My Boyfriend is the Heartthrob, and I’m Just a Passerby.

As soon as the words fell, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Yan Mei’s entire face remained buried against his shoulder, motionless, showing no sign of pulling away.

The sound of the wind echoed through the hallway, plunging the space between them into silence.

Ye Jishu could hear the faint patter of rain beside his ear, the cold seeping through the gaps in his coat.

The narrow space around them felt as if it had suddenly become suffocating.

Yan Mei didn’t speak.

He didn’t move.

He simply stayed in the same position, holding him.

Ye Jishu was only wearing a shirt.

Through the coat, Yan Mei’s hands rested on his back.

As time passed, the drip—drip sound echoed, and a slick, sticky sensation seeped through the thin fabric.

At that moment, Yan Mei finally moved.

His arm around Ye Jishu’s waist tightened—then tightened further.

The pressure made his bones creak.

Ye Jishu said, “Yan Mei, that hurts.”

The moment his words fell, the force constricting his body suddenly disappeared.

The suffocating tension pressing against him also dissipated into nothingness.

Yan Mei finally lifted his head.

Ye Jishu turned his head slightly, meeting his gaze.

The first thing he noticed—

Were those eyes.

Normally, whenever Yan Mei spoke to people, he always maintained a gentle smile.

But in contrast, his eyes rarely held any trace of warmth.

The longer one looked, the more unsettling they became—so chilling they sent a deep, unnatural sense of unease creeping through the bones.

Ye Jishu rarely looked into his eyes on purpose.

He deliberately avoided being stared at with that kind of coldness.

But right now—

Those eyes were even more terrifying than any he had ever seen before.

Like a storm, thick with heat and moisture, brewing in the depths.

And yet, Ye Jishu couldn’t look away.

Because Yan Mei was staring at him.

With a gaze darker than anything he had ever shown before.

“Jishu, do you remember a few days ago?”

“….”

He suddenly brought up something unrelated.

“After that aquarium date, I kept thinking about what to do.

It felt like the moment we got in the car, your attitude changed.

You didn’t want to look at me.

You wouldn’t talk to me.

You just kept busy with your own things.

Even when we went to the exhibits together—

You still never smiled.

Why?

Did you not want to be with me?

Did you start hating me back then?

Have you just been enduring it this whole time?”

Ye Jishu: “Yan Mei.”

But the other party seemed not to hear his voice. His breathing grew rapid as he continued speaking in a chaotic rush.

“Is it because I didn’t do something well? Did I put too much pressure on you, Jishu? Is that why you don’t want me to touch you…?”

“Is it because of Lin Lin? Your roommate? Wen Yuhe… or that streamer from a few days ago?

If it’s because of me, just tell me what kind of person you like—I can change—”

“Yan Mei.”

Ye Jishu interrupted him again.

This time, he raised his voice.

“…..”

The other finally stopped speaking.

Yet, those eyes still locked onto him, unblinking, waiting for an explanation.

Why break up?

Why so suddenly?

Why go against their promise and abandon him like this?

That face, filled with confusion and helplessness, seemed to be silently asking these questions.

If it were anyone else from school seeing Yan Mei like this, they would surely find it unbelievable.

He had actually managed to shake this person.

Ye Jishu: “I just want to break up. That’s all.”

None of those other reasons were why he had decided to leave.

Thinking about them now was meaningless.

Some might feel satisfied seeing someone like Yan Mei—who had always been above everyone else, who could have anything he wanted—reduced to self-recrimination and near-collapse over them.

But Ye Jishu only wanted this to be over quickly.

As his words fell, silence once again swallowed the hallway.

“…Meaningless, huh?”

“…I see.”

Drip.

Drip.

Outside, the heavy rain seemed to intensify.

They remained in the same position—Ye Jishu held in Yan Mei’s embrace.

Under the dim light above, their shadows stretched long against the floor, grotesquely distorted into something almost inhuman.

In Ye Jishu’s vision, that shadow seemed to move.

His body flinched involuntarily, an inexplicable tension striking his chest.

For a brief moment, he curled slightly in Yan Mei’s hold.

He didn’t know how much time passed before Yan Mei finally spoke again.

“I understand.”

“I was surprised when you said that, Jishu. You caught me off guard… That’s why I reacted like I did.”

His voice sounded calm. Steady.

As if that desperate, frenzied attempt to salvage everything from moments ago had been nothing more than an illusion.

