Chapter 42 Jealous

Chapter 42: Getting Jealous

To test if he might be gay, Gu Shiying stayed up all night devouring three boys' love novels.

Each book was shorter than the last, but progressively more stimulating. True to form, Chen Jian's curation was deliberate, a gradual escalation. If Gu Shiying could handle the first, he could handle the second, and then the third.

They were so intense that he slept until noon the next day, plagued by several plot-related dreams. In these dreams, the male lead's face was invariably replaced by Fu Huan's.

Not only did the face match the protagonist's, but so did the physique: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and an eight-pack.

Fu Huan certainly possessed such a physique, but why did he have to invade Gu Shiying's dreams?

He watched helplessly as Fu Huan lifted him, laying him onto a large bed. The face, magnified yet slightly blurred, drew closer and closer, almost close enough for him to catch a whiff of the other’s fresh cologne.

Wait, no! No kissing!

Gu Shiying jolted awake from his dream, drenched in a cold sweat from the vivid and terrifying experience, and also experiencing an unwelcome physiological response.

The first words out of his mouth upon waking were a classic Chinese expletive.

Holy shit.

He limped into the bathroom for a shower. Thankfully, he was at home, not in the dorm, which would have been incredibly awkward.

The first thing he did after showering was check his phone. The most prominent messages were from Fu Huan.

[Fu Huan: Awake yet?]

[Fu Huan: Breakfast’s ready.]

[Fu Huan: Still not up?]

[Fu Huan: I’m driving out to buy some groceries.]

[Fu Huan: Message me when you wake up.]

[Fu Huan: I’m back. Let me know when you’re awake.]

[Fu Huan: I bought fish and got some *suan cai* from your neighbor. Making *suan cai yu*.]

Gu Shiying quickly texted Fu Huan.

[Gu Shiying: Have you started the *suan cai yu*?]

[Fu Huan: Awake? I’ll start now. Come downstairs after you get ready.]

[Gu Shiying: Okay, coming right down.]

After replying to Fu Huan, he finally responded to Chen Jian, who had been asking for his review.

[Chen Jian: Read the novels? Can you handle them? I’ve got gigabytes more resources—want some?]

Even through the phone, Gu Shiying could feel Chen Jian’s overwhelming eagerness to share.

Remembering how his dream had startled him awake, Gu Shiying quickly sent a rejecting emoji.

[Gu Shiying: Bro, no need! [frantically waving hands.jpg]]

[Chen Jian: How many did you read?]

Gu Shiying was too embarrassed to admit he’d stayed up all night reading three.

[Gu Shiying: One.]

[Chen Jian: It’s good that you could get into it.]

[Gu Shiying: T_T.]

Chen Jian delivered another blow.

[Chen Jian: That means you really have the potential to be gay.]

[Gu Shiying: Couldn’t I just be a fan of BL?]

[Chen Jian: Sweetie, do you even believe that yourself?]

Gu Shiying: "…"

Whether he believed it or not, he had read three boys' love novels in just one day. He was shocked by his own level of acceptance.

[Gu Shiying: Time to eat!]

He hadn’t expected that, despite not seeing Chen Jian for a long time, their relationship remained as close as when they were kids.

After a day of rest, Gu Shiying felt the swelling in his foot had gone down. He needed to go downstairs to apply medicine.

Holding onto the handrail, Gu Shiying hopped down the stairs. The kitchen was to the right, its door slightly ajar. He tiptoed over to peek inside.

He didn’t know why he didn’t just push the door open but chose to spy instead, feeling oddly sneaky in his own home.

Just as he was lost in thought, Fu Huan pulled the kitchen door open. "Hungry?"

"You give off such a domestic husband vibe," Gu Shiying blurted out, immediately wanting to slap his own mouth. He didn’t know why he always put his foot in his mouth around Fu Huan.

Fu Huan looked at him with an amused smile. "Husband vibe?"

Gu Shiying deflected. "It smells amazing. Where did you buy the fish?"

