[174]

Glasses-guy could hardly conceal his smile, so he tried to cover it up by feigning cough and covering his mouth with his palm.

Straight Guy literally felt that there was no such thing as a free hotpot in the world. In order to sponge on them for a free hotpot, which was clear soup even, he acted in a play which he considered rather difficult. However, he had to play along so as to make Boss and Little Chen understood by their elders.

In the eyes of Domineering’s mother, she was in no position to worry about other people’s children. If this aspect was set aside, she thought that the two got along well with each other. The joy in their eyes was real, so was the mutual care for each other. If one of them were a girl, she would probably ask her son to follow suit and find himself a proper girlfriend as quickly as he could.

Straight Guy’s phone rang almost at the end of the meal. He answered the phone with his face full of panic. It couldn’t be heard what the other side said, but he said, “Dad, please don’t do this, the upperclassman and I are…” “En…It’s all right. I won’t go back, and you can rest assured.” “I know. I also want to go home for the festival, but I can’t…”

The moment Straight Guy hang up his phone, dead silence reigned this table again.

Seeing Glasses-guy held Straight Guy’s hand to show comfort after the call, Domineering’s mother felt bitter inside, but she took it pretty well in general. Straight Guy said with a smile on his face that was harder to watch than when he cried, “I…I’m fine, but I can’t go home for the Mid-autumn Festival.”

Domineering’s mother felt her heart was shattering. “Good boy, don’t be afraid. Please come back with to ours with Zhou Ming if you don’t mind, and I’ll steam crabs for you.”

Huh?

Straight Guy threw an SOS glance to Domineering Guy, asking in silence, “What’s going on? Boss, I’ll definitely go home for the festival. Is it really necessary to go this far?”

[175]

“Thanks a lot, aunt, but I want to take Yangyang back home for the festival.”

The whole room plunged into dead silence.

“Although I knew you two were a gay couple, wasn’t it better not to lay this knowing secret out? Since you were being so overly honest with me, how could I continue to pretend I didn’t know it?” Domineering’s mother thought to herself.

Coquettish Guy&Domineering Guy: Ya…n..g Yangyang…

The little Straight Guy also trembled with nervousness. Huh? Well, well, only his mom called him this when he was a kid. What upperclassman called him was so affectionate that it felt like upperclassman was whispering in his ears, which made his heart fluctuate. Glass-guy held his hand and attempted to envelop his entire hand. “Aunt, you might have known this, so I’m completely honest with you here. Will you despise us and forbid Zhou Ming to befriend us because of this?”

Domineering’s mother said, “I…” If she encountered two boys walking hand in hand, she would definitely avoid them. However, when it came to the two good boys she had known a little bit, she couldn’t say anything hurtful, for the world already treated them ill. And she continued, “You two…Well…You two are good boys. Of course, I don’t think like that. Don’t be afraid of other people’s thoughts. Live your own life, and your happiness is more important than anything else.”

“Well… Thanks, aunt.” Straight Guy was so easily touched that he choked with sobs upon hearing her words. “Aunt, you are the most open-minded parent I’ve ever seen.”

Domineering’s mother, who was praised suddenly, became nervous and shy as well and wanted to do something to adjust the atmosphere. Thus, she scooped one spoonful of spicy soup into her son’s bowl. “Eat more and talk less. Let’s eat quickly.”

Domineering Guy, “……”

[176]

Glass-guy called Yangyang more and more frequently in front of Domineering’s mother. Straight Guy trembled at each word at first but got used to it and even found it lovely. When he was just a little kid, his mom used to call him this like he was a big baby.

Later when Domineering’s mother went back, Straight Guy ran into Glass-guy on the way to the canteen for steamed stuffed buns before attending a morning class.

Glass-guy greeted him with a smile on his own initiative. “Good morning, Little Zhou.”

Straight Guy stood transfixed and inexplicably felt something wrong. Immediately, he found those buns not delicious at all.

[177]

Coquettish Guy and Domineering Guy didn’t completely talk Domineering’s mother into the gay thing, but their act got her some mental preparation, she became more open to it.

That evening, there were two new young actors cuddling each other in an interview on TV, and their interactions were overhyped by the media. Domineering’s father sat beside his wife watching TV and thought his child was gay as well, his wife had to be greatly furious if she found that out. He said with a sneer, “Two men acting like this, they don’t look like decent people!”

Domineering’s mother glared at him and said, “Which one you think is not decent? You can’t degrade the whole community based on one or two you are seeing. You used to be fair before.”

