Chapter 29 Feeling Emo

Chapter 29 Feeling Emo

Not every class could hold Gu Shiying’s full attention. This particular English lecture, with the teacher speaking only English, was making him drowsy.

Afternoon classes just made you sleepy.

His phone, tucked in his backpack, kept vibrating. He was sure he'd put it on silent, so he just pulled it out to check WeChat.

#Ironclad Straight Guys Secret Base#

This was the group Yang Shuhang had created last night. There were only three people in it: him, Yang Shuhang, and Guan Yu.

Whether Yang Shuhang and Guan Yu knew Fu Huan was gay or not, in Gu Shiying’s mind, Fu Huan was definitely gay.

Little Lamb: Hehehe, hahaha

Gulangyu: Why'd you suddenly make a group?

Ying Cai Shen: Want to take a look at the group name?

Gulangyu: Brother Huan isn’t in here. Isn’t he straight?

Little Lamb: Ah, we’re just chatting a bit.

Yang Shuhang quickly brought Guan Yu up to speed about that hottie from the art department who’d approached Fu Huan.

Gulangyu: So what do you need me to do?

Little Lamb: Gossip about Brother Huan, of course. Observe him and see if he’s secretly gay.

Gulangyu: But this is Brother Huan’s private business, right? Isn’t this a bit inappropriate? Privacy is important.

As a future lawyer, Guan Yu had his principles.

Little Lamb: Just wondering! Aren’t you guys curious about Brother Huan’s orientation? He’s always with Liang Qi and never seen with anyone else. Maybe he’s really not interested in girls.

Ying Cai Shen: I think he’s totally into guys. Plus, he went to dinner with that art department hottie yesterday—the other guy paid.

Gu Shiying knew this wasn’t a rumor. Unless he himself were a girl, Fu Huan would be straight. But as things stood, he was gay.

Little Lamb: So that's that. Should we ask Liang Qi about it?

Ying Cai Shen: Liang Qi doesn’t seem to have a girlfriend either.

Little Lamb: Wow, no wonder they’re such close friends! What’s there to ask then?

Gulangyu: You two are better than sleuths.

Little Lamb: Of course—we’re here to witness a gay romance!

Ying Cai Shen: Count me in!

Little Lamb: Starting today, the three of us will observe Brother Huan’s every move!

Gulangyu: I don't get it, but you do you.

Right in the middle of their lively chat, Gu Shiying received a message from Fu Huan.

“Fu Huan: Want boba? [Photo][Photo]”

Gu Shiying was thirsty. He usually loved boba and couldn’t help himself.

“Gu Shiying: Yes, but no pearls. I want coconut jellies.”

“Fu Huan: Got it. Where’s your class? I’ll bring it to you.”

Gu Shiying texted him the building name.

After replying, he realized he and Fu Huan were getting along a little too easily.

Gu Shiying had to try hard to convince himself: It’s just a roommate buying him boba. No big deal, no big deal.

The teacher had just announced a break when Fu Huan’s message came through right on cue.

“Fu Huan: Master, your boba is here.”

Gu Shiying couldn’t stand Fu Huan using such an affectionate nickname. He protested.

“Gu Shiying: Don’t call me master.”

Zhang Zhi had just slept through the entire class but woke up the moment class ended, alert as if he’d downed two iced americanos. He looked up and saw Gu Shiying with a slight smile, eyes sparkling with happiness.

Zhang Zhi: “Ying Er, what are you smiling about?”

Gu Shiying: “Was I smiling? I wasn’t.”

Zhang Zhi: “…”

Why had his buddy been acting so weird lately? Was he seeing someone on the sly?

Come to think of it, it had been a while since he’d mentioned that crush. Just as Zhang Zhi was about to ask, he saw his friend stand up.

Zhang Zhi: “Going to the bathroom? I'll come with.”

Gu Shiying: “No, going to get boba.”

Zhang Zhi: “You ordered delivery?”

Gu Shiying didn’t answer. He slipped out right under Zhang Zhi’s nose to get the boba.

Zhang Zhi: “…” Do I get one?

Gu Shiying met Fu Huan by the railing near the elevator. Fu Huan was leaning against the railing, holding two boba drinks. Further up, his wristwatch and beaded bracelet gave off an undeniable masculine charm.

Fu Huan handed the boba to Gu Shiying: “Bought two. The other one's for your classmate.”

