My straight roommate is so good

Qiao Song didn’t quite understand why Ling Jianshu would remember his habits.

However, adhering to the principle of self-reminder, he constantly warned himself.

Ling Jianshu’s actions should just be a matter of respect and courtesy between roommates, nothing more.

As they chatted casually while eating, the atmosphere was relatively light and pleasant.

But Qiao Song was well aware that the current harmony was only a sugar-coated illusion before the truth was revealed.

The inherent opposition between homosexuality and homophobia was like a sharp knife, silently hanging over his head and making it impossible for him to feel at ease.

As they neared the end of their meal, he couldn’t help but pull out his phone to check the forum.

As expected, photos of him and Ling Jianshu dining together had already been posted and were once again a hot topic.

He tried to remain calm and composed, hiding his unease.

However, as he dipped the last piece of lettuce into the clear water and finished it, he couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“Why the sudden sigh?”

Ling Jianshu’s voice pulled him back from his distant thoughts.

Qiao Song replied, “nothing.”

Ling Jianshu didn’t press further. Instead, while Qiao Song was staring down, he quietly checked the forum himself.

As he expected, Qiao Song was troubled by the new photos posted under the “lawsuit CP” topic.

He had mixed feelings.

For a moment, he even had a strong urge to tell him that he had actually seen the forum posts.

But he restrained himself and said nothing.

He could sense Qiao Song’s current anxiety, as intense and clear as his own urge.

And he didn’t want to exacerbate that anxiety.

As Qiao Song finished the last bite of his vegetable, Ling Jianshu long-pressed the screen to save their latest photo to his local gallery.

Then, he locked his phone, casually stuffed it into his pocket, and lifted his gaze to look at the guy across from him.

“Finished eating?”

“Yeah.” Qiao Song took out a tissue, wiped his mouth, and stood up with his tray. 

After leaving the second canteen, Qiao Song took the initiative to say to Ling Jianshu, “I’m going to practice the piano.”

He meant it as a farewell.

However, to his surprise, Ling Jianshu said, “I’ll walk you there.”

He was taken aback and politely declined, “There’s no need to go out of your way; I can go by myself.”

“Actually, it’s not just to see you off. I also have to go to the gym.”

Ling Jianshu said this lightly, seeming not to be lying.

But Qiao Song still carefully checked, “Do you train every night?”

“……” Ling Jianshu was silent for a moment, thinking that such a lie couldn’t be used casually; otherwise, it might not hold up later.

So, he changed his strategy and made up an excuse, “No, the coach just sent a WeChat saying I need to go over for something. I don’t know what’s up.”

Some coach who was already off duty, drinking and eating skewers somewhere.

Qiao Song considered his explanation for a couple of seconds and found it plausible.

“Ah, I see…” He couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse to refuse, so he went along with it, “Alright then.”

By late afternoon, the sun had already quietly sunk behind the buildings of the art center.

Yet the warm afterglow remained, painting the clouds in orange and outlining the edges of the buildings with a cozy golden light.

The asphalt road, after a long day of baking under the sun, finally began to cool, as if venting its heat.

A breeze brushed against their cheeks, not exactly cool but better than nothing.

They walked along the shaded path, chatting casually. Their voices were low, quickly blown away by the warm evening wind.

People passed by occasionally, inevitably casting glances, either intentional or unintentional, at them.

Qiao Song tried to ignore the stares but still felt a bit tense.

As they passed the garden in front of the art center, the shade created a subtle ambiguity around the two walking side by side.

The stone-paved path was a bit narrow.

Several times, Qiao Song and Ling Jianshu’s arms brushed lightly, and the warmth transmitted through their skin was more vivid than the summer breeze.

Qiao Song wasn’t used to such intimate touches and instinctively wanted to avoid them.

However, when he slowed his pace, Ling Jianshu did the same;

When he moved toward the edge of the stone path, Ling Jianshu also moved in the same direction…

He increasingly suspected that Ling Jianshu was doing this on purpose.

As they neared the garden’s exit, he couldn’t help but call out, “Shu brother.”

Ling Jianshu looked down at him.

“You…” Qiao Song hesitated, unsure of how to continue.

Ling Jianshu asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Could you…” Could you stay away a bit, and not keep so close to me?

He thought this but found it too impolite to say.

After struggling internally, he finally sighed and gave in, “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

Ling Jianshu didn’t press for more.

He seemed to completely not understand what Qiao Song was troubled about, and even when he moved further away, he brazenly moved half a step closer.

At this point, Qiao Song had moved to the edge of the stone path, one foot stepping on the boundary between the stone slab and the dirt road.

