Are All You Straight Men Like This? - Chapter 1

Ye Ran got up from his bed in the middle of the night, treading lightly as he headed to the restroom.

The dormitory was pitch black. It was nearly three in the morning; Xiao Pang and Shu-ge were both sound asleep, their snoring rising and falling in rhythm. As Ye Ran walked past their beds, he knit his brows and covered his mouth with his hand, suppressing a sudden wave of nausea.

The roommates had gone out for a group dinner tonight at a barbecue stall outside the campus. Xiao Pang and Shu-ge were both die-hard spice lovers and had ordered the “insane” level of spiciness. Ye Ran had only tried two skewers before stopping. He had even taken stomach medicine before bed, yet he was still startled awake in the middle of the night by the pain.

His stomach was in absolute turmoil. The discomfort was only growing.

Coming out of the restroom, he quietly turned off the light. The restroom was adjacent to the balcony. Ye Ran stood at the doorway for a moment, waiting for the dizzying flashes of black and white to fade before he slowly began to shuffle back into the room, one step at a time.

“Are you alright?”

A deep male voice suddenly broke the silence of the room.

Ye Ran looked up. Moonlight spilled in at an angle. Shen Shi was sitting by the edge of his bed, already changed into his clothes. He was putting on his shoes and looked up at him. “Let’s go.”

Ye Ran rarely had any interaction with this “legendary figure” of a roommate. He froze for a moment upon hearing this. “Huh? …Go where?”

“To the hospital,” Shen Shi said. “You probably have a fever.”

The hospital in the early hours of the morning was bustling with people. In the first-floor lobby, the sounds of crying children and complaining parents filled the air. The lights were blindingly bright. Nurses pushed trolleys through the crowd, raising their voices to shout, “Make way, make way! Please don’t block the path!”

Ye Ran hung his head wearily, an IV needle inserted into the back of his hand. The cold liquid flowed drop by drop into his body through the tube. After dozing off for a bit, he forced himself to stay awake and said, “Thank you, Shen Shi.”

If it hadn’t been for Shen Shi tonight, he likely would have treated it as a simple case of bad food and tried to endure it until morning.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Shi replied, sitting beside him with his legs bent. Just then, a mother carrying her young daughter—who was also on an IV—walked over. He stood up and offered his seat. “You sit here.”

The mother, her lips pale, thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

“Thank you, Big Brother,” the little girl nestled in her mother’s arms added in a tiny, soft voice.

The lobby was packed to capacity; even the seating in the hallway waiting area was full. Ye Ran sat on a chair at the corner. Many people passed by; occasionally, a nurse would come to check his IV and ask if he felt any discomfort, to which he answered patiently.

It was early autumn, and the hospital’s air conditioning was still running. The temperature was set rather low, and a vent was located not far above his head. The draft made his throat feel dry, and he couldn’t help but lick his lips.

“Do you want some water?” Shen Shi asked.

Ye Ran blinked, not wanting to trouble him further. “It’s okay, I’m not thirsty.”

Shen Shi gave a non-committal “mm.” Out of the corner of his eye, Ye Ran could only see Shen Shi’s long legs stride out, disappearing into the crowd a moment later.

The boy’s silhouette was lean and tall. Since it was chilly at night, he had thrown on a black jacket. That jacket alone probably cost two months of Ye Ran’s living expenses; it looked very stylish, making Shen Shi’s already upright posture appear even sharper.

The mother beside him smiled. “You two brothers have a great relationship.”

“Brothers?” Ye Ran turned his head.

The young mother said, “Yes, being able to bring you to the hospital in the middle of the night… aren’t you brothers?”

“No, we’re roommates,” he chuckled. He hadn’t expected anyone to mistake him and Shen Shi for brothers. In what way did he resemble Shen Shi—with that radiant, extraordinary, and handsome face?

“Oh, my apologies, I must have seen wrong,” the woman said awkwardly, though she still praised him. “Then this roommate of yours is a truly good person. A friend like this is a real friend.”

Ye Ran thought of Shen Shi’s figure—bringing him to the hospital, helping him register, paying the fees, and finding him a seat. He nodded and said earnestly, “Yes, he is a very good person.”

He also hadn’t expected Shen Shi to be this meticulous and reliable.

School had been in session for nearly two months. Out of the four people in the dorm, the one he was least familiar with was Shen Shi. Shen Shi had entered the university with a “god-tier” reputation, causing an immediate sensation. Female students from all the surrounding universities were asking for his name and which department at Beijing University he belonged to.

During that time, people were constantly passing by their dorm door, often accompanied by the flashes of surreptitious cameras.

Ye Ran had a rather slow and introverted personality. As time went on, he became increasingly afraid to interact with Shen Shi, fearing that his own photo might one day appear on various forums and message boards to be critiqued by everyone.

However, he hadn’t expected that Shen Shi would be the first person to notice his fever tonight, nor that he would go through the trouble of bringing him to the hospital.

…Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover. He knew far too little about Shen Shi. Clearly, the other person was a very kind soul.

“What are you talking about?” Shen Shi’s voice suddenly came from above. Ye Ran looked up, squinting slightly against the harsh light.

“Nothing much,” he said shyly.

Shen Shi looked at him for two seconds before handing him a disposable cup. “Warm water. Don’t drink too much.” He then handed the water cup in his other hand to the young mother nearby.

The woman hadn’t expected to be included; she froze for a moment before taking it, thanking him profusely. “Thank you, young student, thank you so much.”

“It’s fine,” Shen Shi replied, maintaining his usual cool tone.