Fu Huan: "There’s a morning market near here. I bought one while I was out for a run. It’s perfect for *suan cai yu*."

Gu Shiying: "You really know your stuff when it comes to cooking. How did you get the *suan cai* from Aunt Chen?"

Fu Huan filled him in on everything that happened during his morning run.

"I didn’t get the *suan cai* from her—it was from the grandma next door. She was carrying two big bags of groceries, so I helped her carry them home. Turns out she’s your neighbor. She told me she had *suan cai* that would go well with fish, so that’s how I got them."

"Grandma Chen’s *suan cai* is absolutely amazing. My maternal grandma often trades her own pickled radishes for them. In the summer, it’s also the perfect time to infuse fruit liquors. By winter, they’ll be ready to drink—just one glass will warm you right up."

"What kind of liquor do you want to infuse? I can help. You’ll be able to drink it by winter."

"Lychee liquor, bayberry liquor, plum liquor, and mulberry liquor."

Fu Huan picked two.

"How about infusing lychee liquor and bayberry liquor? They’re both in season."

"Sounds good. We’ll prepare them after we eat."

Having something to do would keep him from overthinking.

After lunch, Fu Huan applied antiseptic spray to Gu Shiying’s foot: "Not as swollen now. Does it hurt?"

Gu Shiying: "It doesn’t actually hurt that much. It just looks nasty with all these purple bruises—see?"

To prove he wasn’t in pain, he even demonstratively kicked his leg. The coffee table was right in front of him, and just as he nearly kicked it, Fu Huan quickly grabbed his calf.

[His calf is as slender as I imagined—makes me want to kiss it.]

Gu Shiying swatted his hand away: "Quit it, it’s hot."

Fu Huan: "You almost hit the coffee table. Don't injure yourself again."

Gu Shiying was even more speechless. The words sounded caring, and the look in his eyes showed concern, but how could his thoughts be so… suggestive?!

Had he been pent up for too long?

Gu Shiying rolled his eyes: "Alright, we’re having bitter melon for dinner."

Fu Huan didn’t get why he suddenly brought up dinner: "Hmm?"

Gu Shiying said with a fake smile: "It’s hot in summer—cools you down and prevents… urges!"

Fu Huan thought his suddenly irritated expression made him seem more like the one who needed cooling down, so he played along.

"Sure, then. We’ll have scrambled eggs with bitter melon, stir-fried bitter melon with sliced pork, and bitter melon soup for dinner."

Gu Shiying: "……" No need to make it quite that bitter.

The afternoon was precious.

The two went to the fruit market to pick out lychees and bayberries.

Gu Shiying even specifically called his grandma to ask how to make fruit wine. Grandma was staying at his uncle’s place and couldn’t return for a while—his uncle was on a business trip, so she was helping take his cousin to and from school. Grandma explained the steps to Gu Shiying, but he was completely confused. After hanging up, he looked utterly lost.

He asked Fu Huan: "Did you understand any of that?"

Grandma spoke with a bit of a local accent, so of course Fu Huan didn’t understand. He shook his head.

"I didn’t understand what Grandma said, but I know how to make it."

Gu Shiying: "What do you need to prepare?"

They prepared rock sugar, *baijiu*, and glass containers, then followed Fu Huan’s step-by-step process.

All Gu Shiying could do was find jars and peel lychees—he couldn't help much with the rest. Fu Huan didn’t really need his help anyway; just having him sit to the side, watching him with admiration, was satisfaction enough.

He watched as Fu Huan layered the bayberries/lychees and rock sugar one level at a time. Even though he wasn’t a perfectionist, seeing it arranged so neatly was satisfying. Though he couldn’t help much, he recorded the entire process of Fu Huan making the liquor.

By evening, two large jars of fruit wine were sealed and placed in a cool, well-ventilated spot.

Gu Shiying, leaning on his crutch, watched Fu Huan, who had just finished arranging the jars: "How do you know how to do everything?"

