Are All You Straight Men Like This? - Chapter 7

Club recruitment lasted for one week.

Once Ye Ran finished signing up, he stopped thinking about it. He was currently more troubled by his classes. Lately, every time he attended a lecture, he felt a gaze following him like a shadow, firmly glued to his back. He already knew the boy’s name: Liang Feng, who also served as the class’s Commissary of Living.

The first major lecture was Chinese Art History. As the professor taught the new material on the podium, Ye Ran sat alone in the row by the window. He didn’t know anyone in his class; there were only about twenty students in the entire Fine Arts major, with more girls than boys. Because Ye Ran had been assigned to a different dormitory building, he was even less familiar with his classmates.

Fifty minutes later, the bell rang, and the sound of disorganized footsteps echoed from the hallway.

As the students began packing their textbooks, the girl sitting in front of him suddenly turned around, looking at him hesitantly. “Ye Ran.”

“Hmm? Class Monitor, what is it?”

The Class Monitor for the Fine Arts major was a girl named Nie Anrou. She had a very good personality and was gentle—one of the few classmates Ye Ran could actually talk to.

“Do you know Liang Feng from our class?”

Ye Ran was startled.

Nie Anrou continued, “He’s dating a sophomore named Lin Zijian. The two of them broke up a couple of days ago, and it caused quite a scene over at the men’s dorms. Since you live further away, you might not know about it.”

“I really didn’t know,” Ye Ran said.

He instinctively felt that Nie Anrou wouldn’t tell him this for no reason, but he also knew this was a troublesome matter. For a breakup to cause such a commotion, it would surely have an impact on the department.

“When I went to the office yesterday, I overheard a conversation between the sophomore counselor and Lin Zijian. Lin meant that he and Liang Feng hadn’t actually broken up, they were just having a spat… but I noticed,” she paused, her gaze landing on Ye Ran’s face, “Liang Feng seems very intent on getting close to you?”

Ye Ran’s heart immediately sank.

He understood why the Class Monitor was telling him this. Despite not having said a single word to Liang Feng all week, Liang Feng’s attitude was obvious. With several companions around him, how the story would spread was completely out of Ye Ran’s control.

“Thank you, Class Monitor,” Ye Ran said. “I understand.”

Nie Anrou sighed. “This is just an undeserved disaster for you. I didn’t expect Liang Feng to be so… anyway, Senior Lin Zijian is a bit stubborn. Everyone can see your attitude toward Liang Feng; I just wanted to remind you not to let your guard down.”

It was nearly twelve o’clock when he returned to the dorm.

As Ye Ran pushed the door open, the aroma of food wafted toward him. Xiao Pang was watching a sitcom with the volume turned up quite high. Amidst the background canned laughter, Shen Shi keenly looked over at him. Having already finished his meal, Shen Shi was sitting in his chair, idly playing with his phone.

“You’re back?” Shen Shi’s eyes swept over his entire body, his gaze darkening imperceptibly. “What’s wrong?”

Ye Ran sat down absentmindedly, still clutching his takeout and thinking about the conversation with the Class Monitor. His voice was very soft. “Nothing. It’s just a bit hot outside.”

Xiao Pang paused his video and glanced at the overcast sky outside. The weather forecast had issued a notification for heavy rain over the next few days. Fortunately, today was already Thursday; since there were no classes for the whole school on Friday, no one had to worry about how to get to the teaching buildings.

Ye Ran had bought rice noodles for lunch today. The noodles were fragrant, and the fried peanuts were crispy and dense. After taking a bite, his mood improved slightly. Then, thinking of Liang Feng, his mood soured again.

How annoying.

Liang Feng hadn’t spoken to him all week, but it was precisely this “non-proactive” attitude that was even more irritating.

Suddenly, a cup of lemonade was placed on his desk. Ye Ran was stunned.

Shen Shi had appeared by the desk at some point. His tall frame cast a shadow over Ye Ran. He lowered his gaze, scanning Ye Ran’s dejected features once more.

“The school just opened a new milk tea shop. The lemonade is decent.”

