| BYSG | Unhappy | 33
Ning Que carefully recalled everything—tonight, they had hot pot, but they hadn’t ordered any mushrooms, so why was he suddenly hallucinating?
If someone told him his younger brother was straight, he might actually believe it. After all, there was no concrete evidence suggesting that Shen Yu was gay.
But his brother’s roommate?
That guy was practically bent into a mosquito coil over him—how could they still call himself straight?
Was this the kind of straight that formed a perfect 90-degree angle?
Before Ning Que could stay shocked for too long, Shen Yu suddenly looked at him and said, “Brother Que, you don’t have to walk me back. You should head home early too.”
After everything that had happened tonight, Shen Yu finally realized that he had misunderstood Ning Que. Ning Que really was single, he was not hiding a relationship—because he had already broken up.
Besides, from what Ning Que had said tonight, his values actually seemed pretty decent. So now, Shen Yu wasn’t as worried about him interacting with Cheng Mofei.
Ning Que steadied himself and said, “No rush. Did you guys have some kind of past conflict with that Meng Feng?”
Even though he was incredibly curious about what was going on between his brother and his roommate, the more pressing issue at hand was dealing with that disgusting guy, Meng Feng.
Shen Yu nodded slightly. After thinking for a moment, he decided to briefly explain what had happened in the infirmary to Ning Que.
As Ning Que listened, he took another careful look at Shen Yu.
Although his younger brother didn’t really give off any gay vibes, he was undeniably delicate and fair-skinned. He had inherited all of Auntie Shen’s best features—smooth skin, refined brows—and he kept himself well-groomed and tidy.
It was no surprise that certain gay men might take an interest in him, let alone someone as depraved and shameless as Meng Feng, who preyed on others without a shred of decency.
After all, Meng Feng’s favorite pastime was “bending” straight men.
Whether his brother was straight or not, once Meng Feng had his eyes on him, there was no way he’d let him go.
Luckily, his brother’s roommate had a solid backing...
Solid.
Ning Que’s thoughts stuttered for a moment.
He was beginning to find that word difficult to face.
After finishing his explanation, Shen Yu asked, “Brother Que, do you know him?”
Ning Que shook his head. “Not really. We just run in the same circles, so it’s inevitable that we cross paths sometimes. I’ve heard plenty of stories about him, and I even have friends who’ve been harassed by him. I’ve always hated the guy—he’s disgusting. I’ve done my best to avoid any contact with him.”
The open disdain on Ning Que’s face was impossible to miss.
Shen Yu took the opportunity to ask, “There shouldn’t be too many people like Meng Feng in your circles, right?”
He said it deliberately—so Cheng Mofei could hear.
Ning Que let out a hum of agreement. “Someone like him is scum no matter where he goes. There are plenty of normal people in the community—including my ex. He was just too sensitive and impulsive, but he never had any bad intentions. Don’t dwell on what happened tonight too much. Trust me, he won’t bother you again.”
The fact that his brother even asked such a question, combined with the fact that so far, it had always been that roommate showing “excessive concern” for him, made it highly likely that Shen Yu really was straight.
So then, what exactly was his roommate’s deal?
Cheng Mofei, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up when he heard Shen Yu taking an interest in the gay community. He couldn’t help but intervene—he didn’t want Shen Yu to become too curious about that world.
Switching the topic, he hinted, “That Meng Feng… he’s probably done plenty of illegal things, hasn’t he?”
Ning Que immediately picked up on his train of thought and replied, “He’s targeted quite a few minors.”
Shen Yu instantly felt Cheng Mofei’s hand in his pocket tighten its grip.
Was he thinking about that teacher from high school?
Shen Yu turned his hand around and squeezed back, trying to offer some comfort.
Ning Que continued, “Some were willing, but others were coerced or manipulated. I have information on a few of them—I’ll send it to you later on WeChat, Xiao Yu.”
Cheng Mofei gave a low hum of acknowledgment, forcing himself to suppress the nausea churning inside.
Before they knew it, they had reached the pedestrian crossing. Across the street was Yanda University, and the traffic light had only a few seconds left before turning green.
Shen Yu stopped and looked at Ning Que. “We’re near the dorms now. It’s late—Brother Que, you should head back. We can talk later on WeChat.”
Ning Que casually glanced at the pocket where their hands still hadn’t separated. He gave a small nod, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
After all, there was always time.
A few seconds later, the light turned green, and Shen Yu and Cheng Mofei stepped onto the crosswalk, making their way to the other side.
Ning Que turned his head back for a glance.
From a distance, he saw his brother’s roommate move to Shen Yu’s other side—and warm up his other hand.
Ning Que: “…”
Ning Que guessed that his brother was probably straight. His brother’s roommate on the other hand?
Either deeply closeted or fully gay—but most likely the former.
Shen Yu wasn’t homophobic, nor did he resist his roommate’s closeness, which meant the chances of him getting bent were quite high.
