From a nobody online dating to a top love brain - Chapter 35

Bei Yuye had been sitting in the café for nearly the entire afternoon. He had acted impulsively, but every time he saw that deadpan expression on Pei Yunchuan’s face, it made him angry. And now Pei Yunchuan kept saying he wanted to break up.

There was a wind chime hanging at the entrance of the café. Every time someone pushed the door open, the wind chime would ring, and each time it rang, Bei Yuye’s heartbeat sped up, and he would look up.

The wind chime rang again, and this time was no exception. He looked up once more.

It was that brat Pei Yunchuan, and following behind him was a girl—someone he’d seen before, the one who had gone back to school with Pei Yunchuan.

Bei Yuye was seated at a small round table for two. Pei Yunchuan casually pulled up another chair, placing it between them, and sat down.

Yu Nan was trembling as he carefully sat down with slow, quiet movements.

Bei Yuye frowned. “What’s going on? Why is it you two?”

Yu Nan kept his head down, his hands shaking as he raised them slowly, making sure not to speak.

“Your online lover,” Pei Yunchuan followed the new script, “he enjoys cross-dressing but was afraid you wouldn’t like it. He couldn’t handle you breaking up with him, so he asked me to come and end things for him.”

From Bei Yuye’s angle, he couldn’t see the face of the person sitting opposite him. He hadn’t gotten a good look at them last time on the way back to school either, so he never thought it would be his senior.

“His throat’s been bothering him lately, so… maybe you two could just chat through texts?” Pei Yunchuan gestured toward the phone.

Bei Yuye stood up abruptly and grabbed his senior’s arm, saying to Pei Yunchuan, “We’re going to a movie. Do whatever you want.”

Yu Nan was shocked and looked up in surprise. The script only mentioned meeting at the café—why were they suddenly going to the movies? They were supposed to talk about breaking up!

Bei Yuye finally got a clear look at the person’s face. The transformation was drastic, so much so that it was hard to tell it was the same person. He hesitated before letting go. Could someone really look like a completely different person just by putting on makeup and a dress?

Yu Nan tilted his head, confused as to why he had let go so suddenly. Was it because he didn’t look good?

Kitty and the others had told him he looked beautiful right now. In high school, he had liked to imitate voices, but he hadn’t practiced in a while. He cleared his throat and tried to find his old voice, asking, “Am I not pretty?”

Bei Yuye had never heard this voice before, but he shook his head and complimented him anyway, saying he looked pretty. Still, he was suspicious that Nan Nan had sent someone to fool him again.

“All you do is flatter me! You’re Bei Bei, I’m Nan Nan—we’re supposed to be together!” Yu Nan put his hands on his hips, pretending to be angry.

“The ring you’re wearing right now—I gave that to you! The first letter ‘B’ is for ‘Bei,’ and the second letter ‘B’ is for ‘baby’ from ‘baby’!”

“You never pay attention to these little details, do you? Whatever, I’m tired. Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Let’s break up. Maybe you never even thought of this as a real relationship!” Yu Nan quickly delivered the lines, but because he hadn’t used his fake voice in so long, his throat felt itchy after speaking for so long.

Bei Yuye glanced down at Yu Nan’s pale legs and noticed a familiar scar on the side of one. This eased his doubts. He ignored everything his senior had said and gently took his hand, smiling shyly. “Let’s go see a movie.”

Yu Nan instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Bei Yuye interlaced their fingers, holding on tightly.

Kitty and the others watched from a distance. Dreams are everything grinned with satisfaction, saying, “Yu Yu’s biggest flaw is that he’s not honest. He’s clearly head over heels.”

Kitty couldn’t help but agree. “Even though it’s online, after all these years, the only one to step forward is  Affectionate Guy.”

Dreams are everything mischievously sent a message to Yu Yu in their group chat: “If you want to scare him off, there’s another way—be more forward. Ask for kisses and hugs. He’ll retreat for sure.”

Among the seven of them, only Doggo and Kitty were in relationships, with Yu Nan having an online lover. The other four were practically devoid of any interaction with the opposite sex. Though they acted like strategists, they were really just clueless.

Dreams are everything watched Yu Nan and Bei Yuye’s retreating figures, his excitement growing. “This is so thrilling! I’m shipping them so hard!”

Bei Yuye had bought tickets for a midnight movie, so they still had time for dinner. He was reluctant to let go of Nan Nan’s hand, holding on wherever they went. He selectively ignored any mention of breaking up, dodging those questions entirely.

Nan Nan didn’t refuse the hand-holding either. Bei Yuye felt like he’d won this round because he had successfully hijacked the high schooler’s real-life meeting with Nan Nan. He didn’t care about his other potential suitors since they were all online. He was the only one holding his hand in real life.

Nan Nan’s teasing was annoying, but Bei Yuye would make sure he changed his ways through actions. He’d get him to focus on him and cut ties with everyone else, including that high schooler.

Yu Nan sent his location to the group chat: “We’re eating barbecue. Can you guys come check on me?”

He didn’t want to be alone.

Milk Tea: “Just make things difficult for him. He hates trouble.”

“Nan Nan, have some meat.” As soon as the meat was ready, Bei Yuye kept piling it onto Yu Nan’s plate.

Milk Tea had been friends with the junior for years, so Yu Nan trusted him. He met Bei Yuye’s gaze and said sternly, “I don’t want barbecue. I like shrimp.”

