Tang Wulin Is Mine

The morning sunlight of the next day streamed through Shrek Academy's glass windows and spilled across the corridor. Tang Wulin had just finished packing his bag when Xie Xie burst into the dorm like a gust of wind, an irrepressibly excited grin on his face.

"Boss! Hurry, hurry! It's the annual Brotherhood Day! We have to have a blast today!" Xie Xie grabbed Tang Wulin by the arm and dragged him outside, his backpack strap slipping all the way down to his elbow.

Tang Wulin smiled helplessly and shook his head, letting Xie Xie pull him through the academy's long corridors. Brotherhood Day was an agreement they had made two years ago—on this day, they would set aside all cultivation and missions and simply enjoy time together as brothers. For them, it was indeed a rare chance to relax.

The two had just passed through the academy's security gate and turned the first corner when the unexpected happened.

"Ow!" Xie Xie slammed solidly into something soft, the momentum making him stagger back two steps. He instinctively rubbed his forehead, then looked up and froze.

Gu Yue was clutching her chest, baring her teeth in pain, her violet eyes nearly spitting fire.

"Xie Xie! Are you blind? Don't you watch where you're going? And where exactly did you hit?!"

Xie Xie's face reddened, but he immediately shot back, unwilling to back down. "Gu Yue! Why is your mouth so foul? Can't you speak properly? That part of you was hard as a rock. Did you think I wanted to hit it?"

"You pervert! Yours is the hard one! You ran into me and you still think you're in the right?"

"Who told you to suddenly appear—"

"Stop arguing!" Tang Wulin hurried forward and stepped between them. Looking at Gu Yue, he asked gently, "Gu Yue, why are you here?"

Gu Yue lowered the hand clutching her chest. Her expression softened slightly, though her eyes still held displeasure. "Of course I came looking for you." As she spoke, her gaze turned to Tang Wulin. "Central Mall has twenty percent off everything today. I thought I'd ask you to go shopping with me."

The moment Xie Xie heard that, he was unhappy. He spoke before Tang Wulin could. "Today is Brotherhood Day for me and Boss! We don't have time to shop with you, so hurry up and leave!"

Gu Yue raised a brow. Not only did she show no intention of leaving, she even took a step forward. "Why should I leave? Someone just ran into me and hasn't even apologized." Her eyes fell on Tang Wulin, and her tone suddenly changed. "Besides, Tang Wulin is mine today."

That sentence nearly made Xie Xie jump. "Gu Yue! I'm telling you, no way! Today is for us brothers. It has nothing to do with you!"

"Then take me with you." Gu Yue said it as though she were stating the simplest fact in the world.

Xie Xie gritted his teeth. "What does our Brotherhood Day have to do with a woman like you?"

"I'm going with Tang Wulin, not you." Gu Yue replied lightly, her attention entirely focused on Tang Wulin.

Xie Xie was left speechless. He could only glare as Gu Yue turned to Tang Wulin, the expression on her face suddenly becoming pitiful and aggrieved. The change came so quickly that Xie Xie was dumbfounded.

"Wulin," Gu Yue's voice softened, carrying a hint of pleading, "just take me with you. I promise I won't disturb you two. I just want to see how you spend Brotherhood Day. And the mall really is having a sale. We can go browse first, then you can go do whatever else you planned. Okay?"

Tang Wulin looked into her expectant eyes, and his heart softened for a moment. He glanced at Xie Xie beside him, whose face was nearly puffed into a ball with anger, and hesitated.

"Boss! You can't—" Xie Xie hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Then... all right." Tang Wulin nodded. "But let's be clear. Today is still mainly Brotherhood Day for Xie Xie and me."

A smile immediately bloomed across Gu Yue's face, as though her earlier grievance had never existed. "Of course, of course!"

Xie Xie nearly passed out. It was over. All over. With this she-devil around, there was no way they could cut loose like they had in previous years. He could practically see Gu Yue nitpicking everything in the arcade, finding this unsatisfactory and that unappetizing at the food street, then looking at them with disdain whenever they wanted to play games meant for boys.

Gu Yue naturally moved to Tang Wulin's other side, and the three formed a somewhat awkward line. Xie Xie was on the left, Gu Yue on the right, and Tang Wulin was caught in the middle.

"So, shall we go to the mall first?" Gu Yue suggested, seemingly in a very good mood.

Xie Xie rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Knew it would turn out like this..."

