The Ye family lived quite a distance from Beijing University. After a ten-minute taxi ride, Ye Ran helped his father out of the car and found a nearby hotel to stay in.
Father Ye, who was used to frequent social drinking, looked tired but no longer pale after a bowl of hangover soup.
He looked up at his son bustling about the room. “Ranran, that’s enough. You don’t need to fuss.”
Ye Ran looked at him, still worried. “I’ll order some millet porridge. You should have a little.”
Father Ye had always loved his liquor. Back when he was still a schoolteacher, he would, after every night class, sit out on the balcony with a drink and chat with Mother Ye about little things that happened at school.
Back then, little Ye Ran was only knee-high, with bright, curious eyes. He’d stick out a tiny finger to dab at the liquor, taste it, then scrunch up his face and burrow into his mother’s arms.
The two new parents, finding it amusing, would watch him quietly and then burst out laughing.
After Mother Ye passed away, Father Ye grew much quieter when he drank. Over time, he stopped drinking altogether except at social events.
Ye Ran knew his father always got dizzy the next day after drinking, so he brewed another batch of hangover soup in the hotel’s small kitchenette.
Father Ye smiled and shook his head. “No need. I drank good liquor today, no hangover.”
The cheap grain spirits sold on the market often caused headaches and nausea, but truly good liquor, brewed by hand with care at every step, only left one slightly light-headed, not ill.
Father Ye slowly rose from the sofa but staggered a little. Ye Ran immediately came over to support him. “Dad?”
“I’m fine,” Ye Huaishan said, pressing his brow. “Getting old, that’s all… Alright, I’ll wash up. You don’t need to stay up with me tonight. I know my limits.”
Ye Ran nodded, not arguing. “Then I’ll help you to the bathroom.”
Father Ye smiled, patted his son’s arm. He was in excellent spirits tonight: reunited with an old friend, met the friend’s son, and if all went well, their two families would soon be neighbors.
The older one gets, the more sentimental one becomes. Seeing Shen Shi tonight made him even happier, his old friend’s child had grown into such a fine young man. It felt as though none of the passing years had been wasted.
Father Ye went into the bathroom.
Watching his back, Ye Ran finally relaxed, slumping onto the sofa. He took out his phone, it was just past midnight. He wondered how things were going on Shen Shi’s end.
– Are you home?
He sent the message.
The reply came quickly: [Yeah, just got back.]
Ye Ran: [Uncle and Auntie?]
Shen Shi: [Asleep,] then added vaguely, [I think.]
What did he mean, asleep, I think?
Ye Ran blinked in confusion, then convinced himself maybe Shen Shi had gone to bed first and wasn’t sure about his parents.
Thinking of Father and Mother Shen, he hesitated for a bit before asking the real question: [Did you tell Uncle and Auntie about us?]
[Not yet,] Shen Shi replied quickly again, so quickly that Ye Ran could somehow hear the excitement and delight in his brief words: [Did you?]
Ye Ran: [Not yet either.]
[They’re both older, so we shouldn’t rush it. We’ll take our time.] he explained.
[Okay,] Shen Shi said. [I’ll follow your lead.]
…So Shen Shi was thinking the same, take it slow.
Ye Ran fully relaxed, sprawling on the sofa as he replayed the night’s events. Aside from the initial panic and confusion, the more he thought about it, the funnier it seemed.
What were the odds? His father and Shen Shi’s parents not only knew each other, but were close friends.
Recalling Mother Shen’s repeated comments during dinner, Ye Ran couldn’t help laughing to himself.
…Could it really be fate?
In the bathroom, Father Ye finished washing up, drank a glass of water, and went to bed.
“Ranran,” he said wearily, “you should sleep too. You have school tomorrow.”
The hotel’s twin-bed deluxe room was nicely arranged. A light breeze drifted through the balcony; through the gauzy curtain, one could see the dark, tranquil night sky outside.
“Alright.”
Ye Ran responded softly, put down his phone, and went into the bathroom to wash up.
…
When he came out, nearly half an hour had passed.
The main light in the room had been turned off by Father Ye, leaving only the small warm lamp by the entryway.
In the darkness, the phone plugged in by the outlet blinked as it charged. Ye Ran picked it up and saw a new message from Shen Shi.
– Are you asleep?
He couldn’t help curving his lips into a smile. A mischievous thought flickered in his mind. Quietly, he pushed open the balcony door, stepped into the cool night breeze, and typed: [Asleep.]
[Hmm?] The other side replied lazily: [Then who’s talking to me right now?]
[This is Smart Butler Little Ye.]
[Oh, so it’s Classmate Little Ye,] Shen Shi replied.
