Chapter 44 Back to School

Chapter 44: Back to School

Summer vacation, fleeting as sand slipping through fingers, vanished in the blink of an eye.

Besides spending time with his grandmother at home, Gu Shiying also took her on a trip, capturing plenty of footage. In just a month and a half, his account surprisingly garnered thousands of followers. However, many still yearned for Fu Huan’s hands, often commenting on his new videos, asking when his "partner’s" hands would reappear, frequently leaving Gu Shiying speechless.

After much thought, he concluded that Fu Huan’s hands were, in fact, the secret to viral content.

Since Fu Huan’s return home, their connection remained unbroken, with constant messages and video calls.

Fu Huan was also busy. After attending his mother’s birthday, his father called him to work at the company. He had to clock in daily but always had fresh stories to share with Gu Shiying—sometimes about the company cafeteria, other times about the office pets, or even the quirky hobbies of his colleagues.

He maintained a low profile, joining the company as an intern and learning from the ground up.

Gu Shiying, in turn, shared amusing anecdotes from his travels with his grandmother, such as how she became fast friends with a ten-year-old girl they met. After the trip, the two frequently exchanged gifts, forming a special bond.

Sometimes, when Gu Shiying went out to shoot content, he would first send it to Fu Huan for his advice.

Unbeknownst to them, their relationship deepened with each passing day.

The day before returning to school, Fu Huan told Gu Shiying he would pick him up at the station.

Gu Shiying took a deep breath, looking at his overstuffed suitcase. His chest felt just as full and tight, as if a seed were about to burst forth.

Early the next morning, he bid farewell to his grandmother, carrying several jars of her homemade beef sauce back to school. Four hours later, he arrived at A City’s high-speed rail station.

It was already 4:30 in the afternoon as he wheeled his luggage toward the exit.

With universities starting and shuttles picking up new students, the exit was a sea of people.

Yet, he instantly spotted the most striking person in the crowd.

True to his word, Fu Huan had indeed come to pick him up.

Fu Huan waved to Gu Shiying: "Over here."

Gu Shiying walked toward him, bathed in the station lights, his lips unconsciously curving into a slight smile. His gaze remained fixed on Fu Huan, so absorbed that he nearly forgot to scan his ID to exit, even kicking his own suitcase. To mask his inexplicable excitement, he bit back a wince, enduring the slight pain in his toes.

Finally, after scanning his ID and exiting, he stood before Fu Huan.

Gu Shiying smiled, meeting Fu Huan’s eager gaze: "Have you been waiting long?"

Fu Huan shook his head, taking his suitcase: "No, I just got here."

He led Gu Shiying through the crowd to the parking lot and loaded the suitcase into the trunk.

Once in the car, Fu Huan asked Gu Shiying, who was fastening his seatbelt: "Hungry? Do you want to eat first or go back to school?"

Gu Shiying replied: "Either is fine."

He knew Fu Huan wasn’t particularly fond of the school cafeteria food. After tasting Fu Huan’s cooking, the cafeteria meals seemed rather ordinary.

During the week Fu Huan had stayed with him, Gu Shiying felt his palate had been spoiled. When his grandmother resumed cooking after returning, he found something off about the meals and took several days to readjust his taste buds.

Fu Huan said: "Let’s eat first then."

Gu Shiying added: "You don’t really like the cafeteria, do you?"

Fu Huan replied: "It’s alright. I’ll eat there if I’m hungry."

Gu Shiying pointed to the trunk: "I brought you some of Grandma’s beef sauce. It’s incredibly fragrant—you tried it at my place."

Fu Huan asked: "You remembered that?" In truth, he had only taken a bite and mentioned it casually.

He felt a surge of joy knowing Gu Shiying remembered his preferences, his happiness evident as he absently pressed harder on the accelerator.

Gu Shiying said matter-of-factly: "Why wouldn’t I remember? You told me."

Fu Huan seemed to want to confirm whether Gu Shiying remembered only his words or everyone’s. A possessiveness surged in his heart: "What about Zhang Zhi?"

Gu Shiying was momentarily confused by the sudden shift: "What’s Zhang Zhi got to do with it?"

Fu Huan pressed: "If Zhang Zhi wanted Grandma’s beef sauce, would you bring him some?"

Gu Shiying replied: "Not necessarily. If there’s some, I’ll bring it; if not, then no."

