Not every class could hold Gu Shiying’s full attention. This was a large English lecture. Listening to the professor drone on in English, sleepiness started to creep in.
Afternoon classes were just naturally soporific.
His phone, tucked in his backpack, kept vibrating. He seemed to have put it on silent, so he took it out to check WeChat.
SteelStraightManSecretBase#
This was the group Yang Shuheng had just created last night. Only three people were in it: him, Yang Shuheng, and Guan Yu.
Whether Yang Shuheng and Guan Yu knew Fu Huan was gay was anyone’s guess. But as far as Gu Shiying was concerned, Fu Huan was definitively, ironclad gay.
Little Lamb: hehe haha lol
Gulangyu: Why’d you suddenly make a group?
Welcoming the God of Wealth: Did you even read the group name?
Gulangyu: Brother Huan isn’t in here. Is he not a straight guy?
Little Lamb: Ah, c’mon, we’re just here to gossip.
Yang Shuheng gave Guan Yu a quick rundown: the Fine Arts heartthrob had come looking for Fu Huan.
Gulangyu: So, what do you need me to do?
Little Lamb: Obviously, to spy on Brother Huan! Observe him! See if he’s actually deeply closeted.
Gulangyu: But isn’t this his private business? Are we overstepping? Privacy is a pretty important thing.
As a future lawyer, Guan Yu had his small principles.
Little Lamb: Just pure curiosity! You guys aren’t curious about Brother Huan’s orientation? He’s always hanging with Liang Qi, never see him with anyone else. What if he’s seriously not interested in girls?
Welcoming the God of Wealth: I’d bet he’s one hundred percent into guys. He even went out to eat with the Fine Arts heartthrob yesterday—the guy’s treat.
Gu Shiying knew this wasn’t baseless rumor. Unless he himself was secretly a girl—in which case Fu Huan would be a heterosexual—as things stood, Fu Huan was a gay man.
Little Lamb: Then it’s settled. Should we ask Liang Qi and see what he says?
Welcoming the God of Wealth: Liang Qi doesn’t seem to have a girlfriend either, though.
Little Lamb: Whaaat? No wonder they’re such good friends! So what’s there even to ask?
Gulangyu: You two are more hardcore than actual investigators.
Little Lamb: Of course, we gotta watch this BL love story unfold!
Welcoming the God of Wealth: Watching +1
Little Lamb: Starting today, the three of us will observe Brother Huan’s every move!
Gulangyu: I don’t get it, but I respect it.
Just as they were chatting animatedly, Gu Shiying received a message directly from Fu Huan.
[Fu Huan: Want milk tea? [photo][photo]]
Gu Shiying was indeed thirsty. He usually liked milk tea and couldn’t resist.
[Gu Shiying: Yeah. No pearls, though. I want coconut jelly.]
[Fu Huan: Got it. Where’s your class? I’ll bring it over.]
Gu Shiying sent him the classroom building.
Only after replying did he realize how naturally he’d just interacted with Fu Huan.
Gu Shiying had to give himself a quick mental rinse: It’s just a roommate bringing him milk tea. No big deal. Totally fine.
The moment the professor announced break time, Fu Huan’s text arrived right on cue.
[Fu Huan: Master, your milk tea has arrived.]
Gu Shiying couldn’t stand Fu Huan using such an intimate nickname. He protested.
[Gu Shiying: Don’t call me Master.]
Zhang Zhi had just spent the whole period dozing. The instant class let out, he was suddenly wide awake as if he’d downed two cups of iced Americano. Looking up, he saw Gu Shiying with a slight upward curve to his lips and a sparkle in his eyes.
Zhang Zhi: “Ying’er, what are you smiling about?”
Gu Shiying: “Was I smiling? I wasn’t smiling.”
Zhang Zhi: “…”
Something was weird with his bro lately. He wasn’t secretly dating someone, was he?
Speaking of which, it’d been a while since he’d heard anything about that secret admirer. Just as he was about to gossip, he saw his friend stand up.
Zhang Zhi: “Bathroom break? I’ll come with.”
Gu Shiying: “Nah, just picking up some milk tea.”
Zhang Zhi: “You ordered delivery?”
Gu Shiying didn’t answer. He slipped out right under Zhang Zhi’s nose to get his milk tea.
Zhang Zhi: “…” Is there any for me?
By the elevator lobby railing, Gu Shiying spotted Fu Huan. He was leaning against the railing, holding two cups of milk tea. Above that, his wrist was adorned with a watch and a beaded bracelet—even these details somehow radiated Fu Huan’s pervasive masculine charm.