Then he said, [Classmate Little Ye, could you please pass along a message to your master for me?]
The night air wasn’t warm. The edges of Ye Ran’s ears, half-covered by a towel, flushed faintly red. The corners of his eyes curved upward; leaning against the balcony railing with both arms, he asked playfully: [What message?]
[Good night,] Shen Shi said.
There was a pause of two seconds. Then he added, [Good night, little brother Ye Ran.]
Ye Ran couldn’t hold it in anymore, a laugh escaped him. Inside the room, Father Ye turned over and mumbled in a husky voice, “…Ranran, why aren’t you asleep yet? Children shouldn’t stay up late.”
“Ah…” Ye Ran quickly stifled his laughter. “My hair’s still wet, I’m letting it dry.”
“Don’t stand in the cold wind, you’ll catch a cold,” Father Ye warned.
“Okay, got it.”
He answered quickly, lowered his gaze back to the phone, and typed gently: [Message delivered. Good night to you too, Older Brother Shen Shi.]
[See you tomorrow.]
After turning off his phone, he obediently got into bed under Father Ye’s mildly disapproving gaze, closed his eyes with contentment, and drifted off to sleep.
***
At that very moment, in a hotel not far from Beijing University.
The presidential suite was brightly lit.
Shen Shi lowered his head, staring at Ye Ran’s reply on his screen. The smile on his lips deepened. Lazily switching the phone to his other hand, he shifted his body slightly and continued kneeling steadily on the floor.
This time, Mother Shen was truly furious. She hadn’t just made him kneel, she’d made him kneel on the bare dining room floor, where there was no carpet.
The tiles had already warmed under his body heat. His back was straight, and in his mind, through Ye Ran’s playful words, he could almost see that face on the other end holding a phone, smiling softly, eyes bright, cheeks warm and soft.
Father and Mother Shen came out of the bedroom, only to see their son’s expression, clearly not one of repentance.
Mother Shen’s wavering attitude instantly solidified. Her eyes blazed as she glared at him.“What are you smiling for? Look at yourself! This is exactly what happens when I’ve spoiled you too much all these years, you’ve grown utterly fearless!”
When Mother Shen lost her temper, both Shen men knew better than to talk back.
One lowered his head; the other stayed silent. Neither spoke a word.
Mother Shen, her shawl loosely draped and her hair slightly messy, sat down on a chair Father Shen had pulled out for her. Frowning, she looked at Shen Shi and forced her anger down. “Do you know why I’m making you reflect?”
Shen Shi said, “I don’t.”
That made her even angrier. “You—! All these years, your father and I have given you everything: food, clothes, anything you wanted to do, I’ve supported you! All I ever asked was that you be a good person, someone who contributes to society. And what did you just say? You actually… actually want to—”
She got so worked up her mind blanked. “You actually want to force someone’s hand! Where did all your sense of decency and shame go? I’m so disappointed in you!”
Shen Shi: “?”
Something felt off. Cautiously, he said, “Mom, I wasn’t trying to force—”
“Shut up!” Father Shen barked. “When your mother’s talking, you listen!”
Shen Shi looked at him once, then kept quiet.
Father Shen, having cowed him into silence, glanced at his still-fuming wife after a pause. “Ruoyan, this boy is indeed rebellious, but I don’t think he’d go as far as to… force… a man.”
Even he winced at the last words.
Mother Shen slammed the table with a loud bang. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you! You’re the one who’s always too busy with work. I asked you to attend one parent meeting — one! And you always had something more important to do!”
“I looked it up,” she went on furiously, “Kids who like the same sex usually lack fatherly love or grow up in dysfunctional families! And tell me, what’s the one thing dysfunctional about our family? It’s you!”
Shen Shi: “…”
Father Shen: “…”
Both of them looked stricken. Shen Shi nearly lost his balance kneeling, his eyelid twitching as he struggled to redirect her logic. “Mom, that’s not the reason—”
“Shut up! I see clearly now, you father and son are both hopeless! One of you works nonstop and dumps all the parenting on me, and now look what’s happened, our perfectly good son’s filled his head with criminal thoughts, learning all that capitalist corruption! When you land yourself in jail one day, I bet your father will turn around and blame me for not raising you right!”
Soon-to-be-jailed · full of capitalist tendencies · Shen Shi: “…”
Neglectful father · reeking of money and workaholism · Father Shen: “…”
Mother Shen’s voice began to tremble, and her eyes turned red as she dabbed them with a tissue. “What did I do to deserve this? How did I end up stuck with you two? Ye Ran’s such a good boy… Shen Shi, I’m warning you, if you dare do anything that insane, I’ll be the first to deal with you!”
