| BYSG | Software | 42
When Shen Yu returned from the library, Cheng Mofei was already in the dormitory.
He had just taken out his key and inserted it into the lock when someone inside opened the door for him directly.
A not-so-strong smell of alcohol hit him.
It was Cheng Mofei.
It was normal to drink a little during a dinner gathering, so Shen Yu didn’t think much of it.
However, a few seconds later, Cheng Mofei was still standing there, not moving, his eyes slightly red, blocking Shen Yu from entering.
Shen Yu immediately recalled what Cheng Mofei had said not long ago after sending him the recording: "I'll give you a hug when you get back."
Was he waiting for a hug?
Shen Yu felt a little helpless, took a step forward, and directly hugged him.
A hug wasn’t exactly an intimate gesture, and he wouldn’t be stingy with it for the person in front of him.
Cheng Mofei's body stiffened. Before he could react, Shen Yu had already pulled away.
It was a very brief hug, not even enough time to leave any warmth behind.
"Can I go in now?"
Cheng Mofei looked at him with eyes as dark as obsidian, a slight smile on his face.
Shen Yu's gaze made Cheng Mofei feel a little guilty, and the plan he had been thinking about for so long turned into a complete mess.
Perhaps he didn’t want to be looked at by Shen Yu, or maybe it was just a moment of impulse. In a rush, he hugged Shen Yu back.
His chin rested on Shen Yu’s shoulder, so their gazes wouldn't meet anymore.
Some of his strength relaxed into the embrace, and his body felt a bit more at ease.
This hug lasted for several seconds.
Any longer and it would have started to feel off.
Shen Yu had already sensed that something was off. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Cheng Mofei speak in a slightly hoarse voice, "I... I accidentally tripped and fell, and my phone broke."
There was an unmistakable hint of grievance in his tone.
Shen Yu’s heart tightened instantly. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"No."
"That's good. The phone can be fixed, or you can buy a new one. As long as you're okay, that's what matters."
"Mm."
Shen Yu guessed that Cheng Mofei might have had some alcohol, and it was affecting him.
After drinking, his emotions tended to become more sensitive, and even small things would feel much bigger to him.
Besides, it wasn’t just that he had fallen; his phone had also broken. It wasn’t a trivial matter.
Finally, Cheng Mofei gathered himself and released the hug.
The warmth they had shared faded, and a coolness slowly crept into Shen Yu's chest.
He still didn’t dare to meet Shen Yu’s gaze. He hurriedly stepped aside to give him space to pass and quickly closed the dormitory door.
Inside the dormitory, Xiao Xiong and Sun Xinghe were both there, one at the computer and the other on the bed.
Shen Yu placed his backpack down, plugged his phone in to charge, and began looking for clothes to wear for his shower.
Cheng Mofei pretended to return to his spot and opened his computer, his peripheral vision clearly tracking Shen Yu’s movements.
Shen Yu’s phone… it was right there.
There might be answers to the questions Cheng Mofei had, hidden inside.
As long as… he takes one quick look.
"Can I borrow your phone for a moment? I need to call my parents and ask them to send me my old phone so I can use it in the meantime." Cheng Mofei finally managed to say the words he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.
Shen Yu paused for a moment, then pulled out his phone from the charger and handed it over generously. "Here."
He had been wondering how to get Cheng Mofei to look at his phone, and the opportunity had just presented itself—perfect.
Cheng Mofei immediately took the phone.
The phone case was exactly the same as his, a big orange, and the feel of it was identical.
Shen Yu hadn’t even thought twice before handing it over. Did that mean he had really been overthinking things?
If Shen Yu were gay, he would surely be more careful and secretive, right? How could he be so calm and open about it?
The more Cheng Mofei thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. His heart eased a little as he unlocked the phone, revealing the screenshot of the class schedule on the lock screen.
"The lock screen password is 231209." Shen Yu said, then walked into the bathroom, leaving Cheng Mofei plenty of space.
231209...
Cheng Mofei inputted the password, all the while pondering the meaning behind the numbers.
1209 seemed like a date—December 9th. But that wasn’t Shen Yu’s birthday.
What about 23? Was it 2023? But the current year was 2018. Could it be 1923?
Before Cheng Mofei could think any further, the phone had successfully unlocked and entered the home screen.
Shen Yu's phone was clean and simple, with nothing flashy. Even the background was just a plain color.
Thus, Cheng Mofei immediately spotted a familiar app icon.
It was the same one he had seen not long ago in a conversation in the "gay identification" replies.
Cheng Mofei's mind buzzed.
No straight man would download such an app.
