Monday, bright and clear.
The Mingli Building was bathed in sunlight. Carrying his backpack, Ye Ran yawned twice on the way to class.
He had an early 8 a.m. lecture, and the halls were full of students chatting and eating breakfast on the go.
“Hey, Ye Ran!”
A voice called from behind.
Ye Ran turned and saw Class Monitor Nie Anrou, who seemed to have just run over, holding a stack of leave slips.
“Morning, Class Monitor,” he greeted.
“Morning.” Nie Anrou smiled, falling in step beside him. “Didn’t see Shen Shi with you today?”
By now, Shen Shi was practically an honorary member of the Art Department.
Everyone knew—if you wanted to catch a glimpse of the campus heartthrob, aside from the Finance Department, your best bet was the Art Department. There you could see both the heartthrob and his boyfriend.
The campus forum thread [Did You Ship Them Today?] had reached 88 pages, affectionately dubbed a daily check-in ritual by the students of Beijing University.
At the mention of Shen Shi’s name, Ye Ran paused briefly and said naturally, “…He doesn’t have an early class today.”
“Oh.” Nie Anrou didn’t pry, just grinned and waved the leave slips. “Good news, Liang Feng’s taken a leave of absence.”
Everyone in the class knew about Liang Feng’s past persistence in pursuing Ye Ran. Most had assumed, given his personality, that even after Ye Ran got a boyfriend, he wouldn’t give up easily.
But ever since the astronomy club’s trip ended, both Liang Feng and his ex, Lin Ziqian, had gone completely quiet.
Ye Ran was surprised. “He took a leave?”
“Yeah,” Nie Anrou said. “All the way until finals. Guess he won’t be bothering you this semester.”
Thinking of Liang Feng and Lin Ziqian, Ye Ran’s mind drifted back to Lianwu Mountain. A lot had happened during those days, but now it all felt like a distant dream.
Most importantly… it was there that Shen Shi had turned gay.
They chatted as they walked. By the time they entered the classroom, quite a few students were already there and Ye Ran immediately felt several curious glances.
After all, his “relationship” with Shen Shi was pretty much campus-wide news. Even his classmates, who saw him every day, couldn’t help but be curious.
Ye Ran went straight to a corner seat. Wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his soft black hair, he hid most of his face from view.
The first class was Chinese Art History. The elderly professor always arrived early.
At exactly eight o’clock, the lecture began.
The professor’s voice was calm and unhurried, soothingly slow, almost hypnotic. Many students looked down at their phones or stealthily napped with their heads on their desks.
Ye Ran was a little sleepy too. He’d barely slept last night.
Normally, he never slept naked, even in summer, he would wear pajamas and stay neatly tucked in.
But that eighteen-year habit had been broken the night before.
Not only had he gone to bed without showering, but he hadn’t worn pajamas and spent the entire night tossing and turning.
As for the reason… even recalling it made him squirm uncomfortably in his seat.
…Shen Shi.
He lowered his eyes, feeling an irritable heaviness inside.
Too much.
The strange sensation on his chest wouldn’t go away. A few seconds later, Ye Ran curled up, looking a little uneasy.
His body, long and supple beneath the black cotton jacket, now slumped over the desk as if tired. Carefully, almost timidly, he loosened the soft, loose undershirt beneath.
The fabric clung lightly to his skin. He wasn’t sure what it brushed against, but suddenly his movements froze. After a long moment, he slowly relaxed his fingers. A faint redness spread across the side of his neck beneath the collar, and his head dipped even lower.
…
The painting department had only two morning classes, and before the bell rang, several students slipped out early.
Ye Ran did the same, sneaking out the back door.
On his phone was a message Shen Shi had sent half an hour ago:
—I’ll come pick you up.
He tugged down the brim of his hat, put the phone away, and had just turned a corner to head downstairs when voices drifted from the other end of the corridor.
“Is that Shen Shi?”
“D*mn, isn’t he from the finance department?”
“Girl, are you offline? He’s here to pick up his boyfriend.”
“What? He has a—wait, what?! Boyfriend—”
Ye Ran instinctively turned his head.
Mingli Building had three staircases on the first floor: the main one in the center, and two side ones. At the far end of the corridor, someone was walking toward them.
The young man was tall and upright, walking against the light. His features, outlined by sunlight, looked even more striking.
Head slightly lowered, his expression calm, he was typing something on his phone, probably sending a message.
Halfway down the hall, he suddenly lifted his eyelids, as if sensing something, and looked straight over.
Before Shen Shi could spot him, Ye Ran hurriedly descended the stairs.
Halfway down, it hit him—
The way he was acting now made it look like he was the one with a guilty conscience.
“……”
He slowed down, blending into the stream of students leaving early. The crowd was thick, and soon his phone vibrated in his pocket.
A message from Shen Shi.
—Where are you?
Just two simple words, yet Ye Ran could already picture Shen Shi’s expression—
Cool and composed, of course.
Just like that day, after “kissing” him, when Shen Shi pressed a hand to his shoulder and rasped out a low promise:
“…This is the last time.”
And then made him feel miserable the entire day.
…
After a few seconds of silence, Ye Ran sluggishly stuffed his phone back into his pocket, eyelashes trembling, pretending he hadn’t seen it.
For the time being—
He didn’t really want to see Shen Shi.
Whenever he saw him, that hot, ragged breathing would come back to his ears, low and heavy, brushing against his chest, soaked with desire and satisfaction.
…
Outside Mingli Building, the avenue was lined with withered plane trees standing in rows.
At the fork between the cafeteria and the campus clinic, he chose the clinic.
***
The campus clinic was quiet, with the faint smell of disinfectant in the air.
