraid that Peijin hadn’t heard him clearly, he patiently repeated himself once more, “I said, I’m straight.”

He felt that sometimes Peijin was very effeminate, and her attentiveness made her nothing like a boy. He feared she was gay.

Of course, he respected everyone’s sexual orientation, this was a liberty everyone had the right to. However he was a ramrod straight, straight man. If one day Peijin were to fall in love with him, he would be doomed unable to reciprocate her feelings and wouldn’t that be awkward?

If the time came he wasn’t even sure if the two of them could still be brothers.

So He Xun felt that it was necessary for him to make himself clear now.

Peijin was on the verge of laughing from how angry He Xun had made her. What did this attitude of his mean? Was he scared she was would pine for him?

However after thinking back on it, she knew she was a girl, but He Xun didn’t.

So there wasn’t anything wrong with him clearly stating his sexuality.

With this thought, Peijin calmly gave an “Oh”, and said, “What a coincidence, I’m straight too.”

When He Xun heard her, his eyebrows shot up, a slight doubt evident in his voice, “Really, you’re straight? You’re not lying to me?”

Peijin snorted, “Why would I lie to you? I swear, I’m straight.” Peijin even went to stress the word swear.

He Xun gave a long sigh of relief, “That’s good.”

Since the both of them were straight, what was there to worry about.

“Hey, nerd, help massage me for a while. After I take a bath later, you’ll still help blow dry my hair, right?”

“Mhm.”

The next day was Sunday.

Because Zhang Chen had come forward and apologized yesterday, the rough patch before was considered to have died away.

It was possible that some of them may still harbor some hard feelings, but at least on the surface, they were at peace.

He Xun had planned to go for a cruise. Fatty and the others naturally agreed, and Peijin was afraid that something bad might happen to He Xun, so wherever he went, she followed.

The party of five packed into a car and went to the beach nearest to Ning City.

Today’s weather wasn’t bad, a blue sky with white clouds. The sea waters, smooth and calm, looked to be completely peaceful. By the time they arrived it was almost noon, so they found a clean restaurant to eat lunch.

Of course, there was a lot of seafood at the seaside.

Fatty liked to eat, and especially enjoyed eating seafood. After he arrived, he just let go of his belly and prepared to eat like a horse.

He ordered crab, salmon, shrimp, oysters, scallops, lobster, snails, and practically everything the restaurant had. Finally, he even ordered a live octopus.

When the live octopus arrived at the table it’s tentacles were still squirming, it was so bad Peijin felt sick. However this obviously wasn’t the first time the rest of them had ordered a live octopus, as they didn’t react at all.

Fatty had ordered far more than them, so everyone else chose to only order three dishes of seasonal vegetables.

Dozens of dishes filled the table, most of them seafood.

Fatty was in the highest spirits, he opened a bottle of beer and emptied half of it. Then he roared, “For our friendship, cheers!”

One after another, everyone raised their beer bottles and clinked glasses.

He Xun had one hand in his pocket, while the other carried his beer bottle, “The hate among us brothers from the night before will no longer be here. Everyone should continue to live as they had.”

Zhang Chen cheerfully said, “Got it, Brother Xun.”

He Xun motioned with his raised glass, “If there is anything you’re unhappy with you can tell me alone in private, I will solve it. I don’t want to see you all fight or stab each other.”

Fatty was the most straightforward and good natured of the lot, he laughed loudly and hurried to help smooth things over, “Brother Xun, you worry too much.”

Zheng Li also said, “Ah’Xun, we would never stab one another.”

“That would be for the best. I don’t want such a day to come true.” Once he finished, He Xun finished the beer in his bottle in one go.

The falling out between Zhang Chen and Peijin had allowed He Xun to realize, everyone was slowly growing up.

Even his closest brothers, little by little, they no longer appeared as naive and simple as he had remembered them to be.

This was normal.

After growing up, everyone’s perspectives and values would all more or less change and the simple pureness of their childhood would be nevermore. This was the price of growing up.

If there was a difference in their views that was too great, then this friendship might quickly reach its end.

He Xun wouldn’t readily give up this friendship, however honest words still needed to be said head front, so as to avoid a point where an argument could ruin everyone’s image.

After drinking two cups of beer, everyone started to move their chopsticks.

