Chapter 36 Confession

Chapter 36 Confession

Gu Shiying really didn’t want to accept it, but a mischievous thought sparked in his mind—what harm could come from pressing Fu Huan’s leg? It was broad daylight, after all.

Fu Huan had already moved the blanket aside, still wearing pajama bottoms the same color as Gu Shiying’s.

“Alright, I’m pressing,” Gu Shiying declared, placing both hands firmly on Fu Huan’s muscular thighs. “Is it that staticky feeling, like TV snow?”

Fu Huan’s leg was actually mostly recovered by then. The moment Gu Shiying’s hands pressed against his thigh, Fu Huan subtly shivered and immediately pulled his leg back.

Fu Huan hugged his right leg. “Seems like it’s fine now. I’m going to get ready.”

Gu Shiying feigned ignorance. “Oh, it’s all better already, huh.” *Still can’t get one over on me, and he tried to pull a fast one too.*

Watching Fu Huan make a flustered escape, his ears flushed red, Gu Shiying lay on the bed, stifling his laughter with delight.

He knew Fu Huan couldn’t handle him being too close—this was a conclusion he’d recently drawn. Fu Huan wanted to be intimate with him but never pushed boundaries. Sometimes, Gu Shiying couldn’t resist the urge to tease him.

They had originally planned to watch the sunrise the next day, but neither had set an alarm, so they missed it.

However, they still woke up early. To make up for last night’s oversight, the landlady specially prepared breakfast for them.

Breakfast was quite a spread: baozi, youtiao, sweet potato and seafood porridge, pickled vegetables, and small baked cakes.

During breakfast, the landlady enthusiastically recommended nearby attractions.

“You two handsome young men, any plans for today? You’re here for fun, right?”

Gu Shiying: “I suppose so. What’s fun around here?”

Landlady: “This area is all coastline. The most beautiful sight is the offshore windmills. Have you seen them yet?”

Gu Shiying: “We saw them yesterday.”

Landlady: “Then you could climb Xianren Mountain. There’s a really powerful Immortal Temple where you can pray for your family and friends. There’s also a Matchmaker Temple that’s especially effective—every couple who visits gets married and stays together. Last year, there was even a news story about an elderly couple in their eighties who came here specifically to pray.”

Gu Shiying’s first thought was that he should probably avoid the Matchmaker Temple—it sounded a bit unsettling.

“Is praying for family and friends really that effective?”

When Fu Huan came, he only thought about helping Gu Shiying get good shots. He hadn’t considered that there would be temples to visit, and he wasn’t usually one for such beliefs.

But after hearing the landlady’s words, he was intrigued.

Fu Huan quickly looked it up. “Since we’re already here, and we have nothing else to do today, let’s check it out. It’s on the way back anyway—we can make a day of it on the way back.”

“Sure.”

Gu Shiying realized that being with Fu Huan meant he barely had to think—it was almost like having everything done for him. Still, he tried to contribute where he could. In the car, if Fu Huan was thirsty, Gu Shiying would unscrew the bottle cap and hand him water. If he worried Fu Huan might doze off, he’d keep talking to him.

The Immortal Temple was about twenty kilometers from where they stayed last night. The entire route followed the coast, offering visually pleasing views that brought a sense of openness and calm.

But at that moment, Gu Shiying squinted up at the blazing sun and asked Fu Huan, “Can’t we drive up the mountain?”

Fu Huan gestured with his chin toward the security guard blocking the road ahead. “Probably not. It’s blocked. The landlady said prayers at the Immortal Temple only work if you hike up. There’s plenty of shade along the way. Gu Shiying, you can do it. Don’t be lazy.”

Gu Shiying protested, “When have I ever been lazy?”

Fu Huan: “Really? Want me to list examples?”

Gu Shiying got out of the car. “Go ahead, then. Tell me when I’ve been lazy.”

Fu Huan grabbed a backpack from the back seat and packed four bottles of water inside.

As he packed, he said, “Sleeping past noon on weekends—does that count?”

Gu Shiying thought for a moment. “No, weekends are for catching up on sleep.”

Fu Huan smiled, his eyes crinkling. “What about when you’re hungry but can’t be bothered to go to the cafeteria, so you just eat chips instead? Does that count?”

Gu Shiying paused. He rarely ate chips, but it was true that occasionally, when he didn’t feel like going to the cafeteria, he’d snack instead.

He defensively said, “...Of course not. That’s just me not being hungry and having a snack. Don’t tell me you never snack?”

Fu Huan rarely ate snacks. “And also…”

Gu Shiying quickly cut him off from the other side of the car. “Stop! No more. You win. Let’s just go up the mountain!”

Fu Huan tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “Then let’s go.”

Gu Shiying’s heart was pounding. He couldn’t hear Fu Huan’s thoughts, but everything about Fu Huan’s expression clearly told him that Fu Huan had been paying attention to him all along, even when he did silly things.

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel like wanting to chuck something at Fu Huan.

The path up the mountain was easy, and Gu Shiying and Fu Huan ascended as if walking on flat ground, without getting winded. It took them less than an hour to reach the summit, and that was with them taking it slow—Gu Shiying occasionally stopped to film when he saw a beautiful view.

Along the way, Fu Huan took care of Gu Shiying the entire time, handing him water whenever they paused without even being asked. Each time Gu Shiying drank, he’d realize how effortlessly Fu Huan just knew what he needed. How did he always know when Gu Shiying was thirsty?

