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

Ye Jishu originally thought there wouldn’t be anyone in the dorm, so he didn’t knock as he usually would.

However, the moment he pulled the door open—

A figure lunged at him, grabbing his shoulders tightly.

“Thank goodness… you’re alive! You scared me to death!!!”

Bo Zhehan was on the verge of tears.

Gone was his cool guy persona—he didn’t care about his image anymore.

To be honest, he had already started regretting leaving Ye Jishu alone back there. If anything had happened, he would have been tormented by guilt, unable to forget it even in his dreams.

Luckily, the other party was back…

Ye Jishu: “You’re gripping too hard.”

After a few seconds of overwhelming relief, Bo Zhehan belatedly realized how inappropriate his actions were. He quickly let go and stepped back.

He still wanted to live a little longer.

This lifetime, he swore to the heavens, he would never covet someone else’s boyfriend again.

As if recalling something, he lowered his voice.

“By the way, there shouldn’t be any more Source of Infection following us, right?”

[Why are you suddenly lowering your voice?]

Ye Jishu’s gaze passed over Bo Zhehan’s shoulder and into the room—

And unintentionally met a pair of eyes that were quietly watching him.

…

The roommate hastily averted his gaze, shifting his body away while sitting on the bed.

Even though the curtains weren’t drawn, his hands were clasped tightly together on his knees—a posture that screamed nervousness to the extreme.

Noticing Ye Jishu’s gaze, Bo Zhehan suddenly remembered something and let out an “Oh.”

“That guy—he’s our new roommate,” he explained in a hushed voice. “The advisor already came by earlier. Apparently, he’s a new student from our grade, and he was suddenly assigned to live here. I was surprised too.”

“……” Ye Jishu.

Advisor…?

Looks like the Control Bureau made another move.

Before he could respond, Bo Zhehan resumed his questioning from earlier.

“So, there won’t be any more Source of Infection, right?”

No one should have been able to hear him from this distance.

Yet, as soon as he spoke, the roommate flinched.

That was as good as pointing him out.

Ye Jishu: “…Mm.”

The roommate turned around.

His large eyes locked onto Ye Jishu, as if he hadn’t expected him to say that.

Hearing this, Bo Zhehan’s tense shoulders finally relaxed, and his pale face regained some color.

Ye Jishu stepped inside to pack his things.

But instead of going to bed, Bo Zhehan continued following him around.

When Ye Jishu turned to look at him in confusion, Bo Zhehan hesitated, his expression tangled as if struggling to find the right words.

“……?”

“There’s something… I thought about it and decided I should tell you.” Bo Zhehan fidgeted nervously. “At first, I was going to handle it myself since this whole mess happened because I asked my brother to invite you. But now, I feel like I should tell you first—”

Ye Jishu: “What is it?”

His voice was calm.

Bo Zhehan, surprisingly, stopped rambling. He took a deep breath and managed to regain a bit of composure.

Then, without thinking, he blurted out—

“Do you remember that streamer named Bai Feng? The internet is shipping you two like crazy! The rumors blew up, and now everyone thinks you joined his stream just for him! The most popular edited clips already have over a million views, and your name is basically tied to his in searches now!”

Bai Feng—who?

…Oh, that game streamer from that previous project.

“That guy is so disgusting. He’s totally taking advantage of the fact that you don’t have a company backing you up. He’s stepping on you just to build his ‘everyone-loves-me’ persona.” Bo Zhehan gritted his teeth. “But don’t worry, I’ve got your back. No matter what you want to do, I’ll have my brother—”

“No need.” Ye Jishu interrupted.

Bo Zhehan was stunned.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

He was overcomplicating things.

Precisely because Ye Jishu wasn’t under contract, he didn’t need to play any elaborate games.

He unlocked his phone and opened an app he had been ignoring for days.

The moment he logged in, the screen lagged.

Then, an overwhelming flood of notifications—999+—began popping up nonstop.

Bo Zhehan had no idea what he was planning to do. Feeling uneasy, he leaned in and whispered, “This whole thing has been trending multiple times tonight… It’s probably his company buying traffic. But a lot of casual viewers like it too, so it kinda blew up…”

He hesitated.

He knew Ye Jishu wasn’t signed to any agency, meaning he had complete freedom over his own public statements.

But with so many people involved now…

If he spoke up at this point, he would definitely get flamed.

