Ye Ran shot upright in bed, eyes wide open, staring at his phone without daring to blink.
…What on earth was going on?
Why was Auntie Shen suddenly asking this kind of question?
Wait, could this be Shen Shi’s first move in his grand strategy? Start by “educating” his parents about homosexuality, little by little?
If that was the case…
Ye Ran resisted the urge to message Shen Shi directly and instead cautiously, tentatively replied to Mother Shen: [Ye Ran]: I think it’s just a normal sexual orientation.
Mother Shen seemed to be holding her phone right then; she immediately sent another message:
[Mother Shen]: Ranran, then would you dislike that kind of person?
Ye Ran couldn’t help laughing. He was that kind of person, how could he dislike them?
He thought for a moment, then typed carefully:
[Ye Ran]: Auntie, I wouldn’t say I like or dislike them, but I definitely don’t discriminate against them.
There are good and bad people in every group.
The outside world had so many biases and suspicions about homosexuality—not all unfounded, but also not all fair. Ye Ran thought the best he could do was to hold to his own standards and not mix with those who tainted the name of the community.
[Mother Shen]: That’s good.
Her next message came quickly, and sounded even stranger:
[Mother Shen]: That’s good.
Ye Ran: “?”
A sense of foreboding deepened. He frowned.
[Ye Ran]: Auntie, why do you suddenly ask this?
[Mother Shen]: Oh, it’s just that brat—
Ye Ran’s eyelid twitched, his heart leaping to 180 beats per minute—
Only for Mother Shen to hurriedly follow up:
[Mother Shen]: Suddenly brought up the topic with me. Didn’t scare you, did it, Ranran?
Thanks, I’m already terrified.
Ye Ran let out a helpless laugh and replied:
[Ye Ran]: No, not scared. Auntie, have you had breakfast?
[Mother Shen]: I have. Ranran, how about you? How’s your father?
[Ye Ran]: We both ate. You and Uncle drank quite a bit yesterday, better eat something light today, take care of your stomachs.
[Mother Shen]: Okay, thank you, Ranran.
She couldn’t help smiling at her phone. The more she chatted, the more pleased she became, completely forgetting her original “mission.”
[Mother Shen]: You too, Ranran. I noticed you didn’t eat much last night. You’re still growing, make sure to eat more.
[Ye Ran]: I already ate before we left yesterday. The restaurant food was great, the sweet rice wine dumplings were especially good.”
[Mother Shen]: Yes, yes, both Little Shi and I thought it was great. Next time you’re free, Auntie will take you there again.
Mother Shen’s smile deepened.
[Ye Ran]: Thank you in advance, Auntie.
[Mother Shen]: No need to be polite with Auntie. The men always talk business at the table anyway. Next time Auntie will just take you and Little Shi out to eat together, we can have a proper chat.
Ye Ran smiled helplessly. He figured that after last night’s dinner, Mother Shen probably hadn’t been too satisfied.
[Ye Ran]: [Alright.]
When Mother Shen finally put down her phone, Father Shen, who had been pretending to read the newspaper on the other end of the sofa, immediately lifted his head. His usually stern face carried an unusual trace of unease. “So? What did Ranran say?”
Mother Shen rubbed her forehead, her smile still lingering. “Ranran’s a good kid, of course. I asked him quite a few questions, he answered them all. At least our son doesn’t have to worry about not being able to get close to him.”
So, he didn’t discriminate against homosexuals.
Father Shen quietly exhaled, the tension in his back easing slightly. But just as he began to relax, he caught Mother Shen narrowing her eyes at him impatiently. “And you? Why haven’t you gone to talk to Old Ye yet? I’ve already done my part. Don’t drag your feet.”
“…Ruoyan,” Father Shen’s grip on the newspaper tightened, “you know what Old Ye’s temper is like.”
Upright, unbending.
A man with the pride and stubborn integrity of a scholar.
If Father Shen really dared to bring up such a thing and let slip that his own son fancied the man’s son, before Ye Ran even realized it, Ye Huaishan would already be storming the Shen household with a kitchen knife.
Back in the day, Father Shen and Father Ye were as close as brothers, they played ball together, got into fights, argued, and always made up a few days later. Yet even after all these years, Father Shen could still feel the ache where Ye Huaishan’s fist once landed in his ribs.
