After setting off fireworks in the small garden, Li Tongzhou brushed off the snow from his shoulders. Guo Jingyu looked up at him with a smile and accompanied him back.
The residential area wasn’t particularly large, and Guo Jingyu wanted to spend more time with him, so deliberately took a slightly longer route.
Unexpectedly, after walking for a while, they ran into someone familiar.
Guo Jingyu never expected to encounter Song Zhuoran in his own residential area. In a daze, Li Tongzhou took a half step forward, shielding him. Guo Jingyu was curious, stuck out his head and asked, “Monitor Song, what are you here?”
Song Zhuoran took two steps, then suddenly stopped in an attempt to block the girl who was following behind him, but was gently pushed. The girl was delicate and beautiful, with shoulder-length hair and eyes that were round and charming, like almonds. She looked at the person across from her, her gaze landed on Guo Jingyu. She waved gracefully and said, “Hello again. I’m Fan Jiali. We painted together in the art studio before. Remember?”
Guo Jingyu nodded, saying, “Of course, Monitor. I remember.” As he spoke, his attention shifted to the other class monitor beside them. Fan Jiali coming to visit Grandma Fan wasn’t surprising, but the appearance of the outstanding student from Class One, Song Zhuoran, seemed too coincidental. “What brings you both here?”
“He came to give me some papers.”
“I need to talk to her.”
The two people said simultaneously, but their answers were different. Song Zhuoran, the top student, appeared somewhat aggrieved but didn’t dare to say much. He silently looked at the girl beside him, like a golden retriever that had suffered a great injustice but did not dare complain.
Guo Jingyu almost instantly understood the situation. He pointed towards the nearby building, saying, “Well, I’m heading home. Carry on, no need to be bothered by me.”
Fan Jiali nodded, smiling as she greeted him for the New Year, “Wishing you an early Happy New Year!”
Guo Jingyu replied with a smile, “The same to you both! The same to you both!”
They exchanged glances, bidding farewell before parting ways.
Song Zhuoran slowly followed Fan Jiali and felt extremely aggrieved.
“They’re saying you like Guo Jingyu!”
“Nonsense!”
Fan Jiali was petite and almost wanted to grab him by the collar for an argument, her face flushed with anger.
Song Zhuoran was still feeling wronged, turned his head stubbornly and said, “What exactly am I lacking compared to him? If you like someone who plays basketball, I can join the school team too…”
“Stop making trouble!” The girl was both amused and exasperated but she still tiptoed to coax him, saying, “Last time, I just went to the gym to sketch, and it wasn’t just me!”
Song Zhuoran protested, “But you drew many sketches of him…”
The tendency to appreciate beauty was almost a common ailment among art students, and Fan Jiali couldn’t argue otherwise. Among the group, there was this one shining figure, and whether it was his face or body proportions, Guo Jingyu was an excellent subject for sketches. If she couldn’t see that, it would be a problem with her aesthetic judgment.
Song Zhuoran sadly said, “You really do like him! You won’t even let me wear clothes similar to Guo Jingyu. Do you think even if I wore them, I’d look especially ugly? You… you’ve really disappointed me. Now, in the middle of our intense high school studies, you’re thinking about dating. When we originally paired up to help each other, we clearly agreed to focus on studying together and go to our desired university! Did you already know that Guo Jingyu was also going to study art when you decided to pursue it?!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Fan Jiali slapped her flushed cheeks with her hand, pushing that foolish Song Zhuoran out of her mind. Biting her lip, she muttered another soft curse at him, calling him an idiot.
On the other side, Guo Jingyu walked a bit farther, then suddenly laughed softly. “No wonder, when Song Zhuoran said ‘he also is,’ I thought he was talking about you. Turns out it was Fan Jiali.”
Not him, but her.
Li Tongzhou asked, “What?”
Guo Jingyu explained to him and then looked at him with a hint of jealousy, saying, “Now I feel relieved. You have no idea how worried I was before. I thought Song Zhuoran had taken a liking to you. Considering how bad my grades are, I can’t participate in those modeling competitions. It kept me on edge for a long time.”
Li Tongzhou held his hand and said, “You’re great.”
Guo Jingyu ate a piece of honeyed date, finding it incredibly sweet.
Li Tongzhou followed up, asking, “But Song Zhuoran has always been imitating how you dress. I guess he sees you as a competitor, treating you as a rival.” He looked at Guo Jingyu and said softly, “Don’t you want to explain a bit more?”
Guo Jingyu: “…I swear, I don’t like Fan Jiali at all! There’s only you in my heart!”
Li Tongzhou held his hand, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “I’ve noticed Song Zhuoran coming here many times before. He even helps with dog-walking. Turns out, the person he likes is here. No wonder he keeps coming this way.”
After Guo Jingyu finished speaking, he suddenly realized and asked, “When did Song Zhuoran come over? No, how did you see him?”
“Just passing by.”
Guo Jingyu was skeptical and looked at him suspiciously.
Li Tongzhou dodged slightly as he said, “I went to the bookstore to buy reference books and happened to pass by a few times.”
Guo Jingyu approached, “You came to secretly watch me. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“… Just a few times.”
“Li Tongzhou—”
“Because the person I like is here, so I will come.”
Guo Jingyu couldn’t help but think it’s no wonder some people can coax others away with just words. Li Tongzhou, saying sweet things with such a serious expression, was simply irresistible. Guo Jingyu pulled him aside, in the concealed corner, and moved in the dark to kiss him. First, on the chin, then fumbling to find his lips, and several more kisses were planted, sealing their moment.
In the distance, there were cars on the road, their headlights flashing by. Li Tongzhou could see the boy in his arms tilting his head to look at him. Probably because he was looking too intently, the smile in his eyes hadn’t faded yet, warm and sweet.
