Meng Xin still couldn’t sleep.
He lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to figure it out: How could Bian Ting be gay?
He couldn’t resist bothering Bian Ting:
Meng Xin: If you’ve never liked a guy, how do you even know you like guys?
Luckily, Bian Ting was still awake and replied instantly:
Bian Ting: Not telling you.
Meng Xin: Why not??
Meng Xin: Come on, tell me. I swear I won’t tell anyone.
Bian Ting: You really wanna know?
Meng Xin: Yeah yeah! [hopeful eyes.gif]
Bian Ting: If I tell you, you’ll turn gay.
Bian Ting: That’s how I turned gay. You sure you wanna hear it?
Meng Xin: .
Meng Xin: Forget it, I don’t wanna know.
Since bothering Bian Ting failed, Meng Xin switched targets to his food buddy.
Meng Xin: Bro, do you have a crush on any guys?
Fan Da: No.
Fan Da: Wanna eat at Hall 2 tomorrow? A new Xinjiang noodle place just opened.
Meng Xin: But if you’ve never liked a guy, how do you know you like guys?
Fan Da: It’s just a feeling. No interest in girls, simple as that.
Fan Da: So are we going to Hall 2 or not? I really wanna try that new place.
Meng Xin: But not liking girls doesn’t automatically mean you like guys.
Fan Da: Do you like any girls?
Meng Xin: Nope.
Fan Da: Then how do you know you like girls?
Meng Xin was stumped.
Damn.
This guy’s a debate genius.
Fan Da: See? That’s how it works.
Meng Xin still didn’t get it.
Fan Da told him he’d understand if he turned gay.
Meng Xin said never mind — he couldn’t imagine himself liking guys.
Fan Da said there was no need to imagine. He just had to look at himself now.
Meng Xin: What do you mean???
Fan Da: Don’t you think, for a straight guy, you’re paying an awful lot of attention to gay people?
Meng Xin: Can’t straight guys be curious about gay people?
Fan Da: Of course! In fact, scientific studies show that 99% of gay people love Xinjiang-style noodles.
Meng Xin: For real? Why?
Fan Da: See? You only reply to the gay-related stuff.
Fan Da: When I mentioned the noodles, you didn’t care.
Fan Da: But as soon as I tied it to being gay, you started asking questions.
Fan Da: That’s what being in deep denial looks like.
Meng Xin didn’t buy it.
Curiosity and a desire to explore the unknown were the driving forces of human progress.
So, if someone had never met a gay person, being curious about them was perfectly normal.
To prove his point, he messaged Huang Wenjie:
Meng Xin: Hey, do you remember that gay couple we saw downstairs that day?
Huang Wenjie: Of course!
Huang Wenjie: That was unforgettable, man. So shocking!
Meng Xin: Right? That was the first time I saw gay people in real life.
Huang Wenjie: Same here.
After saying “same here,” Huang Wenjie went completely silent.
Meng Xin waited a long time but didn’t get another reply.
Until Huang Wenjie finally sent him a link:
Huang Wenjie: Copy this link…
Huang Wenjie: Bro, help me out and click it for me.
Meng Xin clicked the link.
Then he came back to reply:
Meng Xin: Stop struggling. This is obviously a scam.
Huang Wenjie: No way! I swear this is legit. It said I was the luckiest person today.
Meng Xin, speaking from experience, ruthlessly crushed his hopes:
Meng Xin: It said I was the luckiest person last time too.
Ten minutes later, Huang Wenjie came back.
Huang Wenjie: Okay, you were right.
Meng Xin tried to steer the conversation back:
Meng Xin: When you first saw a gay couple, didn’t you feel anything special?
Huang Wenjie: Of course! Didn’t I already say?
Huang Wenjie repeated himself:
Huang Wenjie: It was shocking and unforgettable!
…That reaction felt so lacking. He even used the exact same words.
Meng Xin: Seriously? You weren’t even a little curious?
Huang Wenjie: Why would I be curious? I’m not gay. I was shocked, and that was it.
Meng Xin still didn’t buy it.
Huang Wenjie wasn’t curious — but only because he didn’t know Bian Ting was gay.
