From a nobody online dating to a top love brain - Chapter 23

The person in front of him had a rugged appearance, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and sharply defined features.

Kitty squinted, carefully sizing him up. “Not bad,” they thought, but judging by how Yu Nan was hiding away, it didn’t seem like he wanted to accept this situation.

“Yu Xuedi?” 

Pei Yunchuan was still feeling guilty for accidentally spilling the beans last time about Yu Nan’s online relationship being with a guy. This time, he was determined to help him out.

He yanked the hiding Yu Nan to the front, making him face the guy who just confessed. Pei Yunchuan firmly said, “Does he look like someone who likes guys?”

Yu Nan, dragged forward by Pei, was now just a foot away from the senior, way too close. His feet involuntarily shuffled back.

Does he not look like he likes guys? Even he couldn’t believe it. Especially now, with makeup still on his face, he didn’t dare to lift his head.

Pei Yunchuan turned his face directly towards the guy. “Look him straight in the eyes.”

Chu Luoyang, unfazed by the words of those around him, calmly said, “I just want your contact info.”

Doggo sneered, “Not planning on dating him?”

“If not, then you can’t have his contact info. Our Yu Nan doesn’t mess around with ambiguous relationships,” he countered sharply.

Yu Nan took a deep breath and decided to speak for himself. “I already have someone.”

Chu Luoyang was momentarily taken aback. He hadn’t seen him with anyone else, aside from his roommates.

He only wanted to confirm if he really liked guys, so he asked with purpose, “Boyfriend?”

Yu Nan started fiddling with his fingers again. He could have just denied it with a simple answer, but he wasn’t good at lying—especially under a little pressure.

“No,” he hastily blurted out before pulling Pei and the others away quickly.

Once they were far enough, Kitty couldn’t help but exclaim, “Whoa, what a handsome guy! He’s even bigger than you. How about dating him next?”

Yu Nan, flustered, retorted, “I’m not even broken up yet!”

Doggo, stroking his chin, had a completely different thought. “He’s trying to flirt with you. No way.”

Pei Yunchuan couldn’t shake the feeling that the guy looked familiar. He pulled out his phone, opened the class group chat, scrolled through the messages, pictures, and videos, and, sure enough, found something.

He enlarged the picture and held it up to Yu Nan. “His name’s Chu Luoyang, a third-year.”

Pei Yunchuan recognized him from the flashy pink sneakers in the photo that had caught his eye.

What a coincidence! He recognized him right away today.

As soon as Yu Nan heard the name, he recalled, “I’ve met him before.”

Back at the start of freshman year, the senior had helped him carry his luggage up to the fifth floor. He hadn’t called him for help at first because he was too shy, insisting stubbornly that he could read the map himself.

“He has my phone number,” he suddenly realized.

Pei Yunchuan asked, “If he has your number, why would he still ask for your contact info?”

“That’s right, how does he have your number?” Kitty chimed in.

Yu Nan briefly recounted what had happened during the start of school.

“So, he had his eye on you back then,” Kitty teased.

Yu Nan frantically shook his head. The senior had been so stern back then—there was no way he could have been fond of him. He quickly changed the subject by mentioning Beibei, “Don’t bother with him. I already have someone with amazing abs!”

He wanted to show off a photo of Beibei’s abs but felt a tiny bit possessive, not wanting others to see.

Such a great thing, he thought, should be enjoyed by him alone.

Kitty continued their futile protest, “Are you really not going to meet him in real life?”

He waved his hand resolutely. “Never.”

“You’re so mean, he loves you so much,” Doggo laughed.

Every time Yu Nan mentioned Beibei, the conversation would somehow loop back to meeting in real life, like now.

Since he couldn’t avoid it, he decided to face it head-on. He firmly declared, “I’ll never meet him in real life. He can only exist on my phone.”

By evening, he and his friends finally left the mall.

“I found a roadside hotpot place with great reviews. Shall we go?” Doggo suggested while scrolling through nearby restaurants on his phone.

After walking around for most of the day, Yu Nan was starving. “Let’s go, I’m hungry.”

Just as they exited the mall, Pei Yunchuan couldn’t resist pulling out an umbrella, but Yu Nan, quick as ever, snatched it out of his hands.

He didn’t want to huddle under the umbrella again, especially with the wind outside. Holding the umbrella would completely shield him from it.

Pei Yunchuan had already changed out of his skirt, but the makeup on his face hadn’t been removed yet. Yu Nan averted his gaze, not daring to look at Pei’s fiery red lips.

Following Doggo’s directions, they arrived at the hotpot place. Small tables were set up outside the restaurant, and even though it wasn’t yet mealtime, most of the seats were already taken. Kitty took a big stride to secure them a table.

Yu Nan was marking dishes on the paper menu. This place had brown sugar glutinous rice cakes, so he added an order.

“Beef and lamb,” Pei Yunchuan called out to him.

Yu Nan ticked off beef and added some other meats. “I don’t eat lamb.”

Soon, the server brought over the hotpot broth, and steam rose thickly into the air. Just sitting there made them break out in a sweat.

Yu Nan leaned back in his chair. Next to their table was a large tree, its leaves rustling in the breeze, while the sounds of the bustling street and the playful banter of the three in front of him gave him an oddly surreal feeling.

