Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory (Novel) Vol. 2

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory (Novel) #2

by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, Xia (Translator), Tamtam (Illustrator)

FIVE'S COMPANYZhang Yuwen's luxury villa has become a haven for his found family of out-and-proud gay men. Yet, while his personal life may be thriving, Zhang Yuwen's writing career is stuck in limbo, with his novel facing rejection after painful rejection.
To make matters worse, Zhang Yuwen is keeping a secret from his new boyfriend, Huo Sichen--yet he's not the only one with something to hide. As Huo Sichen, Zheng Weize, Yan Jun, Chen Hong, and Chang Jinxing navigate their issues surrounding love, family, money, and career, their secrets begin to unravel.
When trust is fragile and the stakes are higher than ever, can home withstand being where the heart is?

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, M M Romance, Adult, Gay

394 pages, Paperback

Published July 22, 2025

About the author

Associated Names:
* 非天夜翔
* Arise Zhang
* Fei Tian Ye Xiang
* เฟยเทียนเย่เสียง (Thai Profile)

Reviews

[Stacie]

Unfortunately I think I've come across my first novel by Fei Tian that I didn't enjoy. I really liked vol. one minus a few things that I was hoping vol 2 would fix but nope, it sadly got worse for me.

I spent most of this book unhappy because
1) it wasn't my preferred pairing for the MC (yes, that is a me problem). I wanted the MC to end up with my favorite character and I kept thinking *something* would happen and it would go the direction I wanted but I guess it wasn't meant to be :(
2) nothing positive was happening for my other favorite character (ZW) and I cared more about him than the other roommates.

Maybe spoilers so beware...

I never got invested in Huo Sichen but felt forced to try and like him because he was getting so much attention since he was Zhang Yuwen's boyfriend. This novel made me wait entirely too long to care about him and if I'm honest, I still don't really like him.

I wasn't entirely happy with the ending for my two favorite characters, Yan Jun and Zheng Weize. I was definitely satisfied how it ended for them career wise though so that was nice.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.7

I enjoyed this novel! It was short and sweet. This novel in my opinion was a wonderful read! We got to see friendships grow, and each characters individual growth. I would recommend this novel to someone who needs and easy read, where you can turn off you brain.

[kay! ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No. 7 Riverbay Road will always be your—no, will always be our home.”.”

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎︎ ｡ ✧ ⋆ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 stars 🍓｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

i was so emotionally invested in this danmei and on the edge of my seat despite the fact that. not much happens??? it’s a slice of life through and through but feitian’s writing completely sucked me in.

like,,,consider me fully inducted into the feitian ye xiang cult because i cannot wait to get my hands on everything they’ve written

full RTC to come!!!

[Brigi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I have the time to write a proper review, but as I said in my previous status update, this ended up being quite disappointing. I'll just do some bullet points:

- the main relationship... ugh, there was a third act conflict which got solved very easily. Sichen was absolved so easily :/
- kinda misogynistic... there were only very irrelevant female characters, a toddler, the old grieving mother and the evil ex wife. they're all treated like they're stupid
- the transphobic/homophobic attack / hate crime was not really discussed; what more the young guy was blamed for 'catfishing'
- all the bullshit top/bottom discourse. Can we not assign traits to sexual positions???
- that being said, somehow Huo Cheng became a top, because I guess that's what is expected of him?

I liked when they all did group activities, they were cute.

[Dilushani Jayalath · Rating 3 out of 5]

So yeah, I’m done. Can’t even say “finally,” because I finished this faster than expected — mostly because I skimmed like my sanity depended on it. It’s not terrible, if I’m being fair. But let’s not pretend it’s good either.

The last part of the story went full soap opera — all drama, zero grounding in reality. I get it now. I get why this one isn’t pulling in high ratings. It leans so hard into melodrama, it practically tips over.

There were flashes of something decent buried under the mess, but they weren’t enough to save it. In a few years? I won’t remember a single thing about this book. Honestly, I barely remember it now.

But hey, it’s done. Off the shelf, out of mind. Now onto something better — fingers crossed.

[mara - hyrulevalkyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
What a beautiful ending!! I literally cried 😭 This is such a beautiful tale of found family and learning how to be yourself & finding happiness in every stage of life. Lowkey sad it’s only two volumes!!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a somewhat bittersweet, but ultimately very hopeful conclusion to a duology in which found family and self discovery are even more important than any romantic subplot.

The ending made me quite emotional; it was beautiful and believable. I wish I could follow these characters for longer; I ended up caring for each one of them. But I am very optimistic with where each of their lives is headed.

[Estelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters (and plot lines) introduced for a 2-volume story. Some characters didn't really get their endings ...

[Queens Love Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Separation was a fact of life, and reunions were short-lived, but did that mean fleeting relationships were destined to be mourned and only the ones that lasted were worth cherishing?”



