Dr. Sunshine Protector!-A rannett fanfic (modern au)

1

Two years later...

It  a scorching hot early Saturday afternoon of early August, birds chirped along merrily, complimenting the tranquillity of the clear sapphire skies. Bennett was taking a peaceful nap on his desk—which he did not plan to, when the ringing of his phone pierced through the still afternoon atmosphere. He groaned before groping around blindly for it, picking it up from the table sleepily. Just then, a loud thud could be heard echoing through the walls of the dormitory as the unlucky boy lost his grip on the phone and dropped it, letting out a yelp as it startled him awake. He then carefully picked it up again, checking for any damage to his phone. "Aw shucks... there's a little crack at the bottom left corner...I should seriously be more careful," Bennett sulked as a sigh escaped from his mouth, swiping right to accept the phone call with a sad look on his face.

"Benny boy! Can you help your uncle in taking care of his convenience store for two weeks?" A loud voice boomed out of the phone which surprised the poor boy, causing him to nearly drop his phone again. Too close...

"H-huh? Why me?" His lime green eyes widened astonishingly, all traces of sadness now replaced by shock. His cheerful uncle, Cyrus, had called in.

"Because I'm going on a three week vacation soon, silly!" Cyrus chortled through the phone. "Also, the store is just one bus stop away from your university. Just open the shop in your free time. Do Uncle a favour this time, okay? Tell you what, I'll let you get half of the money earned while I'm away! A good deal, right?"

"Alright, alright. I hope you know I'm really unlucky, okay?" Bennett accepted his offer without much of a thought, part of him wanting to go as he yearned to continue his nap.

"Just try your best to manage the store, okay? Don't overwork yourself! Oh, by the way, I just installed an Anti-theft system for the store. Don't worry about it not properly functioning, I already tested it and it works perfectly fine. If someone passes through it with an unscanned product... then beep! If that ever happens, make sure to check that person thoroughly before letting them leave!" Cyrus said with a chuckle. "I'm waiting for you at the university for you to collect the key to the convenience store. I have already sent you the address to it too. See you downstairs!"

"Oh, already? Okay, I'll come down right now!"

"Who was that?" Xingqiu asked. He had his amber eyes fixated on his computer screen as he typed out his ongoing novel furiously, as if he were writing a complaint letter, not even sparing a single glance at Bennett.

"It's my uncle, Cyrus. He wants me to take care of his convenience store," Bennett sighed as he frantically packed his bag, the plans for his return to his imaginary soft and comfortable bed donned with a lush velvety blanket now ruined.

"The amount of trust he has in you," Xingqiu quipped as he cracked a smile, shifting his attention to his friend and fellow dormmate before continuing to tap on his keyboard.

"Hey, not funny," he emphasised. "I'm going to open my uncle's shop now, anyone wanna help me? Y'know, just in case anything bad happens." Bennett added as he tied his shoelaces.

"I'll pass," Xingqiu replied. "Gotta finish this novel I'm working on." He continued, earning a sarcastic eye roll from Bennett.

"I'll go," Chongyun volunteered as he took the last bite off his popsicle, throwing the remaining stick in the trash bin. A certain someone who was filling the room with keyboard taps just seconds ago immediately perked his head up to look at him. "I have nothing to do anyway."

"Alright!" Bennett nodded as he opened the door for the blue-eyed. "Bye Xingqiu!" He waved goodbye as he closed the door to the dorm behind him, leaving a sulky Xingqiu in the room with a red flushed face contemplating his life decisions.