Are All You Straight Guys Like This Chapter 5

Thursday.

Second period in the morning—English lecture.

Ye Ran stood stiffly at the back door of the classroom, took a deep breath, stepped forward… and then retreated a step.

Students taking the same large lecture passed by him one after another. After the heavy rain, the weather had turned hot and muggy again. The classroom air conditioner was running, its blades making a faint whirring sound.

Holding his textbook, Ye Ran felt heavy-hearted.

He’d only just made up his mind a few days ago that he must sit next to Shen Shi next class—but seeing the crowd around him now, his courage faltered.

Shen Shi was like a source of light—wherever he went, people gathered. Students from the Finance Department sat in front of and behind him, chatting with him. The atmosphere seemed harmonious.

…Maybe someone will sit next to Shen Shi this time?

Ye Ran couldn’t help thinking that.

If someone actually chose to sit there, and he still forced his way over—how awkward would that be?

He glanced at the clock. Ten minutes until class started.

Alright, he’d just wait a bit.

***

Yu Ting flipped through his book, occasionally glancing at Shen Shi sitting diagonally in front of him.

Shen Shi’s posture was lazy, his long legs stretched loosely against the seat in front.

He wore a black jacket today; his narrow, deep phoenix eyes were half-lidded in disinterest. His long fingers tapped idly on the desk—like a hunter waiting for prey to take the bait.

“What’s with you?” Yu Ting finally couldn’t hold it in. “You’ve been acting weird these past few days.”

Shen Shi turned a page. “Have I?”

“Of course you have!”

Yu Ting, who’d been in the same elite “rocket class” as Shen Shi since high school, knew all too well how cold he really was beneath his striking looks. Ever since Shen Shi’s arrival had caused a stir on campus, Yu Ting had secretly worried that one day he’d hear Shen Shi’s name in a disciplinary announcement—probably for fighting, or worse.

“You skipped the alumni mixer a few days ago, then the day before yesterday you showed up late and left early. Don’t tell me college has already gone to your head.” Yu Ting’s eyes flicked toward the empty seat beside him. “And since when are you so picky that no one’s allowed to sit next to you?”

“I’m saving it for someone,” Shen Shi said.

Yu Ting nearly fell out of his chair. “What the—!? For someone? Who are you even…?”

Saving a seat for someone? He’d never seen Shen Shi treat anyone specially before.

Shen Shi didn’t answer.

Yu Ting clicked his tongue and looked toward the front. “Hey, see that guy four rows up? The one with the half-long hair?”

Shen Shi lifted his head.

The guy had shoulder-length hair and a black choker around his neck. As if sensing the gaze from behind, he turned slightly, a faint smile flickering across his cold, jaded face.

Shen Shi withdrew his gaze casually—but the corner of his eyes remained fixed on a figure crouching in the back row.

Ye Ran was fiddling with his smartwatch, taking the strap apart and putting it back together. A few seconds later, he stopped, sighed in quiet frustration.

“…What’re you smiling at?” Yu Ting’s voice pulled Shen Shi back.

“What?” Shen Shi asked mildly.

“The guy I told you to look at—did you see him? He’s a sophomore in Fine Arts. Flunked last year’s exam, retaking it now. The one next to him is his boyfriend.”

Shen Shi paused. “…Boyfriend?”

“Yeah! He already has a boyfriend. The other day he even tried to add my roommate on WeChat to ask him out,” Yu Ting said, lowering his voice. “Artists, man. They play wild.”

“Don’t generalize.” Shen Shi frowned slightly. His gaze lingered on the pair in front, who leaned close together, looking sweet. His voice dropped. “Not everyone in the arts is like that.”

“How are they not? Nine out of ten guys in art school are gay, and the other one’s half—everyone knows that.”

Shen Shi’s brows furrowed deeper.

His reaction made Yu Ting suddenly suspicious.

“Oh d*mn…” Yu Ting sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re not—what, homophobic or something?”

Ding ling ling—

The bell rang right on cue.

Ye Ran stood up at the back door. After a brief hesitation, he finally walked toward them.

Sunlight spilled in large patches across the floor; his black hair gleamed, his fair skin looked clean and delicate, his lean frame full of youthful grace.

In that instant, the tension in Shen Shi’s brows eased. He shot Yu Ting a cold glance. “Shut up.”

