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

But Allen’s words can be summarized as follows: “You can rest assured to drink this rose wine. I don’t have any strange thoughts about you.” Understanding this, Su Bin felt relieved.

The group continued to look at the menu and ordered steaks. With Yang Chengzhe’s recommendation, Su Bin chose the fillet steak, which is considered the king of beef and the most popular dish in the restaurant, albeit the most expensive.

Yang Chengzhe ordered the T-bone steak, and Jin Fei, after flipping through the menu, whimsically decided to have a roasted lamb chop, earning a comment from Yang Chengzhe, “Ordering lamb chops at a steakhouse, aren’t you afraid of being kicked out?”

Jin Fei didn’t mind and said, “I just feel like eating it!”

Allen ordered a fillet steak similar to Su Bin’s choice, and everyone also specified their preferred doneness for the steaks.

When Su Bin was in China, he had been to several casual Western restaurants with Chen Xiaotian. In order to show off, he had once studied a bunch of etiquette related to Western dining, including how to use utensils and how to describe different levels of doneness for steak in English. Now it came in handy, and he felt quite pleased. However, when he said “medium well” to the waiter, Allen looked at him with a smile that seemed both amused and meaningful, scaring him into thinking he had made another mistake.

But Allen didn’t say anything and continued to explain various details to the waiter at a speed that Su Bin couldn’t keep up with. The waiter took the order and left.

When the steaks arrived, Su Bin didn’t notice anything amiss and eagerly started cutting and eating.

The fillet steak was tender and had an excellent texture. The slight beefy taste was not difficult to accept, and when combined with the sautéed onions and mashed potatoes from the side dish, it tasted even better. As the juices spread on the tip of his tongue, he felt a sense of happiness from the bottom of his heart… Although it was cooked slightly more than he had imagined, Su Bin still found it delicious. Compared to what he was currently eating, the beef he had with Chen Xiaotian before couldn’t even be considered as real beef!

While eating, Su Bin also admired Allen’s manner of eating.

To be honest, despite Allen having many eerie details that made Su Bin fearful, he was indeed a perfect person – perfect appearance, perfect eloquence, perfect demeanor.

Jin Fei and Yang Chengzhe were chatting on the side, while Allen remained as quiet as ever. It was the same as when the three of them had dinner together before, but he never seemed aloof or out of place. When others spoke, Allen would casually gaze at them, giving the impression that he was listening attentively. Even if he didn’t say a word, it didn’t make people feel uncomfortable.

Unconsciously, Su Bin began to imitate Allen’s leisurely way of cutting the meat, the way he held the wine glass with his index and middle fingers, and the way he lightly wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, all while contemplating…

However, after trying to imitate Allen for a while, Su Bin realized that he was simply not suited for the profound and contemplative style. When he did the same actions, it felt awkward and forced!

Su Bin wrinkled his face and switched back to his own channel, continuing to cut and eat (relatively) crudely.

“Heh…” a barely audible chuckle came from across the table. Su Bin looked up and saw Allen smiling at him with amusement in his eyes.

Su Bin: “…” What, why is he laughing?

Allen spoke to him for the first time since they started eating, “Is it delicious?”

Su Bin nodded, “It’s delicious.”

Allen then looked at the wine glass next to Su Bin, with the pink liquid almost empty, and asked, “How’s the wine?”

Su Bin couldn’t help his heart beating faster, “It’s good…”

Allen pointed to the bottle of dry white wine that Yang Chengzhe had ordered and asked him, “Would you like to try some more white wine?”

Su Bin, a bit dumbfounded, said, “Sure…”

Allen’s beautiful eyes curved as he waved over a nearby female server and instructed, “Please bring that young man a clean wine glass and a bottle of sparkling mineral water from Saint Pellegrino.”

“…” Su Bin felt like he had been hypnotized by some strange force earlier.

The female server quickly brought everything that Allen had requested and placed them in front of Su Bin.

Su Bin stared fixedly at one of the items and suddenly froze—damn it! It was a green bottle!

In front of him was a bottle identical to the one in Allen’s fridge, with the English label that he remembered!

This bottle awakened Su Bin’s eerie imagination about Allen, instantly making him extremely nervous. He glanced at Yang Chengzhe and then at Jin Fei, who both looked at him encouragingly. Jin Fei even teased him, “It’s just trying some white wine. Why are you so nervous?”

Su Bin: “…”

The brave part of Su Bin’s inner self slapped the cowardly self twice and shouted, “You idiot!”

