Chapter 26 Sharing Joy

Chapter 26: Sharing the Joy

The blue wrapping paper was adorned with small white daisies, and a blue ribbon of the same shade, tied into a butterfly, rested gently on top of the box.

Gu Shiying propped his chin on his hand, gazing at the "hot potato" of a gift. On one hand, he yearned to know its contents; on the other, he knew he shouldn't accept it.

From Fu Huan's perspective, this was a subtle pursuit.

If Gu Shiying didn't possess the ability to hear inner thoughts, he would have accepted the gift with a clear conscience, perhaps even now eagerly browsing online for a return present.

Before long, they would have become friends, then grown very close.

Damn, Fu Huan was so calculating.

What should he do?

He felt a little lost. The distance between him and Fu Huan had unknowingly narrowed.

To others, he and Fu Huan were just roommates with a good relationship, and doing things together was perfectly normal. But only he knew the true intentions Fu Huan harbored for him.

Fu Huan had previously maintained a restrained, ordinary roommate relationship, but now he was openly contemplating pursuit. His approach was subtly shifting.

What had he done to make Fu Huan transition from a secret crush to an open pursuit? Could he even change things now?

He had to refuse. He absolutely had to distance himself from Fu Huan and stop engaging in activities together.

He could devise a two-phase plan:

Short-term plan: Since Grandma Lin would accompany Guo Guo to the doctor, he could step back. As for Grandma Lin's chili sauce, he could handle the moving himself, promote it for her, and even bring Zhang Zhi along. That way, Fu Huan wouldn't be involved, right?

Long-term plan: He could apply to switch dorm rooms and move out of 504 next semester!

But since he had already accepted the gift, why not just open it and see what was inside?

Otherwise, it would keep tempting him like a mischievous sprite.

Would Fu Huan know what he liked?

He opened it.

When Gu Shiying saw the logo printed on the box, he couldn't help but curse aloud.

"Damn, Fu Huan is crazy, giving me this!"

He wasn't cursing because the gift was unsatisfactory—it was because it was *too* perfect.

It was a GoPro he had been longing for!

He had been saving up for one all year, originally planning to wait for the 618 sale for a discount. If the price didn't drop, he would have bought a second-hand one on Xianyu to use for a while.

Fu Huan was truly hard to dislike. What should he do?

Couldn't Fu Huan just not like him? Couldn't they just be friends? Even good friends would be fine.

Could he accept this gift?

Damn, damn, damn!

It was exactly what he wanted.

Even though he knew Fu Huan's family was well-off, he still couldn't accept such an expensive gift, could he?

Gu Shiying paced and scratched his head in frustration alone in the dorm room. After a while, he even stood up and bounced a few times. His eyes couldn't tear themselves away from the GoPro. He desperately wanted to take it out and start filming videos right away.

With the GoPro, the scope and content of his videos would expand significantly. He had always wanted to run his own personal account, and now he could finally start, having even thought of a theme.

Sigh.

But if he accepted this gift, would he ever be able to untangle himself from Fu Huan in the future?

Perhaps he could just remain roommates for now. As long as he pretended not to hear Fu Huan's inner thoughts, it shouldn't be a major issue.

Accepting a gift from a friend wasn't entirely out of the question. He could give Fu Huan his share of the chili sauce profits, or use his savings to buy a return gift. Alternatively, he could treat Fu Huan to a few more meals. Wouldn't that offset the cost of the gift? He could just think of it as paying in installments!

As for his short-term plan, he would postpone it for a while.

They only had about a month left until summer vacation, followed by a two-month break. After being apart for two months, changing dorm rooms and distancing himself from Fu Huan would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

While Gu Shiying was agonizing over whether to use or set aside the GoPro, Fu Huan was having dinner with his parents.

The home's decor perfectly suited the middle-aged and elderly aesthetic—dark-toned Chinese-style furnishings, traditional furniture, and even a round Chinese-style dining table.

Despite the large round table, only three people were seated, and the only sound throughout the meal was the crisp clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

Fu Huan ate in silence.

He Qi, her hair neatly pinned in a bun, gracefully set down her chopsticks. "Huan'er, how have things been at school lately?"

Fu Huan responded mechanically between bites. "Same as always."

Fu Yuandong couldn't stand his lifeless attitude and slammed his chopsticks down heavily.

He glared. "Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

Fu Huan lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks. "Just say what you want to ask directly."

Fu Yuandong snorted coldly.

He Qi said, "Don't talk to our son like that."

