had lace trim, and the two were arguing over whose was more manly.
Gu Wang closed his eyes. He was used to it.
"Song Zhiyan, I seriously cannot understand why your swim trunks have lace trim. You-are you even human? Those look like my mom's safety shorts!"
"Could you take a look at your own fucking outfit before talking? Floral print is bad enough, but tiny chrysanthemums? You really went for something with meaning."
Shen Zhao kicked Song Zhiyan into the water, then jumped in himself with a splash. Steaming water flew everywhere. Gu Wang expressionlessly wiped the water off his face, leaned against the edge, and started playing on his phone.
Several people had sent new messages on WeChat. The one at the top had just come from He Qinghuan.
[He Qinghuan: Where are you?]
Gu Wang hesitated over whether to reply. After a while, he decided not to. He would just pretend he hadn't seen it. He was about to delete the conversation.
[He Qinghuan: Wangwang, you can't pretend you didn't see it.]
Gu Wang: ...
[Gu Wang: At home.]
He Qinghuan had just gotten out of the car. Yue Feng caught up behind him, glanced at his phone screen, and said, "He's pretty well-behaved. Actually staying home all through the National Day holiday."
Looking at those simple words, "At home," He Qinghuan could picture Gu Wang obediently replying. He turned off his phone, looked at Yue Feng, and flaunted it mildly. "You can only envy me."
Yue Feng: "..."
Gu Wang received no further reply from He Qinghuan and breathed a sigh of relief. Every time he interacted with He Qinghuan, whether face-to-face or through a screen, he felt as though he were being controlled.
He didn't dislike it, but it was strange, a tense feeling he couldn't quite describe.
The three soaked in the hot spring for almost two hours, until a staff member outside reminded them not to stay in too long. Shen Zhao reluctantly climbed out of the pool. "Another two hours and I could definitely top the exams."
Song Zhiyan said, "I think soaking yourself into an idiot is more likely."
They changed in a room specially provided beside the hot spring. Only when Gu Wang went to get dressed did he realize he hadn't brought any clothes, but he couldn't stand putting the clothes he had arrived in back on after soaking either.
The staff had changed shifts, and a cute young man pulled open the wardrobe beside them. "We have clothes prepared here. They're new and disposable."
They really did have money to burn.
A row of bathrobes hung in the wardrobe, all made of fine silk. There weren't many colors, just black and red. The fabric was excellent, smooth, soft, and cool to the touch.
Gu Wang reached for a black one, but Shen Zhao stopped him with a solemn expression. "Wangwang, you'd look good in this dark red. Trust me. That bastard Song Zhiyan took black. Don't wear the same thing as him. It'll lower your standards."
Song Zhiyan was tying his sash. At that, he kicked Shen Zhao in the backside. "Shut up, floral shorts!"
Shen Zhao talked Gu Wang into taking the dark red one. It was a very deep red that flowed like wine.
The staff member tied Gu Wang's sash from behind. Facing the mirror, Shen Zhao froze behind him for a moment, then turned to Song Zhiyan and swore. "Fuck, Wangwang looks almost unfairly good."
"You look like Lu Zhishen," Shen Zhao added, not forgetting to take another jab at Song Zhiyan.
Gu Wang had fair skin, and the dark red made his whole body look like white jade. His features were already exceptionally handsome. In casual clothes, he still had a youthful air, but this bathrobe completely erased that boyishness and lent him a striking allure.
Fresh from the hot spring, he seemed wreathed in damp mist, like a rose lifted out after being steeped in red wine.
After taking a look, Song Zhiyan said, "I really do look like Lu Zhishen."
Gu Wang didn't think much of it himself. He was used to his own face, though this was certainly different from his usual style.
After leaving the room, they had to take the elevator in the lobby. They planned to shower, have a meal, and then play pool.
It was the National Day holiday, peak season, and plenty of people had come to the hot spring resort, especially at night. Gu Wang had no idea how much attention he attracted. Even the attendant walking beside them couldn't help looking at him repeatedly.
A boy with looks that outstanding was truly rare.
The elevator stopped on the sixth floor for a while, then slowly descended floor by floor. Gu Wang watched the numbers count down, standing directly in front of the doors.
With a ding, the elevator doors slowly slid open before him.
