Brother, you smell good - 66

 

| BYSG | Try it out | 66

At that moment, the subway heading in the opposite direction arrived. As the station announcement played, the doors slid open with a swish.

Ning Que quickly thought for a second, pulled his baseball cap lower, and stepped into the train.

Outside the carriage, the two figures had already disappeared at the escalator.

Curiosity is natural for everyone, but he wasn’t some stalker, getting an answer was enough.

He wondered whether Aunt Shen knew about Shen Yu’s sexual orientation...

Adults usually have a harder time accepting homosexuality.

Since Shen Yu had so openly brought someone home as a guest, he had most likely chosen to be honest about it.

He must have his own plans, and Ning Que wouldn’t overstep his bounds or meddle.

It’s just that…

That meant Cheng Mofei was a Yancheng native. If, in the future, Shen Yu brought him home every New Year, holiday, or weekend, would he still get to eat pine nuts??

A sudden, unprecedented sense of crisis surged in Ning Que’s heart.

…

The mall Shen Yu chose was one he had visited in his previous life. Although it was a bit out of the way and not very large, it was well-equipped despite its size. 

There was a barbecue restaurant inside with great food and reasonable prices, rumored to have been open for many years. During his second class, he had looked it up on his phone, it was still in business.

The mall’s elevator connected directly to the subway station. After passing through the turnstiles, the two of them took the elevator upstairs.

Throughout the entire journey, their hands remained clasped together.

They were the only ones in the elevator. Cheng Mofei stared intently at the rising numbers, while all his senses seemed to converge on the hand intertwined with the one beside him.

"Don't be too nervous, relax a little." Shen Yu suddenly spoke.

Cheng Mofei was startled and let out a soft "Mm," immediately straightening up like a well-disciplined soldier. It felt as if the moment Shen Yu shouted "One, two, one," he would start marching in perfect step.

...He became even more nervous.

Since childhood, his family had taken him to various events, and at school, he had always been a student representative or someone in a leadership position. The word "nervous" had never been part of his vocabulary.

Yet at this moment, it felt like all the tension he had never experienced in his nineteen years had gathered in one place.

Trapped in this small elevator, the pressure was so overwhelming that even his breathing became unbearably difficult.

Especially because… he could feel his palm getting sweaty.

He wanted to pull his hand back to wipe it, but he was afraid that Shen Yu might find it unpleasant, but at the same time, he couldn't bear to let go. What if Shen Yu didn't hold his hand again afterward?

They had briefly held hands before, but this felt completely different.

Shen Yu’s hand was so soft. Being held by him felt so blissful…

At last, he understood why Sun Xinghe was always stuck to his girlfriend during their dates.

That guy had been secretly enjoying such wonderful moments for so long.

Suddenly, with a soft ding, the elevator came to a stop, and the doors slowly slid open.

Fresh air rushed into the once-closed space.

As he stepped out, Cheng Mofei finally managed to take a proper breath.

Holding his hand, Shen Yu led him toward the barbecue restaurant while casually outlining their plans for the night. “First, we’ll eat, then walk around the mall for a bit, and after that, we’ll go to the movies.”

Most college students followed a similar date process and were simple yet effective.

For instance, before eating, Shen Yu deliberately picked up an apron and stood in front of Cheng Mofei, asking him to tie it for him. And in return, he helped Cheng Mofei tie his apron as well. He faced forward and reached around his back, almost like he was embracing him.

During the meal, Shen Yu intentionally wrapped a fresh lettuce leaf around some meat and held it up to Cheng Mofei’s mouth. Cheng Mofei took a bite, his ears instantly turning red. 

Then, under his gaze, Shen Yu casually ate the other half of the lettuce wrap.

Back when they were just good brothers, they had shared the same cup of milk tea and even the same chicken wrap before. But now, for some reason, it suddenly felt embarrassing.

After dinner, they strolled through the mall, hand in hand. Passing by a boutique store, Shen Yu noticed a fluffy, orange-shaped keychain and bought it for Cheng Mofei—after all, no date was complete without a little gift.

Cheng Mofei happily attached the orange keychain to his keyring. He, too, wanted to buy something for Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was already going out of his way to accompany him, how could he let Shen Yu spend money too?

He had to buy something even more expensive for him.

Under Cheng Mofei’s serious insistence, Shen Yu didn’t refuse and picked out a light gray hamster plushie with an especially soft texture. It was the perfect size to hold in his arms, warm and comforting.

Just as they finished paying and stepped out of the boutique, Cheng Mofei’s phone buzzed with an incoming video call.

It was from his mother.

Caught off guard, he panicked, feeling like a teenager caught in an early romance. But instead of instinctively letting go of Shen Yu’s hand, his first reaction was to look at him for help.

Shen Yu’s eyes curved in amusement as he let go of Cheng Mofei’s hand on his own and said, “Go ahead and answer.”

With his palm suddenly empty, Cheng Mofei felt a bit unaccustomed to the sensation but had no choice but to focus on the call with his mother.

When the video connected, besides his mother, an elderly man was also on the screen.

