Help! My hunky roommate is begging me to touch his abs!

"Won't you invite me upstairs for a seat?"

Jin Bao'er spoke softly, forcing a gentle smile, but her eyes held an almost desperate expectation.

Zhao Yuheng's heart tightened suddenly.

His subconscious thought was to refuse, to push the person away, and to completely sever the feelings he had held for the past five years.

But when he met Jin Bao'er's bright eyes, which made him afraid to look directly at her, all the harsh words he was about to say turned into a mild excuse.

"The house is too messy."

"There's a bubble tea shop nearby, let's go sit there for a while."

His voice was slow and steady, as if it had been weighed down by five years of hardship.

Gone is the naivety and recklessness of youth; all that remains is the maturity and restraint honed by life, and... a deeply hidden panic.

……

Jin Bao'er chose a seat by the window.

The sunlight slanted in and fell on the top of his head, as soft as it was five years ago.

Zhao Yuheng turned and walked towards the counter, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

He spoke softly, "One mango smoothie."

He paused, then added almost instinctively, "70% sugar, with extra mango chunks."

Over the years, everything has changed, but he still remembers his preferences.

Even he himself found it ridiculous.

Once the meal was ready, he personally served it to the customer.

When bending down, deliberately make your movements light and avoid getting too close.

Once seated across from him, he tried to keep his tone calm, as if speaking to an ordinary old friend.

"Why are you here?"

His face remained expressionless, but his eyes, uncontrollably scanning Jin Bao'er's slightly reddened ear tips again and again.

That was the spot he used to love biting the most.

"Of course I'm here to see how you're doing."

Jin Bao'er smiled, picked up the straw, and gently poked it into the cup lid.

Whether it was because the straw was crooked or because his mind was too chaotic, his fingertips trembled slightly.

I poked it several times, but it didn't go in; instead, it bent the straw.

Zhao Yuheng looked at it, his heart feeling both soft and bitter.

He uttered a few words, carrying a helplessness only he understood: "After all this time, I'm still so cautious."

His face remained expressionless, but his hand reached out faster than his brain.

He took the cup and straw from Jin Bao'er's hand, his movements so natural they seemed etched into his instincts.

Pinch the bottom of the straw with your fingertips, and apply slight pressure with your wrist.

"Bang."

Clean and crisp, penetrating steadily.

My fingertips brushed against Jinbao'er's fingertips unintentionally.

The two touched for a moment and froze simultaneously.

The air felt as if it had been scalded.

Zhao Yuheng's hand froze in mid-air for half a second before he quickly withdrew it and casually wiped his palm on his pants.

No one knew that his palms were already sweaty.

"You don't mind that I'm dirty, do you?"

He looked down at his hands.

His fingers were covered in thick calluses, and there was still machine oil and black stains that couldn't be washed out between his fingers.

Those are the marks etched on his body by the steering wheel, the cargo, and the wind and rain day and night.

It was evidence that he felt he was not good enough for the person in front of him.

"I don't mind."

Jin Bao'er gently shook her head and took a sip of shaved ice.

The coolness slid down my throat, but it couldn't suppress the surging heat and sourness in my heart.

The air conditioner was cool, dispelling the summer heat, but it couldn't dispel the thin, painful distance between the two of them.

Jin Bao'er secretly glanced at the person opposite her.

Those eyes, which used to be bright and full of smiles, are now much heavier, filled with weariness, melancholy, and a restraint he can't understand.

The thin, close-fitting black short-sleeved shirt subtly revealed the toned muscles beneath.

He speaks far less than before, and every word carries a deliberate air of distance.

Five years have passed; how could a person not change?

He sighed softly to himself.

"If there's nothing else, you can go back now. I still have work to do later."

Zhao Yuheng broke the silence first, his tone carrying a barely perceptible urging.

I urged him to leave, and I also urged myself to come to my senses.

We can't get any closer.

Every time I get close, my heart breaks.

But Jin Bao'er suddenly looked up, her gaze meeting his without flinching.

Is there any chance for us?

A straightforward, even blunt, question instantly shattered all pretense.

Zhao Yuheng's "I'm busy" was abruptly cut off.

He froze, as if nailed to his seat by those words.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice so calm it was almost numb, so calm it was heartbreaking.

"Does someone like me deserve you?"

He spoke softly, as if stating a fact that had already been predetermined.

Over the years, he has long since nailed himself to the cross of "despicable, unworthy, and a burden".

"What kind of person?"

Jin Bao'er remained calm and asked in a soft voice.

Zhao Yuheng closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with a deep, self-loathing darkness.

Do I need to spell it out?

"A person who's two-timing, messing around outside, and has a lot of blemishes on his record."

Jin Bao'er frowned slightly, offering neither explanation nor rebuttal.

He just watched him quietly, watching this person who took all the blame upon himself and belittled himself to the dust.

Then, he took a small step back, lowering his posture to an extreme degree, making Zhao Yuheng feel even more uncomfortable.

"Zhao Yuheng, can we still be friends?"

"No, that's not allowed."

Zhao Yuheng answered very quickly and firmly, without the slightest hesitation.

Why?

"Because seeing you makes me feel guilty."

Seeing you reminds me how wretched and despicable I am.

"So, I don't want to see you."

His words were sharp, cold, and uncompromising.

Every word felt like tearing my own heart out.

Jin Bao'er's hands, which were under the table, trembled slightly uncontrollably.

He raised his hand, wanting to take another sip of the shaved ice to suppress the dull pain in his chest.

But her fingertips went weak, and she lost her grip on the cup.

