The corridor wind was cold.
Ye Ran’s heart felt even colder.
The sky had darkened completely, thick clouds blocking the light, a thin veil over the quiet courtyard.
Ye Ran walked the long corridor toward the lobby, dazed, utterly confused.
It was barely past eight in the evening, yet the lobby was crowded.
Bright lights, loud chatter.
Couples in bathrobes headed for the hot springs; families of three emerged from the buffet after dinner.
Ye Ran, having barely escaped his room, now sat stiffly on a sofa in the lobby, slowly pulling out his phone—
Opening Baidu.
Yes, when in doubt, ask Baidu first.
As a loyal user, he hesitated over the search bar for a while before secretly switching his phone to night mode. With a “do or die” mentality, he typed:
[Do kisses trigger sexual…]
No!
He stopped immediately. Shen Shi didn’t necessarily have sexual thoughts; it could be a physical instinct, a conditioned reflex. Better not jump to conclusions.
Having convinced himself, he was about to continue typing when he suddenly sensed a shadow behind him. Startled like a bird, he turned to see only the back of a child.
The lobby was busy, the lounge in the center. He sat on a sofa against the passage, right in the midst of the crowd.
Ye Ran hesitated two seconds but couldn’t bring himself to openly search private questions on the sofa.
He quietly got up and noticed two pots of green bamboo in a corner. The dense leaves cast a shadow that created a private space.
He went over, checked around—good. Few people, quiet, a visual blind spot.
Finally assured nothing unusual would happen, he squatted in the shadow and carefully typed a new query:
[How to suppress male hormones]
Yes!
Shen Shi must have an overactive male hormone level.
Stimulating sexual function.
Ye Ran’s ears reddened as he read Baidu’s advice:
- Suggest bilateral testicle removal;
- Suggest oral estrogen supplements.
Chen Youxiu (Chief Physician, Pianshi City No.1 People’s Hospital, Tier 3, National Rank 11).
Ye Ran: “…”
Ye Ran: “?”
Frozen in place.
My god, the first suggestion is testicle removal?
Both sides!
Forget it, forget it.
He glanced back at his question, realizing it was too extreme. Flustered, he immediately deleted the entry and retyped the original, more reasonable query:
[Do kisses trigger sexual thoughts?]
This time, the search results were much more normal, all basically saying “yes.”
Boys in puberty, caught between youth and manhood, have high hormone levels, so sexual desire naturally increases.
Not just kissing, even accidental touching, can trigger a reaction.
Ye Ran took screenshots, carefully reading every small note to ensure the content was healthy and appropriate before finding Shen Shi’s WeChat.
Just as he was about to send it, he suddenly paused.
It felt like a gaze was pressing down on his back, heavy and dark, almost weighted with a thousand pounds of force.
A low, firm voice sounded in his ear:
“I just like you.”
Like… like you…
Like you…
Like you…
…
Ah.
Ye Ran slumped uncontrollably onto the floor, inching toward the air vent to cool himself down.
A few seconds later, he lifted his head from his knees, eyes tinged with faint red, and sighed slowly.
Shen Shi… was always completely unpredictable.
Straight one moment, suddenly bent the next; bent one moment, suddenly hard again.
Always beyond Ye Ran’s comprehension.
Like this time… he had thought their relationship was just two friends sharing a secret, yet Shen Shi could casually confess, saying he liked him.
Shen Shi.
A man who went from straight, to questioning, to a “fake boyfriend,” and now a real boyfriend, accelerating like a rocket all the way.
Ye Ran stopped overthinking and just sent the screenshots to Shen Shi.
Time stretched painfully.
A minute later, Shen Shi replied:
-Where?
Ye Ran: …
Two short words, yet he sensed a strange, dangerous vibe.
He immediately sat up straight, carefully composing his words:
[I thought about it carefully. Having a reaction from kissing is normal in puberty. You don’t need to overthink it.]
-When will you be back?
Ye Ran: [I read the expert advice. The best way is to keep a distance. After the cooling-off period, you can really understand your own feelings.]
-Okay, I’ll come find you.
Ye Ran: [So I think our “fake boyfriend” plan can end here. For the next few days, we should reduce contact, same for when we return to school.]
