Brother, you smell good - 3

 

| BYSG | Straight | 3

It turned out he was drawn by the orange-scented body wash on him.

Shen Yu couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.

Before Shen Yu could respond, Xiao Xiong, standing nearby, clicked his tongue twice and teased, "Xiao Shen just arrived, and you're already flirting with him. Don't scare him off."

Hearing this, Cheng Mofei straightened up, casually draped an arm over Shen Yu's shoulder in a brotherly manner, shot Xiao Xiong a glance, and retorted without hesitation, "Only someone with a dirty mind sees everything as dirty. This is just normal interaction between brothers, how is that flirting?"

"Oh my, oh my," Xiao Xiong exaggeratedly mimicked Cheng Mofei's earlier words, pitching his voice higher, "Xiao Shen, what did you spray something on? It smells good. Let me have a sniff too."

"Get lost," Cheng Mofei said with a laugh, shooing him away.

Shen Yu: "..."

Cheng Mofei lowered his gaze and said, "Ignore him; he's always like that."

Shen Yu: "...Mm."

Shen Yu fell into deep thought.

He had realized early on that he didn’t feel any attraction toward girls. After satisfying his curiosity by watching some "films," he’d experienced some strange reactions, which helped him understand his own sexual orientation.

Yet he had never encountered a boy who truly made his heart race—until Cheng Mofei appeared.

Having lived two lifetimes and encountered countless people of all kinds, Shen Yu knew all too well the typical traits of most straight men and gay men.

The teasing antics between Cheng Mofei and Xiao Xiong—well, they couldn’t have been more straight as can be.

But deep down, Shen Yu was certain that Cheng Mofei couldn’t possibly be straight. He was most likely deeply closeted, just not aware of it himself yet.

Sigh.

The situation was becoming increasingly complicated.

Shen Yu had no clear plan to pursue Cheng Mofei to begin with, and now there was a new layer of difficulty added to the mix.

He felt his head starting to throb.

Suddenly, Cheng Mofei’s slightly hesitant voice broke his train of thought. “Did I really scare you?”

Shen Yu snapped back to reality and shook his head. “No, I was just thinking how close you guys are.”

Cheng Mofei smiled. “We’re all good brothers living together. We spend so much time around each other, we’ve become pretty tight.”

Worried that Shen Yu might feel anxious about fitting in with them, Cheng Mofei added, “When Old Sun gets back, how about the four of us go out for a meal this weekend?”

Cheng Mofei was clearly asking for Shen Yu’s opinion, and he wouldn’t push if Shen Yu wasn’t interested.

Xiao Xiong chimed in, “I’m fine with that.”

Shen Yu nodded as well. “Sure.”

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and asked, “Mind adding me on WeChat, Brother Fei?”

Cheng Mofei cheerfully scanned Shen Yu’s WeChat QR code and added him as a friend.

Naturally, he also noticed the cracks on Shen Yu’s old phone.

The phone seemed to have been through a lot. The cracks weren’t just on a screen protector—they were on the screen itself.

Most students received a new phone as a graduation or college entrance gift from their families. In university, a smartphone was practically essential. Shen Yu’s outdated phone, however, seemed to carry too many untold stories.

But considering that they had only just met, such personal matters were not something Cheng Mofei could pry into just yet.

Still... he couldn’t help but feel a spark of curiosity.

Just as he added Shen Yu as a friend, a message from Shen Yu popped up unexpectedly.

It was a link to a Taobao product.

Cheng Mofei clicked on the link and discovered that it was for a bottle of body wash.

Meeting Cheng Mofei’s puzzled gaze, Shen Yu explained, “It's an orange-scented one.”

Cheng Mofei suddenly understood—so the pleasant scent on Shen Yu came from body wash.

Without hesitation, Cheng Mofei moved his fingers swiftly across the screen. “Ordered.”

Shen Yu smiled, tucked his phone back into his pocket, and casually brushed his thumb over the cracks on the screen. Since he had applied a screen protector, the surface felt smooth despite the visible cracks beneath.

The phone had originally belonged to Shen Lide. During high school summer and winter breaks, Shen Yu used to work part-time jobs. 

When Shen Lide upgraded to a new phone, he passed down his old one to Shen Yu. His stepmother wasn’t pleased about it, but given that they never gave Shen Yu any pocket money, they viewed his part-time work as a good thing.

Later, when Shen Yu entered his final year of high school, he stopped working part-time to focus on preparing for the college entrance exams. His phone became his study tool during that time.

Even now, the phone was still usable, so Shen Yu didn’t see the need to replace it. After all, buying a new smartphone would cost thousands, and he needed to prioritize surviving over living comfortably.

With Cheng Mofei and Xiao Xiong’s help, Shen Yu’s bed was soon made. The rest of his belongings could be organized gradually, so there was no rush.

Cheng Mofei removed the puppy ears headband from his head and casually placed it on his desk, though he left the "Welcome Freshmen" sash draped over himself as he took Shen Yu out.

First, he guided Shen Yu to the Chemistry Department for registration. They completed the formalities there and picked up some welcome gifts.

At the department, Shen Yu met quite a few of his future classmates. Most of them were accompanied by their parents. The counselor even took the opportunity to hold a brief meeting for the parents. 

Taking advantage of the distraction, Shen Yu and Cheng Mofei slipped out unnoticed.

Cheng Mofei seemed curious but refrained from asking anything out of politeness. Shen Yu decided to open up on his own, saying, “My parents divorced when I was very young. They both remarried, and the only person who truly cared for me—my grandmother—passed away when I was in middle school. Since then, no one’s been there to look after me. I came here for registration on my own.”