The stone was a few centimeters higher than the dirt.

As he took a few steps like this, his balance suddenly faltered, and he leaned towards the bushes on the side of the road!

“Watch out!”

Ling Jianshu’s anxious voice reached his ears.

Qiao Song didn’t know how to react to this sudden situation and could only instinctively close his eyes, waiting for the pain to come.

However, instead of the expected pain, he found himself enveloped in a warm and solid embrace.

Ling Jianshu wrapped one arm tightly around his waist and pressed his other hand against his back, pulling him firmly into his embrace.

Qiao Song’s body was still tilted backward, but at this moment, he was protected by Ling Jianshu in an absolutely secure manner. The anxiety in his heart suddenly dissipated.

He slowly opened his eyes amidst the pounding of his heart, his long, curled eyelashes fluttering slightly, and he met Ling Jianshu’s gaze.

His deep black eyes were fixed steadily on him. In that lowered gaze, he vaguely saw a hint of concern.

Yet even so, under such close eye contact, Ling Jianshu still gave him an indescribable sense of pressure.

He felt somewhat distracted, his thoughts going astray.

On this otherwise ordinary summer evening, his senses were suddenly overwhelmed by Ling Jianshu’s dominating presence.

The scent of him filled his breath—an indescribable aroma, different from any shower gel he had smelled before, a mix of youthful masculine hormones.

At the same time, he belatedly realized that his palm was pressed against Ling Jianshu’s chest.

Perhaps because of the thin material of the T-shirt, he could clearly feel the firm and full chest muscles beneath his palm and even the slightly rapid heartbeat of Ling Jianshu.

Thump, thump, thump.

The pulsating rhythm was like a jumping beat, inexplicably seducing the pianist’s heart.

His tightly wound rationality seemed to be losing its grip.

He gently curled his fingers, yearning to touch another person’s heartbeat in this subtle way.

Ling Jianshu’s gaze darkened, his look at him becoming increasingly complex and inscrutable.

The brief seconds seemed to stretch infinitely.

When Ling Jianshu spoke again, Qiao Song was momentarily dazed, mistakenly thinking they had been embracing each other for a whole season.

“Are you okay?” Ling Jianshu asked in a calm tone, his words returning to normal with little trace of concern.

Qiao Song snapped back to reality and shook his head, saying, “I’m fine, thanks for catching me in time.”

Ling Jianshu responded with an “Mm” and then asked, “Can you stand on your own?”

Qiao Song remained still and answered, “Yes.”

“Then…?”

Ling Jianshu’s gaze dropped, pointedly glancing at his chest.

Seeing his look, Qiao Song instinctively withdrew his hand from his chest and used the other’s support to straighten up.

He took two steps back, increasing the distance between them, and awkwardly explained, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to… It was just a reflex…”

Ling Jianshu nodded, generously saying, “It’s alright, I understand.”

Just as he was letting out a sigh of relief, Ling Jianshu continued, “When people are in danger, it’s instinctive to touch someone’s chest.”

Qiao Song: “…………”

Alright, that’s enough. Please stop talking!

If he said another word, Qiao Song would immediately find a crack in the ground to hide in and never see the light of day again!

After passing through the garden, they finally reached the entrance of the art center.

This time, Ling Jianshu didn’t continue following. He simply said, “Practice the piano and return to the dorm early,” and watched Qiao Song walk into the building.

Once Qiao Song had turned the corner of the stairs and his slender figure had completely disappeared from view, Ling Jianshu withdrew his gaze and headed towards the dormitory.

On the way back to the dorm, he was preoccupied with something, his phone never leaving his hand.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, his frantic refreshing of the forum’s homepage was truly embarrassing.

Fortunately, embarrassment was only temporary.

Soon, he saw a new post on the forum’s homepage with the prominent title “Lawsuit CP.”

He didn’t waste a second and immediately clicked to open it.

As he had hoped, the main post was a photo of him and Qiao Song embracing earlier.

He long-pressed the photo and saved it to his phone’s gallery.

Then, he turned off his phone, seeing his satisfied smile reflected in the dark screen.

On Sunday afternoon, Liu Jun Ming returned from home, bringing several cans of homemade sweet soup from his father to help his roommates cool down from the summer heat.

Out of politeness, Qiao Song joined everyone, enjoying a few pieces of peach from the cans in a lively atmosphere.

However, he was thinking to himself—he would have to eat less for dinner to offset the calories from the cans.

With this in mind, he and his roommates left the dorm.

Under the pretext of “the first full gathering of 603,” they hurriedly made their way to the Chongqing hotpot restaurant at the school gate.