Spring had arrived.
Aside from that, Huang Wenjie couldn’t think of any other reason why two of his dormmates were suddenly dressing up like peacocks every day before heading out.
Not only that, but the two were practically attached at the hip, going to the library together every single day.
Bian Ting’s behavior was understandable—he had always been a library regular. The real problem was since when had Meng Xin become so studious?
Huang Wenjie felt something was off. He specifically went to ask Gao Yinghang, “Don’t you think they’re acting weird?”
Gao Yinghang nodded in complete agreement. “Very weird.”
“What are they even up to?”
Gao Yinghang thought of a few possibilities:
- Secretly studying to shock everyone by winning a scholarship at the end of the semester?
- Using the library as an excuse while actually sneaking off to have fun?
- Training in secret so they could annihilate them when they logged into the game?
- Possessed by some kind of library monster that had taken control of their minds, meaning they were no longer the same people they used to be?
“…”
Huang Wenjie considered these options seriously.
Then he said, “Honestly, all of these sound possible.”
“This won’t do.” Gao Yinghang shook his head.
Huang Wenjie agreed wholeheartedly. “We have to find out what they’re up to.”
………………
Meng Xin and Bian Ting never deliberately hid anything from anyone.
Every day, they stuck to each other like glue—going for walks by the lake while holding hands, and even when they returned to the dorm, their hands never separated.
It was so obvious, yet their two very straight dormmates remained completely oblivious.
“Would it be too much of a shock to just tell them directly?” Meng Xin asked during their evening walk. “They’re both so straight.”
“That’s exactly why,” Bian Ting stated matter-of-factly. “Even if we hold hands right in front of them, they still wouldn’t think anything of it.”
Meng Xin scoffed. “No way.”
“We’re so, so…” He struggled for the right word before finally landing on one. “Gay.”
To test his theory, Meng Xin returned to the dorm with Bian Ting—still holding hands.
It was meant to be a gentle way of coming out. The plan was simple: casually let Huang Wenjie and Gao Yinghang see them holding hands, and then smoothly mention that he was into men and dating Bian Ting.
However, things didn’t go as expected.
Huang Wenjie and Gao Yinghang didn’t even notice their joined hands.
Instead, they stood on either side of the doorway like two gatekeepers, completely blocking their way. Not sparing a single glance at their hands, they immediately launched into an interrogation.
“We’ve been wanting to ask for a while—what the hell have you two been up to every day?”
Meng Xin touched the tip of his nose, feeling a bit guilty. “Nothing much.”
“Nothing much? Yeah, right.” Huang Wenjie narrowed his eyes. “Don’t play dumb. I can tell you’re hiding something.”
“I already told you, just studying,” Meng Xin said.
“Just studying?”
“Just studying.”
Huang Wenjie, now 100% certain something was up, shook his head. “No way.”
“For real, why would I lie?”
“I don’t believe you. Not unless you let me come along.”
Gao Yinghang immediately chimed in, “Me too.”
“…”
Meng Xin turned to Bian Ting, silently asking, What do you think?
Bian Ting gave a small nod.
“Alright,” Meng Xin relented, revealing their weekend plans. “We’re going hiking. You guys wanna come?”
Huang Wenjie stared at him in disbelief. “That’s way too wholesome.”
Meng Xin seized the moment. “Right? So wholesome. You probably wouldn’t wanna—”
“I’m in,” Huang Wenjie declared, raising his hand.
Gao Yinghang was quick to follow. “Me too.”
Determined to uncover the mystery of Meng Xin and Bian Ting’s recent behavior, they didn’t hesitate for a second—even if it meant hiking.
What was supposed to be a romantic weekend for two had suddenly turned into a full-blown dorm outing. But since Meng Xin had already invited them, there was no taking it back now.
“…Fine.”
—
The mountain they planned to hike was right next to the school. It wasn’t some nameless wild peak, but it also wasn’t a famous tourist attraction.
Because of this, it didn’t see many visitors—most of the hikers were university students.
