Chapter 1

Synopsis
POV: main top (the male lead as the pursuer)
Blurb 1:
Ji Zhou moved into a shared apartment and, to his surprise, discovered that his roommate was actually his online girlfriend.
Good news: she didn’t use fake photos.
Bad news: the gender is wrong.
While Ji Zhou stared at the roommate holding a wig and wearing a puffy skirt, lost in thought, the roommate generously explained, “Bro, don’t worry. Wearing women’s clothes is just my job. I’m a straight-as-steel guy.”
Ji Zhou: …
If you’re straight, then what am I?
Blurb 2:
Ye Muyang has been a little bothered lately.
His boyfriend suddenly started giving him the cold shoulder, and the new roommate doesn’t look very friendly either.
When he was being cyberbullied because of his livestream, that icy roommate unexpectedly brought him warmth—
flowers, and desserts, too.
Ye Muyang said uneasily, “Um… I have a partner.”
The roommate still wore a cool expression. “So do I.”
“Then aren’t we… being a bit too ambiguous?”
“Aren’t you a straight-as-steel guy? What’s ambiguous between two men?”
Ye Muyang: That actually makes so much sense!
Sure enough, a gay guy and a straight guy really don’t think the same way.
Blurb 3:
After an app update, Ye Muyang can see the real-time distance between his online boyfriend and himself.
Wait—hold on. What do you mean the distance is one meter?
He looked up at the roommate sitting not far away.
Carefully, he sent a message.
“Beep.” A familiar notification sound rang out.
Ye Muyang: Help! Can I take back what I said last night about riding him?
An apparently proper-but-actually-not-at-all proper dentist top × an apparently improper-but-actually-super-innocent streamer bottom
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Tags: Urban
Heaven’s Favored
Slow burn / love grows with time
Keywords: Ji Zhou, Ye Muyang
One-line pitch: A guy? A guy works too.
Theme: Don’t fear difficulties; live with positivity and effort.
Chapter 1
Nanan City had plenty of rain, especially in summer. Just moments ago the sky had been clear, but in the blink of an eye dark clouds rolled in. Ji Zhou had barely driven out of the parking garage when fat raindrops began pelting down, drumming against the car with a dull, heavy sound.
His phone rang for the second time. Steering with one hand as he eased out of the hospital gates, he answered with the other. “Hello?”
“Bro, I’m almost at Yunyue Bay. When are you off work?” came his cousin Tong Wen’s voice through the receiver.
The wipers swung left and right in a steady rhythm. Through the windshield, Ji Zhou watched the congested street and said, “I’m on the way. Might be a little late—go ahead and order.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you there.”
He hung up and merged into traffic. It was rush hour, and with a downpour on top of it, a jam was inevitable. The restaurant Tong Wen picked wasn’t far from the hospital, but it still took over twenty minutes to arrive.
Yunyue Bay was a private kitchen restaurant—Chinese courtyard style, elegant and quiet. Guided by a server, Ji Zhou found the private room where Tong Wen was.
When he pushed the door open, Tong Wen was on the phone. The young man lounged back in his chair, right ankle resting over his left knee, posture casual and loose. His short gray-blue hair only made his age-appropriate boldness stand out more.
“I’m really eating with my brother. What other girls could there be?”
“Be good. I’ll play games with you tonight.”
Hearing the door, Tong Wen turned his head. The helplessness on his face vanished at once, replaced by a grin. “Bro.” Then he said to the person on the line, “Gotta go—my brother’s here. We’ll talk later.”
Ji Zhou sat down beside him. The server asked softly, “Sir, may we start serving now?”
Tong Wen, having ended the call, chimed in, “Bro, want to add a couple more dishes?”
“No need,” Ji Zhou said.
Tong Wen nodded. “Everyone’s here—serve the dishes.”
“Yes, sir.” The server left, and the room was soon just the two of them.
Ji Zhou asked first, “You’re dating someone?”
Tong Wen didn’t hide it. “Yeah. Temper’s huge.”
He said that, but there was no irritation on his face—if anything, he looked like he was enjoying it.
“A big temper can keep you in line. That’s good,” Ji Zhou commented lightly.
Tong Wen pouted. “Then why don’t you find someone to keep you in line?”
Ji Zhou was frank. “Haven’t met the right one.”
“How could you not?” Tong Wen shifted, turning to face him. “Your hospital has so many nurses, and you see so many patients every day. Not a single one with potential?”
“No.”
The air froze for a beat. Tong Wen studied the man in front of him. Ji Zhou looked a bit like Tong Wen’s father—thin lips, a high-bridged nose, and peach-blossom eyes: the classic “heartbreaker” face. But unlike Ji Mingwei’s romantic, flirtatious nature, Ji Zhou always kept a certain distance. Those eyes that should have been full of invitation and affection looked as though coated in frost on his face, giving no hint of anything suggestive.
Even so, his aloofness had never stopped people from pursuing him—back in school, his admirers could have lined up around the campus several times. Even Tong Wen’s friends said, “Your brother looks like he walked straight out of a manga. He must date eight girlfriends at once.”
Everyone assumed that, but the truth was—at least as far as Tong Wen knew—his brother hadn’t dated even one. Did that make any sense? Who would believe it?
Tong Wen’s eyes flicked around. Half joking, half serious, he asked, “Bro, be honest. Are you gay?”
Just then, the server pushed the door open and began bringing dishes in one by one, forcing the topic to stop.
Ji Zhou lowered his gaze, sipping the warm appetizer soup the server poured. After the door closed again, he suddenly said, “I thought about it. I can’t rule out the possibility.”
“Pff—” Tong Wen’s soup nearly came out of his nose.
Ji Zhou handed him a tissue and explained seriously, “I never define something I haven’t done. Even people who’ve dated the opposite sex can end up liking the same sex, so I don’t think you need to speak in absolutes.”