A social phobic can also fall in love.

Yan Tingmo’s face turned bright red. He avoided eye contact and said nothing.
On the other side.
Qi Xing was sitting idly, listening to a junior softly confessing her love. He didn’t even know this junior. Unfortunately, his two mischievous roommates had tricked him, saying someone was looking for him off-campus and coaxing him to come out.
If he had known it was a love confession, he wouldn’t have agreed no matter what.
“Senior Qi, I know I might sound a little bold,” the junior said shyly, “but I still want to make it clear. I’ve liked you for a long time. Could you give it a try and date me? I promise not to be demanding or unreasonable—just quietly be your girlfriend, okay?”
Qi Xing sighed inwardly and responded in an indifferent tone, “Do you know I’ve dated a boyfriend before?”
The junior froze for a moment and nodded. “I know.”
Qi Xing said, “Then you should know I’m gay and can’t possibly like girls.”
The junior bit her lip and murmured, “Maybe if we’re together, you’d gradually come to like me…”
“Impossible.” He interrupted her flatly, “I won’t like you, not now, not ever.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the junior’s eyes welled up with tears.
He said mercilessly, “Let it go, little girl. I’m not the only one for you.”
The junior remained silent, clearly unwilling to give up.
Qi Xing continued, “I already have someone I like. I don’t want any misunderstandings, so I’m sorry.”
The junior lowered her gaze and began sobbing softly.
Qi Xing frowned slightly. Rejecting confessions was always troublesome, especially when it came to girls.
As he pondered an excuse to leave, he accidentally noticed Yan Tingmo and his roommate sneaking glances from behind a tree.
Yan Tingmo didn’t originally want to watch, but Zhou Wen was too intrigued and dragged him along, circling half the block to hide behind a paulownia tree while munching on a burger and enjoying the scene.
“Hide behind me,” Zhou Wen mumbled through a mouthful of food. “Be careful not to let Qi Xing spot us.”
Yan Tingmo was exasperated, holding a warm pineapple pie and fries, unsure whether to eat or not.
Zhou Wen kept muttering, “Why do girls still have crushes on him when he’s so obviously gay?”
How would I know?
Yan Tingmo was mentally exhausted. For some reason, seeing a girl confessing to Qi Xing made him feel inexplicably upset and annoyed.
After some thought, he concluded that he was simply too selfish—selfish enough to want to monopolize all of Qi Xing’s goodness.
It was wrong. It was immature.
He pursed his lips anxiously, then took a bite of the pineapple pie in his hand. Before he could finish chewing, he unexpectedly locked eyes with Qi Xing, who was staring right at him.
Yan Tingmo: “…”
Awkward.
Zhou Wen shrank back like a guilty thief and whispered, “Did he see us?”
Yan Tingmo expressionlessly nodded. “He did.”
“Then why aren’t you panicking?” Zhou Wen asked.
Yan Tingmo was puzzled. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I panic?”
“Good point.”
Despite their words, both Yan Tingmo and Zhou Wen felt a flash of panic. They hurriedly finished their food, only to turn around and find Qi Xing walking straight toward them.
Qi Xing approached with a smile and feigned surprise. “What are you two doing hiding here?”
Zhou Wen glanced at Yan Tingmo out of the corner of his eye. Yan Tingmo said nothing, raising his head to look past Qi Xing at the teary-eyed girl still glancing in their direction.
Noticing his silence, Qi Xing followed his gaze and felt a flicker of irritation. Without a word, he shifted his body to block Yan Tingmo’s view of the girl.
“Hello, President,” Zhou Wen said cheerfully, trying to break the tension.
Qi Xing gave him a brief nod but kept his eyes fixed on Yan Tingmo.
Caught off guard, Yan Tingmo awkwardly lowered his head and took another bite of the pineapple pie.
Qi Xing: “…”
The atmosphere grew thick with unspoken words, and Zhou Wen resisted the urge to facepalm.
“Is it good?” Qi Xing suddenly asked.
Yan Tingmo froze, slowly swallowing his food before softly replying, “It’s okay.”
Qi Xing said, “I want a bite too.”
Yan Tingmo glanced at his partially eaten pineapple pie and hesitated. “Should I… give you half?”
“Sure,” Qi Xing said, leaning down and naturally taking a bite straight from his hand.
Both Yan Tingmo and Zhou Wen were utterly dumbfounded. The former was too stunned to react, while the latter was speechless at Qi Xing’s blatant display of possessiveness.
Zhou Wen, having unwittingly witnessed this dog food moment, stood there in the wind, baffled. It made no sense—Yan Tingmo’s suspicions about being gay were one thing, but why was Qi Xing acting like he didn’t have a brain either, casually defining his sexual orientation?
Zhou Wen rolled his eyes silently and turned away, only to meet the teary-eyed gaze of the girl who had just been rejected.
This girl isn’t simple.
Zhou Wen sighed inwardly. Yet another person suffering for love. Despite having plenty of thoughts to complain about, he chose to stand quietly to the side as a mere background character.
“It’s pretty good,” Qi Xing said leisurely after swallowing the bite, casually giving his review.
Yan Tingmo finally snapped back to his senses, feeling his cheeks and the tips of his ears grow hot as a visible flush spread rapidly across his face.
Qi Xing noticed every reaction, his long lashes lowering slightly to mask the flicker of desire in his eyes.
The pineapple pie in Yan Tingmo’s hand suddenly felt like a burning coal, making his palms sweat. Flustered, he stammered, “If you like it, you can have it. She… she’s still waiting for you. Maybe you should go back. Zhou Wen and I will leave now and stop bothering you.”