He didn’t dare ask—the answer had already been made clear to him.

Damn it, Fu Huan was treating him so well it was almost scary. Was he about to be completely corrupted by Fu Huan’s charm offensive?

Before they reached the summit, the heavy scent of incense mixed with the sea breeze wafted toward them.

Gu Shiying stood on the steps, raising his arms and leaning back slightly.

“We’re here, Fu Huan.”

Fu Huan placed a hand on his back. “Don’t stand like that—it’s dangerous. You could fall.”

“Oh, right.” Gu Shiying hurried up a few more steps until he reached the mountaintop.

Fu Huan had found another reasonable excuse to touch him. How annoying.

At the summit stood two temples: the Immortal Temple and the Matchmaker Temple.

Gu Shiying walked straight past the Matchmaker Temple without a second glance, while Fu Huan eyed it several times. Gu Shiying pretended not to notice.

If he went inside with Fu Huan, he’d be an idiot. He’d never step foot in there, even if someone threatened him!

Gu Shiying quickly bypassed the Matchmaker Temple and headed straight for the Immortal Temple. At the entrance, a staff member handed him three sticks of incense. He went inside, bowed, and prayed for his family and friends.

When he lifted his head from the cushion, he saw Fu Huan kneeling devoutly, staying down for a long time before rising. Gu Shiying wondered what wish he had prayed for.

Their purpose for climbing the mountain was accomplished.

Aside from the Immortal Temple, there was also a trendy café at the summit.

Fu Huan asked Gu Shiying, “Are you hungry?”

Gu Shiying shook his head: "Not hungry."

Fu Huan checked the time: "Then we'll have lunch after going down the mountain. We can try the local specialty fried rice noodles."

Gu Shiying agreed readily: "Sure."

They wandered around the mountaintop, and Gu Shiying took plenty of footage. Seeing the mountains meet the sea, he felt a sense of purification.

After finishing their stroll, they prepared to descend. Gu Shiying, feeling a bit tired from the heat, found a stone bench in the shade to sit on. Fu Huan sat beside him and handed him an opened bottle of water.

As Gu Shiying tilted his head back to drink, he looked up and noticed the tree was covered with red cloth strips. A sign on the tree read: "Tree of Romantic Fate."

Each red strip carried a different wish, but every one of them was related to love.

Gu Shiying had thought it was just an ordinary wishing tree, but looking up, he realized they'd randomly stumbled upon the Matchmaker Temple.

He averted his gaze from the wish strips, twisted the cap back on the water bottle, and Fu Huan naturally reached out to take it and put it back in his own backpack.

Gu Shiying paused—wait, wasn't Fu Huan being a bit too familiar?

This time, Gu Shiying didn’t hand it over, but Fu Huan reached out anyway, their fingertips accidentally touched.

"Gu Shiying."

"Gu Shiying."

"Gu Shiying."

Gu Shiying: ???

Seriously, if you have something to say, just say it! Why keep calling my name?!

For the first time, Gu Shiying didn’t hear any clear thoughts from Fu Huan during their contact. Was he completely occupying Fu Huan's thoughts?

Damn, this is so annoying.

I can’t go out with Fu Huan anymore after this.

Gu Shiying stood up with a headache. "Are you done resting? Let’s go."

Fu Huan nodded: "Mm, hand me the water."

Gu Shiying gripped the bottle tightly, avoiding Fu Huan’s gaze. "It’s fine, I can hold it myself."

The two made their way down the mountain and ate local specialty foods at a nearby spot. Wanting to keep some distance from Fu Huan, Gu Shiying said he needed to go back to school to study after the meal—Exam Week started next week.

On the way back, Gu Shiying couldn’t stop thinking about what was on Fu Huan's mind in front of the Matchmaker Temple.

Why did he keep calling his name? What did he want to say?

It was as frustrating as getting hooked on a novel and finding out the author went on hiatus—after all, he’d been "following" the "updates" of Fu Huan’s internal monologue.

Ugh, he’d actually gotten used to it. Not hearing a complete sentence felt so unsatisfying.

Fu Huan played some music in the car to keep the return trip from feeling too dull.

Gu Shiying listened to a few songs—almost all of them were about unrequited love or breakups, filled with sadness.

It felt strangely sad. After all, a secret crush is just a solo emotional act—a private celebration when it goes well, and an endless sea of bitterness when things go wrong.

"Didn’t expect you to like listening to these kinds of love songs."

"What do you want to hear? I can change it."

"*Good Luck Comes*?"

"Okay."

Fu Huan activated the voice assistant, and the car was filled with the song "*Good Luck Comes*."

The sadness that had been lingering in Gu Shiying’s heart quickly faded.

He laughed, "Now this is more like it for college students."

Fu Huan glanced at Gu Shiying, who was looking up at him, and smiled, seemingly at some thought.

"True."

They hit traffic on the way back and didn't get back to campus until 7 p.m.

Gu Shiying undid his seatbelt and tried to push the car door open, but the door lock didn’t open.

He looked at Fu Huan, who had already taken his hands off the steering wheel. "Can you unlock the door?"

But Fu Huan didn’t move. He just turned his head and looked at Gu Shiying, hesitating to speak.

Gu Shiying started to feel anxious. He couldn’t even muster a smile—was it really happening?

Don’t say it, Fu Huan!

But Fu Huan spoke anyway: "Gu Shiying, you know I like you, right?"

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Author's Note: Fu Huan: I said it! I finally said it!