Unforgettable Touch - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Baby Bird Complex

After returning from the birthday party, Ran Buyue threw himself straight into a non-stop work schedule.

He sorted through the business cards he’d collected and picked out the more promising potential clients, planning to invite them out for coffee and a chat.

The project he had the highest hopes for belonged to Li Yao. Though Li Yao had extended an olive branch, Ran Buyue wasn’t sure if he could grasp it. After all, China had no shortage of talented automotive designers.

Another major task was selecting a location for his studio. Tian Xiaozhe had scouted a few sites and narrowed it down to three for Ran Buyue to review.

“Boss, take a look,” Tian Xiaozhe said seriously as he opened the files and began his detailed briefing. “The first one is Jixiang Building—cheap; the second is in the Longteng Commercial Center, which is well-equipped and has great transport access; and the third is developed by Yanchuan Real Estate…”

“Wait,” Ran Buyue interrupted, flipping back to the Longteng Commercial Center page. He glanced at it for less than a second before saying, “This one’s out.”

“Uh… can I ask why?” Tian looked confused. “Actually, by all measures, Longteng is a pretty solid choice.”

At least it shouldn’t be eliminated that fast.

“No particular reason,” Ran Buyue replied flatly.

Tian Xiaozhe glanced at Ran Buyue’s indifferent expression and knew there was no prying any explanation out of him. He dropped the question and drew a big X on the Longteng page.

“Alright then, onto the third one.”

“It’s a tech park developed by Yanchuan Real Estate. The place is huge, with many tech companies nearby, and it’s close to our potential clientele.”

Ran lowered his eyes to the two characters for “Yanchuan” and signaled for Tian to continue.

After Tian xiaozhe finished presenting all the options, Ran flipped back and forth through the materials multiple times. With objective and careful comparison, he finally made his decision. “Overall, the Yanchuan tech park is the best. I’ll go see it in person.”

“Not going to check the others?”

Tian Xiaozhe knew Ran Buyue well enough to expect him to inspect at least two options before making a decision. This time, he had picked just one.

“Let’s leave it at this.”

Ran Buyue was well aware that Yanchuan Real Estate belonged to Shu Zhenshan. But he didn’t believe “the CEO is my ex-boyfriend” should influence his decision.

President Shu Zhenshan had a massive empire; there was no way he’d notice a small-time tenant. Besides, whatever sentiment they had was long gone. Now, they were worse than strangers. The lease would be done like any normal business deal.

Ran Buyue moved fast. He quickly got in touch with the tech park rep and set up a viewing for the weekend.

Until the studio was finalized, they were working out of a temporary office. Ran Buyue stayed late there every night until after midnight.

Tian Xiaozhe had started his daily routine of sighing and urging Ran Buyue to rest—all of which was completely ignored. Once Ran Buyue entered battle mode, he was practically unstoppable.

That night, Ran Buyue got back to his hotel and collapsed into bed. The clock had just ticked past 3 AM.

He stared up at the spotless ceiling. It was the fourth straight night of insomnia.

Because every time he closed his eyes, he saw Shu Zhenshan.

Scenes from the banquet replayed sluggishly in his mind. Shu saying he didn’t know him. His cold, indifferent gaze. The perfunctory way he put away his business card. And that soft smile he gave the pretty boy while drinking together.

Damn it. Bad luck.

It wasn’t that he still had feelings for his ex—just that when pressure built up with nowhere to release, thinking of Shu Zhenshan before bed used to help him unwind quickly. The result? Deep, baby-like sleep.

An ex as effective as a sleeping pill: environmentally friendly and highly practical.

That was all it was. He didn’t love him.

Unfortunately, this time, the new unpleasant memories had overwritten the old archive. The sleeping pill had become a stimulant.

To drown out the ghost of Banquet Shu Zhenshan, Ran Buyue had to forcibly recall his younger version—fighting poison with poison.