Mother Shen clearly thought of the same thing.
Both of them fell silent at once, simultaneously regretting having boarded Shen Shi’s pirate ship.
“This can’t be rushed,” Father Shen said at last, folding up the newspaper with a grave expression. “We need to take it slow, first let Old Ye become familiar with the idea of… the homos*xual community, then make a plan.”
“Mm, you’re right.”
Lowering her head, Mother Shen looked down at her chat history with Ye Ran, her emotions tangled. Her fingers unconsciously brushed over his WeChat profile picture—
—a wide, peaceful stretch of grassland.
Wind sweeping through, bending the grass low, cows and sheep visible in the distance.
Such a gentle, well-behaved boy… Regardless of whether he and Shen Shi could end up together, whether her son succeeded or not, she would still cherish him as if he were her own.
***
At the hotel, Ye Huaishan had just finished washing up and was seated at the dining table reviewing messages from his assistant that morning.
The company had been progressing steadily and was now on the rise.
Among many mid-sized firms, their performance stood out; shareholders were confident. The assistant had sent over a list of potential partner companies, another major project. He’d have to investigate their backgrounds, plan the company’s next direction, and then decide whether to cooperate.
Feeling a headache coming on, he got up to make himself some coffee then happened to glance at the bed.
Ye Ran had stayed up late last night taking care of him. Worried the boy hadn’t slept enough, Ye Huaishan had only woken him briefly for breakfast and then told him to rest more. But now Ye Ran was awake, sitting cross-legged on the bed, smiling faintly down at his phone.
He knew his child best.
That kind of smile didn’t look like the one he wore when chatting with An Yu.
After a brief pause, Ye Huaishan had a guess. He picked up a cup of hot water and asked casually, “Ranran, how’s An Yu doing lately in England?”
Ye Ran froze mid-reply to Shen Shi’s message.
Just two days ago, An Yu had messaged him in the middle of the night, whining about how greasy the food was at his school cafeteria, clearly not eating well and in a bad mood.
“An Yu’s fine,” Ye Ran said with a smile. “But he’s tired of the food over there. Keeps saying he wants to come back to China.”
Ye Huaishan nodded, confirming that his son wasn’t chatting with An Yu. “He can’t cook?”
“He can,” Ye Ran chuckled. “He just doesn’t do it often.”
Ye Huaishan sipped from his mug, quietly observing him.
Ye Ran was dressed in light spring clothes, his hair a bit tousled from sleep. Sunlight from the large window behind him outlined the lean line of his shoulders and neck.
His eyes were bright and clear, his smile soft and restrained.
That smile, it hit Ye Huaishan with a pang of déjà vu. He’d worn the same look back when he was courting Ye Ran’s mother.
…This kid.
Ye Huaishan shook his head with a helpless smile. About time he started dating, anyway.
He just wondered what kind of girl the other person was.
Taking another sip of his coffee, rich and smooth, he sat back down and returned to work.
…
That afternoon, Ye Huaishan was preparing to drive Ye Ran back to school.
Just before they left, the phone rang, it was a call from the property management office.
It was four in the afternoon.
The setting sun cast golden light through the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows, spreading across the hardwood floor.
Ye Ran had just put on his jacket when he saw his father’s expression harden as he asked the person on the other end, his tone unusually sharp: “You’re only finding out about suspicious individuals now? It’s been almost three months, what kind of work ethic is this…?”
Ye Ran froze. Suspicious individuals?
He listened quietly as his father questioned the property manager. Ten minutes later, Ye Huaishan hung up, his expression dark.
“What happened, Dad?” Ye Ran asked.
Ye Huaishan replied, “The villa district’s replacing a batch of surveillance cameras. The old ones had blind spots. Two houses in the southern section were broken into by thieves. When the property team reviewed the footage, they discovered someone suspicious had appeared near our place too… That was three months ago, back when you were home alone. If anything had happened back then—”
He shut his mouth tightly, suppressing his words, his gaze turning cold.
Ye Ran felt a chill run down his spine. …A thief scouting the place?
Father Ye’s phone buzzed again. He unlocked the screen, took a quick look, then walked over to the hotel’s television to connect it to the network.