“Mom,” Shen Shi said, rubbing his temples, explaining with as much patience as he could muster, “I wasn’t thinking anything like that.”
He just wanted to take the proper, open path and date someone, there was never any coercion involved.
He and Ye Ran were clearly mutually in love.
Mother Shen was stunned, forgetting even to wipe her tears, looking at him in disbelief:
“…What do you mean? You just want to play around and not take responsibility?”
Shen Shi: “?”
Shen Shi: “……”
“Fine, really fine!” Mother Shen slammed the table and stood up. Years of restraint held back her impulse to hit him. “Luckily, you told me this beforehand. If you had actually succeeded, how could I face Ye Ran’s mother? How could I hold my head up in front of her!”
Shen Shi remained silent. Mother Shen’s tone was full of anger and sorrow. Suddenly, Shen Shi lifted his eyelids, his deep dark eyes revealing a faint trace of bitterness and irritation, as if the words had struck a nerve.
This unexpected expression shocked Father and Mother Shen, who both fell silent, forgetting what they were about to say.
With indifference in his eyes, Shen Shi twisted the corner of his mouth and asked, “If I take him seriously, Mom, would you still oppose it?”
“You—” Mother Shen’s heart raced, momentarily at a loss for words: “You, Shen Shi… what are you saying?”
“I’m not saying anything,” Shen Shi’s expression stayed cold and gloomy, his tone casual: “If it’s not possible, then forget it.”
His calm tone sounded far from casual to Father and Mother Shen’s ears.
Mother Shen’s fingers trembled slightly. In shock and anger, the many ways she had imagined to shut down Shen Shi’s intentions all seemed powerless for now. His demeanor genuinely made her wary.
She wasn’t afraid he would be foolish, but she feared Ye Ran would get caught in the mess.
Over the years, the grandparents from the Jiang family and the Shen family had given Shen Shi much freedom. Plus the funds, stocks, shares he received on his coming-of-age day, plus dividends and profits from various Shen family businesses, plus private investments with the Jiang family’s young masters, every one of those gave him the confidence to act lawlessly or immorally.
Ye Ran was the only son of Mother Ye and also the child she wished to adopt as a godson and cherish.
This… what could she do now…
She instinctively looked at Father Shen, who frowned tightly, his eyes showing suspicion and anger: “Shen Shi! Do you even know what you’re saying? Your mother and I raised you for so many years, and this is how you repay us?!”
“Oh,” Shen Shi twisted his mouth, coldly said, “So what do you want? For me to marry some woman I don’t even know and give you a grandson?”
“Nonsense!” Father Shen completely lost his temper and kicked out, the kick landing solidly on Shen Shi’s waist. Shen Shi’s straight back wobbled slightly but his expression didn’t change.
Mother Shen’s face instantly went pale. Panicked, she rushed in front of Shen Shi, glaring fiercely at the enraged Father Shen: “What are you doing? Who gave you permission to hit our child? You wouldn’t teach him before, and now you’re so unhappy you start hitting him? Does everything have to revolve around you?!”
Father Shen was shocked: “Did you hear what he just said?”
“What? Not liking women? Well, I don’t like women either, should you hit me too?” Mother Shen snapped.
Father Shen was speechless for a moment: “…”
After a while, he suppressed his anger, his face still scowling as he bit his teeth: “Fine, just spoil him then!”
“I’ve spoiled him for more than ten years,” Mother Shen sneered, “So what if I keep spoiling him? If this kid dares to pressure Ranran even once, I won’t let him off!”
“But if he courts Ranran properly and Ranran agrees, that’s his own ability!”
Father Shen’s heart jumped, his voice involuntarily raised: “What do you mean? You support that he likes men?!”
Mother Shen regretted what she said just now, but the words had already been spoken and couldn’t be taken back. After a brief moment of hesitation, she recalled how Ye Ran had behaved at the dinner table: upright and gentle in temperament, not seeming like someone who liked men.
If her son’s feelings were one-sided, that was one thing. But as a mother, she couldn’t be the obstacle on his inevitable road to heartbreak.
After thinking it over, which in reality took only a few seconds, she bit her lip and nodded: “Yes, I agree.”
It was just liking the same sex.
Society was so open and tolerant nowadays. She had money, Father Shen had money, Shen Shi had money, they didn’t care about such superficial things!
Father Shen’s expression was complicated, a mix of emotions crossing his face. Finally, he just waved his hand and sighed as he turned away: “Fine, do whatever you want. I’m done.”
He went straight into the bedroom, his back seeming full of anger. The door slammed loudly: Bang!
