Gu Qichi was a college freshman. His dormitory building was Building B in Zone C, which was only a four or five-minute walk from Building A where Bo Yu lived, so dropping him off wasn’t a difficult task at all.

During the interview inside the stadium just now, Bo Yu had a look of impatience on his face. He hadn’t even unzipped the bag on his chair, making it obvious that he didn’t want to stay any longer and intended to go back to his dorm to rest early.

Gu Qichi had seen through his thoughts, which was why he lingered outside the door for a few extra minutes, wanting to see if he could bump into Bo Yu when he came out first.

Unexpectedly, he actually did bump into him.

As soon as he finished speaking, Bo Yu took his umbrella out of his bag and stood straightforwardly beside him.

“Where do you live?” He opened the umbrella and turned to look at Gu Qichi.

The umbrella was very large, the canopy wide enough to cover two people. Besides, Gu Qichi had a slender build, so there was no need to squeeze together.

Gu Qichi quickly answered his question. Bo Yu raised an eyebrow, didn’t say anything, and signaled for Gu Qichi to walk with him.

The two boys walked shoulder to shoulder at a brisk pace.

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, looking at the ground. He carefully avoided the puddles on the road the entire way, making his pace inevitably slower. He originally thought Bo Yu would find him bothersome, but the other actually slowed down specifically to wait for him, which surprised Gu Qichi a little.

But no matter how careful he was, the splashing water droplets from walking still hit his pant legs. Before long, Gu Qichi’s pant legs were wet, clinging uncomfortably to his ankles.

Gu Qichi’s dormitory building was a bit further than Bo Yu’s. Upon arriving at Building A, he glanced at Bo Yu somewhat hesitantly, paused, and then spoke: “Senior, how about you just drop me off here? I can walk the rest of the way myself.”

The streetlights overhead cast a dim yellow glow, blurred by the suspended raindrops in the air. Through the umbrella, Gu Qichi could only clearly see the pale yellow mist of rain floating in front of him. Bo Yu stood beside him, most of his face hidden in the shadows, his lips appearing somewhat thin.

He turned his face, raised his handsome eyebrows, and spoke with an ambiguous tone: “In this heavy rain, you’re going to run back and get drenched?”

Gu Qichi stopped and looked up at his face.

His eye color was light, and even under such dim lighting, it remained crystal clear. They were clearly flirtatious, peach-blossom eyes, yet his gaze was exceptionally pure and clean, like an ignorant and innocent cat.

Gu Qichi spoke slowly: “There’s no other way… unless, Senior, you’re willing to lend me the umbrella?”

His lips parted and closed, carrying a hint of cautious probing as he waited for his answer.

Right at that moment, a bicycle suddenly rushed out from behind him. It was only a few steps away and about to crash into Gu Qichi.

With quick reflexes, Bo Yu yanked him over. Because the force was too great, Gu Qichi was suddenly pulled right into Bo Yu’s embrace.

He had a very faint fragrance on him—not perfume, but the scent of laundry detergent. The umbrella was tilted back, so Gu Qichi couldn’t see, but he could hear Bo Yu yelling in an unfriendly tone at the person behind them: “Do you not watch the road when you ride?”

The other person was flustered and hurriedly apologized: “I’m sorry, the lighting is too dim, and with the rain making the road slippery, I couldn’t brake properly.”

The two exchanged a few more words before Bo Yu looked down at Gu Qichi, who was still pressed against his chest, and reminded him, “Gu Qichi, are you not planning to get off me?”

Gu Qichi awkwardly struggled out of his embrace. Just as he was about to explain, Bo Yu wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer again.

Bo Yu’s smile didn’t fade as he asked thoughtfully, “Why are you staying so far away from me? Gu Qichi, are you very afraid of me?”

Gu Qichi didn’t answer him, but asked back, “Senior, then are you going to lend me the umbrella?”

Borrowing the umbrella would give him an excuse, making it convenient for him to ask Bo Yu out alone next time.

This was his ultimate goal for tonight.

Bo Yu let go, lifting his chin slightly: “No need to borrow it. Didn’t I say I’d walk you? I’ll walk you back.”

Gu Qichi gave a dry response, curling his fingertips, feeling a bit disappointed.

…………
…………

Freshman courses were packed, and the demands on students were high. Even if Gu Qichi had the heart to look for Bo Yu, he simply lacked the energy and could only be trapped in countless classes.

The school basketball team had actually sent him an email early on. Gu Qichi glanced at it; the general idea was that he had been chosen to be the team manager.

Gu Qichi went to the basketball court once in between, but didn’t see Bo Yu. He heard from others that his advisor took him to participate in a competition this week, and he wouldn’t be back until next week. Gu Qichi didn’t say anything after hearing that, but he didn’t make time to go to the gym to look for him anymore.