“They sent over the surveillance footage, told us to see if it might’ve been someone we know.” Father Ye gave a sharp, humorless laugh. “A bunch of useless fools.”
Someone they know?
No one in the Ye family circle was short on money.
And they’re calling it a ‘familiar culprit’? What a ridiculous excuse.
Still uneasy, Ye Ran messaged Shen Shi, telling him he might not be back to school that night.
The reply came quickly.
[What’s wrong?]
Ye Ran: [Something came up at home. I have to go back with my dad tonight.]
[Alright,] Shen Shi didn’t press further. [Call me if anything happens.]
Ye Ran: [Okay.]
When he put down his phone, Father Ye had already projected the surveillance footage onto the TV. The two of them sat side by side on the sofa, faces tense, staring unblinking at the screen as the images came into focus.
In the top-right corner of the video, the time and location were displayed.
Ye Ran glanced at it and froze.
—December 24th, 11:55 p.m.
Christmas Eve?
His heartbeat suddenly sped up, a vague sense of unease creeping in.
That timing… was too coincidental.
That very night, he’d seen Shen Shi at the hot spring resort. It was the same night they’d confirmed their relationship.
Fortunately, Shen Shi had been waiting outside the resort the entire time, so whoever was prowling around the villa district couldn’t have been connected to him.
The next second, two figures appeared on the fast-forwarded footage.
Father Ye gave a sharp snort through his nose. “Ha!”
It was late at night. Two men in black padded jackets, faces hidden behind masks, completely covered from head to toe, paced back and forth in front of the Ye family’s gate, seemingly taking pictures.
Definitely thieves.
Ye Ran’s face tensed. It looked like they had already figured out that no one or only one person was living there, and emboldened by that, one of them leaned against the iron gate, peering inside.
Father Ye’s fist clenched tight on the sofa. He picked up his phone, thumb pressing the digits 1-1-0.
On screen, the two thieves prowled for nearly half an hour. Finally, one of them bent down and made a small mark on the lower left corner of the gate. The spot was so hidden, later covered by snow, that even Ye Ran’s careful nature wouldn’t have led him to dig through it.
Cold sweat prickled on his palms.
Then, instead of leaving, the two men began pulling tools from their bags as if preparing to break in right then and there.
Father Ye’s sharp eyes caught a glint inside their toolbox, a knife.
Even though the incident had happened three months ago, he instantly broke into a cold sweat. His breathing quickened, and he turned sharply toward Ye Ran. “Ranran?”
Ye Ran’s face was pale. Understanding his father’s concern, he shook his head solemnly. “Dad, I wasn’t home then, I went out with Ah Yu.”
“That’s good…” Father Ye’s stiff shoulders finally sagged slightly, though anger flared hotter in his eyes.
Was the villa district’s security made of paper?!
But as that thought passed, another suspicion rose.
Wait, if the house had really been broken into, how had Ye Ran not noticed?
Ye Ran also seemed to have just realized something, his expression distant and dazed.
A few seconds later, a thought hit him. His eyes darted to the timestamp in the corner.
—December 25th, 1:00 a.m.
Wait. That time—
The next moment, the two men, just about to pry open the iron gate, suddenly froze, hurriedly packed up their tools, and bolted in a panic. They crouched in the bushes across the street, peeking out nervously.
“The security team—” Father Ye said coldly, “seems like they arrived just in time.”
But Ye Ran’s heart was pounding in his throat. His instincts screamed don’t keep watching.
Yet on screen, two blinding headlights suddenly cut through the darkness.
A sleek, black, understatedly luxurious G-Class SUV rolled into view.
Ye Ran’s mind went boom, blanking out completely.
…Oh no.
“Huh?”
Beside him, Father Ye made a puzzled sound.
The black G-Class stopped right in front of the gate. The two thieves, who had been hiding, immediately bolted without a backward glance. The bushes trembled violently. Then, the car door opened.
A familiar figure in a white down jacket stepped out, walking straight past the bushes where the thieves had been hiding.
Father Ye: “…”
Ye Ran: “…”
Ye Ran’s eyelids twitched as he stared at the screen, staring at himself.
Five seconds later, the back seat door opened too.
