Just after returning to the dorm, Zhao Wenying’s call came in. She said she bought two expensive hanging paintings and Little Ma was on leave, so she asked Dou Sheng to go home and watch the movers bring them in.

Xie Lan could only livestream alone in the dorm.

Dai You and Wang Gou sat on the bed playing games. Yu Fei went home. Che Ziming couldn’t stand the loneliness and ran over to play with them.

Xie Lan carefully adjusted the camera angle to ensure they weren’t in the frame before starting the stream.

As soon as the stream started, bullet comments gradually appeared.

• Ah ah ah Lan-zai suddenly appeared.
• Long time no see! Good afternoon!
• S, I camped for you for so long after your identity was revealed, finally caught a livestream.
• Didn’t see the violin, not playing today?
• Is this background the dorm?
• Where is Dou-zi, is Dou-zi there?
• LMAO, is your fake boyfriend not here?

Xie Lan opened a simple music arrangement app on his iPad, answering the questions in the comments sporadically.

“He went home for a bit. Not playing violin today, next time if you want to hear.”

“Provincial training is very busy, only rest on Sunday afternoon, streaming by the way.”

“His video… I don’t know what to say either, wait for him to upload later.”

The number of viewers gradually increased. More and more comments mentioned the “Pretend Boyfriend Challenge.” Xie Lan felt guilty, so he simply tilted the camera down, not showing his face.

“Want to write an original piece for practice today. Just treat it as a study room again.”

• Okay wow.
• Whatever is fine, we are easily satisfied.
• What app is this?
• Looks so professional.

“Software is Cubasis.” Xie Lan said casually, “I haven’t used it many times either, still exploring. Rarely did real arrangement before, just casually modified violin pieces.”

• “Casually modified”
• “Still exploring”
• Lan-zai you go for it, Mama doesn’t understand, Mama just watches.

Xie Lan put on headphones. “Very fragmented stuff, won’t play it out loud. Find a BGM to play yourselves, or listen to my roommates playing games.”

Maybe being with Dou Sheng for a long time made him more casual with fans too. Livestreaming, uploading videos, everything was done according to his own comfort.

He had intermittently recorded some inspirations this week. He first organized those melodies of only a few measures, then combed through them carefully, occasionally humming a line or two.

• My Lan-baby sounds good just humming casually.
• Love the boyish voice. I used to like Dou-zi’s voice the most, now starting to waver.
• Lan-zai’s voice is softer.
• It’s so good S joined Bilibili. Never thought I could watch you arrange music.
• Hahaha, roommates playing games is a bit funny.
• Can’t see people, there should be three roommates?
• Who is Doggy? LMAO, why is there such a name?

Once Dai You and the others started a team fight, their voices became intense. But once Xie Lan immersed himself in something, he was very focused. He hummed while organizing melodies, occasionally stopping to check other scores, exploring while doing, for over two hours.

Taking advantage of the good state, he finished writing the main melody and half of the chorus. Stopping to rest, he scanned the screen and found the popularity had reached over a million.

He didn’t expect so many people to watch this kind of livestream, so he put down the water cup and said, “Let’s chat. I’ll log off soon.”

• Chatting? I just finished my homework.
• Camera was a bit out of focus just now. Wanted to help you look at the melody, I study arrangement.
• When is Dou-zi coming back?

Xie Lan checked the time. “Should be soon…”

Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open.

Dou Sheng walked in holding his phone. Xie Lan’s voice, delayed by two seconds, came from the phone: “Should be soon…”

That voice was captured by Xie Lan’s streaming equipment again, echoing inside and outside the stream like a Matryoshka doll several times.

Che Ziming laughed instantly. “Hey, this is pretty fun?”

Dou Sheng glanced at him like looking at an idiot, impatiently saying, “Get up, don’t sit in my seat.”

Bullet comments surged.

• Is Dou-zi back?
• Dou-zi enter the frame let me see!
• I heard Dou-zi’s voice.
• I’m so anxious, where is Dou-zi?

Che Ziming got up mumbling, squatting on the floor to continue playing games.

“Hey, you two wait for me to start the team fight!” he shouted.

Dai You was speechless. “You really suck too much.”

Wang Gou added, “Dispensable.”

Che Ziming: “…”

Dou Sheng came back from outside, hot as hell, gulping down half a cup of water. Looking down at the rolling comments on the phone, all calling for him to appear.