Fu Yuandong retorted, "He acts like this every time he comes back. As if I owe him from a past life."

"Huan'er, we just want to know if you have..." He Qi paused, somewhat embarrassed.

Fu Huan finished for her, "A boyfriend?"

He Qi said, "Yes."

Fu Huan replied, "Not for now."

Fu Yuandong snapped, "What do you mean, 'not for now'? Either you have one or you don't. Or are you like those other homosexuals out there, fooling around? If you dare to mess around—"

He Qi interrupted, "Old Fu, you're going too far. Huan'er knows his limits. He wouldn't do such things!"

Fu Yuandong snorted coldly.

"Don't listen to your father's nonsense." He Qi finally got to her main point. "It's like this—your dad and I have looked into this community. It might be complicated, and we're just concerned for your well-being. A while ago, Uncle Lin mentioned that his son is also... like you, and around the same age. Why don't you two meet up and talk? Getting to know someone through connections is better than strangers, right?"

She looked at Fu Huan pleadingly.

Fu Huan's expression darkened as he stood up. "Go ahead and get to know him yourselves if you want to."

With that, he got up and left the dining room.

Fu Yuandong: "Fu Huan, every time we talk about this, you leave."

Fu Huan: "You could talk about something more appetizing."

He Qi: "Huan'er, I gave your WeChat to Mr. Lin's son. Accept the request later. Whether you like him or not is another matter—just meet him once. You never know, right?"

Fu Huan rolled his eyes. "I already have someone I like. I won’t add him, and I won’t meet him."

He Qi: "Oh, come on, meeting someone won’t cost you anything."

Fu Huan didn’t want to hear any more and turned to go upstairs to his room.

Just then, a man as tall as Fu Huan walked in, wearing a casual suit and bearing some resemblance to him.

Fu Qin: "Dad, Mom."

He Qi: "You’re back? Have you eaten? I made some rich old hen soup today—want a bowl?"

Fu Qin: "Sure. Where’s Fu Huan?"

He Qi served him a bowl of soup: "He just went upstairs. We tried to introduce him to a guy, and he wasn’t happy. Can you go talk to him?"

Fu Qin nearly spat out his soup and laughed. "Introduce him to a boyfriend?"

Fu Yuandong said sternly, "We’ve accepted his orientation and even found someone for him, and he still dares to be picky!"

Fu Qin: "Feelings aren’t something you can force, right?"

He Qi: "Actually, I’ve met the boy. He’s clean-cut and polite. I looked into his personal life—he doesn’t fool around and has never been in a relationship. Fu Huan would like him. Can you try persuading him? This circle is so messy—it’s better to settle down with someone reliable, don’t you think? He’s your brother—please put some effort into this."

Fu Qin drank a bowl of soup while listening to his parents worry about his younger brother.

Noticing a bottle of chili sauce on the table that was out of place among the four dishes and soup, he asked, "Alright, I’ll go upstairs and talk to him later." Fu Qin opened the chili sauce and tasted a little. "This chili sauce is pretty fragrant. Where’s it from?"

He Qi: "Your brother brought it back."

Fu Qin: "But he doesn’t really eat spicy food, does he?"

He Qi: "I’m not sure. My stomach isn’t great, so I didn’t try it. Is it good?"

Fu Qin: "Not bad."

"Let me try." Fu Yuandong picked up a serving with a communal chopstick and put it in his bowl. "It really is quite fragrant."

Their house had four floors, and Fu Huan lived alone on the fourth.

He was lounging on the sofa, lazily shooting a basketball toward a hoop, looking both carefree and somewhat bored. After tossing the ball, he lowered his head to scroll through his WeChat Moments, liking a post Gu Shiying had just shared. He thought about commenting but held back.

Nothing felt right to say. Would Gu Shiying like the gift he gave him?

Fu Qin: "You hardly come home—why not eat a couple more bowls of rice?"

He’d noticed Fu Huan had left half a bowl unfinished.

Fu Huan: "I’d only taken a few bites when they started pushing that guy on me. Are you here to convince me too?"

Fu Qin: "I can't be bothered with that. But you know they’ve been worried about this for a while."

Fu Huan: "Then why are you here?"

Fu Qin: "Haven’t seen you in a while—can’t I check on you? But actually, there is something."

Fu Huan: "What is it?"

Fu Qin: "That chili sauce you brought back is pretty good. We’re developing new products, and I’m interested. If we can buy the recipe, it’ll save us some trouble."

