Brother, you smell good - 22

 

| BYSG | Pursuer | 22

The distance between Cheng Mofei’s home and the school was not short. Driving back and forth was tiring and time-consuming, but the thought of Shen Yu feeling better after using the lip balm made him feel that it was all worth it.

If it weren’t for him, Shen Yu wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.

 He had to take responsibility.

But now, someone else had already given Shen Yu a lip balm — and it was from one of Shen Yu’s admirers.

Shen Yu only needed one.

One lip balm could last a very long time.

If he gave him another one, Shen Yu probably wouldn’t even open it.

Xiao Xiong suddenly thought of something. 

Without waiting for Cheng Mofei to respond, he asked, “Oh, right, Brother Fei, where did you go this afternoon? Why did you only get back now? The class monitor brought over a form for us to fill out earlier. He said it’s urgent, so hurry up and fill it in and send it to him.”

“I had some errands to run. What form?” Cheng Mofei reined in his thoughts and replied casually as he walked over to his desk and picked up the form.

Throughout the process, Shen Yu’s gaze remained fixed on him, but he said nothing. 

He was still holding that eye-catching lip balm in his hand.

Xiao Xiong added, “It’s just some personal information updates. Take a look.”

Cheng Mofei didn’t say anything further. He pulled the hand he had stuffed in his pants pocket out, picked up a pen, and lowered his head to fill out the form. The lip balm was still in his pocket, weighing heavily.

While observing Cheng Mofei’s reaction, Shen Yu quietly put away his lip balm and casually tossed it onto a nearby desk.

The lip balm was the very one he had locked in his cabinet earlier — the one he had bought himself.

As for the so-called “admirer,” they didn’t exist.

It was all because Xiao Xiong and Sun Xinghe had suddenly returned and “caught him red-handed” while he was applying the lip balm.

Those two, with their minds full of gossip, immediately joked and asked if someone had given it to him.

In a moment of impulsiveness, he nodded.

And just like that, he was automatically categorized as having received it from an admirer.

Fearing that explaining would only make things worse, he chose not to explain at all.

The reason he hadn’t dared to openly use things like lip balm before was that he wanted to avoid any chance of exposing his sexual orientation.

Now that his lips were chapped, using lip balm really wasn’t an issue — he could treat it like applying a moisturizing ointment.

But because of his guilt and nerves, he’d ended up conjuring up an imaginary “admirer” for no reason.

Looking back now… he should’ve just said his mom gave it to him.

People always come up with the perfect solution after the fact, but there’s no way to go back in time.

That said, Shen Yu didn’t think it was a big deal.

Having admirers was normal.

Didn’t Cheng Mofei have admirers, too? On the first day of school, Shen Yu had even caught him being confessed to by one.

And besides, this “admirer” was someone who didn’t exist and would never appear again.

What’s more, when Cheng Mofei saw him applying lip balm earlier, he hadn’t shown any signs of disgust or anything related to suspicions about his sexual orientation.

Feeling unusually cheerful, Shen Yu casually opened his phone, scrolled through it, and hummed a tune completely out of key.

Suddenly, Cheng Mofei stood up.

The chair he’d been sitting on scraped loudly against the floor as it was dragged back from the force of his abrupt movement, producing a sharp, jarring sound.

Everyone’s attention instantly turned toward him.

“I’m going to hand in the form,” Cheng Mofei explained hastily, his words sounding more like an attempt to cover something up. He shot a quick glance at Shen Yu before striding out of the dorm room.

His chest felt inexplicably tight, like a lump of air stuck somewhere, refusing to go up or down.

Anyone who had gone out of their way only to waste their efforts would feel annoyed.

The class monitor’s dorm was just three doors down from theirs, and it didn’t take long to get there by walking straight.

Because the class monitor had to collect forms, the dorm room door hadn’t been shut — it opened with just a push.

The class monitor wasn’t inside, likely busy with something elsewhere.

However, someone from their class was in the dorm, talking on the phone.

“This is definitely a trap. Don’t fall for it.”

“Speaking from experience, some sophomores and juniors just love messing with freshmen’s feelings — guys and girls alike.”

“Something like that costs what, ten bucks? Twenty? You can grab one at any supermarket without a second thought, and you’re over here getting all emotional?”

“Eat something better, man. I’ll get you something worth a couple hundred tomorrow. Just say the word.”

“Don’t get all touched, seriously. Even your brothers can treat you better than that.”

Cheng Mofei unconsciously slowed his movements, pretending to check over the form while keeping his ears perked to eavesdrop. 

Deep down, he couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly.

...

Leaving the class monitor’s dorm, Cheng Mofei suddenly felt a sense of clarity. His steps were lighter, and his hand instinctively slipped back into his pocket, fiddling with the still-unopened lip balm.

