Ye Ran came out of the art studio and saw Shen Shi waiting by the door.
Shen Shi was leaning against the wall, a book tucked under one arm, lazily looking down at his phone. Every now and then, students passing by would glance at him.
But no one dared to strike up a conversation, nor secretly take photos.
“Shen Shi.”
Shen Shi lowered his phone and looked at him. “Class over?”
“Mm. Finished early today,” Ye Ran smiled. “Come on, Little Fatty just messaged me—he wants me to bring him a bowl of porridge.”
They walked away shoulder to shoulder, their backs gradually fading into the drizzle.
One by one, students came out of the studio, murmuring as they watched the scene.
“Ye Ran and Shen Shi seem really close.”
“Well, they’re roommates after all.”
“Never seen roommates who walk each other to and from class though…”
A girl lowered her voice, speaking with a knowing tone, “Isn’t it obvious who he’s trying to avoid?”
…
Liang Feng had just stepped out of the classroom when he heard those whispers.
He paused mid-step. His roommates exchanged glances, then quickly changed the subject: “C’mon, let’s go get some spicy chicken stew. Heard there’s a new Chongqing place by the south gate—cheap and generous portions.”
“Yeah, I heard too. They’ve got a promo right now—spend 200, get 30 off.”
“You guys go ahead,” Liang Feng said coolly.
“You’re not coming?”
“No. I’m heading to the cafeteria.”
His roommates exchanged subtle looks. Following his gaze, they spotted Ye Ran turning the corner by the stairs. One of them thought silently, What a mess… But they knew Liang Feng was stubborn to the core, so they didn’t bother persuading him.
They left chatting and laughing, while Liang Feng stood still, eyes fixed on Ye Ran’s back.
Only when Ye Ran disappeared completely from sight did he finally look away, his expression shadowed and conflicted. After a few seconds, he suddenly strode after him.
“Your boyfriend isn’t very honest, huh.”
Lin Yiqian, who had been leaning by the window, turned his gaze away from Liang Feng when he heard the comment.
There weren’t many people in the second-year art studio—no classes at the moment, just casual chatter.
His friend gave him a half-smile. “Not breaking up yet? Gonna drag this all the way to New Year’s?”
“Nope.” Lin Yiqian smiled too. “If I’m gonna drag him, I’ll drag him to death.”
“Why bother? It’s not like you can’t find someone better.”
Lin Yiqian’s fingers twitched. He took out a cigarette, didn’t light it—just held it close and inhaled the scent. “Yeah. Pretty pointless, isn’t it?”
There was a sharp undertone to his voice.
His friend hesitated, then half-jokingly said, “Looks like Liang Feng’s going to confess. Just remember, this is between you and him—don’t drag anyone else into it.”
“I know. If I got tangled with everyone, I’d die of exhaustion.”
His friend finally relaxed. “Not gonna go watch?”
“No need.”
Lin Yiqian’s lips curved in a mocking smile.
“He won’t succeed anyway.”
***
Ye Ran and Shen Shi came out of the crowded cafeteria. He was holding a bowl of Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles in his left hand and Little Fatty’s white porridge in his right.
The rain hadn’t stopped—fine droplets blew against them with the wind.
Ye Ran’s clothes were damp. Raindrops splashed into puddles with a soft pitter-patter. He had just taken a few steps when someone called to him from under the trees by the roadside.
The avenue was veiled by rain, the evergreens dry and brittle, branches intertwining overhead.
Liang Feng stood under the trees with an umbrella, half his face hidden in shadow. “Ye Ran, I have something to say to you.”
Ye Ran paused, instinctively glancing at Shen Shi.
Shen Shi’s gaze was dark; he lowered his head slightly and asked calmly, “You going?”
Something in his tone made Ye Ran’s heart flutter nervously.
He thought for a moment—he did want to clear the air with Liang Feng. Being stared at with those strange looks in class was uncomfortable enough.
“Go ahead,” Ye Ran said. “I’ve got something to say to him too.”
Shen Shi gave a quiet “mm,” his voice steady. “Give me those, I’ll hold them.”
Ye Ran handed over the noodles and porridge, then took an umbrella from his bag. He opened it and walked to the trees, frowning slightly at Liang Feng.
“What is it?”