Ran Buyue had first met Shu Zhenshan when Shu Zhenshan caught him sneaking into the lab.

The school had only three 3D printers available for free. The most accessible one was kept in the robotics lab.

Ran Buyue was a freshman at the time, just eighteen, newly arrived in a foreign land. His English wasn’t fluent, and he was withdrawn and unwilling to ask for help. Submitting a formal request to use the printer was out of the question. But he really wanted to try it.

After nearly two weeks of observation, he discovered the robotics crew kept irregular hours. The best time to sneak in was around 4 AM.

One dark night, Ran Buyue slipped into the lab, successfully printed a small part, and tiptoed out. Just as he stepped through the door, he ran straight into someone’s chest.

The person was tall. The dim light outlined a lean figure in black.

Ran Buyue thought he’d seen a ghost. His adrenaline spiked.

The light flicked on. Ran Buyue saw a stunningly handsome East Asian face, one brow slightly raised, a faint smile on his lips. “Gotcha.”

More adrenaline.

…He then realized the thing he’d crashed into was warm and solid. Muscle.

This was a person.

And frankly—he was hot.

The hot guy asked, “What are you doing?”

His English was fluent. Native.

Ran clutched the part to his chest and replied coolly, “Just passing by.”

“And where exactly are you heading?”

He leaned against the lab doorframe, messy hair brushing the top. Despite the early spring chill, he wore only a basic black T-shirt that clung to well-defined muscles, his skin a healthy light bronze.

It was like he’d gotten out of bed specifically to catch Ran Buyue.

Ran Buyue bristled like a startled hedgehog: “None of your business.”

“Fair enough,” the guy shrugged casually.

But he didn’t move aside. Just stayed planted at the door.

Ran Buyue couldn’t handle his gaze. He flattened himself like a pancake and slipped out sideways.

A soft chuckle followed. The guy sounded a bit helpless. “Maybe next time you come passing by, choose a different time.”

This time, he spoke in Mandarin.

His voice was gentler than when he spoke English.

Surprised, Ran turned back.

“I mean, if you want to use the 3D printer, just come during the day. We’ll let you.”

“…Really?” Ran blinked.

“I keep my word,” the guy said. Then, stretching out a hand, added, “On the condition you show me what you printed.”

Ran Buyue hesitated, but finally pulled out the small model and placed it in his palm.

It had felt big in Ran’s hands, but now looked small by comparison.

“Hand exoskeleton?” the guy asked.

Ran blinked again. “Yeah.”

It was only a fragment of the full model, so he hadn’t expected him to recognize it so quickly.

“Using flexible joints, huh? Interesting.” He tested the model’s hinges.

Ran Buyue perked up. “Yeah, I tried both straight-beam and arc-beam types, but neither worked very well…”

The guy made a wry face. “No wonder our materials are disappearing so fast.”

Ran shrank into his hoodie.

“Your material choice is probably the issue,” the guy continued, walking over to the still-warm printer bed with a hint of amusement. “You used PLA. Not flexible enough. Try TPU.”

“Oh. Okay. Then when can I…”

Before he could finish, the guy pulled out a fresh roll of TPU.

“Are you in a rush to sleep right now?”

Ran Buyue’s eyes lit up. “Can I try it now? I’m not sleeping!”

Next thing he knew, the sun was rising. Sunlight streamed into the lab. Students bustled down the hallway outside.

The desk was covered in models, schematics, and scribbled equations. Wires and controllers were a mess, but Ran had never felt more mentally clear.

He’d never met someone so in sync with him. They seemed to understand each other instantly, finishing thoughts mid-sentence.

“Oh right… I forgot to ask. What’s your name?” Ran Buyue said awkwardly.

The guy looked momentarily surprised—probably realizing how absurd it was they’d just spent an entire night talking without names.

Just then, a curly-haired girl burst in, dropped her bag, and whistled. “Wow, someone beat me here. Shu Zhenshan, is that you?”