I went into this volume with sky-high expectations after loving the first, and it didn’t disappoint. I fully intended to take detailed notes for a future reread, but the writing pulled me in so completely I forgot about my pen. The pacing is tight, the storytelling deliberate, and Fei Tian has a knack for capturing human behavior in a way that feels unfiltered and real. The way intimacy, banter, and connection are shown feels authentic—less polished romance novel, more like how people actually interact. It’s rare for a story to feel this honest while still being so engaging.

There were a couple of points that didn’t land as well for me. Huo Sichen’s backstory section went on longer than I’d have liked, breaking the flow at moments when the momentum was building. I know some readers enjoy those deep dives, but for me it was like watching an action scene pause for an extended flashback. And then there’s Yan Jun, a character I adored and wished had been given more. I won’t get into specifics, but I felt he deserved something different. Even with these quibbles, the emotional core of the story stayed strong from start to finish.

The ending hit harder than I expected. It wraps up cleanly—enough to feel complete—but still leaves you wishing you could follow these characters a little longer. What starts as a light, easy read ends up packing a surprising emotional punch, and I found myself unexpectedly teary by the final chapter. It’s the kind of series you carry with you, one I can see myself returning to years from now just to spend time in its world again.
Date Read: 2025.08.11

[Melina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually liked the first volume of this series as it was just some lighthearted fun, which was exactly what I needed at that time so this volume was a real disappointment for me.

There were just so many points that really annoyed me / or didn't make sense to me like

-The main pairing. The MC and Huo Sichen had so many issues in their relationship that I feel like were not really resolved. Like e.g. Zhang Yuwen confronted Huo Sichen about his view on their relationship dynamics and seen as a "male" woman by him, which he expressed as his biggest concern with their relationship. Then they were seperated for one night and the next day they just got back together without actually discussing that again and were just lovey dovey again? Like what was even the point of that drama?
-What was the point of Yan Yun's feelings? The whole book he was just like "yeah, I'm sure they will break up eventually." Then they did not and he was just like "well seems like they love each other, nvm then". What was the point?
-Cheng Hongs relationship with "Mr. Elite", Dong You. Like I get that Dong You might have acted arrogantly towards him and understand Cheng Hongs frustration about that. I just don't understand the decisions he did based on that. Pranking him by acting like he is rich? Again, what is the point? What also bothered me was that Cheng Hong at the end Cheng Hong was like "as if you really want to get to know me" while Dong You asked him out every single time after their meetings whether he wanted to still have dinner while always being turned down by Cheng Hong.
-Generally how much lying and deceiving was just completely accepted here. Be it Zhang Yuwen lying to his roomates about his real identity or also the part in which Zheng Weize kind of catfished a guy in the internet. Like sure that guy was a scum but I didn't like how Zheng Weize was so easily let of the hook. He did still pretend to be a girl, not so much cause he actually felt like being one (he said after all boys have it easier) but because he specifically noticed that he just gets more views and money like that. And that in my mind is just not acceptable behavior.

Well that was me just raging on about this. I really wished to like this more.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m crying happy tears as I finish this series 😭 I loved this so much and It’s so bittersweet to bade all of these characters farewell.

The whole story is very slice of life and found family. All of these men’s lives have changed a lot since the start of the first book in such an amazing way.

They were all always there for each other, they had each others backs and kept each other accountable for their mistakes and I love that about their dynamic.

There’s a lot of funny moments where I was dying of laughter. I found myself unable to stop reading at times cause I was just so lost in it. It’s very different from hard hitting series like 2ha. This is a much needed palate cleanser and fluff and comedy.

I loved this so so much and I’ll be revisiting it in the future

[Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️. I liked this a lot more than volume one. My advice if you’re going to read this novel is to think about it as a slice of life rather than a romance, and adjust your expectations accordingly. It’s much more enjoyable that way. This may not be the kind of romantic story that will have your heart racing, but the found family moments will leave you feeling warm inside, and it’s also a really interesting portrait of the life of gay men in modern day China.

[Akedeia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very uneven and chaotic series, but that also makes it unique. At the end you can feel the emotion of this found family together, and I didn’t think I would find something like this in the danmei title. There were low points - some plot points (i.e. Yuwen getting on a high horse when he was also not telling the truth) or opinions (i.e. there was smth about Zheng Weize growing up in female dominated family, thus developing more female characteristics yadda yadda), but at the end I’ve felt emotional and like there was a journey behind me, even if technically it was a short one. But the characters have changed, not everybody ended up in rlshps, and it was optimistic version of reality that was, in the end, nice to read.
I wonder if that one editor rant is the author’s rant?

[Bookswithatouchofinsanity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fei Tian how dare u make me cry

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bittersweet ending! I only wish we got an epilogue of everyone a few years down the line to see how they're doing *sniffle*

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series had so much potential, but suffers from too many characters and too little time. I enjoyed the first volume a lot more because I thought it was paced quite nicely, but this second volume fell a little flat because I felt like too much just happened.