After a moment of hesitation, Li Tongzhou leaned in close to his ear and said, “Jingyu, we can’t kiss anymore. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at night. I’ll keep thinking about you.”
Guo Jingyu bit him gently and laughed softly.
Seeing the person off, Guo Jingyu headed home, his mind filled with a multitude of yellowish waste. In his dreams, he attempted something, but for some reason, when he reached the crucial moment, he found himself reluctant to cause any discomfort to Li Tongzhou. Leaning his forehead against Li Tongzhou’s, he softly said, “You do it.”
Li Tongzhou followed his instructions.
Contrary to what he had imagined before, he had never thought he would willingly reach this point. But it was Li Tongzhou, and with that thought, everything seemed possible.
When he woke from his dream, his forehead was damp with a thin layer of sweat.
With half-open eyes, he remained lying down for a long time, still reminiscing the thrilling experience.
After the New Year, Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou went to the provincial capital together.
The tea plantation had a unique charm in winter, with thick snow covering each tea tree, resembling snow-wrapped packages from a distance, round and rolling.
Guo Jingyu took Li Tongzhou to stay at his grandma’s house. Grandma Gu was living alone, and she particularly loved having these kids over and loved preparing various delicious food for them.
Guo Jingyu didn’t want the old lady to tire herself, so he used the excuse of learning from her, insisting on taking over the cooking.
Li Tongzhou helped fix the broken light in the small building’s hallway. Grandma Gu was very happy. “Xiaozhou can do this too? That’s great! I was thinking of waiting until after the New Year to have someone come and repair it.”
Guo Jingyu said, “Grandma, you can’t be without lights here. What if you trip and fall? Next time, give my eldest uncle a call. Let him come and help you. Don’t resort to fixing things like this again.”
Grandma Gu sighed, “Ah, your eldest uncle has it tough, too. He’s been in a rush for the past six months, his mouth practically blistered from all the worry. And your cousin, too! It’s already the Lunar New Year, but he refuses to come back.” The old woman only knew that Gu Yu had gone abroad for studies. She had no idea about the details and sighed for quite a while.
“This child is being stubborn for the first time. I wonder how much hardship he’s enduring out there. Despite his tough talk, he never asks for money from home. I keep nagging your eldest uncle to send some money to Gu Yu. Every time, he just brushes me off with words.”
Guo Jingyu touched his nose, hesitating to speak.
Li Tongzhou came over and asked, “Grandma, I noticed the lanterns at home, and the light inside isn’t very bright. Should I change it for you?”
Grandma Gu immediately got diverted from the previous topic, “Oh, these lanterns can be changed?”
“Sure, I saw a new box of light bulbs in the trunk, and all the tools are there. I’ll replace them for you right now.”
“Oh, good child! Let Jingyu go with you. Take down the lanterns and change them. Be careful not to hurt yourselves!”
Li Tongzhou agreed with a nod, and went off to work with Guo Jingyu.
After changing the light bulbs and hanging them back up, it unturned out it shone much brighter. With the two red lanterns hanging at the doorway, the festive atmosphere of the New Year emerged, making it lively and joyous.
Li Tongzhou stood with him for a while, whispering, “Your cousin, although it might be a bit tiring outside, as long as he’s willing in his heart, he won’t feel the hardship.”
Guo Jingyu looked at him and smiled, “You don’t need to comfort me. I think it’s good to endure a bit of hardship while we’re young.”
“You don’t have to endure hardships.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll endure them for you and provide you with the best.”
Li Tongzhou stood there, secretly holding his hand. The palm was dry and warm. Guo Jingyu laughed lightly and pinched his fingers.
Because of the snowfall, the roads hadn’t been cleared, preventing them from riding the ponies. But still, they spent most of the day playing in the stable. Guo Jingyu took a carrot to feed a chestnut-colored young mare. After getting familiar with it, he tentatively reached out and touched its snout. The little horse was gentle and clever, nudging him and wanting to nibble the carrot in his hand. Guo Jingyu turned his hand away, and it playfully nuzzled him from behind.
Li Tongzhou brought a camera. He originally wanted to capture a few photos for memories, but couldn’t resist taking many more. The several memory cards he brought were now all full.
He couldn’t bear to delete any of them, planning to transfer them to his computer later that night.
Guo Jingyu waved to him, shouting from a distance, “Li Tongzhou, come over here! Look, it learned to spin, hahaha!”
Li Tongzhou looked up, and saw Guo Jingyu was leading the young horse in circles with a carrot. After two rounds, he waved his hand, and the horse stopped, as if training a little dog.
Guo Jingyu handed the carrot to Li Tongzhou, holding his hand to feed the horse, “Don’t be afraid. It’s very well-behaved! Call its name, and it will come to you. Isn’t that right, Yanzhi? Our little Yanzhi is the prettiest!”
Li Tongzhou glanced up at him, and the boy beside him had tousled hair, smiling with curved eyes, and lips as rosy as rogue.
He was really beautiful.
The author has something to say:
Little Theater 1:
Guo Jingyu: This person has an eye on Li Tongzhou
Li Tongzhou: He’s secretly in love with Guo Jingyu.
Monitor Song: … I’m not! I don’t! QAQ!!
Small Theater 2:
Fan Jiali: Actually, Song Zhuoran and I are…
Monitor Song (blushing and interrupting): Yes, we’re just really good friends, hahaha!
Fan Jiali: ???
K: I can never stressed the fact of LTZ SUPREMACY >>> ( ꈍ◡ꈍ)
Also SZR (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)
I’m glad the Song guy turned out to be just a regular guy trying to win a girl over and not some weirdo creep. Our boys are so so sweet! I hope the ending of this story won’t be Guo Jinyu “waking up” 😭