When Bo Yu found Gu Qichi, he was leaning against the corner of the wall looking somewhat despondent, his fingers tightly gripping his test paper, not knowing what he was thinking about.

“Chichi, what’s wrong?”

Bo Yu strode over, stopping by Gu Qichi’s side.

Gu Qichi glanced at him, his lips trembling twice as if he wanted to ask something. After hesitating to speak several times, he finally swallowed his words back down.

Seeing that his complexion didn’t look right, Bo Yu reached out, took the test paper from his hands, and then reached to feel the temperature of Gu Qichi’s forehead. Not noticing an excessively high temperature, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But Bo Yu still wasn’t reassured. He frowned and said: “You don’t have a fever, so why is your complexion so ugly? It must be because you’ve been staying up late too much recently, and your body can’t handle it anymore.”

Gu Qichi took a deep breath, lifted his eyelids, and quietly looked at Bo Yu, who was repeatedly nagging him.

The other boy’s face was full of worry; even though he was lecturing him, there still wasn’t half a hint of blame in his tone.

Bo Yu enveloped Gu Qichi’s hands entirely with his own, rubbing them repeatedly for him, “Why are your hands cold too? They shouldn’t be. I’ll warm them up for you.”

Gu Qichi pursed his lips and suddenly called out his name without rhyme or reason.

“Bo Yu.”

Bo Yu pressed his hands with increased force, raised his chin to look at him, and said with a bad attitude: “Don’t act spoiled. Tonight, you are not allowed to stay up late doing practice problems. You must go to bed early for me.”

The setting sun dyed the evening clouds an orange-red, shining golden through the layers of mist and clouds. The sultry wind blew through the corridor, stirring up a wave of heat. Beams of light projected onto the windows, and the light spots hit Bo Yu’s face, blurring a part of his facial contours.

“Let’s go. I’m taking you home.”

Bo Yu held Gu Qichi’s hand, leading him downstairs without allowing any room for argument.

The loose, short sleeves of their school uniforms billowed in the wind. The noisy chirping of cicadas rang in their ears, and their two shadows on the ground were stretched infinitely long. Looking at his hand intertwined with Bo Yu’s, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Gu Qichi’s palm.

His heartbeat uncontrollably sped up; even his blood couldn’t help but boil, clamoring restlessly within his body.

Gu Qichi turned his head to look at Bo Yu and lowered his eyelids. He could sense that at this moment, something had changed.

…………

…………

That night, Gu Qichi was exceptionally quiet and reticent; he barely even touched his dinner.

When Bo Yu asked about it, he only said he was feeling unwell and didn’t have much of an appetite, and that he would be fine after sleeping it off.

Bo Yu originally wanted to call the family doctor over to see if something was wrong with Gu Qichi’s heart, but was stopped by Gu Qichi.

With a somewhat helpless look on his face, he snatched the phone from Bo Yu’s hand: “Bo Yu, really, nothing’s wrong. It’s just too hot, and I don’t have an appetite, that’s all. Don’t make such a big fuss.”

Bo Yu’s brows were tightly knitted. Gu Qichi didn’t look sick, but his condition was truly not right, making him really uneasy.

Seeing that he couldn’t be persuaded, Gu Qichi had to change his approach: “I want to sleep early tonight, no more staying up late. Bo Yu, do you want to sleep early with me?”

He thought for a moment and continued to add: “If you guard by my side, you’ll be the first to notice if anything goes wrong with my body.”

Hearing him say this, Bo Yu finally softened his expression, but still couldn’t help complaining: “Not just tonight, you can’t stay up late in the future either. Dr. Zhao said your heart isn’t good, you need to take care of your body and can’t overwork yourself.”

“Alright, alright, I know, stop nagging.”

Normally, Bo Yu was clearly a man of few words and no smiles. When he encountered classmates, he didn’t even want to say a single extra sentence. But whenever it came to him, he acted like an elder, managing this and managing that, nagging endlessly every day.

Gu Qichi sometimes wondered if his classmates would find their filters of Bo Yu shattered completely if they discovered he was like this.

Bo Yu lowered his eyelashes, reached out, and pinched Gu Qichi’s earlobe. Seeing that bit of soft flesh turn red from his rubbing, he finally retracted his hand in satisfaction: “Then go wash up, it’s getting late.”

Gu Qichi nodded, and the two walked into the washroom one after the other.

The items on the bathroom counter were arranged very neatly, but with a casual glance, one could see that the items placed there were either exactly the same or of a similar style.