Perhaps if the other roommates in the dorm had less focus in order to give more time to the growing relationship between Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen, I would've enjoyed it a lot more. But as it was, I surprisingly didn't actually care much for the other characters. Or maybe it was that I was impatient to get back to Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen, knowing that there were only so many pages left before everything gets wrapped up. As such, I felt like the climax and the resolution just happened too quickly. The big reveal of Zhang Yuwen's and Huo Sichen's secrets happened in a matter of a few chapters, so close to the end of the book.

It's such a shame, because I really do like Huo Sichen. I enjoyed the few times we delve into his perspective, because you get a sense of his changing views of life as a result of his relationship with Zhang Yuwen and his growing friendships with the others. I really think that this series would've benefitted from having maybe one or two more volumes, not just to flesh out our main couple but also the other characters.

[Jannika · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys Weize an Yan Jun deserved way more. I hope each of them gets a real happy end off-screen. But nevertheless I cried at the end. Of course I did.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I powered through this after the first volume was such a letdown. This one isn't much better.

That isn't to say it's completely awful; in fact, I do feel like it's slightly more emotionally intelligent than the first volume. But a lot of this volume feels like each of the guys, ultimately (and some of the other characters that show up or surround them,) have all their problems solved by Zhang Yuwen's money and connections. They do reach their own points of conviction and decisions about where they want their lives to go, yes, but a lot of it still hinges on the actions and wealth of Zhang Yuwen. When that means everything wraps up in a nice, neat little bow, it leaves my inner cynic lifting a skeptical brow.

Additionally, I don't care about Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen as a couple. I just don't. They're boring as hell. Nothing about their conflict or their feelings for one another strikes me as genuine.

There's more I could go into here, like the homophobic/transphobic attack on a character who crosses-dresses (we learn he's somewhat unsure of his gender identity) and how that's handled, or the fact many people criticize this and claim it has colorism due to Yan Jun not ending up with someone (spoiler alert, he's not the only person who doesn't end up with someone,) or the way this book wants very badly to make some sort of commentary on classism but seems to have gotten confused about what message it wanted to send. But really, I'm just tired of this book already. I don't know if it would have helped Riverbay Road Men's Dormitory if it had been longer than it is, as I do think it would have allowed the story more time to build itself up emotionally and give more attachment to the characters and their struggles and failures and triumphs. However, it has also overstayed its welcome, hence I'm not sure that more would have helped.

I don't know; this feels like a mess and I'm not sure what Fei-ge intended here. (Also, between this, Dinghai, and Astrolabe Rebirth, his clear, recurring, almost signature phrase in his works is "[character] didn't know whether to laugh or to cry." Nothing major, I just wanted to point out that that's definitely his favorite phrase, because he uses it all the time.) It's a letdown, if I'm being honest, and I'm definitely not going to keep my copies.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory is a 2-volume contemporary romcom danmei originally published as a webnovel by Fe Tian Ye Xiang. Zhang Yuwen is a young wealthy film director wanting to write a serious novel. But having had no true adversity, real life experiences not real world interaction does not make for an authentic book. So he decides to rent out rooms in his luxury villa to single gay men to observe and use as inspiration—a secret single dad, a networking fitness instructor, an effeminate livestreamer “student”, and a fuckboy amateur photographer. Each of his new roommates spices up his life while having secrets of their own.

This is essentially a slice-of-life look into the lives of modern young gay Chinese men living their not-so-glamorous lives. I don’t know how accurate it is, but given that the author is a gay man himself, it would lead me to believe that it should be a good representation of modern gay dating for Chinese men. It reminded me a bit of HBO’s Looking or what I imagine Netflix’s The Boyfriend to be (since I’ve never actually seen it).

While I did mostly enjoy it, I sadly don’t think this series was really worth being published in all honesty. Maybe contemporary danmeis just aren’t for me. With its simple story, meandering storytelling, and casual subjectmatter, it still read like a free-to-read story posted online to me. It also had this misplaced sense of justice that was kind of off-putting (e.g., the catfished online boyfriend and the scorned ex-wife).

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory probably should have been a skip for me.

[sydney ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"parting was a fact of life, but it wasn't all powerful. from the moment they had come together to form a new family, they were shielded from separation. as long as they didn't forsake each other, that shield would protect them until the very end. not even death could tear them apart."

I LOVE MY FOUND FAMILY

[Everet · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. i feel like this should have been split into two books; a lot of arcs felt very, very rushed.

