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

Su Bin entered the washroom while holding his “injured” arm. He had thought it through and decided not to tell Chen Xiaotian about the incident. Although Su Bin really wanted to seek comfort and consolation from his girlfriend, if Chen Xiaotian were here with him right now, she could have applied some medicine and comforted him, and he would even endure a few pinches from Allen. But the problem was that he was alone in a foreign country and had promised Chen Xiaotian and his friends to take good care of himself. If he were to say over the phone that he got a bruised arm from a random roommate’s grip, it would definitely hurt his male pride.

So, Su Bin could only hold back his tears, stand up, and apply a warm towel to his arm.

While applying the towel, he had to remain vigilant for Allen’s appearance. If they were to encounter each other in this situation, it would definitely be awkward. Not to mention that Su Bin had already tried to act tough in front of Allen before, and now he was starting to doubt Allen’s inhuman abilities again…

The overall latitude in Country B was relatively high, and the temperature in City M in October was already approaching late autumn in China. After applying the warm towel, Su Bin rolled down his pushed-up sweater sleeves to cover his arm and put on his jacket. This way, nothing could be seen, and as long as he didn’t press on it, it didn’t hurt.

Just as he finished doing all this, Allen appeared. The washroom was a must-pass place for both of them when leaving the room and going downstairs. If the door wasn’t closed, they would inevitably meet face to face.

“Good morning,” Allen greeted Su Bin proactively. On this day, he was wearing a dark gray open-front coat with a black long scarf, accentuating his black hair and pale, handsome face that lacked any trace of color, making him look “gothic” and difficult to gaze directly at.

Su Bin caught a glimpse of Allen’s hand holding a black-handled umbrella. Perhaps it was due to frequently wearing disposable rubber gloves while working in the laboratory to make pharmaceuticals, Allen’s hands were even whiter than his facial skin, so white that a hint of bluishness could be seen… But with such a pair of seemingly refined and slender hands, they possessed the strength of iron palms.

Su Bin’s gaze flickered back and forth, and his heart trembled as he replied, “Good morning…”

Unlike the previous day when Allen would simply walk away, he now asked Su Bin, “Do you have time in the evening?”

Although Su Bin didn’t know why Allen was asking this, he honestly replied, “I have a part-time job in the evening…”

Allen seemed taken aback by his answer and furrowed his brow. He said, “Don’t come back later than 10 p.m.”

“…” Wait a minute, bro… You didn’t tell me about the curfew when I rented the room!

Although Su Bin would only be back by 8 p.m. at the latest while walking the dog, he was still a bit displeased with Allen’s commanding tone…

Without waiting for Su Bin to raise any objections, Allen said, “See you in the evening” and walked away.

Su Bin: “…”

After finishing classes in the afternoon, Su Bin took out the address he noted down last night and went to the Department of Physics to find Professor Smith’s assistant. That’s right, it was him who posted the job advertisement for a dog walker.

Su Bin loved small animals. His grandfather was a native of Hangzhou, and their family lived in Fuyun Ancient Village, located within the Lingyin Scenic Area.

Fuyun Ancient Village was the earliest residential area in Hangzhou’s history, and during the Qing Dynasty, the county government was located in Qianyuan, deep inside the ancient village.

Su Bin’s grandmother passed away early, and his grandfather relied on a Chinese rural dog, the type commonly found in rural areas, for companionship. However, this rural dog was not named “Wangcai” but “Wangzi.”

When Su Bin was young, his parents were busy with work, so during summer and winter vacations, he would be sent to live with his grandfather. At that time, there were no other children in the ancient village as most young people had moved to the city with their families. Therefore, Su Bin could only play with Wangzi, but he also enjoyed running around with him.

However, after a while, a neighbor noticed that Su Bin frequently sneezed and had a runny nose. She took him to a nearby clinic for an examination, and it turned out that Su Bin was allergic to pet hair. She then informed Su Bin’s father about the matter.

Su Bin’s father was also worried. They were too busy to take care of Su Bin, but Wangzi had been his grandfather’s companion for longer than Su Bin’s seven years of existence. If they had to choose between the dog and their father, it would be better to preserve his grandfather’s life!

So, the only option was for Su Bin to continue living with his grandfather and Wangzi while taking antihistamines. In the eyes of Su Bin’s parents, children having a runny nose was a common occurrence anyway…

However, this phase didn’t last long either.

Due to urbanization, many of the original residents in the ancient village had moved away, and the village had been neglected for a long time, gradually declining. The Hangzhou urban planning department soon classified Fuyun Ancient Village as a key protected heritage site and initiated a comprehensive renovation. All original residents, including Su Bin’s grandfather, were relocated by force.

His grandfather moved into a government-provided resettlement house with Wangzi. The house had a TV, air conditioning, and even a flush toilet, with nearby facilities such as parks and supermarkets readily available. However, the elderly grandfather soon fell seriously ill.