Su Bin took a deep breath, trying to relax, and looked at Allen, who was eagerly watching him with his eyes… Oh my goodness, it felt like being caught peeking at Allen’s green bottle!

Su Bin couldn’t help but shiver and pointed at the green bottle, unable to hold back his curiosity, “What is this?”

Allen smiled and said, “It’s soda.”

Su Bin blinked, “???” Soda?

Allen opened the bottle for him, pouring the water into a glass with ice cubes and lemon slices. He explained, “White wine can be a bit dry, so if you feel that the taste isn’t great, you can mix it with soda.” He then poured a small amount of dry white wine into a tall glass and pushed it toward Su Bin. “Give it a try.”

Su Bin looked puzzled and took a sip of the water… Huh, isn’t this tasteless soda?

… He took another sip, and it really was soda! Unbelievable!

“Drink some wine already! Why are you just drinking water?” Jin Fei couldn’t help but urge him.

“…” Su Bin tasted the dry white wine and unconsciously furrowed his brows. As expected, it wasn’t as delicious as the rose wine he had earlier. And as Allen had mentioned, this wine was dry, making his mouth feel devoid of any moisture…

He quickly took a sip of soda to alleviate the feeling.

… (⊙o⊙)…

Wow! It felt like drinking sparkling wine! The combination was indeed fantastic!

After this episode, Su Bin felt even more guilty towards Allen, raising his guilt level by ten percent…

Because he had drunk a bit of wine, Su Bin became a bit excited and unconsciously started chatting with Jin Fei in Chinese on the way back.

Seeing Allen sitting expressionlessly in the back seat, Yang Chengzhe felt helpless. It must feel uncomfortable for him as an outsider not understanding their conversation… He shrugged and explained to Allen, “Mike had a bit too much to drink.”

Allen smirked. “It’s fine.”

Since the journey wasn’t long, they quickly arrived home. Su Bin pestered Jin Fei to let him visit his room since he had learned that Jin Fei had many “treasures” in there!

Jin Fei’s room was on the first floor and had the same layout as Allen’s, originally intended as a study, but for Jin Fei, it was a game and sports room filled with various fun sports equipment and game consoles… Su Bin was shocked as soon as he entered: so that’s why the stationary bike was in the living room, because Jin Fei’s room couldn’t fit any more!

Su Bin, fueled by the alcohol and filled with endless energy, grew bolder and spoke more openly, revealing things he usually kept to himself. This happened to match Jin Fei’s preferences, as he was also an open and enthusiastic person.

“I usually don’t lock the door, so feel free to come in and play whenever you want!” Jin Fei was very generous, even teaching Su Bin how to use each piece of equipment and game console.

The two buddies stayed together, playing and chatting until late into the night. Finally, Jin Fei couldn’t hold on any longer. He had initially wanted to go to the bedroom to get his phone, but when he saw the bed, he couldn’t resist lying down.

Su Bin got bored playing alone and decided to go upstairs. After the alcohol wore off, he had very little energy left.

Passing by Allen’s room, Su Bin couldn’t help but stop and gaze at his door, feeling a sense of guilt and self-reproach.

He washed his face in the bathroom, subconsciously glancing at the toilet where the dirty tissues had been discarded. He noticed that the bloody tissues had been cleaned up.

After returning to his room, Su Bin turned on his computer and uploaded the photos he had taken of the steak dinner to a social networking site, with the caption: “Had a dinner gathering with roommates and tried authentic steak for the first time. It was incredibly delicious!”

In the middle of the night in Country B, while it was still early morning in China, not many people were online. Su Bin logged out of the social networking site, remembering the foolish post he made on “Cliff” in the morning and decided to delete it.

Since he hurriedly closed the web page in the morning without saving the URL, Su Bin found the post through his browsing history. As he clicked on it, he discovered that the post had already turned to the next page!

Su Bin was curious and started reading the comments. However, he couldn’t stop once he started—damn it, the first comment was an insult directed at him!

|Author: Physics Fanatic|Time: 200X-09-30 13:58

|Reply: OPSB, no explanation needed.

Damn it! SB is the abbreviation of my name, not the meaning of “stupid b*tch”!

…Su Bin flipped the middle finger at the screen and continued reading.

|Author: Dark Bliss|Time: 200X-09-30 14:12

|Reply: How handsome and beautiful is A? Any photos? No pictures, no proof…

————

|Author: Ggynoid|Time: 200X-09-30 14:25

|Reply: Need photos +1 (_)

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|Author: Anoo|Time: 200X-09-30 15:11

|Reply: Just this little detail doesn’t prove anything. Your description of A actually makes me interested in their appearance. It reminds me of Brad Pitt from “Interview with the Vampire.” Is A as handsome as Brad Pitt? If not, could you provide another concrete example, like Lee Pace or Orlando Bloom?