Fu Huan handed the milk tea to Gu Shiying. “Got two. Give the other one to your classmate.”
Gu Shiying said, “Okay. How much? I’ll transfer it.”
Fu Huan ignored the question entirely. “I’m off.”
Gu Shiying only caught the retreating back as Fu Huan strode toward the emergency stairwell.
He muttered under his breath, “Weirdo.”
Back in the classroom, Zhang Zhi fixed his wide, expectant eyes on the milk tea in Gu Shiying’s hand.
Zhang Zhi: “So, is there any for me?”
Gu Shiying picked out his own cup. Just as he was about to hand the other to Zhang Zhi, he noticed there was also a small matcha cake inside, complete with a little spoon.
Milk tea, a friend’s milk tea, small cake.
In this moment, Gu Shiying realized with profound clarity: Fu Huan was genuinely courting him.
Should he still eat this cake?
While he was still hesitating, Zhang Zhi had already dug out the cake.
Zhang Zhi: “Don’t you hate sweets?”
Gu Shiying: “Mm.”
Zhang Zhi lifted a spoonful of cake toward Gu Shiying’s mouth. “Baby, say ahh…”
Gu Shiying opened his mouth and let the cake slide in. Ugh, it was a bit hard to swallow.
Suddenly, the click of a camera shutter came from behind them.
Gu Shiying and Zhang Zhi both turned. A female student awkwardly put away her phone.
“Sorry, that pose was just really cute! I can delete it if you’re uncomfortable.”
Gu Shiying: “No worries.”
Zhang Zhi threw his arm around Gu Shiying’s neck and flashed a V-sign. “Don’t we have great chemistry?”
The girl nodded furiously, her eyes even brighter. “Yes, yes!”
Zhang Zhi: “Can I add you on WeChat? Send me those pictures.”
Girl: “Sure!”
Gu Shiying thought to himself, Ah, that’s my bro—always knows how to chat up girls. Why didn’t I think of that?
Later, the photo sat quietly in his album. Gu Shiying stared at it for a long moment before posting it to his WeChat Moments, laughing to himself once it was up.
[Gu Shiying: The matcha cake at Yi Jia isn’t too sweet. Pretty good, actually. [image.jpg]]
“Fuck.”
At the back of a different classroom, Fu Huan let out a curse in pure Mandarin.
Liang Qi, who had been dozing, jolted awake. Fu Huan rarely showed emotion; this was juicy.
Liang Qi: “What’s up?”
Fu Huan: “Nothing.”
“That’s definitely a lie.” Liang Qi knew Fu Huan too well.
Fu Huan never used a privacy screen protector. With a single glance, Liang Qi saw his phone screen as he locked it: he’d been on WeChat Moments.
Something on Moments, for sure.
Liang Qi instantly opened his own Moments. He had a lot of friends. Though dozens of posts popped up, he scrolled patiently and soon spotted a very telling picture. He immediately burst out laughing.
“I see why you took that detour toward the supermarket earlier. Bringing milk tea and little cakes to someone, huh?”
There was only one milk tea shop on campus called Yi Jia. They’d gone out to lunch with friends earlier. Before class, Fu Huan had sent Liang Qi ahead to the classroom, saying he needed to make a stop. That’s what it was about.
Fu Huan didn’t mind the teasing. He only felt his heart turn to ice when he saw that photo on Moments.
Liang Qi was dying of laughter and deliberately twisted the knife: “Maybe you should check Zhang Zhi’s Moments too.”
Fu Huan chose willful blindness. “Not looking.”
With malicious glee, Liang Qi started reading Zhang Zhi’s post aloud: “Another day filled with top-tier chemistry with my bro.”
Fu Huan shot him a death glare. “Shut up.”
Liang Qi: “Seriously, why haven’t you confessed yet?”
Fu Huan pointed at his phone. “He’s this straight. How am I supposed to confess?”
Lately, he’d just started making a tiny bit of progress—a little contact here and there. A direct confession would just make Gu Shiying request a dorm transfer.
Liang Qi: “So absolutely zero progress? Why not take a cue from Lin Zijing? That guy’s direct.”
Fu Huan: “Is Lin Zijing straight? And he’s someone my parents introduced.”
Liang Qi: “Honestly, your past suffering wasn’t for nothing. Your parents are even matchmaking for you now. Maybe consider Lin Zijing. Gu Shiying is this straight—there’s literally no future. I’m saying this for real. Straight guys are a dead end. Remember that eldest son of the Dai family? He chased a straight guy, they were together less than two years, broke up, and within two months the straight guy was married to a woman.”
Fu Huan remained silent.