Having spent so much time with Gu Shiying, Fu Huan had also picked up being cheeky: "I learn fast. Want me to teach you?"

Gu Shiying: "Sure."

Fu Huan chuckled softly: "Call me 'ge' (older brother) and I’ll teach you." (The Chinese term implies intimacy beyond familial.)

Gu Shiying: "……" He couldn’t get it out—something about the term "ge" felt like it meant something else when it came from Fu Huan.

Ugh, it was all because of those BL novels Chen Jian showed him. Now he couldn’t even take those suggestive terms from Fu Huan’s mouth.

In those novels, couples called each other "ge," "husband," and stuff like that.

Better stick with bitter melon for dinner.

Over the next few days, Fu Huan stayed true to his word and took care of Gu Shiying’s everyday needs. At the same time, Gu Shiying showed him every corner of the village. After five days, even the cats and dogs in the village were getting familiar with Fu Huan.

Gu Shiying’s foot was only a minor sprain, and in less than a week, it was basically fine. He could walk on his own without the crutch.

Now that his foot was finally better, he could take Fu Huan to the next town over to try some local specialty foods.

Even though his foot had been swollen during those days, with Fu Huan around, it didn’t stop them from going out. For nearby places, Fu Huan drove a scooter; for farther spots, he drove his SUV.

Just as they were about to head out, a loud rumble came from outside, and suddenly, a downpour started. Before they could even reach the front door, the cuffs of their pants were already soaked.

Fu Huan: "We can’t go."

Gu Shiying: "Then we’ll go after the rain stops."

As he slouched on the sofa flipping channels, he realized these past few days had felt more packed than any summer vacation he’d ever had.

Just when he thought they’d be cooped up at home all day, Chen Jian called him.

Chen Jian: "Bro, you home?"

Gu Shiying: "Yeah."

Chen Jian: "Open the door, open the door! I’m at your doorstep!"

Gu Shiying: "Huh? Why are you back?"

Chen Jian: "Don't ask—my dad used my grandma to lure me back. Hurry up, hurry up, I’m about to get soaked!"

Gu Shiying tossed the remote, grabbed an umbrella, and went to open the door. Chen Jian was indeed standing there, but the umbrella he held was bigger than Gu Shiying’s, so only his shoes got wet.

Chen Jian brushed past Gu Shiying: "Let me in quick! This morning, I saw from upstairs that there was a seriously hot guy at your place doing push-ups. Is he your relative or your friend?"

Without waiting for Gu Shiying to respond, Chen Jian rushed inside, even adjusting his collar at the doorway.

Gu Shiying hurried after him: "Oh crap!"

He didn’t know about others, but Chen Jian wasn’t straight—he was a seasoned gay man.

He didn’t know why he suddenly felt nervous.

What happened next made him even more uncomfortable.

Chen Jian, ever the social butterfly, slid right up next to Fu Huan, his eyes shining like someone who’d been on a month-long diet seeing a gourmet feast.

"Hey, handsome, what’s your name? Can I add you on WeChat? I’m Gu Shiying’s neighbor—just call me Jian Jian."

Gu Shiying gritted his teeth: Jian my ass! You’re three years our senior, damn it!

Even worse, Fu Huan nodded and agreed: "Sure."

Chen Jian completely ignored Gu Shiying: "What’s your relationship with Gu Shiying?"

Fu Huan: "I’m his schoolmate."

Gu Shiying could sense that Chen Jian was clearly eyeing up Fu Huan, so he deliberately cut in between them and sat down.

Gu Shiying: "Hey, Brother Jian, not spending time with your boyfriend anymore?"

Chen Jian patted his arm: "What nonsense are you talking? What boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend. Fu, do you have a boyfriend?"

Fu Huan said bluntly: "Not yet."

Gu Shiying: "..."

Are all gay guys this direct?

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Author's note: Fu Huan: My wife is jealous. [dog head]