Chapter 3 - "Are you gay?"
The campus group chat was filled with gossipmongers gossiping away, making the entire group very lively. Shen Yi, Fu Cheng, and Xu Fanchao hadn’t walked far from the school gate, there were still many classmates lingering around after classes and when they started fighting, many of them had witnessed the fight.
Everyone in the chat group turned on the anonymous chat option and started chatting in full swing.
At nine o’clock in the evening, Shen Yi sat lazily at the end of his bed, the lights in his room were turned off, and only the light of the mobile phone shone brightly on his face, and he swiped open the chat group on his mobile phone.
[Absolutely, the scene at that time was very explosive, and the handsome one on the left jumped into a 1v3 fight, and the way he beat them down was really cool.]
[How come it’s Xu Fanchao again, but this time around he got himself beaten down like a dog hahahahaha.]
[I’d say, he deserved it, he truly kicked an iron plate this time around.]
[Why did they fight?]
[I was there at the time and heard some things, it seems to be a love triangle, Xu Fanchao chased after the handsome guy and asked him to choose between him and the fair-skinned boy, but in the end, the handsome guy chose the fair-skinned boy and Xu Fanchao’s embarrassment turned into anger.]
[Huhhh???]
[Are you serious?!]
[[Shocked.jpg], What’s up with this situation?]
……
[Come on guys, don’t spread rumors, I heard from my boyfriend that the girl Xu Fanchao likes likes the fair-skinned boy. As for that handsome guy, he seems to have hung out well with Xu Fanchao before……]
[Hmm… Anyway, let’s just savor this moment of Xu Fanchao getting beaten up.]
Shen Yi’s fingertips froze and he stopped scrolling on his phone when he saw this news.
He was added into this group by others before. Much of the gossip shared in the group were accurate, such as who is who and which class is better, basically what they talked about was correct.
The news was still being posted up and discussed, but not long after, the people in the group changed the topic again.
On Monday morning, Shen Yi and Fu Cheng were called to the office by the head teacher, and Xu Fanchao and others were already in the office, and both sides simply claimed that it was just a small conflict between them.
Xu Fanchao and the others’ face injuries didn’t look serious, making it seem that they weren’t much injured, but the clothes on their body hid the many injuries they had on their bodies.
After figuring out the situation, the teacher asked them to contact their parents, Fu Cheng called Fu Yuhe, and Shen Yi called his “parents” according to his memory, but he didn’t manage to get through.
Fu Yuhe didn’t come, instead his assistant came over to deal with this matter, whether it was a big deal or a small bump on the road, the end result of the problem was that Shen Yi and Fu Cheng had nothing to do with it, while Xu Fanchao and the rest were asked to write a self-criticism review.
Because of this incident, Shen Yi and Fu Cheng became famous in the small circle. In addition, both of them were good-looking, and occasionally one could see some junior high and elementary school girls, who did not belong to their floor, passing by through the window.
Though Fu Cheng was handsome, he didn’t usually like standing out, and there weren’t many people who paid attention to him before. He could feel that the people in the class would sneak a glance at them once in a while, even after many days having passed since the incident, and after a while, he had just grown used to the stares that he got.
And from the beginning, Shen Yi didn’t pay much attention to their gazes.
The monthly exam was fast coming, on a Wednesday afternoon, the weather outside was overcast, seemingly gloomy. The classroom windows were wide open and the teacher was lecturing on the podium. Shen Yi rested his chin on one hand and looked outside the window while spinning his pen with the other hand.
It was the last class of the day, and ten minutes before the end of class, the rain crackled against the window, accompanied by a gust of wind, and the sky gradually darkened.
The windows in the classrooms were closed, the lights were turned on, and the rain didn’t stop until the bell rang for the end of school.
“It’s raining outside, did you bring an umbrella with you?” Shen Yi and Fu Cheng walked in the hallway of the teaching building.
Fu Cheng: “I did, you didn’t bring it?”