Gu Shiying: “Okay. How much do I owe you?”

Fu Huan brushed it off: “I'm off.”

Gu Shiying only saw his back as he strode toward the emergency staircase.

He muttered: “Weirdo.”

When he got back to class, Zhang Zhi’s eyes were glued to the boba in his hand.

Zhang Zhi: “Is there one for me?”

Gu Shiying took his own cup. As he was about to hand the other to Zhang Zhi, he noticed there was a matcha cake in there too, complete with a little spoon.

Milk tea from a friend, and a small cake.

Gu Shiying realized deeply at this moment that Fu Huan was truly pursuing him.

Should he still eat this small cake?

While he was still hesitating, Zhang Zhi had already unwrapped the small cake.

Zhang Zhi: "Didn't you say you don’t like sweets?"

Gu Shiying: "Mhm."

Zhang Zhi had already scooped a small bite with the spoon and held it to Gu Shiying’s mouth: "Baby, come on, say 'ah'..."

Gu Shiying opened his mouth and ate the cake. Ugh, it was hard to swallow.

Suddenly, a camera shutter click came from the back row.

Gu Shiying and Zhang Zhi turned around at the same time. A girl awkwardly put away her phone.

"Sorry, I just thought the moment was really cute. If you mind, I’ll delete it."

Gu Shiying: "It’s fine."

Zhang Zhi, still grinning, wrapped an arm around Gu Shiying’s neck and made a peace sign: "Don’t we have such a strong CP vibe?"

The girl nodded vigorously, her eyes lighting up even more: "Yes, yes!"

Zhang Zhi: "Can I add you on WeChat? Send me the photo you just took."

The girl: "Sure."

Gu Shiying thought to himself that his friend really knew how to talk to girls—why hadn’t he thought of that?

When the photo lay quietly in his album, Gu Shiying kept looking at it over and over, then posted it on his Moments. He couldn’t help but laugh after posting.

"Gu Shiying: Yi Jia’s matcha cake isn’t too sweet, and it’s pretty tasty. [photo.jpg]"

"Fuck."

At that moment, Fu Huan, sitting in the back of the classroom, uttered a curse.

Even Liang Qi, who had been dozing off, was startled awake. Fu Huan rarely showed emotion, so this perked him up.

Liang Qi: "What’s up?"

Fu Huan: "Nothing."

"That definitely means something." As if Liang Qi didn’t know Fu Huan!

Fu Huan’s phone never had a privacy screen, so Liang Qi could clearly see that his screen had been on Moments just before it went dark.

He must have seen something there.

Liang Qi instantly opened his own Moments. He had plenty of friends, and though dozens of posts appeared after refreshing, he scrolled down patiently until he spotted a striking photo and immediately laughed.

"So that’s why you detoured to the shop earlier—to buy milk tea and a small cake for someone."

Their school only had one milk tea shop called Yi Jia. They had gone out for lunch with friends earlier, and before class, Fu Huan had told him to go to the classroom first while he headed in another direction. So that was why.

Fu Huan didn’t mind his teasing; he just felt his heart sink when he saw that photo on Moments.

Liang Qi was dying of laughter and deliberately provoked Fu Huan: "Do you want to see Zhang Zhi’s Moments?"

Fu Huan chose to bury his head in the sand: "No."

Liang Qi, feeling mischievous, intentionally read out Zhang Zhi’s post: "Another day with strong CP vibes with my bro."

Fu Huan glared at him: "Shut up."

Liang Qi: "No, I mean, why haven’t you confessed to him yet?"

Fu Huan pointed at his phone: "How can I confess when he’s this straight?"

He’d only recently managed to get a little closer. If he confessed directly, Gu Shiying might even request a room change.

Liang Qi: "No progress at all? Maybe you should learn from Lin Zijing—he’s so direct."

Fu Huan: "Is Lin Zijing straight? He was even set up by my parents."

Liang Qi: "Honestly, your past struggles weren’t in vain—your parents actually helped you find someone. Maybe you should consider Lin Zijing. Gu Shiying is so straight there’s no future there, I’m serious. Straight guys really don’t work out. Remember the Dai family’s eldest? He dated a straight guy and broke up in less than two years. That straight guy married a woman less than two months after they split."

Fu Huan fell silent.

