Unexpected Intimacy chapter 1

Meeting at the Gay Bar

“Shen Ran, I’m leaving now. Please tidy up these things that need to be stocked.”

A colleague placed the clipboard with the handover form on the shelf and spoke to the person organizing in the back warehouse.

In the corner, under the dim light, there was a tall, thin figure. Due to the baseball cap from the convenience store, his expression was hard to make out, but he responded with a simple “Okay.”

After putting on his raincoat, the colleague grabbed his helmet and left. The automatic glass door closed behind him, and the store returned to silence. After a while, Shen Ran pushed the stock cart out, opened the row of refrigerators next to the cashier counter, and began restocking the missing drinks.

A typhoon was expected to hit the offshore area later that night. Although the impact on the city would be minimal, it had already started raining, and most of the shops on this street had closed. The convenience store, which was supposed to be open 24 hours, closed early at 6 p.m. Shen Ran spent an hour organizing the shelves, and just as he was finishing, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, then answered, “Where are you?”

“I can’t make it,” his friend Zheng Mingjin’s voice sounded somewhat urgent. “My sister sprained her ankle, and I’m heading to the hospital to pick her up.”

“Is it serious? Do you need me to come over?”

“It’s fine. She said it’s just a sprained ankle, nothing too serious. I just need to check on her. How about you, are you okay?”

Shen Ran smirked, his tone indifferent. “What could happen to me? If you’re not coming, I’ll just head home.”

“Alright then,” Zheng Mingjin sighed in relief but still reminded him, “Be careful. Don’t ride your bike in the storm, take the bus home.”

“Got it. Go take care of your sister. Be careful on your way back.”

After hanging up, Shen Ran placed his phone back on the counter. Before he could even sigh, he heard the notification sound of WeChat, and the latest message popped up at the top.

Senior: “Shen Ran, I really don’t know what to say except sorry. Let’s end it here.”

The message stayed pinned for two to three seconds before disappearing, but Shen Ran’s gaze seemed frozen. Even after the screen went dark, he couldn’t look away, his mind consumed by the events of the past few days.

The most striking image was of Li Ting and the girl in the alley, passionately kissing. As Li Ting’s boyfriend, Shen Ran was the last to find out about it, and it was a classmate who forwarded it to him after seeing it in a gossip group from the marketing department.

Now that summer vacation had started, only a few students remained on campus. However, in the age of information, most news spread online, especially in a campus environment where countless groups existed. Once a piece of news exploded, it was impossible to hide.

Li Ting, as the school beauty, had always been a controversial figure. When the photo was taken, her actions with the girl could no longer be explained away as a misunderstanding.

Shen Ran still clearly remembered his feelings when he first saw the photo.

At that time, he had been jogging along the track, sweating from the heat, but when he saw the photo, his hands and feet suddenly turned cold, and his mind went blank. His first reaction was that a classmate was playing a prank on him. But his second, more absurd reaction, was a sudden realization.

It turned out Li Ting had those kinds of worldly desires, but the object of them was not him, her boyfriend.

No wonder, after two months of dating, the only thing Li Ting had allowed him to do was hold hands. He had always thought it was because she was shy, until he saw this photo and the few seconds-long video clips his classmate later sent him.

The video wasn’t as clear as the photo, but it was still obvious that it was Li Ting and that girl.

His girlfriend was pressed against the wall by another girl, showing no sign of reluctance, and in fact, they were kissing each other passionately…

Turning to open the fridge door, Shen Ran grabbed three cans of beer, keyed in his employee number at the cash register, and checked out. He pulled the tab on the can of beer and drank it all in one go.

He had hoped that after avoiding him for a few days, Li Ting would explain the situation face-to-face. Instead, all he got was a breakup apology text.

He opened the second can, but halfway through drinking, he choked. Holding onto the nearby shelf, he coughed hard. After a moment, he picked up the beer again, finishing all three cans. His stomach was bloated from the carbonation, and he leaned against the back freezer door.

A lightning bolt flashed across the sky, and after a brief wait, no thunder followed. Passing cars splashed water from the puddles on the ground, and pedestrians’ pants were soaked.

He stared at a flashing neon sign across the street for a long time, then picked up his phone and called Li Ting.

This time, instead of the voicemail, the phone rang a few times before being picked up. However, he didn’t hear Li Ting’s voice. After a brief pause, he spoke first, “Senior, do you have nothing else to say?”

