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

Sun Yujie’s student apartment is indeed very close, just a ten-minute walk away. Su Bin exclaimed, “It’s so convenient for you to go to school!”

He touched the back of his head and said, “I’m a lazy person. If I live far away, I might not want to go to class because I overslept. With this distance, when the alarm rings, I can just run downstairs in a few steps.”

Su Bin laughed heartily after hearing that. It was indeed a good choice, but compared to a private single room, Su Bin preferred the cozy atmosphere of living with roommates. That’s why he chose to rent a shared apartment.

Sun Yujie’s personal bedroom layout was similar to Yang Chengzhe’s room. Although small, it had everything one needed, but the walls of the room were covered with posters of various anime and games. He didn’t hide his interests and enthusiastically opened his computer to talk to Su Bin about the games he loved to play.

The games Sun Yujie played were all very popular, but Su Bin, who was a clingy boyfriend, had only played casual single-player games like “Plants vs. Zombies” that could be played in a short time. He hadn’t tried those that required a lot of time investment.

However, boys were generally interested in esports, and as soon as Su Bin had a taste of it, he was attracted. Sun Yujie generously let Su Bin try playing his game character and suggested, “If you have time, we can play together. I’ll teach you!”

Although Su Bin was tempted, he thought about his “work responsibilities” and could only give a vague response, “Hmm, I’ll check my schedule later.”

The two of them had a great conversation, and time flew by quickly.

When they were going back to class in the afternoon, they ran into an “acquaintance” of Sun Yujie on the way…

“Xiao Jie?” The person called his Chinese nickname as soon as they spoke, looking very familiar.

But Sun Yujie just lowered his head and softly replied, “Cheng Ang…”

So this person was Cheng Ang! Su Bin didn’t see his face earlier and was about to politely greet him, but unexpectedly, the other person gave him an unfriendly glance… Su Bin was instantly taken aback.

“We, we have to go to class. Let’s go!” Sun Yujie stammered and said a few words, pulling Su Bin away.

Su Bin didn’t have a chance to say anything and stood there bewildered. It was only after they walked a long way that he asked, “Do you have a conflict with Cheng Ang?” Su Bin felt like Sun Yujie was avoiding him.

“No, no!” Sun Yujie’s ears turned red, and he had an embarrassed expression, as if he didn’t want to talk about anything related to Cheng Ang. Su Bin tactfully didn’t ask any further, but he immediately thought of his speculation from earlier… Could it be that they were love rivals? That’s why they looked so envious when they saw each other?

This explanation made sense, and Su Bin couldn’t help but praise his own wit, while also feeling sorry for Sun Yujie—encountering such a charismatic and exceptionally good-looking love rival, Sun Yujie didn’t have much hope! No wonder he was disappointed when Su Bin asked him to confess… Su Bin felt a bit sorry for him.

During the afternoon class, Su Bin received a message from Yang Chengzhe saying that Jin Fei had returned, and they were going out for dinner together in the evening. So after class, Su Bin bid farewell to Sun Yujie and went home.

As soon as he arrived at the doorstep, Su Bin saw a black sedan parked in the courtyard. He thought it must be Jin Fei’s car. This new roommate of his was really wealthy, owning both a sports bike and an Audi A6!

As he opened the door and saw the person in person, Su Bin became even more certain. Jin Fei seemed to exude an aura of “I’m rich, come and cling to me”…

“Hey, you must be Michael?” Jin Fei greeted him warmly, and his strong arm immediately hooked around Su Bin’s shoulder. “Young man, you look good!”

“Um… Hi!” Su Bin was a bit startled by the other person’s immediate shoulder-hooking gesture. After looking Jin Fei up and down, Su Bin couldn’t help but say, “Dude, is your family in the coal business?”

Jin Fei’s clothes, pants, and belt were all branded with high-end names like Gucci, CK, and Burberry. He was really extravagant!

Jin Fei burst into laughter, enjoying Su Bin’s straightforward personality. “Coal business? Isn’t that too high-class for us? We just sell a few tea eggs casually!”

“Pff…” Su Bin burst into laughter. This guy was too funny!

Jin Fei retracted his arm and shook hands with Su Bin. “I’m Fly!”

Fly? Su Bin was puzzled.

Jin Fei nodded vigorously and waved his wrists, imitating the movements of a flying butterfly. “It’s this ‘fly,’ Fly!”

Su Bin couldn’t help but feel speechless. He didn’t need someone to teach him elementary English… But then again, didn’t Jin Fei know that “fly” also meant a housefly?

“You’re back?” Yang Chengzhe approached from nearby and, seeing Su Bin’s constipated expression, knew what was going on. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Just an English name, call me whatever you want!” Jin Fei must have already learned about the other meanings of “fly,” but he was too lazy to change it.

