Sheng Yan had no idea what kind of male demon Qin Zigui was for the time being.

But he knew it wasn't a good demon anyway.

After all that, he, this innocent straight man, was actually a little agitated. He wrapped himself in the blanket and recited the trigonometric function reduction formulas several times before he slowly calmed down.

After calming down, he began to seriously think about the fact that his best friend liked men, and then he felt a little strange.

It wasn't awkward or offensive; after a brief moment of shock, I didn't find it too unacceptable.

I just can't think about it.

The moment Sheng Yan started thinking that Qin Zigui would be with another man in the future, sharing the kindness he showed her with someone else and having to avoid him, he felt a tightness in his chest.

He even imagined that the big bed he used to occupy was now occupied by another man, and that when he went to visit, he would be turned away on the grounds of "keeping male-male distance".

That guy probably had pretty good grades, so he talked to Qin Zigui about studying every day, and Qin Zigui couldn't get a word in edgewise and would even get laughed at.

Or if she wanted to hang out with Qin Zigui, that boy might get jealous because she was too handsome. Someone as protective as Qin Zigui would definitely stop hanging out with her.

No one explains the questions I don't know how to answer anymore; no one cares when I'm injured or sick; no one brings me bread when I want to eat it; and I can't even throw a tantrum in front of Qin Zigui with any sense of justice anymore.

Sheng Yan imagined a million scenarios of what would happen if Qin Zigui really had a boyfriend. The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt, and the more suffocated he felt, the more aggrieved he felt.

This is worse than having a girlfriend; at least then I wouldn't have to avoid suspicion with Qin Zigui.

But why should he avoid suspicion from Qin Zigui?

Back when Qin Zigui wasn't so tall, handsome, and charming, it was he who picked him up. It was he who bought Qin Zigui for three yuan and two mao. It was he who shared his grandparents', mother's, and other toys with Qin Zigui. It was he who coaxed Qin Zigui to laugh every day and fought to the death with Pang Hu for him. Why should he have to avoid suspicion now?

Could that person be as good to Qin Zigui as he was to her?

Perhaps because he was feeling unwell due to his illness, Sheng Yan felt a sour and numb sensation in his chest, which was very uncomfortable. His chest also felt tight, and even the corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose felt dry and sore.

So who exactly is this annoying, unlucky, academically gifted, stingy guy?

Sheng Yan thought about it for a while, and it seemed that besides himself, only Chen Yubai and Qin Zigui were relatively close. Could it be him?

Sheng Yan thought for a moment, took out his phone, opened WeChat, found Chen Yubai's profile picture, clicked into Moments, and sure enough, the first post was a selfie of Chen Yubai, with a side profile of Qin Zigui looking down at his duty log in the corner.

Image caption: [Another day of a miserable tryst with Boss Qin in the student union office]

A secret rendezvous?!

A clandestine rendezvous?!

Is the student council office, such a sacred place, a place for your secret rendezvous?!

Sheng Yan suddenly found Chen Yubai's appearance particularly unpleasant.

However, before they could properly examine the inconsistencies in Chen Yubai's appearance, the bathroom door suddenly creaked open.

Sheng Yan quickly turned off his phone, closed his eyes, tensed his body, and dared not move an inch.

Then he heard footsteps approaching, stopping at the bedside. Immediately afterwards, a cool hand covered his forehead, as if testing his body temperature.

Presumably finding no signs that the fever was getting worse, the person who checked his temperature said nothing, withdrew his hand, tucked him in, turned the electric fan to its lowest setting, picked up something, and seemed to be preparing to leave.

Sheng Yan quickly turned around and opened his eyes: "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Qin Zigui was already used to his sudden outbursts: "I'm going to sleep outside."

A similar conversation had just taken place an hour earlier.

But in just one hour, everything had changed, and the world had transformed.

This time, Sheng Yan didn't scold Qin Zigui, but awkwardly avoided his gaze: "That sofa is so hard, wouldn't your back break if you slept on it all night? I'll just behave myself and not move around too much."

After what I just did, how dare this person invite me to share a bed?

Qin Zigui leaned back lazily against the doorframe: "Aren't you afraid?"

"What do I have to be afraid of? You can't beat me anyway. Besides, if you really wanted to do something to me, you would have done it already. Why would you wait until now? Just because you like men doesn't mean we can't be brothers anymore. You're not that kind of person."

Sheng Yan felt that his idea was perfectly reasonable, and he showed Qin Zigui his trust in him without reservation.

However, Qin Zigui felt unworthy of this trust because he had indeed thought about what he might do to Sheng Yan, and had thought about it uncontrollably many times. Therefore, considering his moral bottom line, he decided to reject the proposal.

However, before he could speak, Sheng Yan looked up at him and asked very seriously, "And Qin Zigui, no matter what, we are different, right?"

Upon hearing the question, Qin Zigui, who had been leisurely planning to be mischievous, suddenly paused.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Sheng Yan explained very seriously, "Just like how you inexplicably gave me the cold shoulder for a year, but I was still willing to forgive you, our relationship is definitely different from others, otherwise I would have ignored you long ago. After all, from childhood to adulthood, I have spent more time with you than with my mother, my maternal grandparents combined, so I always feel that no matter what, we are definitely incomparable to others. At least in my eyes, you and my mother will always be the most important people to me."