Gu Wang casually raised his eyes to look at the people inside, only to freeze the next second.
He Qinghuan wore black sportswear, looking restrained and understated, but Gu Wang spotted him at once.
The same went for He Qinghuan. He looked at the boy standing frozen outside the elevator, his hair slightly damp, his body wreathed in moisture, wearing an exceptionally eye-catching dark red bathrobe.
The lighthearted expression He Qinghuan had worn while talking to Yue Feng slowly disappeared.
Perhaps the atmosphere was too strange. For a moment, no one inside or outside the elevator moved. The other guests waiting to go upstairs had suddenly disappeared too, leaving only them.
Right in front of Gu Wang, He Qinghuan opened WeChat, tapped the pinned conversation, and murmured softly, "Wangwang, you told me you were at home?"
Author's note: Gu Wang: I got caught.
Chapter 31
Yue Feng finally broke the strange, stiff atmosphere. He whispered in He Qinghuan's ear, "He Qinghuan, let's talk outside."
Gu Wang didn't know whether he should get into the elevator and go upstairs or do something else. He could see the darkness in He Qinghuan's eyes clearly.
Gu Wang lowered his slightly damp lashes. It wasn't anything serious. If they were friends, they wouldn't mind a little lie like this. Besides, he and He Qinghuan didn't even count as friends.
He Qinghuan brushed past Gu Wang. "Wangwang, come here."
His voice was very soft, like a feather lightly brushing past Gu Wang's ear, yet that feather clearly carried sharp, deadly barbs.
Neither Shen Zhao nor Song Zhiyan heard him. They were still marveling.
"Wow, what a coincidence! We even ran into him here!" The elevator had closed because no one entered for so long. Song Zhiyan pressed the up button again, but it kept ascending floor by floor. Someone upstairs wanted to come down.
Song Zhiyan folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Why did He Qinghuan's gaze feel so creepy? Usually he seems pretty, you know, approachable?"
"If he hadn't treated Wangwang like that, I wouldn't dislike him either."
With an expression and tone that said, "You don't know shit," Shen Zhao said, "Not really. People like your class monitor look all calm and unruffled on the surface, but behind your back they'll set traps and snare you so tightly you won't even know how you died."
"The guy beside him, and those other two, are obviously about our age, but they just seem different from us."
Song Zhiyan asked, "How do you know?"
Shen Zhao said, "My sister told me. She said those prominent families run deep. If we cross paths with them, and we can't make friends, then we shouldn't offend them."
Song Zhiyan sneered. "Quite the expert, aren't you?"
Shen Zhao said, "It's not about expertise. You wouldn't understand."
Song Zhiyan: "..."
They had chatted for ages while waiting for the elevator, but Gu Wang hadn't joined in. Shen Zhao poked his shoulder. "Wangwang, what are you thinking about?"
Gu Wang came back to himself, settled the feelings He Qinghuan had disrupted, and looked at them. "I left something at the hot spring pool. You two go up first. I'll come find you later."
Shen Zhao hugged his arm. "No, I want to go with you."
Gu Wang: "..." He suddenly felt that Shen Zhao being so clingy wasn't a good thing either.
"Shen Zhao, enough. You've exceeded your quota for being disgusting today." Song Zhiyan pulled Shen Zhao off and dragged him aside. "We'll wait in the room, then go eat together."
Gu Wang nodded and handed Song Zhiyan the things he had brought down to take upstairs for him, then turned and made his way through the crowd that had suddenly gathered to wait for the elevator.
Shen Zhao was reluctant to part. "I'm going to miss Wangwang so much."
"..." Song Zhiyan said, "Keep fucking going and I'll skin you upstairs."
Shen Zhao wasn't afraid of Song Zhiyan at all. "I really like you too."
Song Zhiyan went numb. "That doesn't work on me."
Shen Zhao climbed onto Song Zhiyan, tugging his bathrobe down off his shoulder and exposing his wheat-colored skin. Several people behind them covered their mouths and laughed, with no apparent malice.
Teenage boys were hard to dislike even when they were horsing around.
The chandeliers in the lobby shone dazzlingly bright. A clump of cannas in the center bloomed in intricate colors, and several carp in the pool flashed white as they flipped.