Ye Ran took the drink. It had a bit of ice in it; the cold sensation helped settle his mind. “Thank you.”

“Mhm,” Shen Shi asked again with feigned indifference, “Why are you back so late today?”

The fourth period ended exactly at 11:20 AM, yet Ye Ran hadn’t returned until noon. This far exceeded the time it usually took him to buy food.

“The line at the rice noodle window was very long.” Ye Ran pursed his lips.

Shen Shi’s eyes grew even darker. He gave a low “mm” and said, “Go ahead and eat.”

After returning to his own seat, Yu Ting—whom he had sent out to scout for information—finally came back online.

Yu Ting: [I asked around. This whole thing is actually a pretty big deal.] Shen Shi: [What thing?] Yu Ting: [That sophomore guy from the Arts Department, the one I pointed out to you before. Wears a black chocker, always all lovey-dovey with his boyfriend.] Shen Shi: [Get to the point.] Yu Ting: [Fine. It’s him. He’s having a messy breakup with his freshman boyfriend. Supposedly, the night they broke up, he even charged into the other guy’s dorm to scream at him. It was a huge scene; the whole building was gossiping.] Shen Shi: [What does this have to do with Ye Ran?] Yu Ting: [Exactly! I don’t get it either. There’s absolutely no trace of Ye Ran in this drama. At most, that freshman guy is in the same class as Ye Ran.] Yu Ting: [Holy crap holy crap… I think I’ve got it!] Yu Ting: [That freshman guy is named Liang Feng. He’s the gay guy who hit on Ye Ran the night of recruitment.] Yu Ting: [Man, talk about an undeserved disaster.]

Shen Shi’s face turned completely cold, his eyes swirling with hostility. Shen Shi: [He is gay. Ye Ran is not.] Yu Ting: […] Yu Ting: [Haha, who can really say for sure?] Yu Ting: [Also, I just found out that Liang Feng and his boyfriend have also joined the Astronomy Club. Our club’s capacity is set at fifty people, but right now, counting old and new members, there are fewer than twenty. The President already approved both of them.] Yu Ting: [Your application hasn’t been officially approved yet. The President means that once your name is announced, the Astronomy Club probably won’t be able to stay low-key and ‘slack off’ anymore. So, he’s waiting until the end of recruitment to announce your name. Is that okay with you?]

Shen Shi didn’t care about lists or names at all. With a cold face, he replied with a brief “mm” and closed his phone.

In the dorm, Xiao Pang was still watching variety shows, and Shu-ge was galloping through League of Legends, his keyboard clacking loudly. A desk lamp was on at Ye Ran’s desk, casting a soft orange glow on the side of his face. He kept his head down, quietly eating. A small mole at the corner of his eye accented his translucent, cool-white skin. His fingers holding the chopsticks were slender and beautiful. For some reason, as he ate, he fell into a daze for a moment, and the corners of his eyes drooped listlessly.

After a few bites, he put down his chopsticks and began to slowly sip the lemonade through the straw.

Ding-dong.

A notification popped up on Ye Ran’s phone. In the “Astronomy Club Family” group, the President had announced the member list. Tomorrow was the final day of recruitment, but the weather wasn’t cooperating; with the torrential rain, it was unlikely any more freshmen would discover a “slacker” club like theirs.

[President]: We’ve recruited ten new members this year, reaching a new peak of glory! Old members, please warmly welcome our new members to the group— [President]: Astronomy Club New and Old Member List.xlsx

Ye Ran idly opened the list. There were fifteen members in total. Subtracting the ten new members, only four old members—including the President—had stayed on. It was a peripheral club in every sense of the word.

He scrolled down to the bottom, and his gaze slowly froze.

[Zhang Nianyi Qi Sansheng … Ye Ran … Liang Feng Lin Zijian]

The sweet and sour lemonade suddenly became tasteless. Ye Ran put down the cup and stared at the list in silence. His reason for joining the Astronomy Club was to spend the semester peacefully and earn his extracurricular credits. Clearly, that wish was now impossible. Whether it was Liang Feng or Lin Zijian, they would both disrupt his pace. If it really didn’t work out, he would have to look for another club. It was still the recruitment period until tomorrow; there was still time.

