Chapter 25

Behind his back, he had spent ages trying to tie the straps with his head lowered, only for the fabric at his shoulders to slide farther down.

There was nothing particularly unusual about He Qinghuan's gaze, but being watched like this made Gu Wang irritable.

He could not even tie the straps properly.

A thin sheen of sweat broke out over his body, fresh from the hot spring.

The more he rushed, the more tangled things became.

All the fear and nervousness he had suppressed when facing He Qinghuan surged up in an instant and exploded with a bang.

Gu Wang raised his eyes, a film of moisture clouding them. "Will you stop being so annoying?"

He Qinghuan had never seen Gu Wang like this, so beautiful it was startling. But for the first time, the very first time, what He Qinghuan noticed first was not how good-looking he was or how beautiful his eyes were.

It was the panic, nervousness, and hurt in Gu Wang's eyes. Gu Wang could not see any of it himself; he did not even know what he was feeling right now.

All his emotions had tangled together, leaving Gu Wang unable to tell them apart.

Gu Wang simply felt irritated and angry.

Something seemed to prick a spot in He Qinghuan's heart, softly and quietly. He caught Gu Wang's wrist and drew him a little closer, then reached both hands around his back, picked up the two long, thin straps, and tied them unhurriedly.

Now it was practically as though He Qinghuan had Gu Wang entirely in his arms. At least, that was how it looked to the boys not far away.

"Holy shit, is A-Huan... serious about this?" Old Ma's eyes nearly popped out.

"This is the first time I've seen someone yell at A-Huan and get soothed afterward. This-this-wasn't A-Huan the angry one at first? I only blinked, and now that boy's the one who's angry?"

Yue Feng glanced at him. "His name is Gu Wang."

Old Ma clicked his tongue twice. "A-Huan's a goner."

"Not necessarily. Maybe he just thinks he's good-looking and has the patience to play around. You all know A-Huan likes pretty faces."

"Liking pretty faces stops at admiring them. This is not admiration. Those eyeballs of yours are useless. Go dig them out."

"..."

Gu Wang was extremely close to He Qinghuan, his face almost touching He Qinghuan's neck. He was a little shorter than He Qinghuan; looking straight ahead brought him eye level with He Qinghuan's Adam's apple, looking up showed him his chin, and looking down showed him his chest.

The mint scent on He Qinghuan slowly began enveloping Gu Wang, allowing no refusal.

Gu Wang swallowed involuntarily, his body rigid.

Why wasn't he done tying them yet?

The waist straps were easy to tie. Gu Wang had simply been too flustered.

Once He Qinghuan finished tying the straps, Gu Wang took the opportunity to put a little distance between them. His gaze darted around a few times, and he did not know what to say.

He seemed to have yelled at He Qinghuan just now. Why had he yelled at He Qinghuan?

Gu Wang looked up and found He Qinghuan's expression unchanged. He breathed a sigh of relief. He Qinghuan probably had not taken it to heart.

In those mere thirty seconds, a jumble of thoughts had gone through Gu Wang's mind. As He Qinghuan looked at the person before him, the hostility he had felt upon learning that Gu Wang had lied to him faded without his noticing.

He lowered his eyes and said, "Wangwang, why are you the one getting angry when you lied to me?"

Gu Wang froze. Oh no, He Qinghuan was going to start settling accounts. Actually, Gu Wang did not think this was a big deal, much less something worth He Qinghuan's attention.

Still, he had to give He Qinghuan some kind of answer. "I just felt like getting angry."

He Qinghuan: "..."

Author's note: Yue Feng: You've lost your wife!

He Qinghuan: You're done for.

Yue Feng: ...

Chapter 32

Gu Wang's eyes were clear, his gaze open.

He Qinghuan lowered his eyes and did not keep going in circles with Gu Wang over the question of "why he was angry." As things stood, he would not get an answer.

"Wangwang, don't lie to me again." I really will get angry.

He Qinghuan's voice was almost a murmur, but Gu Wang heard every word clearly. He paused before slowly nodding in agreement.

Leaving everything else aside, He Qinghuan actually made a very suitable friend.

"Then I'll head upstairs."

"Mm." He Qinghuan agreed, but raised his hands to straighten Gu Wang's clothes again, asking casually as he did, "What do you want to do later?"

Gu Wang said, "Song Zhiyan said we should play pool."

He Qinghuan paused slightly. "Do you know how?"

