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

Su Bin remembered Yang Chengzhe’s advice and vowed never to mention that word in front of Allen. Yang Chengzhe then asked Su Bin, “Where did you go for dinner last night?”

“Oh, it was the steak restaurant where we had our last gathering,” Su Bin sighed and said, “But I don’t know what happened, the steak didn’t taste as good as the previous time we went together…”

Yang Chengzhe asked Su Bin, “Did you order the fillet? How did you want it cooked?”

“Medium-well,” Su Bin replied.

“That explains it,” Yang Chengzhe chuckled. “Last time, you had it cooked to medium-rare.”

“What? No, I remember I wanted it medium-well last time too!”

“That day, Allen ordered for you and changed it. The best doneness for a fillet is medium-rare. Allen is quite particular about these things,” Yang Chengzhe looked at Su Bin and smiled, “But I find it strange. He usually doesn’t make decisions for others. He even ordered the rosé wine for you. It seems he treats you quite differently.”

“…” Su Bin wondered if that was true.

Thinking about how good Allen was to him while he had doubted him and even used garlic to protect himself from him as if he were a vampire… Su Bin couldn’t help but want to facepalm.

Before returning to his room, Su Bin noticed that Jin Fei’s room door was tightly closed. He asked Yang Chengzhe, “Jin Fei hasn’t come back?”

“He must be out partying,” Yang Chengzhe said helplessly. “That guy receives endless social calls once he’s back.”

“It’s almost 10 o’clock!” Su Bin widened his eyes.

“He won’t come back before two or three in the morning,” Yang Chengzhe shrugged.

Su Bin went upstairs and hesitated outside Alan’s room. He felt a deep sense of guilt for his previous petty behavior.

Su Bin decided to put the two cloves of garlic back in the kitchen that night and then take a good shower.

As he entered the bathroom with clean clothes in hand, he realized that nobody had used the bathroom since it was cleaned in the morning. The ceramic tile walls were dry, lacking the usual steam after Allen’s shower.

Su Bin’s attention to detail wasn’t due to his good memory but rather the consequence of cleaning under Allen’s instruction. After cleaning, everything was arranged neatly and in order, making it clear whether someone had used the bathroom or not.

Su Bin was a bit puzzled. It was already past the time when Allen usually used the bathroom…

Before going to sleep, Su Bin struggled for a while with the issue of Sun Yujie. He thought about sending him a comforting text message but didn’t know what to say, so he ultimately gave up.

The next morning, Su Bin called Chen Xiaotian and poured out his heart to her.

“They say B country has many homosexuals, and I didn’t expect you to encounter one so soon,” Chen Xiaotian laughed upon hearing his story.

“Ah, I’m so worried. How should I get along with him? I still have a hard time accepting it, but I also feel sorry for him,” Su Bin couldn’t help but picture Sun Yujie’s lonely and fragile figure across the street.

Chen Xiaotian asked, “You’re not gay, so what’s there to worry about?”

Su Bin was speechless for a moment. Chen Xiaotian was right. Sun Yujie had been honest with him, and he didn’t have any such feelings. There was nothing to worry about… But Chen Xiaotian was his girlfriend, shouldn’t she be concerned? Just like with Li Meihan last time, and now with Sun Yujie, why was she so at ease with him?

“Aren’t you worried about me?” Su Bin’s frustration turned into a complaint. “I’m making friends with him, aren’t you afraid he might… you know, and I’ll become gay too?”

“Hahaha…” Chen Xiaotian burst into laughter upon hearing that and said, “You said your classmate has a personality like a girl. In that case, how could he possibly be interested in someone like you?”

Su Bin became anxious, “What’s wrong with my type!?”

Chen Xiaotian replied, “You’re so clingy and love to act cute… I don’t think he could possibly be attracted to someone like you. Even if I have concerns, I should be worried about your roommates… what were their names, Allen and Jin Fei? If you told me they were gay, I would advise you to be careful.”

Su Bin went crazy, “What do you mean? I only act cute and clingy with you, not everyone! And what’s wrong with my type?”

“Okay, okay,” Chen Xiaotian comforted him, “I was just joking. But seriously, you don’t need to think so much. I’m not worried.”

“…” Su Bin was really frustrated. How could his image in his girlfriend’s mind be so lacking in tall, imposing qualities (…)? He was, after all, a handsome guy. His girlfriend really had no sense of crisis!

“That classmate of yours, Sun Yujie, must have mustered a lot of courage to confide in you about his sexual orientation,” Chen Xiaotian said.

“Yeah…” Su Bin agreed, thinking that Sun Yujie had it tough.

Chen Xiaotian continued, “Although B country is more open-minded than China, homosexuality is still considered a minority. If you can view him with a normal perspective, try to be more tolerant. Your current inability to accept Sun Yujie and your constant indecision only make you feel uncomfortable, right?”

“Yes…” Su Bin knew that Chen Xiaotian was about to give him a profound lesson, so he obediently listened, fascinated by the wisdom that occasionally emanated from her.

Chen Xiaotian continued, “I read a line in a book once: ‘Tolerance’ is allowing others to have their own actions and opinions, tolerating the existence of others without prejudice. By being tolerant of others, you free yourself. A little more tolerance for others means a little more space in your life. If you let go of your prejudice against Sun Yujie, you gain him as a friend. And I believe that when you encounter similar situations in the future and need someone to accompany and comfort you, he will appear by your side without hesitation.”

Upon hearing this, Su Bin suddenly understood…

…Master, can I kneel and worship you?

He was completely in awe of Chen Xiaotian, who combined beauty and wisdom. Why would such a perfect goddess end up with him? It must be because he accumulated good deeds in his previous life! Oh no, perhaps it’s because he never received enough warmth from his family since childhood, so the heavens compensated him with a perfect girlfriend… In that case, the heavens are fair!

