“Anything is fine, just talk.”
Li Tongzhou cleared his throat and tried to ask, “After we graduate from college, will it be the same?”
Next door, someone happened to shout, and Guo Jingyu, pretending not to understand, blushed slightly, scratched his head, and said, “Well, let it be, if you want, I don’t think time is a problem. It’s just that traveling back and forth is not very convenient…” If he were to make a bold move, Li Tongzhou might not be able to hit the brakes even if he shouted to stop.
Li Tongzhou nodded, then after a moment, he asked, “What if we skip the hotel and live together?”
Guo Jingyu finally grasped the question the diligent student asked, “You’re asking about this? Of course, no problem. I thought you were asking about those two next door… so, what about that?”
Guo Jingyu became more energetic and started talking about the house they would live in, gesturing animatedly, “We might not be in the same college, but we should be nearby. We can rent a place close to the school. At first, funds might be a bit tight, so it could be a smaller place, maybe about the size of this room. But I can decorate it myself. I’ve got plenty of skills, even I know how to do some relief carvings…”
Li Tongzhou lay there, listening to him talk a lot.
Just listening like this filled him with anticipation for the future.
“Only one more year until the college entrance exam, Li Tongzhou. Take care, and I’ll be there with you for the exams. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. I want to know everything.” Guo Jingyu reached over, holding his hand, lying there chatting with him. “How have you been lately? How are classes at school? Have you been eating breakfast properly? Also, is your dad treating you well? Has he been getting on your case?”
“Everything’s alright, classes are the same as usual, but I don’t have a desk mate now. I sit alone.” Li Tongzhou, always patient with him, replied one by one, “I have breakfast. I buy it from the breakfast stall we used to pass by and take it to school. My dad is fine. He doesn’t come home often. Occasionally he will drink. My mom worries a lot about his health.”
Guo Jingyu sighed lightly, “Your mom’s temperament is too good. You take after her.”
Li Tongzhou rubbed his thumb against his knuckles, remaining silent.
Feeling his fingers tickled by the touch, Guo Jingyu chuckled softly, holding his hand. He turned over, getting a bit closer, and said, “Li Tongzhou, let me tell you, ever since I came here, I keep dreaming about you. Sometimes it’s us taking exams together, and I’m waiting outside for you to finish, but I was waiting for a long time and didn’t see you. Then I woke up, scared.”
Li Tongzhou paused for a moment, then lifted his hand to give him a hug, holding him close and saying, “It’s a nightmare. Sorry for making you worry.”
Guo Jingyu held onto him a bit tighter, and after a while, he said, “Not all dreams are like that. Occasionally, there are good dreams too.”
“Yeah, dreaming about getting into a good school?”
“Even better than that.”
“…So, we both got into the same school?”
“Your thick skin never ceases to amaze me,” Guo Jingyu laughed, and the slight heaviness in his heart from earlier dissipated.
Li Tongzhou leaned down and gave him a kiss.
Guo Jingyu didn’t let him go, tilting his head back and saying, “Give me one more. It’s not enough.”
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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Li Tongzhou said, “It hurts. Blow on it again.”
Guo Jingyu coaxed him for quite some time, but Li Tongzhou never stopped him. He reached out, wrapped his arms around Guo Jingyu’s waist, and tilted his head to let him continue blowing.
Li Tongzhou rarely got this close to anyone. Usually, at school, he barely spoke to his classmates and always wore a cold expression, with no emotions in his eyes. It seemed like he didn’t care about anything. But here he was, telling Guo Jingyu that it hurt, calmly letting him coax him, tilting his head to expose his throat like a creature baring its belly, revealing the softest part for him to see.
Guo Jingyu pinched his cheek and laughed, “Not hurting anymore. Let go, I’m going to sleep.”
Li Tongzhou, holding onto him, persisted, “Still hurts a bit.”
Guo Jingyu nudged his forehead, “Nonsense, I checked, it’s fine! Your talent for lying must have rubbed off on you from me. I regret teaching you all those random things when we were kids… Don’t mess around, don’t pull this on me. Let go.”