After two months of dating, Shen Ran still hadn’t changed his old habit and continued to call Li Ting, who was a year ahead of him, “Senior.”

As he spoke, he realized his voice had become hoarse. After asking his question, there was silence on the other end of the line. He waited patiently until his patience was nearly exhausted, only to hear a soft sob.

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know what to say.”

The image of Li Ting, eyes brimming with tears, flashed before Shen Ran’s eyes. He raised his left hand and pinched his brow a few times, trying to shake off this untimely image.

“So, that thing really happened. Since you like girls, what am I to you?”

Li Ting’s sobs became harder to suppress. Soon, Shen Ran heard her voice, filled with guilt: “I know it’s my fault. When I agreed to be with you, I really wanted to start over. But I didn’t expect she would use…”

Shen Ran spoke in a low tone: “Use what?”

Li Ting’s voice caught in her throat, and the atmosphere fell into silence again. As Shen Ran waited longer, he felt his breathing grow heavier, so he grabbed another can of beer from the fridge. During this time, Li Ting’s sobs were intermittent, and eventually, she spoke again. “I’m sorry, I made a mistake.”

“Shen Ran, I don’t know how to make it up to you, I really…”

The cold liquid flowed through his chest, cooling the anger in his heart. Shen Ran tried to make his voice sound as non-confrontational as possible. “If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you. Let’s just end it here. An amicable break up, and that’s it.”

Not wanting to hear another word from Li Ting, he quickly hung up the phone. By the time he finished his beer, his head was starting to feel heavy.

Since learning that Li Ting liked girls, he hadn’t been able to eat or sleep well. He had only had a rice dumpling for breakfast that day. His stomach was empty now, so he sat down to rest for a while. While his mind was still clear, he paid for the beer and organized things before leaving.

The rain outside had lightened a lot, and the water dripping from the awning wasn’t as heavy as before. Shen Ran let out a breath, glancing at the blue and white mountain bike parked in the nearby alley.

The weather had been fine when he left in the morning, so he had forgotten his raincoat. Now, after drinking, he decided to open an umbrella and walk to the bus stop across the street.

While waiting for the bus, he watched the clouds move slowly across the sky and thought about a small thing that happened before he started dating Li Ting.

It was another rainy day, with dark clouds looming. Li Ting hadn’t brought an umbrella and was stuck outside the library. Just as he and Li Ting were both heading down the stairs, he didn’t approach her like everyone else to ask if she needed help. Instead, he simply hooked his umbrella handle around her arm and walked a few steps down the stairs before rushing into the rain.

Li Ting had called out “Hey” twice behind him. When he turned around, she looked a bit anxious, opening the umbrella and trying to walk toward him. He didn’t stop but gave her a soft smile before turning and running off.

At the time, he already had feelings for Li Ting, but since he had never pursued a girl before, he didn’t quite know how to interact. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to give her the umbrella.

He thought that would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, Li Ting later found him, returned the umbrella, and even treated him to bubble tea.

The bus horn snapped him out of his thoughts. Shen Ran put his umbrella away and boarded the bus, taking a seat by the window.

The sky had grown much darker, and neon lights from signboards began to glow along the street. Shops were gradually closing, but many restaurants were still open. As the bus turned onto Zhongshan Road, Shen Ran saw the sign of a bubble tea shop. His eyebrows twitched, and he quickly shut his eyes.

Perhaps it was the alcohol or the bumpy bus ride, but his head felt even more dizzy, and he didn’t want to return to his empty rental apartment.

He rested against the window for a while, and when he heard the station announcement, he glanced outside. He noticed a bar next to the bus stop was open.

At that moment, Shen Ran didn’t even know what he was thinking. He stood up, got off the bus, and walked into the dimly lit bar.

Despite the approaching typhoon, the bar still had plenty of people inside. Shen Ran walked up to the bar counter and ordered a bottle of Jack Daniel’s pre-mixed drink. Just as he was about to finish it, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

He rubbed his brow before turning around and smelling the faint bitterness of cocoa. Amid the swirling smoke, a voice whispered in his ear, “Hey, handsome, drinking alone?”

It was a woman’s voice, and soon, a finger traced circles on his chest. After he grabbed her hand and pulled it away, she smiled. “Let me buy you a drink. Whatever’s bothering you, drink up, and it’ll all be better after a good sleep.”