Liang Qi knew his words had landed. He genuinely didn’t want to see his best friend tangled in heartache, hurt by love. Better to lay out the pros and cons before he got too deeply involved with a straight guy, to stop him from following in the Dai heir’s footsteps.
Right at that moment, Fu Huan received a WeChat message from Gu Shiying. He opened it. It was Gu Shiying paying him back for the milk tea and cake.
Whether he accepted this small sum or not didn’t matter. What mattered was that Gu Shiying truly was a straight man. He had absolutely no idea Fu Huan was pursuing him. It probably wasn’t even possible for him to realize it.
Fu Huan’s silence grew heavier.
Liang Qi patted his own treacherous mouth. Fu Huan was the type to agonize in silence, tormented by his own thoughts. He never burdened others—only himself. He was probably going to be emo for the next two days now.
He shouldn’t have said anything. This incurable romantic.
That evening, Gu Shiying was working on the proposal for his next filming project. He wanted to do a video series themed around the school canteen—something proper but with a touch of humor.
By the time he finished writing the proposal and double-checked the filming notes, he realized the dorm felt oddly empty tonight.
Oh, right. It was Friday.
Young Master Yang had flown off to another city for a friend’s birthday bash. Guan Yu was grinding away in the library until closing. That left only Fu Huan.
Normally, he’d be around too. But tonight, he surprisingly wasn’t.
What’s more, Fu Huan didn’t return to the dorm that entire night. And the money Gu Shiying had transferred for the milk tea was refunded back to his account after the 24-hour window closed.
Was he really out dating that Fine Arts heartthrob?
Pfft. See? Men were fickle. No one’s going to pine over one tree forever. Moving on to someone else was definitely the better option.
Saturday evening, Zhang Zhi was howling in the group chat, calling Gu Shiying to join him and the Dorm 701 guys online for a battle royale game.
After a couple of rounds, Gu Shiying spotted a message from Liang Qi in the group that had been originally set up to help Yang Shuheng.
[Liang Qi: Anyone up for KTV? My treat. The more, the merrier! There’ll be beauties from the neighboring Foreign Trade University attending too @Zhang Zhi @Gu Shiying]
Below that was a KTV address link.
[Zhang Zhi: Awesome, awesome! Can our whole Dorm 701 crew come?]
[Liang Qi: Come on over! We booked the super-deluxe room. Could fit an entire class in here.]
[Zhang Zhi: Yingbao, let’s go!]
Gu Shiying: “…” I totally did not want to go.
In the end, Gu Shiying got dragged into a ride-hailing car by Zhang Zhi.
Upon arriving at the KTV, they were greeted by the caterwauling of a red-haired and a yellow-haired guy. Gu Shiying’s heart nearly gave out from sheer fright.
The private room was indeed packed with gorgeous guys and pretty girls—Liang Qi hadn’t lied.
However, Gu Shiying had little interest in the beauties and belles. There, at the far end of the sofa, tucked away in the shadows, he spotted Fu Huan.
Zhang Zhi and the Dorm 701 guys were all extreme social butterflies, instantly merging into the festive chaos. Someone had gotten up on the stage to dance a girl-group dance. Videos were being taken, and general hilarity ensued. The atmosphere was absolutely electric.
Gu Shiying wasn’t comfortable in this kind of raucous setting. Eventually, he shuffled over and sat down next to Fu Huan.
He could feel that Fu Huan seemed off tonight—in a bad mood. A drink was in his hand, and his gaze was a little unfocused. He looked drunk.
Gu Shiying asked with concern, “Fu Huan? You’re not wasted, are you?”
Fu Huan glanced at him. “No.”
Gu Shiying: “Why didn’t you come back to the dorm last night?”
Fu Huan: “Did you want me to come back?”
Gu Shiying: “Huh? Yang Shuheng always says something when he goes out. I was just asking.”
Fu Huan nodded. “Mm.”
And then he fell silent again, continuing to drink.
Usually, Fu Huan was the one seeking him out to talk. Now he was just sitting there, unmoving. Gu Shiying felt like the Fu Huan before him was the Fu Huan from before he’d ever started hearing his inner thoughts.
Similarly, Gu Shiying hadn’t expected Fu Huan to indulge in both smoking and drinking. But more than that, he could feel the sadness practically radiating off Fu Huan, ready to spill over. Something must have happened.
Unable to resist, he brushed Fu Huan’s arm, tapping into those inner thoughts.
[Gu Shiying is going to marry a woman.]
Gu Shiying: ???
I shouldn’t have listened! What kind of crazy nonsense is this?!