So, what was he going to do—?

Ye Jishu first checked [Bai Feng]’s latest video.

It already had 3 million views.

The thumbnail was black with white text: [The one I love… loves me back? A real-life heartthrob—could it be true?]

Bo Zhehan also caught sight of the title.

The sheer level of clickbait was obvious. No wonder so many people started shipping them.

Ye Jishu watched for a few seconds, but he couldn’t be bothered to find his earphones.

So, he turned around and looked at the others.

“Can I play it out loud?”

“Go ahead.”

“…Alright.”

After getting permission, he turned the volume down low and tapped on the video.

He set the playback speed to the fastest setting.

This way, he could scan through the whole thing quickly.

A few minutes later, the video ended.

To summarize—

It was a cleverly edited montage, stitched together with cute background music, deliberately crafting the illusion of a cold, aloof guy melting for love.

The climax of the video?

The moment Ye Jishu spoke.

It had an impact, no doubt.

A person with zero personal information online, suddenly breaking his silence—it was a major contrast.

The comment section was flooded with variations of:

【The only time he ever spoke, and it was for his ‘wife’—I’m SCREAMING!】

It wasn’t about making yjs look cool.

At its core, it was about making Bai Feng’s “universal heartthrob” image shine even brighter.

Because the more mysterious and untouchable Ye Jishu seemed, the stronger the fantasy of being secretly adored by him.

Bo Zhehan snuck a glance at Ye Jishu.

Despite that… the other party looked at it, but still showed no expression, simply opening their social media app again.

Soon, Bo Zhehan’s phone vibrated.

It was a special notification from an account he had marked as a priority.

[…Did Ye Jishu just post something new using the “yjs” account?]

In his line of sight, Ye Jishu had already put away his phone and gone to the bathroom to wash up and prepare for bed.

So calm.

What exactly did he post?!

With his heart pounding wildly, Bo Zhehan quickly unlocked his phone, eager to find out what had been said.

On the screen, there was only one new post.

【I don’t like Bai Feng. I have a boyfriend.】

“……”

Damn.

He really hadn’t expected it to be this direct!

Bo Zhehan was stunned.

Now he truly understood what people meant when they said, “The fans are exploding.”

His heart nearly jumped into his throat when he saw the 999+ comments popping up instantly under the post.

It wasn’t until Ye Jishu finished his shower and climbed into bed that Bo Zhehan finally snapped out of his daze.

“You—you just posted that directly, aren’t you worried—”

“Mm.”

“……”

“I don’t want Yan Mei to see it and get angry.”

“……”

That was true.

Bo Zhehan didn’t want that either.

Although he still harbored lingering feelings of admiration for Yan Mei, after everything that had happened in the past few days, another voice in his head was telling him:

This is not someone you should be fantasizing about. If you want to stay alive, don’t even think about touching him.

A shiver ran down Bo Zhehan’s spine as he turned to check the comments section.

Unsurprisingly, Bai Feng’s fans had lost it.

Comments flooded in, things like:

【Ungrateful.】

【You’re just denying it because you actually like him.】

【How is it that EVERYONE falls for him except you?】

【Bet you’re actually ugly in real life and just insecure.】

No way.

Impossible.

Bo Zhehan refuted each comment in his mind.

His gaze lingered on one that read [If anyone is a real heartthrob, it’s Yan Mei.]

Bo Zhehan glanced away from his screen and saw Ye Jishu pulling his bed curtain shut.

He just went to sleep, just like that.

He really wanted to tell those people the truth.

However—

Looking at the overwhelming flood of comments, he took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress the impulse to argue back.

He didn’t dare interfere in Ye Jishu and Yan Mei’s matters.

Besides… the second phase of the project was coming up soon.

There would be a segment where audience members could ask questions, and all the rumors would collapse on their own.

A sigh drifted from the other side of the curtain.

Bo Zhehan found himself sighing too, over and over.

Although he was aware of it, Ye Jishu didn’t particularly want to respond or ask what was wrong.

He turned over, ready to sleep, when his phone suddenly vibrated with a new message.

[Why does everyone prefer texting these days?]

[Is it because they know he’ll check his phone but won’t listen in person?]

With that thought, Ye Jishu reached out and picked up his phone.

The message appeared on his screen.