The next time he saw Bo Yu was in front of Dormitory Building A.

Gu Qichi had just returned from an evening class, carrying a freshly made cup of Mango Pomelo Sago in his hand. He pulled the straw out of the packaging bag, and just as he was about to insert it, he saw a man and a woman standing in front of Building A.

The man was Bo Yu, whom Gu Qichi recognized; the woman was unknown to him.

But what he could gather was that this girl liked Bo Yu.

Because Gu Qichi had stumbled right onto her confession scene.

The girl wore a long chiffon shirt dress. The evening breeze lifted the hem of the skirt, revealing a pair of slender calves.

From Gu Qichi’s angle, he could only see that she and Bo Yu were talking about something, and he could guess what they were saying with his toes.

Gu Qichi’s eyes darkened. Forgetting about his fruit tea, he put the straw back into the bag, stood rooted to the spot, and stared motionlessly at the two of them.

The weather was hot. Bo Yu wore a striped blue and white shirt paired with ordinary white dress pants.

The scattered light cast uneven shadows on his face. Bo Yu’s expression was faint, his eyes lowered, looking at the girl opposite him without much emotion.

“Bo Yu, I like you, can you…”

“No.” Bo Yu interrupted her, not letting her finish her sentence. “I have no intention of dating.”

The girl quickly showed a disappointed expression, but still asked, somewhat unwilling to give up, “Is there no possibility at all?”

Bo Yu nodded. Just as he was about to answer that there was absolutely no possibility, his eyes flashed, and he unexpectedly caught sight of a figure in his peripheral vision.

Tall and thin, with a bit of childishness between his brows and eyes, his expression didn’t look very good, as if he was angry.

Like being possessed, he swallowed that answer back and inexplicably gave another answer: “I like boys.” He paused, as if he himself hadn’t expected it, and added somewhat awkwardly, “I’m gay.”

Bo Yu actually had nothing to hide about his sexuality, it’s just that no one had ever asked before, and even fewer people could stop him at the dormitory door, so he had never mentioned it.

The girl opposite him showed a look of deep astonishment, her expression complex. After a long while, she finally popped out a few words: “I wish you happiness?”

“Then do you have someone you like now?”

This time, Bo Yu shook his head: “No, not right now.”

Just not right now didn’t mean there wouldn’t be in the future.

…………
…………

Gu Qichi didn’t wait downstairs for long, because Bo Yu’s speed in rejecting her was exceptionally fast.

When that girl left, her steps were hurried, and one could even see the embarrassment on her face.

Gu Qichi’s mood quickly changed from cloudy to clear, and even the smiles on his face increased.

He re-inserted the straw into the cup and took a sip of the Mango Pomelo Sago, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction like a satiated cat.

Having gotten a satisfying answer, just as he was about to leave, his shoulder was suddenly grabbed.

Startled, Gu Qichi turned his head in confusion, only to see the person who was just standing at the door now standing right in front of him.

Bo Yu held his shoulder, his gaze falling on the Mango Pomelo Sago in his hand, and said lazily, “What are you running for?”

Gu Qichi stood completely still, his facial expression a bit blank.

He answered calmly, “I didn’t run.”

Bo Yu laughed again: “Then what are you staying here looking at? Enjoying the show?”

Gu Qichi glanced at the spot where he had just stood, then looked at himself, his fingers tightening around the cup.

With an indifferent expression on his face, cold and faint, revealing no clues, he explained placidly, “I was just passing by. Going back to Building B naturally requires passing by Building A.”

Bo Yu looked down at him, finding him very interesting.

Before he came back, he had heard from Sheng Qing that a certain team manager was very enthusiastic about the work at first, running to the team as soon as classes ended.

But not long after learning the news that he wasn’t there, he immediately reverted to his true slacker nature, disappearing for days at a time.

Even without saying it was as obvious as daylight, anyone could tell that the “thing” Gu Qichi mentioned he was interested in during the interview referred to him.

In short, Bo Yu was a “thing”.

Those were Sheng Qing’s exact words.

Not only did he tease him about this, but Sheng Qing also didn’t spare any effort in making fun of him in voice messages.

“Bo Yu, hurry back. If you don’t come back soon, the junior will lose interest in you.”

“The bunch of rough guys on the team all like Gu Qichi more than the next.”

Bo Yu was in charge of project research at the time and didn’t have time to reply, but while writing his report, he couldn’t help but lick his teeth, repeatedly wondering what exactly Gu Qichi found interesting about him.

Now that they had met, the junior had a cold demeanor towards him, making it hard for Bo Yu not to suspect whether the person Gu Qichi was interested in was actually him, or someone else entirely.

At this thought, his eyes flashed, and his grip on Gu Qichi’s hand unconsciously tightened until Gu Qichi frowned in pain, prompting him to realize and let go.

