Wei Ye · Conversa

【The Confession】 By the time you returned to the dorm with two bags of Braised Chicken, the sky had already turned dark. The voice-activated light in the hallway was broken, and you walked up through the flickering light. The plastic bags made your fingers turn white. You glanced down at them—Wei Ye's portion was extra spicy, yours was not. You remembered clearly; Wei Ye had a strong palate. Last time you bought plain noodles, he frowned, and although he didn't say anything, he never touched that bowl again. You remembered, so you changed it next time. Before pushing the dorm door open, you heard voices inside. It was Li Yi’s loud, boisterous voice, his slick tone cutting right through the wooden panel. You didn't think much of it and reached for the handle, only to hear his next sentence— "Brother Ye, I'm seriously impressed. Sister-in-law's care for you is just... next level. He even washes your boxers. My brother and I don't even serve each other like that." Your hand froze on the doorknob. Li Er followed up with a muffled agreement: "Yeah, I've never seen anything like it either." Li Yi laughed again: "What do you think he's after? Working like a dog for our Brother Ye every day—saving seats, getting water... he hands over water three times in a single basketball game, running faster than anyone. I'm telling you, Brother Ye, if he doesn't like you, I'll chop my head off and let you kick it like a ball." You were nailed to the spot, your brain exploding with a loud hum. *Sister-in-law.* *Likes you.* Blood rushed to your face, your ears burning hot. For a moment, you even forgot to breathe. You wanted to rush in and explain, yet you also wanted to turn and run. Your legs felt like lead, and the plastic bags in your hands were squeezed out of shape, the handles digging painfully into your skin. The room went quiet for two or three seconds. Then you heard Wei Ye's voice, low and carrying that usual lazy drawl, as if he were leaning against something: "...Are you two done gossiping?" He sounded like he was scolding them, but having followed him for so long, you could tell when he was actually angry—this wasn't it. If he were truly annoyed, he would have told them to shut up or get out, not asked such a light rhetorical question. Li Yi chuckled: "Fine, fine, we'll stop. Sister-in-law should be back soon, right? How long does it take to get food?" You took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The sound of the hinges turning made all three of them look over at once. You stood at the entrance, bags still in hand, your face as white as paper. Your lips were pressed into a thin line, and you didn't know where to look. When Li Yi saw your expression, the smile vanished from his face. He shot a quick glance at Wei Ye, then at you, and after a split second of eye contact with Li Er, both of them stood up from their chairs. "Uh, hey... we're gonna go out and buy a pack of cigarettes." "Yeah, yeah, we just ran out." The two of them slipped toward the door like they were on greased wheels. As he passed you, Li Yi gave you another look, his mouth opening as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. He patted Li Er's back, and they stepped out, closing the door behind them. Only you and Wei Ye remained in the dorm. You stood by the door, unmoving, bags still in your white-knuckled grip. Wei Ye was sitting on the bed by the window, his long legs bent and his back against the wall. His silver-grey hair partially covered his eyes, and the top two buttons of his black silk shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of the tattoo on the side of his neck. He watched you for two seconds, then stood up from the bed. He was so tall that when he stood, it felt like he blocked out all the light in the room. He walked toward you, his pace slow and steady. Each dull thud of his shoes on the floor felt like a step on your heart. He stopped right in front of you. He was close enough for you to smell the scent of tobacco mixed with a cold cologne, close enough for you to see the silver piercings on his left ear reflecting the light. You instinctively took half a step back, your back pressing against the cold dorm door. Wei Ye looked down at you, his eyes slightly hooded. His expression wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either—just that lazy look, though the light in his eyes was different than usual—heavier, more suffocating. He spoke: "Are you free this weekend?" Your throat was too tight to make a sound. He didn't wait for an answer, continuing in a flat tone, as if talking about the weather: "I have an apartment off-campus. Come over this weekend." A pause. "Just you and me." Your brain completely short-circuited. *Weekend. Apartment. Just you and me.* Li Yi’s words from a moment ago replayed in your head like a recording—"Sister-in-law," "likes you," "if he doesn't like you, I'll chop my head off"— You opened your mouth, your voice thin and trembling as it squeezed out of your throat: "Brother... I'm not..." Wei Ye looked down at you, not rushing, not moving. You swallowed hard, your fingers tightening and loosening on the plastic bags. The oil from the braised chicken seeped through the cracks of the containers, dripping onto your shoes, but you didn't care to wipe it. "I-I just..." You lowered your head, not daring to look at him, your voice growing smaller, "I was just scared you'd bully me... Li Yi and the others messed with me so much freshman year, and when I saw you in this dorm, I was terrified... I thought if I pleased you, you'd protect me, and then... then I could have a peaceful life..." You became more confused as you spoke, the words pouring out in a rush, until you didn't even know what you were saying. "...I didn't mean it like that," you finally said, your lips trembling. "Brother, I really didn't mean it like that. I was just... clinging to your coattails." As you finished the last word, the dorm became so quiet it felt like the air had been sucked out. You didn't dare look up. You heard Wei Ye breathe above you—a short sound, like a scoff through his nose. Then he spoke, his voice an entire octave lower than before, carrying a tone you'd never heard—something between self-deprecation and irritation: "...So, what the hell did you think I was doing?" You blinked, finally looking up at him. Wei Ye's features were the same—sharp and exquisite, his pale skin looking like porcelain under the light—but you could see the emotion in his eyes now. That heavy, dark thing pressed into his pupils was something you couldn't identify, but you felt the atmosphere around him shift, making it hard to breathe. He stared at you, his lips curling slightly, but it wasn't a smile. It was an expression that made a chill run down your spine. "You buy me food every day, do my laundry, save my seats, get me water—you even fucking scrub my boxers—" His words grew heavier with every syllable. "I was constantly wondering what this person was thinking, what he wanted from me." He leaned down close to you, his breath almost brushing your face, the bitter scent of tobacco filling your nose. "I fucking thought you were chasing me." Your brain exploded for a second time. *Chasing him.* Wei Ye thought you were chasing him. You were both guys. From start to finish, all you thought about was how to survive and not get bullied, yet he thought you were— You stood there with your mouth open, unable to speak. Your expression must have looked incredibly stupid. Wei Ye glanced at you and let out a short, cold scoff through his nose. "Fine," he said. He took a step back. For a split second, you saw the look in his eyes shatter. It was fast, so fast you might have missed it, but you saw it. He turned his head, his silver-grey hair brushing his brow, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he were swallowing something down. "Just stay the hell away from me." He turned and left, his movements so decisive it was as if he were afraid to stay another second. He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, and when he pulled the door open, it slammed against the wall with a deafening bang that made you flinch. He was gone. The sound of footsteps in the hallway grew distant, then vanished. You stood alone by the door, still holding the two bags of braised chicken, the oil dripping onto the floor. The dorm was empty. Wei Ye's bed was still unmade, and a single silver earring he’d taken off lay on the pillow, reflecting the light in tiny glints. Your legs suddenly gave out. As you slid down the door to sit on the floor, you looked down at the oil on your shoes. Your nose stung with a sharp ache, yet you couldn't shed a single tear. You just wanted to survive. —But it seemed you had messed something up.