He then pulled a newspaper from his pocket, unfolded it, spread it on the floor beside Ye Ran, and sat down. With his long legs loosely bent, he said under Ye Ran’s incredulous gaze, “I’m going to sleep for a bit. Call me if anything happens.”

Ye Ran stammered, “O-okay.”

Watching Shen Shi actually close his eyes to rest, Ye Ran’s heart could not settle down.

What is happening? What is going on!

He was actually letting the “Treasure of the Entire University District’s Female Population” sit on the floor. This was practically a crime against heaven.

Ye Ran swallowed. He felt like his name would appear tomorrow on the pinned threads of the University District United Forum, being severely denounced by the “Protect the Campus Hunk” Association.

He felt a strange sense of worry. He hesitated as he started to stand up, wanting to ask Shen Shi if he wanted to squeeze onto the seat with him. But seeing Shen Shi’s height of over 180cm, he silently sat back down. Then, thinking again that Shen Shi had a lean build and that squeezing in might be possible, he straightened up again… After repeating this cycle three times, Shen Shi finally spoke up.

“What is it?” He lifted an eyelid. “Do you need to use the restroom?”

Ye Ran: “…”

Ye Ran went completely silent. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No,” Shen Shi glanced at the back of his hand and said calmly, “Don’t move around too much. Be careful with the needle.”

Ye Ran followed his gaze and looked down, seeing two bluish bruises on the back of his hand. Because it was crowded in the middle of the night, the person who had administered the IV was an intern nurse. After missing twice, she had almost burst into tears. He hadn’t felt much and had even comforted her kindly: “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt.”

The nurse had finally gotten the third needle in correctly. Out of guilt, she came back every few minutes to check on him, her cheeks still flushed.

Ye Ran stared at the back of his hand. The two needle holes were perfectly aligned, and even the size of the bruises was identical. For some reason, it was a bit comical.

“What are you smiling at?” Shen Shi watched him.

He startled, pulling back his smile, and whispered, “Nothing. I won’t move. You should sleep.”

The night was crowded, but gradually, the noise settled down. Parents in the lobby coaxed their children, and the doctors who had been busy all night finally found a moment to drink some water.

Drowsiness pulled at him in threads. Ye Ran leaned against the back of the chair, his oversized hood covering half his face. He slept until his body felt sore and heavy, his breath coming in deep, muffled exhales through his parted lips.

Midway through, a voice sounded: “One more bottle… watch the… situation…”

“Alright,” followed by a cool, deep male voice.

He tried his best to lift his eyelids, but his body was too exhausted after a night of tossing and turning. He eventually fell back asleep for an unknown amount of time until he was roused by a pressing sensation in his lower abdomen.

Ye Ran opened his eyes. His foggy brain slowly cleared, and his expression immediately shifted from dazed to solemn.

…Oh no. Where is the restroom?

He sat up straight, his hood sliding down naturally. His eyes were still a bit red from the lack of sleep.

As soon as he moved, before he could think of a strategy, Shen Shi—who was leaning against the wall—also opened his eyes. His voice was slightly raspy as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Ran didn’t dare speak.

Shen Shi, now more awake, asked again: “What—”

He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze following Ye Ran’s to find the directional sign overhead.

“Need the restroom?” After a few seconds of silence, he asked.

Ye Ran said, “…Yeah. I can go by myself.”

“I’ll go with you,” Shen Shi stood up, took down the IV bottle from the stand, and held it in his hand. “Let’s go.”

…What exactly have I done to deserve this fate today?

Ye Ran closed his eyes, following Shen Shi to the restroom in a daze.

There was a long queue for the women’s restroom, but the men’s restroom was nearly empty and looked quite clean. After all, this was the First Affiliated Hospital of Beijing University; its reputation for professionalism and convenience was well-known.

The scent of cleaning detergent lingered in the air. There were four urinals on one side. At this stage, Ye Ran finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. His ears were burning hot as he feigned composure and tried to take the IV bottle from Shen Shi’s hand. “I’ll do it myself.”

Shen Shi looked at him, paused, and said, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

“…Okay.”

Shen Shi turned and walked out. Once he heard the footsteps fade away, Ye Ran tucked the IV bottle under his arm and struggled to undo his pants.

During the process, he looked up. Right next to him was the mirror above the sinks. In the mirror, his lips were pursed and his ears were beet red—a clear look of someone acting guilty and trying to cover something up.

Ye Ran: “…”

What kind of guy blushes in a men’s restroom? I look like a pervert.

Not sure. Let’s look again.

Ye Ran endured the awkwardness and finished.

Outside the door, Shen Shi was sitting on a chair resting. His brow was low, his short black hair slightly messy. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows where the light couldn’t reach, outlining his handsome, three-dimensional, cool, and sharp features.

Truly worthy of being the “Campus Hunk.” This face was indeed perfect.

Sensing his gaze, Shen Shi looked up. Seeing that Ye Ran had finished, he said briefly, “Wait for me a moment.”

“Oh,” Ye Ran nodded.

As Shen Shi brushed past him to enter the restroom, Ye Ran finally realized—long after the fact—that Shen Shi was also a male with normal physiological needs.

Faint, unidentifiable sounds of water echoed from the restroom. Ye Ran took two steps back, distancing himself from the area until the sound grew quieter.

He: “…”

Is it taking this long…?

After another moment, Shen Shi pushed the door open and came out. He looked down as he wiped his hands; his fingers were well-defined, long, and powerful. His dark, narrow eyes beneath his messy hair lifted slightly as he said to Ye Ran, “Let’s go.”

Shen Shi took back the IV bottle. Ye Ran followed silently behind him, watching his back.

Truly worthy of being the Campus Hunk, he thought.

…He’s perfect in every aspect.