As if that madness had only lasted a few seconds.

Yan Mei seemed to have quickly returned to normal, his words collected, revealing no trace of anything out of place.

“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted that way.”

Then, he smiled apologetically.

It was a barely noticeable smile, but because of that, it drew all attention to the corner of his lips.

And once the eyes landed there, they couldn’t help but drift upward.

Once someone noticed him, they would inevitably fall under the spell of his striking, intoxicating features.

If it had been anyone else standing here, just one look—just one of Yan Mei’s smiles—would have driven them into helpless infatuation.

A single smile, and everything could be forgiven.

Even Ye Jishu, who had already braced himself, who fully understood the other’s allure, found himself dazed for a few seconds.

[I completely understood the danger of Yan Mei’s charm.]

[I had prepared myself.]

[And yet, even after four months, I still couldn’t resist this side of him…]

With a smile like this—

The tension he had felt moments ago gradually eased.

Without realizing it, he let down his guard.

Suddenly, his previous thoughts seemed ridiculous.

[Of course, Yan Mei wouldn’t actually care about him.]

There was no desperate persistence.

No insistence on knowing why.

Ye Jishu wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Should he be relieved?

Or was this suffocating weight in his chest something else?

What was this?

This was supposed to be the best outcome.

At least now, he could finally get what he wanted.

He let out a breath, his stiff body relaxing.

Ye Jishu didn’t want to think too much about it.

“Jishu, did I scare you just now?”

“…A little.”

Yan Mei hadn’t moved away from their close proximity.

Once again, he reached out, gently rubbing his fingertips along Ye Jishu’s waist. The fabric rustled softly in the quiet hallway.

For two people who had already broken up, this level of intimacy shouldn’t exist.

Ye Jishu felt something was off.

But he had never been in a relationship before.

And Yan Mei was the type who liked physical contact.

So he wasn’t sure if he should remind him—

He hesitated. “Um…”

His words were cut off.

Yan Mei’s voice interrupted his confusion.

“But… can we hold off on deciding about the breakup for now?”

“I want to think about it properly, about what I should do and how I really feel. Because somehow, Jishu… you’ve been considering this for a long time without me even realizing it.

When did you start having these thoughts?

Who put this idea in your head…?

What made you suddenly want to leave me?”

His voice dropped lower, fading beneath the sound of the rain.

Ye Jishu couldn’t make out the rest of his words.

And because of that, he missed the best chance to question the growing strangeness of their distance.

So what now?

This… counted as a successful breakup, right?

Although Yan Mei had only said he needed time to consider, Ye Jishu knew from their four months together—

When Yan Mei left room for negotiation, it usually meant a negative answer was inevitable.

He waited a moment longer.

Yan Mei still didn’t move, still holding him tightly.

But Ye Jishu’s patience was wearing thin.

[I’m so tired. I finally got what I wanted, but something still feels… off. My head is a mess.]

Especially the unexpected heaviness in his chest.

The only thing Ye Jishu wanted to do now was return to his dorm and play games.

Play all night, then sleep.

He didn’t want to think about Yan Mei anymore.

Above them, the fluorescent light flickered with a sharp creak.

Once.

Twice.

Ye Jishu didn’t hesitate any longer.

He raised his hand, intending to push Yan Mei off his shoulder.

But before he could touch him, Yan Mei pulled away first—

Leaving him no chance to make contact.

Ye Jishu’s hand froze mid-air.

Then, he slowly lowered it and slipped it into his coat pocket.

His fingertips brushed against something inside.

In that moment, he realized what it was.

The birthday gift he had prepared for Yan Mei.

But he had forgotten to give it to him.

Now, it was too late.

Even someone as socially unaware as Ye Jishu knew that giving it now would be completely inappropriate.

“…I’m heading back.”

He hesitated for a second before adding, “Yan Mei, goodbye.”

It was time to go back to his dorm.

Starting today, he could return to his [passerby] life.

Once he left the world of the campus star, he would go back to being nothing more than a background character.

He would study in the self-study room for exams.

He would spend entire days in his dorm playing games whenever he wanted.

No one would expect him to respond to messages every day or go to all kinds of places.

All those inconveniences would disappear.

Ye Jishu turned and started walking up the stairs.

But after just a few steps—

“Jishu.”

A voice suddenly called from behind.

Yan Mei’s voice.

Ye Jishu turned back.

The other had lifted his head slightly, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

“Oh, right. There’s one last thing I want to ask of you.”

