Chapter 178

They had lived under the same roof for over a year, and although they saw each other often, Allen’s personal life barely intersected with Jin Fei’s. They moved in different circles, so despite Jin Fei inviting him, he didn’t expect much of a response.

To his surprise, Allen responded, “When is it?”

Jin Fei was taken aback, quickly giving him the details of the party.

Allen nodded, saying, “Hmm, I’ll decide based on the timing.” But as he spoke, his gaze unintentionally flickered toward Su Bin’s face.

Su Bin unconsciously fiddled with his fingers, recalling an incident from his past life at a similar masquerade ball. Allen had dressed up as a vampire and, out of nowhere, pinned him against a pillar, biting his neck and kissing him forcefully. It had been an embarrassing experience for Su Bin at the time, but now, looking back, it made his heart race and his face flush.

If given another chance, that kind of experience would never happen again. After all, Su Bin would never foolishly think of Allen as a vampire, and Allen wouldn’t perform such acts to console him over a broken heart…

He recalled how, in the past, Allen used to cuddle him when no one was around, burying his face in Su Bin’s neck, sometimes nibbling or licking, like a cat marking its territory. Looking back now, Su Bin realized it might have been a form of affection, even if it was in a possessive, teasing way.

Lost in these memories, Su Bin couldn’t help but feel a mix of longing and sadness, even missing the crueler version of Allen from his past life.

After Allen left, Jin Fei couldn’t resist giving Su Bin a playful pat on the shoulder. “What’s with that dazed look?”

Su Bin snapped back to reality with a sigh.

Jin Fei chuckled. “Why the long face? Your crush is going to the party!”

Su Bin replied, “He said he’d decide based on the time… it’s not certain he’ll go.”

Jin Fei wagged his finger in front of Su Bin’s face. “No, he’ll go.”

If Allen wanted to reject the invitation, he’d say it outright. Jin Fei knew that the moment Allen asked about the party’s time, it meant he was interested. Even though he hadn’t given a definite answer, it was pretty much a done deal.

Su Bin grimaced. Even if Allen did go, what would happen? Was he supposed to jump on him and tease him?

Seeing Su Bin’s confused expression, Jin Fei gave him a look of disdain. He was starting to suspect Su Bin was still a “virgin” in matters of romance. With a sigh, he took it upon himself to offer step-by-step advice. “A masquerade is all about fun and thrills. Once you’re in costume and wearing a mask, no one will recognize you. You don’t have to worry about him knowing it’s you. It’s the perfect opportunity to test if he’s interested in guys!”

Su Bin’s cheeks flushed at Jin Fei’s words. “You want me to… flirt with Allen?”

Jin Fei gave him a playful poke on the cheek. “You’ve got that delicate face, but you don’t know how to use it? You’ve got a few days left, so hurry up and find some tips online. Do you want me to teach you how to flirt with a man?” Jin Fei had the look of someone who would never lower himself to such things.

Su Bin sighed, feeling both frustrated and embarrassed.

Back in his room, Su Bin searched for “masquerade ball tips,” but his search wasn’t very productive. Most of the results were about how to dress up and what to expect at a masquerade, not the kind of advice Su Bin was hoping for.

After some inner struggle, he found a popular LGBTQ+ forum and posted a question in the advice section: “I’m a guy—how can I make another guy interested in me at a masquerade ball?”

Since it was an online forum, replies came quickly. There were plenty of helpful members willing to share advice!

The first reply was straightforward: “Are you good-looking? What’s your body like?”

Su Bin reluctantly added his height and weight to the post, briefly describing his appearance. He knew he wasn’t bad-looking, but since his target was Allen, he felt a bit insecure. So, he added, “The person I’m interested in is really handsome, about 1.9 meters tall, and looks like a celebrity.”

The reply came quickly: “Wow, sounds like a total male god!”

The responses flooded in after that, but most were just nosy questions, with only a few offering actual advice. Su Bin scrolled through until he saw a reply from someone named “Kongkong Xiaoyao”: “It doesn’t matter whether the person is interested in you. First, you have to make yourself look as good as possible. Look your best!”

This advice sparked something in Su Bin, and he immediately called Sun Yujie to ask him out for a shopping spree to buy a formal outfit and mask.

Sun Yujie was far more experienced in this area than Su Bin, and quickly took him to a few good stores. But after browsing for a while, Su Bin still couldn’t find anything that caught his eye. Sun Yujie sighed. “There are only a few stores in M City that sell masquerade outfits. What exactly are you looking for?”

Su Bin thought for a moment and described, “I’m looking for a white tuxedo with a tailcoat style, sort of like a school uniform, with gold and blue stripes on the collar and cuffs, and golden buttons…”

Sun Yujie was surprised at the level of detail in Su Bin’s request. “Uh, where have you seen something like that?”

Su Bin shook his head. That was the outfit Allen had given him in his previous life, along with matching angel wings and a mask. Clearly, he hadn’t seen anything like it in this life.

