Xiao Yu's eyelids fluttered as though they weighed a thousand pounds. The world came to him in pieces. First the pale light seeping through the curtains, then the faint hum of the fan, then the ceiling of his room. His own ceiling.
He gasped and shot up, clutching his chest. For a long moment, he stayed frozen, waiting for something terrible to happen. His hands flew over his body as if he expected to find bruises, blood, or burns. There was nothing. Not even a scratch.
A shaky laugh broke out of him. "Oh my god… it was just a dream?"
He dragged his palms down his face and shook his head. The memories rushed in anyway: Yu Mian's mocking smile, the forums tearing him apart, Shiroi's voice, the strange spinner. All of it so vivid. Yet here he was, safe in his messy room, his pink bunny plush peeking out from under the covers. His desk covered in pens and candy wrappers. His poster of Rong Xichen on the wall.
"Thank goodness," Xiao Yu whispered. He collapsed back against the pillow with relief.
But after only a minute, he bolted upright again. Heart racing, he scrambled out of bed and ran across the room. His bare feet slapped against the floor as he skidded to the little altar in the corner. The shrine he had set up for his male god, Rong Xichen.
He pressed his hands together, eyes sparkling like someone who had been saved. "Xichen, you'll never believe what happened," he whispered to the framed photo. "The most insane dream ever. You and me, caught in a school drama with jealous people and fake friends. And Chenchen was there too and—"
The door creaked open.
"Yuyu, don't you have work today?" Zhao Chen's familiar voice cut in.
Xiao Yu spun around. Zhao Chen stood in the doorway, his neat uniform perfectly in place, his usual calm expression so ordinary it almost hurt to look at. Without thinking, Xiao Yu ran and threw himself into Zhao Chen's arms.
"Chenchen! You won't believe the dream I had!" he said, clinging tightly. His voice cracked from the mix of relief and excitement.
Zhao Chen frowned and pushed him away. "Stop being weird. Get ready for work, Yuyu."
The door shut again.
Silence filled the room.
Xiao Yu stood there, arms hanging awkwardly by his side. Slowly, he walked back to the bed and sat on the edge. He curled his toes against the cool wooden floor and pressed his lips together. Everything was normal. Everything should be fine. But the uneasy feeling in his chest refused to leave.
He reached for his phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up, bright and sharp. His boss would be waiting for him soon, expecting him to clock in. Xiao Yu rubbed his temples.
"Nope. Not happening," he muttered. "I survived a nightmare. I deserve rest."
He scrolled to his boss's number and tapped call. The line clicked.
"Hello? Boss? It's Xiao Yu…" He coughed into his hand, scrunching his face as if his boss could see him. "Ah, I don't think I can come in today. My head feels heavy, I barely slept, I might have a fever… Yes, I'll drink hot water. Thank you. I'll rest."
The moment the call ended, Xiao Yu flopped back onto the bed with a grin. "Sick leave secured. Excellent."
He kicked his legs on the mattress like a child who had just outsmarted the world.
Not long after, his stomach growled. He grabbed his phone again and opened his food delivery app.
"What do I want… hotpot? Too much effort. Fried chicken? Hmm. Bubble tea? Always yes."
He added fried chicken and two bubble teas to his cart. When the delivery arrived, he bounced to the door, signed quickly, and returned to his nest of blankets.
Grease and sugar comforted him. He dipped a piece of chicken into the sauce and groaned happily. "Heaven. This is healing food."
He raised the bubble tea cup toward Rong Xichen's photo on the shrine. "Cheers, male god. May your dance moves forever bless us fans."
After eating, he wiped his hands and opened the fan forums. His thumb scrolled like it had a mind of its own. The homepage flashed with new headlines.
"Rong Xichen's New Dance Video!""Our Male God Shines Again!""Three Minutes of Pure Heaven!"
Xiao Yu's heart pounded. He tapped on one, and there he was. Rong Xichen, casual clothes, hair slightly damp, every move precise and beautiful. Sweat glistened along his jawline as he spun and stepped, the music flowing through him.
"Ahhhh!" Xiao Yu squealed. He rolled across the bed clutching his phone to his chest. "Male god, how can you be real?!"
He sat up, replaying the video again and again. He paused to screenshot every smirk, every flick of hair, every perfect turn. His gallery filled in seconds.
At one point he clutched his pink bunny plush, burying his face into it. "Bunny, look at him! He's going to kill me with his beauty! How is a person this perfect?"
Later he scrolled through the comments, laughing at jokes and joining in.
"Whoever says Rong Xichen is overrated clearly has no taste!" Xiao Yu typed furiously. "Go listen to static noise if you don't appreciate art!"
Satisfied, he posted a meme: Rong Xichen mid-spin with the caption "Male god turning haters into dust."
He giggled at his own creation, rolling around until crumbs from earlier stuck to his shirt.
Hours passed like that, filled with fangirling, videos, snacks, and silly arguments. Everything was ordinary.
Ordinary enough that the dream should have faded.
But it didn't.
Every time Xiao Yu closed his eyes for even a second, he saw flashes. Yu Mian's smirk. The cold hallways. The metallic spinner glinting in the light. Shiroi's frantic voice echoing. He would jolt awake and remind himself he was in his own bed. Safe. Normal.
Yet the unease clung to him like damp clothes.
As the afternoon light dimmed, Xiao Yu pressed his palms together at the shrine again. "Xichen, if that dream meant something… if it wasn't just my imagination… then protect me, okay?"
The photo only stared back.
A sudden gust of wind rattled the window. Xiao Yu jumped and laughed nervously. "See? Even the heavens agree."
He decided to distract himself further. He picked up his phone and scrolled TikTok. He laughed at silly edits of Rong Xichen eating, Rong Xichen practicing, Rong Xichen just standing and breathing.
"This man could read a grocery list and I'd faint," Xiao Yu muttered.
He opened a chat with a friend and typed:"Guess who just watched the new fancam 12 times in a row 😭"
The friend replied with a sticker: "Seek help."
Xiao Yu laughed so hard he snorted. For a few minutes, it felt normal again.
By evening, Xiao Yu had built a fortress of blankets, snacks, and plushies on his bed. His phone battery was low but he pushed on. He was in the middle of editing another meme when his screen flickered.
Static rippled. For one second, the image warped. Not Rong Xichen, but the faint outline of a metallic spinner. Its disk gleamed like an eye staring back at him.
Xiao Yu froze. His breath caught.
Then, just as quickly, the image vanished. The video resumed as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Yu's fingers shook as he dropped the phone onto the blanket. "No, no, no. Just my imagination. Just leftover dream nonsense."
But the fear in his chest did not fade.
He grabbed his plush for comfort. It felt heavier than usual in his arms.
That night, Xiao Yu lay under the covers, scrolling one last fan edit before sleep. His eyes burned, but he refused to stop. It was easier to drown in familiar comfort than to think too much.
He whispered into the silence, almost like a prayer: "Please let it have been a dream."
The silence stretched on.
Outside, the wind rattled again.
And on his altar, the framed photo of Rong Xichen tilted ever so slightly, as if someone had brushed past it when no one was there.