Long Xing definitely had feelings for him—and not just friendly ones, but romantic love.
Thankfully, though, Long Xing was still respecting his male identity—for now.
An Han leaned against the balcony railing, gazing at the azure sky at a 45-degree angle, his mind still in utter chaos.
Right now, Long Xing's affection level was just over 80. That meant his feelings were still restrained by An Han's apparent gender—making it impossible for him to confess outright. But they still had an entire junior year ahead of them, living together as roommates. If An Han didn't do something soon, that affection level would inevitably climb higher over time.
And to make matters worse, his body itself would keep becoming more and more feminine as time passed.
Even without triggering or completing any system tasks, his body was already undergoing subtle, involuntary feminization due to shifting hormone levels.
"This is way too hard…"
Dejected, An Han fiddled with his phone, so uneasy that he didn't even want to go back inside and face Long Xing.
"Xiao Han, wanna grab lunch outside?" Long Xing suddenly called from inside the dorm.
"No…" An Han instinctively refused—then quickly corrected himself. "Sure! Wait for me a sec."
Long Xing was notoriously impatient.
*So… I'll say yes to going out, but then deliberately drag my feet—take forever to get ready, wear down his patience, and finally switch to ordering takeout at the last minute. That should lower his affection, right?*
An Han weighed the plan in his head.
He remembered how Long Xing once got visibly annoyed when their classmate Chen Junjie took forever to wash and blow-dry his hair before going out.
*Alright, I'll take a shower too—kill two birds with one stone.*
Convinced the plan was solid, An Han stepped into the dorm and headed to his wardrobe to grab clean clothes.
"Come on, I'm starving," Long Xing said, already wearing his shoes and socks, standing by the door waiting.
But he immediately noticed An Han's awkward gait.
"I told you to wait—I'm gonna take a shower first," An Han said, sticking to the script.
"What happened to your foot?"
An Han glanced down at his left ankle and sighed. "Sprained it a couple days ago. Haven't left the dorm or showered since."
That part was true.
With a sprained ankle, balancing on one leg in the shower had been impossible. Now that his foot was better, he did genuinely want to wash up.
"Can't you shower after lunch?"
"No way. I'm not showing up outside looking like a slob—ruining the dorm's reputation."
An Han pulled out a full set of fresh clothes and placed them in his wash bucket.
Before, he might've just grabbed a pair of boxers—but that was no longer an option.
Long Xing could only sigh and sit back down at his desk. He looked up at An Han and suddenly asked, "Have you gotten a bit shorter?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. You look even skinnier than before."
An Han didn't pay it much mind. His smaller frame naturally made him *appear* shorter and more delicate to others—even though he'd recently measured himself and was still nearly 170 cm tall.
If he ever wore slim-fit pants or even a short skirt (which highlighted his leg proportions), he might actually *look* taller.
Bucket in hand, he stepped into the balcony bathroom, preparing to take the most meticulous shower of his life—
At least thirty minutes long, goddamn it!
Normally, as a guy, he'd be in and out in ten minutes. Daily showers meant he could afford to rush—it wasn't like he'd get truly dirty.
But now, the sound of rushing water echoed into the dorm room, reaching Long Xing's ears.
Long Xing stood up, pacing restlessly. It was already noon. He'd skipped breakfast to catch the early train, and now hunger gnawed at his stomach—almost to the point of pain.
Yet minute after minute passed, and the water kept running.
"Xiao Han never takes this long to shower…"
His patience began wearing thin. Though generally mild-mannered, Long Xing absolutely *hated* waiting.
He walked over to the balcony and knocked on the bathroom door.
"What?" came An Han's voice from inside.
"Hurry up."
An Han heard the irritation in Long Xing's tone and had to bite back a smirk. "Don't rush me! I haven't showered in days—I've gotta scrub off all the grime."
*But why isn't the system showing any drop in affection?!*
"You've already been in there for like fifteen minutes!"
"Just chill!"
Helpless, Long Xing sighed softly and sat down on the laundry sink, arms crossed, leg bouncing as he tried to kill time. Every three minutes, he'd call out again—but each time, An Han just told him to wait.
Eventually, Long Xing stopped asking altogether. He yawned, pulled out his phone, and settled into silent waiting.
This, ironically, started making *An Han* anxious.
His fingers were already pruney from soaking so long—and still, no system notification about affection dropping.
*Even one or two points would be something! Why no change at all?!*
Frustrated, An Han finally turned off the shower and began drying off.
Over the past week, his chest had… grown slightly.
His skin was smooth as silk—not because of the body wash, but due to that earlier increase in "Bone and Skin" stats.
*If only my future girlfriend had skin this nice…*
The thought gave him a headache. He'd always planned to have a normal, wholesome college romance—but the first two years passed without meeting anyone he liked. And now? Even if he met the perfect girl, it wouldn't matter.
Dressed and damp-haired, he pushed open the bathroom door—only to find Long Xing still standing on the balcony, waiting.
"Gonna blow-dry your hair before we go?"
Long Xing glanced up—but his eyes inadvertently drifted to An Han's damp shirt clinging to his torso.
Beneath the wet fabric, subtle curves were just visible… delicate, budding, and undeniably alluring.
An Han had changed *a lot* over this National Day break. His face had almost completely lost its masculine traces, and now there were even small mounds on his chest… Long Xing wanted to ask, but An Han always seemed so guarded around him.
"I don't feel like going out anymore," An Han announced, hoping desperately for a system alert. He knew it was low to string Long Xing along like this—but if it saved him from ending up in a proctology clinic later, Long Xing would just have to suffer a little.
But then he caught Long Xing's lingering gaze. Frowning, he instinctively covered his chest—only to immediately realize how girlish and obvious that looked. He quickly forced himself to walk straight past, feigning nonchalance while secretly dodging Long Xing's eyes.
Long Xing just looked confused—but not angry. He scratched his head and said, "Alright, I'll bring something back for you."
*Wait—your temper's *that* good?!*
*If it were me, I'd be cursing you out by now!*
Sure, Long Xing was a decent guy—but this level of patience was unnatural!
"What do you want to eat?"
"Just a beef noodle soup."
*Maybe his affection is so high that his tolerance is through the roof…*
*Or… maybe he's just so into me that he's willing to put up with anything?*
An Han figured that even if Long Xing didn't snap outwardly, this kind of behavior *had* to annoy him deep down—and that should lower his affection.
"You… you're not mad?" An Han blurted out just as Long Xing was about to leave.
Long Xing turned back, puzzled. "Why would I be mad? Do you want anything else with the noodles?"
"…Add a fried egg."
Long Xing left.
The moment the door clicked shut, An Han collapsed face-first onto his desk with a groan, furiously ruffling his wet hair in frustration.
"This is impossible!"
"How the hell is he *this* immune to everything?!"