————

|Author: Yu Qinglian|Time: 200X-09-30 15:33

|Reply: Fire Tongs Liu Ming!

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|Author: Bei You Qiao Mu|Time: 200X-09-30 18:28

|Reply: SB CedarWood, hahahaha… What kind of self-proclaimed title is this? Self-deprecating?

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|Author: Backstabbing Expert|Time: 200X-09-30 19:13

|Reply: The OP’s title is a dumbass…

…

Oh my goodness! Seeing a few people directly using foul language, Su Bin silently repeated to himself three times, “Don’t bother with crazy dogs,” before restraining himself from hurling insults back online…

Of course, among the comments, there were also genuinely concerned individuals who wanted to help Su Bin.

For example, there was one comment—

|Author: Meow Meow|Time: 200X-09-30 21:10

|Comment: OP, I sympathize with your situation. I strongly believe in these kinds of supernatural beings, and I have a vivid imagination. I often daydream and have nightmares. I think the details you mentioned are enough to prove that A is problematic. You must be going through a lot of agony right now. If it’s really unbearable, consider moving to another place! It’s really terrifying to be targeted by such things! I’ve experienced it myself!

And another comment—

|Author: Liansheng|Time: 200X-09-30 23:59

|Comment: I heard that vampires are repelled by garlic. If you’re really scared, buy some garlic and keep it on you to ward off evil! Good luck to you!

…

These kinds of comments moved Su Bin. He felt that directly replying might give the impression of playing a prank and would not be fair to these strangers who cared about him. So, he earnestly replied to a post again—

|OP: SBCedarWood|Time: 200X-10-01|Clicks: 368|Replies: 58|Page 2

|Comment: Thank you all for your concern. Here are a few replies from OP—

① OP has already signed a one-year lease for the house and paid the deposit. The other two roommates, except for A, are also very good and take care of OP. OP feels lucky to have moved here, so there won’t be a room change.

② Because nightmares magnified his fear, now thinking about it, starting this post was a bit impulsive. Actually, A is quite good to OP. He made coffee for OP himself, and today OP and the roommates went out for steak, and A thoughtfully ordered delicious rose wine for OP.

③ OP asked A about the bloody paper ball incident. A said it was from a finger cut, even though OP doesn’t quite believe it (because there was a lot of blood). But OP has already decided not to suspect A anymore. And in a few days, A will switch rooms with Y, so OP thinks it will be much more convenient not to share the bathroom with him.

④ As for everyone’s concern about A’s appearance, I’m sorry, but I don’t have the right to share photos. That’s A’s privacy. OP thinks A is not the same type of person as the celebrities mentioned in the comments, so it’s difficult to compare. A is of mixed Chinese, English, and European heritage (?), and upon closer observation, OP feels that he actually has distinct Asian features. For example, his skin is much smoother than foreigners’, and his cheekbones are not as prominent, and he has a slightly pointed chin… I can’t say more, but A looking like this is quite famous here. He definitely turns heads when walking on the street, with a 99% head-turning rate, with the remaining 1% being blind people. OP is also worried that this post might be seen by people studying abroad in Country B because if A is not a vampire and he finds out that OP has been suspicious of him, he might silence OP… Since OP doesn’t want to doubt A anymore, let the post sink. Thank you all for your concern!

[At this point, Su Bin couldn’t help but add one more sentence—]

⑤ The initials of OP’s name are SB. When OP chose the ID, SB wasn’t an insulting word! OP condemns certain people for their lack of manners, and you will be punished!!!

“Phew…!” Su Bin let out a sigh of relief, feeling much better.

Author’s note:

[Filet Steak]: Filet, beef tenderloin, directly translated as Filet.

[T-Bone Steak]: T-Bone, also a cut from the back of the beef, but with less tenderloin compared to Filet.

[S.Pellegrino Mineral Water]: S.Pellegrino, the little green bottle that Su Bin imagined as a magical potion. This type of sparkling water is now sold in some cafes similar to Starbucks, but it wasn’t available a few years ago.

[Dry White Wine]: Dry white wine, because of its strong flavor, foreigners often prefer to drink it with sparkling mineral water.

[Medium Well]: A degree of doneness for steak, Su Bin requested it to be cooked to 70% done, but the ideal doneness for Filet is not 70%, it’s medium rare.