Liang Qi knew he was taking it in. He really didn’t want to see his friend trapped and hurt by love. Better to explain the pros and cons before he got too deep with a straight guy, so he wouldn’t end up like the Dai family’s eldest.

Just then, Fu Huan received a message from Gu Shiying. He clicked on it—it was the money for the milk tea and cake.

Whether he accepted this small amount or not wasn’t a big deal. The real issue was that Gu Shiying was indeed straight. He had no idea Fu Huan was pursuing him and probably never would.

Fu Huan went quiet again.

Liang Qi cursed his big mouth. Fu Huan tended to internalize everything—he didn’t trouble others, only himself. He’d probably be emo for the next couple of days.

He shouldn’t have said anything. This love-struck fool.

That evening, Gu Shiying was working on his next video project proposal. He wanted to shoot a video themed around the school cafeteria—serious but still fun.

When he finished the proposal and reviewed the shooting notes, he realized something was missing in the dorm—it felt eerily empty.

Oh right, it was Friday.

Young Master Yang had flown to another city for a friend’s birthday, Guan Yu was burning the midnight oil at the library until closing, so that left only Fu Huan.

Normally, he’d be around, but unexpectedly, he wasn’t today.

However, Fu Huan didn’t return to the dorm that night at all. Even the money Gu Shiying transferred for the milk tea was refunded to his account after 24 hours due to timeout.

Was he really dating the heartthrob from the art department?

Hmph, he told you so—men are unreliable. They wouldn’t stay hung up on just one person. Wasn’t it better to like someone else?

On Saturday night, Zhang Zhi was yelling in the group chat, asking Gu Shiying to log on and play the hundred-player battle royale game with the 701 crew.

After a couple of rounds, he saw a message from Liang Qi in the group chat originally created to help Yang Shuhang with something.

"Liang Qi: Anyone want to go sing karaoke? My treat—the more the merrier. There are girls from the neighboring Foreign Trade University too. @Zhang Zhi @Gu Shiying"

Followed by a link to the KTV address.

"Zhang Zhi: Yeah, yeah! All of us from Room 701 are here. Can we join?"

"Liang Qi: Come through! We booked a huge private room—it could fit a whole class."

"Zhang Zhi: Yingbao, let's go!"

Gu Shiying: "..." I fucking don't want to go.

In the end, Gu Shiying was dragged by Zhang Zhi into a rideshare.

Upon arriving at the KTV, Gu Shiying’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he heard the red-haired and blond guys' awful howling.

Just like Liang Qi said, the room was filled with good-looking guys and girls.

However, Gu Shiying wasn’t particularly interested in attractive people. At the far end of the sofa, he spotted Fu Huan sitting quietly in the shadows.

Zhang Zhi and the others from Room 701 were all social butterflies, quickly blending into the fun—dancing to girl group songs on the stage, filming videos, and goofing around, creating a lively atmosphere.

Gu Shiying wasn’t used to such rowdy settings. Eventually, he moved over and sat down beside Fu Huan.

He could sense that Fu Huan seemed down tonight, holding a drink with a dazed look in his eyes, as if already drunk.

Gu Shiying asked with concern, "Fu Huan? Are you drunk?"

Fu Huan glanced at him: "No."

Gu Shiying: "Why didn’t you come back to the dorm last night?"

Fu Huan: "Did you want me to come back?"

Gu Shiying: "Huh? I see Yang Shuhang always gives a heads-up when he goes out, so I just thought I’d ask."

Fu Huan nodded: "Mm."

After that, he fell silent again and continued drinking.

Normally, it was Fu Huan who initiated conversations. Sitting there motionless now, Gu Shiying felt that Fu Huan seemed a bit like his old self again—before he started hearing his inner thoughts.

Similarly, Gu Shiying hadn’t expected Fu Huan to smoke and drink. Yet, he could feel the sadness pouring off him, though he had no idea what had happened.

Unable to resist, he touched Fu Huan’s arm to read his thoughts.

"Gu Shiying is going to marry a woman."

Gu Shiying: ???

I shouldn’t have listened—what kind of nonsense is this!

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Author’s Note:

Fu Huan: [Bursting into tears][Bursting into tears][Bursting into tears] My future wife is going to marry someone else!

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Gu Shiying: [Eye roll][Eye roll][Eye roll]

New story idea: The protagonist travels from the Republic of China to modern times and enters a marriage of convenience with the male lead before falling in love. Wondering if you’d all be interested in reading it.