“Nope.” Shen Yi said.
“My brother will come to pick me up later, you can come with me.” Fu Cheng said, “The rain is too heavy, and the bus will be too congested at this hour.”
“Okay.” Shen Yi responded with a smile.
“Do you like cats?” Fu Cheng asked casually, “I know someone who has too many cats at home, and wanted to give a few away.”
“A cat?” Shen Yi thought for a while, “It’s not convenient for me, but I can help ask the people around me – do you like cats?”
“I do like them, but my brother doesn’t, and he won’t let me raise them.” Fu Cheng sighed.
Shen Yi: “I thought your brother spoiled you a lot, and wouldn’t hold any objection to raising cats.”
Fu Cheng complained: “My brother is very strict with me, and he doesn’t like it when I go against him, it’s like if he says one, I can’t say two.”
Shen Yi: “Don’t you find it annoying?” Fu Cheng scratched his head: “Yeah… Well anyway, his birthday is next month, and I haven’t thought of what to give him yet.”
Next month was only a few days away.
“Do you want me to help you?” Shen Yi said, “I am very good at picking gifts for others.”
The two walked out while talking with each other, Shen Yi didn’t bring an umbrella, took shelter under Fu Cheng’s umbrella, and they walked all the way to the school gate.
The rain was accompanied by strong winds, the two were sharing an umbrella, and their bodies inevitably got wet to varying degrees. The mobile phone in Fu Cheng’s pocket rang, and Shen Yi helped him hold the umbrella.
“Brother.”
“Are you out?” A deep voice came from the other end of the phone.
“Well, I’ve walked to the school gate.”
A moment later, Shen Yi and Fu Cheng stood in front of a low-key car with an umbrella, Shen Yi settled in the co-pilot seat, turned his head to Fu Yuhe in the back seat and smiled, and called “Brother Fu”.
The man was dressed in a black suit today, he should have just finished socializing, the coat on his body was unbuttoned, and the tie hung loosely around his neck, exuding a bit of a lazy aura.
He bowed his head in response and gestured to the driver to continue driving.
The car ride was very quiet, Fu Yuhe was sitting in the back seat with Fu Cheng sitting next to him like a small quail, Shen Yi, up front in the co-pilot seat, had his elbow right against the window, his palm covering his thin lips, he glanced in the rear-view mirror, and just happened to meet Fu Yuhe’s dark eyes.
The deep eyes were dark, making it impossible to see the brilliance inside.
Ordinary people would avert their gaze after looking at such a sight yet Shen Yi didn’t, not only he didn’t, but he also stared at it for more than half a minute.
The corner of Fu Yuhe’s lips curled and he chuckled.
Shen Yi looked out the window.
The feeling that he had last time was indeed correct, the protagonist didn’t seem to like him much.
Between the three of them, only Fu Cheng didn’t feel the tense atmosphere between his eldest brother and Shen Yi.
The place where Shen Yi lived was not in the same direction as the Fu family villa. Shen Yi told the driver his address, and Fu Cheng heard it, realized that it was too far away, and said: “You are all wet, come over to my house first and take a bath.”
“Wouldn’t it be too troublesome?” Shen Yi hesitated.
Fu Yuhe on the side glanced at him, and Shen Yi happened to turn his head to look at him, his lips curled up into a smile which was polite yet not too polite.
Fu Cheng: “Of course not.” Then, he looked at Fu Yuhe again: “Brother, I’ll go upstairs with Shen Yi to take a bath first.”
Fu Yuhe withdrew his gaze: “Hmm.”
The sound of water came from the closed bathroom door, and the shower head gushed out warm water, Shen Yi stood under the shower head, his hair was completely wet, and the water flowed down his body and fell on the tiled floor.
The sky outside was overcast, and there were occasional glimmers of lightning flashes in the sky.
