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

Su Bin wiped the rice off the corner of his mouth and exclaimed, “What the heck?!” This shameless “Zero” actually said such outrageous things in front of a straight guy!

But soon, Su Bin couldn’t help but imagine Chen Xiaotian saying the same things… Although it felt a bit off, it strangely felt quite exciting!

Su Bin frowned and wiped his mouth again, trying to dismiss those uncontrollable associations in his mind…

However, Sun Yujie’s frankness deepened Su Bin’s understanding of being gay. He realized that treating Sun Yujie as a girl from the beginning was indeed wrong, because girls are not as open-minded as guys when it comes to discussing “sex.”

On the way back to class after finishing their meal, Sun Yujie would sometimes look sad and furrow his brow, and other times he would smile foolishly. Su Bin couldn’t bear to see it and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Sun Yujie asked Su Bin, “Why did Cheng Ang get so angry when he saw us eating together?”

“He already told you to change, but you didn’t…” Su Bin replied, recalling the knife-like gaze Cheng Ang gave him when he saw them. It was a bit frustrating. Su Bin thought to himself, even if Cheng Ang despised Sun Yujie, what did that have to do with him? Did Cheng Ang think Sun Yujie was being influenced negatively by his association with Su Bin? It was exasperating to be the target of unwarranted hatred as a mere bystander!

Su Bin said to Sun Yujie, “If you see Cheng Ang again, make sure to explain to him that I’m not gay!” He didn’t want to be misunderstood as being homosexual~ Ah!

“I want to, but I’m afraid he won’t listen to me anymore…” Sun Yujie shrugged. “But if I get the chance, I will definitely explain.”

“Let it go, let it go,” Su Bin sighed. “Don’t worry about it.”

After walking for a while, Sun Yujie timidly asked Su Bin, “Hey, do you think there’s a possibility that Cheng Ang… might have some feelings for me? He saw me with you and maybe he felt that he’s no longer the person I like the most, so he… got a little jealous?”

Su Bin twitched his eye corner and gave Sun Yujie a stern look. “You’re overthinking it!”… How could this “Zero” be so shameless?

“Oh…” Sun Yujie slumped his shoulders, looking disappointed.

In October, M City was dry and chilly, unlike Hangzhou. At the end of this month, Country B would switch from daylight saving time to standard time. In the past few days, the sun would set earlier each day.

Although this city was the second-largest city in Country B, it didn’t have many tall buildings. The air was good. Before 5 p.m., Su Bin sat on the bus heading home, looking through the window. The horizon was filled with purple-red twilight, serene and beautiful.

When he reached his doorstep, Su Bin hesitated to go inside. After all, such scenery was rarely seen in China.

He squatted by the roadside outside the villa, thinking that he must bring Chen Xiaotian to Country B for a trip. They could chat, eat French fries together, and watch the beautiful sky side by side… As he thought about it, even the food he had grown tired of seemed more acceptable.

It was only when the glow of twilight gradually faded that Su Bin stood up.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the dry, cool air, feeling refreshed. He took out his keys and opened the door.

The living room was not lit, with only the faint outlines of some furniture visible. Su Bin hummed a song, changed his shoes, and as he lifted his head, he saw a dark figure on the sofa… He was startled and quickly pressed the switch on the wall. The warm light illuminated the living room and the figure on the sofa, who turned out to be Allen.

“…Why didn’t you turn on the lights!” Why did this guy always appear like a ghost every time! Su Bin glared at the man who looked like a sculpture, still recovering from the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat.

Allen looked at Su Bin and beckoned him with a crooked finger. “Michael, come here.”

Su Bin: “…”

Before going abroad, Su Bin had taken some IELTS training classes and had also learned a bit about the meanings of Western hand gestures.

Chinese people tend to turn their hand back up, palm down when beckoning someone over, but this gesture is only used to call “animals” in Western countries, such as calling a cat or a dog. If this gesture is directed at a person, it is considered an “insult.” Westerners call people by extending their index finger with a bent motion, but to Chinese people, this gesture may seem a bit “frivolous.”

Moreover, the gesture of beckoning someone with a crooked finger is more commonly used by easygoing Americans. For the etiquette-minded and conventional people of Country B, it is only used with very familiar people. Su Bin took a step toward the direction of the sofa, wondering inwardly, “Are we that familiar?”

…If he hadn’t learned a bit about cultural etiquette, he would have thought Allen was teasing him!

Su Bin sat down on the sofa, keeping a half-position distance from Allen, and cautiously asked, “Do you have something to say?”

Although it was a normal conversation, Su Bin felt unusually tense. Perhaps it was because Allen’s aura was so strong that Su Bin felt a sense of awe when facing him… So, the tone of that sentence sounded particularly servile, as if saying, “Your Highness, do you have any orders for your humble servant?”

“What are your plans for later?” Allen seemed quite pleased and slightly curved his lips.

“Cooking…?” Does that count as a plan? Su Bin looked at Allen, not knowing what he was up to.

“I’ve already arranged dinner, and someone will deliver it soon,” Allen made it clear. “Cooking” doesn’t count as an arrangement.

“…Oh.” So he ordered takeout… Although this guy seemed a bit aloof, sometimes he did down-to-earth things. Su Bin gave him a thumbs up in his mind.

Allen lifted the cup on the coffee table, took a small sip, and elegantly placed the teacup back. His ten fingers interlocked, forming a sitting posture that looked dignified yet relaxed. He said, “Let’s chat.”

