Soon, Ye Ran realized he’d celebrated too early.
On Monday morning, the air conditioning in the classroom was turned up high. The weather was getting colder, and the air carried the earthy, damp smell of post-rain soil.
Ye Ran looked up at Liang Feng standing in front of him and said with restraint, “Do you need something?”
Liang Feng had clearly done his hair that day. The mousse slicked it neatly back, emphasizing the sharpness of his features. He knew exactly where his good looks lay. Hearing Ye Ran’s words, he flashed a bright, sunny smile.
“Nope, Ye Ran, can’t I sit beside you?”
Ye Ran pinched his pen between his fingers. “I’m not used to sitting with other people.”
His tone was cold, but Liang Feng acted as if he didn’t notice. “But during the club event two days ago, I saw you sitting with someone else.”
“That was my friend.”
“Aren’t we friends too?” Liang Feng said, smiling sweetly.
Ye Ran replied, “No.”
Liang Feng said, “Ah… well, it’s not too late to become friends now.”
Ye Ran finally lost patience. He rarely showed emotion, but this time his brows knit together as he said bluntly, “You can sit with your boyfriend.”
Liang Feng raised an eyebrow, stared at his face for a few seconds, then chuckled. “But we already broke up.”
Ye Ran pressed his lips into a straight line.
“I know you’ve probably heard rumors,” Liang Feng said with a shrug, “but you know how breakups are — even when one person’s already checked out, they’ll still cling a few extra days, just to claim the moral high ground and make everyone think they’re the victim.”
Ye Ran stayed silent.
Seeing his reaction, Liang Feng’s interest seemed to grow. His eyes brightened with curiosity. “Ye Ran, don’t tell me… you’ve never dated anyone before?”
He looked him over, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. “You’re really interesting.”
…
After class, Ye Ran walked straight out without looking back.
But someone blocked his way at the back row.
Liang Feng tilted his head up at him with a smile. “Wanna grab lunch together?”
Ye Ran didn’t say a word — just walked around him and left.
A few boys nearby exchanged glances. One of them patted Liang Feng’s shoulder cautiously. “Bro Liang, even rabbits don’t eat the grass by their own burrow, you know. If you actually date Ye Ran and break up later, how’re you two gonna face each other as classmates?”
Liang Feng packed his bag without much enthusiasm. “You guys are thinking too far ahead.”
“D*mn,” one of them said, catching a hint in his tone. “So he’s hard to get, huh?”
Liang Feng smiled. “Hard to get.”
He lowered his head, shadows flickering in his eyes. His mind replayed the image of Ye Ran and Shen Shi together at the club event last week.
He’d planned to take things slow, but Shen Shi’s presence had stirred a sense of urgency.
An outstanding, handsome guy, spending every day around Ye Ran, even joining the same club — Ye Ran might not feel anything now, but who could guarantee he wouldn’t fall later?
Seriously, these straight guys…
Could they please stay the h*ll away from gays?
***
On Mondays and Tuesdays, Ye Ran had a packed schedule of major courses. Even though he tried his best to avoid Liang Feng — arriving right on the bell and leaving the moment class ended — one out of every five times, he’d still get cornered.
His mood had clearly sunk, enough that everyone in the dorm had noticed.
Little Fatty, Brother Shu, and Shen Shi all had heavy course loads too — especially Shen Shi, whose finance classes took up most of Monday and Tuesday. On top of that, he’d been made acting class monitor, so every break he had to run errands for the class.
Ye Ran hadn’t seen much of him in the past two days.
By Tuesday noon, after dragging himself through lunch, Ye Ran thought about the “Art Discussion” class later and already felt a headache coming on.
He crawled onto his bed for a nap, pulling the blackout curtain closed. Little Fatty and Brother Shu exchanged glances and whispered.
“What’s up with him?”
“No idea. Should we ask?”
“Can’t. Ye Ran’s too private — even if we ask, he might not say.”
Little Fatty frowned. “Then what do we do? I’ve got full classes all afternoon, plus a class meeting tonight.”
“Same here,” Brother Shu sighed. “Our teacher always drags the class over time.”
The two were stumped when the door suddenly opened.
Shen Shi walked in.
His footsteps were light — he must’ve just come back from the cafeteria. In his hand was an unopened cup of lemon tea, condensation beading on the cold surface.
He placed it on Ye Ran’s desk, then turned around, looking calmly at Little Fatty and Brother Shu.
“What’s wrong with him?”
***
…
The “Art Discussion” professor was an elderly man, hair already white, with a refined air. Slides flashed one by one on the white projector screen as he spoke gently, “This class requires everyone to take detailed notes — all your exam questions will come straight from these.”
The afternoon sky remained gloomy.
A cold wind whistled through the air. After the autumn rain, the leaves were falling fast; even the evergreen branches looked brittle. The yellowing leaves curled at the edges, trembling in the breeze.
Ye Ran looked out the window, slender fingers tightening around his pen.
Class was almost over.
He thought irritably.