He raised his head and splashed some water on his face, he used the shampoo and the shower gel and took a shower quickly, after washing off the foam on his body, he turned off the shower, took a clean towel to dry his hair, and then hung the towel around his neck.
There were clean clothes kept on the bathroom shelf, Shen Yi rummaged through all of them but didn’t manage to find a shirt. Not far from the bathroom was Fu Cheng’s room, Shen Yi took a towel to wipe his hair while walking to Fu Cheng’s room.
“Fu Cheng, do you have any clothes…” Shen Yi pushed open the door, and the words on his lips stopped abruptly.
The slender figure of the man leaned against the desk in the bedroom, he held a book in his hand, having changed out of a suit and into some casual home clothes. He didn’t have the alienation of when he wore a suit but retained a sense of distance.
He looked up towards the door, and when he saw Shen Yi, his brows furrowed.
After taking a bath, the young man’s lips were a lustrous red, and the undried water droplets flowed down his neck through his collarbone, before sinking into the edge of his pants. Due to regular exercise, the young man’s figure was very good with distinct muscles over his body, and after being surrounded with a layer of water vapor, he revealed a mature atmosphere.
Just like an alluring fruit about to ripen hanging up on a tree branch, making people unable to stop thinking about him, such that their eyes unconsciously follow him.
Fu Yuhe’s frown deepened, and he barely managed to conceal his displeasure.
Who are you trying to seduce?
The moment this thought flashed in his mind, his eyes cooled over and his expression sank.
“Brother Fu?” There was a moment of trepidation on Shen Yi’s face, “Where is Fu Cheng?
Fu Yuhe closed his eyes for a moment before closing the book in his hand and putting it aside “He’s taking a bath.”
“Oh.” Shen Yi stood at the door with no intention to move.
Fu Yuhe: “Put your clothes on.”
“I’ll put them on when Fu Cheng comes over.” After Shen Yi finished speaking, he gave him an innocent smile and said, “It’s okay, Brother Fu, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m not feeling cold.”
He seemed to be completely unaware of the true meaning behind Fu Yuhe’s words and misinterpreted it into Fu Yuhe caring about him.
Fu Yuhe: “…”
“You’re going to talk to me while dressed like this?” Fu Yuhe stood up straight, and his straight posture could make others feel pressured even if he was in his casual clothes.
Shen Yi looked down, “Fu Cheng hasn’t come out yet, and it’s not good for me to rummage through his stuff.”
Fu Yuhe didn’t have the habit of going through his younger brother’s things, he paused for a moment, “Come with me, I have something to say to you.”
When he passed by Shen Yi, Shen Yi smelled the faint scent of perfume on his body and raised his foot to follow him.
Fu Yuhe’s room and Fu Cheng’s room are in completely different states when compared with each other, Fu Cheng’s things in his room were in always in a messy state, while Fu Yuhe was completely different.
The curtains covering the windows were half-drawn, the bedding on the bed was flattened without a single crease on it, and the decorative ornaments were placed on the cabinet, Shen Yi was attracted by the small figure that swayed back and forth in the cabinet, and he was observing Fu Yuhe’s room, his voice came from behind him.
“Put it on.”
As soon as he turned around, a piece of clothing fell over and covered his head, and he ripped it off him, it was a black T-shirt, which was very much in line with Fu Yuhe’s cold indifferent style.
He was also not pretentious, he put it on directly. The clothes were just the right fit for him, and there was a light scent on it.
“As far as I know, you had a good relationship with the fellow surnamed Xu before.” Fu Yuhe pulled over a stool and sat down.
Shen Yi understood his intentions as soon as he heard it, Fu Yuhe had probably investigated almost everything there was to know about him.
When did he do it? According to Fu Yuhe’s personality, he probably started investigating right after the first time they met each other.
“Brother Fu, people would only know whether they are compatible or not after they get along with each other.” Shen Yi said, “And I can’t get along with Xu Fanchao and the others.”
Fu Yuhe looked at him quietly. Shen Yi: “You don’t believe me?”
