Chapter 56 Past Events

Chapter 56: Past Events

Gu Shiying didn't believe Fu Huan would joke about meeting the parents.

On Friday morning, Gu Shiying had an early class, so he stayed at school instead of returning to Fu Huan's place. Fu Huan was pulled into working overtime by his brother that evening and came back late, so he didn't go to his dorm.

That night, Gu Shiying couldn't sleep a wink. The thought of meeting the parents made him even more nervous than the night before his college entrance exams. Even Yang Shuhang could hear him tossing and turning.

Yang Shuhang, rarely hearing such emotion from his friend, asked, "Gu Shiying, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Gu Shiying sat up in bed, hugging his soft, fragrant duvet. "I can't sleep."

Yang Shuhang: "That's unusual. Don't you usually go to bed on time? What's going on?"

Gu Shiying hadn't been very punctual lately, and he blamed it all on Fu Huan.

He told Yang Shuhang about Fu Huan's mom coming to school to check him out and their upcoming weekend dinner with the parents.

Yang Shuhang thought it was too fast: "Whoa, that's way too fast!"

Gu Shiying: "If you had a partner, would you meet their parents this quickly?"

Yang Shuhang: "No way. Who knows if we'll even be together in the future? It'd be so awkward if we met the parents and then didn’t end up together. It depends on how you look at it." He noticed light from Guan Yu's phone on his bed. "Brother Yu, don’t you think?"

Guan Yu: "Definitely."

Gu Shiying was still confident about their relationship: "I don’t think it’d be awkward, but there’s a big gap between his family and mine."

Guan Yu, more composed than the nervous Gu Shiying, offered, "You can think about it this way: you’re just visiting as Fu Huan’s boyfriend, and you’re still a student. There’s no need to overthink it—just treat it as hanging out and getting to know people. Besides, you’ve met Fu Huan’s mom before, right? What was your impression?"

Gu Shiying: "She was kind and gentle, not putting on any airs. After meeting me, she invited us to dinner over the weekend."

Guan Yu, with a clearer head than the anxious Gu Shiying, suggested, "She must be satisfied with you. But since you want to be fully prepared, why not ask Liang Qi? At the very least, he understands Fu Huan’s family better than you do."

Gu Shiying nodded, his eyes brightening. "Guan Yu, you’re truly our guiding light. When I start a company someday, I’ll definitely hire you as my legal advisor!"

He not only wanted to learn about Fu Huan’s family but also why Fu Huan had left home to study elsewhere during high school and even lived on his own. He had asked Fu Huan about it before—it probably had to do with his sexuality—but he hadn't pressed for details.

Fu Huan didn’t come to school in the morning, so Gu Shiying arranged to meet Liang Qi at the school’s Western restaurant at noon. He knew Liang Qi didn’t like the cafeteria, and since they were going to talk about Fu Huan’s private matters, he didn’t want anyone else overhearing.

Gu Shiying specifically reminded Liang Qi not to tell Fu Huan about their meeting.

Liang Qi wasn’t sure what Gu Shiying wanted to discuss, but he knew it had to do with Fu Huan.

Liang Qi: "Why are you suddenly looking for me? Is it something about Fu Huan?"

Ever since Fu Huan started dating Gu Shiying, Liang Qi, as Fu Huan’s childhood friend, had seen less of him—he’d gotten a taste of what it was like to be the "garment" in the saying "brothers are like clothes."

Gu Shiying: "I wanted to ask about Fu Huan’s high school days. His mom invited us to dinner this weekend."

Liang Qi thought it over and understood. Fu Huan’s parents were very concerned about his love life and had even set him up on blind dates before. Parents like that were rare nowadays—both open-minded and traditional.

Liang Qi: "His parents are pretty nice. They used to be quite conservative, but now they’re very concerned about him finding a partner, worried he might get into trouble."

Gu Shiying was hearing about Fu Huan’s parents from someone else for the first time: "How so? Does it have to do with him leaving for school in high school?"

Liang Qi: "It’s definitely related to him transferring schools in high school."

