The Straight Guy's Guide to Rolling Over - Chapter 5

After leaving the boys’ dormitory and heading back, Wei Xi kept replaying the fresh and beautiful bodies they had just seen. They hadn’t gone far when he started thinking about the next time, “Xia Xia, should we come again tomorrow and check how the sports department’s grass’ wound is doing?”

Xia Shuyan glanced at him and said, “Are you really in a position to say that?”

Wei Xi shrank his neck, his voice weak as he replied, “That was truly just an accident. The grass must be robust enough to punch a cow to death, but who would have expected him to be so easily frightened…”

“Luckily, Pei Mingye didn’t have any bone injuries, and he didn’t blame you,” Xia Shuyan extended his slender fingers, tapping his forehead, “Otherwise, I wonder how you’d pay if he asked you for compensation.”

“Alright, I really know I was wrong, I promise not to scare people like that again next time!” Wei Xi raised his hand in a pledge, then muttered, “Although you said Pei Mingye is a straight guy, I still feel something’s off. Could it be… he has some other purpose in approaching you?”

“What purpose could he have?” Xia Shuyan resumed walking, “Stop making wild guesses, let’s go back to the dorm.”

After returning to the dorm, Xia Shuyan brought his clothes to the bathroom to shower. In the middle of washing, he faintly heard a scream coming from outside.

He was already used to his roommate’s antics, so he continued showering without any change in expression.

After finishing his shower, Wei Xi rushed to report the latest news, “Xia Xia, your rumored CP made an appearance again!”

Xia Shu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, “What did they say this time?”

Wei Xi handed him the phone, “Take a look for yourself!”

Xia Shuyan took the phone and quickly scanned through the comments, stopping at Pei Mingye’s explosive response.

Pei Mingye:【Who isn’t capable?】

——[Yo, yo, is the sports department’s grass here again?]
——[ I knew Pei Mingye couldn’t resist showing up, I’m laughing so hard hahaha!]
——[Ah ah ah so how exactly is he ‘capable’? Why don’t you give us a detailed explanation?]
——[Words are empty; how about Pei Mingye, you show us a picture of your abs first for me to judge?]

……

After the person involved posted that sentence, he disappeared, but that didn’t stop others from discussing it heatedly, like a wild horse charging toward the indescribable midnight scene and never returning.

Xia Shuyan quickly skimmed through the comments and then returned the phone to Wei Xi.

“Capable or not hahaha…” Wei Xi couldn’t help but laugh again when he saw the post, “Does Pei Mingye know what they mean by ‘capable’?”

Xia Shuyan could imagine how red Pei Mingye’s face must be because of the comments. He smirked, “He probably has no idea.”

Wei Xi is still refreshing the comments, analyzing, “The forum loves shipping you two together, and Pei Mingye keeps showing up with his real name. I don’t think this fervor will die down anytime soon.”

Xia Shuyan dried his hair with a towel, “I should remind him.”

He wasn’t bothered by what rumors or gossip the forum came up with, but Pei Mingye was straightforward and easily impulsive. He didn’t understand the saying ‘the more you explain, the worse it gets’.

“Ah, that damn straight guy’s competitiveness!” Wei Xi clicked his tongue, then his eyes glinted with mischief, his tone becoming slightly indecent, “But Xia Xia, based on your judgment, is Pei Mingye really ‘not capable’?”

Xia Shuyan’s actions paused, and he stayed silent for a few seconds before asking back, “How would I know if I’ve never tried?”

“Ah ah ah!” Wei Xi made a sound like a screaming chicken, jumping off the chair, “Xia Xia! Judging by your tone, are you actually considering trying?”

“Where did you hear that?” Xia Shuyan reminded calmly, “You should go take a shower.”

“Xia Xia, I’m not done yet!” Wei Xi persistently clung to him, “Although Pei Mingye usually wears loose clothes, from my preliminary observation, he’s got impressive hardware, not to mention his eight-pack abs that could be used as a washboard!”

Xia Shuyan looked at him, “And then?”

“If you ask someone to pick someone in the entire A University that is capable of conquering Pei Mingye, who else if not you!” Wei Xi became more and more excited as he spoke, “Xia Xia, you really don’t want to try?”

Xia Shuyan raised his hand and pushed him away mercilessly. “I don’t touch straight guys. That’s my principle.”