The woman moved away from his ear and faced him directly. Shen Ran couldn’t clearly see her features, but he could feel her breath, warm and getting closer to his lips. His slow-thinking brain finally realized what was about to happen.

The image of Li Ting and the girl kissing passionately in the alley flashed in his mind. He suddenly pushed the woman away and walked briskly toward the exit without looking back.

Just as he neared the door, he tripped over a raised doorstep but managed to steady himself. Shaking his head, he stepped out onto the completely darkened street, thinking about how he had become the subject of mockery among his classmates.

Although the ridicule was unbearable, what he couldn’t understand the most was Li Ting’s mindset.

If she liked girls, why agree to be with him? Did same-sex attraction really have such a strong pull?!

He leaned against the wall, took a few deep breaths, and pulled out his phone from his pocket, dialing senior Ji Minglun.

Ji Minglun seemed to be in an inconvenient situation, asking him to wait a moment before asking what was going on. 

During the waiting time, Shen Ran had calmed his breathing and spoke more calmly. He asked Ji Minglun where the nearest gay bar was, when Ji Minglun asked why he was asking about a gay bar he replied casually that he just wanted to check it out.

Ji Minglun had heard about Li Ting and wanted to say a few more words of advice to Shen Ran, but Shen Ran wasn’t interested in talking further. After hearing that he was with a friend, Ji Minglun told him the location and reminded him not to do anything reckless.

After hanging up, Shen Ran walked to the street and hailed a taxi, telling the driver the address.

The distance between the two locations wasn’t far, but by the time he got out of the taxi, the rain had intensified. His umbrella was left in the previous bar, so he had no choice but to walk through the rain and stand under a covered area. He brushed the water droplets from his bangs, stared at the heavy door handle for a moment, and then pulled the door open with force.

This gay bar had a similar atmosphere to the bar he had just visited—slow, groovy music, dim lighting, and a somewhat decadent decor style. The only difference was that most of the customers here were men.

As Shen Ran entered, he noticed a few people at the bar glancing his way. He ignored their looks and surveyed the room, finally choosing a seat near the aisle. 

A server approached and asked what he would like to drink. He ordered a bottle of Jack Daniel’s mixed drink again. While waiting for his drink, he leaned back in his chair, continuing to observe his surroundings.

Almost every table had two or more men sitting together, and their poses were quite suggestive—some had their arms around each other, others were sitting face-to-face, flirting while sitting on each other’s laps. He even caught sight of two men kissing passionately.

The sight stunned him so much that he forgot to look away, staring at them without blinking until the server placed his drink on the table, snapping him back to reality.

He picked up the bottle and drank as if he were very thirsty, taking large gulps. After finishing it, he still felt unsatisfied and ordered another bottle.

While waiting for this second drink, he dared not look around again. Instead, he focused on his phone, but everything he looked at had double images, and his head grew heavier. Just then, someone walked over and sat down beside him, asking if he was interested in having a drink and getting to know each other.

He was already too drunk to focus, but subconsciously, he knew he wasn’t about to hook up with a man.

Seeing him wave his hand in refusal, the other person didn’t persist and simply got up and left.

Shen Ran sat for a while, originally planning to leave, but the alcohol’s aftereffects were hitting him harder, and his legs were weak when he went to the restroom. After coming out, he leaned against the wall to walk, but as he reached a corner, he bumped into someone. The person cursed a few times, then, upon seeing his face, moved closer and asked with a suggestive tone what his name was, even reaching out to hook his waist.

Feeling the fingers brushing along his waist, Shen Ran frowned and tried to push them away. Before he could, he felt the grip loosen, followed by the sound of the man gasping.

He squeezed his eyes shut and regained a bit of clarity. As he opened his eyes, he saw the back of a man in a black shirt, slightly taller than him, standing in front of him. The man twisted the offending person’s finger outward in an exaggerated arc, and amidst the man’s curses, he glanced at Shen Ran.

Perhaps it was the bar’s unsteady lighting, but Shen Ran noticed the man’s gold-rimmed round glasses and the beautiful eyes behind them—cold yet somehow sparkling with a certain brilliance.

T/N:

The senior Ji Minglun, is a character from one of the author’s novels ‘Try Again’. If you are interested you can check it out! I have completely translated it.