Su Bin also suddenly understood why Yang Chengzhe could casually mention homosexuality. It was because Dr. Yang was also tolerant and had reached a higher realm!

Feeling elated, Su Bin felt like his level of thinking had also reached a higher level.

Satisfied with the phone call, Su Bin quickly sent a text message to Sun Yujie: “Jason, I’ve processed everything. I won’t have any prejudice against you. Let’s continue being friends :D”

Sun Yujie replied almost instantly: “(T_T) Thank you~ Su Bing :P”

Su Bin: “…”

Three seconds later, Sun Yujie sent another message: “Sorry, I typed too fast and made a mistake. It’s Su Bin :P”

Su Bin: “…”

After procrastinating for a while on his bed, Su Bin went to freshen up and discovered that the bathroom was still in the same condition as when he had cleaned it last night… Could it be that Allen didn’t come back? Was he out all night?

Hearing the sound of a vacuum cleaner downstairs, Su Bin quickly went downstairs and asked Yang Chengzhe, who was cleaning, “Brother Cheng, where’s Allen? He didn’t come back last night?”

“He went home,” Yang Chengzhe replied.

Su Bin didn’t understand, “Ah? He went home?”

“He lives in City D,” Yang Chengzhe explained.

Wow, it’s the capital of B country! Su Bin suddenly remembered that Allen was a local, so it made sense for him to have a home. It was similar to students in China going back to their hometowns if they lived nearby.

With the loud noise of the vacuum cleaner, Su Bin couldn’t help but raise his voice, “When will he come back?”

Yang Chengzhe straightened up and jokingly said, “You’re so eager to see him after just one day of not seeing him!”

“…” Su Bin twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Yang Chengzhe laughed and said, “He’ll probably be back tonight.”

In order to salvage the awkward situation, Su Bin quickly came up with an idea, “Didn’t you two talk about switching rooms? When will that happen?”

Yang Chengzhe paused, put away the vacuum cleaner, and said, “I forgot about it, and Allen didn’t mention it either… I’ll ask him when he comes back.”

“Oh…” Su Bin wasn’t that concerned, so he scratched his head and asked Yang Chengzhe, “Is there anything else that needs cleaning? I can do it.”

Yang Chengzhe instructed him, “If you have time, you can clean the bathroom downstairs and then wipe the windowsill next to the exercise bike.” There was also a public restroom on the first floor, but it didn’t have shower facilities.

“Alright!” Su Bin grabbed two pairs of disposable rubber gloves from the upstairs bathroom, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to make a big effort to contribute to this “home.”

Influenced by Allen’s cleanliness, Su Bin instinctively took disinfectant and meticulously cleaned the toilet, as well as the floor tiles, corners, marble countertops, and mirror… After half an hour, the entire bathroom looked sparkling clean! He then moved on to the windowsill in the living room and the glass windows…

When he finished cleaning, Yang Chengzhe was astonished. “Did Allen’s cleanliness rub off on you?”

“Hehe…” Su Bin was praised, and his mood improved. It seemed that occasionally doing a deep clean was quite nice.

At noon, Su Bin and Yang Chengzhe had a simple meal. They heard that Jin Fei had returned in the early morning and was still sleeping, so they didn’t wake him up.

As evening approached, Jin Fei’s eyes hadn’t opened yet, but he caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma seeping through the door crack… For a moment, he thought he was still in his luxurious home in China, where the housekeeper was preparing a sumptuous lunch… Lunc… Wait, it’s almost 5 p.m.!

Jin Fei got up from the bed and opened the door, and the smell outside became even more intense. He realized he was famished.

Wow… Who hired a housekeeper? The house looks so clean!

Jin Fei, without washing his face or brushing his teeth, followed the delicious aroma to the kitchen… Meat, meat, meat! It’s the smell of braised pork!

Seeing a busy figure in the kitchen, Jin Fei couldn’t believe his eyes. Was this person sent by the heavens? No, it’s the “Mud Snail Girl” or should I say “Mud Snail Young Man”?

“Awake?” Su Bin looked at Jin Fei with a smile. “You slept the whole day, I’m impressed.”

Jin Fei’s nostrils twitched, and he immediately leaned forward, bending down to grab a piece of braised pork from a freshly cooked bowl. He exclaimed with delight, “Nom nom…”

Su Bin was speechless… Is this guy a dog?

Jin Fei blinked his dry eyes twice and tried to squeeze out a tear of gratitude. “You’re too capable, really!”

Su Bin asked, “Is it delicious?”

“It’s delicious!” Jin Fei looked at Su Bin with a curious expression as he sliced cabbage with expertise. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Tsk tsk, if someone could marry you and bring you home, that would be…”

Su Bin corrected him, “You should say, if someone could marry me, they would definitely be happy, right?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant… Do you have any interest in becoming the son-in-law of the Jin family?” Jin Fei continued to blink his hungry eyes. “Hurry up and break up with your ‘Sweetie.’ I guarantee she’s no match for my sister. My sister has a youthful and…”

Before he could finish the word “busty,” Su Bin forcefully chopped with the knife… “Thunk!” The remaining half of the cabbage on the cutting board was viciously chopped into tiny pieces. Then, Su Bin gave Jin Fei a fierce look. “What did you say?”

Finally fully awake, Jin Fei took a cautious step back and said in a deep voice, “Hero, put down the knife. Let’s talk it out.”

Su Bin held the knife and hmphed, acting all arrogant. “Don’t curse my relationship with my girlfriend!”

Just then, they heard the sound of the entrance door, and they both turned their heads together—it was Allen coming back.