Liang Feng pressed his lips together, drawing his gaze away from Shen Shi to look at Ye Ran. “What’s your relationship with Shen Shi?”
Ye Ran: “What’s it to you?”
Liang Feng paused, then said, “I don’t know why you dislike me so much, but you and I—we’re the same kind of people. I’ll admit I was a bit frivolous before, but I really do want to date you.”
“If you’re willing, I’ll start pursuing you.”
Ye Ran felt his teeth ache—he looked at him as if staring at some bizarre species. “I absolutely can’t accept that.”
“Alright, then I’ll wait until you can.”
Does this guy not understand human language?!
Ye Ran was fed up. From the corner of his eye, he saw Shen Shi start to walk over, apparently noticing his expression. Ye Ran was about to make a clean break of it when a sudden idea flashed through his mind—
Wait…
An absolutely perfect plan. Something that could kill Liang Feng’s hopes and strengthen his current image.
A few seconds later, he spoke—his tone deadly serious: “Sorry, I can’t accept your confession. The truth is… I’m straight.”
Liang Feng’s face went blank. “…”
“W–what?” He had imagined countless excuses Ye Ran might use to reject him, even rehearsed responses in his head—but he never expected Ye Ran would just revoke his gay card on the spot.
“You’re saying you’re straight?” Liang Feng asked incredulously.
Behind Ye Ran, Shen Shi’s footsteps came to a halt.
Ye Ran nodded, calm and unashamed. To make sure Shen Shi could hear him clearly, he even raised his voice on purpose: “That’s right. I’m not interested in men.”
Or in women, for that matter.
Liang Feng gave a disbelieving laugh. “Ye Ran, if you want to reject me, you don’t have to use that as an excuse. You’re straight? You—”
His voice gradually slowed, turning hesitant, uncertain.
He frowned tightly, staring at Ye Ran standing steady in the wind and rain, umbrella in hand, motionless. Ye Ran looked back with open impatience and disgust, as if he really were—as he said—straighter than a door frame.
Liang Feng replayed every moment since he’d met Ye Ran: the indifferent look when they signed up for the club, the unyielding avoidance in every later encounter. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that maybe… Ye Ran really did carry a kind of upright aura.
Nothing about him actually looked gay. Those clear eyes, that quiet, mild temperament… Liang Feng had only assumed it because of some supposed same-sex attraction magnetism.
Could Ye Ran really not be gay?
He hesitated again.
Maybe Ye Ran just happened to look exactly like his type?
Liang Feng couldn’t make sense of it.
Was his “same-sex magnetic field” malfunctioning?
He wavered.
Between a straight man and a gay man stood a wall—thick and heavy, impossible to break through.
So many people had failed against it; there was no reason for him to smash himself against that southern wall.
After a long silence, Liang Feng finally spoke, his tone filled with tangled disappointment as Ye Ran looked at him. “…I see.”
“You’re really straight?” he asked again, still unwilling to give up.
Before Ye Ran could answer, Shen Shi—who had walked back—spoke for him. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Holding the umbrella in one hand, he walked calmly to Ye Ran’s side. The shadow fell from behind him, pressing heavily on Liang Feng. Liang Feng opened his mouth, suddenly feeling a cold, dangerous tension in the air.
In the end, he shut his mouth. “…Nothing.”
“Then stay away from Ye Ran.” Shen Shi looked down at him from above, pupils dark and pure, carrying a faintly chilling edge.
Then he shifted his gaze away, turning to Ye Ran. “Shall we go?”
“Let’s.”
Ye Ran took the noodles and porridge from his hands and followed him without looking back.
When they returned to the dorm, Little Fatty, half-dead with hunger, jolted upright like a baby bird waiting to be fed. “Ye Ran—my porridge… my life-saving porridge!”
Ye Ran handed it over. “Got you some side dishes too.”
Little Fatty teared up in gratitude. “I declare—from now on, you’re my best brother!”
“Funny, you didn’t say that yesterday when I brought you dinner,” Brother Shu said dryly.
Little Fatty scrambled to amend himself: “No, you’re my second-best brother!”
Seeing Brother Shu raise an eyebrow, Little Fatty didn’t even blink. “And Shen Shi’s my third-best brother! This whole 211 dorm is full of my brothers!”
