Six days remained until Mai Dong would have a meal together with Yan Xuming.
Mai Dong was in a dilemma. Although it’s normal for people of the same gender to have meals together, Mai Dong wasn’t just an ordinary friend. He was gay, and what’s more, he had feelings for Yan Xuming.
Then the matter of him eating with Yan Xuming will become quite impure.
His distress and dilemma were meticulously recorded in his diary.
October 8, 2023. Clear Skies
It seems like I should decline the dinner invitation. Straight guys’ thinking is always so straightforward, even dirty! Or rather, it’s both simple and dirty. Even if I like Yan Xuming, I can’t excuse him. Although he has a girlfriend, having a meal together just to turn down an admirer is seen as completely reasonable in their minds.
But I don’t want to be a male mistress ah!
On the other hand, whether he’s in a relationship is unknown. This shouldn’t be me deceiving myself, right? They’re not officially a couple. The whole relationship thing is just speculation.
I really want to ask him. I don’t want to believe he’s a bad person, and I definitely don’t want to believe he’s a wishy-washy player. Um, let’s consider it as proving to myself that I’m not a fool who misjudges people–I should ask him, right?
If he is really in a relationship, then I won’t go to dinner with him!
Having written this, Mai Dong took out his phone again.
While making the resolution in his diary to ask Yan Xuming about his relationship with Liu Qiangwei, he hesitated and felt a bit timid when actually considering picking up the phone.
He had to admit to his own selfishness and inferior nature, thinking that even if Yan Xuming had a girlfriend, he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have dinner with him. However, after pondering for a while, he began to feel uneasy about this train of thought.
Hold on, Mai Dong, do you really want to become a male mistress!
Absolutely not!
If Yan Xuming turned out to be a scumbag, then courageous Mai Dong shouldn’t continue liking him!
So, Mai Dong tapped on the keyboard of his phone screen.
Mai-zi: “Senior, I want to ask you something.”
Yan Xuming: “En?”
Mai-zi: “I feel like, if you have a girlfriend, I might not be suitable to have a meal with you.”
Yan Xuming: “Girlfriend?”
Mai-zi: “When you went to the debate last time, was it because of Liu Qiangwei?”
Yan Xuming: “Who told you that?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Mai-zi: “…Anyway, I just know.”
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Zjl Gbcu jcuglis qbxfv tlr qtbcf. Obbx, tf’r vfolclafis j rmewyju!
Vemt jc bynlber gfjrbc, jcv tf ralii jrxr kts!
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Frustrated with all the editing, Mai Dong became a bit angry.
Mai-zi: “Anyway, let’s not have a meal together!”
Yan Xuming: “Are you referring to Liu Qiangwei when you mention a girlfriend?”
Mai-zi: “Yes!”
Yan Xuming: “Mai Dong, you really know how to set me up.”
Yan Xuming: “Liu Qiangwei has a girlfriend.”
Mai Dong suddenly sat upright, staring at Yan Xuming’s message.
Liu-Liu-Liu Qiangwei has a girlfriend!
Before he could fully process this information, Yan Xuming’s phone call had already come through.
Mai Dong suddenly felt guilty. Terrible! He had unintentionally suspected Yan Xuming of being in a relationship with a lesbian! Who knew Liu Qiangwei doesn’t like guys ah! He didn’t dare to answer, afraid that Yan Xuming would scold him. His eyes darted around, pretending not to notice someone calling him.
He continued to avoid answering until the call automatically ended. After waiting for three minutes, he reluctantly decided to explain.
Mai-zi: “Oh, I just went to the bathroom and didn’t see it.”
As a result, Yan Xuming called again.
Why is he like this? What’s wrong with just texting? If that’s not possible, sending a voice message would work. Why does he love making phone calls so much! Mai Dong found it challenging to talk to Yan Xuming on the phone and even avoided meeting him. He knew that he had to think carefully about every word and every sentence he said to Yan Xuming’s face in order to be polite and restrained. However, phone calls didn’t provide him with the opportunity for that deep consideration.
With no escape, Mai Dong reluctantly answered.
All he heard were two words.
“Go downstairs.”
……
Mai Dong felt like crying without tears.
Silently apologizing in his heart to Yan Xuming, who had been called a scumbag for two days, apologizing to Liu Qiangwei, whom he had unknowingly paired with in his dream, and even apologizing to Liu Qiangwei’s girlfriend, whom he didn’t even know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for mixing the mandarin duck list. Wishing you all happiness!
He dared not go downstairs, feeling guilty as if he were a thief.
He originally suspected that Yan Xuming had a girlfriend these past two days and had given Mai Dong a hint of determination, thinking he shouldn’t like this scumbag anymore. However, with the sudden clarification of the misunderstanding, that bit of determination vanished, and willingly, he fell back into the honey jar named Yan Xuming.
Happy and elated once again.
Then, Yan Xuming wasn’t there to watch the debate for Liu Qiangwei, he was really there for Mai Dong. Then, Yan Xuming didn’t have a girlfriend. He was even willing to explain it to him. What did that mean? Mai Dong didn’t know exactly what it meant, but at least it indicated that Yan Xuming didn’t dislike him.
As he descended the stairs, he saw Yan Xuming standing under a tree, holding a cup of milk tea.
That person was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his forearms. Mai Dong knew where he was heading. Today was the school’s welcome party, and Yan Xuming, being the vice president of the student union, would definitely be present.
Yan Xuming rarely wore formal attire, and Mai Dong heard that during the student union election, formal wear was mandatory, but unfortunately, Mai Dong had never seen him dressed that way.
Today, he had a feast for the eyes.
