A Line Crossed in the Dark

Jian Yixun pressed tightly against Xu Shuche’s ankle, desperately asserting his presence.

“I really didn’t mean to, I…”

Jian Yixun was both annoyed and flustered.

He had never expected himself to have this kind of physical reaction, and what was worse, it was because of another man.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the dorm room turned unbearably awkward.

Jian Yixun’s hand was still where it had been.

But what had moments ago been an innocent belly rub now felt intensely ambiguous, as if his restless agitation had traveled through his palm and dragged Xu Shuche into the same discomfort.

Xu Shuche nervously shifted his leg, trying to break free from Jian Yixun’s hold, only to forget that the friction at his ankle had already made it even more sensitive.

Embarrassment and irritation flushed through him.

His face and neck burned pink, and even his toes curled up like polished pieces of rose jade.

Jian Yixun lowered his gaze, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

He suddenly remembered how, in the locker room, one of his basketball teammates had joked about watching something “exciting” and ended up playing a gay adult video.

Jian Yixun had always claimed to dislike gay men.

He had cursed and intended to leave, yet his eyes had still been uncontrollably drawn to the screen.

The video’s leads had been a white boy and a Black man.

The white boy was small and delicate, curled up like a kitten, completely restrained in the arms of the taller man, as though that embrace might crush him at any moment.

His face had been flushed pink in a way that lingered vividly in Jian Yixun’s memory.

Right now, Xu Shuche looked exactly like that boy who had been teased into arousal, trapped within his hold.

The realization made the heat and irritation inside him surge even more violently, threatening to swallow his reason whole.

Jian Yixun was about to release Xu Shuche’s leg when he saw him tug down the hem of his shirt, as if trying to hide something.

He understood almost immediately.

“Senior… you too…?”

Xu Shuche’s face was red, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

“You’re allowed to… but I’m not?”

“No, no.”

Jian Yixun let out a small laugh.

“I just mean, if you want to as well, maybe we could help each other?”

“Help?”

Xu Shuche shrank back warily.

“Help with what?”

Jian Yixun coughed lightly and turned his head away.

“Just… help take care of it.”

“I don’t want to.”

Xu Shuche shook his head.

“It’s too strange.

I don’t want to…”

“But aren’t you uncomfortable too, Senior?” Jian Yixun countered.

“You’re not feeling great either, right?

So why not?”

Xu Shuche avoided his heated gaze.

“Didn’t you say you hate gay people?

Then why would you suggest we help each other?”

“Straight guys do this too.

What’s so strange about it?”

Jian Yixun’s eyes were clear and earnest.

For a moment, Xu Shuche couldn’t tell whether he was lying.

“When we were in high school, the dorm next door had guys who helped each other out,” Jian Yixun said.

“Our room didn’t, but we’d heard about it.”

Xu Shuche himself wasn’t straight.

He had only kept his distance because Jian Yixun insisted he was a thoroughly straight man, and Xu Shuche didn’t want to cross that line.

But setting that aside, Jian Yixun really was the most outstanding man he had ever met.

Jian Yixun seemed to sense the resistance in his eyes, and his own gaze dimmed slightly.

“If you really don’t want to, then forget it.”

As he spoke, he slowly released Xu Shuche’s leg, frustration and unrelieved agitation written all over his face.

He truly looked like a dog rejected by its owner.

Watching his wronged expression, Xu Shuche suddenly reached a realization.

Jian Yixun didn’t know he was gay.

He simply assumed Xu Shuche was a straight man who couldn’t cross that line.

But Xu Shuche knew his own orientation clearly.

And he was well aware that in the next few years, he might never meet someone this high-quality again.

If it’s free, why not use it.

Why couldn’t he treat Jian Yixun like an artificial intelligence pleasure device?

In that split second, Xu Shuche achieved enlightenment.

If a person had no morals, life would be very happy.

Just as Jian Yixun was about to get up and go to the bathroom himself, someone tugged at his sleeve.

He lowered his gaze and met Xu Shuche’s beautiful, mist-covered eyes.

“Fine.

But be gentle,” Xu Shuche whispered.

“I’ve never done this before.”

Jian Yixun’s eyes widened, his words nearly stumbling.

“Senior, you really agreed?”

Xu Shuche bit his lip and slightly turned his face away, giving a tiny nod.

“Senior, don’t worry.

This is just… something good roommates do.

You don’t need to feel burdened.”

As he spoke, his hand slowly slid to the side and wrapped around Xu Shuche’s slim waist.

The mist in Xu Shuche’s eyes thickened.

He let out a soft whimper, murmuring something indistinct like a kitten pleading for mercy.

“Senior, you can do the same to me.”

Jian Yixun seemed a little lightheaded.

He clasped Xu Shuche’s wrist and guided it toward himself.