Domineering’s father immediately became fainthearted and felt wronged. “Er, honey, I…???”

[178]

Coquettish Guy found that Straight Guy was absent-minded in class. He sat behind Straight Guy and coughed twice, but Straight Guy didn’t respond to him.

As he took a look with his eyes narrowed, Straight Guy was typing fast on his cellphone with his hands under the table.

He thought that he’d better text Straight Guy. After all, he was pretty sure that Straight Guy wouldn’t hear him if he whispered.

Straight Guy felt very depressed without knowing why the upperclassman suddenly turned the cold shoulder to him. He edited a long message, made some alterations on a memo app, and finally edited a downplayed version that didn’t appear as overwhelming. Afterward, he made a copy of it, opened WeChat, and was ready to paste it.

What a coincidence! Coquettish Guy’s chatting frame jumped out first, so he pasted all the words he wanted to speak to Glass-guy and sent them over by his trembling hand.

Consequentially, the chatting interface was like this…

Coquettish Guy: Little Zhou, are you okay? The teacher just squinted at you, so you’d better focus on the class.

Straight-guy: Upperclassman, I have some questions to ask you about my major. Would you like to drop by and have dinner with me?

Coquettish Guy: …

Straight-guy withdrew the message.

Coquettish Guy: Come on! You didn’t even focus on the class, so what questions will you possibly ask?

[179]

There were only a few restaurants near their university, fewer of which were left after they screened out several based on their tastes. After finishing the short-term project, Domineering Guy and Glass-Guy got a fat check and said they would find a chance for them to get together.

Thus, they went to the hotpot restaurant where they ate with Domineering’s mother last time.

There were so many people entering the restaurant so that the hands of Straight-guy and Glass-guy met each other. Straight Guy felt it but didn’t take his hand back after he was stunned for a while as if he didn’t feel that. As a result, Glass-guy drew his hand back one step ahead and smiled at him apologetically.

Straight Guy gave him an embarrassing smile but said nothing.

Actually…he…well, how melancholy it was.

[180]

First in line was Glass-guy led by the waiter this time, followed by Straight Guy, Coquettish Guy, and Domineering Guy.

The table for four was naturally arranged with two long couches face to face. Glass-guy first chose one side and sat on the most inside seat. Straight Guy directly sat beside him without thinking too much.

Coquettish Guy and Domineering Guy who came here subsequently looked at him weirdly.

Straight Guy felt as if he was caught red-handed, so he fast made amends and said with an embarrassing smile, “I’m nice, aren’t I? I know you two want to sit together.”

Domineering Guy pointed out sharply, “Sure, but the thing is there are only four of us. You two sit together too closely.”

Coquettish Guy stretched out his hand and wanted to pinch him on his thigh so as to shut him up. As a result, Coquettish Guy accidentally pinched somewhere critical. After a wail, Domineering Guy couldn’t talk anymore.

[181]

Straight Guy felt somewhat fiesty and he even wanted to show his ill temper. He wasn’t acting like himself. He used to be the teacher’s favorite student who was well-behaved and had high scores; he used to be warm and sincere when he was with his classmates. Seldom did he have an unpleasant history with someone. However, he didn’t know what was wrong with himself. The upperclassman actually hadn’t upset him, but he felt nothing worked for him.

The stuff in the hotpot was ready. He wanted to pick up one spoonful of food from the clear soup but abruptly recalled many things upon seeing the rolling spicy soup. He then ended up picking up a piece of baby cabbage from it. However, the moment he ate the piece that was soaked in spicy soup, he started to cough.

Coquettish Guy sitting across him said with his eyebrow furrowed, “Don’t eat it if you can’t handle spicy.”

Straight Guy’s eyes turned red, and he mumbled, “I like eating it. I’ll be fine.”

He felt a little sad, so there was no one who could prevent him from eating the baby cabbage to drown his sorrows.

[182]

Glass-guy watched him eating the baby cabbage in silence and poured him a glass of ice water. “Stop eating it. You can’t eat so spicy food.”

Straight Guy felt that indescribable anger grew onto his heart. Neither could he vent it out nor could he press it down. Subsequently, he stood up and said without looking at the upperclassman, “I…” The moment he spoke out, he found that his tone was so high as if he was about to cry. He then lowered his voice, “I’ll go to the bathroom.”

Glass-guy looked at him with a complicated look while Coquettish Guy and Domineering Guy stared at Glass-guy with a complicated expression, too.

Glass-guy then rose up and followed him.