Chapter 45 Taking the Initiative to Comfort

Chapter 45: Taking the Initiative to Comfort Him

Returning from summer break, the daily sight of freshmen in their green military training uniforms made Gu Shiying acutely aware that he was no longer a sophomore. As a junior, however, his class schedule was packed, and with internships looming next summer, a vague sense of job-hunting pressure began to set in.

Gu Shiying wasn't alone in this feeling; most juniors shared it. But some, like Zhang Zhi, were naturally more cheerful, less sensitive, and possessed an excellent sense of ease.

As the first weekend of the semester approached, Zhang Zhi was already planning his activities.

"Hey, Ying Er, I thought you wanted to visit a temple? I saw a video yesterday about a temple famous for severing bad relationships. They say it's incredibly effective."

Gu Shiying could tell from Zhang Zhi's excitement that his true motive wasn't the temple itself; there had to be another reason. After knowing him for two years, Gu Shiying could practically read his mind.

He recalled that this newly promoted junior had arrived early to participate in freshman welcoming activities.

Gu Shiying scoffed, "Since when are you so kind-hearted? You're definitely planning to take some freshman girls out, aren't you?"

Zhang Zhi grinned, "You know me best, little Ying Ying! So, are you coming or not?"

Gu Shiying shook his head firmly, "I'm not going."

Zhang Zhi asked, "Has that person who had a crush on you stopped bothering you?"

Gu Shiying replied, "He never bothered me. It was just a bit troublesome before, but that's no longer an issue."

Zhang Zhi paid little attention to that; he was more focused on his weekend plans with the freshman girls.

Zhang Zhi pressed, "Really not coming? You could get a lot of footage. I'm bringing my drone to film the mountain scenery."

Gu Shiying asked, "You bought a drone?"

Zhang Zhi explained, "I worked for my mom for almost two months during summer break and didn't go anywhere. I used the money from that part-time job to buy the drone."

Hearing about the drone, Gu Shiying felt a flicker of temptation. What guy wouldn't be excited about a drone, especially one that could capture aerial shots worthy of a blockbuster? But since Zhang Zhi was bringing girls along, and Gu Shiying wasn't particularly keen on hanging out with them, he declined after a moment's thought.

"I'd like to go to the maple forest, but not the temple."

"Alright then, what a shame. You're missing out on meeting some pretty girls."

"..."

Just then, the class bell rang, and Gu Shiying headed to the cafeteria with the four guys from Room 701.

During mealtimes, summer break stories were the hot topic. The group from Room 701 always chatted animatedly while lining up for food, blending right into the cafeteria's noisy atmosphere.

They arrived late today, and most of the good dishes had already been taken by the hungry freshmen, who, after training, ate like a swarm of locusts.

Gu Shiying looked around for a while but couldn't find anything he wanted to eat. His tray was still completely empty.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Still unsure what to eat, Gu Shiying answered the call.

"What's up?"

"I see you. There's not much left in the cafeteria. Want to grab something to eat outside?"

That suited Gu Shiying just fine, but Zhang Zhi and the others were still there. Then again, Zhang Zhi had stood him up several times last semester, so it wouldn't be a big deal if he occasionally ditched them for a meal.

Gu Shiying's hand moved faster than his brain. He put his tray back in its place and said, "Sure, where are you?"

Fu Huan replied, "I'm by the staircase. You'll see me when you walk over."

Gu Shiying spotted the tall figure standing at the entrance through the crowd.

"Are you alone? Where's Liang Qi?"

"He's busy with something else. He's not joining us."

"Wait a moment. Let me tell Zhang Zhi and the others."

Gu Shiying went up to Zhang Zhi and told him that Fu Huan was looking for him.

Zhang Zhi, not reading too much into it, just asked curiously, "What does he want?"

Gu Shiying said, "He asked me to eat out."

Zhang Zhi asked, "He doesn't like the cafeteria?"

Gu Shiying replied, "He's not a fan."

Zhang Zhi waved him off, "Go ahead, then."

Gu Shiying strode through the crowd toward Fu Huan.

The leader of Room 701 asked Zhang Zhi, "Is Ying Er that close with his roommate?"

Zhang Zhi said, "They're bros, of course they're close. Fu Huan might seem cold, but he's pretty loyal to Ying Er."

Room 701's third member agreed, "Yeah, they seem like good brothers."

Room 701's fourth member added, "But I feel like there's something a bit too clingy about them. Yesterday morning, I saw Gu Shiying eating a croissant from Fu Huan's hand. It looked pretty couple-like."