Gay or not—things weren’t that simple.

Ye Ran had already reached the aisle beside him.

The English teacher called from the podium, “Students, hurry and find your seats!”

“Shen Shi.”

At the sound of his name, Shen Shi’s fingers gave a small twitch.

Then Ye Ran’s quiet voice: “Can I sit next to you?”

“Sure.”

After two seconds of silence, he stood up calmly.

As Ye Ran passed by him, the wrist holding his books looked slim and pale. A black watch strap wrapped around it like a simplified version of a choker.

“Thanks.” Ye Ran turned his head and smiled at him.

He looked beautiful when he smiled — the curve under his eyes clear and soft, his gaze pure and bright, like gentle water rippling outward.

Shen Shi sat back down.

A few seconds later, he closed his eyes briefly.

“It’s nothing.”

***

The English lecture was a long one — two periods back-to-back.

When the bell finally rang, Ye Ran’s tense body relaxed at last. He wanted to find a topic to talk about with Shen Shi. After all, since that night Shen Shi had walked him back to the dorm, he hadn’t had the chance to properly thank him.

He opened his mouth. “Shen—”

“Want some water?” Shen Shi suddenly asked.

Ye Ran froze and glanced at his empty cup. “You’re going to refill water? Let’s go together.”

“No need,” Shen Shi said. “I’ll do it.”

Before Ye Ran could respond, he added, “Hot or warm?”

“…Warm,” Ye Ran said.

Shen Shi gave a small hum of acknowledgment, took both cups, and walked out of the classroom.

Once he left, it felt as though the air around Ye Ran could finally move again.

He couldn’t quite make sense of Shen Shi today — it was as if something was bothering him; his whole mood seemed heavy, and he frowned every now and then.

“Hey, classmate.”

A light tap on his shoulder. Ye Ran turned to see a fair-skinned boy looking at him curiously, a friendly smile on his lips. “Hi, I’m Yu Ting, Shen Shi’s classmate. You are…?”

“Oh, I’m Ye Ran, Shen Shi’s roommate.” Ye Ran smiled. “I’m not from the Finance Department, though — I’m in the Arts Department.”

The moment he said that, Ye Ran noticed the boy’s expression change — flickering through several looks before settling into realization.

“…The Arts Department, huh,” Yu Ting said. “What a coincidence. I heard most of your department’s dorms are up north.”

Ye Ran nodded. “Yeah, most of them are.”

He was the only exception in the entire Arts Department.

Yu Ting asked, “So are you the only one from Arts in your dorm?”

“Yeah. The other two are from Computer Science and Literature.” Ye Ran paused, looked at Yu Ting, and added, “Everyone’s really nice.”

Yu Ting laughed. “Everyone’s nice… So, is Shen Shi nice too?”

At that, Ye Ran was certain — Yu Ting was very interested in Shen Shi.

Every sentence seemed casual, yet somehow always circled back to him.

But Ye Ran could tell that this interest was friendly, not the malicious curiosity like those on gossip forums who would dig up every little thing about Shen Shi’s life.

Thinking this, Ye Ran straightened slightly and tried to help Shen Shi make a good impression. “Yeah, even though he doesn’t look easy to approach, he’s actually a really good person.”

He spoke sincerely. “Last week I suddenly got a fever in the middle of the night — he was the one who took me to the hospital. And when it poured the other day, he walked me back to the dorm.”

Yu Ting’s mouth fell open, his fair face twisting into an expression that could only be described as shocked beyond belief.

Ye Ran sensed something off and slowly stopped talking.

“What are you talking about?”

Shen Shi had already returned. He placed a cup on Ye Ran’s desk — filled eight-tenths full with warm water. The clear blue glass reflected his face faintly. He hadn’t been gone long, yet somehow his body heat seemed higher now.

His black T-shirt radiated warmth; when it brushed Ye Ran’s arm accidentally, Ye Ran hadn’t even reacted yet before Shen Shi straightened abruptly and said, “Sorry.”

Ye Ran blinked. “…Huh? It’s fine.”

A strange silence settled between them.

Ye Ran was completely confused.

What was going on?

Why was Shen Shi acting so weird after just going out to get water?

A few seconds later, Shen Shi lowered his voice and asked, “What did Yu Ting say to you?”

And just like that, the tension disappeared.

“Not much.”