Tang Wulin patted Xie Xie's shoulder reassuringly, then said to Gu Yue, "We can go to the mall first, but we can only stay for two hours. After that, Xie Xie and I have other plans."

Gu Yue readily agreed. The three headed toward Central Mall through the bustling streets, while the silent contest between Xie Xie and Gu Yue continued. Xie Xie deliberately brought up topics that only he and Tang Wulin knew about, while Gu Yue occasionally cut in. Caught between them, Tang Wulin could only smile helplessly and mediate from time to time.

The enormous sign for Central Mall had already appeared at the end of the street, with a striking banner at the entrance that read, "Twenty Percent Off Storewide." Looking at it, Xie Xie sighed. His original plan for the opening of Brotherhood Day had been to visit the newly opened Soul Guidance game experience center in the north of the city. Now, it had turned into accompanying Gu Yue on a shopping trip.

As they entered the mall, a cool blast of air conditioning washed over them. Gu Yue was clearly familiar with the place and confidently headed for the women's clothing section. Xie Xie trailed behind her, looking completely dead inside.

"Wulin, what do you think of this dress?" Gu Yue picked up a light-blue dress and held it against herself.

Tang Wulin looked at it seriously and nodded. "It suits you quite well."

Gu Yue happily placed the dress in her shopping basket and walked to the next rack. Xie Xie leaned close to Tang Wulin's ear and lowered his voice. "Boss, two hours. We agreed on that. Not one second more."

Tang Wulin nodded with a wry smile. He knew exactly how much Brotherhood Day meant to Xie Xie. Every year on this day, they played harder than anyone, running around almost every interesting place in the city from morning until night. Gu Yue's sudden addition had indeed disrupted their original plans.

Gu Yue seemed to notice their whispered conversation. She turned around, holding a men's shirt in her hands. "Wulin, this one would suit you." She held it up against Tang Wulin's chest to compare.

Xie Xie narrowed his eyes. This Gu Yue was clearly doing it on purpose.

And so, time passed second by second amid the delicate atmosphere. Gu Yue shopped, Tang Wulin occasionally offered opinions, and Xie Xie remained silent most of the time, only glancing at the clock on the wall now and then.

An hour and a half later, Gu Yue's shopping basket was already packed full. She looked at her spoils with satisfaction before finally saying, "All right, I'm done shopping. Where do you want to go next?"

Xie Xie's eyes immediately lit up. "Boss! The arcade! That was the plan!"

Tang Wulin looked at Gu Yue. Gu Yue shrugged. "I don't mind. I'm following you two today, anyway."

The three then moved on to the Soul Guidance arcade in the north of the city. It was packed with all kinds of gaming equipment, from traditional shooting games to the latest virtual reality experiences. The moment Xie Xie entered, he regained his energy and dragged Tang Wulin toward the racing simulators.

"Boss, the usual rules. Best two out of three!" Xie Xie had already climbed into one of the simulators.

Tang Wulin smiled and sat down at the machine beside his. Gu Yue stood behind them, watching the countdown light up on the screen.

The game began, and two virtual race cars sped down the track. Xie Xie focused completely, his fingers moving rapidly over the controls. Tang Wulin was no less determined and stayed close behind. In the first round, Tang Wulin won by a narrow margin.

"Damn it! Again!" Xie Xie shouted unwillingly.

Gu Yue watched from the side, an almost imperceptible smile at the corner of her lips. When Xie Xie narrowly won the second round and nearly jumped out of his seat with joy, she softly remarked, "Not bad."

Xie Xie turned and glared at her, but he was in too good a mood to argue.

In the decisive third round, Tang Wulin pulled off a beautiful drift to overtake Xie Xie and crossed the finish line first.

"Boss won!" Although Xie Xie had lost, he seemed even happier than if he had won, forcefully patting Tang Wulin on the shoulder.

Gu Yue walked over and handed Tang Wulin a bottle of water. "Have some water. You're sweating."

Watching this, Xie Xie suddenly found it rather irritating. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Next, the shooting range! Boss, I'm definitely going to beat you this time!"

Over the next few hours, the three wandered through the various areas of the arcade. Shooting games, action games, coin-pusher games... Xie Xie and Tang Wulin had a fantastic time, while Gu Yue mostly watched and only joined in on one or two activities. To Xie Xie's surprise, Gu Yue did not complain about everything as he had expected. Instead, whenever Tang Wulin invited her to play, she happily accepted.