He spoke very seriously, to the point of being childishly calculating, like a child trying to reason.

When Qin Zigui was little, he felt unwanted by everyone. Xiao Shengyan would squat in front of him and, in his sweet little voice, earnestly tell him how much he liked him, so he shouldn't think like that, otherwise he would be angry and sad.

So, from childhood to adulthood, Sheng Yan has always been the one who doesn't hesitate to express his feelings.

Even if he's throwing a tantrum and saying things he doesn't mean, his every move, from his eyebrows to his eyes, will betray his true thoughts.

When they're not throwing a tantrum, they're often so direct that it's impossible to avoid them.

Qin Zigui suddenly felt a pang of tenderness in his chest, and his voice softened involuntarily: "Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

“It’s just…” Sheng Yan thought for a moment, then said somewhat defiantly, “Never mind, I just hope you won’t prioritize your girlfriend over your friends, that’s all.”

"Prioritizing romance over friendship?"

Qin Zigui countered with a question.

"Yeah, I just hope you have a little humanity and don't just focus on dating and neglect your brothers in the future. But if you really do neglect your brothers, then I have nothing to say, I'll just consider myself blind." Sheng Yan said, then turned around, leaving behind a sulking little back of his head.

Qin Zigui stared at the dull back of the head for a long time, as if trying to see through the bones and hair to see how the magical brain circuits inside worked. Then, as he stared, it was as if he suddenly understood something. A smile appeared in his eyes, and he called out, "Sheng Yan."

"what."

He was still sulking when I heard that.

Qin Zigui couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that you will always be the most important person to me. No matter who I like, you will always be the most important."

Sheng Yan turned to the side suspiciously: "Really?"

"Yes, really."

Qin Zigui answered with certainty.

Because he'll only ever like Sheng Yan anyway.

Sheng Yan, looking very intelligent, squinted and sized up Qin Zigui for a long time. After confirming that he didn't seem to be lying, he reluctantly pursed his lips and said, "Alright, at least you still have some conscience. Don't worry, I won't discriminate against you. You can continue doing what you were doing. You don't need to avoid suspicion. I'm not that petty or fussy."

With that, he turned around with an arrogant expression.

Behind him, there was still more than half an empty bed and more than half an air conditioner blanket.

Qin Zigui smiled and walked back to the bedside, got into bed, and turned off the light.

Sheng Yan, who was next to him, wrapped himself up in the blanket with satisfaction, lay flat, and even rubbed his head on the pillow. His mood improved at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

The rain outside the window had stopped, and the moonlight fell like water, giving the boy a clean and clear feeling after the rain.

Qin Zigui lowered his head and smiled.

Life is just like that, with its gains and losses. Kids with weird thought processes can be infuriating at times, but there are also moments when you feel that everything in the world is so lovely.

So uniquely adorable.

Even though Sheng Yan is a straight man and they are destined not to be lovers, being able to be so honest with each other and be the most important person to each other for a lifetime is enough to be grateful for.

Qin Zigui carefully put away the math test paper he had finished grading on the bedside table. Then, he took out a black-covered notebook from his bag, leaned against the headboard, and, in the light of the streetlights in the yard, wrote down word by word: [Sheng Xiaoyan, a student from Class 6, Grade 11, directly attacked law enforcement officers, successfully, add 10 points, remaining score: 5785 points]

Then I took out my phone, opened [Sheng Xiaoyan's Little Garden], and swiped a few times.

The phone next to Sheng Yan's head vibrated.

He opened his eyes, turned to the side, and unlocked the screen.

I discovered that the notification came from the "Wishful Thinking" app.

[Qin Zigui's favorability has increased by 100, current favorability is 102. The host can exchange for a temporary wish.]

Increase favorability by 100?

Sheng Yan was slightly taken aback.

What did I just do? How did my favorability suddenly increase by 100?

He hadn't done anything; he had simply expressed his lack of disdain and trust. Was Qin Zigui really that happy?

Could it be that Qin Zigui has always felt deep pain and inferiority because of his sexual orientation, which is why understanding and respect are so precious to him?

Thinking about it this way, Sheng Yan felt that his earlier thought of not wanting Qin Zigui to have a boyfriend seemed a bit petty.

He pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and typed in the wish field: "[I hope Qin Zigui can broaden her horizons and never feel inferior because of her sexual orientation.]"

He felt that this was something a good brother should basically do.

However, my fingertip lingered next to the "Confirm" button, but I couldn't bring myself to press it.

Because deep down he harbored a more urgent and despicable desire to fulfill.

Anyway, it's not too late for this wish to come true next week, but if the wish he had could come true a day earlier, it might help a lost teenager recognize reality.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Sheng Xiaoyan, who was always upright and honest, quickly deleted the wish he had already typed, retyped a new line, and then guiltily turned off his phone, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and closed his eyes tightly.

Meanwhile, Qin Zigui, standing next to him, watched helplessly as a message appeared on his phone screen—[Hopefully Qin Zigui will discover soon that Chen Yubai isn't as good-looking as me.]

"...?"

Qin Zigui looked at this absurd wish and slowly turned his head away.

Why does he feel that the wish of a certain straight man isn't so straightforward after all?

Author's Note: Sheng Yan: Men turn bad and cold for love.

Chen Yubai: Get out!