“Since we bumped into each other, let’s go to Xia Ji together. We’ll take my car.”

Bo Yu resumed his previous casual manner and changed the subject.

Gu Qichi frowned in confusion, looking up at him: “Why take me along?”

This didn’t seem to have anything to do with him.

His tone was too matter-of-fact, causing Bo Yu to freeze. He asked doubtfully, “Isn’t the school basketball team throwing a welcome party for you and the others today?”

An awkward expression appeared on Gu Qichi’s face.

It seemed there was indeed such a thing.

The team captain had previously asked if he had time to come out for dinner, but didn’t say it was a welcome party.

Gu Qichi actually had time, but since Bo Yu wasn’t there, and he was too lazy to socialize, he simply made an excuse to brush it off, saying he would see when the time came.

But today, right after class, he hurriedly bought a drink and rushed back to the dorm without having time to check his phone messages.

Sure enough, as soon as he opened his phone, Sheng Qing’s WeChat bombardment appeared.

All of them were asking if he had time today.

Gu Qichi was a bit embarrassed. Just as he wanted to reply, holding books and milk tea in his hands made him a bit flustered.

Bo Yu raised an eyebrow, naturally taking the things from his hands, waiting for him to reply to Sheng Qing.

After replying, Gu Qichi uncharacteristically explained with a bit of guilt: “I didn’t look at my phone.”

Bo Yu laughed at him, waving the things in his hand.

“Are we leaving now then?” Gu Qichi hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

…………
…………

Xia Ji was the most famous barbecue stall near A University. It had heavy foot traffic and car traffic. The rising and falling honking sounds gave people headaches, yet they echoed with the boss’s shouting, forming a unique summer scenery.

Bo Yu drove over but couldn’t find a parking spot nearby, so he had to let Gu Qichi get off first while he went over a bit later.

Gu Qichi didn’t say anything, just moved slightly, got out of the car quietly, and waited at the original spot for Bo Yu to come over.

Only after Bo Yu found a parking space did the two walk into the alley shoulder to shoulder.

Neither of them noticed that on Bo Yu’s passenger seat lay a student ID card quietly.

The words written on it were clearly visible—
Name: Gu Qichi.

By the time the two arrived at Xia Ji, a case of beer was already spread out on the table, and there were two more cases by Sheng Qing’s feet.

In front of everyone was a handful of freshly grilled skewers, sizzling with oil and mixed with the aroma of cumin, exceptionally enticing.

Sheng Qing had sharp eyes and spotted Gu Qichi following behind Bo Yu from far away. As if thinking of something, he smiled with malicious intent.

“Bo Yu! Over here!”

He waved twice, successfully attracting Gu Qichi’s attention. As soon as the two walked over and before they even sat steadily, Sheng Qing slammed two glasses of beer down in front of him with a “clang”.

“Junior, can you drink?” Sheng Qing asked him teasingly.

Gu Qichi froze for a moment. Looking at the bubbling beer in front of him, just as he was about to shake his head, Bo Yu’s hand covered the glass: “Does he look like he can drink? Sheng Qing, don’t bully the newbie.”

With Bo Yu speaking up, Sheng Qing didn’t dare to act out again. Just as he was about to sit back dejectedly, Gu Qichi opposite him picked up the glass in front of him and looked up at Bo Yu: “I can drink.”

Bo Yu raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on his face. Sheng Qing, however, got excited and immediately opened another bottle of beer from the table and placed it in front of him.

Sheng Qing: “Come, junior, there’s plenty of alcohol today.”

Since he said he could drink, Bo Yu didn’t stop him anymore, just sitting beside him, silently counting the amount he drank.

Sheng Qing drank like a water buffalo. While others drank alcohol, he grew up soaking in it. If Sheng Qing really toasted Gu Qichi, it would be uncertain if he could even make it back tonight.

The school basketball team were all tall and burly guys, each taller than the last, with appetites bigger than the last. The skewers on the table were cleared plate after plate, and the beer quickly reached the bottom.

Bo Yu went to settle the bill halfway through. By the time he returned, Gu Qichi’s chin was resting on his glass, thoroughly drunk. Staring at Sheng Qing across from him, he asked foolishly, “Where did Bo Yu go?”

He spoke clearly, but his speed was much slower, like a sloth, popping words out one by one.

Bo Yu sat next to him, lowered his eyes, and wanted to reach out to take the glass from his hand, but Gu Qichi clung onto it tightly.

“How many glasses did he have?” Bo Yu asked Sheng Qing crossly.

Sheng Qing: “Not much, just three glasses…”

Drunk like this after three glasses, and he still dared to say he could drink. Bo Yu hooked his lips, at a loss for words for a moment.