[Thank you for not exposing me as a monster… Please don’t be mad, Jishu. I just… I just want to protect you. The Control Bureau said that as long as I don’t cause contamination, they won’t detain me for now… So I want to stay by your side.]

[Because you might be in danger, Jishu. I don’t want you to be in danger. So, I’ll always be watching over you… from the shadows.]

…Danger.

What kind of danger?

His brain told him he should be alert, that he needed to be cautious.

But his body didn’t feel any tension at all.

That was a problem for the future.

For now, he was just a passerby. He didn’t know anything, and trying to figure it out would just be a waste of time.

More importantly, the upcoming exams mattered more.

—

—

Finally done with exams!!

That was the first thought in Ye Jishu’s head as he walked out of the academic building.

The past few days had felt both unbearably long and impossibly fast.

People always said the brain had defense mechanisms, that painful memories would gradually fade.

Now, he thought, they weren’t wrong.

Studying had been torture. Not being able to use his phone felt like being imprisoned. But now that it was all over, those memories had already begun to disappear.

Ye Jishu followed the flow of students down the stairs.

As soon as he stepped outside, he looked up and saw someone standing under the shade of a tree.

Just like always.

Yan Mei came to pick him up every day.

Today, he was wearing a sleeveless top with sleek black arm sleeves. His slightly long hair revealed the black stud earrings in his ears.

Even with the crowds bustling around, nearly everyone who passed by stole glances at him in fascination.

“……”

Ye Jishu lowered his head and looked at himself.

An oversized short-sleeve hoodie, completely casual—pure background character energy.

So fashionable. Yan Mei is really fashionable.

Normally, he would avoid people who dressed like that.

Come to think of it, had Yan Mei ever dressed in a way that didn’t look good?

No—no, in fact, even in the most ordinary outfits, as long as they were on Yan Mei, paired with his breathtakingly striking features, he naturally commanded attention.

Maybe there was some unknown factor at play.

Because the gazes he attracted weren’t just admiration or fondness—there was an underlying greed, something ugly.

That kind of attention was unsettling.

Ye Jishu stepped forward, subtly positioning himself to block others’ line of sight toward Yan Mei.

As he approached, Yan Mei looked up from his phone.

“Finished your exams?” He naturally took Ye Jishu’s bag, focusing all his attention on him. “What do you want to eat tonight? Any plans? Or are you meeting up with classmates? I know a restaurant that suits your taste…”

Whenever he talked about things he liked, Yan Mei could go on and on.

It was different from the cold, indifferent image Ye Jishu had seen a few times before—this contrast was actually something he found rather endearing.

Ye Jishu listened quietly, occasionally responding with a soft “Mm,” just so Yan Mei wouldn’t feel like he was talking to himself.

The two of them walked together, eventually disappearing into the shade of the trees.

The sound of the wind rustled around them, accompanied by the piercing chirps of cicadas in the bushes.

Yan Mei halted his steps, stopping in place and making no move to go forward.

It wasn’t until Ye Jishu could no longer hear any movement above him that he turned around in confusion. At that moment, Yan Mei suddenly lowered his gaze and asked, “Jishu, are you going home for the summer break? You haven’t mentioned it at all…”

Ah. Right.

Ye Jishu suddenly realized.

Once today’s exam was over, he could pack his things and go home.

The end of exams meant the start of summer vacation. Most students would leave on the same day, and the latest ones would stay in the dorms for just one more night. That meant, by tomorrow at the latest, the entire dormitory for the mathematics department would be empty.

The mathematics department’s holidays always started earlier than other faculties’ exams.

Because of that, there wasn’t a distinct feeling of vacation in the air, so it hadn’t even crossed his mind.

But Yan Mei had clearly thought about it more than he had.

All week, he had been intermittently picking him up, yet he never brought up the subject—not until now.

“Am I being too clingy? Do you need space to rest, and that’s why you haven’t mentioned it at all… But it’s fine. I understand. Jishu has his own things to do, so of course, there’s no need to tell me—”

“I forgot.”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

[Really?]

[Don’t think this is enough.]

Yan Mei stared at Ye Jishu for a few seconds.

Then, after seeing him pause to think for a moment, he suddenly reached out and took hold of his hand, which had been hanging by his side.

Yan Mei lowered his gaze, looking at their interlaced fingers.

This was a promise they had made a long time ago.