“Coming,” he drawled lazily.

Putting down the water cup and walking behind Xie Lan, he casually tilted the camera up, put his arm around Xie Lan’s shoulder, leaned down and rubbed his head. “Is boyfriend happy streaming?”

In the lens, one standing and one sitting, Dou Sheng’s leaning action was natural and intimate, almost no sense of distance between the two.

Xie Lan’s cheeks were slightly flushed. Adam’s apple moved several times, he gave an uncomfortable “Mm.”

“It’s okay,” he whispered.

The bullet comments exploded on the spot.

• Holy! Sht!*
• Dou-zi you are just flirting yourself to death!
• So stimulating as soon as you come back?
• Isn’t this acting a bit too smooth for you two?
• Hello? Take out the film academy offer?
• Boyfriend! Ah ah ah ah ah!!!

The livestream room exploded into fireworks, but the ones playing games behind suddenly stopped talking.

Xie Lan watched the comments start lagging in large blocks, ears burning terribly hot. He quickly said, “This is for recording that video, intentional. Equipment is running out of battery, logging off first.”

Comments were still lagging. The previous wave of “Ah ah ah” hadn’t passed yet, so those protesting his going offline couldn’t show up.

He breathed a sigh of relief, quickly said bye-bye a few times, and cut the stream.

Dou Sheng smiled, stood up yawning, and returned to his seat. “I watched your stream all afternoon. The team delivering paintings was super professional. I don’t even know what my mom wanted me back for.”

“What paintings did she buy?” Xie Lan asked.

Dou Sheng shook his head. “One is orchids, one is calligraphy. I don’t understand either, can’t tell where they’re expensive. Oh, I brought a lot of snacks back from home.”

He fished things out of his bag while talking. Chocolate, beef jerky, cookies, all loose. He grabbed a few handfuls and put them on Dai You and Wang Gou’s desks, threw a bagful to Che Ziming, and put the rest all into Xie Lan’s cabinet.

Xie Lan peeled a chocolate and put it in his mouth. Just about to take the iPad, his movement suddenly paused.

He suddenly realized the dorm was terribly quiet. No one made a sound even when Dou Sheng distributed food.

Recalling carefully, this silence seemed to start from that “Boyfriend.”

Xie Lan’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively looked at Che Ziming. Che Ziming was staring blankly. Stared at by him for a good while, he suddenly reacted.

“Ahahaha!” Che Ziming hurriedly tore open a pack of cookies and stuffed them into his mouth without looking. “Thanks ahahaha! Smells so good, tastes so good!”

The two on the bed kept looking down playing games. Hearing him speak, they reacted. Dai You put down his phone. “I’m really hungry. Doggy eating?”

Wang Gou nodded. “I’ll eat. Help bring mine up too, thanks. And thanks Dou-zi! Was in a team fight for Baron just now, didn’t attend to it.”

Dou Sheng chewed beef jerky without a word, turning to give Che Ziming a dangerous glare.

Soon, the dorm quieted down again. Dai You and Wang Gou continued playing games, no different from just now. Wang Gou was thirsty after eating cookies and even shouted for Dou Sheng to pass water.

Xie Lan asked, “How is your game going?”

Dai You answered without looking up, “Almost won. That team fight just now was not bad; would have won even without Che Ziming.”

Wang Gou also nodded. “Playing games requires focus, can’t be like Che Ziming.”

Xie Lan breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to save the arrangement file. But thinking about it, he felt extremely scared in retrospect.

He pondered for a moment and private messaged Che Ziming.

• Wu Hou Pu Tao Bing: You are acting too obviously.
• Che Li Zi: ?
• Wu Hou Pu Tao Bing: Before when mentioning the pretend boyfriend challenge, you laughed the happiest. If you suddenly stop laughing, Dai You and Wang Gou will suspect. Luckily they didn’t notice this time.
• Che Li Zi: …But I can’t laugh.
• Wu Hou Pu Tao Bing: Try harder. We aren’t ready to confess to everyone yet.

Che Ziming squatted by Dou Sheng’s desk and sighed deeply, pulling his hair twice vigorously.

Xie Lan put down his phone, looked over at him, and nodded solemnly.

Relying on you.

Che Ziming pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile uglier than crying.