Fu Huan simply said: "Oh."

Noticing his slight disappointment, Gu Shiying added: "But this batch was specially made by Grandma. She said she wanted to thank you for coming all this way to take care of me for a week."

His foot injury had been visible to the neighbors, so he hadn’t hidden it from his grandmother. After Fu Huan arrived, he had come clean about the injury.

Fu Huan said: "Grandma didn’t know I like beef sauce."

Finally understanding the root of his concern, Gu Shiying gave him an exasperated eyeroll.

"I told her, alright?"

Satisfied, Fu Huan drove them directly to dinner.

Knowing Fu Huan had good taste, Gu Shiying wasn’t picky about the restaurant.

After dinner, they headed straight back to school. Having traveled most of the day, Gu Shiying was tired.

Back in the dorm, while tidying his bed, Gu Shiying remembered that he had left in a bad mood at the start of the break and hadn’t washed his sheets. The clean bedding stored in his closet had developed a slight musty smell after two months, with no time to air them out.

"Give me your bedding. You can sleep in my bed tonight. I’ll go home, wash them, and bring them back dried tomorrow morning."

The school had laundry facilities but no dryers, so bedding had to be air-dried. Gu Shiying wasn’t one to make a fuss, but the idea of sleeping in Fu Huan’s bed made him a little awkward.

Gu Shiying asked: "Really, your bed?"

Fu Huan replied: "Where else? My apartment?"

Gu Shiying quickly backtracked: "School is fine then."

Only after Fu Huan nodded did he remember he could have crashed with Zhang Zhi for the night. But it was too late to take back his words.

After dinner and dealing with traffic, it was already 7 p.m. when Yang Shuhang and Guan Yu returned to school one after another.

Yang Shuhang had been recording a talent show for two months, during which he could hardly use his phone, only occasionally checking in on the group chat. The show hadn’t aired yet, and due to confidentiality, he couldn’t share details. Returning buzzing with excitement, he hugged Gu Shiying tightly.

"Ying Er, I missed you so damn much! Being on that show made me realize how precious our college life is. You’re my favorite person."

Gu Shiying tried to push him away but couldn’t, so he comforted him instead: "You’ve had it rough."

Yang Shuhang sighed: "Yeah, bad food, poor sleep, and always having to be on guard."

Gu Shiying: "You didn't bring an assistant?"

Yang Shuhang: "I did. I hadn't planned to originally, but my parents were worried and arranged three for me."

Gu Shiying: "..." He immediately retracted that fleeting moment of sympathy.

Fu Huan was examining the beef sauce Gu Shiying brought him, opening it to sniff. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yang Shuhang’s actions and immediately closed the lid, turning to look at them.

He stared for the entire time Yang Shuhang was hugging Gu Shiying, only looking away when Yang Shuhang finally let go.

Yang Shuhang was especially excited today, chattering nonstop to Gu Shiying until Guan Yu returned, at which point he finally diverted some of his attention.

By 9:30 p.m., Fu Huan was getting ready to leave. Before going, he said to Gu Shiying: "The bed is made. Go to sleep if you're tired."

Gu Shiying nodded. He had woken up early and spent the afternoon traveling, so he was indeed a bit sleepy.

Fu Huan took all the beef sauce Gu Shiying had brought him, not leaving a single jar for Yang Shuhang.

When Gu Shiying came out after showering, he realized all the beef sauce was gone.

He checked his phone and saw that Fu Huan had taken it all.

[Fu Huan: There's no refrigerator at school, and it’s hot. I’ll keep the beef sauce at my apartment and bring it over when you want some.]

[Gu Shiying: So you'd have to carry it back and forth?]

[Fu Huan: My apartment's close to school. I cook sometimes—you can come over to eat.]

[Gu Shiying: Oh.]

Gu Shiying thought about it. Fu Huan’s invitation had ulterior motives, and he knew what it implied.

After a month apart, and with Chen Jian’s daily "educating," he now understood his sexuality clearly. Even if he had never liked a guy before, he wasn’t without feelings for Fu Huan. In fact, when he recalled everything Fu Huan had done for him late at night, his heart still felt warm and fuzzy.

He'd been feeling different for a while; he actually had those kinds of feelings about Fu Huan too. It's just that he realized it a bit late, and he wanted to spend more time with Fu Huan to further confirm whether he truly liked him enough to want to date him.

