Before, Mai Dong didn’t know what he would become when he got drunk, but now he does.
After vomiting, he seemed much sober. He leaned against the wall of the restroom, barely conscious, but still remembered the topic from earlier. He looked pitiful, like a pet abandoned by its owner, “But I want to be your good friend.”
Most people couldn’t understand his train of thought, but fortunately, Yan Xuming was patient, “You want to be my good friend?”
Mai Dong nodded his head, “En!”
Yan Xuming asked again, “Can’t I be a boyfriend?”
Mai Dong felt like crying again, “I thought being a boyfriend meant having an intimate relationship, but now I realize it’s not like that. Your friends have a closer relationship with you than I do. They know what time you go to sleep, where you intern, which teacher you have meals with, and whether you’re paying attention or goofing off in class.”
Yan Xuming leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips, “You can also know all of that. Do you want to?”
Mai Dong looked at him eagerly, “Want.”
Yan Xuming teased him, “But I don’t pick up drunk friends back to the dorm, I don’t hold hands with friends, and I definitely don’t kiss friends. So, do you want to be my boyfriend or just a friend?”
Mai Dong was deeply conflicted.
How should intimacy be defined? On one hand, physical contact is certainly intimate; but on the other hand, emotional intimacy is also a form of intimacy. If he had to choose one, Mai Dong didn’t know how to decide. He agonized over this question, feeling lost and hanging his head in despair.
Finally, he made a decision, “I want to hold hands.” Then he added, “And you’re not allowed to read my diary anymore.”
Yan Xuming let out an “en“. “Why?”
Mai Dong showed a different kind of stubbornness: “Anyway, you’re not allowed to read it. Why should you always know what I’m thinking?”
Mai Dong’s memory was very small.
The next morning, he woke up with a splitting headache, only remembering that he had vomited profusely over the sink last night. The physical pain made this memory particularly vivid as if someone had been patiently patting his back.
Mai Dong had never drunk alcohol before in his life.
The last time he drank was during Christmas, at his own mulled wine stall. He had to taste it, of course. He only drank half a cup, worried it wouldn’t be enough to sell. Then came this time, when he didn’t actually drink much either, just two bottles of beer.
When he was a child, he used to go to dinners with his dad, where the men would drink heavily, take a break when they drank too much, and then return with renewed vigor.
He never imagined someone could get drunk from just two bottles of beer.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
It was the third day of the New Year holiday, and all the members of the dormitory were present.
Zjl Gbcu rifqa ecali fifnfc b’mibmx. Llr gbbwwjafr kfgf vlrmerrlcu ublcu bea obg j tbaqba ja cbbc. Vlcmf klcafg yfujc, atfs tjvc’a tjv j wfji abufatfg. Lfjglcu Zjl Gbcu ralg, Ge Jtejc mjiifv bea ab tlw, “Tbe’gf eq jt. Lbaqba obg iecmt?”
Zjl Gbcu aglfv ab rqfjx, yea atf tbjgrf rbecv atja mjwf bea bo tlr atgbja rajgaifv fnfc tlwrfio. Lf qeiifv yjmx atf megajlc, “Fw… mbeut, mbeut, tbk jybea cfza kffx? Yg sbe uesr ub jtfjv olgra, P vbc’a atlcx P mjc fja wemt.”
Du Chuan grinned at him, “How much did you drink yesterday? Your boyfriend had to carry you back.”
Feeling guilty, Mai Dong replied, “I didn’t know it would end up like that. I just had two bottles…”
His roommates teased him, “With your tolerance, maybe you shouldn’t drink anymore.”
They wanted to eat hotpot, so the three of them left Mai Dong behind and went ahead.
On the table were hangover remedies and throat lozenges, which he heard Yan Xuming had brought over last night.
Mai Dong sat at the table, holding his head due to the headache, obediently taking the medicine and lozenges. He had emptied his stomach last night, woke up hungry with a stomach ache, and was browsing his phone for food delivery when Yan Xuming called.
He asked if Mai Dong had gotten up, mentioning it was the last day of the holiday and inquiring about his plans.
With all these questions, Mai Dong’s ideal plan, of course, would have been to go on a date with Yan Xuming. Unfortunately, feeling unwell, he wasn’t sure how to phrase it. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “I… I’ll stay in the dorm today ba? Are you busy today?”
Yan Xuming seemed to be clicking on his mouse, his clear voice coming through the speaker into Mai Dong’s ears, “Come to my dormitory to play?”
This was Mai Dong’s first time in Yan Xuming’s dormitory. Even though Yan Xuming had said there was no one in the dorm, Mai Dong still felt somewhat restrained when entering.
The dormitories in the school were divided into new and old buildings. This year’s freshmen were lucky to live in the new building, while Mai Dong and Yan Xuming were in the old one.
The conditions were more or less the same, there was no elevator.
Yan Xuming lived on the third floor, and Mai Dong was slightly out of breath when he stood at his dormitory door, probably from climbing the stairs in a nervous state.
He didn’t immediately push the door open, instead, he stood at the doorway, racking his brain trying to remember what happened last night.
Did he do anything out of line last night? Much less did anything embarrassing? His mind was blank, genuinely unable to recall anything, so he resignedly pushed open the dormitory door.
The layout of both their dormitories was almost identical, with four beds and desks, and at the end of the room was the toilet and bathroom. There was also a separate small balcony outside.
Yan Xuming’s eyes didn’t leave the computer screen, “Still have a headache?”