Brother Shu clicked his tongue. “What a shameless face.”
Typical—whoever feeds him is his parent.
Ye Ran laughed as he walked back to his seat. Halfway there, he glanced at Shen Shi’s back as he ate.
The warm orange desk lamp cast soft light on Shen Shi’s face. His expression was calm, revealing nothing—but Ye Ran couldn’t help recalling the scene earlier when he confronted Liang Feng.
…Shen Shi hadn’t looked quite right then.
He hesitated, lifted the lid of his noodles, and sighed inwardly—
So Shen Shi really does dislike gay people.
He’d better keep his little disguise tight and play it safe.
***
For the next day and a half, Liang Feng never once gave him those ambiguous looks again. Ye Ran’s “I’m straight” performance had paid off—Liang Feng’s gaze now was straight as a ruler.
Ye Ran enjoyed two peaceful days of classes. After class, he and Shen Shi bought food together and went back to the dorm; before class, they split at the stairwell. But now that Liang Feng had stopped causing trouble, Ye Ran began to feel it was unnecessary to keep bothering Shen Shi to escort him everywhere.
Shen Shi had his own social life—he couldn’t be tethered to him all the time.
Besides, Ye Ran felt a little guilty. Thinking of how he’d pretended to be straight while knowing Shen Shi disliked gay people, he hadn’t dared to meet Shen Shi’s eyes these past two days.
He was afraid Shen Shi might notice something—and look at him with disgust too.
He’d never had many friends growing up.
Only one childhood friend had stuck with him through the years.
Now that he had Shen Shi as a friend, he truly valued it—and wanted to protect it however he could.
The teacher entered the art studio—it was a sketching class today.
Students chatted quietly. After finishing his assigned task absent-mindedly, Ye Ran pulled out his phone and sent Shen Shi a message:
– Shen Shi, you don’t need to wait for me at noon today.
For half the class, his phone stayed silent. Then, right before class ended, the screen finally lit up with Shen Shi’s reply:
– Mm.
…
The finance classroom buzzed with noise. There were only about twenty students, mostly guys, but none of them talked quietly.
Shen Shi closed his phone and lowered his eyes to his book.
His fingers gripped the pages tightly, faint veins visible along his knuckles. After a long moment, he lifted his gaze—his dark eyes cold and unreadable. The classmate beside him, Yu Ting, who’d been about to lean over to chat, instantly backed off.
Shen Shi pulled out his phone again. On the screen was Ye Ran’s most recent message—a sticker of a cute white cat nodding, with a little “mm” floating above its head.
His gaze sharpened slightly. After a few seconds, his fingertip brushed the screen—
[Add to Stickers]
He sat still for another moment, staring at the little cat on his phone, and then asked softly—
– Where are you?
Ye Ran replied a little slowly: [Going downstairs, about to get food from the cafeteria. You?]
– Me too.
“Eh?” A shadow suddenly stood up beside him, startling Yu Ting so much that he stammered, “Shen Shi, what are you doing? Weren’t you going to help me clear that level later?”
“Something came up.” Shen Shi quickly put his book into his backpack and glanced at him. “You can use my account. Play on your own.”
Yu Ting’s dissatisfied look instantly melted into flattery and warmth. “Bro, if you ever need anything, just say the word!”
Shen Shi ignored him and turned to leave the classroom.
His tall, lean figure in a fitted black windbreaker drew out the lines of his shoulders and back. As he strode down the hallway, his brisk pace caught the attention of several passing students.
The stairwell on the third floor came into view. A light breeze lifted the dark fringe at his forehead. His expression remained calm, but his pale fingers were clenched tight around his phone.
…No one was there.
Then, from around the corner, came the slow sound of footsteps.
“Shen Shi?”
Ye Ran emerged from the shadows, one hand holding his phone, the other tucked in his pocket. The dim light of the stairwell cast soft shadows across his face, and his long, clean eyes glimmered faintly as he smiled. “I was just wondering if I’d run into you.”
“Want to go to the cafeteria together?”
“…Sure.” Shen Shi quietly looked up at him, gaze dark and intent. After a few seconds, he slowly loosened his grip on his phone and said, “Let’s go together.”
Author’s note:
Shen Shi: It’s a coincidence.
Shen Shi: Let’s have coincidences every day.
