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

Quiet night, a silver moon hangs high in the sky, and the broken cross and shattered monument are coated with a chilling color, casting eerie shadows on the ground. Occasionally, a group of bats fly by, emitting sharp, rat-like cries.

Su Bin runs through the graveyard… No, there’s no time! The soil begins to loosen, cracks appear in the tombstones, and he can hear the sound of something breaking through the earth. If he doesn’t escape now, the zombies will come!

But he has been running for a long time and hasn’t found a way out. This place feels like an endless maze.

Su Bin hides behind a partially intact tombstone, temporarily evading the pursuing zombies. The area around this tombstone is filled with a strong scent of death, cold and dark, providing temporary cover for his presence.

He sees a few putrid green zombies, bloodshot eyes bulging out of their sockets, necks twisted, limbs contorted, swaying as they pass by…

Su Bin places his hand on his chest, sitting down slowly against the tombstone, completely paralyzed with fear, not daring to breathe!

Fortunately, this tombstone is large and concealed enough. Su Bin gratefully touches it. The surface of the stone has darkened due to oxidation over the years, but it feels smooth to the touch, much sturdier compared to the crumbling tombstones. Su Bin can’t help but want to see who the owner of this tombstone is. However, when he glances at the center of the tombstone, his pupils instantly dilate…

[ALLEN…]

… Ahhhhhhhh!

Su Bin suddenly wakes up!

He lies on his side, clutching his blanket, facing the bedroom wall… The dream was so vivid and profound that in the moment of waking up, he couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion. He even projected the inscription “ALLEN” from the dream onto the wall…

Su Bin’s limbs stiffen, his scalp tingles, and his mind is filled with one question: Allen is not human, Allen is not human, Allen is not human… Ahhhhh!

Connecting all the strange details about Allen and his inexplicable “journey to the graveyard” yesterday, Su Bin increasingly feels that the “strange force guiding” mentioned by Chen Xiaotian may be related to Allen…!

Lost in wild thoughts for a while, it’s already dawn. Su Bin has no desire to sleep anymore, so he opens his computer and searches online for “What is a vampire?” and “Do vampires really exist?”…

He’s searching for these things because deep down, he already subconsciously believes in the existence of vampires. Now he just wants to verify if Allen is indeed a vampire!

There is a lot of information online. Some people say that vampires are “anomalies” from Western folklore and don’t really exist. Others claim that vampires are real and that they have seen them with their own eyes. However, their descriptions of vampire characteristics are varied and mostly derived from fictional novels, making Su Bin skeptical.

With a hot head, Su Bin becomes anxious and visits the most popular online community forum in his country, “Cliff,” and posts a help-seeking thread in the “Supernatural Tales” section:

OP: SBWoodCedar | Time: 200X-09-30 | Views: 1 | Replies: 0 | Previous page 1 Next page | Last page

OP is a junior this year, male, and just came to study abroad in Country B. Based on the introduction from the agency, OP moved into a shared house. OP’s next-door neighbor is a guy named A, a mixed-blood native of Country B. According to another roommate Y, A has Chinese heritage but only speaks English.

OP suspects that he is not human and is a “vampire,” based on the following points:

A’s appearance is extremely handsome, with black hair, gray-green eyes, an estimated height of 185 cm, a good physique, and fair skin. His temperament resembles that of a “vampire” in movies. The first time OP saw him, he was dumbfounded and felt that his appearance was unreal. A walks almost silently, always appearing in a place without making a sound. OP feels like he can “teleport.” A’s way of speaking and writing has a medieval noble feel, unlike a modern person. Last night, when A ate mushrooms for the first time, he had an allergic reaction. His green eyes changed color and looked terrifying. After OP discovered it, A went upstairs to take medication, and he recovered after ten minutes. OP temporarily shares a bathroom with A. Yesterday, OP found many blood-stained tissues in the bathroom’s trash can, but couldn’t determine the source of the blood. Yesterday, while shopping, OP got lost and unknowingly passed through a large “graveyard.” At night, he dreamed of himself seeing a tombstone with A’s name on it in the graveyard, and now he’s scared.

…

Other clues are waiting to be observed and supplemented. OP is currently restless and seeks help from various experts!

After posting the thread, Su Bin heaves a sigh of relief. However, after this ordeal, the fear from the dream also dissipates. Su Bin suddenly feels that his actions were foolish and feels embarrassed about posting on “Cliff.” Luckily, he didn’t tell Chen Xiaotian about this matter.

But he also realizes that he has switched roles with Chen Xiaotian in this matter. In normal circumstances, shouldn’t it be the girl who indulges in wild thoughts, and the guy who uses scientific evidence to refute his girlfriend’s speculations and provide comfort?

Su Bin also wants to be the kind of boyfriend who behaves that way, but reality is the opposite. He indulges in wild ideas, while Chen Xiaotian remains rational and calm… This makes Su Bin feel guilty and remorseful.

“By the way, was Li Meihan your high school desk mate?” Su Bin quickly changed the topic to lighten the mood.

“Yes, what about her?” Chen Xiaotian looked puzzled.

Su Bin told her about Li Meihan’s message on his school network and said, “She said she’s coming to M City to visit me!”

Su Bin’s intention in bringing this up was to make Chen Xiaotian a little jealous, but he didn’t expect her to respond so naturally, saying, “That’s great! It’s not easy to meet a high school classmate in Country B. Say hi to her for me when you see her.”

Su Bin: “…”

Chen Xiaotian: “Okay, you have classes today, right? When are you going to the school?”

It seemed like she was about to hang up the phone, and Su Bin felt a bit disappointed. He didn’t have anything else to say, so he just said goodbye.

