What to Do if I Am Noticed by the Straight Guy Next Door?

Twenty-year-old Su Bin was in his third year studying finance at the provincial university when he was recommended for a self-funded exchange program to M University, a prestigious university in Country B with a similar major.

Before his departure, a group of close friends, including Su Bin’s girlfriend, Chen Xiaotian, went to the airport to see him off.

Su Bin and Chen Xiaotian had been together for almost four years, and during that time, they had never been separated by distance. So now, as they were about to part ways, Su Bin held her tightly, crying and heartbroken. “You… I… Ahhh… Ah…”

Chen Xiaotian patted his shoulder and comforted him while their group of friends watched the scene with sighs and forehead-slapping.

“You… wait for me…” Su Bin choked out, “Y-y-you…”

His friends grew impatient and waved him off, saying, “Alright, alright, stop being sentimental. Go on, leave!”

Su Bin wiped away his tears and took a deep, affectionate look at his buddies—they were all his high school classmates who attended different universities in the province. Even though they were now in different schools, they still often hung out together. Su Bin couldn’t have been with Chen Xiaotian without their advice and support.

“Take care of Xiaotian for me,” Su Bin said reluctantly.

“Sure, it’s just one year, not a life-and-death separation. With us around, we won’t let your wife suffer!” Guo Lishun casually put his arm around Chen Xiaotian’s shoulder, and she laughed and pushed him away.

Su Bin entered the boarding gate and, before going through security, he turned back to look at Chen Xiaotian. He saw her chatting and laughing with Guo Lishun. Among their group, only Huang Zhengming was looking in his direction, with his mouth slightly open as if wanting to say something but holding back. Su Bin halted his steps, but Huang Zhengming just waved at him.

Once he boarded the plane, Su Bin quickly took out his phone and sent a text message to Chen Xiaotian: “I’ve arrived in Country B. I’ll buy delicious food for you and clothes too. What brand do you like? I’ll get a phone card as soon as I land. Please wait for my call…”

He wrote a long message but felt it was too verbose, so he deleted it and simply typed three words: “I love you.”

He had never said those three words to Chen Xiaotian before.

In their nearly four years together, he had repeated “I like you,” “I really like you,” “I adore you” countless times, but he had never said those three words because he felt they carried too much weight. It was only at this moment of parting…

In an instant, his eyes welled up again, and his hands trembled as he pressed the send button. He watched the loading circle on his phone screen, but ultimately, it displayed “Message sending failed!”

Su Bin: “???”

He restarted his phone, resent the message twice, but to no avail. With a friendly reminder from the flight attendant to turn off his phone, Su Bin reluctantly gave up.

The long-haul flight of over ten hours and a two-hour layover had taken a toll on Su Bin. He was the kind of person who became very attached to his girlfriend once they were together. When he was with Chen Xiaotian, he wanted to be by her side even when going to the restroom. Chen Xiaotian had complained more than once about him not giving her “personal space.” Most couples had the girlfriend being clingy with the boyfriend, but Su Bin was the opposite.

But he couldn’t change himself. He guessed he might have a mother complex, but he didn’t dare tell Chen Xiaotian.

M University was located in M City, the second largest city in Country B.

When Su Bin arrived at the local youth hostel, it was already evening there and early morning in his home country. He immediately went out to search for a SIM card store but found that most shops in Country B closed promptly at five o’clock… he was too late!

After circling around without success, Su Bin, with a growling stomach, couldn’t resist buying a hamburger on the street to appease his hunger. He complained about the expensive prices in Country B and also criticized the taste of the food: “What is this? Chinese KFC tastes a hundred times better than this!”

The day’s hustle and bustle had exhausted Su Bin. He returned to the hostel and fell asleep immediately, adjusting to the time difference. He woke up hungry at seven in the morning and went to the kitchen to cook some noodles.

The hostel had a kitchen, and several guest rooms shared a common lounge area equipped with pots, bowls, utensils, sofas, and tables. The facilities were as good as a family hostel in his home country.

As for the noodles, of course, Su Bin had brought instant noodles from home. Huang Zhengming had specially bought two packs and stuffed them in his backpack for him, in case of emergencies. Little did he know that they would come in handy!

Su Bin didn’t possess exceptional culinary skills, but the kitchen was not unfamiliar to him. Unlike many young university students who couldn’t tell the difference between a frying pan and a pot and didn’t know how to cook rice, he had some basic knowledge.

Once the water boiled, he added the noodles and seasoning, and the aroma filled the air, almost overflowing the entire kitchen.

Just as Su Bin was about to start eating, the kitchen door suddenly swung open, and a blond foreigner walked in casually. He sniffed the enticing aroma in the kitchen and looked directly at the source of the fragrance.

“Hey,” the foreigner greeted with a smile, heading towards the refrigerator.