Incense had probably been lit. A faint sandalwood scent mingled with the air warmed by the hot springs behind the lobby.
Gu Wang stood beside the cannas, looking lost.
Where was He Qinghuan?
The front of the lobby consisted entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows. Inside was brightly lit, while outside was bustling too. Lights flickered through the courtyard, and they had said there would be fireworks at nine sharp.
Directly opposite the cannas, just outside the glass, several boys leaned against various spots, none daring to let their eyes wander.
Only one boy, his expression mild, rested his pitch-black eyes on the boy in the lobby who looked a little innocent and aggrieved, and curled his lips.
He Qinghuan gave Yue Feng goosebumps. "He Qinghuan, don't leave him hanging. Go in and see Gu Wang. He's waiting."
He Qinghuan said nothing.
Yue Feng really couldn't stand this deranged streak of his. "You said it yourself: he doesn't like you anymore. You're the one pursuing him now, and you're still getting angry."
"Please, go in and lift him up, okay?"
"You're going to lose your wife."
The chubby boy leaning against a pillar only dared sneak a casual glance inside. The boy really was good-looking. Then he looked at Yue Feng. "Yue Feng, is that Gu Wang?"
Yue Feng rolled his eyes at him. "Who else? Have you ever seen He Qinghuan act... like this with anyone else?" He didn't know how to describe it, so he settled for "like this," and the others, who had grown up playing together, understood.
He Qinghuan was the most indifferent among them. In middle school, when everyone else was first discovering romance, he focused on studying and followed his father around learning management. People made mistakes. He Qinghuan didn't.
Without feelings, he made no mistakes.
Yue Feng often felt that He Qinghuan was a little too extreme. Whoever ended up with him might even be chained up at home. He silently lit a candle for Gu Wang in the lobby.
While they talked, Gu Wang spotted them. More precisely, he spotted He Qinghuan. They stood in a straight line, and Gu Wang met He Qinghuan's eyes directly.
He Qinghuan had been watching him the whole time. He knew Gu Wang was looking for him.
A helpless, inexplicable feeling suddenly welled up in Gu Wang. Was it hurt?
He looked coldly at He Qinghuan for a while, then lowered his eyes, turned, and headed toward the elevator.
He Qinghuan's fingertips trembled.
Yue Feng grew anxious. "He Qinghuan, this isn't funny anymore. Maybe Gu Wang was wrong to lie to you, but get this straight: he isn't yours yet."
The chubby Old Ma joined in trying to persuade him. They hadn't known He Qinghuan as long as Yue Feng had, so persuasion was all they dared attempt. They wouldn't dare speak to him in such a forceful tone.
Gu Wang stood in front of the elevator, his back to the boys outside the lobby. After calming down, he felt he was being rather ridiculous too, getting swept along by He Qinghuan without knowing how, then inexplicably getting angry with him.
Why should he be angry with He Qinghuan?
The elevator slowly opened. Gu Wang walked in and pressed his floor. Just as the doors were about to close, a hand with clearly defined knuckles blocked them, and they slowly slid apart again.
Gu Wang looked up and saw He Qinghuan standing outside the elevator.
He Qinghuan pulled him outside the lobby. Wearing slippers, Gu Wang stumbled a few steps as he was dragged along and bumped into He Qinghuan's back. He Qinghuan loosened his grip on Gu Wang's arm and slowed his steps.
Gu Wang was pulled behind a pillar on the other side of the lobby. There weren't many people there. He looked around, realized how deserted it was, and his heart leaped into his throat.
This was... the perfect chance to silence him!
He Qinghuan watched him go from bewildered to flustered, then pretend to be calm. In front of him, Gu Wang was like a blank sheet of paper, his happiness or unhappiness written all over his face.
He really had made him angry just now.
He Qinghuan's eyes were like spilled ink, darker than the night. Under his gaze, Gu Wang's scalp prickled and his throat tightened.
A breeze blew past. Feeling a chill at his neck, Gu Wang lowered his head and realized that while He Qinghuan had been pulling him along, his bathrobe's sash had slowly loosened. The overlapping lapels were falling open to either side, exposing most of his shoulders.
He Qinghuan followed his gaze. Gu Wang immediately reached to tie the sash, but the sash was