“Shu Zhenshan,” he said, his voice overlapping hers.

“Cool… I’m Ran Buyue.”

The girl noticed Ran for the first time and gaped. “Whoa—oh!”

And just like that, Ran Buyue accidentally joined the robotics club.

He became a legend: the only member in club history to skip the interview process.

The reason? He spent the night discussing mechanical kinematics and degrees of freedom optimization with President Shu Zhenshan.

In retrospect, Ran Buyue admitted his feelings for Shu Zhenshan had a touch of the baby bird complex. Shu was his first real friend, who helped him, guided him, and became a key part of that chapter in his life.

As for when friendship turned into something else… Ran admitted—he made the first move.

Okay, fine, he thought to himself, maybe the environment played a role too.

During his first month in the U.S., cultural shock hit him hard.

His roommate was an Indian-American chemistry major, glasses-wearing, and bookish. They got along well due to shared academic obsession.

Until one day, Ran Buyue came back to the dorm and walked in on two naked bodies mid-intercourse.

He stood there, speechless.

His roommate quickly apologized, saying it had happened spontaneously and he’d forgotten to warn Ran Buyue.

Ran Buyue turned away, mumbling, “It’s fine,” and stepped outside.

The roommate cheerfully called after him, “Hey Ran Buyue, wanna join?”

Ran Buyue slammed the door in horror.

After that, the roommate became more polite—always texting Ran before bringing someone over, even providing details: when they’d start, when they’d finish, what worked, what didn’t, and how the vibe was.

Apparently, the girls were all different every time.

Ran shifted from shock to acceptance. Maybe this was just cultural difference.

He eventually asked his roommate: how could he change girlfriends so fast?

“Oh, they’re not girlfriends,” the guy said. “Just friends with benefits. I’m only dating one of them right now. We hang out, talk, sleep together—but we don’t make promises. She has other FWB and dates too.”

Ran Buyue didn’t know most of these terms, but got the gist.

He asked, “Is this common in America?”

The roommate looked confused. “Isn’t it normal? What’s it like where you’re from?”

Ran Buyue tried to recall, but his brain recoiled.

He had never formed a close relationship in the first 18 years of his life. Didn’t even know how to interact with people.

In his elite high school’s sparkling bathroom, a group had held him down and shaved his long hair, bl00d dripping down his scalp. They called him slurs, told him to go back to the slums. The teachers knew, but no one stepped in.

Since then, Ran Buyue had never grown his hair out again.

At this university, things seemed freer. You could enjoy being single or kiss someone you’d just met—regardless of gender.

Maybe relationships didn’t have to mean violence or control. Maybe they could mean pleasure.

Ran Buyue wasn’t sure.

He was like a machine, watching others live, then trying to clumsily imitate.

His test subject was the upperclassman who caught him sneaking into the lab.

Later, watching that long-haired guy rock out onstage, Ran Buyue blurted out he used to have long hair too—a secret he’d never told anyone.

Maybe because Shu was standing beside him.

What shocked Ran Buyue most was that Shu Zhenshan said, “You’d look great with long hair.”

In that moment, Ran wanted to sleep with him.

Was that normal?

Didn’t matter. He went for it.

At the lawn party, he was already eight-tenths drunk. He had no control over his actions. He forgot what the handkerchief meant—just thought Shu, soaking wet, looked sexy enough to drown in.

And to his surprise, Shu granted all his secret desires. Kissed him. Slept with him.

By the end, Ran cried.

Shu Zhenshan bent down to kiss away his tears and whispered, “I’ll be gentle.”

But it wasn’t from pain. It was from the illusion that someone could love him, could caress his long hair and body like he was worthy of love.

Even if it was just friends with benefits, Ran Buyue was content.

…Until he was shocked again to find Shu Zhenshan was the one who fell first.

But that didn’t change anything. They were from two different worlds.

If he’d known that from the start, Ran Buyue would never have dared to touch him.

Better a clean slate than a tragic ending.