After a period of silence, Fu Yuhe asked, “Are you gay?”
Shen Yi: “…Huh?
What did he just say?
Fu Yuhe impatiently repeated his question again.
Shen Yi’s face was surprised: “I’m not, brother, why would you think so?”
“You aren’t?” Fu Yuhe paused, curling the corner of his lips into what seemed to be a smile, yet, there was no smile in his eyes, “I heard that the reason for your sudden transfer was a fight, why did you fight?”
“Young people are impulsive.” Shen Yi said.
Fu Yuhe: “Is that so?”
Any evidence from Shen Yi’s past could show that he and Fu Cheng were not the same kind of people.
According to the investigated information that he received, Shen Yi fought with another boy due to which he had to transfer schools and as for the reason of why they fought? Frankly speaking, it was due to them being jealous of each other.
The source of this jealousy was a man.
He touched the cigarette case on the table and lit it on the table, making it impossible to figure out what he was thinking.
Shen Yi: “Brother Fu, you’ve investigated me like this, aren’t you afraid that Fu Cheng would be unhappy when he finds out?”
Fu Yuhe: “He won’t know.”
“He would know if I tell him.” Shen Yi said.
His tone was calm, as if he was just stating a fact, without the slightest hint of threat.
The boy was wearing a black T-shirt, his clear eyes looked straight at him, and his voice was clear and said things that he didn’t like to hear very much, but it didn’t make him feel the slightest anger in his heart.
Fu Yuhe snorted with laughter.
This friend of Fu Cheng’s sure was a little interesting.
“Are you going to make things difficult for him?” Shen Yi asked.
Fu Yuhe didn’t go around in circles with him: “Did you approach Fu Cheng on purpose?”
Shen Yi looked at him in surprise, “Brother, you can’t be thinking that I like Fu Cheng, right? He and I are just friends.”
His expression did not seem to be fake, instead, he seemed rather sincere.
But in Fu Yuhe’s eyes, everything about this seemed fishy.
When Fu Cheng told him that Shen Yi arrived right on time in the toilet that day, he couldn’t help but feel suspicious about how unusual it was for Shen Yi to arrive in the toilet all of sudden, not to mention that he had a very good relationship with Xu Fanchao before that.
“You’d better be worthy of the word ‘friend.'” Fu Yuhe said, “If you dare play with Fu Cheng’s feelings, I won’t let you off.”
His words were said lightly, but the meaning behind his words couldn’t be more threatening.
“Toying with his feelings? How could that be, Fu Cheng is such a good person, of course, I will treat him well.” Shen Yi smiled, his expression rid of any intention to scheme.
He was speaking the truth.
If he didn’t like Fu Cheng’s personality, after the initial contact, he wouldn’t have chosen to be friends with him after.
After all, there were many ways to complete a task.
“Is every ‘friend’ of Fu Cheng’s interrogated by you like this?” Shen Yi tilted his head and said with a smile, “It’s no wonder Fu Cheng is so afraid of you.”
Fu Yuhe paused slightly, “You sure are bold.”
“I’m merely expressing my dissatisfaction.” Shen Yi looked at him innocently.
He was rebellious and he made no attempt to conceal just how rebellious he was.
Even when he said such words, he used a gentle and innocent expression.
But somehow, he seemed very attractive, just like a poppy, beautiful yet dangerous.
A knock sounded, interrupting their talk. “Brother, are you in there?”
Fu Cheng’s voice came from the outside. Shen Yi took off the towel hanging around his neck, “If that’s all, I’ll go out first, Brother Fu.”
“As for you looking for me…” he pressed his index finger to his lips, “I’ll help you keep it a secret.”
He walked towards the door, but right before opening the door, he paused again, took two steps back, turned his head sideways, and asked, “But I’m really curious, if I’m really gay, what will Brother Fu do?”
Fu Yuhe couldn’t help but pursue his lips.