Jian Ci shot him a glare before turning back to Yu Xi, undeterred. "We can share snacks and chat before bed."
Yu Xi shook his head. "Still nope."
Day three, Jian Ci tried again, this time with a decorated basket filled with Yu Xi’s favorite snacks. "If we are roommates, we can take care of each other when we are sick, and wake each other up early for class."
Yu Xi, calm as ever, replied, "No."
Jian Ci slumped, speechless. "..." His persistence had met an immovable wall, and for once, Yu Xi’s refusal was absolute.
After trying three time, he finally gave up. He was sulking, but he did give up. The weight of disappointment clung to him like a heavy cloak, dragging his mood down with every step. If he had a tail, it would have been drooping low behind him, burdened by rejection. Yet it wasn’t Yu Xi who suffered for his sulking, it was Jian Rui and Jian Wei.
When Jian Ci was sulking, he was a pain in the ass. Wherever they went, he seemed to appear, drifting into their spaces uninvited. If Jian Wei was working in the lab, Jian Ci hovered around him like a fly, sighing dramatically as though the air itself offended him.
If Jian Rui was busy at his desk, Jian Ci leaned against it, sighing so loudly it drowned out the sound of the video files Jian Rui was trying to access. Worse of all he would nitpick at anything his brothers said.
When Jian Rui trained in the estate, Jian Ci sat on the steps, looking so pitifully sad that anyone passing by might think he was starved of affection or purpose. His presence was heavy, his sighs endless.
"Do you mind?" Jian Rui snapped one afternoon, slamming his book shut in frustration.
Jian Ci only sighed again, long and theatrical, as though the world itself had betrayed him.
Jian Wei tried to ignore it, but Jian Ci’s sulking aura was impossible to overlook. He hovered, interjecting into conversations, poking at their routines, filling every corner of the estate with his restless gloom. It was like living under a storm cloud that refused to move on.
Finally, Jian Wei groaned, tossing his ruined samples aside with a clatter that echoed across the lab. "If you are going to keep sighing like that, at least do it outside."
But Jian Ci didn’t budge. He folded his arms across his chest, his expression stubborn. "I can’t help it. Comfort me."
The brothers exchanged a look of pure exasperation. They had faced battles, storms, and grueling exams but nothing tested their patience quite like Jian Ci when he was sulking. It wasn’t the first time either.
As the youngest of the family, Jian Ci had always been spoiled, rarely denied anything he asked for. Most of his requests were reasonable, so they indulged him. But this time, they couldn’t give him what he wanted, and his disappointment had turned into a relentless storm cloud.
"Grow up," Jian Rui said sharply. "You can’t always get what you want."
"I know," Jian Ci replied, his voice dramatic, "but I can be sad about it."
"Then go be sad elsewhere," Jian Wei muttered, rubbing his temples.
The two of them suffered endlessly, while Yu Xi remained blissfully unaware. To Yu Xi, Jian Ci was as bubbly as ever, his sulking carefully hidden.
"Fine," Jian Ci huffed, turning on his heel. "Pardon me for thinking my brothers would at least comfort me."
He finally walked away, his footsteps heavy with wounded pride. Jian Wei and Jian Rui both exhaled in relief, shoulders sagging yet they knew it wouldn’t last. Jian Ci’s sulking had a way of circling back, like a storm that refused to clear.
As expected, he went into phase two of sulking. Phase one had been sighing endlessly and hovering around his brothers like a storm cloud, but phase two was worse.
Phase two meant he stopped cooking, barely came out of his room, and when he did, he was glued to his game console, eyes blankly fixed on the screen. Jian Rui and Jian Wei should have been relieved, finally, he wasn’t pestering them, but Seraphyne stepped into the chat one evening, her voice sharp with concern. "Why is Jian Ci so withdrawn?" she asked.
The two brothers exchanged a look. They knew they had to get involved now. Their mother would nag them to death.
Later, they found Yu Xi in the simulation room, just finishing his training. Sweat glistened faintly on his brow as he powered down the equipment. Jian Rui cleared his throat. "We need to talk."
Yu Xi blinked, unaware of the drama. "Yeah, what’s up?"
Jian Wei started, fumbling. "Here’s the thing, I... I mean, we are annoy—" Jian Rui nudged him hard in the ribs. Jian Wei forced a smile, correcting himself. "We are worried that Jian Ci might fall sick in the middle of the night and... attack someone."
Jian Rui picked up smoothly. "So please, be his roommate. You will have separate bedrooms, just a shared bathroom and common area, like here."
Yu Xi tilted his head. "Oh. He should have said that then. I thought we would be sharing a room."
Jian Wei and Jian Rui: "..." Their silence was heavy, the absurdity of this situation unbelievable.
Jian Rui blinked at Yu Xi, incredulous. "Wait, all this time you thought you would be sharing a room?"
Yu Xi nodded earnestly. "Yes, that’s what roommate means, right?"
Jian Rui and Jian Wei both burst into laughter, the sound edged with self-deprecation. All this time, they had suffered under Jian Ci’s relentless sulking, his sighs, his hovering, his endless dramatics—because of a simple misunderstanding.
Yu Xi tilted his head, confused. "What’s so funny?"
Jian Wei wiped his face, still chuckling. "So this entire time you thought roommates meant sharing a bedroom?"
Yu Xi shrugged. "Yeah."
Jian Rui sighed, shaking his head. "Right, well, it doesn’t really mean that. Just tell him you can be roommates and end our torture."
Yu Xi swiped his communicator, a floating screen popping up. As he typed, he asked, "What torture?"
"Haven’t you noticed he’s been sulking?" Jian Rui said.
Yu Xi frowned. "No."
Jian Wei cursed under his breath. "That brat..." They had suffered but Yu Xi was spared.
Yu Xi pressed send. "I sent it. Was he really sulking?"
Jian Wei groaned. "Ohh, you have no fucking idea."
While Jian Wei was snitching, Jian Ci lay sprawled on his bed, limbs limp, looking utterly dejected. His communicator chimed. He raised his hand lazily, the floating screen appearing.
His eyes brightened instantly when he saw Yu Xi’s name. Reading the words we can be roommates, Jian Ci froze, confused. Then, with sudden energy, he sat up and bolted downstairs, barefoot, his heart racing faster than his steps.