*

In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday. Xia Shuyan still woke up at six in the morning and went to the sports field for a run, then to the practice room to practice his basic skills.

During the holidays, there weren’t many dance students in the practice room. A few girls arrived halfway through his practice, sneaking glances at him while exchanging whispers in hushed voices.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Xia Shuyan rested while study committee member Zhao Peiran approached him, asking in a low voice, “Xia Shuyan, did you see that post on the forum?”

Xia Shuyan raised his eyes. “Which post?”

Zhao Peiran bit her lip. “The CP post about you and the sports department student…”

Xia Shuyan nodded. “I saw it.”

“So you… “ Zhao Peiran looked nervous. “What do you think about it?”

Xia Shuyan never openly admitted his sexual orientation, maintaining a rejecting attitude towards all pursuers, regardless of their gender. As a result, nobody could determine whether he was gay or straight.

Xia Shuyan looked at the blushing girl and smiled faintly, “You said it’s just a forum post, and I can’t stop them.”

Zhao Peiran immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn’t have time to feel happy before she heard a soft, gentle voice continue, “But for now, I don’t have any plans to date, so let them say what they want.”

With just those words, Zhao Peiran’s face turned pale.

She liked Xia Shuyan, and it wasn’t a secret in their class. But she was timid. No matter how much her best friends encouraged her, she didn’t dare to confess directly, only expressing her affection in covert ways.

She had thought that by getting close to him and being by his side, she might have a chance, but today Xia Shuyan told her that he didn’t plan to date anyone. It was a gentle refusal, albeit not one that publicly embarrassed her.

“Do you need anything else?” Xia Shuyan stood up with one hand supporting himself and asked, “If not, I’ll continue practicing.”

“Okay…” Zhao Peiran returned to her group of friends in a daze, her head down and eyes glistening with teardrops, not daring to look at the person she liked.

The other girls had also heard their conversation, but Xia Shuyan was gentle and not arrogant. He even helped correct their moves during practice, so no one wanted to say anything harsh to him. They could only offer consolation in hushed voices to Zhao Peiran.

Not long after, the other girls left the practice room, leaving Xia Shuyan to glance at their departing figures and sigh lightly.

He had never explicitly revealed his sexual orientation, originally to avoid unnecessary trouble. But it seemed that this tactic had backfired, causing sensitive girls to feel hurt.

Perhaps it was time for him to publicly address the matter.

*

On Saturday evening, the art building had no electricity. Around five in the afternoon, Xia Shuyan left the training room, grabbed a simple meal at the Second Cafeteria, and then headed alone to the gym.

The sports center at University A had a large floor area. The first floor housed the main arena, the second floor had indoor sports facilities, and the third floor contained the gym. However, on regular days, there weren’t many students willing to come here for fitness and exercise. After all, modern college students are even too lazy to attend physical education classes.

After swiping his card at the front desk, Xia Shuyan entered the gym and was surprised to find that there was someone inside.

Taking a closer look, he recognized him.

Ever since he sprained his ankle that day, Pei Mingye hadn’t appeared in front of him for a few days. He didn’t expect to encounter the other person at the gym today.

The guy, dressed in a black t-shirt, was performing pull-ups on the high bar. With each motion of his raised arms, his well-defined biceps bulged and relaxed, and the hidden latissimus dorsi muscles beneath his clothing faintly outlined a powerful silhouette.

Xia Shuyan admired this scene for a moment but didn’t disturb the other person. He found a corner for himself and began warming up in front of the mirror.

Pei Mingye finished several sets of pull-ups and stood up to stretch his shoulders and neck.

His ankle was mostly recovered, but running was still inconvenient for him. Instead of staying idle in the dorm, he came to the gym to do upper body and core exercises.

He looked at his watch and walked to the other side, preparing to pick up a dumbbell. As he did so, the corner of his eye caught sight of a flash of a white figure, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Xia Shuyan was stretching his ligaments, sensing the astonished gaze. He faintly asked, “How’s your foot?”

“Huh?” Pei Mingye was momentarily caught off guard and pointed to himself, “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would I be talking to?” Xia Shuyan raised his long lashes and looked at Pei Mingye through the mirror. “Is there anyone else here?”