Li Tongzhou hesitated slightly, loosening his grip a bit. His arm hung loosely, expecting Guo Jingyu to move away. But to his surprise, Guo Jingyu adjusted the pillow, turned over, and found a more comfortable position lying beside him. Their arms touched, and he held Li Tongzhou’s hand, saying, “Let’s sleep. Tomorrow, I want to have a meal with you and then see you off at the station.”
“Don’t you have to go to the studio tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow’s Saturday, idiot,” Guo Jingyu grumbled, turning his head to nuzzle against Li Tongzhou’s shoulder. “Hurry up and sleep.”
Li Tongzhou closed his eyes and drifted off slowly.
The next day, both of them overslept. When Guo Jingyu woke up, he was still hugging a roll of blankets, sprawled across most of the bed. It took him a while after waking up to figure out where he was.
Li Tongzhou had already finished washing up, dressed neatly just like when Guo Jingyu saw him yesterday.
Guo Jingyu stretched his hand, “I can’t do it, can’t open my eyes. Get me a wet towel.” He had been too tired lately, and last night he couldn’t sleep well for most of the night. Now, he really couldn’t get up.
Li Tongzhou brought a wet towel to wipe Guo Jingyu’s face. Guo Jingyu held his breath, preparing for the expected cold sensation on his cheek, but instead, it was pleasantly warm. Li Tongzhou carefully wiped his face and then helped him with his hands, showing meticulous care.
Guo Jingyu’s eyelashes flickered, and before opening his eyes, he smiled, “Don’t treat me so well. Once you leave, I won’t even be able to get out of bed.”
Li Tongzhou didn’t say anything but reached out and lifted him from the bed. Guo Jingyu felt a bit embarrassed, opened his eyes, and jumped back a bit, saying, “I’m awake now, I can handle it myself.”
While Guo Jingyu was getting ready, Li Tongzhou stood by the door, watching him.
Guo Jingyu, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, mumbled with a toothbrush in his mouth, “I found you’re unusually clingy today.”
Li Tongzhou hesitated, standing there, and asked, “Should I wait for you outside?”
Spitting out the foam, Guo Jingyu lightly laughed, “No need, I didn’t say being clingy is a bad thing.”
Li Tongzhou looked at him seriously for a moment, then also laughed lightly.
They went out for lunch together. Guo Jingyu chose a Yunnan cuisine restaurant. One of the great things about being in the capital was the ability to easily find authentic local specialties, and the flavors were also good.
The restaurant’s decoration also carried distinct ethnic features, with vibrant colors in the table settings. A bottle of fresh flowers were also on each table, and while the floral arrangements were a bit haphazard, they gave off a lively vibe. The mix of colors was festive and lively.
Guo Jingyu had just received the menu and was flipping through it when suddenly someone called out to them. Li Tongzhou stood up immediately, and Guo Jingyu, puzzled, turned to look. There, he saw Li Tongzhou’s father.
Li Qingcheng was accompanied by a few colleagues on a business trip to Beijing, and happened to come to the same restaurant. As he passed through the hall, he spotted Li Tongzhou, called out a couple of times, and after seeing him stand up, he led his colleagues over, saying, “I thought it looked like you from a distance, and it really is. What brings you here? Another competition?”
Li Tongzhou, maintaining a polite but distant demeanor in front of others, nodded and said, “Yes.”
Li Qingcheng didn’t seem to mind at all. He glanced at Guo Jingyu, treating him as a classmate participating in the competition with his son. He hardly recalled that Guo Jingyu was once a primary school underachiever who visited their home. Li Qingcheng said to them, “Come over and join us. There’s a private room upstairs.”
Without waiting for Li Tongzhou to respond, he walked away.
Li Tongzhou grabbed his backpack and looked at Guo Jingyu, saying, “Jingyu, if you feel uncomfortable, we can just eat here. I’ll go up and talk to him…”
Guo Jingyu stood up, saying, “No, let’s go. Why not? Your dad is treating us to a meal. It’s a chance to save some money. Come on, let’s not miss out on a free meal.”
The private room upstairs was much more luxurious, having a table large enough for more than twenty people. Li Qingcheng brought along only four subordinates, three men and one woman, plus a driver. With Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou, there was still plenty of room.
Li Qingcheng asked about the competition, then about their rankings. After learning they had won the first place, a smile appeared on his face, exuding a sense of pride. But he still cautioned, “Not bad. But don’t be too proud. Stay focused.”