More specifically, most of them were couples.
That was because of a popular campus legend:
If a couple climbs this mountain together and reaches the peak, their love will last forever.
That was exactly why Meng Xin had chosen this mountain in the first place.
Unfortunately, their romantic duo had turned into a group of four.
That weekend, all four dormmates headed out in the afternoon—originally, they had planned to watch the sunrise, but since only one of them could actually wake up that early, they changed it to watching the sunset instead.
Meng Xin made no effort to hide anything this time. As soon as they stepped out the door, he subtly hooked his pinky around Bian Ting’s.
—He had to find a way to come out to Huang Wenjie and Gao Yinghang!
Bian Ting naturally took his hand in return.
They walked hand in hand all the way to the foot of the mountain near their school.
To make sure Huang Wenjie and Gao Yinghang got a clear view of their interlocked fingers, Meng Xin even sped up a little, pulling Bian Ting ahead of them.
But things didn’t go as planned.
The two of them barely spared their joined hands a glance before brushing it off as nothing important.
Meng Xin was baffled.
He had expected that once either of them noticed, he could just come out on the spot.
But after waiting for ages, neither of them asked a single question.
In the end, Meng Xin couldn’t hold back anymore and asked directly, “Did you not see me and Bian Ting holding hands?”
“Of course I saw,” Huang Wenjie replied.
Meng Xin was stunned. “And you don’t have any reaction to that?”
“What’s so weird about it?” Huang Wenjie gave him a look of disappointment, like a parent scolding their wayward child. “Haven’t you been clinging to your adoptive father since forever? Bian Ting, you really need to get this under control.”
Bian Ting smirked and glanced at Meng Xin.
Others might not get it, but Meng Xin understood that look immediately.
See? I told you.
Meng Xin: “…”
Straight guys could really be this oblivious?
Before he could say anything, Huang Wenjie spoke up again.
“And besides, do you even get what it means to be shameless? Move aside, let me show you how it’s done.”
He suddenly wedged himself between them, forcibly pried their hands apart, and shoved his own hands into theirs instead.
“See this? I am the OG shameless king. The eternal shameless king.”
Meng Xin stared down at Huang Wenjie’s rough, forcefully inserted hands and went silent for a moment.
“…You can keep that title. It’s all yours.”
Who the hell would want to compete for something like that?
But instead of feeling embarrassed, Huang Wenjie actually looked proud. “Keep it? It’s been mine from the start.”
“How about now? Do I seem super gay? Do you feel like punching me?”
Before Meng Xin could respond, Huang Wenjie let go of their hands, dodged to Gao Yinghang’s side, and wiggled his hips in an absolutely infuriating manner.
“Oops—can’t hit me!” he taunted.
“…”
Completely immersed in his own absurd antics, Huang Wenjie had no idea that the moment he let go, the two hands he had separated instantly gravitated back together—like magnets snapping into place.
“What a terrifying level of straightness,” Meng Xin murmured, squeezing Bian Ting’s hand as he spoke in a hushed voice. “I wasn’t like that before… right?”
“…”
When Bian Ting didn’t respond for a long while, Meng Xin narrowed his eyes and turned to him suspiciously.
“Damn, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Sensing the danger, Bian Ting immediately activated his survival instincts.
“No,” he said, voice steady.
“He’s way straighter than you.”
Only then was Meng Xin satisfied. “Right? That’s what I thought.”
Meng Xin rubbed his arms as if warding off a chill.
“Terrifying straight guys.”
……………………………………………………….
The two terrifying straight guys quickly ran out of stamina and started complaining about exhaustion halfway up the mountain.
Huang Wenjie was practically stopping every three steps to catch his breath, bent over with his hands on his knees.
When he looked up, he saw that Meng Xin was still holding hands with Bian Ting.
A light bulb went off in Huang Wenjie’s head, and a thought suddenly surfaced.
That thought tumbled around his mind, gaining momentum, until he finally arrived at a revelation.
