After Becoming Arch-Enemies with My Best Bro - Chapter 25

“Holy crap, He Chenshuang actually has a crush on me!”

That night, as Wen Huihan lay in his dormitory bed, the thought kept popping into his head every time he was about to drift off. It would startle him awake, sending a jolt through his system until his sleepiness vanished without a trace.

When he was mid-argument with He Chenshuang earlier that day, it hadn’t fully sunk in, but now that he had calmed down, he realized just how much this defied common sense.

He Chenshuang always walked around with that arrogant “the whole world owes me millions” look on his face. Since when did he learn how to do the “secret crush” thing? No matter how he looked at it, it felt wrong.

And it wasn’t that he was intentionally belittling his friend, but if someone told him He Chenshuang was into “forced love,” he’d believe it in a heartbeat. But when did the guy learn that “love is restraint” nonsense?

Wen Huihan stared at the ceiling, feeling like he’d stepped into a fantasy novel. Is He Chenshuang’s brain broken?

He had known He Chenshuang for so long and felt he understood his best friend fairly well. He Chenshuang had a good family background, a sharp mind, and while he was perhaps a tiny bit less handsome than Wen Huihan himself, he was still a top-tier attractive guy.

Because He Chenshuang usually wore a cold expression that made him look like he might be prone to domestic violence, few people dared to confess to him face-to-face, but there were surely plenty of people who liked him.

If a guy like that wanted to date, it should be effortless. Why on earth would he bother pining after his own best friend?

Could it be that his life was too smooth, and he felt the need to fall for a straight man just to add some challenge to his existence?

After all, when things are too easy to get, people lose interest. But if there’s someone you can never have, it might actually fire up your competitive spirit.

The more Wen Huihan thought about it, the more convinced he became. Otherwise, he couldn’t think of a single reason why He Chenshuang would have a crush on him.

Sure, he was talented and all, but he wasn’t “everyone loves him” level of charming. Besides, when he’d asked out of curiosity earlier that afternoon, He Chenshuang hadn’t given him a straight answer.

This made Wen Huihan even more certain of his theory.

He was just a lucky or unlucky, straight man whom He Chenshuang had targeted simply because they knew each other and because the “challenge level” was exceptionally high.

He Chenshuang probably didn’t have to have him. He just needed to find a way to divert the guy’s attention.

If he could talk his way out of those “idiotic behaviors” from before, diverting He Chenshuang’s attention shouldn’t be much harder.

With that thought, Wen Huihan felt much more at ease. He rolled over and finally drifted into dreamland.

***

The next day, Ying Xunchun and Zhao Zhao returned to school one after the other. They were quite surprised to see Wen Huihan and He Chenshuang already in the dorm.

“That’s rare. You guys are back at school so early? Together again?”

Wen Huihan felt a bit awkward. Could he say he returned early because he planned to move out, and He Chenshuang had chased him here? That would be way too much drama.

But He Chenshuang chimed in: “Yeah, we came back together.”

Wen Huihan shot him a look, only to receive a questioning gaze in return.

“I haven’t asked you yet, how did you get here so fast yesterday?” Wen Huihan leaned in close, whispering so only the two of them could hear.

He had woken up at five in the morning yesterday just to catch the earliest bus. Even if there was a bit of a delay on the road, the fact that He Chenshuang managed to corner him in the dorm was a terrifying display of efficiency.

If nothing else, that level of execution was intimidating.

He Chenshuang replied: “I applied for a flight permit and came directly by helicopter.”

Wen Huihan was speechless: “You really think I’ll believe that?”

He Chenshuang smiled slightly: “Gotten smarter, have you?”

Wen Huihan suppressed the urge to give him a smack. What happened to the secret crush? He couldn’t see a trace of it.

It was exactly because He Chenshuang always acted like this that he hadn’t realized the guy was harboring feelings. It wasn’t that he was too dense, it was that He Chenshuang was too manipulative.

Being targeted by such a calculating person made Wen Huihan worry for his future.

Even though they had agreed not to bring it up again, Wen Huihan really couldn’t forget about it in such a short amount of time.

Moreover, ever since he found out He Chenshuang had a crush on him, he had never felt his best friend’s presence so vividly.

In the past, he treated He Chenshuang like a real brother, arms around shoulders, joking and swearing. Even during that period when he was “acting crazy,” he didn’t have much of a psychological burden facing He Chenshuang.

But things were different now. He Chenshuang was a genuine gay man, and a gay man with a crush on him. Unless someone knocked Wen Huihan into amnesia, there was no way he could just ignore it.

Class time was fine, since they were in different majors and he could focus on the lectures. But after class, they still had to eat together.

For some reason, even though their classes ended at the same time, Wen Huihan would always see He Chenshuang waiting near the teaching building the moment he stepped out.