Naturally, Peijin didn’t dare touch the live octopus, but she loved eating scallops and salmon.

Maybe because she had been influenced by Fatty’s foodie excitement, but Peijin had eaten quite a lot of seafood this time.

When she put down her chopsticks, she found herself stuffed.

She and Fatty had eaten the most for lunch, everyone else probably must’ve usually never had a shortage of delicious food, so their appetites remained the same.

After they finished eating, it was time to go out on a cruise.

However, just as Peijin was about to board the yacht, her stomach suddenly started to churn.

She was in so much pain her entire face whitened.

He Xun quickly realized something was off with her. “Hey, Nerd, what’s the matter with you?”

Peijin lips were even trembling from the pain, “Brother Xun, my…my stomach hurts, I want to go to the restroom.”

“Then go.”

Tightly hugging her stomach, Peijin hunched over, even walking was hard.

He Xun took her arm and simply said, “I’ll take you there.”

Behind him Zheng Li yelled, “Brother Xun, are we still going on the yacht?”

He Xun yelled back, “You guys go ahead, I’ll be back later.”

Done talking, he took Peijin and left.

Zheng Li looked at Fatty and Zhang Chen, “What do we do? Will we seriously go now?”

Fatty threw his hands up in despair, “Wait for Brother Xun, without Brother Xun and only us three there’s no point.”

Zhang Chen and Fatty were on the same page.

Zheng Li’s words finalized it, “Alright, then we’ll wait.”

Once Peijin entered one of the stalls in the restroom, she finally felt a little better.

However her stomach continued to violently turn, aching so bad she couldn’t take it.

Suddenly she recalled, she had transmigrated a few days ago, but still didn’t know when her period was.

Something like seafood was naturally cold and she had eaten too much earlier. Now that her stomach hurt so, she might even have dysmenorrhea. (1) And, her period might be coming very soon.

(1) Painful menstruation

After she was aware of this point, Peijin only sensed a darkness cover her eyes.

When the time came, what would she do?

However it was useless to think so much about it now, first she had to overcome her present obstacle.

Right now she had broken out into a cold sweat from the pain, it was like she was about to faint.

She was unable to stop herself from talking, wanting to divert her attention, she asked, “Brother Xun, are you there?”

He Xun’s voice promptly replied, “Here.”

“Let me talk to you.”

“Okay, are you feeling better now?”

“No, my stomach still hurts really bad. But if you talk to me I will.”

“Okay.”

“Brother Xun, when I first transferred schools, I was actually really worried, really scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Brother Xun, hear me out first. In short, a few days earlier I had just switched into a completely unfamiliar environment and I had no one I knew well with me. I had been very scared. Not only that, but I was also worried about a lot of things. Some very bad things.

However, thankfully you were my roommate. After I first met you, I found out, my situation wasn’t all that bad, to the point that everyday got better. That is, after I met you, I feel safe.”

He Xun was silent for a few seconds, “Nn.”

“So, thank you.”

He laughed, his bedroom eyes gentle and affectionate, “What are you thanking me for? It should be me thanking you.”

After he had met them, he finally had someone who cared about his well-being. There was someone who would blow dry his hair for him, cook birthday noodles for him, and give him a massage. In fact, taking a closer look, they had done far more for him.

Peijin laughed, “Then let’s thank one other.”

“Nn.”

Maybe talking really did work, by now Peijin felt much better.

She rose to her feet from the squat toilet and found her legs to be numb.

She flushed the toilet, her legs still a bit limp when she walked out of the restroom stall.

“Brother Xun, how long have I been in the restroom?”

He Xun took out his phone and looked, “Almost half an hour.”

Peijin was shocked, “So long.” No wonder why her feet felt so numb.

“Nn.”

“Then you even spoke to me for so long,” Peijin was a bit embarrassed, “I made you stay in this bad smell for such a long time, I’m sorry.”

He Xun made a noise of reply, “My nose is numb smelling it for so long.”

Peijin went a bit red, “Sorry, Brother Xun.”

“What are you apologizing for, hurry, wash your hands so we can go out on the water.”

“Okay.”

Yet as soon as the two walked out the restroom, Fatty’s noisy voice called to them, “Brother Xun, the weather’s changed!”