“Meng Xin! I knew something was off about you today!” Huang Wenjie pointed at their clasped hands with righteous fury. “You’re doing this on purpose so that Bian Ting can pull you up and save your energy, aren’t you?”
Meng Xin: “…”
“That’s not fair!” Huang Wenjie protested. “I want Bian Ting to pull me up too!”
Meng Xin immediately tightened his grip on Bian Ting’s hand. “No way.”
Bian Ting was equally firm. “Not happening.”
“Why not?” Huang Wenjie was genuinely puzzled, blinking his eyes in confusion at the outright rejection.
Bian Ting answered unhurriedly, “Because he’s different from you guys.”
Huang Wenjie gasped dramatically. “Wow, blatant favoritism now? What happened to ‘all fingers on a hand are made of the same flesh’?”
Bian Ting replied flatly, “You were adopted.”
Huang Wenjie: “…”
Huang Wenjie: “…Wow. A father’s love is like a landslide—sudden and ruthless.”
He turned to Gao Yinghang and wailed, “Yinghang, this family is falling apart.”
Gao Yinghang, ever the drama queen, immediately played along. “Don’t worry. We can start our own family.”
“…”
Once again, Meng Xin found himself thinking the same thing.
…Straight guys are terrifying.
“I can’t hold it anymore,” Gao Yinghang eventually said, slinging his backpack onto a nearby bench. “I need to hit the restroom.”
Huang Wenjie casually tossed his own backpack down as well. “Might as well go too.”
Meng Xin thought for a moment. “I’ll go as well.”
With all three of them heading to the restroom, only Bian Ting was left behind to watch their stuff.
Bian Ting sat down on the bench. “I’ll wait here.”
……………………………………..
But Meng Xin wasn’t actually going to the restroom.
Huang Wenjie, midstream, suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. He turned his head and saw Meng Xin staring at him with an unreadable expression.
“What—do you have to go that bad, man? There’s another stall over there,” Huang Wenjie said.
“No, I’m not actually here to pee.” Meng Xin hesitated before saying, “I have something to tell you guys.”
After they finished up and washed their hands, Meng Xin led them to an open area near the restroom, looking extremely serious.
“Why so formal?” Huang Wenjie said. “Just say it already.”
Meng Xin decided to cut straight to the point.
Taking a deep breath, he leveled his gaze at them and dropped the biggest bombshell:
“I’m gay. Bian Ting and I are together.”
“…”
“…”
They had zero reaction.
Meng Xin thought they were too shocked to process it.
Maybe coming out so directly was too much for straight guys. Meng Xin had been through it himself—he understood.
“Uh, are you guys okay?” Meng Xin asked, already trying to soften the blow. “I get it, this might be hard for you to accept, but being straight or being gay is just a personal preference. It doesn’t change anything—we’re still brothers, always will be. Of course, if you really can’t handle it…”
“Pfft—”
Huang Wenjie suddenly burst out laughing.
He doubled over, burying his face in Gao Yinghang’s shoulder, pounding his back as he howled with laughter.
Gao Yinghang, shaking with mirth, took the opportunity to wipe his still-wet hands all over Huang Wenjie’s shirt.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Meng Xin stared at them.
“…What the hell are you two laughing at?”
Huang Wenjie wiped away tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.
“Meng Xin, you must really be out of tricks if you’re pulling a self-damaging move like this just to mess with us.” He waved a dismissive hand, completely unconvinced. “Right, right, you’re gay. And in that case, Gao Yinghang and I have been in a secret marriage for three years and even have a kid.”
“Yes,” Gao Yinghang agreed with absolute seriousness. “We have a child.”
“Alright, enough with the nonsense,” Huang Wenjie wagged his finger. “You might be able to fool other people with your stories, but you think you can fool me? Not happening.”
Gao Yinghang nodded along. “Not me either.”
They weren’t idiots—just a while ago, Meng Xin had been distressed about whether he was a full-blown straight-man disease case.
