Chapter 46

His face was expressionless, and only when he saw the Original Host did he smile faintly.

He tucked the blanket around the Original Host bit by bit and said softly, "Let's come out another time. I'm worried."

The hope in the Original Host's eyes dimmed at once. For the first time, he was a little angry. "What are you worried about? Can't I even stay in the square for a while? I'm bored to death staying home all day."

"Why do you have to control everything I do? You control what I eat and wear, and you even control whether I go out. You're so annoying."

The Original Host lowered his head and plucked at the strings. He liked He Qinghuan so much that losing his temper at him hurt him too, but if their conflicts kept piling up, the eventual explosion after all that suppression would only be harder to contain. They might as well clear things up early.

"I miss Old Gu. He Qinghuan, I want to go home and see him."

Those words seemed to cross He Qinghuan's bottom line. He lowered his eyes to look at the boy beside him. The car accident had left him much thinner. Fortunately, his naturally optimistic disposition meant his leg condition hadn't left him utterly despondent. He was still full of life.

But he wanted to leave.

He Qinghuan brushed aside the slightly overgrown fringe on the Original Host's forehead and said slowly,

"Are you no longer willing to stay by my side?"

"What's so good about the outside?"

"Wangwang, you said it yourself. You like me."

"Now I like you too. Stay home and be good, okay?"

He looked at the driver. "Take us home."

The Original Host's eyes widened in disbelief. He didn't quite understand what He Qinghuan meant, yet it seemed he did.

The fear in the Original Host's heart affected Gu Wang directly. He jolted awake and pinched himself. Only after confirming that this was real did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Gu Wang didn't know whether the Original Host understood, but he certainly did. He Qinghuan had effectively imprisoned the Original Host, cutting off all his contact with the outside world.

So this was what He Qinghuan called liking someone?

He had never completely separated himself from the Original Host. He was helping live out the Original Host's life, but he was certain they were two different people. He had always firmly believed that.

But for the first time, he wasn't so sure. Why could he feel the Original Host's happiness, sadness, disappointment, and despair so distinctly? Every subtle sensation and emotion felt as though it had happened to him.

Gu Wang was smart, and smart people tended to think more. A seemingly impossible suspicion surfaced in his heart, but he forcefully pushed it down the moment it emerged.

Impossible. I can't be the Original Host.

How could such a miserable life be mine?

He sat in a daze for a while, thinking of He Qinghuan.

He Qinghuan liked him now, but he didn't seem to have shown such a strong desire for control and possession. Gu Wang stared at the ceiling, hoping things wouldn't follow the Original Host's old path this time.

If it truly couldn't be avoided, he wouldn't sit around waiting for his fate. Whether he slipped away or laid everything on the table, he would never become someone else's accessory.

Being imprisoned was even more out of the question.

The family had two drivers, and Gu Dazhi and Du Liping had each taken one today, so Gu Wang had to get to school himself.

It was rush hour, and he couldn't get a taxi, so Gu Wang took the bus instead.

He hadn't expected to run into someone he knew on the bus.

Holding the overhead strap, Gu Wang looked at Jiang Chi, who was seated in front of him. They stared at each other for several seconds, momentarily speechless.

It was morning, and sunlight streamed into the bus. Gu Wang faced it directly, as though draped in a layer of gold.

When he blinked, even his lashes seemed to shed fragments of light.

The shadows his lashes cast beneath his eyes were like rich ink swept across paper by a brush.

Putting his personal prejudices aside, Jiang Chi had to admit that Gu Wang had a very handsome face.

"Are you together with He Qinghuan?" he demanded resentfully.

His voice was loud enough that half the bus turned to look at them. Jiang Chi cleared his throat awkwardly and snorted.

Gu Wang glanced at him and smiled. "Not yet."

Jiang Chi's eyes lit up as he looked at him.

"Soon," Gu Wang added leisurely.

Most of the time, Gu Wang was the one who had other people in the palm of his hand.

Provided it was fair and square. Gu Wang had never liked playing dirty.

Jiang Chi's face darkened, and he stopped talking.

Gu Wang was a little curious. Jiang Chi's family was so rich, so why was he taking the bus? He didn't ask, but Jiang Chi noticed him looking and touched his face. "What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Gu Wang said mildly.