Fu Huan sat up straight, abandoning his slouched position.

He knew his brother ran his own company in the food industry, with its own R&D team and a decent annual income.

Fu Huan: "You’re not joking?"

Fu Qin: "No."

Fu Huan: "How much are you willing to pay for the recipe?"

Fu Qin rarely saw him so engaged: "Chili sauce recipes can usually be reverse-engineered, so it shouldn’t be too expensive. It depends on how the other party negotiates. Do you know them?"

Fu Huan: "Yeah, but you should offer more."

Fu Qin: "Wait, Fu Huan, whose side are you on?"

Fu Huan: "The chili sauce was made by the grandmother of an autistic child. The kid’s parents died in a car accident, and now only his grandmother takes care of him. Don’t you think you should pay more?"

Fu Qin: "Okay, consider it charity. I’ll offer a higher price."

Fu Huan: "When the time comes, don’t mention I’m involved. Just contact someone else."

Fu Qin: "Why make it so complicated?"

Fu Huan: "My classmate—he’s helping Grandma Lin promote the chili sauce."

Fu Qin looked at his brother teasingly: "Fu Huan, you and this classmate… something special?"

Fu Huan avoided his gaze: "He’s my roommate. Just helping out."

Fu Qin: "So you’re giving him the credit. Fine, I won’t get involved directly—I’ll have Assistant Hu handle it."

Fu Huan: "Mm."

Fu Qin suddenly grinned: "By the way, really not going to meet the guy Mom and Dad suggested? I saw him once—he’s quite good-looking, similar age. You might actually like him."

Fu Huan: "No way." He already liked someone.

Fu Qin: "I’ve never seen you in a relationship—how can you be so sure?"

Fu Huan: "Stop teasing me."

On Sunday morning, Gu Shiying had just woken up when he received a call. The caller said they’d accidentally tasted the chili sauce he brought back to school and wanted to buy the recipe.

Gu Shiying: "Huh? You’re not scamming me, are you?"

Assistant Hu: "We’re a legitimate food company with all the proper registrations. Our products are widely available. We’ll follow a formal contract—no tricks, I promise."

Gu Shiying: "Okay, I'll add you on WeChat. Actually, I'm just helping someone else sell this chili sauce—it's an elderly person."

Assistant Hu: "Then I might need you to introduce me to this elderly person. When are you available, Gu?"

Gu Shiying: "I have classes during the day, so I'm usually only available after school."

Assistant Hu: "How about next Wednesday? You can discuss it with the elderly person in the next couple of days."

Gu Shiying: "Sure."

They added each other on WeChat.

Gu Shiying told Grandma Lin about it first. Grandma Lin said she'd be happy to sell the chili sauce recipe if the price was right.

"Grandma, when we get to signing the contract, I'll try to get you a satisfactory deal and price."

"Thank you, Xiao Gu. Guo Guo is truly blessed to have met you."

"You're too kind."

After hanging up, he was excited and wanted to share the joyous news with someone. After thinking about it, Fu Huan seemed like the only person he could tell.

But he couldn't tell *that guy*.

On Sunday evening, Fu Huan returned to school from home, bringing a box of lychees.

He'd never done anything like this before and wasn't used to it, but giving them to Gu Shiying came naturally.

"We couldn't finish them at home. Help yourselves if you want some."

Gu Shiying looked at the lychees almost covering the entire table: "They look really good. You didn't have to bring so many."

Fu Huan: "They'll spoil if they sit too long."

Gu Shiying: "..."

Yang Shuhang: "Wow, we get lychees? I want some, I want some!"

Guan Yu: "Brother Huan, you're awesome!"

As Gu Shiying ate the lychees Fu Huan brought back, the sweet juice covered his hands, and he felt increasingly uneasy, full of guilt.

That night, Fu Huan was once again the last one to shower and go to bed. He went to turn off the light.

As Fu Huan passed by Gu Shiying’s bed, Gu Shiying suddenly popped his head up, his eyes shining brightly, and said, "Fu Huan, listen, someone wants to buy Grandma Lin’s chili sauce recipe through me. I checked, and it’s a legitimate company."

Looking at his bright, starry eyes, Fu Huan thought to himself that his plan to trick his brother hadn’t been in vain.

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Author's note: Fu Huan: [Dog head] What’s wrong with tricking my own brother for my partner?

Gu Shiying: [Question mark][Question mark][Question mark]

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Next chapter update on the 6th at 8 PM~ Hearts [Heart][Heart][Heart]