……” Su Bin felt a bit inexplicably nervous when a “living and breathing” foreigner started talking to him. “Uh, hello!”

As the foreigner passed by, he glanced at Su Bin’s noodles. Su Bin smiled at him, and the foreigner smiled back, revealing a set of teeth that could be featured in a toothpaste advertisement… but Su Bin had a sense of impending doom.

Sure enough, the next second, he saw the foreigner standing in front of the refrigerator, frowning and asking, “Did you see my egg?”

Su Bin: “…”

In that moment, Su Bin really wanted to cheekily say, “I didn’t see it”… but he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t the kind of coward who would take something by mistake and not admit it. Su Bin blushed and confessed his “egg theft” act. He thought the egg in the refrigerator was a “free egg” provided by the hostel… really!

The foreigner burst into laughter, waving his hand and saying it was okay.

On his first day abroad, such an embarrassing incident happened. He felt utterly ashamed! Su Bin didn’t know how much an egg cost, he could buy one for him, but he felt too embarrassed to ask directly.

After saying “it’s okay” several times, the foreigner added, “Actually, that egg was for my breakfast.”

Su Bin: “…” It did matter to him after all. QAQ…

Until Su Bin caught a glimpse of the foreigner’s blue eyes fixed on his noodles, with a formed egg flower floating on top…

He understood…

Although he was reluctant, Su Bin offered, “How about I give you this bowl of noodles that I just cooked… I haven’t eaten yet.” Su Bin specifically mentioned that he remembered a lesson in English class in middle school about the dining culture of foreigners, emphasizing their emphasis on personal hygiene during meals and their preference for individual portions rather than sharing, unlike the Chinese style.

The foreigner exclaimed, “Ah, really? You’re such a nice person!”

In that moment, Su Bin felt like he saw a glimmer of triumph in the foreigner’s eyes…

“But you haven’t eaten either, right? Let’s share it!” the foreigner generously suggested.

Su Bin was touched and conflicted, not knowing how to describe his feelings.

The foreigner not only didn’t mind sharing a bowl of noodles with him but also exaggeratedly exclaimed, “It smells so damn good! Oh, fantastic! So delicious!”

Su Bin thought to himself, if a pack of instant noodles made you feel this excited, what would happen when you try “Lao Gan Ma” chili sauce?

Two grown boys finished the bowl of noodles in no time!

The foreigner, still wanting more, asked about the price of this type of instant noodles in China. When Su Bin mentioned “1.8 yuan,” equivalent to 18 cents in B country’s currency, the foreigner expressed his astonishment, saying, “It’s even cheaper than a chicken egg here!”

His implication was, “You didn’t lose out by giving me noodles; my egg is more expensive than your noodles,” right…

“You can actually go to the Chinese supermarket in Chinatown,” Su Bin suggested, “Maybe they sell it there.” Before coming, he had done some research and knew that B country had many Chinese supermarkets where they could buy good products exported from China, such as “Lao Gan Ma,” pickled vegetables, and bamboo shoots.

The foreigner asked, “Chinese supermarket? Where is it?”

It was Su Bin’s first day in B country, how would he know the location of the Chinese supermarket! Although he wondered, “Shouldn’t the foreigner be more familiar with the local environment than me?” But since they had just met, he didn’t want to ask too many questions.

“I still have one pack here, do you want me to give it to you…” Su Bin’s generous nature prompted him to blurt out these words without much thought.

Foreigner: “(_)!”

Su Bin: “…”

Based on the bond formed over instant noodles, the foreigner decided to accompany Su Bin to the international student center at M University for registration. Foreigners had a better sense of direction here compared to newly arrived Chinese students.

Luckily, on that day, the person in charge at the international student center was a Chinese student representative named K.

Su Bin found his way with the help of K, bidding farewell to the foreigner happily. After completing the necessary procedures, Su Bin asked K about accommodation matters.

K said that only freshmen could be allocated dormitories by the school. Students from the second year and above mostly arranged their own accommodation. There were many privately-owned student apartments for rent near the school, as well as many people looking to share a rented house.

Although Su Bin had just arrived, he was an exchange student in the second year, so he didn’t fall under the category of freshmen. He had read about what K mentioned on the international student forum, but being new to the place, he wanted to inspect student apartments and shared houses before making a decision.

K recommended Su Bin to go to a rental agency that had a partnership with the university. They had a good reputation and affordable prices. “But you should act quickly, it’s close to the start of the semester, and housing options are limited.” As he spoke, K gave Su Bin a book called “B Country International Student Guide” and said, “This is a booklet compiled by M University’s international students. It’s very practical, keep it for reference.”

Su Bin expressed his gratitude and bid farewell to K. He immediately headed to the rental agency.

To be honest, Su Bin’s decision to study abroad was because of Chen Xiaotian.

