Are All You Straight Guys Like This Chapter 23

The hallway lights were quiet and dim.

Ye Ran stood there, stunned, mind blank.

“You… you told someone to post it?”

Shen Shi nodded. “Mm.”

“Why?” Ye Ran looked even more confused. He had tried so hard to protect Shen Shi’s secret, but Shen Shi didn’t seem to care at all.

Most of the gay people he knew were like him—cautious, careful, tiptoeing around any same-sex contact for fear of making others uncomfortable. They all hid their orientations. The world seemed tolerant, but gossip and judgment were still everywhere.

People still equated homosexuality with chaos, darkness, or deviation.

But Shen Shi was different. He had everything—looks, charm, even a reputation as a rising star. Rumor had it a Finance Department professor had already taken a liking to him; he could start working on research projects as early as sophomore or junior year.

With a rumor like this, how could he have any future left?

“Ye Ran,” Shen Shi’s gentle voice broke through his thoughts. Under the soft light by the entryway, he looked down quietly, eyes calm and dark. “Everything is my own choice. It has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Ye Ran parted his lips slightly. After a long pause, he murmured, “Oh.”

How could it possibly have nothing to do with him?

If not for him, Shen Shi might never have come into contact with homosexuality — not now, and not for a long time to come. He would never have learned to trust it, never have… changed his orientation.

Maybe one day in the future, Shen Shi might have become gay but definitely not now. Not because of Ye Ran’s unconscious influence.

Ye Ran’s chest felt heavy, a tightness of guilt making it hard to breathe. He pressed his lips together and said to Shen Shi, “If you ever need my help, just tell me anytime.”

“I’ll go back first,” he added. “…Good night.”

Then he turned and walked into the dark hallway, step by step back to his own room.

The door closed behind him, cutting off Shen Shi’s gaze.

On the bed, his phone screen lit up again and again.

Ye Ran walked over and saw it was a message from the club president:

[——Everyone gather downstairs at 10 a.m. sharp tomorrow. We can head back to campus.]

…

Late at night, Ye Ran still couldn’t sleep.

He tossed and turned in bed, constantly refreshing the forum thread.

Posts were flooding in — the thread had already exploded, hundreds of floors high, all debating whether Shen Shi was really gay. There were even anonymous accounts across multiple threads asking for Shen Shi’s contact info.

— [Expose: Is Shen Shi really gay or not?]

— [Paying big money for Shen Shi’s contact info, urgent!!]

— [People from other universities, stay off Jingda’s forum, this is our school’s business, okay?]

Then a message came from Little Fatty, his tone clearly cautious:

– Ye Ran, are you awake?

Ye Ran looked down at the screen.

[No, I’m awake.]

– Good, you’re awake.

– So, uh, did you see the campus forum? What’s going on with Shen Shi? How did it blow up like this?

Since they shared a dorm, it was only a matter of time before Little Fatty and Brother Shu learned the truth.

[What the forum says is true,] Ye Ran replied.

The other side went silent for a few seconds, then sent several messages in a row:

– !!!

– !!!!

– Are you okay?!

[What could be wrong with me?] Ye Ran replied blankly.

– Ah no, I meant, you and Shen Shi don’t have anything going on, right? Everyone’s saying on the forum that since Shen Shi hasn’t clarified, it means he really is gay — and maybe he’s even got a boyfriend now, and decided to just come out.

Realizing what Little Fatty meant, Ye Ran let out a quiet laugh:

[I have nothing going on with Shen Shi.]

– That’s good then.

– The forum posts sounded so real they scared me and Brother Shu half to death.

– When are you guys coming back tomorrow? Let’s grab a meal together.

Ye Ran thought for a moment.

[Probably around one or two in the afternoon.]

– OK, I’ll wait for you guys.

Little Fatty’s casual attitude eased Ye Ran’s mood a little. He turned over in bed and looked toward the window.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass, heavy rain was pouring down. Fine streaks of water blurred the windowpane, making it hard to see the scenery beyond.