As a good brother, it was his duty to look out for Shen Yu.

Shen Yu had already had a rough life before — people like that were the easiest to “fall” for the smallest acts of kindness.

When Cheng Mofei returned to the dorm, he walked straight up to Shen Yu and invited him to go to the cafeteria together for dinner.

It was just about time to eat, anyway.

Shen Yu didn’t think much of it and agreed right away.

Over the past few days, Shen Yu had mostly been eating light foods like porridge due to the discomfort in his lips. 

This kind of food wasn’t easy to pack and take back to the dorm—it spilled easily and often came in smaller portions than eating on-site. It was simply more convenient to eat at the cafeteria.

After changing their shoes, the two of them left the dorm together.

Shen Yu even made sure to bring his lip balm.

It would feel much better to apply it after wiping his mouth clean post-meal.

As soon as they stepped out of the dorm building, Cheng Mofei couldn’t hold back anymore and asked, “What’s the deal with that admirer of yours?”

Shen Yu hadn’t expected him to bring it up so suddenly, though it wasn’t entirely out of the blue. Cheng Mofei wasn’t the type to be overly nosy, but he also wouldn’t ignore gossip involving people close to him.

Shen Yu casually made something up: “They saw that my lips were uncomfortable and gave me a lip balm.”

That answer was as good as saying nothing.

Cheng Mofei kicked a stone lying in his path, sending it flying far away. He pressed on, testing the waters: “Was it someone from your class?”

Shen Yu hesitated for a moment before replying, “…No.”

Cheng Mofei pressed further, “Is it someone from our year?”

Shen Yu replied, “No.”

So it’s someone older, Cheng Mofei concluded, frowning. “A sophomore? What major?”

If it was a sophomore, he might know them.

Shen Yu was starting to feel overwhelmed. He didn’t want to keep lying. “It’s not a sophomore either. Look, just drop it. I’m not interested in them at all. There’s nothing more to it.”

But Cheng Mofei suddenly stopped walking, his expression growing more serious. “If you’re not interested, why would you accept their lip balm? That’s giving them false hope.”

Shen Yu was speechless.

What Cheng Mofei said wasn’t wrong — Shen Yu thought the same, but the problem was that the entire situation was made up. The person didn’t even exist!

Feeling his head start to ache, Shen Yu braced himself and said, “I… I’m just not good at turning people down. I really didn’t want to give them hope. I swear, I’m not interested in them at all. I don’t even want to be friends with them.”

His words were as definitive as they could get.

Sensing Shen Yu’s tension and unease, Cheng Mofei softened his tone. “It’s okay. Just send her the money for the lip balm and cut ties. If she doesn’t accept it and tries to give you something else next time, just transfer the money in front of her. If she won’t take the money, don’t take the gift. She’ll give up eventually.”

Cheng Mofei paused briefly and added, “If they keep pestering you, just call me. I’ll come over and handle it for you.”

Shen Yu quickly nodded. “Alright.”

Without missing a beat, he grabbed Cheng Mofei’s arm and changed the subject, urging, “Let’s hurry up. I’m starving.”

He really didn’t want to continue the conversation any longer.

Cheng Mofei let himself be pulled along, feeling much more at ease.

“Eating porridge makes you hungry faster. Later, have some of my food. I’ll pick light dishes.”

“Okay.”

Although it was close to dinnertime, the last class of the afternoon hadn’t ended yet, so the cafeteria wasn’t too crowded.

The two found a table by the window, where they could see the autumn scenery bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.

Shen Yu, familiar with the routine, went to the counter and returned with a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork congee.

Cheng Mofei came back with a few dishes and a bowl of rice, all of which were indeed light and not greasy.

He had even thoughtfully grabbed a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks for Shen Yu, making it easier to “share” the food.

Cheng Mofei carefully transferred some rice and dishes into the small bowl and placed it in front of Shen Yu.

Lately, because of the discomfort with his lips, Shen Yu hadn’t been eating well and had gotten noticeably thinner. He needed to make up for it.

Shen Yu’s eyes curved slightly, basking in Cheng Mofei’s thoughtful care.

Cheng Mofei always treated others with such genuine sincerity, like a loyal dog who never held back his affection.

By the time they finished eating at a leisurely pace, night had fully fallen. After wiping his mouth clean, Shen Yu applied a bit of lip balm. They took a short walk to digest their food before heading back to the dorm together.

Once back in the dorm, Shen Yu sat down, only to stand up again. He began patting down all his pockets, searching carefully.

Cheng Mofei noticed his subtle actions and the faint flicker in his light brown eyes betrayed his curiosity. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Shen Yu rummaged through his pockets one more time before answering, “I think I lost my lip balm.”

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