The Scheming Straight Guy Crashes and Burns

[Top's Perspective]

Guan Shizhu was famous at school for being gentle and polite. He came from a good family, was handsome, and had cultivated an exceptionally good reputation.

The school forum discussed his excellence every day. Guan Shizhu smiled with satisfaction. Exactly. This was the effect he wanted.

But lately, a name Guan Shizhu had never heard before had started appearing in the discussions.

Chu Kong: sunny and lively, warm and outgoing, and, most importantly, generous. Everyone who had gone out with him gave him a thumbs-up.

Guan Shizhu raised an eyebrow. What kind of gullible, rich idiot was this?

Guan Shizhu wasn't about to miss out on something so entertaining, and soon he had joined Chu Kong's group.

Then he discovered that Chu Kong, just like his name suggested, was an empty shell, a paper tiger.

Sunny and lively?

Behind closed doors, he coldly tossed aside gifts that weren't worth much.

Warm and outgoing?

When it came to moving heavy things in the middle of a scorching summer day, he couldn't bear to say a word, wishing he could sink into the ground where no one would see him.

Generous?

That part was true. So was the way he counted his money afterward with a pained expression.

That wasn't all. Guan Shizhu also discovered an astonishing secret.

Chu Kong liked staring at men. He was gay and liked men.

The malicious streak inside Guan Shizhu could no longer be contained. He took a photo of Chu Kong at a gay bar, then went to threaten him with it.

Chu Kong cared desperately about saving face, so he agreed to Guan Shizhu's demands right away.

Guan Shizhu had gained an obedient lackey, and the relationship between the two of them had hit rock bottom. At least, that's how Chu Kong saw it.

Guan Shizhu stopped pretending in front of Chu Kong. He enjoyed himself, but then discovered a serious problem: he seemed to have fallen for him.

Chu Kong didn't seem to like him very much, though.

Guan Shizhu gave a sidelong glance at Chu Kong's murderous expression. So what? It wasn't like Chu Kong could get away.

-

[Bottom's Perspective]

After starting college, Chu Kong met plenty of people. Guan Shizhu was one of them.

Chu Kong liked men, and Guan Shizhu was very handsome. It was just that his gaze was so sharp, as if he could see right through Chu Kong.

He was dangerous.

Chu Kong didn't dare get close to him. Yet Guan Shizhu kept showing up in front of him, and even discovered the secret Chu Kong most wanted to keep hidden from his friends.

With no other choice, Chu Kong had to do as Guan Shizhu said.

Guan Shizhu wasn't a dog, but the things he did weren't very human, either.

He'd lie around at home without moving and make Chu Kong do all sorts of things.

Walk ten dogs; clean a three-story mansion all by himself; drink milk tea at home, but only from places that didn't deliver; drink water only at 40 degrees Celsius. His favorite thing to do was drink the milk tea Chu Kong brought home while watching Chu Kong bustle around.

Chu Kong endured it and endured it, thinking that this life would be over once Guan Shizhu graduated.

Then Guan Shizhu suddenly said, "How about we start dating?"

Chu Kong couldn't take it anymore. He cursed, "Get lost! Your name might be Guan Shizhu, but you're nothing but a damn pig! Only an idiot would date a pig like you! No, even an idiot wouldn't want to! Why would an idiot date you?!"

Guan Shizhu held Chu Kong's hand, suppressing the vein about to pop on his forehead, and said, "You're so cute."

"Ugh." Chu Kong threw up.

After throwing up, Chu Kong calmed down. Guan Shizhu said he liked him. Wasn't that the perfect chance to get revenge?

Just wait. He'd make Guan Shizhu so lovesick he'd lose his mind.

Then he'd dump him, hard.

Chu Kong smiled lightly, hiding the malice at the corners of his mouth, and accepted the offer. "Sure. Let's date."

[Reading Guide]

1. Top who makes himself fall for men x bottom who cares about saving face and suffers in silence

2. Neither character is perfect, and both can be pretty awful. They tease each other and keep getting caught out. A love story between two men who are both pretending to be something they're not.

(November 18, 2024)

Theme: Let your true self show.