Gu Shiying: "He told me his family found out about his sexuality."

Liang Qi guessed Fu Huan didn’t want to expose his edgy teenage behavior to Gu Shiying, so he didn’t go into too much detail: "Yes, but it was more complicated than what he told you. He probably glossed over it. Actually, his parents overreacted to his sexuality."

Gu Shiying: "Is that why he often seems down?"

Liang Qi: "You noticed?"

Gu Shiying nodded: "Yeah. At first, I thought he was just aloof, but later I felt it might be because of his sexuality that he seems less confident."

This wasn’t just speculation on Gu Shiying’s part. From daily interactions, he could tell Fu Huan lacked self-confidence. Despite his excellent qualities, Fu Huan always worried Gu Shiying would leave him, holding him tightly at night as if afraid he’d run away.

Liang Qi took a sip of coffee and sighed: "He didn’t want to tell you, but since you asked me, it’s fine to share, especially since you’re about to meet his parents."

It turned out that in his third year of junior high, Fu Huan visited many related websites and had gay apps on his phone to confirm his sexuality. He only meant to understand himself, but one day, while he was showering, He Qi went into his room and saw the apps on his computer and phone. She almost fainted, thinking her son had gone down the wrong path in junior high.

Fu Huan’s grandfather was very traditional, and Fu Yuandong inherited much of his old-fashioned mindset. He immediately gave Fu Huan a stern lecture and even beat him. After that, Fu Yuandong sent Fu Huan to "ideological education classes," believing Fu Huan had been led astray by society and developed homosexual tendencies.

Gu Shiying asked: "Where did they send him?"

Liang Qi: "Uncle Fu paid a famous 'ideological educator' at the time and locked Fu Huan in a villa, not letting him leave until his assessment was 'normal.' You know those schools that used to 'cure' internet addiction? It was similar. Uncle Fu was panicking and didn’t do a thorough background check on this educator."

Gu Shiying could imagine how desperate Fu Huan must have felt. His hands turned cold: "What happened next? How long was he there?"

Liang Qi: "Fortunately, He Qi was uneasy about Uncle Fu’s approach. She went to the villa herself and saw Fu Huan, who had been locked up for a month. She realized the person wasn’t providing psychological counseling but was starving him, confining him, and tormenting him until he lost 15 pounds. In the following years, Fu Huan was continuously seeing a psychologist."

Gu Shiying remembered the psychologist Fu Huan had recommended to Guo Guo: "Was it a psychologist named Jiang?"

Liang Qi nodded: "You know about him?"

Gu Shiying: "Yeah, you know Guo Guo? The autistic kid. Fu Huan recommended Dr. Jiang to Guo Guo and said he’s providing free treatment."

Liang Qi breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems Fu Huan is different with you. He must have moved past his trauma. He easily gets stuck in his emotions, but since he always keeps a straight face, others don’t notice."

Gu Shiying was furious thinking about Fu Huan being locked up and tormented for a month!

He chugged several mouthfuls of ice water: "That damn scammer is despicable! Where is he now?"

Liang Qi, touched by Gu Shiying’s genuine reaction, felt his friend had chosen well. Gut reactions were the most honest.

Liang Qi: "Uncle Fu later gathered plenty of evidence and sent him to prison. He probably won’t get out—he’s done plenty of shady things."

Gu Shiying: "What a shame I can’t beat him up."

Liang Qi: "Don’t worry, we beat him up for Old Fu." Fu Huan had even dislocated the guy’s arm in a fit of rage. But Fu Huan probably wouldn’t want Gu Shiying to know about such violent acts.

Gu Shiying: "So after this, Fu Huan changed schools?"

Liang Qi: "Who could forgive their parents after something like that? Later, when Qin-ge returned, the tense relationship eased a bit. After starting college, his parents went from one extreme to another—from rejection to worrying about the chaos in the gay community and even arranging blind dates for him."

Gu Shiying raised an eyebrow: "...Blind dates?"

Liang Qi realized he’d slipped up and laughed it off: "Not important, not important. He only likes you."