Mother Shen sneered coldly and withdrew her gaze.
After the living room fell silent, she realized Shen Shi was still kneeling on the floor.
“Shen Shi!” She hurriedly helped him up, both angry and worried, made him sit on the sofa, and anxiously asked, “Do you want me to call a doctor?”
“I’m fine.” Shen Shi’s face was pale, his eyelids heavy and gloomy. Leaning against the sofa back, he seemed lost in thought.
Mother Shen inexplicably sensed something bad from him.
Afraid he really was thinking about those illegal things, she was uneasy and clutched her handkerchief, cautiously asking, “Shen Shi, if you really want to pursue Ranran, how do you plan to do it—”
Oh no.
Mother Shen had lived half her life and never imagined she’d one day be discussing how to court a man with her son.
Hearing this, Shen Shi’s gloomy expression shifted slightly. He looked at Mother Shen calmly and said, “Mom, I need your help with this.”
“Me?” Mother Shen immediately shook her head without hesitation: “I can’t help you with that!”
Shen Shi paused, his expression darkened again.
“…” Mother Shen took a deep breath and changed her tone: “Alright then, Shen Shi, tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I want you to sound out Uncle Ye first,” Shen Shi said. “See what he thinks about homos*xuality.”
Mother Shen: “……”
She closed her eyes briefly, then suddenly stood up. “Wait here. I’ll go get your father.”
Father Shen had only just gone to the bedroom to sulk for a few minutes before being called out by Mother Shen.
When he sat down on the sofa, he thought Mother Shen wanted Shen Shi to apologize to him, so he still wore a cold face, acting stern—only to hear Shen Shi say, “Dad, can you go sound out Uncle Ye? See what his opinion is on homos*xuality.”
Father Shen: “……”
His expression froze, and he unconsciously leaned back in his seat. “That… that’s not something I can do.”
“Better let your mom—” He turned to Mother Shen for support, only to find her avoiding his gaze, saying guiltily, “You and Old Ye have been friends for so many years, what’s wrong with asking him?”
A nerve twitched in Father Shen’s forehead.
This wasn’t some good thing to talk about! His son had set his sights on another man’s son, who’d have the nerve to bring that up?
“Wait a second,” he caught the key point sharply. “Why ask Uncle Ye’s opinion first? Are you saying you can actually pursue Ranran?”
Mother Shen belatedly realized it too. “Ranran… doesn’t like men, does he?”
Shen Shi didn’t seem to care at all. “It’s fine. I’ll find a way.”
This brat—!
Mother Shen wanted to scold him, but when she saw that he was teetering on the edge of some mental collapse, she bit her tongue and turned to glare at Father Shen instead. “I told you to sound out Old Ye’s attitude, such a small thing, and you can’t even handle it? I’ve raised this child all these years, and now there’s finally something you can be useful for, and you still can’t pull your weight!”
Father Shen was instantly under immense pressure, already feeling he’d never be able to look Ye Huaishan in the eye again.
“But what if Old Ye’s against it…”
Before he could finish, Mother Shen cut him off. She cleared her throat softly, then gentled her tone and said to Shen Shi, “As for Ranran, I’ll try to find out what he thinks, whether he likes women… or men.”
“My son,” she said worriedly, “our Jiang family has never produced a deviant. If Ranran doesn’t like men and you still want to chase him, I will never agree!”
Father Shen added, “And our Shen family has never raised anyone who bullies the weak!”
Seeing that they were both about to explode, Shen Shi decided to stop while he was ahead. The faint smile at his lips disappeared, his expression still shadowed and irritable. He only gave a low “mm.”
Mother Shen grew even more anxious.
Father Shen grew more suspicious too, his instincts told him something about Shen Shi wasn’t right. But the moment he remembered that he had to ask Ye Huaishan about this, his head started throbbing again.
…What kind of ridiculous mess was this?
***
The next morning, sunlight was streaming bright through the windows.
Ye Ran had slept deeply and comfortably, only waking when Father Shen called him for lunch.
His phone on the pillow was full of notifications.
When he checked, he saw that at two-something in the morning, Shen Shi had inexplicably sent him a message:
[Shen Shi]: Done.
Ye Ran: “?”
Done what?
He rolled over, and soon noticed another message from Mother Shen.
He had added her on WeChat at dinner yesterday, but he hadn’t expected her to contact him so soon.
Feeling a little nervous, he sat up straighter and opened the chat carefully.
[Mother Shen]: Ranran, Auntie has a question for you. What do you think about homos*xuality?
Ye Ran: “???”
Auntie.
What exactly happened to your family overnight!?
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