The peaks of Lotus Mist Mountain loomed steep and grand, and the dense forest behind it looked deep and silent under the night like an ink painting saturated with dark color.

Knock.

A sudden sound broke Ye Ran’s thoughts.

He froze and turned his head.

Knock.

Another knock, definitely coming from the door. Ye Ran sat up at once, jumped out of bed, and ran to open it.

The hallway was lit by a dim yellow wall light.

The thick gray-mouse carpet muffled every sound.

“Shen Shi?” Ye Ran blinked at the figure outside. It was nearly one in the morning, the world utterly quiet. “What’s wrong?”

Shen Shi was wearing deep black loungewear, his dark hair slightly messy, and his expression looked tired.

“Sorry to bother you so late,” he said in a low voice.

“It’s fine. What’s wrong?” Ye Ran asked, a little worried. Shen Shi didn’t look well.

Shen Shi said, “Ye Ran, I do have something I need your help with.”

After speaking, he handed his phone to Ye Ran. Ye Ran took it, puzzled—only to see a flood of new friend requests on WeChat. In the “reason for adding” field, countless strangers had written messages—some explicit, some suggestive:

— [Handsome, wanna hook up?]

— [Top-tier twink here, slim waist, soft legs, knows how to moan, meet up?]

— [Willing bottom for love, can show health report before meeting, disease-free, want to try?]

— [Campus heartthrob, came for you, free, clean, can be your long-term f-buddy, interested?]

…

Ye Ran’s pupils constricted. He scrolled through them, growing increasingly angry. Each one he saw, he instinctively rejected, frowning deeply. Even without reading the rest, he could already guess their intentions.

He had imagined Shen Shi would be popular in gay circles but still, this was too much.

Shen Shi watched calmly, making no move to stop him. His gaze was lowered, and he said evenly, “Looks like my other social media accounts were leaked too. Haven’t had a break all night.”

Ye Ran felt a surge of anger. “Who leaked them?”

“Not sure,” Shen Shi said. “Some of the people adding me are classmates I don’t really know.”

In university, there was an endless number of apps to join and groups to add, full of strangers of all kinds. Back when they first enrolled, Shen Shi’s social accounts had already been leaked — even sold openly, with his WeChat QR code priced at fifty yuan.

Eventually, tired of it, he had turned off the option to add friends entirely. But once things settled down and classes started needing group projects, he’d re-enabled it.

Now that his sexuality was exposed, the gay community, even more fervent than fangirls admiring a handsome guy, had gone wild.

Ye Ran pressed his lips together.

Shen Shi took the phone back and opened a chat window.

That must have been a senior student who had once added Shen Shi in the freshman group chat long ago. The note next to his name still said [Senior Zhang], but the messages he’d sent were almost unbearable to look at.

— Shen Shi, I just found out you’re gay too.

— Wanna play? A lot of people in our circle are interested in you. You know, there aren’t many tops like you—want me to help you pick someone?

— There’s a mixer at the “Corner” bar this Saturday. Coming? You just realized you’re gay, right? I never noticed before. I can introduce you to people.

…

The last messages came after Shen Shi ignored him—angry and condescending.

— Shen Shi, don’t actually think you’re something special.

— If you didn’t have that “single” gimmick going, do you think any of the little gays would want you? A clueless rookie like you wouldn’t even know what to do in bed!

…

A wave of absurdity and fury surged in Ye Ran’s chest; his fingers gripping the phone went white.

He couldn’t imagine how that senior could speak to Shen Shi in such a lofty, humiliating tone.

Even if Shen Shi was gay, he was absolutely not the type to mess around carelessly!

“This senior…” Ye Ran’s voice trembled with anger—calling him ‘senior’ almost felt like an insult to the word. “Do you remember who this person was?”

Shen Shi leaned against the wall, lowering his head to look at him with quiet focus. “I don’t. That’s the name he used.”

