Chapter 16: GiftâGu Chuanzhou: “You Slept Together Last Night?”
Yu Xi was smothered awake in the morning.
In his dream, he couldn’t catch his breath and felt hot. The “bed” beneath him was hard and stiff. Various discomforts caused him to wake up even earlier than his biological clock.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he was met with a close-up of solid pectoral muscles. Resting above those muscles was a pingâan kou.
Yu Xi stared dazed for a long while before slowly realizing that Zhang Xingkuo had returned in the middle of the night and they had slept together.
He didn’t know how it happened; although they were close before sleeping, he had been lying properly in his own spot. Upon waking, he had ended up sprawled on top of Zhang Xingkuo.
But he was a very well-behaved sleeper with a disciplined posture. Because the beds he had slept on over the years were narrow and easy to fall off, or too old and creaky with every movement, he had gradually developed the habit of staying still.
Moreover, he felt a hand pressing down on his back. Most likely, Zhang Xingkuo had been the undisciplined one, proactively fishing him over.
Zhang Xingkuo had this habit as a child too. He liked to hug Yu Xi like a doll. If Yu Xi didn’t let him, he would switch to holding his fingers or grabbing his sleeve. Once or twice, Zhang Xingkuo had slept so haphazardly that he ended up upside down, yet he was still pinching Yu Xiâs small foot in his dreams.
This personality and habit seemed to have not changed at all.
Yu Xi realized his anxiety from the past few days was redundant; there was no need to worry about Zhang Xingkuo becoming distant.
Seeing that Zhang Xingkuo was still deep in sleep, Yu Xi didn’t disturb him. After some effort to carefully break free, he tidied himself up and walked out of the room.
He happened to catch Pei Lexin heading to work. He walked over and asked, “Auntie Pei, is it this early today too?”
“Can’t be helped. Thereâs been a lot of work at the company lately, and I have a business social tonight. Youâll eat with Xiao Wang today.” Pei Lexin glanced upstairs. “Is Xingkuo still asleep? He worked hard traveling yesterday; let him sleep a bit longer.”
Pei Lexin didn’t say much more and hurried out the door.
Yu Xi looked at the sky outside. The thundershower hadn’t lasted long and had already stopped. The sky after the rain was exceptionally clear. The morning light made the grass blades and the residual rainwater on the ground sparkle, as if a world of crushed gemstones had fallen.
Yu Xi ate his breakfast slowly while standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, staring dazed at the banyan tree outside. Before long, he heard the doorbell ring.
Surprisingly, it was Gu Chuanzhou.
Although Gu Chuanzhou had come to the Pei house often to find him recently, this was the first time he had come so early.
“Morning, Xixi.” Gu Chuanzhou greeted him with a smile. His appearance was as handsome as ever, but Yu Xi wondered if it was an illusionâthere were slight red streaks in his eyes, as if he hadn’t rested well.
Yu Xi followed with a “Good morning” and then asked, “Have you had breakfast yet?”
Gu Chuanzhou: “Not yet.”
Thus, Yu Xi, who had just finished eating, sat back down at the dining table to accompany Gu Chuanzhou.
Yu Xi watched quietly for a while.
Gu Chuanzhouâs dining etiquette had been excellent since childhood. Every movement was like a programmed procedure. Whether it was the posture of holding chopsticks or the order of eating meat and vegetables, it was standard without deviation.
As a child, Yu Xi only thought it was impressive, but now he associated it with the fact that Gu Chuanzhou must have been strictly trained from a very young age to form such habits, with no room for error.
Being the only son of the Gu family was truly hardworking.
Yu Xi suppressed his thoughts and picked up the juice on the table. “Drink some of this today, okay? Don’t always drink coffee.”
Gu Chuanzhou never refused anything he gave.
The coffee cup was set aside, and sweet juice took its place on the left.
Yu Xi asked again, “Did you sleep poorly yesterday? You came over so early today.”
“Iâm fine. I naturally have a bit of insomnia; itâs just an old ailment.” Gu Chuanzhouâs tone was flat, seemingly not taking it to heart.
Yu Xi said seriously, “Have you seen a doctor? Is it because you have a lot on your mind or difficulty falling asleep itself? My mother makes a type of herbal sleep aid pouch. Iâll ask her how to make it later; maybe itâll work. I also heard…”
In Yu Xiâs view, sleep was a very important matter. He was worried and racked his brain to help Gu Chuanzhou find a solution, failing to notice the otherâs unblinking gaze.
“Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Xingxing came back in the middle of the night yesterday.”