“…What?”

Yan Mei spoke casually, almost abruptly—

“Can you walk me back to my dorm one last time?”

“…?”

The request sounded strange at first.

But then again, maybe it was just a habit.

Except for the night of the confession in the rain and the times they drove together, Ye Jishu had always walked Yan Mei back first before heading to his own dorm.

It had become an unspoken routine.

Now that Yan Mei had brought it up, it wasn’t that unusual.

Nothing strange about it.

So… should he say yes?

As he hesitated, Ye Jishu’s fingers suddenly brushed against the gift in his pocket.

The soft texture made his rejection fade away.

[I can give it to him on the way.]

Ye Jishu said, “Okay.”

Yan Mei didn’t react.

He simply stared at him, patiently waiting for Ye Jishu to take the initiative and walk to his side.

Then, the two of them headed out of the dormitory.

It wasn’t until they reached the first floor that Ye Jishu noticed the rain pouring down.

The slick rainwater flowed across the ground, leaving reflective streaks and carrying the damp, moldy scent unique to humid air.

The storm was heavier than he had expected.

It had started off normal—so why did it suddenly…

Before he could gather his thoughts, Yan Mei had already reached for an umbrella from the storage rack by the dorm entrance, pulling it out with a swift motion.

[This scene is eerily familiar.]

For a brief moment, Ye Jishu felt as if he had been pulled back to that rainy night four months ago.

But this time, he was the one walking Yan Mei home.

Yan Mei opened the umbrella.

The two of them stepped into the rain.

After only a few steps, Ye Jishu’s gaze was drawn to the flickering headlights of a car not far away.

A pitch-black vehicle sat conspicuously in the wet shrubbery.

From where he stood, the car’s two bright orange lights were almost blinding, making it impossible to see who was inside.

Yet, Ye Jishu could feel the person in the car staring at him and Yan Mei.

Something about the gaze felt strangely familiar.

Wei Yangze…?

Why was he sitting there watching them, without coming forward?

He remained still, his mind racing through countless thoughts.

The next second, Yan Mei’s low, cold voice reached him from the side.

“Even when I’m right next to you, your attention still isn’t fully on me… instead, it’s on those insignificant pests.”

Ye Jishu snapped back to reality.

Yan Mei’s head was lowered, making it difficult to see his expression.

“…Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore,” he muttered. “After all, you’ve always been like this. I probably just misunderstood, thinking you’d care about me more than I imagined. But in the end… it was just because you were too lazy to reject me, wasn’t it?”

Too lazy… to reject him?

If this had been before, Ye Jishu would’ve explained himself immediately.

But now…

It felt like there was no point in explaining.

His silence made the air between them grow even heavier, almost suffocating.

They walked past the car.

A while later, Ye Jishu glanced back and saw that the orange headlights had turned off.

He followed the familiar route.

From his dormitory to Yan Mei’s folklore studies dorm, the distance was quite long.

Usually, he would pass the time playing mobile games, unknowingly finishing the walk.

But now, with Yan Mei by his side, his phone suddenly seemed unappealing.

The wind rustled through the greenery around them.

Even with his coat on, Ye Jishu still felt cold.

The tree canopy overhead swayed eerily along the roadside.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but the branches seemed to twist ever so slowly in the shadows, whispering vague, hushed voices above them. The streetlights cast overlapping shadows, forming a dense net that stretched across their path.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of Yan Mei’s dormitory building.

In the end, he still didn’t give him the gift.

Ye Jishu’s hand remained in his coat pocket, brushing against the present, a faint sense of regret settling in his heart.

Yan Mei still hadn’t spoken.

Just like during the walk, the two of them had managed to stay silent for an unnaturally long time.

Yan Mei finally stopped.

For some reason, Ye Jishu felt like he was waiting for him to say something.

“…In the future, if you come across something you don’t like, you can refuse. If you find crowds boring and can’t get into the mood, you can leave anytime. You don’t have to join a club. Don’t force yourself to fit in. The film club is the same.

And… if you don’t want to smile, you don’t have to.

I know that most of the time, you don’t really like the people around you, even if you don’t want to show it.”

This was the longest sentence he had ever said in one go.

Even as the words left his mouth, he found himself slightly surprised. His eyes flickered with an unexpected emotion.

He didn’t even know why he was saying this.

A cool breeze swept past them.

Yan Mei turned around, half of his body already drenched by the rain.