“Jin Fei…” Su Bin still wasn’t used to calling him “fly.” “When you weren’t here, I rode your sports bike.” Su Bin pointed in the direction of the window.

“Go ahead and ride it. I bought it so that everyone can enjoy it!” Jin Fei generously waved his hand and asked Yang Chengzhe, “Where should we go for dinner? I’m hungry!”

Yang Chengzhe nodded towards Su Bin. “Ask Michael what he wants to eat.”

Su Bin was taken aback. “Um, well, Allen hasn’t come back yet. Shouldn’t we wait for him and ask?”

Yang Chengzhe smiled and said, “This dinner was mainly proposed to welcome your arrival, so you’re the protagonist… I just called Allen. He’s still in the lab, and he said to let him know the address after we decide on the restaurant. He’ll come directly.”

“The lab? Speaking of which, Su Bin doesn’t even know what Allen is studying…”

Jin Fei urged Su Bin, “Hurry up, hurry up! What do you want to eat? Big bros will treat you!”

“…” Su Bin felt a bit uneasy. He didn’t even know who was the youngest among them, and Jin Fei was already calling them “big bros.” “I’m not familiar with M City either. How about you recommend something?”

“French cuisine? Steak? Thai food? Chinese cuisine? Indian lamb chops?…” Jin Fei rattled off a series of options and then said, “Oh, let’s not have Chinese food. I just came back from China… French cuisine won’t do either. It takes too long for each course, and I won’t feel full. I want something simple and hearty, like steak or lamb chops. But Indian food always feels a bit unsanitary in those places run by the Indians. Allen might have objections… And Yang Ge, don’t you dislike the sour and spicy taste of ‘sawadee ka’?”

Yang Chengzhe couldn’t help but remind him, “Let Su Bin decide!”

“Oh, oh,” Jin Fei smiled and looked at Su Bin, “It’s up to you!”

Su Bin: “…”

Jin Fei practically told him what to choose through the process of elimination. Of course, Su Bin wouldn’t willingly draw hatred, so after pretending to think for a while, he suggested, “How about steak?”

Jin Fei clapped his hands together. “Exactly what I had in mind!”

Su Bin: “…”

Yang Chengzhe asked, “Are you talking about Rump & Ribs? Let me make a reservation.”

“Yes, that’s the one. Let’s move!” Jin Fei said excitedly.

The three of them left, with Jin Fei driving. Yang Chengzhe asked Su Bin to sit in the front passenger seat so that the two newly acquainted guys could chat, but their chemistry exceeded Yang Chengzhe’s expectations.

Jin Fei was a year older than Su Bin and, despite being a rich kid, he wasn’t the kind of show-off wealthy person but rather a humorous one. They bantered back and forth all the way, having a great time!

Jin Fei noticed Su Bin’s interest in his car and talked to him about cars. He was also a car enthusiast and referred to his Audi A6 as his “little wife.” “I let a friend borrow my ‘little wife’ during the vacation, and when I went to get the car from him, I found out he didn’t even leave a drop of fuel… It made me so angry!”

Su Bin couldn’t help but say, “You’re so generous to let someone play with your ‘little wife’.”

Jin Fei raised an eyebrow and smiled. “She’s not a real wife. If you know how to drive, I could lend her to you too, bro!” He lightly patted the steering wheel.

Su Bin burst into laughter. With his naturally dependent personality, he initially felt uncomfortable when Jin Fei called himself “brother,” but now he enjoyed the feeling of being pampered…

They soon arrived at the restaurant, and Jin Fei parked the car. The three of them entered the establishment.

Allen had arrived earlier, and as soon as Su Bin entered, he saw him.

Allen was sitting alone at a large table. He wore a grayish-white dress shirt on top and tapered casual trousers, paired with a pair of black matte leather boots, giving off an understated and noble aura.

None of the clothing he wore had brands that Su Bin could recognize. If Jin Fei exuded an extravagant air, then Allen gave off an introverted sense of elegance. He seemed like a luxury item that was within reach yet unattainable.

Almost everyone’s gaze in the restaurant was shifting towards Allen. Many female customers were already blushing and swooning over him, but Allen remained expressionless, flipping through a magazine on the table, as if he was the only person in the world.

When he saw them enter, Allen smiled slightly, and in that instant, Su Bin seemed to hear the surrounding murmurs of astonishment.

After taking their seats, a chestnut-haired waitress immediately approached them with the menu. “How may I assist you with the drinks?” She gave a cursory glance at everyone and blushed when her gaze landed on Allen.

Yang Chengzhe and Jin Fei seemed accustomed to being spectacularly ignored, so they flipped through the menu and made their decisions.

“I’ll have a beer,” Jin Fei said.