“…About what?” Su Bin asked.

“Just chat about anything,” Allen replied.

Su Bin was speechless. Did “just chat” have to be so serious? But then he thought that maybe Allen didn’t find it serious at all. Perhaps this was how he usually conversed with people…

Comforting himself with this thought, Su Bin responded, “Oh.” But he had no idea what to talk to Allen about…

Su Bin glanced at Allen and saw that he was looking at him with a smile in his eyes. Su Bin thought, if you want to chat, then start the conversation. I know you’re handsome, but please don’t keep smiling at me!

Before he could gather any clues, Su Bin was accused by Allen, “I’ve noticed that you chat a lot with Joe and Fly, but why do you turn into a mute whenever you’re with me?”

“… ” Su Bin felt annoyed too. If the person was Chinese, he could randomly open any topic and chat for a long time. But this person was famously difficult to deal with, a person with a seemingly finicky personality. Asking this might be considered impolite, saying that might be disrespectful, and even if he made a slight mistake in wording or grammar, it would be corrected immediately… It was tiring. He felt like he couldn’t speak anymore.

“Tell me about yourself,” Allen finally gave him a generous prompt.

“I… I’m twenty years old this year,” Su Bin said as if giving a self-introduction as a beginner in English. After saying it, he wanted to slap himself. Ah~ Ah, he should just write the initials when signing his name in the future!

Allen’s laughter deepened upon hearing that. “Go on.”

Su Bin thought, why didn’t you mention your age after I already mentioned mine? I have no idea who is older between us, it’s not fair…

After a moment of silence, Su Bin gathered his thoughts and slowly continued, “I come from Hangzhou, which is the capital of Zhejiang Province. Do you know Zhejiang Province?” Hehe, just by looking at Allen’s appearance, Su Bin could tell that this guy knew nothing about China, despite having Chinese heritage. Banana man!

Su Bin regained some confidence as a native of Zhejiang and said, “It’s a province in eastern China. I heard that the area of two Zhejiang Provinces can match the entire country B…”

Uh, Su Bin paused. Did that statement sound “discriminatory”? He stole a glance at Allen, but seeing that he didn’t show any offended expression, he felt relieved and continued, “I grew up in Hangzhou. I attended primary school, middle school, high school, and university there. I went to the best university in our province…”

Su Bin rambled on, and Allen listened attentively, occasionally asking Su Bin some detailed questions about his high school, the subjects he studied, the interesting places in Hangzhou, whether he had visited other cities, and so on.

The back-and-forth felt somewhat better. At least Su Bin knew what to say. He was afraid that Allen wouldn’t say anything and he would be left dumbfounded, trying to give a speech by himself.

Of course, Allen didn’t forget to help Su Bin with grammar, pronunciation, and various English issues…

Unconsciously, they chatted for nearly half an hour until Yang Chengzhe returned. “Oh, you guys are actually having a conversation together?” Yang Chengzhe seemed surprised that they were getting along.

“You’re back!” Su Bin felt more excited to see him than seeing his own dad. He also noticed that behind Yang Chengzhe, Jin Fei was with him. The tense atmosphere instantly relaxed. “How come you both came back together? Have you eaten?” Su Bin enthusiastically walked up to them, almost ready to hug them one by one.

Behind him, Allen felt abandoned. “…”

Yang Chengzhe chuckled and said, “We happened to run into Jin Fei, so we hitched a ride back together… We haven’t eaten yet. What about you? Are you going to cook for us again? You don’t have to, it’s too tiring for you.”

Su Bin said, “I didn’t cook. Allen ordered takeout.”

Jin Fei tossed the car keys onto the foyer table and furrowed his eyebrows. “Takeout? Allen ordered takeout?”

Su Bin looked at Allen, and Allen calmly said to Jin Fei, “I had RK prepare some simple meals.”

“RK?” Jin Fei was taken aback, his eyes widened as he asked Allen, “RK on Kent Street?”

“Yes,” Allen replied, glancing at his phone and standing up. “It’ll be delivered in ten minutes.”

Su Bin didn’t understand. “What is RK? Are they making pasta?”

Allen responded, “…”

Yang Chengzhe and Jin Fei looked at Su Bin with a dumbfounded expression, and finally, Yang Chengzhe couldn’t help but explain to him, “RK is short for Royal Kitchen, one of the top custom dining restaurants in Country B. They have a branch on Kent Street in M City… Well, this custom restaurant is at a ‘legendary’ level. Just as its name suggests, it’s difficult for ordinary people to get a taste.”

Su Bin: “…” Wow! So this is the “Royal Kitchen” of Country B!

Just last night, he learned about “custom dining restaurants,” and now someone is delivering the food right to his door? Allen is fulfilling his promise so quickly!

Jin Fei patted Su Bin’s shoulder with a smile and exclaimed, “You’re really lucky. I haven’t even had a chance to eat there yet!”

“…” Su Bin looked at Allen gratefully. Allen had a blank expression, still seeming a bit serious… Wait, is he angry? Su Bin awkwardly touched his nose and averted his gaze.

Yang Chengzhe casually asked Allen, “I’ve never heard of a custom dining restaurant delivering takeout. How did you manage to order from them?”

Allen simply mentioned “through a friend,” seeming unwilling to elaborate further, and Yang Chengzhe didn’t ask any more questions.