Chapter 14
The world changes fast—even Zhang Yiming had learned to be gentle.
So when Bian Ting asked him why a certain someone had suddenly turned so clingy, Zhang Yiming simply replied:
【Don’t overthink it. Straight guys are just like this—impulsive and unpredictable. Just enjoy it while it lasts.】
Following the strategist’s advice, Bian Ting happily enjoyed three days of peace.
But this time, it didn’t take long for him to figure out the reason.
It all started when Bian Ting was approached by someone asking for directions.
“Hey, excuse me, do you know where the Law Building is?”
Bian Ting pointed in a direction. “That way.”
It was nothing out of the ordinary—just a simple moment.
But within three seconds, Meng Xin appeared beside Bian Ting like he had teleported, nearly scaring the guy asking for directions out of his skin.
Meng Xin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Did he confess to you?”
“No, he just asked where the Law Building is,” Bian Ting replied.
Meng Xin let out an “Oh,” belatedly realizing that his reaction had been way over the top.
Bian Ting, however, caught onto something in this brief but revealing exchange. “Why did you assume he was confessing to me?”
“…”
“No reason. Just a wild guess.”
Bian Ting studied him with a thoughtful gaze.
That look was sharp—too sharp. Meng Xin felt a chill run down his spine, like he was completely exposed under Bian Ting’s scrutiny, as if the guy could see right through him.
“You weren’t just guessing.” Bian Ting’s tone was slow, deliberate. “You’ve been following me these past few days. Did you hear that someone was planning to confess to me?”
Meng Xin: “…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Meng Xin: “…”
“So I was right.”
Bian Ting wasn’t the type to be easily fooled. Most of the time, Meng Xin would try to dodge or play dumb, and Bian Ting would just let it slide, giving him the illusion that Bian Ting was easy to deal with.
But now, Meng Xin realized there was no escaping. Defeated, he quickly surrendered and confessed. “Fine, fine. I saw a post on the confession wall about someone wanting to confess to you.”
“But it’s not like I was trying to sabotage your love life!” Meng Xin added quickly, afraid Bian Ting would get the wrong idea. “I just had a bad feeling about that guy! I was worried you’d be tricked by some jerk. Don’t get mad, I really wasn’t—”
Midway through his apology, Meng Xin suddenly noticed that Bian Ting didn’t seem mad at all.
Not only was he not mad—he was smiling.
Meng Xin was confused. “…What are you laughing at?”
Bian Ting’s smile didn’t fade. In fact, it deepened.
“You searched for me on the confession wall?”
From what he knew, Meng Xin didn’t usually check that kind of stuff.
“…Is that the important part?”
“Yeah.” Bian Ting nodded.
“Fine, yes, I searched for you.” Meng Xin admitted. “I just wanted to see which guy was trying to confess to you.”
“Is that a problem?”
As a good bro, wasn’t it only right for him to vet potential suitors?
“Not at all,” Bian Ting said, still amused. “You did a great job.”
—
As a perfectly straight and upstanding man, Meng Xin really didn’t mind Bian Ting dating someone.
He just felt that, since they were such good friends, he had the right to know about Bian Ting’s love life.
Meng Xin asked, “Bian Ting, if you ever get into a relationship, will you tell me?”
Without hesitation, Bian Ting answered, “I will.”
Meng Xin pressed further. “Will you tell me first?”
Bian Ting remained just as straightforward. “Sure. You’ll be the first to know.”
Only then was Meng Xin satisfied. “Good. That’s what a true bro does.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” Meng Xin added seriously. “Whatever you do, don’t fall for a jerk.”
Bian Ting glanced at him and replied firmly, “I won’t.”
“Don’t let your guard down. There are way too many jerks out there… and they’re really good at pretending to be nice.” Meng Xin sighed, rubbing his temples. “Man, I just don’t get what’s so great about guys.”
With so many red flags out there, the risk of getting hurt in a relationship was way higher for gay guys than for straight ones.
He didn’t want his bro to suffer from a bad relationship.