“Jishu, come upstairs with me.”

“After all, you’ve never been to my place, not even once.”

Ye Jishu couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

He was already here.

Turning him down now would seem too cold-hearted.

And to say he wasn’t curious… would be a lie.

Four months.

It had always been Yan Mei coming to his classroom, entering his dorm. He had never once stepped into Yan Mei’s private space.

Before, it was because he didn’t want to intrude. He didn’t want to form deeper connections.

But now… did it even matter anymore?

Under Yan Mei’s unwavering gaze, Ye Jishu snapped out of his thoughts and let out a quiet “Mm.”

The two of them walked to the dormitory entrance.

Yan Mei closed the umbrella.

As he shook it out, droplets of rain scattered onto the ground.

Ye Jishu’s clothes and pant legs were damp from the rain.

Yan Mei said, “Change upstairs.”

[Now, I really have no reason to refuse.]

Ye Jishu followed Yan Mei into the unfamiliar dormitory building.

No keycard was needed.

Unlike the dorms for their mathematics department.

To be honest, this was the kind of dorm he had envisioned when he first applied to the university.

But for some reason, at this hour, not a single student was around.

The silence was eerie—almost as if even the sound of rain had disappeared.

They didn’t take the elevator.

Ye Jishu followed behind Yan Mei, climbing the stairs step by step.

Until they reached the third floor.

Then, Yan Mei stepped into the hallway ahead of him.

Ye Jishu was a little surprised.

It turned out that the other party’s dormitory was also the last room on this floor.

At some point, Yan Mei had already appeared behind him.

The door in front of him was not closed.

With just a light push, Ye Jishu heard a creaking sound as the door swung open in front of him.

Yan Mei suddenly leaned in close.

A damp, cold breath immediately spread from the spot where their bodies were near each other.

Before Ye Jishu could react, a sudden, powerful force from behind pushed him straight through the door.

Bang!

His body had no time to stabilize itself.

The room was unlit. Ye Jishu wanted to turn around, but he only heard a click from behind him.

That was the sound of the door locking.

Ye Jishu whipped his head around.

The only light source from the hallway disappeared.

His last sight was of Yan Mei gripping the door handle, staring at him.

“Jishu, you’re so easy to deceive,” Yan Mei said calmly.

The surroundings fell into complete darkness.

Thump, thump, thump.

That was the muffled sound of his own heart pounding in his chest.

He couldn’t see anything.

His heartbeat accelerated, and a wave of unprecedented fear surged through him.

His limbs started to feel numb.

The next moment, he heard footsteps approaching in the dark.

Ye Jishu took a step back and accidentally bumped into the edge of a table. A sharp pain shot through his lower back, forcing a stifled groan from his lips.

But that pain couldn’t overshadow the confusion and terror welling up inside him.

In all the time he had spent around Yan Mei, he had never felt this way before.

Even when Yan Mei was in a low mood, revealing a side different from his usual self, he had always been predictable, in control, never unsettling.

But now, Ye Jishu had no idea what was happening.

What… what is Yan Mei trying to do?

There were no windows in the dormitory, no bathroom, nowhere to escape.

Even though he had only caught a quick glimpse, the school dormitories were supposed to be standardized.

So… was this really the dormitory for the Humanities and Social Sciences department?

There were no windows, yet he could hear the sound of rain—like something twisting and writhing in the darkness, frantic and eerie.

“I didn’t want to do this.”

A flash of lightning burst in Ye Jishu’s mind like an illusion.

By sound alone, he should have been able to judge the distance.

But now, all of his senses were failing him.

He could only feel Yan Mei approaching—closer and closer, unnaturally close.

“Jishu has always been my everything. That hasn’t changed since the day I made that promise. Even now, it hasn’t changed—”

“Even if I’m abandoned and discarded, it’s the same… Thinking about how I ended up just like those trashy games, completely thrown away.”

Yan Mei’s voice carried a light, amused laugh.

But that laughter was chilling, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself.

If he were human, his mental state would be clearly abnormal.

But this was Yan Mei.

Someone adored and obsessed over by countless people—how could he possibly spiral into this state just because of a breakup with someone like him?

That said, humans instinctively fear the unknown.

Though Ye Jishu’s expression remained blank, his breathing had already become erratic.

At the same time, heat surged through his body, turning his exhaled breaths feverishly warm.