Gu Qichi was heavily drunk, the area around his eyes flushed red, and a patch of pink spread down his profile to his neck. He was also acting dazed, only staring at Bo Yu and giggling.

Bo Yu looked at him for a long while, sighed helplessly, and said to Sheng Qing’s group: “I’ll take him back first, you guys handle the rest yourselves.”

The group of people, who loved watching a good show, watched them leave.

…………

Gu Qichi was very well-behaved when drunk. He went wherever he was pointed and agreed with whatever was said.

After getting into the car and sitting in the passenger seat, he closed his eyes, looking as if he wanted to fall asleep immediately.

Bo Yu leaned over to help him buckle his seatbelt. Just as he leaned down, the person who had closed his eyes suddenly opened them.

Gu Qichi looked at him, pulled something out from behind his back, and mumbled, “So uncomfortable.”

After helping him buckle up, Bo Yu stared at the item in his hand and asked, “What is this?”

Gu Qichi struggled to lean closer, stating very matter-of-factly: “Can’t you tell? It’s my campus card—”

Perhaps because the distance was too close, the hot breath Gu Qichi exhaled blew right onto Bo Yu’s face. He looked down at him. After a long while, Bo Yu brushed aside the stray hairs on Gu Qichi’s forehead, his gaze sweeping over his face inch by inch.

“Why is your campus card in my car? Also,” Bo Yu didn’t retreat but leaned in closer, “Gu Qichi, have I met you somewhere before?”

The cicadas outside the window chirped hoarsely, and the sound of people urging each other to drink could still be heard.

Gu Qichi heard the sound of his own heartbeat vibrating in his chest, beat by beat.

He didn’t answer yes or no, but asked back, “Where do you think you’ve seen me?”

Bo Yu narrowed his eyes. The doubts of the past few days were finally uncovered, and a blurry outline in his mind gradually became clear, overlapping with the person in front of him.

“Yuling Mountain?”

Gu Qichi’s eyes lit up for a moment, and his lips curved into two shallow dimples: “You remembered?”

Bo Yu nodded, but the time he first met Gu Qichi surfaced in his mind.

At that time, he was just a freshman, going camping on Yuling Mountain with Sheng Qing and the others.

The air on the mountain was good, and there were many stars visible. Bo Yu took an astronomical telescope, planning to stargaze at the summit. But before he could reach the top and set up the equipment, a child crashed into his arms.

This kid had missed a step and tumbled down the mountain, almost hitting a rock. Fortunately, Bo Yu had quick reflexes and caught him, saving him from disaster.

It was just that the child’s luck wasn’t very good; he broke his lower leg bone, his face was covered in dust from the fall, and his features were scrunched up as he grimaced and cried out in pain.

Bo Yu carried him down the mountain on his back, called an ambulance to send him to the hospital, and tossed and turned for half the night until dawn, when the secretary of the child’s parents finally arrived.

No matter how you looked at it, the other party’s parents were unreliable. Bo Yu simply played the good guy to the end, buying breakfast and lunch for Gu Qichi, advancing his medical bills, and only leaving the hospital after confirming he was fine.

Now it seemed, that kid was indeed Gu Qichi.

Gu Qichi mumbled something, but Bo Yu didn’t hear clearly.

But immediately after, he leaned closer again, grabbing Bo Yu’s collar. Looking at him seriously: “I said I would come find you, but you completely forgot…”

Not arguing with a drunkard is an eternal truth. Bo Yu held back his laughter and smoothly replied: “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

Gu Qichi let him go, sat up straight, and shoved the campus card in his hand into the gap of the seat behind him.

Bo Yu raised an eyebrow: “Aren’t you afraid of losing the card?”

Gu Qichi shook his head: “Not afraid. I intended to drop it in there anyway.”

Bo Yu’s guess in his heart was somewhat confirmed. Not in a hurry to return to school, he began to fish for information from the cooperative Gu Qichi: “Why did you drop it in there?”

Gu Qichi looked dazed, looking up at him. His amber pupils were exceptionally clear under the light. His lips parted and closed, popping out an answer: “Because I wanted to see you again next time.”

Bo Yu followed his logic and continued: “Why use the campus card?”

Bo Yu: “If you want to see me again, couldn’t you just tell me directly?”

Both of them actually knew the answer to this question perfectly well, just neither of them took the initiative to point it out. Bo Yu was even more curious about what answer Gu Qichi would give him.

But what Bo Yu didn’t expect was that Gu Qichi was far more straightforward than he had imagined.

He sat up straight, the drunkenness on his face clear, still looking a bit dazed.

He answered him: “Because I want to pursue you.”

Bo Yu froze in place, his usual composure completely vanishing. The Gu Qichi opposite him was completely oblivious and continued:

“Bo Yu, if I were the one pursuing you, would you agree?”