This time, after a brief silence, Shen Shi immediately sent a video call.
Ye Ran’s hand trembled as he pressed accept, but then flustered and quickly hung up.
“Ding—”
He lowered his head, heart still racing, staring at the phone.
The call duration showed: [00:03].
Shen Shi sent no further messages.
Ye Ran waited a while longer, back pressed to the wall in his bathrobe, shadows from the green bamboo around him making him feel oddly uneasy.
Like a little animal sensing danger, curling himself up slowly, yet confused, unsure of what to do next.
After a moment, Ye Ran closed WeChat.
The screen displayed his Baidu search: “Do kisses trigger sexual thoughts?”
He was about to close Baidu when an old post from five years ago caught his eye.
The poster’s account was deleted, but the thread had hundreds of replies.
…
[—Broke up with my boyfriend of ten years. Only now do I realize that a man’s sex and love can really be separate.
Poster (account deleted): The result is ironic. Started dating in high school, we sat in adjacent desks. He was strong in science, I was terrible at math. For a while, he would tutor me after school. Later, when we were in separate science classes, I followed him anyway. He still treated me well—after class tutoring, going out during holidays.
Naturally, that winter, we became a couple.
Over ten years, we had a long-distance relationship, but daily video calls. During college, he went to Beijing while I stayed in my city. Not particularly handsome, quiet by science student stereotype, I trusted him completely. I thought our love could withstand time.
This year, we moved in together. He came to my city and proposed on the day of the start of winter. I was happy, felt like the happiest woman alive, and accepted immediately. Until the eve of the wedding, I discovered he had a secret WeChat account. Through it, I found there had been a girl all these years: shared a bed, cried for him, drunk for him, even had miscarriages.
Ridiculous.
I did something I despise, hysterical like a madwoman in love, smashed the wedding room, hitting and cursing him. He knelt and apologized, crying, professing love, even giving all his possessions the day the wedding was canceled.
Look, did he love me? Probably.
But his body showed he could love others too.
Sex and love can be separated; one day, I too would become something he could separate.]
The high-upvoted replies were mostly “Poor OP” or “Hug OP.”
The 100th reply, with the most likes:
—Men are driven by instincts. Young girls, beware. Don’t be fooled by a scumbag’s physical reactions or sweet talk. What they do to you today, they can do to someone else tomorrow.
—Key point: The more handsome, the more promiscuous!
Ye Ran stared at the post, slowly falling into thought.
What he was thinking about wasn’t Shen Shi, but himself. As a man, Ye Ran carefully recalled his own reactions during those moments of intimacy with Shen Shi.
It seemed… there hadn’t been any reaction at all.
Could kissing really make someone react? Maybe that was just… an illusion?
Before he could think deeper, his ears suddenly caught the sound of slow, steady footsteps.
The sound came from behind him—step by step—until it stopped just behind his suddenly stiffened back.
The light in the corridor was dim.
The green bamboo leaves outside swayed gently in the breeze.
Ye Ran swallowed hard; the hand holding his phone felt slightly numb.
On the phone’s reflective screen, he could see a faint silhouette behind him.
In the silent, empty corridor—
Shen Shi stood against the light. The black bathrobe outlined his tall, lean frame. There was a trace of weariness between his brows; his head was slightly lowered, and his gaze seemed to fall upon Ye Ran’s phone. “What are you looking at?”
Ye Ran said nothing.
The air fell silent again.
After a few seconds, Shen Shi spoke.
“Can sex and love be separated?”
His voice was calm, as if he hadn’t noticed Ye Ran’s sudden stiffness. He asked casually, “What do you think, Teacher Ye?”
…
“This…” Ye Ran’s lips moved. After a long moment—under Shen Shi’s deepening gaze—he finally forced himself to say, “…I don’t know.”
Shen Shi looked at him slowly.
In the corridor, the only sound was Ye Ran’s slightly lost voice: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt sexual desire for anyone… and I’ve never really liked anyone either.”
He sighed softly, as if muttering to himself, “Cr*p… could I be sexually indifferent?”
Come join the asexual gang Ye Han ;D
We have cake, bread and other delicious goodies