Seeing a random gay couple on the street and finding out your close friend is gay are two completely different things.
The first one might cause brief, polite surprise. But the second? You could spend three whole days and nights just processing the shock — and still not fully wrap your head around it.
Huang Wenjie’s answer had no reference value.
Meng Xin messaged Fan Da:
Meng Xin: I still think it’s normal for straight guys to be curious about gay people. It’s like when I saw a horse eating durian for the first time — I was curious for ages.
Fan Da: Can I say something?
Meng Xin: Go ahead.
Fan Da: You’re just curious about Bian Ting being gay.
Meng Xin: That’s not true! I was curious when you told me you were gay, too!
Fan Da: Was that curiosity?
Fan Da: It lasted less than a minute. And the moment I mentioned “Bian Ting,” your attention completely shifted.
Meng Xin: That doesn’t count?
Fan Da: Nope.
Meng Xin: It counts, right?
Fan Da: Still no.
Fan Da sent him a meme of a buff, grinning dude with the caption:
“Bro, you’re so gay.”
Meng Xin: ………
Meng Xin: Damn, you gay guys play dirty.
The worst part was, he couldn’t clap back with a “you’re gay too” like he normally would with his straight friends — because for a gay guy, that wasn’t even remotely insulting.
Fan Da humbly replied:
Fan Da: It’s nothing. Once you turn gay, you can be invincible like me.
Knowing Bian Ting was gay started seriously messing with Meng Xin’s life.
To be precise, it bothered him.
It was like Bian Ting had suddenly developed a gender.
Straight guys like Meng Xin had almost zero sense of physical boundaries with their male friends. When he was tired, he’d lean on Bian Ting like a human pillow. When he was happy, he’d cling to Bian Ting’s arm and swing around.
If he bought a new body wash, he’d rub up against Bian Ting, demanding feedback:
“Smell this! Isn’t this scent amazing? I spent ages picking it out!”
Before knowing Bian Ting was gay, even if Bian Ting asked for help with something, Meng Xin would just say, “Got it, bro,” and do it without a second thought.
But now?
Now it was different.
Bian Ting liked guys.
Could he still act like that without crossing a line?
If Bian Ting were a girl, wouldn’t that make Meng Xin one of those clueless, boundary-less dudes who flirt without realizing it?
People always said men and women should keep their distance — so shouldn’t straight guys and gay guys have boundaries too?
These thoughts haunted Meng Xin constantly.
It got to the point where he couldn’t even move freely when they went to the swimming pool together.
Bian Ting came out of the locker room looking as sharp as ever — chiseled chest, abs, v-cut lines, all perfectly intact. The kind of sight that wiped your brain clean, leaving only two words: “So hot.”
In the past, Meng Xin wouldn’t have thought twice. He’d just reach out and start poking and prodding, all while blurting out, “Wow, Bian Ting, you’re so ripped!”
Afterward, he’d even lift his own shirt and say, “I have abs too!” — and then make Bian Ting touch back.
Because for straight guys, touching each other’s abs was no different from poking a slab of pork belly.
But now?
Now everything felt different.
Just like male coaches shouldn’t randomly touch female students, shouldn’t straight guys avoid casually touching gay friends?
Forget touching — even looking felt like crossing a line.
“See no evil” suddenly seemed like the right move.
Meng Xin glanced at Bian Ting for half a second before snapping his head away, his eyes darting everywhere — first the ceiling, then the floor — doing a full set of eye exercises just to avoid staring.
His thoughts were racing:
Wait, am I even allowed to look at this?
Why didn’t I realize before that he shows this much skin?
Why’s his waistband so low? Isn’t that kinda risky?
There are so many guys around… Could this make Bian Ting uncomfortable?
Also, can I still call him hot? Is it okay for a straight guy to call a gay guy hot?
After overthinking himself into paralysis, Meng Xin stiffly turned his back to Bian Ting, holding a kickboard like a shield — standing guard like a loyal sentinel.
Meng Xin: “Bian Ting, pull your pants up a bit. It’s dangerous. What if someone sees?”
It wasn’t just that he shouldn’t look — no one else should either!
Bian Ting: “?”