Ning Que’s expression darkened slightly.
This path wasn’t easy to walk. Though acceptance among younger generations had improved over the years, there were still immense challenges ahead.
Not to mention, Cheng Mofei came from a powerful background. In the future, there was a high chance that his family would pressure him into marriage, possibly even an arranged marriage.
With his status, there was a literal “throne” waiting to be inherited.
And if that happened, the only one who would suffer would be Shen Yu.
Ning Que pulled out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, exhaling a slow stream of white smoke.
He had originally planned to subtly warn Shen Yu to be cautious around his roommate.
But now, it seems better to just play dumb.
If possible, he still hoped Shen Yu wouldn’t have to endure the hardships of this path.
—
As they crossed the street, Cheng Mofei moved to Shen Yu’s other side, taking his still-cold hand and tucking it into his pocket. “This one’s warm now. Let’s warm up the other.”
Shen Yu chuckled, letting him do as he pleased.
The temperature had dropped recently, but it wasn’t cold enough for the dorms to turn on the heating yet. Cheng Mofei’s pockets and the inside of his jacket hood had become the most coveted places in the entire dorm.
Whenever they walked outside, their roommates would always try to sneak their hands into his pockets.
Sometimes, Xiao Xiong would even go overboard, shoving both hands in from behind just to mess with him—only to get elbowed mercilessly by Cheng Mofei.
Because of that, Shen Yu didn’t think much of this kind of hand-warming behavior.
—Even straight guys did it.
As they walked onto campus, they headed straight toward their dorm.
Shen Yu received a message from Ning Que containing information about Meng Feng.
He casually forwarded it to Cheng Mofei before politely replying: [Brother Que, be careful on the way back. Let us know in the group chat when you arrive at your dorm.]
Ning Que responded quickly: [Got it. You too.]
Cheng Mofei took all of this in silently. Then, out of nowhere, he spoke:
“Do you know why I’m homophobic?”
Shen Yu’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure why Cheng Mofei was suddenly bringing this up to him, so he feigned ignorance. “Why?”
Cheng Mofei said calmly, “Because of my high school homeroom teacher and a classmate.”
Shen Yu listened intently as he recounted his story.
It was more or less the same as what Shen Yu had uncovered in his own investigations.
The homeroom teacher had been involved with a student. His wife, upon discovering the affair, jumped to her death.
“My deskmate in high school was one of them. At first, we got along pretty well just because we sat together. The teacher’s wife used to bring him meals often—we all saw it. But he still got involved with our teacher, knowing full well the man had a family.
Later, when our teacher went to prison, he moved on quickly, dating multiple boyfriends, with no guilt whatsoever. He even badmouthed the teacher’s wife behind her back. Then, I heard he contracted HIV and didn’t even take the college entrance exams.”
Even now, recalling that past made Cheng Mofei feel sick to his stomach.
Back in school, he had even personally witnessed his deskmate kissing another guy.
That was why, the other night, when he saw Ning Que kissing that man, those memories came rushing back—and the disgust hit him even harder.
But despite the nausea, he still wanted to share this with Shen Yu.
He didn’t want Shen Yu to become too curious about that world.
He didn’t want Shen Yu to have any involvement with it.
Tonight, Shen Yu’s attitude had given him a sense of unease.
His relationship with Ning Que was developing too fast. Not only that, but Shen Yu had taken the initiative to ask about people in Ning Que’s circle.
Cheng Mofei had a gut feeling—Shen Yu would continue keeping in touch with Ning Que.
And one day, through Ning Que, Shen Yu would inevitably be drawn into that world.
He was afraid… Afraid that Shen Yu would be bent. That he would end up with another man.
Maybe it was just his ridiculous paranoia, but even if the chances were one in a billion, it wasn’t impossible.
And just the thought of Shen Yu being with a guy—he couldn’t accept it.
Cheng Mofei took a deep breath, softened his voice, and joked in a testing tone, “See? Tonight, we got dragged into unnecessary trouble again… Maybe we should just avoid Ning Que from now on.”
“I understand how you feel,” Shen Yu withdrew his hand from Cheng Mofei’s pocket, his voice calm.
He felt this was a good opportunity to have a real conversation. “But I still want to say this—whether a person is good or bad has nothing to do with their sexual orientation.”
Cheng Mofei stopped in his tracks, momentarily flustered. “I know that, I just—”
Shen Yu interrupted, his tone steady, “My biological father cheated on my mother after she gave birth to me. He abused her—physically and emotionally, until she was forced to leave. Then, he married his mistress and had more children with her. But he was straight.”
Cheng Mofei felt like he had fallen into an ice-cold abyss.
It’s over.
Why was Shen Yu suddenly bringing up such a painful memory?
Had he overstepped?
Had he pushed too far and made Shen Yu upset?
0 Comments
Post a Comment