“…”
Meng Xin was starting to regret how outrageously straight he had acted in the past. It was coming back to bite him—so much so that no one believed he had actually switched teams.
“No, seriously,” Meng Xin said urgently. “I really am gay!”
Huang Wenjie smirked. “Mmm-hmm, sure, totally believe you.”
Meng Xin’s eyes widened. “Come on! I’m being serious!”
“I know! I’m being serious too.” Huang Wenjie nudged Gao Yinghang. “Alright, are we done here? I’ve got places to be. My kid’s waiting for me at home, isn’t that right?”
Gao Yinghang immediately fell into character. “That’s right. Honey, you work so hard. Come here, let me give you a hug.”
And just like that, they wrapped each other in an embrace, patting each other’s backs and murmuring, “Oh, hubby, you’ve worked so hard.”
“…”
They were so committed to their nonsense that even Meng Xin, a real gay man, felt a little overwhelmed.
Meng Xin the gay man was this close to saying, “Can you two not act so gay?!”
Seeing that they still didn’t believe him, Meng Xin gritted his teeth and made a big decision.
“Wait here.”
“For what?”
Meng Xin didn’t answer. He turned on his heel and sprinted toward Bian Ting.
Bian Ting was still sitting on the bench, waiting.
Meng Xin skidded to a stop in front of him.
“Bian Ting, look up.”
He had used Bian Ting’s full name—so it had to be serious.
Bian Ting lifted his head, immediately noticing how solemn Meng Xin’s expression was—like a man about to step into a courtroom.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Bian Ting asked, glancing behind Meng Xin. “Weren’t you with—”
His words cut off abruptly.
Because Meng Xin had grabbed his collar, leaned down, and kissed him.
From a distance, the two definitely straight guys standing there completely froze.
Holding hands with your bro? That was just classic messing around.
But kissing your bro on the mouth? That was officially gay.
“…”
“…”
A chorus of national profanity followed.
“Holy shit.”
“Holy SHIT!!”
“Holy SHIT, WHAT ARE THEY DOING?!”
Huang Wenjie muttered in shock, “Did I not finish peeing properly earlier? Why does it feel like all the water in my body is flooding back into my brain…”
“Could this be a hallucination?” Gao Yinghang mumbled. “Maybe the food we ate at lunch was poisoned…”
“…Just one little peck doesn’t mean anything, right?”
“Yeah. Maybe they didn’t even touch. That bastard probably faked the angle.”
“Exactly! We’re standing pretty far away. It’s totally normal for our eyes to play tricks on us—we just think they kissed.”
“Haha. No way, no way.”
…
Meng Xin’s mission was accomplished—the two terrifyingly straight guys had to believe he was actually gay now. He quickly let go of Bian Ting.
Bian Ting froze for a moment, then raised a hand to touch his lips.
He raised an eyebrow. “What was that about?”
That one kiss had drained every last bit of courage from Meng Xin. His heart was pounding out of control, and he suddenly felt like he had just committed a crime and needed to flee the scene.
“Oh, uh, nothing. No meaning at all. Ah! Right, you were asking about those two earlier, weren’t you? I’ll go find them for you now. Okay, bye!”
He turned to bolt—only to have his wrist caught mid-escape.
Bian Ting’s reflexes were fast, and he yanked Meng Xin back before he could get away.
Meng Xin stumbled, nearly landing right onto Bian Ting’s lap.
He braced himself against the bench, ready to push himself up—
But before he could, a firm hand pressed against the back of his neck.
“Wait, there are still—”
Bian Ting didn’t let him finish. He gripped Meng Xin’s nape, tilted his head down, and leaned up to capture his lips again.
This time, it wasn’t a fleeting peck.
This time, the kiss deepened.
Meng Xin barely had time to react before he felt the wet slide of Bian Ting’s tongue grazing over his canine tooth, sending a faint shiver through him.
For a split second, his mind went completely blank.
He forgot all about what he had been trying to say—forgot that there were still two people watching them from afar.
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