Xu Shuche had touched his abdominal muscles before, but now his once-cool hand felt scorching hot.

Xu Shuche trembled faintly.

The exposed skin of his body was tinted pink, especially his toes, which curled helplessly.

He tilted his head back, exposing his fragile neck completely.

His subtle Adam’s apple moved up and down, the sound he made brushing against the ears like a small animal scratching gently.

“Senior.”

Jian Yixun’s voice was hoarse.

His breathing was still uneven as he laughed softly.

“You’re that quick?”

Xu Shuche, his hand sticky, glared at him resentfully and kicked out.

Yet he didn’t realize that his phoenix eyes were misty, his reddened eye corners half-resentful and half-alluring, stirring up even more restlessness.

He seemed to know how beautiful he was.

The thought surfaced in Jian Yixun’s mind without reason.

He pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped Xu Shuche’s long fingers clean, then tidied him up before speaking again.

“Senior, really, you don’t need to feel any burden.

It’s very common in boys’ dorms.”

Xu Shuche had lived in a boys’ dorm in high school.

He had heard the stories.

He knew Jian Yixun wasn’t lying.

“And what about you?

Still a steel-straight man?” he asked.

Jian Yixun paused almost imperceptibly before replying confidently.

“Of course.

I don’t want to date men.

Two men dating is… isn’t that sick?”

Xu Shuche’s movements stilled for a moment.

He responded with a quiet “Mm.”

Jian Yixun pulled him to the bathroom to wash up thoroughly, then brought out the porridge he had prepared earlier.

“Senior, remember to take your medicine after eating,” Jian Yixun said.

“I’ll head back now.

Call me if you need anything.”

Xu Shuche nodded and watched him pack his bag and leave the dorm.

For some reason, he felt that something between them had changed.

For example, Jian Yixun didn’t seem to dare meet his eyes anymore.

He froze for a moment, then a self-mocking smile curved at his lips.

Don’t flatter yourself.

He already said he’s still a steel-straight man.

Nothing has changed.

Maybe he also just treated Xu Shuche as a convenient little toy.

Maybe after one night’s sleep, he wouldn’t even remember it.

It was probably just Xu Shuche losing his head today.

Something like this absolutely must not happen again.

With that thought, Xu Shuche finished his porridge and soft-boiled egg, opened his laptop to work on his thesis, and refined several discussion points he had talked over with Guan Jingshan that afternoon.

After finishing his serious work, he clicked on the icon for “Jianghu Dream.”

He had a fixed dungeon team with a few guildmates.

They scheduled two or three nights a week to clear dungeons together, which was far better than joining random groups and being stuck for over an hour without coordination.

Today, Little Bear Cheesecake was unusually quiet.

Everyone was subdued in voice chat.

Halfway through the dungeon, he suddenly typed in the team channel: “What should you do if you accidentally offended someone?”

As the healer of the Wanhe Sect, Juju loved gossip.

She immediately asked, “Who did you offend?”

“My senior,” Little Bear Cheesecake typed.

“I was very rude to him today.

At the time I was carried away, but now that I think about it, I want to slap myself.”

“Oh?” Juju’s in-game partner joined the discussion.

“That sounds serious.

Maybe you should apologize properly.”

Seeing that message, Little Bear Cheesecake accidentally wasted a powerful skill, dealing only 0.01% damage to the boss.

“I think,” Xu Shuche adjusted his microphone, “if you’ve offended someone, you should apologize sincerely.

Nothing beats a genuine apology and concrete actions.”

Little Bear Cheesecake immediately agreed.

“Wife is right.”

“I’m telling you to apologize and you pretend not to hear,” Juju teased.

“But when Bunny says something, it’s like an imperial decree, huh?”

Little Bear Cheesecake seemed much more cheerful now.

“Of course.

Whatever my wife says is right.

Though I’d prefer if you called me husband.”

Xu Shuche couldn’t help but laugh at the line.

“Stop it.

Everyone can hear.”

Usually after clearing the dungeon they would try their luck with the world boss, but Little Bear Cheesecake said he was going to apologize to his senior, so the team logged off early.

Xu Shuche checked the time.

It wasn’t even midnight yet.

He heated some water, took his medicine, and was debating whether to read more papers when his phone on the desk suddenly vibrated.

He answered.

Jian Yixun’s voice came through the line.

“Hello, is this Mr. Xu Shuche?”

Not knowing what he was up to, Xu Shuche played along.

“Yes, this is he.

May I ask who’s calling?”

“This is Didi Bedtime Comfort Service.”

Jian Yixun’s voice carried a smile.

“It’s currently 11:40 p.m., which means it’s time for bed.

To make up for my rudeness this afternoon, I am offering Mr. Xu a late-night call service to help you sleep peacefully.

Would Mr. Xu be willing to accept?”