"boom--"

A few drops of shaved ice splashed out and landed on the table, like shattered tears.

Zhao Yuheng almost instinctively reached out to steady the cup.

My fingertips touched the back of Jin Bao'er's hand again.

Both of them simultaneously withdrew their hands as if they had been burned.

The air was eerily still.

Jin Bao'er composed herself and forcibly changed the subject, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Is driving tiring?"

"Not tiring, I have a partner to take turns driving on long journeys."

Zhao Yuheng answered decisively, and fearing further questioning, he immediately added more, each sentence harsher than the last, each sentence sounding like a push away.

"It's not hard work. I started my own company and became my own boss."

"I'm doing very well."

"My mom has introduced me to quite a few blind dates. When I meet the right one, I'm ready to get married."

Every word he spoke felt like a knife stabbing into his own heart.

"There's really not enough time, I need to go back and pack."

He stood up abruptly, as if fleeing a tenderness that was about to drown him.

Will we ever meet again?

Jin Bao'er hurriedly spoke, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of panic.

He feared that if he left, another five years would pass.

Let's not meet anymore.

Zhao Yuheng did not turn around; his voice was soft, yet as heavy as a stone.

After saying that, he strode towards the door.

Jin Bao'er gazed at that broad yet unusually thin back, her eyes slightly warming.

"You go first, I'll take the subway to the high-speed rail station later."

Jin Bao'er whispered behind him.

Zhao Yuheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

I had clearly made up my mind to stop caring, stop asking, and stop thinking about it.

Upon hearing the words "high-speed rail station," he still turned around uncontrollably.

"That's great, the subway station is directly connected to the high-speed rail station, which is very convenient."

He spoke, his voice still steady.

But the next sentence instantly shattered all pretense.

"After leaving the bubble tea shop, walk straight and turn right. Keep walking until you reach the end of the line, and you'll find Fude Station. Take Line 2..."

He stood in the sunlight, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, sliding down his jawline and soaking his collar.

He was clearly suffering from the heat, but he was completely unaware of it.

They were so focused on explaining the route word by word, carefully and meticulously, afraid that he might go astray or suffer any injustice.

Jin Bao'er stared at him, somewhat lost in thought.

The person in front of me keeps saying I don't want to see him, that I'm not good enough for him, that I want to get married, and that I shouldn't come back.

Their bodies, however, are frighteningly honest, and their care is meticulous and thoughtful.

He instinctively reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The fingertips had just lifted—

Zhao Yuheng, as if stung, suddenly took two steps back, forcefully avoiding the attack.

"It's okay, I can do it myself."

His voice was strained and panicked as he roughly wiped his face with his arm.

Jin Bao'er's hand froze in mid-air, feeling embarrassed and heartbroken.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his fingertips curling slightly.

"Then I'll be leaving first."

Zhao Yuheng was truly panicked this time. He dared not linger any longer and turned to walk out quickly.

He was afraid that if he stayed even a second longer, he wouldn't be able to resist pulling her into his arms and telling Jinbaoer—

I miss you so much, I'm going crazy.

I didn't go on blind dates, I didn't get married, I didn't have a new partner, and I didn't start a new life.

You are all I have.

But I don't deserve it.

He had walked less than five meters.

A soft exclamation suddenly came from behind: "Ouch—"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a needle piercing Zhao Yuheng's ear.

He turned around abruptly.

My heart jumped into my throat.

Jin Bao'er sat on the ground, her fair face scrunched up, her eyes red-rimmed, filled with pain.

A food delivery scooter was parked nearby, and the delivery guy looked helpless.

Zhao Yuheng's mind went blank.

All restraint, forbearance, distance, inferiority... all exploded at this moment.

"What the hell! Don't you have eyes? How could you bump into that?!"

He practically roared it out, his expression a mixture of anxiety and anger. He strode over, bent down, and pulled Jinbao'er into his arms.

The movements were both quick and gentle, as if afraid of hurting him.

Looking down, Jin Bao'er's ankles were red and swollen, and her trouser legs were covered in dust and mud.

"I'm so sorry! I'm in a hurry..." the deliveryman apologized repeatedly.

"Is food more important or human life?"

Zhao Yuheng's eyes were red, and he couldn't suppress the anger in his voice.

He has tempered his temper in recent years, but that doesn't mean he has no temper at all.

She used to give her temper to the world, but now she gives all her weaknesses to Jinbaoer.

It wasn't until Jin Bao'er gently tugged at his sweat-soaked short-sleeved shirt, applying slight pressure with her fingertips, that the problem was resolved.

Zhao Yuheng glared at the delivery guy and growled, "Get lost."

He knew that this kind of injury was nothing to make things difficult for ordinary people.

But he just couldn't control his fear, his panic, or his protectiveness.

He squatted down again, moving very gently and carefully lifting up Jin Bao'er's trouser leg.

The rough, calloused fingertips gently touched the swollen, red ankle.

The force was so light, as if touching a treasure that had been lost and found again, yet was feared to be broken once more.

Jin Bao'er looked down at his focused and tense profile, noticing his reddened ears, his Adam's apple bobbing, and his entire body restraining itself.

Suddenly, she spoke softly, her voice gentle and light, yet carrying a resolute determination.

"Okay, my leg is injured."

"You have to take responsibility for me."

Zhao Yuheng, who was squatting on the ground, suddenly looked up.

He looked up at Jin Bao'er, his eyes filled with overwhelming astonishment, panic, and helplessness...

And there was a hint of love and tenderness that, once exposed, could hardly be hidden.