Perhaps his expression was too obvious, as Shen Shi suddenly looked over. The black-haired boy’s expression was indifferent, lazy, and casual. That single look was dark and cold, catching Ye Ran’s sinking heart. “What’s wrong? Is the lemonade not good?”

Ye Ran slowly shook his head. “It’s good.”

It was just that his heart was too blocked to drink it.

Shen Shi said, “That’s good then. Remember to check the group messages.”

Ye Ran was startled. “Group? …What group?” Did he and Shen Shi have any common groups besides the dormitory one?

“The Astronomy Club group,” Shen Shi said. “There’s an orientation meeting tomorrow night at 8:00 PM in Room 317 of the Mingli Building.”

Ye Ran instinctively scrolled through the group messages. At the very bottom of a long string of “received” acknowledgments, he saw the notification the President had just sent—exactly as Shen Shi had described.

Wait.

He suddenly had a premonition. His thin eyelids opened unusually wide as he stammered, “…Shen, Shen Shi, you joined the Astronomy Club too?”

“Mhm,” Shen Shi replied, listening to him with great patience. His expression remained cold, but his tone was light and gentle. “I’ll go with you tomorrow night.”

…Go together? He and Shen Shi were going together?

Ye Ran was stunned for a long time before a delighted smile slowly blossomed in his eyes. His eye shape was very suited for smiling; his phoenix eyes were narrow but not small, and when he smiled, the corners naturally extended outward. His gaze was pure and clean, like a gurgling stream.

“That’s great.”

Ye Ran felt his fingers trembling as he held his phone. It was truly wonderful. He wouldn’t be alone anymore.

The “Astronomy Club Family” group, which had been silent for a moment, received two new messages. [Ye Ran]: Received. [Shen Shi]: Received.

Friday Night, 7:50 PM

Room 317 was a multi-functional classroom. The tables and chairs had been arranged in a circle, and the tables were spread with snacks like dried plums, melon seeds, and tea. It had the strong atmosphere of a “retirement” club. All the funding had clearly been spent on food.

Liang Feng had just finished a cigarette, and the smell of smoke hadn’t dissipated yet. As he walked around the corner of the stairs, he saw a familiar figure in the shadows. A boy wearing a black choker leaned against the wall. A small bell was attached to the choker. He wore a long trench coat and leather Martin boots, with a faint tattoo visible on his collarbone. Two letters: [LQ].

A flash of impatience immediately appeared in Liang Feng’s eyes. “Lin Zijian, do you think this is interesting?”

“Hmm? Why wouldn’t it be?” Lin Zijian slid his finger across his phone and smiled. “It’s quite interesting.”

“You were the one who brought up the breakup first, and you were the one who said we should part on good terms,” Liang Feng’s face was icy. “In the end, you’re the one who made sure the whole department knows. What exactly do you want? And now you’ve even followed me to the Astronomy Club?”

“I don’t want anything,” Lin Zijian crushed a cigarette butt between his fingers. “I just feel that if I’m not happy, you shouldn’t be happy either.”

“Are you sick?” Liang Feng looked at him with sheer disbelief.

Lin Zijian laughed. “Stop wasting time out here with me. Your ‘new love’ should be arriving soon, right? I’m quite interested. Let me think… how long have you known each other? Supposedly you’re in the same class. Hmm… one month?”

“Liang Feng, how long were we together? Four years or five? I’ve almost forgotten.”

Liang Feng’s expression changed instantly. “Lin Zijian!”

To create an atmosphere for the orientation, only the lights in the back two rows of the classroom were turned on. The President was calmly setting up a recently released movie on the screen, solemnly declaring, “The mission of our Astronomy Club is to provide everyone with the most comfortable viewing experience!”

The Vice President nodded repeatedly, handing out fruit to everyone while reminding them, “Tell me if it’s not enough! I bought plenty for everyone to eat!”

An old member looked around the room. “Is everyone here?”

Yu Ting raised his hand. “Not yet, two more to go!”

