Why Are You Like This, Junior?

Xie Linzhou thinks the new junior transfer student has it in for him.

The evidence:

1. When they pass each other, even with plenty of space around them, the junior insists on brushing against him and bumping his shoulder, as if on purpose.

2. When a lecture hall is full except for the seat beside him, the junior walks over with a blank expression and asks a student already seated in the front row if they can switch places.

3. At the sports meet, they end up on the same relay team. The junior lifts his dark, bright eyes, takes the baton from his hand, and lets his warm fingertips brush against his. The junior's usually expressionless face then reveals an indescribable look of disgust.

Xie Linzhou is baffled. "What did I do to upset you?"

Junior, why are you like this?

*

Xie Linzhou is cheerful and easygoing, with handsome, refined features. He's a famous social butterfly at Nancheng No. 1 High School, and grew up surrounded by the love of his parents and classmates. He's never short of friends and greets everyone with a bright, sunny smile. So he can't for the life of him understand why this junior is so cold and distant toward him in particular.

Whenever Xie Linzhou hesitates, then tries to stop the junior and get an explanation, the other boy walks straight past him with an armful of thick study materials, never even looking him in the eye. He is determined to keep up his cold front to the end.

Then one day, the student council organizes a performance, and a few teachers from their grade ask Xie Linzhou to find someone with a phone to look up some information.

He glances around, sighs, and accepts his fate, walking over to the junior. "Chen Jianshi, can I borrow your phone?"

His fine, soft hair falls over his forehead, covering his clear, watery eyes, which hold a hint of melancholy.

Chen Jianshi sits quietly and obediently on a tall step, arms wrapped around his knees. Lost in thought, he slowly looks up at the sound of Xie Linzhou's voice.

He seems unusually easy to deal with today. He only glances at Xie Linzhou before handing him the unlocked phone from his jacket pocket.

Thinking Chen Jianshi wants nothing to do with him, Xie Linzhou politely thanks him, steps away, and opens the browser.

The search history that appears reads:

"Do straight guys dislike accidental physical contact?"

"One hundred things to know when you're secretly in love with your crush"

"How to win over the heart of a straight guy you have a crush on"

"What are the odds of turning a straight guy gay?"

Xie Linzhou: "..."

He seems to have discovered one of his junior's secrets.

*

Xie Linzhou has no interest in judging other people's sexual orientations, nor does he care who Chen Jianshi likes.

Later, after the student council's performance, a teacher asks him to send Chen Jianshi some of the photos taken by the publicity department.

After searching for a while, Xie Linzhou finds Chen Jianshi in his WeChat contacts, selects the photos, and sends them.

The screen of the phone resting nearby suddenly lights up, and Xie Linzhou instinctively looks toward it.

Crush: [Image]

Crush: [Image]

Crush: [Image]

Crush: [Image]

Crush: [Image]

Xie Linzhou: "..."

He's discovered his junior's second secret.

Only this secret seems to have something to do with him.

*

Secret love is a pessimist's game, played by cowards.

Chen Jianshi thinks it's only natural to fall for seventeen-year-old Xie Linzhou.

He's passionate, bold, and confident. Whenever he runs into trouble, he stays calm and finds a solution. He's dependable and seems capable of anything.

So many people like Xie Linzhou. Chen Jianshi tells himself that his doomed, unrequited love is just one among countless others.

The growing pains and bittersweet ache of being sixteen strip him bare, leaving a mark that cuts deep. Little by little, they gnaw at his heart in the dark, consuming him until he's left loving and hating it, unable to let go. He gradually becomes clumsy and cautious.

The name Xie Linzhou has appeared countless times in Chen Jianshi's diary and in the sleepless dreams he can't bring himself to speak of, in different places and under different circumstances.

But Chen Jianshi never expected that, one day, this name would appear in his life for real, smiling gently as he asked, "Chen Jianshi, would you go out with me?"

A few reading tips:

1. A sweet school romance with a very silly, plot-light story.

2. Readers with extreme preferences about the top or bottom, proceed with caution.

Theme: Secret love.