The smile in Gu Chuanzhouâs eyes slightly retracted as he said lukewarmly, “Is that so?”
“Mhm, it was raining yesterday, so Xingxing he…”
Yu Xi stopped mid-sentence.
An inexplicable intuition told him it was better not to let Gu Chuanzhou know that Zhang Xingkuo had stayed the night here, and even better not to let the two of them bump into each other.
Yu Xi suddenly became nervous.
“He came back?” Gu Chuanzhou picked up the conversation.
“Mhm… how about after you finish eating, we take a walk by the small fountain?” Yu Xi rested both arms neatly on the table, leaning forward, blinking his dark eyes as he stared at Gu Chuanzhou.
He rarely took the initiative to suggest anything. Once he did, Gu Chuanzhou never refused.
Sure enough, Gu Chuanzhou nodded this time too.
However, just as Gu Chuanzhou finished breakfast and they were about to head out, Zhang Xingkuo came down the elevator right at that moment.
The three of them came face-to-face.
Zhang Xingkuo hadn’t changed his clothes. He was still wearing a casual tank top that exposed his arms. His long pants hung loosely on his hip bones, revealing a bit of his abdomen covered in veins.
His hair was also messy, having been casually tousled twice. His whole person was like a wolf that had just awakenedâlazy and sluggish, but his narrowed eyes immediately sharpened upon discovering an extra person in his territory.
Yu Xi: “…”
The worst-case scenario had occurred.
Zhang Xingkuo crossed his arms over his chest and let out an almost inaudible “Tsk.”
Gu Chuanzhou coldly scanned Zhang Xingkuoâs appearance and then indifferently looked away, as if he had only glanced at an irrelevant character. He turned and grabbed the wrist of the helpless Yu Xi, saying, “Xixi, letâs go.”
Neither of them communicated, but Yu Xi already felt the ominous atmosphere between them. Realizing the best method right now was to separate them, he waved his hand at Zhang Xingkuo: “Xingxing, you eat breakfast first. Iâll be back in a bit.”
Zhang Xingkuo gave a gloomy glance at the man behind Yu Xi, suppressed his emotions, and said, “Just come back early to accompany me.”
“Okay, okay.”
Yu Xi followed Gu Chuanzhou out of the Pei house. After walking onto the garden path with fresh air, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
In the next second, Gu Chuanzhouâs inquiry made his nerves tighten again.
“You slept together last night?”
“Uh, mhm… he was caught in the rain, and it was too late to go back conveniently, so he stayed at the Pei house.” Yu Xi weighed his words while glancing at Gu Chuanzhouâs expression.
Gu Chuanzhou noticed his scrutiny and the corner of his mouth hooked slightly. “Are you very afraid Iâll be unhappy?”
Yu Xi thought seriously and chose to nod honestly.
“Don’t worry. Even if he can’t stand me or tolerate me, I will maintain a superficial peace with him to avoid conflict. I won’t make you feel caught in the middle.”
Yu Xiâs fingertips trembled slightly. Gu Chuanzhouâs thumb intentionally or unintentionally rubbed the inner side of his wrist, seemingly as an act of comfort.
“Don’t feel pressured. Out of family interests, I must do this as well.”
Yu Xi gave a small response and set his heart at ease for the time being.
Actually, he wasn’t particularly worried about Gu Chuanzhou; Gu Chuanzhou was steady and rational, and wouldn’t be swayed by emotions. It was mainly Xingxingâs side…
Yu Xi walked absentmindedly with Gu Chuanzhou, looking at the small fountain and the newly planted flowers in the flower beds. When it was almost time to go back, Gu Chuanzhou suddenly said he needed to make a call, so Yu Xi waited a bit longer.
In less than two minutes, Gu Chuanzhou finished and returned. “Letâs go, Iâll take you back.”
What Yu Xi didn’t expect was that after returning to the Pei house, Auntie Wan said that a few minutes ago, Zhang Xingkuoâs father had sent people over to catch him and take him back. They were forceful and couldn’t be refused, but they didn’t forget etiquette, leaving a pile of apology gifts. The card stated these were apologies for his “humble son” disturbing the esteemed household.
It was a bit sudden. Recalling the current relationship between Zhang Xingkuo and his father, Yu Xi couldn’t help but feel worried.
At this moment, warmth came from his shoulder. Gu Chuanzhou led him to sit on the sofa and comforted him softly: “Heâll be fine. Mrs. Zhang is home; father and son won’t be able to start a fight.”