As soon as he said this, the already noisy classroom became even louder. The new and old members looked at each other, and the Vice President asked on behalf of everyone, “President, is that ‘Shen Shi’ in the group just someone with the same name, or…”

The President chuckled. “You’ll find out in a bit.”

Yu Ting, seeing his dormmates’ thirst for knowledge, silently poked someone on WeChat. [Why aren’t you here yet?] [Everyone is waiting for you two!]

Click.

The classroom door was pushed open. Two figures appeared simultaneously. Ye Ran’s hair was slightly damp from the rain. Before leaving today, he had put on a dark green jacket. The color suited his temperament well; he had very pale skin, and standing in the light with his black hair and phoenix eyes, his gaze was clean and very attractive.

Shen Shi turned slightly, blocking most of the gazes sweeping toward them. Inside the room, a girl suppressed a squeal: “So handsome.”

“Is that the ‘Campus Grass’?”

He acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and nodded to the President on the podium. “Sorry, we’re late.”

“No problem, no problem,” the President said, holding a cup of steaming tea and smiling. “Hurry up and find a seat. We’re about to start the movie… cough, I mean, the orientation party.”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Shen Shi didn’t enter immediately. Instead, he turned his head and spoke in a very low voice to Ye Ran: “Leave the umbrella outside.”

Ye Ran obediently closed the umbrella and placed it by the door. Yu Ting waved to them from a chair in the furthest corner. Shen Shi and Ye Ran walked over. No one else was sitting at that table besides Yu Ting, which made Ye Ran breathe a sigh of relief.

“Why are you guys just getting here?” Yu Ting asked.

Ye Ran blinked—a habit he had when he was confused or nervous. “I tripped on the way out…”

Yu Ting: “Do tell.”

Ye Ran suffered another “social death” moment. “The step outside our dorm building was missing a chunk. I didn’t see it.”

He had stepped right into the gap. Luckily, Shen Shi had been fast enough to reach out and catch him, otherwise he’d be at the school hospital right now instead of this classroom.

Shen Shi pushed a cup of hot tea toward him. “Have some water.”

“Mhm.”

Ye Ran took the tea and took a sip to moisten his throat. Everyone was now present, and the President prepared to play the movie. Before starting, they had to take a group photo according to tradition. Everyone sat upright to comply with the official check-in.

Ye Ran looked straight ahead, but at one point, he suddenly felt an uncomfortable gaze fixed on him. He followed the feeling and turned his head. On the other side of the classroom, at a round table where only two people were sitting, Liang Feng and another stranger were looking at him.

Seeing him look back, Liang Feng gave him a nonchalant smile, though his eyes held a hint of gloom. He imperceptibly glanced at Shen Shi beside Ye Ran. The stranger was likely the rumored Lin Zijian. Lin Zijian sat with his legs crossed, twirling a woman’s cigarette in his hand. He was wearing light makeup with long eyeliner and had four studs in his right ear. Ye Ran had many classmates who dressed similarly, so he didn’t find it strange. He only took one glance before withdrawing his gaze.

“Oh,” Lin Zijian whistled and smiled. “He looks good. Exactly your type.”

Liang Feng’s face was dark. “Shut up.”

“Hmm? I can’t say it?” Lin Zijian said. “Let me count… over these years, you’ve cheated a total of… hmm, ten times. All ten guys seemed to look like this. Pure, good-looking. Why did you even bother with me back then? I’m clearly not your type.”

Liang Feng clenched his teeth. “I don’t want to settle this messy account with you. Have you never slept with anyone else? …Forget it, I regret it deeply too.”

Lin Zijian smiled, but there was no mirth in his eyes. He slowly lit the cigarette. The smoke drifted through the air toward the other side of the classroom. Ye Ran was still in his line of sight, his head tilted up as he watched the movie quietly.

The next second, the boy beside Ye Ran tapped him and calmly swapped seats with him.

Tsk. Lin Zijian exhaled a smoke ring, masking the twisted emotions in his eyes. “Seems like there’s someone beside your new love,” he said after a few seconds, smiling again.