He knew this was the final confirmation, and there was no excuse left to keep deceiving himself.
Yet, his finger moved of its own accord, opening the app.
People always have a curiosity about others' privacy.
He knew this behavior wasn’t ideal, but he couldn’t help forcing himself to think—what if Shen Yu just downloaded the app out of curiosity?
What if it was… just an accidental download?
After all, there are a lot of sketchy apps out there, and sometimes one just ends up on the phone without realizing it. He needed a more solid confirmation.
It seemed like Shen Yu had only recently downloaded the app and hadn’t really used it. There were very few traces—just the account registration and login.
Cheng Mofei’s heart raced faster as he saw a few messages, and it hit its peak when he saw one of them.
[So close, college student? Want to meet up?]
Shen Yu hadn’t replied, but since the message didn’t have a red dot, it was clear that it had been read.
There were other messages from different people, but those still had red dots, meaning Shen Yu hadn’t opened them yet.
[Add me on WeChat, let’s chat [heart]]
[Want to swap pics? Let me see yours]
[0 or 1?]
[Which school are you at? Let’s get to know each other]
For a moment, anger and disgust intertwined, and Cheng Mofei's stomach churned violently.
He had already been feeling unwell from drinking earlier, and the cold wind during the walk back didn’t help either. His stomach was already in discomfort.
Now, with these messages as a trigger, the feeling of nausea grew even stronger.
Cheng Mofei quickly squatted down, forcing himself to suppress the urge to vomit, and deleted the unread messages one by one. He didn’t want these things to tarnish Shen Yu’s eyes.
What were these people?
They didn’t even know him, yet they dared to send such disgusting, harassing messages to Shen Yu?
Even if Shen Yu were gay, that didn’t mean he was someone who could just be picked up so easily.
Cheng Mofei’s chest rose and fell rapidly, his fingers trembling with anger.
Finally, after deleting the last message, he could no longer hold back. He rushed to his own trash can in the room and threw up.
"Are you okay?" Sun Xinghe, who had been sitting on the bed, heard the noise and put down what he was doing, getting up from the bed.
"Why are you throwing up? Did you drink too much tonight?" Xiao Xiong also took off his headphones.
In the bathroom, the sound of water stopped for a moment, and soon after, it started again. Not long later, Shen Yu came out, fully dressed.
Cheng Mofei had already finished vomiting, and Sun Xinghe had poured him a glass of water, while Xiao Xiong took the trash bag from the trash can and placed it outside the door.
Shen Yu stood at the bathroom door for a few seconds before finally gathering the courage to walk over.
He wasn’t sure if Cheng Mofei had noticed the app he had deliberately placed on the phone’s home screen. After all, Cheng Mofei, who was still straight, probably didn’t recognize the app.
But before coming back, Shen Yu had used the app’s matching feature and received quite a few private messages from strangers.
The private messages would pop up with notifications at the top of the phone, greatly increasing the chances of Cheng Mofei seeing them.
Those messages... most of them were pretty explicit.
Most apps like that ended up being used for hookups and flirting, and Shen Yu had some concerns that the messages might be too aggressive. So, he had specifically deleted the most explicit ones, leaving only a few that were somewhat more appropriate.
Cheng Mofei suddenly vomiting might have been because of the wine and bad food from dinner, but it was more likely because he had seen that app.
After all, Cheng Mofei would feel uncomfortable just from seeing bl comics or watching a gay couple kiss on the cheek. Now that he was confronted directly with those things... it wasn’t surprising that he’d throw up.
What Shen Yu didn’t know was whether the reason that made Cheng Mofei nauseous included himself.
Shen Yu cautiously spoke up: “Let me help you to the bathroom to wash up.”
He was feeling uneasy as well. He wasn’t sure if Cheng Mofei, now that he knew the truth, would still want to be around him.
Cheng Mofei silently took a sip from his cup, his breathing still rapid, his eyes narrowed. It was hard to tell if the slight redness in his gaze came from anger or something else.
After a long pause, he finally muttered one word: “…Okay.”
With Shen Yu taking care of Cheng Mofei, the other two felt reassured.
Shen Yu reached out to support one of Cheng Mofei’s arms.
Cheng Mofei didn’t push him away. Shen Yu let out a small sigh of relief.
It seemed that the brotherly bond they had built over time was having a significant effect.
As they entered the bathroom, the door was barely shut when Cheng Mofei quickly locked it.
With a firm resolve, Cheng Mofei spoke up: "I have something I want to say to you."
Shen Yu, sensing where this was going, replied: "I have something I want to say to you too."
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