Shen Yu recognized him, it was Cheng Mofei’s grandfather, a highly influential figure in Yancheng.

In his past life, Shen Yu had never been good at dealing with family elders, and he hadn’t spoken much with Grandpa Cheng. Most of the time, Cheng Mofei had handled things for him.

However, when they got together, Grandpa Cheng never objected or showed him any hostility. In fact, the first time he spent the New Year at the Cheng family home, Grandpa Cheng even gave him a generous red envelope.

He wasn’t sure if Cheng Mofei had spoken to his grandfather about their relationship in private, but overall, his impression of the old man was quite positive. He wasn’t the rigid, traditional type.

"Grandpa!" Cheng Mofei exclaimed in surprise. "Weren't you on vacation abroad? When did you come back? Where's Grandma?"

The old man chuckled. "My birthday is coming up soon, how could I not come back and let you youngsters fuss over me? It's a big year for me, and your uncle and father insisted on throwing a grand birthday banquet, so your grandma and I were called back. She's in the kitchen right now, insisting on cooking something herself. Your dad is helping her, but he couldn't talk her out of it."

Seeing that the grandfather and grandson had things to talk about, Cheng Mofei’s mother simply handed the phone over to the old man entirely.

Cheng Mofei pouted slightly. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I wanted to have Grandma’s cooking too."

Grandpa Cheng chuckled. "We just got back. Since you have classes during the week, we didn’t want to trouble you. We’ll be staying until the New Year, so if you want Grandma’s cooking, just come home anytime." Then he glanced at the screen. "Where are you now?"

Cheng Mofei took the opportunity to move closer to Shen Yu, bringing him and the little hamster plushie he was holding into the frame. "I’m out eating with my roommate."

Shen Yu froze for a second, instinctively tightening his arms around the plushie. Feeling a little nervous, he greeted, "Hello, Grandpa."

Grandpa Cheng gave a warm smile and even raised his hand in a playful wave. "Hello, little friend."

Shen Yu had never been called that before. The unexpected term of endearment made his heart feel soft.

But before he could fully process the feeling, Grandpa Cheng suddenly changed the subject and looked at Cheng Mofei. "By the way, Mofei, you’re already in your second year of college, right? Your mother says you haven’t made any progress yet. What’s going on? Your grandma and I got together as soon as we started university."

Cheng Mofei: "…..."

Elderly people always loved worrying about their younger generation’s love life. Grandpa Cheng was no exception.

Grandpa Cheng continued talking as if nothing had happened. “This birthday banquet is a great opportunity, I’ll invite more young people your age so you can have a few blind dates…”

Before he could finish, Cheng Mofei swiftly ended the video call.

On the other end, Grandpa Cheng blinked in surprise for a couple of seconds before breaking into a knowing smile. Pointing at the phone, he teased Cheng Mofei’s mother, “He got embarrassed and shy.”

Meanwhile, Cheng Mofei was anxiously watching Shen Yu’s reaction, worried that he might misunderstand. With a flustered expression, he hurriedly clarified, “I’m not going on any blind dates… I want to find someone on my own.”

Shen Yu took in his nervous yet adorably clumsy reaction, his lips curving into a smile. 

He let out a soft “Mm” and reached out a hand toward him. “The movie is about to start. Let’s go pick up our tickets.”

Without hesitation, Cheng Mofei grabbed Shen Yu’s hand, holding it even tighter than before.

Their seats were in the couple’s section, a connected loveseat with no armrests in between, allowing them to sit as close as they wanted.

Although they had sat close together in Cheng Mofei’s home movie room many times before, this time felt completely different.

Especially since in front of them sat a genuine couple.

The lights in the cinema had just dimmed when the guy couldn’t resist and quickly planted a kiss on the girl’s face. One kiss wasn’t enough, so he kissed her several more times. Gradually, their kisses deepened.

In the back row, Cheng Mofei and Shen Yu sat there, eating popcorn: “...”

The couple in front of them kissed for a long time, but they were surprisingly quiet—nothing that disturbed the other viewers. However, for Cheng Mofei and Shen Yu, the whole scene was within their view.

They silently agreed to remain quiet, with only the sound of crunching popcorn breaking the stillness.

Cheng Mofei’s mind had long since flown off to somewhere far away.

In the dream from last night, he had been in a similar situation with Shen Yu...

Cheng Mofei forced himself to refocus on the movie, not daring to think about those inappropriate, intrusive images while sitting next to Shen Yu.

But then, Shen Yu suddenly leaned in, his breath lightly brushing against Cheng Mofei’s ear as he whispered, “Do you think it would be easier for you to accept a girl kissing you, or a guy?”

Cheng Mofei realized that Shen Yu was trying to help him figure out his sexual orientation.

But his heart raced, his mind short-circuited, and all he could focus on was the repeated words, kiss you... kiss you...

He only accepted Shen Yu kissing him.

“I don’t know,” Cheng Mofei’s voice was hoarse, rough, as though a stone were lodged in his throat. “How about… you try?”

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