| BYSG | Who said we Can't be Friends | 49
Cheng Mofei almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
How could these people have such wild imaginations?
Before they knew about Shen Yu’s sexual orientation, they fantasized that something was going on between them. Now that they knew, they started imagining that Shen Yu was pursuing him.
And they even analyzed it so logically…
If he didn’t already know that Shen Yu’s type was the complete opposite of him, he might have actually believed it for a second.
Besides, he and Shen Yu had only met this semester—where would all these complicated feelings come from?
Not wanting these people to keep gossiping about Shen Yu behind his back, Cheng Mofei immediately contacted the forum administrator and requested to have the post deleted.
Shen Yu had already told him that night he wanted it gone, but with everything that had happened afterward, he had completely forgotten.
He really should have remembered to get it deleted that very night, even if he had to endure his stomachache.
Who said that straight guys and gay guys couldn’t have pure friendship?
He and Shen Yu would definitely be good brothers for life.
...
Meanwhile, after Shen Yu finished feeding his hamster and returned to his seat.
He casually glanced at his phone, which was charging.
Unexpectedly, there really was a new message.
Shen Yu opened WeChat and saw that the message was from the new friend he had added today.
Han Xuan: 【Shen Yu, did you see the latest replies on that forum post about you and Cheng Mofei?】
Han Xuan: 【I didn’t expect Cheng Mofei to be homophobic before… No wonder my boyfriend said he barely comes to play basketball this semester. Do you think we scared him off? Hahaha.】
Shen Yu: “……”
He had to admit—that was actually the truth.
Instead of replying right away, Shen Yu first went to check the forum post himself.
He had already liked and bookmarked it before, so it was easy to find in his likes and saved posts.
But when he clicked on it, the system displayed a message that the post had been deleted.
Shen Yu: “?”
Shen Yu switched back to WeChat and asked: 【I didn’t see it. I just tried to open it, but it says the post was deleted. What did it say?】
Han Xuan: 【Huh? Let me check.】
Han Xuan: 【Yeah, it’s gone. Maybe someone reported it or something? It was just a gossip post full of rumors anyway.】
Han Xuan: 【It wasn’t much, someone just exposed your sexual orientation, and then people started speculating that you pretended to be straight at first because you wanted to chase Cheng Mofei. Some even said it wouldn’t be long before you “turned” him gay. Pretty funny, honestly. Based on how you two interact daily, it seems more like he’s the one chasing you.】
Shen Yu: “……”
The first part was actually spot on.
Feeling a bit guilty, he replied with an awkward but polite “Haha.”
Shen Yu: 【It’s fine. It’s already deleted anyway.】
It was a bit of a pity, though, if the post was still up and Cheng Mofei read those comments, it might have actually helped his pursuit plan.
Han Xuan: 【Yeah, just ignore them.】
Just then, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.
Cheng Mofei stepped out, dressed neatly in his pajamas, his shirt still tucked into his pants in a funny way.
The burn he had gotten earlier had already healed, though it inevitably left a faint scar.
Lately, he had been applying some scar removal ointment from home, and it seemed to be working well. Hopefully, by the time they went to the hot springs, the scar would be faint enough not to be noticeable.
Shen Yu glanced in Cheng Mofei’s direction out of habit. The other two roommates also turned to look at him.
Xiao Xiong took off his headphones, while Sun Xinghe climbed down from the top bunk.
That was when Shen Yu realized that the dorm room’s atmosphere felt a little… off.
Before he could think too much about it, everyone’s gazes shifted to him.
Sun Xinghe cleared his throat and broke the silence. “Uh, Xiao Shen… everyone knows now.”
At first, Shen Yu was confused. But then, he quickly understood what they knew.
—They knew about his sexual orientation.
It made sense. Neither of them were the type to stay offline for long, they must have seen the discussions on the forum.
Shen Yu had never planned on hiding it from them forever. He just thought explaining would be a hassle.
He didn’t want them to start acting overly cautious or awkward around him. Plus, his top priority right now was pursuing Cheng Mofei, so he had put it aside for the time being.
But now that they had found out on their own, it actually saved him the trouble of coming out to them.
Shen Yu let out a soft “Mm,” his tone gentle. “I wasn’t trying to hide it from you on purpose.”
Xiao Xiong waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing, really. It’s your private business. We had just met back then, if I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn’t have said anything either. Besides, this is actually great news, there’s one less ridiculously handsome guy competing with us straight dudes for girls.”
Sun Xinghe shot him a sidelong glance and chuckled. “You should focus on losing weight first. Even if Xiao Shen wasn’t competing, it wouldn’t help you much.”
Xiao Xiong huffed. “My sister sent me a bunch of workout videos. Starting tomorrow, I’m officially getting in shape.”
And just like that, the topic was brushed off in an easy, lighthearted manner.
Shen Yu was momentarily stunned.
In his past life, when he first started working in Yancheng, he had lived in a company-arranged dormitory.
One of his roommates had accidentally found out about his sexuality and had acted all nervous and paranoid ever since, as if Shen Yu would suddenly fall for him or something.
