Chapter 21 Shame

Chapter 21: The Feeling of Embarrassment

Gu Shiying could certainly guess why Fu Huan was momentarily stunned.

He tactfully kept silent, then broke the quiet with a playful remark.

"It's not a particularly expensive gift, so you can't dislike it."

Fu Huan eagerly replied, "I won't dislike it." He intended to treasure it forever.

Fu Huan's hand trembled slightly. He wanted to see the gift immediately but was afraid Gu Shiying would notice his unusual behavior.

"What is it?"

Gu Shiying dared not meet Fu Huan's intense gaze, averting his eyes. "You play basketball often, right? They're wrist and knee guards. I figured you could use them."

Fu Huan: "Yeah, I actually needed wrist guards."

Gu Shiying: "Glad you like them." *This is awkward, I need to find something to do quickly.* "Just wear them whenever."

He slipped back to his desk, opened his phone, and scrolled through the photos and videos he had taken that day, but he couldn't focus or make any selections.

*Could Fu Huan stop turning his head so often? Did he think I hadn't noticed?*

Gu Shiying felt as if he were breaking out in hives all over his body, thoroughly uncomfortable.

All in all, giving the gift had still made Fu Huan happy.

The slightly awkward atmosphere only dissipated when Yang Shuhang returned with his guitar.

His gossip sources were always timely: "Brother Huan, did you and Ying Er go do another good deed tonight?"

Gu Shiying didn't get it at first: "Good deed?"

Yang Shuhang: "Yeah, didn't you take that Boss Sun, who was spiking food, to the police station? You even posted on the forum telling everyone who bought fried rice from Wang's Fried Rice stall not to eat it and to take it to the precinct for testing."

"That's right."

Gu Shiying had nearly forgotten about it. The person who posted was probably Du Zhihan. After she took over the matter, he hadn't paid much attention to it. Besides, the police station would communicate with the school. He was just a bystander in the whole thing.

Yang Shuhang: "Hehe, you two are in the spotlight again."

Gu Shiying was curious about the buzz surrounding him. Just then, Zhang Zhi sent him the forum post. He clicked on it and found several related threads.

Du Zhihan's post had become popular. Alumni were actively searching for students who had bought the fried rice, helping each other out. The campus atmosphere was really supportive. There were also one or two comments criticizing the food carts, but they were quickly suppressed.

At the same time, another thread was also blowing up.

**"Looking for the contact info of the tall hot guy who did a good deed at Wang's Boss Sun Fried Rice stall tonight!"**

**OP:** [Image] I want to ask him out, want him to be my boyfriend! Which girl has his WeChat? Please share!

- What? There's a hot guy I missed?

- Damn, his moves were sick! Is he a sophomore?

- How is he so under the radar? I'm a junior and I've never seen this type. His build is amazing. Damn, if I didn't know better, I'd think he was a celebrity.

- Isn't this the hot guy from last year's military training who had those epic photos?

- The one upstairs, epic photos? Tell us more!

- His name is Fu Huan, a really hot guy from the Finance Department. He's really low-key. During freshman military training, he was made an example by the instructors every day because of his height and looks. There were tons of legendary photos back then, and many sisters posted them on the forum. Later, it seemed like it was invading his privacy, so he reported and had all the related posts deleted. Friendly reminder to the OP: This Fu Huan is super unapproachable and hard to approach. During our training, many girls tried to ask for his WeChat, but almost all of them failed.

Gu Shiying had been too swamped during military training to pay attention to such things. Besides, he and Fu Huan were in different departments. Maybe the girls talked about it more, but among guys, the topics were more about which girls were pretty—especially with Zhang Zhi, who talked about it every day.

So Fu Huan was that popular back then?

The forum post showed a photo of Fu Huan holding Boss Sun down. His movements were swift, his form looked trained, and his gaze was sharp—completely different from his usual bored look.

"Damn, Brother Huan, that move was so cool! Did you train in something?" Yang Shuhang had also seen the forum post.

Gu Shiying had just finished reading the posts and looked up at Fu Huan. He wanted to know the answer too. He hadn't seen the time Fu Huan took down that male student, but the way he overpowered his opponent with one move was truly admirable. It was straight guy envy.

Fu Huan glanced at Gu Shiying before answering, "I did a little training before." He didn't specify what exactly he had practiced.

Fu Huan had the kind of body that looked slim in clothes but was muscular underneath. It was hard not to envy him. At the swimming pool, Gu Shiying had seen it clearly—cut, with great definition, every part perfectly proportioned. Not too skinny, not too jacked. How could they be so different when they both ate at the school cafeteria?

It seemed he really needed to work out more.

Yang Shuhang was curious about Fu Huan, but given Fu Huan's standoffish vibe, the conversation stalled quickly.

Some people just make you not want to chat with them.

Yang Shuhang gave up.

Just as he gave up, Gu Shiying asked Fu Huan, "What did you learn?"

Fu Huan's voice was noticeably softer than when he answered Yang Shuhang: "Sanda. Do you want to learn?"

Gu Shiying shook his head: "I'm not cut out for it."

Indeed, as Fu Huan had said, he was really not coordinated. Even if he wanted to learn how to build abs, he couldn't learn from Fu Huan.

Fu Huan nodded without saying anything else. He unwrapped the wrist guards he had been holding and tried them on for size.