Father Ye: “…”
Ye Ran: “…”
The air between them turned eerily still. On the screen, An Yu walked calmly past, stepping right over the thieves’ footprints without a glance.
A minute later, the car engine shut off.
Father Ye: “…”
Ye Ran: “…”
And there appeared a face: handsome, cool, and composed. Even through the grainy black-and-white footage, the tall, lean outline was unmistakable. The boy casually hooked his pinky around Ye Ran’s.
Just after getting out, he paused slightly, lowered his gaze, and turned his head, looking thoughtfully toward the spot where the footprints had vanished.
If Father Ye had still been merely puzzled before, then five minutes later when the boy leaned down toward Ye Ran, whispering something softly by his ear, his mind, at last, snapped into perfect, blazing clarity.
Father Ye: “?”
Father Ye: “???”
……
Watching that scene, Ye Ran finally closed his eyes in utter despair and embarrassment, falling completely silent.
…Sorry, Shen Shi.
I don’t think I can take things slowly anymore.
***
That evening, Father Shen was pacing in his study, staring anxiously at his phone.
On the screen was none other than Ye Huaishan’s number.
He walked back and forth in agitation, his expression a mix of helplessness and regret. So now the task of dealing with the future father-in-law had been dumped on him by that brat Shen Shi?
Truly, what a filial son.
Ten minutes later, he finally steeled himself. Looking at the list of tentative “conversation openers” he had drafted in WPS, he decided to start from the first one and ease into the topic step by step.
—Old Ye, do you know what homosexuality is?
Mm, that should work. Direct, but not too direct. Given Ye Huaishan’s personality, unless he explicitly spelled out his intent, the man probably wouldn’t jump to any conclusions right away.
After a moment’s hesitation, Father Shen pressed “call.”
The next second, the incoming call ringtone suddenly rang—
He froze, staring at the caller ID flashing the three characters: “Ye Huaishan.”
Speak of the devil.
He answered cautiously, “Old Ye?”
On the other end, Ye Huaishan’s voice sounded weary and aged, a bit slow, as if still in shock. “Ah… Old Shen.”
Catching the odd tone, Father Shen frowned. “It’s me. Why are you calling so late?”
Ye Huaishan’s reaction was still sluggish; his words came haltingly, one question at a time. “Oh… it’s like this… I have something I want to ask you.”
“Go ahead,” Father Shen said with concern. “What’s the matter?”
Ye Huaishan was a man who valued distance in his dealings. As a friend, he never asked about business matters; whether to cooperate or not depended entirely on mutual benefit.
So if he was calling this late at night, it must be something serious.
Father Shen’s expression grew grave. Could it be that the Ye family company had been maliciously targeted?
It wasn’t impossible.
Within seconds, he’d already devised how to help Ye Huaishan handle the matter, not only for the sake of their friendship, but also because of Shen Shi’s feelings toward Ye Ran.
If he could resolve this perfectly, then when Shen Shi eventually came clean, hopefully Ye Huaishan would remember this favor… and go easy on him.
Father Shen sighed silently, focusing his attention on the call.
Then, after a few seconds of hesitation, Ye Huaishan finally asked in a weak voice, “Old Shen… do you know what homosexuality is?”
Father Shen: “?”
Father Shen: “???”
…This line sounded awfully familiar.
***
Thursday night.
South Gate of Beijing University — Barbecue Street.
Outside Little Fatty’s Barbecue, several round tables were set up somewhat haphazardly, but business was booming. Students filled every seat, fresh out of class and ready to feast.
The owner, wearing a red apron, shouted over the noise, “Students, your draft beer, Fanta, Coke, fifty skewers of squid, thirty of lamb, thirty of beef… the rest’s still grilling! We’re packed right now, so you’ll need to wait a bit!”
“No worries, no worries,” Yu Ting grinned, handing out the beers to everyone at the table. Taking a big sip of cold beer, he asked excitedly, “So you guys came out that smoothly?”
Shen Shi poked a straw into a Coke bottle and handed it to Ye Ran. “Pretty smoothly, yeah.”
Little Fatty let out a low whistle. “That went smoother than my—”
“Shut up!” Brother Shu was quick to stuff a skewer of lamb into his mouth. “We’re eating, don’t ruin our appetite.”
Ye Ran blinked blankly. “Smoother than your what?”