Su Bin’s father said that his father was deeply rooted in Fuyun Ancient Village, where he had lived his entire life. His soul had already taken root there, and suddenly changing his place of residence, even if it were a golden house, could not compare to the palm-leaf bed he had slept on, the pineapple wood he had sat on, the cockscomb flower he had seen, or the grape trellis under which he had enjoyed the cool breeze.

So, within a year, Su Bin’s grandfather passed away, and the loyal old Wangzi followed shortly after, leaving Su Bin, who no longer needed to take allergy medicine.
After his grandfather and Wangzi passed away, Su Bin made a vow never to keep pets, especially dogs, for the rest of his life. It wasn’t because of his allergies; if his grandfather and Wangzi could live well, Su Bin would gladly endure a lifetime of allergies.

What Su Bin couldn’t face was the pain of “life and death separation.” The loss of his loved ones at such a young age had dealt him too many blows. For a long time afterward, Su Bin felt like he had lost a part of himself along with his grandfather and Wangzi.

Later on, Su Bin learned about pet hair allergies and realized that his symptoms didn’t mean he couldn’t be around animals with fur, but it was best to avoid sharing a living space with them. That’s why he took up a job as a dog walker. As a dog walker, he wouldn’t develop deep attachments since he wasn’t walking his own dog. Plus, Su Bin missed Wangzi a little bit.

Reflecting on his childhood, Su Bin joined the physics research department.

Professor Smith’s assistant was a foreigner with brown hair and black-framed glasses, slightly older than Yang Chengzhe.

When the assistant saw Su Bin, he seemed very excited and said something that puzzled Su Bin: “finally, you are here!”

Su Bin checked the time. Wasn’t he on time? There were still about ten minutes until five o’clock. Why did the assistant seem like he had been waiting for a long time?

The assistant took Su Bin to the temporary residence near the research department where Professor Smith stayed. “Professor Smith is not from City M. He is from City B. But the university arranged a place for him to work and rest, and the dogs he needs to walk are kept there.” The assistant explained the situation as they walked.

“Is the professor too busy to walk the dog?” Su Bin thought that walking the dog was one of the greatest joys of owning a dog, so he asked this question.

“Of course not,” the assistant raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s a Siberian Husky!”

Su Bin wanted to ask what was wrong with Siberian Huskies. Weren’t they sled dogs? They looked like wolves and appeared cool… Oh, Su Bin was looking forward to seeing that dog.

Forgive Su Bin’s ignorance. He had only seen pictures of that kind of dog online. At that time, Weibo wasn’t popular yet, and internet users only knew that Huskies were handsome; they didn’t know they could be silly…

They soon arrived at Professor Smith’s temporary residence.

As soon as the assistant opened the door, a black-and-white large dog rushed out like a gust of wind: “(╰A╯) Awoo~”

Su Bin stared blankly at the Husky that pounced on him, even taller than himself… Oh, my god, such a handsome dog! Even more handsome than Allen!

Seeing the Husky up close, Su Bin was truly amazed. The dog had a very strong presence, much more captivating than the pictures he had seen online.

The Husky played with the assistant for a while before noticing a stranger nearby, and it immediately assumed a cold (?) expression, glaring at Su Bin.

“Is he aggressive?” Looking at the dog, Su Bin found it a bit fierce and hesitated to approach.

“No, he’s gentle (?) and lively… you can touch him,” the assistant said, tears silently streaming down his heart. He didn’t dare to tell Su Bin that the name Alexander meant nothing to the Husky.

Su Bin: “…Alexander?”

Alexander: “(╰A╯)”

Well… although the direct translation of Alexander had been given a different meaning by mischievous Chinese people, Su Bin admitted that the name suited such a handsome dog. He mentally praised Professor Smith, whom he had not met yet.

The assistant handed the leash to Su Bin solemnly and said, “Don’t let go during the walk.”

Su Bin didn’t understand at first, “Huh?”

“He’ll run…” the assistant replied.

“Oh…” Su Bin understood that he shouldn’t let go, no big deal.

But soon, Su Bin would realize how ignorant and naive he was…

The assistant patted Su Bin’s shoulder and said, “Off you go, take Alexander for a walk, just come back within an hour… I’ll head back to the lab. Send me a message once you’re here!”

“Yes, sir!” Su Bin responded spiritedly to Alexander, “Let’s go!”

Ten minutes later, twilight in City M.

A huge dog dragged a young Chinese boy who looked like a sack in the wind…
On the desolate and barren road, they sprinted away…

(←A←) Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze…!

(→A→) Hahaha…!

The black-haired youth chased after the large dog, panting heavily, “Alexander~~~ Alexander~~~~ Slow down a bit~~ Alexander~ Ah~~~”

Onlookers couldn’t help but glance in their direction…

………..

Forty minutes later, Su Bin collapsed outside the professor’s residence, completely exhausted. He still held the leash tightly in his hand… but his palm had been rubbed red from the friction, and his arm, which had been bruised by Allen the night before, throbbed faintly…

Su Bin felt like crying without tears. He roared inwardly with excitement, “What kind of dog is this?! It wears Allen’s proud and cold exterior but harbors the soul of an alpaca…”

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