It's so uncomfortable.

Upon hearing this, all three of them were speechless with embarrassment.

Jin Bao'er didn't say anything more. She turned her back to them, closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep, not wanting to say another word.

The eldest brother's face was also full of expressions; he had originally intended to act as a peacemaker.

As a result of meddling, now the air seems to have frozen, which is quite awkward.

……

The next day, Zhao Yuheng slowly walked in just before the school bell rang.

However, he didn't even glance in Jin Bao'er's direction, but instead walked straight in the completely opposite direction.

The left corner of the classroom, furthest from Jinbao'er.

Jin Bao'er forced herself to stare at the blackboard, not daring to turn her head, but her peripheral vision seemed to have eyes, staring intently at that familiar back as it walked into the distance.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he didn't continue sitting with her, otherwise he really didn't know how he would have gotten through those long tens of minutes of class.

But then, a huge sense of loneliness surged up like a tide, instantly overwhelming him.

From this moment on, his Heng-ge has truly, completely, and utterly left him.

How so?

It's like having an extremely important person, a treasure, or even a part of your body stripped away without warning, declared no longer belonging to you.

That kind of pain is like being cut by a dull knife; only those who have truly lost something can understand it.

He was in pain, his heart was pounding, but he didn't regret it.

Compared to the deep-seated disgust Zhao Yuheng felt after learning he was gay,

Compared to hearing Zhao Yuheng hurl insults at him because he was gay,

Rather than subjecting Zhao Yuheng to endless embarrassment and ridicule because of his sexual orientation,

At least for now, we can still retain a shred of dignity.

At least it's better than letting him feel that his sincerity is being wasted like garbage.

...It seems about the same.

Sigh, never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore.

What's done is done; things have progressed to this point and there's no way to undo it.

Jin Bao'er quickly shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off all those suffocating thoughts.

Then I mustered my strength and began to listen attentively.

Jin Bao'er went to the restroom halfway through, and when she came back and passed through the corridor, she couldn't help but glance in Zhao Yuheng's direction.

That one glance almost made him suffocate on the spot.

There was a girl sitting next to Zhao Yuheng.

Yang Hui, the girl who added Zhao Yuheng on WeChat and gave him an umbrella.

At this moment, she propped her head up with one hand, turned her face to the side, and stared intently at Zhao Yuheng with a fascinated look.

The two were leaning their heads together, seemingly talking and laughing in hushed tones.

Although Zhao Yuheng didn't smile much, he didn't push her away either, and even responded to her.

The whole scene was so glaringly bright, like a red-hot iron branding itself, that it burned hard onto Jin Bao'er's retina.

He froze on the spot, his blood seemingly freezing.

He only snapped out of his daze when the teacher's voice rang out. He hurriedly lowered his head, like a guilty thief, and fled back to his seat in a disheveled state.

As soon as he sat down, a feeling of bitterness welled up inside him, like rusty iron chains tightly binding his heart.

It tightened more and more, causing him so much pain that he could barely breathe.

God.

Even though they're only at this ambiguous distance, he's already in so much pain; he feels like his heart is being torn apart.

If in the future, I were to witness him holding hands with his wife, hugging, kissing, getting married, and even... doing the most intimate things...

Jin Bao'er dared not think about it anymore. Just imagining the scene made his heart ache, as if he were about to die at any moment.

He quickly clutched his chest, gasping for breath, trying to calm his heart's violent contractions.

He was incredibly grateful that he had only fallen for Zhao Yuheng and had not yet fallen hopelessly in love with him.

Otherwise, he really shouldn't expect to have a good life.

……

The morning classes had just ended when the sky outside the window changed its face and a torrential downpour began.

Jin Bao'er was already in a low mood and hadn't even checked the weather forecast, and now she hadn't brought an umbrella.

He subconsciously looked at Zhao Yuheng, thinking that Zhao Yuheng definitely didn't bring it either. After all, how could a carefree and rough guy like him think of such a thing?

He used to always use Jinbaoer tissues; he never brought any with him.

Jin Bao'er clung to the last glimmer of hope.

She wondered if he would do what he did last time, even if it was awkward, and drag her headlong into the rain.

Just as he was lost in thought, a pair of figures came into view, instantly shattering all his fantasies.

"Zhao Yuheng, I brought an umbrella, can you use mine? Shall I take you back to your dorm?"

A gentle, melodious girl's voice rang out; it was Yang Hui.

Jin Bao'er looked up abruptly and saw Yang Hui handing her transparent umbrella to Zhao Yuheng.

Zhao Yuheng didn't say much. He took the umbrella, opened it, and naturally placed it between the two of them before walking side by side into the rain.

The raindrops hit the umbrella, making a dull sound.

That figure appeared exceptionally harmonious and warm in the rain and mist, yet it was like a poisoned dagger, piercing Jin Bao'er's eyes with sharp pain.

Jin Bao'er stood in the corridor, watching the umbrella grow farther and farther away until it disappeared from sight.

He couldn't help but let out two desolate, bitter laughs.

I'm so glad that being your brother allowed me to get close to you;

Unfortunately, our brotherhood can only stop us here.

Sometimes he would have malicious thoughts, wishing he were a girl, even if she was a little uglier or clumsier, at least he could pursue Zhao Yuheng openly.