Zhang Zhi brushed it off, "Pfft, I've fed Ying Er cake before too."

Room 701's fourth member insisted, "It's different. You're a total straight guy, but the vibe between them is hard to pin down—it's kinda ambiguous."

Zhang Zhi fell silent.

Once they met up, Gu Shiying and Fu Huan headed straight to a newly opened noodle shop near the back gate.

The shop was crowded. They scanned a code to order and sat down to wait.

Noticing that Gu Shiying had seemed a bit down since they left, Fu Huan grabbed a bottle of cola and placed it in front of him.

"Any plans for the weekend?"

"Zhang Zhi asked if I wanted to go to the maple forest to shoot some footage. He's taking some freshman girls to a temple and bringing his drone."

Fu Huan thought, not for the first time, that Zhang Zhi was always trying to drag Gu Shiying out with girls. But he decided to focus on the other point.

"I have a drone. I bought it a while ago, played with it for a bit, and then it's been sitting around. How about I go with you to the maple forest to shoot?"

"Really?"

"Of course. Do you want to go with Zhang Zhi and the others, or just us?"

"Just us," Gu Shiying replied without hesitation. He had no interest in the freshman girls.

The two of them settled on their plans for the next day. However, they were so focused on each other that they didn't notice Yang Shuhang sitting with his classmates.

Yang Shuhang sneakily edged over to Gu Shiying: "Where are you two sneaking off to without me? I'm coming too!"

Fu Huan pressed his lips together: "..."

Gu Shiying: "We're going to shoot the maple forest."

Yang Shuhang whipped out his phone and started searching: "Then I'm definitely coming. That place is great for pics. Ying Er, your photography skills are amazing. Tomorrow, you can shoot some videos and photos for me—I’ll post them."

Gu Shiying: "Sure."

Fu Huan also opened his phone and sent a message to Liang Qi: "Come with me tomorrow."

Liang Qi: "What for?"

Fu Huan: "To take photos of Yang Shuhang."

Liang Qi: "???"

On Saturday morning, Yang Shuhang was ruthlessly yanked out of bed by Fu Huan.

When Yang Shuhang realized it was Fu Huan who had jabbed him awake with a book, he bit back the curses on the tip of his tongue. He glanced at Gu Shiying’s bed, but the other was still sound asleep, not even stirring.

In their dorm, he was usually the last one to be woken up—what gives?

"Brother Huan, it’s not even time to leave yet. Why did you wake me up?"

"Aren’t you having Gu Shiying take photos for you today? Go do your hair now."

"Wait, is there a need to start this early? It’s only 7 a.m.—aren’t we leaving at 9...?"

Fu Huan couldn’t be bothered to explain further. He picked up his phone and headed out, leaving a bewildered Yang Shuhang sitting on his bed, fully awake.

Is Fu Huan out of his mind? Why wake me up so early? Why not wake Ying Er instead?

Guan Yu, stirred by the noise, got up to use the bathroom. Yang Shuhang clambered down and cornered him to complain.

"Brother Yu, do you think Brother Huan has a problem? We’re not leaving until 9, but he woke me up at 7 and told me to do my hair."

Guan Yu had studying to do and hadn’t agreed to join their outing.

He patted Yang Shuhang’s shoulder: "Because you really are a slowpoke. You always dawdle and only start doing your hair right before we have to leave. Gu Shiying is too polite to call you out, but Fu Huan probably doesn’t want to put up with it. He’s actually pretty disciplined—if you’re going out with him, you’ll have to follow his lead."

Yang Shuhang: "Am I really that much of a procrastinator?"

Guan Yu gave a dry laugh: "It’s good that Fu Huan is here to fix your habit of procrastination."

Today, Gu Shiying ended up being the last one up. When he came down to wash up, he saw Yang Shuhang already done up like he was headed for a shoot—though his good-looking face was kinda grumpy.

"Did you not sleep well last night? You’re up so early."

Gu Shiying was surprised. Yang Shuhang was usually a night owl who’d sleep in and needed a lot of nagging to get up. They often ended up leaving 10 or 15 minutes late.

But today, he was all set and waiting.

Yang Shuhang gave him a look of betrayal: "Brother Huan woke me up at 7. He..."

Just then, Fu Huan returned with several bags of breakfast, and Yang Shuhang immediately clammed up.

"Breakfast is here. Are you done washing up?"

Gu Shiying, not wanting to hold them up, said: "Not yet, I’ll go now."