Toothpaste, toothbrushes, facial cleansers, and various skincare products…

Gu Qichi slowly brushed his teeth, his gaze sweeping over his and Bo Yu’s faces in the mirror, zoning out a little. When Bo Yu brought him back to the Bo family, the two of them were only five years old. At that time, brushing their teeth in front of the mirror was a bit difficult for them; they had to rely on small step stools to see each other’s faces in the mirror.

But now, they didn’t need small stools. He and Bo Yu could already see their own faces side by side.

Time really flew by fast.

Gu Qichi spat out the toothpaste foam in his mouth, rinsed his mouth with clean water, stepped out of the washroom first, and got under the covers.

Actually, he didn’t need Bo Yu to say it; he knew he needed to rest. Even an iron man couldn’t handle running non-stop for so many days straight, let alone him, whose health wasn’t that good to begin with.

Within moments, Gu Qichi fell into a deep sleep, entering dreamland.

The sound of water in the bathroom echoed for a long time. Wearing his pajamas, Bo Yu dried his hair a couple of times. Catching a glimpse of Gu Qichi’s sleeping figure from the corner of his eye, he involuntarily lightened his footsteps.

He leaned in, half-kneeling on the bed, parted the bangs on one side of Gu Qichi’s forehead, and quietly looked at him.

Gu Qichi slept very soundly and had forgotten to turn on the AC. Probably sensing the low temperature, he wrapped himself tightly in the blanket, his face flushed red from the stifling heat.

Not knowing what he was dreaming about, the corners of his lips curved up, revealing a very faint smile, and a dimple unconsciously formed at his lip.

Bo Yu reached out to poke his dimple, leaning down and getting close to his face.

The warm air from Gu Qichi’s breathing brushed against his face. Bo Yu shifted his hand, moving from the dimple to his eyes, poking his eyelashes.

Gu Qichi’s eyelashes were very long, curling upwards in a very natural arc. Through the dim yellow light of the bedside night lamp, they cast a very faint shadow on the skin of his lower eyelids.

Bo Yu poked a few more times and muttered to himself: “Gu Qichi, when are you finally going to understand love…”

After saying this, he laughed at himself mockingly: “What understanding love, you’re still so young, you shouldn’t be dating early.”

Besides, if Gu Qichi knew he liked him, he would probably be scared away…

But, if Gu Qichi did understand love, and really had someone he liked…

Bo Yu’s hand slowly tightened. His dark eyes were deep, emotions surging within, making it hard to read what he was thinking.

Suddenly, Gu Qichi shifted beneath him.

Likely feeling uncomfortable from Bo Yu continuously poking his eyelashes, Gu Qichi rolled over in his sleep, and his lips just happened to brush against the side of Bo Yu’s face.

The warm sensation vanished at a touch. Free from Bo Yu’s harassment, Gu Qichi slept sweetly, leaving Bo Yu alone, slumped on the bed, dumbfounded for a long time.

After a long while, he finally reached up to touch his own face. His eyelashes trembled slightly as he tried to recall the sensation from just now, finding it incredibly clear yet incredibly blurry.

The culprit showed no sign of waking up, even sleep-talking a few words.

Bo Yu sat frozen for a long while again. Finally, feeling exceptionally unfair, he indignantly slipped under the covers, hugged Gu Qichi, and took a bite out of his collarbone, leaving a conspicuous teeth mark before finally falling asleep.

…………

The afternoon summer sun was blindingly bright. Gu Qichi waved his hand, raising his arm to block his eyes. After a long while, he finally squinted, lowered his hand, and adjusted to the light.

He didn’t know when, but someone was standing in front of him—

Blue and white school uniform, tall with long legs, broad shoulders and narrow waist, deep facial contours. When he looked down at people from above, he always appeared cold.

After adjusting to the light, Gu Qichi saw the other person’s face clearly and froze.

He was just about to ask him why he was standing there not saying anything, when he saw Bo Yu opposite him fish around in his pocket twice, and then pull out a completely clean envelope.

The style was almost exactly the same as the one he saw this afternoon, except the color was changed to light blue, and there were a few cat head stickers on it.

What was handed to him this afternoon was a love letter, so what was in front of him right now… what was it?

A rare look of panic appeared on Gu Qichi’s face. He struggled, wanting to back away, only to realize he was standing in the exact same corner as he had been this afternoon.

Trapped in a dilemma.

Bo Yu didn’t speak, but Gu Qichi felt as if his throat had been grabbed by someone—tight, hoarse, and difficult to speak.

The two confronted each other quietly like this. Bo Yu stared at him, his gaze like a torch. The aura of dominance emanating from him was exceptionally clear, so intense it seemed to wrap Gu Qichi up completely.

Bo Yu handed the love letter in his hand to him, but Gu Qichi didn’t take it.