They weren't friends; they could even be called enemies. Curiosity was appropriate, not concern.

Jiang Chi sneered and asked, "You're doing the three thousand meters today?"

Gu Wang looked at him.

"So am I," Jiang Chi said. "Want me to crush you again?"

Gu Wang frowned. "You're getting way ahead of yourself."

He sounded perfectly serious, not remotely joking. It was purely a statement of fact.

Thanks to Jiang Chi, Gu Wang remembered a plot point from the book-

The Original Host and Jiang Chi had always been at odds over He Qinghuan, competing over everything except their studies. The Original Host ranked at the bottom of their year, while Jiang Chi's grades were above average. Knowing he couldn't beat Jiang Chi academically, the Original Host tried to surpass him in other areas.

At the spring sports meet in their first year, both of them had entered the five-thousand-meter race. Jiang Chi had plenty of explosive power but lacked endurance, while the Original Host was exactly the opposite. In a long-distance race, Jiang Chi was bound to lose.

The reason Jiang Chi was so confident was that he liked playing dirty. Bumping into the Original Host himself wasn't enough; he also paid other runners in the race to trip him up. They were all students without much money, and Jiang Chi paid generously. All they risked was being disqualified and having their results voided, so no one cared.

Playing dirty was one thing, but he even acted as though he actually had some ability.

The bus announcement called out the stop for Jinyang High School. Gu Wang lowered his eyes to Jiang Chi, let go of the strap, and curled his lips. "Jiang Chi, we'll see."

Jiang Chi froze, then answered with a sneer.

The sports meet lasted three consecutive days. Some students weren't wearing their uniforms, and each class had set up a canopy beside the flower beds on either side of the track, with hot water and glucose ready at all times.

An enormous blackboard stood in the middle of the field, displaying each class's total score and ranking from yesterday.

Gu Wang's class was third.

Their Physical Education Representative had worked himself to the bone earning points, and several girls who were good writers had kept churning out messages of encouragement. Though those earned fewer points than the events, every little bit counted, and they had accumulated quite a few.

Song Zhiyan brought over several bottles of Coke and gave one to each girl bent over the table writing messages. "Can you write one for an individual?"

Wen Ting looked up. "Who do you want it for?"

Song Zhiyan pointed at himself.

Gu Wang: "..."

Then he pointed at Gu Wang too. "For me and Gu Wang."

Wen Ting put down her pen. "Gu Wang has the three thousand meters today, and you have the high jump. What do you want us to write?"

Song Zhiyan brushed his hair back and lifted his chin. "Just praise how handsome we are. That's pretty obvious, after all. Everyone can see it. As soon as you mention it, they'll know who you mean."

Wen Ting was astounded by Song Zhiyan's shamelessness. Propping her chin on her hand, she said, "Write it yourself. I can't write that."

Everyone else had "Go, athletes, go!" while their class would have "Look, that handsome hunk!" Did they have no shame?

Song Zhiyan picked up a pen. "Fine, I'll write it myself. I was worried you wouldn't be able to capture how handsome I am anyway."

Shen Zhao entered school just as the gates were closing. His father had driven him, and he was still arguing with him even after he'd gone inside.

"Fine, don't drive me anymore! I'll get Mom to beat you to death!"

His father clung to the iron gates. "You little brat, come out here if you dare! I'll skin you alive today!"

He was so loud that students in several nearby canopies turned to look. Shen Zhao didn't think anything of it. He had no events today and wasn't wearing his uniform, just a white T-shirt under a light blue hooded sun-protection jacket.

It made him look young.

He dropped his backpack onto the table with a thud and unzipped it. "I brought soda. Here, one bottle each. The rest are for my own class."

Then he put his backpack on again and ran to the neighboring canopy.

Song Zhiyan was still bent over, writing furiously about his and Gu Wang's peerless good looks, when he heard Gu Wang's hesitant voice beside his ear. "Song Zhiyan, look. Are Shen Zhao's pants wet?"

Song Zhiyan looked over, dropped his pen, and laughed like an idiot. "His soda's cold. It got his backpack wet, and his backpack got his pants wet. Wang, don't tell him. Hahahahaha, what an idiot."