Mai Dong hurriedly replied, “A little, but I took some medicine. It should get better soon. Um, thanks for last night…”
Yan Xuming made a noncommittal “Oh,” seemingly implying something, “Feeling so distant after getting drunk?”
Mai Dong shook his head, “No, it’s not that. I just can’t remember what happened. It’s a bit…”
Yan Xuming chuckled, “Feeling guilty?”
Mai Dong responded gloomily, “Um.”
Yan Xuming raised his hand and produced a bag from somewhere, “Hot porridge, just arrived not long ago. Have you eaten anything?”
Mai Dong took the bag and before he could say thank you, Yan Xuming handed him something else.
This time, Mai Dong was really puzzled. He didn’t immediately take it, but asked, “What’s wrong?”
Finally, Yan Xuming turned his head to look at him, “Didn’t you say it yourself? That I’m not allowed to read your diary anymore.”
With the reminder, Mai Dong still couldn’t recall. He didn’t know in what context or tone he had said those words. He hastily explained, “I-I didn’t, did I? Did I say something out of line? Are you angry?”
Yan Xuming stared at him, “Do you think I’m angry?”
Mai Dong nodded, “So you are.”
Yan Xuming asked, “Then what should we do?”
Mai Dong shook his head.
A smile crept onto Yan Xuming’s lips, indicating that he had intentionally teased Mai Dong just now. He handed Mai Dong his diary back and picked up another notebook from the table, “I’m just teasing you. Here’s your diary back, and here’s something else for you.”
“What is it?” Mai Dong asked curiously as he flipped it open.
“Diary.” Yan Xuming said.
January 2, 2024. Sunny
Firstly, I want to record what time I got up today and what I ate.
Because I was busy preparing internship materials, I set my alarm for 8 o’clock last night. The weather was too cold, so I snoozed for five minutes. My precise wake-up time was 8:06. I didn’t feel like going to the cafeteria in the morning, so I bought two vegetable buns and a cup of millet porridge from the supermarket.
The morning was spent in the library doing homework and research, which was relatively dull. I knew you were busy with the debate competition, so I didn’t message you. I deeply regret that; I was wrong.
At noon, I went alone to the East 2 Cafeteria, which is closest to the library. I had chicken noodle soup. I arrived late, so there weren’t many choices, but the chicken noodle soup at East 2 wasn’t good at all. Consider this a warning. Incidentally, I think you also often go to East 2. They’ve opened a window selling fried noodles, which I heard taste good. We should go together sometime when we have a chance.
Now, let me give you specific details about my internship.
A senior student from our major’s teacher has opened a studio and needs a front-end, which is not a traditional internship.
He asked if I was interested in joining their studio. I didn’t agree because preparing for the graduate school entrance exam is still more important, but they seem very keen on having me join. Although I haven’t agreed to join, I might still help out with the internship.
The dinner came out of the blue. A teacher hosted a gathering and invited me and his senior student to chat. I knew you were going to attend the celebration dinner tonight, and I originally wanted to go with you, but I couldn’t refuse this invitation.
I forgot to bring my phone charger to the library, and my phone unexpectedly died. I won’t make excuses; it was my fault. I deeply reflect on this once again.
Is the report detailed enough? Boyfriend.
End of report, let’s move on to the explanation.
Regarding a certain drunk classmate who cried and asked to be my friend instead of my boyfriend. Do you think that friendship is more important to me? If you truly believe so, I don’t mind taking action to change this mistaken belief.
Mai Dong, friends can be anyone, but a boyfriend can only be you. You’re intelligent enough to understand the difference. I tell my friends many things that I don’t tell you, not because I don’t want to, but because I can’t always be by your side. If I could, I would want that.
Furthermore, I need to add one more thing. Making friends isn’t difficult; friends are essential in life. I’ll control the degree and frequency of my jealousy, and you should have your own good friends too. To avoid any misunderstandings, what I mean is not for you to spend all your time and energy on me, but to become a fuller version of yourself. That’s how I see you.
What else needs to be written in the diary?
After flipping through your diary for reference, there was one final sentence.
Today, I miss you a lot, and likewise, today, I really like you.
Mai Dong sat quietly, initially not understanding what it was. It took him a few lines to realize. With less than a thousand words, Mai Dong chewed over it repeatedly for over ten minutes, wishing he could dissect it word by word, reluctant to finish it all at once.
He never expected Yan Xuming to write a diary, let alone one clearly intended for him to read. After reading the last line, Mai Dong carefully closed the diary, tucked it into his own embrace, and asked, “Can I have this?”
Yan Xuming was a bit helpless, “Of course, but if I give it to you, how will I write in it from now on?”
Mai Dong was surprised, “Will you write it in the future as well?”
Yan Xuming asked, “Do you want to read it?”
Mai Dong nodded vigorously, “Of course I do!” So he handed the diary back, and Yan Xuming exchanged it for the porridge. It was still warm when it was served, but now it had cooled down considerably.
As he took a sip, the warm phone in his pocket matched the lukewarm temperature perfectly. It was vegetable and egg porridge, not sweet at all, yet it tasted pleasantly sweet in his mouth.
Hehe look at these cutiepies exchanging diaries in university while I’m still a single potato as a civil worker 😂
Oh, they are really well
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for the chapter! 🫶🫶
Thank You for the new chapter (´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`)❤️
Oh. Oh. This is so dear. I’m very touched!