Yu Xi nodded and used his phone to send a message to Zhang Xingkuo, waiting for him to contact him.
The content on the phone screen fell entirely into Gu Chuanzhouâs eyes, twisting into a dark whirlpool that submerged into a black abyss. But the moment Yu Xi looked up, it returned to a state of serenity.
“From childhood until now, you really do care about him the most.” Gu Chuanzhouâs lips pulled slightly, inexplicably revealing a bit of desolation. But looking closely again, it seemed like an illusion.
Yu Xi wanted to say he cared about everyone, but felt it wouldn’t be very effective. He troubledly picked at his hand, suddenly remembered something, and ran upstairs.
Two minutes later, he came down with a paper bag and sat back down beside Gu Chuanzhou, saying, “Let me show you a few things!”
Gu Chuanzhou saw his hidden anticipation and grew curious. “What is it?”
The paper bag in Yu Xiâs hand was originally for clothes, but from the sound inside, it seemed to be filled with many small trinkets. It rustled as he brought it over.
“Ta-da!”
Yu Xi opened the paper bag, and a sea of green met his eyes.
It was palm grass, woven into several kinds of insects or animals.
Gu Chuanzhou picked one up to examine it closely, praising, “Itâs made very beautifully. Yunshu and the others will definitely be very happy to receive them.”
“I newly learned how to make birds. This one was a bit hard; I practiced for a long time before making one I was satisfied with.” Yu Xi found it at the bottom and placed it in Gu Chuanzhouâs hand. “Is it pretty?”
“Itâs pretty.” Gu Chuanzhou nodded.
“Iâm glad you like it. Itâs for you.” Yu Xi smiled and then proceeded to take out butterflies, frogs, grasshoppers… he took out everything in the paper bag. “Thereâs also a wood carving. I didn’t know what youâd like, so I made the ‘Kitten Fishing’ one Iâm best at.”
He piled the items into Gu Chuanzhouâs lap and gave an excited explanation, saying palm grass was hard to buy and he had made so many, which was why it took so long. He also said he originally wanted to buy a box to make it more formal before giving them, but he couldn’t wait.
Yu Xi spoke until his mouth was a bit tired, only to find that Gu Chuanzhou had been looking down at the items in his lap without a reaction. His heart immediately began to throb with unease.
He adjusted his sitting posture and asked softly, “Do you not like them?”
“I like them.” Gu Chuanzhou looked up, his expression actually having a few hints of fluster. “Iâm just… a bit too surprised. Very few people give me gifts. I didn’t know what to say.”
“How could that be? Many people must give you gifts, and they must be more precious than mine. All I can give are these small things that aren’t worth much money.” Yu Xi only assumed Gu Chuanzhou was saying nice things to coax him.
While he was making them, he had been thinking about what Gu Chuanzhouâs reaction would be. As a child, he had thought that if only Gu Chuanzhou would also say he wanted a grass-woven grasshopper like the other kids, their relationship could be closer. But in the end, Gu Chuanzhou always stood far away, and Yu Xi didn’t have the courage to ask.
Later… on that snowy day of winter vacation, when Gu Chuanzhou was confined at home because of him, he finally dared to send some insignificant small things over.
Actually, he knew Gu Chuanzhou didn’t lack these things, but he still had the thick skin to send them every day; otherwise, he would have no reason to see Gu Chuanzhou.
Even as an adult, he still didn’t have anything impressive to offer.
With Gu Chuanzhouâs status, he could possess everything ordinary people couldn’t buy in a lifetime of effort. Even without speaking, many people would bring expensive gifts to his door. And what he could give were only these humble little trinkets.
He had thought of Gu Chuanzhouâs expression when he saw the small Gundam wood carving he made for Pei Wang, so he still made them with full anticipation, unknowingly making many.
“No, Xixi.”
Yu Xiâs hand was held. He looked up and met Gu Chuanzhouâs eyes, which were as deep as the sea.
There seemed to be many undecipherable and unspeakable things surging within them.
“The things those people give can’t be called gifts; they all have something to gain. Only youâthese things you made are truly priceless treasures.”
Gu Chuanzhou reached out, brushing away a strand of hair resting on Yu Xiâs brow. Yu Xiâs eyelashes were brushed over by his sleeve, feeling itchy, and he couldn’t help but blink.
He heard Gu Chuanzhou say again, “Don’t say things like what you just said anymore. What you can do is so much more than this.”
“What you can give, others will never be able to give.”
[Warning: Be careful, baby. Heâs plotting so much more than you think!]
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