By evening, the three were sitting in the rest area outside the arcade, with drinks and snacks spread out before them. Xie Xie drank chilled fruit juice to his heart's content, his face glowing with a satisfied smile.

"Today was awesome!" he said with feeling. Then he looked at Gu Yue, his tone unusually calmer. "Hey, Gu Yue, you did pretty well in that last shooting round."

Gu Yue raised a brow. "Just pretty well?"

"Fine, very well. Happy now?" Xie Xie curled his lips, though there was a smile in his eyes.

Tang Wulin watched their interaction and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally worried that the entire day would be filled with hostility, but things had turned out far better than expected.

Night fell, and the city lights began to glow. The three walked out of the arcade, where warm yellow streetlamps had already lit up along the roads.

"Where are we going next?" Gu Yue asked.

Xie Xie checked the time, suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up. "Boss! The night market! The grand finale of Brotherhood Day!"

Tang Wulin remembered as well. Every Brotherhood Day night, they would wander through the night market, eat all kinds of snacks, and end the evening with fireworks.

"Okay, let's go to the night market." Tang Wulin nodded.

Gu Yue said nothing and merely followed them. Xie Xie glanced at her, but for once, he did not object.

The night market was located in the city's old district. Stalls of every kind lined both sides of the long street, and the aromas of food mixed with the noisy crowd to create a lively scene. Xie Xie weaved through the crowd, sometimes buying two skewers of grilled Soul Beast meat, sometimes carrying a bowl of iced jelly to share with Tang Wulin.

Gu Yue followed behind them, looking somewhat curious about everything around her. She rarely came to places like this. Usually, she either shopped or slept, so opportunities for this kind of simple leisure were rare.

"Try this. It's delicious." Tang Wulin handed Gu Yue a candied hawthorn skewer.

Gu Yue accepted it and carefully took a small bite. The sweet-and-sour flavor spread through her mouth, and her eyes curved slightly.

Xie Xie waved from not far away. "Boss! Come look at this!"

Tang Wulin walked over and saw Xie Xie standing before a ring-toss stall, already holding a bundle of rings. "Boss, let's compete. Let's see who lands more!"

Tang Wulin gladly accepted the challenge. The two focused on tossing their rings, while Gu Yue stood nearby, watching their childish competition with a flash of envy in her eyes.

In the end, Tang Wulin won by a narrow margin. The stall owner handed him an adorable Soul Beast plushie as a prize. Tang Wulin accepted it, then turned and handed it to Gu Yue.

Gu Yue froze. "For me?"

"Yeah, it's for you." Tang Wulin smiled.

Xie Xie watched from the side, seeming to want to say something, but in the end, he merely shrugged.

As the night deepened, the crowds at the night market gradually thinned. Xie Xie checked the time, then suddenly became excited. "It's almost time! Boss, fireworks!"

Tang Wulin nodded and led the two toward the river at the end of the night market. It was the best place to watch the fireworks.

They had just sat down on the grass by the river when the first firework blossomed across the night sky. Brilliant colors illuminated the faces of the three of them—red, yellow, blue, green—one after another.

Xie Xie tilted his head up, his face reflecting the colors of the fireworks. "Another Brotherhood Day."

Tang Wulin nodded without speaking. Gu Yue sat quietly beside him, looking up at the sky as well.

The fireworks display lasted for about twenty minutes. When the last firework faded from the night sky, the surroundings fell into brief darkness before the streetlights along the river lit up one by one.

Xie Xie stood and stretched. "Today was really satisfying." He looked at Tang Wulin, then glanced at Gu Yue, his tone carrying a rare calmness. "Even though there was an extra third wheel, it was still all right."

Gu Yue glared at him, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

Tang Wulin stood as well and brushed the grass off his clothes. "It's getting late. We should head back to the academy."

The three walked side by side on the road back to the academy. When they reached the academy gates, Xie Xie suddenly stopped and looked at Tang Wulin. "Boss, next year's Brotherhood Day will still just be the two of us, right?"

Tang Wulin was about to answer when Gu Yue spoke first. "That depends on whether I'm free."

"You—" Xie Xie choked on his anger.

Tang Wulin could not help laughing. "All right, we'll talk about next year next year. For now, let's go back and rest."

Xie Xie curled his lips, gave Gu Yue one last look, then turned and headed toward the dorms. Gu Yue also waved to Tang Wulin before walking in the direction of the girls' dormitory.

Tang Wulin stood where he was, watching their retreating figures. He sighed softly, then smiled.