After the phone call, Su Bin felt less awkward when he saw Allen before leaving. However, as soon as he saw Allen, Su Bin wanted to ask about the blood-stained tissues from last night.

Su Bin did ask, expecting Allen to provide a reasonable explanation. But to his surprise, Allen said, “I accidentally cut my finger while taking a shower last night,” he waved his finger with a band-aid on it and smiled, “I’m fine now, thanks for your concern.”

“…” Su Bin felt a bit overwhelmed. Isn’t it enough to just lick a small cut on the finger? Why did it bleed so much? Are you kidding me?

Instead of alleviating Su Bin’s doubts, Allen’s clumsy lie only made him more suspicious!

Today was the first day of classes, and Su Bin didn’t want to be late. He arrived at the designated classroom location early.

The teaching style at the university in Country B was very different from that in China. Most communication between professors and students happened online, and there were no class monitors or representatives in the majors, only student representatives. However, these student representatives didn’t handle academic matters; they were only responsible for organizing student activities and publishing activity news. Su Bin learned all of this when he registered, thanks to the information he received from K. After receiving his student account, he logged into the university website, downloaded the course introductions, and familiarized himself with the courses he would be taking this semester, their schedules, locations, and exam formats. He would be taking a total of seven courses this academic year, most of which were lecture-based with final papers or written exams. Two courses required group work for case studies, and the grades would be based on group performance.

Su Bin arrived at the classroom location twenty minutes early, and there were not many people inside. As the class time approached, students started trickling in three by three. Su Bin counted and found that there were over a hundred students, with around ten of them having Asian faces. However, he didn’t know how many of them were Chinese.

The professor handed the attendance sheet to the students in the front row for them to sign in. Su Bin found his name near the bottom of the list and felt relieved.

It was Su Bin’s first time attending an academic class entirely in English, and even with his good English foundation, he found it difficult to understand.

Finally, when the class ended, a male student approached Su Bin and greeted him, “Hello, are you new here?”

This person introduced himself as Sun Yujie, and his English name was Jason. He was an undergraduate student in the Finance Department of M University. He had just been sitting behind Su Bin and guessed that he was Chinese, so he came over to start a conversation.

Su Bin told him about his exchange student status, and Sun Yujie smiled and said, “No wonder I didn’t see you last year!”

“Oh, Sun Yujie, who’s that?” Two girls came from behind. Their eyes lit up when they saw Su Bin.

“A new friend who came from China as an exchange student, his name is Su Bin.” Sun Yujie acted very friendly.

One of the girls said, “You’re handsome. Do you have a girlfriend?”

Su Bin had never been asked so directly before, and seeing all three of them looking at him with anticipation, including Sun Yujie… Su Bin felt a bit speechless but still answered honestly, “Um, yes, I have one back in China.”

The girl who asked the question looked disappointed and said, “Ah, handsome guys are all taken. It’s no fun!”

Sun Yujie chuckled beside them, “You’re not reserved at all, prying into someone’s love life when you first meet them.”

The girl rolled her eyes, “Can you eat modesty?”

Ignoring them, Sun Yujie looked directly at Su Bin and said, “Are you going home for lunch? If not, want to have a meal together?”

“Sure!” Su Bin gladly accepted the friendly invitation and was about to ask the two girls if they wanted to join when they ran out excitedly, holding their faces, saying, “It’s Cheng Ang… Ang~!”

“Cheng Ang? Who’s that?” Su Bin asked.

Sun Yujie was still looking in the direction the girls had left, lost in his thoughts. After a few seconds, he finally realized that Su Bin was asking about Cheng Ang and absentmindedly said, “Ah? That… he’s a senior in our department, also Chinese.”

Seeing Sun Yujie blush, Su Bin guessed that he probably liked the girl who asked about his relationship status. That’s why he was so nervous and staring at Su Bin earlier. Even now, he still seemed reluctant to let go after the girl left.

Su Bin didn’t say anything but nudged him with his elbow and gave him a mischievous smile, looking in the direction the girls had gone. Sun Yujie’s cheeks turned even redder… He was small in stature, half a head shorter than Su Bin, and had a small face. At this moment, he had a shy and innocent look, making it irresistible not to tease him.

“Have you ever dated?” Su Bin asked with a smile.

Sun Yujie shook his head repeatedly, his eyes not knowing where to look…

Su Bin chuckled, “Haha, if you like someone, go boldly pursue them. If you miss the chance, you won’t have another.”

After hearing this, Sun Yujie didn’t feel encouraged; instead, he lowered his eyes with a hint of sadness and said softly, “I don’t have a chance.”

Su Bin was taken aback. Could it be that Sun Yujie had already confessed his feelings? Did he fail? Or maybe the girl just didn’t like his type?

Regardless of the truth, Su Bin didn’t feel comfortable asking about it now. After all, they had just met. He could inquire about it later when they were more familiar with each other.

Sun Yujie took Su Bin to a nearby Subway to have sandwiches, and they each bought a cup of coffee from Starbucks.

As Su Bin sipped his coffee, he couldn’t help but reminisce about the coffee Allen had made for him. The rich aroma and creamy taste lingered in his mind, making the latte in his hand seem bland in comparison.

“Where do you live?” Sun Yujie asked about Su Bin’s current accommodation situation. Su Bin explained his living arrangements and invited Sun Yujie to visit him when he had the time. He thought that someone as warm and generous as Yang Chengzhe would surely not mind. As for Allen… Su Bin shook his head, not wanting to think about him for now.

Su Bin turned the question back to Sun Yujie and asked, “What about you?”

“I live in the student dormitory nearby. Do you want to come and see?” Sun Yujie suggested.