My straight roommate is so good

It seemed that Ling Jianshu was unaware of the nature of this place and thought it was just an ordinary bar, so he walked in.

A straight man accidentally stumbling into a gay bar would likely feel uncomfortable, especially someone as homophobic as him.

“Ling Brother, you should head back,” Qiao Song advised him.

Ling Jianshu only then realized why he hadn’t seen many women when he entered the bar. It wasn’t that there were fewer women, but rather that women didn’t need to come to this kind of place.

He had heard of gay bars before. He knew that many gay men came here to hook up, and some might even resort to violence or drugs if their advances were rejected.

Thinking about this, his brows furrowed. With Qiao Song being so eye-catching, he was sure he’d already attracted unwanted attention in this kind of place.

“Why are you here in a gay bar? Can’t you drink and dance at an ordinary bar?” he said, inspecting Qiao Song from top to bottom, ensuring he wasn’t currently in any trouble, which somewhat reassured him.

However, to Qiao Song, these words carried a different implication.

He knew that Ling Jianshu was disdainful of this gay bar. To him, homosexuals were a group of undesirables, akin to a plague, and he didn’t like the place or the people here.

“Ling Brother, I’ve told you to head back,” he repeated, seeing that Ling Jianshu hadn’t responded to his earlier statement.

Ling Jianshu also felt uncomfortable hearing his words. After expressing concern for him, why was Qiao Song now eager to get rid of him? Was he intruding on their private time?

“Leaving is fine, but we’ll go back together,” he nodded, getting up and grabbing Qiao Song’s wrist, trying to pull him up from the sofa.

“Ling Brother, my friend has just returned from abroad. He hasn’t had enough fun yet, so of course, I’ll continue to stay with him. But this place isn’t suitable for you; you should really head back,” Qiao Song could feel Ling Jianshu’s warm temperature through their skin contact.

Ling Jianshu was a sincere person. If he weren’t gay, or if he weren’t so homophobic, they might have become good friends.

“You mean you’re not coming with me?” he asked again, “I’ll ask you one more time—do you want to go back with me?”

“Ling Brother, I know you’re worried about my safety, but I’m with my friend. And gay bars aren’t as terrible as you think,” Qiao Song’s response confirmed his decision.

“Fine.” Ling Jianshu understood from Qiao Song’s words that he wasn’t going to leave with him. He let go of his wrist without saying anything and turned to leave.

Watching Ling Jianshu’s disappearing figure, he felt inexplicably uneasy, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint why. Was it because he felt he had been too harsh? But letting Ling Jianshu stay would only make him more uncomfortable.

“Hey, Qiao Qiao, why does your straight friend always act so oddly?” Xia Zhe observed Ling Jianshu’s actions and pondered, “Hmm… Are you sure he’s really straight?”

“Of course, he’s as straight as can be. And didn’t I mention? He’s not just straight but extremely homophobic!” Qiao Song emphasized the last two words.

Xia Zhe couldn’t help but laugh and hooked his arm around Qiao Song’s, mimicking Ling Jianshu’s earlier pose by leaning against him and saying, “Is he really that homophobic?”

“He has no concept of men, you know. It’s just some tricks straight guys play. Many people fall for these tricks, but I’m not that naive,” Qiao Song said calmly, clearly unbothered.

Did Qiao Qiao really interact with straight guys like this? Xia Zhe thought it seemed strange, but since Qiao Song was so certain, he decided not to press further, though he made a mental note of Ling Jianshu.

“Since you’re so sure he’s not interested in you, be careful. I see how well he treats you. He’s tall and handsome; it’s hard not to have feelings,” Xia Zhe warned.

“I’m not interested. We’re just buddies. You don’t think gay and straight men can’t be friends, do you? Just because we’re gay doesn’t mean we jump on every man we see,” Qiao Song said mildly.

“Of course not! Anyway, just don’t fall for him! Come on, let’s stay out all night. What happened to that handsome guy who knew your name? Such a great opportunity slipped away,” Xia Zhe lamented.

“Let’s go with the flow,” Qiao Song said. He didn’t mind making friends but wasn’t about to force anyone to befriend him.

The two chatted, laughed, had a few more drinks, and politely turned down several approaches before deciding to leave in the early hours of the morning.

“Qiao Qiao, I noticed a few guys seemed interested in you earlier, and they didn’t seem like the type who’d play around. Why didn’t you give them a chance?”

“Were they really that great?” Qiao Song recalled the men who approached him earlier and thought they all had their flaws.

Xia Zhe sighed, reflecting, “It’s tough to appreciate other men when you have someone like Ling Jianshu around as a reference.”

As they were leaving the bar, someone stopped them at the door.

“You two don’t look like a couple, do you?” The man seemed well-off and had a condescending attitude, followed by a few people who seemed to be backing him up. “Can we be friends?”

The man didn’t show overt hostility, but his vulgar behavior and mannerisms made it clear that he wasn’t someone they wanted to deal with.

Before Qiao Song could refuse, Ling Jianshu quickly stepped in, placing himself between him and the group.

“What do you want?” his stern expression and towering presence were intimidating. His clenched fists, veins bulging, made the man step back instinctively.

“What do you mean? Just making a casual inquiry. If you’re with someone, why act all heroic?” The man sneered and left with his group.

“Ling Brother, weren’t you leaving?” Qiao Song asked, surprised.

“I was leaving. But what if something happened to you?” Ling Jianshu frowned. “Didn’t you think something like this could happen in a place like this?”

“That person…” The individual seemed more intimidating than threatening, just an ordinary attempt at hitting on someone. Qiao Song knew Ling Jianshu wouldn’t listen to any explanation and would only see the situation as a threat. What concerned him more was something else.

“Ling Brother, you didn’t stay outside all this time, did you?”