[belle ☆ﾐ (thisbellereadstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

rtc

[Moises Boada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I don't particularly like this book, I can say that it moved me. Its characters and the finale moved me a lot.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really have enjoyed the series. Easy to follow remembering who is who. I enjoyed the backgrounds out each character being revealed. I really recommend

[molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved everyone that lived at riverbay but i didnt really like huo sichen as the story progressed so thats unfortunate. I support yuwen if thats who he wanted but I just felt like he could’ve done better lol. I also didn’t really love the way most of the storylines wrapped up either so I’m settling with a 3 for this one.

[Ope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wrote a very detailed review only for a friend to say this looks like the danmei version of Love Island 😭😭

Anyway, my review:

I loved the first volume, and thought the story had a great cast of characters with pretty distinct personalities, but they all had similar pain points that living in the villa was able to temporarily solve.

Overall, the writing was great and the found family theme was well done for the most part. The end was of the series was pretty emotional and if I went by that alone, I’ll have rated the series about 4 or 4.5 stars. However, I found myself unsatisfied with how some of the character arcs were handled. I could have let it go if it felt like the story didn’t have as much time to flesh out other characters while it focused on the main character, but even the conclusion to Zhang Yuwen’s story wasn’t one I was satisfied with either.

SPOILERS!!!
Part of that might have been a personal problem because I wanted him and Yan Jun to end up together (but maybe not, because I’ve seen a lot of readers who shared the same preference) but I think it was also partly because I was never sold on his relationship with Huo Sichen. Right up till the last couple of chapters, I still expected a last act breakup and their relationship felt like a means to an end throughout the story 🤷🏾‍♀️
END OF SPOILERS!



Going back to theme of found family, I don’t think Zheng Weize benefited from the group’s relationship as much as the others did. Now don’t get me wrong, he was definitely a part of the group but I think a lot of his personal struggles were largely ignored throughout the story. He was very much in fact depressed, that wasn’t just an act, he also had social anxiety and struggled with his self identity. That was a lot for someone to be dealing with at that age, and he had people who were older and with the emotional intelligence to help him through those struggles but they weren’t addressed. I think there’s so much more that could have done with his character, so for that reason and the fact that my endgame couple wasn’t infact endgame, this was a 3 star read for me as much as I loved the writing and story.

[Beatrice Lapa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was expecting to read something light, but I was surprised that it went far beyond just slice of life. As someone who is very close to age 50, and have seen the ups and downs of more mature relationships, I could honestly say that a lot of what transpired here were realistic. Finally, a danmei that tackled finance issues in a relationship (though, of course, the solution was quite contrived so I get why the reviewers would be annoyed). It's very subtle, but there was a lot of second wave feminist undertones in here (though it also stopped being subtle about it when Simone de Beauvoir was quoted near the end, haha). The author's observations about people are also on point: old rich tend to be very lowkey about their spending habits, new rich tend to be a bit flashier, and poor people put themselves in debt by trying to look rich. I could say, compared to many danmei set in the current world, this one isn't formulaic. I couldn't tell what's going to happen next.

[Magpie6493 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating it this high caus eteh last half pulled this book together. However, I would have probably preferred if there was one more volume worth of material to develop some of the other side characters a bit more.

All that being said I did overall enjoy this quite a bit.

[Caeden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great character study! Each character was complex and Flawed and told a different story. It was really lovely and so very human.

[Precociousp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fei Tian Ye Xiang’s Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory duology concludes with a thoughtful yet uneven second volume, bringing the characters’ lies and deceptions to the forefront. Where the first book established intrigue, this installment forces each man to confront the consequences of his choices, creating a thematic throughline about honesty, vulnerability, and the cost of self-deception.

The novel frames its central conflicts through pointed questions:

Zhang Yuwen and Huo Sichen must reckon with a relationship founded on dishonesty.

Zheng Weize explores how habitual deception corrodes trust.

Yan Jun, once defined by fatherhood, must reconstruct his sense of identity.

Chen Hong embodies the struggles of starting over from nothing.

Chang Jinxing navigates unexpected growth when his carefree persona collides with new responsibilities.

These arcs create fertile ground for character study, but the execution is uneven. Chang Jinxing emerges as the most fully realized, evolving in ways that feel both surprising and believable. In contrast, Yan Jun—arguably the most compelling figure—receives minimal development, leaving his storyline undercut by the novel’s brevity.

Structurally, the pacing is consistent until the final five chapters, where the resolution feels compressed. The story might have benefited from an additional volume or several more chapters to explore the consequences of the characters’ choices in greater depth. This rushed conclusion undermines what could have been a more resonant ending.

What remains striking, however, is the emotional authenticity of the characters. Fei Tian Ye Xiang, writing from the perspective of a gay man, infuses the narrative with a rawness and emotional depth that distinguishes it from many works in the genre. His characters are not idealized; they are flawed, contradictory, and deeply human.

Overall, while the conclusion falters in execution, the duology succeeds in its exploration of truth, deception, and personal growth. The second book earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars—an imperfect but resonant finale.