Yi Chen knew he had messed up the moment he said those words but what had been spoken couldn't be taken back. He was saying this for Zi Han's sake because he was well aware of what kind of thoughts he harbored towards him.
If he were to see him naked he was afraid that he would become a pervert and eat some tofu both intentionally and unintentionally thus he blurted that out.
Unfortunately for him, Zi Han had yet again misunderstood which didn't surprise him at this point. He just hoped he could smooth things over before this misunderstanding festered and morphed into something irreparable.
Yi Chen could hear Zi Han noisily moving things around his locker while changing. The man was obviously cursing his ancestors. Yi Chen knew the risks but he had absolutely no choice.
Thus he said, "You misunderstood me. That's not what I meant," while straightening up his t-shirt. He didn't even look in Zi Han's direction but this only made things worse.