Ye Ran glanced back — Yu Ting still looked stunned, as if his soul had left his body. Seeing that, Ye Ran whispered, “He’s your classmate, right?”

He was sitting a little close when he said it.

The air conditioner above their heads blew cold air, yet Shen Shi felt an illusion of heat brushing his arm — light and slow, tracing over the taut muscles there.

“Yeah.” His fingers rubbed lightly over the textured cover of his book.

“He kept asking about you — seems like he really wants to be friends.” Ye Ran added helpfully.

That Yu Ting guy didn’t seem too bright, but he was warm and outgoing — probably the perfect type of person to befriend someone like Shen Shi, who wasn’t talkative.

“Don’t mind him,” Shen Shi said flatly.

Ye Ran choked on his words.

?…

He didn’t really understand, but he nodded anyway and stayed quiet.

Making friends probably depended on chemistry.

And Shen Shi seemed like the type who had his own considerations.

From the corner of his eye, Ye Ran could see Yu Ting frantically typing on his phone — clearly gossiping about something.

Class was about to start again, so Ye Ran pulled his attention back and began listening seriously.

***

[Unbelievable. I collapsed right in front of you after running 1000 meters and you didn’t even look at me. And now look at you! You treat that roommate you’ve known for one month better than the friend who’s been by your side for two years!]

[Shen Shi, oh Shen Shi, I never thought you had two faces! You’ve disappointed me so much. I demand an apology — to the me from one year ago! That summer was so hot, the sun was blazing, and you have no idea what kind of psychological trauma your cold indifference caused a poor seventeen-year-old boy!]

[Don’t pretend you didn’t see it. What did you tell me back then? You said you had heatstroke and were dizzy so you didn’t see me! I was too naïve, actually believing that kind of cr*p from you!]

[I’m going to expose your wicked deeds to everyone—let Ye Ran and the others all know—]

【The other party has not added you as a friend. You can only call after they’ve added you.】

[?]

【The other party has not added you as a friend. You can only call after they’ve added you.】

[???]

【The other party has not added you as a friend. You can only call after they’ve added you.】

……

Shen Shi set his phone down and simply switched it to silent mode.

Evening was settling in, the sky dim and heavy. One by one, the streetlamps outside the dormitory flicked on, and along the wooded paths, students strolled by. Their faint voices drifted in through the small gap of the open window.

Inside dorm room 211, the lights were bright.

Ye Ran came out of the bathroom, freshly showered, wearing soft gray pajamas that revealed his slender, pale arms.

Little Fatty and Brother Shu handed out flyers they had brought back from downstairs. “The clubs start official recruitment tomorrow. I saw the road by our dorm is already full of people promoting tonight. You guys thinking of joining any clubs?”

Ye Ran’s hair was still damp, falling over his eyes. He brushed it back casually. His phoenix eyes seemed washed by water, long and narrow, mist gathering in their corners.

“…Guitar Club, Taekwondo Club, Extreme Sports Club, Dance Club,” he read from the flyers, his gaze lowered. “There are so many?”

“Yeah, you should’ve seen the main square—it’s packed. The Guitar and Street Dance Clubs are even performing live. I heard it’s going to last three or four days,” Little Fatty said.

Ye Ran sat down and skimmed through the flyers.

Little Fatty kept chattering, “I’m thinking of joining two clubs. I might rack up a bunch of extracurricular credits this term. The school requires over 60 credits for graduation, otherwise you can’t get your diploma…”

Ye Ran listened, his headache slowly building.

“Ah…” he muttered to himself, “is there a more relaxing club?”

Brother Shu asked, “Like a flower arrangement club?”

…Flower arrangement.

Ye Ran suddenly recalled his trauma from painting still lifes.

He said, “I’ll keep looking.”

“This one seems okay—look at the tagline,” Little Fatty leaned over. “Astronomy Club… Activities in Mingli Building, Room 217, one fixed meeting a week. Activities include… watching astronomy documentaries…”

He trailed off. “This is a retirement club, isn’t it?”

Ye Ran mused, “Sounds nice.”

“What sounds nice?” Little Fatty looked shocked. “Ye Little Ran, I think you might be a bit of a homebody.”

Now that he said it, Little Fatty became more certain. He scrutinized Ye Ran, making him uncomfortable. 

“Really?”

“I’m positive, yes!” 