Whenever Yan Mei was upset, if Jishu reached out and held his hand, he would calm down quickly.

It felt like obedience training.

How had he never realized that before? He had practically become like a dog.

And yet—

Just this small gesture of initiative from Ye Jishu filled his heart with an uncontrollable joy, and the upward curve of his lips was impossible to suppress.

[I’ve completely become Jishu’s possession…]

For the first time, Yan Mei realized this so profoundly.

He lifted his head, meeting Ye Jishu’s searching gaze. The gloominess in his heart instantly dissipated, leaving only a sense of compromise.

He couldn’t handle being looked at like that.

If something ever made Ye Jishu stop looking at him that way, Yan Mei thought he might not be able to bear it at all.

He had been holding back for so long.

Because he didn’t want Jishu to dislike him.

Even though he had the ability—and a thousand ways—to find out about Ye Jishu’s family background and predict what he would do over the summer, he hadn’t. Instead, he waited for the right moment, holding back until he truly couldn’t anymore, before finally asking.

He could feel the human warmth transferring between their joined hands.

Ye Jishu seemed to sense his unstable state but didn’t rush him. He simply waited quietly.

Just like the way he always was.

Never overbearing, never looking at him with disgust.

As long as he was with Ye Jishu, he could completely relax.

“Jishu, if you have time over the summer, would you go on a field study with me?” Yan Mei asked in a low voice. “I want to stay by your side… Let’s call it an ethnology project. Since you like normal human life, this should fit…”

Although he didn’t finish his sentence, the meaning was already clear.

If the people from the Control Bureau saw Yan Mei like this, they would be shocked.

After all, an existence akin to an eldritch god actually went through the trouble of taking a university final exam just to avoid standing out…

Ye Jishu froze. “Mm, okay.”

Then, he hesitated for a moment.

“Is that all?”

He had expected something else. After all, Yan Mei had that expression.

Ye Jishu reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of Yan Mei’s hair behind his ear.

In the moment of surprise that flickered in Yan Mei’s eyes, he softly said, “Sure. I don’t have anywhere to go. Anywhere with you is fine.”

Yan Mei lifted his hand, covering Ye Jishu’s and gripping it tightly. Then, he lowered his eyes.

[Why is it that hearing those words made my racing heart… suddenly calm down?]

Even though, just a few days ago, Ye Jishu had said he liked him, Yan Mei still couldn’t feel it—just like now.

It was hard to tell what Jishu was thinking when his face remained so unreadable, without a trace of emotional fluctuation.

Yan Mei had never encountered someone like this before.

And because of that, he couldn’t derive any sense of security from promises alone.

He didn’t want to be apart for too long.

That was why he asked if Jishu would go with him.

If they could go somewhere remote, where there were only a few people, they would basically be alone together.

Maybe then, he would finally be able to understand Jishu’s true thoughts.

Maybe then, he would know if that confession was for self-preservation or if… it was real.

[You’re the one who made me like this.]

[At first, as long as you stayed by my side, it didn’t matter what you were thinking. But now, I’ve started wanting you to love me.]

Yan Mei gazed intently at the person before him.

[This is all your fault.]

The two of them remained in that position.

But a few seconds later, as always, Ye Jishu was the first to let go, turning away.

The warmth that had been on his cheek, where he had been touched, slowly faded with the breeze and the rustling of the trees.

Yan Mei’s hand fell back to his sides.

“Where are we going for the field study?”

“Shenchuan County,” Yan Mei replied.

Yan Mei didn’t miss the way Ye Jishu’s footsteps suddenly faltered.

Just hearing the name of that place had caused a reaction he had never seen before.

Was there something there…?

A vague memory flickered in Yan Mei’s mind—words he had once overheard from people who had spoken eagerly about Ye Jishu.

It seemed that was where Ye Jishu had come from.

In other words, it was the place he had lived in the longest.

And yet, he had never once mentioned it.

Now that he thought about it…

Maybe there was still something there.

Yan Mei had never cared before because he thought it didn’t matter what Ye Jishu’s past was—he liked him as he was now.

But now, for the first time, he caught a glimpse of something deeply hidden in Jishu’s reaction.

The stiffness in Ye Jishu’s body soon faded.

But a strange silence fell between the two.

A moment later.

…

“Alright,” Ye Jishu finally said.