| BYSG | Smells Good | 2
Shen Yu was completely stunned.
Even in his worst-case scenarios, he had only imagined Cheng Mofei not outright rejecting someone else's confession. But who would have thought Cheng Mofei would drop such a bombshell?
Straight man...
Not interested in men...
The very person who had fallen in love with him at first sight and pursued him so persistently back then—was now claiming to be a straight man and uninterested in men?!
This had to be a joke.
Shen Yu collapsed onto the soft grass, his mind in a daze. His luggage pressed against him—not heavy, but uncomfortable nonetheless.
Then, a shadow quickly enveloped him gently. The luggage pressing on him was lifted by a pair of large hands, and a somewhat familiar voice followed, asking, "Junior, are you okay?"
Shen Yu stared up in a daze, dumbfounded as he looked at Cheng Mofei’s face suddenly enlarged before him. His breath caught, and his heart almost leapt out of his chest.
The countless "reunion" scenarios he had imagined were unexpectedly happening under these circumstances.
Cheng Mofei was still wearing that dog-ear headband, the floppy little ears drooping adorably on either side. It was unbelievably cute, especially when paired with his towering height of 1.9 meters. The contrast was irresistibly endearing.
His light brown eyes met his, holding only him within his gaze.
In the corner of his vision, the boy who had just confessed to Cheng Mofei still stood in place, seemingly unwilling to give up.
Recalling the plan in his memo, Shen Yu gritted his teeth, temporarily suppressing the absurd statement he’d just heard about Cheng Mofei being a straight guy. He shook his head and sat up from the grass. “I’m fine. Thank you, Senior.”
When he uttered the last two words, his pace faltered ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly. Clearly, he wasn’t entirely used to this new way of addressing Cheng Mofei.
But then again... he didn’t dislike it either.
Using the arm Cheng Mofei offered, Shen Yu smoothly stood up. Before he could initiate a conversation, Cheng Mofei spoke again: “Heading to your dormitory?”
Shen Yu nodded.
Cheng Mofei then took a large piece of luggage from Shen Yu’s hands and asked, “Which building? What’s your room number? I’ll take you there.”
Shen Yu had been thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Cheng Mofei, and here the opportunity presented itself.
Shen Yu obediently replied, “Building 11, Room 520.”
Cheng Mofei paused briefly before blurting out, “You’re Shen Yu?”
It wasn’t surprising that Cheng Mofei knew his name—news of his move into the dormitory had surely been announced in advance.
But Shen Yu still felt a little thrill of delight. After all, this was the first time nineteen-year-old Cheng Mofei had called his name.
His voice was pleasant. Shen Yu liked hearing it.
Feigning ignorance, Shen Yu asked, “How does Senior know my name?”
“Funny coincidence—I’m in 520 of Building 11 too,” Cheng Mofei replied, simply assuming it was pure chance.
Shen Yu feigned surprise with a soft exclamation: “That’s such a coincidence!”
His acting was flawless—bright daylight hid any subtleties, and with Cheng Mofei preoccupied and irritated at the moment, he didn’t notice anything amiss.
Cheng Mofei nodded, “It really is. Come on, I’ll take you to the dorm.”
“Okay.” Shen Yu obediently walked alongside him.
Before long, the two disappeared down the stone path, no longer paying any attention to the person left behind.
Cheng Mofei’s irritation stemmed from the earlier confession.
The other person, like him, was a member of the student union. Their interactions had been tinged with ambiguity since freshman year, but Cheng Mofei had made it clear that he was straight and uncomfortable with such advances.
Except for unavoidable official business, he never responded or interacted with that person, even blocking all their contact methods.
Yet the other party remained persistent; after an entire summer apart, they had seized the chance during orientation today to say something ambiguous again.
Cheng Mofei felt a prickling discomfort, like his skin was crawling.
While he refrained from judging others' sexual orientations, he couldn’t accept men liking him or confessing to him. It made him particularly uncomfortable, and he preferred to avoid getting too close to such individuals.
Luckily, he had encountered this junior who had fallen down, saving him from an awkward situation.
The faint orange scent lingering in the air gradually soothed Cheng Mofei’s frustration.
The junior was quite good-looking but a bit dazed, like a little hamster. Unexpectedly, he turned out to be their new roommate—what a coincidence.
