The Words That Shouldn’t Have Been Said

All the color drained from Song Jiatang’s face.

He took a step back.

“Y-you… you knew?”

“I’ve always known.”

Jian Yixun looked him up and down.

He felt that some people might grow older on the surface, but their brains never seemed to mature.

“And he told me himself,” Jian Yixun continued coldly.

“What about you? A few days before the college entrance exam you suddenly went crazy and confessed to me. It would’ve been one thing if you didn’t want to go to university anymore, but you even wanted me to fail with you?”

“That’s not true! I didn’t want you to fail with me. I just… I just…”

Song Jiatang felt both regretful and resentful.

He almost ground his teeth to pieces.

“Then why is it that he’s gay and you still hang out with him, but I’m gay and you won’t even talk to me?”

Jealousy had nearly burned away his reason.

He demanded angrily, “This isn’t fair! I’m the one who grew up with you!”

“He never confessed to me.”

Jian Yixun replied coldly.

“Do you think everyone is like you? Stop comparing yourself to other people. You should first ask whether you’re even worthy of the comparison.”

After saying that, he turned to Xing Bai.

“You take him home. I’ll wait for my senior and go back with him.”

Although Xing Bai had been at the counter paying the bill, he had kept one ear on their conversation.

He naturally knew that Song Jiatang had once again done something foolish to anger Jian Yixun.

He quickly responded in agreement.

Jian Yixun glanced at Song Jiatang once more before pushing the door open and leaving.

When Xu Shuche returned from the restroom, he only saw Xing Bai and Song Jiatang standing at the restaurant entrance.

“Brother Xu, Jian Yixun is waiting outside for you,” Xing Bai said.

“Our homes aren’t in the same direction, so you can go back with him.”

Xu Shuche nodded politely.

“Thank you for the meal today. Sorry for the trouble.”

Xing Bai was used to joking and teasing among friends.

This was the first time someone had thanked him so seriously.

He felt a little awkward and quickly waved his hand.

“Don’t mention it. We’re all friends. Treating each other to meals is normal. When the semester starts and I visit B University, you’ll have to treat me then.”

Xu Shuche smiled gratefully at him.

He knew that with Xing Bai’s family background, he definitely didn’t need such a return favor.

But Xing Bai probably noticed that Xu Shuche didn’t like owing people favors, so he said it just to make him feel better.

As for the other person…

Xu Shuche quietly glanced at Song Jiatang.

Jian Yixun had chosen not to wait inside the restaurant.

That alone already explained something.

Xu Shuche just didn’t know what Jian Yixun had said to Song Jiatang.

For now, he could only look at Song Jiatang’s dark green face and make his own guesses.

But basic courtesy still had to be maintained.

Xu Shuche sighed softly and turned to him.

“Goodbye, Song Jiatang.”

Song Jiatang’s hands slowly clenched into fists at his sides.

His lips moved, but not a single word came out.

Xing Bai patted his shoulder.

“He’s saying goodbye to you.”

“Goodbye, Brother Xu.”

After a long silence, Song Jiatang forced the words out through clenched teeth.

“Brother Xu… be careful on the way home.”

He said “be careful on the road,” but it sounded more like a curse.

Xu Shuche didn’t respond further.

After saying goodbye, he quickly left the restaurant.

Outside, Jian Yixun was squatting and playing with his phone.

When he heard the glass door rotate open, he looked up.

His tone sounded half like complaining and half like acting spoiled.

“Senior, why did you take so long?”

“I was talking to your friends,” Xu Shuche replied.

“It’s polite to say goodbye before leaving.”

“…You don’t need to say goodbye to him.”

Perhaps he had been squatting for too long.

Jian Yixun’s legs were slightly numb, so he slowly stood up and stretched.

“He doesn’t welcome you. Can’t you tell?”

Now there was no one else around.

The two of them no longer needed to whisper like they had before.

“He doesn’t welcome me?”

Xu Shuche raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment.

“I only felt that his attitude toward me was strange. I wouldn’t go as far as saying he didn’t welcome me. I even thought he was just a bit socially anxious and shy, so he didn’t talk much around me.”

“You’re thinking too well of him.”

Jian Yixun waved down a taxi and glanced at him.

“Senior, if you keep being like this, you’ll get tricked very badly someday.”

Xu Shuche became a little unhappy hearing that.

“Who says that? I’m not easy to fool at all.”

The tone at the end of his sentence dragged slightly.

It sounded almost like he was complaining.

Jian Yixun heard it and found himself in a surprisingly good mood.

He opened the car door for Xu Shuche and coaxed him casually.

“Right, right. My senior is the smartest. Of course you’re not easy to fool.”

“But why doesn’t he welcome me?”

Xu Shuche was still troubled by Song Jiatang’s attitude.

A hint of worry appeared on his face.

“Did I do something wrong that made him dislike me? I don’t think I said anything inappropriate.”

“That’s not it.”

Jian Yixun slid into the car and sat beside him.

He said casually, “He just thinks I like you.”

“Huh?”

Xu Shuche’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Why would he think I like you?”

After speaking, Jian Yixun paused.

Then he added casually, as if it meant nothing.

“…Do you like me?”