So it wasn’t even a nickname Shen Shi had set himself.

That made it harder to trace.

Ye Ran pressed his lips together. The guilt he’d felt earlier was now drowned out by burning anger. Sweat dampened his temples, his dark hair clinging to his pale skin, eyes rimmed faintly red, lashes trembling—an expression of rare fury.

Then he remembered that Shen Shi had wanted his help with something. Drawing in a deep breath, he steadied his voice. “What do you need? If I can help, I will.”

Shen Shi must have wanted him to find out who sold his contact information. Beida was a big place; it wouldn’t be easy, but with effort, it wasn’t impossible—

“I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend,” Shen Shi said.

Ye Ran: “…”

Ye Ran: “…………”

The words landed like a thunderclap. Ye Ran froze completely.

“…Huh?” It took him a good half-minute of stunned silence before he managed to squeeze out that single syllable.

Did Shen Shi just say something impossible?

Shen Shi who had gone from straight to finding a boyfriend seemingly at eight times speed.

As if sensing Ye Ran’s disbelief, Shen Shi calmly repeated, “Ye Ran, could you pretend to be my boyfriend for a while?”

Ye Ran: “…”

He grabbed at the doorframe for support, feeling as if the weight on his shoulders had suddenly doubled. “P–pretend to be your boyfriend?”

What a modern idea.

“Mm,” Shen Shi said. “After reading those messages, I realized they keep harassing me because I’m single.”

Ye Ran immediately recalled Senior Zhang’s last line.

He was dazed, since when was being single considered a selling point in the gay community?

“If they know I have a boyfriend,” Shen Shi continued, pausing as if to pick the right word, “they probably wouldn’t dare be so blatant anymore.”

Ye Ran still didn’t fully understand, but he couldn’t deny Shen Shi’s logic.

And when he thought about how much of this mess was indirectly because of him, guilt swelled again.

He began to think it through seriously. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “So what do I need to do?”

“I’ll probably have to make your identity public,” Shen Shi said, lifting his eyelids slightly to observe Ye Ran’s face. “Would that bother you?”

That part was necessary, otherwise people would think Shen Shi was just bluffing.

“I don’t mind.”

Ye Ran coughed lightly, a touch embarrassed. After his “testing if Shen Shi was gay” mission had ended, he somehow found himself reemployed, now promoted to “boyfriend.”

No wonder, they called Shen Shi the eight-times-speed man, and now he was his eight-times-speed boyfriend.

Shen Shi nodded. “When people try to bother me, I might need you to play along a bit.”

Play along?

Ye Ran thought about it, it probably meant things like marking territory or fending off rivals.

It might be awkward for him, but he clenched his fists and resolved to start studying similar TV dramas tonight.

“That should be all,” Shen Shi said.

Ye Ran exhaled in relief. Didn’t sound too difficult.

As a “boyfriend,” he was practically a utility tool.

“Alright, got it,” Ye Ran replied.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he dashed into his room and came back a few seconds later. His light gray loungewear was rumpled, but his expression was serious. He opened the notes app on his phone. “Better say it again, I’ll write it down.”

“Alright.” Shen Shi looked at him; his long, dark eyes gave nothing away, but his voice carried a faint, unreadable undertone. “Sorry to trouble you from now on.”

“It’s fine,” Ye Ran said.

His eyelids were thin, his phoenix-shaped eyes clean and clear. Knowing he could help Shen Shi lifted the heaviness from his heart; the unease, guilt, and sorrow that had plagued him all night began to fade. He couldn’t help comforting Shen Shi softly: “Don’t worry, I don’t mind the trouble.”

…

That chaotic night finally came to an end.

Ye Ran collapsed onto his bed. The soft mattress sank beneath him like cotton candy, wrapping around his body. His taut nerves finally relaxed, and he drifted into a hazy half-sleep.