Pei Mingye snapped back to reality, “It’s nothing, I’m almost back to normal now.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized that the other person might have misunderstood something. He quickly explained, “I came to the gym for exercise because my foot wasn’t convenient for regular training. This time, it really wasn’t intentional—”

He stopped midway, his handsome face unconsciously showing a guilty expression. After all, the first three encounters were clearly designed by himself, and he had been secretly following the other person…

However, to his surprise, Xia Shuyan didn’t seem to mind at all and smiled, “Anyone can come to the gym, and I arrived later today.”

Pei Mingye secretly breathed a sigh of relief and held back for a few seconds before asking a meaningless question, “Are you warming up?”

Before starting their training, sports students also needed to warm up, but their warm-up routines seemed to be different from those of dance students.

“Mhm,” Xia Shuyan replied, tilting his head slightly, “By the way, can you do me a favor?”

Pei Mingye responded without hesitation, “Of course!”

Xia Shuyan’s gaze fell on his face, “You’re not even going to ask what the favor is before immediately agreeing?”

Pei Mingye was stunned for a moment, wiped the sweat from his face, and said in a low voice, “Then, what do you need help with?”

“It’s simple, can you bring the dumbbells over there for me?” Xia Shuyan placed a yoga block behind his waist, opened his legs, and motioned, “Then, place the dumbbell on my ankles.”

“What?” Pei Mingye widened his eyes in disbelief, unable to trust his ears, “You want me to put the dumbbell on your ankles?”

Xia Shuyan confirmed, “Yes.”

Pei Mingye half limped over, holding the dumbbell in his hand, and hesitantly asked, “Are you sure?”

The dumbbell was quite heavy, and he worried that he might accidentally break the slender ankles.

“Don’t worry, go ahead.” Xia Shuyan adjusted his posture, “I’m used to it, it won’t be a problem.”

Pei Mingye mustered his courage, half-knelt on the ground, and placed the dumbbell on Xia Shuyan’s delicate left ankle.

Xia Shuyan held onto his other leg and instructed gently, “Okay, slowly press it down.”

Following his instructions, Pei Mingye carefully lowered the dumbbell, but he couldn’t help but be amazed. How could a human body twist into such an unimaginable position?

Compared to the standard splits, Xia Shuyan’s hip angle was already over 180 degrees, and he had even placed a thick yoga block under him to increase the stretch. As a result, when Pei Mingye completely pressed the dumbbell onto his right ankle, Xia Shuyan let out a soft groan, “Uhh…”

They were very close, and that soft hum practically exploded in Pei Mingye’s ears. A strange and unfamiliar electric sensation shot up his spine, causing him to shudder and plop down on the ground.

Xia Shuyan blinked slowly, “What… happened to you?”

Feeling his ears burning, Pei Mingye didn’t even think about his injured foot and hurriedly stood up, stammering, “I, I, I… I’ll go practice over there!”

Xia Shuyan blinked, “Alright.”

Pei Mingye took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and grabbed the pull-up bar to continue doing his pull-ups.

Usually, when training or exercising, Pei Mingye could immerse himself fully, but today, for some reason, he couldn’t help but be distracted, stealing glances at the person on the other side of the gym.

Xia Shuyan lay on the ground, wearing a simple white shirt, and loose sports pants. Due to his split position, the pant legs were pulled up, revealing a section of straight and slender calves.

His legs were undeniably beautiful, smooth and sleek with not a hint of excess, bright and almost dazzlingly white. It made one wonder if his entire body was as delicate and translucent.

Pei Mingye couldn’t control his gaze, and his eyes slowly traveled upward along Xia Shuyan’s long legs.

Those enchanting peach blossom eyes were closed gently, delicate eyebrows slightly knitted. Sweat beaded on his forehead and nose, glistening in the light as if they would glow.

He looked like he was in pain, but he was surprisingly calm, as if he were allowing others to do whatever they wanted with him.

Pei Mingye fixed his gaze, and a wicked thought suddenly emerged in his mind. He wanted to see how far this soft body could be twisted and what kind of expression that pretty face would reveal then…

“Pei Mingye.” The next second, Xia Shuyan opened his eyes and softly called out his name.

Pei Mingye shuddered all over, almost falling off the pull-up bar.

Author’s Note:

Pei Mingye: That was close, that was close. I almost made a fool of myself in front of my wife!

Xia Xia: Don’t think of things straight guys shouldn’t think about in your head…

Z’s corner:

hwehwehwe, gym couple goals

Ye Ge’s daydream: ( ๑‾◡‾)❚█══█❚    ( ♡ᴗ♡ )