Sun Yujie thought for a moment and suddenly slapped his palm. “Ah, I know!”

He dragged Su Bin down a couple of streets until they arrived at a discreet store with a simple name on the sign—black& (Black & White).

“I passed by this shop before while shopping, and I think they might have what you’re looking for. But I can’t guarantee the price—it’s a bespoke store,” Sun Yujie explained.

Su Bin looked through the window and immediately recognized the style—this was exactly what Allen would like. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door.

The store was entirely filled with black-and-white formal wear, and although Su Bin didn’t find the exact outfit he had worn in the past life, he did find a similar style. The collar stripes were red, and the buttons were made of red crystals, with a rose embroidered on the cuffs.

The salesperson, noticing Su Bin lingering in front of the outfit, approached with a smile. “This is a new design, called ‘Pure Temptation.’ Would you be interested, sir?”

“Pure Temptation?” Su Bin’s corner of his eye twitched. The name was a little too fitting…

Learning that Su Bin was looking for something to wear to a masquerade, the salesperson eagerly recommended a matching mask—one designed like a red flame.

After trying on the full outfit in the dressing room, Su Bin stepped out, and Sun Yujie was completely stunned. “You look amazing!”

“Really?” Su Bin adjusted the red mask, which had feathers all over it, feeling like a flamingo wearing a swan’s skin.

Sun Yujie’s eyes sparkled. “Ah, stop giving me those flirtatious looks! I bet by the time the party starts, you’ll have a long line of people trying to flirt with you!”

Su Bin: “…”

After reluctantly spending a small fortune on the expensive outfit, Su Bin returned home and logged onto the forum again.

By the end of the day, there were several more replies to his post. He carefully read through them and uploaded the photos Sun Yujie had taken of him. Since his face was hidden by the mask, he wasn’t worried about being recognized.

The replies flooded in, with many users commenting that he looked handsome, and that he wouldn’t need to do anything—just standing there would attract attention.

The user “Kongkong Xiaoyao” also replied: “You’re really handsome, as long as the guy is gay, he’ll definitely be interested in you. Don’t be shy, be more proactive!”

But Su Bin’s current dilemma was that he wasn’t sure about Allen’s sexual orientation—Allen, in his past life, had only ever shown interest in him, and Su Bin was sure of that. But in this life, who knew if Allen would be interested in a woman?

After some hesitation, Su Bin sent a private message to Kongkong Xiaoyao: “How can I subtly gauge someone’s sexual orientation without making them uncomfortable?” Only by confirming that Allen wasn’t repulsed by gay people could Su Bin gather the courage to make a move. Otherwise, he’d be out of the game before he even started.

Kongkong Xiaoyao quickly replied with a tip: “Stay at a distance and pretend you don’t see him. If he looks at you more than three times in one minute, and each time lasts longer than three seconds, there’s a 50% chance he’s gay. If you then look at him, and your eyes meet for more than two seconds, you’re in!”

…A pro!

Su Bin thanked the user and committed the tip to memory, feeling a bit restless as he awaited Halloween night.

When the night of the party finally arrived, Su Bin made up an excuse to Jin Fei and said he would join later, asking Sun Yujie to keep his costume a secret—he didn’t want anyone to recognize him.

Before dressing up, Su Bin made sure that he wouldn’t run into Allen at home, then changed into his outfit. He had also bought a pair of dark red contact lenses online in advance.

Once fully dressed, Su Bin looked at himself in the mirror and muttered, “Damn, I look like a monster…”

Hearing his own voice, he froze for a moment, then hurried downstairs and drank half a bottle of hot sauce to deliberately make himself cough. When he spoke again, his voice was much raspier than before.

…Well, now, from the inside out, even he could hardly recognize himself!

After taking a taxi to the party venue, Su Bin walked inside and found himself surrounded by chaos. Zombies, vampires, demons… all kinds of costumes were everywhere. He finally realized that this was a Halloween-themed masquerade, where dressing up as creepy creatures was the norm. His outfit, resembling a fallen angel, practically screamed, “I’m the prey!”

As predicted by the forum users, the moment Su Bin entered, he was immediately noticed by several “witches” and “sorceresses.” Some even boldly approached him to touch and hug him, teasing him without hesitation, making Su Bin feel utterly embarrassed.

Recalling how naïve he had been asking for advice online, Su Bin felt a bit ashamed.

Was the world changing too fast, or was he just behind the times? These women were even bolder than the men!

Finally, finding a secluded spot to catch his breath, Su Bin picked up a glass of red cocktail from a nearby table. As he drank, he surveyed the room, looking for familiar faces.

He spotted Jin Fei, who was dressed in an overly flamboyant outfit, and Sun Yujie, who was dressed as a little elf… but where was Allen? Had he come?

Just as he turned around, Su Bin nearly dropped his glass in shock.

There, standing a few meters away, clad in a cloak and dressed as a vampire, was Allen. Through the crowd, those dark green eyes were locked on Su Bin’s direction.

 

<Previous.........................Next>

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!