Cheng Mofei’s impression of him was good. He took the initiative to introduce himself: “I’m Cheng Mofei, sophomore in finance. I live on the bed across from yours.”
Shen Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight upon hearing that.
He had only known that there was an empty bed in Cheng Mofei’s dorm room, but he hadn’t been aware of the bed’s exact placement. To think they’d end up being the closest to him.
Climbing into his bed in the future would be so much more convenient...
...if they managed to get together during their university years.
Shen Yu really wanted to ask about what had just happened, but he felt it might be overstepping and feared leaving a bad impression.
So, he kept the question to himself and introduced himself instead: “I’m Shen Yu, freshman in chemistry, from the South.”
He deliberately shared a bit more about himself to keep the conversation going.
Cheng Mofei thought to himself, No wonder he is so thin and small, he’s from the South.
Most people’s stereotypes leaned toward the belief that Northerners generally had a taller average height than Southerners.
Shen Yu, at this moment, was indeed small, but he wasn’t particularly short. Barefoot, he stood at 178 cm; with shoes, he reached 180 cm. It was only when standing next to Cheng Mofei that he appeared "small."
After all, Cheng Mofei wasn’t just tall—his build was also impressive.
Shen Yu knew that Cheng Mofei enjoyed playing basketball. He would take time out every week after work to go to the stadium and would often drag Shen Yu along, playfully complaining that everyone else had their partners cheering them on, so he needed Shen Yu to be there too.
Now his university life was relatively relaxed, his frequency of playing basketball would likely be even higher. The faintly visible muscle lines beneath his thin T-shirt were particularly captivating.
Cheng Mofei didn’t voice his thoughts about Shen Yu’s height or build, as topics like that could come off as impolite. Instead, he casually asked, “Have you ever lived in the North before?”
“No, I haven’t,” Shen Yu replied with a shake of his head.
It wasn’t exactly a lie. At eighteen, Shen Yu had been stuck in the troubles of his birth family, never even leaving his province, let alone venturing to the distant North.
Cheng Mofei let out an “Oh,” and said, “It might take some time to adjust at first. If you need help with anything, just let us know. Everyone in the dorm is pretty nice.”
Shen Yu smiled and nodded.
Cheng Mofei then briefly introduced the area around their dorm.
“For example, the supermarket below Building 1 has great breakfast options, while the one below Building 12 is the closest to us. The dining hall is across the river, with the parcel station right next to it. The food on the second floor of the dining hall is the best...”
Cheng Mofei’s warm, straightforward tone made it easy for Shen Yu to feel at ease, his nervousness from earlier gradually dissipating as they walked.
Just as Shen Yu had remembered, Cheng Mofei was warm and proactive, which made Shen Yu listen intently to every word.
The dormitory area wasn’t far from the school gate, and before long, the two of them arrived.
The area below the dorm was bustling—students selling campus cards, others carrying stacks of parcels, and a few riding shared bicycles past. It was lively and full of energy.
“Do you want to get a campus card? It’s pretty convenient as a secondary data card,” Cheng Mofei suggested.
Modern phones supported dual SIM cards, and most students would keep their primary SIM card from home and get a campus data SIM card to use during their university years, which they could easily cancel after graduation. It was a cost-effective choice.
Shen Yu shook his head. “I already got one.”
He had sorted it out as soon as he arrived in Yancheng. However, it wasn’t a secondary card—it was the only SIM card in his phone.
“Alright, let’s head up, then,” Cheng Mofei said with a nod.
Room 520 was on the fifth floor, which was a bit of a climb. Fortunately, Cheng Mofei helped carry some of the luggage.
With Cheng Mofei by his side, even climbing to the 52nd floor wouldn’t have felt tiring for Shen Yu.
Cheng Mofei had a key to the dormitory and unlocked the door directly.
Inside, there was already someone—a chubby guy who turned his gaze toward them when he heard the sound. He first noticed Cheng Mofei at the door and exclaimed in surprise, “Brother Fei? Why are you back so early?”
“I ran into our new roommate and decided to help him out. Isn’t that such a coincidence?” Cheng Mofei replied, placing the luggage he was carrying gently onto the dorm floor.
“That really is something!” Xiao Xiong walked over to lend a hand as well.
Shen Yu poked his head out from behind Cheng Mofei and smiled at him. “Hello, Senior. I’m Shen Yu.”
