To Get Married - Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Lu Yudong used her actual behavior to demonstrate a vivid example of the saying: “To explain is to cover up, and to cover up is to reveal the truth.”

The moment everyone’s eyes locked onto her, her heart was filled with sheer panic. The frantic look in her eyes at that moment undoubtedly betrayed her guilty conscience.

Ye Liujing: “I never would have guessed! Not only is Lu Yudong drinking and hitting bars behind our backs, but she actually has a secret crush she hasn’t told us about!”

Chen Yang: “No wonder Yudong is always smiling at her phone. I thought she was just scrolling through Weibo, but she was actually nurturing a romance?”

Tang Qian: “And it’s already progressed to ‘frequent contact, constant physical touch, and sharing meals’!”

The three of them took turns speaking, then exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison: “Who would have thought? Truly, who would have thought!”

“I… I don’t…” Yudong didn’t know how to explain anymore—or rather, she didn’t know how to lie.

Manzhu was the person who had raised her. Although they weren’t related by blood, they had long since become closer than kin. Manzhu had always treated her like a child, yet she harbored those feelings for Manzhu. It was a truth that felt almost impossible to speak aloud.

Facing her roommates’ interrogation, she sat frozen on her bed, repeating clumsy denials that sounded weak and fearful.

“Lu Yudong, confess. Is it an unrequited love? What kind of person are they? How long have you known each other?” Ye Liujing was clearly fascinated. She gripped the guardrail of her bunk, eyes sparkling as she stared at Yudong across the room. “Is he handsome?”

“Yudong is so pretty, the person she likes couldn’t be bad-looking, right?” Chen Yang added.

“If it’s really unrequited love at the level Yudong described, any guy should have realized her feelings by now,” Tang Qian remarked. “With Yudong’s quiet personality, she doesn’t seem like the type to act like ‘one of the bros’ with the opposite sex. If she’s this close to a guy, could he really think it’s just a platonic brotherhood? Isn’t he just playing dumb to keep Yudong on the hook?”

“Qianqian!” Ye Liujing frowned. “Watch your mouth!”

Tang Qian quickly gave herself two light slaps on the lips. “My bad, my bad! I was just talking nonsense. We can’t rule out the possibility that the guy is just a total ‘straight man’ blockhead!”

“It… it really isn’t me,” Yudong stammered, her tension reaching a breaking point.

As her roommates continued to press her, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She looked up and said, “Believe me! I haven’t had a single male friend since I was a kid, how could I have a crush… I’m—I’m asking for a friend… just asking for a friend…”

“Here it comes! The classic ‘I have a friend who is definitely me’ series!” Ye Liujing teased.

“It really is someone else!” Yudong insisted. “It’s my Little Uncle! The one who owns the bar! He… he’s liked my ‘Little Master’ for a long time, but they’ve never gotten together. Little Uncle is good to me, and I want to help him, so…”

“Little Master?” Ye Liujing was sensitive to the word “Master.” Although Yudong had never used her powers in front of her, Liujing could sense a powerful, dense spiritual energy radiating from Yudong whenever she meditated.

It was clear that while Yudong looked a bit clumsy on the outside, her cultivation was impressive. For someone to train a disciple like that, the “Master” must be an incredible person. Liujing was dying to know this person’s identity, but Yudong always refused to name them.

However, Chen Yang and Tang Qian were focused on something else.

Chen Yang: “Is your Master male or female?”

Tang Qian: “Physical intimacy but no progress for years… gotta be a guy, right?”

Seeing that she had successfully diverted them, Yudong breathed a secret sigh of relief. While internally apologizing profusely to Mu Chenshan and Yan Zhaomu, she continued the story.

“Male. Little Uncle is a man, and Little Master is a man too… They’ve been like this for many years. Little Uncle is clearly chasing him, but he just can’t catch him… That’s—that’s why I asked.”

“Oh my god, really?” Chen Yang looked shocked.

“If it’s same-sex, then it makes total sense,” Tang Qian said thoughtfully. “No matter how much the ‘bent’ one flirts, a ‘steel-straight’ guy won’t react. He’ll just take it all as brotherhood!”

Yudong nodded eagerly. “Yes, exactly! That’s the situation! What do you do in a case like that?”

She paused, then added, “In my Little Uncle’s situation, how can he make the Master fall for him? He’s afraid that if he confesses directly, the Master will be scared and start avoiding him. But if he keeps waiting, he’s afraid someone else will snatch him away…”

Yudong frowned, a hint of genuine confusion in her eyes. “Whenever Little Uncle thinks of him, his mood gets complicated. He’s incredibly happy when they’re together, but after the happiness comes worry… He doesn’t want to keep going like this, but he doesn’t know what to do. He likes him so much that he’s told himself if the Master just sees him as a brother, he’ll just stay a ‘brother’ forever. But even though he thinks that, he just can’t accept it…”

“That’s so tragic. Falling for a straight guy and not daring to ‘bend’ him… the internal struggle is so real. This is material, great material!”

Tang Qian turned back to her laptop and started typing notes furiously.

Ye Liujing’s eyes twitched. “Qianqian, are you writing BL (Boys’ Love) novels? You should have said so! We won’t judge. I love reading BL! What’s your pen name? I’ll go support you!”

Tang Qian shook her head. “I write GL (Girls’ Love/Yuri). You wouldn’t be into it.”

Ye Liujing: “…”

Lu Yudong: “!!!”

Chen Yang: “???”

After a long silence, Liujing asked, “Then why are you taking notes on a story about two guys?”