One of his subordinates praised them enthusiastically, eagerly giving a thumbs-up, “Director Li’s son has won so many awards at such a young age. Truly well-raised. Just recently, I saw someone write a biography on how to nurture children to get into Harvard. I bet it won’t be long before Director Li can write a book too, haha!”
Li Qingcheng waved his hand dismissively, “Still a long way to go.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not that soon, is it? Isn’t there still a year until the college entrance exam?”
“Yeah, that’s right. How about I suggest a toast right here? Let’s toast in advance to Director Li’s son for topping the gold list!”
“Director Li studied abroad back in the day, and now his son is displaying such talent. They must be planning to send him abroad too, right?”
…
Guo Jingyu lost his appetite entirely. He looked over, seeing Li Qingcheng being praised and adored, while Li Tongzhou, on the other hand, furrowed his brows slightly, obviously trying to endure it.
Neither of them enjoyed the meal. Li Tongzhou hardly touched his chopsticks, and Guo Jingyu ate only a little. The bureaucratic talk was enough to make him nauseous, his chest tightening as if he couldn’t breathe. Unable to eat anything, he observed Li Qingcheng. In the past, he had approached Li Qingcheng several times regarding Li Tongzhou’s matters, but each time he was coldly rejected. Li Qingcheng treated him with great hostility. Always using his own son as a bargaining chip, not to mention a classmate who appeared out of nowhere.
Guo Jingyu observed for the duration of the meal but couldn’t discern anything unusual.
After finishing the meal Li Qingcheng called Li Tongzhou aside to talk to him alone, as they were preparing to leave,
Taking advantage of his youth to be a bit ignorant and unruly, Guo Jingyu stood by to eavesdrop. When Li Qingcheng raised his eyebrows and looked at him, Guo Jingyu pretended not to understand, standing there without moving.
Li Qingcheng couldn’t do anything but to speak to Li Tongzhoue in a low voice, “Remember to study well at school. I heard from your mom that your recent grades have become unstable again. You need to adjust on your own. Also, remember to see the doctor regularly. Don’t wait until you’re reminded each time, got it?”
Li Tongzhou nodded in response.
Li Qingcheng didn’t say much more. After checking if he was going back with the others from the school, he didn’t bother any further and left on his own.
Guo Jingyu listened attentively from the side. After everyone left, he immediately asked, “See a doctor? What for?” He was completely unaware of this matter.
Li Tongzhou explained, “Irregular eating habits. My stomach has been a bit uncomfortable, nothing serious.”
Guo Jingyu didn’t believe it. He repeatedly checked him, even rolling up his sleeves to take a closer look, expressing special concern, “Don’t lie to me. Did your dad hit you?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m really not.” Li Tongzhou held his hand and placed it on his stomach. “Don’t believe me? Check for yourself.”
Guo Jingyu checked him over, relieved to find no injuries on his body. But he still harbored doubts. He had never heard Li Tongzhou mention stomach issues before. Back when he investigated the sudden departure of Li Tongzhou, he pulled some strings to go through all of his medical records, attempting to find any trace, but Li Tongzhou was in good health, without any signs of illness.
Guo Jingyu pursed his lips, observing him silently.
After a moment, Li Tongzhou said, “Let me tell you after some time, okay?”
This was clearly the biggest concession he was willing to make. Guo Jingyu could only agree, “Fine, but if you have anything, you must tell me. Don’t bear it alone. If you make me take the college entrance exam alone, I won’t take it.”
Li Tongzhou was amused at his teasing, “No worries. I still want to rent an apartment with you.”
Just thinking about it, it felt like he could see their little home. He sat on the sofa, reading a book, and whenever he raised his head, he could see the young man on the balcony against the light. Raising his hand, the young man stretched in a big lazy yawn. Even with his back turned, one could still imagine the pair of eyes curved into a smile.
K: Surprise!! I”ll try to update twice a week, but for sure there will be chapter releases on Mondays ~~
Also I feel like I know why he’s going to the doctor. I really hope its not what im thinking ><
I really wonder why he’s going to the doctor 🤔Whatever it is should normally be mentioned in his records, so did someone falsify them? Thank you for the chapter~