Liang Feng had come early today, sitting in the back row. As soon as class ended, he’d definitely pester him again—saying those vague, half-flirtatious things that left no way to respond.
Everyone in class already knew what Liang Feng was up to. Even though Ye Ran was the one being pursued, in others’ eyes, this whole farce wasn’t about right or wrong.
So annoying.
He drew uneven black lines across his notebook.
The old professor on the podium had perfect timing—just as he finished the last concept, the bell rang.
“Ding ling ling—”
The classroom burst into chatter.
Students laughed and talked while packing their books and bags, discussing where to go for lunch.
Every now and then, Ye Ran felt faint glances cast his way. He went still for a few seconds, then stood up.
From the corner of his eye, he already saw Liang Feng.
Leaning back in his chair, Liang Feng smiled lazily, stretching out his arm. He twirled his notebook in hand, tapping it idly in the air—like a hunter waiting for his prey to walk into the trap.
“Ye Ran, want to grab lunch together?” he asked, drawing out the words.
The boys nearby instantly burst into teasing laughter.
Ye Ran gripped his bag, brows cold and eyes sharp with irritation. He’d had enough—Liang Feng’s pestering filled him with both disgust and anger. Today, he was going to make things clear—
Thud.
Liang Feng’s smile froze. The empty notebook in his hand fell to the floor.
Someone had walked past him. Whether on purpose or not, that person stepped squarely on the notebook’s cover.
…
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
A girl at the back tugged her friend’s sleeve. “Holy cr*p, that’s Shen Shi, right?”
“So d*mn handsome!”
“…No wonder he’s called the campus heartthrob—d*mn!”
Amidst the murmurs, Ye Ran’s pupils widened. He stood dazed in the aisle, staring at the figure now standing at the back door of the classroom.
Shen Shi wore a black windbreaker, tall and straight.
The light behind him framed his silhouette; his dark eyes were calm and deep. He walked steadily through the crowd, stopping in front of Ye Ran.
“Ye Ran,” he said quietly, “let’s go.”
Ye Ran blinked, coming back to himself, and nodded.
“Okay.”
He followed behind Shen Shi, watching as Shen Shi stepped again on that fallen notebook—grinding the name “Liang Feng” into a dirty, messy blur.
Without hesitation, Ye Ran stepped on it too.
All sounds behind them faded away— along with two days’ worth of frustration and suffocation.
***
By evening, dusk had fallen. The streetlights along the tree-lined path flickered on.
A cold wind swept by, rustling the dead leaves.
Ye Ran zipped up his jacket happily, half his face buried in the collar.
Shen Shi glanced at him.
Ye Ran’s smile was light and bright; his slender phoenix eyes were clear and curved, the corners reddened slightly from the cold. His lashes, dark as crow feathers, lowered softly, brushing over the gentle gleam in his eyes like a stream of water.
“Send me your class schedule when you get back,” Shen Shi said.
Ye Ran blinked. “Send it to you?”
“Yeah. From now on, I’ll walk you after class.”
He looked at Ye Ran, whose face showed confusion, and added in a quiet, even voice, “You might not know this, but Liang Feng’s gay.”
Ye Ran froze, his steps slowing.
The evening breeze was cold and sharp. Shen Shi’s voice carried easily through the air, unsoftened and unhidden.
“He’s been pestering you because he wants to date you.”
Shen Shi continued, “You don’t know how troublesome people like that can be. If I pick you up after class, he won’t have the chance to bother you again.”
…
The warmth drained from Ye Ran’s body in an instant.
He was grateful that half his face was hidden in his collar—otherwise, Shen Shi would easily see how pale he’d gone.
“Shen Shi,” he said softly, his chilled fingers trembling slightly, “do you… really dislike gay people?”
Shen Shi replied, “Yeah.”
“I just don’t really get how they think.”
After a pause, he turned his head slightly toward Ye Ran. “What about you?”
Ye Ran looked at him blankly. The streetlight’s glow brushed gently across Shen Shi’s face—the same calm, steady expression as when he’d led Ye Ran out of the classroom. Cool, composed, and distant.
He might look hard to approach, but Ye Ran knew— Shen Shi was thoughtful, reliable, the kind of person who’d take him to the hospital late at night, walk him home through the rain, and pull him out of a mess when things went wrong.
He really, really didn’t want to lose this friend.
Ye Ran’s mind went blank. His body moved as if it wasn’t his own.
“Yeah,” he heard his voice say quietly on the empty path, “I’m the same as you.”
At that, Shen Shi exhaled almost imperceptibly, a trace of relief passing over his face.
“Good,” he said. “Got it.”
…
He’d lied.
We’re not the same, Ye Ran thought.
He was the kind of person Shen Shi despised.
But if he hid who he really was, if he never let anything slip— couldn’t he still keep Shen Shi as a friend?
Alright, from today on, he’d just be a straight guy.
Author’s note:
Little Ye has officially given up
#I’ll throw away all dignity if it means having a friend#
#Who cares if I’m straight or not, I just want friends quq#
Later—
Shen Shi: He’s too straight. I can’t possibly bend him.