Tang Qian finished recording her inspiration and turned around with a serious expression. “The difficulty of ‘bending’ a straight person is universal! Men or women, it doesn’t matter. That feeling of walking on eggshells, the fear of gain and loss—it’s the same! If you swap what Yudong just said into a girl-girl story, it’s very poignant! I just thought of an angst trope: two girls with a mutual crush who never knew, both thinking the other was straight. Years pass, and they miss the best years of their youth… Finally, heaven is kind and lets them reunite, resolve the misunderstanding, and walk hand-in-hand…”

As she spoke, Tang Qian let out a satisfied “Ah!” and scrambled back to her keyboard to add more. Her typing speed was terrifying.

Yudong was left in a daze, her brain processing power hitting its limit. “So… is there a solution for this situation?”

“You have to test the waters,” Tang Qian said. “How long have they been like this?”

“They have no other relatives; they’ve relied on each other for many years and live together. They’re like… biological brothers. Everyone who knows them treats them as brothers.” Yudong continued her high-stakes improvisational lying.

“So their emotional foundation is rock solid?” Liujing asked. “Your Little Master actually cares deeply about your Little Uncle?”

“Yes! Exactly! Very deeply!” Yudong nodded repeatedly. Manzhu definitely cared for her; she was absolutely certain of that. Manzhu was the person who treated her best in the whole world. As long as Yudong wanted it, Manzhu would give it to her. Since she was a child, Manzhu had never refused her once—except when it came to not eating properly.

Tang Qian asked, “Since they’ve been together so long and are so close, what’s the most intimate thing they’ve done? Like… what specific stage have they reached?”

Yudong hesitated. “A… a kiss on the cheek? But she—I mean, he—ran away right after!”

Liujing was stunned. “How old are your Uncle and Master? That’s so… ‘shoujo manga’ style?”

Yudong felt awkward. “Actually… they share a bed!”

Chen Yang gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. “They’ve reached that stage and they’re not together?”

Yudong said, “Sharing a bed is just sharing a bed. They don’t… do anything.”

“Really? Nothing? In the same bed?” Tang Qian was shocked.

“Truly nothing… although… well… when sleeping, they occasionally hug. Does that… count?”

“Cuddling while sleeping!” Tang Qian hugged her own shoulders, sighing. “If he’s never been pushed away, then it’s basically a done deal, isn’t it?”

“Really?!” Yudong’s eyes lit up. “How is it a done deal? They aren’t together! The Master always treats him like a sist—I mean, a younger brother!”

No one noticed Yudong’s slip of the tongue; they were all too busy analyzing the sudden “gay” gossip.

Tang Qian: “But at this pace, it is a done deal! They care for each other, they’re intimate, they cuddle, and they’ve kissed! If the passive party has never refused, as long as the active party dares to confess, there’s an 80% chance of success!”

Chen Yang & Ye Liujing: “Totally!”

Yudong was still worried. “What about the other 20%?”

The roommates collectively rolled their eyes at her.

Ye Liujing: “Don’t worry about that tiny 20% for them, okay?”

Chen Yang: “Tell your Uncle to keep testing. Maybe try acting friendly with someone else in front of the Master and watch his expression—especially his eyes!”

Ye Liujing: “Yeah, you can’t hide jealous eyes!”

Tang Qian: “If it’s really like you said, I feel like your Little Master does like your Uncle; he just hasn’t realized it. After all, he doesn’t feel any revulsion toward your Uncle’s intimacy. That’s subconscious acceptance, understand?”

“Then… can he just go on the offensive?” Yudong pressed.

“Not exactly. A direct attack might scare him. He thinks he’s straight, so he might freak out at a sudden change and instinctively run away. He needs hints. Make him feel the vibe, then act a bit ‘hot and cold.’ He’ll start ‘self-convincing’ unconsciously, and sooner or later, he’ll realize he’s ‘bent’!”

When Tang Qian finished, Liujing and Chen Yang both gave her a thumbs-up.

“As expected of an author!” “Just a poor word-counter… stop praising me or I’ll start floating.”

Amidst the laughter in the dorm, Yudong nodded thoughtfully, hugged her knees, and fell into a daze.

That night, Yudong wanted to text Manzhu. But remembering Tang Qian’s words, she had a sudden thought and stopped herself. For the first time in six years, she didn’t send the daily text she always sent when away from Manzhu.

She lay in bed, anxious and tossing and turning, unable to sleep. In the middle of the night, Ye Liujing sent her a private Q.Q message.

Little Leaf: Yudong, is that “Little Master” the one who taught you magic?

Lu Yudong: Yes.

Little Leaf: Does he work at the bar too?

Lu Yudong: Yes, he’s the bartender. His drinks are beautiful and delicious.

Little Leaf: So I get to meet a ‘Senior’ this weekend?

Lu Yudong: I’m just afraid that once you see him, you won’t be able to call him ‘Senior.’

Little Leaf: Why? Oh right, you call him ‘Little’ Master. Does that mean he’s very young?

Lu Yudong: Something like that [Thinking emoji]

If looking young counts as being young, then you could say that, Yudong thought, giggling to herself.

Little Leaf: What are you laughing at?

Lu Yudong: Nothing.

Little Leaf: ﹁_﹁ (Suspicious eyes)

Lu Yudong: [Thinking emoji]

Little Leaf: Can you stop using those middle-aged yellow emoji face stickers?

Lu Yudong: [Laugh-cry emoji]

Little Leaf: [Sticker: Look at my judging eyes]

Lu Yudong: [Sticker: Look at my judging eyes]

Little Leaf: Shameless! You stole my sticker!

Lu Yudong: [Sticker: Shameless!]