Since this was his first relationship, whether for his own sake or Fu Huan’s, he needed to be cautious and serious.

Fu Huan’s feelings for him were sincere, and in return, he wanted to respond with the same sincerity—not make a hasty decision. If he were to regret it later, it would hurt not only himself but also Fu Huan.

[Gu Shiying: I'm going to sleep. I'm tired.]

[Fu Huan: I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow. What do you want?]

Gu Shiying rested his head on Fu Huan’s pillow, smelling a faint oceanic scent, and sleepiness overwhelmed him.

[Gu Shiying: Whatever you buy is fine. I’m going to sleep now.]

[Fu Huan: Okay, good night.]

That's when Yang Shuhang noticed Gu Shiying was sleeping in Fu Huan’s bed.

He was shocked: "Ying Er, you’re sleeping in Brother Huan’s bed?!"

Gu Shiying nodded: "Yeah, my blanket smells funny, so I didn’t want to use it."

Yang Shuhang: "Then where is he sleeping?"

Gu Shiying: "He rented an apartment near school. He’s sleeping there."

Yang Shuhang said incredulously: "Wait, since when did you two become so close? And doesn’t Brother Huan have a clean freak? Last semester, I accidentally used his phone to check the time, and he spent forever spraying it with alcohol!"

No one knew Fu Huan had spent a week with him during summer break, and Gu Shiying didn't explain further.

Gu Shiying said: "I’m just sleeping here tonight. He’ll probably throw the sheets away tomorrow."

Yang Shuhang pouted and agreed: "Yeah, definitely. One hundred percent."

Gu Shiying thought about Fu Huan’s clean freak yet wanting to kiss his calf, and felt that if Fu Huan were really as Yang Shuhang described, he’d be more at ease if Fu Huan had fewer of those kinds of thoughts about him.

The next morning, as Gu Shiying rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, Fu Huan was already back with breakfast.

Yang Shuhang was also awake. Remembering Fu Huan’s clean freak and worried about hurting Gu Shiying's feelings, he planned to get Gu Shiying out of the dorm to comfort him as soon as Fu Huan threw the sheets away.

However, Fu Huan didn’t say a word. He even folded the pajamas Gu Shiying had taken off and wasn't bothered that Gu Shiying had placed the socks he was about to wear on the bed!

Yang Shuhang: "..."

Wait, does his clean freak only apply to certain people?

-----------------------

Author’s Note: Fu Huan: My wife smells great all over [hug]

--

"Arriving Here from the Republic of China" synopsis is ready—Marriage first, love later.

Jiang Yicen was born into a feudal family in the late Qing Dynasty. He studied eight-legged essays with his grandfather and read the Four Books and Five Classics. He was engaged to a young lady from another family since childhood, but his fiancée, who had studied abroad and had progressive ideas, broke off the engagement. She politely told him he was too rigid, old-fashioned, and boring, and that without love, their marriage would surely be unhappy.

Later, he lived through the turmoil of war, using up all his family’s wealth to save people from suffering.

Later still, he joined the army and died in the war.

Before his death, he thought his ex-fiancée was wrong—his life hadn’t been entirely boring.

He thought death was the end, but he had no idea it was a new beginning—only, he returned to a family that was both feudal and open-minded.

Feudal because he was sent into an arranged marriage; open-minded because his arranged marriage partner was a man.

-

Nan Shuyi was free-spirited, loved his freedom, did as he pleased, and made headlines every day for various scandals. He could rightly be called a playboy.

To rein in Nan Shuyi’s wild nature, the Nan family forced an arranged marriage on him.

The day before the wedding, he scoffed to his friends: "Tch, there’s no way in hell I’m ever sleeping with a man."

On the day of the wedding, his arranged marriage partner sat before him like a young master from the Republic of China era, the corners of his lips slightly upturned in a subtle, proper smile.

He softly addressed Nan Shuyi: "Sir."

Nan Shuyi stiffened slightly, then straightened his tie, which he had tugged askew in impatience, and stood upright and proper.

Jiang Yicen thought, having finally arrived in an era without war, where he could live safely and soundly, he could adapt to anything. What did it matter to call his arranged marriage partner "Sir"?

He had traveled a very, very long way to get here from the Republic of China.

-

This is a story of a recipient from the Republic of China transmigrating to the modern era and meeting the attacker—marriage first, love later.