Yang Chengzhe asked Allen, “How about a bottle of white wine?”

Allen nodded and then looked at Su Bin, the only one who hadn’t made a choice yet.

Su Bin awkwardly froze there, completely unable to keep up with their pace—he hadn’t even finished studying the menu!

Yang Chengzhe smiled and asked, “Can you handle alcohol?”

Jin Fei suggested, “Why don’t you also have a beer? Steak goes well with beer!”

Su Bin was of legal drinking age, so he could certainly drink, but he didn’t like the taste of beer. He also didn’t know if it was appropriate to have a glass of cola in this situation. He had no choice but to look at Yang Chengzhe and say, “I’ll have the white wine with you guys.”
“Sure,” Yang Chengzhe said to Allen, “Let the waitress bring three glasses later.”

Allen glanced at Su Bin again before saying a few words to the waitress, with a question in between. The waitress apologetically shook her head, and after a moment of contemplation, Allen ordered something else.

Their conversation was too fast, and Su Bin only caught fragments like “Tiger beer,” “sweet wine,” and “rose” (?).

The waitress happily prepared to leave after taking their order, and Yang Chengzhe could tell that something was different, but he smiled without revealing it.

When the drinks arrived, the waitress announced “rose wine,” and Allen gestured towards Su Bin. The waitress immediately placed the peach-colored wine glass in front of Su Bin.

Su Bin was stunned. Why was his drink different from theirs, and why did it have this “pink” color?

Yang Chengzhe enlightened him, “This is called rose wine. It has a slightly lower alcohol content than the dry white wine we ordered, and the taste is light and sweet.”

Yang Chengzhe glanced at Allen, silently conveying the message that Allen had ordered it for Su Bin.

Allen’s thoughtfulness once again touched Su Bin, and he felt guilty for doubting him as a vampire before…

“The color of this wine is really beautiful,” Su Bin tried to express his gratitude to Allen through praise. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Jin Fei burst into laughter.

“Who would have thought you would like this wine too, just like the girls!” Jin Fei teased Su Bin. Then he explained, “This color is associated with romance and tenderness. It’s usually men who order it for women in social gatherings, so it’s also called ‘ladies’ wine.'”

Su Bin was startled, looking at Yang Chengzhe and Allen with an embarrassed expression, torn between conflicting thoughts: What did it mean for Allen to order this wine for him?!!

Yang Chengzhe glared at Jin Fei and said to Su Bin, “Don’t listen to him! Jin Fei loves to socialize, but don’t learn bad habits from him!”

“Huh?” Su Bin was still struggling to catch up, “So, can men drink this wine? Will it make people suspect me of being effeminate if I drink it?” He nervously glanced around.

Jin Fei burst into laughter. “Why do you believe everything I say?”

“…” Su Bin was speechless. Was Jin Fei joking with him, joking with him, or joking with him?!

In response to Su Bin’s question, Allen personally provided an answer. “Rose wine is not exclusive to women. It is highly sought after by women in social gatherings due to its beautiful color, but it is a wrong mentality to assume that men cannot drink it. For those who drink alcohol, what matters more is the quality of the wine and whether it suits their taste…” Allen looked at Su Bin earnestly, speaking gently, “Initially, I wanted to order a glass of sweet wine for you, but unfortunately, the waitress informed me that it was sold out. So, I ordered the rose wine for you instead. Both wines have a similar taste, except that the rose wine is not sweet.”

It was the first time Su Bin heard Allen speak such a long sentence, and apart from the first two sentences, he was almost daydreaming, captivated by Allen’s tone and voice… It had to be said, Allen’s English was so pleasant to listen to. Yes, it was a beautiful voice, a melodious voice, like a violin, like flowing water, gently passing through his ears…

Allen encouraged Su Bin, “You can give it a try. If you don’t like it, I can order something else for you.” He smirked, the same smile he had when brewing coffee for Su Bin and teasing him like a child.

…Damn, Su Bin felt like he was already drunk without even drinking the wine!

Author’s notes:

[Indian A-san]”: The term used by overseas Chinese to refer to Indians. “A-san” comes from Wu dialect Shanghainese, meaning a mocking term that Chinese people use for Indians. Originally a derogatory term, it seems to have become a form of address and often lacks negative connotations.

[Sawadi-ka]”: “Hello” in Thai. Here, Jin Fei uses it to refer to a Thai restaurant.

[Rump & Ribs]”: The name of a steakhouse, literally translating to “beef rump and ribs.”

[Rose wine]”: Also known as blush wine or pink wine. In China, it is often considered a wine exclusively for women due to its color, but this is a biased view. Men also drink it abroad, especially those who value the quality of the wine. Rose wine typically has an alcohol content of 7-10° and a light taste. The Provence region in France is well-known for producing rose wine.