Chapter Text
The most important part of his plan was Step 3: under no circumstances must Shen Yuan find out about his reputation. This would, Binghe feared, spoil their relationship entirely. Shen Yuan might get the wrong impression about Binghe’s intentions! It might jeopardize Binghe’s role as A-Yuan’s future wife!!
When they were alone together, keeping his reputation on the down low was no problem. But now that they were regularly going to lunch, Binghe had quickly discovered a major downside to spending time with A-Yuan during the day:
“Junshang.”
Other people.
“Mobei.”
“Cucumber-bro??”
“Airplane! Oh, do I have words for you–”
It turned out, both Binghe and Shen Yuan had friends (or, in Binghe’s case, teammates) who ate lunch in the same dining hall. And they would not. Leave. Them. Alone.
Mobei-Jun (why they called him that, no one was certain) was apparently dating Shen Yuan’s… friend? Nemesis? Shang Qinghua, who was also the person Shen Yuan liked to yell at while he was gaming. They were both part of the same club, which streamed video games to raise money for charity.
Shen Yuan’s beautiful face, combined with his sailor’s mouth, was a big draw for donations. Binghe tried (unsuccessfully) not to be jealous of strangers who had given money to children with cancer.
Mobei and Shang Qinghua became regulars at lunch, with a rotating cast of others who dropped by throughout the week. The only benefit to this – and he begrudged that it was a benefit at all – was that Binghe was quickly learning a lot more about his A-Yuan, more than he would’ve discovered just playing games with and cooking for the other man. He learned Shen Yuan was a grad student and teaching assistant thanks to Ming Fan and Ning Yingying, two first-year students who looked at Shen Yuan with stars in their eyes when they were invited to sit at their lunch table on Wednesdays. He learned that Shen Yuan had graduated early thanks to Mu Qingfang, a medical student, who had apparently shared a class with Shen Yuan in undergrad and was happy to reconnect at lunch on Fridays.
Mostly, though, Binghe hated lunch. He hated sharing Shen Yuan. And he quickly grew to hate Tuesdays and Thursdays especially, because on those days… he had to deal with his least favorite teammate and now, attempted husband-usurper.
“Hey.”
“Qingge! Good to see you. How are you? How’s your sister?”
“Fine.” Liu Qingge glared at Luo Binghe. They’d been on bad terms ever since Binghe had met (and slept with) Liu Mingyan, who he still considered a good friend, unlike her brother.
Liu Qingge could hate him all he wanted; as long as he didn’t go blabbing to Shen Yuan about his previous conquests, Binghe didn’t care. Thankfully, Liu Qingge was a man of extremely few words.
“And your classes are going well?”
“Fine. Here.” The stoic man pushed a bowl full of snap peas onto Shen Yuan’s tray. “You need green on your plate.”
“I’m not gonna keel over if I don’t eat a vegetable at every meal,” Shen Yuan grumbled, though he immediately began eating the snap peas with reluctance. Binghe fumed silently, piling his own offerings onto Shen Yuan’s tray as the other man sputtered.
“Binghe! Qingge! That’s too much!!”
Shang Qinghua snickered. He had a bad habit of talking with his mouth full, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s. “Glad to see someone’s looking after you, finally.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Shen Yuan bristled. “I can take care of myself!”
“Big words from the grad student that still lives in the dorms and has a meal plan.”
“It’s convenient!! And they’re quads, not dorm rooms! Tell him, Binghe.”
“They’re quads,” Binghe said obediently. “It’s different.”
“Literally the only difference is that you share a bathroom with four people instead of twenty. It’s a fucking dorm.”
Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan devolved into their usual bickering, and Binghe spent the rest of lunch glaring at Liu Qingge over Shen Yuan’s head. So, business as usual – until Liu Qingge broke his silence.
“Mingyan wants you at her party on Saturday.”
The argument stopped in its tracks as Shen Yuan looked over with a grin. “Right, it’s her birthday this weekend!”
“You know Liu Mingyan?” Binghe asked.
Surprisingly, it was not Shen Yuan who answered, but Shang Qinghua. “Everyone in the comparative literature department knows each other, Binghe.” He shivered. “Everyone.”
“You’re so dramatic,” Shen Yuan said with an eye roll. “But yes, we’re both in comp lit. She’s doing her capstone project with Professor Qingqi.”
“God, what a woman,” Shang Qinghua sighed. “If I were straight, it’d be her for me.”
“Don’t objectify people in my department!”
“I’m not objectifying her!!”
“There’s a party this weekend?” Binghe asked in an attempt to guide the conversation back on track.
“You weren’t invited,” Liu Qingge hissed, only to be lightly smacked by Shen Yuan.
“Nonsense, he’ll be my plus one. Besides, Mingyan will love him.”
Liu Qingge opened his mouth to say something, but Binghe quickly and “accidentally” knocked his now lukewarm tea over onto the other man’s pants.
“Oh! So sorry, I’m so clumsy.” Binghe smiled with all his teeth showing. “My bad. You should probably go change and rinse those before the stain sets in.”
Was it dignified? No. But was it successful at shutting Liu Qingge up? Extremely. Liu Qingge left in a huff as Binghe and Shen Yuan quickly took everyone’s napkins to try and mop up the tea on the table. His A-Yuan reassured him that it wasn’t his fault (even though it was) and that surely Qingge wouldn’t be mad at him about an accident (he would, but Binghe didn’t care).
And, most importantly, Shen Yuan assured him that he’d bring Binghe to the party. It was great for Binghe’s plans that he assumed Binghe would go with him, as if they were an inseparable unit already.
Mingyan had, in fact, invited Binghe as well… and, he knew, several other women who Binghe had previously had flings with. That was… less good.