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

When Su Bin realized he was on an unfamiliar road, he started feeling a little worried since smartphones with navigation weren’t prevalent at that time when he went abroad.

But there was a saying, “Getting lost is the best way to get to know a city.” Suddenly, Su Bin thought, why not continue walking? As long as he maintained the right direction, he would eventually find his way back. Who knows, he might even come across some “different scenery” along the way.

Intermittently succumbing to his artistic tendencies, Su Bin quickly calmed down. He indulged in daydreams of working hard, becoming wealthy, marrying Chen Xiaotian, and reaching the pinnacle of life. With a pleasant mood, he embarked on his “unfamiliar journey.” However, the harsh reality was that instead of finding his way back to a familiar street, he felt that something was increasingly amiss.

Why… was it becoming increasingly deserted around him?

Country B wasn’t like China, where people were everywhere.

In City M, apart from bustling places like the city center, Chinatown, and the train station, there were times when even ordinary streets and residential areas seemed devoid of any signs of life, and Su Bin was beginning to notice it.

Su Bin started feeling nervous, and he spotted an elderly woman walking unsteadily nearby. He rushed up to her and asked for directions.

The elderly woman had poor hearing, but after listening for a while, she seemed to have understood Su Bin’s question and gave him a somewhat uncertain indication.

Su Bin thanked her but didn’t dare to walk in the direction she pointed because it was the same way he came from… Did he have to turn back?

Unknowingly, Su Bin had already been walking for almost an hour. If he had to go back the same way, it would be a disaster!

Feeling anxious, Su Bin decided to reach the next intersection and see if he still felt something was wrong. If he did, he would quickly hail a taxi and go home!

However, he made a foolish decision. When he reached the next intersection, he did encounter some “different scenery,” but it turned out to be a vast, pitch-black graveyard…

“Oh, f***!” Su Bin was instantly dumbfounded!

The heavy gothic tones of the graveyard had a tremendous visual impact and a chilling effect on the soul… Su Bin took several steps back, staring ahead.

The graveyard was filled with countless tombstones and crosses, some embedded in the ground, others standing on hexagonal stone blocks. They were not arranged neatly, yet it didn’t appear chaotic. They lay silently in this quiet, desolate corner of the city, far from any signs of human presence…

At that moment, countless terrifying images flashed through Su Bin’s mind: abandoned ancient castles, green-skinned zombies crawling out of the ground, vibrating hexagonal coffins, red-eyed vampires… Ahhh!

These associations didn’t come out of thin air. Chen Xiaotian loved reading books and watching movies, and Su Bin often joined her. They watched all sorts of films, including medieval horror movies from “Decayland” and popular tomb-raiding novels. Su Bin was also obsessed with playing a game called “Plants vs. Zombies” for a while, particularly the endless levels where he fought wave after wave of zombies. Every time he couldn’t resist any longer and got his brain eaten by the zombies, he felt a mix of terror and frustration, yet strangely exhilarated…

But no matter what, witnessing such a scene in real life was completely different from watching movies or playing games!

Overwhelmed by his overactive imagination, Su Bin’s adrenaline skyrocketed. Terrified, he turned around and ran as if he had consumed ten cans of energy drink, sprinting for two to three kilometers until he was confident he had distanced himself far from the graveyard. Only then did he slow down…

Exhausted and drenched in sweat, he ultimately decided to spend some money to take a taxi home.

No one was home when he arrived, and Su Bin collapsed on the sofa. He quickly called Chen Xiaotian to share his experience and alleviate his anxiety…

After hearing Su Bin’s story, Chen Xiaotian couldn’t help but laugh: “You’ve reached an entirely different level of getting lost! You’re something else!”

Su Bin angrily retorted, “Damn it, who the hell said that getting lost is the best way to get to know a city? I’ll make sure to beat them up!”

Chen Xiaotian replied, “You know what, I actually think that statement makes sense. Don’t you feel that through this experience, you’ve discovered another side of City M? If you had followed the map, who would intentionally go to see a graveyard?”

Su Bin: “…”

Chen Xiaotian continued, “Perhaps, there’s a mysterious force guiding you in that direction!”

Su Bin complained, “My dear princess, you know I’m easily scared. Please don’t frighten me like this!”

Chen Xiaotian burst into laughter.

It was approaching midnight in China, and after chatting for a while, Chen Xiaotian went to bed.

Although Su Bin didn’t receive much consolation, he had at least vented his feelings, and hearing his lover’s laughter improved his mood.

After returning to his room, Su Bin decided to check his campus social network to change his mood.

He had received several new comments on the morning coffee photo he posted, and one comment caught his attention. It was from someone named “Li Meihan Baby.”