Fu Huan, knowing how much Gu Shiying hated being a burden, said: "No rush, we have plenty of time."

Gu Shiying: "Okay."

Even Yang Shuhang, oblivious as he was, noticed Fu Huan’s double standard: rough as a winter wind toward him, but soft as a summer breeze toward Ying Er.

Does Fu Huan have something against me? Did I do something to offend Fu Huan? Did I keep him up with my late-night gaming?

Yang Shuhang was at a loss.

On the way to the maple forest, Fu Huan drove, Liang Qi sat in the passenger seat, and Yang Shuhang tugged Gu Shiying into the back seat.

As soon as they got in the car, Yang Shuhang huddled close to whisper in Gu Shiying’s ear, making sure the two in front couldn’t hear.

"Ying Er, do you think Brother Huan has a problem with me?"

"What’s wrong?"

Yang Shuhang told him about being woken up at 7 a.m.

"Do you think I offended Brother Huan somehow?"

Gu Shiying knew exactly what the issue was.

It wasn’t Yang Shuhang’s fault—it was Fu Huan’s.

Although Fu Huan hadn’t said it outright yesterday, he had been looking forward to going to the maple forest with Gu Shiying alone. Yang Shuhang popping up had crashed his plans.

Having a third wheel along naturally put him out.

Gu Shiying chuckled: "Maybe he just wanted to make sure we left on time? He reserved a table with chicken at a farmhouse up the mountain for lunch—it’s packed, so being late wouldn’t be good."

Hearing this, Yang Shuhang relaxed: "Oh, is that it? Why didn’t he just say so?"

Gu Shiying suspected Fu Huan had done it on purpose, but he offered an excuse: "Maybe he’s just the quiet type."

Yang Shuhang shook his head: "True, he’s not as extroverted as me."

They drove up to the mountainside of the maple forest. When they got out of the car, Gu Shiying noticed Fu Huan’s stern face.

Glancing at Yang Shuhang, who was busy fussing with his hair with a mirror, Gu Shiying whispered to Fu Huan: "Come to the restroom with me?"

Fu Huan nodded: "Okay."

After using the restroom and washing their hands, Fu Huan started down the steps ahead of Gu Shiying.

Gu Shiying, standing on the step above, called out: "Fu Huan, wait."

Fu Huan turned back: "Hmm?"

Gu Shiying reached toward his neck, his fingers adjusting the collar: "Your collar wasn’t straightened."

It was the first time he’d done something like this, and his fingers accidentally brushed against Fu Huan’s collarbone below the neckline.

Fu Huan’s entire body stiffened, and the look he gave Gu Shiying was so intense it could swallow him whole: "..."

Gu Shiying withdrew his hand, his ears burning hot, and said, "Don't be hostile toward Yang Shuheng."

Fu Huan's mind went blank, his whole body going numb. "Mm."

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

Author's Note: Fu Huan: My wife's way of comforting people is just different! [dog head]

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Upcoming Work: "From the Republic of China to Here," an arranged marriage to love story. If you like this, please add it to your collections!

Jiang Yicen was born into a traditional feudal family in the late Qing Dynasty. He studied the Eight-Legged Essay with his grandfather, read the Four Books and Five Classics, and was engaged to a young lady from another family since childhood. However, his fiancée, who had studied abroad and embraced progressive ideas, broke off the engagement. She tactfully expressed that he was too rigid, old-fashioned, and dull, and that being with him would surely not bring happiness.

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

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

He thought death was the end, but never expected it to be a new beginning—only, he returned to a family that was both feudal and open-minded.

Feudal, because he was sent by his family into an arranged marriage. Open-minded, because his arranged marriage partner was a man.

-

Nan Shuyi was unruly, loved freedom, did as he pleased, and made headlines every day for various scandals—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a spoiled heir.

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

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

On the wedding day, his arranged marriage partner sat before him like a Republican-era young master, the corners of his lips slightly upturned in a reserved, perfectly proper smile.

He softly addressed Nan Shuyi: "Mr. Nan."

Nan Shuyi’s body stiffened slightly. He adjusted his tie, which he had tugged askew in his impatience, and stood up straight and proper.

Jiang Yicen thought to himself, having finally arrived in an era without war, where he could live in peace, he could adapt to anything. What did it matter to call his arranged marriage partner "Mr. Nan"?

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

Many years later, Jiang Yicen realized his ex-fiancée had actually been wrong—his life hadn’t turned out so dull after all.