He figured revealing a bit about his past would help Cheng Mofei understand him better and bring them closer.

Shen Yu’s eyes were deep and dark, and when he fixed his gaze on someone, it felt intense—like a small animal. His face, lean and delicate, carried a unique beauty that tugged at people’s hearts.

Cheng Mofei’s heart was touched for a moment. People often have an instinctive urge to protect those who seem vulnerable. He lifted his hand, placed it on Shen Yu’s shoulder, and pulled him closer without caring about the heat. “Don’t worry, Brother Fei will protect you from now on.”

Shen Yu smiled faintly. “Alright.”

Nineteen year-old Cheng Mofei is really adorable.

...

After gaining a rough understanding of Shen Yu’s background, Cheng Mofei could also infer his financial situation.

He led Shen Yu to the “flea market” near the campus cafeteria, where they found plenty of inexpensive and useful items.

The “flea market” was a long-standing tradition at the University. Every year, when freshmen arrived for registration, upperclassmen would set up stalls in the open area near the cafeteria to sell second-hand items they no longer needed. 

It was a win-win: the sellers earned a bit of extra cash, and the freshmen could snag some great deals.

When they returned to the dormitory, laden with their finds, only Xiao Xiong was there. Sun Xinghe still hadn’t returned, likely busy spending time with his girlfriend.

After dropping Shen Yu off, Cheng Mofei took the puppy ears headband he’d removed earlier and left on his own. He was likely off to take care of some work-related matters.

Shen Yu, meanwhile, started organizing his space. The bed was already made, and the rest of his belongings were small items that didn’t take much effort to sort.

Xiao Xiong didn’t have much to do and was idly chatting with Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was more than happy to join in, hoping to glean more information about nineteen-year-old Cheng Mofei.

Unaware of Shen Yu’s subtle probing, Xiao Xiong spoke freely, his words flowing without pause.

“Brother Fei? Oh, he’s one of the well-known figures in Yanda University.”

“He’s a local of Yancheng City, he comes from a well-off family, and is super easygoing. Not like that show-off rich kid next door who brags about every little thing. That guy posts about his beat-up shoes on WeChat ten times a day. Brother Fei’s way wealthier than him but keeps a low profile.”

Shen Yu knew Cheng Mofei’s family background all too well. His father and uncles had inherited their grandfather’s businesses, amassing significant wealth and influence in Yancheng City. 

His mother, a university music professor, was equally impressive. Both parents were open-minded, and when it came to Cheng Mofei being in a relationship with someone of the same gender, they had never once raised any objections.

Xiao Xiong continued, “In his first year, Brother Fei got so many love letters and confessions they could circle the dorm building. But he didn’t fancy anyone and turned them all down. So, yeah, he’s still single.”

Scratching his chin thoughtfully, Xiao Xiong added, “But honestly, in a place like university, where hormones are flying all over the place, I don’t think Brother Fei will stay single for long.”

Shen Yu curved his lips into a faint smile as he placed the hanging basket he had picked up from the flea market next to his bed.

He would do his best.

Just then, Xiao Xiong seemed to recall something amusing and let out a chuckle. “Oh yeah, even some guys confessed to Brother Fei.”

Shen Yu froze mid-movement, blinking quickly. He forced himself to calm his racing heart, hiding his face in the shadows to avoid betraying any expression. In a steady voice, he asked, “How did Brother Fei react?”

Xiao Xiong replied, “Of course, he turned them down. Brother Fei’s straight, and he’s kind of homophobic too.”

Shen Yu: “...”

Straight and homophobic.

The labels made Shen Yu want to laugh out loud when applied to Cheng Mofei.

But at that moment, he couldn’t muster even the slightest smile.

Dealing with a deeply closeted straight man was one thing—he could take his time to subtly “bend” him. 

But homophobic? That was a far tougher nut to crack.

Now Shen Yu not only had to carefully conceal his own sexual orientation, but he also had to worry about the possibility of Cheng Mofei distancing himself if he found out. It would only make it harder for Shen Yu to get close to him.

Shen Yu took a deep breath, turned around, and curved his eyes in what appeared to be a playful manner. “How homophobic are we talking?”

Xiao Xiong eagerly continued the gossip. “Brother Fei’s on the basketball team. In his first year, there was this guy from the Fine Arts department who used to sketch near the court. They got to know each other and even ended up joining the same club. They’d hung out at group dinners, so you could call them casual friends. But out of nowhere, that guy confessed to Brother Fei last semester and even pursued him for a while. Brother Fei blocked him on every platform without a word and never contacted him again.”.

“I don’t dare to joke about that kind of stuff with him. He’s really repulsed by it.”

This incident was well-known at Yanda University, it’s not exactly a secret.

Shen Yu: “...”

He had just added Cheng Mofei’s contact info and hadn’t even had the chance to browse his Moments yet. The last thing he wanted was to end up blocked.

As if a thought had struck him, Xiao Xiong hesitated for a moment before asking, “Uh, hey, Xiao Shen… you’re straight, right?”

In today’s world, younger generations were becoming increasingly accepting and inclusive of homosexuality. 

While still a minority, LGBTQ+ individuals weren’t exactly rare in college settings. Given that their dorm had someone notably homophobic, Xiao Xiong thought it was necessary to confirm for the sake of maintaining a harmonious living environment.

Before Shen Yu could think further, the sound of a turning key suddenly rang out. The door swung open, and a familiar figure walked in.

Both their gazes immediately landed on him.

Cheng Mofei entered with several takeout lunch boxes in hand. He glanced at the two of them, one by one, and casually asked, “What were you guys talking about?”

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