Gu Wang shook his head. He knew how to do quite a lot; he even knew a few games in the gaming lounge on the first basement floor-the casino. He had played them with friends before. He had not placed any bets, but he played better than those who had.

Pool, though, he did not know how to play. He did not even know how to hold a cue.

"I'll teach you."

Gu Wang paused, surprised that He Qinghuan actually knew how to play pool, though he would not have found it strange if He Qinghuan had said he was very good at golf. He was also surprised that He Qinghuan had offered to teach him.

Naturally, Gu Wang would not refuse a chance to learn something. This time, his agreement was less perfunctory than before, and even his eyes were brighter.

Only after Gu Wang entered the lobby and went upstairs did He Qinghuan withdraw his gaze and walk toward Yue Feng and the others in the courtyard.

Yue Feng looked at him. Old Ma looked at him too, as did Dada. An odd silence settled over them.

He Qinghuan looked different from before-even from just ten minutes ago. Earlier, he had been so gloomy and brooding that even the three of them had found him a little frightening. Now... it would not have been an exaggeration to call him gentle.

Yue Feng clicked his tongue twice, picked up a cocktail from the small table in the middle, and swirled it slowly in his hand. "A-Huan, you... don't scare him."

Old Ma and Dada nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Just now, Gu Wang had only lied about being at home. It really was not anything serious. They were not even together yet, and Gu Wang did not even know He Qinghuan had already begun casting his net, but He Qinghuan had already unilaterally claimed him as his own. Having grown up together, they understood He Qinghuan, and they were genuinely afraid he might do something extreme.

They had not expected Gu Wang to have already begun influencing He Qinghuan, either.

At this, all of them wanted to make the same remark: love was fucking magical!

It had dragged even A-Huan, who had never concerned himself with worldly affairs or romance, down from the clouds.

He Qinghuan settled into the wicker chair beside him, his eyelids drooping lazily. "I know where to draw the line."

"..." Dada pushed the fruit platter into the middle. He was the youngest of the four, only in his first year of high school. With his black-framed glasses, he looked like a shy, quiet top student, but the moment he opened his mouth, he said, "How about locking him up first?"

Dada's family was not involved solely in legitimate business; they had even more holdings in gray areas. Although he was only sixteen, he had seen plenty of cruel, extreme methods of tormenting people and had grown accustomed to them.

The kid who did not understand love thought those methods could be used on someone you liked, too.

He Qinghuan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Yue Feng's heart lurched. He gave Dada a token kick. "What are you talking about? That's Gu Wang, not those thugs in your family's basement."

Dada did not quite understand, but hearing Yue Feng's serious tone, he scratched the back of his head. "Oh. Then don't lock him up."

Yue Feng and Old Ma: "..."

He Qinghuan thought Dada's suggestion was worth considering. If Wangwang behaved and was a little more obedient, he would naturally give the kid as much freedom as possible. If he did not...

The night was hazy and heavy. He Qinghuan's gaze fell on the startlingly vivid red Bloody Mary on the table, and his lips curved. If he did not behave, even He Qinghuan did not know what he might do.

Seeing He Qinghuan like this sent a chill through Yue Feng's heart. Perhaps A-Huan had not thought of it before, but now that Dada had brought it up, given A-Huan's temperament, he would definitely consider it.

Now Yue Feng only hoped that however much Gu Wang played around or caused trouble, he would not truly cross He Qinghuan's bottom line. When that happened, even Yue Feng himself might not be able to hold A-Huan back.

Old Ma sensed something strange about the atmosphere and took the initiative to change the subject. "What are you all doing later? I'm going to soak in the hot springs."

Dada raised his hand. "I'm going with Brother Old Ma."

Old Ma's face stiffened. "Don't come with me. I'm going to the weight-loss one. You're underdeveloped; you can try the milk bath. Maybe you'll be two meters tall tomorrow."

Yue Feng said, "Seconded."

Dada: "..." Another day of being discriminated against by his older brothers.

Yue Feng looked at He Qinghuan. "A-Huan, what about you?"

He Qinghuan said, "I'm going to teach Wangwang to play pool."

Yue Feng said, "Oh, can I come along?"

"Whatever," He Qinghuan said indifferently.

Yue Feng: "..."

Old Ma and Dada headed into the lobby with their arms around each other's shoulders, not forgetting to call back, "Let's watch the fireworks together at midnight!"