His life had been like a stagnant pond, repeating the same dull days over and over. He’d poured all his emotions into his in-game companions, but from the moment he met Milk Tea, it was as if fresh water had begun flowing into that stagnant pond, bringing it to life.

Kitty and the others had broken through the screen, sitting right in front of him, laughing loudly. This was also the first time he had eaten hotpot on the street with friends.

Lost in his thoughts, he smiled to himself, but suddenly, a cold sensation made him shiver. He turned his head and saw Milk Tea grinning with bright red lips.

Pei Yunchuan, noticing that Yu Nan seemed distracted, mischievously pressed a cold beer from the fridge against his face.

He placed the beer in front of him, saying, “It’s cold, drink it quickly.”

Yu Nan shook his head, “I don’t drink alcohol.”

Pei Yunchuan laughed, “I heard from Brother Ye that you were just as much of a drunk mess that night as I was. You even got shy!”

As soon as Doggo heard this, he remembered that Milk Tea couldn’t handle alcohol at all. He quickly snatched the beer from his hand. “If you drink, how are you getting back?”

Pei Yunchuan couldn’t care less about what might happen. He opened another bottle, took a big gulp, and exhaled contentedly.

Raising his beer, he declared, “Hotpot has to go with beer!”

“Unbelievable,” Kitty sighed, helplessly placing a hand on their forehead at Milk Tea’s lack of self-control.

The dorms closed at ten o’clock, and although they might make exceptions, Yu Nan had never tried to push his luck since he had no social life and never stayed out late.

He decided to book a hotel for the night and not go back. He handed his phone to Kitty. “Which hotel did you book? I’ll book a room for the night too.”

Doggo clapped his hands excitedly, “Then we can play games together tonight! I want to see how Milk Tea keeps dying all the time.”

Kitty quickly searched for the hotel she had booked, and while Milk Tea was still somewhat sober, she asked, “Milk Tea, are you staying at the hotel?”

“Yeah, I’m not going back tonight either,” he said as he texted Bei Yuye to let him know.

Kitty helped Yu Nan pick a room and reminded him, “It’s a twin bed.”

“Milk Tea, I may be gay, but I’m not that desperate. You can relax,” Yu Nan said, completely confident.

At first, Doggo was worried about how Milk Tea would get back if he got drunk. Now, he had no concerns—he could carry both Milk Tea and Yu Nan back to the hotel if needed.

The food gradually arrived, and Yu Nan skillfully placed the meat into the pot. The broth was a bit spicy, making him sweat, but it was manageable, so he ate with satisfaction.

“Cheers!” Kitty raised her beer.

Yu Nan raised his soft drink to clink glasses. His tongue felt a bit tingly—was this spice still kicking in?

Kitty, confident in her drinking capacity, never got drunk, but Milk Tea had already started babbling nonsense.

“Please, just one sip,” he insisted, pouring some beer into Yu Nan’s glass.

He coaxed him, “Why won’t you drink? It’s sweet, fizzy—just like soda!”

Kitty happily started recording a video, “Look at him! Is he really a lightweight?”

Doggo, also a teetotaler, was just glad that Milk Tea wasn’t causing chaos around him.

“When trouble comes my way…” Pei Yunchuan couldn’t resist singing.

He grabbed Yu Nan’s right hand and exclaimed, “Raise your left hand!”

Yu Nan yanked his hand back with effort, wanting nothing more than to focus on his meal instead of watching Milk Tea act up.

“Here’s a cup of forget-your-sorrows water!” Pei Yunchuan waved his beer in front of him.

Yu Nan got up, forcefully pushing Milk Tea back into his seat. “Sit still.”

To his surprise, Milk Tea actually settled down. He was even picking up food by himself?

“Look at him, he’s actually feeding himself now,” Yu Nan remarked in astonishment as Milk Tea ate a piece of cabbage.

Kitty couldn’t help but exclaim, “Is he really behaving?”

Just as they were laughing about Milk Tea, Yu Nan’s phone rang.

He froze for a moment. This was the kind of call that required headphones, but when he tried to reject it, his finger, wet from the cold drink, couldn’t press the button.

Seeing Yu Nan’s struggle to answer the call, Kitty took pity and gently tapped the button for him.

With a hand on her heart, she said righteously, “No need to thank me.”

Yu Nan frantically searched his pockets, but he had forgotten to bring his headphones in his rush.

“Baby, do you miss me? I miss you so much,” a sweet, drawn-out voice came through, loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. The whole group fell silent for three seconds.

Kitty’s eyes widened as she pointed at Yu Nan’s phone, her mouth opening and closing without a word.

“Is… is that your boyfriend?” Doggo asked hesitantly.

Yu Nan buried his face in his hands, not wanting to face reality.

“Is this Nan Nan’s friend? I’m his boyfriend,” Bei Yuye’s voice continued, loud enough for everyone to hear. Sensing there were others around, he couldn’t help but assert his dominance, wanting everyone to know he was Nan Nan’s boyfriend.

So Nan Nan had gone out today? No wonder he hadn’t video-called him tonight, despite Fridays and Saturdays being their usual happy days.

Doggo, now covered in goosebumps from the voice, immediately said, “Alright, I won’t push you to meet him in real life anymore. As for Chu Luoyang? I guess he’s not out of the question.”

“What? Nan Nan, we’re supposed to meet in real life!” Bei Yuye’s voice became more urgent, each sentence getting more intense.