He had been at the provincial university for two years, consistently ranking at the top of his class. When the department announced the exchange program, Chen Xiaotian immediately suggested that he apply. But Su Bin, who couldn’t bear to be away from his girlfriend, was reluctant. Even if it was within the country, being separated by distance felt like a torment, let alone going abroad.

They argued over this matter multiple times, and in the end, Chen Xiaotian got really mad. She said he was immature and didn’t know how to consider his own future. Indeed, having an exchange experience would be beneficial for both graduate school applications and future job searches.

Su Bin knew that Chen Xiaotian was looking out for him, but he couldn’t keep emphasizing how much he couldn’t bear to leave her. If she didn’t say much about it, he would come across as weak.

So in the end, he reluctantly gave in, saying, “Fine, fine, I’ll go, is that okay? Don’t ignore me…”

Therefore, he had a clear understanding of his purpose for going abroad: to gain some experience and complete the task. In terms of accommodation, he leaned towards sharing with Chinese people who were easier to communicate with.

The attitude of the rental agency staff was similar to that of K. They said there weren’t many suitable housing options available at the moment, but Su Bin was in luck. A house had just become available yesterday, and it seemed that the tenants were all Chinese, which suited Su Bin’s requirements.

The staff handed Su Bin the printed details of the housing and said, “This house is 4 kilometers away from M University. There’s a southeast-facing second bedroom for rent, but you’ll need to share the bathroom. What do you think?”

Su Bin frowned, “Isn’t that too far from the university?”

The staff explained, “4 kilometers is relatively close. Many M University students live in the suburbs, which are 7-8 kilometers away from the school. After all, M University is located in the city center, and the rent nearby is expensive.”

Su Bin asked, “How do they commute to school then?”

The staff replied, “By bus or by car. Many students here have their own cars.”

Su Bin: “…”

The staff patiently checked and said, “There’s a bus stop about 500 meters from that location, and it goes directly to M University.”

“Really!” Su Bin’s worries vanished, “Can I go and see the house first?”

“Of course!” The staff dialed the landlord’s number and spoke rapidly, nodding and glancing at Su Bin as if assessing him. Su Bin only understood one sentence she said over the phone, “Yes, he’s a boy.”

Su Bin: “…”

Next, the staff turned to Su Bin with a somewhat apologetic expression and said, “The landlord has a few additional requirements for the tenant.”

Su Bin had a feeling that he might be rejected, and he nervously asked, “What are the requirements?”

“He wants you to be a quiet person, not have any pets, and,” the staff hesitated a bit, “must be heterosexual.”

Damn… Do I really look like a gay person?

Su Bin was speechless but earnestly replied, “I’m not noisy, I’m allergic to pets, and I have a girlfriend in China!” He said the last sentence a bit loudly, as if hoping the person on the other end of the phone could hear it.

The staff relayed Su Bin’s response to the landlord and then had another conversation, turning back to him, “The landlord also wants to know if you’re good at cooking?”

…Aren’t international students supposed to be independent, cooking for themselves and not interfering with each other? Could it be that the Chinese students in this house have a habit of cooking together? Can’t I live there if I can’t cook?

Su Bin’s imagination went wild, but he later learned that he had indeed overthought things.

Although the landlord’s requirements seemed a bit excessive and made him slightly unhappy, Su Bin still honestly replied, “I can cook a bit…” He had cooked a pot of instant noodles that impressed a foreigner in the morning, after all!

The staff finally smiled and handed him the phone, saying, “Congratulations, you can go see the house now. Have a chat with the landlord.”

…This interview-like experience made Su Bin’s palms sweaty.

“Hello.” A wonderfully pleasant male voice came through the phone, “I’m Allen.”

Su Bin thought, didn’t the staff say the tenants were all Chinese? Why is this guy speaking English? Is he testing me?

…My idol is Yu Minhong, and my girlfriend is an English major. I’ve been exposed to English every day, and I passed the CET-6 exam with a high score! Who’s afraid of who!

Of course, Su Bin didn’t foolishly respond in Chinese. He quickly came up with an impressive-sounding English name for himself, “Hello, I’m Michael.”

“Well…” The other person pondered for a moment, then earnestly informed Su Bin about the location of the house and the specific bus route. He added, “Mike, my roommate will pick you up at 1 p.m. at the bus stop and take you home.”

Su Bin listened, feeling a bit dazed. He was still immersed in the other person’s perfect British accent.

Thinking that the person called him Mike, not Michael… Why did it feel so familiar?

And the wording was also quite interesting. He said, “My roommate will pick you up and take you home,” not “take you to see the house.”

As Su Bin contemplated this statement, for some reason, he felt a sense of warmth.

________________________

Author’s Note:

“Mike” is an endearing nickname for Michael, similar to calling Su Bin “Bin’er”…

So you can imagine how Su Bin felt at that moment… He was floating on air~~~~