Most of the time, He Chenshuang was looking down at his phone, not looking like he was waiting for anyone because he didn’t even glance at the passing crowds. Wen Huihan suspected that even if he walked right past him, the guy might not notice.

Wen Huihan thought so, and he actually tried it.

He deliberately pretended not to see He Chenshuang and walked straight past him. Just as he cleared him, He Chenshuang’s voice came from behind: “You’ve grown quite bold, daring to turn your back to me?”

Wen Huihan: “…………”

The words caught him so off guard that he stumbled. If He Chenshuang hadn’t suddenly reached out to grab him, he really would have taken a nasty fall.

Once Wen Huihan regained his balance, he spun around, his face flushing deep red instantly. He glared at He Chenshuang’s expressionless face, genuinely not knowing where to begin his lecture.

What did He Chenshuang mean? Did he dare to have “thoughts” about that part of him?!

Wen Huihan’s face was hot with anger: “You’ve crossed the line!”

He Chenshuang raised an eyebrow slightly: “How did I cross the line?”

He tilted his head, his gaze falling first on Wen Huihan’s bright red ears before slowly moving to his face, seemingly waiting for an explanation.

But how could Wen Huihan say it out loud?

That kind of talk, even a straight man couldn’t handle hearing it. He Chenshuang was definitely doing it on purpose.

Wen Huihan closed his eyes in agony. I’m tainted. I actually thought of that place!

It was all his fault for searching for “gay traits” before and learning all that useless stuff. Now, no matter what He Chenshuang said, it sounded wrong, and no matter what he did, it seemed suspicious.

And why did he have to assume he was the “0” anyway? Couldn’t he be the “1”?

Though he thought so in his heart, he really didn’t dare turn his back to He Chenshuang after that. If they could walk side-by-side, they walked side-by-side. Even when queuing for food in the cafeteria, he insisted on standing behind He Chenshuang.

“You go first,” he said, tilting his chin. “I haven’t decided what I want yet.”

He Chenshuang didn’t say anything. After getting his food, he stood to the side to wait for Wen Huihan, watching as the guy warily glared at him while quickly ordering from the cafeteria auntie.

As he watched, He Chenshuang’s lips curled into a smile, his eyes shimmering with amusement.

Seeing him smile made a chill run down Wen Huihan’s spine. He wanted to put a burlap sack over the guy’s head.

During the meal, Wen Huihan would take a couple of bites then look up at He Chenshuang to make sure he wasn’t about to say something shocking again.

He Chenshuang had refined table manners, taking a bite of rice followed by a bite of a side dish. His posture was extremely elegant, clearly a result of a good upbringing.

Judging from an objective perspective, Wen Huihan had to admit He Chenshuang looked quite decent. Just looking at his exterior, you’d never guess he was a “sinister” gay man who dared to fall for his own brother.

Perhaps because he was looking a bit too frequently, He Chenshuang suddenly put down his chopsticks.

Wen Huihan was alert: “What?”

He Chenshuang: “Do you have something to say?”

Wen Huihan: “No.”

“You keep looking at me,” He Chenshuang stated calmly. “It’s making me restless. I can’t really eat.”

He’s so high-maintenance… and what does ‘restless’ mean? I didn’t even do anything!

As a straight man, he even had to cater to a gay man’s moods. It was outrageous. If He Chenshuang didn’t have a crush on him, he could stare him down all day without a problem.

Wen Huihan quickly looked down: “Fine, keep eating. I won’t look.”

He Chenshuang picked up his chopsticks again, but after a short silence, Wen Huihan’s lowered voice came from across the table: “Let me ask you one last question.”

He Chenshuang: “…”

He seemed a bit helpless as he laid his chopsticks down again: “Ask.”

Wen Huihan looked left and right, making sure no one was paying attention before asking in a whisper: “Are you… you know, born that way, or did it happen later?”

He had researched this when he was faking being gay. Most gay men are born that way, and while people being “turned” later in life exists, it’s a small minority. To him, He Chenshuang looked perfectly normal, not like someone born that way.

He Chenshuang: “What’s ‘you know’?”

Here he goes again.

Wen Huihan was now certain: He Chenshuang was doing this on purpose, acting innocent just to see a straight man get flustered.

Is teasing me that fun? Wen Huihan smiled slightly, refusing to use “the word”: “A ‘Cut Sleeve’?”

He Chenshuang let out a snort: “Master Wen, what year is it?”

“Never mind the era, the meaning is the same.” Wen Huihan winked at him: “Tell me.”

His eyes were sparkling, his face showing a pure curiosity toward this demographic without a hint of malice. Perhaps he had been interested before, but now that he had discovered He Chenshuang’s secret, his curiosity was even greater than usual.

He Chenshuang stared at him for a moment before saying: “I don’t know.”

Wen Huihan obviously didn’t believe him: “That’s impossible. Who doesn’t know their own sexual orientation?”