Li Meihan? The name sounded familiar to Su Bin… He couldn’t recall, so he clicked on her profile to have a look.

This girl had posted many photos, and when Su Bin saw her real-life picture, he had a blurry recollection — she seemed to be Chen Xiaotian’s high school desk mate.

Because of his relationship with Chen Xiaotian, many of her friends also know him.

Su Bin replied, “Hmm, I’m going to M University for an exchange year.”

The other person quickly replied, “Ah! I’m in L City, it’s very close to you!” B Country is a small island nation, and trains are the main mode of transportation. It only takes forty minutes to travel from M City to L City by train.

Su Bin said, “Really? But I just arrived not long ago, so I’m not very familiar with this place.”

Looking at the photo, Li Meihan looked pretty. Su Bin recalled his memories of her in high school, but he didn’t have a profound impression.

Perhaps it was because Chen Xiaotian was so beautiful back then that other girls around her became overshadowed. Or maybe it was because Su Bin had focused all his attention on Chen Xiaotian and didn’t have the mind to look at other girls.

Li Meihan didn’t continue commenting but instead sent him a private message: “If I have free time this weekend and come to M City, I’ll come find you. It’s rare to meet high school classmates here!”

The girl seemed very enthusiastic, and Su Bin couldn’t refuse, so he said, “Welcome, welcome!”

Li Meihan asked for his QQ and phone number, added him as a friend, and sent a text message to confirm before continuing to chat.

Su Bin then learned that Li Meihan didn’t perform well in the college entrance examination and came to B Country directly after graduation to study preparatory courses. That’s why he never saw Chen Xiaotian and this desk mate again.

They chatted about some old things, and suddenly Li Meihan asked, “Are you still together with Chen Xiaotian?”

Su Bin found the question a bit strange: What does this girl want to know? Could it be… she wants to snatch him away?

To some extent, Su Bin was a bit narcissistic. He thought about his appearance—who wouldn’t be an ugly loser if they could pursue the school flower?

Indeed, besides his excellent grades, Su Bin also had good looks. Inherited from his mother, his facial features resembled those of a Taiwanese idol before high school, which attracted many girls secretly. After entering high school, his body and facial features developed, shedding some childishness and becoming more handsome. Because of these qualities, Su Bin had confidence in his appearance. If he didn’t have that confidence, he wouldn’t have dared to pursue Chen Xiaotian!

There’s a saying: Handsome guys pursue girls, while ugly guys are described as “relentlessly pestering”…

Su Bin replied to Li Meihan, “We have been together all along.”

Li Meihan said, “But when we graduated from high school, I heard her say that she wanted to break up with you…”

Su Bin paused for a moment, recalling that Chen Xiaotian mentioned breaking up with him at a KTV gathering shortly before they were going to report to college. However, Li Meihan just mentioned that she quickly took the IELTS exam and went abroad after graduating, so when did she hear Chen Xiaotian say “break up”?

For a brief moment, Su Bin felt the urge to impulsively ask Li Meihan about the specific timeline. But it was just a moment of suspicion, and he quickly felt embarrassed for being suspicious.

…If two people are in love and together, they should trust each other unconditionally, right?

Su Bin replied to her, “We did break up for a while, but after starting university, I pursued her again and got her back. ”

That’s right, there were many classmates who knew about Chen Xiaotian mentioning the breakup at the KTV gathering in Hangzhou, even though Chen Xiaotian didn’t use social media. However, Li Meihan probably heard about it through word of mouth from old classmates.

Li Meihan said, “Oh, I see… Well, congratulations to both of you!”

Su Bin said, “Thank you. If you have a chance to come to M City, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Li Meihan replied, “It’s a deal. ”

However, even though they exchanged contact information, Li Meihan didn’t contact Su Bin again until much later.

At that moment, many relationships had completely changed from before.

Yang Chengzhe returned in the evening, and Su Bin went downstairs upon hearing his voice. He saw Yang Chengzhe and greeted him, “Come and see, I bought some snacks. What do you like to eat?”

Su Bin was extremely touched. “Brother Cheng, you actually bought them!”

Yang Chengzhe took the things that needed to be refrigerated to the kitchen and noticed several bottles and jars on the countertop, along with a bowl of mushrooms soaking. He asked Su Bin, “Did you go shopping too?”

Su Bin replied, “Yeah, I went to Chinatown in the afternoon.”

Yang Chengzhe asked, “Did you go alone?”

Su Bin answered, “Yeah… I almost got lost on the way back.” Well, it wasn’t just “almost” getting lost; he had already gotten lost. But Su Bin felt embarrassed to share such an embarrassing incident.

Yang Chengzhe said, “If you get lost, you can call me. I’ve been here for eight years, and I can find my way blindfolded.”