Pressed against the corner of the wall, all sorts of memories of his interactions with Bo Yu flashed continuously through his mind. He spoke in near panic: “Bo Yu, boys can’t like boys.”

Bo Yu shoved the love letter into his hand, his expression an irresistible hardness. He stepped closer, pinning him against the wall, leaving him no room to retreat.

“Gu Qichi, I like you.”

“Boys can also like boys.”

Bo Yu moved his hand to the back of his neck, forcing him to lift his head and look him straight in the eyes.

Their eyes met. The dark ink in Bo Yu’s eyes surged. Gu Qichi’s mind was in total chaos; all he could hear was Bo Yu emphasizing word by word in front of him: “Gu Qichi, I am allowed to like you.”

When Bo Yu kissed him, Gu Qichi completely forgot to resist, only remembering the feeling of teeth bumping and lips pressing together…

His heart was beating at a frequency as if it were going to explode. Scalding hot blood pumped and flowed through his body, boiling, almost filling him up completely.

Gu Qichi felt as if he had fallen into the deep sea; all his other senses were sealed off, leaving him only able to hear the violent drumming at his eardrums, thumping against his chest again and again.

…………

…………

Suddenly, he woke up from the bed with a start. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and an unnatural flush covered his face and neck.

Bo Yu’s arm was still resting on his waist. Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, looking at Bo Yu in front of him, panting heavily, while trying hard not to make a sound.

The windows in the room were tightly shut, and the AC had stopped running according to its timer setting. The air drifted with a stifling, damp heat, along with suppressed breathing sounds.

Gu Qichi didn’t dare to move. He stared stiffly at Bo Yu in front of him, his hands gripping the blanket deathly tight.

Normally, at the slightest rustle, Bo Yu would wake up immediately. Today, for some unknown reason, Bo Yu was still sleeping.

Gu Qichi’s hanging heart settled down. Letting go of the corner of the blanket, he realized his palms were full of hot, damp sweat.

Holding his breath, he moved his leg extremely slowly, stepping over Bo Yu, trying hard not to make any noise lest he wake him up.

But no matter how careful he was, habits formed over many years couldn’t be changed. Upon hearing the trivial sound, Bo Yu groggily opened his eyes. He reached out, caught Gu Qichi’s wrist, and spoke with a slightly sticky voice: “Chichi, where are you going?”

Sweat was about to break out on Gu Qichi’s forehead. In the dark night, his clear eyes stared at Bo Yu as he swallowed hard.

“Just going to the washroom, you go to sleep.”

But Bo Yu subconsciously wanted to get up: “I’ll go with you, I’ll guard the door for you.”

Gu Qichi’s heart jumped into his throat in an instant. He exhaled, pretending to be calm, and pried Bo Yu’s hand open.

“No need, I’ll be quick, you hurry and sleep.”

Bo Yu was so sleepy he couldn’t open his eyes. He still wanted to continue speaking, but was pushed back down by Gu Qichi: “I’ll really be quick, Bo Yu, no need to accompany me.”

Having been teased by Gu Qichi’s unintentional kiss all night long, he hadn’t fallen asleep until the middle of the night. He was truly dead tired, so rarely, he didn’t insist and honestly went back to sleep.

Gu Qichi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Seeing Bo Yu fall into a deep sleep, he didn’t even put on his shoes, just walked into the bathroom barefoot like that.

It was just that his posture was a bit strange.

The light in the bathroom shone blindingly bright. Gu Qichi splashed his face with cold water a couple of times, but his mood still hadn’t calmed down.

His hands rested on the edge of the sink, his fingers gripping so hard they turned white.

Quite a few water droplets splattered onto the mirror. The person inside had a large patch of crimson spreading from the roots of his ears to his cheeks, neck, and chest—hard to ignore even if he wanted to.

He raised his hand to wipe away the water droplets and splashed more cold water, vainly attempting to cool himself down.

Separated by a wall, Bo Yu outside the door was also sleeping restlessly. In his dream, Gu Qichi was like a fox spirit, entangling with him repeatedly, impossible to touch or grasp.

It was a long time before Gu Qichi’s emotions finally stabilized. He sat on the toilet lid, looking at that pair of underwear in the trash can, constantly pondering how to destroy the evidence.

The trash at home was always cleaned up and thrown away by the nanny; Bo Yu and Gu Qichi rarely lifted a finger themselves. If he rashly took the trash away, Bo Yu would definitely notice something was wrong and ask him for the reason.

But he couldn’t say it…

Unable to find a suitable solution, Gu Qichi couldn’t hold it back and cursed for the first time in his life:

“Fuck.”