Gu Wang: "..."

He remembered his own embarrassing moment in front of He Qinghuan not long ago.

His pants had been wet too, and it had been even more embarrassing than Shen Zhao's situation, because it hadn't been his backpack that soaked his pants. It had been his underwear.

Even though some time had passed, remembering it still made Gu Wang want to cover his face and crawl into a hole.

Speaking of which, he still had He Qinghuan's clothes. He needed to find time to return them.

Perhaps thinking of someone really did summon them. Gu Wang watched Song Zhiyan finish his own message and start writing one for him. Unable to bear watching any longer, he looked up and around.

He happened to see He Qinghuan and Yue Feng coming out of the classroom building.

He Qinghuan wore a very loose white long-sleeved T-shirt and loose gray cuffed sweatpants today, casual and comfortable. Gu Wang rarely saw him dressed like this. Most of the time, he wore his uniform with the zipper pulled all the way up, restrained, cool, and thoroughly distant.

As he approached, many people in the canopies turned to look at him.

He couldn't be in the sun, so he came straight into the canopy. Because of his height, he even had to duck slightly as he entered.

When he raised his eyes, they met Gu Wang's.

Gu Wang blinked and asked, "Is your back okay?"

He Qinghuan walked over and stood beside Gu Wang, saying softly, "Much better after you blew on it last night."

Gu Wang: "..."

Song Zhiyan straightened and looked at them. "Blew? Blew what? A blowjob?"

Gu Wang: "..."

No one answered him. Song Zhiyan scoffed and kept writing. Once he finished, he read Gu Wang's message aloud to him.

"Wangwang, what do you think of this?" Song Zhiyan looked at his masterpiece, immensely pleased and brimming with confidence. "Ah, the boy runs like the wind! Ah, even the sunlight must make way for him! Ah, even your flying sweat carries a captivating fragrance! Ah, we shall all be intoxicated and enthralled by you! You, Gu Wang, are a South Sea Pearl! A rare diamond! You, Gu Wang..."

Gu Wang couldn't listen anymore. He kicked Song Zhiyan. "Shut up."

There was no need to exaggerate like that.

Wen Ting doubled over laughing. "Song Zhiyan, are you sure you want to submit that? Ask the class president if he'll read it out for you."

After all the messages were sent to the podium, the hosts still had to screen and review them. Only those that aligned with socialist values and reflected the spirit and character of young people stood a chance of being selected.

Something like Song Zhiyan's probably wouldn't even make it into He Qinghuan's hands.

At Wen Ting's words, they all turned to He Qinghuan, wanting to see what he thought of Song Zhiyan's shameless behavior.

Gu Wang had a feeling. He could more or less guess what He Qinghuan would say.

Facing everyone's curious gazes, He Qinghuan glanced at the profile of the boy beside him and smiled. His tone was calm. "As long as it conforms to the facts and isn't deliberately exaggerated, it's acceptable."

How official!

Wen Ting pressed on. "Then, class president, do you think this counts as deliberately exaggerating the facts?"

He Qinghuan paused, then shook his head. "No."

"It's the truth."

The heat first spread upward from his fingertips, until even his back, neck, and ears grew hot. Gu Wang rubbed his earlobe and barely maintained his composure. "You flatter me."

Yue Feng looked at He Qinghuan, then at Gu Wang, and couldn't help laughing aloud.

Song Zhiyan noticed none of this. He waved the paper in his hand. "See? See? I told you it wasn't exaggerated. Even He Qinghuan said it's fine. Hand it in with the others later."

Wen Ting found it unbelievable. She thought Song Zhiyan really was shameless, and the class president had been acting rather strange lately too.

This wasn't exaggerated? Calling someone a mermaid's tear wasn't exaggerated?

Could she just call herself Chang'e, then?

Yue Feng's gaze swept around and settled on someone in the opposite canopy, his expression a little strange.

Shen Zhao was sticking his backside out in the opposite canopy. He wore light blue jeans, and the wet patch was on full display.

Gu Wang wanted to go over and warn him, since he had experienced it himself, but Song Zhiyan held him back. "Wangwang"