Don't be afraid of the so-called worldly views, don't be afraid of being regarded as a pervert.

……

"Baby, don't you want me anymore?"

"Baby, please give me another chance, okay? I was wrong..."

"Baby, please, don't go..."

In the dimly lit room, Zhao Yuheng hugged him tightly from behind.

Her burning hot body pressed against his back, her head resting limply on Jin Bao'er's neck.

Warm breath sprayed onto his sensitive skin, sending the most heart-wrenching pleas into his ears.

Jin Bao'er was stiff all over. He could accept Heng Ge scolding him, yelling at him, and hitting him, but he was powerless to resist Heng Ge's weakness and pleas.

He had a million urges to turn back, to scream out the final reason.

"Heng-ge, actually... I like you!"

Just as Jin Bao'er was about to speak, unable to control himself, Zhao Yuheng picked him up and pressed him hard onto the bed, followed by a hot kiss.

So emotional!

So intense!

A punishing gnawing...

……

"call!"

Jin Bao'er suddenly woke up from her dream, panting heavily, her back soaked with cold sweat.

He sat up blankly, feeling an discomfort in his pants.

I actually had a dream.

The Zhao Yuheng in my dream was so real, so passionate.

He hurriedly changed his pants.

Looking at myself in the mirror on the table, I felt disgusting and filthy.

She actually fantasized about her straight male friend, Heng.

If Zhao Yuheng found out, he would definitely think he was a pervert, a disgusting gay bastard, and might even beat him to death.

Therefore, it was the right thing to stay away! Absolutely the right thing to do!

After all, gay men are Zhao Yuheng's demon!

……

Jin Bao'er washed her face with cold water and forced herself to calm down.

This world isn't just about men; it also includes your own future and the need to live.

I finally managed to climb over that dark abyss, and I can't let Zhao Yuheng send me back down to earth.

Thus began his daily routine of going between the cafeteria, dormitory, classroom, and library.

Treating myself like an emotionless learning machine, I can only numb myself by keeping busy so I won't think about that person.

That day, Jin Bao'er and Hu Xiaowen had arranged to go to the library to study. After getting her power bank, she went to Hu Xiaowen's dormitory to call him.

To my surprise, as soon as I arrived at Xiaowen's dormitory and before I could even knock, I heard a loud argument coming from inside.

"Wang Meng! Can you please stop rummaging through other people's things! Give me back my tablet!"

Hu Xiaowen's exasperated voice rang out.

"I'm just taking a look, what's the rush? Is there some shady secret hidden inside?"

Wang Meng's sarcastic voice followed immediately, his tone both fierce and lewd.

……

Jin Bao'er's heart skipped a beat.

Hu Xiaowen's tablet was unlocked and was being held by Wang Meng, who was swiping the screen with a malicious expression.

Hu Xiaowen went to the restroom and when he came back, he saw Wang Meng flipping through his tablet non-stop.

It contains many of Hu Xiaowen's private moments.

Most importantly, there are also his chat logs with Jin Bao'er about Zhao Yuheng.

Those records of Jin Bao'er confiding in him and revealing her sexual orientation!

Other content is my privacy, and I can let it go if I look at it, but this is absolutely not something I should look at!

If this gets back to Zhao Yuheng, all the suffering Jin Bao'er has endured these past few days and the distance she's deliberately created will have been for nothing.

This was the first time Hu Xiaowen had a direct confrontation with Wang Meng.

"None of your business! Didn't your mother teach you not to touch other people's things?!"

Hu Xiaowen was so angry that he trembled all over and swore for the first time.

It's one thing for Wang Meng to bully him normally, but now he even dares to pry into his privacy. There's no way he can tolerate this!

"Say that again, you son of a bitch! I'm just going to take a look, so what? You wimp, what can you do to me?"

Enraged, Wang Meng slammed the tablet onto the bed with a loud bang.

"You shameless slut! You shameless thief, you despicable scoundrel, you deserve to be torn apart by five horses and die a horrible death!"

At this point, Hu Xiaowen was also pushed to the limit. His face turned fierce, and he cursed back without any regard for the consequences.

Fuck your mother!

Wang Meng was completely enraged. He hated being insulted the most, and in his fury, he clenched his fist, which was the size of a sandbag, and swung it at Hu Xiaowen's face.

With a sharp "bang!", Hu Xiaowen was knocked back.

But he was not to be outdone, and with red eyes, he lunged forward to fight back.

Seeing this, the other two roommates not only didn't try to break up the fight, but instead sat on the top bunk, ready to watch the show.

Wang Meng, being tall and strong, had a physical advantage and easily subdued the thin Hu Xiaowen with a few punches.

He grabbed Hu Xiaowen by the collar and slammed him to the ground like a chick.

Immediately afterwards, a hand gripped Hu Xiaowen's neck tightly, pressing him against the edge of the bed. The hand was contorted with rage, and its eyes were filled with a ruthless murderous intent.

"I'll kill you today! I'll show you who's in charge!"

Hu Xiaowen's face turned red from being pinched, and he desperately tried to pry Wang Meng's hand off, but he couldn't budge it at all.

It could only make helpless "hoarse" sounds, and it was on the verge of suffocating.