Your freight delivery?
Your moving boxes?
Shen Shi leaned in and pinched his cheek.
Ye Ran’s eyes, tinged faintly red from the beer he’d just finished, gazed dazedly at him. The clear black pupils reflected Shen Shi’s face; after a moment, he suddenly broke into a laugh.
Shen Shi raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”
“You look really good,” Ye Ran murmured softly.
Shen Shi lowered his gaze, lips curling into a smile.
Ye Ran blinked. “Why are you smiling?”
Shen Shi said, “Because you look good too.”
Ye Ran gave a slow “oh,” and tugged his hand free from under the table, where it had been firmly held by Shen Shi. “Don’t copy me.”
“What if I want to?”
Unrelenting, Shen Shi caught his hand again, fingers teasing against his palm. Ye Ran let out a soft laugh, cheeks glowing warm under the red neon sign of the barbecue shop, looking irresistibly kissable.
Shen Shi’s smile deepened. “It must’ve been hard on you. Uncle Ye wasn’t easy to talk to, right?”
Ye Ran fell quiet for a moment, sipped his Coke, and looked away. “I’m okay… Auntie wasn’t easy either, right? She’s probably never dealt with anything like that before.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone to ask after just a few probing words from Shen Shi.
After a brief pause, Shen Shi changed the subject. “It went alright… want some lamb skewers? They’ve got chili.”
“Yes!” Ye Ran said immediately, grabbing a skewer of grilled squid dripping with sauce. “Try the squid tentacles, they’re really good!”
The squid was chewy and juicy, bursting with flavor with each bite.
Across the table, Little Fatty groaned, “Can you two not feed each other even while eating? You’re killing us single people here!”
Brother Shu, for once, didn’t shut him up, and even agreed wholeheartedly.
“Exactly! If you want to eat, just ask for more, don’t put on this cheap act!”
Yu Ting was already able to ignore them. Hearing Little Fatty and Brother Shu talk like that, he calmly soothed them while eating his skewers: “Out of sight, out of mind. We might be slow when it comes to dating, but we never lose when it comes to eating. No loss there.”
Little Fatty was startled. “Man, your mindset’s impressive.”
“Tch.” Shen Shi lazily glanced over. “Once you owe enough, you stop caring about debt.”
Yu Ting smiled. “Thanks. Eat your skewers.”
Ye Ran sipped his cola and couldn’t help grinning like an idiot when he heard that.
Sure enough, Shen Shi didn’t speak again, he simply focused on taking care of his little drunkard.
Ever since they’d gotten together, he’d been strict about how often Ye Ran could drink. Ye Ran was obedient. If told not to drink, he wouldn’t.
But boys being boys, whenever they went out for a meal or gathering, there was always a bit of beer involved. Shen Shi didn’t forbid it, but whenever there was such an outing, he always found some excuse to tag along and keep an eye on him.
The meal went merrily for everyone.
At the end, Little Fatty ordered a plate of extra-spicy chicken wings. Ye Ran’s lips were red as cherries, breathing through his teeth as he kept eating; sweat at his temples dampened his dark hair. Shen Shi found it amusing, he brushed away some chili for him and ordered another plate, this time mild-spicy.
By the end, somehow everyone had downed two bottles of draft beer.
Shen Shi and Yu Ting held their liquor well; Yu Ting resignedly took care of Brother Shu and Little Fatty, while Shen Shi slung Ye Ran onto his back and strolled leisurely through the night toward Lakeside Mansion.
…
The evening breeze was warm.
The night was tranquil.
Tree shadows swayed unevenly along the path.
Ye Ran wrapped his arms around Shen Shi’s neck. A few seconds later, he rubbed against his nape, lifted his head, and drowsily kissed his cheek.
Shen Shi lowered his eyes, a gentle smile in them.
“Stealing a kiss?”
“No,” Ye Ran murmured, tightening his arms around him, his voice small and sleepy but full of reason. “We’re publicly together now. It’s fine to kiss whenever we want.”
Shen Shi’s steps faltered. He said casually, “Kiss whenever we want?”
“Yes.” Ye Ran’s earlobes turned crimson; he nodded obediently, pressing his cheek close. “What about you?”
“Don’t you want to kiss me too?”
