Wu Suo Wei sat on the edge of their bed, fists clenched tightly around the hem of his hoodie.
"I ruined everything…" he whispered.
Chi Cheng stood across the room, still in his jacket, watching him quietly. His keys were still in his hand, but he hadn't moved since they entered.
"I should've been more careful," Suo Wei said again, voice shaking. "I told you before, didn't I? I told you we shouldn't act close in public, I-I messed up–!"
"You didn't mess up," Chi Cheng said firmly.
Suo Wei looked up, eyes rimmed with guilt.
Chi Cheng walked over and crouched down in front of him, resting his hands on Suo Wei's knees.
"This isn't your fault."
"But those photos–"
"I don't care about the photos."
Suo Wei blinked.
Chi Cheng exhaled slowly, brushing a thumb gently across the back of Suo Wei's hand.
"Da Bao… I care about you. If people want to talk, they'll talk. Let them. I just hate seeing you like this."
The name, the tenderness it made Suo Wei tear up again.
"I just… I didn't want to ruin your life," he mumbled. "You're popular… the girls, the team, everyone likes you. If they know we–"
"They don't know anything," Chi Cheng said, gaze steady. "And we'll keep it that way. If you want."
Suo Wei hesitated. "What do we tell them?"
Chi Cheng stood and paced for a second before speaking. "We tell them the truth… just not all of it."
He turned back to Suo Wei.
"We say we're roommates."
Suo Wei blinked. "Just… roommates?"
Chi Cheng nodded. "People have always wondered who my roommate was. You've kept it a secret too. It fits. They'll buy it."
Suo Wei tilted his head. "But what about all the stuff people say like how you never let anyone visit, or how I always refused classmates who wanted to come over?"
"Exactly," Chi Cheng said with a faint smile. "That works in our favor. They'll just think we're private. Maybe even weird. But not dating."
"…You're really good at lying," Suo Wei mumbled.
Chi Cheng chuckled, stepping closer again. "I'm not lying. You are my roommate."
Suo Wei gave a small pout, like he wasn't sure whether to feel hurt or relieved.
"But…" Chi Cheng added, leaning down just a little, voice soft against his ear, "…it's still a damn shame I can't tell the whole truth."
Suo Wei blushed hard.
The Next Day
The forum was still buzzing.
[NEW POST]: Official word from Chi Cheng
"He's my roommate. That's it. Stop stalking our door."
—Chi Cheng (via verified account)
That simple message quieted the wildest rumors. And in a strange way, it made sense.
Students recalled how Suo Wei always nervously declined invitations to hang out after class.
"Ohhh, so he was the mysterious roommate Chi Cheng never talked about!"
"Wait… Suo Wei once told me his roommate had crazy rules about guests. Damn."
A few fans continued speculating, whispering, "But did you see how gently Chi Cheng looked at him?"
Still, most accepted the explanation.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Chi Cheng scrolled through the forum silently on his phone.
He saw the comments. The posts. The defenses. The suspicions.
He hated every second of hiding.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard, tempted to write:
He's not just my roommate.
He's mine.
But he backspaced every time.
Instead, he looked across the room, where Wu Suo Wei had curled up with his laptop, distracted by a drama, slowly easing back into his routine.
And Chi Cheng made his choice again.
To protect him.
Even if it meant pretending.