Su Bin smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll remember that.” But he couldn’t bring himself to bother Yang Chengzhe with such a small matter, considering how busy he was. It would make him feel like an immature little kid…

Yang Chengzhe asked, “Have you had dinner?”

Su Bin replied, “Not yet.”

Yang Chengzhe said, “I bought some vegetables. How about I…”

“Ah, Brother Cheng!” Su Bin interrupted him excitedly before he could finish. “Let me cook today! Look, I even soaked the mushrooms!”

“You can cook?” Yang Chengzhe looked at him with some doubt, then slapped his forehead. “I’ve been so busy that I forgot you made porridge this morning.”

Su Bin smiled and pushed Yang Chengzhe out of the kitchen. “You stayed up all night yesterday, so you should go rest now!” He thought to himself, “Don’t underestimate me just because I’m younger than you. I’m much better at cooking than you…”

Yang Chengzhe finally gave in. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Su Bin replied, “No problem. It’s a give and take… it’s only fair!”

After finally getting Yang Chengzhe out of the kitchen, Su Bin breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close call!

With enough ingredients, Su Bin had the space to showcase his cooking skills. He made braised mushrooms with chicken, stir-fried pork with mixed bell peppers, and a steamed bowl of minced meat and egg custard. Although they might not look as good as the ones in restaurants, Su Bin was confident that the taste of these dishes was excellent.

After placing three dishes on the table, Yang Chengzhe was stunned, his jaw almost dropping. “Su Bin, I really underestimated you!”

Just as they were about to start eating, Allen happened to return as well!

“Allen, come and taste Michael’s cooking… it’s amazing!” Yang Chengzhe couldn’t help but praise Su Bin.

Caught in the aroma that filled the room, Allen was also taken aback, but he didn’t react as exaggeratedly as Yang Chengzhe. He simply opened his deep eyes slightly…

Not accustomed to sharing utensils with others, Allen took a plate and a small bowl and picked a small portion from each of the three dishes to taste. If it were someone else, this behavior would appear pretentious, but when Allen did it, it seemed completely natural.

Yang Chengzhe picked up half a mushroom, brought it to his mouth, and a look of ecstasy appeared on his face. “Mmm~”

Seeing this, Allen also picked up a piece, scrutinized it, smelled it, but hesitated to try it.

Yang Chengzhe immediately began to demonstrate his extensive knowledge, enlightening Allen. “This is a type of mushroom called ‘shiitake’ (I think), it’s one of China’s specialties. In China, this mushroom is known as the ‘Queen of Fungi’ and the ‘King of Treasures on the Mountain.’ It’s rich in vitamins, high in protein, low in fat, and has high nutritional value…”

“…” Su Bin listened attentively on the side, utterly impressed. Being able to explain “shiitake” so concisely in English, Yang Chengzhe truly deserved to be called a doctor!

Yang Chengzhe’s words seemed to resonate with Allen, especially after learning about the rich nutritional value of shiitake. His eyes lit up, but when he actually put the mushroom in his mouth, his expression turned sour. “It tastes bad.”

Yang Chengzhe smiled and said, “Everyone finds the taste of shiitake strange at first, but after eating a few pieces, you’ll be defeated by its deliciousness. Its aroma will invade your taste buds and break down your resistance. After that, when you eat other mushrooms, it will be like chewing wax…”

Yang Chengzhe continued to passionately express his thoughts on “shiitake,” hoping to convince Allen to give it another try.

Su Bin couldn’t help but almost burst into laughter. Did eating shiitake really involve such a profound emotional journey? It was just like green peppers or celery—some people liked them, while others felt nauseous just smelling them. Moreover, in Su Bin’s opinion, the taste of each type of mushroom was different, far from what Yang Chengzhe claimed.

But surprisingly, after hearing Yang Chengzhe’s words, Allen… took another bite!

Su Bin: “…”

Allen chewed slowly and finished eating, raising an eyebrow and saying, “Mmm, it’s slightly better now.”

Yang Chengzhe exclaimed, “See, I told you!”

Su Bin: “…” He sincerely felt that Yang Chengzhe shouldn’t be an assistant professor; he should use his knowledge to become a salesperson…

Author’s Note:

[Regarding graveyards in Country B]: For some reason, graveyards are quite common in cities in Country B. Sometimes, you can find coffee shops and stores surrounding graveyards, and residential areas or small churches often have graveyards nearby. In this magical country of Country B, the people have no taboos about graveyards. There’s even a graveyard in the city center of Oxford, with people coming and going every day… quite astonishing.

Next, the bottom will unleash his boundless imagination, running farther and farther like a wild alpaca… Are you looking forward to it? XD