Meng Xin: “Hurry up! Ideally, pull them five centimeters above your belly button.”
It was an almost impossible request.
Bian Ting tugged his waistband up a little, but it was nowhere near the “five centimeters” mark.
Bian Ting: “Why don’t I just pull them up to my neck?”
Meng Xin (perking up): “Wait, you can do that?”
Bian Ting: “…No. It’s pants, not a jumpsuit.”
Meng Xin sighed, feeling a bit defeated — and also feeling like the world was way too unfriendly to gay people.
They say, if you walk by the river long enough, your shoes will get wet.
After days of tiptoeing around awkward situations, the inevitable finally happened.
Meng Xin was showering in the dorm, belting out a song at full volume:
“Fight? Fight!”
Mid-chorus, he suddenly realized — he’d forgotten to bring his body wash.
His fighting spirit fizzled out immediately.
He raised his voice to ask:
Meng Xin: “Huang Wenjie, you there?”
A familiar voice answered — but not the one he wanted.
Bian Ting: “He’s not here.”
Meng Xin paused, thinking back.
Right — Huang Wenjie had gone out for dinner with his club.
Meng Xin: “Then what about Gao Yinghang?”
Bian Ting: “Also not here.”
…What?
That meant the only straight guy left in the dorm was him.
Meng Xin fell silent.
The sound of running water stopped.
Meng Xin’s face twisted with indecision.
What now?
Should he just sprint out to grab it? But what if Bian Ting saw? He personally didn’t care, but would that make Bian Ting uncomfortable?
Would that count as sexual harassment?
Or should he just throw on clothes and give up showering? But if Bian Ting asked why he suddenly stopped, what would he even say?
Outside, Bian Ting noticed the sudden silence and frowned.
Bian Ting: “They’re not here, so you’re just not showering?”
Meng Xin (embarrassed): “N-No… I just forgot my body wash.”
Bian Ting: “I’ll grab it for you.”
Meng Xin: “Okay, thanks… but just leave it outside the door. I’ll get it myself.”
Meng Xin’s body wash was easy to spot — the blue bottle.
Bian Ting picked it up, placed it by the bathroom door, then went back to his seat, continuing whatever he was doing.
But after waiting a while, Bian Ting realized something odd.
The singing hadn’t resumed.
He was just about to say something when a hesitant voice drifted out from the bathroom:
“Bian Ting?”
Bian Ting responded immediately:
“Hm? What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
Hearing that Bian Ting wasn’t standing right by the door, Meng Xin finally relaxed. He cracked the door open just enough to snatch the body wash off the floor, then quickly shut it again.
“Just calling to check where you were.”
Bian Ting (puzzled): “You need someone to keep you company while you shower?”
“…”
“No, no!”
Meng Xin denied it in a panic.
“I just… wasn’t wearing anything. I didn’t want you to accidentally see.”
Bian Ting: “Why not? Haven’t I seen you a million times already?”
They’d been to the pool together who knows how many times.
Meng Xin:
“…Okay, but I wasn’t paying attention back then.”
“I didn’t know you were gay before.”
Bian Ting (still confused):
“I’m gay. So?”
Meng Xin:
“So if you look at me, isn’t that like a straight guy looking at a straight girl? Isn’t that inappropriate?”
He thought for a moment, then added:
“We should be careful. I don’t care, I’m straight — it’s not like I’ll lose a piece of myself. But you’re gay. If people find out, it might be bad for your reputation.”
Silence fell outside the bathroom.
It seemed like Bian Ting was… thinking?
After a beat, Bian Ting finally spoke.
“I’m leaving.”
Meng Xin:
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Bian Ting (sounding tragically resigned):
“I just realized I need to go soak myself in a pig cage.
“I’ve been sleeping in the same room as you every night. I’m contaminated.”
Meng Xin:
“……”
“……”
“…It’s a dorm room.”
From outside the door, a soft laugh broke through the quiet.
Meng Xin:
“You’re laughing.”
“Damn it, I’m just looking out for you!”
“How could you laugh at a kind and considerate straight guy?!”
After his righteous tirade, Meng Xin added one last line, full of grievance.
“Bian Ting, you’re the worst.”
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