He woke abruptly because his phone screen wouldn’t stop lighting up.

Ye Ran’s mind was heavy and sluggish; he picked up the phone a beat too late and saw a message from Little Fatty—

[Ye Ran!]

[What’s with Shen Shi’s WeChat status message??]

What’s with it?

Ye Ran blinked in confusion and tapped open Shen Shi’s profile.

The next second, a line of small text leapt out at him—

—Do Not Disturb. Taken.

Ye Ran: “?”

Ye Ran: “???”

A jolt ran through him—he was instantly wide awake.

Truly worthy of being Shen Shi. From realizing he wasn’t straight, to finding a “boyfriend,” to going public—he’d done it all at eight times speed.

In Ye Ran’s ten-something years of gay life, nothing had been as dramatic as the past three months since meeting Shen Shi.

In barely three months, Shen Shi had probably lived through the entire life cycle of a gay man.

Ye Ran sighed deeply. Little Fatty was still bombarding him with messages.

[What happened?? Why’d he suddenly change his status?]

[Can’t believe Shen Shi hid it so well! You didn’t hear anything beforehand?]

[Who’s the guy? Ye Ran, do you know him??]

Ye Ran hesitated, then began typing carefully under the flood of questions.

[You should know him too.]

Little Fatty: [!!!]

[For real? I could know him? I’m a total homebody—never go out—how could I possibly—]

[It’s me.]

Ye Ran answered honestly.

…

On the other end, silence. Absolute dead air.

Ye Ran frowned, a little worried. [Little Fatty? You still there?]

[Little Fatty?]

After what felt like ages, the screen finally lit up again.

—Nothing.

—Just a strange sense of fate, that’s all.

Ye Ran: “?”

Little Fatty: [I knew it. Our dorm number 211 clearly meant 2 gays and 2 straights.]

[If anyone ever calls our dorm a gay nest again, I swear I won’t let them live it down!!!]

Ten minutes later—

Just as Ye Ran was drifting off to sleep, his phone buzzed again. It was another hesitant, gossip-filled message from Little Fatty.

—Ye Ran.

—You asleep?

Half-asleep, Ye Ran grabbed his phone. [Mm?]

Little Fatty: [So, um… I couldn’t sleep. I was talking with Brother Shu about it. Between you and Shen Shi… who’s the 1 and who’s the 0?]

…

Ye Ran: “?”

Ye Ran: “???”

A shock ran through him.

The door to a brand-new world—one he’d never entered in all his years—creaked open before him with a thunderous boom.

He and Shen Shi… who was the 1 and who was the 0?

Ye Ran’s fingers trembled as he opened Baidu. Hesitating, he typed: [How to tell if a gay is a 1 or a 0?]

Among countless results, one “Gender Knowledge Encyclopedia” article stood out most.

Ye Ran pondered for a moment.

Alright. I’ll trust you… one last time.

The tips of his ears reddened as he clicked it open. The page neatly listed several “tests.”

[In modern society, same-sex relationships have become more diverse. The old ways of judging tops (1) and bottoms (0) no longer apply. True 1s and 0s aren’t defined by body type, personality, or appearance, but by the following—]

[1. A typical 1 feels a strong urge to protect the little gays around him.]

Ye Ran thought of all the years he’d been protective toward his childhood friend. Mm. That’s me.

[2. A typical 1 is independent, gentle, and attentive.]

Ye Ran recalled the way people had often described him. Mm. That’s me too.

[3. A typical 1 gives others a sense of safety.]

Ye Ran thought of Shen Shi coming to him for help just last night, so lost and helpless. Mm. That’s me as well.

Confirmed.

He was a 1.

Ye Ran calmly lifted his head, cooling his flushed ears. Opening the chat with Little Fatty, he typed firmly—

[I’m the 1.]

…

Little Fatty: [!]

[👍👍👍]

[🎉🎉🎉]

[Ye Little Ran, you’re freaking amazing!!]