"Why would I watch fireworks with you guys? Fireworks are too romantic. Wait until I find someone first." Yue Feng leaned back lazily in his chair. Then, apparently struck by a thought, he looked at He Qinghuan. "A-Huan, that friend of Gu Wang's, Shen Zhao-help set us up!"

He Qinghuan's tone was indifferent. He had no concern for Yue Feng's miserable life of being single for over a decade. "Do it yourself."

Old Ma gave Yue Feng a thumbs-up. "Asking A-Huan to play matchmaker for you. How did you even come up with that?"

Yue Feng stood and kicked at him. "You just have to run your mouth. Hurry up and soak in your weight-loss spring."

Old Ma said, "...Dada, Yue Feng's discriminating against fat people."

Dada pushed up his glasses. "You're fat. I'm not."

"..."

Gu Wang returned to his room. After showering, he changed into a T-shirt and long pants and sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed. He Qinghuan sent him a WeChat message.

[He Qinghuan: Sorry I scared you.]

Gu Wang froze and stared at those few words for a long time. Was He Qinghuan apologizing?

Actually, Gu Wang felt rather guilty himself. Come to think of it, He Qinghuan seemed to have been treating him quite well lately. Gu Wang had not considered any other possibilities because he thought it was impossible. If He Qinghuan were going to like him, he would have liked him long ago.

A few days earlier at school, He Qinghuan had asked whether he had plans for National Day, and he had said he was busy. When asked again today, he had said he was at home. He had lied to him twice in a row.

If He Qinghuan did not dislike him and wanted to be on good terms, Gu Wang would not refuse. Being on good terms with He Qinghuan and keeping him happy could only bring benefits.

Gu Wang knew all of this came with a condition: he must not fall for him. It had to be about interests alone. Mutual interests were the only secret to maintaining a lasting, friendly relationship.

Gu Wang replied with a sticker he had saved from Shen Zhao, of a little rabbit tugging its own ears and grinning foolishly. He did not know what to say, either.

It was nearly nine now. The third-floor dining area had romantic, luxurious decor, with an entire wall of panoramic windows on the right overlooking most of the scenic area.

The streetlights stretched into the distance, like the Milky Way fallen into a sea of forest.

Gu Wang did not have much appetite that evening. There was only a bowl of congee in front of him.

Song Zhiyan and Shen Zhao had probably tired themselves out fighting back and forth. Shen Zhao had ordered a large bowl of Japanese tonkotsu ramen and a sushi platter. Song Zhiyan was even more outrageous: a bowl of ramen and chicken cutlet curry rice, and he was still taking sushi from in front of Shen Zhao, swallowing each piece in one bite.

Watching him wolf it down without appreciating it pained Shen Zhao. "I haven't gotten this month's allowance yet. Take it easy."

Song Zhiyan exposed him mercilessly. "Didn't you get someone to queue up and buy shoes for you yesterday?"

"..." Shen Zhao rolled his eyes and looked at Gu Wang. "Wangwang, are you on a diet? Won't you get hungry eating so little?"

Gu Wang wore a T-shirt with a somewhat wide neckline, and the lines of his collarbones were beautiful. Feeling sorry for him, Shen Zhao forked the chicken cutlet from Song Zhiyan's plate into Gu Wang's bowl. "You're too thin. Eat more."

Song Zhiyan said, "Zhaozi, you've really gotten greasy lately. Go home and wash yourself with dish soap. It's not like you don't know Wangwang doesn't eat much at night."

As he spoke, he forked the chicken cutlet back.

"???" Confusion covered Shen Zhao's face. "You're just making excuses because you want the chicken cutlet yourself."

Song Zhiyan said, "Eat dick."

Shen Zhao said, "Ew."

Gu Wang laughed aloud.

"Hello." A man who looked around thirty came up beside their table. He had a refined air and wore gold-rimmed glasses. Standing before them, he looked at Gu Wang. "Could I get to know you?"

Shen Zhao's chopsticks fell to the floor. "Holy... fucking shit."

Song Zhiyan thought Gu Wang's expression would darken. They had encountered things like this before, but back then, Gu Wang had been flashy, and the people he attracted had been just as flashy.

Usually, Gu Wang would swing a chair straight at the person's head.

Song Zhiyan was already silently rolling up his sleeves, ready to join the fight.

Yet Gu Wang merely set down his spoon and said flatly, "Sorry, I'm not interested."

As he spoke, his eyelids