zài / nà / bù / lì / shǐ / xiǎo / shuō / lǐ / nán / sè / zhǐ / shì / rén / wù / guān / xì / de / yì / tiáo / àn / xiàn

在那部历史小说里，男色只是人物关系的一条暗线。

In that historical novel, male homosexuality is merely an underlying thread in the characters' relationships.