After the car accident, my boyfriend got straight

Shen Li watched the boy walking ahead of him, his short hair bouncing slightly with each step, giving off an air of arrogance. He stared at that back for a moment, then silently smirked.

Walking side by side along the school avenue, the two drew glances from everyone, regardless of whether they knew them. Shen Li was long accustomed to being the center of attention wherever he went, but Jiang Shiyu was not.

At a fork in the path, he couldn’t help but pull Shen Li towards a less crowded side road.

“Why did you suddenly come to our music classroom?”

The sports department and the music department were in completely different directions, so it couldn’t have been just passing by.

Shen Li was still wearing his training clothes, the large tank top revealing glimpses of his muscles. The evening breeze gently brushed past him, yet he didn’t have the unpleasant odor typical of athletes after exercise.

“I came to submit my transfer materials and happened to pass by the music classroom. I saw you practicing the piano and listened for a while at the door.”

Jiang Shiyu, kicking a small stone on the path, suddenly looked up at him upon hearing this, “Transfer?”

Shen Li pulled him closer, “Watch where you’re going.”

Jiang Shiyu, who had just been cold and indifferent, was instantly rattled upon hearing about his transfer.

“Why are you transferring? Do your parents know? What about the swimming and boxing you like?”

Although the path they were on was less crowded, standing in the middle of it still attracted some attention. Shen Li pulled him to a nearby pavilion. He initially wanted to tease him but swallowed his words upon seeing his serious expression.

“Going to the sports department was just a rebellious act against my dad.”

Jiang Shiyu muttered to himself, “That’s not true, you clearly like swimming and boxing.”

Shen Li smiled without responding, “My dad only has me. He can’t expect someone with a sports major to take over a company.”

He joked, but Jiang Shiyu frowned deeply.

Everyone envied him, born with a silver spoon, wealthy family background, exposed to things others could only dream of, and having money and connections paving his way, living freely and recklessly.

But he had earned his place at Jiang Hua University on his own merit and won swimming and boxing championships with his own strength. Yet, people only saw his background, ignoring his efforts.

They said he was carefree and did things according to his whims, despite having grades that could get him into the best programs at Jiang Hua, he chose sports. But they didn’t know he carried the weight of the entire Shen Group on his shoulders, making the best choice within limited options, ultimately leading to the path laid out by his background.

Seeing Jiang Shiyu’s small face scrunched up, Shen Li flicked his nose, “When’s your piano competition?”

The sudden change of topic caught him off guard, “Huh?”

“How do you know I have a piano competition?”

Shen Li leaned casually, his gaze falling on Jiang Shiyu, making him feel a bit guilty.

“Chen Xu said he and Li Muzi received invitations from you for the competition and asked if I got one.”

Jiang Shiyu nodded, then lowered his head, staring at his shoes and murmured, “You’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t even seen you, so I forgot.”

Shen Li laughed in exasperation, “I’ve been too busy? Hard to find?”

This little frail boy hadn’t been seen for a few days and now was turning the tables.

“I don’t know who’s been leaving early every day before dawn and hiding in the dorm bed with the curtains closed after class, avoiding people like a rabbit.”

Jiang Shiyu retorted stubbornly, “I don’t know, it’s not me.”

Since their fallout, they hadn’t faced each other much in the dorm. Shen Li wanted to talk, but the little sickly boy avoided him, leaving early and hiding in bed when back. He got annoyed, deciding to let him be, until Chen Xu asked if he received an invitation for the piano competition, almost causing Shen Li to punch him.

Submitting the materials was an excuse; he had already done that last week. He was specifically here to catch the rabbit.

“You were the one who told me to stay away.” Jiang Shiyu muttered quietly.

Shen Li felt a pang of frustration. He had indeed told him to stay away before, but now it backfired.

He had never been so frustrated, but this little rabbit was proving to be a challenge.

“I told you to stay away, but you pretended to be obedient, acting pitiful, and even secretly wore my clothes.”

Jiang Shiyu’s face turned red like a ripe tomato, stammering, “Who, who wore your clothes?”

Seeing him flustered, Shen Li felt a pang of affection but feared scaring him off again.

“Alright, I won’t tease you. I have a swimming competition on Sunday afternoon, will you come?”

Jiang Shiyu kicked at the non-existent stone, “Are you going?”

“Yes, I’m competing.”

“Okay, if I have time, I’ll go.”

“Alright.”

Just then, Shen Li’s phone rang. He answered briefly and hung up.

“The department head wants to see me, there’s an issue with the transfer materials. Let’s eat at the South Courtyard cafeteria tonight, they have sweet and sour pork.”

He turned to leave but quickly returned, ruffling Jiang Shiyu’s hair, making it messy. Jiang Shiyu looked at him with innocent eyes.

“Stop sulking and avoiding me, okay?”

Though it sounded like a question, it was gentle. Jiang Shiyu moved his mouth but said nothing, and Shen Li left.

After Shen Li left the pavilion, Jiang Shiyu seemed to realize something and called out, “Shen Li, my competition is on Saturday afternoon. Please remember to come.”

The tall figure waved, indicating he heard.

He sat in the pavilion for a while, collecting his thoughts. Then he received a message from Li Muzi asking him to join for dinner at the South Courtyard cafeteria, so he headed there.

During the post-class rush, the cafeteria was packed. Li Muzi was at a seat near the entrance and waved when he saw him.

“Shiyu, over here.”

He walked over, “Muzi, is it just you?”

Li Muzi pointed at the long line, “Chen Xu is there getting our food.”

Jiang Shiyu couldn’t see Chen Xu among the crowd.

“Did you know the South Courtyard has sweet and sour pork today?”

Li Muzi was surprised, “No, but I’ll message Chen Xu to get a serving.”

Jiang Shiyu nodded.

Ten minutes later, Chen Xu returned with two full trays. Jiang Shiyu quickly helped him.

Chen Xu set the trays down, shaking his arms, “The lady serving gave me a weird look, like I was a pig.”

Li Muzi and Jiang Shiyu glanced at the trays full of food and then at him, understanding.

Chen Xu took a hard-won serving of sweet and sour pork and placed it in front of Jiang Shiyu, “Here, Li told me to get it for you. How did he know you’d be eating here?”

Li Muzi, reaching for food, brightened with curiosity.

“What’s going on? Aren’t you two in a fight? Made up already?”

Embarrassed, Jiang Shiyu buried his head in his food. Li Muzi, relentless in his curiosity, pestered him until Jiang Shiyu reluctantly replied, “We weren’t fighting, Muzi, don’t make things up.”

He wasn’t convinced. Despite saying he needed to focus on his competition and ignoring everything else, Jiang Shiyu often zoned out in class, his sheet music frequently featured Shen Li’s name, and he made mistakes during piano practice, earning more critiques this week than all semester.

Li Muzi had even asked what happened between them, but Jiang Shiyu couldn’t explain. His sensitive nature made him prone to emotional swings, and Shen Li had always understood and comforted him.

After the accident, he was plagued by doubt and nightmares, his emotions fluctuating wildly. One moment he was confident Shen Li would remember him, the next he wanted to hide from the painful reality.

He hated himself for being so conflicted, thinking Shen Li might have secretly found him annoying, hence forgetting him.

He poked holes in his rice with chopsticks, prompting Li Muzi to grab his bowl, “The rice is innocent.”

He looked up at the curious faces, sighed, and said, “I ran into Shen Li at the piano room. We talked, then he had to leave. He told me about the sweet and sour pork here.” That answered Chen Xu’s question.

Li Muzi leaned in, eager for more details.