“I don’t like you,” Xu Shuche frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“…Nothing.”

For some reason, when Jian Yixun heard Xu Shuche say “I don’t like you,” his heart skipped a beat.

After that came an indescribable sense of discomfort.

Not liking him was normal.

Wasn’t that perfectly natural?

After all, he was straight.

Of course he wouldn’t be with a man.

If Xu Shuche actually liked him, that would make things complicated.

Jian Yixun tried to comfort himself with this reasoning.

But a small voice kept whispering deep inside his heart.

Really?

Is that really what you think?

By the time the two of them returned home, it was already past ten at night.

The housekeeper in Jian Yixun’s home usually went to bed early.

She was awakened by the sound of the door opening and hurried out of her room.

“Did my grandma come?” Jian Yixun asked.

“She did,” the housekeeper replied softly.

“She arrived around six. She said you were bringing a classmate to see the dog.”

“But you weren’t here. The old lady was a bit upset. She took the dog out for a walk and then went to sleep when she came back.”

“Ugh, Xing Bai is so annoying.”

Jian Yixun gritted his teeth.

“One day I’m definitely beating him up.”

“Did you already eat outside?” the housekeeper asked.

“Do you want me to cook something else?”

“No need, Aunt Wang.”

Jian Yixun smiled at her.

“We’ve already eaten. You should go rest.”

Xu Shuche followed behind him quietly and returned to the room.

Jian Yixun’s bedroom wasn’t particularly large.

Compared to the luxurious bedrooms often shown in movies or dramas, it was rather ordinary.

But it felt spacious and comfortable.

Especially the bed.

It looked big enough for two people to sleep on.

But Xu Shuche didn’t really want to share a bed with him.

The last time they slept together had been purely accidental.

Now Jian Yixun knew about his sexual orientation.

He probably wouldn’t want to share a bed again.

At least, that’s what Xu Shuche thought—

Until he saw Jian Yixun throw two blankets onto the bed.

“Jian Yixun, I’ll just make a bed on the floor.”

Watching him busy himself, Xu Shuche couldn’t help saying,

“There’s enough space on the floor here.”

After finishing arranging the blankets, Jian Yixun finally spoke.

His tone carried obvious amusement.

“Senior, you’re saying you want to sleep on the floor?”

Xu Shuche still didn’t notice anything strange.

“Yes. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Senior, when I lightly pinch your wrist it turns green immediately,” Jian Yixun sighed.

“When you sleep on the hard dorm bed, your wrists and ankles get bruised too. If you sleep on the floor, will you even be able to get up tomorrow morning?”

Xu Shuche’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“That might not necessarily happen…”

“Not necessarily?”

With Xu Shuche’s princess-and-the-pea constitution, Jian Yixun simply couldn’t bear the thought of him waking up covered in bruises.

“Sleep on the bed. It’s settled.”

Jian Yixun clapped his hands and found another pillow for him.

“It’s soft and spacious, senior. Obviously two people can sleep here.”

It seemed like Jian Yixun truly didn’t mind.

Since Jian Yixun didn’t mind, Xu Shuche decided he wouldn’t mind either.

The one who was supposedly homophobic hadn’t said anything.

Why should he overthink it?

“Senior, go take a shower first,” Jian Yixun said.

“My room doesn’t have a bathroom. Go out and turn left. The door with the frosted glass is the bathroom.”

Xu Shuche couldn’t argue with him.

He took his change of clothes and went to the bathroom as instructed.

Was Jian Yixun really straight…?

During his four years at university, Xu Shuche had indeed met some straight men who were extremely homophobic.

The type who seemed like they would faint just by seeing a gay person.

But Jian Yixun claimed to be homophobic, yet he made peace with him, invited him to stay during winter vacation, and even didn’t mind sharing a bed.

So what exactly was he afraid of?

Xu Shuche couldn’t figure out what was going on inside Jian Yixun’s head.

Lost in thought, he took off his clothes and turned on the faucet without checking the temperature.

Ice-cold water suddenly sprayed onto his body.

Fortunately, he dodged quickly.

Otherwise, even with heating in the city, his easily feverish body would definitely suffer the next day.

Xu Shuche gasped and hurriedly tried to adjust the water temperature.

But he had left his glasses outside.

Everything looked blurry, and he couldn’t tell which direction to turn the faucet.

The bathroom grew colder and colder.

Left with no other choice, he called out,

“Jian Yixun.”

The sound of rushing water hitting the tiles drowned out his voice.

Xu Shuche raised his voice slightly.

“Jian Yixun!”

Urgent footsteps sounded outside the door.

Only then did Xu Shuche realize he should cover himself with something.

In a panic, he grabbed a large bath towel nearby and wrapped it around himself messily.

“Senior, what happened?”

Jian Yixun pushed the door open.

His voice carried concern.

“I heard you calling me just now, I—”

His words suddenly stopped halfway.

Xu Shuche had only a bath towel wrapped around him.

Half of it covered him, half of it slipped loose.

His beautiful collarbones were exposed directly in Jian Yixun’s sight.

Perhaps because of the cold, or because he was flustered, Xu Shuche’s eyes were slightly red.

He said softly,

“The water is too cold… I don’t know how to use your faucet.”