Yan Xuming didn’t look like a third-year university student. He exuded a mature aura as if he had already stepped into society. The milk tea bag he was holding, however, was cute, a bit out of place yet exceptionally sweet.
Mai Dong walked as if he were a primary school student in a marching band, almost moving his hands and feet in sync. He fluttered over to Yan Xuming and spoke obediently, “Sen… Senior.”
Before Yan Xuming could say anything, he quickly started to defend himself.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to talk nonsense. Don’t be angry. They said you went to the debate to see Liu Qiangwei, and that you’re dating her. I, I heard it from someone else, not something I made up. Of course, believing what others say without verification is also wrong. I know I was wrong, so please don’t…”
Mai Dong felt that his explanation was on point, and his apology was sincere.
However, Yan Xuming interrupted him.
“Alright, why are you apologizing so much?” After saying this, he handed the milk tea over, “Want some?”
Mai Dong took the milk tea like a robot, “Did you buy it for me?”
Yan Xuming raised an eyebrow, “Otherwise? Did I accidentally get a buy-one-get-one-free deal while buying for my girlfriend and had nowhere to dispose of the extra, so I gave it to you?”
Mai Dong looked at Yan Xuming in astonishment. Yan Xuming was really amazing. He had perfectly guessed what Mai Dong was thinking!
The two of them stood at the dormitory entrance. The freshmen in their first year had evening classes, and it was now the time after the evening classes had concluded.
The freshmen were heading towards the dormitory; some were playfully chasing each other, passing by the two of them. One of them accidentally bumped into Mai Dong. Because Yan Xuming was standing across from him, Mai Dong felt so nervous that his limbs wouldn’t obey him.
A couple more people ran past them, and Yan Xuming quickly pulled Mai Dong to the side.
The streetlamp overhead illuminated the scene, and on the summer night, there were many mosquitoes, creating small dark dots swirling around the lamplight.
Underneath the streetlamp, Mai Dong found himself pressed against Yan Xuming’s chest.
His breath had already stopped, mechanically inhaling air into his lungs with an open mouth. The scent of Yan Xuming permeated his nasal passages. He was certain that Yan Xuming had taken a bath this evening, as the unmistakable fragrance of mint shower gel lingered.
Then, Yan Xuming’s hand rested on Mai Dong’s waist, his tone gentle yet resigned, “Why didn’t you hide?”
Mai Dong vaguely murmured, “Um,” but, in reality, he hadn’t heard what Yan Xuming had asked at all.
He didn’t dare to move, fearing that the warmth would shift away from his waist with the slightest motion.
It felt like he had a fever; every area touched by Yan Xuming triggered an allergic reaction–Red, hot, and itchy. His heart in his chest was beating wildly, and his breath and heartbeat were on the verge of composing a symphony.
“Um what um? I’m asking you why you didn’t hide.”
Mai Dong’s ears caught Yan Xuming’s question, but his brain seemed unresponsive, like an adorably maddening piece of wood. He seriously doubted if he had fallen into the trap of a beautiful dream. Greedily, he used his nose to sniff Yan Xuming for a long time and then uttered amazing words.
“Yan Xuming, what brand of shower gel do you use?”
The next day, Mai Dong strolled through the supermarket, pushing a shopping cart containing the shower gel brand that Yan Xuming couldn’t resist laughing about the previous night and generously shared.
He didn’t want to be this embarrassed either ah!
He didn’t want to actually sneakily buy the same shower gel ah!
But he couldn’t control himself ah!
Mai Dong’s face twisted into a grimace. He was angry at himself for asking such a foolish question last night and even more furious with himself for actually coming to buy a bunch of the same shower gel. It felt like he was some kind of a perverted stalker.
Mai Dong was wandering through the largest supermarket on campus, almost rivaling regular malls’ supermarkets. As he turned into the snack section, he unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure–It was Liu Qiangwei and another girl. Liu Qiangwei was tall, around 1.75 meters, while the other girl appeared much smaller. She was happily holding a large bag of potato chips and laughing with Liu Qiangwei.
Mai Dong’s apologetic target now materialized into a real person, and he once again apologized in his mind to Liu Qiangwei and her girlfriend. I’m sorry, you both seem so happy, and I did something like that in my dreams!
Encountering Liu Qiangwei and her girlfriend served as a reminder for Mai Dong.
That reminder was that Yan Xuming indeed didn’t have a girlfriend. He was still single, and being single meant that Mai Dong still had a chance.
Of course, he has low self-esteem in front of people he likes. Mai Dong never thought he was worthy enough to date Yan Xuming, but he would ponder over why Yan Xuming repeatedly indulged in letting him like him. Why would an ordinary straight guy, upon learning that another guy liked him, not only not reject him but also meet up multiple times, and even bring him milk tea?
The answer was clearly impossible.
Mai Dong never imagined he would one day date Yan Xuming. Sure, he might fantasize that Yan Xuming also liked him, but such fantasies only provided emotional positivity and didn’t involve envisioning himself actually being with Yan Xuming.
If before last night, he thought Yan Xuming inviting him for dinner was a way to reject him, after drinking that cup of milk tea, which left Mai Dong rolling in his bed from sweetness, he should now realize that Yan Xuming didn’t seem to want to reject him.
Of course, there was no indication that Yan Xuming wanted to accept him either.
Oh my, hahaha~
Thank You for the new chapter (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)
I love how he ignore his logical mistakes, because it doesn’t matter
Thank you for your translation 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
Poor Mai Dong needs to give his hamster a break before it has a coronary or lights itself on fire 🤣
Thank you so much😘
Aiya little cutie, have faith in yourself!! ☺
Yan Xuming, work hard 😂