The Vice President came over to remind him not to smoke. Lin Zijian nodded and casually pressed the cigarette into his tea. The yellowish tea was instantly flecked with black ash. The girl was stunned, her expression turning subtle before she turned and left.

Liang Feng didn’t speak.

Lin Zijian narrowed his eyes. “But it’s fine. That guy is a ‘straight’ at first glance.”

Only then did Liang Feng respond. “Straight?”

“Yeah,” Lin Zijian’s mood dampened. “Straight men… you can’t touch them.”

“You still have a chance.”

Liang Feng fell silent again. Lin Zijian gave a light scoff, finding it boring, and simply stood up and left the classroom.

The movie the Astronomy Club played was a currently popular film from Hong Kong/Taiwan. The multi-functional classroom’s screen was clear, and the speakers continuously emitted the sharp sounds of gunfire and running.

Bang!

In the movie, the protagonist’s car flipped and fell heavily off a cross-river bridge. Seawater instantly surged into the cracks, and the protagonist’s face on the screen became distorted.

The light and shadows shifted, flickering between dark and bright. Ye Ran tilted his head slightly. The round table in the furthest corner was empty; Liang Feng and Lin Zijian were both gone.

“Watch the movie.”

Shen Shi’s low voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Ye Ran was startled. He raised his gaze, which naturally landed on Shen Shi.

On the screen, swords clashed and shadows danced, but in reality, the dim light flowed across Shen Shi’s face like water. Sitting in those shadows, the contours of Shen Shi’s brows, eyes, and nose were perfectly outlined. His expression was somewhat indifferent as he said, “Don’t worry about other people.”

Ye Ran was quiet for a few seconds, then smiled. “Mhm.”

The movie finished after nine o’clock. Everyone helped clean up the trash. By the time they returned to the dorm, Xiao Pang and Shu-ge had already showered and were sitting in their chairs exchanging intel.

“Ye Ran, Shen Shi, you’re back?” Shu-ge immediately looked over when he heard the door. “Your club has a lot going on, huh? You were there for so long?”

Ye Ran took off his damp jacket. “We watched a movie all night.”

“Crap!” Even though Xiao Pang had known the club’s reputation, he was still envious. “What movie?”

Ye Ran didn’t actually remember the title. He had been distracted during the first half and only really started paying attention during the second half. “It was called ‘Plan’ something…”

“The Longhe Plan,” Shen Shi said, glancing at him.

“Right, right, The Longhe Plan,” Ye Ran added.

Xiao Pang: “I heard of that one. It has a good reputation, but I never went to the theater to see it. Our club has nearly a hundred members including the old ones. The AC in the large classroom didn’t help at all; it was deathly hot. And they made us play Go, saying for the next activity we’ll be divided into Team One, Two, and Three.”

Xiao Pang had joined the Go Club purely out of interest and had zero foundation in it.

Shu-ge sighed upon hearing this. “We’re in trouble too. They made everyone go up and introduce themselves. There were nearly eighty people; my social anxiety was acting up, ughhhh.”

“Gross,” Xiao Pang said dismissively. “Stop making those disgusting noises.”

Shu-ge wept. “And our club is all dudes. The literary goddess of my dreams… not a single one, ughhhh.”

Xiao Pang rolled up his sleeves. “I told you to stop making that noise!”

“And for the next activity, they want us to go on stage and introduce a book we like. I didn’t bring a single one of my prized collections to school, ughhhh.”

Xiao Pang: “…”

Xiao Pang lunged like a hungry tiger, thumping Shu-ge on the forehead. “Stop f*cking ‘ughhhh’-ing! Dammit!”

Ye Ran laughed as he kicked off his shoes and found some clothes in his wardrobe. He turned to look at Shen Shi. “Shen Shi, are you showering?”

Shen Shi said, “You go first.”

Ye Ran nodded and headed into the bathroom with a light step. The hot water drizzled down. He tilted his head back comfortably, letting the stream flow from his neck over his entire body.

Liang Feng should understand his subtext now, right? He hoped they wouldn’t have any more interactions.