Yang Shuhang stopped gossiping and went to gather his clothes for a shower. As he passed Fu Huan, he noticed the unfamiliar wrist guards.

"Brother Huan, those wrist guards are a nice color. Where'd you get them? Send me the link. I'm playing ball with friends this weekend."

Fu Huan slipped the blue-and-white wrist guards onto his wrists: "You like them? A friend gave them to me. I don't know the link, but I can ask for you."

Yang Shuhang's inner collector came out: "Sure."

Gu Shiying silently stared at the footage on his phone, not taking anything in.

*How had he never noticed Yang Shuhang had a collecting habit for small items?*

Fu Huan took off the wrist guards and placed them in the most prominent spot on his desk, then picked up his phone to send a message.

Buzz.

Gu Shiying saw the message from Fu Huan.

**Fu Huan:** Heard that? Yang Shuhang wants the link for the wrist guards.

**Gu Shiying:** I'll send it to you.

**Fu Huan:** The wrist guards fit perfectly. You have good taste.

Gu Shiying found the link and sent it to him, replying to Fu Huan aloofly.

**Gu Shiying:** [Thanks for the compliment.jpg]

His previous chats with Fu Huan had been brief, his words concise, but this message was over ten characters long.

It felt odd—something that could have been said in person had turned into a private chat, and there was an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if they were sneaking around dating one friend behind the others' backs.

Gu Shiying caught his thoughts wandering because of Fu Huan again and quickly stopped his train of thought. *It was all Fu Huan's fault for constantly thinking about romance.*

He quickly finished going through the footage and went to sleep.

For the next two days, Gu Shiying was busy with his group assignment. The subsequent filming went relatively smoothly, and they didn't encounter anyone like Boss Sun again. They spent two evenings getting some good footage.

The assignment was due on Sunday evening, so on Saturday, Gu Shiying didn't go anywhere and stayed in Zhang Zhi's dorm room to edit the footage they had shot together.

Zhang Zhi cut together a draft and showed it to Gu Shiying: "What do you think of this?"

Gu Shiying: "The overall cut is good, but maybe add a bit more detail. Look at the interaction between the mother and daughter in the second family—it's really nice. How about including the scene where the mother takes a break to style her daughter's hair? It highlights the relationship between food and people, blending warmth and deliciousness, giving the video more heart and resonance for viewers."

Zhang Zhi: "Sure, that part really got to me too."

As the two were discussing, there was a knock at the door.

Only Gu Shiying and Zhang Zhi were in the dorm, and they both turned to look at the door.

A tall figure darkened the doorway—it was Fu Huan.

Fu Huan: "Gu Shiying."

Gu Shiying: "What's up?"

Fu Huan: "I called, but you didn't answer."

Gu Shiying then noticed his phone was lying screen-down on Zhang Zhi's desk, and it was on silent.

Gu Shiying: "Sorry, I didn't hear it. I was working on the assignment. What's going on?"

Fu Huan: "Do you remember Guoguo?"

Gu Shiying: "Yeah, what happened to him?"

Fu Huan: "We left our numbers with Granny Lin when we left. Just now, someone from her community called me and said she fell and sprained her ankle."

Gu Shiying: "Is it serious?"

Fu Huan: "It's making daily life difficult, but I'm not sure about the details. They asked me to go check on her. Are you coming?"

Gu Shiying didn't hesitate: "Yes."

Fu Huan: "Let's go then."

Gu Shiying patted Zhang Zhi: "Old Zhang, I have to go. Can you get feedback from the others on the rest?"

Zhang Zhi: "No big deal, go on and take care of your business."

Just like that, Gu Shiying left with Fu Huan.

After the two had left, Zhang Zhi only then realized he had no idea what they were talking about.

He scratched his neck: "Wait, what? There's something I don't know? Who is Guoguo?"

A few minutes later, Gu Shiying was in Fu Huan's car.

He slowly realized he probably shouldn't have agreed—why did he end up alone with Fu Huan again?

Fu Huan focused on driving the whole way, his expression still calm.

*As long as he didn't touch him, I wouldn't hear his inner thoughts—no big deal.*

Gu Shiying took a second to compose himself.

Fu Huan asked him: "Is your group assignment done?"

Gu Shiying: "Almost, just need to finish editing."

Fu Huan: "After it's posted, I'll give it a like and save it."

Gu Shiying finished replying to messages in the group chat and turned to respond to Fu Huan: "H..." He'd started to say "How did you know?" but—

He noticed the blue and white wristband on Fu Huan's right wrist, resting on the steering wheel.

*Wait, he actually wore it out in public?*

Gu Shiying's hard-won composure wavered slightly.

An odd flush of embarrassment welled up inside him.

"Hand me a tissue, please. It's in the box in front of you."

Gu Shiying handed him a tissue. Fu Huan's palm was broad, his fingers long, and as he took it, their hands touched.

*Again? Seriously?*

[The wristband Gu Shiying gave me.]

[The wristband Gu Shiying gave me.]

[The wristband Gu Shiying gave me.]

Gu Shiying: "..." He could almost hear Fu Huan's glee beneath his calm expression.

**Author's Note:**

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**Fu Huan:** [doge with a rose] Some things bear repeating three times.

**Gu Shiying:** [face crying tears of laughter]