Xiao Xiong let out an "Oh," thinking to himself, Another handsome guy, huh? But he greeted Shen Yu warmly anyway. “Just call me Old Xiao. We’re brothers from now on.”
Shen Yu gave a soft "Mm" in response but silently repeated the word brothers in his mind, only to be reminded of Cheng Mofei’s earlier declaration of being a “straight man.” His tongue pressed against his molars in frustration.
Be brothers with Cheng Mofei? Not a chance.
Shen Yu didn’t have much luggage. His clothes consisted of only a few sets of summer outfits—simple and lightweight.
The largest item Cheng Mofei had carried earlier was the bedding, which, though bulky, was meant for summer and autumn use and wasn’t heavy.
“Are you heading back later?” Xiao Xiong asked Cheng Mofei.
The question reminded Cheng Mofei of the earlier incident. His brows furrowed as he unlocked his phone, tapping on the screen while replying, “No.”
Xiao Xiong sensed something was off. “What happened?”
Shen Yu, while changing his shoes, kept his ears perked to catch their conversation.
Cheng Mofei, however, didn’t mention anything about what had occurred earlier. After sending a message to the student union president, he put his phone away and glanced at Shen Yu, who was barefoot at the doorway after taking off his sandals.
Without a second thought, he fetched a pair of his own slippers and handed them to Shen Yu.
“I’ll take Shen Yu to register later,” Cheng Mofei said. “I’ll also show him the flea market to grab a few things and get him some daily necessities.”
Cheng Mofei’s duty during orientation was to help new students settle in. A minor incident wasn’t enough to make him shirk his responsibilities, though he wasn’t eager to go back.
It was convenient that there was a new student right in front of Cheng Mofei.
Helping Shen Yu get acquainted with the campus was part of his responsibilities, and it also gave him an opportunity to bond with his new roommate.
The dorm room was cooled by air conditioning, and the bare floor was a little chilly.
Shen Yu obediently slipped into Cheng Mofei’s slippers, set his luggage down on the empty bed assigned to him, and then let his gaze wander greedily toward the bed next to his—Cheng Mofei’s.
The dorms at Yanda were designed with a bunk-over-desk layout, and the four-person dormitory had plenty of space.
Cheng Mofei’s jersey was casually draped over the back of his chair, and a basketball rested under the desk. Due to power restrictions in Yanda dormitories, he had a gaming laptop instead of a desktop on his desk.
Next to the laptop was a calculus textbook and a notebook, and hanging from a hook on the side of the cabinet was a half-filled bag of oranges.
It wasn’t overly tidy, but it was clean enough, exuding a sense of comfortable livability.
Suddenly, Cheng Mofei appeared beside him, holding iodine and cotton swabs.
Following Cheng Mofei’s gaze, Shen Yu noticed for the first time that there was a small scrape on the palm of his right hand—probably from when he fell earlier. The wound had already clotted, and he hadn’t felt or noticed it until now.
Shen Yu had been busy carrying luggage earlier, and Cheng Mofei only noticed the injury after they’d arrived in the dorm. While the blood had dried, summer’s heat made infections more likely, so it was better to clean and treat the wound.
"Thank you, Senior." Shen Yu obediently took the cotton swab, twisted the handle slightly to let the iodine flow, and wiped it on the wound.
"No need to call me Senior, just call me Brother Fei like the others." Cheng Mofei was the oldest among the few people in the dorm.
"Brother Fei." Shen Yu squinted his eyes, as if recalling something amusing.
In the past, Cheng Mofei had really liked being called "brother" by him, especially in certain situations. But it used to be a double word, not "Brother Fei."
While Shen Yu was wiping the iodine and briefly lost in his thoughts, a head suddenly leaned over.
It was Cheng Mofei, who hadn't left yet.
He lowered his head slightly, his nose close to Shen Yu's neck, his nostrils flaring as if he were sniffing something, his warm breath brushing against Shen Yu's skin on his neck.
The two were extremely close. Shen Yu only had to tilt his head slightly to plant a kiss on his cheek.
It used to be just a normal action, but now it made Shen Yu's body stiffen, especially after hearing Cheng Mofei say just recently that he was straight.
As Shen Yu tensed up, Cheng Mofei slowly spoke, "Did you spray something on? You smell really good."
Shen Yu: "……"
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