After blurting this out, he grabbed Zhou Wen, his background character, and prepared to make a swift retreat.
Halfway through, he abruptly turned back, awkwardly handed the pineapple pie to Qi Xing, and kept only the box of fries for himself.
Unexpectedly, Qi Xing didn’t plan to let him go so easily. Taking the opportunity, he grabbed the hand Yan Tingmo had extended and, with a light pull, brought him directly into his arms.
Zhou Wen nearly rolled his eyes to the back of his head.
“No rush,” Qi Xing said, brushing his chin lightly against Yan Tingmo’s hair. “Listen to what I have to say first. After that, I’ll take you out for a late-night snack.”
Yan Tingmo struggled slightly, protesting, “I don’t want to.”
“I don’t know her, and she doesn’t matter to me,” Qi Xing said firmly, cutting off any potential misunderstandings. “I like you. You’ve known that from the start. As for other confessions, I’ve rejected them all. Don’t overthink it, and don’t get jealous.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Tingmo’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “I’m not! I didn’t! Stop saying nonsense!”
“Alright,” Qi Xing relented, his tone almost playful. “I’m talking nonsense. My bad.”
Yan Tingmo felt like his ears were burning up.
Wait a second. A flash of realization crossed his mind—he had overlooked something important.
Burying his face in Qi Xing’s chest, he thought for a moment before suddenly pushing him away. A quick glance around confirmed his fears.
What he saw nearly sent him running back into Qi Xing’s arms.
At some point during their interaction, a crowd of curious onlookers had gathered around them. Some were munching on sunflower seeds while whispering to those next to them.
Even the girl who had just been rejected had joined the audience.
He was utterly baffled. The three of them hadn’t done anything remotely worth watching, so why did everyone look like they were witnessing a live, dramatic soap opera?
“Don’t mind them,” Qi Xing said nonchalantly, clearly accustomed to this sort of situation. Half-holding Yan Tingmo, he navigated past the crowd. Ignoring Zhou Wen’s resigned expression, he led him away, taking a turn to avoid their classmates’ prying eyes. Only then did Yan Tingmo let out a sigh of relief.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Qi Xing asked, tilting his head to look at him. “You don’t need to care about other people’s opinions.”
Yan Tingmo was taken aback. Qi Xing wasn’t just comforting him—he was also trying to encourage him.
“I know,” Yan Tingmo replied softly. “I don’t care.”
“Really?” Qi Xing glanced away, his tone casual. “You’d better mean it.”
Yan Tingmo was momentarily speechless and decided to change the subject. “Where are we going?”
“Just for a walk,” Qi Xing said. “I don’t feel like going back to the dorm.”
Yan Tingmo didn’t understand but chose not to press further.
When he remained silent, Qi Xing grew dissatisfied. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
Yan Tingmo thought to himself, You really love making things difficult. But in the end, he obediently asked, “Why?”
“I just don’t want to go back,” Qi Xing said unreasonably. “No particular reason.”
Yan Tingmo: “…” You’re just messing with me, aren’t you?
The two of them strolled casually along the roadside, completely forgetting about Zhou Wen, who had been left behind outside the school gate.
Streetlights, intoxicated by the night, spilled warm light onto the ground. Two tall silhouettes intertwined in that glow—representing a secret crush, tenderness, a heartbeat, and something irreplaceable.
Qi Xing gazed at their shadows for a moment, a subtle smile tugging at his lips. “Do you see it?” he asked.
“See what?” Yan Tingmo was puzzled.
“The shadows,” Qi Xing said. “They’re in love.”
Yan Tingmo knew he was spouting nonsense but instinctively lowered his head to look at their shadows.
The light stretched their shadows long. They stood so close together that he couldn’t tell which shadow belonged to him and which to Qi Xing.
“Am I right?” Qi Xing pressed, unwilling to let the topic drop.
Yan Tingmo didn’t know how to respond. Instead, he chose to stay silent and quicken his pace.
Qi Xing, who already had an arm around him, tightened his hold when he sensed him trying to escape. “Why are you running?”
Yan Tingmo thought to himself, his shamelessness knows no bounds.
“You don’t dislike me holding you,” Qi Xing said softly, his eyes brimming with warmth. “Do you?”
Yan Tingmo looked up at him, deliberately changing the topic. “Are you hungry? I’ll treat you to something.”
Qi Xing didn’t answer. Instead, he stubbornly said, “Tell me you don’t mind. If you don’t, we won’t go back tonight.”
Yan Tingmo’s eyes widened in shock. “You can’t be serious!”
“Are you mad?” Qi Xing asked with a laugh. “Did I upset you?”
Yan Tingmo didn’t want to dignify him with a response.
Qi Xing, however, refused to stop. “Is it because I talked to that girl? Or is it because I’m holding you, and you don’t actually mind?”
Yan Tingmo turned his head, thinking about running away again.
Anticipating his move, Qi Xing scooped him up before he could take a step. Startled, Yan Tingmo clutched at his shirt collar but stubbornly refused to wrap his arms around his neck.
“See? I scared you,” Qi Xing teased shamelessly. “Hurry up and say you don’t mind, or I might drop you.”
Fed up, Yan Tingmo surrendered to his embarrassment and blurted out, “Fine, fine, fine! I don’t mind, okay?”
“Don’t mind what?” Qi Xing pressed, not letting him off so easily. “Be specific. Is it because someone confessed to me, or because I’m holding you, and you don’t actually mind? Spell it out, or I won’t understand.”
Yan Tingmo: “…?”
Qi Xing, enough is enough!