Gu Shiying remembered the art department’s heartthrob—Fu Huan wasn’t close to him at all.

Gu Shiying wasn’t stupid: "Was it that art department heartthrob?"

Liang Qi: "How did you guess?"

Gu Shiying didn’t want to discuss how he knew: "Not hard. Fu Huan doesn’t like him."

Liang Qi: "Indeed, he's totally devoted to you."

Gu Shiying had gotten a better sense of Fu Huan's family background and headed straight home that evening.

Today, Fu Huan wasn't forced by his brother to work overtime, so he came straight home after work.

The lights were on in the house, and the aroma of food filled the air.

Before Gu Shiying moved in, this place was just a place for Fu Huan to crash—somewhere to stay when he didn’t want to be in the dorm, a step up from a hotel.

Now, he no longer felt that way. This was his and Gu Shiying’s little nest. With Gu Shiying here, he looked forward to coming home every day.

Fu Huan placed his car keys and phone on the table and looked over at the busy figure in the kitchen. The kitchen trash bin was full of eggshells.

Fu Huan: "What're you making?"

Gu Shiying told him: "Fried eggs, egg drop soup, and scrambled eggs with chives."

Fu Huan knew he wasn’t much of a chef, but the eggs were cooked to a perfect golden brown.

Gu Shiying: "I only know how to make scrambled eggs. Do you know who taught me?"

Fu Huan: "Who?"

Gu Shiying: "My mom. She knew I had no talent for cooking. I was even afraid the kitchen might explode when using the gas stove, so she taught me the simplest way to make scrambled eggs. That way, even when I’m living on my own, I’ll have at least one hot meal to eat. You cook so well—my mom would definitely like you."

Fu Huan: "Really?"

Gu Shiying: "Why would I make that up?"

Fu Huan wrapped his arms around Gu Shiying’s waist and nuzzled against his face: "That’s true."

Dinner was an all-egg feast, but Fu Huan felt happier than if he were eating the fanciest banquet.

At night, the two lay in bed together.

Gu Shiying leaned against the headboard, opening his notes app to jot down ideas for his next photography project.

Fu Huan, fresh out of the shower, slid in beside him, pulling Gu Shiying into his arms. When he saw the content in the memo, he froze for a second.

"Did Liang Qi tell you?"

"Yeah." Gu Shiying nodded against him, then put down his phone, looked up, and gave his chin a kiss. "Are you still afraid now?"

Fu Huan thought of something and smiled: "No, I’m not afraid."

Gu Shiying: "What are you thinking about that’s making you so happy?"

Fu Huan held him tighter, lowered his head, and nipped at his lip: "You."

Because he had met Gu Shiying. As long as Gu Shiying was by his side, all the darkness would disappear.

In the first month after meeting Gu Shiying, he went to Dr. Jiang for a routine psychological evaluation.

Dr. Jiang told him: "Fu Huan, you’ve passed your psychological evaluation."

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Author's note: Here you go~

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Upcoming story: "From the Republic of China to Here" — please add it to your library and give it a read, dear readers! This is a story about a protagonist from the Republic of China era who time-travels to the modern day and meets the love interest. It features an arranged marriage that blossoms into love.

Jiang Yicen was born into a feudal family in the late Qing Dynasty. He studied the eight-legged essay with his grandfather and read the Four Books and Five Classics. From a young age, he was engaged to a young lady from another family. However, his fiancée, who had studied abroad and embraced progressive ideas, broke off the engagement. She politely suggested that he was too rigid, old-fashioned, and dull, and that being with him would surely not bring happiness.

Later, he lived through the chaos of war, using up his family's entire fortune 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 little did he know it was a fresh start—only, he returned to a family that was both feudal and enlightened.

Feudal, because he was sent into an arranged marriage by his family; enlightened, because his arranged marriage partner was a man.

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Nan Shuyi was wild, freedom-loving, and followed his own rules. He frequently made headlines for various scandals—one could almost call him a spoiled rich kid.

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

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

On the wedding day, 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: "Mister."

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

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 address his arranged marriage partner as "Mister"?

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

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

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