Meng Xin wasn’t personally interested in dating, but he often overheard girls ranting about their best friends falling for toxic guys—how they got their hearts broken, their money stolen, and refused to listen to advice.
He could still remember how exasperated the girl sitting behind him in class had sounded the other day:
“It’s driving me crazy! What does she even see in that scumbag?! If she doesn’t wake up soon, I swear I’m cutting her off!”
Lost in thought, Meng Xin suddenly heard Bian Ting sigh as well.
“Don’t sigh like me! Did you remember what I just said?” Meng Xin said seriously. “Repeat it.”
Bian Ting, in the tone of someone reciting anti-fraud awareness slogans, calmly repeated, “Don’t fall for a jerk. Stay vigilant.”
“Exactly! That’s the spirit.” Meng Xin clenched his fist, reinforcing the message. “Make sure you remember it!”
—
For days, the person who had posted on the confession wall made no move. Meng Xin started to think they had given up.
But just when he let his guard down, the thing he had been dreading finally happened.
That afternoon, Meng Xin was on his way back from off-campus when he noticed a buy-one-get-one-half-off deal at a milk tea shop. He bought two cups and decided to swing by the teaching building to find Bian Ting.
Class had just ended, and students were streaming out in pairs and small groups. Among them, Meng Xin spotted Bian Ting immediately.
Bian Ting also noticed him, turning his head slightly. His gaze paused briefly before locking onto Meng Xin across the crowd.
Meng Xin waved at him with exaggerated enthusiasm, practically drawing a giant half-circle with his upper body.
Bian Ting raised his hand in response and started walking toward him.
But before he could take more than a few steps, a male student stopped him.
“Bian Ting, I have a question for you. Do you have a minute?” The guy awkwardly waved a set of study materials. “It won’t take long.”
Bian Ting frowned slightly and glanced in Meng Xin’s direction.
Meng Xin hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do. In his momentary panic, he lifted his milk tea and took a sip through the straw.
Just then, his phone lit up with a message from Bian Ting.
Bian Ting: [Give me one minute. I’ll be quick.]
Meng Xin replied with a simple “1.”
—
At first, Meng Xin assumed they were just discussing schoolwork.
But then, the guy’s face suddenly turned red.
That’s when Meng Xin remembered something Gao Yinghang had said before:
“Come on, who blushes just from cutting in line?”
At this crucial moment, Meng Xin’s brain worked at lightning speed, drawing a parallel:
—Come on, who blushes just from talking about schoolwork?!
In that instant, he was sure of it—that guy was confessing to Bian Ting.
From Meng Xin’s angle, Bian Ting’s face remained impassive, even a little cold.
He was standing too far away to hear their conversation, but at one point, Bian Ting glanced in his direction. Maybe he was telling the guy that someone was waiting for him.
The exchange was brief. After the guy, still blushing, finished speaking, Bian Ting responded with just two short sentences before stepping past him and walking away.
Bian Ting approached Meng Xin, bent down slightly, and took the milk tea Meng Xin had brought him. “Let’s go.”
Meng Xin sipped his drink through the straw, his voice muffled. “That guy confessed to you, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Bian Ting said. “I turned him down.”
“Oh.” Meng Xin tried to sound nonchalant and released his grip on the straw.
Curious, he asked, “What did you say to him?”
“Curious again?”
“Mhm.”
Bian Ting chuckled. “I told him I listen to my roommate—my roommate doesn’t allow me to date.”
Meng Xin’s eyes widened. “I never said that!”
“Bian Ting, you’re ruining my reputation!”
Meng Xin thought about it for a moment and decided it didn’t really matter. He waved his hand dismissively. “Ah, whatever. You have three roommates anyway. Let’s just say Huang Wenjie was the one who said it.”
Then, remembering that Bian Ting had spoken two sentences earlier, he pressed on. “And? What else did you say?”
Bian Ting looked straight into Meng Xin’s eyes, speaking each word slowly and deliberately. “I said… I already like someone.”