As soon as Bei Yuye heard that, he immediately started grilling shrimp. When the shrimp was nearly done, Yu Nan spoke up at just the right moment: “But I don’t like peeling shrimp.”

“I’ll peel it. I like peeling,” Bei Yuye eagerly offered. After peeling the shrimp, he hesitantly asked, “Can I feed you?”

Yu Nan immediately refused, turning the tables. “I don’t want that, but I can feed you.”

Each table in this barbecue restaurant had a high-backed seat, offering a bit of privacy but not much, since there was no soundproofing. Yu Nan was completely unaware that their conversation was being overheard by others.

“They seem like they’re both good and bad at being straightforward,” Dreams are everything commented.

Milk Tea added, “It’s his first date with someone; it’s normal for him to not know what to do.”

Yu Nan felt that the atmosphere between them was awkward yet unbeatable. Online, they were constantly calling each other “baby,” but in person, they were too shy to say much.

After dinner, they headed to the cinema. Bei Yuye bought popcorn, hoping to create a cozy movie-watching atmosphere.

As the movie started, he was still holding Yu Nan’s hand. Yu Nan didn’t dare to move. Meeting in real life was nothing like chatting online; this was far less interesting.

Bei Yuye had chosen a horror movie, but there were only a few people in the theater. The seats were mostly empty, and the few who were there seemed to be couples, sitting close together and occasionally kissing. Yu Nan, seated in the back row, could see it all clearly.

“Kissing, huh? I’ve never kissed anyone before,” he murmured, biting his lip. Maybe it was the atmosphere?

“Hmm? Now?” The dim theater lighting hid Bei Yuye’s blush as he carefully leaned in, closing his eyes and waiting for Yu Nan to make a move.

Maybe it was nerves, but his grip on Yu Nan’s hand tightened. Yu Nan pulled his hand free and cupped Bei Yuye’s face with both hands.

Bei Yuye’s face was soft. Yu Nan couldn’t resist giving it a few extra squeezes, feeling shy about what was to come, even though they hadn’t kissed yet.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he warned. He leaned closer, so close he could see Bei Yuye’s long eyelashes trembling, and feel the warm breath brushing against his face.

He traced his lips with his thumb. “I’m really going to kiss you now.”

Bei Yuye had his eyes closed for a while, but when Yu Nan still hadn’t kissed him, he couldn’t help but ask, “Senior, is it your first time kissing too? You don’t know how?”

A challenge? Yu Nan pressed his thumb harder against the corner of Bei Yuye’s lips, hoping it would sting a little and teach him a lesson. His heart was racing—he was definitely nervous.

He licked his lips, but still didn’t take the next step.

“Nan Nan, should we look up a kissing tutorial?” Bei Yuye suggested.

Yu Nan kneaded Bei Yuye’s face harder, then squeezed his cheeks together until his lips puckered up and finally kissed him.

Bei Yuye’s heart was pounding wildly. The moment Yu Nan kissed him, his eyes shot open. Yu Nan was holding his face so tightly that he couldn’t do anything but keep his lips puckered.

This wasn’t how he imagined his first kiss. Shouldn’t it have been a soft, romantic peck? Or if not, maybe a passionate French kiss? But no, his first kiss was just a puckered peck.

He mumbled through his squished lips, placing his hands on top of Yu Nan’s, trying to speak, “Nan Nan, let’s really kiss properly.”

Yu Nan let go of his face. It wasn’t like how it was described in novels at all. After all, novels are fiction—kissing in real life wasn’t nearly as exciting.

Bei Yuye immediately pulled out his phone to search for a kissing tutorial. Nan Nan had poor technique, but he could make up for it. He hadn’t expected things to progress so quickly, with them kissing already.

After reading through a few posts, Bei Yuye now felt like an expert.

This time, he cupped Yu Nan’s face, confidently saying, “Let me try now. I’ve learned how.”

In his mind, he recalled the steps from the tutorial and decided to put them into practice. He started by pressing his lips against Yu Nan’s, but his senior was staring at him with wide, blinking eyes, making him feel shy.

He pulled back, his ears burning, and covered his face with his hands. “Nan Nan, can you close your eyes first?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll close them,” Yu Nan said, a bit helplessly.

Bei Yuye gathered his courage, closed his eyes, and kissed him again. The tutorial had said to suck, to lick, to nibble—basically, to be bold.

This time, he kissed with so much force that Yu Nan felt like he was running out of breath. Bei Yuye’s large hands moved from cupping his face to holding the back of his head, pulling him closer.

“Mm…” Yu Nan let out a whimper, but Bei Yuye didn’t seem to want to stop. Yu Nan lightly patted his face, hoping he’d take the hint and slow down.

But Bei Yuye misinterpreted the pat as encouragement and kissed even more fervently. Yu Nan, frustrated, bit him, and Bei Yuye, following the tutorial, bit back gently.

Realizing hints wouldn’t work, Yu Nan finally placed a hand between their lips, forcing them apart. Bei Yuye, out of breath, looked at him innocently. Everything had been going perfectly—why stop now?

Yu Nan had worn lipstick, and some of it had transferred to Bei Yuye’s lips. He reached out to wipe it off. But Bei Yuye, staring at Yu Nan’s glossy lips, leaned in and kissed him again.

He loved this feeling—soft lips, soft Nan Nan.