CH 2.2

He was about to explain that he was not a doctor when another message came from the other party.

[HR: Several people came to add me just now. I thought it was you, but they only said that I was sick or mental. ]

[Tao: Hurry up and delete that message; don’t reveal your personal information there. ]

[HR: Okay, thank you Doctor Tao, I will delete it right away. ]

[HR: I seldom go online, so I actually just registered for this forum. I saw this forum when I searched online on what to do if one was being pursued by someone of the same gender. ]

Sky Forum was the online community with the largest traffic in China and every section in it was very popular, especially the Emotional Life section. It was full of eye-catching emotional stories and people often asked netizens for help with a handful of odd emotional problems here.

Tao Zhiyue figured that this Big Brother HR was probably on the older side and hadn’t had much contact with the modern youth’s world. It could explain how he didn’t know much about buzzwords.

He also remembered the fact that Big Brother HR claimed he had never been in a relationship, so Tao Zhiyue gradually had an image of a tired and disappointed middle-aged man: a man who was still single even at that age, pestered by uninterested homosexuals, and due to his way of speaking, he was unable to refuse the pursuers. He didn’t have anyone in his life that he could unload his worries to, so he mustered the courage to confess his troubles online and in turn, was criticised and thought of as mental.

Although the Big Brother said that he was both handsome and rich, Tao Zhiyue, who had completely agreed with the self-building plot that his brian made up, subconsciously ignored that statement.

Big Brother HR’s life was already in shambles, so it was completely understandable if he were to beautify his image a little.

Tao Zhiyue even felt a tinge of pity for the man.

[Tao: In the future, don’t casually post your contact information on the Internet and don’t reveal any real information about yourself. Human searches(2) are very common now and they can easily affect your real life.]

(T/N: English doesn’t have the exact term, but it refers to the phenomenon of how someone’s entire life information can be revealed through the individual’s posts)

The app showed that the other party was typing. After a while, a new message popped in.

[HR: Doctor Tao, you are such a good person.]

[HR: Have you not been harassed by those netizens even though you’ve been using the real name of your hospital? ]

[HR: It must be because Dr. Tao usually comforts and enlightens others by nature; everyone would think that you are a good doctor. ]

Tao Zhi, who had frantically collected a fair share of ‘good person cards'(3) today, was hesitant to speak. His hands trembled slightly as he tried to type a reply.

(T/N: Figuratively, one who received a ‘good person card’ means that the individual confessed their love to another party, but was rejected/friend-zoned. It comes from the usual response, “You are a good person, but…” 

The other meaning is literally, like in this story, one was regarded highly for certain acts or words that they said. Hence, the other parties would say that the individual was a good person.)

In the end, he gave up trying to explain himself. He really couldn’t bear to let this innocent and pure Big Brother HR suffer another blow.

Forget it, if I’m a doctor then so be it. Either way, he was voluntarily offering his advice. As long as he didn’t charge a fee, everything would be okay.

[Tao: You don’t need to pay for this because my…professional direction isn’t of help to you. ]

[Tao: But I like men as well, so maybe I can help you analyse the behaviour of your friends. Ultimately, we can find a way to completely reject them. ]

This was the first time that Tao Zhiyue had confessed his sexuality to others. Although they were separated by the Internet and both of them remained anonymous, after the news was sent out, he still became nervous as his palms began to sweat.

He had mustered up the courage to do so countless times and he always wanted to speak to his parents who kept urging him to find a girlfriend, but his words always seemed to retreat when they reached his mouth.

He was afraid of seeing his parents’ disappointed eyes, but he was even more afraid of being treated as someone different from that moment on.

He didn’t know the science nor the reason behind it, but somehow, the words were flowing from the tip of his fingers naturally.

Perhaps because the secret had been hidden for too long and there wasn’t anyone he could confess to in this world, upon encountering someone who seemed honest and pure-hearted, he couldn’t help but say what he wanted to all along.

After thinking about it, Tao Zhiyue still pretended to be nonchalant about it and added a sentence.

[Tao: If you mind that kind of stuff, you can forget it. ]

Unexpectedly, HR replied at the speed of light, as if there was no need to think about it at all.

[HR: Doctor Tao, you are so brave— willing to speak out about yourself in order to help others. ]

[HR: I hope everything goes well for Doctor Tao and I pray that you can be happy every day. ]

[HR: Don’t care about what other people think; just follow your own heart. ]

Tao Zhiyue stared at the screen in a daze. They were just a few lines that were very simple and old-fashioned, but they seemed full of gentle kindness.

It was no wonder so many gay men would fall in love with this old-fashioned straight guy.

[Tao: Thank you ^-^]