Little Fatty said firmly. “You don’t like going out or hanging around. At our age, how can you stay cooped up in a tiny classroom watching documentaries?”

Brother Shu nodded vigorously. “Exactly.”

Little Fatty went on, full of enthusiasm, “Don’t you want to see the great rivers and mountains of our motherland, walk the paths of our predecessors, experience the local culture around Beijing University?”

Brother Shu echoed, “Exactly, exactly!”

Little Fatty proclaimed, “Only in striving does youth shine bright; only through action does the future grow luminous!”

Brother Shu chimed in again, “Exactly, exactly, exactly!”

Ye Ran hesitated. “Then… where do you think I should go?”

Little Fatty answered without hesitation, “The Hiking Club!”

Brother Shu: “Exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly!”

Ye Ran: “……”

Ye Ran: “…………”

As expected.

All these motivational speeches sounded suspiciously alike.

He waved the Astronomy Club flyer. “No thanks. Let me be a homebody.”

Seeing that he really wasn’t interested in hiking, Little Fatty and Brother Shu didn’t push it. They huddled together to discuss which second club to join.

Ye Ran looked toward Shen Shi. His desk lamp wasn’t on, and his face was hidden in shadow. Stray strands of hair fell across his eyes, long and deep-set.

“Shen Shi,” he asked, “are you going to join any clubs?”

Hearing his name, Shen Shi seemed to return from his thoughts. He glanced at the Astronomy Club flyer in Ye Ran’s hand and paused slightly. “I haven’t decided.”

“Then next time you can go with Little Fatty and the others to the square,” Ye Ran suggested. “Do you prefer outdoor clubs or indoor ones?”

Shen Shi said, “Either is fine.”

So—no particular preference.

Ye Ran sighed inwardly. Sure enough, only people like him had the time to enjoy indoor clubs.

By then, Little Fatty and Brother Shu had finalized their choices. They turned to the others. “The clubs start official sign-ups tomorrow night. Let’s all go together.”

Registration could only be done in person.

“Sure,” Ye Ran nodded naturally.

“I’ll skip it,” Shen Shi said, glancing down at the Astronomy Club flyer on his desk. “The department has something tomorrow night.”

……

The dorm once again filled with Little Fatty’s excited chatter.

Everything about college life fascinated him—clubs, student council, department courses—he wanted to try them all. Brother Shu was the same. The two were always wandering around campus.

Ye Ran had already climbed into bed. He leaned over the edge, smiling as he looked down. The mosquito net was loosely tied, and the light cast over his dark hair, tracing down his long, supple frame into the soft shadows below.

Shen Shi suddenly felt warm.

Irritated, he lowered his head—and took Yu Ting off the block list.

-You there?

-My heart is wounded beyond healing. If you have something to say, burn paper for me.

-Which club did you join?

-Didn’t I already tell you? The Astronomy Club. This club perfectly fits my “artsy youth” vibe. They say the whole semester you don’t even have to go anywhere—you just watch movies and variety shows in the classroom. Lots of funding, lots of free time. The ultimate choice for lazy people.

-I’ve already talked to the senior in charge. Tomorrow I just need to fill out the form during recruitment and I’m in—no interview or anything. Why are you asking? Are you joining too?

Shen Shi didn’t answer the question.

-You’re going to the recruitment tomorrow?

-Of course! I’m the senior’s chosen poster boy. Gotta represent our Astronomy Club!

-So are you joining or not? Our club’s in high demand—once it’s full, that’s it!

Shen Shi was quiet for a few seconds, his eyelashes casting shadows across his face.

His long, pale fingers tapped the phone screen lightly. After a while, he replied:

-I’m not going.

-Help me look after someone.

Author’s Note:

Shen Shi is straight. All his past actions came from subconscious reactions—not homophobia, just discomfort and unfamiliarity. There’s a reason, which will be explained later.

This will be a full-on “watch a straight guy turn himself gay” realization moment.

Ranran is gay, but it’s the slow, lazy, couldn’t-care-less kind of gay.

More like:

#Yeah, I’m gay, so what? It’s not like I planned to date anyone.

##Shen Shi? He’s my bro, how could I ever go for someone in my own dorm?#

You’ll see more of that later.

This story is basically “The Charging Straight Guy vs. The Apathetic Gay” type of plot.

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