Agreed to Just Once - Chapter 14: Made Up Again

Chapter 14: Made Up Again

After many days, the small cosmetic bottles stored away in their containers could finally be put to use again.

He Wenshuo held a small brush, carefully examining Jiang Yinian’s face—the clean arch of his brows, natural eyelashes, bright eyes, perfectly shaped nose bridge, and faintly rosy lips.

Truthfully, he already looked quite handsome without any cosmetics.

However, since Jiang Yinian didn’t want to be recognized by the old neighbors in the community, they still needed to do some light touch-ups before going out.

Everything that could be applied was applied, and they reached the final step.

He Wenshuo naturally picked up the same lipstick from last time from the box—the one that made lips appear dewy and vibrant when applied.

Jiang Yinian, who had been passively compliant until now, followed the movement with his eyes and leaned back slightly. Let’s use a different color.

He Wenshuo paused while twisting the lipstick tube and looked at Jiang Yinian in confusion.

Jiang Yinian:
Originally, he hadn’t cared which lipstick was used. But now, the moment he saw this particular lipstick, he couldn’t help but recall that dream from the other afternoon.

He had actually dreamed that after applying that lipstick, He Wenshuo lowered his head and kissed him.

What an absurd, unreasonable, illogical dream.

He felt that particular lipstick was partly to blame.

What’s wrong? He Wenshuo twisted the lipstick back down. We used this one last time too. It really looks nice.

Jiang Yinian pressed his lips together. This ridiculous reason was something he couldn’t possibly explain to He Wenshuo. I just don’t want to use it.

Alright.

He Wenshuo didn’t ask further and quickly switched to another one. The new lipstick wasn’t the dewy type—it was labeled as matte texture, though the color was slightly redder than the shiny one.

With Jiang Yinian’s naturally fair complexion, any color tended to look good on him. When this redder shade was applied to his lips, his entire face appeared even more refined.

Jiang Yinian pressed his lips together while looking in the mirror. He had to admit, lipstick was truly a magical thing—just applying it suddenly made his entire complexion seem several shades brighter.

This looks nice too.

He Wenshuo put down the lipstick quite satisfied, then turned to pull out an outfit from the closet that had been purchased earlier but never worn.

It was a loose set—a shirt paired with a skirt.

He placed the clothes on the bed and, as usual, reached to pull Jiang Yinian up from the chair. Come on, let me help you change.

Jiang Yinian hesitated for a moment.

In the past, He Wenshuo would occasionally help him put on clothes when he was too lazy to get out of bed, and he’d never thought much of it.

But.

…He suddenly felt it might be slightly inappropriate. Perhaps because they were too familiar with each other, their usual interactions had become a bit too casual.

Noticing Jiang Yinian had frozen, his eyes drifting as if lost in thought, He Wenshuo asked again, Don’t want to wear this set?

Jiang Yinian snapped back to reality:
His laziness suddenly vanished.

He stood up from the chair by himself, took two steps forward to pick up the shirt from the bed for inspection, then shooed He Wenshuo out. I’ll change by myself. Go make me a drink, iced.

Huh? Oh, sure.

He Wenshuo didn’t mind and pointed at the bow on the shirt on the bed, reminding him, This is the front. Don’t put it on backwards.

Mm, I won’t.

Some were sleeping, some were playing games, and others were pulling people aside to chat about everything under the sun.

When it came to campus gossip, Guo Jian was always a top contender, speaking with authority.

I’m telling you, He Wenshuo definitely got dumped. Last time he was chatting with his friends, I overheard them saying he doesn’t have a girlfriend anymore.

Really? Wasn’t he just happily buying snacks for his partner at the school gate a couple days ago?

That’s exactly his cunning move—creating a false impression to confuse everyone. On movie day, you all went to the front to watch the commotion, but I was in the back. I was dozing but never fully fell asleep, and I happened to hear it.

If it’s really over, that might be for the best. Maybe our happy days from before will return. We might see pretty seniors and juniors on the basketball court every now and then, and if we’re lucky, even score some free bottled water.

Don’t let He Wenshuo hear you, or he might challenge you to a 1v1.

Having satisfied his urge to share, Guo Jian’s conscience began to stir: Exactly, be a bit more righteous. Keep it to yourself and don’t spread it around. We should leave him some dignity, understand?

Everyone scoffed at him: You’re so righteous—yet you’re the one who told us.

Guo Jian: I only told you because I consider you brothers. Now I’m kindly reminding you, in case he really is heartbroken, don’t provoke him. If he gets angry, he might stop hanging out with us.

Zhu Xing, standing by the window, glanced down at the dormitory building and offered a different opinion: I think you might have misheard. He Wenshuo and his partner seem to be doing fine. I doubt they’ll break up anytime soon.

Guo Jian: Huh? How would you know?

Zhu Xing: I calculated it with my fingers.

Guo Jian: Get out of here.

Zhu Xing: I haven’t finished. I calculated with my fingers, and they’re currently taking a walk downstairs. Come see for yourself if you don’t believe me.

Several idle boys crowded by the window to look down.

Not far away, on the interconnected paths in front of the boys’ dormitory, two strikingly familiar figures stood out.

Guo Jian sounded uncertain: Did they make up that quickly?

Downstairs.

He Wenshuo walked slowly, holding Jiang Yinian’s hand, and continued their earlier conversation: How about we pick a weekend next month to visit my grandmother’s place?

Jiang Yinian: There’s a concert next month. Although there were four weekends in a month, it wasn’t necessary to pack every one with plans. Adding extra trips and changing routines could be exhausting.

He Wenshuo thought for a moment: Then let’s make it later, but we should go sometime before summer break.

He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to accompany Jiang Yinian to the concert next month. But once summer break started, Jiang Yinian would surely go abroad to be with his parents, and there would be no chance then.

Jiang Yinian looked up at the boys’ dormitory building. When they arrived earlier, He Wenshuo had planned this detour on purpose.

Following Jiang Yinian’s gaze upward, He Wenshuo asked: Want to go inside and take a look?

They had both been day students their whole lives and had never experienced dorm life.

Near the entrance, the words Boys’ Dormitory were prominently displayed.

Though curious, Jiang Yinian glanced down at his own dress: Do you think I can enter the boys’ dorm dressed like this?

Only then did He Wenshuo realize: …Right.

The sun was blazing, but beneath the shade of the trees, there was no trace of heat.

Jiang Yinian sat cross-legged on the grass beneath a tree, scrolling through his phone. Regarding the concert tickets, he had been keeping an eye out for options. He’d recently come across someone reselling a ticket, but the seat wasn’t in the same section as the one He Wenshuo had purchased. Switching seats later might prove troublesome.

So he was still weighing his options, hoping to find a more suitable one.

He Wenshuo lay on the grass with his hands pillowed behind his head, watching the dense tree leaves sway gently overhead as he savored the tranquil and beautiful afternoon.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Yinian and suddenly felt a wave of emotion. It’d be nice if you could be my girlfriend forever, he mused.

Jiang Yinian knew this was just another of He Wenshuo’s whimsical outbursts. Setting down his phone, he retorted, Why don’t you be my girlfriend forever instead?

He Wenshuo let out a long sigh. If you don’t mind, I suppose that could work. But there’s no way I’d fit into those dresses.