Two doctors sat behind the pharmacy counter, writing something. When they saw him, one looked up. “Student, you need to see a doctor first before getting medicine.”
“I’m not here for a check-up,” Ye Ran said. “Do you… have any ointment for swelling?”
“Anti-swelling ointment?” The doctor nodded. “Yes. How many tubes?”
“One’s enough,” Ye Ran paused, then added softly, “And a box of band-aids.”
When he left the clinic, he immediately tucked the medicine bag into his backpack.
He stood in the cold wind for a while, letting the chill cool down his body. When his temperature finally eased, he checked the time, it was just past ten in the morning, not lunchtime yet.
He turned toward Lovers’ Lake.
There was a small grove around it, circling the heart-shaped lake. Along the shore, benches sat spaced far apart.
Sitting on one, he could see the rippling light across the water. The cold wind stirred the surface, sending out soft waves.
There were several couples nearby, shoulders pressed together, chatting quietly.
Ye Ran stared blankly for a while.
Thinking of Shen Shi’s words about “pursuing him,” he hesitated, then slowly opened a familiar blue-and-white app—
[Gay Forum]
Given how disappointed he’d been with Baidu two days ago, the forum had now become his most trusted app.
Two minutes later, an old post, one that had guided countless gay men toward clarity and self-awareness, came back to life.
[Question: In this situation, is my friend’s friend still straight?]
Hajso: The situation is like this. The OP has a friend who’s very close to another guy, they consider each other confidants. But the OP’s friend is gay, and that other guy is straight. Now, the “straight” friend kissed him and didn’t seem disgusted… I’d like to ask everyone with experience, does that friend still count as straight?
…
99L: Marking my spot.
100L: Same, taking a photo for memory.
101L: Same here.
102L: What’s with all the photos, what are you guys talking about?
103L: Replying to 102—memorize every comment in this thread. Don’t believe a straight man will “turn.” And never believe a straight man will “turn for you.” These two sentences… carve them into your bones.
104L: Huh? What happened to the OP?
105L: Read the original post. The OP was almost tricked by a devious straight man, but thanks to the forum’s collective wisdom and vast life experience, he turned back just in time. He’s probably now happily enjoying single life.
106L: Exactly. The OP clearly came to his senses. The thread was pinned to warn future little gays to stay alert.
107L: I see… learned something new.
108L: Same, lesson learned.
…
Ye Ran typed with a heavy heart.
Hajso: I’m the OP. My straight friend actually did turn.
In just a few seconds, the replies exploded.
Ye Ran almost dropped his phone.
—What?
—Really turned gay? So “I have a friend” = yourself, huh?
—A miracle! I actually lived to see a follow-up?!
—Are you sure? OP, be careful! Recite our forum motto—never believe a straight man will bend!
—Why is no one focusing on the key point? How did OP confirm it?
—It’s over, OP’s probably already been brainwashed. Brothers, rally! Save whoever we can—
Hajso: I’m absolutely sure. He’s chasing me now.
120L: …?
121L: ?
122L: ??
123L: ???
Ye Ran, now in distress, sought help again.
Hajso: Everyone, what should I do in this situation?
The flood of replies suddenly fell silent.
The page froze as if lagging, no new replies would load. Ye Ran refreshed it twice, thinking maybe his description was too vague, leaving people unsure how to respond.
Frowning, he switched networks and refreshed again. With a whoosh, countless new comments loaded all at once.
124L: Speechless. What do you mean, “what should I do”?
—Please, OP, tell us how to make that happen.
125L: D*mn, I hate humblebraggers.
—OP, can you DM me? Let’s talk details.
126L: Wow, this forum really attracts all kinds.
—OP, elaborate please. They call me the “big sister of emotional advice.”
127L: Heh, I’m not jealous at all.
—Straight men aren’t that good anyway. OP, message me—we can trade experiences.
128L: OP turned a straight man gay, instant turn-off.
—If he’s not good in bed, he can practice. I’ve got a 2GB drive of resources. Add me on WeChat, let’s chat.
…
Ye Ran: “……”
Ye Ran: “…………”
He took a deep breath, exited the forum, and felt his blood rushing hot through his veins. His fingertips trembled; his face was tight with disbelief.
What the h*ll were these people even talking about?!
Was no one on that forum reliable anymore?
He strongly suspected that the so-called “Sexuality Encyclopedia” account from Baidu had an alt on the forum too!
In just two days, he’d suffered double betrayal, from Baidu and now from the forum.
The vast Internet, and not a single trustworthy refuge to be found.
The cold wind gradually cooled his overheated skin.
After sitting a while longer, he waited until his cheeks and ears were no longer burning, then stood up, pulled on his hat, and prepared to head back to the dorm to face Shen Shi.
He took a few steps along the lakeside path then suddenly felt a strange, prickling premonition.
He lifted his head.
The next second, his gaze met a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Beneath a tree by the shore, Shen Shi stood silently, watching him with an unreadable expression.
Ye Ran’s breath caught. His eyes widened in confusion as Shen Shi slowly straightened up and walked toward him, steady, unhurried steps, until he stood right in front of him.
…
“Where else are you going?”
Shen Shi was wearing a black windbreaker, half his body cast in shadow. The lakeside wind was biting cold, lifting the hair from his forehead. His long, dark eyes revealed no emotion as he spoke casually, “Take me with you. Okay?”
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Ye Ran’s mind went blank, scrambling for excuses, any excuse.
“What did you buy?”
Before he could come up with one, Shen Shi spoke again, his eyes glancing faintly at Ye Ran’s backpack. His tone was even, neither light nor heavy.
“Let me see.”