Take himself, for example. When playing house as a kid, he was always the “dad.” The “mom” was decided by the other playmates through rock-paper-scissors.

“I’ve never liked anyone else before, so I don’t know,” He Chenshuang said, glancing at Wen Huihan’s barely touched meal. “Are you eating or not? If not, let’s go.”

“Wait?” Wen Huihan asked in shock. “I’m your first love?”

He Chenshuang gave a faint “mm” as if it wasn’t a big deal, then asked: “Are you full yet?”

He’d barely eaten, spending the whole time observing others.

Wen Huihan had truly shot himself in the foot, learning another piece of bombshell news that would keep him awake tonight.

Leaving the cafeteria, Wen Huihan was a bit distracted the whole way.

His sense of guilt suddenly skyrocketed. The fact that he was the first person He Chenshuang ever liked was overwhelming.

But unfortunately, Wen Huihan couldn’t give He Chenshuang any response. He was, after all, a die-hard straight man.

He Chenshuang’s choice to pick him as a “life challenge” was too risky. Wen Huihan really couldn’t bear to see his best brother stuck in a quagmire. He had to find a way to divert his attention.

Wen Huihan thought about it all night and decided to “find a husband” for his best brother, regardless of the cost.

As long as He Chenshuang fell for another gay man, all the problems would be solved.

There were definitely other gay men in the world. He already knew about his “mentor,” Vincent, and there were probably quite a few in their school too.

Wen Huihan didn’t know the character of the gay men outside, but for those in their school, he could verify if they were good people through a bit of digging.

He would personally vet them. He had to find a reliable partner for his best brother to entrust his life to.

Wen Huihan logged onto the student forum and searched for keywords. Quite a few posts actually popped up.

He scrolled through them one by one.

Finance College “Little Puppy” looking for a 1

Clingy-type “Macho 1s” add me!

1 looking for a 0, as long as you’re proactive, we can have a story

Is that guy in our college actually gay? Any experts care to analyze?

Does anyone know Wen HH from the Law Department? My roommate is gay and really likes him.

As Wen Huihan scrolled, he suddenly saw his own name. He had to check several times before he dared to click in.

If he didn’t already know Ying Xunchun’s and Zhao Zhao’s forum IDs, he would have suspected one of them had posted it secretly.

Thankfully the ID was different, otherwise he really would have wanted to launch himself into space.

1L: Tell your roommate to give up. Wen HH looks straight as an arrow at first glance.

The first reply he saw was very much to Wen Huihan’s liking. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he continued scrolling.

3L: Agree with 1L. Also, posting this on the forum, aren’t you afraid he’ll see it himself?

Wen Huihan nodded. Exactly, he did see it himself.

He scrolled with great interest, but the tone of the comments suddenly shifted.

7L: Don’t know if he’s straight, but I think your roommate has zero chance.

9L: Give up +1. Of all the people to pine for, you pick that one.

15L: The flower already has a master. Advise your roommate to let go.

22L: I disagree with the first floor. I don’t think that’s the case. Those who know, know.

27L: Wait, what kind of riddles are you guys speaking in? I’m in the same college as Wen HH, why don’t I know about this?

33L: To the person above, if you’re curious, just follow Wen HH out of the teaching building after class tomorrow. You’ll understand everything.

36L: You can see it in the cafeteria too.

38L: You can see it at the milk tea shop too.

40L: You can see it everywhere on campus.

Wen Huihan: “…”

I really need to find He Chenshuang a boyfriend!

He flipped down angrily and, sure enough, found a rare normal person among the string of comments.

106L: Can you gay guys stop speculating wildly? They’re clearly just good friends. You’re making a bromance sound so impure. If they break up, who’s going to cook for us!

Wen Huihan was momentarily speechless. Thanks, but actually, it isn’t that pure.

A moment later, he suddenly snapped out of it: Wait! What “cook for us”?!

Wen Huihan exited the post with a cold face. He was definitely going to find He Chenshuang a boyfriend now.

He clicked “Post” and started typing in the box, deleting and editing as he tried to mimic the tone of the other posts.

Looking for a… for my roommate.

Looking for a 1 or a 0?

Wen Huihan got stuck there.

Which one was He Chenshuang?

He recalled the materials he had searched before. It seemed the guy had traits of both, but wasn’t fully either.

Wen Huihan now knew he couldn’t completely rely on things found online. Those “educational” posts were too general and couldn’t be applied to everyone.

He Chenshuang was undoubtedly the very charismatic type. He had a clear height advantage, long legs, large hands, and a sharp, handsome face. His aura could be quite intimidating at times. This kind of person usually took an absolute dominant position in a relationship.

In the end, after much consideration and based on his understanding and precise positioning of He Chenshuang, he posted a thread:

【Looking for a 0 for my roommate.】

Support