“I’ve been thrown away…”

“I had a feeling it would happen, because Jishu never plays the same game twice. Once he clears it, he immediately tosses it aside, bored.”

[No, that’s not true.]

Ye Jishu refuted him internally.

It was just that games were meant to pass the time.

A way for a nobody to entertain himself.

If he didn’t choose carefully, then the only thing keeping him grounded would disappear.

So, he had set this rule for himself.

And it had worked, allowing him to ignore everything around him and survive until now.

But Yan Mei clearly had no intention of listening to his explanation. He continued speaking on his own.

“I really, really like Jishu. So much that even I can’t understand or accept it. Because I wanted to cherish you, I held back. I imitated the disgusting humans around us. Maybe that’s exactly why I was discarded, why I was ‘cleared’ like a game.”

Ye Jishu’s shirt was lifted.

Something thick and slick slithered its way inside, roughly brushing against the spot on his lower back where he had just been injured.

That icy sensation pressed firmly against his skin.

No—rather than a caress, it felt more like something was aggressively rubbing against him, licking him.

“Enough, I don’t want to pretend anymore.” Yan Mei let out a cold laugh. “Even though I was your boyfriend, you never got jealous when others liked me or got close to me. On the way here, I kept thinking… I finally get it now. It all started when I got sick, didn’t it? You wanted to push me onto someone else. Who exactly are you interested in…?”

Dangerous words kept spilling out.

“But if I can make things feel fresh for Jishu again, then maybe I won’t be abandoned. Honestly… do you think I actually care? It’s just humans, after all. Those things—”

Freshness.

And humans.

[What is Yan Mei even talking about?]

That intrusive sensation was indescribable.

Ye Jishu’s mind went blank with confusion.

But the more he tried to dismiss it, the harder it was to ignore the rough touches against his skin.

[What is this…?]

[It can’t be fingers, but I can’t think of anything else that could be this flexible…]

As his brain short-circuited in a daze, his shirt was lifted further, exposing more of his skin to the cold air. Ye Jishu shivered.

At the same time, the thing slithering into his jacket and under his shirt multiplied—two, three…

For a moment, Ye Jishu’s mind went completely blank, his sense of place and reality slipping away.

His body instinctively sagged downward, but before he could fall, he was caught and pulled into a tight embrace.

A familiar scent filled his nose.

That unmistakable fragrance belonged solely to Yan Mei.

Ye Jishu clenched the fabric within his reach, his mind spinning.

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

With his vision completely stripped away, only his remaining senses were left to function—more intense than ever before.

The force behind the touches showed no restraint.

He could feel bruises and abrasions forming on his skin.

He was sure he was bleeding.

Ye Jishu struggled slightly and instinctively called out.

“Yan Mei, what is this? I don’t want this. It’s too much…”

Even though they had only been together for four months…

Somewhere along the way, he had unconsciously gotten used to turning to Yan Mei whenever he faced trouble.

He hadn’t even realized that he was seeking help from the very person responsible for all of this.

If it were any other human daring to do something like this, Yan Mei would have gotten rid of them without hesitation.

But this… this was his weak, feeble attempt at resistance.

Yet the moment his words fell, the things invading his shirt abruptly stopped moving.

But this was a direct plea from Yan Mei’s [everything.]

It could not be refused.

And now, despite everything, Ye Jishu still felt a flicker of relief—still thought that maybe things hadn’t completely fallen apart yet…

In the darkness, Yan Mei stared at him, taking in every expression.

“I don’t care what Jishu thinks anymore,” he gazed at Ye Jishu’s face and said, “If Jishu sees the real me… and you can accept it, can we not break up? … Of course, this doesn’t mean I care about the thoughts of mere mortals. It’s just that..”

[I just want you to always look at me.]

[Don’t break up.]

[Don’t break up.]

[Otherwise, I don’t know what I might do]. 

From their brief four months together, although Ye Jishu always maintained an expressionless face, making it hard to guess what he was thinking, his level of acceptance and tolerance was unexpectedly high.

He really liked him…

The way Ye Jishu made him unconsciously want to cling to him, to do anything for him.

Therefore, even Yan Mei, who had nothing to do with humans, held a certain expectation.

If it’s you, Jishu, I can reveal my true self to you.

This might be an opportunity for their relationship to deepen.

If that’s the case…

Freshness… Breaking up…

With that thought in mind, Yan Mei withdrew from the darkness.

In the next moment, his true form was completely exposed before Ye Jishu’s eyes.