Back then, Shen Yu had shared that experience with Cheng Mofei, and without hesitation, Cheng Mofei had invited him to move in and co-rent his place.
So now, knowing that Xiao Xiong and Sun Xinghe had found out about his orientation, Shen Yu couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
He hadn’t expected it to go this smoothly.
There wasn’t a hint of pretense in their expressions or attitudes.
It went so smoothly that it almost felt surreal.
Suddenly, a hand landed on his head, ruffling his hair.
Shen Yu blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, and turned to see that it was Cheng Mofei.
"I already contacted the admin to get that post deleted," Cheng Mofei said.
So he was the one who had it removed.
Shen Yu wondered if Cheng Mofei had seen those replies about him trying to turn him gay.
Hopefully, he had. That way, he could at least mentally prepare himself in advance.
His hair had grown quite a bit since his last haircut.
Cheng Mofei had only meant to ruffle it casually, but his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, twisting a small section into a tiny braid.
Feeling the movement on top of his head, Shen Yu widened his eyes slightly and grabbed the mischievous hand.
Cheng Mofei chuckled, slipping his hand away before smoothing out the mess he had just made.
Since Shen Yu was in a good mood today, he decided to let it slide. He raised a hand to shield his head and said, "I'll get a haircut tomorrow, I'm going to my mom's place later."
The sports meet only lasted three days, and the day after it ended happened to be the weekend. They had already planned to finish tutoring Cheng Zhiyu on Sunday morning and then head to his mom’s place for hotpot.
It was his first time visiting his mom’s place, so naturally, he wanted to prepare properly.
"Let’s go together. I need a haircut too."
"Alright."
Even though Shen Yu wasn’t competing in the sports meet, he had been busy all day as a volunteer. Feeling a bit dusty and worn out, he decided to take a shower.
With the heating on, showering had become much more comfortable.
Just before heading to the bathroom, something crossed his mind, and he checked his phone.
As expected, his conversation with Han Xuan hadn’t actually ended, there was another unread message waiting for him.
Han Xuan: 【By the way, do you know how to play mahjong? I’m itching to play but don’t want to play with strangers. I have a membership at the mahjong parlor across from the school. If you’re in, I’ll cover the table fee. Let’s go after the sports meet tomorrow.】
So he just wanted to ask him to play?
Shen Yu teased: 【Did you add me on WeChat just to fill a mahjong table?】
Han Xuan: 【Hehe, you saw right through me.】
Han Xuan: 【Are you in or not? Right now, it’s just me and my boyfriend. If you’re in, I’ll find one more person, or if you have a friend, they can join too.】
Shen Yu was tempted.
Not because of mahjong itself, but because the idea of bringing Cheng Mofei along to play with this seemingly sweet same-sex couple was very appealing. He was convinced that Cheng Mofei needed more exposure to normal, healthy gay relationships.
But…
Shen Yu answered honestly: 【I’m kind of interested, but I’ve never played before. I don’t know how.】
He really didn’t know how to play, and he was pretty sure Cheng Mofei didn’t either.
Han Xuan: 【No problem! I can teach you how to play Sichuan-style mahjong. I love teaching beginners. If you play with me, I’ll bring you some homemade spicy rabbit head next semester as a reward.】
Shen Yu was still standing there, holding his sleepwear, not moving for a while. The bathroom light was still on, and he was clearly preoccupied with his phone.
Curious, Cheng Mofei walked over with the little hamster in his hands and asked casually, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Yu shifted his gaze from the phone screen to Cheng Mofei, his mind working quickly before he replied, “Han Xuan invited me to play mahjong.”
Cheng Mofei looked puzzled. “Who’s Han Xuan?”
He knew all of Shen Yu’s close friends, and there was no one by that name.
“It was the same-sex couple we met at the campus medical office when you sprained your ankle during military training,” Shen Yu explained.
Cheng Mofei paused. “…Tan Feng’s boyfriend?”
Shen Yu nodded.
So the other guy’s name was Tan Feng.
Absentmindedly, Cheng Mofei started rubbing the little hamster in his hands a bit more vigorously, then asked, “Since when did you two become friends?”
Shen Yu briefly explained how he and Han Xuan had exchanged WeChat contacts earlier today.
Then, he deliberately added, “Right now, it’s just him and his boyfriend. They need two more players, so he asked me. I kind of want to play, but we still need one more. Brother Fei, are you in?”
Cheng Mofei frowned slightly.
If only Shen Yu went, then they’d still be short one person. They might end up inviting someone with the same sexual orientation, and if that person happened to be a 1, what would happen if they got too close to Shen Yu?
Cheng Mofei immediately nodded. “Mm, I’ll go with you.”
Shen Yu felt relieved. Then, he thought of something and decided to ask, “Do you know how to play mahjong? Sichuan style?”
Although he knew Cheng Mofei didn’t, he asked anyway.
Cheng Mofei was afraid that if he answered “no,” they might not take him along. Cheng Mofei gritted his teeth and nodded. “Mm.”
He’d just have to cram and learn quickly.
Shen Yu: “?”
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